PC as a DVR | Competition for TiVo

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Turning your PC into a DVR is nothing new and can be done using software such as Snapstream or the free GBPVR. However using your PC as a DVR has traditionally been the task for the technical savvy and so has not really had much effect on TiVo or other DVR manufacturers.

The company ReplayTV is trying to make the idea available to a more mainstream audience with their new service ReplayTV PC edition. The service will cost $100 for the first year including setup costs and then cost $20 thereafter. The ReplayTV PC service will come bundled with the Hauppauge WinTV PVR tuner card. This is potential competition for the likes of TiVo and other manufacturers although it is doubted the effect will be noticeable since the majority of consumers prefer TV though a living room environment rather than a PC.