# RCN and the TiVo Stream



## sbiller

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r27501300-TiVo-TiVo-Stream-and-RCN-and-the-New-TiVo-App.

[TiVo] TiVo Stream and RCN and the New TiVo App.
All,

As you may or may not be aware of , TiVo launched a new Product called the TiVo Stream. This TiVo Stream allows customers to stream stored content from their TiVo to their IOS device (IPAD / IPHONE etc..) It also allows them to transfer over the network content that is NOT copy-protected to the IOS device so you can take it with you.. (outside the home).

At this point RCN can only support the TiVo Stream with the RCN Q TiVo. Thus you MUST have a TiVo Q in your home in order to get the stream to work. It will NOT work with Premieres at this point. As long as you have a RCN Quad Tuner TiVo on your account either in a Bundle or a standalone then it will work.

The Stream is depends on the TiVo's in the home being connected via MOCA or Hardwired. The Stream will NOT work if the TiVo is connected Via a wireless network.

Yes on the roadmap we are adding a line item to support this on the premiere but until then this will only work with the RCN Quad.

Jason Nealis
RCN
--
Jason Nealis,
V.P. Engineering and Operations


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## Dan203

That sounds like BS to me. First off I think they are confusing the Stream with the Mini. The Stream doesn't care if you have a two tuner or four tuner box. The upcoming Mini will though.

Also there is no requirement for the Stream to use MOCA or Ethernet. It's purely network based. It may not work very well over wifi, depending on your setup and signal quality, but it wont just reject the connection.

Dan


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## sbiller

I saw your post over on RCN. It will be interesting to hear's Jason's response. Initially I thought it was related to how RCN wires up the homes. I think a normal configuration for the Q is hardwired via MoCA while a normal configuration for the Premiere boxes is wireless. At least that is what I'm guessing based on his comment.


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## BigJimOutlaw

Yeah, they require a wired/moca connection for the Q and Preview to avoid having to support the customer's wireless network. So that's probably why they're limiting the Stream to the Q for now... it's wired.


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## Dan203

But they can't "limit" it. If you buy one for a regular Premiere connected via Wireless it will still work. It may not not work well if you have a sh*tty wifi connection, but it will work. The original message says...

"Thus you MUST have a TiVo Q in your home in order to get the stream to work"

and that's the part I was calling BS on. They may not support it without a Q, but it will work.

Dan


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## innocentfreak

I could see them blocking them since I am sure TiVo and RCN know what TSNs are customers and which ones are RCN's. This is how they disable Netflix and also only update certain boxes and markets. They probably have some way to block Stream access. 

This definitely seems like something RCN customers should file comments to the FCC on. This seems to go directly towards trying to stifle and block the innovation the companies claim they are for.


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## bikeryeti

The reason the stream doesn't work with RCN TiVos is because RCN TiVos do not have the software group for Multi-room Streaming. RCN needs to update the software (I think they are still on 14.9) in order for the stream to work. Also the RCN rep was definitely referencing the mini and not the stream because for the mini you must have the Q, this is not the case for the stream though.


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## verbalj

I can confirm that the TiVo Stream does NOT work with the Premiere. The TiVo box is on software version 20.2.x. It is hardwired. I'm also in the NYC area. 

The best part is that I've spoken to four different reps and they all said four different things: 

1- the stream will work once the box is updated to 20.2.x 
2- the stream won't ever work 
3- RCN will release their own version of the stream for Premieres (non Q) 
4- the Stream will only work on Qs. 

We already know the first one isn't true. I've been on the fence about upgrading to the Q. I guess they ultimately will sucker me in because of the Stream.


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## sbiller

verbalj said:


> I can confirm that the TiVo Stream does NOT work with the Premiere. The TiVo box is on software version 20.2.x. It is hardwired. I'm also in the NYC area.
> 
> The best part is that I've spoken to four different reps and they all said four different things:
> 
> 1- the stream will work once the box is updated to 20.2.x
> 2- the stream won't ever work
> 3- RCN will release their own version of the stream for Premieres (non Q)
> 4- the Stream will only work on Qs.
> 
> We already know the first one isn't true. I've been on the fence about upgrading to the Q. I guess they ultimately will sucker me in because of the Stream.


Based on this more recent posts from Jason at RCN it appears that they only enable MRS on the Q.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r27559474-TiVO-Chicago-Tivo-Stream-Issues-

That's very surprising since MRS has other benefits in addition to support for the Stream. Can you verify?


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## innocentfreak

Wow. This is exactly why the cable model needs to change. Crippling features and punishing your customers isn't a model that deserves to stay alive.


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## sbiller

innocentfreak said:


> Wow. This is exactly why the cable model needs to change. Crippling features and punishing your customers isn't a model that deserves to stay alive.


I think your looking at this the wrong way. From an RCN perspective this is due to support issues on Premiere boxes. They don't want to enable a feature (MRS) on boxes that have the option of being connected wirelessly. For a home that has a Q/Elite/XL4, they've installed a hardwired MoCA network so they can guarantee that MRS will work. My 2 cents...


