TiVo Goes HD With Series3 DVR

By Ed Oswald | Published September 12, 2006, 11:27 AM

TiVo on Tuesday introduced its highly anticipated Series3 digital video recorder, its first standalone HD-compatible unit. CableCARD functionality allows the box to act like a cable box, and dual-tuner functionality would allow up to two programs to be recorded and/or watched at the same time.

The Series3 box records up to 32 hours of high-definition or up to 300 hours of standard-definition programming. An OLED display on the front of the unit would allow the user to see what is recording on either tuner. TiVo said that the device will support its TiVoCast feature later this year, which allows consumers to download content over a broadband connection.

THX has certified the Series3, meaning that recorded content on the device preserves the quality of the original HD transmission. TiVo said it was the first DVR to receive such a certification.

"Our subscribers have eagerly anticipated the day they can use our services in high definition," said Jim Denney, Vice President of Product Marketing at TiVo.

To ensure that the device would stay current, TiVo has engineered the chipset within the device to be able to support advanced download features coming in the future based on the MPEG-4 standard.

Like its Series2 predecessor, the Series3 is also built around broadband connectivity, and it includes an Ethernet and USB port to add a wireless network adapter. Standard features such as WishList, Season Pass, and KidZone are all available, and Online Scheduling and TiVo Mobile are also compatible with the Series3.

The device is expected to be available in the coming days at retail outlets and through TiVo.com at a retail price of $799.99. A check by BetaNews indicated the box was already available for order through the TiVo website Tuesday.

Comments

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Can't you just get a High Definition card for you standard computer and store the movies to the hard drive? What's the difference?

I suppose it's like comparing a busty european prostitute to a petite asian prostitute and making up some law that prohibits you from ****ing europeans. My point is, our rights to do something are limited by the sole reason that certain parties want a monopoly over what's being sold.

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lol Dishnetwork is cheaper you can get there HD VIP622 for $299 :) and it has Mpeg4 allready lol dish beat tivo there I think.:) me I just have 522 recivers so far I love it :)

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$800 +$12.95/mo - Double a 360, and even more than a mythical PS3... I really want one, but there's no way to justify this. My cable co will sell me a crappy one for $10/mo. Tell me why this is *that* much better....

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Or you could just hook up your PC with an HD capture card and tell Tivo to die in a fire.

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Until the price drops my Moto DVR with Dual tuner HD recording will work fine. I really do want the networking features of Tivo though.

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And theres not TivoToGo cuz of CablesLabs certification! :(

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$800 is a lot of money , but we all know that the price will drop by Christmas. Sounds like they are giving users what they want and not bowing down to Hollywood.

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I love my Tivo....but $800 is alot for the box fee. I suppose this is for the hardcore TV people for now.

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