TiVo Killers? - Windows PVRs

Maybe someday. The last time I looked into a Windows PVR I was far from impressed. To be fair though, I will give them another once over here in then next couple of years I think.

The PVR is quickly becoming the way people watch TV. TiVo popularized the idea of a set-top box that lets you pause live TV, time-shift it, skip commercials, and see all your listings on a single program guide. With a great remote and intuitive interface, TiVo has become so well-loved that it has become a verb synonymous with controlling your TV programming. “Did you see Battlestar Galactica last night?” “No, but I TiVo’d it.”

Microsoft recognized that with a decent TV tuner card, the PC could be a great PVR. It could do anything TiVo does, plus run Windows applications, and would make quite a good DVD player, music jukebox, and photo viewer. Though Windows Media Center Edition started off on rocky footing, the 2005 edition made a whole host of improvements, and more will come in the next month with the massive “Rollup 2″ patch. [Read the rest]