TiVo's next-gen interface plays nice with all your TV content
And a smart, new Prediction engine solves that nagging "what to watch" problem.
With TiVo's Series 1 DVRs going extinct at the end of the month and new parent company Rovi taking over, the TiVo brand is getting an interface refresh to bring it up to day with people's current viewing habits. (As well as the FCC's proposed set-top box rules.) The next-generation user interface is designed to allow for even better TV content discovery and predictions, a customizable viewing experience and overall less time spent fiddling with the remote.
"We are transforming TV viewing into an easy, personalized experience," TiVo's Chief Design Officer Margret Schmidt said in a statement. "The new UX brings the content the viewer wants right up front faster through expanded discovery and predictions from their own cable subscription and the best online video sources. In short, we designed this UX so the viewer spends less time searching channel guides and opening apps and more time enjoying their favorite shows."
In addition to a new look, the interface now includes TiVo's innovative new Prediction technology, which goes a step further than basic recommendations to predict which shows you want to watch right at that moment. And, because no one watches content from just one source anymore, the new TiVo UX is designed to pull in everything from cable or broadcast TV to On Demand and streaming options.
On the down side, there's no word yet when exactly this update will come to TiVo's hardware -- and Rovi has a history of showing off next-gen guides that don't ever get a real release -- but now that the two companies have joined forces it's much more likely to see the light of day. For now, however, TiVo will be showing off the interface at the IBC Conference on media and entertainment.
