Nero LiquidTV / TiVo PC brings TiVo interface to the PC

Rejoice, HTPC fans -- that partnership between Nero and TiVo has finally borne fruit in the form of Nero's new LiquidTV / TiVo PC DVR package, which brings the TiVo interface and featureset to Windows. The $199 package comes with a year of TiVo service, a Hauppage USB ATSC tuner, an IR receiver, and a Nero-branded TiVo remote, and does exactly as you'd expect -- it's TiVo on your PC. There are some interesting PC-specific features bolted on the usual kit -- you can navigate using the keyboard and mouse (there are even some nifty contextual menus) and you can export directly to iPod and PSP-compatible .mp4 from within the interface -- but for the most part it's the same TiVo experience you're used to, including streaming shows to and from other TiVos and TiVo PCs. If you're already running an HTPC setup, you can get the TiVo PC software and a year of service for $99, but your Media Center remote might be a little wonky without a remap, and Nero reps didn't make any promises about CableCARD compatibility apart from "it should work if Windows recognizes it." Obviously we'd like to see that firmed up a bit -- and maybe get some tru2way support in the deal -- but it's definitely a start. Should be available now.

[Evangelion @ Sep 29th 2008 1:57AM]

What about Solid TV?

[Evangelion @ Sep 29th 2008 2:02AM]

Pretty cool. =]

[Evangelion @ Sep 29th 2008 2:03AM]

Sorry guys for the double post.

[Blackstar @ Sep 29th 2008 6:45AM]

More like triple now..... few more and you can get a "postacular"!

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 29th 2008 2:08AM]

Now that this is on PC, you think somebody will be crafty enough to crack it? I know TiVo in general is locked down pretty tight, but where there is software, there's someone out there finding ways to work around it. I'll be interested in seeing whether or not this thing winds up making the rounds on Mininova.

[tbone @ Sep 29th 2008 2:30AM]

well i'd imagine the software could be cracked, but u would still need to buy the hauppage. unless u wanna be a real pirate and steal that too

[AntiMatter @ Sep 29th 2008 10:40AM]

Why is it that people always seem to raise the question of cracking software. Stick your hand in your pocket and buy the damn product. I do - frequently.

[Curtis Joslin @ Sep 29th 2008 11:44AM]

@antimatter

Not everyone can afford it. plain simple truth.
do you really think that it hurts the company one some guy pirates it when he wouldn't normally buy it anyways?
if anything it helps the company. if your going to steal. steal our product. brand recognition...
now that i make a bit more money than i did when i was 18 i AM more inclined to pay for the software. if only for the sake of not having to crack it.

[john @ Sep 29th 2008 2:14AM]

For Windows!? BAH!!!

Tivo is built on Linux. If they're going to do an app, the least they could do is deliver a version of it for Linux. And if they're gonna do that, why not one for the Mac, as well?

[LMM @ Sep 29th 2008 2:34AM]

Linux already has a plethora of TV recording program, many of which have been around for some time. Windows has Windows Media Center in Vista, so I find Tivo kind of useless to pay for when you can get the same thing already. And as for Mac, BootCamp will fix that :-)

[Jono Ashton @ Sep 29th 2008 3:07AM]

The Mac has had an equivalent DVR since about 2002 called EyeTV, which is pretty established now so I don't see lots of people buying into a TiVo solution.

[James Grinter @ Sep 29th 2008 9:19AM]

EyeTV's interface is unfortunately just not usable with only a remote control (even with v3, there still are times when you need to reach for the keyboard and mouse), so forget it for your living room TV. Cost wise, with their new version almost every year, it's no cheaper, and in some countries there's a fee on top of that if you want to get TV listings info beyond the first year.

And that doesn't even take into account the other differences, such as the quality of the metadata about the TV shows. TiVo's feed allows it to do more than just record a program off the air at a given time, or record all shows of the same title.

A TiVo interface on the Mac would be great. (As would the release of this product to the EU market.)

[Bogus83 @ Sep 29th 2008 2:43AM]

No HDTV recorded from cable, no thanks. Wake me up when that happens. Torrents don't have an annual fee, and you can't really complain about them not being in real-time, since the point of Tivo is to watch shows... after they air.

[Bogus83 @ Sep 29th 2008 2:50AM]

Sorry, I don't like to double-post but it looks like my comment got cut off. The rest said,

"This isn't anything that can't already be done with any other ATSC tuner card, a transcoder like SUPER, and XBMC (the latter two components being FREE as in BEER."

You're basically paying $100 for the Nero label and $99, probably annually, for the Tivo interface. I don't like either company enough to drop that kind of coin in favor of free software that works well. Unless (see previous post)... HD recorded over cable. If this software supports multiple HD tuners that can be added to an existing PC, they've got a sale. I just don't find that likely.

