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More than 2 million couch potatoes now routinely pause, fast-forward and automatically "TiVo" their favorite TV shows, thanks to Jim Barton. Adding his voice to the crowd, former FCC chairman Michael Powell called TiVo "God's machine" and, in a candid moment at the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show, said it was his favorite Christmas present.
Indeed, Barton helped create a cool new category—the digital video recorder (DVR)—at the increasingly crowded intersection of broadcasting and digital electronics. "Of all the people I have met from Silicon Valley who tried to bridge the SoCal entertainment and NorCal technology worlds, Jim was the one with the clearest sensitivity to consumers," said Stephen Ste. Marie, who as marketing chief of satellite-TV company DirecTV sat on TiVo's advisory board in its formative years.
A level-headed ideas man who colleagues say can doggedly stick to his opinions, Barton earned his stripes in the 1990s defining the Full Service Network, Time Warner's Orlando, Fla., prototype of a 500-channel interactive-TV network.
The FSN failed, but Barton took away valuable lessons about the importance of simplicity over interactivity in consumer electronics.
Given the intense competitive pressure in the DVR sector, TiVo's future is unclear today. But there's little doubt that Barton will continue to be influential. A gentle behind-the-scenes guy with a quiet, clear intensity and a voice so soft it often fades away when taped, Barton has plenty of ideas for a young digital-media world still ripe for disruptive innovation. "I'm the guy who comes in to get things started, getting things rolling and getting people interested," Barton said.
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