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Skip Navigation LinksPC Authority > News > The Australian Tivo FAQ - What it does, will it skip ads, when it launches, will it work with Foxtel
The Australian Tivo FAQ - What it does, will it skip ads, when it launches, will it work with Foxtel
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The Australian Tivo FAQ - What it does, will it skip ads, when it launches, will it work with Foxtel

by Daniel Long  on Jul 2, 2008
Tags: tivo
2 comments in this discussion
"For $699 this is perhaps a bargain, but only for people with modest needs. TIVO buyers might soon be left wanting for a range of additional features: high definition, a decent amount of ..."
By kpt
 
A Foxtel IQ2 killer or just another DVR – we look at what Tivo is and isn’t for the Australian market in our special Tivo FAQ.
It’s been ten long years waiting for Tivo to finally come to Australia (launched 1998 in San Francisco, USA), so has the wait to ‘Tivo it’ been worth it?

What Tivo is:
A High Def (HD) Digital Video recorder (DVR) with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from the market competitors (Foxtel IQ2, Panasonic, Samsung), but with a few interesting and unique differences such as ‘Season pass’, ‘wish list’, broadband functionality, dual TV tuners and a healthy price tag. It’s synchronised using free to air digital programme guides in order to work out what to record.

When?
TiVo Australia officially launches to the public through Harvey Norman retailers on July 29th

How much?
$699. That looks like a steal when you compare how much it would cost if you bought the IQ2 from Foxtel which is essentially a ‘lease’ product that requires you to pay a further $20 - $30 on top of your monthly Foxtel bills. And then you still never own it...which makes Tivo look even better for value.

Australian TiVo vs. American TiVo:
Thanks to our complicated and fair dinkum copyright laws, don’t expect the Australian Tivo model to perform any ad skipping miracles. The Australian model has no such feature, unlike its American cousin which delivered TiVo huge amounts of hype and fame for being able to skip across ads like an excited kid in a lollypop shop. But there is hope, meaning you won’t have to suffer through those annoying Nappy San commercials. A 30x rapid skip button speeds through minutes of content in seconds; not unlike most DVR’s already on the market.

Is it Future Proof?
We knew you would wonder, so we asked Tom Rodgers , president and CEO of TiVo Australia ourselves. He told us that they have tentative plans to release a 500GB HD version at a future date, which would be a marked increase on the current 160GB version current available. Mr Rogers hinted at plans to allow external hard drives to work with the TiVo later down the track when an official hard drive accessory is released to market in 2009.

However, Rogers did tell us that there were no firm plans on the horizon for any kind of Blu-Ray or DVD burner options, much to our surprise, telling us that the aim of TiVo is “to keep it simple for customers”. But he did tell us in a rather cryptic James Bond style that you “can never say never” to a possible drive burner proposal one day.

So, is TiVo really that simple?
Yes, that’s one of the devices main benefits. It’s been described as the ‘ipod’ of Digital Video recorders, because it’s designed for mums and grandmas. Press ‘record’ and it goes at it. Press play and expect it all to work without hassles. It’s this very simplicity that Tivo is banking on for their success.

Will TiVo work with my Foxtel?
No. We also asked Tom Rodgers this important question and were dismayed to learn that it’s still impossible to use the TiVo free to air channels with free to air channels served through Foxtel. In other words, there’s no connection available to either device.

That’s a little disappointing for Foxtel customers who don’t want the financial hassle of ‘leasing’ the IQ2 product. The first company to figure out a way to get around this technical imperfection will make a great deal of money.

Sexy features that give the TiVo an edge.
Wish list – search for your favourite director or actors by typing in their name and looking for TV programmes they appear in. Handy if you’re a fan of B grade actors who don’t see much prime time action.

Season Pass - request the device to record every single episode of your favourite season automatically.

Kid Zone – allow parents to take the responsibility to make sure their children are watching programs that are safe from inappropriate material.

TiVo suggestions – Let TiVo suggest the shows you’ll be most keen to watch with a few clicks of the remote.

Tivo and broadband
The Tivo is optimised to work with a broadband connection with an Ethernet port at the back of the unit. You’ll be able to download HD content directly from the net onto the Tivo hard drive. You’ll even be able to store family photos and your favourite YouTbe clips on the unit further down the track.
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Comments: 2
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
springthing
Jul 2, 2008 11:24 AM
 I've been using a modded series 1 Tivo for a few years and would never think of watching TV without on now. Fortunately my machine DOES hook up to my PayTV service as well as FTA channels, plus I threw a 500GB HDD in it for added storage. Sure, it's not High Definition, but there really isn't that much content that warrants it IMHO. For my money, the single best feature TIVO offers over all the competition is the way it works out the types of programs I watch regularly, and seeks out similar programs and records them automatically for me. The 'official' Australian model certainly sounds like it is set to offer some promising new features down the track, but I'm not packing up my early model TIVO any time soon.


Comment made about the PC Authority article:
The Australian Tivo FAQ - What it does, will it skip ads, when it launches, will it work with Foxtel?
A Foxtel IQ2 killer or just another DVR – we look at what Tivo is and isn’t for the Australian market in our special Tivo FAQ.

What do you think? Join the discussion.
kpt
Jul 3, 2008 11:12 PM
 For $699 this is perhaps a bargain, but only for people with modest needs.

TIVO buyers might soon be left wanting for a range of additional features:
high definition, a decent amount of storage, hi-fi sound quality with any number of speakers, compatibility with set-top boxes and free-to-air, ability to store and play a huge library of music and other media, plus the convenience of having a full-featured PC in the lounge room.
With that in mind, an HTPC makes TIVO look like a short-term, limited device.
In spite of a lot of grumbling in the IT community Vista Media Centre does work very well, and paired with IceTV (as long as they can hold off the anti-tech thugs at Channel 9) recording TV is a breeze; controlable from any computer, anywhere, and with 'program recommendations' similar to TIVO.
A high-performance, quiet HTPC with 1 or even 2 terabytes of storage can be built for under $2000. And it is easily upgradable as years pass. After a couple of years today's $699 TIVO will not seem like a bargain to people who end up with multiple devices stacked on top of their TIVO in order to do what a decent PC can do today.

Edited by kpt: 3/7/2008 11:17:12 PM
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