Charter Communications Inc. 's launch of TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO) Premiere boxes in Texas marks the latest integration with the Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS) cable VoD back-office system. Most previous TiVo-cable VoD integrations have involved SeaChange International Inc. (Nasdaq: SEAC)'s platform.

Update: Charter's TiVo debut doesn't mark the first field deployment that ties in the Arris VoD platform. TiVo confirmed that Suddenlink Communications and Grande Communications have also integrated TiVo with VoD products that run on the Arris back-office.

Charter's expected to complete similar integrations with the Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) VoD back-office as it introduces TiVo into other markets next year. (See Ericsson, Arris to Aid Charter-TiVo Hook-Up.)

Charter's launch in the Ft. Worth area confirms what company CEO Mike Lovett said at the UBS AG conference in New York this week, but more details are now emerging. (See Charter Picks First TiVo Market .)

Pricing could vary as the MSO debuts TiVo in other markets, but, in Ft. Worth, Charter will charge $20 per month -- the same price as a generic HD-DVR from Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO). For the whole-home component, customers will be required to link two Premiere boxes over the home network. Charter is offering customers a second Premiere box for $10 per month under a 12-month promotion, says Cheryl Davis, Charter's director of video product development.

Charter also intends to support the TiVo Preview, a light-client box that feeds off the Premiere device, as it extends the product into markets that operate digital-only equipment. (See TiVo Debuts Whole-Home DVR Gear.)

Charter's TiVo product will include several over-the-top apps, including Pandora Media Inc. and YouTube Inc. , but won't offer Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX), which doesn't have rights to stream content to MSO-leased devices. However, there's a "desire from both companies [Charter and TiVo] to offer that kind of content," Davis said. (See Suddenlink Blames Netflix Contracts .)

Why this matters
The Ft. Worth deployment on the Arris back-office is significant for TiVo as it represents a key portion of U.S. cable's VoD base. Its coming integration with Ericsson will only help TiVo as it looks to partner with more MSOs.

For Charter, the launch represents a key leg in its advanced video strategy, its support for broadband-fed video and the use of integrated search and navigation systems that begin to tie together OTT, linear video and legacy VoD. (See Reinventing Cable's Video Experience.)

For more
Read more about TiVo and its ongoing integration with cable VoD.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable