tivo premiere
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Hulu Plus on TiVo promos pop up in stores and online, suggest launch soon
Although TiVo announced it would offer Hulu Plus back in September we're still waiting for it to arrive on those Premiere DVRs. Twitter user @dlayphoto spotted these materials in their local Best Buy promising six months of the $7.99 / month service for free with the purchase of a new box -- with a new price tag -- although it's hard to see if this will apply to existing users as well. The URL on the cards leads to a (now deactivated, but larger screenshots are over at Zatz Not Funny) page where TiVo owners can input their serial number and email address to get access. Judging by the dates on the promotions, things should get rolling within the next month or so, but we'll let you know when we hear something official.
RCN exec confirms TiVo Premiere multiroom streaming in latest update
Over on DSLReports, RCN's Director of Video Product and Video Operations revealed details about the 14.8 software update coming to the cable company's TiVo Premieres, including the multiroom streaming support that posters at TiVo Community have already found evidence of in retail boxes. Apparently this is all a part of RCN beta testing a move to the Premiere's HD UI on its boxes (currently still using the classic interface) and adding support for features like the TiVo iPad app and even TiVo-styled menus for browsing VOD. As Zatz Not Funny points out, we still have no idea when the streaming may actually get activated, but hopefully it will get knocked off the list of features we're still waiting for (dual-core support, DirecTiVo) sooner rather than later.
Latest TiVo Premiere update sets the stage for multiroom or iPad streaming?
While we're still not sure exactly what's been changed in the most recent 14.8 software update some users have gotten on their TiVo Premieres, a poster on the TiVo Community forums has found a change in the TiVo's XML file that suggests its getting ready for streaming support. Every TiVo provides an XML feed that can be read by other devices or software on the network and moyekj noted there is a field he hadn't sen before marked "StreamingPermission." Rumors have indicated streaming to other TiVo Premiere boxes, a multiroom companion extender or even to the iPad previously so it's not immediately clear what this switch could toggle if it were marked yes, but for now, it's marked no so feel free to speculate as wildly as possible. [Thanks, @BrennokBob]
TiVo pricing changes May 19th: $100 Premiere, $20 / month service, $500 lifetime for all
According to emails being sent out to existing customers, TiVo will streamline its pricing options in a couple of days, offering the Premiere for $99.99 and the Premiere XL for $299 with one year service commitments at $19.99 monthly or product lifetime service for $499.99. The new options are seen above in the picture posted by skaggs at TiVo Community, detailing the pricing that will apply to all TiVos, no matter where they're purchased from. The new pricing drops the total cost for lifetime service, but we'll let you figure out all the arithmetic and decide if you want to upgrade or jump into the Premiere before or after the service plans change. If you still need convincing, there's also word of a new 14.8 software update just starting to roll out, while the Virgin Media TiVo can apparently expect a fix for standard def picture quality to arrive soon.
Comcast will open up its video on-demand to TiVo Premiere DVRs and offer them for installation
One of the downsides to bringing your own DVR is usually giving up access to any access to your cable company's video on-demand programming, but TiVo has worked out a deal with Comcast to bring its Xfinity VOD to retail TiVo Premiere DVRs. This isn't entirely surprising, given the Comcast On Demand logo that snuck into the original set of screenshots at the Premiere's debut and the other cable companies allowing VOD access like Cox, Suddenlink and RCN. It appears this is going to be a market-by-market upgrade, with the San Francisco Bay Area up first (no word on exactly when) and others to follow. The old Comcast TiVo project is dead, as Multichannel News points out the two companies dissolved their old agreement upon entering into this new one, with Comcast licensing TiVo's IP through 2019. If you're not already living the TiVo lifestyle, Comcast will also start offering the Premiere alongside its own boxes and install them at no extra charge once the service is available. We're still waiting for TiVo to scrub some of the rougher edges off of the Premiere but if you want a bigger hard drive, (partially) HD UI and access to online services all in one box without compromising access to VOD, then this should fit the bill once it arrives.
