Digital Entertainment - TiVo Premiere: much more than a DVR - TiVo

Digital Entertainment

© 2003 by TiVo Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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of TiVo Inc., 2160 Gold Street, P.O. Box 2160, Alviso, CA 95002-2160.All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

What is Digital Technology?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Analog Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Digital Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

How Does Digital Technology Work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Digital Technology and TiVo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Copyright Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Where to Find More Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Chapter 2: Digital Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

What Is Digital Music?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Benefits of Digital Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Getting Started with Digital Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Creating MP3 Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Digital Music and TiVo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Where to Find More Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chapter 3: Digital Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

What is Digital Photography? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Benefits of Digital Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Getting Started with Digital Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Choosing a Digital Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Choosing a Computer, Printer, and Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26A Home Network and High-Speed Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . 27

Taking Great Pictures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Digital Photography and TiVo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Where to Find More Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Chapter 4: Networking Made Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Introduction 33

What is a Network? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Benefits of a Home Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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High-Speed Internet Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34DSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Cable Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Wireless Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Getting Started with Home Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Wireless Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Networking and TiVo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Where to Find More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Chapter 5: What is a DVR? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Introduction 41

What is a DVR? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Benefits to the Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Benefits to the Advertiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Benefits to the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

How a DVR Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45The Hard Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46The Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46The Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47How the Parts Work Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Getting Started With a DVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The TiVo Series2 DVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Where to Find More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Chapter 6: Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

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Overview

5 Introduction

5 What is Digital Technology?

6 How Does Digital Technology Work?

8 Copyright Issues

7 Digital Technology and TiVo

8 Where to Find More Information

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1 Overview

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IntroductionThe last twenty years have seen an explosion of breakthroughs in personal technology. Digital cameras, satellite television, CDs, and the Internet have changed the face of entertainment.

One of the most important aspects of digital technology is the way that it affects the distribution of information, or content. Information that is stored digitally can be easily copied, edited, and shared in ways that were impossible only a couple of decades ago. The next few sections provide information about how digital technology works, and how it affects you. Later chapters help you get started with digital photography, digital music, home networking, and the DVR.

What is Digital Technology?Digital technology uses electronically encoded numbers to store all kinds of information, including:

• text

• images

• sound

• video

To understand the power of digital technology, it helps to know a little about analog technology for recording sound, images, and video.

Analog RecordingNot long ago, all recording technology was analog, meaning that it stored audio or visual information in a format that physically resembled the information itself. The typical delivery method of music content was on a vinyl disc called an LP, with a spiral groove on each side. Tiny ridges in the walls of the groove represented sound waves directly; the amplitude and frequency of the sound wave produced by the speakers on a stereo system was analogous to the size and spacing of the ridges in the groove.

Analog technology does not make a perfect copy of the material it is recording. If you have ever made a photocopy of a photocopy, you have seen how the quality of the resulting copies degrades as you get farther from the original.

Digital RecordingDigital recording uses numbers to store information. In the last two decades of the 20th century, the typical distribution method of music was the

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Compact Disc, or CD. A CD contains tiny pits on the surface, each one representing a numerical value. A CD player contains a LASER that can read the numbers encoded on the CD, and a computer that changes those numbers into sound waves.

The power of digital information technology comes from the fact that digital recordings of sound, video, or images can be copied again and again with no loss in quality. A quick comparison between analog and digital recording shows why:

• Analog reproduction attempts to duplicate the waveform of the original signal directly. The first copy of the original signal is called a first generation copy. A copy of the first generation copy is a second generation copy. With each generation, any flaws from the previous copying process are carried forward and new flaws are added. By the third generation (a copy of a copy of a copy) these flaws become quite noticeable.

• A digital reproduction of an analog waveform is expressed as numbers. Digital copying involves reading a series of numbers and writing them again to create an exact duplicate of the original data. From generation to generation, no flaws are introduced.

Personal computers have become powerful enough in recent years to manipulate very large chunks of digital information. This makes them perfectly suited for working with digital music, photography, and video. You can now use an inexpensive computer at home to perform editing and recording tasks that would have required a studio full of professional equipment only a few years ago:

• photo retouching

• video editing

• publication layout and design

• music production

With a connection to the Internet, you can electronically mail (e-mail) digital content to your friends or family, sharing home movies, snapshots, and personal recordings.

How Does Digital Technology Work?Computers work with numbers, but not the kind of numbers you might be accustomed to using. People generally employ a decimal number system, which has ten digits: 0 through 9. Computers use a number system called binary, which consists of only two digits: 0 and 1. Each digit in a binary

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number is called a bit, which is short for binary digit. A byte is a group of eight bits.

Digital pictures, sounds, and videos are all stored as bytes. The number of bytes in a file or recording is called the file size, which is usually expressed in kilobytes (K), or megabytes (MB). A kilobyte is 1,024 bytes. A megabyte is 1,024 K, or 1,048,576 bytes. An audio CD stores about 650 MB of digital information, or about 74 minutes of high-fidelity music.

FilesOn your personal computer, digital information is stored as collections of bytes called files. A file can contain one or more digital songs, photos, videos, or text documents. There are many different kinds of files—in fact, there are many kinds of photo files, many kinds of music files, and so on.

Different types of files are referred to as file formats. Some file formats are designed to preserve high image or audio fidelity; other file formats are designed to use as little disk space as possible; still others are designed to store additional information along with the song, image, video or text document contained in the file.

File Compression

Storing digital music, photos, and video can result in very large file sizes. Some file formats use compression to store data in less disk space. There are two kinds of compression:

• lossless

• lossy

Lossless compression means that a file is reduced in size with no loss in data. Lossy compression reduces the quality of the image or sound, but makes the file much smaller than lossless compression. In most cases, lossy compression preserves enough fidelity in a recording to make the smaller file size worthwhile.

File compression is beneficial not only because it saves disk space, but also because it saves time. Copying a file from one place to another takes less time with smaller files.

Digital Technology and TiVoDigital technology is blurring the lines between different kinds of entertainment. Not too long ago, people used completely different equipment to watch TV, view a slide show, or listen to music. The home entertainment center brought the TV and the stereo together. Digital cameras have taken the slide projector out of the slide show by allowing

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you to view photos on your computer (or even on your TV!). The DVR is making digital recording of TV programs commonplace.

TiVo, the market leader in the DVR industry, has added capabilities to the TiVo Series2 DVRs that make them the heart of a home network which lets you view almost any kind of content throughout your house. Using a TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option premium feature package, you can:

• use your television to view photos stored on your computer

• use your stereo system to play MP3s stored on your computer

• transfer movies or TV shows from one TiVo DVR to another within your home

• use the Internet to schedule recordings on your TiVo DVR

By providing a convergence point for all the digital entertainment in your home, the TiVo Series2 DVR makes it easy for you to enjoy music, photos, and TV programming, from the comfort of your couch.

Copyright IssuesThe TiVo DVR is designed for personal, non-commercial use. It may be used only to reproduce or copy materials for which you own the copyright or have obtained permission to copy from the copyright holder or for which you otherwise have a legal right to reproduce or copy without the permission of the copyright holder (i.e. "fair use").

Where to Find More InformationThe following web sites provide information that will help you get started with digital technology.

http://www.commonwealthclub.org/digital.html Transcripts of speeches by luminaries of the digital age.

http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html Notes on the history of recording technology, from the University of San Diego.

http://fairuse.stanford.edu/ Information about fair use from Stanford University.

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html The U. S. Code, Title 17, Section 107, which deals with fair use of copyrighted material.

http://www.sdmi.org/ The Secure Digital Music Initiative, a group that is working on ways to protect the rights of music copyright holders.

