Aussie battlers deserve full credit for saving TiVo
There’s a fightback going on.
It’s the Aussie battlers up against the odds, up against the changing times and up against a company that doesn’t care. It’s all about how we view TV.
It’s all about TiVo, the TV and multimedia viewing box that became so popular it became a verb.
Earlier this year TiVo announced it would end its TV service in New Zealand.
October 31 was the day the electronic programme guide (EPG) would stop being updated, effectively crippling the device.
Cancelling the EPG information meant TiVos would become a TV brick almost overnight as the device could no longer record programmes on schedule.
Owners were advised to e-cycle them, despite the fact TiVo hardware was still working perfectly. It would create a small mountain of electronic waste.
TiVo had simply been kneecapped by the closure of an invisible licensee, Hybrid Television Services (owned by Australia’s Seven Media Group and TVNZ) that provided the TiVo and EPG service in Australia and New Zealand.
Hybrid had lost money with TiVo and there was no way back to using the best home viewing TV device ever built. TiVo was dead.
On its website, Hybrid TV said it had been delighted to provide service to New Zealand and Australia but all good things must come to an end.
‘‘We are sad to report that we have reached the end of our TiVo license and the TiVo Service closed in New Zealand and Australia on 31 October 2017.’’
Like many other TiVo owners I’ve been counting down to D-Day wondering what to do once all five of my TiVos become doorstops and how to keep them out of landfill.
While I have Lightbox and Netflix, TV viewing still gets a fair chunk of my time with most programmes on late and recorded on my TiVo for playback when the reality shows are on.
So what to do when October 31 rolled around? This is where the Aussie battlers come in. Hardcore programmers and tech-gurus across the ditch decided to get together. Something had to be done to save TiVo.
Could some clever thinking and software re-engineering save TiVos from e-waste landfill here and in Australia? It was worth a go. The fightback was on.
For the past eight months Australian TiVo enthusiasts have been working to provide an alternative source for an EPG that would keep TiVo alive.
The Aussie battlers were going to show TiVo USA the device was loved by people Downunder even if TiVo didn’t love us enough to carry on with the service.
And so we’re now into November. October 31 D-Day has passed and my TiVo is still working.
All the fancy season passes and home network trickery that made TiVo the best home viewing TV box ever built are still functioning. It’s alive!
It’s taken a lot of work and there are still some teething problems to get over, but the commitment of TiVo enthusiasts here and in Australia has kept these great multi-media and Freeview devices in people’s lounges and out of landfill.
Here is what is needed to save your TiVo. Find one of the local supporters who will refit TiVos with a new chip that will redirect it to a working New Zealand programme guide hosted in Australia. Visit geekzone.co.nz (TiVo forum).
Some local enthusiasts are offering the re-chip for free and will also update the software that provides an EPG to keep your TiVo alive. Additional information is also available from the Australian TiVo forum.
If you do choose to e-cycle Tivo devices in Hamilton go here: www.goeco.org.nz/page/live/
There is a moral to the TiVo story which should concern consumers.
The TiVo service was ended not by obsolescence or any technical issues; it was stopped because an invisible company owned the rights to the device.
That company (Hybrid Television Services) did not sell the device to consumers in New Zealand or have any contact with the end user. It did, however, control the life of the device and no one who bought TiVo knew.
TiVo buyers bought on the strength of the TiVo brand, a high-profile company that is still releasing new TV products in the US.
Some local TiVo enthusiasts sought to pursue a case under the Consumer Guarantees Act pointing to a ‘‘Product Lifetime Service’’ message on every TiVo’s system information screen.
Telecom (Spark) had long abandoned TiVo as they were the primary marketer and seller, so it was coming down to a costly and likely unwinnable case against the ‘‘last man standing’’.
The Aussie battlers were up against it, but they appear to have won.
TiVo is still alive and, with the help of their New Zealand counterparts, they’re still fighting the good fight against needless electronic landfill.
I have seldom ever said this out loud, but it is deserved: Go you good things – Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi! Oi! Oi!
For the past eight months Australian TiVo enthusiasts have been working to provide an alternative source for an EPG that would keep TiVo alive.