TiVo software supports more codecs

By Tim Conneally | Published March 18, 2008, 4:23 PM

TiVo has slowly been expanding the scope of its service to include the commonly available content the Internet has to offer. Last week, the company finally announced support for YouTube content, and today announced an update to its Desktop Plus software supporting most video codecs.

Windows software TiVo Desktop Plus 2.6 converts various formats to .tivo files, playable on Series 3 or TiVo HD DVRs, supporting resolutions up to 720p. The software also converts programs recorded on the user's DVR to files playable on PCs or portable media devices.

File types supported on TiVo Desktop Plus now include: .wmv, .mov, .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .avi or .divx files (encoded with Xvid or DivX v. 4 and up.) Files with rights management, however, remain unsupported.

Recently announcing its "best year ever," TiVo is optimistic about the future, and with this additional file type support, hopes to remain competitive with the increasing functionality of cable company-provided DVRs.

The software will cost TiVo users an additional $24.95.

View comments by with a score of at least

PDC 2009: What have we learned this week?

There was the freebie that no one will forget, the heebie-jeebies courtesy of Scott Guthrie, and a teensy bit clearer picture of how this cloud thingie should work.

Live report: Will Google Chrome OS change Linux?

The mysteries of just what Chrome OS is, and how much of an operating system it truly is, may be resolved today.

PDC 2009: Microsoft cares about Web browser performance

The effort to give users of the world's dominant Web browser the impression of quality, is a personal one for the man who leads that battle.

Nokia re-affirms its commitment to Symbian, sort of

Maemo won't necessarily be replacing Symbian in the Nokia N-Series, but that's definitely a place where it will be found.

E-book readers will be in short supply this holiday season

E-readers are hot this year, and a lot of compelling new products have been released, but are there enough electrophoretic displays to go around?

Sony looks to finally open a single storefront for downloads

Sony has had many different download portals for movies, music, e-books, and games, and now it's looking to make a single shop for all of it.

Tuning out the tablet: Time to give the endless speculation a rest

Wide Angle Zoom: Wishing and hoping and thinking and praying....won't put an iTablet on the market.

Five improvements for IT managers in 2010

If businesses are to improve their efficiency for next year, they need to stop and reassess the basic tenets of their job.

AOL's spinoff from Time Warner to shed 2,500 jobs

As AOL moves toward become an independent company again, it will cut nearly a third of its workforce.

Gartner: SMS-based money transfer will be bigger than mobile browsing, search

Gartner issues its predictions for the 10 things our phones will be doing in 2012.

Don't forget to upgrade to Firefox 3.6 beta 3 today

Mozilla has released the latest beta its Firefox 3.6 browser software, just over one week after beta 2.