Comcast installers in the San Francisco Bay area will soon begin deploying TiVo DVRs that will allow subscribers to access over-the-top video content from Netflix, Hulu and other online providers, in addition to the MSO's Xfinity On Demand lineup.
TiVo and Comcast announced in May that Comcast subscribers would be able to buy TiVo Premiere DVRs in retail outlets, and have Comcast techs install the boxes. TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call that Comcast will support the TiVo DVRs in "many other major markets" following the rollout in San Francisco.
Comcast's TiVo partnership could appeal to subscribers who want easy access to Netflix and other online video providers, but also want all of the products available in its triple play. It could also help the MSO reduce capital spending by delivering its digital cable programming to a CE device. Comcast also has an agreement with Microsoft which will allow Xfinity TV subscribers who purchase an Xbox 360 to access programming from their cable subscriptions through the gaming console.
TiVo, which has distribution deals with Charter Communications, Suddenlink Communications, RCN, Grande Communications and several international cable MSOs, said that it will supply operators with gateway devices and thin-client IP set-tops. "It's a way for multiple set-tops in a household to be served. It works with a core unit, a gateway unit, that allows for multiple streams to multiple television sets as part of a whole-home solution. It is something that we will deliver to a number of operators that will be looking for it in the middle of the year," Rogers said.
TiVo also announced a licensing agreement earlier this week with cable set-top manufacturer Pace. The companies said that Pace licensed TiVo's hardware porting kit, and will work with Pace to deploy TiVo's software and user interface on Pace set-tops and gateways. It's worth noting that Pace is the set-top manufacturer that has supplied an IP set-top to Comcast for tests of its new X1 advanced video service in Augusta, Ga.
