Details please of TIVO broadband entertainment and the associated costs

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frednz

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#44294 26-Oct-2009 19:47

One of the main attractions of TIVO is the ability to use broadband internet to download “latest movies and hit TV programs that are beyond your imagination”. I would be grateful if someone could give some specific details about TIVO's broadband entertainment.

1. Where can you find on internet a list of the movies and TV programs that are available to be downloaded, together with the pay per view costs of these programs? What is the cost of downloading a pay per view movie?

2. Is it only movies that are specifically made available by TIVO that can be downloaded?
3. What web site / sites are the movies downloaded from? Is it a New Zealand web site, or can overseas web sites that offer movie downloads also be used?

4. Are the movies that can be downloaded in high definition when this is available?

5. How long does it take to download to the TIVO hard drive say, a 2-hour high definition movie (assuming say 1.5Mbps)?

Thanks very much for your help.
Fred

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#267011 26-Oct-2009 19:51

TiVo will be available from early next month. The official announcement will come later this week, and media is invited to meet the TiVo team this Thursday. Many of your questions will be answered them.

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frednz

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#267020 26-Oct-2009 20:15

freitasm: TiVo will be available from early next month. The official announcement will come later this week, and media is invited to meet the TiVo team this Thursday. Many of your questions will be answered them.

Thanks for your reply. Because I am a TelstraClear broadband user, it is very important to find out the answers to the questions I listed, because I would need to switch to Telecom broadband in order to access the movies and hit TV programs.

I want to find out, for example, whether the very latest movies are available, how many movies are available at any one time, and how the programs offered compare with those offered by SKY television.

So, I look forward to getting full details on the entertainment available (and the associated costs) as soon as it is released by TiVo. I'm a bit surprised that detailed information on this much advertised TiVo broadband entertainment doesn't yet seem to be available.

Regards
Fred

freitasm

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#267024 26-Oct-2009 20:21

You will only need Telecom broadband if you want to get movie downloads. Freeview is free-to-air and TiVo requires a broadband - any provider - to work.

There isn't any official information on pricing, content availability yet because the product hasn't launched. All will be revealed soon. I am flying up to AKL this Thursday to attend their media meetings and will be posting in the forums when more information is available.

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frednz

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#268271 29-Oct-2009 20:45

freitasm: You will only need Telecom broadband if you want to get movie downloads. Freeview is free-to-air and TiVo requires a broadband - any provider - to work.

There isn't any official information on pricing, content availability yet because the product hasn't launched. All will be revealed soon. I am flying up to AKL this Thursday to attend their media meetings and will be posting in the forums when more information is available.

I see there is quite a detailed article on the NBR site, titled: "No, you don't have to be a Telecom customer: a TiVo Q & A":

http://www.nbr.co.nz/print/114160

Apparently, at the November 6 launch, there will be 25 new release movies to choose from, via Caspa on Demand, broadband delivered content (Telecom Only). Each new release movie will cost $6.95 to view, and there will also be about 100 library movies, which will cost $4.95.

But, it's REALLY disappointing that the Caspa movies will only be in "standard definition digital", and NOT high definition, so this is not matching SKY's high definition MySkyHdi offering. This is hardly worth switching over to Telecom broadband to receive, when for the same or lesser cost, you can hire HD blu-ray movies from the video shop, or see HD movies on SKY. Although I guess the TiVo quality will still be reasonable, I wonder whether a high definition option will be available in the future?

The first 15 minutes of a movie should download in around 10 minutes. Once that's downloaded, you can start watching, while the rest downloads in the background. It's interesting that TiVo has only a 320GB hard drive and that a 1 terabyte (1024GB) external hard drive is available as an optional extra for $369. But can't you buy a 1TB external hard drive for less than $200 these days (DSE has one for $199)?

Regards
Fred

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#268287 29-Oct-2009 21:15

frednz:
1. Where can you find on internet a list of the movies and TV programs that are available to be downloaded, together with the pay per view costs of these programs?

You can't but I was told that the major studios are signed up and latest releases will be available.

frednz:
What is the cost of downloading a pay per view movie?

It will vary but it seems to be between $5 and $7 per movie. New releases will cost more obviously.

frednz:
2. Is it only movies that are specifically made available by TIVO that can be downloaded?

Yes, and no. TiVo will only download movies from their own CASPA service (pay-per-view). However TiVo can be connected to your home network and play content from your network. If you have a movie or music file on your PC you can play on your TiVo as well.

frednz:
3. What web site / sites are the movies downloaded from? Is it a New Zealand web site, or can overseas web sites that offer movie downloads also be used?

All downloadable content is hosted in New Zealand on Telecom servers.

frednz:
4. Are the movies that can be downloaded in high definition when this is available?

When available.

frednz:
5. How long does it take to download to the TIVO hard drive say, a 2-hour high definition movie (assuming say 1.5Mbps)?

It will depend on your connection quality and speed. But you can start watching after a few minutes.

Check video ad and screenshots in our other discussion.

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allstarnz

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#268316 29-Oct-2009 22:04

Sky Box Office and On Demand movies are only in SD as far as I know.

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frednz

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#268342 29-Oct-2009 22:30

freitasm:
frednz:
1. Where can you find on internet a list of the movies and TV programs that are available to be downloaded, together with the pay per view costs of these programs?

You can't but I was told that the major studios are signed up and latest releases will be available.

frednz:
What is the cost of downloading a pay per view movie?

It will vary but it seems to be between $5 and $7 per movie. New releases will cost more obviously.

frednz:
2. Is it only movies that are specifically made available by TIVO that can be downloaded?

