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TiVo will add apps for smart TV boxes and WiFi for Mini this year
It's been a few years since TiVo released a limited app for Amazon's Fire TV platform, but as it promised last year, the next-generation platform will reach third-party boxes. Those include not only Fire TV (and Android) but also Roku and eventually Apple TV. We got a brief demo of the experience on those boxes at TiVo's booth, where it streamed transcoded video from a connected Bolt DVR without issue. If everything goes according to plan, you should see the full app for Fire TV in Q2, followed an app for Roku, and later, perhaps in the fall, access will extend to the Apple TV. Additionally, it's not planning to charge for access to the apps, although TiVo owners will only be able to stream to two third-party devices at once.
Never miss an exciting ball game with Thuuz
I am sure you are like most sports fans and can tell horror stories about how you missed a last second shot, or a pitcher throwing a no-hitter, or a hail-mary to win the game because you weren't in front of a TV or were watching another game. Thuuz Sports, a free universal app, should help make sure that doesn't happen again. The app requires iOS 7.0. You can select your favorite teams or leagues from all the major American sports plus European soccer leagues, in addition to golf, tennis, and cricket. Once you have your favorites ready to go Thuuz Sports sets itself apart from the others. The app rates all the games and matches on a scale of 1-100 for excitement. This makes it easy in advance to see what games could be the ones to watch and the scale changes as the game proceeds so when it gets down to the final few moments and the score is tied or one team is driving for the winning field goal, the scale gets to its highest point. The excitement level is designated in a small circle in front of the game and the color changes as the game's excitement level rises. Users can set up an alert system in Thuuz Sports to get notifications of the start of the the game, scoring changes and if the excitement number goes up. You can set your interest at one of three levels from casual fan all the way up to fanatic. The number of excitement alerts you will receive is determined by your setting. That allows you to get lots of updates from your favorite teams and fewer from other teams in their division or league. Once you receive an update, the app includes a TV data base to tell you where to switch and see the game if you want. It will also help you locate the closest sports bar based on your current location. So no more reasons for you to miss the dramatic ending of games. Thuuz Sports also has other features. Users can check out a feed that includes comments from other users, links to highlights and game wrap-ups. It also offers a fantasy section. Users can enter their fantasy players and then set up alerts for each player to follow how they are doing or if they are injured. Other apps can do as well keeping you informed with scores and stats, but Thuuz Sports is the only one I have found that keeps you informed and helps you see the exciting finishes to games.
Dish opens Hopper DVR to handful of third-party mobile app developers
As powerful as the Hopper DVR can be, it largely exists in an app vacuum: to date, only official releases like Dish Explorer and Dish Social have had access. Dish is giving its set-top box some much needed flexibility, however, by offering the Hopper's APIs to third-party developers. The expansion lets non-Dish mobile apps control the Hopper directly, whether it's switching to a live show or scheduling a recording. Thuuz Sports (shown above) is the first app to take advantage of the APIs, although we wouldn't expect a flood of releases afterwards -- Dish is screening developers for privacy issues and "other considerations." Still, the move represents a rare level of openness in an industry that frequently insists on self-branded software.
Dish Explorer for iPad steers Hopper DVRs, tells TV watchers what's trending
Dish was quick to take advantage of its Sling Media integration with remote live TV, but it hasn't put as much of an emphasis on what happens when we're still sitting comfortably in our living rooms. It's filling that hole with the launch of its Explorer app for the iPad. Viewers with a Hopper DVR can control their set-top box directly from the tablet, as you'd expect, but they'll also get a companion to whatever they're watching, whether it's live or recorded. Explorer catches the buzz around a show on Facebook and Twitter, including rankings if you'd like to see what shows are the hottest; it also builds in Thuuz sports stats and ratings to identify what's likely to be the big game for the day, even as it's happening. The app doesn't officially reach the App Store until Monday, and there's no word of an Android port, but we'll be sure to share our first-hand experiences as soon as possible. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Dish Network adds video on-demand streaming for iPad, enhanced Thuuz Google TV app
While Dish isn't yet ready to officially reveal the details of its new "Hopper" multiroom DVR setup or any wireless broadband plans, it has announced the addition of video on-demand streaming to its Remote Access iPad app. For users with the Blockbuster @Home package or premium movie channels like HBO, they can log in with their Dish Online ID and be in business. The remote viewing portion has also been refreshed, with what we're told is an updated guide. For Google TV owners, it also announced an official tie-in with the developers of Thuuz to record the live sports programs it alerts users to. Check out the details in the press release after the break, as well as a few hands-on pics of the iPad app in our gallery.
