TiVo's New One True Media Subscriber Program

There is no doubt in my mind that Digital Video Recording (DVR) has changed the way we watch television. After all, DVR is slowly creating an age where viewers watch exactly what kind of TV they want to watch. No more channel surfing or having to suffer through mediocre programming simply because "it's the best thing on".

Another giant leap for DVR kind has taken place within the last week. TiVo, the DVR industry's most popular service, has created a new feature for their Series 2 and Series 3 models. TiVo has worked in conjunction with One True Media, and their new feature allows you to upload your personal videos to a special site, then allows you to share these videos with other family and friends, provided they are TiVo subscribers.

Basically it works like this: you make a video and send it to the One True Media site via broadband connection. (I have no idea if this works with a cable modem, but most of my sources insist on broadband to make this work.) The One True Media site allows you the user to create online slideshows with music or video montages. From there, you enter a secret code of another TiVo to send video footage, and it shows up at the other TiVo subscriber looking like any other recently recorded program.

TiVo users of the One True Media site also have the option of creating their own One True Media channel, and subscribing to other TiVo users' personal channel. When a TiVo user subscribes, any new programs from their subscribees will appear under the "Now Playing" List.

TiVo is announcing this service is available for free until the end of April 2007, but it is believed that there will be a monthly charge after that. Something in the tune of $4 USD a month or $40 a year, so I have heard.

TiVo has definitely made a smart move in offering this service, in an age where people are glued to amateur video footage of ordinary people on YouTube or Google TV. The television industry is currently take small jabs from these and other video sites as consumers are spending more time getting entertained at the computer than the good old fashioned TV.

TiVo's and One True Media are offering is a chance for video makers to get their content to those who want it the most. Not only that, it also allows only certain content to be sent out.

So are we seeing a new age of person-to-person video? Absolutely. For lack of a better name, I am choosing to call it YouTiVo.