TiVo will prevail in its ongoing court battle with EchoStar because its so-called “time-warp” patent is a “very difficult one to design around,” CEO Tom Rogers told the UBS conference in N.Y. Thurs. A federal jury in Tex. in April awarded TiVo more than $74 million after finding that EchoStar marketed PVRs that infringed a patent covering technology used for pausing live TV and recording one show while watching the other. A federal judge last month rejected EchoStar’s motions for summary judgement and new trial, setting the stage for appeal to the U.S. Appeals Court, Federal Circuit, a process that could take 12-18 months to resolve, Rogers said. EchoStar has about 4 million combo PVR/satellite receivers and every new model it sells represents a “rolling number” that could be added to a final damages award for patent infringement, Rogers said. TiVo has a portfolio of 80 patents, but the one covering time-warp technology has the broadest applications, Rogers said. TiVo also paid $10-$12 million in signing a cross-licensing agreement with IBM earlier this fall. TiVo’s focus in the future will be on dual-tuner PVRs and the single tuner model that’s being offered free after a $200 rebate is no longer a focus, Rogers said. Part of the reason for the rebate was to speed sell off of single-tuner inventory after the dual-tuner unit “caught on much quicker than we anticipated,” Rogers said. The dual-tuner Series2 PVRs, launched in April, accounted for 58% of TiVo’s 3rd-quarter revenue. “We'll see where we are post holidays, but it’s (the single tuner) not a SKU going forward that we're going to put much emphasis on,” Rogers said. TiVo Greater China (TGC), which sells PVRs in Taiwan and China, has generated a small amount of retail sales in Taiwan since launching earlier this year. TGC signed an agreement with MSO Eastern Multimedia in Taiwan earlier this month (CED Dec 5 p7) to sell a cable modem Internet access/PVR service. “Retail sales of boxes in Taiwan is not a significant number at this point,” Rogers said. TiVo also expects to begin public field trials with Comcast in early 2007, Rogers said. The trials will test burst downloading of TiVo software as an upgrade to Motorola set-top boxes. Internal Comcast engineering tests haven’t begun yet, he said. Comcast has about 3 million subscribers with PVR-equipped STBs.
EchoStar and DirecTV are again battling in the courtroom. EchoStar sued DirecTV in the U.S. Dist. Court, N.Y.C., seeking a ruling that it didn’t infringe trademarks by buying the rights to use expressions similar to “DirecTV” as keywords to trigger links to its own websites.
SAN FRANCISCO -- First-party PS3 game titles will be priced at $59.99, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) disclosed at a news briefing here late Thurs. The pricing marks a significant strategic shift for SCEA, which on previous systems priced its first-party titles $10 less.
As Sling Media rolls out 2nd-generation Slingbox devices with faster processors, lower prices and HD capability, it’s also in “wide-ranging” talks that could embed the technology in cable or satellite set-top boxes, Mktg. Vp Rich Buchanan told us.
As Sling Media rolls out 2nd-generation Slingbox devices with faster processors, lower prices and HD capability, it’s also in “wide-ranging” talks that could embed the technology in cable or satellite set-top boxes, Mktg. Vp Rich Buchanan told us.
The Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials said the group is “very disappointed” about Sprint Nextel’s suggestions (CD Sept 21 p4) that the movement of public safety licensees to other bands in phase 2 of the 800 MHZ rebanding process be suspended so all systems can be moved at one time. Sprint put out a clarification.
U.K. retailer Dixons is tuning out analog radio sales. Given booming DAB digital radio sales there, the CE chain will pull the plug on analog sales this year -- the 100th anniversary of the first radio broadcast with audio. “The decision follows substantial growth in the sale of digital radios, and expansion in the number and range of digital transmitters. Digital radios outsell analog 30 to one at Dixons, the retailer said. DAB’s growth has been driven by improved and expanded transmissions as well as greater selection and availability of radios, including new portables, Dixons said. It offers digital radios for as little as Pounds 30 ($56). The first DAB receivers cost about Pounds 2,000 a decade ago. DAB radios offer significant advantages over their analog predecessors, including crisper sound, text-based services, pause and rewind functions on some models and a host of content not available to AM or FM listeners, the retailer said. “The snap, crackle and pop of the traditional wireless is rapidly being replaced with the crystal-clear sound of digital audio broadcasting,” said Nick Wilkinson, group managing dir. for Dixons. Through March, 3 million DAB radios were sold in the U.K. It took 5 years to sell the first million, 9 months for the 2nd million and 5 months for the 3rd. Other products on Dixons’ “endangered species” list include the personal CD player and the boom box, “reflecting the changes that the MP3 player and the iPod are making on the portable audio market,” the retailer said.
Warner Home Video claimed bragging rights Tues. with the most HD movie releases of any studio. With the release of 7 new Blu-ray and HD DVD titles Oct. 10, the studio’s offerings will total 55, 70% more than any competitor’s, WHV said. The new releases consist of 2 for Blu-ray (Syriana and 16 Blocks) for 5 for HD DVD (Batman Begins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Polar Express, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory). Batman Begins and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will make their HD DVD debut with WHV’s In-Movie Experience, an interactive feature that lets viewers watch interviews and other bonus material while the movie is running, without pausing. The HD DVD titles will have $28.99 SRPs and the Blu-ray discs will be $34.99. All DVD bonus materials will be included on the HD DVD and Blu-ray versions, WHV said.
DENVER -- Digeo, licensor of Moxi media center and PVR set-top box software to cable operators, will adapt its tools for HD digital cable set-tops sold at retail starting next year, Digeo told reporters at a CEDIA briefing here late Thurs.
The FCC likely will hand T-Mobile, other wireless carriers and airlines a victory over the Mass. Port Authority (Massport) on a Massport demand that Continental Airline yank a Wi-Fi antenna from its frequent flyer lounge at Boston- Logan International Airport. Sources involved in the fight said Wed. the order has big implications for Wi-Fi’s future. Continental wants to offer customers free Wi-Fi service, competing with Massport’s $7.95-a-day service (WID June 5 p6).