http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/ Engadget Comments for TiVo Premiere review http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
TiVo had all this time to make the ultimate killer DVR, and all they could come up with is a laggy flash based piece of crap.

I'm really disappointed, because there are not that many other options out there, but somehow I doubt the Premiere will put an end to people leaving TiVo.
]]>Mar 24th 2010 10:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/So am I. I was really hoping this could solve a lot of my issues with DVR as well. Honestly, how I see it, DVR's won't last very much longer unless they incorporate more companies/ features. Netflix solved a lot of problems through instant streaming. ]]>Mar 24th 2010 10:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Thanks for the laugh. ]]>Mar 24th 2010 10:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/i loled]]>Mar 24th 2010 10:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
I'll bite on this one. We use an AppleTV in nearly every CI job we do now. Most of the time it's an iPod dock replacement as we've found that remembering where the heck your iPod is can be frustrating sometimes when you really just want to listen to something. There are some companies out there that provide 2-way IP drivers for the AppleTV that allow feedback to touch panels in automation systems.

I have an AppleTV at home and use it nearly every day. I would agree that Apple doesn't take the AppleTV very seriously. It should. With the iPad coming out and the iTouch/iPhone already already on the market, it would be the final pieve in the puzzle for Apple's media anywhere distribution system.

I love renting movies from it also, it's easier that Netflix imo, and definitely easier than trying to stream anything through my TiVo HD.

Honestly, if you slapped the music, movie and TV side from the AppleTV into a fully functioning (both cores, completly done HD menus, etc) TiVo Premier, it really could have been the 'one box to do it all'

Alas, TiVo fell way WAY short of this.]]>Mar 24th 2010 10:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://bit.ly/premiere-experience-tivo]]>Mar 25th 2010 1:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/go back under the bridge]]>Mar 25th 2010 3:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
The subscription fees are certainly an issue if you're used to using the free Windows MCE, but I think a majority of people use the rented DVRs from the cable companies, the monthly costs of which is usually equal to or greater than TiVo.

Comcast in NJ, for example, costs $15/month for DVR (DVR Service + Box Rental).]]>Mar 24th 2010 10:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 11:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
Technology has caught up Tivo, and for us long-time users, there's hardly any incentive to remain loyal. I prefer the recording quality I get from the cable card vs a tv tuner, which is why I've stayed this long (monthly fees vs costs of TV season DVDs have made the cost even out a bit) but now that the FCC has demanded TV providers come up with a new solution, I'm hoping to integrate it into a HTPC build to replace the Tivo, and then some.]]>Mar 24th 2010 11:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
What? Are you under the impression that you can't stream MP3 and AAC to a Tivo, or that you can't view photos in HD on a Tivo? Because if you are, then you are misinformed. You can do both.]]>Mar 26th 2010 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
I didn't mention anything about streaming anything. I compared the cost of renting a DVR from cableco and tivo subscription. Maybe you hit "reply" on the wrong post.]]>Mar 26th 2010 11:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/I think instead of using the time to concentrate on improving the UI, they spent the bulk of their time suing companies for patent infringement...

I'm still on my single tuner series 2 with lifetime sub. I was hoping to be able to upgrade to this, but I'll pass.

Modern Family, that show is freakin hilarious...]]>Mar 25th 2010 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
Now we know.

It's ridiculous they've left half of the interface unfinished. For the amount of hype this had ("reinventing the DVR") the UI should have been 100% complete across the entire system. Bugs are obviously inevitable but to just not even bother ...

that's pathetic.]]>Mar 24th 2010 10:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Seriously. It sucks cause we suffer and end up with less Editor interaction when they have to rush the post. ]]>Mar 25th 2010 2:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 10:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7843611#post7843611]]>Mar 25th 2010 12:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
I thought the interface looked bad on the preview Engadget had before. This is just so much worse than I had imagined.

Also, I think it looks dated as all heck. Just about every media center out there (Plex, XBMC, Boxee, *Windows* Media Center) has a better looking interface.

