Following the delivery of the first TiVo boxes to Virgin Media’s customers (after a period of beta-trial amongst Virgin employees) PayMedia and TBB have conducted a detailed review of Virgin Media’s newly released HD TiVo PVR.
The outputs of our review include a video-based walk-through of the UI and of some of the key ‘applications’ available on the TiVo device. In addition, the review provides an analysis of the product which contains a variety of supporting screenshots.
Despite delays and expectations set by fairly low-level teaser marketing and company announcements, Virgin Media’s TiVo product has turned out to be a derivative of the US TiVo Premiere / Premiere XL product, rather than a dedicated European / Pay TV software build.
There has been very little modification or adaptation in the product to meet the needs of the Pay TV market, and of the UK TV landscape other than a very basic integration with Virgin’s VOD back-office.
The basis of Virgin’s TiVo, the TiVo Premiere is a product that reviewers in the US have considered to be a window-dressing of the TiVo Series 3 rather than a revolutionary new product and the TiVo Premiere has failed to excite the US market since its launch in March 2010.
For more information and access to the full review, contact janet@broadcastprojects.com