Why the $300 Tivo HD is a disruptive device (but nobody sees it as such)
If you are anything like me, you are, right now, in the predicament of not really having anything on TV to watch that is new because the five major networks are in summer hiatus. I have a wide selection of cable channels to watch, but, really if I got rid of cable tomorrow I think I would probably miss Good Eats.What if you had a device that allows you to record Hi-Def?
(Well, my cable box does that now, dummy, keep trying.)
What if this device was not dependent on your cable provider?
(Hey, no cable? OK. I’m really not loving cable now anyway.)
What if you could download video right off the Internet onto this same device using whatever Internet service you have and watch it on your couch.
(Video podcasts while not sitting in an office chair? Bigger than my ipod video? Interesting. )
And what if it had a really, really good interface?
(Like my mac? OK. What do you got?)
That is what the new $300 Tivo HD promises to be.
Why is this not scaring anybody? I am looking at you, Apple and Comcast. Why is this not exciting anybody? Why are people still yammering on about the iPhone?
This device is no AppleTV. You can use a Tivo HD without a computer at all at the same price point as the 40GB AppleTV. AppleTV is 100% dependent on having to leach off a networked computer. Sorry, Apple, Tivo has you beat on this point.
You can record Hi-Def off the air with Tivo HD. Think about that. The free digital television that we have been hearing about for 15 years is a reality and now you can capture it bit-for-bit and watch it whenever you want. AppleTV does not do that. My mythTV box does. But mythTV is, let's be honest, a kluge at best. And when Zap2It stops giving away free TV listings, we mythTVers are going to have a problem.
What about video podcasts with Tivocast? I do not know how open the Tivocast is with its video podcast offerings but if I can grab all my nerdy, geeky, techy schmaltz so I can watch it on my Hi-Def TV, I will have absolutely no reason to get off the couch.
Oh - “one more thing” - downloadable programs in exchange for cash called Unbox. Just like the cable company or iTunes store, I can buy content, something I would only use if we were desperate for something new to watch. Like during the summer months. Hmm... Did you get that Comcast?
And if I want to keep cable, I can use it with a cable card (or two). OR NOT.
To sum up: no computer necessary, off air recording, video podcast catching, pay-per-view or program purchase, and if I want to kick my cable company to the curb (or not), I can make that choice all at a price point that equals about 6 months of cable service (plus $12ish for listings subscription - can't have everything).
This, friends, is a very disruptive device.
Labels: rant general, Tivo HD
posted by aprigliano at
9:32 PM
6 Comments:
12ish+tax for listings is outrageous. Better they charge $400 or $500 for the box and give you the listings. It costs them pennies a month to provide listings over te net. Keep in mind zap's been giving them fr free online. Charging 12ish is borderline criminal, certainly rapacious.
Besides media portal can do all that and more with cable cards soon for far less, if you already have the hardware.
as for zap it will only be a matter of time before they're pulling the listings from subscribed tivos, replaytvs, or win mediapcs.
Anon,
I do agree, that $12 is a bit much. If I had my druthers, I would got to store, buy the box, and not be beholden to anyone for anything. Zap2It/mythTV has spoiled me. It's just data. But $12 so another Zap2It scenario does not play out may be worth it for some.
Still, no argument from me.
Here is one more reason why it's disruptive. If you get a TiVo HD, you don't have to pay cable $10 a month for HD access. They may require you to pay up to $1.99 for the cablecards, but because the CC prices are set by the FTC, they aren't allowed to gouge you like they do on the STB. While there is the $12 that you have to pay TiVo, this $10 in saving (plus no cable DVR charge on top of this) goes a long ways towards making this fee more reasonable.
Davis,
Good point. Very good point. I feel foolish for not working out the math.
So, you can kill cable - save heaping wads of cash while getting digital hi-def off air
-OR-
possibly keep cable and w/ cable cards save on equipment rentals.
Nice.
I wouldn't feel too foolish, the cable company wants to make it complicated so that you can't save money. What I do in my case, is to subscribe to the expanded basic package, instead of the "digital" tier. This gives me access to MTV, TNT, ESPN, etc., but I can't get HBO and the premium channels. The expanded basic package is about $15 cheaper than the digital package.
If you want to rent HDTV for $10 a month, they require that you also subscribe to the digital package, so the real cost to someone in my situation would be $25 per month vs. $9 - $12 for TiVo's fee (not included up front of the $300). If you want TiVoHD, you can get the expanded basic for a lot less and then just use the cable cards to avoid the digital tier charge. The difference between digital vs. expanded basic comes down to a couple of channels that I don't care about. Things like the military channel and the Woman's network. Overall, I estimate that I'm saving about $18 a month. With my lifetime fee transfer, I don't have the ongoing charges, but even if I was paying $12 per month for TiVo, the math still works out nicely, especially when you consider that the TiVo will at least have some kind of a resell value, if you decide to get rid of it in a few years. One thing I don't like is not having the option to go to satellite easily, but as a renter, satellite has never been much of an option for me. If you are really hard up for VOD and PPV, you can call Comcast and they will send you a dedicated VOD box for free (they don't advertise this, but it's there). In order to get the box though, you have to be on the basic package.
Davis - loving the blog. Have some link love.
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