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http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/confu/ Information about fair use from the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office

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Digital Music

13 Introduction

13 What Is Digital Music?

14 Benefits of Digital Music

15 Getting Started with Digital Music

17 Digital Music and TiVo


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2 Digital Music

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IntroductionSince the advent of digital music over 20 years ago, the technology to record and play back sound digitally has become better and cheaper. You can now use your home computer to create CDs that you can play back in any CD player, or digital music files that you can play almost anywhere:

• on your TiVo Series2 DVR

• on a pocket-sized MP3 player

• on your computer

• on an MP3-capable CD player

This document explains some of the benefits of digital music, and gives you some information to get you started. After reading this document, you will know the basics of digital music, including:

• encoding MP3 files

• playing MP3 files

• copyright issues

If you know how to use a computer, but you are not an expert on digital music, then read on!

What Is Digital Music?If you listen to music on Compact Discs (CDs) then you probably already know a little about digital music. Digital recording technology uses numbers to store sound waves. Unlike analog recordings (such as LP record albums and cassette tapes), digital recordings maintain their quality and fidelity no matter how many times they are played or copied.

The process of converting sound to numbers is called digital sampling. The fidelity of a digital recording is directly related to the sample rate, or how many numbers are used per second to represent the original sound. An audio CD uses 44,100 32-bit samples per second. This sampling rate results in very large digital files. Each second of music on a CD takes about 172 K (kilobytes) of space on disk.

A number of file formats have been developed for storing digital music. Some of these file formats compress the music into a smaller file, allowing more music to be stored in the same space on disk. One of the most popular file formats is MP3, which uses very effective compression to retain much of the sound quality of the original recording while reducing the file size by as much as ten times.

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As hard drive capacity grows, people have begun using their home computers to store digital music. Software that lets users catalog, store, play, and even trade digital music files has become increasingly popular. Pocket-sized hardware devices that store and play digital music are dropping in price.

Benefits of Digital MusicDigital technology is changing the way people listen to music. Here are just a few things that the latest digital music technology lets you do:

• take your music anywhere

• organize your music library

• play music all day without changing CDs or tapes

• listen to free Internet radio

• hear new music that is not yet available on CD

• create custom CDs of your favorite music

When all your music is stored as digital files on a hard drive, you are no longer bound to the physical medium of compact disks. A digital music player the size of a deck of playing cards can hold as many songs as 300 CDs. This means you no longer need to sort through stacks of CDs to find the music you want to hear.

You can organize a library of music files into collections called playlists. Each playlist can represent a single album, or a collection of songs that you choose. A single song can appear in more than one playlist, giving you many ways to organize the same library of music.

A playlist can contain any number of songs. If you choose, you can create a playlist containing all the songs in your music library. Most music players let you hear a playlist in sequence, or “shuffle” the songs and play them in a random order.

If you have a connection to the Internet, you can listen to digital radio stations that “broadcast” over the web. These stations offer all genres of music, as well as talk radio, comedy, sports, and other content.

If your computer has a CD writer, you can store digital music files on CD. A data CD full of compressed digital music files holds five to ten times as much music as a normal audio CD. You can also burn a standard audio CD, to play in your car.

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Getting Started with Digital MusicDigital music is available in a variety of file formats. There is software available on the Web to convert among the various formats, or to convert music on an audio CD into digital music files in any format. Here are some of the most common formats:

• MP3

• WMA

• WAV

The most popular format by far is the MP3 file. Most digital music software works with MP3 files, and the MP3 format offers relatively good compression without much loss in sound quality. The next section contains more information about MP3 files.

Creating MP3 FilesTo make a song from a CD available to your digital music player, you must “rip” the song, or extract the audio information from the CD and store it on your computer. The next step is to encode the ripped music into a file format such as MP3.

Some software lets you rip and encode a song from a CD in one step. A few popular titles are:

• MusicMatch Jukebox

• CDEX

• MP3 Wizard

Music encoding software usually lets you select the way you encode your music. The sound quality is determined by the amount of compression you use in your MP3 files.

Compression

Most MP3 encoders allow you to select the bit rate, or number of bits used per second to encode your songs as MP3 files. A higher bit rate gives better audio fidelity, but uses more space on disk. If you select a lower bit rate, you can store more music in the same space, but the sound quality is lower. How a given song sounds at a particular bit rate depends on the complexity of the music. Some music may sound fine encoded at 92 kbps, while other songs require 256 kpbs or more to preserve their fidelity.

Some MP3 encoders allow you to encode songs using a variable bit rate. This means that the encoder adjusts the bit rate throughout the song, using a high bit rate to preserve as much fidelity as possible during complex passages, but using a lower bit rate to save space whenever possible.

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PlayersThere are a few different ways to play MP3 files:

• on your computer using inexpensive software,

• on a pocket-sized MP3 player

• on a TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option

• some CD players can play MP3 files stored on a CD

The following paragraphs describe some of the software and hardware options available.

Software Players

The number of MP3 players available online is growing constantly. Most of them allow you to organize your music into playlists, transfer music to a hardware MP3 player, burn custom CDs, and search for MP3 music online. A few of the most popular players are:

• MusicMatch—a player that also works as an encoder

• WinAmp—a player with a customizable look

• Windows Media Player—a player that comes free with Windows

• RealOne—a player that uses its own proprietary file format for music

• iTunes—a player that comes free with Macintosh OS X

MP3 players vary a great deal in the features that they offer. Which features you look for in the software depends on what is important to you when you listen to music. Here are some features you might consider when choosing an MP3 player:

Internet radio. There are numerous free Internet “radio” stations that provide music and other content over the Web. Many MP3 players work with these stations; a few MP3 players link directly to these “broadcasters” and make it easy for you to find new music, comedy, news, sports, or other programming.

CD burning. Some MP3 players let you use your computer’s CD-RW drive to create audio CDs, or data CDs full of MP3 files. You can play the audio CDs in most CD players. You can play data CDs containing MP3 files in any CD player that can read MP3 files.

Customizable appearance. Some MP3 players let you customize their appearance. You can download different looks called “skins” to make the MP3 player suit your personality.

Playlists. Most MP3 players offer a way to organize your MP3 files into playlists. You can put all the songs from one CD into a playlist, or you can mix and match songs from different CDs to create a party mix. Any given

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song can appear on more than one playlist, giving you many options for organizing your music.

Encoding ability. Some players let you rip and encode music from audio CDs. Others let you convert from one file format to another. This is useful, for example, if you find music that is not in MP3 format and wish to play it on a hardware device that only works with MP3 files.

Hardware Players

There are three types of hardware MP3 players:

• memory-based MP3 players

• MP3 CD players

• disk-based players

Memory-based MP3 players. Memory-based players contain random access memory (RAM) that they use to store music. Some players have built-in RAM, while others use removable memory cards. These players generally have enough storage for one or two CDs worth of music, and are relatively inexpensive.

MP3 CD players. Some CD players can read data CDs containing MP3 files as well as regular audio CDs. You can store about five to ten audio CDs as MP3 files on a single data CD.

Disk-based MP3 players. Small, high-capacity hard disks have led to pocket-sized MP3 players that can store hundreds of CDs worth of music. These devices are two to three times the cost of memory-based players, but hold far more music.

Digital Music and TiVoDigital technology has made it easy and convenient to store hundreds of songs in your personal computer. To find a song, you no longer need to sort through stacks of CDs.

Chances are, you don’t have your best speakers sitting next to your computer. If your home entertainment system includes a TiVo DVR Series2 with Home Media Option, then you can listen to MP3 songs stored on your PC using the high quality speakers in your living room instead of your computer speakers. Home Media Option streams the MP3 files directly from the computer, so they don’t take up any space on the DVR’s hard disk. Using the TiVo remote to browse and play songs in your music collection is easy.

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Where to Find More InformationThe following web sites provide information that will help you get started with digital music.

http://www.tivo.com/media The website for Home Media Option.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/mp3.htm A thorough explanation of how MP3 files work.

http://www.mp3.com/ A large collection of independent music in MP3 format.

http://www.musicmatch.com/ Information about the MusicMatch Jukebox MP3 player and Internet radio.

http://www.realone.com/ Information about the RealOne MP3 player.

http://www.winamp.com/ Information about the Winamp MP3 player.

