Author: Michael

We’ve posted a list of Roamio questions on the blog, and we have a Roamio FAQ on our site. Now here are some more random questions and other things we’ve learned about the TiVo Roamio Series5 DVRs.

 

Is the TiVo Slide Remote compatible with the TiVo Roamio?

Yes! It sure is, we’re happy to say.

Is this interface really that much faster.

Yes. It really is. It’s significant.

How do I copy my Season Passes from my other DVRs to my new Roamio?

Before TiVo reworked their website, you could go to tivo.com/spm – “SPM” is for Season Pass Manager – and copy lists of Season Passes from one unit to another. With the redesign of the website, we can’t find that. We hope someone will find it and post a link in the comments!

And we got a comment with the link, that works: https://www.tivo.com/apps/spm.do

How do I change the remote to go to IR or RF mode?

TiVo + C puts the remote in IR and TiVo + D puts it back in RF. More info on the Roamio remote info page.

Does this unit have the 30 Second Skip?

Yes. You can use the 30 second skip on this unit. That said, the 30 second slip is enabled by default. But if you want the true skip, you can do it.

I hate the video preview window!

OK – that one was me (Michael). I hate it. Fortunately, you can turn it off here in the settings, always. Like on the Premiere line, you can disable it per-occurrence by pressing the Slow button on the remote. But there’s also an option to turn it off permanently (I didn’t have a chance to check a Premiere to see if this has been added in a software update over the years). I’m very happy to have peace and quiet in the menus.

We are getting a TON of questions about the new Roamio line. We are very glad for the interest, and we think the Roamio line is a fantastic upgrade to the TiVo hardware. Top reason to get a Roamio: it’s FAST.

Here are some of the common questions, with answers.

Most common question: When will WeaKnees have more Plus and Pro models in stock?

While we don’t yet have a firm date, we expect to ship more out on Tuesday, August 27. That said, many of those coming in our next allotment are spoken for already, so if you think you want one, order now. There is no penalty to order now and cancel before we ship.

Will WeaKnees be upgrading the TiVo Roamios?

Yes, in fact, we’ve already put up for sale the base model and the Plus models expanded up to 3 TB.

We are still working on externals and hope to have more information about that soon.

As far as kits, we are working on those also but we fully expect to be selling them soon.

WeaKnees still sells TiVo Premieres. Why?

Briefly, because they still have a few advantages: Lower price point and ability to record from cable and OTA simultaneously.

Are all outputs simultaneously active on the Roamios?

Yes, all can be used at once. Please note that, like the Premieres, none of these have S-video.

For the TiVo Stream, you can’t use Wifi. Can Wifi work for the built-in Stream on the Roamio Plus and Pro?

Yes, Wifi is sufficient for the Plus and Pro to stream. The key is the connection between the DVR and the Stream – that must be hardwired. If the Stream is built-in, then it’s wired internally essentially. The base TiVo Roamio and the Premieres still need ethernet for the TiVo Stream to work.

What are the differences between the Plus and the Pro?

The only difference is the size of the hard drive – 1 TB for the Plus, and 3 TB for the Pro.

Can lifetime service be moved from an older TiVo to a Roamio?

No. Lifetime service is always tied to the unit on which it was originally purchased. But having a unit on a TiVo.com account does entitle you to a $100 discount on lifetime service for more DVRs on the same account.

Will the TiVo Roamio series work in Canada?

Only the base Roamio (not the Plus or the Pro) will work in Canada. Only the base unit has OTA reception, which is all that works in Canada (not to diminish it – OTA is fantastic, and free). But no cable or satellite providers in Canada offer a way to get programming into an HD TiVo at this point.

More questions are answer in the TiVo Roamio FAQ on our site.

TiVo Releases Three New DVRs for Cable and Digital Antenna

Today, TiVo released three new DVRs, the “TiVo Roamio™,” “TiVo Roamio Plus,” and “TiVo Roamio Pro.” Two of these units (the Plus and Pro) can record a whopping six shows simultaneously and have built-in Wifi, built-in TiVo Stream and built-in MoCA. All three units include an RF and IR remote, another TiVo first.

TiVo Roamio Pro pictured

WeaKnees will have a limited supply of all three TiVo Roamio units in stock later this week. Capacity upgrades are coming soon too. Check the blog for further details.

