TiVoWorld NZ

The newest box of tricks for your television, TiVo, is the biggest step yet towards media convergence.

It’s packed with functionality designed to fast-forward television into the future, when it will be the home’s central hub for everything from entertainment to commerce.

The drawback for early adopters is that it’s expensive, with limited content.

To use TiVo as a hi-tech video recorder with on-demand options, you need $920, a Telecom broadband connection and Freeview high-definition reception.

Set-up was surprisingly straightforward, the only hitch being TiVo’s tuner seems weaker than other Freeview HD tuners on the market, which may mean fiddling with an inside aerial.

TiVo’s lively graphical interface is far more appealing than the dull, text-based architecture of its nearest rival, MySky HDi. It also boasts extraordinary recording flexibility and customisation, with options to tailor and categorise recordings that will astonish those old enough to remember shelling out $2500 for their first video recorder. If you’re 45-plus, chances are you won’t find TiVo as easy to use as the marketing suggests.

See Full Story @ http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/technology/3069776/Buyers-guide-to-TiVo-and-Caspa

HONG KONG – (BUSINESS WIRE) – TANDBERG Television, part of the Ericsson Group (NASDAQ:ERIC), today announced Hybrid Television Services (ANZ) Pty Limited, the exclusive licensee of TiVo products in Australia and New Zealand, is deploying a complete suite of TANDBERG Television software solutions to enable carrier class Video On-Demand to the television via broadband Internet.

Hybrid TV will give New Zealand customers access to a wide range of On-Demand movies and TV programming via their TiVo media device from November. CASPA On-Demand is the brand name for this world of broadband entertainment including new release movies, hit TV shows for the whole family as well as free music videos, artist interviews and music concerts. CASPA represents one of the first and largest implementations of true On-Demand to the television in Australasia.

See Full Story @ http://newsblaze.com/story/2009110206263700002.bw/topstory.html

Hybrid TV have announced the launch date and details for Tivo in New Zealand. Coming on the 6th of November 2009 the device adds “CASPA™ On-Demand” content along with Freeview recording. The catch is you can only get CASPA content if you are a Telecom broadband user.

More @ http://www.ben.geek.nz/nz-tivo-coming-with-caspa-november-6th/

TiVo launched in New Zealand today with some tech goodies not yet available elsewhere.

The high-def digital television recorder and content download box is here, giving Kiwis the chance to experience a device that has been available in various places around the world for years.

TiVo was launched last year in Australia by Hybrid TV, co-owned by TVNZ and the Seven network, which has exclusive licence to the device in Australasia.

Last month, TiVo announced that it had locked in a partnership with Telecom, which will sell the recorder and also provides access to internet access.

See Full Story @ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10606142

Hybrid Television Services (ANZ) Pty Limited, the exclusive licensee of TiVo in New Zealand and Australia, today announced that the highly anticipated TiVo brand will reveal its new product and on-demand service for New Zealanders before any other country.

TiVo is the world’s most popular media device, giving viewers recording control and playback choice in one famously user-friendly interface. In addition to the TiVo device providing control of free-to-air digital terrestrial television (Freeview|HD compatible), the all-new broadband portal, CASPA’ On-Demand, will have its international debut in New Zealand.

See Full Story @ http://www.voxy.co.nz/entertainment/29-october-2009-tivo-offers-new-zealanders-true-039first039-product-and-features/5/287

Telecom to provide unmetered broadband for TiVo content

TiVo licensee Hybrid Television has teamed up with Telecom and Sony to deliver a series of New Zeland-first services on the TiVo platform — including unlimited TiVo downloads for any Telecom broadband customer using the device.

Hybrid CEO Robbee Minicola demonstrated the functionality, much of it developed by Hybrid and unique to the ANZ region, today, and outlined the exclusive partnership with Telecom.

Users can, of course, watch digital live TV on Freeview. Then there is more standard TiVo functionality of recording off a 14-day electronic programming guide. They can pause, fast forward and rewind live TV.

See more @ http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/77AFBAD51B9C9B27CC25765D00804DBF