Dave Zatz

Fox Locks Down TiVo On FiOS

For years, we’ve proclaimed FiOS to be the best home for TIVo owners. And I’ve put my money where my mouth is in that regard. Yet, with newly introduced copy restrictions, this may no longer be the case. As first discovered on the MythTV mailing list, and coming to my attention via Twitter, Verizon now flags Fox’s cable content with the CCI Byte as “Copy Once.”

For TiVo and/or CableLabs, copy once allows us to DVR a show… but that recording cannot not be streamed beyond our home networks or downloaded to computer by TiVoToGo clients. Also, given the unfinished TiVo Online experience, it’s quite likely these shows will similarly be out of reach for in-home browser-based streaming.

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HBO WENT: Older Rokus Lose HBO GO

As older TiVo set-tops losing Amazon Instant and YouTube, Roku has drawn a line in the sand with similar partner responses. No Roku players produced prior to May 2011 (a lifetime ago in this space) will receive software updates. And, as app complexity and hardware requirements increase, existing channels will be dropped. Namely HBO GO – … Read more

TiVo Update To Stream MPEG4 Cable

While “early 2015” has come and gone, TiVo is making good on their promise to stream cable content encoded in MPEG-4 as the industry drives towards more efficient utilization of its finite bandwidth. Roamio Pro and Plus DVRs updated with software release 20.5.2, in conjunction with recently updated iOS and Android apps, gain these new capabilities… as early as today, if you get your boxes on the new Priority list (with old heading). And we imagine similar TiVo Stream support for Premiere, Roamio, and Roamio OTA is not far behind. Those who abstain from the Priority List should expect rolling updates to begin in August.

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Slingbox Mobile Clients To Drop Fees, Offer Paid Ad-Free Upgrade

Perhaps in conjunction with the introduction of a new Slingbox M2, we’re being told that Slingbox mobile clients for Android and iOS will soon be free -as opposed to the current $15 or original $30 SlingPlayer price points. Presumably the company can assume these costs in order to move more hardware and given the introduction of ad serving… well, all … Read more

Slingbox M2 En Route

By way of some updated product pages Sling Media prematurely published and then pulled, but fortunately cached by Google, we see a Slingbox M2 is on the way. Like every Slingbox, the OG and still most liberating TV Everywhere solution, the M2 is designed to beam your television content both around the home and beyond to computers, set-tops, and mobiles. The obvious successor to the wireless 1080p Slingbox M1, which we quite liked … until the ad blitz, the M2 appears to clock in at the same $150 MSRP. Beyond the name, I wasn’t able to glean much from the limited description and will just go ahead an assume Echostar’s goal here is to reduce the company’s hardware expenses while improving the end-user experience. But how much demand will there be given the vast number of competitive streaming options out there, that possibly cover many people’s needs much of the time?

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Is Tebow Still on TiVo’s Payroll?

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, occasional NFL starter Tim Tebow is still on TiVo’s payroll. As Tebow answered questions, two executives with TiVo Inc. traveled from the company’s San Jose, Calif., headquarters to Beverly Hills to meet with representatives from William Morris Endeavor Entertainment […] to explore an endorsement agreement – one that Tebow and TiVo … Read more