# Best Buy - Streams on Clearance



## HeatherA

Yesterday when I went to pick up my Roamio I noticed my Best Buy was out of TiVo Streams. The tag said clearance and had them at $119. I was told they had no more streams on order and would not be getting any in.

Does anyone know if TiVo is getting rid of the Streams?


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## tatergator1

HeatherA said:


> Yesterday when I went to pick up my Roamio I noticed my Best Buy was out of TiVo Streams. The tag said clearance and had them at $119. I was told they had no more streams on order and would not be getting any in.
> 
> Does anyone know if TiVo is getting rid of the Streams?


Highly unlikely since the base Roamio doesn't include built-in stream, so the only way to get that functionality is with the stand-alone stream. Maybe Best Buy is going to stop stocking them in stores, but others will still sell them for the foreseeable future. Besides, at $119, they don't seem too motivated to clear inventory, Amazon has the Stream for $96


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## HeatherA

tatergator1 said:


> Highly unlikely since the base Roamio doesn't include built-in stream, so the only way to get that functionality is with the stand-alone stream. Maybe Best Buy is going to stop stocking them in stores, but others will still sell them for the foreseeable future. Besides, at $119, they don't seem too motivated to clear inventory, Amazon has the Stream for $96


Yeah, I've been watching Amazon's prices so I can price match one at BB when they get a bit lower. I was just surprised to see them being clearanced out.

Maybe a new one is in the pipes?


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## SullyND

HeatherA said:


> Maybe a new one is in the pipes?


Wasn't there speculation than Android support may require different hardware?


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## wmcbrine

tatergator1 said:


> Highly unlikely since the base Roamio doesn't include built-in stream, so the only way to get that functionality is with the stand-alone stream.


...and it's a feature that's advertised on the Roamio box.

On the other hand, I have the feeling that the "Streams" in Roamio Plus/Pro units will rapidly outnumber all those ever sold as standalones.


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## aaronwt

SullyND said:


> Wasn't there speculation than Android support may require different hardware?


If so then I hope that hardware is already in the Pro/Plus.


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## Joe Siegler

HeatherA said:


> Yesterday when I went to pick up my Roamio I noticed my Best Buy was out of TiVo Streams. The tag said clearance and had them at $119. I was told they had no more streams on order and would not be getting any in.
> 
> Does anyone know if TiVo is getting rid of the Streams?


Amazon has been selling them for about $97 for at least a month now.

$119 off a regular price of $129 is not much of a "clearance".


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## bayern_fan

Joe Siegler said:


> Amazon has been selling them for about $97 for at least a month now.
> 
> $119 off a regular price of $129 is not much of a "clearance".


Exactly, but this kind of "clearance" is aimed at people who only shop at brick & mortar stores without comparing price.

Last time I was in a Best Buy, I saw a confused-looking older couple in the Magnolia theater section about to spend over $100 on an HDMI cable and felt it was my duty to help educate them on marked-up cables. They were very grateful with such info


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## davezatz

SullyND said:


> Wasn't there speculation than Android support may require different hardware?


It was speculation based on some correspondence from TiVo support personnel that had been passed to me... The message wasn't clear and different people I've shown have come to different conclusions, so who knows. Aside from that, it wouldn't surprise me to kill the Stream. Possibly better (for TiVo) to encourage folks to step up to new hardware or lesser subsidized hardware...


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## Dan203

I doubt the standalone Stream is going away. BB may be "killing" it because of lackluster sales, but I don't think it's going away completely. Also there is no way that Android support requires different hardware. It may require completely different software, but the hardware in the Stream is generic enough that it could support that software.


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## davezatz

Dan203 said:


> It may require completely different software, but the hardware in the Stream is generic enough that it could support that software.


Dunno about that... one of the selling points of a newer Zenverge chip is some specific hardware-based encryption... But hopefully it's a non-issue in this case.


