The International CES conference in Las Vegas begins January 7th and I’ll be there from Wednesday – Sunday to check things out and look for new and exciting things worth mentioning.

If you are interested in periodic updates throughout the show, I’ll be posting photos and tweets to my twitter account.  You can follow me or just watch my feed here.

If you are going to be at the show, send me a message and we’ll try to meet up!

Effective immediately, TiVo is dropping prices by $50 for TiVo HD and $100 for TiVo HD XL boxes.  Similarly, we are passing these savings on to you by dropping our prices, too!  Please head on over to our TiVo HD page for new pricing on all configurations.

We are also continuing our popular Free Glo Remote or Free Wireless G Network Adapter promotion which gives you the opportunity to purchase a great upgraded unit at the best value possible.  For details, please see our Rebates and Specials page and for other special promotional deals, please see our Ongoing Specials… thread at TiVo Community Forum where we are exclusive sponsors.

Note that the GET3FREE promotion, originally scheduled to expire at the end of July, was recently extended through the end of October. More details and a link to the promotional materials can be found on our site here.

Using the GET3FREE code when activating your unit with TiVo will work just fine on any of the upgraded TiVo units we provide.

Also be sure to check out our REBATES & SPECIALS page for information and coupon codes for getting a FREE wireless adapter or glo remote with the purchase of ANY upgraded TiVo from our web site.

TiVo recently announced a promotion offering 6-months of FREE Netflix service valued at $8.99 / month. The promotion is only available between April 20th, 2009 and May 31st, 2009, and it’s a great deal if you are looking for an inexpensive way to stream Netflix’s online library to your TiVo HD, or save a few dollars on your existing Netfix subscription costs.

Applies to New & Existing Netflix Customers

Full details can be found on TiVo’s web site here and a synopsis of the program is also detailed at TiVoBlog.

Specials on upgraded TiVo HD systems listed and discussed here at TiVoCommunity Forum.

TiVo recently put a new page on their site so that people can sign up to receive updates on the new box that will represent the consummation of TiVo and DIRECTV’s re-marriage.

Now, there still aren’t any real details about the implementation, but the vagueness continues to be troubling. Will it be a Series3 with DIRECTV tuners (yayyyy!) or a DIRECTV HD DVR with anemic support for TiVo functionality, (boooo!). I guess we’ll all find out in the 2nd half of 2009.

Meanwhile, if you want a TiVo and don’t want to sign/renew any contracts, check out the TiVo HD. It’s well worth it!

Well, just as we predicted the day TiVo and DIRECTV announced they would produce a next-generation High-Definition combo box, it sure looks like the project has already been delayed.

The original announcement was here, and it was particularly vague. Other than promising some advanced functionality common in today’s current TiVo boxes, and support for DIRECTV’s latest standard in HD broadcasting, there wasn’t really much meat in the announcement; just a thin promise of availability in late 2009.

Of course, all of this is rumor and speculation; unconfirmed by TiVo or DIRECTV, but it is our experience that the farther away a product is projected to become available, the greater likelihood there is of a delay; after all, much can happen over a longer period of time and there is always more downside than upside when things are in flux and an expectation has already been set.

So now, we are starting to see more than just speculation that things have slipped into 2010, and it certainly wouldn’t surprise us this project ended up getting killed at some point. After all the world is changing faster than this product’s development has been evolving.

As we’ve been recommending to many of our customers with DIRECTV, we think that if you are considering making the move to high-definition and really want a TiVo, the TiVo HD with cable is a better option. Even though, the cable companies have been varied in their quality of support for cableCARDS and can be difficult to deal with at times, the TiVo HD is a proven product, a good value and packed with features.

In addition, the cable companies do NOT require a contract when signing up. You can very easily switch from DIRECTV (if you are not stuck in a contract) and adopt a TiVo HD. If and when something better comes from DIRECTV, you can drop your cable company like a hot potato, if you wish – just leave your dish on your roof and you can switch back to DIRECTV whenever you want.

Worried about the additional cost of a TiVo HD and the subscription? Buy a lifetime subscription and you’ll get most of that back if you sell the unit on Ebay.

In the end, you are likely to be happier as you’ll get the full functionality of TiVo and high-definition TODAY instead of waiting for LONG time, and possibly extending your DIRECTV contract for two-years and getting stuck with their HD DVR.

TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD units will soon receive an update to unveil a new user-interface and updated search capabilities. Both are more oriented towards folks with wide-screen televisions and high-definition programming.

There have been rumors of a new UI floating around for quite some time now, and an update to the chunky menu system has been a long time in the coming. Its nice to see that there is additional focus and effort on helping people find more high-definition content in an easier way; it can be tough to find it in the sea of standard-def content that still exists out there.

Check out this recent post at Zatz Not Funny for full details and screen-shots.

It’s still not too late to purchase an upgrade kit or upgraded TiVo HD system at DVRupgrade and have it delivered in time for Christmas.

