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1.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Sep 9th, 2004 @ 12:38pm

   
   

   No Subject Given

   " If they're smart, others will come along, refusing to take away features from customers."
   
   Or customers will come along and create their own products to do what businesses are afraid to do.
   
   With the wide and quick availability of programming on the internet, Tivo and it's ilk are becoming obsolete very quickly.

    

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2.  

   

   Adam, Sep 9th, 2004 @ 12:52pm

   
   

   On the other hand...

   ...by helping to create a system which makes the broadcasters of content more likely to actually supply content (by promising that people will be forced to occasionally pay for it again, rather then giving them an effectively perpetual license), they are serving their customers as well, and making Tivo more useful.
   
   While you may feel that having forced expiry on content stored on the device only harms consumers, I would be willing to argue that it creates more incentive for broadcasters to provide content in the first place.

    

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3.  

   

   blairkincaide, Sep 9th, 2004 @ 1:35pm

   
   

   Re: On the other hand...

   "While you may feel that having forced expiry on content stored on the device only harms consumers, I would be willing to argue that it creates more incentive for broadcasters to provide content in the first place."
   
   Unfortunately I don't believe this to be a likely incentive. Content will always be provided; adapted, reclaimed, imitated, and syndicated.

    

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4.  

   

   Mike (profile), Sep 9th, 2004 @ 2:05pm

   
   

   Re: On the other hand...

   But TiVos can already record any TV. So this is taking away features.

    

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5.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Sep 9th, 2004 @ 2:39pm

   
   

   No Subject Given

   If they're smart, others will come along, refusing to take away features from customers.

   Not if the media industry manages to get those "features" outlawed.

    

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6.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Sep 9th, 2004 @ 4:42pm

   
   

   Re: No Subject Given

   The half-life of this new restriction, for the savvy tivo hacker, is about 1 day. Furthermore, current tivo users/hackers are starting to lock down their boxes so that the software necessary to implement this new "feature" will never get loaded on a tivo, whereas programming information continues to flow.
   
   In other words, it will never thwart fully the activity it is intended to thwart.
   
   It is a very surprising move, given TiVo's shaky financial status.

    

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7.  

   

   Anonymous, Sep 10th, 2004 @ 6:54am

   
   

   No Subject Given

   Even the "Joe Six Pack" buyer will rebel against this... watch for a HUGE dip in sales when the model comes out... and, watch for me (owner of 3 tivos at present) to immediately go down another path if they put this in existing boxes via an update.
   
   

    

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8.  

   

   Griffon, Sep 10th, 2004 @ 11:16am

   
   

   Re: On the other hand...

   Oh please this is just a standard complaint from broadcaster's to justify forcing controls on what should be a consumer facing business. In the end broadcasters MUST release content or it looses all value from a loss of audience. The important thing for companies like Tivo to remember is at that end of the day the consumer is the true customer not the broadcasters who hate them and just want them to go away. Every time they forget that they create an opportunity for their competitors and risk loosing what is ultimately a very tenuous grip on their market share. Customer needs must come first and be the exclusive priority for any personal digital recorder, not the industry bully boys who are doing there best to kill all innovation through poorly designed DRM and other digital flags that prevent users from doing the most reasonable of things.
   
   The sad thing is that replay (sonic blue) did understand this and tried to stand for the consumers, innovation and well profits through that and so they where sued into oblivion. Given that the pathetic sniveling and kowtowing to media industries is somewhat understandable, but look at where it leads... Tivo had to go to courts and ask permission to innovate because the sports media conglomerate has an archaic model and didn't like what Tivo had on the table, going to court for simple innovation for the user? Madness.

    

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