Full disclosure: I don't like TiVos, I have *never* liked TiVos.]]>Mar 24th 2010 11:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
I wouldn't go as far as to say its only obvious in hindsight, but if you take the time to go read what Echostar/DISH did (short version: worked with TiVo engineers, got a TiVo engineering unit, reverse engineered it, "lost" it, then came out with their own linux-based PVRs) then it seems TiVo is entirely justified suing E*. Basically, E* stole their research and development money. Its entirely justified that E* should be prohibited from selling their current and any other PVR technology that is based on the technology they stole from TiVo. Its ill-gotten gains, and E* needs to be punished for stealing. ]]>Mar 24th 2010 11:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
No. Someone at Echostar with an actual computing science degree probably got wind of the whole thing and probably realized that they didn't need Tivo Corp as they could replicate their work cleanroom style with a bunch of undergraduates.

That's what "obvious" means: not dissecting the patent and then replicating it.]]>Mar 25th 2010 9:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 11:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 11:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 11:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
My monthly Tivo bill is $8. My Crapcastic DVR was $12/month. Yes I had to buy the hardware up front but it was worth it.]]>Mar 24th 2010 11:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
Complaining about not including wifi? Seriously Engadget? Anyone who owns their house and is serious about their network has already run Cat-5e or above cable to their home theater. Wired ethernet is better than wireless. Period.]]>Mar 24th 2010 11:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
"Wired ethernet is better than wireless. Period."

You don't say.

The obvious technical differences aside. The lack of WiFi in any modern electronics device that supports streaming is a minus. Regardless of how well it performs. Would you be okay with a laptop that didn't have built-in wireless just because it had ethernet jack?

When you can buy Blu-ray players that support video streaming via wireless and even AVRs have it now, the fact that a device touted as being an internet and television box is a major oversight.]]>Mar 24th 2010 11:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 25th 2010 3:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 25th 2010 9:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
Are you kidding? People who live in apartments and don't want/can't tear up the building should not be streaming? Wired is better, but it's not always practicle. Period.]]>Mar 25th 2010 8:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
If that's not practicable, then alternative wired technologies like MoCA, HPNA, HomeplugTurbo and the like should be used. After that, if those technologies don't pan out for whatever reason, wireless is an option. But among all of that, users who own their home and can drop Cat-5e cabling or those who would be better served by alternative wired technologies shouldn't have to pay for a wireless adapter for the 1% who need it.

Another part of the problem is that there is so much buzz about wireless as opposed to alternative wireline technologies that people think it's appropriate for stationary devices, where it really isn't unless there are power line or coax issues that prevent the use of those technologies.

Plus, many of the users of this device own their own house anyways, which brings me back to the original point.]]>Mar 25th 2010 9:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 27th 2010 11:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
A lot of people in this country do own their own homes. Thus, the most logical thing to do is place the router and networking gear in the garage or basement and run CAT-5e from there to computers and HDTVs. That's what I have at home. If we need to add a device, we get out the 1000' box of CAT-5e and start dropping cable.

Another option that I know is fairly common is to run CAT-5 to each room, and then put a Level 2 switch at the home-run point, and then plug the router in any old place, and the rest of the network has internet access through that port on the main switch. It's electrically the same, except that the link between the internet router and network core switch is longer. Thus, it wouldn't matter if the router is with a desktop, or the TV, although in many cases the TV is where it goes, because that's where the coax is. I know someone who did it this way because his switch is in a basement that is only accessible from the outside, so he didn't want to have to go outside to hard reset the router.

For those who live in an apartment or whatnot, they should use Ethernet under the carpet if possible, and then MoCA or HomeplugAV as a second choice. Notice how virtually no users of this device have a legitimate need for wifi? Thus, the 95% of people who don't have a legitimate need for wifi shouldn't have to pay for it so that the ohter 5% don't have to plug a USB adapter in. The USB adapters are cheaply and easily available in any case, for when wireless is the only option.]]>Mar 27th 2010 12:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 11:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/Mar 24th 2010 11:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
It basically started with what TiVo took years to get and some of what TiVo still doesn't have. The only reason the boxes didn't stick around was they got sued to the point of destroying the business. I don't recall what conglomeration attacked them but they actually lost the suit about the commercial skip feature and they had to remove that feature from future boxes. Unfortunately they didn't have a future after the court case.

