You might remember TiVo as being the original maker of DVR boxes that allowed us all to record our favourite TV shows onto a digital box, rather than those chunky VCR tapes. And now it's looking to innovate in the AV space again with some big partnerships.
The brand fell out of favour as the television landscape changed to app-based subscription models over the last decade, but now it's signed a partnership deal with TV manufacturer Sharp to use TiVo's platform and operating system in its televisions from 2024 onwards.
This is a huge deal because Sharp currently uses Google's Android-based software in its TVs across Europe. And there are a host of other TV platforms used across the board, like Fire TV, Samsung's Tizen, Roku and LG's WebOS.
TiVo is now owned by Xperi, the company behind AV technology such as DTS and Imax Enhanced. So we can safely say that the new TiVo platform is here for the long haul, and will will likely see good integration with Xperi's other products.
Interestingly, BMW has also partnered with the TiVo brand to use the new TV platform in their cars. This not only legitimises TiVo's new platform but also gives them a big boost against its competitors.
"We chose TiVo’s OS not only because of the superior product but also because we wanted to offer a user experience of Sharp quality elements with more variety and freedom," said Sharp's Nick Chen (via FlatPanelsHD). "We are excited to give users significantly more control on how to discover and consume content across live TV, news, sports, movies and more."
This more neutral approach from TiVo that isn't tied to one brand in particular seems set to storm the market in the coming years.
We're still waiting on who the company is going to partner with in the North American market, but if BMW and Sharp are the base line, then we're excited for what's to come.