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TiVo to talk to other box makers in expansion bid

In a bid to bring TiVo, a digital video recording service popular in the US, to other countries in Asia, its service provider said it will probably invite more manufacturers to produce the set-top box to accommodate any increase in future production needs.

"In addition to our sole manufacturer for the Taiwanese market, Universal Scientific Industry Co (環隆電器), we may well ask other companies to produce the set-top box for our other Asian markets if such a need arises in the future," Travis Lin (林新建), general manager of TGC Inc (替您錄科技), said in a phone interview yesterday.

TGC is a joint venture set up last year with US-based TiVo Inc as the major shareholder. With offices in the US, Taiwan and Shanghai, TGC acquired the exclusive rights to promote TiVo in the Greater China region and Singapore.

The company plans to bring the recording service to China, Hong Kong and Singapore next year, Lin said.

Lin made his remarks in response to a report in the Chinese-language daily Commercial Times yesterday, which said that Universal Scientific Industry has officially landed the contract to manufacture TiVo set-top boxes.

This indicates that the computer motherboard maker is intending to expand into the digital home and consumer electronics market, the report said.

"As the partnership is still in the initial stages, details such as collaboration modes and production volumes are still yet to be confirmed," Universal Scientific Industry said in the company's filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday.

Lin refused to reveal current target subscriber figures for the local market, except to say that its channel distributors -- Synnex Technology International Corp (聯強), Tatung Co (大同) and PC Home Online (網路家庭) -- reported good consumer response to the service.

He said the service has already gotten off to a good start as TGC is now talking to several local securities firms, cable and non-cable TV service providers in order to generate more user-friendly content.

"Users can expect more services in the near future from TiVo, such as stock and investment messages," Lin added.

TiVo made its official debut in Taiwan earlier this month, making the country its base for expansion in Asia.

TiVo refers to a set-top box which records TV programs digitally onto a hard disk. With TiVo it is possible to skip commercials, pause, rewind and speed up TV programs as they are being broadcast.

The company offers 160GB of storage for their set-top boxes in Taiwan, which can record up to 180 hours of programming in low-resolution mode.
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