Digeo loses its CEO, slashes its workforce and product line

Moxi manufacturer Digeo suddenly changed course Tuesday, canceling two planned products and laying off nearly half of its workforce.

To blame is the company's apparent inability to get its products to market on time, and the current state of the DVR market as a whole. Neither of the products -- its Multi Room HD DMR and Moxi Home Cinema Edition DMR -- reached final production.

At least one of those products, the Moxi Home Cinema Edition DMR, did make it into the hands of its beta testers in the past month; but with the products' cancellation, it is all but certain that the company will discontinue those tests.

Current CEO Mike Fidler seemed to suggest that attempting to bring these products to market was stretching the company too thin, and that it needed to regain its focus on the retail market before proceeding forward with any future lines.

The Moxi HD DVR for cable operators will still be released later this year. But as part of the switch, Fidler will depart and be replaced by chief operating officer Greg Gudorf as CEO in the near future, although no time frame has been given.

Digeo made a splash at last year's Digital Experience in June. At the time, the company seemed to have its sights set on taking on TiVo, and having a product out by the end of 2007.

However, delays besieged the Moxi, and soon the retail availability was pushed into this year. At CES, the company even presented its products as if all was well. Apparently, it wasn't.