"...Analysts say that TiVo--which hasn't yet turned a profit--is likely to become a takeover target or simply wither away in the face of more aggressive competition. TiVo executives maintain that the company can survive, but analysts are doubtful.
"The long-term future of TiVo is very much open to debate," said David Lee Smith, a Dain Rauscher Wessels analyst. "This may be a case of functionality masquerading as a company. There may be a lot of revenue streams here, but it's a question of whether they accrue to TiVo.
"In the end, every set-top box could offer TiVo capability," he added.
TiVo is feeling the heat from Microsoft with its UltimateTV player and Sonicblue with a resurrected ReplayTV. Microsoft earlier this year launched its UltimateTV service for DirecTV receivers, which offers digital video recorder capabilities."
