Pimp Your PC With TiVo

TiVo has unchained the masses from the tyranny of TV programming. Now, the company, working with Nero, the German company that created liquid media technology, has taken the idea one step further and on Monday rolled out a new PC-based DVR service, Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC.

With Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC, users can watch and record shows in high definition and standard formats on a PC, record shows directly to hard drives, and transfer shows between computers in a house. Users can view one channel and simultaneously record another by using multiple tuner cards. The system can support up to four tuner cards at the same time.





Shows can also be exported to iPods, PlayStation Portables (PSPs), or burning them to DVDs, and TV recordings can be scheduled online (U.S. and Canada only). One caveat: as of now the service does not have video editing functionality to cut out ads.

The service is only compatible with PCs using Windows XP Home/Pro with SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, or Windows Vista x86/x64.



There should be a minimum of 20 GB available hard drive space on a separate partition for TV recordings, EPG data storage, and temporary DVD files -- up to 10 hours of recording. A minimum of 40 GB available hard drive space for HD recordings is required -- equal to about 5 hours of HD recording, is also necessary. Graphics card have to have at least 64 MB video memory, a minimum resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, and a 32-bit true color setting, and must be completely compatible with DirectX 9.

The Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC package includes a one-year subscription to TiVo and a specialized remote.



A TV tuner card is included which enables television signals to be received by PCs, and an IR Blaster is also included to create a wireless, infrared connection between a cable or satellite box and the PC.

Complete with a one-year subscription, the Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC box will be available in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in October for U.S. $199 or U.S. $99 for a downloadable software-only version.





Renewal of the TiVo service subscription is $99 yearly. The retail box, which includes a tuner card, TiVo remote control and IR blaster will be sold at U.S. retailers Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, Circuit City and Office Depot. In Canada, retailers include Future Shop and Best Buy Canada. However, in Mexico, the product will only be available online as a downloadable serial number.