We have posted a TiVo Roamio comparison chart so that you can easily see the differences among the units, but in a nutshell, here they are:

TiVo Roamio: $199.99. Four tuners. 500GB Hard Drive. Record up to 75 HD Hours. The Roamio can record from ONE input source, either cable, FiOS or off-air antenna. This is the only unit of the three Roamio units that can record from an off-air digital antenna, and it cannot record from BOTH cable and off-air. The Roamio must be connected to the Internet to function and it has built-in Wifi and an Ethernet jack for a direct connection to your router. Alternatively, with an optional MoCA bridge, the Roamio can get Internet access through your coax cable. Like the other Roamio units, this one comes with a remote control that is both RF and IR, so it can send TiVo commands to your TiVo through walls.

TiVo Roamio Plus: $399.99. Six tuners. 1TB Hard Drive. Record up to 150 HD Hours. Unlike the Roamio, the Roamio Plus can record only from cable or FiOS. It has no off-air input. However, the Roamio Plus has a TiVo Stream built into it, so you can stream and transfer content to an iOS device without the need for a separate TiVo Stream. The Plus also has built-in Wifi and built-in MoCA.  The Plus comes with an RF/IR remote, and unlike the Roamio, the Plus has a “Remote Finder.” If you misplace your TiVo remote, just press a button on the Roamio Plus’ front panel and the remote will emit a signal to help you locate it. (If the dog starts beeping, we’ll have replacements soon!)

TiVo Roamio Pro: $599.99. Six tuners. 3TB Hard Drive. Record up to 450 HD Hours. The Roamio Pro is a Roamio Plus with a larger hard drive (triple the size).

Among other features, Roamio units have these features:

• Search entire cable lineup plus streaming apps in a single search—plus on-demand libraries, when available.
• Create customized searches that match your interests by actor, subject or favorite team.
• Set up single-show recordings, or automatically record every episode all season long
• When you can record four or six shows at once, nobody in the house has to miss their favorite shows—even on TV’s busiest nights.
• Share the TiVo experience with other TVs in the house when you connect a TiVo® Mini*. Share and schedule recordings, use apps, or watch TV using the same, award-winning TiVo interface and TiVo peanut remote!
• Remotely manage, browse and schedule recordings anywhere around the house, or while you’re out, with the free TiVo app for tablets and smartphones.
• Stream TV or recorded shows on up to four iOS devices at once over your home network. Or download shows and watch them anywhere. **
• Remote streaming is coming soon. Stream your TV or recorded shows on your iPad or iPhone anywhere in the world you’re connected to WiFi.***

* TiVo Mini service required and sold separately.

** 4-tuner Roamio requires a TiVo Stream (sold separately) to enable streaming and downloading to mobile devices. Not all shows are transferrable due to copyright protections.

*** Coming soon: Out-of-home streaming: TiVo Roamio Plus/Pro will support streaming to one iOS device outside the user’s home network.

As always weaKnees is happy to answer any questions that you might have about any of these DVRs, and we’ll be launching capacity upgrades for all of the units shortly. Stay tuned!

At WeaKnees, we hear from a lot of people who want to eliminate monthly fees. We’ve got cord-cutters getting all of their TV programming via OTA antenna and by streaming, and we’ve got people purchasing lifetime service for their TiVo DVRs to eliminate that monthly fee. We get it – lots of people don’t like a recurring charge on their credit card each month. On the flip side, companies absolutely LOVE these monthly fees – they know that we’re all too inertial to do anything about them most of the time.

Well, here’s a monthly fee you may be paying, and a way to remove it. It’s not a full bill, unfortunately, but it’ll take your cable internet bill down a bit. It’s the lease fee for your cable modem.

If you have TimeWarner, you might have seen that your monthly lease fee for your cable modem is going up by 50% – from $4 to $6. If not, here’s an article about it. In any event, there is a way to get rid of that fee entirely, and that is to buy your own modem.

That’s what some of us here at WeaKnees did. We’re in TimeWarner country, and when word trickled through the office that there was even a cable modem fee to begin with, most of us were surprised – we don’t examine these bills that often. And now, most of us don’t pay it.

The process is pretty simple. You buy your own cable modem, hook it up, call TimeWarner and tell them to activate it and deactivate the old one. Then, if you don’t have phone service with TimeWarner, you give them back their modem. (Oh – and if you do still have and want land-line phone service, we’re working on a way out of that, too.)

We all purchased the Motorola SURFBoard SB6121 which goes for about $70 on Amazon. So within one year, we’ll each save $2. The next year, $72 – assuming the cable company doesn’t hike the fee yet again.

Sure, it probably isn’t even one entire month’s worth of the bill for most people, but it’s something. And it’s a pretty painless process.