TiVo gets official with Desktop Plus 2.6, enables web video viewing

Well, what do you know? TiVo's delivering as promised with this one, as Desktop Plus 2.6 is indeed going live in March -- just like we were told back in January (and nary a week after TiVo promised YouTube access later this year). Truth be told, there's not a whole lot here that you didn't already get a taste of in our hands-on at CES, but here's the skinny. As of today, TiVo users can grab hold of the latest version of Desktop (Windows only, we're afraid) and "enjoy a broad range of web entertainment available directly from their TV." More specifically, these customers "can choose web videos downloaded on the home PC using web browsers, RSS video clients such as iTunes podcasts, or other video download software to automatically copy to their TiVo DVR's Now Playing List alongside recorded broadcast and cable TV shows." In case you couldn't tell, Desktop Plus 2.6 can be downloaded today for a one-time fee of $24.95, but consider that waived if you're upgrading from an earlier version. Click on through for the full release.

TiVo Gives Consumers an Easy Way to Download Internet Video Automatically to Their Television Sets

First announced at CES, Season Pass™ functionality applied to web video now available

ALVISO, Calif. – March 18, 2008 -- TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced TiVo® subscribers can now watch video content from the Web directly on their television sets. Through an updated version of TiVo's Desktop Plus PC software, users can now discover and enjoy a broad range of Web entertainment available directly from their TV. The simple application, which uses the popular Season Pass™ functionality, continues to deliver on TiVo's pledge to offer consumers an easy way to search, discover and enjoy the broad range of entertainment no matter what the source.

Starting today, TiVo users can subscribe to and watch a broad range of video content available through Real Simple Syndication ("RSS") feeds, including everything from network nightly newscasts and The Sesame Street Podcast to Daily Headlines from MTV News and College Humor from CHTV. The application also gives consumers access to niche interest and hobbyist videos covering areas far more specialized than cable and satellite channels.

The availability of the Web video comes on the heels of last week's announcement that TiVo subscribers will be able to access YouTube™ videos directly on the TV via a TiVo DVR later this year. Upon launch of the TiVo-YouTube service, TiVo users will be able to search, browse and watch these videos directly on their television sets.

"TiVo users will have the best video from the Web easily available on their television sets from user generated as well as brand named sites," said Tara Maitra, Vice President and General Manager of Content Services at TiVo.

The new Web video capability requires TiVo Desktop Plus 2.6, an update to the Windows application which also converts TV shows recorded on a TiVo DVR for viewing on portable devices including iPod and Sony PlayStation™ Portable. TiVo Desktop Plus 2.6 is available for a one-time fee of $24.95, and is a free upgrade to earlier versions. "TiVo continues to work with Roxio on delivering equivalent functionality on the Mac platform."

With this new feature, users can choose web videos downloaded on the home PC using web browsers, RSS video clients such as iTunes podcasts, or other video download software to automatically copy to their TiVo DVR's Now Playing List alongside recorded broadcast and cable TV shows. TiVo is also providing an on-screen guide of select Web video sources for users to browse and select as individual episodes or get a Season Pass™. Subscribers can even use the TiVo service's Season Pass functionality to get their own personal video folders on their PC, where they save their home movies and other video downloads. High Definition television enthusiasts will appreciate that TiVo preserves the original quality of high-resolution web videos, up to 720p, when delivered to TiVo Series3 or TiVo HD DVRs.

Maitra added, "Through the addition of new applications such as web video, we continue to build towards our goal of making TiVo the one stop shop for content, through one box and one integrated user interface. With our combination of premium content available through Amazon Unbox, millions of songs via Rhapsody and music videos, and soon YouTube videos, we feel like we're connecting consumers to entertainment in a way no one else can."

For more information on TiVo or to download TiVo Desktop Plus visit www.tivo.com/desktop.

[Stuart Goldstein @ Mar 18th 2008 8:26AM]

If only you could figure out how to download the new software from their website.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Mar 18th 2008 10:09AM]

You mean http://www.tivo.com/desktop doesn't work for you?

If not, that redirects to http://www.tivo.com/mytivo/domore/tivotogo/windows.html and you just download the free version. The "buy" link for Desktop Plus is just for a license key for the free download.

[jamie @ Mar 18th 2008 8:54AM]

OK 2 things....

First how often do you see "Web videos" at 720P... certainly not on You-Tube.

Second for about $800 you can easily put together a HTPC that'll do all this crap and you won't have to pay the monthly subscription fee, or the one time only software patch fee of $24.95, or any of the other crappy fees that the X-box generation seems more than happy to pay.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Mar 18th 2008 9:46AM]

Yes, very true... and then you have to support it. You have to troubleshoot it. You have to make sure it's doing what it's supposed to be doing.

