TiVo soliciting beta testers for "Hawk" Series3 / TiVo HD software update

Generally, we'd say it's hard to tell what TiVo has up its sleeve with this newfangled "Hawk" software, but given that we already took a peek at what's potentially the next big TiVo interface late last month, we can't help but think the two are related. TiVo has been sending out solicitation e-mails to select Series3 / TiVo HD owners in order to enlist them in a beta program to test out a software release slated for launch sometime this fall. Users are being asked to deal with a few quirks and report them in a timely fashion, and they're promised a small parting gift for their participation. Of note, "Hawk" won't work with Series1 / Series2 boxes, and while "fall" is definitely mentioned, so is the word "December." Meaning? Don't get your hopes up that this release will be headed down the pipes in gold fashion anytime soon.

[Thanks, NotMe]

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2008 9:19AM]

Wonder if there is a way to specifically request being part of the beta.

I just hope they let us keep the old look and functionality if we want. That is the most important issue for me. I've been married to Tivo since they began, I couldn't imagine changing the layout.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2008 11:24AM]

Don't be scared of change. :)

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2008 9:55AM]

FIRST POST!

Ahem. This would be very cool. I know I get a little sad every time I take my TiVo HD out of the HD YouTube viewing mode and have to go back to a NON-HD interface. Here's hoping this comes sooner than later.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2008 9:59AM]

The "parting gift" is probably a bright orange TiVo branded note pad.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2008 10:06AM]

The point of the TiVo interface is to navigate the content and settings via vertical menus. What they've done is make the interface look nicer, while shrinking the most important aspect of interface.

And, looking at those screenshots at the top of the image, does anyone here *not* think that it will be used for advertising? So we'll sacrifice usability for yet more advertising on a platform that I pay a fairly significant monthly charge to (on top of the initial $500 outlay).

TiVo is good, but they've not properly balanced features with the revenue model. When my three year commitment is up, so is my affair with TiVo. They've fallen behind AT&T and DirecTV DVRs in terms of price and feature set, and this interface update looks like they'll forgo the simplicity that was the hallmark of their user experience.

While I am all for a refined, HD UI, TiVo is failing to deliver what made them a household name and becoming just another DVR. Bravo guys.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2008 11:23AM]

Series 3 owner here.

If the ads are for TV shows I may like, who cares? It looks like it's simply the content for the "showcase" page that is never visited.

The interface looks just as simple as the original, but even better, as it allows you to see what is in the next or previous menu without having pages load back and forth. Seems like natural progression to me.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2008 1:08PM]

I personally just hope that an interface chock full of mini-video feeds isn't more sluggish than the current "lean" interface is. It would be great if they could improve this aspect of the TIVO UI, make it nice and snappy. Everybody already has to deal with the fact they can't channel surf as fast (although you never really have to do this if you use the content guide). Anyways, I hope the update is certainly no less tepid than the current edition.