Virgin Media TiVo updates to include multiroom, iPad/iPhone apps and more
Wondering what's next for Virgin Media's TiVo? Other than the upcoming 500GB model, The Virgin Media TiVo Blog points out a Q&A-style post on TiVo Community indicating users can expect functionality , multiroom streaming, apps for iOS and an end to the current blackout of Sky channels while viewing them in the guide. It also claims the VHD boxes will be able to become hard driveless TiVo boxes, although there may be a fee for the upgrade, while interactive red button functionality is also expected to expand with Sky Sports arriving late 2011/early 2012 and apps for the 2012 Olympics. Hit the source link for all of the info and to put in a few questions of your own if you're so inclined.
TiVo survey hints at multiroom companion box, four tuner DVR in the future
If you were wondering what is next for TiVo, another leaked customer survey may give some indications. ZatzNotFunny has a few screenshots, and the questions ask customers about their interest in a companion box that could sit in another room and stream live TV or recordings from the DVR on a second TV, as well as their interest in a DVR with four tuners. Windows Media Center fans with four tuner InfiniTV setups or Moxi owners with three are unlikely to accept anything with less, and TiVo itself already ships a three tuner box for Virgin Media in the UK while cable and satellite providers have largely stuck with two, making it a logical feature to beat them on. Those weren't the only features users were asked about, they also ranked items like the ability to hide SD versions of channels from the guide, browse recorded shows on every DVR from any box and other UI related options. TiVo is apparently figuring out where it should allocate resources going forward and while we'd suggest enabling the second core of that processor and extending the new Premiere UI across all menus, they didn't ask us. Check out the full text of the survey a tipster forwarded to us after the break and see if TiVo missed anything else you might want them to focus on. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Virgin Media TiVo issued second update in a week, but is it getting better or worse?
Just that fast, the Virgin Media TiVo has received another software update, apparently to address a few UI and reliability issues. That comes within a week of the patch that turned on the unit's third TV tuner, and update that the Virgin Media TiVo Blog has published the full changelog for, noting several other fixes built in including being quicker to restore TV service after a reboot, working trailers for movies, and other issues. A few responses in the TiVo Community thread note lockups after the most recent update, users should give it a look and let us know if things are headed in the right direction.
Virgin Media enables the third tuner on its TiVo DVR
Overnight, Virgin Media has pushed upgrade to users of its TiVo box enabling the third tuner, which had lain dormant since they started shipping at the end of last year. Digital Spy points out that the next step is delivering new apps to the box, while Virgin Media is reportedly also considering upping the speed of the internal cable modem from 10Mbps to 20 Mbps. There's no word on whether or not this update has taken care of any other niggling issues users have noticed and as our friend Dave Zatz mentions, we're all waiting for the day the software is able to actually take advantage of the dual-core processor housed in the TiVo Premiere. Update: The Virgin Media TiVo Blog also mentions the algorithm for calculating recording space has been updated, while the hard drive didn't get any bigger, it's gone from reporting 325 hours of SD and 99 hours of HD recording space available to 477 and 121 hours, respectively.
TiVo Premiere DVRs on sale for $49.99, but only for the next 90 minutes in Amazon's Gold Box
One of Amazon's Gold Box deals today is the TiVo Premiere, usually available on the site for $83.99, but now all the way down to $49.99 for a short time. Of course, there's a slight catch due to the new subsidized pricing arrangement which means signing up for a one year service commitment at $19.99 per month. It's been about a year since the new box debuted -- maybe a few software updates and iPad app since our initial review plus this discounted price are enough to make you click the buy button now?
