TiVo Series 3

Kevorkian for VCR?

In January of 2006, TiVo Series 3 was unveiled, and it ushered in a new age for recorded video. In front of a packed Consumer Electronics Show crowd full of salivating techies, TiVo introduced their recorded high-definition service. Finally, television junkies could record Stargate with an unparalleled display quality! Hurrah!

Dr. Kevorkian is as excited as we are about the death of VCR and birth of recorded HD.

A few other features were rolled out during the CES unveiling. For one, the high-definition television and digital cable would use CableCARD technology, a device that functions like a set-top box. Although CableCARDs have largely fallen by the wayside through the desperate efforts of the cable and satellite companies that profit from set-top box sales, TiVo is clearly trying to bring back the devices, which allow the consumer to select the programming that best suits their needs.

The CableCARD

Here's a list of some of the CableCARD features:

• Digital cable
• SDTV, or Standard Definition
• HDTV, or High Definition

CableCARD and TiVo, together at last.

Ditch the set-top box

Allows for third-party programming.

Requires a television that is “digital cable ready,” or DCR. The upcoming CableCARD 2.0 will require “interactive digital cable ready,” or iDCR. Exact details on what that will mean to the consumer have yet to be fully clarified.

For more on CableCARD features, check out our section dedicated to their use.

Outputs

One of the highlights of the upcoming TiVo Series 3 is the expanded output ports. The following will be available when Series 3 launches next year:

• 10/100 Ethernet connection
• External SATA port (supporting both first- and third-party storage upgrades)
• HDMI output
• Composite video
• Component video
• S-Video

The first three ports will be important for high-definition junkies. The external SATA port is the first for TiVo, and HDMI effectively integrates HD recording.

The new features associated with TiVo Series 3 were first announced in September 2006, although clear details on their implementation have yet to be made public. The release could coincide with the CableCARD launch in 2007, or the upcoming ban on the average cable company's traditional set-top box.

Save your pennies, though. The MSRP for TiVo Series 3 is reported at $799.