By the time you read this, subscribers to DirecTV s satellite video service should be able to order movies for instant downloading to DirecTV receivers with built-in hard disk recorders from TiVo. Because the video is likely to be compressed for speedy downloading, subscribers probably won t be able to view movies until after they ve been transmitted and stored. But then, all the usual tricks of hard disk personal video recorders will be accessible, such as random access to any part of the recorded program.
Content remains a mystery.
Sources speculate that DirecTV and TiVo will depend more on niche and specialized programming than on movies, perhaps supplementing this with original content from premium programmers like HBO and Showtime. Another possible source of programming is Starz Encore, which has separate agreements with both TiVo and DirecTV and has long been a proponent of video on demand. The official Web site of Popular Science Magazine. Terms and Conditions of Use.