Toshiba America Consumer Products, the U.S. subsidiary of Toshiba, has announced that it has entered into an agreement for licensing the recording technology of TiVo, a manufacturer of digital video recorders (DVRs), which allow consumers to record television programming to a hard drive (rather than to a videotape). TiVo offers other unique features, such as pausing and replaying live television broadcasts, and has "smart" technology that can be programmed to seek and record designated programs according to viewer habits and viewer requests. Toshiba America Consumer Products has not indicated whether it will build a DirectTiVo satellite unit or produce a standalone device using the Tivo recording technology. Toshiba has indicated that it plans to have its version of TiVo available for consumers before the end of 2003. Financial details of the Toshiba deal were not available. TiVo also licenses its technology to Sony and DirecTV third party satellite receiver makers as well.

This is very good news for TiVo fans, since this announcement indicates that TiVo's consumer popularity has attracted an additional company interested in licensing and building devices based on TiVo's technology.