TiVo coming to Australia and New Zealand - Official

[zollymonsta]

So the question arises.. should we all panic and sell our tivos?

Cheers,
ZollyMonsta

[Darren King]

Why? Here are the facts:

1. There has been nothing further mentioned since the press release a week ago. For all we know this could be a hoax to see how much it can stir up the OzTiVo community! Or it could be just a clever way to gauge consumer response.

2. Neither nzTiVo or OzTiVo have been approached with a "cease and desist" order. Maybe Series 1 is not on their radar? I doubt very much that TiVo would make hobby hacked Series 1 units compatible with their offerings. Until TiVo and Seven make the next move we don't know (and frankly I don't care!)

3. It's not like the Series 1 needs tethering to anything to continue to function. Sure, a nice "on tap" guide data service is nice but you can either DIY (ah, the good ol days of "screen scraping"!) or you can run the TiVo guideless.... Unlike, mind you, the Series 2 units that will be on retail offer with the newer firmware that ARE useless without a valid subscription. (keep that in mind if after a period of time Seven and/or TiVo decide that it is not a financial success and pull the service).

I've actually got some questions for those at Seven Media:

1. Why is it, that after years of the industry shunning PVR's with Guide Data that it is now suddenly the next "must have" gadget?

2. Furthermore, how are all you media moguls going to agree on a system that satisfies all your empires? Last time I looked you lot are in competition and such a "joint effort" across the whole board would be as successful as everyone agreeing on what to have for lunch.

and 3. After years of chopping and changing TV program lineups at the last moment and continually running overtime as a measure of stopping people from switching channels, how are you going to now handle having to stick to a regimented guide schedule? If people are paying for the service then I am sure you will be legally obliged to honour that service without the blatant disregard you now show for keeping to any proper schedule.

Anyone from TiVo or Seven Media that wishes to break their silence knows how to contact the major contributors in nz/OzTiVo. You are most welcome to have a chat about the future whenever you like.

Until further is known personally I'm just taking the "nothing changes" attitude. Adopting the "Chicken Little" approach at this juncture is very much over-the-top