TiVo, a pioneer of digital-video recorders, is offering a DVR for people who don't pay for cable or satellite TV services, adding to cord-cutters' toolkit for watching TV without an expensive monthly pay-TV bill.
The TiVo Roamio OTA DVR can record content from broadcast networks including ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as stream internet video from Netflix and YouTube, according to a statement today. The device costs $49.99 with service fees of $14.99 per month and a one-year commitment, and will be available at Best Buy stores starting Sept. 14.
"Many top TV shows in America are available with a simple HD antenna," TiVo Chief Marketing Officer Ira Bahr said in the statement. "We recognize some viewers opt not to receive the benefits a subscription with a cable provider offers."
TiVo said the DVR is "simple, brilliant and legal."
Combined with a digital antenna at consumers' homes, the device evokes Aereo, which used remote antennas to record and stream broadcast programming for its subscribers. But it comes almost two months after the Supreme Court said Aereo violated broadcasters' copyrights.
In June, the court said that Aereo operated much like a cable-TV provider. It said Aereo threatened the underpinnings of the industry by selling programming online without paying licensing fees.
~ Bloomberg News ~
