The service also will be compatible with the Sony PlayStation Portable, marking the latest move by the company to carve out a niche in what analysts consider the enormous potential of mobile content.
The new iPod and PSP-compatible service adds to the company’s existing “TiVoToGo” technology, which currently lets subscribers transfer shows to a laptop or PC via a home network.
TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said the company hopes to offer the new portable option sometime during the first quarter of next year.
“The increasing popularity of mobile devices for viewing video demonstrates the enormous consumer demand for entertainment on the go,” Rogers said. “By enhancing our TiVoToGo feature, we're making it easy for consumers to enjoy the TV shows they want to watch right from their iPod or PSP — whenever and wherever they want.”
Users of the new service will have to purchase low-cost software to enable the transfer, and Rogers said TiVo will embed tracing technology on all transferred programs to prevent people from distributing the content beyond their personal use.
The service also is not compatible for Mac users, but TiVo plans to offer Mac-compatible software sometime next year, though no specific dates were given.