The networking feature was another reason they were sued. The networking feature not only allowed you to share recordings with other boxes in the house, you could share recordings with ANYONE in the country. Cable internet was much slower back then so the downloading wasn't optimal for sharing an episode of "Friends" from Los Angeles to New York but the point is that it had the ability to do it.

I wouldn't be surprised if TiVo was behind the law suite that crippled ReplayTV and took a much superior product off the shelves.]]>Mar 24th 2010 11:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
and the image quality on the replays was better than tivos. tivo compression is awful and severely degrades the picture. replay had much better compression across all settings.

ReplayTV was really an amazing product. I am still using my two lifetime devices and love them to this day. I am still amazed at how well they work. Very zippy interface and easy networking.

The only downsides are a crippled ethernet port, the component output produces a dark picture, and the progressive setting slows down the UI too much.

I tried a TivoHD a year ago but the UI was so frickin slow that I returned it. Yes, Tivo looks user friendly but in reality it's cumbersome. Replay has a simple, logical interface while not as pretty as Tivo works much much better.

]]>Mar 25th 2010 1:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
The statement is true, sort of. ReplayTV's were priced much higher than Tivos. So they didn't have a "competitive price" with the Tivo. Now technically a TiVo + lifetime service was roughly equivalent to the price of a ReplayTV, but when sitting on a store shelf, the average consumer would not see them as competitive. Heck Replay itself switched to TiVo's pricing model at one point during its lifespan (and then switched back less than a year later, IIRC).

I was a huge ReplayTV fan. I owned 7 ReplayTVs over the years (3 of the 3k series/Showstoppers and 4 of the 5k series). I'm switched over to TiVo now for HD recording, but the wife still complains about the lack of Automatic Commerical Skip.

And while the press always refers to the lawsuit as the downfall of ReplayTV, it was more like the last nail in the coffin. In reality the downfall of Replay can be traced to the collapse of the IPO market in 2000. Replay was supposed to IPO in late 2000, but they didn't b/c of the bubble bursting. This didn't give Replay the cash infusion it needed to survive on its own (like Tivo got in its '99 IPO), so I had to be bought out. And the company that bought, SonicBlue, was in alot of debt to begin with. They spent alot of money acquiring Replay & Diamond Multimedia (for their Rio MP3 players). The lawsuit wound up cutting into the Replay money and the release of the iPod pretty much destroyed the sales of the Rio brand MP3 players. SB gambled on Replay and Rio being the future if digital media and neither one paid off. SB declared bankruptcy and sold off Replay to Denon/Marantz. D&M removed the lawsuit inducing features, but by that time TiVo was ahead in name recognition and by that time the cable companies were soon to be releasing their own DVR.

]]>Mar 25th 2010 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/24/tivo-premiere-review/
New UI: +25
* Only skin deep: -10

Dual Core CPU: +30
* Software developers cant get multithreading right: -20

No integrated WiFi: -10
No integrated Bluetooth: -5
Doesn't come with slider QWERTY remote even though its so heavily geared towards searching using an on-screen keyboard: -20
No DLNA (so I can stream movies from my computer without having to copy and wait for the full program onto the TiVo): -10

Oh you get where I'm going. Its a huge negative score.

Tivo is a perfect example of great ideas and poor execution. Maybe then can take the $300M they're going to get from Echostar and finally hire some engineers (or pay their existing ones more) to produce a unit that is worthy of the TiVo name. They talked a big game of being "the one box" you need for all your media. Well I'll still need a Boxee Box or some other device for DLNA content, Hulu, etc. ]]>Mar 25th 2010 12:06AM