Comcast showing off TiVo-powered DVR

They took their freaking time getting around to this, but at CES this week Comcast is showing off what they'd been promising to deliver for nearly two years: a cable DVR box with TiVo software on it. It's good news for subscribers who know the pain of Comcast's current DVR offerings, though as of right now we still have yet to learn how much a TiVo-enabled box will cost or when exactly it'll be available.

[GJP303 @ Jan 8th 2007 3:50PM]

FINALLY!

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Jan 8th 2007 3:53PM]

The TiVo box shouldn't cost anything. The press release says it's a download for the current boxes, and I assume that means the Motorola HD recorders (34xx and 64xx series). So the hardware, should, stay the same.

Where are some photos of the software interface, though?!?

[andy @ Jan 8th 2007 3:58PM]

re: software screenshots

www.tivo.com

[kbike @ Jan 8th 2007 4:06PM]

There was a rumor on tivocoummunity.com that this might include MultiRoomViewing and TivoToGo. (Which would bode well for those features showing up in the series3 Tivo soon.) Could someone at the show please ask about these features?

[Master @ Jan 8th 2007 4:27PM]

If Comcast's still usinge Motorala+TIVO hardware, what's the posibility to have external HD? Thay would be awesome! The current motorola box has the SATA connection but not activated.

[JimmyStewart @ Jan 8th 2007 4:30PM]

I'm really curious about the potential to use the HD boxes with Tivo. I've currently got a Tivo Series 3 with a lifetime subscription... but I may be needing a second unit soon and I'm really against paying those insane subscription fees Tivo has been charging of late. Hopefully this will be a good alternative.

[Norman Ferguson @ Jan 8th 2007 4:30PM]

Anyone know if this include TiVo support for HD content from Comcast? Or is the TiVo interface only for regular std def channels?

[JimmyStewart @ Jan 8th 2007 4:31PM]

An external HD would be entirely possible. It's a feature on my Series 3 so Tivo software is capable of supporting it.

[Brett Belcastro @ Jan 8th 2007 4:31PM]

"Collaborating with Comcast to make the state-of-the-art TiVo service available on their existing hardware platform is an important accomplishment for both companies," said Jeff Klugman, Senior Vice President for TiVo's Service Provider Division.

http://www.tivo.com/cms_static/press_124.html

[j0nkatz @ Jan 8th 2007 4:52PM]

That's Comcastic!!!!!

[e @ Jan 8th 2007 5:39PM]

Ohh. It'd be great if this would give me an HD TiVo box.

[Trotta @ Jan 8th 2007 6:25PM]

THANK GOD ALMIGHTY!

[BiG? @ Jan 8th 2007 6:33PM]

I called Comcast this morning. The woman I spoke to hadn't even heard of comcast offering anything related to TiVo, but after a quick discussion with people near her, found that it wouldn't be available in my area (Seattle) in the near-term. >:-(

[Dave @ Jan 8th 2007 6:41PM]

Now that the initial joy has worn off (only slightly), reality is kicking in. How much more do you think Comcast is going to charge to have this service? They just upped the price from $9.95 to $11.95 for the new year...

[Doug @ Jan 8th 2007 6:47PM]

This is great. TIVI is da bomb!

[Will @ Jan 8th 2007 6:53PM]

Here is the press release from TIVO:
http://www.tivo.com/cms_static/press_124.html

Regarding the fee, it must be for a TIVO like subscription.

[Jeremy @ Jan 8th 2007 7:27PM]

Just let me know when I can get this so I can dump my DirecTV Tivo.

[smkoehler @ Jan 9th 2007 9:33AM]

I sure hope this doesn't cause the (already insane) price of 11.95 to go up to TiVo's incredibly unreal price of 19.95.. i mean seriously, when i used to have DirecTV Tivo, it was 4.99 a month, and that was only about 4 years ago. how can the price of simply updating a guide quadruple over that time? considering that guide information is available free on the internet? if comcast does up their price, it will be time to just use the MCE box to do all my DVR functions.

[AbsolutWVUEer @ Jan 9th 2007 10:43AM]

Please ohhhh Please let this just be a download away.....I can't stand to use that godforsaken SA box anymore

[npc @ Jan 9th 2007 11:02PM]

QUESTION: I just purchased/subscribed to Comcast DVR. I recorded my first HD program. My tv is a 46 inch flatscreen. Does anyone know which screen settings my DVR need to be on? Using the suggestions in the insrtuction manual did not produce a good outcome. Thanks.

[RayRay @ Jan 14th 2007 10:03AM]

While price is a big concern for me too (I've been vying for brand TiVo service for a couple of years while the price has kept it at arms length), I'm more concerned about the ill-functioning hardware in the form of the Motorola box that was a major impetus in me searching for a better solution in the first place. When I first got the Comcast DVR I thought, "If it's already a $10/month charge on top of the huge cable bill, what's another $10 for brand TiVo service, especially if the TiVo service actually works?" I haven't found anyone else out there asking, "If my Comcast/Motorola box cannot run it's original software with ease, how will it run a heftier, souped-up version that I pay MORE for?" If I bought a TiVo box, I'd imagine that by clicking the fast-forward button it'd respond the same day. A classic complaint of the Motorola box is that it does not enjoy that same functionality.

[J-Man @ Feb 21st 2007 3:01AM]

I'm mostly responding to the last comment, about whether the Tivo software would be any faster/more responsive on the Motorola hardware than the current DVR software. Having had 4 different Tivo units since 1999 (including a dual tuner DirecTivo unit) I can certainly relate; once you've used Tivo's interface, nothing else compares.

And the current software on the Motorola unit (64xx, not sure exact number, from Comcast in NW Indiana) sucks bad. Unresponsive, poor feedback, and unintuitive...

I don't know for sure, but I really hope that any Tivo software run on this box will continue to behave as we Tivo users would expect. I'm not sure what type of CPU the Moto box has, but I'm sure Linux will run on it. And if this Tivo software is based on Linux (as it always has been), and the Tivo development team continues to have the same standards, then I expect this particular variation to be everything we hope it to be.

I don't personally care if some of the unit's functions are not implemented; currently the USB and A/V input ports do nothing on my Moto box. What I do care about is that we might have the Tivo software, with its ease of use, intuitive and responsive interface, as well as the familiarity, coupled with the dual-tuner HD capabilities of the Moto box. That would be the DVR of my dreams personally...

I saw screenshots of the proposed Tivo interface on a Comcast box, including On Demand integrated into the Tivo interface, on another site (can't remember where at the moment). If I could have that, I would be a very happy person...

[Laura @ Feb 21st 2007 2:43PM]

I have Comcast and am trying to decide whether to go w/their DVR or TiVo.

Any help appreciated, thanks!

[Ruben @ Mar 8th 2007 11:40PM]

I just spoke with a customer service rep and he said that the TIVO add-on will be included with the dvr package. Basically he said it is going to replace the current dvr software that is used today. Also here is a video feed showing off the software on the motorola dvr box.
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/003507.html