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Digital Photography

21 Introduction

21 What is Digital Photography?

22 Benefits of Digital Photography

24 Getting Started with Digital Photography

29 Digital Photography and TiVo

27 Taking Great Pictures


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3 Digital Photography

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IntroductionHigh-quality digital cameras are finally affordable. This document explains some of the benefits of digital photography, and gives you some information to get you started. After reading this document, you will know the basics of digital photography, including:

• resolution

• compression

• image processing

• how to take great pictures

If you know how to use a computer, but you are not an expert on digital photography, read on!

What is Digital Photography?Instead of recording images on film, digital cameras use an electronic method to capture an image, then store it in computer memory. Usually, the image is recorded using a sensor called a charge-coupled device (CCD), then stored on a memory chip.

One difference between digital photography and film is that in digital photography it is the camera itself that determines the image quality. With a traditional camera, different films produce different kinds of images from the same camera; with a digital camera, the “film” is really the CCD that is built in. The CCD governs the maximum resolution of the images from the digital camera. When you take a picture, software within the camera stores the file in memory, sometimes compressing the image to save space. The following paragraphs give a little more information about resolution and compression.

Resolution. Just as certain films are grainier and others are sharper, different digital cameras record images in different ways. Digital cameras are rated on the basis of their maximum resolution. Resolution is the characteristic of an image that allows it to show more detail. In film photography, this is related to the size of the grain; smaller grain provides higher resolution. In digital photographs, the number of picture elements (pixels) in a photograph determines its resolution. Pixels are the dots that make up the picture. Many small pixels result in a more detailed image than fewer, larger pixels.

Most digital cameras have a resolution of over one megapixel (one million pixels). This resolution is sufficient for normal-sized snapshots. Higher-resolution cameras (4 megapixels and higher) can take pictures suitable for 8 x 10 or larger prints.


Compression. Digital photographs can result in very large files. A two-megapixel image containing 24 bits of color information per pixel would occupy about 6 megabytes of space on disk, if no compression were used. Different image file types use different kinds of compression. A few common image file formats are:

• Compuserve GIF (Graphical Image Format)

• JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

• TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)

Most digital cameras store images as either TIFF or JPEG files. TIFF files do not compress files as drastically as JPEG files, so you can generally fit fewer TIFF files than JPEG files on the same memory card. JPEG files use “lossy” compression, however, meaning that the image quality suffers as the file size is reduced; the compression used in TIFF is lossless.

Benefits of Digital PhotographyDigital photography, which was once clearly inferior to film, has matured into a technology that promises to revolutionize the way people think of snapshots. Connected to your personal computer, a digital camera makes it easy to:

• avoid the cost of film and developing

• print only the photos you like

• take photos in low light

• organize your photos without shoeboxes

• e-mail your photos to friends

• view a slide show of your photos

• order prints of your photos online

• create a CD of your photos

• delete photos you don’t want

• put your photos on the Web

• add special effects to your photos

• remove red-eye

The following paragraphs give a little more information about each of the above benefits.

Avoid the cost of film and developing. Digital cameras may be a little pricier than their film counterparts, but saving on film and developing makes up for it in the long run. With a film camera, you have to pay for developing all

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the photographs before you can even see which ones you like. Using a digital camera avoids the expense and delay of film processing.

Print only the photos you like. A digital camera lets you see your pictures before you print them. That way, you don’t have to print the ones you don’t like. In fact, if your camera has a display screen, you can delete a bad picture right after you take it—and try again.

Take photos in low light. Most digital cameras are far more sensitive than photographic film. That means you can take shots in very dim light, often without using a flash.

Organize your photos without shoeboxes. Most computers now come with software for organizing a library of digital photographs. You can store your images in folders by date or subject. When you are looking for a particular photo, you can see small “thumbnail” images of all the pictures in a folder. This makes it easy to find the one you want.

E-mail your photos to friends. Sharing a photo with a friend is easier than ever. Once you have your photos on the computer, you can send them to anyone you like simply by attaching them to an e-mail message.

View a slide show of your photos. Some digital cameras include software that lets you view a slide show of your photos on your computer, or even on your TV using a special cable. Even better, your TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option lets you use your TV to view a slide show of photos stored on your computer. Simply connect your DVR to your personal computer via a home network, and you can “publish” your photos to your DVR. Then you can show your favorite photos to your friends and family from the comfort of your couch.

Order prints of your photos online. Several online services make traditional photo prints from digital photos. If you don’t have a printer at home, then these services are handy for ordering enlargements in any size. Best of all, digital means only getting prints of the photos you like.

Create a CD of your photos. If your personal computer has a CD-RW drive, then burning a CD of digital photos is a snap. It’s a great way to send a large collection of photos to a friend.

Put your photos on the web. Once your photos are in the computer, you can share them with friends and family by putting them on a web page. Your Internet service provider probably offers some space for a personal web site. If not, a number of online services offer web space for free. Some of them have special areas just for digital photos.

Add special effects to your photos. Most digital cameras let you take pictures in black and white, change the tint, or add special effects to your photos. The image editing software that comes with most cameras usually lets you add more effects.


Remove red-eye. The area in the center of the eye, called the pupil, normally appears dark. When you photograph someone using a flash, the pupil sometimes appears red in the picture. This happens when the flash illuminates the subject’s retina, making it visible on film. Some image editing software can automatically remove the redness, making the subject’s eyes appear normal again.

Getting Started with Digital PhotographyGetting started with digital photography requires some new equipment. You may already have a computer with a printer and a CD-RW drive (a CD writer). An Internet connection is useful if you want to share your digital photos on the web or via e-mail, or if you want to order prints. With a home network, you can use your TiVo Series2 DVR and Home Media Option to view a slide show of your own digital photos right on your television.

To gain the full benefits of digital photography, you will find the following items useful:

• digital camera

• computer

• image editing software

• printer

• memory card reader

• CD writer

• Internet connection

• home network

• TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option

The following sections provide information about what to look for when you are choosing equipment for digital photography.

Choosing a Digital CameraA number of factors can influence how much use and enjoyment you get out of your digital camera. The following sections provide a little information about what to look for in a digital camera.

Image Quality

The most obvious measurement of image quality is resolution. You might think that the best way to buy a digital camera is to look for the most megapixels for the price. Remember that resolution and sharpness are not the same. It is important to consider other aspects of image quality, such as

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compression and color fidelity. If you compare images from two different cameras, you will see differences even if the resolution is the same.

Features

Most digital cameras offer effects like black and white, and several different image resolutions. However, cameras vary widely in the other features they provide. Consider the following questions when choosing a camera:

Is it expandable? Does it use removable memory cards, or are you limited to the built-in memory? How many pictures can you take at the maximum resolution before the memory is full?

Memory cards offer an additional advantage: if you have more than one, you may be able to download photos to your computer from one memory card while taking more pictures with another.

Does it zoom? Is the zoom digital or optical, or a combination of both?

Optical zoom means that the lenses control the image magnification, just as in a traditional film camera. In digital zoom, the pixels themselves are enlarged. Some cameras use optical zoom up to a certain point, then digital zoom to add a bit more magnification. Because digital zoom works by enlarging the pixels themselves, it can result in lower image clarity. Look for a camera with optical zoom.

Can you view pictures on the camera? Does it have a display screen? Does it connect to your television directly?

Viewing your pictures on the camera lets you weed out the shots you don’t like. That way, you preserve more free memory space for the shots you want to keep.

Does it respond quickly? How long does the camera take to record an image after you press the button? How long before the camera is ready to take another picture?

A camera with a long delay can make it difficult to capture the exact image you need. If your digital camera takes a half-second to respond to the shutter button, you may miss the moment when the birthday candles get blown out. If the camera requires a few seconds between shots, it limits your freedom to shoot all you want and weed out the bad pictures later.

Is it easy to use? Are the controls clear and positioned sensibly? Is it compact and lightweight?

Digital cameras are getting smaller, and their designs are simpler and easier to use. Before you buy a digital camera, hold it in your hands. Does it feel right? Is it obvious how to turn it on and use it? If not, then you may have trouble figuring it out when it counts.