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## Dan203

Do they charge extra for a Q? How much? Just wondering why anyone would not choose the Q if they had the option.

Dan


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## sbiller

Dan203 said:


> Do they charge extra for a Q? How much? Just wondering why anyone would not choose the Q if they had the option.
> 
> Dan


The Q is $24.95/mo versus the Premiere which is $19.95/mo. The Q/Preview bundle is $29.95/mo which is a good deal considering Preview's normally run $9.95/mo. Here is the detailed equipment availability page for RCN.

http://www.rcn.com/dc-metro/digital-cable-tv/equipment


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## innocentfreak

sbiller said:


> I think your looking at this the wrong way. From an RCN perspective this is due to support issues on Premiere boxes. They don't want to enable a feature (MRS) on boxes that have the option of being connected wirelessly. For a home that has a Q/Elite/XL4, they've installed a hardwired MoCA network so they can guarantee that MRS will work. My 2 cents...


All they would have to say is they don't support it over wireless. This is no different then Verizon saying they don't support internet without their router.

You can easily replace their router, but if you call regarding problems they will tell you they won't help you unless you use their router.


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## sbiller

innocentfreak said:


> All they would have to say is they don't support it over wireless. This is no different then Verizon saying they don't support internet without their router.
> 
> You can easily replace their router, but if you call regarding problems they will tell you they won't help you unless you use their router.


Good point but they would prefer to not take the call in the first place!


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## Dan203

sbiller said:


> The Q is $24.95/mo versus the Premiere which is $19.95/mo. The Q/Preview bundle is $29.95/mo which is a good deal considering Preview's normally run $9.95/mo. Here is the detailed equipment availability page for RCN.
> 
> http://www.rcn.com/dc-metro/digital-cable-tv/equipment


Can you get a Preview without any other RCN supplied equipment? I mean if you have a retail Premiere can you get a Preview from RCN that will work with it?

Dan


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## sbiller

Dan203 said:


> Can you get a Preview without any other RCN supplied equipment? I mean if you have a retail Premiere can you get a Preview from RCN that will work with it?
> 
> Dan


I don't think so. I'm sure they require at least one Q on your account in order to get a Preview. Once the Preview is on the account I'm guessing it would work with any retail or MSO box on the local network.


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## verbalj

sbiller said:


> Based on this more recent posts from Jason at RCN it appears that they only enable MRS on the Q.
> 
> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r27559474-TiVO-Chicago-Tivo-Stream-Issues-
> 
> That's very surprising since MRS has other benefits in addition to support for the Stream. Can you verify?


Unless I missed it in the settings/menu (which is a possibility since I was on my way out to work), I didn't even see anything in the settings/menu for MRS.

Sucks that I finally got that software update (much appreciated, by the way since the UI is so much better now), but the Stream still doesn't work. Like I said, I guess RCN finally figured out a way to get me to upgrade to the Q after being on the fence since its release.


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## Dan203

There are no settings on the TiVo menus pertaining to MRS, but there are some on you account a TiVo.com. Login and check the DVR Preference page. Make sure both the boxes related to transferring are checked. Now those actually pertain to the old MRV and TiVoToGo stuff, but they may have an effect on MRS as well. It's worth taking a look at anyway.

Dan


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## verbalj

Thanks for the info. Both boxes are already checked. I guess this all but confirms Jason's postings that the Stream will only work on RCN TiVo Qs.


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## ShayL

Does RCN use TiVo's for rental DVR's?


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## sbiller

ShayL said:


> Does RCN use TiVo's for rental DVR's?


Yes.


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## verbalj

I'll be calling RCN tonight to order the Q. Them being open 24/7 actually benefits someone like me who works until 3 a.m. Hopefully, they can come by sooner rather than later. I'd like to take advantage of the Stream!


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## verbalj

I'm copying my first reply for comedic purposes:



> The best part is that I've spoken to four different reps and they all said four different things:
> 
> 1- the stream will work once the box is updated to 20.2.x
> 2- the stream won't ever work
> 3- RCN will release their own version of the stream for Premieres (non Q)
> 4- the Stream will only work on Qs.


So getting RCN and TiVo to say or agree to the same thing is funny, sad, and infuriating -- all in one.

First, I finally did the upgrade. RCN came on Sunday and swapped my regular Premiere for the Quad. Easy.

The Quad was up and running and was waiting to get the Stream set up. Of course, on Sunday, there was scheduled maintenance on TiVo.com, so I couldn't set it up. 

Monday morning, I go to set up the Stream and I keep running into an issue where app says the device needs to be activated first. It was already activated. So I deactivated it and then reactivated. I ran through the set up again, but it kept giving me the same message. I power cycled everything (including the Stream), and it still gave me that message. 

At the same time, I notice my new Quad is _not_ appearing as an active device on TiVo.com -- interestingly enough, the Stream is even though the app is telling me it isn't.

Anyway, so I call RCN and tell them the Quad needs to be activated because it's not showing up on the TiVo page. This woman was clueless. She didn't understand the concept of upgrading the Premiere box to the Quad and that I've had an RCN TiVo box since 2010. I asked her if she ever heard of the TiVo Stream and, I swear, the way she responded it was as if I asked her in Mandarin.

