Industry News
By Shane C. Buettner March 10, 2006 — Program Your TiVo From Your Cel Phone
It was only a matter of time until someone rolled out this killer app: TiVo and Verizon have struck a deal that will allow TiVo subscribers to program their DVRs using a Verizon cel phone. Called TiVo Mobile, this service will be offered later this year. No pricing has been announced yet.

Companies dream of forging the kind of transcendent brand awareness that TiVo has created in just a few years. Not only is the TiVo brand name universally recognized, the very process of recording programs to a DVR is colloquially referred to as "TiVo"ing. And in spite of that, the company continues to lose money and faces stiff competition from cable and satellite companies making their own competing products with internal tuners.

The Verizon deal is the latest in a string of counter-measures TiVo has launched at its competitors. Previously announced enhancements include the ability to program TiVo DVRs over the Internet, download recorded shows to video iPods, and other networking features.

IndiePix Offers Software That Burns Movie Downloads To DVD
According to reports in Variety and Hollywood Reporter, Internet movie retailer IndiePix.net has allegedly launched a new service that will allow users to download films to their computers and burn them to DVD using the site's proprietary "Disc Factory" software. No more being locked down to the computer screen to watch your downloaded indy flick. The reports cite this as the first time a download model has been wed to living room movie viewing in a turnkey system.

Full-length feature film downloads will cost $15 each, and short programs will be available for $2-$5. Obviously the cost of the blank DVD disc is on you too. I say this service has allegedly been offered because the Indie Pix web site (www.indiepix.net) makes no mention of it whatsoever, and when I visited the site it didn't appear fully functional- clicking on many of the movies for sale resulted in internal server errors with two browsers. Interesting concept, if it's real.

Subscription TV For The iPod
The Revolution continues. As of today, Apple's iTunes store is offering month-long subscriptions to Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. While separate episodes of both shows will be available for $1.99 each, for $9.99 users can buy a "Multi-Pass" that allows them to download the most current available episode, and then the next 15 will download automatically as they become available. 16 episodes represent a month worth of each show.

The portents of this move for future TV show subscriptions and movies are obvious, but there's another facet to consider. While TV network executives are citing studies that DVR owners catch some commercials while fast-forwarding on through, the same argument can't be made for paid downloads. There are no commercials on these downloads.