You can just picture it, can’t you? Best Buy executives saying “let’s build a TV with a Tivo interface, but strip away everything that most people associate with Tivo.” Makes sense, doesn’t it?
The #1 electronics retail chain has partnered with Tivo to incorporate the look and feel of the iconic DVR box, and will use Tivo’s software to navigate through menus and features, but they will be completely different features than those on an actual Tivo device.
The new line of TVs, to be produced under Best Buy’s Insignia brand, will have Internet connectivity and offer on-demand content through CinemaNow.com, a streaming movie site that the retailer recently acquired.
“The beauty of TiVo software is that it creates a single interactive interface right on the television and integrates the myriad of online content and services,” said Best Buy VP of Exclusive Brands Fernando Silva.
Tivo and Best Buy have been joined at the hip for the last year or so after they joined a cross-promotional agreement. Thanks to its obligated presence at the stores, Best Buy is one of the thin threads that is helping Tivo stay alive.
Surely, though, offering a “Tivo TV” without a DVR, which is the very definition of what Tivo is, will greatly confuse customers. And how many people out there really think that the Tivo software is the best CE interface for a set-top device? This plan doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, but crazier things have happened.
