DirecTV, TiVo working on satellite HD DVR

Satellite TV provider DirecTV and TiVo today extended their cooperation with each other and said they would work together to build a version of TiVo's digital video recorder that can properly capture HDTV from DirecTV's current network. The two provide few details but explain that the set-top box should support features specific to either company, such as TiVo's Swivel Search that can suggest shows based on the presence of certain actors or other metadata from a TV show.

The agreement will see DirecTV still producing and shipping its own set-top boxes for its service; the unnamed TiVo DVR will be an option for customers who want the extra recording and media playback features. DirecTV's HD broadcasts currently transmit in MPEG-4 and so are readily playable by modern DVRs, which no longer include the original DirecTV TiVo.

Both of the partners in the project expect the new TiVo hub to ship sometime in the second half of 2009, with pricing and other launch details arriving closer to the actual release. Neither company is willing to comment as to the cost of the new agreement.

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