TiVo brings internet TV to the living room

Broadcast television within the next ten years will be replaced by distribution over the internet, TiVo CEO Mike Ramsay claimed at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas.

"Ultimately internet will replace broadcast television. The internet will eliminate barriers to distribution," Ramsay said.

The TiVo PVR currently offers users customised television by automatically recording the shows they like.

Adding broadband internet access to a TiVo will give users access to an endless library of entertainment, comparable to one million television channels, the TiVo executive said.

He added that ?It's not a question if this will happen but when. We think it's inevitable. The internet will enable an explosion of entertainment choices."

Ramsay at the show unveiled a new version of the software that runs on the personal video recorder (PVR), called Tahiti.

The Tahiti platform which will add access to home videos stored on a PC, allows users to download pay-per-view content over the internet as well as offer information such as movie trailers, show times and order tickets.

A partnership with retail stores allows users to order DVDs of movies they just watched or that the device recommends to them through a referral service.

The first of Tahit's updated features was launched earlier last week. The service called TiVoToGo allowing users to transfer video from their TiVo box to a computer or mobile phone. Users get this and future upgrades automatically through the device's auto update feature.

TiVo in the past has been sold to consumers in the United Kingdom, but the company later retreated from the British market.