How fast does it use batteries? Can it use rechargeable batteries? Can you turn off the display screen to maximize battery life?


Digital cameras tend to use batteries faster than film cameras. This can be expensive unless you get an efficient digital camera. Some cameras can use rechargeable batteries, which are a great way to reduce the cost. You can also usually turn off the camera’s display screen to extend the life of the batteries.

Compatibility

Nowadays, almost every digital camera works with both Macintosh and Windows computers. It is especially prudent to select a digital camera that uses removable memory cards. A memory card reader is very inexpensive; if you change to an operating system that your camera does not support, you can simply buy a new memory card reader to solve the problem.

When choosing a digital camera that comes with image editing software, make sure the software is compatible with your computer.

Choosing a Computer, Printer, and SoftwareThe computer, printer, and software you use to process your digital photos are almost as important as the camera itself. Although it is the camera that determines the quality of the initial image, the final picture you see depends on your other equipment.

The Computer

The computer’s role is to store images, and to run the software that lets you organize and edit them. Most computers have plenty of hard disk space for storing images, and enough memory to run popular image software. These days, a new computer usually comes with a CD writer. If you don’t have one, you can buy a CD writer separately. This allows you to share large collections of high resolution photos with friends and family.

The Printer

The printer is perhaps the most important piece of equipment other than the camera. It is the printer that puts your digital photos on paper; the quality of the printer can make or break a good digital image.

Just as with digital cameras, resolution is a concern. Rather than being expressed in megapixels, a printer’s resolution is referred to by the number of pixels per inch. Most printers are capable of at least 1200 pixels per inch (ppi).

More important than resolution, however, is the size of the ink spots that are applied to the paper. If the spot size is much larger than the pixel size, then you will not see the full benefit of the printer’s resolution. Look for a printer with a spot size of 3 to 5 picoliters for best quality. Remember that spot size varies according to the type of paper you use.

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Like digital cameras, different printers deal with color in different ways. Look at sample output from several different printers before choosing one. You may find that you like a particular printer over other printers with higher resolution.

The Software

Image editing software helps you organize and edit your photographs, optimize them for e-mail, fix red-eye, and add titles or special effects. If your camera does not include image editing software, you might wish to purchase a program for organizing and editing your photos.

It can be really helpful to have image editing software that also includes tools for organizing your photos. Look for software that lets you put your photos into “albums” and browse through small “thumbnails” so that you can find them easily later.

If you plan to e-mail photos to your friends and family, then you should reduce them to a low resolution so that the files are smaller. Otherwise, you may surprise the recipients with files that are very large. Good image editing software includes the capability to re-size your photos so that they are easy to e-mail or put on the web.

A Home Network and High-Speed Internet ConnectionA home network and a high-speed Internet connection can be useful if you do a lot of digital photography. Uploading a lot of photos to the web becomes a snap if you have a high-speed Internet connection.

Because digital photo resolution is directly related to file size, you may find yourself dealing with many large files. If you want to transfer them between computers in the home, a home network will make the process much faster and easier. In addition, your TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option can display photos from your PC using the network.

For more information about home networking, see Chapter 4, “Networking Made Easy.”

Taking Great PicturesIf you have your digital camera, computer, and printer, then you’re ready to get started taking great pictures! Here’s some information about how to get the most out of digital photography.

Composing Your Photograph

Most of what you know about taking pictures is true about digital photography as well. For example:


• almost any scene looks better if you get closer

• holding the camera steady is crucial to a sharp photograph

• cloudy days are better than sunny days for photographing people

There are some things you don’t have to worry about as much when using a digital camera. For example, digital cameras deal with extremes of contrast better than film. This makes it easier to get good pictures even on sunny days or in dimly-lit interiors.

Digital cameras are more sensitive to light than most film, so you may find that you can take pictures in extremely low light. In dimly-lit scenes, the camera requires a longer exposure than normal, and you must make sure the camera does not move until the exposure is finished. If you plan to do a lot of night photography, a tripod is a good investment.

Here are a few pointers about taking pictures with a digital camera.

Know when to shoot. You may have to deal with a slight delay between pressing the button and capturing the image on a digital camera. Keep this in mind when you are composing a photograph. You might want to press the button before your subjects say “cheese,” if the camera has a significant delay.

Make sure your resolution is set properly. If you need to take a lot of photographs at one time, or if you do not want to make prints from your photographs, then you can use a low resolution. However, if you believe you might print your photos later, you should you the maximum resolution for the best quality.

Set your white balance. Different kinds of light have different colors. If you’ve ever looked into an office building at night, you may have noticed that the fluorescent lighting is actually greenish. Your eyes naturally correct the color so that the light doesn’t look green if you are in a room with fluorescent lights. A white piece of paper in an office looks white, not green. Your digital camera does its best to correct the color of the photographs in the same way. This correction is called white balance, an adjustment to the color so that the dominant light looks white. Most cameras do a good job adjusting their white balance automatically, but in some cases you may decide to re-adjust the white balance manually.

Use the display screen. Most digital cameras have a viewfinder, so that you don’t use up your batteries by using your display screen all the time. However, if you need to compose a photograph exactly, then using the display screen is handy because it gives you an accurate picture of exactly what is in frame. This is especially useful in close-up shots, because the viewfinder is less accurate closer to the subject.

Know when to zoom. Read your camera’s instructions carefully so that you know how much you can zoom optically. If you venture past the optical

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zoom limits of the camera, you are on digital zoom territory. Digital zooming may adversely affect the quality of your image.

Know what you can fix later. Some problems can be fixed after you transfer the pictures to your computer. If an image is slightly dark or has an unpleasant color tint, you might be able to adjust the brightness and color settings later. However, if an image is blurred or the resolution is set too low, you are better off taking the picture again.

Weed out what you don’t want. The greatest advantage of the digital camera is that you don’t have to keep the shots you don’t want. Take the time to weed out bad shots while you’re shooting. That way, you have more space left in the camera’s memory to take new photos.

Digital Photography and TiVoDigital technology has made it easy and convenient to store hundreds of snapshots in your personal computer. To find a photograph, you no longer need to haul boxes down from the attic and unwrap envelope after envelope looking for the image you want.

TiVo extends the benefit of digital photography by letting you view digital photographs from the comfort of your living room. After you have used the computer to organize and edit your collection of photographs, you can sit on the couch and control a slide show on your TiVo DVR. Your pictures stay on your computer, so they don’t use any of the DVR’s recording space.

The best part is that it keeps the computer out of the living room.

Where to Find More InformationThe following web sites provide information that will help you get started with digital photography.

http://www.dcresource.com/ Reviews of the latest digital cameras, a buyer’s guide, message boards, and frequently asked questions about digital photography.

http://www.dpreview.com/ Reviews and previews of digital cameras, and digital camera news.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/digital-camera.htm A thorough explanation of how digital cameras work.

http://electronics.cnet.com/ Comparisons and reviews of the latest electronic gadgets, including digital cameras.


http://www.imaging-resource.com/ A wealth of information about imaging products, including digital cameras, scanners, and printers.

http://www.shortcourses.com/ Education for the digital photographer, including short online courses in lighting, digital photography, and choosing a camera.

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Networking Made Easy

33 Introduction

33 What is a Network?

33 Benefits of a Home Network

34 High-Speed Internet Access

35 Wireless Networks

36 Getting Started with Home Networking

37 Security

38 Networking and TiVo


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4 Networking Made Easy

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IntroductionHome networking is becoming more and more popular. As a larger number of households use more than one computer, it is becoming important to transfer information from one device to another, or to allow several computers to share the same Internet connection.

A home network lets you interconnect computers and other devices in your home. This document describes the benefits of setting up a home network, and provides some information to help you get started. After reading this document, you will know the basics of home networking, including:

• high-speed Internet

• wireless networking

• network security

If you know how to use a computer, but you are not an expert on networking, then read on!