Virgin Media TiVo experience is similar to the Premiere in all the wrong ways
Even if it's just "inspired" by the Premiere, ZatzNotFunny points out a few posts on the new Virgin Media TV Powered by TiVo section of Tivo Community suggesting the new DVR box is plagued by many of the same old issues. While we knew the 3rd tuner would be inactive at first, the company is running out of the "early 2011" period it promised for a software update, and as seen in the video after the break, there's still some glitches and sluggishness to be found in the new UI. On either side of the pond we're seeing far too many reactions matching the one from this frustrated UK user adamvietnam: "For ten years I used to tell anyone who'd listen that Tivo was the best piece of consumer electronics they'd ever own but at the moment the new box just feels like another PVR..." Time and software updates will tell what TiVo can do about it.
Older TiVo Series 3 / HD boxes will work with the iPad remote app soon
The companion app for TiVo Premiere DVRs worked out well when we reviewed it, but ZatzNotFunny points out it could get even better soon when it will feature "limited support" for Series 3 / HD boxes, along with TiVo DVRs offered by cable providers like RCN and Suddenlink. This "coming soon" info was included in an update yesterday that added a new DVR selection screen to the setup process, ability to run in the background plus assorted performance enhancements and bug fixes. Of course, we now know that TiVo's "lifetime" offers won't last forever (ten years, give or take) but for users who would prefer to stick with their existing hardware instead of upgrading to a Series 4, there are still a few new features coming down the pipe.
Woot's deal of the day is a refurbished TiVo Premiere XL for $199
Desire a TiVo Premiere XL with its 1TB HDD but the price is holding you back? Woot.com is offering refurbed units for $199 today only, $100 less than the usual price from TiVo directly. You'll still need to sign up for the $12.95/month service plan with 1 year commitment and it might not make up for missing the standard Premiere DVRs when they were on the site for $65 last month, but when you're enjoying the THX certified audio and video and holding the premium backlit remote none of that will matter.
Microsoft takes its patent infringement beef with TiVo to the ITC
The patent fight between Microsoft/AT&T and TiVo has entered a new venue today now that Microsoft filed suit with the International Trade Commission to stop importation of TiVo's DVRs. WinRumors pinged Microsoft about the latest development and predictably found it's still interested in pursuing resolution through some sort of IP licensing deal, so we wouldn't worry too much about any of those Premieres being yanked off of shelves or cable company trucks. We'll have to wait and see what happens next, and also what Verizon may plan to do to resolve its own infringement issues with TiVo, but those interested can check out the filing itself embedded after the break.
Charter to offer TiVo's Premiere, 'non-DVR platforms' later this year
Add Charter to the growing list of provider's delivering TiVo hardware to their customers, as the two announced a multiyear deal earlier today. Later this year, Charter will start offering the TiVo Premiere DVR as well as upcoming multiroom and non-DVR platforms. There's no word on the status of over-the-top video like Amazon VOD, Blockbuster or Hulu Plus but it's still an example of newly gained ground for TiVo as a competitor in the connected-TV wars and an important step forward in technology for Charter. Check the press release after the break for all the details.
App Review: TiVo Premiere for iPad
We're not sure what it is about the home theater, but one screen just isn't enough. So we've tried for years to find another screen suitable to join our HDTV to enhance our viewing pleasure, but everything comes up short. The latest in the long line of touch screen remotes, tablet PCs, PDAs and smart phones is the iPad. Of course this device isn't exactly designed to be a home theater device, so a little software is necessary to make it suitable. The latest attempt at said software is from TiVo which is designed to be a companion app for the TiVo Premier. It doesn't let you stream video from your TiVo to your iPad, but it does have a few tricks we think you might find more useful, so go ahead and click on through to find out what those are. %Gallery-114503%
Hulu Plus not happening on cable-provided TiVo Premiere DVRs, Scrooge wins again
It's a little hard to know exactly who to blame here, but one thing is for sure: consumers lose. Last week Suddenlink started deploying TiVo Premiere DVRs to its customers minus Netflix, saying that it was the agreements Netflix has with studios that prevents its streaming service from being deployed on a cable company DVR. At the time it was hopeful that Hulu Plus could still work, but now it's confirmed that its customers won't get that either, blaming the same sort of agreements between Hulu and its content providers. Frustrating? Absolutely -- but there is one obvious work-around: buy your own darned TiVo Premiere, get access to Netflix and Hulu Plus, and stop paying your cable provider that monthly rental fee. Mind, you'll have to rock a CableCard, losing the ability to watch video on demand, and the separate TiVo plus Hulu Plus fees might cost a bit more, but consider that a small price to pay for the right to stick a finger in the eye of The Man.
