TiVo debuts set-top TV box for cord cutters to fill Aereo gap

Investors.com reports that, picking up where ill-fated Aereo left off, TiVo on Monday introduced a “legal” digital video recorder for over-the-air (OTA) television broadcasts. The set-top box is being marketed to consumers who do not have cable, satellite or telecom TV but still want a DVR.

Aereo, backed by IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ:IACI), was crippled by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that said its service infringed on the rights of broadcasters. Aereo offered consumers live and time-shifted over-the-air programming from Internet cloud-based DVRs and antennas. Consumers paid a subscription fee for renting remote antennas and data storage for free, over-the-air broadcast TV shows.

Unlike Aereo, TiVo’s (NASDAQ:TIVO) Roamio OTA DVR requires users to own an in-home digital HD antenna. The Roamio device can record up to four HD shows at once and store up 75 hours of HD programming. But like Aereo, it gives consumers a new way to watch free broadcast television from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and other channels.