OneZero writes: “… in 1999, two former employees of Hewlett-Packard and Silicon Graphics (SGI), Jim Barton and Mike Ramsay, introduced a revolutionary new product: a digital video recorder, or DVR. The product, named TiVo, seamlessly recorded shows, paused live television, and allowed users to fast-forward through the commercials.”
The TiVo set the stage for all our modern TV viewing habits. It changed television forever. This is a fascinating story.
Check It Out: How TiVo Changed the World: An Oral History
‘Stephen Mack: They were experimenting with ad skip. Our head counsel said, “This is too dangerous [for the company] to feature.”’
Really disappointing that TiVo wasn’t willing to stand up for the rights of customers to skip commercials on recorded video the way Replay networks was.
Supposedly TiVo will finally get automated SkipMode this spring! It’s about time.