TiVo says Premiere Q reaching public as Premiere Elite
updated 03:05 pm EDT, Fri June 24, 2011
TiVo Premiere Elite to give quad-tuning to all
TiVo in a recently unearthed FCC filing (below) has already shown that the Premiere Q is coming to regular users. The quad-tuner DVR is only coming to providers like RCN and Suddenlink, but a new model, the Premiere Elite, will hopefully be sold "directly to consumers" instead of pushed through cable subscriptions. It would arrive sometime later in the year.
To get the Elite to stores, though, may require an exemption from the FCC's Digital Cable Ready rules. These require at least one analog tuner that the Premiere Q doesn't have. Requiring an analog tuner would "stifle innovation" and hike the price by between $80 to $100, it said. The DVR might also have to be larger and chew as much as a third more power.
The FCC is due to give a response within 90 days of the filing, which was submitted on June 7. TiVo's timing is such that the Elite could still be on shelves before the end of 2011 even if an FCC response comes late. [via Zatz Not Funny]
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