Poll: DVR Apple TV Would You Buy??

TiVo. TiVo currently does all the work of an AppleTV. If Apple bought a portion of TiVo, like they have talked about in the past, I may jump on it in a heartbeat. I love the flexability I have with my TiVo, and you can have it when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

TEG

If you are looking for a DVR, then there are already a ton of mature products available, but Apple isn't trying to get into that market. They are positioning the ATV to be an internet delivery device where they can sell content via ITMS. Personally I don't care about DVR functions. In fact I got the ATV so I could cancel my cable entirely. I calculated that I would send much less by dropping the cable and purchasing just the shows I want. So far it's been great, but with the writers strike, new content is slim.

If you need this function in the ATV, your best hope would be for 3rd party software to record shows and add them to iTunes.

TEG said:

TiVo currently does all the work of an AppleTV.

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I have a Tivo right next to my apple TV. There is no overlap in the two devices at all Tivo does none of the things apple TV does, at least for me.

My fridge doesn't microwave my tv-dinners either. I have a micro-wave for that.

I used to love my TiVos, but lately every system "upgrade" ends up actually being a "downgrade" from an end-user point of view (e.g. the current major upgrade seriously degraded parts of the multiroom viewing functionality on Series 2 boxes; the previous major upgrade basically just added advertisements to more menus and to certain fast-forward usage). Not to mention the fiasco regarding TivoToGo on the Mac.

I've spent a few months going back and forth on whether I want to roll my own PVR + DVD Player + network media box using a Mac Mini plus an El Gato EyeTV of some sort; so I don't know that I'm willing to sit and wait a year to see if Apple releases their own product. But (finally getting to the point) I'm no longer loyal to TiVo - one way or the other I'm ready to dump them, as long as I preserve the functionality I want. If Apple offered a PVR today, I can pretty much guarantee I'd buy it.

I put my vote down for hell yes! If you believe this one analyst it might not be far off. Then again some times I really must question how and where these guys get their info.

Westside guy said:

I've spent a few months going back and forth on whether I want to roll my own PVR + DVD Player + network media box using a Mac Mini plus an El Gato EyeTV of some sort; so I don't know that I'm willing to sit and wait a year to see if Apple releases their own product. But (finally getting to the point) I'm no longer loyal to TiVo - one way or the other I'm ready to dump them, as long as I preserve the functionality I want. If Apple offered a PVR today, I can pretty much guarantee I'd buy it.

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I'm kind of in the same boat, but the ordeal of setting one up, tweaking and getting the bloody thing to work with my cablebox. I think laziness and the risk that the whole bloody thing won't work (as well as I'd want it to) is why I keep waiting for Apple to produce something like this.

You forgot a choice for "no because I already have a DVR I'm satisfied with."

Regards,
Michael

mallbritton said:

You forgot a choice for "no because I already have a DVR I'm satisfied with."

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+1

mallbritton said:

You forgot a choice for "no because I already have a DVR I'm satisfied with."
l

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I didn't vote either. I don't have a DVR, and I don't want to see this a feature on the ATV. I wouldn't want it to raise the price for a feature that ultimately is counter to what the ATV is intended for.

The ultimate goal of the Apple TV is to remove the need for a DVR. I got an ATV to replace Comcast outright, not to support two separate payment models.

I think that Apple and ITMS have a way to go still before your average user will drop cable, but I want them to focus on that goal instead of giving up and just being another DVR.

Somethings I think that they could do are: Provide the first episode of shows for free. Experiment with ad supported content. Subscriptions for 'channels' of rolling content play lists...

mallbritton said:

You forgot a choice for "no because I already have a DVR I'm satisfied with."

Regards,
Michael

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Agreed - this is NOT what I purchased an AppleTV for.

Added DVR functionality is ridiculous for most cable subscribers - almost all cable companies have DVRs available for minimal cost that are always going to be more happily integrated into your cable menu system than anything Apple could possibly do. Likewise, I've never understood people on mature cable systems shelling out $13/month subscriptions to TIVO - I pay $7/month for an HD DVR on my cable system (that's for the box and the service) and have no desire to change to anything different.

