# TiVo spikes on rumors of deal with Apple on new Apple TV



## ccoulson (May 24, 2003)

Rumors on the Mac sites that new AppleTV's may include Tivo software...

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/26098/
:up::up::up:


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

all the links and google searches lead back to stock talk pages. I place little credence in this as frankly I still see no reason for Apple to need TiVo for anything.


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## dilbert27 (Dec 1, 2006)

I can see it now Apple TiVo Premiere only $1199.96 for we all know that anything apple just plain costs more.


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## RealityCheck (Feb 15, 2007)

Apple might simply be licensing TiVo patents for future DVR considerations with AppleTV. That is, if Apple licensed anything at all from TiVo. I don't see Apple incorporating TiVo Software into their products. I wonder what an outright takeover of TiVo would cost Apple under friendly terms? Wild speculation can be fun.


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## ccoulson (May 24, 2003)

dilbert27 said:


> ...anything apple just plain costs more.


... and works!


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

We also know Apple's love of Flash like mentioned on engadgethd.

I could see them supporting the .tivo file format if only to have a link since googletv will work with tivo via ir blasters.


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## TWinbrook46636 (Feb 9, 2008)

There is simply no way in hell Apple would use the new TiVo Premiere user interface. Who on earth would want to? It's garbage. Hopefully the rumor is true and Apple will rewrite the slow, buggy and incomplete Premiere UI from scratch.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

TWinbrook46636 said:


> There is simply no way in hell Apple would use the new TiVo Premiere user interface. Who on earth would want to? It's garbage. Hopefully the rumor is true and Apple will rewrite the slow, buggy and incomplete Premiere UI from scratch.


As long as they don't use the same team who wrote the buggy pos itunes for the PC.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Can someone tell me the last time Apple released a product where the UI was written by a 3rd party?

Never? I thought so.

Sorry this isn't going to happen. People have been saying Apple has been "going to buy TiVo" for the last 5 or 6 years now. It won't happen because Netflix is buying TiVo.


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## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

It will come in black and white, but you'll have to wait till 2012 for white.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

His Steveness will ka-bosh the deal because the TiVo peanut remote has too many buttons.


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## SullyND (Dec 30, 2004)

You're watching your TV wrong.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

morac said:


> Can someone tell me the last time Apple released a product where the UI was written by a 3rd party?


Umm, iTunes was originally a third party product... not called iTunes, but I believe at least the basics of the UI were very similar.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

Apple hasn't had much interest in a broadcast and cable solution because that's all content that they don't get paid for. Also dealing with broadcast and cable sources is a thorny mess.

I have trouble envisioning a business model were Apple can make their customary truckloads of cash for a DVR solution. I could see iTunes for TiVo, or possibly some kind of Apple TV integration for TiVo - transfer and play your TV shows maybe.


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## SullyND (Dec 30, 2004)

mattack said:


> Umm, iTunes was originally a third party product... not called iTunes, but I believe at least the basics of the UI were very similar.


Are you thinking of Winamp? iTunes was Mac only, so they included another software for iPods on Windows. I believe it was winamp. iTunes was always Applw.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

Wikipedia sez:


> SoundJam MP, developed by Jeff Robbin and Bill Kincaid and released by Casady & Greene in 1999,[5] became the basis for iTunes when Apple purchased it in 2000. Apple added a new user interface and the ability to burn CDs, and removed its recording feature and skin support, and released it as iTunes in January 2001.


So iTunes has always had an Apple produced interface even if the underpinnings were purchased from someone else.

Maybe that's the deal. Apple could easily have TiVo port its underlying engine and slap their own interface on top.. But again, where are the prerequisite truckloads of cash?


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## SullyND (Dec 30, 2004)

nrc said:


> I have trouble envisioning a business model were Apple can make their customary truckloads of cash for a DVR solution.


Really? A couple years ago people would say the same thing about cell phones. I have no trouble seeing Steve coming out with an STB on his terms. You don't want to give me that cut? Fine, I'll do an exclusive with Comcast/DirecTV/Dish. Ask VZW how that worked for them.


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## JimboG (May 27, 2007)

SullyND said:


> You're watching your TV wrong.


Yep, recording HD for free (up to 1920 by 1080) clearly is wrong when you could pay per episode for 720p content.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

SullyND said:


> Really? A couple years ago people would say the same thing about cell phones. I have no trouble seeing Steve coming out with an STB on his terms. You don't want to give me that cut? Fine, I'll do an exclusive with Comcast/DirecTV/Dish. Ask VZW how that worked for them.


