Tivo has always had an unbelievable device for recording video. It has been the ultimate VCR, giving even the most technology challenged individuals the ability to time shift their favorite shows. You select the programs that you like and Tivo automatically will record them at their scheduled times. You can even tell Tivo to record an entire season of shows–like the Sopranos. One of my favorite features has been the ability to specify a keyword and have Tivo record every show that includes that keyword. These keywords can be performer’s names, world locations, themes or just about anything else you can think of.
The newest Tivo’s allow you to use features from the Internet. Mine is connected to the Internet using a high-speed cable connection. With it, I can access Yahoo! functionality, I can purchase or rent Amazon movies from Unbox, or even transfer video to and from my PC. This latter feature is accessed using a piece of software called Tivo Desktop.
The latest version of Tivo Desktop allows you to send Podcasts to your Tivo for watching on your TV. I have subscriptions to a few technology Podcasts trough iTunes that my Tivo Desktop software transfers to my Tivo. It is a winning combination. The software comes in two versions–a free version and one that is priced at around $25. The paid one let’s you convert movies that you record on your Tivo to your portable devices–including your iPod. This makes it an excellent tool for two way use of your media.
As if these features were not enough to make me love my Tivo, there are two more features that you should know about. You can watch your pictures and listen to digital music files that are on your PC or home network on your TV. These features make the Tivo/Tivo Desktop 2.6 combination the ultimate (legal*) home entertainment system.
*The reason I say legal is that you can get many of these features in a more refined form from XBOX Media Center. This software runs on modified XBOXs and is free open source software. Additional versions of the software are being worked on by volunteers now.
Robert Alonso
Alonso Consulting
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