Gizmo Lovers Blog » The Chicago Tribune http://www.gizmolovers.com TiVo, Slingbox, Android, Blu-ray Disc, and whatever other tech I feel like blogging about... Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:16:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 TiVoCast Adds The Watcher On TiVo – And I Finally Get 9.4http://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/07/30/tivocast-adds-the-watcher-on-tivo-and-i-finally-get-94/ http://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/07/30/tivocast-adds-the-watcher-on-tivo-and-i-finally-get-94/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:02:00 +0000 MegaZone http://www.gizmolovers.com/?p=2739 Continue reading →]]> No, that isn’t a redundant subject line, the full name of the new TiVoCast channel is ‘The Watcher On TiVo’. The Watcher On TiVo carries videos from Chicago Tribune TV Critic Maureen Ryan, and would seem to be the content promised in the May announcement of TiVo’s partnership with the Tribune. At the time it sounded like the videos would only be available to Chicago locals, and I wondered in comments on some other blogs why they wouldn’t make them available to all subscribers as it would help promote the Tribune. And it looks like that’s what they’ve done, since Worcester, MA isn’t exactly in the Chicago, IL area.

You can subscribe online or on your TiVo via Find Programs & Downloads -> Download TV, Movies, & Web Video -> Browse Other Videos -> All -> The Watcher On TiVo

And I was right about it being basically a TiVoCast with a corresponding Guru Guide. The Guru Guide is available under You can subscribe online or on your TiVo via Find Programs & Downloads -> KidZone Recommendations & Guru Guides -> Featured -> Best Bets from The Watcher The Guru Guide is also available online.

On a different note, I finally got 9.4 this evening and I’ve had a little time to explore. I tried the YouTube feature and was vastly amused to discover the today’s ‘Most Viewed’ video is a ~10 minute clip from the hentai anime New Angel (aka Shin Angel). Not too graphic, looks like it was edited with a meat cleaver, but still amusing. Ah, YouTube.

But I have to say, poking around and playing different videos, it looks surprisingly good on my 61″ DLP. Much better than I was expecting actually, giving the normal resolution of YouTube videos. Well done TiVo. I hope they make the streaming H.264 generic so other sites can use it.

Being able to Review Thumbs is interesting, but I wish it allowed me to sort it alphabetically. That would make it easier to find a specific program. It looks like it is sorted by some ranking system, since there is no discernible order. There are also odd duplications in the list, with the same program or movie appearing twice.

Everything seems to work as I’d expect, I think 9.4 is a nice update.

]]> http://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/07/30/tivocast-adds-the-watcher-on-tivo-and-i-finally-get-94/feed/ 5 TiVo Partners With Chicago Tribune to Bring TV Critic’s Recommendations Directly to the Televisionhttp://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/05/28/tivo-partners-with-chicago-tribune-to-bring-tv-critics-recommendations-directly-to-the-television/ http://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/05/28/tivo-partners-with-chicago-tribune-to-bring-tv-critics-recommendations-directly-to-the-television/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 14:17:06 +0000 MegaZone http://www.gizmolovers.com/?p=2552 Continue reading →]]> It looks like the rumored partnership with The Chicago Tribune is confirmed, they’ve issued a press release.

TiVo Partners With Chicago Tribune to Bring TV Critic’s Recommendations Directly to the Television

- Concept provides an innovative outlet for newspaper coverage of TV in an evolving media landscape -
- TiVo automatically records programming suggestions of The Watcher columnist Maureen Ryan -

ALVISO, Calif., May 28, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that it has partnered with the Chicago Tribune to deliver the recommendations of the newspaper’s TV critic directly to subscribers’ televisions while TiVo automatically records the recommended shows listed in the newspaper’s TV grids. The concept is one of several new initiatives designed to explore new ways for the newspaper industry to adapt to the changing media landscape.

TiVo will bring added value to a coveted column in the iconic newspaper by enabling TiVo subscribers to obtain TV critic Maureen Ryan’s programming suggestions right on their televisions, with a guarantee that the best in TV is automatically recorded and always on the TV when viewers tune in. In addition, TiVo subscribers will be able to download recurring, unique video commentaries recorded by Maureen Ryan right to their TV, making the Chicago Tribune’s TV critic an on-air personality for the TiVo audience.

“From the days of the legendary Col. Robert McCormick on, the Chicago Tribune has had a legacy of significant innovation in both print and television. Our partnership with TiVo underscores a present and future tied to those values and the quest to experiment for the good of our consumers,” said James Warren, Managing Editor/Features at the Tribune.

Tom Rogers, TiVo CEO and President, said, “This is another example of how TiVo continues to weave itself into the fabric of the media industry and helps solve strategic issues faced by traditional media companies. We applaud the Tribune management for their willingness to embrace TiVo’s technology to help bring innovation to its newspaper model. It is a pleasure to be working with the one of the Nation’s leading newspapers on such a revolutionary new concept. We have essentially used TiVo to build an interactive, technological bridge between television and print — unlocking value for both mediums in the process.”

Ads in the Tribune’s Sunday product, The Guide: TV & Internet, as well as in its daily Tempo section will highlight the new capabilities available via TiVo and inform customers how they can sign up to receive TiVo and the TiVo service.

Ryan’s authoritative and popular print and online column “The Watcher” has made her, according to the entertainment trade publication Variety, one of the TV industry’s “favorite (or most feared)” newspaper TV critics.

]]> http://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/05/28/tivo-partners-with-chicago-tribune-to-bring-tv-critics-recommendations-directly-to-the-television/feed/ 1 Chicago Area TiVo Subscribers To Receive Critic’s Recommendationshttp://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/05/27/chicago-area-tivo-subscribers-to-receive-critics-recommendations/ http://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/05/27/chicago-area-tivo-subscribers-to-receive-critics-recommendations/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 02:36:00 +0000 MegaZone http://www.gizmolovers.com/?p=2547 Continue reading →]]> The New York Times is reporting a new deal between TiVo and The Chicago Tribune, which is expected to be announced tomorrow. Under the deal, the approximately 100,000 TiVo subscribers in the Chicago area will be able to sign up to receive program recommendations from Tribune TV critic Maureen Ryan, which their TiVo’s could automatically record. In addition, Ryan will record special videos summarizing her picks twice a month which will be delivered to the TiVo subscribers who sign up for the service.

To me this sounds like a combination of a Guru Guide, for the recommendations, and a special TiVoCast channel for her videos. Which is a new way to use the existing platforms.

TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said that TiVo is in talks for similar partnerships in other areas. And it sounds like there is some revenue sharing with The Tribune in this deal:

The more immediate benefit may come from Chicago-area consumers who choose to subscribe to TiVo after seeing the newspaper’s advertisements of the service. The Tribune will receive a share of the new subscriber revenue.

Since TiVo’s quarterly call is tomorrow, we’ll probably hear about this then.

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