[PeterF @ Sep 29th 2008 3:06AM]

Windows Media Center supports multiple tuners and is supposedly getting good cable support pretty soon!

[Bogus83 @ Sep 29th 2008 3:15AM]

I know WMC supports multiple tuners. But it does NOT support recording HD content over cable unless you're using a CableCard. And you can't even add that to an existing computer. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like spending over $2k to purchase an entire sytem with one tuner, let alone significantly more money for multiple tuners, when I've already got a functioning HTPC. I'd happily spend the price of a CableCard or similar if I could throw it in my existing machine. How much do they go for now, ~$299? I stopped following them a while ago, but to be fair I'd pay about as much as a Tivo costs (sans annual fees) to be able to record HD content (which I'm already paying the cable company for) to my computer.

All of this is in addition to the fact that this Nero Liquid TV product most likely can't record HD over cable either, making it a more expensive solution to a problem that most have already worked out for almost no cost. Ebay a Hauppauge card and you're 90% of the way there.

[Nate @ Sep 29th 2008 11:33AM]

2k for a HTPC with CableCard? Those were the old days. You can get a CableCARD PC for $1000 or less right now today.

[Bogus83 @ Sep 29th 2008 2:46PM]

@Nate: I suppose that's an improvement. I'd still rather spend the money, if I had to, on the cards alone and use my own front end software. Considering two cablecards sell for ~$600 right now, that'd be the price point to meet or beat to make it worth buying a compatible system.

[Nate @ Sep 29th 2008 6:50PM]

I'm with you.

[Jash Sayani @ Sep 29th 2008 2:42AM]

Nice. I dont need a Tivo now !

[TavisJohn @ Sep 29th 2008 3:05AM]

Forget Tivo crap. If you have a Windows PC, than just use Beyond TV. You get FREE TV guide listings! No Subscription crap! I have been using it for 2 years.

[0megapart!cle @ Sep 29th 2008 8:57AM]

Not sure why this guy was low ranked. Tivo is ridiculous to think it will be able to garner a significant user base on the PC, where there are many quality single-time cost DVR solutions out there. I use BeyondTV, have used it for years, and it works wonderfully. I can't imagine starting to pay a monthly fee for a DVR.

If Tivo knows what's good for them, they would provide at least a three week free trial.

[webon @ Sep 29th 2008 2:46AM]

how good is TiVo?

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 29th 2008 3:20AM]

Really, really, really good. Although every firmware update bloats it up a little more. It's getting fatter and slower every month. But as of right now, still good.

[Striker @ Sep 29th 2008 12:50PM]

WTF? Have you ever used a TiVo HD lately? The updates have made it faster lol

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 29th 2008 3:35PM]

@Striker

Oh yeah. More ads + more features + more crap on the interface = faster. My bad.

[Y00. @ Sep 29th 2008 2:55AM]

Fuck Man I Know!, But hey do yow want to watch tivo on your pc.

[GON @ Sep 29th 2008 3:36AM]

No thanks I'm good with Windows Media Center.

[Erwos @ Sep 29th 2008 5:55AM]

So true. This is a product without a market - Windows Media Center's interface already kicks the snot out of TiVo as it is. And I say this as someone who was forced to migrate to TiVo when I didn't feel like buying a new PC for CableCard support.

[RyanTV @ Sep 29th 2008 9:26AM]

agreed - and $99/year service charge is a joke. TIVO needs to get over themselves already.

[Ian @ Oct 3rd 2008 8:38PM]

@erwos There is a market. I have been waiting for this forever. I love my Tivo HD and this has the potential to be even better. I have not used WMC but I doubt it holds a candle to Tivo.

[Rogbog4299 @ Sep 29th 2008 6:24AM]

Rejoice, HTPC fans! I am a fan and I am rejoicing! Nero and TiVo will bring new and innovation to the market like we have never seen. Just wait!

[Static @ Sep 29th 2008 8:14AM]

I said "screw it" the other day and ordered a Blu-ray recorder for an older motherboard I had lying around. My intention is to build an HD capable home media box. Eventually I'd like to put a CableCard (even a dual CableCard, if that is required) to use the system as a DVR. I keep hoping that if I post enough comments about the idea, someone will tell me they found a way to utilize CableCard on a homebuilt PC.

Anyone??

[Crand @ Sep 29th 2008 9:17AM]

Yeah, buy a Dell or HP media center with Vista and the ATI tuner. I don't recommend it though.

[Dubb @ Sep 29th 2008 2:28PM]

@static

ATI has a product, I'm not sure if it is out yet or not, that supports CableCARD. However this is an external solution, so not only do you have your HTPC box, but you will also have this other box attached to your PC. This is where you would connect your cable line and inset your CableCARD. This ATI box is supported under Vista and will allow you to record HD from your cable company.

