DVR
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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.
Plex adds a DVR feature for over-the-air and CableCARD tuners
Ask any media hound about the best way to stream your your video files, and they'll probably direct you to Plex. Now, the streaming software is getting even more useful with a long-awaited feature: DVR support. Just plug an HDHomeRun tuner (with antenna) into your PC, set it up in Plex, and you can record any over-the-air (OTA) broadcast in your reception area. And, of course, you can view the videos on any device with the company's app and a Plex Pass membership ($5 a month, $40 a year or $150 lifetime).
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.
HDHomeRun's DVR app is ready for the Xbox One
Earlier this year Microsoft confirmed that development of a DVR feature for the Xbox One is "on hold," so what's next for fans of its OneBox dream? SiliconDust's answer is an app that lets you watch TV streamed directly to the game system from a DVR (which could be a PC, Android TV box or NAS -- but not the Xbox itself) running its software and connected to a TV tuner device. Doing that means you can completely control it via the gamepad or Xbox remote -- and ditch the system's HDMI passthrough/IR blaster combo that can't do simple things like set up a new recording without switching remote.
UK's first cloud DVR lets you watch recordings anywhere
To be blunt, Bush isn't a brand known for particularly innovative products. But, come the end of the month, it's the name you'll see on the first cloud DVR to launch in the UK. Bush's Digital TV Recorder is an affordable set-top box -- arriving exclusively at Argos on August 30th for £100 -- that lets you watch and record Freeview channels. What's special about it, though, is the integration of ShowDrive, a service that takes those recordings and uploads them to the cloud so you can watch them wherever you want, and on basically any device.
Tablo's live TV and DVR features now work on the Apple TV
During CES Tablo promised its $200 box that tunes into and records OTA TV would eventually get an Apple TV app, and now it has delivered. It already works with boxes like Roku and Fire TV, and on the Apple TV it's brought both live TV and DVR viewing, plus navigation by voice or touch with the Siri Remote. More features are coming in future updates, but if you already have a Tablo box (with the latest updates) and an active subscription you should be good to go. The only question left, is if you'd prefer Tablo's setup or Sling TV, which also launched this week on the Apple TV.
Xbox One won't get a television DVR feature after all
Back at Gamescom in August, Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would be getting a DVR feature for over-the-air TV this year. Well, if you got your hopes up about the add-on, we've got some bad news. The company has confirmed to Engadget that the tool is no longer being added to the console. Why the change of heart? Microsoft cites a decision to focus on "new higher fan-requested gaming experiences across Xbox One and Windows 10." While the company says development is "on hold," there's no indication that it will pick the project back up at a later date.
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.
Dish's HopperGo portable DVR is available today
Nearly five months after its introduction at CES 2016, the HopperGo is finally available to Dish customers. This portable DVR features 64GB of built-in storage, which you can fill with movies and TV shows you've recorded on your Hopper 2, Hopper with Sling or Hopper 3 set-top box. The magic of the HopperGo is that it creates its own private network, no internet needed, and allows up to five iOS or Android devices to connect to it using the Dish Anywhere app.
HDHomeRun is ready to make your Android TV a DVR
When SiliconDust announced its DIY DVR project a year ago, recording your shows meant building a PC dedicated to the task, or hooking up network storage. Now it's testing out HDHomeRun Record for Android TV, which lets you create an entire DVR with just one of its TV tuner devices and an Android box. Unfortunately, suggested requirements of Android 6.0, Ethernet, and a USB 3.0 connection for external storage mean Amazon's Fire TV and Google's Nexus Player won't work, but NVIDIA Shield Pro owners should be able to try it out immediately, thanks to their 500GB of built-in storage. You can watch the recorded shows directly on the device, or on any platform that runs its HDHomeRun View app.
Hulu is working on a live TV service for cord-cutters
Hulu is reportedly working on a new live TV platform that's designed to tempt cable subscribers to cut the cord. The Wall Street Journal believes that Hulu has ambitions to square off against both domestic cable providers as well as Sling TV and PlayStation Vue. Rather than trying to broadcast every channel in existence, it's claimed that the company will focus on quality over quantity. Given that Hulu is part-owned by Disney and 20th Century Fox, you can assume that ABC, ESPN and Fox will be lynchpins of the new platform. The same report explains that Hulu will enable customers to record their own shows in the cloud, rather than on a DVR.
