And you can get it at SourceForge now.

This is really for the geeks right now. TiVo is releasing this now so developers can start working on some cool applications. Later this year, after they can select the best to promote officially, they’ll make a full public launch of the feature. I already know some of what is being worked on, from CES, and this could be very cool. Especially as they add functionality to the SDK – when video support is added later this year, it should open up a lot more possibilities. I wish my Java weren’t so rusty.

Digital-video recorder company TiVo plans to announce Monday the release of a software development kit that lets third-party application makers add new features to TiVo’s DVR service.

This is some of what they were showing at CES. And before anyone says ‘Sounds like JavaHMO’ – yes, some of the early demos are much like things JavaHMO does. However, *how* it is done is far, far more powerful. Previously you had to fake out the TiVo and serve everything as music or an image, and there was no real interaction. The new API allows full interaction, and the TiVo is just a display system. The first phase allows for many things, like new media players for music/photos which support searching, sorting, etc, not relying on the built in interface. Simple games are possible, etc. And they plan to continue to enhance the API based on feedback. The API/SDK will be open source, available on SourceForge. And the supported language is Java, though I don’t see why someone couldn’t implement the same protocols in another language.

JavaHMO 2.3 Beta 3 is out.

An interesting article in the NY Times.

Spotted via PVRBlog

January 25, 2005 – ALVISO, Calif. – Mike Ramsay’s statement: “FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell will be sorely missed by all of us at TiVo. Chairman Powell has made an indelible contribution to a digital revolution that is only beginning to shape our lives in the 21st Century. He understands the full implications of that revolution for consumers and our country. He has shown a remarkable ability to focus on policies that permit the forces of competition and innovation to shape the development of digital technologies to their full potential. In these formative years of the digital era, he will be remembered and valued as a leader who saw a future of abundant choice and knew how to get there.”