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Gadgets Channel / Bullz-Eye Home

Yes, at one time, before cable boxes offered recording, Tivo was a thing.

Along with the iPod, the DVR (Digital Video Recorder) was one of the most important entertainment inventions of the first decade of this century, and TiVo was the major player in this area. Millions of users threw away their VCRs and videotapes in favor of a hard disk recorder, which allowed for instant access, automatic scheduling and high quality recording. Over time, the functionality offered by TiVO started to be offered by cable companies in their cable boxes, which spelled the end for TiVo as a major force in the entertainment business.

Now, functions like being able to pause and rewind a show are taken for granted. And with on demand services and streaming, our viewing choices have exploded.

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Articles

‘They Thought It Was Black Magic’: An Oral History of TiVo
How the original DVR paved the way for Netflix and the cord-cutter movement.

TiVo History Timeline
Complete timeline.

The Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame: TiVo
A revolution in TV viewing was fomented in part by the need to let people answer nature’s call.

How TiVo Changed the World: An Oral History
The TiVo set the stage for all our modern TV viewing habits. It changed television forever. This is a fascinating story.

Tivo, which still exists, just got bought for $1.1 billion
This was another milestone in the TiVo story. "In the dark ages, before on-demand everything, TV just came and went. You had to be in front of the tube for whatever program you wanted to watch, or else use an ancient device called a "VCR" to record things. It was horrible. These days, being able to pause, rewind and record TV seems almost unnecessary — thanks to the Internet and massive leaps in set-top box technology. But for a time, digital video recording company TiVo reigned."

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