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.
EE TV lets you download recordings to phones and tablets
EE TV is a combination of free-to-view TV channels, DVR-style recording and on-demand apps like BBC iPlayer and Now TV. Today, it's being updated with "Recordings to Go," a new feature that lets customers watch their saved programmes on the move. You can set and manage TV recordings through the EE TV app, which are then handled by the EE box in your living room. Once they've been recorded, you can download them to your phone or tablet over your home's WiFi network, making them accessible anywhere and, perhaps more importantly, offline.
TiVo and Rovi close to merger deal, says NYT
Rovi is closing in on a deal to buy DVR maker TiVo for an unknown price, according to sources from the New York Times. The exact terms aren't yet known, but TiVo reportedly has a market value of around $750 million. If the name "Rovi" isn't ringing a bell, the company makes interactive TV guides that are used by 18 million or so TV subscribers. You may remember it better for its much-hated DRM copy protection, when it used to be called Macrovision. TiVo, of course, is known (and mostly liked) for ad-skipping DVR products like the 4K TiVo Bolt.
Dish's 4K-ready Hopper 3 DVR is now available
Although the Hopper 3 was supposed to arrive at the end of January, Dish isn't too late on its promise. The company's third-generation DVR, which supports 4K and up to six Joey receivers simultaneously, is now available to subscribers. According to Dish, "qualified" new and existing account holders can get one box at no cost, but that's with a $15 monthly fee.
Cord cutters can have DVRs with multiroom and placeshifting
Most of the developments in DVRs are for people who still have cable or aren't bothered by paying a monthly fee (see the new TiVo Bolt and Dish Network's new Hopper 3), but what about cord cutters? Three new Funai-built, Magnavox-branded DVRs due out later this year have no subscription fee and aren't built for cable at all: They simply record free TV broadcasts via antenna. Better yet, they can stream those recordings to other boxes in your house and stream or transfer the recording to your mobile device (Android or iOS) for watching on the go.
Tablo gives your Apple TV a DVR for live video
By itself, the new Apple TV's full-fledged app support only partly fulfills cord-cutting dreams. You can subscribe to loads of streaming services, but you can't quite recreate the experience of watching live broadcasts. However, the makers of the Tablo DVR have an answer to that dilemma. They've unveiled a version of their streaming app for the Apple TV, giving you a way to both watch live over-the-air TV and record it for posterity. This solution isn't cheap -- you're looking at a minimum $200 for the box, and that's before the subscription ($5 per month, $50 per year or $150 lifetime) you'll need if you want programming guide data. Nonetheless, the app will probably be your best bet at unifying internet and OTA TV when it shows up this spring.
Channel Master's DVRs add Sling TV to entice cord cutters
One of the few major drawbacks of Sling TV is that it doesn't license the big broadcast channels, but there's an easy fix for that now. Channel Master announced at CES that its DVR+ products -- which are built to catch your local broadcast channels via antenna -- are adding Sling TV to the mix. That puts an impressive slate of channels on one box, right next to the likes of Netflix, YouTube and a few others. The two DVR+ setups don't have any service fee or subscription by themselves, and are available for $249 (16GB storage if you'd like to BYO hard drive) or $399 (1TB HDD built-in). Owners should see Sling TV appear in an update on the 6th and then they'll be ready to go.
Dish's Hopper 3 DVR uses 4K to watch four HD games at once
Dish has been pushing its placeshifting and ad-skipping Hopper DVR for a few years now, and now it's ready to unleash the biggest upgrade yet. The Hopper 3 is ready for 4K -- there's already a Joey 4K, introduced last year -- and it has 16 tuners, which should be enough to end channel conflicts forever. Its 4K support is not just there for watching video on-demand downloads, as it also has a "Sports Bar Mode" that lets owners watch four regular HD channels at once on their Ultra HD TV. That way they don't have to reduce resolution at all, and on game day it could come in handy.
Swedish TiVos have smartwatch controls
Smartwatch displays might not be big enough to do a whole lot more than pop alerts, but Sweden's Com Hem wants to help wearables replace your living room's Houdini-esque remote controls. The idea here is that your Android watch or Apple... Watch can be used to change the channel, view the program guide or record a show. Dave Zatz notes that these functions appear specific to Com Hem's TiVo devices, at least for now. Oh, and Android Wear devices can use voice commands to choose a channel.