Some other options include recording over the air (OTA) HD using one of Hauppage's or various other manufacturer's tuner cards, this pretty much limits you to only the channels that you receive locally.

Sometimes when you have cable, they also send what's known as QAM HD channels to your home, you may not know about these channels unless you've actually tried a QAM tuner. I have one built into my TV and when I had cable hooked up to it I scanned with the built in tuner. I picked up several HD channels such as HBO, etc.. Of course I was paying for a regular HBO subscription at the time. But I also received several local channels in HD. A popular QAM tuner is also an external box like the ATI, called the HDHomeRun.

Anyways, hope that clears it up. You can buy pre-built HTPC's from certain companies that offer internal CableCARD support but they are expensive.

[Damon @ Sep 29th 2008 10:56AM]

man this is really a joke. i have been using beyond tv for about 5 years now. i have 3 tunners so i can record multiple shows and watch something else at the same time. beyond tv costs me 50 bucks and no yearly subscription and i get a life time of updates of the product. i can administer it remotely over the internet and use it to stream live tv. it too will format and port your shows directly to an iphone/ipod or any other device like that.
for those that say you cant record HD you need to do your research people. it has nothing to do with your software and everything to do with what tv tunner card you are running

sorry tivo, your product is a joke and about 5 years too late

[Sean @ Sep 29th 2008 12:24PM]

Yes. The subscription model isn't going to fly on the PC, where people build DVR's specifically to avoid surcharges like that from cable & satellite companies.

Tivo needs to have a business model that makes them money from cable/sat box software licensing, not these BS subscription fees. Subscription services have been run into the ground. I think people are very wary of having yet another monthly expense these days.
If you're going to do that then you REALLY have to offer the customer something of standout value. That said, 8 bucks a month is substantially better than the 15 or so they were charging their standalone box customers for the same data.

[Mark @ Sep 29th 2008 11:21AM]

WHERE THE HELL is the direct TV / TiVo / PC card, so I can have a HTPC in a place where there is no cable.

[Joe Maki @ Sep 29th 2008 11:30AM]

So your happy with your current software with no subscription fee. That does not mean TiVo sucks and is wasting it's time. The big issue is, TiVo's reputation is built on reliability. Running your software on a PC (even/especially Vista) is not a recipe for reliability. Hopefully Nero will get stuck with the support calls and not TiVo :). Also, people who say their DVR does everything TiVo does just don't understand TiVo. No other software, that I'm aware of allows, you to rate programs and then receive suggestions for things you may enjoy. There are many people who find TiVo's subscription fees acceptable.

Bogus83:
As for recording HD off cable on your pc, the only way your going to do it without a cablecard is via firewire, if you have a compatible settop box. My experience has shown this to be only semi-reliable at best.

[Bogus83 @ Sep 29th 2008 2:51PM]

Right, that's the entire basis of my gripe. ;)

While I do prefer free and open source front-ends like XMBC, I'd have absolutely no problem purchasing one or more CableCards IF I could use them with my pre-existing system. I understand the DRM-related reasons why they only work with certified systems, but that restricts their usefulness to people who either don't already have an HTPC, or who don't mind scrapping their existing HTPC and are financially able to do so.

My point in a nutshell was given the fact that CableCard is the only way to record HD to a PC, "Liquid TV" doesn't do anything more, or better, than has been done before. It's just a fancy package for people who prefer these brands. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not for me.

[Jason Litka @ Sep 29th 2008 11:47AM]

I wonder if I can buy this and use it without the subscription for MRV... I like the TiVo interface, and the conversion options this seems to include would be great, though I have no interest in actually adding a tuner to my desktop and buying a second subscription when I've already got a Series 3.

[paladintom @ Sep 29th 2008 2:04PM]

As an owner of a TiVo HD and a TiVo S2 this was almost an instant buy for a new pc I am building. Then I saw the yearly subscription fee. Instant fail. Sorry TiVo but I'd rather use Vista Media Center to stream to my single Xbox.

[ssrat_ @ Sep 29th 2008 11:06PM]

As people are saying it looked good until it turns out that 1/2 the cost is a yearly fee.

I MIGHT try it, depending on the card reviews, and it should be the easiest one to set up as a novice.

? Is there a card that can take 2 video inputs at once?, The place I am in has free DTV, but just about 20ch, with half seemingly useless,
I ALSO have an HDTV converter that I could plug in and get the free over the air channels.

What I would like to do is have them both hooked up and be able to (seamlessly?) run through them.

Looking at building an box using my old AMD system (4400+ 6G) as the basis

[steve2112 @ Oct 5th 2008 4:06PM]

I have been using SageTV for years - IMO it is better than Beyond TV. I have had both. Sage is awesome!

[Angelo Iglesias @ Oct 7th 2008 12:17PM]

Will there ever be tivo s4.?? If yes when