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## aaronwt

davezatz said:


> It was speculation based on some correspondence from TiVo support personnel that had been passed to me... The message wasn't clear and different people I've shown have come to different conclusions, so who knows. Aside from that, it wouldn't surprise me to kill the Stream. Possibly better (for TiVo) to encourage folks to step up to new hardware or lesser subsidized hardware...


If they killed the Stream though then a person with the base Roamio would have no way to get the Stream capabilties since they are not built into the base Roamio.


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## tlc

tatergator1 said:


> Highly unlikely since the base Roamio doesn't include built-in stream, so the only way to get that functionality is with the stand-alone stream.


So if they do stop selling streams, the only way to get that functionality would be to upgrade to a non-base Roamio. Maybe not a bad thing in their view?



wmcbrine said:


> ...and it's a feature that's advertised on the Roamio box.


On the base Roamio box? Without mentioning the Stream? Ha!

Plus they _named_ it *Roam*io. I think people will be surprised that the base *Roam*io has no *roaming*!

This is starting to feel like some _last-minute_ product differentiation to have more price points. Has anyone opened one to see if the base model has the streaming hardware?



wmcbrine said:


> On the other hand, I have the feeling that the "Streams" in Roamio Plus/Pro units will rapidly outnumber all those ever sold as standalones.


Which would not bode well for the idea of them putting any work into the Stream box.


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## Dan203

davezatz said:


> Dunno about that... one of the selling points of a newer Zenverge chip is some specific hardware-based encryption... But hopefully it's a non-issue in this case.


The current one does encrypted HLS just fine. Not sure if the encryption is hardware or software based, but if it is software based it doesn't seem to hinder performance at all.


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## Lars_J

My local Best Buy had the Stream's for sale at *$93* today. I picked one up.

It took me a few hours to get it to talk to my Premiere (lousy setup - it talked to the TiVo box, but refused to stream or download), but once I got it to work, it is very nifty! I'm heading out on a week vacation this weekend, so I was able to download some programming on to my iPad.


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## series5orpremier

When I saw the clearance tag at BB last week I thought of the other data point that indicates Stream hardware might be going away or getting upgraded - the first week of Roamio sales Tivo gave Streams away for free to base Roamio buyers.


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## rick43065

According the the TiVo Romeo page https://www.tivo.com/shop/roamio

Only Apple devices are supported.

So the "newest" device ROMEO still can't work with 98 Million or so delivered Android Devices, nor can does it have full functionality with Amazon Prime Video.

Not impressed.


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## TC25D

TiVo had to pick one device family to support first. They picked iOS, which is running on 600 million devices. Impressed.


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## gamo62

Before you purchase ANY unit with either the Stream built in or standalone, check with your CableCo to make sure they're NOT broadcasting in H.264. The standalone and built-in Streams CANNOT currently handle H.264. It appears to be a software issue, as the regular Premiere and Roamio models can handle H.264. Currently, it is nothing more than either a novelty (Roamio Pro/Plus), or a paperweight (Standalone Stream). I can only use the Stream on local channels that are still MPEG2. 

Note: (If your CC uses a TA, then you're not on H.264.)


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## Dan203

That's not a hardware limitation, it's a software one. Hopefully they'll fix that soon.


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## HeatherA

I went and picked up the last stream in my local area. The shelf price was $99.99 (clearance)


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## HenryFarpolo

It's still $129.99 at BestBuy.com today so $99.99 looks pretty good. It is $94.99 at Amazon today with only 4 left in stock.


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## HeatherA

HenryFarpolo said:


> It's still $129.99 at BestBuy.com today so $99.99 looks pretty good. It is $94.99 at Amazon today with only 4 left in stock.


I noticed the price on BB.com. I wonder if the stores are just clearing out for updated Stream boxes with a setup guide that refers not just to Premieres, but also Roamios?

I did price match Amazon, but the prices was only $96 and some change yesterday.


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## infinitespecter

I got one Friday for $99 at my local Best Buy and it was the last one in the area.


