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The return of Google TV is pushing TiVo away from Android
The TiVo Stream software is going to be built directly into TVs, instead of running on an Android dongle.
TiVo's $50 Stream 4K dongle is ready for cord-cutters
TiVo is ready to launch its new Android TV-powered dongle.
TiVo's $50 Stream 4K dongle takes aim at cord-cutters in April
The name TiVo is going to apply to more than just cable-ready DVRs, as the company has confirmed rumors that it's working on a $50 dongle aimed at cord-cutters. It's also planning on selling the device via providers who want something to offer their internet-only customers, and don't have the ability to build a custom unit like Comcast's streaming box. While the TiVo Stream 4K keeps some of the grid-based UI that you'd expect from a DVR, the Android-powered unit focuses on TiVo's ability to present and sort information from multiple sources.
TiVo announces plans to merge with entertainment tech firm Xperi
TiVo is scrapping plans to split its product and licensing divisions. Instead, it's merging with the entertainment tech firm Xperi. The new, $3 billion company will take on the Xperi name, but it will continue to sell TiVo-branded products.
TiVo's iPhone app finally streams shows using cellular data
Believe it or not, TiVo has required that iOS users stream recordings on WiFi for the past seven years. Yes, despite the rise of fast and (theoretically) unlimited mobile data, you couldn't catch up on shows during your commute. Reason has prevailed at last, however. TiVo has updated its iOS app to support cellular streaming, letting you watch live and recorded shows as long as you have a solid internet connection.
Amazon Prime arrives on cable-provided TiVo boxes
There's no such thing as regular ol' TV anymore. There's cable and satellite, and a seemingly endless selection of streaming services and content platforms, so clicking around your options can be a bit time consuming and clunky. But TiVo is trying to streamline the process. From today, Amazon Prime members will be able to access Prime Video content directly through their TiVo box. Sitting alongside other video streaming apps already offered by TiVo, the Prime Video app will also include select 4K Ultra HD and HDR content, as well as behind-the-scenes exclusives for top movies and TV shows. Find it through TiVo's OneSearch function.
TiVo's 'free' streaming service starts rolling out
TiVo's leap into streaming services is underway. The DVR creator has started rolling out TiVo+ to users, who should see it pop up on their devices in the "next few weeks." The service is 'free' for TiVo customers and will deliver 26 channels of live and on-demand TV shows and movies, including dedicated channels for the likes of Gordon Ramsay (Hell's Kitchen/Kitchen Nightmares), TMZ and Unsolved Mysteries. They won't make you rethink your cable package -- these are classics and viral videos rather than the latest blockbusters.
TiVo Edge DVR adds Dolby Vision to become the ultimate binge box
TiVo has launched a new device that could make binge-viewing sessions across multiple subscriptions a lot more manageable. It's called the Edge, a DVR-slash-live TV-slash-streaming player for cord cutters that hasn't been a secret for a while now -- the company even gave one to a forum member a few days ago after they complained about their existing boxes' issues. The TiVo Edge is available in two versions: a cable model that can record shows from cable channels and an antenna model, which can record free over-the-air HD shows.
TiVo gave its unannounced Edge DVR to a customer
TiVo might be competing with Google's Pixel 4 for the worst-kept tech secret of 2019. When Community Forum member Coold8 complained about particularly thorny technical problems with his existing boxes, he received the Edge -- you know, the DVR it hasn't even announced yet. It appears to be an iterative design based on initial impressions (it even has the familiar remote), but that still means a device that's smaller and faster than the Bolt while adding newer Dolby technologies.
TiVo says all retail DVR owners will see ads before recorded shows
TiVo isn't wasting much time implementing pre-roll ads before recorded shows. The company told Light Reading in a follow-up statement that these promos will reach "all eligible" retail DVRs within 90 days. This marketing will be a "permanent part of the service," a spokesperson said. TiVo reiterated that you'll have the ability to skip these ads, although an early tester said he had to fast forward to get to the show.
TiVo wants to make a comeback with $50 Android TV dongle
In TiVo's heyday the company was synonymous with recording TV shows via your remote control, so you didn't have to rush home to catch "your show" or attempt to record it on the VCR. But that was two decades ago, and things have changed. Now, the company has a plan to become relevant again. According to CNN, TiVo is launching a new service called TiVo Plus and banking on a $50 Android TV stick.
