TIVO

Back in the summer of 2000 I was lucky enough to get my hands on a TiVo. Like all 1st run technologies it had its problems but the idea was solid and TiVo opened the door for the DVR (digital video recorder) which is now common place in most homes in North America. There was even a period of time where the word “TiVoing” was used in lieu of “recording”. We don’t hear as much about TiVo these days as the majority of the DVR’s in peoples homes are leased out from their cable or satellite provider. A look at their website shows me they have new systems that are incorporating some of the new features consumers are now demanding such as movie and internet streaming and compatibility with mobile devices, all at a price that is affordable to the mass markets. So it appears 10 years later TiVo continues to innovate and competetive.

Looking back at this review I was remembering how slow the TiVo changed channels, it seemed to take 3 seconds in-between channels, a huge frustration for a flipper like myself. My current DVR is somewhat faster, but this is still a frustration for me. I also recalled how I had to run a telephone line to the TiVo so that each evening it could call into your subscription service and get an updated programming list, I guess this made the TiVo one of the first connected home theater devices . To this day my friends will bring up how I had one of those original TiVo’s and they remember watching the World Series at my house and how we were able to “pause” and “rewind” live television.

If I remember correctly TiVo’s original marketing tag line claimed they would “change the way you watch television”; and they did. Now, whether or not they really profited as much as they should from it I don’t know, but bottom line, the TiVo was one cool device back in 2000. Original Tivo review.