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## thegardentool

Oklahoma City area has them for as low as $80.99. I picked one up earlier and going to return it tomorrow unfortunately. I like the idea but I didn't realize that Cox does Copy Once on everything but locals here so it didn't do what I needed.


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## davezatz

I have a feeling both Minis and Streams are being cycled out in favor of new Roamio-esque packaging (versus any sort of hardware refresh). That's just speculation, tho - no intel to speak of.


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## aaronwt

davezatz said:


> I have a feeling both Minis and Streams are being cycled out in favor of new Roamio-esque packaging (versus any sort of hardware refresh). That's just speculation, tho - no intel to speak of.


I could understand that if all the Roamios had built in Stream capabilities, but the base Roamio does not. So those people would still need a stand alone Stream box to add those capabilities.


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## Dan203

davezatz said:


> I have a feeling both Minis and Streams are being cycled out in favor of new Roamio-esque packaging (versus any sort of hardware refresh). That's just speculation, tho - no intel to speak of.


That makes sense. Common branding.


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## TC25D

davezatz said:


> I have a feeling both Minis and Streams are being cycled out in favor of new Roamio-esque packaging (versus any sort of hardware refresh). That's just speculation, tho - no intel to speak of.


My $0.02...Since the Stream simply has to sit on the network, i.e., you don't have to interact with it via a remote, therefore mine is sitting at the back of a shelf, behind some books, so what it looks like is kind of irrelevant.


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## davezatz

TC25D said:


> My $0.02...Since the Stream simply has to sit on the network, i.e., you don't have to interact with it via a remote, therefore mine is sitting at the back of a shelf, behind some books, so what it looks like is kind of irrelevant.


I wasn't referring to the hardware enclosure, I was referring to the packaging. And I'm betting both are re-released with new packaging when the larger marketing campaign goes into effect, ahead of the holidays and when out-of-home streaming is ready.


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## TC25D

OK, I'm dense. If packaging doesn't equal the enclosure then what does it mean and why would it require clearing the shelves of existing stock?


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## Dan203

Brand consistency. They want the boxes for all their devices to look similar so people know they go together.


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## aaronwt

But if Andorid support isn't coming until 2014, out of home streaming can only be targeted to a much smaller audience. They must have really screwed up if they plan to have a stream bundle for the Holidays but have android support coming out next year.

I know I'm glad i didn't pick up a Stream last year. I had certainly considered it.


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## Dan203

I don't think the lack of Android support hurts their branding strategy. It may hurt their sales, but has no effect on the design of the box. Unless they plan on printing Apple and Android logos on the box, which may not even be legal without some sort of license agreement with those companies.


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## mr_smits

Dan203 said:


> I don't think the lack of Android support hurts their branding strategy. It may hurt their sales, but has no effect on the design of the box. Unless they plan on printing Apple and Android logos on the box, which may not even be legal without some sort of license agreement with those companies.


No Android support means TiVo misses out on the first big wave of holiday sales. In addition to that, I imagine there will be lingering doubt in consumers' minds when Android support is rolled out. Customers that bought and expected Stream support on non iOS devices will be less likely to try again, and it takes a while for the non-support knowledge to filter out of common knowledge pool. How to quantify that in loss of future sales is not something I know how to do, but I do believe it is significant.

Overall, it hurts Tivo's marketing effectiveness.


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## Dan203

No doubt it will hurt sales, but we're talking about TiVo clearing out current Stream inventory to make room for units with new packaging. Lack of Android support has no bearing one way or the other on that.


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## aaronwt

Dan203 said:


> No doubt it will hurt sales, but we're talking about TiVo clearing out current Stream inventory to make room for units with new packaging. Lack of Android support has no bearing one way or the other on that.


Wouldn't it? Just by the fact that there would be more sales if Android users could use the Stream. More sales means the inventory is cleared out faster. Less sales means it takes longer to sell the old inventory. Plus not having Android support also makes for a confusing marketing strategy during the busiest shopping time of the year.


