TiVo Community Forums Archives - Wash Post: PVRs Ready to Rock

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Wash Post: PVRs Ready to Rock
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Posted by: Graymalkin

If this has been cited in an earlier thread, my apologies:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...-2002Jan18.html

At the end of the article, the reporter says SonicBlue was the company that brought out the first MP3 player. Please correct if I'm wrong, but I thought it was Diamond Multimedia that invented the Rio 300, and SonicBlue bought Diamond MM later on. But tracking the history of dot-com's is almost as tough as finding bin Laden...

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Graymalkin
(My 200th Post!)

Posted by: bgreen5

quote:
Originally posted by Graymalkin
...the reporter says SonicBlue was the company that brought out the first MP3 player. Please correct if I'm wrong, but I thought it was Diamond Multimedia that invented the Rio 300, and SonicBlue bought Diamond MM later on.

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Graymalkin
(My 200th Post!)

Rest assured, if all other providers went under and Microsoft is the only one left standing, they'll get full credit for inventing the PVR.

I don't think that will happen as long as AOL is around. In an event where AOL (or whoever) were to purchase TiVo, the company doing the buyout would probably get credit for introducing the first PVR.

Posted by: billyecho

Yeah, AOL has done a great job with Netscape!:eek:

Posted by: rogo

Actually, I believe that Diamond is the core of the company that became SonicBlue. Diamond made video cards, et al., and was bought out by S3, the graphics chip maker in 9/99. In 11/00, S3 exited the graphics market and renamed itself SonicBlue, which then later bought Replay, Sensory Science, et al.

Mark

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by billyecho
Yeah, AOL has done a great job with Netscape!:eek:

Although MS had already killed Netscape when AOL bought it, whereas TiVo is still the leader...

If AOL (or somebody) can give TiVo the financial stability to resist the Evil Empire, they should be OK; after all, MS can't bundle Ultimate TV with Windows and give it away for free!

Posted by: Graymalkin

Come to think of it, everybody who's not familiar with personal computing history must still think that Microsoft invented DOS, when in reality Bill and buds bought the company that wrote the DOS code.

Or do I have that wrong, too?

P.S. Can you have senior moments if you're less than 50 years old?

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Graymalkin

Posted by: SmokeBringer

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy

Although MS had already killed Netscape when AOL bought it, whereas TiVo is still the leader...

Microsoft was able to "kill" Netscape because it had TOTAL control over the environment (OS) under which Netscape ran. In the PVR relm, there is no such common environment. Micorsoft must now resort to competing mostly on product functionality. They (Microsoft) do have an advantage in that they are much bigger and could choose to undercut the market. Actually, I'm very surprised that it isn't the UTV box that's selling for 99.00 instead of the Hughes (Tivo) box.

Posted by: billyecho

... and MS is making money on each Xbox too.

Posted by: interactiveTV

quote:
Originally posted by billyecho
... and MS is making money on each Xbox too.

Actually, it isn't so far off.

The estimates have moved profitability up by almost 12 months and would make it the most successful game launch (from a time to profitability standpoint).

The $30 or so Microsoft is estimated to be losing per box (plus marketing costs which are quite steep) is but a drop in MSFT's cash bucket.

Estimates are 2 years from launch to profitability. Not bad for a brand new division. If only Tivo could grow so well. But deep pockets make for bigger gambles and higher pay-offs. Your options are limited without the cash hoarde.

And why AOL would back Tivo over Moxi is a question for the sages. Anyone expecting AOL to play white knight is ignoring history and AOL's current management team.

I know everyone loves to bash Microsoft but X-Box is a solid product with good consumer and industry reviews, excellent sales, and improving financials. Hard to argue with success and no Windows or Office influence exerted, just cash, which other companies (including Sony, AOL, etc) have as well. Credit where credit is due.

_ITV

Posted by: rogo

Bill did buy the company that developed the original DOS. The second greatest purchase in history, following the $24 in beads used to purchase Manhattan.

Mark

Posted by: tomr

quote:
Originally posted by SmokeBringer
. Actually, I'm very surprised that it isn't the UTV box that's selling for 99.00 instead of the Hughes (Tivo) box.

Actually it is. The RCA UTV is $99.00 after rebate at CC.

Posted by: dmdeane

quote:
Originally posted by rogo
Bill did buy the company that developed the original DOS. The second greatest purchase in history, following the $24 in beads used to purchase Manhattan.

Mark

Actually, no. As I recall, the company in question (Seattle Computer Products???) simply sold Microsoft the rights to QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System); Microsoft did not buy the company. QDOS itself was nothing more than a simple clone of CP/M, the main operating system for PC's at the time. QDOS = MS-DOS = PC-DOS.

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by dmdeane
QDOS = MS-DOS = PC-DOS.

I don't think you meant this litterally, but wasn't PC-DOS the version that IBM put out under license from MSFT? And didn't Novell have a version out too (or was that PC-DOS?)?

Posted by: tomr

Digital Research put out DR-DOS. Can't remember the last version, 7 maybe. I think this is what Novell bought.

Posted by: rseligman

This is really funny...

>TiVo's oldest rival, ReplayTV -- bought by SonicBlue in August --
>is taking a different course. Instead of seeking to integrate its
>technology in other companies' devices, Replay is selling its
>boxes as stand-alone units.

It wasn't that long ago that articles were writing the exact same thing, with TiVo and Replay reversed!

And this teaches a lesson about marketing rhetoric. When Replay was lagging in standalone sales, it dropped its standalone box and moved towards licensing, making a lot of noise about how there's no future in standalone and it's all in the partnerships. Failing with partnerships, they've gone back to standalone. While TiVo pursues the hybrid approach.

Personally I agree tha partnerships are key, and I'm glad to see TiVo has had some success in that area.

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