TiVo Winter Update to Feature Amazon, Vudu, and Mobile Improvements

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tivo-winter-update

TiVo’s Winter Update nears release. And, as you can see from the pic above, it’s headlined by mobile streaming enhancements along with the previously disclosed Amazon and Vudu apps. While Vudu and its Ultraviolet library tie-in an entirely new (and welcome) TiVo offering, Amazon Instant is a long overdue update that brings the full fledged streaming app experience… and finally includes access to oodles of “free” Prime content.

Beyond the new and improved over-the-top video content, TiVo also promises “improved video quality and performance while streaming shows to mobile devices.” As to the specifics, one can only guess. But I’m hopeful this refers to a more dynamic and broader range of bitrates… to finally also bring cellular streaming to iOS devices and perhaps the retirement of the TiVo proxy, requiring extra hops for all video to flow through.

The Winter update is expected to hit TiVo Roamio and Mini extenders by late November (but hopefully sooner).

47 thoughts on “TiVo Winter Update to Feature Amazon, Vudu, and Mobile Improvements”

  3. “Great news! I can finally retire my Roku 2”

    Speaking of that, can Dave (or anyone else) speak about the comparative experience of Netflix on TiVo vs Roku, as that might give us a preview of the comparative experience with Amazon? Just as snappy and feature-filled?

    (I’m going to have to keep my Roku in any case, as I want my HBO Go and think the MSO’s will never allow TiVo to run HBO Go, plus I steer far away from the Apple TV. I’ll find out soon enough, as I’m going to get a Roamio before the end of the October sale now that I know there is a programmable remote, but I am curious in advance.)

    —–

    Also, is there any way to further lower my price on the Roamio direct from TiVo beyond the October sale that already lets me grandfather my cheap yearly rate and beats the Amazon discount?

  4. Chucky, TiVo apps are still slow – even on the Roamio and even with the Haxe rewrite on Premiere and Mini. However, it’s within acceptable range in my opinion – the main delay is launching the app, once up it’s fine or at least good enough. Since the Haxe rewrite and latest app update, I regularly run Netflix on my Mini. In theory, you can also use DIAL to directly launch playback from a mobile – but I’ve had less luck with that reliably working.

    Chucky, beyond the published promos you might try 50tivo or tivo50 in the coupon code box to try and save another $50 – not sure if they stack.

  5. “TiVo apps are still slow – even on the Roamio and even with the Haxe rewrite on Premiere and Mini. However, it’s within acceptable range in my opinion”

    Good to know. Being a big fan of ‘teh snappy’, perhaps I’ll end up sticking with the Roku for my own usage, while letting my SO use the Roamio for OTT. There has been a very bizarre (to me) severe WAF issue with the Roku, even though it’s got lots of content she desires. Done multiple hand-holding walk-throughs, and can’t imagine anything being simpler, but there it is anyway. Maybe the fact that she still sometimes records shows in SD should fully explain the problem to me…

    (And maybe I’ll succumb to the lure of the One Remote, and use the Roamio OTT myself too, except for HBO Go. Who knows?)

    —–

    “Chucky, beyond the published promos you might try 50tivo or tivo50 in the coupon code box to try and save $50.”

    Thank you. Much appreciated. Will be curious to see if they let me combine the coupon with the sale.

    “I do prefer you buy direct from TiVo.”

    I was planning to, for the obvious reason you allude to, but I seem to running into a problem that may eliminate your kickback. When I go to ‘shop TiVo’ on their website while freshly logged in to my account, there is no mention of the October sale, which would save me a considerable amount of money, both up front, and over time. Additionally, the ad on my TiVo HD promoting the October sale sez to call in.

    So, if you have any suggestions on how I can accommodate you while still getting the sale terms, either via the website or via phone, let me know, and I will definitely proceed accordingly.

  6. I am far mor interested in the Vudu app than the Amazon Prime app. Frankly, I have used the Amazon app on other devices and it isn’t nearly as good as Netflix.

    However, having access to my Ultraviolet library? I may never purchase a hard copy disk again.

  7. Chucky, Eh just call in and save the money with minimal effort. The affiliate stuff is handled via cookies, which you probably block anyhow. ;) (I received an upgrade promo too, but it came via email and was specific to an existing TSN – interesting.)

  8. “Eh just call in and save the money with minimal effort. The affiliate stuff is handled via cookies, which you probably block anyhow.”

    I’d use my tertiary browser with JS and cookies, just for you, if I could help…

    “I received an upgrade promo too, but it came via email and was specific to an existing TSN – interesting.”

    Just scanned my Inbox 10,000™ email, and yup, I’ve got the same email promo tied to existing TSN. I had already figured as much, given that the on-screen promo was partly about grandfathering in my current service plan.

