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Alexa's DVR controls will finally let you record a show
For all the recent talk of using Alexa to control DVRs, there's been a conspicuous inability to record to a DVR using the voice assistant. That won't be a problem for much longer: Amazon has bolstered Alexa's Voice Skill programming kit with recording features. Tell the AI helper to record a favorite show or sports extravaganza and you'll capture the show without having to touch a remote or your smartphone. You'll have to wait for TV and set-top providers to take advantage of this, but DirecTV, Dish, TiVo and Verizon are already lining up to provide support "soon."
TiVo flips 'SkipMode' around for Super Bowl ad fans
A few years ago TiVo rolled out SkipMode for its DVRs that would allow viewers to jump past ads (on certain prime-time programs) with the press of a button. This year, for Super Bowl LII it's flipping the technology around with GameSkip that works favor of people who watch the game just to see all of those (incredibly expensive) advertisements. Sure, you can usually see the best ones on YouTube either before the game or immediately after they are, but for dedicated fans of everything except Eagles vs. Patriots, it could be an easy way to catch up.
TiVo DVRs will take commands from Alexa and Google Assistant
You won't have to use TiVo's in-house voice control to steer your DVR in the near future. TiVo has unveiled plans to add smart home integration, including voice control through Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant. If you have a supporting device like your phone, an Echo or Google Home, you can control your DVR without reaching for the remote. PCMag describes the functionality as different depending on which voice assistant you choose. Alexa is more about straightforward navigation control while the Google Assistant support is more about searching for shows and tying in with other devices (such as dimming the lights when you're ready to watch). However, it's also adding IFTTT support that could deliver a lot more when combined with speakers and other smart home devices.
Tivo’s new TV platform will combine cable and streaming
TiVo has launched its new streaming service that promises big things for both consumers and cable or streaming operators. Called the Next-Gen Platform, it gives viewers a convenient, unified way to watch recorded content from both cable providers and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Operators like Altice, meanwhile, can implement TiVo's tech to provide consumers with "hyper-personalization, recommendations and voice-control" on multiple devices and screens, TiVo says.
TiVo wins one of its patent fights with Comcast
TiVo has good news going into the holiday season: The International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled that Comcast's X1 set-top boxes violate two of TiVo's patents related to setting recordings from a mobile device. As a result, there's now an import ban on "certain" X1 boxes that violate the patents, but older models won't be affected, Reuters reports. An import ban would mean that offending gadgets that've already been brought into the country can't be sold. This ban could be overturned by the Trump administration during the presidential review period. Bloomberg writes that that sort of thing happening is a pretty rare occurrence.
TiVo's revamped interface is available for existing DVRs
If you've been craving TiVo's interface overhaul ever since it was unveiled last year, you now have an opportunity to try it without buying a brand new device. As of October 29th, you can visit TiVo's website and request an upgrade to your Bolt, Mini or Roamio set-top box. It'll take "2-3 hours" before you can force the download, but you don't have to wait for TiVo to push the new design on its own. Think carefully before you make the leap, though: while the interface is a leap into the modern era, you may lose functionality in the process.
TiVo's Bolt Vox DVR jumps into the future with voice control
Stop us if you've heard this one before: TiVo is updating its Bolt DVR lineup with a new remote, a new UI and a new name. The TiVo Bolt Vox (and TiVo Mini Vox) are easy to spot thanks to the remote's new bright blue button that is the key to the extra characters in their name. Following a trail blazed by many other media setups lately (Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Roku -- just to name a few) voice control is a central feature of the new hardware. TiVo has had universal search across platforms including broadcast television, cable TV and streaming for quite a while, but it's not just adding a microphone.
TiVo’s rumored voice-controlled DVR pops up at Amazon, Best Buy
We've been looking forward to a voice-controlled TiVo for a few months thanks to a leak about a new peanut-style Bluetooth remote and trademark for new products with the "Vox" name appended. Now it appears that both the TiVo Bolt Vox and TIVo Mini Vox will soon be available for purchase. Originally posted on Twitter by Dave Zatz, the Bolt Vox was seen on Amazon (it has since disappeared) and the Mini Vox is still showing up on Best Buy's Magnolia page.
TiVo's voice-controlled Bluetooth remote has a Netflix button
The TiVo peanut-style remote has only changed slightly over the years, but ZatzNotFunny points out that a new revision is close to release. Labeled S6V, this Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connected remote popped up in FCC filings, while a clearer image appeared in an earlier leak along with a trademark for TiVo Bolt Vox and TiVo Mini Vox. TiVo will hardly be the first company to put a microphone inside its remote, as the Apple TV control is built around Siri and even Comcast has a version already available. The manual included in the filing describes a two-button pairing process with the TiVo and back buttons, for the company's first Bluetooth unit since the TiVo Slide keyboard-equipped remote.
Comcast might have to pay TiVo after losing a patent dispute
Comcast may be feeling a twinge of regret for hyping its X1 set-top boxes to the Moon and back. TiVo has won an International Trade Commission dispute accusing Comcast and its hardware partners (Arris and Technicolor) of violating patents through the X1 platform's approach to DVR recording and search. The case had originally covered six patents, but this still means Comcast could be on the hook for licensing fees if it wants to avoid a sales ban.
