TiVo is revving its patent engine to get a jump on the growing number of competitors in the market it pioneered.
The Alviso, Calif.-based digital video recorder company announced Tuesday it has been issued five patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. TiVo has also been issued three grants from the Chinese and Japanese patent offices, as well as an exclusive license to one of the first DVR patents--called the Goldwasser Patent--filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The company has a considerable number of patents, 70 so far with 106 still pending, but it hasn't been able to translate its intellectual property to significant financial success.
News source: C|Net News.com
The Alviso, Calif.-based digital video recorder company announced Tuesday it has been issued five patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. TiVo has also been issued three grants from the Chinese and Japanese patent offices, as well as an exclusive license to one of the first DVR patents--called the Goldwasser Patent--filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The company has a considerable number of patents, 70 so far with 106 still pending, but it hasn't been able to translate its intellectual property to significant financial success.
News source: C|Net News.com
The converted digital audio files can be archived on a computer or burned to a CD. When combined with a Mac system equipped with Garage Band (included in iLife) or Sound Studio, Mac users can export directly to their personal iTunes music libraries. Music files created with Instant Music can be played back from a PC or a portable MP3 player and are compatible with digital media receiver devices like the new ADS Tech Media-Link Wireless Receiver. With Media-Link connected to a home stereo system, consumers can play back all of the music stored on their PC.
To begin recording, users simply plug the Instant Music device into a computer's USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 port. Once the files are converted, the Nero Mix, Nero SoundTrax and Nero Wave Editor software bundled with Instant Music can be used to arrange them into play lists, edit start/stop times or add a cross fade from one track to the next for a smooth transition. With the step-by-step wizard features, even novices can personalise their music by selecting tracks, adding transition effects, and using the equalizer to set the volumes. For professional results, the Audio Cleaning tools can be used to filter out unwanted pops, clicks and hisses.
In addition to Instant Music, PC World is also selling the Instant TV range, from ADS Tech. This new family of products will allow users to watch record and manipulate analogue television through their PC.
Pricing and Availability
The Instant Music is priced at 39.99 GBP including VAT, and is available from PC World, Amazon, dabs.com and savastore.com
With PC it much more upgradeable unlike thoses TiVo boxs and best of your in Control unlike the TiVo box.
On the other hand, if you go the WMCE or the build-your-own-box route, that requires a greater technical know-how on the part of the Average Joe Consumer that most people simply wouldn't want to concert themselves with.
It would be sort of like saying "I want to buy a car" and then making the choice between going to your local Toyota dealer and buying a Camry vs. ordering auto parts and putting a car together from scratch in your garage. Yes, you'd have more control/upgradeability with the self-built car, but it sure is a lot easier/faster to just go out and buy one that's already been built for you.
As far as all the people wishing for TiVo to die and saying the cable companies' DVRs are just as good and free, please remember that competition is a good thing. If TiVo were to go under and disappear (which is unlikely, because even if the company currently known as TiVo dies out, another company will come along that will be more than happy to pick up the slack and provide support to the 3,000,000+ subscriber base that TiVo currently enjoys), then there's less incentive for other DVR manufacturers/distributors to keep their prices low or continue improving their product.
Now, I'm biased since I currently own (that's another important point...if you go the cable company route, you don't really own the DVR since you're technically leasing it from the cable company, and thus can't do things like upgrade the hard drive or tweak the cooling or whatnot) two TiVos.
But oh well...only time will tell how TiVo pulls through (or fails miserably).
and use it for other multimedia purposes too, not just DVR so it comes out cheaper than buying TIVO+DVD recorder+Mp3 streamer+etc, etc
Is it as good as a Tivo, in some ways yes, in some ways no. If anyone knows how to hook up Myth TV/Etc to digital/HD tv, then I will go that route... but I have to have the ability to have AT LEAST the same specs I currently have.
Peace,
James Rose
New York City
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