Unlike the incomplete and stagnant Premiere, TiVo’s iPad app has seen regular updates since release. And the latest brings a handful of improvements:
What’s New in Version 1.2
-New channel search feature which allows you to search channels in the guide by channel number or station name (Ex: ESPN, etc)
-New fast channel indexes in the guide allow you to quickly jump to a group of channels by channel number
-New disk space meter in My Shows lets you see the percentage of disk space the DVR is using
-Fixes crashing/connection loss issues when waking the app from standby or resuming after multitasking
-Significant performance improvements
While TiVo’s couch-based DVR companion is amongst the most well rounded and visually rich, the interface can get a bit busy. The new channel search (bottom, center pic) is a prime example. I really dig the feature, as I have no idea where the vast majority of my one bazillion FiOS TV channels reside, yet I’d prefer to see the functionality somehow integrated into the existing search field rather than introducing a new UI element. Likewise, I’d like to see the free space indicator (pic above) toned down a bit, maybe filling the meter with grey. But these are just nit picks… Most importantly, the guide appears to load more quickly making for a more pleasant browsing experience. Unfortunately, there’s still one open issue. But TiVo says they’re on it:
-Occasional ‘Premiere not found’ networking problem will be resolved in an upcoming TiVo DVR software release
I really wish one could do MORE with it when outside the LAN. I’d like to be able to see NP list, edit recordings, delete remotely and some of the other features while LOGGED in but on the WAN
Considering how well designed and feature functional the iPad app is, it amazes me that it gets mostly horrible reviews in the app store. I believe the vast majority of those are from Series 2 and 3 users who complain it doesn’t work.
I have a Slide remote so I don’t use the app as a remote, but I find times when I’m doing things like finding a show to play or reordering season passes when I suddenly remember that it would be easier to do with the app.
There’s another odd glitch that I see from time to time where the app will show a program as being scheduled to record when viewing the upcoming episodes of a program when it is not scheduled to record. What’s odd about that is that these false recordings don’t show up in the To Do list in the app, but I can “cancel” them anyway and the TiVo’s history list will say they were “deleted”.
I agree that WAN mode is pretty much lacking at this point, but that’s because there’s no way for the app to talk to the TiVo remotely. They could add the season pass manager, now playing list and To do list to the app though
Overall though I love the app.
Yeah, compare to the Verizon FiOS app(s) which talk directly to your DVR – WAN or LAN.
I think many of the reviews are also from early versions where they did have problems.
I know for me one feature I keep hoping to see is the ability to pull or push shows from one TiVo to another or even queue up transfers from the PC. It would save me having to exit the show I am watching to start a transfer especially since on the iPad app I can see it is on the other TiVo.
I also wish they would update TiVo Desktop to add the iPad app features. Instead it seems like TiVo Desktop is pretty much abandoned except for bug fixes.
“Yeah, compare to the Verizon FiOS app(s) which talk directly to your DVR – WAN or LAN.”
Well, compare to the Plex iPad app, which works with the TiVo ecosystem…
Dave, I think you were a bit harsh calling the Premier ‘stagnant’. More like ‘slowly moving’. ;-)
As for WAN mode – TiVo added XMPP years ago, right? Why don’t they exploit that more? I’ve been saying for ages that scheduling on the website should be instantaneous, and the iPad app could work similarly. Each TiVo signs into ‘chat’ via XMPP, the app also signs into ‘chat’. XMPP is used as a channel for instant communication – or even just as a control channel to tell the TiVo “Hey, open an outbound connection to server X.” There are also tricks that can be used to auto-punch through home firewalls – having the TiVo send outbound packets to make an NAT map on the firewall that the client then comes back on. Or just have a proxy server at TiVo – XMPP could be used for most things (light weight) and then if you need to do heavy lifting a new channel opens via the proxy.
I don’t think even slowly moving is right at this point. Figure the Premiere has been out for just over a year now and the last 4 months there have been no updates. Even with TiVo’s known slow speed when it comes to product development and release, I never expected the Premiere not to have a full HD UI a year after release.
“I don’t think even slowly moving is right at this point. Figure the Premiere has been out for just over a year now and the last 4 months there have been no updates.”
Hell, they haven’t even bothered to fix the SDUI 10 minute hang bug yet.
(And for all the Premiere’s problems, I’m actually ready to upgrade from my TiVo HD now, and would literally do so next week at TiVo’s standard upgrade price if the SDUI 10 minute hang bug were fixed.)
One hopes they have new hardware they’re busy getting ready to intro. One worries that there is no pulse in Alviso.
“I never expected the Premiere not to have a full HD UI a year after release.”
My idea that the Premiere was beta hardware has started looking pretty good, no? Either they’re idiots, or they merely picked a software platform that needed next-gen hardware to properly run…
I’m glad you liked my idea for channel search! ,I talked to a couple csrs at tivo,about this idea and was glad to see it in the recent tivo survey! I hope they add this channel search to the tivo premiere soon!( OF COURSE I’M SURE I;M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SUGGESTED THIS!) but its nice to see tivo pay attention to their customers.
now if only we can get tivo to add a 90 minute buffer like directv,instead of the 30 minute buffer they have!!
Actually, it reinforces to me that the surveys validate what they’re already working on and/or foreshadow so folks like you feel good when released. As there’s no way they designed, tested, and released this particular feature two weeks after the survey. By the way, my FiOS DVR running their *old* software lets me search for channels.
I got an iPad 2 last week, and, unfortunately, get the dreaded “Premiere not found” message. There are a couple of fixes, but I’ve not tried them yet since app isn’t essential.
There should be more functionality outside of home LAN and there should be an option to stream/download a recording to iPad (even if it’s restricted to home LAN).
Why is TiVo still utilizing the MIPS architecture? In today’s ecosystem, ARM SoC packages can be procured with 4X the power around the same price. Granted, TiVo might need to package encoders/decoders off the chip. The power presented by a Samsung A9 based SoC design (think Apple A4 or A5 which are rebadged Samsung packages with PowerVR GPUs) would work wonders for their DVR performance. TiVo could utilize Apple’s Darwin hybrid BSD/UNIX OS, and get the much larger Cupertino CA based company to fund the optimization work. TiVo should further abandon Adobe’s Flash/AIR platform, and build a new API based on GNUSTEP. GNUSTEP is an Object-oriented API based on NeXTSTEP’s App KIt better know today as Apple Cocoa. Tools already exist to build and port Cocoa apps to GNUSTEP. TiVo would simply need to build a look-a-like GUI based on the iPad App for TV and tune GNUSTEP’s Interface Builder app for developers to build applications for it. It makes sense and allows developers to leverage iOS code. Makes sense to me, so lord knows it won’t happen.
Interesting i didnt know the verizon dvr could search channels!,I only used it for 1 month before i got my tivo premieres. I’m tempted to get one of the new verizon dvrs,so i can get their VOD. BTW do you know if the tivos will ever be able to get verizons VOD? thanks for all your information i check your site EVERYDAY!
Technically, it can be done. TiVo and partners have proven that backchannel IP communication methods work. However, it would require cooperation between TiVo and Verizon to get it done, possibly with money changing hands. So would it happen is a better question. And I don’t know.