TiVo appears to be testing cloud DVR recording
While a few companies have tried on network/cloud DVR features, TiVo has always been associated with storage that's sitting right in your living room. Previous leaks pointed to a new TiVo box, codenamed Mantis, that might do network recording of OTA channels, but now Dave Zatz posted this picture, showing that there may be similar features in the works for the existing Bolt DVR.
TiVo combines its biggest, fastest DVRs to make the Bolt+
As soon as TiVo unveiled its Bolt Unified Entertainment System last year, the company's biggest DVR fans started asking "what about us?" That's because despite its new design, 4K streaming and updated features, there was no option with enough tuners and storage to match the top of the line Roamio Pro DVR. Now TiVo is filling that hole with the $499 (plus service fee) Bolt+, which takes the styling and power of the Bolt then adds the ability to record up to 6 channels at once onto a built-in 3TB hard drive.
TiVo's next-gen interface plays nice with all your TV content
With TiVo's Series 1 DVRs going extinct at the end of the month and new parent company Rovi taking over, the TiVo brand is getting an interface refresh to bring it up to day with people's current viewing habits. (As well as the FCC's proposed set-top box rules.) The next-generation user interface is designed to allow for even better TV content discovery and predictions, a customizable viewing experience and overall less time spent fiddling with the remote.
TiVo's new network DVR just passed through the FCC
TiVo is dropping the ax on its oldest DVRs at the end of this month, but Zatz Not Funny points to an FCC filing that might show what's next for the company. Thanks to the documents themselves, there's not a lot of confusion about what the device is. Dubbed the Mantis (for now) this box breaks from previous TiVo hardware by lacking any kind of video out. Instead, the owner plugs in an antenna, while the Mantis takes care of recording and transcoding video that then streams to other devices over the network.
TiVo is pulling the plug on Series 1 DVRs September 29th
Whenever you buy something with a promise of "Lifetime" service, the question is exactly how long that will last. For owners of the very first TiVo DVRs who shelled out for promised Lifetime service, the answer is about 17 years. Dave Zatz let us know the company is notifying owners that after September 29th, their boxes will no longer be able to create recordings or pull down guide data. The Series1 boxes won't be able to handle guide data provided by TiVo's new owner Rovi, which is why it's ending service.
Virgin Media TiVo update adds smarter Series Link+ feature
While we wait for more details on Virgin Media's new V6 set-top box and the 4K service arriving with it, the company's showing it hasn't yet forgotten about those aging HD TiVos currently sitting beneath TVs across the UK. Several new features are being bestowed upon these boxes as part of a platform update, the most notable of which being Series Link+. This not only tells your TiVo to record every subsequent episode of a series, as you'd expect, but also searches on-demand platforms (including Netflix) for any episode of the same show, collating it all in the one folder in the My Shows tab -- should you need to start from the very beginning, say.
Here's the cable industry's counter offer to fix TV boxes
Earlier this year the FCC voted on a plan to fix crappy cable boxes. Dubbed "Unlock the Box," the plan would make cable companies open up their services for use on boxes made by other companies. Now, after a few months of complaining and poking holes in the FCC plan, the cable companies have a proposal of their own. Their offer consists of an "industry-wide commitment" to create HTML5-based apps for third party devices like phones, tablets and connected TV boxes. It was presented this week by representatives for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), AT&T/DirecTV, Comcast and others.
Now TiVo Bolt owners can stream TV anywhere
When I reviewed the TiVo Bolt last year I didn't mind its odd design as much as I missed some features it lacked compared to the older Roamio DVR. Now the recently-acquired company is fixing that with a software update (the full list of changes is here) it's rolling out that lets owners stream recordings or live TV on even when they're away from home, and also download shows recorded from protected premium channels (like HBO or Showtime, usually) to a mobile device for offline viewing.
TiVo will be acquired by patent giant Rovi for $1.1 billion
Rovi has agreed to acquire DVR maker TiVo in a deal worth $1.1 billion. The acquisition, which was rumored to be close to completion in March, will be part cash, part shares -- only $277 million will actually change hands, with the rest of the figure being paid out in stock of a new company that will own both Rovi and TiVo. Subject to the usual regulatory approvals, the purchase will complete in Q3 2016, after which the joint entity will be known as TiVo. While you're aware of TiVo, you probably don't know what Rovi is or does. The company started life as MacroVision, and owns thousands of patents relating to DRM and program guides. More recently, it's mostly been in the news for wielding those patents liberally in various lawsuits, including a case against Netflix that it eventually lost. TiVo also has lots of IP relating to its DVR tech. With the acquisition, the new TiVo will have over 6,000 patents, and some far-reaching claims to royalties in the DVR market.
TiVo's cord-cutting DVR gets more storage and drops subscriptions
TiVo's Roamio OTA was supposed to fulfill the dreams of cord-cutters who wanted a big-name DVR without the burden of a conventional TV subscription, but it didn't quite live up to that ideal. You could only record so many shows on its 500GB hard drive, and that $15 monthly subscription hurt the appeal for the cost-conscious. Thankfully, those two problems have just been solved: TiVo has unveiled a 1TB Roamio OTA model that shakes things up. The new set-top doubles the storage, as you've no doubt guessed, but the big deal is the shift in pricing strategy. Instead of a low up-front price and a monthly fee, you pay $400 outright -- while that's expensive at first, it promises to be less costly in the long run.
