Is This The New Sears Catalog?

Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 by MegaZone

When I was young I used to pour over the big old Sears catalog to create my Christmas List. (Well, Xmas & birthday, I was born on 12/26.) But Sears stopped publishing their big catalog back in 1993, though I think they still publish a Christmas Wish Book. Still, in these days of Internet shopping most of the old catalogs have long since faded away. So where will today’s tech savvy kids turn?

Well, maybe Amazon’s Holiday Toy List. It is a flashy (no pun intended… oh, who am I kidding, I meant that one…) interface for browsing a number of toy options. It is arranged in columns broken down by price and age. Nice, but it just isn’t the same as laying on the floor with a catalog and a pad. (Now get off my lawn! Damn kids!)

Amazon has also rolled out the first nineteen products under their Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging initiative.

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Dave Zatz Orders Domino’s Via TiVo

Posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 by MegaZone

Dave Zatz of Zatz Not Funny took the hit and ordered a pizza from Domino’s via the new TiVo HME application. And he kindly captured the experience on video and posted it to YouTube:

I’d still like to see this expanded to cover local places. I checked it out as well, but the two Domino’s locations it offered me were pick-up only, I’m outside their delivery area. There used to be one a block and a half from my house, but I noticed just a week ago as I drove by that it was gone. So I guess I won’t be trying it out myself.

That aside, the application was fairly simple to use, and I can see this being useful. If it supported places I actually ordered from I think I’d use TiVo-based ordering. I host a regular movie night with friends at my place, and we always order dinner. Right now we do it by passing around take-out menus and I write down what people want, then I call in the order, or sometimes order online from my laptop – if the place supports it. But if people could just put in what they want on the TV screen, we could all see the order, and then place it – that’d really be convenient.

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TiVo Quintuples Stop||Watch Sample Size

Posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 by MegaZone

TiVo is quintupling the sample size for their Stop||Watch service from 20,000 to 100,000 users. The new sample size of anonymous, second-by-second audience research data is 25 times the sample size of other, panel-base research sources. The larger sample size allows TiVo to provide accurate measurements for cable networks with lower viewership.

As they state in their press release:

The TiVo set-top-box data platform offers significant advantages over traditional panel-based services, including:

* Second-by-second granularity. Enables ratings for each specific commercial.
* National footprint covering all signal sources, including digital cable, analog cable, satellite, and over-the-air.
* Monitoring Live and Timeshifted viewing. Provides visibility into DVR viewing behavior and commercial fast-forwarding.
* Unprecedented 100,000 sample size. Dramatically decreases the margin of error, allowing us to provide stable ratings (both Live and Timeshifted) for networks with viewership too low to be measured by panel-based services.
* Passive Observation. No paid panelists. No obtrusive metering equipment. Everybody just watches TV as usual.

See the full press release for more details on Stop||Watch as well as some of the ratings data it provides.

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Get The TiVo, It’s Domino’s!

Posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 by MegaZone

It seems Australian TiVo boxes aren’t the only ones to get pizza ordering. After I posted about that I’d had a few tips that it was also coming to US TiVo units as well, so I asked TiVo about it and they confirmed it, but under embargo until now. Actually, ‘now’ is 08:30 Eastern when the embargo lifts and this scheduled post should be visible, but as I type this at 01:00 the application is already live on my TiVo. It is under TiVo Central -> Music, Photos, Products, & More -> Order Domino’s® Pizza Now.

Customers can login to their existing Dominos.com account, or register right from the application to place an order. You build your pizza(s), place the order, and pay cash when it is delivered. It would be nice to be able to pay via credit card while ordering – maybe in the future. Unfortunately, my local Domino’s is closed at this hour on a Sunday night, so I can’t put the app through it’s paces to see what the process is like. It is apparently aware of your local franchise’s status and doesn’t allow you to build an order if they’re closed. I’ll have to try it out soon, I’m interested to see if you can order more than just pizzas. Some Domino’s have salads, subs, etc, plus beverages of course. I’d expect that you can, but I want to see the process.

I’m glad to see TiVo introducing something like this, it is something I’ve suggested they do for a while now. And I’m not surprised to see them hook up with a national chain for their first foray into this territory. However, what I’d love to see them to is setup a kind of framework site where small, local places could be listed. I suppose a third party could do it, but it would be like Apps.tv – getting word out to TiVo users would be the hard part.

The concept I see is a website where vendors could register and enter their menus in a standardized way, along with order areas by zip code. They’d have to accept orders online, or perhaps via fax. (Net-to-fax systems are relatively simple.) TiVo users would only see options that deliver (or offer pickup) in their area. I think this would be an excellent way for TiVo to really support local vendors. And if someone wants to run with this idea as a 3rd party, ala Apps.tv, go for it.

I could see a few ways to make money from such a system, such as charging vendors to participate or simply skimming a percentage from orders placed via the system, which is probably the best option. Of course, an existing site like Delivery.com or GrubHub.com could also just add an HME interface. (Know of any other aggregation websites like that? Let me know in a comment, I’m curious. And if you use any of them yourself, why not suggest HME to them as a new feature?)

Press release below:

Continue reading →

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Foxtel Responds To TiVo In Australia

Posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 by MegaZone

Well, it seems that Foxtel just may be worried about competition from TiVo in Australia. First their chief exec tried flinging FUD, and now they’re offering discounts. While TiVo is sold for a flat AUD$699 with no subscription fees, Foxtel is a pay TV service. So while the upfront costs are lower, there are ongoing fees. As I wrote in July:

Seven’s major competitor is the pay-TV service Foxtel, which offers their Foxtel iQ2 DVR. While the iQ2 is only AUD$200, AUD$500 less than TiVo, there is a monthly fee. The iQ2 costs AUD$10-15 on top of the standard Foxtel subscription (Foxtel is a Pay TV service), which runs AUD$37.95 up to AUD$105.95 a month, depending on the level of service. Since the TiVo records free-to-air broadcasts and has no monthly fee, it rapidly becomes the less expensive option.

Well, with TiVo selling well in Australia, it seems that Foxtel is making moves to remain competitive. Rapid TV News reports that Foxtel is offering discounts and better contract terms on their DVRs. The Foxtel iQ SD DVR is being offered without an install fee and free of the AUD$10 monthly DVR fee for one year. The iQ2 HD DVR is still AUD$200 upfront, but Foxtel is waiving the DVR fee for seven months. They’re also offering the service with a 12-month commitment, instead of their usual 24-month plan.

In the end competition is good for consumers.

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