    However, the email notes that it is a ‘call center only’ offer. So if you know of some way for me to effectively bring up your affiliate code in a phone order, let me know.

  9. “Frankly, I have used the Amazon app on other devices and it isn’t nearly as good as Netflix.”

    Unless you care about PQ, of course. Even under best Netflix conditions, Amazon SD is roughly equivalent to Netflix HD; perhaps a bit better. And Amazon HD blows Netflix away. And all that is before noting that Amazon PQ is miles ahead of Netflix in terms of 24/7 reliability.

    (Beyond Prime, I’ve actually paid to rent a few movies from Amazon that are available on Netflix just for the PQ…)

  10. Hm, my promo is call in or online (via unique code). But don’t sweat it, it’s all good – call in and get yourself modernized.

  11. Hey Chucky, I assume you are talking about the Amazon download app having a better PQ than Netflix streaming? Both the streaming apps offer very similar consistent 1080p video.

    I suspect the old version will be removed once the streaming service is fully deployed…

  12. “Hey Chucky, I assume you are talking about the Amazon download app having a better PQ than Netflix streaming?”

    Nope. Amazon streaming is clearly superior to Netflix streaming in regards to PQ.

  13. “Hm, my promo is call in or online (via unique code). But don’t sweat it, it’s all good”

    Well, if I can do it via phone with a certain code, as Rick James sez: give it to me, baby. Not ordering for another week anyway, cuz I still need to binge-watch The Knick a second time before the switch-over.

    Not sweating it, but considering my browsing habits don’t even give you ad impressions, it’s the least I can do. And it’s fully ethically justified here because it was your mention about the Slide learning remote that prompted my purchase. (Additionally, as always, if you had a simple Amazon search box up, I’d occasionally toss you some of Jeff Bezos’s money, the way I do with other blogs I frequent.)

  15. @Chucky “Even under best Netflix conditions, Amazon SD is roughly equivalent to Netflix HD; perhaps a bit better.”

    Do you honestly believe this? Who do you use as an ISP?

    “And Amazon HD blows Netflix away. And all that is before noting that Amazon PQ is miles ahead of Netflix in terms of 24/7 reliability.”

    Are there many people living in this world you’ve created for yourself?

  16. @Chucky,

    So you’re upgrading from a Premiere to a Roamio? I’m assuming this is what is happening but maybe you are still on an HD… myself I’m on a Premiere and with the Haxe rewrite I’m having trouble justifying the upgrade. We do run into disconnects with some frequency from the bedroom Mini, and I would like to have the extra tuners so the wife doesn’t run into the dreaded “all tuners busy” error when trying to watch live (which she almost always does for reasons I don’t understand). But not enough to justify the $725 they want for a Roamio Plus (mostly for the 6 tuners). Guess I’ll just wait and see if there’s a better offer down the line?

    I guess maybe I could get ~$350 for a Tivo Premiere XL4 bundle with the Stream? So what $375 overall? Huh. But then I’ve got to do the whole Comcast dance again…

    The Amazon Prime access would certainly be appreciated. Will keep me from looking at pickup up one of their streamers any time soon probably, though I’m sure the speed difference is MASSIVE. But I could imagine a good Amazon app on the TiVo killing off my remaining occasional use of the Apple TV that-hasn’t-been-updated-in-forever. The occasional rental purchase ain’t gonna justify that thing much longer.

  17. Glen,

    I thought i was the only one. Every morning when i really want to use the Mini, i have to do a reboot because of the disconnect. When I put a Premiere on the same connection it handles it fine.

    John

  19. “Do you honestly believe [Amazon streaming is clearly superior to Netflix streaming]?”

    Hells, yeh.

    Under pristine circumstances, Amazon just ships a higher bit-rate than Netflix. That’s really all it takes. And Amazon manages to create pristine circumstances much more often in a 24/7 atmosphere than Netflix.

    “Are there many people living in this world you’ve created for yourself?”

    Pretty much everyone who’s seriously examined this lives in ‘the world I’ve created for myself’…

  20. “So you’re upgrading from a Premiere to a Roamio? I’m assuming this is what is happening but maybe you are still on an HD”

    Yeah, still on an HD. I decided that S4 sucked from almost day 1. Upgraded the HD to 2GB a good while ago, and live in a single-teevee household with a Roku functioning well as a streamer and limited need for out-of-home streaming, so upgrading hasn’t been a priority.

    All that said, I’ve wanted to upgrade ever since the S5 was released, just based on the very nice technology. I’ve been held back because, for reasons too boring to go into, I need a learning remote. Now I know one exists, I’m ready.

