TVSquad

Now that Comcast has already begun offering TiVo software on Comcast-branded set top boxes in Boston, it looks like Cox Communication wants in on the action. Both Comcast and Cox have been working with TiVo for the last few years to add the popular PVR-maker's software to their set top boxes. Now Multichannel News reports that Cox is preparing to roll out a limited trial in New England.

Cox provides cable service in Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut, so it looks like Cox and Comcast won't be going head to head in Boston.

No word on what kind of premium Cox will charge customers for the TiVo software or when the software will be publicly available. We assume Cox will roll out the software upgrade much the same way that Comcast has, meaning you won't need to call your cable company and request a new box. Rather, the company should be able to deliver a software upgrade over your cable line.

Now that Comcast is making TiVo software available to the general public (and by general public, I mean a handful of people in Massachusetts), blogger Steve Garfield decided to sign up. And lucky for us, he's documented his ordeal so you know what to expect.

OK, that's not fair. Odds are that thanks to the guinea pigs early adopters like Garfield, Comcast will have some time to work out the kinks by the time it makes TiVo software more widely available.

But right now, getting TiVo service on your Comcast box isn't exactly what I'd call easy. Garfield says first he got an email letting him know that service was available, but he couldn't find any way to sign up online. After calling Comcast support and chatting with a rep online, he was still getting nowhere until an executive called him out of the blue to confirm an appointment Garfield hadn't actually made. He was told that they would be installing a new box, and he would be able to keep his old box until he watched his recorded programs. This was just flat out wrong. What Comcast actually did was download new software to his Comcast box to provide TiVo service. No recordings were deleted.

Long story short, Garfield's service is working. And thanks to his noble sacrifice, there's a good chance that if you're in a supported area, Comcast agents might actually have a clue what you're talking about when you call to request TiVo service.

[via Tivo Blog]

Comcast is finally beginning to offer people who don't actually work for Comcast (or presumably know someone who does) the chance to get TiVo software on their Comcast branded set top boxes. The cable provider and PVR maker have been collaborating since last year, and we've been hearing for months that Comcast was beginning to deploy TiVo software in New England. But up until now there wasn't any way for the average cable customer to call up Comcast and request the service.

Now several users are reporting that they've received emails from Comcast letting them know they can sign up. TiVo service will set you back an extra $2.95 per month on top of your regular cable/PVR rental bill.

Right now the service only appears to be available in select areas of Massachusetts. But you can sign up on Comcast's web page to get an email letting you know when service is available in your area.

[via TiVo Lovers and Zatz Not Funny]

It's finally happened. Comcast has started rolling out TiVo software to a handful of New England customers. Dave Zatz has managed to snag some screenshots of the interface, as well as pictures of the Motorola set top box and the co-branded TiVo/Comcast remote control.

And you know what? I'm not really that impressed. Sure, it's pretty cool that you can order on-demand videos from Comcast and schedule TiVo recordings using the same box and remote. But as far as we can tell, the interface looks almost exactly the same as the first screenshots we saw almost a year ago.

I'm sure that over the last 10 months Comcast and TiVo have been working out a lot of the kinks under the hood and testing the heck out of this service to make sure it works as smoothly as possible. But I kind of would have expected a few bonus features to have been thrown in over the last few months. Maybe it's just me, but it's hard to get excited about something that kind of looks like last year's technology.

TiVo and Comcast may have missed their August target date for rolling out optional TiVo software to Comcast cable boxes. But hey, better late than never right?

This week Comcast customers in New England who signed up for the service started receiving software updates on their set-top-boxes. This is the first time any cable company has delivered TiVo software without offering a standalone TiVo box. Once upon a time TiVo and satellite provider DirecTV had a partnership to deliver co-branded set-top-boxes, but that relationship has since gone the way of the dodo.

There's no word on when Comcast/TiVo will begin offering the service outside of New England, but given how long it took for anyone besides a TiVo or Comcast employee to get the service in the first place, I wouldn't hold my breath.