non-Tivo DVR's may be in trouble

Marty Howard · **Posted:** Fri Aug 18, 2006 3:41 pm

Looks like non-Tivo DVR's may be in trouble

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FORT WORTH, Texas -- An East Texas federal judge has ordered EchoStar Communications Corp., parent of the DISH satellite TV service, to stop selling and turn off about 4 million of its digital video recorders within 30 days.

U.S. District Judge David Folsom on Thursday also ordered EchoStar, parent of the DISH satellite TV service, to pay $89.6 million in damages.

The decision comes after a federal jury in Marshall in April determined that EchoStar willfully infringed on TiVo Inc.'s "time-warp" patent, which applies to the way a DVR simultaneously records one program while playing back another.

More: http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9700164/detail.html

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Fri Aug 18, 2006 3:58 pm

Interesting. But it doesn't appear that the issue is with DVRs in general, but rather with Echostar's DVR, whose internal software was determined to violate Tivo's patent. If you read the rest of the article, it mentions that Echostar is already working on modifications to its new DVRs to avoid the infringement.

So I think it'd be a bit premature to start hoarding the things... ;-)

Stacy King · **Posted:** Fri Aug 18, 2006 5:14 pm

I hope they work something out... thats one of my favorite features of my new DishNetwork stuff...

I can record two things and playback another... f-in sweet if you ask me. Buy I swear my Dad's Time Warner DVR can do the same thing (maybe not?) I dunno

Wes Eargle · **Joined:** Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:47 am **Posts:** 3683

TW DVRs can do that (2 and 1).

Marty Howard · **Posted:** Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:57 pm

Yep, the Time-warner does the 2 in one thing. It might do it differently though

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:38 pm

I love my DVR!!! Live TV sucks!!!!!

AdamBreakey · **Posted:** Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:55 am

If this happens -- all of the providers (echostar, TW, etc) will end up by licensing the TiVo Product. This would make me VERY happy. TiVo's software is heads and shoulders above the TW software I am using now.

adamb

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:32 am

AdamBreakey wrote:

If this happens -- all of the providers (echostar, TW, etc) will end up by licensing the TiVo Product. This would make me VERY happy. TiVo's software is heads and shoulders above the TW software I am using now.

adamb

I don't keep up on this as much as I used to. Last I remember TiVo was having money issues (DirecTV moving to a non-TiVo DVR, lack of other licensing deals and generally running in the red forever) and have pushed harder on the protection of IP. I am sure that TiVo would like to use this as a way to force others to enter into licensing agreements. But if they do, it most likely would consist of everyone else paying TiVo money and then still shipping their own version of their DVR.

So a TiVo in every house is probably not going to happen. And that is probably a good thing. I LOVE my TiVos (I have four at last count including an HD model). But I think competition is good. I just wish TiVo as a company was healthier.

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