TTG
Latest
Hands-on with HD TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing
It seems as if we've been waiting a lot longer than a year for TiVo to add two of our favorite features to the Series3, and while complications with CableLabs haven't exactly made the process possible before now, we're elated that TiVoToGo and Multi-Room viewing are finally a reality. Both new features had to be enabled via TiVo.com by logging into our account and enabling transfers, and we've detailed the process below: Log into TiVo.com and under Manage My Account, enable transfers on each of your TiVos. Wait 24 hours for the TiVo to phone home or force a call Check System Information page on your TiVo and verify that TiVoToGo has a value of a,a,a and not i,i,i. If all else fails, force another call and reboot. You've waited long enough, so click on through to take a look at these two long-awaited features in action.
TiVo Series3 and HD FINALLY get TiVoToGo, MRV, eSATA drive, other new features
TiVo let on that November was going to be the month that both TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing became a reality, and now with only a week to go it's finally here. But that's not all TiVo's taken the occasion to announce: in addition to being able to stream shows between your TiVos (MRV) and copy programming from a TiVo to your PC (TiVoToGo), TiVo has also announced (hack free) eSATA drive support along with Western Digital's My DVR Expander, which, for $199, will expand your TiVo with 500GB of space (a good 65 hours of HD). Another new feature included with this release is progressive downloads, which means you won't have to wait for TiVoCast and Unbox videos to finish downloading before you can start enjoying them. Instead, the TiVo will figured out how much of a buffer is required for uninterrupted viewing and let you start watching as soon as possible. While most of these features have been a long time coming, we can only imagine how excited TiVo owners are to know that the wait is over -- assuming they've already signed up for the priority list to received the 9.2 update.
HD TiVo Fall update, still no TiVoToGo or Multi-room Viewing
TiVo is starting to roll out their fall update for the TiVo lineup including the TiVo HD and Series3. This brings them to version 9.1 which includes some bug fixes and a few new features. The WishList feature gets enhanced and now allows more advanced searches, but they've also added Crestron integration for the Series3. The TiVo HD gets left in the cold as does the rest of HA market, as only Crestron is supported. The integration is via IP, so hopefully TiVo will release the protocol, or someone can reverse engineer it. We'd assume that the more anticipated features like TiVoToGo, Multi-Room viewing and eSATA support are included too, but not yet activated. Perhaps it's time to start trying to find new kickstart commands.[Via ZatzNotFunny]
TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing coming to HD TiVos in November
It looks like it's finally going to happen, the Series3 and the TiVo HD are finally going to catch up to their SD siblings and get upgraded with the most highly anticipated TiVo features. We know all to well how complicated CableLabs can make it to bring 3rd party CableCARD products to market, and as a result we've been waiting over a year for the Series3 to get the ability to transfers shows to our PC and between TiVos. And while CableLabs has never specifically forbid these features, until recently they've made them impossible to implement. According to a post over at TiVoCommunity.com by Bob "TiVoPony" Poniatowski, a TiVo product marketing rep, both TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing are currently in beta and will be available to both Series3 and TiVo HD owners in November. Naturally, Bob reminds everybody about "the first rule of beta club", so we'll just have to take his word for it -- until it leaks, anyway.
TiVo's quarterly call, it's not all bad news
It's no secret that TiVo isn't a blue-chip stock, in fact the real question each quarter is usually, how much did they lose this time? This is a big reason why we have our TiVo Deathwatch, but it's not all bad for TiVo and since they make it nearly impossible for someone to buy them out, we like to focus on the positives. The Comcast deal is moving along, -- no not fast enough -- and not only are New England Comcast customers getting TiVo software on their Motorola boxes soon, but Comcast is going to foot-the-bill to port the software over to Scientific Atlanta boxes. We also enjoyed the mention of DirecTV's new software update, and get the feeling that we may see new TiVo products from DirecTV in the future. They're finally going to make it so you can start watching UnBox movies while they're downloading, but since there is still no mention of HD -- or even widescreen -- content, it's still useless. TiVo has finally got an HD TiVo for the masses, and looking forward, the future is looking brighter for SDV support, as well as old favorites like Multi-room Viewing and TiVoToGo, so with any luck, TiVo might get in the black next time around.
