rajsekar

TiVo: Court Ruling Could Mean Trouble

Too bad that Echostar is getting away with this patent ruling for past four years. As I have been saying, TiVo needs to rethink on their hardware strategy and focus on licensing their patents and UI -
seekingalpha.com/artic.... Let's see how long can Echostar/Dish prolong this patent fight - not for long. Why can't TiVo escalate it to Supreme Court?

Cablevision Gets Go Ahead, TiVo Slides

TiVo has one of the best consumer user experience and interface. Apart from TiVo's core patents, the UI stands out pretty well among users and all other DVR vendors. TiVo can still stay relevant by licensing their software to other MSOs. TiVo should get out of making hardware and instead focus on licensing their software and UI. Cablevision's network PVR performance depends on the level of video compression and how many users will pause and rewind the same slot in an instance. Can network bandwidth sustain such load? It's a bit early to judge this technology.

TiVo Is Still Grossly Undervalued

IP Rocks-I don't totally agree with your view. It's right on TiVo's part to sue Echostar for patent infringement and get some kind of royalty for DVRs that they have sold since then. But the bigger issue for TiVo is revenue growth. How do you achieve that with the present model of assemblying hardware and subscribing customers? The economics of DVR has come down to $5 rental for a HD Recorder. Why would anyone pay $15 or so to TiVo for a separate DVR. I was a TiVo user and loved the box and UI, but had to abandon the service when I switched my provider to satellite for economic reasons. I have since gone back to cable and use a generic DVR which satisfies my needs and makes a smaller hole in my wallet. There are millions of users who are in my position and have turned down expensive services like TiVo. TiVo's increasing churn rate is a reflection of this trend. Show me some revenue growth and I can bet on the stock price. There are fundamental flaws with TiVo's business model and they have to be changed.

TiVo Is Still Grossly Undervalued

Nuke/ Jim - Let me give my view point on your $50 price target and "TiVo death watch" bashing. I can say that $15-18 price target is a realistic one for TiVo, if anyone can answer my lingering questions:

1. Why didn't TiVo pursue Rupert Mudoch when he decided to use NDS DVRs instead of TiVo?
2. Why is TiVo not suing Comcast when they are currently distributing Motorola DVR with Comcast logo? Moreover TiVo is working with Comcast and a New England roll-out is already in place.
3. Why is TiVo losing customers and their rising churn-rate every quarter?
4. Can TiVo come out strongly and say that Microsoft, Moxi, MythTV, SageTV, Cisco/SA, NDS, Comcast, Motorola are infringing TiVo's patents and claim royalty?

I owned TiVo shares when they filed the first Echostar patent litigation and for last three years there have been no movement in their share price. The shares have been swinging between $10 and $4.50 since 2006. If TiVo claims that it's a game changer in the media industry, then the stock price and number of customers don't reflect that status. If you are willing to bet your dollars on Echostar ruling, then I am not buying this stock.

Look at the media business wherein big game changers like Google and Apple are battling to retain their uniqueness to customers. When touch based iPhone was introduced in July 2007, Apple fans were drooling in front of posh stores in Palo Alto and New York. The clowns paid $499 to buy an iPhone. Just two years down the road, I can walk into my favorite Walmart and buy a cheap iPhone. Apple can no longer claim any Wow with iPhone. Palm is the latest Wow in the industry. Similarly TiVo was a Wow eight years ago and they have lost the crown. It's too late to predict that TiVo can gain market share and get millions of patent infrigement dollars from other PVR vendors. Also TiVo should have been ruthless like Jacob's father-son duo (Qualcomm founders) to milk wireless carriers over CDMA patents. In the end, Broadcom beat them to death over CDMA patent infringement. Bad Karma, Jacob's.

TiVo Is Still Grossly Undervalued

Hello Jim3, sounds like you are a TiVo rep or their founder, Jim Barton. I have analyzed all the patents and their respective independent claims that Jim Barton has authored. I have also used other PVR software - Media Center, Moxi and MythTV. The 389 patent claims are very narrow and I can't argue the infringement in this forum. If TiVo has enough cash let them go after all PVR vendors to prove that their technology infringes 389 patent.

TiVo Is Still Grossly Undervalued

Hello Jim3, sounds like you are a TiVo rep or their founder, Jim Barton. I have analyzed all the patents and their respective independent claims that Jim Barton has authored. I have also used other PVR software - Media Center, Moxi and MythTV. The 389 patent claims are very narrow and I can't argue the infringement in this forum. If TiVo has enough cash let them go after all PVR vendors to prove that their technology infringes 389 patent.

TiVo Is Still Grossly Undervalued

Hello Jim3, sounds like you are a TiVo rep or their founder, Jim Barton. I have analyzed all the patents and their respective independent claims that Jim Barton has authored. I have also used other PVR software - Media Center, Moxi and MythTV. The 389 patent claims are very narrow and I can't argue the infringement in this forum. If TiVo has enough cash let them go after all PVR vendors to prove that their technology infringes 389 patent.

TiVo Is Still Grossly Undervalued

Nuke, DVR's have become a mainstay for Cable and Satellite TV users. The so called TiVo patent claims are so narrow that other DVR software like Microsoft Media Center, Moxi and Linux based PVR are using features like pausing and reverse live TV feed besides recording. They don't infringe TiVo's patents. TiVo can manage to stop Echostar and that's it. It will take years and lot of money to go after other DVR vendors and cable companies to prove that they violated TiVo's patents. TiVo should have been dead long time ago and this company on basic life support is waiting for someone to buy. You should better read the claims in the Patent ligitation and understand the core technology that is described. I don't see any future for TiVo.