What is a Network?A network is a group of computers or other devices that communicate with each other over wires or using wireless technology. Computers that are connected in this way can share digital content with each other, and can also share access to printers or other devices. Each computer or device in a network is called a node.

One of the most popular networking technologies is Ethernet, which is fast, relatively inexpensive, and easy to set up. Its high speed comes in handy when you are dealing with large files, such as music or video.

Benefits of a Home NetworkIf you have more than one PC, then building a network makes a lot of sense. A network allows you to:

• Use a single printer for all your computers

• Use one Internet connection for all your computers

• Share files between your computers

• Play games that allow multiple users at different computers

• Share a device like a DVD player or web cam among your computers

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If you have a TiVo Series2 DVR (or more than one!) then a home network makes it possible to use Home Media Option to its fullest. With a TiVo Series2 DVR connected to a home network, you can:

• Transfer recordings to another TiVo Series2 DVR within your home

• Display photos that are stored on your PC

• Play music that is stored on your PC

If you have a high-speed Internet connection, you can use the Internet to schedule recordings on your DVR when you are away from home.

High-Speed Internet AccessHigh-speed Internet access means any connection to the Internet that allows data transfer in excess of 200 kilobits per second (kbps). This is fast enough for you to enjoy Internet radio and video programs, upload and download large files, and of course view web pages with lightning speed. Most dial-up modems can support a bandwidth of 56 kbps. High-speed Internet connections are sometimes called “broadband” connections. High-speed Internet connections are also typically always on—that is, if your computer is on, it has access to the Internet all the time. Another advantage of high-speed Internet access is that you don’t need to disconnect from the Internet to make a phone call.

Most high speed Internet connections in the home use either a digital subscriber line (DSL) or a cable modem. A DSL connection uses existing telephone lines to carry data; a cable modem service uses a special modem connected to your cable television system.

DSLDSL uses inaudible frequencies in the standard telephone signal to carry data. With the help of filters attached to each phone outlet, voice and data can share the same telephone line. Since nearly every household is already connected to a phone line, DSL is easy to install. A DSL connection typically provides data transfer rates around 1.5 Mbps, although higher speeds are possible in theory. Most of the time, a DSL connection provides faster data transmission when you are downloading (getting files or images from the Internet) than when you are uploading (putting files or images on the Internet).

The only disadvantage is that DSL is not available everywhere. You must be within three miles of a DSL gateway (or your phone company’s central office) to use a DSL connection.

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Cable ModemA cable modem allows a single computer (or network of computers) to connect to the Internet via the cable TV network. The cable modem usually has an Ethernet connection to the computer, and is capable of speeds in excess of 5 Mbps.

The main disadvantage of a cable modem is that all the subscribers in a neighborhood share the same loop of cable wire. This means that they also share the fixed capacity of that loop. As more subscribers on a loop use the cable modem service, the amount of bandwidth available to each subscriber shrinks. In other words, the more subscribers a cable modem service has, the slower the Internet connection for each subscriber.

Wireless NetworksWireless networks use radio signals instead of wires to transmit data between computers. Wireless networks are generally not as fast as networks that use wires, but they do avoid the need to run cables throughout your home. Most wireless networks are based on a logical topology called 802.11b, or its offshoot called Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi and 802.11b wireless networks have a lot of great features:

• They are fast (11 Mbps).

• They are reliable.

• They have a long range (over 250 feet indoors).

• They are easy to integrate into existing wired-Ethernet networks.

Wireless networks are especially useful when used with laptop computers, because you can roam freely around the house without losing access to the network. Perhaps the most compelling use of wireless for home users is to provide broadband access to the Internet from nearly anywhere within or around the home.

Simply installing a wireless network adapter in each computer allows the computers to communicate with each other. This is called a peer-to-peer or ad hoc network. To build a real wireless network, you also need a device called a wireless access point, a base station that can connect a wired LAN to one or many wireless devices.

Wireless networks are not quite as fast or as reliable as wired networks. Because they work using radio waves, you may find that there are certain places in your house where the reception is not very good. You may also find that the speed of data transmission depends on how close you are to the wireless access point.

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Any device operating in the 2.4 GHz spectrum may cause network interference with a Wi-Fi or 802.11b wireless device. Some devices that may prove troublesome include 2.4 GHz cordless phones and microwave ovens. You may also receive interference from other wireless networks in neighboring homes.

Getting Started with Home NetworkingTo build a home network, you need a few components. The following paragraphs will give you an idea of what to look for as you design your home network.

Hub. If you have more than two computers, you need a hub, which is like a central station for your network. The hub takes the signal from each computer and sends it to all of the other computers in your home. A hub has several ports into which you can plug your computers or other devices via Ethernet cable. A four-port hub can connect four computers; an 8-port hub can connect up to eight computers, and so on. It’s a good idea to buy a hub with a couple more ports than you need, so that you can add devices to your network without buying another hub. If you are using Fast Ethernet, make sure that you buy a hub capable of 100 Mbps.

Router. If you wish to connect your network to the Internet, you need a router, a device that directs network traffic. A router typically includes a hub as well; if you purchase a router with enough ports for all your computers and devices, you do not need a separate hub.

Cable. You need plenty of cable to connect all your devices to the hub or router. If you are using Fast Ethernet, make sure to get Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair cabling, commonly known as Cat 5. Category 3 cable is not sufficient to handle the 100 Mbps transmission speeds of Fast Ethernet.

Ethernet Card. An Ethernet card lets a computer or device communicate over a wired Ethernet network.You need an Ethernet card for every computer on your network.

Wireless Router. To add wireless capability to your network, you also need a wireless router that includes an access point and an Ethernet hub. If you use a wireless router as your gateway to your broadband Internet connection, then your entire home network can be wireless—you don’t need cable or a wired hub or router, but you’ll need wireless access cards for your computers and other devices.

Wireless Access Card. A wireless access card lets a computer or other device communicate over a wireless network.

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SecurityIf you set up a home network, you should think about security. Your connection to the Internet can be used as a means of gaining access to your private home network. Because high-speed Internet connections are always on, they can be especially vulnerable to attacks by unauthorized users, who may wish to:

• read your e-mail or private data

• use your computer to send unsolicited e-mail

• use your computer as a base to attack other computers

You can prevent most attacks using a firewall, a program or hardware device that filters the data that enters your home network from the Internet connection.

Firewalls work by blocking all information except certain types; it is up to you to select the types of data that you allow into your home. In most cases, the recommendations provided by the firewall manufacturer are sufficient to keep your home network fairly safe.

A router often includes a built-in firewall to protect your network.

Wireless SecurityWireless networks present additional security risks, because the network transmits data through the airwaves, which makes it vulnerable to eavesdroppers.

When you add a new device to a wireless network, it listens for a message called a beacon that your network sends. The beacon tells the wireless device how to join the network. This same beacon can be used by someone within your wireless access point’s broadcast range to gain access to your network.

Here are a few things you can do to make it more difficult to break into your wireless network.

MAC address filtering. Each device connected to your network has a unique number called a MAC address. You can configure your wireless network so that it only allows devices with specific MAC addresses to connect. This makes it very difficult for an unauthorized user to connect to your network with a random MAC address.

Changing the network administrator password. The network administrator is a user account that has permission to change network settings on your wireless network. Any person who discovers the login password to your network administrator account can change your network settings. Changing the password frequently makes it more difficult for an unauthorized person to gain access to the network administrator account.

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Changing the SSID. The SSID, or Service Set Identifier, is the network name that identifies your wireless network. The SSID is mainly used to distinguish your wireless network from others that may be nearby, so that your devices do not accidentally connect to the wrong network. In order to connect to your network, an unauthorized person must find out the SSID; changing the SSID regularly makes this more difficult.

Not broadcasting the SSID. Most wireless networking devices will give you the option of broadcasting the SSID. While this option may be more convenient, it allows anyone to log into your wireless network. It is safer not to broadcast the SSID.

WEP Encryption. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is designed to provide security by encrypting the data transmitted by your wireless devices. You must use a password to connect to a network that uses WEP encryption. WEP is still not as secure as a wired network.