To ensure delivery no later than Christmas Eve (Wednesday 12/24), place your order and choose the following shipping methods which offer guaranteed delivery.  The complete 2008 UPS delivery calendar is available here, as well.

TenBox from TenLab

If you’ve been considering increasing the capacity of your DIRECTV HR20 / HR21 DVR, now may be the time! DVRupgrade is currently working together with TenLab to offer you a very special price on a surplus of TenBox units capable of increasing your DIRECTV PLUS HD DVR recording capacity to 1 terabyte!

While supplies last, we are offering this TenBox configuration for the unprecedented low price of $599. These units come configured with two 500GB Seagate DB35 hard drives and can store as much as 167 hours of HDTV programming (667 hours of standard-definition programming); larger configurations are available, as well.

The TenBox attaches to any DIRECTV PLUS HD DVR using a supplied eSATA cable and runs cool, silently, and reliably, all while matching the aesthetics of your DIRECTV DVR in your home entertainment center. For additional reliability, the TenBox can even be configured in “mirrored” mode; even if a hard drive fails, your data will be safe!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!  MOVIES AND TV EPISODES
FROM NETFLIX DIRECTLY TO THE TV THROUGH TIVO DVRs AVAILABLE TODAY

Just in Time for the Holidays, Offering Brings Budget Conscious Entertainment to Consumers

ALVISO, Calif. – December 8, 2008 — After announcing a groundbreaking partnership in October with Netflix Inc., TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo® Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL can now access thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs.
The service is being offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services.  This morning subscribers can browse through an expanding library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes at www.netflix.com, add them to their Netflix instant Queue, and then watch them on TV with just a click of the TiVo remote. The library includes titles from every genre, with a modest selection of HD content available as well.  Both standard and HD titles are expected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
“With so much talk focusing on the economy these days, this partnership makes more sense than ever because it brings people more movies at home, offering substantially more entertainment options than cable or satellite, said Tara Maitra, GM and Vice President of Content Services at TiVo Inc. “TiVo offers consumers everything they need from just one box.  Not only great content from Netflix, but also movies from The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon, music from Rhapsody, videos from YouTube and even pictures from Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket.  And that’s all in addition to TiVo’s core functionality that made us a favorite in the first place.  It adds up to a one-of-a-kind value.”
“Netflix offers an unbeatable combination of convenience, selection, and value, which now extends to TiVo customers,” said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore.  This partnership is a win-win-win for Netflix, TiVo, and consumers alike.”
Movies are streamed from Netflix through TiVo DVRs via wired or wireless broadband connection and a Netflix Queue-based user interface.  Members visit the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues.  Those choices will automatically be displayed on subscribers’ TVs and are available to watch instantly through the TiVo service.  With the TiVo remote control users can browse their instant Queue, make selections right on the TV screen, as well as read synopses and rate movies.  In addition, they have the option of pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding and re-starting whenever they wish.
For more information on how to have movies instantly streamed from Netflix via your TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/netflix.

# # #

About TiVo Inc.
Founded in 1997, TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO – News) pioneered a brand new category of products with the development of the first commercially available digital video recorder (DVR). Sold through leading consumer electronic retailers and our website, TiVo has developed a brand which resonates boldly with consumers as providing a superior television experience. Through agreements with leading satellite and cable providers, TiVo also integrates its DVR service features into the set-top boxes of mass distributors. TiVo’s DVR functionality and ease of use, with such features as Season Pass(TM) recordings and WishList® searches and TiVo KidZone, have elevated its popularity among consumers and have created a whole new way for viewers to watch television. With a continued investment in its patented technologies, TiVo is revolutionizing the way consumers watch and access home entertainment. Rapidly becoming the focal point of the digital living room, TiVo’s DVR is at the center of experiencing new forms of content on the TV, such as broadband delivered video, music and photos. With innovative features, such as TiVoToGo(TM) transfers and online scheduling, TiVo is expanding the notion of consumers experiencing “TiVo, TV your way. ®” The TiVo® service is also at the forefront of providing innovative marketing solutions for the television industry, including a unique platform for advertisers and audience research measurement.
TiVo, ‘TiVo, TV your way.’, Season Pass, WishList, TiVoToGo, Stop||Watch, Power||Watch, and the TiVo Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. or its subsidiaries worldwide. © 2008 TiVo Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to, among other things, the expected future availability of instant streaming from Netflix to TiVo subscribers who have specified model TiVo DVRs. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “estimate,” “continue,” or similar expressions or the negative of those terms or expressions. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially include delays in development, failure to deploy the capability beyond initial testing, competitive service offerings and lack of market acceptance, as well as the other potential factors described under “Risk Factors” in the public reports of Netflix, Inc. and TiVo Inc. filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including each companies’ most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Netflix and TiVo caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect an analysis only and speak only as of the date hereof. Netflix and TiVo disclaim any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.