I will gladly pay TiVo if it means I don't have to troubleshoot my TV viewing.

I watch TV for entertainment, not to get my geek on. And I will pay for my leisure time to be as uninterrupted as possible. And that means not getting my hands dirty swapping out a drive on an HTPC box or upgrading a display driver, etc.

But to each his own.

[Dave Zatz @ Mar 18th 2008 11:07AM]

Which $800 HTPC has dual tuning CableCARD support?

[jamie @ Mar 18th 2008 11:19AM]

The point I was trying to make is you build your own...

Tuner cards with ATSC and NTSC functionallity can be picked up for $69

Buy 2 and you can record 2 HD channels and 1 digital channel while at the same time watch a digital channel.

I just priced a machine on NewEgg for $1200 that contained a quad core processor a radeon 3870, Blue Ray drive, DVD burner, HTPC case, 500GB HDD, tuner card lot's of RAM, 7.1 surround, Vista... basically a machine that'll do everything a TIVO will do only better...

Now this isn't exactly cheap, but how much would it be to walk into a store and buy a TIVO, a stand alone Blue-Ray Drive, an amp and you still have to have a PC so you can get all this functionallity.

PC's are much, much cheaper.

[derspiess42 @ Mar 18th 2008 12:35PM]

But CableCard support in PCs is in its infancy. If you want to access encrypted digital channels, including 'premium' HD channels, TivoHD + CableCard is the way to go. I paid $199 for mine. And I built a cheap HTPC to get access to web content + all my digital media not supported by the TivoHD.

[Ty @ Mar 18th 2008 9:04AM]

A poor mans Apple TV.

Next...

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Mar 18th 2008 9:59AM]

When did Apple TV get the DVR functionality again? Please, enlighten us.

If we are going to compare TiVo to Apple TV, the Apple TV is going to lose every single time in terms of functionality.

Bring this up when Apple has DVR capability and then we can talk.

[martin @ Mar 18th 2008 10:45AM]

appe TV is a lie anyway, wheres it's TV functionality? its just a media streamer.. the tivo is a much better device, if anything this is more like a htpc with media centre than an apple tv

[michael @ Mar 18th 2008 11:21AM]

Then I guess that means Apple TV is just the poor man's Windows Media Center. :)

Just based on what you say.

[happy_penguin @ Mar 18th 2008 12:51PM]

I paid $1,400 for my Pioneer Tivo with lifetime license. That's hardly a poor man's Apple TV. Sadly, as much as I love my Tivo I may have some issues with it after this year but it's served me well since I bought it in 2004. Hopefully Tivo will make another lifetime transfer offer and I can move to a new Series 4 and keep my license.

[ScooterDe @ Mar 18th 2008 9:11AM]

presumably, another (me-too) facility pulling only a limited range of YouTube videos (e.g. "Most Watched" etc.). As Jamie says, a PC will do this a lot better, and it will give full access to YouTube, Stage6, Joost, Babelgum, WiTV, etc., as well as handling your downloads etc.

[Joe Maki @ Mar 18th 2008 9:45AM]

You don't get it. The software resides on the PC, so obviously you already have one. It allows the TiVo to access additional formats from the PC. TiVo users will see the value (or not).

[cobra @ Mar 18th 2008 9:56AM]

I find it interesting that everyone thinks they can put this functionality together for say $800 and expect it to work reliably. I highly doubt any of you have ever done that successfully. Try putting together your own DVR with cable card capability, over the air capability and standard definition capabilty all in one box that actually works. Then add a remote and interface that a 5 years old can use. It's always easy to say you can do it but if you can actually do it where is your product to purchase. Some of us would rather pay for something that works instead of bandaiding something together that may sort of kind of work. Either way good luck with your homegrown DVR!

[Joe Maki @ Mar 18th 2008 9:53AM]

So your solution is to spend $800 to avoid paying $24.95 for some software :). The TiVo desktop only benefits TiVo users, who already justify the subsription costs. It's also impossible to put together an $800 media center that will do HD on a TV any where near as well as a TiVo (Series 3 or HD).

[jamie @ Mar 18th 2008 11:24AM]

I've had a Vista PC hooked up to my TV for a while, and find it very functional for playing music, watching DVD's etc. all using my remote. I haven't tried using the DVR functionallity yet but I've got a Tuner card that I haven't got around to installing, so when I do I'll see how well it works....

The much maligned Vista does actually have a surprisingly easy to use interface....

[SomeTech @ Mar 18th 2008 11:07PM]

I am sure that easy to use interface and tuner card you have around will work great with encrypted HD channels, two at a time even.