TiVo Sees In Technicolor

TiVo struck a deal with Technicolor to jointly develop an HD DVR for operators that license TiVo's software.

Technicolor (formerly Thomson) will port TiVo's software to its DSI803 DVR hardware platform, which will feature dual tuners, a minimum of 320-Gigabyte hard drive, broadband connectivity and a touch-sensitive front panel.

In addition, the initial Technicolor/TiVo set-top implementation is planned to support the conditional-access system from Conax, which earlier this year announced a partnership with TiVo. The project is aimed at helping operators more quickly deploy TiVo-based boxes.

"TiVo's vast understanding of what television viewers want, coupled with our expertise in manufacturing hardware and the platform porting work we are now doing, will be a major advantage for operators looking to leapfrog the competition," Frederic Kurkjian, senior vice president of Technicolor's satellite and cable set-top box business unit, said in a statement.

In January, Paris-based Thomson SA adopted the Technicolor name after its debt-restructuring plan was accepted by shareholders.