Technicolor said this week it will develop a TiVo-ready HD set-top box that will combine HD/SD VOD and some online HD streaming for current and new TiVo customers. The STB is geared both to cable and DBS subs.
Technicolor's hardware platform for its dedicated TiVo STB (model DSI803) will be initially implemented to help deploy an initiative announced a few months ago between TiVo and Conax. Virgin Media and likely another European cabler or two also have hinted at possible TiVo deployments (although Technicolor would not automatically have to be involved in those scenarios).
The Technicolor TiVo STB is being seen as one more step towards a full convergence of DTV and broadband, where content sources become largely immaterial to consumers—similar to the notion that today most viewers couldn't say whether their favorite channels originate from terrestrial broadcast outlets or wired cable studios.
Technicolor said it struck up its deal with TiVo due to, among other things, TiVo's "single, user-friendly and intuitive interface." While TiVo enjoyed the highest of compliments early in its existence by becoming a verb for recording video content, the ubiquity of similar DVR devices now readily available to cable and DBS subs has made TiVo seem a bit redundant. (Also, TiVo subs buy their boxes and still pay monthly fees for usage.) To compete, TiVo and its still-lauded intuitive platform have been applied to various complementary hardware solutions (i.e., Technicolor).
The Technicolor TiVo box will feature an HD DVR dual-tuner, a 320 GB hard drive capable of recording 45 hours in HD, a broadband connection, and a touch-sensitive front panel. Technicolor is a major film processor and independent hardware manufacturer of Blu-ray Discs, as well as a supplier of set-top boxes used globally.
