Quote:
I wonder how many customers direct tv will loose by making their own DVR.


If they were to stop supporting existing TiVo's and force users to "upgrade" to a different DVR then I imagine they'd lose customers. (I don't expect that to happen.) But for new DVR subs I doubt the TiVo brand means much. "Does it record? Yes". "Does it require tapes? No". That about sums up what most non owners understand about a DVR.


Quote:
I think if tivo would make a dual tuner stand alone unit it would take some customers from direct tv.


I imagine most people these days aren't using the internal tuner because that's only good for analog, basic cable.

There is technology on the horizon that may benefit TiVo. CableCards are starting to be rolled out. I don't know a lot about it but it's a standarized encryption scheme. CE devices can contain generic tuners (not sure if it's HD only) and the cable company provides you a card that you plug into the device and authorizes you for the programming. It eliminates the need for a set top box to receive premium content. This technology allows TiVo to make standalone boxes that have the same features as an integrated one. (Dual tuners, no flaky IR interface to the STB, one box) But even with CableCard tuners TiVo still has the problem of convincing people to pay several hundred dollars for their product when they can get something they probably view as equivalent or at least good enough for free from the cable provider.