Author: Michael

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TiVo News

TiVo Adding More VOD Support With SeaChange

TiVo announced today that they’ll be working with a company called SeaChange to enable many cable companies to pump the cable companies’ video-on-demand content to TiVo boxes. SeaChange sounds like it’s basically a competing technology to tru2way which TiVo also hopes to adopt in the future.

VOD is a big issue, at least among our customers, and potentially one of the top reasons a customer wouldn’t choose a TiVo. But our experience is that a TiVo is actually far more broadly connected to the world of online content, and is actually a great choice for customers wanting VOD – just not necessarily VOD from the cable company. TiVo DVRs connected via broadband can get content from Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, and TiVo’s own TiVoCasts, among other sources. And more are coming. Yes, Amazon and Netflix cost money, where a lot of cable company VOD content is free, but they also have a much wider range of content. Further, Netflix content is free for those who already have Netflix plans for physical DVD mailings.

TiVo is a growing platform for online video sources. They’ve been aggressive about adding new content, and we expect that to continue. A TiVo DVR is really a combination of three types of units at this point, and it’s really poised to bring the most content to your TV. The three categories that a TiVo now covers are:

  1. DVR – The original ability a TiVo DVR had to record TV from cable, antenna, and satellite broadcasts. Unfortunately, many people think of this as it’s only feature, still. It’s central, and TiVo is the best DVR, but that’s just not all a TiVo does.
  2. Internet Video Connector – This new category is often defined by products like Microsoft Home Media PCs, AppleTVs, Roku, and Boxee. In reality, a TiVo is probably the most sophisticated device here, outside the PC, and since it has an amazing remote and on-screen interface, it really easily surpasses that unit, at a far lower price point. It’s also much, much more stable.
  3. Home Media Link – With the ability to stream MP3s from computers on your home network, and the ability to transfer home video to the unit, and store and play it, the TiVo can be a focal point for media on a home network, and a way to get home media to the largest screen and best-sounding audio system.

More VOD is better, and TiVo is, again, leading the way.

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Customer Contacts TiVo News Troubleshooting Help

TiVo Dial In Problems

We hear from a lot of customers who have problems with their TiVo modems. And we sell a TiVo external modem kit to address many of those problems – basically the ones either involving hardware failure, or VoIP phone lines such as Vonage.

But there’s another issue that accounts for many modem failures at the moment, and you don’t need our modem kit to fix it: a problem with local dial-in numbers. We’ve been getting calls from many customers over the last week about this problem, and TiVo has a support page up for these problems. They are basically telling customers to access a new dial-in number by having them query the main TiVo number for an updated list of local access numbers.

So if you think you might be having a problem getting local guide data, and you use a phone line to access TiVo, then you should visit the above link, or, if you have a Series2 or Series3 TiVo, consider networking your TiVo to avoid these problems.

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Product Information TiVo News

Moxi Presents TiVo Comparison – TiVo Wins

While digging around online, I found a page on Moxi’s website comparing the two companies’ HD DVRs. These are basically the only units around that use CableCARDs, so it’s interesting to see how the underdog tries to compare itself to TiVo.

I just found this today, so it may be that this is dated, but here’s a screenshot of the comparison:

picture-9

Sure, I’m a big TiVo fan, so I’m biased, but I’ll ask the obvious question: what unit costs $699 and has 32 HD and 120 SD hours of capacity? I’m guessing they’re taking the TiVo HD ($299) and adding in lifetime service ($399 for new subscribers, $299 for existing) to get $699. So, for the record, that should be 20 HD hours and 180 SD hours. The TiVo Series3 was 32 HD hours, but not 120 SD hours. So I can’t figure out where that figure ever came from.

OK, so then multi-room DVR sharing? They both have it, but the extra Moxi boxes will cost $799 while extra TiVo boxes with lifetime will now cost $598, since you save $100 on lifetime for each extra box. That’s $200 less than Moxi. 

Yes, Moxi has HD menus (although those are coming to TiVo) and arcade games (which you can do to some extent on TiVos) and Flickr. But TiVo has:

  • Netflix streaming – this, alone, is pretty huge
  • Amazon VOD – formerly Amazon Unbox
  • YouTube
  • Yahoo! connections
  • TiVo cast
  • many more internet features, with more coming all the time

Beyond that, of course, there’s the chance that “lifetime service” means something with the unit. I’m pretty sure TiVo is here to stay for quite a while. Moxi and Digeo? Very uncertain, to say the least. That’s not an $800 bet I’d want to make.

Now Digeo and Moxi may be around for quite some time, and they may make a big deal with a cable provider who would use their units to deploy in customers’ homes like the Scientific Atlanta model. But not at these prices. And judging by the traffic in our Moxi forums, it doesn’t seem like too many boxes are already out there.

I wish Moxi the best, and I do hope they survive even if it’s just so that TiVo always has a competitor. But this comparison chart just feels very misleading, to me. If the product can’t compare to TiVo on TiVo’s true features, fine, just don’t post a very selective list.

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Customer Shipment

Crazy Package Received

We get one of these every now and then – but this one is a little more unusual.

package-with-stamps

In addition to the 80+ stamps on here, (that’s $50) there’s a metered one for $2.50. And it wasn’t put on afterward, because the stamps are placed around it.

A WeaKnees customer really thought this one through . . .

Categories
DirecTV Product Information

What to do with a Networked DirecTV HD DVR

Building on yesterday’s post of how to get connected to the internet and your internal network with your DirecTV HD DVR, here’s part two: What you can do once you’re connected.

This area is still emerging. Currently, this is what’s available:

Streaming video from your HD DVR to your PC, or to your HD DVR:

DirecTV2PC – (Windows XP, maybe Windows Vista) This app has some pretty stringent requirements, and it’ll even give you another app that checks your system to see if you qualify to stream video.

directv2pc

In my case, the graphics card on the PC I was using came up as incompatible. So when I tried it, the result was fairly predictable. But the sound was great . . .

Just to be clear on how this works, it is streaming only – not copying. In this way, it differs significantly from applications like TiVoToGo. So, if you are thinking you can load up your PC with shows from your DirecTV HD DVR and take them on a flight, think again. You must be on the same internal network as the DVR to make the streaming happen.

DirecTV on Demand – If you’re connected to the internet, you can download “over 4500 movies, shows, sports, and more” from DirecTV to your unit. Some are free and some cost money. The selection isn’t too bad, and, hey, if it’s free, why not? You go online from your phone or computer to DVR Scheduler, and dig around for the shows you want. Then, you choose to have them download to one of your compatible units. If you want to be able to fast-forward through the show, be sure to start the download a bit ahead of time.

Playing music, or video, or showing photos from your PC:

This area falls under the category DirecTV calls “Media Share.” Any PC with an Intel ViiV chip should have software already on it to work with a DirecTV HD DVR. If you don’t have that, here are two other options:

TVersity – (Windows XP, Windows Vista) Still in beta, this software promises to stream media from your PC to your DirecTV DVR. I was pretty surprised that the installer attempted to add an Ask Toolbar to my browser. Be sure to decline that offer. You’ll also be asked to donate to the project. You’ll be presented with a TON of options during setup. Unfortunately, I can’t really tell you what’s right for your setup, but I’d err on the side of fewer components, at least initially. Many users have reported issues with this software – it’s really not ready for prime time to me – it’s for the tinkerer and the tech savvy.

Twonky – (Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X, Linux) This was a little smoother than TVersity, but the problem with both apps, in a sense, is that they do much more than just serve files to your DirecTV HD DVR. So you’ll spend a decent amount of time with either getting them to see your files, and publish them on the network.