Satellite TV

What Is TiVo

TiVo is a Linux based personal video recorder (PVR), connected to MPEG-2 encoder/decoder chips and high-capacity IDE/ATA hard drives, it is a stand alone branded equipment for personal video recording. Designed by TiVo Inc, which currently provide the hardware design, A Linux based software operates the subscription dial-up services.

It allows its user to capture the telecasted transmit ion into the inbuilt hard disk for later recreation. Unlike VCR, TiVo system is equipped with more options. One can only play the VCR recording once it’s finished but using TiVo is a whole different realm, you can not only watch the ongoing program but you can also pause the live show and that’s not the end. You can also rewind the just watched sequence these are some of few advantages of TiVo.

TiVo Services:

Presently TiVo service is available in United States, United Kingdom with certain modifications by end users, it is also enjoyed in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Nether land, although the service is available in UK but it is available for only preexisting TiVo units.

Buying TiVo:

TiVo is a stand alone consumer electronic device and integrated DirecTV digital video recorder is also available. Price of TiVo unit vary and it depends upon the manufacturing company and the size of hard disk.

Search options:

Input program are based upon database of program available to users, depends upon their location and cable or satellite connection which they are currently subscribed. The user choice is updated roughly once a day by using the phone or network connection insuring the best quality and user demand.

TiVo also allows its user to specify their choice, taking into account the program title, also by short listing their demand by combinations of genre, actors, and directors etc. User choice is updated once a day by phone or network connections to TiVo headquarter, giving its users more control over the telecasted programs. User can choose from wish list and season passes. Wish list allows users to type there wish using an on screen keypad. While season passes allow you to tell the machine to record every instance of a single program, with some advance options.

TiVo Networking

Series 2 TiVo recorder are equipped with more advance options of networking and unlike the other DVR, TiVo can be connected to home network and the user can enjoy the full accesibilty via a web brower even user can also move his favorite program from one TiVo unit to the other or to a home personal computer and vice versa.

TiVO User privacy

A good services is always concerned with the feedback from its customer, Single user encrypted viewing data combined with 150,000 other people’s encrypted viewing data, sorted by region (zip code is included) is sent to TiVo headquarter for assessment and to improve the service. Anonymity is the key while processing there demands of particular program but if users consider it an infringement of their privacy they can lodge there request to block the anonymous viewing information and diagnostic information from their TiVo unit by calling 1-877-367-8486. This service of blocking data collection is available only in USA. User can also voice there choice by rating the programs they like the most, by choosing from three thumbs up to three thumbs down.

Recording options:

The hard disk space used by any program depends upon the quality and length of program.Giga Pocket offers three quality modes:

• LP - Stored as a highly compressed MPEG-1 file
• SP - Stored as a moderately compressed MPEG-2 file
• HQ - Stored as a high-quality MPEG-2 file

Hard disk

High-capacity IDE hard drives are hallmark of TiVo units. Early TiVo units are installed with one or two 13GB drives; typical units have a drive of 40-140GB in size but as its stated “the larger is the better” giving more power to enjoy the benefits of veiwing.

Certain models manufactured under close vigilance of TiVo Inc like Toshiba, pioneer and Humax provide DVD-R/RW drives. Recording from the built in hard drive to a standard DVD is no more a dream.

Conclusion

TiVo provides advance options to its user to manipulate their DVR and full control to choose the quality of video recording, user data anonymity, state of art customer support and search options, transfer of recorded program over a home network, and last but not the least, the most important of which is the user involvement in the betterment of service according to there demand and taste by indirectly employing the user feedback.

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