Suddenlink starts rolling out TiVo with cable VOD and some streaming, says lack of Netflix isn't on them
Residents of Lubbock and Midland, Texas have a new option in set-top boxes from Suddenlink, now that the cable company has started rolling out the TiVo Premiere. The difference here is that the TiVo's can access Suddenlink's VOD, as well as stream YouTube and Pandora. As far as the other internet sources typically available on a TiVo, the company confirmed to Multichannel News it is negotiating with Blockbuster, Amazon and Hulu Plus. Netflix is currently not on the list of possibles and Suddenlink says it's not their fault, citing Netflix's agreements with the studios as a reason why its Watch Instantly service cannot coexist on hardware distributed by cable companies.Otherwise the usual suite of TiVo features is in full effect and they're available for the same price as Suddenlink's old boxes making this a pretty good looking upgrade if you can't bear to lose VOD access.
TiVo Premiere UI gets a shot in the arm with iPad remote control
TiVo Premiere users won't have to be jealous of Comcast's Xfinity TV remote for very long -- soon enough, they'll have an DVR-scheduling, content-searching, program-pushing iPad app of their own. Called the TiVo Premiere App, it'll feature a full touchscreen TV programming guide, playback controls, and the ability to search Netflix and Amazon on Demand for shows when it arrives "in the coming weeks." There's also basic social network sharing via Facebook and Twitter, and if that "Livingroom TiVo" drop-down menu is any indication, the ability to control multiple TiVo boxes from a single tablet. Also, the search box and remote icons in the upper-right hand corner that suggests that TiVo's integrated the iPad keyboard and some virtual buttons too, so maybe you'll be able to exercise control over the entire experience without diving into your couch (or your pocketbook) for a TiVo Slide Remote. One can only hope. No word on smartphone versions, though. PR and another shot of the interface right after the break.
TiVo Premiere now free on contract for $20 monthly, as TiVo introduces (and enforces) tiered subsidies
Well, it seems we finally know why TiVo was waxing poetic about software in recent months -- it's the way the company primarily plans to charge for its DVR hardware from now on. Following a week-long experiment of free-on-contract DVRs conducted last month, TiVo's opening up subsidized and partially subsidized pricing tiers to the entire US for those willing to chain themselves to a pricier $20 monthly fee. You can now get a TiVo Premiere for $0 on a two-year contract or $100 with a one-year arrangement, or pick up a TiVo Premiere XL for $300 on a one-year deal -- the same price the regular old 45-hour TiVo Premiere cost originally. TiVo's also kept the original $12.95-a-month plans around in case you want to pay full price for your hardware, which would normally make better financial sense after about three years, if not for the fact that there are still lifetime subscriptions available for $400 if you're truly in it for the long haul. We're all for expanding our buying power in this arena, but there's one group of customers who are liable to get mighty pissed at the new arrangement -- the regular Joes and Janes headed to Best Buy right now to pick up a $99 TiVo Premiere "on sale." You see, retailers apparently didn't get the memo about the new tiered pricing and are advertising the arrangement as a $200 discount instead, which leaves TiVo's fine print the unenviable role of explaining that they're going to pony up $20 a month from now on. 2.1.2 When purchasing a TiVo Premiere box from a third party retailer at $99.99 (includes an instant $200 savings off MSRP) for the TiVo Premiere box or $299.99 (includes an instant $200 savings off MSRP) for the TiVo Premiere XL box, you may only subscribe to the TiVo Service on a monthly basis for $19.99 a month with a one (1) year commitment (renews monthly after one year). Choices, choices. [Thanks, Daniel and Chris R.]