  22. All these posts and I don’t think I’ve seen any mention of the increased video performance while streaming shows. What does it mean? Will there finally be a new app update for iOS so it doesn’t keep crashing and have annyoing unknown streaming error messages?

  24. Chucky, I agree with you about Amazon delivering FAR better PQ FAR MORE reliably. Further, Amazon has considerably MORE HD and 1080P content and most often Netflix’s versions of the same shows is NOT HD and certainly not 1080P. Netflix has a great model, and I do use it, but it’s clear Bezos care a bit more about the quality of what Amazon is streaming, even if that caring is nothing more than trying to the most compeitive he can with other streaming services. EVERY time content is available at both Amazon and Netflix, I use Amazon every time for its superior PQ. Hulu Plus also often provides better PQ than Netflix and, for me, Hulu Plus has better content for my taste, often UK content not available on either Netflix nor Amazon. As much as I LOVE Netflix’s model, in my book it rates a shameful dead last in PQ and last in offering content in HD compared to its competitors who seem to have more of the very same content in HD that Netflix does not.

    Step aside TiVo fanboys because the Netflix fanboys are taking your place. :).

  25. “As much as I LOVE Netflix’s model, in my book it rates a shameful dead last in PQ”

    Yup. Been an issue pretty much since the inception of a streaming market with multiple suppliers. Remember their big ‘Starz Play’ deal with content contractually served below 480i standards?

    And while they finally seem to be cleaning up their long-standing egregious aspect ration issues, that was horrendous for many years.

    But even as they’ve cleaned up some of the problems, the low bit-rate and 24/7 reliability issues remain, and as I’m about the explain, I don’t think they’re going away.

    (Also, let’s not forget the weird ‘latency’ issue I’ve neglected to mention. Whenever you start a stream, whether from the beginning of a show, or by pausing for more than a few seconds, or by FF/RW, you get a pretty long period of much lower bit-rate than you end up getting. None of the other major services have this issue.)

    “Netflix has a great model, and I do use it”

    Yup. Me too. (Plus, been a disc subscriber for more than a decade.)

    My one objection with Netflix streaming is their relentless insistence on the one-price-fits-all model. I think it would behoove them to create a two-tier price structure. There is definitely a huge market for a service with a very large catalog at a very low price, as they currently offer. But I simply don’t think they can afford excellent PQ fulfillment, plus their content acquisition costs, at that very low price. If they split the pricing into ‘normal’ PQ and ‘premium’ PQ tiers, I’d happily pony up several more bucks a month for the ‘premium’, while the large bulk of their customers could continue along with the lower priced ‘normal’. But they really seem philosophically opposed to that kind of scheme.

    “it’s clear Bezos care a bit more about the quality of what Amazon is streaming”

    No surprise. The entire Amazon empire has been built almost since day 1 on the foundation of exemplary fulfillment. And delivering high PQ streaming is just another aspect of fulfillment. The costs Amazon has always been willing to incur in pursuit of exemplary fulfillment is one of the core reasons why they perpetually run at near break-even, instead of racking up reasonable net margins.

  27. Yeah, I was aware of that, Sam, thanks to Dave. But they have essentially zero choice in moving in that direction for 4K – they’d be losing buckets of money on 4K otherwise. (And further, I think if they want to increase the number of 4K titles beyond their current token number, they’re going to have to raise that price even more – and hope broadband caps don’t take hold.)

    But given that I think we’re still a while away from 4K going truly mainstream, (and given I think it’ll hit the mainstream via multicast before IP delivery), I do wish they’d introduce a non-4K ‘premium’ tier for better fulfillment in the long meantime. I know I’d happily pay $15/month for a reliable 10Mbps stream of their full current library. And given that only a minority of their customers would do that, it wouldn’t be as much of a risk of triggering bandwidth caps. (Or perhaps some of that extra money would go to the ISP’s just to have them leave the Netflix ‘premium’ bandwidth exempt.)

    I don’t expect it to ever happen, but it’d make me a happier customer, and perhaps help their bottom line a bit.

  28. Netflix rates my ISP RCN at 3.21Mbps avg prime time speed and with a 50Mbps connection I see a great picture on both Netflix and Amazon instant (I rent movies). RCN is also a Netflix Open Connect partner. HBOGo is also very good but Showtime Anytime occasionally buffers.

    As for money and PQ Amazon Video will have to spend if/when it gains more customers. Amazon Video’s prime time bandwidth usage is tiny, less than Facebook!