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## Dan203

Unless they plan to print information on the box about what platforms are supported I still don't see how Android support, or lack there of, has any real bearing on the design of the packaging. There are a ton of other threads discussing the lack of Android support, it just seems a bit forced, and irrelevant, in this particular discussion.


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## TC25D

Dan203 said:


> There are a ton of other threads discussing the lack of Android support, it just seems a bit forced, and irrelevant, in this particular discussion.


Understatement of the month.


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## rocko

TC25D said:


> Understatement of the month.


Consider the source


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## dpalagi

I picked up a standalone TiVo Stream the other day for my 4 tuner Roamio and Premiere for $79.99 at BB in Denver. I thought I was going to get OOH streaming out of the box but alas, I guess not. TiVo customer support said to be patient. It should be released for all standalone TiVo Streams in the next few weeks. 

If you can find one at BB, try to get the salesperson to search all inventory at other BB stores. I happened to notice on his computer screen that one of the stores in my area was closing it out for $79.99. I then asked for a price match saving me $10 off the $89.99 I thought I was going to pay. (A good idea anytime you are going to buy any clearanced item at a Best Buy store.)


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## sdnative1

Best Buy could sell it half price and I still wouldn't buy it. Until Tivo Stream works with Android, no deal! Perhaps Tivo didn't get the memo that only iPads outsell Android devices. But Android phones and Phablets, outsell iPhones worldwide.


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## aaronwt

Yes it sucks that they pushed the Android release to 2014. I could have used it yesterday when I had the Redskins game on while playing Black OPs2 on the 360. I am glad I got a SLingbox 350 from BestBuy instead of purchasing the Stream last year at BestBuy and waiting for Android support. I would have never guessed a year would have gone by without Android support being added. I figured it was coming but not over a year later.


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## Todd B.

The clearance price for the Stream at my local Best Buy today was $73.99.

The Wireless N Network Adapters were also marked as on clearance. 50-something dollars, I think.


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## aaronwt

Todd B. said:


> The clearance price for the Stream at my local Best Buy today was $73.99.
> 
> The Wireless N Network Adapters were also marked as on clearance. 50-something dollars, I think.


That is a good price. Do those wireless N adapters work with the S3 boxes? I wouldn't mind picking up a couple of them for my GFs TiVos. Right now they saturate the wireless G portion of her network when transferring since they both use wireless g. So it takes a very long time for me to transfer content from my Premiere to her TiVos with a third wireless G adapter.


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## Tivogre

So... You're saturating her G Spot?


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## duckman2000

Best Buy just had another price drop on the Stream. Two stores in my area have them for $67.99 and one store at $69.99. Checked a few other zip codes and most stores have them at $67.99, $68.99, or $69.99.

If you go into a Best Buy and the tag shows a higher price, get someone to scan it and it should come up with the newer clearance prices.


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## telemark

It's interesting bestbuy.com still lists it for $129.99 so it looks to me that it'll be an online only product.

But yeah my stores have it on clearance for $68. Eventually if it gets deleted from their website, to check store stock you'll need the SKU: 6303102 (Model# TCDA94000).


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## Coffee

I'm guessing that since the Streams are included in some of the newer DVRs, Best Buy must be needing to make sure they're making space for stuff that's more likely to sell.


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## Dan203

The Stream is still required for the cheaper 4 tuner


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## quango

Shelf tag at the Best Buy in Tupelo this afternoon had one left, knocked down to $59.99 on clearance; it rang up at full price at the register though (but they sold it to me for $59.99).

I also picked up their last TiVo Slide remote for $29.99 on clearance. So for a BB visit on a total whim, I really scored.


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## jim2011

Anyone know if they're still on clearance? Best Buy's website shows them at full price. When I searched their clearance section, I couldn't find anything.

Thanks!


