AOL testing TiVo-style service

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
AOL Time Warner is testing a TiVo-like digital recording service that it's considering offering to its cable TV subscribers, according to sources close to the company. The service, called Mystro TV, allows customers to record and control TV shows through their digital cable boxes. Mystro TV also lets viewers pause, fast-forward and rewind live TV shows and will offer a digital programme guide to schedule recordings, the sources said on Monday. Unlike TiVo, Mystro TV is not a local device with a hard drive. Instead, all recordings and controls will be hosted by AOL Time Warner in a central data bank and delivered through the digital cable pipe. The video will not be served through an IP (Internet Protocol) network, meaning it will not be Internet-based. Mystro TV is still in development and is expected to be released within two years, the sources said. AOL Time Warner spokeswoman Tricia Primrose declined to comment on Mystro TV, but she said the company has "a group looking into interactive TV." Details of Mystro TV, first reported by The New York Times, highlight the growing interest among media and entertainment companies to find legitimate uses for a technology blossoming in popularity. Although the entertainment industry has shown interest in digital recording devices, the technology's effect on businesses has caused concern among many. Movie and TV studios, broadcast networks, advertisers and media conglomerates worry that digital video recorders such as TiVo will make it easy for people to skip commercials with a click of the button. One source close to Mystro TV said the service will alleviate those concerns by including advertising in the service. For instance, a viewer who pauses a live broadcast may see an advertisement before resuming. Skipping 30-second ads will be barred as well. Mystro TV was conceived by AOL Time Warner's interactive video unit created in August 2001 and headed by former Time Warner Cable chairman Joseph Collins. To date, the division has been focusing on video-on-demand services that have launched in some markets served by the cable network, the nation's second largest behind Comcast. AOL Time Warner has had a difficult time trying to combine its massive content and broadcasting assets with the interactive capabilities of its AOL division. Last month, AOL confirmed the shuttering of AOLTV, which was originally launched with the intent of adding TiVo's software into future versions of the device. However, AOL and TiVo restructured their financial arrangement last May, foreshadowing plans to scrap AOLTV.
For the latest on everything from DVD standards and MP3s to your rights online, see the Personal Technology News Section. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

tinycg

Don't forget to check out apps like GoodReader or SlideShark either, they're indispensible for people on the go in presentation situations. Best...

2 hours ago by tinycg on Four top iPad apps for people on the move
TerryRK

Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly? I thought perhaps it was something to do with...

6 hours ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Freebies202

Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...

16 hours ago by Freebies202 on Microsoft fixes blog comments, speeds up blogs with open source
kevinmchapman

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

24 hours ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Marg Menzies Harrison

Another grammar faux pas is the improper use of "you". When sitting down down in a restaurant, for example, I get cringe when the waitress...

1 day ago by Marg Menzies Harrison via Facebook on 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid
zdnetukuser

And NOW, folks, for Canonical's next trick... Kubuntu is late. Here's a pencil. Draw your own conclusions. cf.:...

1 day ago by zdnetukuser on Linux Minterface
Moley

@kevinmchapman. The discussion here reflects the very significant number of users who really do like the traditional menu system and who wish to...

1 day ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

Er, no... It is an efficient means of finding the application/file/setting you need in one place. The icons are a simply a fallback for when you...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system." Point truly missed. Both use a...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article. I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Dennis Nilsson

If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...

1 day ago by Dennis Nilsson via Facebook on ACTA stumbles in Germany
GHar123

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

1 day ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

2 days ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

2 days ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

2 days ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

2 days ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

2 days ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

2 days ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

2 days ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material