TiVo Archives - Page 43 of 149

The TiVo Premiere Fall Update Cometh

Fear not, TiVo Premiere owners… as our platform hasn’t yet been abandoned. And, within the next few weeks, the Fall Update will begin rolling out — bringing a variety of bug fixes, a far more usable Netflix app, Wishlists in HD, and dynamic tuner allocation for a better TiVo Mini experience. Unfortunately, the new slightly tweaked … Read more

The TiVo Roamio Pro Out Of Box Experience

So the plan had been wait until the new year, supposedly when Android streaming and Opera apps arrive, before considering a TiVo Roamio upgrade. Yet a highly compelling discount came my way via an industry pal and, as you can see above, I was motivated to take action.

My initial Roamio Pro experience is quite positive, starting with the lovely packaging which is in a very different league than my Premiere Elite’s nondescript cardboard marketing. Set-top box build quality feel goods and, while it won’t matter to most, the connections around back are better positioned for installation into my very tight, minimalist TV stand. Unfortunately, I’m not (yet?) digging the new RF/IR remote

$22 To Take Your Slingbox or TiVo Mini Wireless

For many years, I’ve relied upon a small ASUS wireless bridge (WL-330gE) for a variety of blog and personal projects around the house. And, frankly, I’m long overdue for a 802.11n upgrade… especially as I consider a second TiVo Mini — in my kitchen, lacking both coax and Ethernet connectivity. I’d originally considered having Verizon wire me up with another FiOS TV jack but, after their recent rate increases, that’s off the table. Powerline is another option, and probably a safer bet than wireless, yet I remain firmly anti-clutter.

So I briefly took a look at ASUS’ latest and greatest portable router (WL-330N), which does indeed add higher speed, greater distance 802.11n capabilities — but at $47 it was a bit more than I cared to spend for this sort of product. Not to mention, configuration of my model has always been something of a pain. Enter the TP-Link TL-WR702N

Verizon Jacks Up FiOS TV CableCARD Fees (Again)

Verizon is sending customers links and literature covering updated FiOS TV fees. And, sadly, TiVo owners will be paying the price. Already the most costly provider when it comes to CableCARD rentals, Verizon has jacked up the price, once again, to $4.99/month. By comparison, a DTA set-top box runs a single dollar more at $5.99/month.

Unfortunately, the differential doesn’t logically scale as the cost to replace a damaged or misplaced CableCARD runs $100 whereas the DTA is $175…. leading me to believe this supersized fee for a mere PCMCIA card is both punitive, designed to encourage folks to utilize Verizon’s own equipment, and intended to offset whatever additional support costs Verizon incurs due to (their) activation/pairing issues and the like. Of course, as all who follow this space know, CableCARDs are under attack … by the very same industry that put forth this imperfect technology and, yet, without a viable replacement.

TiVo Roamio Remote Now Available for $30

If your household is anything like mine, you might find you’re in need of his and hers TiVo remotes – one for each nightstand. Fortunately, new Roamio owners now have that option… as TiVo has launched a Roamio Remote accessory for $29.99:

Award-winning peanut shape in a more compact size and with new “back” button for use in apps.
Control power, input, volume and mute of your TV and/or audio receiver.
IR/RF signal removes line-of-sight requirements, ideal for in-cabinet setups.
Press the remote finder button on your TiVo Roamio™ Plus or Pro to have the remote play a TiVo jingle so you can easily find it.

Officially, the remote only supports Roamio hardware. However,

Motorola’s Moloney Tipped for TiVo’s Board

Every industry has its own small-world feel, and the cable industry perhaps more than most. Enemies and friends disappear and then reappear in new circles. Opponents in one fight end up allies in another. And the once-president of Motorola Mobility joins the Board of Directors for retail rival TiVo.

Such is the case with Dan Moloney. Moloney rose up through General Instruments, and was part of the acquisition of GI by Motorola in 2000. He ran Motorola’s Connected Home business (known by a variety of names over the years), and, after a brief stint as CEO of Technitrol in 2010, took on the role of President at Motorola Mobility when the original Motorola split in two. He left again in 2012 when Google took over, and has largely been off the radar for the last year.

Now Moloney’s back,

TiVo Roamio, One Month Later

After launching about a month ago to overwhelmingly positive reviews and to what we’re hearing are impressive sales, given limited (and bizarre) advertising to this point, TiVo Roamio out-of-home streaming is on track for an October launch — which is when TiVo intends to light up significant marketing, ideally timed for the critically important holiday shopping season, as … Read more

TiVo Squashes Roamio & Mini Netflix Crasher

I was absolutely delighted when Netflix (finally) hit my TiVo Mini. Yet others weren’t quite as enthusiastic… as outputting video at 1080p/24 not only brought down the Netflix app, it also rebooted the Mini. Ouch.

Fortunately, TiVo responded in short order and has deployed an OS update to both the newly released Roamio DVRs and the Mini:

Two important fixes in this release:

reboots related to Netflix with 1080p

reboots related to Pandora

In other TiVo update news… CEO Tom Rogers indicated that they company is still on track for out-of-home Roamio Plus and Pro video streaming to Apple mobile devices come October: