Brier Dudley's Blog
Brier Dudley offers a critical look at technology and business issues affecting the Northwest.
E-mail Brier|
206.515.5687
|
Follow Brier on Twitter|
Microsoft Pri0 blog|
Subscribe | Blog Home
July 22, 2008 1:54 PM
Amazon ads on TiVo: Time to make the service free
Posted by Brier Dudley
I took the TiVo plunge awhile back, buying an HD box and a three-year service plan, but now I'm having regrets.
TiVo's is going to expand its partnership with Amazon.com to advertise products in the menus and add another layer of advertising to content I watch on the box; it's time for the company to stop charging service fees.
It's a good deal, business-wise, for both companies. But it kind of stinks for consumers.
I guess I'll have to see what shows up on the screen, but my initial feeling is that it's really obnoxious. People who pay for TiVo digital-video services pay a premium so they can better manage their TV time. If that time is going to be diluted by additional advertising -- over and above what's already on the tube -- the service shouldn't carry a premium charge.
Maybe I should have stuck with Windows Media Center. I had some hardware performance challenges and it will surely have more ads one of these days, but at least its DVR capabilities are free.
Digg
Newsvine
UPDATE - 4:32 PM
Recently listed
Popular searches
Jul 22, 08 - 04:13 PM
Issaquah's McObject hooks up with Bangalore firm
Jul 22, 08 - 01:54 PM
Amazon ads on TiVo: Time to make the service free
Jul 22, 08 - 01:25 PM
Gamefest: Games more expensive and recession proof, bigger than Batman
Jul 22, 08 - 10:08 AM
Gamefest: Microsoft dangles dollars for amateur games, offers free multiplayer
Jul 21, 08 - 03:03 PM
Would you buy a car from Bill Gates?
shopping
events for Tuesday, Nov. 24
- Asher Anson Black Friday and December Sales
- Holiday Sale at Pink Ginger
- Clementine's December Daily Sale
- Shenui.com Holiday Sale
editors' picks
- Local jewelry designers
- Maternity shopping
- Vintage, consignment and used clothing
- Independent bookstores
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Jerry Brewer | Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Husky Football Blog | Ranking the Pac
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Nicole Brodeur | Homeless woman bent on giving
- Portland cafe's specialty: medical-marijuana tokes
- Hutch gets $10M from Bezos family for immunotherapy research
- Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
July
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Video
Demo of the Week: TeachStreet.com
Share your thoughts!
Gadgets and games | Fun stuff I've written about lately includes Apple's iPhone, Hewlett-Packard's HDX laptop and Microsoft's Halo3. Also on the radar are new digital video boxes such as the Tivo HD and the Vudu.
Posted by Charlie Owen
2:27 PM, Jul 22, 2008
Brier: Maybe I should have stuck with Windows Media Center.
Yes. ;)