# Strong competition for a Freeview TiVo looms closer



## pgogborn (Nov 11, 2002)

Strong competition for a Freeview TiVo looms closer, perhaps daunting enough to dissuade TiVo Inc. from ever re-entering the UK market, perhaps market stimulating enough to give them just the incentive they need.

It is reported that approval of the Freeview Playback specification work is expected around 5th July.

The specification could provide for such things as:


> Record all programmes in a series, while avoiding the recording of repeats.
> Avoid scheduling conflicts when this can be resolved by scheduling a later repeat of a selected programme.
> Record a complete programme when it is split by, for example, a news bulletin.
> Take advantage of a recommendation facility whereby a recommendation is signalled along with the programme being viewed, a further viewing service. >
> source


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Sounds to me like a TiVo is exactly what they have in mind... 

Maybe the author knows something we don't....


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## kitschcamp (May 18, 2001)

It does sounds suspiciously like one, to a level where TiVo would be rubbing their intelectual property lawyers in glee


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## groovyclam (Feb 18, 2002)

It doesn't mention a wishlist-like record facility, only a season-pass facility.

Wishlist is a strong feature of TiVo - more flexible than a season-pass.

As it stands though it is a step in the right direction. I hope the standard gets ratified and the PVRs come to market quicky.

The FreeView EPG could do with a bit more metadata being broadcast too.


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## iankb (Oct 9, 2000)

Agreeing a specification for EPG data, and getting a robust and user-friendly software interface are two quite different things. Can't see much happening within the next year, unless development has already started. I can see some cobbled-together solutions appearing (such as Sky+) that hold their data against the EPG in memory, and lose all during a powercut.


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## pgogborn (Nov 11, 2002)

blindlemon said:


> Sounds to me like a TiVo is exactly what they have in mind...


 I was half hoping for something better than a TiVo, that stop and start signals would be broadcast so that, for example, programs that started a minute 'early' were recorded in their entirety.



kitschcamp said:


> It does sounds suspiciously like one, to a level where TiVo would be rubbing their intelectual property lawyers in glee


Yeah, but unlike the last time they won an intellectual property case, this time round TiVo Inc. would probably not be able to ensure the case was tried in the state of Texas (which has a certain reputation for siding with the plaintiff in intellectual property cases).



iankb said:


> Can't see much happening within the next year


With that July agreement date I think you are probably right but... back in May, Cary Wakefield, Freeview Playback General Manager, mentioned a September 2006 market date > 
http://www.freeview.co.uk/news/view.php?/24


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## aerialplug (Oct 20, 2000)

A Freeview PVR could theoretically stop and start at exactly the right times if it's able to interpret the DVB event ids. Each programme is given a new event id and all the EPG data has to do is associate the event id with the programme.

Note - DVB event ids are for programme slots, and do not identify repeated programmes - they'll be given a different event id because it's being shown at a different time.


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## frogster (Jan 4, 2006)

groovyclam said:


> Wishlist is a strong feature of TiVo - more flexible than a season-pass.


Never used it, never felt the need to use it. Never used suggestions either, and never felt the need.

I would far rather not have either feature and not pay for them than have them and pay for them.


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