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## mcharkowski

I just called my local BB (New Hampshire) today and they said $129.99


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## MikePA1

mcharkowski said:


> I just called my local BB (New Hampshire) today and they said $129.99


You can actually call and get an answer?? 

Hopefully, you and jim2011 live near the same Best Buy.


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## jim2011

MikePA1 said:


> You can actually call and get an answer??
> 
> Hopefully, you and jim2011 live near the same Best Buy.


Nope, NoVA for me. I kind of figured they're not on clearance anymore since BB's website has it.


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## BlackBetty

Are these still on the cheap at BB?


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## thegardentool

BlackBetty said:


> Are these still on the cheap at BB?


Your best bet is to check the clearance and open box deals on Best Buy's website. It's listed under "Shops & Deals" then "Clearance & More". The desktop version of the site lets you search all stores in your area at once. Tivo stuff, I believe, is all located in TV & Home Theater then under Smart TV & Devices.


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## HF444

An issue with H.264 was mentioned earlier in this thread.

Has this been resolved, or fixed ?

Is it hardware or software , and is TIVO going to fix it ( either way ) ?

Anyone like to provide any further clarifications or descriptions of this issue,
and if it is not resolved,
and where it's current (and possible future) status might be headed.

Thanks.


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## Dan203

The H.264 issue still exists. Basically if the original channel is H.264 then the Stream will not be able to do anything with shows from that channel. H.264 channels are still pretty rare in the US, but some cable companies have started to use them on a few channels. There is one guy on this forum however who has a small regional cable provider that converted all channels to H.264. For him the Stream does not work at all.

As for fixing it. As far as we can tell from the specs this is not a hardware issue, so they should be able to fix it via software. No idea when/if that'll happen though.


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## HF444

Thanks for the clarification.


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## eboydog

I would bet the reason for the closeout specials is that they are not going to stock them in the stores any longer and only have them shipped to you or the stores. I can't count how many other things I have shopped for thinking I might be able to pick that it e up locally instead of waiting to have it shipped and 90% the stock they list on their website isn't available in the stores. 

I wouldn't worry that Tivo is closing these of for something better or discontinuing just due to BestBuy's marketing strategies unless other sources start listing them as closeout specials! 

I gave up on BestBuy years ago!


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## DebiLee

davezatz said:


> I wasn't referring to the hardware enclosure, I was referring to the packaging. And I'm betting both are re-released with new packaging when the larger marketing campaign goes into effect, ahead of the holidays and when out-of-home streaming is ready.


I'm still looking forward to that but frankly about 20 of my friends just picked up Streams from our local Best Buy stores on the heels of the Android announcement and all were in the old 2012 packaging and I'm a bit confused as to when TiVo actually plans on rolling them out with new packaging. It's now August 2014. Maybe they're waiting for Android streaming to come out so they can put it on the box?


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## davezatz

DebiLee said:


> I'm still looking forward to that but frankly about 20 of my friends just picked up Streams from our local Best Buy stores on the heels of the Android announcement and all were in the old 2012 packaging and I'm a bit confused as to when TiVo actually plans on rolling them out with new packaging. It's now August 2014. Maybe they're waiting for Android streaming to come out so they can put it on the box?


If everyone had 20 friends with TiVo, they'd have a lot of customers.  I noticed the updated Mini packaging in June. But don't think I've seen a Stream in the store recently to see what's what. That's a good thought tho, save the refresh until they can put Android support (and versions) on there.


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## eboydog

davezatz said:


> If everyone had 20 friends with TiVo, they'd have a lot of customers.  I noticed the updated Mini packaging in June. But don't think I've seen a Stream in the store recently to see what's what. That's a good thought tho, save the refresh until they can put Android support (and versions) on there.


Yes it's the Mini that had a cosmetic box logo change and perhaps a hardware too (power cord plug not fitting tightly) but there hasn't been any change in the external Stream design either packaging or hardware.


