As we ponder an uncertain TiVo retail future, the non-DVR company ;) has just updated TiVo Online with a valuable new feature for existing customers. TiVo’s marketing team remains missing in action, but reseller Weaknees has the details:
If you have a Series3, Series4 (Premiere), Series5 (Roamio) or Series6 (Bolt), you can now bulk transfer recordings from the old TiVo to the new. The transfer process is done online, so both boxes have to be on your TiVo account and be networked.
Whether unloading, upgrading, or whatever, this is way more convenient than manually moving recordings one-by-one between DVRs or using a computer intermediary with kmttg, for those not already setup in that manner.
Copyrighted content can also be transferred?
> Copyrighted content can also be transferred?
That’s my main question. I’ll also be interested to see whether the feature is more reliable/resilient than TiVo-to-TiVo transfers, where a slate of queued transfers can be snuffed owing to temporary network outages or a reboot of one or the other TiVo.
It allowed me to initiate a transfer of a copy protected program about 30 minutes ago, but it still hasn’t showed up on the other TiVo. It strangely says the To Do List can be used to monitor progress of the transfer, but the To Do List just shows what the upcoming recordings are as one would expect so I don’t what they are talking about.
On the forum, it says copy restricted content cannot be copied (expected) but the tool doesn’t currently communicate that.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10836235#post10836235
This feature would be nice if TiVo sold devices with large drives. Like the Mega that I have never seen for sale.
Meanwhile, TiVo obviously believes that boxes with protected content will never fail. I have had several die with crowded drives.
And the only external they are currently selling is a puny 1TB model. SIGH
Yes, I know there are ways folks can open the box and install bigger drives but we shouldn’t have to do it ourselves.
Jim, the copy protection provisions are set by the cable industry – TiVo can’t deviate without their permission. While this is a legit cause, I’d doubt they’d waste the cycles making the case. As it stands,I find this a generous feature serving existing customers (given what they need is new customers).
Regarding the Bolt’s capacity, if they’re still in retail towards the end of the year CMO referred to a more suitable, pro-level box. We’ll see.
I would argue that while copy protection provisions are technically “set” by the cable company, they are only doing so under contractually obligated demand of the content creators (aka networks). In my system we would like nothing more than to have everything set to 0x00, but doing so would certainly invite litigation.
Then what’s the point. Some people are going to have significant amount of content on many HDD’s that is not going to be transferred. Well, the other stuff may, but we are seeing more a more content being flagged such that it won’t transfer.
While those with OTA only content can do a serious dance in the streets, this is an essentially neutered feature fro the vast majority of TiVo subscribers who get content from an MSO. C’mon. There is a reason content is flagged: because it is popular and of high value to an audience. So, some of the best content will never transferred. No, it may not be TiVo’s fault, but that is the apologist point of view. The fact remains that IT IS WHAT IT IS, and most people don’t care who is at “fault” but only that the feature work the way it SHOULD. Yes, better off with a sort of feature, but this is another TiVo feature that sounds great to potential new customers until the DETAILS are revealed and then those same potential new customers will say, “Forget it; Never-mind.” But that may not be of any concern if Rovi gets it hands on TiVo and reams the company.
pvaldez, providers choose at what level to copy restrict – sometimes based on content licensing requirements, sometimes based on the tides, sometimes inadvertently. TiVo has self-certified they abide by Cable Labs CableCARD provisions and what not, so that’s who they’re beholden to. While bulk transfer to a new device seems like a reasonable concession, I’m sure neither TiVo, Cable Labs, individual MSOs, nor anyone else would take this up – too small an item.
HarryKerryJr, this isn’t for new customers and TiVo certainly isn’t marketing it (not that they could, given their team and history) but it’s a hell of a lot more generous than any other set-top box scenario, no?
This sort of bulk transfer occurs when buying a new DVR and you don’t want to lose your recordings. If they implemented a copy once and then delete so there was just a single unique copy, that would go a long way. Should fulfill fair use clauses. The legalistic “CYA” approach that TiVo traditionally has adopted has always offended me as it fails to protect the user sufficiently — all because of fear of litigation…something they never seemed to fear when it has a big patent infringement payout on the other side…
Now that you mention it, I think TiVo already does this with recordings moving from DVR to mobile client? Hm. So maybe it was just too much work to implement or saved for Phase 2.
“Now that you mention it, I think TiVo already does this with recordings moving from DVR to mobile client? Hm. So maybe it was just too much work to implement or saved for Phase 2.”
Good catch!
I’ve thought the comments blaming TiVo for this were utterly inane. TiVo simply can’t blatantly violate CableLabs contracts because nescient folks want them to. But, yes, they could indeed implement a version of this that deletes the copy from the old DVR when it transfers it to the new DVR, exactly as they do with their quite clever and innovative mobile copy scheme.
But, yeah, probably involves complexity that necessitates a v2 implementation, if they decide to keep working on it. They were correct to release a v1 without it in the meantime.