    Peak Period Downstream Applications Share % – North America

    Netflix………….34.21%
    YouTube……..13.19%
    iTunes…………..3.64%
    Facebook………1.99%
    Amazon Video..1.90%
    Hulu……………..1.74%
    Twitch TV………1.35%
    HBO GO………..1.24%

    http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/netflix-youtube-bandwidth-usage-1201179643

  29. “Netflix rates my ISP RCN at 3.21Mbps avg prime time speed and with a 50Mbps connection I see a great picture on both Netflix and Amazon instant (I rent movies).”

    I’m on FIOS, and my Netflix PQ has obviously massively improved recently as the companies finally implemented their deal. In fact, my ISP is now higher in the Netflix ratings than yours.

    But Amazon is still shipping a higher bit-rate. And is still more 24/7 reliable. And is still free of the ‘latency’ issues Netflix has. (Though the Netflix server co-location your ISP has that mine does not may solve the issues other than the lower bit-rate. Or may not.)

    “Peak Period Downstream Applications Share % – North America”

    I’m definitely aware of those figures, and they’re precisely why Netflix keeps repeatedly finding itself in such a bind in terms of fulfillment at the prices they’re charging. Which is why I’d love a higher-quality ‘premium’ tier at a higher price point. I’m willing to pay more for better fulfillment.

    “As for money and PQ Amazon Video will have to spend if/when it gains more customers.”

    Sure. But I don’t think Amazon even aspires to anything even vaguely near a Netflix-level dominance of traffic. Prime Video is an add-on, not a Netflix killer. And a-la-carte rentals will never amount to a huge percentage of traffic.

    (Very tangentially, one of the nice fulfillment touches from Amazon is they ship the same bit-rate and reliability with Prime as they do with paid rentals.)

    At the end of the day, I think there is likely room for only one cheap all-you-can-eat service with a deep catalog. And I think Netflix will do everything they can to keep being that service. They just can’t do it at high PQ without a two-tiered pricing structure.

  30. Having access to Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu Plus as to what streams better is a variable mismosh of what day it is, what time it is and title popularity. The best quality comes from a paid Amazon download, streaming will always come in second because everyone uses adaptive streaming and adaptive streaming has motion issues.
    With the Winter Update we will gain Prime with Amazon but may lose download capability (I hope not). At least Apple TV can still download video and of course there is disc.

  33. “Here’s something odd about the 20.4.5 update – “Premiere will get the update too, but the Roamio newer/faster hardware enables additional functionality.”

    Yeah. I’m surprised that ‘additional functionality’ for the Roamio hasn’t gotten more attention. You’d think the functionality to receive all cable channels without needing to even have a cable sub would be a bigger deal…

  34. FYI, Members of TCF are reporting their tivos are downloading the new update. No one reports seeing any differences, such as Vudu or Amazon Prime, as of yet though.

  40. I like the Vudu app on the TiVos. I’m currently streaming three bar HDX to four of my TiVos without issue. I will start usingmy TiVos for teh Vudu app.

    But the Amazon app on the TiVos is sluggish. Although when streaming it does ramp up to HD 1080P within a few seconds if not right away. But because of the sluggish navigation I probably won’t use Amazon Prime streaming on the TiVos too much.

  41. I signed up for the 20.4.5 update on the priority web page, was able to load 20.4.5 yesterday, but I’m not seeing Vudu or Amazon Prime yet. Do I have to do something else? I also checked my video providers.

  42. I got the update this morning and found that the Amazon Prime app on Tivo is unusably bad. I routinely use Amazon Prime via the Samsung Smart Hub, with no problem. On Tivo, the streaming is too slow, and the video was blurry and repeatedly stopped completely. Maybe it’ll get better? In the mean time, I guess I can’t put away the Samsung remote yet.

  43. I also have 20.4.5 but no Amazon Prime or Vudu on my Mini and Roamio. I’m assuming they must push the apps separately and that they will eventually appear.

  44. Has TiVo ever explained why they can’t finish their HD interface? I don’t understand why part of it is still the old interface. How many years has it been?

  45. Kevin, bbock, it’s a matter of timing. Those who received 20.4.5 on their boxes before like 5PM received the apps that evening. One of my Minis has them, the other I don’t think it does. Not sure how long those boxes will have to wait, hopefully feedback from the field is good and they expedite further rollout of OS and app updates.

    Regarding the still incomplete HDUI, TiVo obviously doesn’t feel like it’s worth prioritizing… kinda implying they can handle only so much development at a time and/or the head count is insufficient.

  46. FYI, I didn’t sign up for priority and received the new Amazon Instant streaming app last weekend. It’s great. Thank you TiVo for taking control of input one on my receiver. It’s great being able to easily and quickly bounce from over the air, to Amazon to Netflix.

    Next up HBO Go.

    Thanks again TiVo!

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