Software kit from TiVo turns PC into TV recorder

NEW YORK — TiVo and Germany's Nero were set to announce today the launch of a package that turns a Windows PC into a TV recorder, just like a TiVo set-top box.

The kit, which goes on sell Oct. 15, will cost $199 and include a remote and a TV tuner that plugs into the PC. The interface on the computer screen looks like the one on a TV equipped with a TiVo box.

TV recording on the PC has been possible for years on computers equipped with TV tuners, and some versions of Microsoft's Vista operating system include the necessary software.

But it will be the first time that both the TiVo interface and functions have been replicated on a PC.

The Nero LiquidTV/TiVo PC will go on sale initially in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. .

For people who already have a tuner-equipped PC, Nero — a private company mainly known for CD- and DVD-burning software — will sell the TV recording software separately, for $99.

Either way, buyers will get a one-year subscription to TiVo's program guide updates. Renewal will cost $99 per year.

LiquidTV will allow users to transfer shows recorded on other TiVo devices in the home to the PC's hard drive.