Do you think TiVo/DVR boxes will affect retail DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Frank@N]

I've been thinking about some of the convergence products coming down the pipe and am interested in the TiVo/DVR boxes.

The one I heard about specifically was the Sony "PSX', which contains TiVo, 120GB HD, DVR capability, and PS2.

Assuming you have a high quality signal path to begin with; capturing, organizing, and burning your favorite shows should be almost painless.

The primary impact of such devices might be a reduced interest in TV releases on DVD, which seem to be going through the roof lately (coincidence?).

I'm not sure if these boxes will be smart enough to skip commercials when burning and extras are obviously out.

But as I sit and watch my fairly expensive and fairly fuzzy STTNG sets, I wonder...

Do you think TiVo/DVR boxes will affect retail DVD?

 

[Seth--L]

Don't forget that a few minutes of footage is typically cut from shows when syndicated. So while The Simpsons seems to be on TV 24/7, unless you taped the episodes when they first aired, the only way to get the uncut versions is on DVD (I just saw the 3-D Halloween episode last week - they took out one of the best jokes: "slow down there egg-head").

 

[Michael Reuben]

I've read that the next generation of TiVo is supposed to be able to edit out commercials.

With the new owners of ReplayTV having capitulated on this issue, I wouldn't hold my breath.

M.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

But as I sit and watch my fairly expensive and fairly fuzzy STTNG sets, I wonder...

TNG will never look much better than this either. The "fuzzy" is a fact of life from the analog post production and master tape

 

[Carl Johnson]

Tivo will take an indirect bite out of DVD sales the same way NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV takes a bite out of Blockbuster Video. People have a limited amount of time and money for entertainment so the family that just spent a few hundred dollars upgrading to Tivo is less likely to buy a DVD box set anytime soon.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Ha! I don't even WATCH TV anymore, let alone record it, because I simply cannot watch a show with a stupid network logo staring me in the face, and I honestly can't see why other people put up with it. The last time I watched The Simpsons, it was the episode where Homer gets locked in the lighthouse and makes the light go out, and you see just his eyes in the dark- well, the Fox logo was also shining in the corner, ruining the gag. I decided then that I'd had enough.
If they make a device that will erase logos from live TV, I'll be all over that.

 

[SarahG]

All technicality aside...(and I have Tivo...and am one of those thats knows how to use it)

I think that people will still want to buy the real thing...you know that what you are getting is gauranteed product...and it will have all the extras..you can't get extras on a Tivo show...you can't get the Simpsons season one on a Tivo DVR...so I say that while maybe a market myight decrease slighty...that there is a much bigger and better reason to purchase the real thing...thats just my opinion though..

 

[Aaron B]

It won't take any bite out my DVD purchases. I own DVD and a Tivo and I Love them both! Tivo just makes TV a hell of a lot easier. I watch what I want to when I want to. You can fast forward through the commmercials and when you hit play to resume, it jumps back two seconds so the show starts in exactly the right place. I have no complaints about Tivo at all. In fact, here's a little tip for you guys. If you buy a Hughes brand DirecTV receiver with Tivo built in, and you subscribe to their highest tier of programing, you don't have to pay for your Tivo every month! NICE!!

I will say that the DirecTV model Tivo's are a little smaller in capacity than a standard model, but who cares? Do you really need 200+ hours of recording? Even I don't watch that much TV!!

Aaron B

 

[nick/kal]

but both types are just as easily upgraded in terms of HD capacity. My 30-hour Directv tivo has had 120 hours of capacity since about 20 minutes after unpacking it.
i had the ability to digitally capture footage from the tivo in about an hour more.
i still buy lots of TV on dvd.
maybe i'm just a freak, but i think most people will still buy rather than keep home burned dvd's. like SarahG said, the extras and possibility of better picture/sound quality will keep people buying.
the real challenge for retail will be when high definition tivos are available along with the ability to inexpensively capture HD video and dolby digital sound to your computer. will all of cable or satellite tv be flagged to prevent recording at all? it's going to be interesting . . . .

 

[Frank@N]

DVD offers better resolution than any NTSC broadcast

I'm not an expert, but when I'm over at a friend's house watching a satellite signal, it looks mighty good.

Could someone clarify the actual resolution of satellite signals?

Is it also true that satellite signals are digital in nature and created through MPEG2 compression? Sound familiar?

It seems like passing that signal through to a built-in DVD burner would be very cool indeed.

I've never been particularly excited about stand-alone TiVo units or expensive DVR units that perform MPEG2 compression on the fly.

But the idea of combining these features into one unit for ease of use is exciting.

I might even be motivated to get a dish if this all pans out...

 

[Lew Crippen]

The resolution of satellite signals is the same as OTA telecasts: NTSC is 480i, EDTV is 480p, HDTV is 780p or 1080i.

Satellite signals are digital in nature.

The amount compression depends on the satellite channel and even then varies from time to time according to the needs of the service provider (they add channels and squeeze more into a single transponder or they add transponders)

 

[Michael Reuben]

The resolution of satellite signals is the same as OTA telecasts: NTSC is 480i, EDTV is 480p, HDTV is 780p or 1080i.

That's vertical resolution, Lew, and you're correct that all NTSC sources have the same vertical resolving power. I was referring to horizontal resolution, which varies widely among sources. The usual figures are:

VHS -- 220
Standard broadcast -- 330
Laserdisc -- 400
DVD -- 540

In practice it gets a little more complicated, but this gives some idea of the relative standing of these sources. I believe that DirecTV broadcasts may (but don't necessarily) have better horizontal resolution than OTA or cable, but not as good as DVD. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

M.

 

[Jonathan Kaye]

I can only comment on the UK situation, where Tivo has never really got off the ground and has (I believe) stopped being sold. Sky's own variant, Sky+, which records the digital stream directly onto the hard drive, is on my wishlist and will in no way affect my purchase of TV shows on DVD.

Oh, and FWIW, digital satellite over here has a much lower bitrate than DVD. Quantity of channels over quality of picture, alas.:frowning: