TiVo on your PC, minus the TiVo box
Mon Sep 29, 2008 11:03AM EDT
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Using your PC as a DVR isn't anything new, but LiquidTV | TiVo PC lets you use the elegant TiVo interface for recording your favorite shows. That's the good news; the bad news is that you'll still need to pay for a TiVo subscription.
Set for release on October 15, the awkwardly named LiquidTV | TiVo PC (developed jointly by TiVo and Nero, a software maker known for its DVD/CD burning apps) comes in two versions: a $199 hardware and software package (complete with a USB ASTC tuner, a portable antenna, a TiVo remote, and an IR blaster for an optional set-top box, such as a satellite receiver), and a $99 software-only package.
Setup appears relatively simple; you just install the software, plug the TV tuner card into your system's USB port, attach an antenna (either the compact one in the box or, say, the antenna installed on your roof), and you're ready to start watching and recording TV shows (including over-the-air HD signals). The included TV tuner also has a video-in port for cable or satellite TV receivers, good for recording shows of premium channels (an IR blaster for controlling a set-top box comes bundled with the other hardware).
From the look of the LiquidTV screenshots, the "TiVo PC" interface looks identical to the menus on a standard TiVo box; you can work the controls using your PC mouse, the keyboard, or the TiVo remote.
Of course, the beauty of the PC-based TiVo software is that all your shows are stored right on your system's hard drive—so if you're a laptop user, all your shows are ready to watch while you're on the go. (TiVo DVR users already have TiVoToGo for transfering videos to their PCs, but the actual transfers—especially over Wi-Fi—can be excruciatingly slow.) The LiquidTV software will also convert videos for use on iPods, iPhones, and your Sony PSP, or you can burn shows to DVD. Need more storage for all your shows? Just add an external hard drive.
All pretty cool, but naturally, there's a catch: The nagging TiVo subscription, which you'll need for fresh program listings. Both the $199 and $99 versions of LiquidTV | TiVo PC come with 12-month subscriptions to the TiVo service; after that, you'll have to cough up $99 a year. No word on whether a lifetime subscription ($399 for TiVo DVR users) will be available. Another bummer: LiquidTV is Windows-only, at least for now.
So, what do you think: Would you dump the DVR features of Windows Media Center for the TiVo package? Got a PC DVR app that you like better than TiVo? Let us know.
Comments on TiVo on your PC, minus the TiVo box
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2 Posted by coolkyle4@snet.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:29PM EDT Report Abuse
i have windows media center on my comp, but its an xp, and i dont recall seeing a dvr part of the program. i would get this, as long as i had a chance to not subscribe and pay after the 12 month period.
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3 Posted by alan_r_cam on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:49PM EDT Report Abuse
I have a HP Media Centre PC, that runs XP (when it's on). If your'e adding TV to a PC, that's fine. BUT when you add a PC to a TV, you get a mouse, a keyboard, AND a remote... and an OS that gets in the way. Oh, and it crashes every time Daylight Savings starts or ends. It sits in the junk room now, soon to become my Network File Server.
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4 Posted by dankimm on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:35PM EDT Report Abuse
Anybody comparing Tivo to MS has not used a Tivo. Tivo kills MS and I'm actually a MS fan to a large extent. MS should just buy Tivo and get it over with. My big question with Liquid is if it does HD.
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5 Posted by yoclarry on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:56PM EDT Report Abuse
Without a lifetime subscription it's not worth it!!
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6 Posted by sandip_devnath on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:03PM EDT Report Abuse
Why not use mythtv, which is on Linux, much stable and free ? in ebay people sell PC with mythtv installed. So no hassle in setting this too.
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7 Posted by askbnc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:58PM EDT Report Abuse
I use the Beyond TV software by snapstream. It has a one time fee of around $40 and works really well. Throw it on any PC running XP (doesn't need to be media center) and put a tuner in it and you are all set.
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8 Posted by sarahruthjohn on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:04PM EDT Report Abuse
do you still have to subscribe to cable television or can it all be done with a dsl connection through the internet?
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9 Posted by sandip_devnath on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:03PM EDT Report Abuse
"do you still have to subscribe to cable television or can it all be done with a dsl connection through the internet?" No, you still have to subscribe to cable television, only thing you get from them is program list, so that you can schedule your recording.
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10 Posted by cjg.inc@snet.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:26PM EDT Report Abuse
How can anyone justify making monthly payments for the privilege to watch the crap on television? Basic cable in my area is $25.00/month = $300.00/year. A premium package is $85.00/month = $1020.00/year! And there are more expensive options. With TiVo you get the privilege of paying even more to be able to record that crap.
1 Posted by f_l_dyke on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse
Why pay for what you can already have for free? I suppose it would be useful for XP Pro users who do not want to "upgrade" to Vista Ultimate to have the security features and Media Center capabilities. Otherwise, I see little use.