to take my TIVO away? Or is it Rupert Murdoch. More unfortunate evidence that TIVO is dying on the vine. I like my TIVO, but I know that it is not a long term DVR solution. When Direct TV turned its back on TIVO after allegedly trying unsuccessfully to buy it, the end was beginning. A lot of early adopters like me are going to soon have some very expensive paperweights. The problem is being accelerated by the fact that the current HDTV models do not support MPEG-4, and Direct TV is about to switch to MPEG-4 in order to create more bandwidth for additional HDTV stations.

Like a lot of things (VCRs, tablet computers, etc.) the person who invents something isn't always the one who capitalizes on it. If Direct TV says subscribers need a Direct TV branded DVR to record HDTV, most subscribers will get one. I don't know how (or even if) TIVO thinks it can survive without the support of Direct TV, but it can't.

To make matters worse, TIVO recently hired a contraversial CEO.

Looks like rough waters ahead for TIVO and its (so far) loyal customers.