There are multiple cell phone providers competing for every customer in nearly every market. It makes sense to pay a premium for something that will attract subscribers. That's just not true of cable. And buying an iPhone means a big fat data plan charge on your bill. Are people going to pay $15-$25 extra every month for an Apple TV DVR? Is Apple going to do that and then give up their iTunes downloads or share a cut with the cable industry?

I'm not saying that it can't happen, but right now Apple seems content to wait for the mountain to come to them.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

nrc said:


> Apple hasn't had much interest in a broadcast and cable solution because that's all content that they don't get paid for. Also dealing with broadcast and cable sources is a thorny mess.
> 
> I have trouble envisioning a business model were Apple can make their customary truckloads of cash for a DVR solution. I could see iTunes for TiVo, or possibly some kind of Apple TV integration for TiVo - transfer and play your TV shows maybe.


Apple really does not make that much off of iTunes and software. They make it off of hardware and it itunes is there to make the hardware a richer platform. If they could come up with alternatives that make the apple tv platform desirable I think they would run without question. The question would embrace providers like they did with cell phones or would they go streaming only.

I also think they are interested in the patents like trick play, suggestions, and season passes if this is at all real.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

morac said:


> Can someone tell me the last time Apple released a product where the UI was written by a 3rd party?


The original iPod interface was written by a third party.


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## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

Arcady said:


> The original iPod interface was written by a third party.


Always willing to learn. My friends told me at the time that while a lot of the development was being done under contract by PortalPlayer, Apple was doing the interface in-house and Steve Jobs was hands-on, daily.


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

zalusky said:


> Apple really does not make that much off of iTunes and software. They make it off of hardware and it itunes is there to make the hardware a richer platform. If they could come up with alternatives that make the apple tv platform desirable I think they would run without question. The question would embrace providers like they did with cell phones or would they go streaming only.
> 
> I also think they are interested in the patents like trick play, suggestions, and season passes if this is at all real.


Which one is the razor and which one is the blade?


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## jtso (Oct 2, 2009)

There is an interesting article and comment thread on this here:

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/07/26/tivo-stock-rises-on-rumors-of-apple-tv-deal/

In reading through the comments, I personally like the idea of the rumored new Apple TV serving as a TiVo extender. It might be something like an app on the ATV that connects with a TiVo that you already own. You can use the app to navigate the NPL, then start the streaming. Such an app could also exist for an iPad as well.

I can also see both companies profiting. This would be a way for the Apple TV to gain DVR functionality without having to actually be a DVR. TiVo might sell more Premieres and service agreements with their new Apple connection. TiVo has hinted at streaming functionality, but in this way, they wouldn't have to actually build extender boxes. In my mind, streaming could be from TiVo to TiVo, TiVo to ATV, or TiVo to a Best Buy TV (?????).


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

ccoulson said:


> ... and works!


this


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

stevel said:


> It will come in black and white, but you'll have to wait till 2012 for white.


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## bschuler2007 (Feb 25, 2007)

I'll believe the rumor only when someone from Tivo jumps off the roof.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

stevel said:


> It will come in black and white, but you'll have to wait till 2012 for white.


And if you touch it in the right spot it'll stop recording.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

Stormspace said:


> And if you touch it in the right spot it'll stop recording.


Or you will lose your signal.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

daveak said:


> Or you will lose your signal.


You'll be able to see the signal loss message on a blazing retina display 30 feet tall though.


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## rogmatic (Sep 17, 2009)

This rumor makes no sense at all to me - the only thing that makes any sense is if you can connect to itunes via tivo. This, of course, would make tivo a direct competitor to apple tv, so I doubt this will happen unless apple makes way more money on itunes sales than on hardware.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

Stormspace said:


> You'll be able to see the signal loss message on a blazing retina display 30 feet tall though.


There will be a software fix for it.


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## TiVo Ninja (Mar 25, 2006)

If this were true, my dad would finally get on board and then act like it was a superior product all along.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

rogmatic said:


> This rumor makes no sense at all to me - the only thing that makes any sense is if you can connect to itunes via tivo. This, of course, would make tivo a direct competitor to apple tv, so I doubt this will happen unless apple makes way more money on itunes sales than on hardware.


Jobs considers AppleTV a hobbyist thing versus a real product line for Apple. I still say this is just some investment site monkeying around with stock prices.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

netringer said:


> His Steveness will ka-bosh the deal because the TiVo peanut remote has too many buttons.


Can you just see a CableCARD installer trying to use the tiny Mac remote?


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

ZeoTiVo said:


> ...I still say this is just some investment site monkeying around with stock prices.


Would that really happen? Oh yeah, here's a failed attempt: http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=8031529#post8031529


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