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Hands-on with TiVo's new "TiVoCast" and PC-to-TiVo functions
We were a bit hazy on the deets the first time around, but now that TiVo has unveiled its new TiVoCast "network content partners" for Series2 boxes, it turns out there really isn't too much more to tell. Despite TiVo's protestations, TiVoCasting is still pretty much straight up video podcasting, with rejiggered branding and a lack of user flexibility. The main news is that TiVo has managed to nab some fairly decent -- if not totally exclusive -- content for the service, including various programming from CBS Interactive, Reuters, Forbes, dLife, Plum TV and Nano, not to mention old standbys like Rocketboom, and our personal fav, Danger Rangers. Unfortunately, Plum TV looks to the main one providing full episodes over the service, while other networks are mainly repurposing their online or supplemental content for TiVoCasting. As for developing your own channel of TiVoCast content, TiVo has teamed up with One True Media to allow people to upload and edit their movies online, and then share them via TiVoCast with a special code given to friends and family with Series2 setups. Not quite the sort of TiVoCasting freedom we would hope for, but it might prove to be a welcome feature to Joe Consumer. What we found much more exciting was the new PC-to-TiVo functionality being rolled out the TiVo Desktop Plus 2.4. We've got a full walkthrough after the break, but the basic gist is that you can take pretty much any video file and shoot it on over to your TiVo with little hassle. You just set TiVo Desktop to watch a particular folder, and when you place files in there they get automatically transcoded over to TiVo's format and become available to your TiVo over the network. Keep reading for the lowdown.
