TiVo
TiVo is a discontinued line of digital video recorders developed and marketed by Xperi and introduced in 1999. TiVo provides an on-screen guide of scheduled broadcast programming television programs, whose features include "OnePass" schedules which record every new episode of a series, and wishlist searches which allow the user to find and record shows that match their interests by title, actor, director, category, or keyword. TiVo also provides a range of features when the TiVo DVR is connected to a home network, including film and TV show downloads, advanced search, online scheduling, and at one time, personal photo viewing and local music playback.
After its launch in its home market of the United States, TiVo units were also sold in Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Taiwan, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Later models adopted the CableCARD standard, which is only deployed in the United States, and which limits the availability of certain features. TiVo discontinued its DVR hardware products in October 2025.
History
TiVo was developed by Jim Barton and Mike Ramsay through a corporation they named "Teleworld" which was later renamed to TiVo Inc. Though they originally intended to create a home network device, it was redesigned as a device that records digitized video onto a hard disk.After exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 1997, Mike Ramsay announced to the company that the first version of the TiVo digital video recorder would be released "in Q1" despite an estimated 4 to 5 months of work remaining to complete the device. Because March 31, 1999, was a blue moon, the engineering staff code-named this first version of the TiVo DVR "Blue Moon".
The original TiVo DVR digitized and compressed analogue video from any source. TiVo also integrated its DVR service into the set-top boxes of satellite and cable providers. In late 2000, Philips Electronics introduced the DSR6000, the first DirecTV receiver with an integrated TiVo DVR. This new device, nicknamed the "DirecTiVo", stored digital signals sent from DirecTV directly onto a hard disk.
In early 2000, TiVo partnered with electronics manufacturer Thomson Multimedia and broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting to deliver the TiVo service in the UK market. This partnership resulted in the Thomson PVR10UK, a stand-alone receiver released in October 2000 that was based on the original reference design used in the United States by both Philips and Sony. TiVo ended UK unit sales in January 2003, though it continued to sell subscriptions and supply guide data to existing subscribed units until June 2011. TiVo branded products returned to the UK during 2010 under an exclusive partnership with cable TV provider Virgin Media.
TiVo was launched in Australia in July 2008 by Hybrid Television Services, a company owned by Australia's Seven Media Group and New Zealand's TVNZ. TiVo Australia also launched a TiVo with a 320Gb hard Drive in 2009. TiVo Australia also launched Blockbuster on demand and in December 2009 launched a novel service called Caspa on Demand. TiVo also went on sale in New Zealand on 6 November 2009.
Janet Jackson's Super Bowl halftime show incident on February 1, 2004, set a record for being the most watched, recorded and replayed moment in TiVo history. The baring of one of Jackson's breasts at the end of her duet with Justin Timberlake, which caused a flood of outraged phone calls to CBS, was replayed a record number of times by TiVo users. A company representative stated, "The audience measurement guys have never seen anything like it. The audience reaction charts looked like an electrocardiogram."
In April 2016, Rovi acquired TiVo for $1.1 billion.
In December 2019, it was announced that TiVo would merge with Xperi Corporation. The merger completed in May 2020.
In early February 2024, TiVo removed the antenna version of the TiVo Edge from their website, apparently discontinuing their OTA line of DVRs. The cable version of the TiVo Edge as well as the TiVo Mini LUX and TiVo Stream 4K continued to be available.
The TiVo Mini LUX went permanently out of stock in June/July 2025. It has yet to be clarified when the TiVo Stream 4K was discontinued. The TiVo Edge DVR for Cable, along with all remaining hardware accessories, were removed from sale on TiVo's website in late September/early October 2025, and sales of annual and lifetime service subscriptions were discontinued, leaving monthly subscriptions as the only remaining service option for TiVo Roamio, TiVo BOLT, and TiVo Edge boxes that do not already have active service plans. Variety reported that TiVo had exited the hardware manufacturing business on October 1, 2025, and that remaining inventory had been depleted.
Service
A TiVo DVR serves a function similar to that of a videocassette recorder, in that both allow a TV viewer to record programming for viewing at a later time, known as time shifting. Unlike a videocassette recorder, which uses removable magnetic tape cartridges, a TiVo DVR stores TV programs on an internal hard drive, much like a computer.A TiVo DVR also automatically records programs that the user is likely to be interested in. TiVo DVRs also implement a patented feature that TiVo calls "trick play", allowing the viewer to pause live television and rewind and replay up to 30 minutes of recently viewed TV. TiVo DVRs can be connected to a computer local area network, allowing the TiVo device to download information, access video streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu, as well as music from the Internet.
