Germany’s Nero AG has announced Nero LiquidTV/TiVo PC, a new product that includes a TV Tuner and remote control…and software that brings the features of a TiVo set-top box to an ordinary PC. Although PC-based DVR capabilities are nothing new, the product marks the first time TiVo’s interface and functions have been made available for ordinary computers.
“Nero has done a superb job of bringing the TiVo experience to the PC, and have done so in a way that lives up to the rich TiVo legacy,” said TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, in a statement. “To be able to extend the features of TiVo to a new platform without compromising the integrity of what has made TiVo such a revolutionary product is a significant achievement, one we know both new and old fans of TiVo will love.”
Users will be able to play, record, and pause television on their desktop PCs, along with transfer shows between computers in their home and to portable media players like the iPod or PSP. LiquidTV/TiVo PC will offer well-known TiVo features like Wishlist searches, Season Pass recordings, TiVO KidZone, and TiVo Suggestions.
The LiquidTV/TiVo PC kit will ship with a digital ATSC TV tuner card that connects to a laptop or desktop PC with a USB 2.0 cable; the kit also ships with a remote control and IR blaster to create a wireless connection to a cable or satellite box. Nero’s LiquidTV/TiVo PC comes with a one-year subscription to the TiVo service for programs listings and the ability to automatically find and record favorite shows.
LiquidTV/TiVo PC is due to do on sale October 15 in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada for $199, with plans to launch the product in Europe in early 2009. It requires Windows XP/Vista.
For some TiVo users, the ability to turn a garden variety PC into a full capable TiVo DVR will have tremendous appeal: after all, it’s a great way to repurpose a PC that might otherwise lay idle, and it’s easy to expand storage on a typical PC—and many also have DVD burners for easy archiving of recordings. However, few people will really want to park a full-fledged PC in their living rooms to watch TV: TiVo settop boxes are quieter and purpose-built.
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