Jan. 8
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TiVo said new development partnerships with leading digital photo and music companies will expand the features and capabilities of the TiVo service through its groundbreaking Home Media Option.
Home Media Option is the easy-to-use solution for transporting digital content stored on the PC to the television where it can be enjoyed by the entire family. Now top digital media companies are extending their products so they easily and simply communicate with TiVo connected to the home network through Home Media Option.
At the International Consumer Electronics Show, TiVo demonstrated new digital media services that are being developed by XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ:XMSR), that will bring satellite radio to the home entertainment center. Other new services from Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE), MoodLogic and Picasa were also showcased by TiVo at CES.
"TiVo's Home Media Option has been enthusiastically received by our subscribers because it makes experiencing digital entertainment throughout the home as easy as TiVo," said Brodie Keast, Senior Vice President and General Manager, TiVo Service. "Now that we've opened the platform to third party developers, our customers can experience even greater control over their entertainment, with unique features they can't get anywhere else that allow them to enjoy their digital photography and music from the best seat in the house -- the living room."
XM Satellite Radio
The new radio capabilities from XM Satellite Radio and TiVo, which will be available in the second half of 2004, will allow TiVo subscribers to enjoy satellite radio through their TiVo Series2 digital video recorder, via Home Media Option. The combined service will allow XM Radio subscribers to connect their PC Radio device to the home network and then access and publish their music on their TiVo Series2 DVR. TiVo subscribers will be able to scroll through all the stations available via XM and enjoy the crystal sounds of satellite radio on their home entertainment system -- simply by using their TiVo remote. For more information on XM Satellite Radio services please visit www.xmradio.com.
Adobe
New digital photo services from Adobe are available now. Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 users can now organize and select their favorite photos, click "publish to TiVo DVR," and easily view them on their TV via TiVo Home Media Option. TiVo users then simply select which published album they would like to view from the TiVo menu and choose to watch it either as a slideshow or to click through the photos one by one. Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 has an MSRP of $49.99 and can be purchased at www.adobe.com.
Picasa, Inc.
Picasa makes it effortless for digital photographers to organize and share their digital photos. Hello, its unique sharing application, lets users with an Internet connection instantly share photos and give feedback using the chat function. TiVo Home Media Option subscribers using Picasa can easily export their entire photo albums to their TiVo by simply choosing "Export to TiVo Series2 DVR" under the Tools menu item.
MoodLogic
Innovative digital music solutions provider MoodLogic takes the digital music experience for TiVo Home Media Option to a whole new level. MoodLogic for TiVo is a PC application that identifies songs on the user's PC by their audio properties and automatically categorizes music based on Genre, Artist, Tempo, Year and even Mood using its Internet based service. TiVo subscribers with Home Media Option who have 'activated' their music collection with MoodLogic on the PC can now conveniently access it through their TiVo DVR and browse by various properties as well as create playlists that fit the mood and occasion with the press of a button thanks to MoodLogic's exclusive SmartMix technology. The full MoodLogic service for a personal music library of up to 10,000 songs costs $39.95. For additional information please visit www.moodlogic.com.
TiVo Developer's Kit
These new audio and photo capabilities were created using TiVo's new developer kit, a set of tools the company is making available to a limited number of partners. These tools allow developers to seamlessly link software applications and services to TiVo through the Home Media Option. To learn more about becoming a TiVo Developer Partner please visit www.tivo.com/developer.
Home Media Option
Home Media Option, which works with a home network, includes four premium features: Remote scheduling, Multi-room viewing and a better way to enjoy digital photos and digital music. With Home Media Option, programs can be scheduled from the Internet through a broadband connection and shared between one or more TiVo Series2 DVRs in the home. Digital music stored on the PC streamed to TiVo via Home Media Option can be enjoyed on the home theater sound system. And digital photos that have been organized on the PC can be enjoyed as a slide show on the television, rather than the small computer screen. The Home Media Option package is available online at www.tivo.com for a one-time fee of $99 for the first TiVo Series2 DVR, and $49 for each additional DVR.
Source: TiVo Inc.
Printer-friendly version