And that's not taking into account that the satellite providers will never allow TV to be used as a DVR with their systems. They want the customer to use their DVR. There is simply no way to use a TiVo with either DirecTV or Dish, and that wouldn't change with Apple. Unless there was a partnership and that would take money away from the providers in the form of monthly revenue.

No, even if Apple has been doing work on a prototype DVR software I think it is unlikely they would add that functionality to TV. The service providers won't want to let Apple tread on their turf.

Regards,
Michael

err404 said:

...but Apple isn't trying to get into that market.

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Sorry, but recent patent findings suggest this statement is incorrect. Apple has recently filed several patents dealing with DVR technology.

If it were £100, yes, but that is doubtful...

Now when they have a Time Capsule+DVR, that will be awesome.

MacFanBoyIIe said:

Sorry, but recent patent findings suggest this statement is incorrect. Apple has recently filed several patents dealing with DVR technology.

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Just because a patent has been filed doesn't mean Apple is trying to break into that market.

Regards,
Michael

err404 said:

The ultimate goal of the Apple TV is to remove the need for a DVR.

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Buddy, I don't think even Steve Jobs knows the ultimate goal of the Apple TV, but I'm glad to see you do.

mallbritton said:

Just because a patent has been filed doesn't mean Apple is trying to break into that market.

Regards,
Michael

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OK. Enlighten us. What exactly would that indicate? So they are filing DVR patents because the have NO plans for DVR. Right. Good logic.

slate1 said:

I pay $7/month for an HD DVR on my cable system (that's for the box and the service) and have no desire to change to anything different.

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Good. glad you're happy. Has it occurred to you that maybe other people would prefer a different setup? Most people (those of us who are not sheep) prefer options. Tivo gives us options. A DVR ATV would give us options. The cable company does NOT give us options.

MacFanBoyIIe said:

OK. Enlighten us. What exactly would that indicate? So they are filing DVR patents because the have NO plans for DVR. Right. Good logic.

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Company's patent ideas all the time, not all of them make it to market as actual products. All I'm saying is you should not assume that just because Apple has filed a patent for DVR software they are going to move into that market. Add to that the fact that the patent may be denied. Not all patents that are applied for are approved.

Regards,
Michael

mallbritton said:

Company's patent ideas all the time, not all of them make it to market as actual products. All I'm saying is you should not assume that just because Apple has filed a patent for DVR software they are going to move into that market. Add to that the fact that the patent may be denied. Not all patents that are applied for are approved.

Regards,
Michael

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OK. I can accept that. Still, it DOES indicate that they may be trying to break into that market. It doesn't mean it will happen (for whatever reason), but it's still an indicator.

If they do add DVR functionality, I hope it doesn't increase the cost of the device (or if it does, that they maintain a non-DVR version). There's not enough on TV to warrant paying for it, in my opinion. I do all my watching of stuff I've downloaded or bought on DVD, so a DVR AppleTV really wouldn't address any sort of missing functionality.

MacFanBoyIIe said:

OK. I can accept that. Still, it DOES indicate that they may be trying to break into that market. It doesn't mean it will happen (for whatever reason), but it's still an indicator.

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In my opinion all the patent application indicates is that Apple is trying to patent some software they've been working on in their skunkworks.

Regards,
Michael

saltyzoo said:

I have a Tivo right next to my apple TV. There is no overlap in the two devices at all Tivo does none of the things apple TV does, at least for me.

My fridge doesn't microwave my tv-dinners either. I have a micro-wave for that.

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My TiVo plays videos off of my computer, it plays music off of my Mac, I can download movies from Unbox, at the same price as iTunes. I do have a video connector for my iPod for the DVD's I've converted to iTunes, because my TiVo doesn't play MP4s.

TEG

err404 said:

In fact I got the ATV so I could cancel my cable entirely. I calculated that I would send much less by dropping the cable and purchasing just the shows I want. So far it's been great, but with the writers strike, new content is slim.

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I fully agree, up here in Canada, TV basically sucks - when I had cable, I paid about 45 bucks per month, but I would only watch 2 or 3 channels. Much of the animation and documentaries I used to watch is available on iTunes.
So I am extremely pleased with my new gadget and I definitely do not need any PVR functionality for Canadian television.