Comcast Adds TiVo HD DVR Service

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 1/22/2008

Boston — Gearing up for the upcoming New England Patriots’ Super Bowl bid, the Comcast cable service operator for the greater Boston area said it is now offering subscribers its Comcast DVR with TiVo service.

The high-definition-capable DVR will combine TiVo’s interface software with exclusive features, including WishList searches, TiVo Suggestions and Season Pass recordings, with Comcast’s channel lineup and On Demand library, including a broad selection of HD choice, Comcast said.

The Comcast/TiVo DVR service will be used in combination with the existing Motorola HD DVR set-top box provided by Comcast so customers don’t need to purchase additional equipment.

The TiVo service fee will run $2.95 more than standard HD DVR service, and customers who want to subscribe can call Comcast to schedule an installation appointment.

Comcast said it is also planning to add an option for customers with DVRs to have the TiVo software application downloaded directly to their set-top boxes.

“The Comcast DVR with TiVo service marks a milestone for both companies. For the first time ever, cable customers are able to instantly search across both television and On Demand using TiVo’s smart search features as well as use the TiVo interface to navigate all of their digital cable services,” stated Jeff Klugman, TiVo general manager and senior VP. “This is the first time a cable company has been able to offer TiVo directly to its customers. TiVo from Comcast is a significant improvement over the TiVo service that has been available to satellite subscribers in the past.”

Boston’s Comcast subscribers will be able to choose from a variety of DVR options. The new TiVo service is said to deliver premium recording functionality and comprehensive search capability to simplify the process of finding and recording programs on traditional television channels or among the more than 10,000 On Demand programs that are available each month.

High-definition subscribers will find all HD and HD video on-demand programming highlighted throughout the user interface. Users can program the service to automatically record the HD versions of shows.

Beginning next year, Comcast said it plans to offer more than 6,000 movies a month, with more than 3,000 of them available in HD.