Does the world need another DVR, what with TiVo and every pay-TV service offering DVRs and PCs available that will record TV signals like a DVR? Philips says yes because some important functions are glaringly missing in the current iteration of DVRs. Philips is developing DVR software, called Personal TV Channel, that will run on PCs and set-top boxes.
A Personal TV Channel can learn users’ viewing preferences, and use them to create personalized channels; crawl around the Internet looking for videos maybe on YouTube which match user preferences and can have an electronic program guide that incorporates TV shows and Internet videos and a system for running ads that matches up with a viewer’s preferences and interests.
Philips showed a prototype of the Personal TV Channel system at the IFA international consumer electronics show in Berlin last week. With TiVo Suggestions, users have to specify whether they like a program and TiVo guesses what similar shows the user would like. Philips’ software tries to figure that out without user intervention.
Personal TV Channel allows for multiple users to set their own preferences.
A “unified content” function finds and records content not only from TV channels but also crawls the Internet for video services, such as YouTube, as well as podcasts.
“The set-up is really easy,” Jeroen Cappendijk, business development manager of Philips’ Personal TV Channel product told IDG. “You just create a channel and select a program. The system monitors your zapping habits and automatically refines your channel.”
An electronic program guide that Philips is working on with other companies will offer additional background information on individual productions.
The PC version is expected to be available early next year. It will be a free download for users of Windows Vista PCs. Philips will try to get PC makers to pre-install it on PCs. A version for pay-TV set-top boxes won’t be ready for about a year.
How does Philips make money if it gives the software away? It hopes to do that through the product’s personalized advertising capability. Advertisers can tailor commercials to the tastes of consumers, according to Edwin Spijkers, senior manager IP licensing at Philips. “Some consumers want to see commercials for certain products or services, like cars or vacation trips.
The system can select commercials that meet their personal profile,” he said.
Cappendijk said Personal TV Channel has advantages over existing DVRs. “The big issue with DVRs today is that there are so many TV channels and so much Internet content that consumers have problems finding what they really want to record. Our system is really fast at learning what they want to view and is really easy for them to use,” he said. And, from the sounds of things, it’ll be free.