IP Democracy: Tivo to Enable iPod, PSP Recordings, Transfer

Just when it looked like Tivo was headed to the whiz-bang electronic device graveyard, the company, under the tutelage of former NBC executive Tom Rogers, is getting feisty again. The latest development: Tivo has added a feature to allow users to watch recorded shows on Apple’s video iPods and Sony’s PlayStation portables. This move follows Tivo’s ability to tranfer recorded programs to PCs and DVDs as well as other devices that follow the Windows Media mobile format.

Tivo will charge something for the ability to convert the MPEG-2 videos to MPEG-4 format — according to this New York Times piece, the company will set a price of $15 to $30 to cover the MPEG-4 licensing fee. It’s not clear how this development jives with Apple’s deal with Disney to sell ABC programming to iPod owners. If a user can capture that programming, say “Desperate Housewives,” via Tivo, why buy the program from iTunes?

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on November 21, 2005 9:50 AM to IP Democracy