TiVo unveils Series4 'Premiere' DVRs with enhanced online integration

From CNET News.com: TiVo on Tuesday officially announced two new DVRs that offer an updated user interface and enhanced integration and search capabilities for online video. The TiVo Premiere and TiVo Premiere XL models will cost $300 and $500, respectively, when they ship in April; like all previous TiVo models, they'll also require a monthly, yearly, or lifetime service fee as well.

The new Premiere models, details of which had been rumored and leaked in previous weeks, are the first Series4 models from the DVR manufacturer. The fourth-generation products boast an updated interface and feature set.

Tight integration of TV and Web-based video content: An upgraded search function now ropes in results from compatible online video sources--including Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, and Blockbuster--as well as your TV listings. In other words, the TiVo is telling you what's available across all of those content sources. Search for "The Office," and you'll get a list of upcoming episodes on your local stations, as well as streaming versions available on Netflix, Amazon, and so forth.

The new TiVo Premiere models can be used with over-the-air antennas, digital cable systems (with CableCard), and Verizon FIOS. The $300 Premiere model includes a 320GB hard drive, which TiVo says will accommodate 45 hours of HD video or 400 hours of standard-def (or any combination thereof). The $500 XL model expands capacity to 1TB (150 HD hours/1,350 standard-def hours), and adds THX certification to boot. Like their predecessors, neither TiVo includes built-in Wi-Fi. Users who need to go beyond the default wired Ethernet connections will need to purchase the upcoming 802.11n Wi-Fi dongle ($90). These TiVos also drop a built-in phone modem, though a USB adapter will be available for $30 from TiVo's Web site (using the slow phone lines in lieu of broadband will limit users to only program listing updates).

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