Plex brings photos, music and video streaming to TiVo June 8th
Richard Lawler / Engadget :
Context & Ripple Effects
This TiVo deal is another step in Plex's steady march from enthusiast software onto mainstream living-room hardware. Months earlier, Plex arrived on PS4 and PS3 in Europe and Asia with a US launch still pending, extending its media-server client beyond PC-attached TVs.
What makes the TiVo partnership notable is that TiVo boxes already own the recording function — a job Plex itself would later take on directly with its DVR feature for over-the-air channels on CableCARD HDHomeRun tuners and, eventually, its Live TV service with time-shifting on Apple TV and Android.
First-order effects
- TiVo owners get photos, music and video streaming through an app on hardware they already have, removing the need for a separate streaming box just to reach their Plex libraries.
Second-order effects
- Every additional certified platform raises Plex's value to cord-cutters, which sets up the company's later move to bundle recording itself via the HDHomeRun-based DVR rather than relying on partners like TiVo to provide it.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Plex evolves from a library-streaming client that rides on other companies' DVRs into a competing hub for over-the-air TV, putting it in direct tension with the set-top partners it once depended on.
The trend: Plex is expanding from a niche home-media server into a default app across every major TV platform, progressively absorbing the recording and live-TV functions of the devices it runs on.