Thread: Notice of Tivo Injunction

Originally Posted by DishSubLA

The USPO subsequently reviewed and invalidated the hardware patents, but affirmed some of the key software patents

Exactly. As much as Thomas and other Tivo apologists would like it, the hardware patents are gone. It's only software now.

Charlie should swallow some pride and just buy a controlling interest in Tivo, and it may not even cost much money or any cash, for that matter. Rupie Murdoch was in a similar situation as Ol' Chuck, and Rupie bought the company. While this is pure speculation, I am willing to bet everything that Tivo has made it very clear to Charlie that they are willing to become a part of the Echostar family and let bygones be bygones, but Ergan is probably afraid of setting a dangerous precedent for his company. Direct and cable have numerous lawsuits, and they chose to fight some, and settle on others while Chuck decided to take this one all the way.

Buying Tivo would end this costly legal ping-pong, and Dish could intergrate the best Tivo features, eliminate DVR competition, and have immediate access to all of Tivo's subscribers and herd them over (with unbelievable deals) to Dish. Not all will want to go, but what choice will they really have, and, after all, Tivo technology would, at some point, be part of Dish.

Charlie, buy Tivo and end this silly matter, now. Then market it as the DishTivo ViP DVR. Direct TV had to buy Replay because their U.S model NDS DVR's are that bad. This may be one lawsuit where Dish can't come out on top. Agreed, no company out there wants to buy Tivo, but maybe you are the man, Charles, to make it work in your company. Then again, Tivo may be demanding a really high price.

Originally Posted by DishSubLA

Charlie should swallow some pride and just buy a controlling interest in Tivo, and it may not even cost much money or any cash, for that matter. Rupie Murdoch was in a similar situation as Ol' Chuck, and Rupie bought the company. While this is pure speculation, I am willing to bet everything that Tivo has made it very clear to Charlie that they are willing to become a part of the Echostar family and let bygones be bygones, but Ergan is probably afraid of setting a dangerous precedent for his company. Direct and cable have numerous lawsuits, and they chose to fight some, and settle on others while Chuck decided to take this one all the way.

Buying Tivo would end this costly legal ping-pong, and Dish could intergrate the best Tivo features, eliminate DVR competition, and have immediate access to all of Tivo's subscribers and herd them over (with unbelievable deals) to Dish. Not all will want to go, but what choice will they really have, and, after all, Tivo technology would, at some point, be part of Dish.

Charlie, buy Tivo and end this silly matter, now. Then market it as the DishTivo ViP DVR. Direct TV had to buy Replay because their U.S model NDS DVR's are that bad. This may be one lawsuit where Dish can't come out on top. Agreed, no company out there wants to buy Tivo, but maybe you are the man, Charles, to make it work in your company. Then again, Tivo may be demanding a really high price.

I would love it if Dish bought Tivo, as long as they don't integrate Tivo's crappy, clunky-ass software! Tivo is the slowest, most poorly laid out, clunkiest piece of garbage I've seen in a long time.

Should i activate my 722 in the closet ? will it benefit me later ?

Originally Posted by DishDave

Should i activate my 722 in the closet ? will it benefit me later ?

Your 722 is fine, and will be fine. It's not covered by this injunction. If you had a 721, that's a different story.

Originally Posted by Jim S.

I still say the patent is bogus, but honestly, shouldn't all the affected receivers be obsolete anyway? Why would Dish want to install anymore MPEG2 units, and why would anyone want to have one? Even if you don't have an HDTV, you can watch the HD channels on an SD TV with a ViP receiver, plus if Dish ever does get an all-MPEG4 service running it might improve the PQ of the SD channels.

A good point as Dish stated in their filings that they do intend to swap-out all QPSK (SD STB's, that is) boxes for 8PSK boxes, but they want to wait as long as possible (have subs take advantage of and pay the upgrades) to keep their costs down when they do swap-out the boxes (free of charge to subs). Perhaps that the time for that 8PSK swap-out has come.

Originally Posted by mike123abc

Dish will not go silent. They will end up paying TiVo. Just like the Blackberry situation, when it comes down to no other options, Dish will pay whatever is needed to keep the DVRs working. Even if it means like DIRECTV paying $1/month/tivo dvr. Dish is charging $5/month pure profit fee anyways on the DVRs, it is not like they do not have a DVR fee now, they might suffer some damage with the 501/508s, they will have to count them as the ones that got the license in the original judgement.

Does anyone think that the recent increase of $1 in all the DVR fees was put into effect so that if Dish has to pay Tivo, Dish can say that there is no increase in your DVR fee?

Originally Posted by Tyralak

I would love it if Dish bought Tivo, as long as they don't integrate Tivo's crappy, clunky-ass software! Tivo is the slowest, most poorly laid out, clunkiest piece of garbage I've seen in a long time.

But they could add the cutsey Tivo logo with the legs and antenna with his creepy Tivo smile. In fact, they could have a MMA fight on HDNET with the floppy Tivo in one corner and the happy hopping Dish logo in the other. Who would win this battle? Of course, Dish would probably put the creepy leggy-antenna Tivo logo under the TV Guide logo, and Dish can add those annoying Tivo auido bleep-beeps whenever a button is pressed. Can you imagine the fun and advantages of that?

Originally Posted by DishSubLA

But they could add the cutsey Tivo logo with the legs and antenna with his creepy Tivo smile. In fact, they could have a MMA fight on HDNET with the floppy Tivo in one corner and the happy hopping Dish logo in the other. Who would win this battle? Of course, Dish would probably put the creepy leggy-antenna Tivo logo under the TV Guide logo, and Dish can add those annoying Tivo auido bleep-beeps whenever a button is pressed. Can you imagine the fun and advantages of that?

I can hardly wait. You know the whole purpose of those ridiculous circus noises on the Tivo is because the Tivo is so damn slow, that it has to have some way to let you know that the button you pressed actually registered. And that it will get to processing your request in it's own sweet time. Dish DVRs have no such problems, thankfully.