The Rocky TiVo-DirecTV Relationship

Thomas Hawk writes "Phillip Swann's TV Predictions is out this morning alleging that before dumping their TiVo stock last year, Rupert Murdoch's DirecTV had made a pass at buying a controlling stake in TiVo. According to Swann, 'TiVo's top management did not like Murdoch's offer,' and Swann alleges that this is why you had a fallout between the two companies. As an interesting aside, Rob Pegoraro over at the Washington Post was out yesterday warning people to not buy an HDTV TiVo, as DirecTV will be changing their high-def signal later this year and that if you bought the HDTV TiVo that you might not be able to watch network TV in high def. As an owner of one of those expensive high-def DirecTV TiVos, I sure hope this isn't the case."

Foxblocking Tivo?

[AtariAmarok]

With Murdoch taking over all of Tivo, we'll need a sort of different kind of Foxblocker [foxblocker.com] for this. I suggest gluing a couple of cable TV jacks to either end of a wooden spool, and inserting this in your incoming co-ax cable.

Re:No problem.

[Gannoc]

http://www.epa.gov/chemrtk/vccep/sponsor2.htm

pffft. Running water. All of you people out there with your runner water are just rotting your minds and bodies. In my family, we read books and discuss philosophy while making the 3/4 mile trek to our well. We don't use running water, and we're better people for it. Don't even get me started on electicity and your demon antibiotics.

Answers to Foxblocking

[AtariAmarok]

Where oh where is the conservative answer to this? The "RatherNot (tm)" CBS news blocker. The "Clean the Air America" radio filter. The "Ted Turnoff" CNN filter. And last but not least, the "Moving Out" web filter that blocks moveon.org.

I misread the title...

[Anonymous Coward]

...and thought "What the hell does Sylvester Stallone have to do with TiVo?"...

Rocky & TiVo

[Anonymous Coward]

Bullwinkle: Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a TiVo out of this hat.

Rocky: That trick never works.

/Bullwinkle reaches in hat and pulls out MGM Lion's head.

MGM Lion: ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!

Bullwinkle: Oops. Guess I need a new hat.

I love the smell of....

[AtariAmarok]

"...arrangement of words called a sentance. please attempt..."

I love the smell of self-immolating grammar nazis in the morning.

No surprise

[sunderland56]

I'd have loved to be there during the meetings... one megalomaniac headstrong Brit and one megalomaniac headstrong Scot, in a room together, both thinking they're God. Wonderful. Odds on those two agreeing is so close to zero nobody's going to give you odds.

I get DirecTV HD, but there's no way I'm spending one dime on anything so close to bankruptcy [yahoo.com] as Tivo.

I can't wait for the new formats!

[Chris Pimlott]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only excited about this upcoming switch! I mean, sure,
Ku band, QPSK and MPEG-2 are alright. But
Ka band, 8PSK and MPEG-4 are clearly going to blow them all away! (At least until Ko Band, ¥PSK and MPEG-7 come out...)

Re:I misread the title...

[gclef]

And I thought: flying squirrels? TiVo? Really?

Re:No problem.

[Surt]

pffft. You lazy people with your wells. My family treks over 30 miles with 20 camels to the nearest river on a weekly basis to bring home the water we need.

Re:Murdoch will ace you for money

[Hassman]

*sigh* leave it to me to make a joke only to screw up and use the word "use" instead of "used".

Blech.

Re:DirectTV TiVos safe

[Sponge Bath]

...complain to DirectTV, not the TiVo

No way dude!
I'm complaining to Slashdot, as usual.

Stop The Madness

[SomeOtherGuy]

How many early adopters must die because of such crazyness.

I lost an uncle in the Beta Wars.

My dad lost his site and the use of his left arm in the Laser Disc campaigns.

And yet, the brave are marching out again to an expensive and certain death in the HDTV campaigns.

And meanwhile the rich get richer.