TiVo and DirecTV: Reunited, and it Feels so Good

Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet, Rachel and Ross, Brad and Angelina, Mac and Cheese. All great couples. Each individual may be fine on their own, but together — well, they’re magic. Okay, so a few end up dead, but if it’s written in the stars, then so be it.

Let’s hope another classic couple lives happily ever after. After a long breakup, and rumors about their reunion that had been making the rounds since as far back as 2008, TiVo and DirecTV are back in bed together. And the union has already borne fruit: the TiVo HD DVR from DirecTV. After a soft roll-out in ten markets in December 2011, TiVo and DirecTV have announced nationwide availability of the new combo box. It’s okay to do your happy dance – no one is watching.

The new box — like their initial offerings back in the early 2000s — is the most logical combination of the companies' respective technologies. DirecTV has offered their own DVR boxes, but they've never had quite the same appeal that a TiVo has. And TiVo certainly hasn’t been sitting home waiting for DirecTV to call, in the interm releasing the new Premiere over-the-air box, a combo box with Charter, and a Cox box (which should appear the near future). But there’s something so satisfying and simple about a single box that combines a DirecTV receiver and a TiVo DVR.

"We are pleased to answer the call of TiVo fans by making the new TiVo HD DVR from DirecTV available nationwide," said Tony Goncalves, senior vice president of product management for DirecTV, in a statement. "DirecTV has a long-standing reputation for offering our customers the best in advanced programming and services and they now have even more DVR options with this new TiVo-enabled platform."

“DirecTV customers nationwide can now experience the TiVo HD DVR from DirecTV, which combines TiVo's award-winning user interface with DirecTV's great lineup of HD programming,” said David Sandford, Vice President, General Manager of TiVo’s service provider business. “With the introduction of this product, DirecTV customers can again experience TiVo’s gold-standard interface, easy-to-use peanut remote and Swivel^™ Search feature, which allow users to effortlessly find their favorite shows in HD across television and on DirecTV Cinema.”

So what can you expect to find on this HD DVR? It has Season Pass recording and WishList searches so you can find what you want based on a keyword. You want to record anything about Mt. Everest, or anything that stars Dennis Hopper, and the DVR will find and record those programs automatically. TiVo Suggestions lets you give programs a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” and the box will find and record similar programs automatically.

The TiVo HD DVR from DirecTV can record up to 100 hours of HD programming or up to 400 hours of standard definition, and it can record two shows at the same time. Another plus is access to more than 7,000 on-demand movies and programs, included in the price.

And can you put a price on true love? Well, yeah. According to DirecTV, the TiVo HD DVR requires TiVo service, currently $5 per month, in addition to an Advanced Receiver Service fee of $20/month. This is on top of the $199 purchase price for the box.

Let’s just hope that TiVo and DirecTV live happily ever after. Like pizza and beer. Or peanuts and beer. Pretzels and beer. Enough with the beer, let’s watch TiVo!