TiVo: Watch the Ads – Please!

By Geoff Duncan July 18, 2005

TiVo today updated its television recording and time-shifting service to enable customers to respond to specifically-designed advertising. Using the new options, customers who are interested in an advertisement or want to know more can have their contact information released to the advertiser so they may receive more information from the advertiser about the promoted product or service.

In addition, ads with special tags embedded within them will appear on screen as small pictures with branded logos even while users are fast-forwarding through tagged commercials.

The system debuts with specially-designed ad campaigns from General Motors and Time-Warner’s WB TV network, and is available only to TiVo Series 2 customers. Users who obtained a TiVo unit through DirecTV satellite service are not subject to the changed service.

TiVo says the new system still leaves the customer in direct control of their viewing experience, while providing advertisers a greater “entry point” to target TiVo users. For years TiVo has been offering long-form commercials downloaded to customers in the background so as not to interfere with their normal television-watching; TiVo says between 5 and 15 percent of its users choose to view those commercials, and between 5 to 30 percent of those viewers choose to release their contact information to the advertiser.

However, in these privacy-aware times, consumers are increasingly wary of releasing their contact information to third parties, a trend which is likely to rise as consumer irritation with direct marketing and awareness of both identity theft and fraud have become more widespread. It’s unclear whether TiVo or its advertisers can sustain enough trust with their audience to sustain TiVo’s new “opt-in” advertising format, or whether the format will make TiVo’s famous commercial-skipping capabilities any less of an anathema to advertisers.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Audio / Video

TiVo debuts the Edge DVR and TiVo+, its own livestreaming service

tivo launches edge dvr and plus live tv streaming service remote

Surprise -- TiVo is not dead. Well, not yet anyway. Confirming an earlier leak, the company has just announced two new models of its famous DVR. The $350 TiVo Edge for antenna and the $400 TiVo Edge for cable both carry the features that TiVo owners know and love like Skip Mode, OneSearch, and OnePass, but make things a bit more interesting by adding Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos to the mix. TiVo also took the wraps off its TiVo+ live TV streaming service which will be coming soon to all TiVo customers in the U.S.

The Edge DVRs are obviously more sophisticated than the TiVo Bolt DVRs that came before them. Those devices supported 4K and HDR, but not Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos. However, it's likely the shape of the Edge that will earn the appreciation of DVR enthusiasts. Gone is the unique but super-awkward wave design of the Bolt, replaced by a far more conventional (and easier to live with) stacked rectangular design that is more reminiscent of a Sony PS4 than any of the TiVo devices that have come before.

Audio / Video

The next-gen TiVo Edge DVR will provide 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos … eventually

tivo edge dvr leak 4k dolby vision atmos hdr

It's probably not a coincidence that mere days before IFA 2019 in Berlin, some leaked photos of what is clearly TiVo's next-gen DVR have emerged, courtesy of Zatz Not Funny. It's called the TiVo Edge, and if the leaked photos are accurate, it will be a much more conventionally shaped set-top box than the company's current generation of DVRs -- the TiVo Bolt and Bolt OTA -- which sport a controversial wave-like design. There will be three versions according to the leaked report: One for standard cable, one for CableCARD, and an OTA (over the air) model.

The six-tuner, 2TB DVR will preserve all of the Bolt's features including 4K, Alexa compatibility, skip mode, and TiVO's own voice-driven Vox remote options. What's new is the Edge's support for Dolby's two major home theater technologies, Dolby Vision (Dolby's proprietary HDR format) and Dolby Atmos (the company's immersive surround sound format). But before TiVo subscribers get too excited by these additions, it's worth noting that the Bolt DVRs already have HDR10 and HLG capabilities, but none of the onboard streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Plex have been updated by their respective publishers to take advantage of the Bolt's HDR chops. TiVo puts the onus on the streaming companies for their lack of HDR support. "It is up to the app providers, not TiVo, to take advantage of this capability," Digital Trends was told by a TiVo spokesperson in November 2018.

Audio / Video

Best AirPods deals: Save on AirPods and AirPods Pro

Apple airpods pro.

Apple’s lineup of headphones is one of the more popular on the market, with all models of AirPods always making a great option for listening to your favorite music and watching your favorite content. The Apple AirPods Max are regularly among the best headphones and the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are always in contention to be among the best wireless earbuds. And while there aren’t very many AirPods deals to shop right, you’ll find both of these models at a discount right now. We’ve included them among the best AirPods deals to shop right now, so if you’re in the market for a new set of headphones and like what you see out of Apple, read onward for more details on how to save on some AirPods.
Apple AirPods 2nd Generation — $90, was $130

An oldie but a goodie, the Apple AirPods 2 still work well and deliver excellent sound quality. Our Apple AirPods 2 review is nearing its fifth birthday and definitely showing some age, but compliments on these AirPods' sleek design and solid connection are timeless. For what it's worth, the people that buy these earbuds — even today — still find them a worthy investment, and they still sport a near-perfect review score over at Best Buy. Tap the button below to check that out for yourself.