Networking and TiVoThe TiVo Service with Home Media Option makes your TiVo Series2 DVR into the entertainment hub of your home network. You can now manage your entertainment experience from anywhere in the house, whether you’re listening to MP3s, viewing digital photos, or just watching TV. With a high-speed, always-on Internet connection, you can even schedule recordings remotely over the Web; your TiVo Series2 DVR will typically get the message within an hour.

Where to Find More InformationThe following web sites provide information that will help you get started with home networking.

http://www.80211-planet.com/ News, articles, and tutorials about wireless networking using the 802.11 standard.

http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html A discussion of home network security.

http://www.connectedhomemag.com/ An online magazine about home networking.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm A thorough explanation of how home networking works.

http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/home_net/ An article about home networking.

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What is a DVR?

41 Introduction

41 What is a DVR?

42 Benefits

45 How a DVR Works

47 Getting Started With a DVR

48 The TiVo Series2 DVR


Last Modified 4/2/03

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5 What is a DVR?

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IntroductionUsing a DVR, you can record shows automatically, without having to remember to “set the VCR,” and without buying any videotapes. That’s only the beginning. Today’s DVR is at the center of a home entertainment network that gives you unfettered access to all your music, photos, and TV programs from anywhere in the house.

This document explains some of the benefits of DVRs, and gives you some information to get you started. After reading this document, you will know the basics of DVR technology, including:

• how DVRs benefit viewers

• how DVRs benefit advertisers

• how DVRs benefit networks

• how a DVR works

• how to get started with a DVR

If you’re not sure what a DVR is, but you would like more control over what you watch on TV, then read on!

What is a DVR?A DVR (digital video recorder), sometimes called a PVR (personal video recorder), is a digital recording device and entertainment hub that allows you to effortlessly enjoy video, music and photos throughout the home. Consider all the things a DVR can do for you:

• automatically record shows in high-quality digital format

• record one show while watching another

• suggest (and record, if desired) shows you might like

• pause and rewind live TV

• find and automatically record shows containing actors or other keywords (using TiVo’s Wishlist technology)

• record all episodes of your favorite show automatically (using TiVo’s Season Pass technology)

• play music or display photos from your computer

• transfer recorded TV programs from one room in your home to another

• schedule recordings over the Internet

First and foremost, a DVR lets you control the way you watch TV. You can watch what you want, when you want. There’s no more worry about

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5 What is a DVR?

setting up the VCR and finding a blank tape; the DVR takes care of the recording automatically. Instead of setting up a recording by time and channel, you just select the program you want by name. All your recorded programs are available immediately (even one that is still recording) for digital playback

If the phone rings while you’re watching TV, just hit the PAUSE button. It doesn’t matter if you’re watching a previously recorded program or a live broadcast. If an actor mumbles a phrase, you can hear it again at the touch of a button to find out what was said. If you turn on the TV 15 minutes into a show, then in all likelihood you can rewind and watch the show from the beginning.

You can watch a previously recorded program while the DVR records another. The VCR doesn’t let you do that. Nor does the VCR find shows you’ll like based on your viewing habits.

Recording shows on demand and controlling live TV are only the beginning of what the DVR can do. If you have a home network, then a TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option can display a slide show of your digital snapshots (stored on your computer) on your television. The TiVo Series2 DVR can play MP3 files, too, turning your PC into a music library that you can browse with your TiVo remote control. You can transfer recorded programs between TiVo Series2 DVRs within your home with Home Media Option. That means that if you recorded a program on the DVR in the living room, you can transfer it over your home network to the DVR in the bedroom and watch it there.

If you have a high-speed Internet connection and a TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option, you can use the Internet to schedule recordings while you’re away from home.

For more information about home networking and high-speed Internet access, see Chapter 4, “Networking Made Easy.”

BenefitsCable and satellite systems now offer tens or hundreds of channels, meaning that you must decipher schedules containing hundreds or thousands of programs per day. A DVR makes it easier for you to navigate the vast sea of television programming, offering huge benefits to

• viewers

• advertisers

• networks

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The following sections give a little more detail about the benefits of DVR technology.

Benefits to the ViewerA DVR offers more than just a way to pause live TV and time shift recordings. In particular, TiVo subscribers can easily store, distribute and enjoy the digital entertainment of their choice, throughout the home. The TiVo Home Media Option premium feature package extends the DVR's intuitive, easy-to-use interface to work with your home network, and upgrades the Series2 DVR into a viewer-friendly entertainment center for transporting digital entertainment throughout the home. Home Media Option also lets you use the Internet to tell your TiVo Series2 DVR what to record, from any location.

Here are a few ways that DVR technology improves the television viewing experience.

Watch what you want. You never have to worry about missing your favorite shows. The DVR automatically takes your schedule and channel lineup into account. That means that if the next episode of your favorite show is a two-hour special, the DVR will record the entire broadcast automatically. With a VCR, you must remember to set up the recording by hand, and you run the risk of only partially taping special episodes.

Record by program, not by time slot. With a DVR, you don’t need to remember when your favorite show is on—just select your show by name, and the DVR records it for you.

Watch TV on your time, not prime time. Once you set up the DVR to record all your favorite shows automatically, you can watch them whenever you want. You are no longer consigned to the couch during prime-time.

Spend less time watching TV. Using a DVR, you can skip the parts of a television program that don’t interest you.

Organize your recorded programs. The newest version of the TiVo service includes program folders that make it easier than ever to organize and access recorded programs.

Record and play at the same time. Unlike a VCR, a DVR can record one program and play back another recorded program at the same time— or even play a show from the beginning, while it is still being recorded.

See a better picture. A DVR stores TV programs digitally, resulting in a much higher quality recording quality than VHS tape.

Watch better TV. Over time, a DVR learns what kind of TV programs you and your family watch, and suggests programs that you are likely to enjoy.

Control what your kids watch. A DVR lets you set ratings limits, so that programs with mature content are only available by entering a password.

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5 What is a DVR?

That way, you can protect your children from shows you don’t want them to see.

Find what you want to watch. You can search for programs by name, by genre, by channel, or by date and time. With the TiVo service, you can put in a request for a show that isn’t currently scheduled to air; when the show is broadcast, the DVR will record it automatically. You can even program your DVR to record all shows containing a particular actor or director, or dealing with a particular subject.

Centralize your entertainment. A TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option lets you use your home network to control all your entertainment, including music and photos. Home Media Option lets you use your DVR to display photos or listen to music stored on your personal computer.

Watch anything anywhere within your home. If you have more than one TiVo Series2 DVR with Home Media Option on each, you can transfer recorded programs from one room in your home to another. If it’s too late at night to watch your favorite show in the living room, send it to your other DVR in the bedroom.

Record two shows at once. The DirecTV receiver with TiVo service incorporates two tuners, and can actually record two live TV programs at the same time, while you watch a previously recorded program.

Benefits to the AdvertiserAdvertisers can now bring you information about products that are likely to interest you. Here are some of the ways that DVR technology can benefit advertisers.

Speak to the target customer directly. A DVR allows TiVo to collect anonymous aggregate data about the audience for any given program. Using this information, TiVo can help the advertiser create commercials that are more likely to draw a viewer’s attention.

Break the 30-second barrier. By placing content on the DVR, an advertiser can present products and services without worrying about the time limitation of the traditional 30-second commercial spot. The TiVo service, for example, offers advertisers a content area called a TiVo Showcase. TiVo Showcases can contain text, pictures, surveys, and even video clips.

Generate leads. DVR technology is interactive. For example, a TiVo Showcase can let the viewer respond to an advertisement by requesting more information directly from the advertiser. In the future, DVRs will let viewers order products from the comfort of the couch.

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Benefits to the NetworkThe benefits of DVR technology are even more important to networks. Here are some of the ways that DVRs help networks fine-tune their programming.

