once again, the explanation is simple...

[acroyear]

/. has a bit on TiVo and how its subscriber base is down, trying to associate its sales with Apple's iPod/iPhone, and is totally missing the obvious things:

1. most television sucks, and will continue to suck even if you were to tape or tivo it and watch it later
2. the tv that doesn't suck is on DVD almost before the season is over, or for cable shows, is repeated so often you manage to catch it anyways.
3. HULU - on-demand watching already provided by the networks for at least some shows
   
4. TV Episode sales/rentals on iTunes approved by the networks for at least some shows
5. you can't take it with you.  Your TiVo-taped programs, unlike a videotape, dvd, or something on the ipod, is stuck in the TiVo, and in fact the media producers ("Hollywood") went overboard on keeping the TiVo "crippled" in that way even more than the RIAA attacked the iPod (which is why it is such a pile of suck for your iPod when you get a new computer).
   

Comments

[thelongshot.livejournal.com]

#5 is not an issue with Tivo. I guess you don't know about Tivo Desktop.

http://www.tivo.com/buytivo/tivogear/software/index.html

I think one issue you miss is that DVRs are ubiquitous and offered by every TV provider. People question the added value of Tivo over other DVR options.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

well, one hassle with ALL of these damn "network your tv" devices is how it assumes that your TV is in the same room as your router. I stopped bothering to pay attention to any of them because none of them supply either 802.11 out of the box or via a USB input.

Right now, to network up my blu-ray, I need to either get the Ethernet over Electricity option (100 bucks, and no guarantee of even working right, and needs a direct wall plug so it won't go through my monsters that actually are plugged in to the wall closest to the tv, and thanks to my desk, I can't even get to the wall socket closest to the router), OR wireless-ethernet (adapter? bridge? they use those damn terms interchangeably but don't always mean the same thing, and they're also $100, at least in the stores if they even they even have one in stock).

too damn much trouble.

[thelongshot.livejournal.com]

I guess you should have gotten a PS3 then. :)

I'm sure cost is an issue there, considering that the wireless adapter for Tivo costs $60. Considering the need to move units, I can understand not including wireless.

Anyways, given that most people nowadays get their internet from a TV-based source, I'm sure it isn't a problem for a lot of people.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

still doesn't address the two really important issues: current tv sucks, and that which doesn't (as well as that which does) is out on dvd or hulu in a matter of days. :)

[thelongshot.livejournal.com]

Course, some of us actually care about live TV. For example, you can't watch the Olympics on hulu.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

yeah, and, this is the most i've watched live tv in months. :)

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

One thing you didn't mention, and that I think they didn't either, is that most cable companies offer DVRs now. I mean, why would I buy a TiVo, when I can just use the one built into my cable box?

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

The article does touch on this as a TiVo error - the technology in those boxes is usually TiVo's anyways (and certainly is for DirectTV's kit), and those deals often consider the devices a "lease". As such, they support TiVo's bottom line, but anybody looking at "sales" figures (as this article does) sees only dropping numbers. In yet another way, the (idiot of) an author misses the bigger picture.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Heh. Good point.