I came across this post over at Lost Remote while I was catching up on my feeds, and I started thinking about how I refer to my ReplayTV when I’m posting online or talking in casual conversation. A research firm called Brandimensions points out that TiVo seems to be losing mindshare to the more generic terms “recorded” and “DVR” in place of “Tivo’d” or “TiVo”. I guess this is a double-edged sword for TiVo. On one hand it helps them keep their name out in the public, but on the other a company doesn’t want their brand name to become the generic term for a market either.
Personally, I think it has more to do with the recent rise of Home Theater PCs and DVRs offered by the cable and satellite companies. Being a ReplayTV owner, I’ve always shied away from using the term “TiVo” or “TiVo’d” in reference to my box or recording. I’m sure my ReplayTV thanks me for that.
The Brandimension study also pointed out that the market doesn’t see TiVo advancing fast enough.
The study also concluded that consumers are growing increasingly concerned with TiVo’s standalone box and its inability to record in HD or two shows simultaneously.
This is probably true in some sense. TiVo and ReplayTV have been stagnate in the field of HD recording innovations. TiVo has one unit that will allow HD recording, but it’s locked up with DirecTV service. ReplayTV, on the other hand, is totally lacking in this area. I’m also not sure if they are developing a HD capable recorder or not.
Both TiVo and ReplayTV should be able to rebound a bit once CableCards become readily available. Then they’ll easily be able to offer HD recording and become the one and only set-top box required. The only problem is getting the cable companies to agree on a standard, but that’s an entirely different ball of wax.
Tags: TiVo, ReplayTV, Television