Know your audience. Using anonymous aggregate data about the audience, the TiVo can help the network tailor its content to suit the viewer’s tastes. The DVR also provides anonymous information about how many people watch each part of a show, so that the network can see exactly what works well in a given program.

Promote shows. In addition to the advertising benefits of Showcases, the TiVo service provides a mechanism that networks can use to make it easy for the viewer to try a new show. During a commercial for the show, the network can display an icon indicating that the viewer can record the show by pressing the SELECT button on the remote control.

Get ratings in advance. Using anonymous aggregate data about how many people are scheduling a particular show to record, a DVR makes it possible to predict ratings before the show airs.

Keep your loyal viewers. Because the DVR ensures that you don’t miss an episode of your favorite show, it reduces the effort required on the viewer’s part to remain loyal to a particular series.

Break the prime-time barrier. DVR owners don’t care what time a show is on, so networks are free to use inexpensive time slots to try out new shows.

Protect your copyrights. While the TiVo Home Media Option gives consumers new flexibility and ease of use when enjoying home entertainment, this new service release also features an advanced conditional access technology designed to protect the rights of copyright holders. Every TiVo Series2 DVR contains a unique key so that only designated recorders with Home Media Option can engage in multi-room viewing. Digital certificates ensure that TiVo DVRs with Home Media Option cannot send content outside the home. Video programs are encrypted to ensure secure transfer between TiVo DVRs.

How a DVR WorksA DVR contains a hard disk that it uses to record television programs. It also contains software that manages the recorded programs and gives you control over the DVR’s other features. Three important parts of a DVR are:

• the hard disk

• the software

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• the service

The following paragraphs describe these parts of a DVR, and how they work together.

The Hard DiskA DVR’s hard disk is its heart. It is the hard disk that stores television programs and other content, and makes a DVR different from a VCR. To understand why the hard drive is so important, it helps to know a little about how VCRs store television programs on videotape.

A VCR provides sequential access to programs recorded on a video tape. You cannot skip to another part of the tape without winding the tape forward or backward. After watching a videotape, you must rewind the entire tape if you want to watch it again. When you rewind a tape, you are visiting every part of the tape just to get from the end back to the beginning.

A hard disk, by contrast, provides random access, meaning that you can jump to any point on its surface without visiting any other part of the disk. When you have finished watching a recorded TV program, you can watch it again from the beginning immediately, because there is nothing to rewind. You can even start watching a program before it has finished recording—which is impossible on a VCR.

The SoftwareIf the hard disk is the DVR’s heart, the software is its brain. It is the software that gives you control over your television and all your recordings.

Just as with a VCR, there is software that takes signals from your remote control when you want to change channels, and starts recording programs at the appointed times.

Unlike the simple software inside your VCR, the DVR software does much more. It keeps track of changes in the schedule and channel lineup so that you don’t miss programs that move to a different time or station; it displays menus on the screen so that you can choose recordings and use features of the service; and it manages the space on the hard drive so that there’s always room to record the programs you want.

One of the most compelling features of the software is that it lets you control live TV. It does this by recording the live broadcast onto a special part of the hard drive. The DVR can store up to 30 minutes of live TV in this special area, which is called the cache. Because the hard drive offers random access, you can jump to any part of the cache almost instantly-- which means that you can jump to any point in the last 30 minutes of TV on the current channel. The speed of the hard drive allows the software to keep recording the broadcast, even if you are watching from a different part of the cache.

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The ServiceThe service could be considered the soul of the DVR. It is the service that lets the DVR download information about all the programs that will air up to two weeks in the future, so that you can search or schedule recordings by name. The service also

• lets you schedule recordings over the Web

• suggests programs you might like, based on what you already watch

• delivers special content to your DVR

• makes music and photos available on your television

• lets you transfer programs from one room in your home to another

The DVR connects to the service via a standard phone line or a high-speed Internet connection. Periodically, the DVR downloads program information, software upgrades, or other special information from the service.

How the Parts Work TogetherTelevision programs come into the DVR in one of two ways:

• In DVRs designed to work with a particular cable or satellite provider, digital signals come directly into the digital tuner through coaxial cable.

• In other DVRs, analog signals come from an antenna, or an external connection to a cable or satellite service. The signals are then converted to digital signals inside the DVR.

When the digital signal gets to the DVR it is compressed, using a method called MPEG encoding. MPEG stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, an organization that developed international standards for compressing and processing audio and video streams.

Once the TV signal has been converted to MPEG data, the DVR stores it on the hard disk. The recorded signal is then available for you to watch on your television.

Getting Started With a DVRGetting started with your own DVR is remarkably easy. For the basic ability to record TV programs digitally, all you need are the following:

• DVR

• phone line

• a TV

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• reception

A DVR needs a phone line to obtain software updates and program information, and TV reception so that you can record shows.

Hooking up a DVR is almost as simple as connecting a VCR. Simply attach it to your cable, antenna or satellite system, connect a phone line, and plug it in.

The TiVo Series2 DVRWith a TiVo Series2 DVR, you can gain even more power over your home entertainment by purchasing Home Media Option. Using this feature package to its full potential requires the following additional components:

• high-speed Internet connection

• home network

• personal computer

• home entertainment system

Home Media Option lets you transfer TV shows from one TiVo Series2 DVR to another within your home. If something is on your living room DVR, you can watch it on your bedroom DVR. You can also use your DVR to view photos or listen to music stored on your computer. With a TiVo Series2 DVR and a high-speed, always-on Internet connection, you can schedule recordings remotely over the web.

Where to Find More InformationThe following web sites provide information that will help you get started with DVRs.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvr.htm A thorough explanation of how DVRs work.

http://www.tivo.com The website for TiVo, the market leader in DVR technology.

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Glossary

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802.11b A wireless network technology that operates in the 2.4 GHz range and offers data speeds up to 11 megabits per second.

802.11g A wireless network technology that operates in the 2.4 GHz range and offers data speeds up to 25 megabits per second.

aggregate data Aggregate data is information about customers or markets, from which all data that might identify a particular customer has been stripped. Aggregate data might indicate that 17 percent of viewers watched a given show, but there is no way to know from the data whether a particular viewer watched the show.

analog Analog information consists of signals of varying frequency or amplitude. Broadcast and phone transmission, traditional photography, and the photocopier have conventionally used analog technology.

bandwidth Bandwidth is a measure of how much information can be carried in a given time period over a wired or wireless communications link.

beacon In wireless networking, a beacon is a signal broadcast by the wireless access point announcing its name so that wireless devices can connect to the network easily.

bit A bit is a binary digit, capable of representing the value 0 or the value 1.

bit rate A measure of bandwidth, the bit rate is the number of bits that pass a given point in a telecommunication network in a given amount of time, usually measured in kilobits or megabits per second.

broadband Broadband telecommunications technologies have high bandwidth.

byte A byte is a group of bits. There are usually eight bits in a byte.

cable modem A cable modem is a device that enables you to hook up your PC to a local cable TV line and receive data at about 1.5 Mbps.

cache A cache is a place to store something temporarily. In DVR technology, the cache refers to a storage area on the hard disk reserved for the last 30 minutes of TV broadcast. It is the cache that enables the DVR to pause and rewind live TV.

Cat 3 Cat 3 is short for Category 3 unshielded twisted pair cable. Cat 3 cable is not suitable for Fast Ethernet, because it is only tested for data speeds up to 16 Mbps.

Cat 5 Cat 5 is short for Category 5 unshielded twisted pair cable, commonly used as connecting cable for Fast Ethernet networks. Cat 5 cable is suitable for Fast Ethernet, because it is tested for data speeds up to 100 Mbps.

CCD A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a light-sensitive microchip that stores an image digitally. CCDs are used in digital cameras to capture images.

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CD A CD (compact disc) is a digital storage medium that can hold up to 74 minutes of audio or 650 megabytes of data.

CD-R CD-R (compact disc, recordable) is a CD on which music or data can be written by a computer equipped with a CD writer.

