TiVo launching 6th November in New Zealand

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freitasm

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#44868 29-Oct-2009 16:13

Hello folks... Just left the Hybrid TV offices where I was given a TiVo demo. Very cool stuff coming up...

Confirmed the launch date is 6th November, available from Telecom store. Total cost is $920, $200 down then $30/month for 24 months - this is for the box only. There's no ongoing cost.

DVB-T (Freeview|HD) with very good DTR capabilities - briliant picture and sound.

TiVo will be launched in New Zealand with a world-first, the Caspa pay-per-view movie dowload service. You can rent movies that will be downloaded over Telecom broadband services, using a credit card you will havre preloaded with TiVo. Movies from major studios will be available, and no traffic will be charged.

Also launching will be a Sony-powered music service where you will be able to download music clips, or watch entire concerts. This will be complemented by a music service Sony is launching later in the month (independed from TiVo).

EPG ofr 14 days is downloaded over broadband - any ISP, except for Maori TV and Prime. Instead there'll be a lable "Please help us get this EPG - contact Maori TV/Prime" over the EPG. Quite funny.

More information and pictures later when I get back in Wellington.

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#268187 29-Oct-2009 17:00

Interesting, I'll have my PlayTV for my PS3 by then - also no ongoing costs but only $145 to purchase (and probably available for less than that for those who shop around a little more)...

What else does TiVo bring to the table beyond the PVR stuff that PlayTV can do?

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#268225 29-Oct-2009 18:41

Looking forward to being able to do a full comparision of TiVo and Magic TV so I can make my decision.

Also more info HERE (NBR QA Article)

josephhinvest

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#268240 29-Oct-2009 19:32

Sigh… I'm fairly underwhelmed so far. I've been waiting, waiting, waiting (and saving up!) for a TIVO since the first announcement.

My main issues are…

1. Capacity
320 GB? Pff! Why not offer like Australia/US, a 160 GB and 1 TB version. (Actually I don't know if this is still the case, previously there was the TIVO [SD}, TIVO HD and TIVO HD XL.) I don't want to purchase an additional external drive for a brand new device!

2. EPG.
No Prime. What. The. F*ck.
This is crazy, thanks for nothing SKY.

3. The Remote
Will the TiVo Glo Premium Remote be available in New Zealand? I want this remote, and am prepared to pay for it!

4. Caspa.
Standard Definition only? Or 720p? The information seems contradictory.
Pricing, $6.95 for a new release, sounds fair enough.
However, the TV series??? First 3 eps free, then *** $4.95*** PER EPISODE!
No way will I pay 5 bucks an episode.

Anyway, I probably will still buy one as soon as possible!

Cheers,
Joseph

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#268245 29-Oct-2009 20:08

@Jofizz I think you still Maori TV and Prime channels, just not their EPG data. And seeing that it is certified for Freeview|HD, it will be HD friendly.

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NonprayingMantis

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#268251 29-Oct-2009 20:16

my thoughts on your points.

1)320 GB - that is bigger than the Oz model which is only 160GB I believe. I don't think oz has a 1TB model available. 320GB is plenty big enough IMO until more FTA stuff is HD. also if you get the Home netowrk package then you can store your stuff on your PC and access it from there. I have Terabytesof space onmy PC

2) yes, no EPG for Prime sucks ass. (although I couldn't care less about the Maori channel - at least until RWC comes around, although I'll prob watch most of those games in the Pub)

3) why is the glo remote so good? all I can find on google is that it looks a little different to the regular remote

4) It sounds to me like the the on-demand stuff is SD currently, but TiVo supports HD (meaning freeview HD channels are in HD now, and future OnDemand stuff in HD is likely)
$5 an episode might be for full length 1 hr+ HBO type shows e.g. Lost, Fringe, Sopranos etc. that's not too bad given the price to buy these kind of shows on DVD - No ads to fast forward is a major plus for me vs watching the show on FTA tv. But probably not worth it for shorter shows like you get in the UK - they tend to be only 1/2 hour.

the prime thing is the real kicker for me. Wish Sky would stop being such c[insert rude word of choice]s. I think I will still ditch sky though and get TiVo. saves quite bit on my monthly bill.

the free wifi adapter is a good deal (although useless to me since I have ethernet port by my TV anyway) but the free home networking package sounds sweet IIRc it costs $200 in Oz (or maybe $100?) One thing I hate about MySky is not being able to transfer any media off it - with TiVo it seems I can store it on my PC (another reason I'm not too worried about the 320GB hard drive) and, I think, watch it on my mobile or PSP.

ETA: according to this article
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10606142
the downloadable content willbe in HD (or some of it at least)

What do you guys think about the bandit.fm thing? I've never heard of it. looks like a combination of iTunes and Pandora according to http://www.bandit.fm/about anyone here used it before?

