Gadget Metro

Just when people are starting to get the hang of this technology right in their living rooms, along comes another. A company is raring to take on TiVo’s popularity by coming up with their own recording application.

The Dutch consumer electronics manufacturer Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV is developing a personalized video recorder application that reportedly learns users’ viewing tastes and is expected to compete with TiVo. The company is set to demonstrate its prototype Personal TV Channel system, intended for personal computers or set-top boxes, at the IFA international consumer electronics show, held in Berlin. One feature that has made people talking is its ability to quickly learn users’ preferences and create personalized channels based on those choices. The self-learning function is based on an algorithm developed by Philips.

Moreover, Philips’ application is also capable of monitoring the preferences of multiple users within the same household. The Personal TV Channel also features EPG (Electronic Program Guide) service, which Philips is developing together with a number of partners that are yet to be revealed as of now. Add to the basic TV program information, the program guide service will also include additional background information on individual productions. The PC version will be available early next year as a free download for users of computers running Windows Vista.

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Philips, TiVo, Windows Vista

[image from: plazmaxcomputers.com]