After about 45 minutes, she said she can't do anything anymore and that she'll be sending a "ticket" to TiVo so that they can recognize my new box -- but that doesn't make any sense because on the TiVo website, when I attempt to "activate" the box, it says I need to do so through RCN. 

It gets better...

I get a hold of TiVo and tell him 1- my Quad box isn't appearing under my devices and 2- the Stream isn't working. He says that I created a second account for the new Quad box (which I didn't) and that I need to contact RCN to consolidate both accounts because TiVo can't recognize two different accounts (even though I don't have two).

With regards to the Stream, he says once the Quad is recognized on my account, it will work.

It still gets better...

After ending that conversation, I get back on the phone with RCN and tell this woman everything that the original RCN rep and TiVo guy told me. She flat out said the original RCN rep was wrong. This rep tells me the protocol for upgrading RCN TiVo boxes is to go to Tivo.com/rcn and create a second account with a new email address. I need to wait for a message to appear in my new TiVo box, go to the website and confirm it. Once all that is done, my second account will be active and -- wait for it -- I need to call TiVo and have them consolidate both accounts.

Now I'm waiting for that message to appear on my TiVo box.

Fun times...


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## sbiller

verbalj said:


> I'm copying my first reply for comedic purposes:
> 
> So getting RCN and TiVo to say or agree to the same thing is funny, sad, and infuriating -- all in one.
> 
> First, I finally did the upgrade. RCN came on Sunday and swapped my regular Premiere for the Quad. Easy.
> 
> The Quad was up and running and was waiting to get the Stream set up. Of course, on Sunday, there was scheduled maintenance on TiVo.com, so I couldn't set it up.
> 
> Monday morning, I go to set up the Stream and I keep running into an issue where app says the device needs to be activated first. It was already activated. So I deactivated it and then reactivated. I ran through the set up again, but it kept giving me the same message. I power cycled everything (including the Stream), and it still gave me that message.
> 
> At the same time, I notice my new Quad is _not_ appearing as an active device on TiVo.com -- interestingly enough, the Stream is even though the app is telling me it isn't.
> 
> Anyway, so I call RCN and tell them the Quad needs to be activated because it's not showing up on the TiVo page. This woman was clueless. She didn't understand the concept of upgrading the Premiere box to the Quad and that I've had an RCN TiVo box since 2010. I asked her if she ever heard of the TiVo Stream and, I swear, the way she responded it was as if I asked her in Mandarin.
> 
> After about 45 minutes, she said she can't do anything anymore and that she'll be sending a "ticket" to TiVo so that they can recognize my new box -- but that doesn't make any sense because on the TiVo website, when I attempt to "activate" the box, it says I need to do so through RCN.
> 
> It gets better...
> 
> I get a hold of TiVo and tell him 1- my Quad box isn't appearing under my devices and 2- the Stream isn't working. He says that I created a second account for the new Quad box (which I didn't) and that I need to contact RCN to consolidate both accounts because TiVo can't recognize two different accounts (even though I don't have two).
> 
> With regards to the Stream, he says once the Quad is recognized on my account, it will work.
> 
> It still gets better...
> 
> After ending that conversation, I get back on the phone with RCN and tell this woman everything that the original RCN rep and TiVo guy told me. She flat out said the original RCN rep was wrong. This rep tells me the protocol for upgrading RCN TiVo boxes is to go to Tivo.com/rcn and create a second account with a new email address. I need to wait for a message to appear in my new TiVo box, go to the website and confirm it. Once all that is done, my second account will be active and -- wait for it -- I need to call TiVo and have them consolidate both accounts.
> 
> Now I'm waiting for that message to appear on my TiVo box.
> 
> Fun times...


I recommend you open up a direct message to RCN on dslreports dot com. They seem to closely monitor that forum.


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## verbalj

Okay, so I finally got the message last night. I created that second TiVo account. The new quad appears on that new TiVo account. I went back to my original account and deactivated the Stream. I logged back into the new TiVo account, activated the Stream, and voila, finally, everything is working. I don't even care about my original TiVo account. I'll leave it open. I don't even care about consolidating the accounts. 

So to sum it up for RCN TiVo customers:

If you have a regular Premiere, you need to update to the Quad if you want to use the Stream. When you have the Quad, create a new TiVo account, just like you did when you first received TiVo. Activate the Stream on the new TiVo account where the new Quad is. Run the Stream setup on the ipad/iphone. Everything should be on the same page now. Everything should be fine.


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## innocentfreak

sbiller said:


> I think your looking at this the wrong way. From an RCN perspective this is due to support issues on Premiere boxes. They don't want to enable a feature (MRS) on boxes that have the option of being connected wirelessly. For a home that has a Q/Elite/XL4, they've installed a hardwired MoCA network so they can guarantee that MRS will work. My 2 cents...


If they price it the same as Suddenlink, they better offer top tier support. Suddenlink is leasing it for $10 a month which means one year covers the retail cost.

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=225663&site=lr_cable&


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