Will TiVo Get Betamaxed?

My favorite stocks gurus at the Motley Fool are asking the question "Will TiVo Get Betamaxed?"

Competing DVR products from a company like Comcast, easily accessible with service fees bundled onto a bill that already comes every month, could stunt TiVo's growth. However, right now it seems there's no need to panic; TiVo's got a whole lot of people evangelizing it, and the DirecTV deal provides a great deal of comfort. It still brings millions of potential subscribers to the table, who may very well all talk up the power of TiVo.

Perhaps its not time to sell those TiVo, Inc. stocks yet.

Comments

[cheapbastard]

one other point.. I'm thinking of getting an HD tv and digital cable this x-mas, and was wondering how the channel guide that comes with comcast digital cable works with Tivo's channel guide?? Any one know??

[Jeff Bearer]

I don't have comcast, but my cable company runs what looks like the same software on the digital cable boxes, my digital cable converter doesn't have the option to turn off the program banner, tivo does. but tivo's program banner is better. so I just have learned to ignore the cable banner when the tivo changes the channel, it's only 3 seconds or so.

Perhaps a newer box would let you turn off the program guide.

They really don't work together, if you don't know, you have to program your tivo to change channels on your cable box, either with the serial connection or the ir blasters which work like a remote control your tivo can use.

[pb]

Even despite their assured inferiority, the cable companies' PVRs will tounce Tivo. They will be good enough and much cheaper than Tivo. It's absolutely criminal that Tivo charges $13/month for the program guide. That's $13 million revenues per month with just 1 million customers!!