TiVo accidentally shows new DVR in guide

TiVo may have inadvertently spoiled its plans for an upgrade to its video recorders by shipping a manual for the TiVo Premiere (PDF) and its Premiere XL cousin. Packaged in with a TiVo HD, the paperwork shows a device unlike any existing TiVo DVR and would be the first to include a multi-stream CableCARD slot that would let it record more than one TV show without a second card. As a result of the upgrade, TiVo appears to have scrapped the second slot found on devices like the Series 3.

Other changes appear to be made primarily to drop the price of the HD-capable recorder, including the absence of the dial-up modem and S-Video input. Ethernet and two USB ports survive the transition, as do component, HDMI and RCA video inputs. TV subscribers who don't use CableCARD will likewise still have the pick of antenna and co-ax as their sources.

What differences exist between the Premiere and the XL aren't made apparent, but in the past XL variants have usually had more storage. The Premiere doesn't have a release date, but the existence of a seemingly finished manual may indicate an introduction as soon as CES. [via Zatz Not Funny]

By Electronista Staff