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Technology Stocks : Tivo (TIVO) Interactive TV -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wyätt Gwyön who wrote (1576)	3/25/2005 3:56:59 PM
From: Andre Williamson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2093

anybody have an opinion on Windows Media Center (MCE) as a Tivo killer? Sure. It's nowhere close to being a Tivo killer. It's no contest, really. From the very website you linked to: And yet. Through three generations of XP MCE, one thing has never changed. As excellent as the interface is, as amazing as the experiences can be, there's just something unusual about sticking a tower PC in your living room. It's a little loud with fans and whirring hard drives. It's got all kinds of blinking lights. And every once in a while, the XP interface--which requires a mouse and keyboard--gets in the way, poking out from behind the wonderful Media Center sheen, and requiring someone to get up and hunt around the back of the TV for the mouse so they can dismiss a dialog or answer a query. a) most people don't have the basic skills required to set up a media center PC in their den. Cablecos get simple set-tops working by sending a tech. Is Microsoft going to send installers across the country? b) College kids might want this, but few grown adults want a noisy, blinking, demanding PC in their relaxing space. Much less having to use a mouse and keyboard while trying to kick back and enjoy a beer. c) It costs many times what a Tivo costs. Bottom line is that very few beyond bleeding edgers would want or put up with this. And from what I have read, most bleeding edgers have and prefer Tivos for PVR functionality anyway. in two or three years, i don't see why MCE couldn't be quite popular and kill Tivo. I do. See above. Honestly, I think the only market for MCE is masochistic Microsoft aficionados. Andre

To: Wyätt Gwyön who wrote (1576)	3/25/2005 4:17:06 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2093

Darffot, I have both a Media Center PC and a TiVo. So far, I haven't used the Media Center to record anything. TiVo is so much easier, you set it and forget it (for your regular programs, wish list, etc). With Media Center, you have to search out each and every program every time... I would almost always forget. Not to say Media Center isn't a nifty product; great for watching TV (with the live TV TiVo functions), music and photos. Maybe someday it could replace TiVo in functionality, but I suspect that before that day comes around, TiVo will be selling PC software. John

To: Wyätt Gwyön who wrote (1576)	3/26/2005 4:43:34 AM
From: pyslent	Respond to of 2093

Not speaking as J6P, but I love my MCE2K PC, which I just hooked up to my new HDTV. The DirecTV-tivo combo box that I've enjoyed for the past 5 years shall always be a cherished memory, but I do consider the MediaCenter to be a worthy replacement. Granted, the PC cost significantly more than my $99 DirecTiVo (by a factor of 10), but it can do far more, like websurf over to SI :). Worth a look, IMO, but I can't speak to it's mass appeal.