TiVo Offers Free Basic Service Option For Toshiba DVR/DVD Player
Reprinted from a TiVo press release:
TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced it will offer a new introductory service level, TiVo Basic service. This service will provide licensees the opportunity to include entry-level DVR functionality with high-value integrated products such as a combined DVD/DVR.
The TiVo Basic service level provides consumer electronics companies the ability to offer consumers basic DVR functionality with the easy-to-use TiVo interface. The TiVo Basic service will only be packaged with licensees’ integrated consumer electronics products. Licensees will set pricing of their products based on the combined value of the TiVo Basic service and other features and functionality offered in the product.
All integrated DVR/DVD products shipped with the ability to receive TiVo Basic service can be automatically upgraded to the full TiVo service for $12.95 a month or $299 product lifetime subscription fee. A customer can take advantage of a built-in trial of the TiVo service and upgrade at any time as well as purchase the new home networking package from TiVo, Home Media Option.
“Partnering with consumer electronics companies is driving innovation and consumer choice in the DVR category; by offering this new entry-level TiVo Basic service to our licensees, we are working with them to insure that their products can be competitive at retail as the category expands,” said Ta-Wei Chien, senior vice president and general manager, TiVo technology and licensing business. “We believe that by enabling our consumer electronics partners to provide a basic service offering with their product we can drive adoption of these next-generation integrated devices and in doing so, drive adoption of the TiVo service.”
Consumers purchasing devices with the ability to receive the TiVo Basic service will get limited DVR functionality such as pausing live TV, record from guide, manual repeat recording by time and date, and 3 days of program guide data. The basic service will not include the service features that have made TiVo so popular with its subscribers, such as Season Pass, WishList and Search by Title. Easy upgrade and no obligation free trial will give consumers easy access to these much-loved TiVo service features.
TiVo licensee Toshiba is the first to announce an integrated product with the TiVo Basic service included. Toshiba’s SD-H400 integrated DVD with TiVo is expected to be available at retail this fall. This will be one of the first products available at retail that offers a program guide and basic DVR functionality in a product that is capable of upgrade to the full TiVo service offering and networked home entertainment, making this the most advanced integrated DVR product on the market.
“We’re excited to be leading the charge in delivering the next generation of consumer devices that incorporate digital video recording,” said Yoshi Uchiyama, Vice President, Toshiba Digital A/V Group. “The ability to deliver basic DVR functionality — with the TiVo brand — in our integrated offering, provides a real value to our product. Delivering a ‘TiVo-ready’ device that is so easy to upgrade — is a real competitive advantage for us.”
As a DVD player, the Toshiba SD-H400 offers superlative DVD-video performance. Equipped with a 10bit/54mHz Video D/A converter, the SD-H400 offers maximum color purity, detail and resolution. When connected to a television via the ColorStream Pro Component Video Outputs, consumers can enjoy Toshiba’s Digital Cinema Progressive technology when viewing either DVD or TiVo DVR playback. The SD-H400 can also playback DVD-R and RW, Video CD, CD, CD-R and RW as well as MP3s.