Via ZatzNotFunny.com, I’m not sure what to make of the announcement TiVo have entered an agreement with Nero to license some of their technology to create a TiVo like experience on the PC. According to the Press Release:

Under the agreement, Nero will develop a software solution that will bring TiVo features to the personal computer. Capitalizing on the growing PC TV tuner market, it will answer the consumer demand for a trusted PC-based DVR experience for use with the estimated 50.8 million PC TV tuners that will be sold worldwide by 2011, according to In-Stat research report published in April 2007.

I wouldn’t mind running the TiVo software on my home server as a replacement for other DVR software (it’s MCE at the moment but I do like BeyondTV and SageTV as alternative commercial products), but I believe part of TiVo’s strength is its brand recognition and if they are serious about entering the retail market, I’m not sure why they don’t build out their own product and market it directly.

My guess is that this is less about collaborating on PC DVR Software but the beginning of TiVo asserting its intellectual property rights on its patents. My guess is that sometime soon, providers of software like BeyondTV and SageTV will get a note in the mail stating that they’re stepping on TiVo’s patents and they’ll need to pony up or get sued.

Got a question about Multi-Room Viewing or TivoToGo on a HDTivo or a Series 3?  User bkdtv of TivoCommunity.com has posted a great FAQ with lots of great info.

 (Hat Tip:  The Definitive TivoBlog.com)

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I’ve never seen a Digeo in person, but I was very excited a few months ago when I heard they were going to have a couple retail products. From what I’ve gathered on the Internet over the years, Digeo has a pretty cool interface called Moxi and it sounds like a great product, so I’ve always wanted to be in a position to try it out.

Looks like I’ll have to wait a little longer since they’ve missed the Christmas season this year. It’s disappointing to me, but I bet it’s even more disappointing for the guys at Digeo since for retail products, the fall and winter months tend to be the best selling season (literally 75% of sales for high-tech retail products I worked on in the past). Still, it’s better to get the product right the first time and nothing can kill a DVR product then problems with reliability.

(Hat Tip: Zatz Not Funny)

According to Build Your Own PVR, BeyondTV has added some new technology into their product, including DivX 6.1 which offers 300% faster processing for computers with Intel Duo Core processors.

Looks like long time DVR provider, ReplayTV is creating a software only version of their product, according to this call for Beta testers. I’ve heard it rumored before, but this seems to verify that it might actually happen.

I’m not so sure how successful they’ll be with all the competitors in this space, but I’m sure from their perspective, a software-only product has much higher margins in the short run.

(Hat Tip: Engadget)

HackingNetflix.com has some interesting screenshots he grabbed from Netflix showing something called the Netflix Player. It will be interesting to see if this is a downloadable movie service whether it will be just using a Tivo or whether it will include support for other hardware.

(Hat Tip: PVRBlog.com)

In a case that could potentially effect DVR and television technology in the future, the Supreme Court ruled that:

“One who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright … is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties using the device, regardless of the device’s lawful uses.”

Slashdot.org points out the importance of the word “promote”.

If you work as an attorney for the MPAA, expect a big Christmas bonus this year (although with all the increased workload you’ll need to cancel that vacation).

Via TVPredictions.com, Tivo has extended its TivoToGo technology to allow Microsoft driven portable devices to transfer content from the DVR for playing on the road.

This is good news for people who have one of the new Personal Video Players on the market that supports the Microsoft PlaysForSure logo. This is also good news for Microsoft in creating a industry standard for distributing video content between devices.

Eric Solheim gives us his tale testing out different Windows software packages for his HTPC setup. His favorite: Microsoft MCE.

(Hat Tip: eHomeUpgrade.com)

CTPVR is having another drawing for a Hauppauge MCE 500 dual tuner card including a copy of CTPVR, provided you register with them and provide some critique of their product. You can find the details of the contest here.