Functions
TiVo DVRs communicate with TiVo's servers on a regular basis to receive program information updates, including description, regular and guest actors, directors, genres, whether programs are new or repeats, and whether broadcast is in High Definition. Information is updated daily into its program guide from Rovi.Users can select individual programs to record or a "OnePass" to record all episodes of a show. There are options to record First Run Only, First Run and Repeats, or All Episodes. An episode is considered "First Run" if aired within two weeks of that episode's initial air date. OnePasses can also "bookmark" shows from internet streaming video services and show a combined view of recordings and bookmarks.
When users' requests for multiple programs are conflicting, the lower priority program in the OnePass Manager is either not recorded or clipped where times overlap. The lower priority program will be recorded if it is aired later. TiVo DVRs with multiple tuners simultaneously record the top priority programs.
TiVo pioneered recording programs based on household viewing habits; this is called TiVo Suggestions. Users can rate programs from three "thumbs up" to three "thumbs down". TiVo user ratings are combined to create a recommendation, based on what TiVo users with similar viewing habits watch. For example, if one user likes American Idol, America's Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars, then another TiVo user who watched just American Idol might get a recommendation for the other two shows. As of 2023, TiVo Suggestions are no longer supported. The Thumbs Up/Down buttons can no longer be used to rate programs.
The amount of storage capacity for programs is dependent upon the size of the hard drive inside the TiVo; different models have different sized hard drives. When the space is full on the hard drive, the oldest programs are deleted to make space for the newer ones; programs that users flag to not be deleted are kept and TiVo Suggestions are always lowest priority. The recording capacity of a TiVo HD DVR can be expanded with an external hard drive, which can add additional hours of HD recording space and standard definition video recording capacity.
When not recording specific user requests, the current channel is recorded for up to 30 minutes. Dual-tuner models record two channels. This allows users to rewind or pause anything that has been shown in the last thirty minutes — useful when viewing is interrupted. Shows already in progress can be entirely recorded if less than 30 minutes have been shown. Unlike VCRs, TiVo can record and play at the same time. A program can be watched from the beginning even if it is in the middle of being recorded, which is something that VCRs cannot do. Some users take advantage of this by waiting 10 to 15 minutes after a program starts, so that they can fast forward through commercials. In this way, by the end of the recording viewers are caught up with live television.
Unlike most DVRs, TiVo DVRs are easily connected to home networks, allowing users to schedule recordings on TiVo's website, and transfer recordings between TiVo units. Former and now discontinued features included the ability transfer recordings to and from a home computer, play music and view photos over the network, and access third-party applications written for TiVo's Home Media Engine API.
TiVo added a number of broadband features, most of which are no longer offered. These include:
Integration with Amazon Video on Demand, Jaman.com and Netflix Watch Instantly, offering users access to thousands of movie titles and television shows right from the comfort of their couch. Additionally, broadband connected to TiVo boxes can access digital photos from Picasa Web Albums or Photobucket. Another popular feature is access to Rhapsody music through TiVo, allowing users to listen to virtually any song from their living room. TiVo also teamed up with One True Media to give subscribers a private channel for sharing photos and video with family and friends. They can also access weather, traffic, Fandango movie listings, and music through Live365. In the summer of 2008 TiVo announced the availability of YouTube videos on TiVo.
On June 7, 2006, TiVo began offering TiVoCast, a broadband download service that initially offered content from places such as Rocketboom or, The New York Times; now there are over 70 TivoCast channels available for TiVo subscribers.
In January 2005, TiVoToGo, a feature allowing transfer of recorded shows from TiVo boxes to PCs, was added. TiVo partnered with Sonic in the release of MyDVD 6.1, software for editing and converting TiVoToGo files. In January, 2007, TiVoToGo was extended to the Macintosh with Toast Titanium 8, Roxio software for assembly and burning digital media on CD and DVD media. In August, 2005, TiVo rolled out "TiVo Desktop" allowing the copying of MPEG2 video files from PCs to TiVo for playback by DVR. As of June 5, 2013, TiVo stopped distributing the free version of TiVo Desktop for PC in favor of selling TiVo Desktop Plus. Users who previously downloaded the free version of TiVo Desktop could continue to use the software without paying a fee for the Plus edition.
;Parental features
TiVo KidZone was designed to give parents greater control over what their children see on television. This feature allows parents to choose which shows their children can watch and record. It also helps kids discover new shows through recommendations from leading national children's organizations. TiVo KidZone provides a customized Now Playing List for children that displays only pre-approved shows, keeping television as safe as possible.