CD-RW CD-R (compact disc, rewritable) is a CD on which music or data can be written, erased, and rewritten by a computer equipped with a CD writer.

coaxial cable Coaxial cable is the kind of copper cable used by cable TV companies to provide television programmng to homes and businesses.

compression Compression is the reduction in size of data in order to save space or transmission time.

content Information in digital form, including web pages, photos, music, movies, and television programs.

data transfer Data transfer is the travel of data from one place to another. In general, the greater the bandwidth of a given path, the higher the data transfer rate.

device (see peripheral device)

digital Digital describes electronic technology that generates, stores, and processes information expressed as a series of binary digits.

download To download is to transmit a file from one computer system to another, usually smaller, computer system. From the Internet user’s point-of-view, to download a file is to request it from another computer (or from a web page) and to receive it.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) DSL is a technology for bringing high-bandwidth information to homes and small businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines.

DVD A DVD (digital versatile disc) is an optical disc technology that holds 4.7 gigabytes of information on one of its two sides, or enough for a 133-minute movie.

DVR A DVR (digital video recorder) is a system that automatically records television shows on a hard disk for later viewing.

Ethernet Ethernet is the most widely-installed local area network (LAN) technology. Specified in a standard, IEEE 802.3, Ethernet was originally developed by Xerox. An Ethernet LAN typically uses coaxial cable or special grades of twisted pair wires. Ethernet is also used in wireless LANs.

fair use Refers to specific use of copyrighted materials without payment of royalties or which otherwise does not constitute an infringement of copyright. Whether a use is considered a fair use depends upon the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount and substantiality of the portion used, and the effect of the use upon the market value of the copyright. The doctrine was originally judge-

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made in an effort to balance the economic incentives to creators of copyrighted works and the dissemination of those works to the public. It was codified in the Copyright Act of 1976 and can be found in Section 107 of Title 17 of the United States Code.

Fast Ethernet Fast Ethernet is a high-speed type of Ethernet that provides transmission speeds up to 100 megabits per second, about ten times faster than standard Ethernet.

firewall A firewall is a set of related programs, located at a network gateway, that protects the resources of a private network from users from other networks.

gateway A gateway is a network point that acts as an entrance to another network.

GHz The gigahertz, abbreviated GHz, is a unit of alternating current (AC) or electromagnetic (EM) wave frequency equal to one thousand million hertz (1,000,000,000 Hz). The gigahertz is used as an indicator of the frequency of ultra-high-frequency (UHF) and microwave EM signals and also, in some computers, to express microprocessor clock speed.

hard disk A hard disk is part of a unit, often called a “disk drive,” “hard drive,” or “hard disk drive,” that stores and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data on an electromagnetically charged surface or set of surfaces.

Hertz Hertz is a unit of frequency of one cycle per second, named after Heinrich Hertz, German physicist.

Home Media Option A feature package from TiVo that enables the TiVo Series2 DVR to display photos, play music, schedule recordings, and transmit television programs(to another TiVo DVR with Home Media Option) over an Ethernet LAN.

home network A home network is two or more computers interconnected to form a local area network (LAN) within the home.

hub In data communications, a hub is a device that connects multiple computers or devices so that they can all share data.

Internet The Internet, sometimes called simply “the Net,” is a worldwide system of computer networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer. The Internet is a public, cooperative, and self-sustaining facility accessible to hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

K (See kilobyte)

kbps Kbps, or kilobits per second, is a measure of bandwidth on a data transmission medium.

kilobit A kilobit is a measure equal to one thousand bits.

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kilobyte A kilobyte is a measure equal to 1,024 bytes.

LAN A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated devices that communicate over a common communications line or wireless link within a small geographic area such as a home or an office building.

login password A login password is a sequence of characters used to determine that a computer user requesting access to a computer system is really that particular user.

login username A login username is a sequence of characters used to identify a computer user requesting access to a computer system.

MAC address On a local area network, the MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique number that identifies a computer or other hardware device.

mb (see megabit)

MB (see megabyte)

megabit A megabit is a unit of measure that equals one thousand bits.

megabyte A megabyte is a unit of measure that equals 1,024 bytes.

megapixel A megapixel is a unit of measure that equals one million pixels.

memory card A memory card is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices such as digital cameras and MP3 players.

MHz The megahertz, abbreviated MHz, is a unit of alternating current (AC) or electromagnetic (EM) wave frequency equal to one thousand million hertz (1,000,000 Hz).

modem A modem changes digital signals from a computer into analog sounds that can be transmitted over a standard phone line, and vice versa.

MP3 MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) is a standard technology and format for compressing a sound sequence into a very small file while preserving much of the original sound quality.

MPEG MPEG, the Moving Picture Experts Group, develops standards for digital video and digital audio compression. It operates under the auspices of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

network A network is a group of computers or other devices that communicate with each other over wires or using wireless technology.

network administrator A network typically uses software to limit network access to particular users, one of whom is the network administrator. The network administrator is the user who has permission to change attributes of the network itself.

node In a network, a node is a connection point, either a redistribution point or an end point for data transmissions.

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PC A PC (personal computer) is a computer designed for use by one person at a time, in the home or at an office.

peripheral device A peripheral device is any computer device that allows information to be exchanged with a computer. Some peripherals are mounted in the same case with the main part of the computer, such as the hard disk drive, CD-ROM drive, and network interface card. Other peripherals are outside the computer case, such as the printer and image scanner, attached by a wired or wireless connection.

picoliter A picoliter is a unit of measure equal to one trillionth of a liter.

pixel The pixel is the basic unit of the computer image.

playlist A playlist is a group of songs intended to be played in sequence or in a random order.

port On computers and other devices, a port is generally a socket for connection to a network or a peripheral device.

RAM RAM (random access memory) is a group of integrated circuits in a computer where the operating system, application programs, and data in current use are kept so that they can be quickly reached by the computer's processor.

red-eye Red-eye is a phenomenon that sometimes causes people’s eyes to appear red in photographs. When a flash is used in a dim setting, the light from the flash sometimes illuminates the retina of a person being photographed, making it visible in the photograph as a red area in the center of the eye.

resolution Resolution is a measure of the amount of detail that can be discerned in a given image, or in images produced by a particular means or device.

router A router is a connection point between two networks that determines the flow of data between the networks.

sample A sample is a digital representation of a tiny part of a sound wave. Many thousands of samples are required per second to reproduce high-fidelity music.

sample rate Sample rate refers to the number of samples per second used when converting sound to digital data.

skin On the Internet, a skin is a graphic or audio file used to change the appearance of the user interface to a program. When using a skin, the appearance of the user interface changes, but not the functions available with the program.

software Software is a general term for the various kinds of programs used to operate computers and related devices.

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thumbnail On the Internet and in digital photography, thumbnails are small versions of digital images intended to make it easier and faster to look at or manage a group of larger images.

upload To upload means to transmit from one computer to another, often larger, computer. From an Internet user’s point-of-view, uploading is sending a file to a computer that is set up to receive it.

WAV A Wave file (WAV) is an audio file format, created by Microsoft, that has become a standard PC audio file format for everything from system and game sounds to CD-quality audio.

web cam A cam, homecam, or web cam is a video camera, usually attached directly to a computer, whose current or latest image is requestable from a web site.

WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security protocol, specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) standard (802.11b), that is designed to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) with a level of security and privacy comparable to what is usually expected of a wired LAN.

white balance White balance is an adjustment to the overall color of an image to compensate for undesirable characteristics of the light that illuminated the original scene.

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi (short for “wireless fidelity”) is the popular term for a high-frequency wireless local area network (WLAN).

wireless local area network (see WLAN)

wireless network (see WLAN)

WLAN A wireless LAN is one in which a mobile user can connect to a local area network (LAN) through a wireless (radio) connection. A standard, IEEE 802.11, specifies the technologies for wireless LANs.

WMA Windows Media Archive (WMA) is a file format created by Microsoft to store audio.

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Documents

Digital Entertainment - TiVo Premiere: much more than a DVR - TiVo