TiVo DVR

TiVo is a very popular digital video recorder brand that is based in United States. The TiVo DVR is a consumer video gadget that allows the users to capture any television programming to an internal hard disk showing.

History of TiVo DVR- TiVo Incorporated, the makers of the TiVo digital video recorders, was incorporated August 4, 1997 as Teleworld Incorporated. The company was founded by veterans Mike Ramsay and Jim Barton of the Silicon Graphics and Time Warner’s Full Service Network, which primarily dealt with digital video systems. Originally, the pair intended to create home network devices but then later, they have developed ideas of recording digitized videos into a hard disk. Teleworld began its first public trials of TiVo DVR device and services in the later part of 1998 in San Francisco, California. After they have shown their product at a local Consumer Electronics Show January of 1999, Mike Ramsey told his whole team that the first version of the TiVO digital video recorders would ship two months after the said show. Despite of the fact that making the said TiVo DVR normally takes about four to five months to be completed, the company has launched the device in March 31, 1999. the engineering staff of TiVo named the digital video recorder the “Blue Moon”, because when it was launched, it was a blue moon.

After the success of the launching, Teleworld Incorporated changed its name to TiVo Incorporated in July 21, 1999. The DVR Tivo made its very first IPO, or the Initial Public Offering by September 30, 1999. the original TiVo devices compressed and digitized analog videos from any possible sources like antennas, cables, or direct broadcast satellites. In the late 2000, Philips Electronics launched its DSR6000, the very first DirecTV receiver that integrate the TiVo DVR. The directv DVR Tivo was renamed “DirecTiVo”, and it can store digital signals that are sent from DIRECTV directly into a TiVo’s hard disk. By early of 2000, TiVo partnered with Thomas Multimedia, one of the many electronics manufacturers, along with broadcast company British Sky Broadcasting, with its aim to deliver the TiVo services in the market of the United Kingdom. The partnership has resulted the Thomson PVR10UK. This said device is a standalone receiver that was release in October of 2000 and was base from the original reference designs that was used in the US both by Sony and Philips. However, in January 22003, TiVo ended its UK sales though they are still continuously supplying guide data to those with existing subscribed units.

The TiVo device actually serves similar functions to those videocassette recorders, since both devices allow television viewers to record some programming to be viewed at a later time. Unlike the VCRs that makes use of removable tape cartridges, the TiVO devices store television programs directly to its non-removable hard drive. One distinct feature of a TiVo device that makes it stand out among other digital video recorders is its sophisticated software that is written by TiVo Incorporated itself that can automatically records not only the programs that a user particularly request but also some other materials that a user is more like to be interested about. Likewise, the TiVo DVR is also proud of its patented feature called the “trick play”, that allow users to pause live television footages and then rewind or replay them to about half an hour from the recently viewed television programs. Aside from that, the TiVo DVRs, especially the latest models, can also be connected to the local area network of a computer, allowing the device to download things and other movies and video programs right from the Internet.

Isn’t it just great to have this device that can help you store your favorite television programs? TiVo service is available only in the United States, Canada, Taiwan, and United Kingdom. Read and learn more about these devices. Who knows, in a few years time, it might be available in your areas?