TiVo tries running pre-roll ads before your recorded shows
It might soon be that much harder to avoid ads by using a DVR. TiVo appears to be testing 15-second pre-roll ads that play before recorded shows, making it difficult to avoid at least some marketing -- you can fast-forward through the promos, but it's "not that seamless," according to community forum member AndyF. The test ads are low-resolution but appear to come from a number of well-known companies, including Amazon, Keurig and Toyota. It's uncertain how many people are included in the test, although AndyF noticed them on a Bolt DVR using the TiVo Experience 4 interface.
TiVo's leaked Edge DVR touts Dolby HDR and Atmos audio
TiVo is apparently renewing its efforts to serve cord-cutters. Zatz Not Funny has obtained snapshots of an Arris-made TiVo Edge DVR that would cater to both the streaming crowd and cable TV diehards in equal measure. It wouldn't be as flamboyant as the oddly-shaped Bolt (you can finally stack things on top!), but it would be loaded with 4K, Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision HDR to stream services like Netflix and Prime Video in maximum quality.
TiVo plans to split its product and licensing divisions
TiVo, one of the early makers of DVRs, has been on the hunt for potential buyers. The company announced it is splitting its product and intellectual property licensing divisions on Friday, perhaps in hopes of becoming more attractive to buyers. It hopes to complete the split by the first half of 2020.
Soon your TiVo will be able to skip commercials automatically
As much as technology has advanced in the last couple of decades, the ability to automatically skip commercials has remained mostly in the past. Now Zatz Not Funny says -- based on a Facebook post by an employee and confirmation with a source -- that TiVo's DVRs will get an upgraded version of their SkipMode feature that bypasses commercials automatically. Because of the way SkipMode works, it will still only apply to recordings of primetime shows on channels that have their commercials marked, unlike the fully automated systems that the Channels app and Tablo boxes are testing. It's also apparently only going to work on boxes upgraded with the latest "Hydra" interface when it rolls out later in the spring. ReplayTV pushed automatic commercial skipping years ago and fights over the feature with broadcasters and cable companies helped hasten its demise. When Windows Media Center was still supported, the DIY-minded could use ShowAnalyzer, but a fully-supported version of the feature from TiVo would make using it easier than ever, plus it makes watching network TV more like Netflix, Amazon Prime or ad-free Hulu. Our question is whether or not the TV networks will let it go this time around -- even if, or perhaps especially because statistics show DVR owners don't manually skip ads as much as you might think.
DVRs aren't the ad-killer everyone thinks
Time-shifting set-top boxes from the likes of TiVo are often referred to as "ad-skipping technology," but apparently that's not quite the case. People that use the devices apparently watch the same number of ads that they did before getting the tech and watch the same amount of live TV, according to a new study. Overall, users do watch a bit more TV, but their viewing habits don't really change all that much.
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.
TiVo targets cord-cutters (again) with the Bolt OTA
What happens when you take TiVo's latest Bolt Vox DVR, remove the cable functionality, but keep just about everything else? You've got the new Bolt OTA, the replacement for the Roamio OTA box, which gives cord-cutters access to all of the TiVo DVR features they know and love. It features four separate tuners for recording multiple shows at once, a voice remote, Alexa integration, and it can store up to 150 hours of HD video on a 1TB hard drive. While there isn't any 4K over-the-air content yet, it supports 4K HDR for streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu. The only downside, as usual, is the price: $250 for the hardware, and either $7 a month or $70 a year service plan. You could also go all in with TiVo and pay a flat $250 for lifetime service.
Amazon is reportedly working on a TiVo-like DVR for live TV
Amazon is working on a new device to record live television in a bid to compete in a market dominated by TiVo, a source told Bloomberg. The ecommerce titan's Lab 126 R&D division is reportedly building the DVR, which is internally called "Frank" and will connect to Amazon's Fire TV box.
TiVo update will add Amazon’s Alexa to select DVRs
Earlier this year, Tivo announced that it would make its set-top boxes compatible with voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant. According to The Verge, compatibility with Amazon Alexa is now rolling out in an update to these devices. Users will be able to control their Premiere, Roamio or Bolt DVR with their voice by June 1st if they have a compatible Alexa-enabled device.
