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Tivo launches download service

Blurring the lines between PVRs and VOD (video on demand), Tivo has annouced that they will begin a new service whereby Tivo customers will be able to download content (movies and music) to their Tivo units. Tivo is calling this something different from broadcast tv, cable and satellite. No pricing or launch date has been announced.

This is a critical move for Tivo because their business partner, DirecTV, recently sold off their 3.4 million shares in Tivo, causing the stock to drop by 14%.

One of the stumbling blocks for DVD or HDTV-quality downloads over the Internet is that many people consider a minimum of 5 Mb/sec. for the broadband connection. In Japan and Korea, the average broadband connection is 15 Mb/sec. and can go up to 100 Mb/sec. with fiber optic services, but in the US, the average is still 1.5 Mb/sec. at best.

New Service by TiVo Will Build Bridges From Internet to the TV [nytimes.com]

by Gen Kanai June 8, 2004 in TiVo

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