Yes, and no. TiVo will only download movies from their own CASPA service (pay-per-view). However TiVo can be connected to your home network and play content from your network. If you have a movie or music file on your PC you can play on your TiVo as well.

frednz:
3. What web site / sites are the movies downloaded from? Is it a New Zealand web site, or can overseas web sites that offer movie downloads also be used?

All downloadable content is hosted in New Zealand on Telecom servers.

frednz:
4. Are the movies that can be downloaded in high definition when this is available?

When available.

frednz:
5. How long does it take to download to the TIVO hard drive say, a 2-hour high definition movie (assuming say 1.5Mbps)?

It will depend on your connection quality and speed. But you can start watching after a few minutes.

Check video ad and screenshots in our other discussion.

Thanks very much for providing answers to my questions. Just to clarify one of your answers, the article linked to below said that Caspa content is “standard definition digital” and not “high definition”. I wonder if this point could be clarified please.

http://www.nbr.co.nz/print/114160

The above article says: “That is the quality that most SKY TV subscribers see (bar the 13,000 or so who’re clipping the HD Ticket). With a sample movie, it looked good. Think DVD-like quality.”

Note that subscribers to SKY TV’s Movies channel (CH 020) can see a lot of the movies in high definition if they have “My Sky HDi” and if they pay $5 extra for a “high definition ticket”.

Regards

Fred

frednz

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#268352 29-Oct-2009 22:43

allstarnz: Sky Box Office and On Demand movies are only in SD as far as I know.

Although the Sky Box Office and On Demand movies may only be available in SD, subscribers to the Sky movies channels (CH020 and 022) can see quite a lot of movies in high definition, provided that they have MY SKY HDi and pay $5 per month for the high definition "ticket". That is why I was asking whether the TiVo movies can be downloaded in high definition.

Regards
Fred

NonprayingMantis

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#268388 30-Oct-2009 01:15

FYI, the HD ticket is $10 a month, not $5. (well, according to http://www.skytv.co.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=973 it's $2.31 per week, but since Sky do not bill weekly it seems a little retarded to price that way)

cafeg

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#268398 30-Oct-2009 05:45

yes, sky advertising weekly prices and charging monthly makes it look cheaper than it really is.
I just turned off skymovies, sky sports and the hd ticket last night and it dropped my sky bill down from $98 a month to $48 a month..
And it still looks the same without the hd ticket..

frednz

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#268473 30-Oct-2009 10:59

NonprayingMantis: FYI, the HD ticket is $10 a month, not $5. (well, according to http://www.skytv.co.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=973 it's $2.31 per week, but since Sky do not bill weekly it seems a little retarded to price that way)

Thanks very much for this information, you are correct, I checked with SKY who have confirmed that the HD ticket does in fact cost $10 a month. As well, you have to pay $15 per month to rent the MY SKY HDi box (unless that is, you are prepared to pay a one-off non-refundable amount of $599, in which case the $15 monthly fee doesn't apply).

In addition, although the movie subscription channels (20 and 21) have HD movies, the SKY Box Office and On Demand movies aren't yet broadcast in HD. Similarly, it does seem that the TiVo movies won't be broadcast in HD, but there seem to be different views on this. I am waiting to hear a definite answer as to whether HD TiVo movies will be available, can anyone advise on this please?

Regards
Fred

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#268480 30-Oct-2009 11:11

frednz:
allstarnz: Sky Box Office and On Demand movies are only in SD as far as I know.

Although the Sky Box Office and On Demand movies may only be available in SD, subscribers to the Sky movies channels (CH020 and 022) can see quite a lot of movies in high definition, provided that they have MY SKY HDi and pay $5 per month for the high definition "ticket". That is why I was asking whether the TiVo movies can be downloaded in high definition.

Regards
Fred

You can presumably record HD movies off the freeview HD channels in a similar manner with Tivo, without having to pay extra for an HD "ticket"

freitasm

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#268481 30-Oct-2009 11:14

Just a note to confirm CASPA movies are SD only at the moment, withy 5.1 surround sound.

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frednz

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#268662 30-Oct-2009 19:54

freitasm: Just a note to confirm CASPA movies are SD only at the moment, withy 5.1 surround sound.

Thanks for confirming that, it's a pity really, but I guess if the movies were in high definition, it might take a great deal longer to download a movie via broadband. After all, I wonder how many Gigabytes of space a 2-hour HD movie would take up?

Are HD movies available for downloading via broadband in TiVo units overseas? If you want HD movies, perhaps it's just best to hire blu-ray DVDs and play them back on a DVD blu-ray player or recorder?

And, here's another thought, when your Telecom broadband is busy downloading a 2-hour standard definition movie, I wonder how this would affect your ordinary use of broadband for your computer tasks? Would the big movie download slow down your broadband for your PC use?

Incidentally, I found this Wikipedia write-up about TiVo to be very interesting, particularly the section about data collection and privacy issues:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TiVo

Regards
Fred

p.s. Can video that has been recorded on a TiVo hard drive be transferred out to a DVD? If movies were recorded in HD, this certainly wouldn't be permitted, a "modern" DVD recorder would no doubt block such video? But can SD movies recorded on your TiVo hard drive be transferred out and on to DVDs?

NonprayingMantis

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#270581 6-Nov-2009 10:12

I just noticed the initial range of content is now up, but no pricing that I can see

TV shows:

http://www.mytivo.co.nz/whatistivo/moviestvmusic/tv/mytv/

Drama:
Medical Rookies Season 1
The Tudors Season 1
Rescue Me Season 1
Lost In Austen Season 1
Wired Season 1
Moving On Season 1 Episdoe 1
Bonekickers Season 1
The Street Season 1
The Street Season 2
The Street Season 3

What do you think? Any good? Some I am familiar with, but I don't recognise the names of quite a few. Is that because they haven't reached our shores yet, or because they are not very good?

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