Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
AT&T Patents

Tivo Gets $215 Million Patent Settlement From AT&T 93

symbolset writes "Slashgear is reporting that Tivo has achieved a settlement in their patent lawsuit with AT&T. Tivo will receive the minimum sum of $215 million over six years — more if AT&T DVR subscribers go above a certain level. This settles a patent dispute going back to 2009 and has been covered here with some side issues. Confirmed by Tivo press release."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Tivo Gets $215 Million Patent Settlement From AT&T

Comments Filter:
  • by AtariDatacenter ( 31657 ) on Wednesday January 04, 2012 @01:08PM (#38586304)

    My latest... no, my last purchase of a TiVo was the Premier with lifetime service. The unit is riddled with bugs.

    I never expect them to get the second CPU core enabled. It is short of RAM. It bogs down. It ignores the remote for a while when you sit back down in front of the couch (which I suspect is because the OS swap out the remote control's handler process during a memory shortage). It crashes. It has a bare-bones Netflix interface that likes to crash. The high definition user interface is STILL incomplete, with many screens dropping back down to standard definition. The Amazon Video interface can't do free Prime movies. Only purchases. The non-discrete directional buttons on the remote makes for regular menu selection mistakes. If your Internet connection goes down, your locked out of much of the unit's functionality until you return.

    I could go on and on about all the problems with their product. And I see that other people have their own observations. TiVo isn't in the game of producing a product/service that consumers want. We are actually just what they're selling. Collecting eyeballs for add space. And then adding bullet points for new features with minimal functionality and playing the patent race game.

    Admittedly, the only good thing to come out of them recently was the iPad TiVo remote control. Nicely done. But then, they weren't doing it for their customers, I'm sure, as much as they were trying to beef up their patent portfolio, probably vs Apple.

    If TiVo dies tomorrow, I won't be sad. I'll go back to the cable company's DVR and I'd enjoy it. Having all the pre-paid hardware and service is the only thing keeping me holding on. TiVo once put the customer first, but they lost sight of us. Too bad. These days, TiVo owners don't make great evangelists for their product.

  • Re:Tivo dreaming (Score:2, Interesting)

    by spire3661 ( 1038968 ) on Wednesday January 04, 2012 @01:16PM (#38586408) Journal
    If cableCARD support dies, TiVO is toast. Time-Warner already sets every channel to 'never copy' so a Tivo is all but useless on their service. Tivo's fate is now tied to CableCARD and all indictors point to all the cable companies moving everything to 'copy once' or 'copy never' which to a Tivo means 'dont record'

    I am actually calling tivo today to cancel my service and pay the pro-rate for the rest of my first year of contract. I bought it and a HDHomeRun Prime at the same time and the HDHomerun with a Win 7 PC destroys the Tivo in ease of use, functionality, cost and uptime.

A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on. -- Samuel Goldwyn

Working...