B. Mann Consulting

I'm being interviewed today by Global TV about TiVo coming to Canada. Actually, for today it just means that the programming guide service is available: you still have to buy the TiVo's in the US or elsewhere, since you can't buy the units themselves in Canada yet.

For those that don't know, a TiVo is a brand of one of the most popular Personal Video Recorders, or PVRs (sometimes also seen as "Digital Video Recorders", or DVRs; yep, more jargon to learn). You connect it to your TV and cable service, and it will automatically record shows to its built in hard drive, including automatic scheduling of shows you want to watch. The magic of TiVo means that it will even record shows automatically that you might like to watch, depending on other shows and feedback you give (a thumbs up/thumbs down on recordings). And, since recordings are being made all the time, you can actually pause/rewind live TV, and fast forward through commercials.

So, I was completely wrong about Airport Express Video (but wouldn't be surprised to see it at some time in the future).

Thanks to the UK magazine Stuff, I was getting real time updates about the big Apple event today. The three announcements were:

• new iMacs, with built in iSight and Front Row app including remote: a 10ft UI for Macs; yes, I do want to get this for my home machine
• The video iPod: 30GB for $299, $60GB $399, comes with a video out port to connect directly to your TV; score one for my long-ago predictions
• iTunes 6, which includes for-pay video downloads: today this is only music videos and some short Pixar ones for $1.99; I expect licensing to be a real PITA for Apple, but I also expect them to announce other licensed video content over time. Would I pay $1.99 per TV show? Well, since I don't have cable, yes I would -- that would be 2 hours per week of only the shows *I* want to watch. And this makes easy, legal

Am I going to get a video iPod? Well, I'll be consuming video on my computer at home, with its big LCD TV screen. And, as Graham said, I actually don't find mobile video on the iPod compelling. Now, if they did a deal with Sony to have it on the PSP...