TiVo Announces Supercharged iPad Remote App

Looks like TiVo is skipping a simplistic mobile remote control app, leapfrogging directly from their limited mobile website to a supercharged iPad app… that is much more than a mere remote. The upcoming app appears to replicate nearly all TiVo functionality in your lap and, most impressive, doesn’t duplicate what’s on screen — meaning you can browse the guide or your recordings without interrupting whatever’s already on screen. From the press release:

• Gesture based control – Take complete control of all recordings, even dragging forward and back through a show with a simple tap or swipe
• Start watching what you want – Launch a recorded show, live TV or streaming video with the swipe of a finger
• Program guide – Browse your full-screen TV program guide without interrupting TV viewing
• Schedule – Schedule one-time recordings and Season Pass recordings from the device at home or on-the-go
• Get more from your shows and movies – Explore cast and crew and other recommendations of your favorite shows without interrupting the big screen
• Search – Search for all of your favorite TV shows, movies, actors or directors across both broadcast and broadband from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, and more

Additionally, the iPad app will enable users to fire off tweets and Facebook status updates about the shows their watching, spoilers and all. Although it’s a heck of a lot more natural way to communicate online than the early kludgey Twitter-on-TV apps we’ve seen.

In talking to TiVo, Premiere DVR hardware will see a software update to support the new app. And, given what it does, they’ve obviously added a slew of new hooks accessible via WiFi. Although it’s yet to be seen if third party developers will be able to tap into them. Additionally, TiVo has nothing to say at this time regarding other mobile devices or platforms. Although anything destined for a smaller screen iPhone or Android handset would surely require a reworked UI given how much they’ve packed in.

TiVo says this free iPad companion app will be available “in the coming weeks” and I assume they’ve decided to pre-announce with the knowledge that folks are currently stocking up on holiday gifts.

Click to enlarge: