In more TiVo-related news (following yesterday’s hookup with NBC), the company is partnering with software maker, Nero, to develop a TiVo/Nero branded DVR solution for the PC. This will see the two company’s compete with existing PC software-based DVR products from Microsoft (Media Center), Snapstream (BeyondTV) and SageTV.

In the accompanying press release, TiVo’s CEO, Tom Rogers, is quoted as saying:

“This agreement provides TiVo with an opportunity to deliver its interface and differentiated feature set globally via the PC, enabling TiVo to use all avenues of mass distribution — from consumer electronics, to cable and satellite boxes and soon, the PC.”

In other words, this is as much about getting the TiVo brand and user experience into the hands of more users — who may then go onto purchase a dedicated TiVo box — than it is about making money from the leftover crumbs that is the software-based DVR market after Windows Media Center has taken its slice.

On that note, Dave Zatz (over at Zatz Not Funny) had this to say:

If TiVo was doing this on their own, I’d say it was a bone-headed move for a niche market owned by Microsoft’s Media Center these days. However, TiVo’s expense and risk are probably low by partnering with Nero… this is a clever way of pushing the TiVo interface and experience towards an international audience. (Nero, who you may know as a DVD-burning software company, has offices in Germany, Japan, and China in addition to the US.)