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#268276 29-Oct-2009 20:57

@nonprayingmantis
I agree that 320 GB should be enough for most people, but I am not most people :)
It just seems a bit weak to not offer a unit with a LARGE built in drive.
My TiVo is likely to only connect via WiFi, so transferring huge amounts of data will be v slow, and regardless I only have a laptop (macbook) at home, no large drives to store programs on.

Re the Glo Remote, it just looks so cool!
Backlit keys, gloss finish with chrome edge, and it can learn my TV and receivers' commands.
And it's shiny, I like shiny ;)

@chiefie, indeed it is just the lack of EPG, not the channel itself, that is disappointing.
However, I have read that one can still program TiVo with a manual timer program for channels with no EPG, so at worst it should just be a PITA.

Cheers,
Joseph

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#268279 29-Oct-2009 21:02

Here is the launch ad screening soon:

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

freitasm

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#268282 29-Oct-2009 21:06

Here are some screenshots as promised:

More details to follow...

Aaroona

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#268334 29-Oct-2009 22:22

I was talking to a guy at Telecom the other day, he said hes got one at the moment and is loving every minute of it.
Im still not sure whether im sold on it or not though.

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#268371 29-Oct-2009 23:26

freitasm:EPG ofr 14 days is downloaded over broadband - any ISP, except for Maori TV and Prime. Instead there'll be a lable "Please help us get this EPG - contact Maori TV/Prime" over the EPG. Quite funny.

Is it safe to assume that with no EPG for those two channels that you won't be able to record from either? I think it's ridiculous to copyright an EPG, how else are we supposed to know what's on?

I'm keen to get a unit.

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#268374 29-Oct-2009 23:29

nate:
freitasm:EPG ofr 14 days is downloaded over broadband - any ISP, except for Maori TV and Prime. Instead there'll be a lable "Please help us get this EPG - contact Maori TV/Prime" over the EPG. Quite funny.

Is it safe to assume that with no EPG for those two channels that you won't be able to record from either? I think it's ridiculous to copyright an EPG, how else are we supposed to know what's on?

I'm keen to get a unit.

You can still record Prime and Maori TV, it's just that you will need to set up the recording time for these 2 channels manually. There will be no support for Season Pass/Recording as well for these 2 channels.

Do whatever you want to do man.

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#268380 30-Oct-2009 00:41

You can still record Prime and Maori TV, it's just that you will need to set up the recording time for these 2 channels manually. There will be no support for Season Pass/Recording as well for these 2 channels.

i'm guessing that there will be a way to source your own EPG data for these two channels and 'force' it on to the box. i know there was a site dedicated to hacking older tivo boxes bough into NZ from the states before tivo officially came here.

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NonprayingMantis

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#268383 30-Oct-2009 00:52

jofizz: @nonprayingmantis
I agree that 320 GB should be enough for most people, but I am not most people :)
It just seems a bit weak to not offer a unit with a LARGE built in drive.
My TiVo is likely to only connect via WiFi, so transferring huge amounts of data will be v slow, and regardless I only have a laptop (macbook) at home, no large drives to store programs on.

Re the Glo Remote, it just looks so cool!
Backlit keys, gloss finish with chrome edge, and it can learn my TV and receivers' commands.
And it's shiny, I like shiny ;)

@chiefie, indeed it is just the lack of EPG, not the channel itself, that is disappointing.
However, I have read that one can still program TiVo with a manual timer program for channels with no EPG, so at worst it should just be a PITA.

Cheers,
Joseph

It must have an ethernet port too - if it didn't they wouldn't be selling the wifi adapters seperately. (they are only included for free during the initial promotion ismy understanding)

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#268401 30-Oct-2009 06:45

Regs:

You can still record Prime and Maori TV, it's just that you will need to set up the recording time for these 2 channels manually. There will be no support for Season Pass/Recording as well for these 2 channels.

i'm guessing that there will be a way to source your own EPG data for these two channels and 'force' it on to the box. i know there was a site dedicated to hacking older tivo boxes bough into NZ from the states before tivo officially came here.

What's interesting is that the official Hybrid supplied screenshots conveniently miss showing channel 5 and 9 (MTS and Prime) so the EPG looks nice. It's a shame the box at least doesn't support EIT so current and next show details at a bare minimum would be shown.

I think the approach Hybrid have taken of showing a "please help us" message in the EPG details is a good one though!

hebegb

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#268448 30-Oct-2009 09:29

I read somewhere that TiVo was using xmltv for it's EPG. Perhaps it is a TiVo's own version of this?

xmltv offers both Prime and Maori TV programming via an xml file. http://xmltv.co.nz/

It would be good to understand the real reason that they are exluded.

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