After such a protracted fight with Dish Network, it seems that other companies have figured out that it is better to settle their patent suits rather than fight them in court. "TiVo reached an agreement with Microsoft under which both sides have agreed to drop their patent-infringement lawsuits against each other, after the DVR company reached a settlement and licensing deal with AT&T, which uses Microsoft's IPTV platform for U-verse TV." Certainly that must mean more revenue for Tivo and more users. So who is left? It seems that Verizon and Motorola Mobility (Google) still have unresolved issues. As they each watch from the sidelines, they may also believe it is better to settle than fight it out and spend extra dollars only to lose the fight, just as Dish did. A settlement is quicker, easier, and perhaps even less expensive in the long run.
Will more cable companies embrace the Tivo DVR and support it within their set top boxes? As a user experience, Tivo is preferable to anything else out there. Hopefully one day more cable operators will license and distribute Tivo.
