Personal TV is here:
biz.yahoo.com
Wednesday March 31, 8:03 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Philips Electronics
TiVo and Philips Deliver
First Personal Television
System
Groundbreaking Service Goes Live
With Support From Entertainment Industry Leaders Showtime,
HBO, and DIRECTV
SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Philips Electronics, one of
the world's leading consumer electronics companies, and TiVo, Inc., the
originator of personal television, announced today the availability of the first
personal TV system. The Philips Personal TVO Receiver and the TiVo
Personal Television Service represent a revolution in television, giving
consumers complete control over their viewing experience and allowing them
to watch what they want, when they want. A strategic roll-out of Philips
receivers and access to the TiVo service will begin March 31, 1999.
(Photo: newscom.com )
Philips' and TiVo's personal TV system ensures that viewers will never miss a
minute of their favorite television shows. Philips' and TiVo's system enables
viewers to easily capture a personalized line-up of television programs that
can be accessed instantly at their convenience. The Philips receiver accepts
television programming from any source, including satellite, cable and
antenna.
''The arrival of Philips' and TiVo's personal TV system marks an important
milestone in the evolution of consumer electronics, and demonstrates Philips'
commitment to expand the potential of television,'' said Rob van
Oostenbrugge, CEO of Philips Digital Video Systems. ''By partnering with
TiVo, our personal TV system will be a major breakthrough in enabling
consumers for the first time to truly control the vast array of television
content that is available today, furthering our efforts to dramatically improve
our customers' television viewing experiences.''
''Today marks the beginning of a dramatic revolution in the world of
television,'' said Michael Ramsay, president and CEO of TiVo. ''Together
with Philips, we are delivering on the promise of personal TV, providing
consumers with an entertainment innovation that will forever change the way
they watch television.''
The Changing Face of Television
Philips' and TiVo's Personal Television System gives consumers total control
over live television by allowing them to pause and rewind, as well as use
TiVo's patented technology to create slow-motion, frame forward and frame
back effects for any show they are watching. The TiVo service also enables
viewers to automatically teach TiVo what they enjoy watching through the
use of a simple ''thumbs up'' or ''thumbs down'' feature on the Philips
remote control, thus building up a personal preference profile. This system
simplifies the selection process by searching through more than 100,000
programs that are broadcast each week, uniquely recording favorite shows
every time they are broadcast, and making recommendations on other shows
of interest.
TiVo's service works with all television programming providers. It also allows
subscribers to access special programming packages from leading
entertainment industry partners, including Showtime, E! Entertainment
Television, FLIX, HBO, style., The Weather Channel, The Movie Channel,
and ZDTV. Subscribers will receive TiVo's TiVolution Video Magazine
providing daily program recommendations, and entertainment and sports
editorial content produced by former broadcast executives from CNN, NBC,
HBO, Fox, CBS and Turner. TiVo subscribers will also receive new service
updates and features automatically. TiVo's service is delivered 24 hours a
day, seven days a week by TiVo's Broadcast Center to the Philips Personal
TV(TM) receivers.
''We all believe that it is inevitable that consumers will get control over their
television programming,'' said Stewart Alsop, principal of New Enterprise
Associates and a member of TiVo's Board of Directors. ''The TiVo and
Philips teams have the experience and expertise to lead this exciting category,
but they also understand the business of television, which may prove to be
even more important.''
Consumers Are Ready to Adopt
Philips receivers and the TiVo service have been in field trials since
December, and consumer feedback on this new television experience has
been overwhelmingly positive.
''What I love about Philips' and TiVo's system is that it automatically picks
up the shows I want, and I don't have to worry that I'm missing anything I
want to watch,'' said Ed Wodzienski, a computer consultant and technology
enthusiast, who has been using the system in his home. ''I don't have to fuss
with the receiver at all, and whenever I want to watch something, I have
access to it instantly.''
''Like a lot of parents, I'm putting my kids to bed when most of my favorite
'prime time' shows are on,'' said Melinda Christopherson, a homemaker and
mother of four. ''With Philips' and TiVo's system I can watch my shows
whenever I want, and never miss a minute, even if the phone rings or one of
my kids starts crying. Also, my husband is a sports fanatic, and he loves being
able to pause and rewind live broadcasts of sporting events. It really came in
handy for him during the NCAA basketball tournament.''
Pricing and Availability
The Philips Personal TVO receivers are available in two configurations: a
14-hour model priced at $499, and a 30-hour model at $999. TiVo Personal
Television Service subscribers have three options: $9.95 per month, $99 per
year or $199 for a lifetime subscription. Personal TV receivers will be
available in limited quantities initially and widely available this summer at CE
retailers. Consumers can learn more about Philips' and TiVo's personal TV
system and service by calling 1-800-FOR-TIVO or on the Web at
www.tivo.com or www.philipsusa.com.
Personalized viewing is right around the corner (this time it's a short curve). I think this press release is an exaggeration though - "Philips' and TiVo's Personal Television System gives consumers total control
over live television by allowing them to pause and rewind..." Total control would give the viewer choice of camera angles and instant replay on demand. |
