News

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

Palm posts third quarter results: disappointing sales, more net loss

Palm may be doing better this year than it did last year, but with only 42% sellthrough for the quarter, there's plenty of room for improvement.

Kindle for Mac released: Is Amazon's e-reader moving away from hardware?

Today, Amazon announced Kindle for Mac, the latest addition to the family of free Kindle software.

Microsoft cuts and pastes an egg

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: We've listened to our mobile customers, said Microsoft, and cut-and-paste isn't what they want? Uh-huh. Right.

Google improves Maps for Android, rolls in bonus features

The search provider has improved page listings in Maps 4.1, adding a Latitude widget and live wallpaper.

A tale of two "red alerts:" Which Windows warnings should you heed?

A pair of malware warnings are circulating worldwide, but after reading so many, they all seem alike. Sophos tells us to read them all more carefully.

Nvidia admits GeForce drivers responsible for fan problems, issues updates

It's the type of driver error you see less and less frequently, but after a few video cards were smoked, Nvidia has issued what it hopes will be a fix.

Netflix axes 'friends' feature due to unpopularity

After mysteriously disappearing from the Movie Detail page on Netflix, the Friends feature is in the process of being removed.

Preliminary results: IE9 tech preview performs 7.8 times better than IE8

There are indeed significant improvements made to the efficiency and processing power of Microsoft's next browser, though they're not across the board.

Unboxing: TiVo Premiere

Today, Betanews is fortunate enough to have received a new TiVo Premiere, the first TiVo DVR with an HD interface.

Sprint assures that it's getting the Nexus One, too

Today, Sprint is letting everyone know that it is getting the Nexus One, but not when it will arrive or how much plans will cost.

Things to look for at CTIA: America's first 4G smartphone

According to reports, Sprint and HTC will be unveiling America's first WiMAX-capable smartphone on the Sprint 4G network next week.