Back in May, TiVo's VP of product marketing got all of our hopes up that the next announcement involving it and Amazon would include HD Unbox content. As you can very clearly see, this is most certainly not the case. Instead, we have the immense pleasure of informing internet-connected Series2, Series3 and TiVo HD owners that they can now buy wares from Amazon without leaving their couch. If browsing through Amazon's extraordinarily huge store with just a remote sounds appealing to you, you're in luck (and mildly insane). Also of note, the new Product Purchase feature will enable advertisers to "market products sold through Amazon on any broadcast or cable network, any TV show, or via any of TiVo's extensive interactive advertising features." In other words, next time you see Dwight using that iconic shredder, you can buy that bad boy right then and there. Take that, Staples.

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

Canuck TV lovers have something to look forward to this holiday season, as TiVo is officially launching in Canada with the 80-hour Series2 DVR. HDTV watchers will continue to wait patiently, though, as no plans for Canadian HD products were announced, and no Canadian cable companies use the CableCARD standard in the Series 3 high-definition boxes. The Series2 will be available from Canadian retailers like Future Shop and Best Buy in early December for $199 CAD plus a TiVo subscription.

Just because Father's Day is half over and you still haven't gone out and picked up a present for dear old dad, doesn't mean that you have to suffer through yet another year of cold stares from the man himself and taunting from the rest of the family. Thanks to TiVo, you can still stay in Dad's good graces by taking him to one of 25 minor league baseball matches around the country tonight (click the Read link for a complete list), where select teams will each be giving away free Series 2 boxes to the first 1,000 male parents who walk through the gates. Well, by free, TiVo means that you have to sign up for a one-year service agreement at $155 -- what, did you think they were gonna give away the service too? -- but that's still an $84 savings over buying the same bundled package in the store. Even better, if your dad has decided to boycott the American Pastime due to Major League Baseball's hard line on placeshifting its games, you can still take advantage of this deal from the comfort of your home by signing up online.

Following last month's deal with web video publisher Brightcove, TiVo has announced another round of partnerships that will bring various on-demand video clips to broadband-equipped Series 2 owners, with a new service called TiVoCast. The company has been making moves in this direction for some time now, but this is the first time we're being offered content that we'd actually bother watching, including NBA and WNBA highlights, New York Times-produced video (featuring David Pogue's often-humorous reviews), advice from CNET, and a dose of hip hop culture from H2O, along with male- and female-targeted programming from Heavy.com and iVillage, respectively. The new content -- accessible from the "Showcases" screen when it begins appearing next month -- will not be available to everyone, however, as USA Today is reporting that neither DirecTV subscribers nor Comcast customers will have access to any of these value-added TiVoCast downloads.

In an attempt to differentiate its product from the flood of DVRs and HTPCs on the the market today, TiVo has just announced a partnership with video publisher Brightcove to provide their broadband-capable customers with on-demand content. TiVo owners with Series 2 boxes will have access to "an as-yet-undisclosed set of Web-based programs" from the Cambridge, MA startup when the new service goes live this June, and although the initial round of programming will be free, the two companies plan on allowing content providers to charge for their material in the future. This move would seem to strengthen TiVo's position in the marketplace -- which may already see a boost in the near future if the rumored deal with Cox Communications materializes -- as their core business of providing hardware and guide services is quickly being being usurped by cheaper, and some might say better, alternatives.

[Thanks, Dave Z]

We got our chance to have a little private time with TiVo's new 80-hour dual-tuner Series2 (TCD649080) last week. There isn't a whole lot we can tell you about the unit that you didn't already know (dual analog tuners, single digital, no CableCARD, no high def, integrated Ethernet, etc.). In other words, for those expecting something to ease the pain of the absentee Series3 box, you'll probably want to look elsewhere for something to meet your needs, perhaps a Media Center PC. But if you have analog cable and were thinking about snagging a TiVo, you might want to take a second look.

Remember the dual tuner TiVos we heard about a few weeks back? Well, surprise, surprise, they're real and are more or less exactly as called. The two models feature a single cable / RF in jack with internal splitter, which allows you to record two analog programs simultaneously, or one analog and one tuned from your digital cable box. Beside the fact that now your TiVo now has dual tuners, it (freaking finally) has integrated Ethernet; starting May 1st you can expect to pony up $199.99 for the 180-hour TCD649180, or $99.99 for the 80-hour TCD649080, both after $150 rebate and service activation. Baby steps to the Series3, patience people.

Orb (finally) just officially took a page out of the Book of SlingBox today with the release of DVR Everywhere, their TiVo-streaming and controlling Orb add-on (not to be easily confused with TiVoAnywhere, that other Orb / TiVo add-on which is now apparently DVR Everywhere). Basically you'll get the same easy-to-use no firewall adjustments necessary Orb experience steamed to your laptop or portable in Real, Windows Media, or 3GP, but with recordings culled from your Series2 TiVo (which is also controllable by said software -- something also available for a while). Not quite as versatile as your SlingBox, which can pull video from just about any DVR device you can throw at it, but hey, it's a start -- especially if you've been considering that new dual tuner TiVo that we've been dangling from a string.

[Via PR Newswire]