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## JWhites

HeatherA said:


> Yesterday when I went to pick up my Roamio I noticed my Best Buy was out of TiVo Streams. The tag said clearance and had them at $119. I was told they had no more streams on order and would not be getting any in.
> 
> Does anyone know if TiVo is getting rid of the Streams?


Yeah I've found the Streams hard to find but they're still out there and being sold for the regular $129 at the Best Buy stores and website.


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## JWhites

When I got my Stream July 23rd it was in the old packaging, still touting Dolby Digital Plus support. Before I performed the firmware update I snooped around and looked at the firmware build date and it was from 2012 which surprised me. Looking on the bottom of my Stream it said the hardware build date is September 18, 2012. Since then I've updated to software version 19.1.6-01-6 build date February 18, 2014.

I do notice that when I use the stream in a 75º Fahrenheit environment that the internal temp in the system info screen says 70º Celsius which converts to 158º Fahrenheit and sometimes the fan speed reads 0% and other times 30%. Do I have a problem? When it is idle and in standby mode the temp has gone down to as low as 38º Celsius. TiVo said I can exchange it within the next three months but I'm not sure if my next one would have the same problem (if there _is_ a problem) or if the next one would have something worse going on.


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## DebiLee

davezatz said:


> If everyone had 20 friends with TiVo, they'd have a lot of customers.  I noticed the updated Mini packaging in June. But don't think I've seen a Stream in the store recently to see what's what. That's a good thought tho, save the refresh until they can put Android support (and versions) on there.


Yup I saw your articles and am very impressed. How often do you check the comments from past articles?

Now that the stand alone Stream supports Android (imminently) I see no reason why it is not getting the unconditional love from the community that all of the other products receive. So many people have brought up the fact that that you still need the stand alone Stream for the Premiere and base Roamio so the thought that they are on clearance just makes no sense. The only possibility that would make _any_ sense would be if there is a new standalone Stream product coming out and they are clearing out inventory. But surely there would have been an announcement right?


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## JWhites

Dan203 said:


> I don't think the lack of Android support hurts their branding strategy. It may hurt their sales, but has no effect on the design of the box. Unless they plan on printing Apple and Android logos on the box, which may not even be legal without some sort of license agreement with those companies.


I agree. TiVo already is paying for use of Apple's App Store service mark and Apple's Apple, iPad, iPhone, and iPod trademarks on the current packaging, website, and accompanying literature. Now they just have to do the same for Android.


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## davezatz

DebiLee said:


> Yup I saw your articles and am very impressed. How often do you check the comments from past articles?


I have the blog software directly email me a copy of every comment - so they all get read. Mike Wolf shares your enthusiasm. 



> The only possibility that would make _any_ sense would be if there is a new standalone Stream product coming out and they are clearing out inventory. But surely there would have been an announcement right?


At this point, I don't imagine there will be a Stream hardware refresh since the it's assumed the existing model works with Android and perhaps they encoding chip has come down in price (or been swapped) 2 years later. As to Best Buy's "clearance" perhaps they were testing lower prices, trying to unload excess inventory, who knows what. I think TiVo's experimenting some at this point, given the new Roamio OTA, upcoming changes to Mini fees, etc. So things may remain fluid depending on consumer adoption and such.


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## DebiLee

Oh glad more people agree :up:
Thanks for your input, always appreciate it  I'm really hoping Android users embrace the Stream now.


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## JWhites

davezatz said:


> I have the blog software directly email me a copy of every comment - so they all get read. Mike Wolf shares your enthusiasm.
> 
> At this point, I don't imagine there will be a Stream hardware refresh since the it's assumed the existing model works with Android and perhaps they encoding chip has come down in price (or been swapped) 2 years later. As to Best Buy's "clearance" perhaps they were testing lower prices, trying to unload excess inventory, who knows what. I think TiVo's experimenting some at this point, given the new Roamio OTA, upcoming changes to Mini fees, etc. So things may remain fluid depending on consumer adoption and such.


I did notice a lot of the stores in my area didn't have them in stock which was a bit of a concern.


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