# Come join the TiVo Stream forums!



## Peter Redmer (Jan 2, 2008)

Have a question about the new TiVo Stream or just want to chat about it? This is the place!


----------



## meb577 (May 1, 2006)

Ok, I read on the WEB that it will not transfer "copy once" flagged programs. I assume that means it won't store those programs on my iPad for viewing off line but streaming of those flagged programs within my home is still is available. Is this true?

Also, I want to use the iPad as a remote screen out at the BBQ to watch what others are watching on the TV and then join them after the cooking is finished. Big deal for football. So can I watch simultaneously in real time and pause/start on the iPad? Or do I have to watch it as a separate streamed version and when they pause mine keeps playing and vise versa? Or can I not even stream what's playing on the TV at the same time?

BTW Dear TiVo, is the type of enhancement I have been waiting for, I just hope I can do what I want to with it. Keep the innovations coming.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Yes it can stream anything, including copy protected content.

What you're watching on the iPad is it's own stream. It will automatically start from the pause point of the program if you already started watching it on the TV, and there is a way to send it back to the TV from where you're at on the iPad, but while you're watching they're separate so you could get out of sync.

Dan


----------



## Hilltopper06 (Nov 16, 2010)

I have a Logitech Revue and an Apple TV device and I'm wondering if it would be possible to use Airstream (from my IPad through Tivo Stream) to another TV that does not have a Tivo but a connected device like my Apple TV or Revue?


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I don't have either of those things so I can't say for sure. However TiVo is working on another product, called the Mini, which is designed to stream programs from your other TiVos directly to another TV. That might be a better option then the Stream/AirPlay setup.

Dan


----------



## Hilltopper06 (Nov 16, 2010)

Perfect, thank you. I'll just have to be more patient. 
I already have the Tivo software to download programs to my IPad so I think the Tivo Mini would be the best option for me.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Well one advantage to the Stream for downloading, compared to the PC based solution, is that it's a direct connection. There is no PC involved and no need to load or sync with iTunes. You just select the show and hit download and it transfers to the iPad. (you can also stream shows through your home network without actually copying them to the iPad)

Dan


----------



## goldstt (Oct 28, 2004)

My Tivo is NOT hardwired to my router, rather it connects via wi-fi (as it's nowhere near the router).
I want to explore the MOCA option, but I've found that Tivo doesn't explain it very well.
Can anybody use the MOCA option?
I plug one MOCA adapter into my router...and another into my TIVO.
And i'm golden?


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

You don't need the TiVo to be hardwired. The Stream is a network device so it can be placed anywhere on your network and still function. You could plug it directly into your router and it should work fine. It will tax your wifi network a bit, so you probably wouldn't be able to do the max 4 streams it's capable of, but if you just want to use it for one at a time it should work just fine.

Dan


----------



## goldstt (Oct 28, 2004)

Really? So if i'll rarely use more than 1 stream, I don't need to go the MOCA route? I can just use wifi from the Tivo to the Stream (which will be plugged into the router)?


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I can't guarantee it will work, since it's highly dependent on the quality of your wifi signal, but it should work. It's all just networking. Basically the Stream pretends to be another TiVo on your network and initiates a network stream of the program like you'd get streaming TiVo to TiVo. It then recodes the video to a format compatible with the iPad and send that out to the iPad. As long as your wifi network can handle both the stream from the TiVo to the Stream and the stream going from the Stream to the iPad then it should work fine.

I'm currently using a powerline network between my Stream and my TiVo and it's working fine. Transferring a program is a lot slower then they say, but it works fine for streaming.

Dan


----------



## Mysterylabs (Sep 7, 2012)

Dan203 said:


> Yes it can stream anything, including copy protected content.
> 
> Dan


I have Comcast and I use to transfer shows to my portable device until I upgraded to a a cablecard and the Tivo Premier. Then shows were copy protected and I could no longer transfer them to my portable. So the idea of the being able to transfer shows again appeals to me.

But, I wrote to Tivo's Customer Support, whose reply was "_Thank you for contacting TiVo Customer Support. I would be glad to answer your question. Most copy protected shows can still be streamed between units, just not transferred. This depends entirely on the type of copy protection. TiVo is bound by law to adhere to the copy protection_." Since I did not think she understood my question, I called support and talked someone in Technical Support. He told me it would be useless to buy a Tivo Stream because the shows would still be copy protected and unable to transfer.

So I guess my question is, my cable company is Comcast, how do I find out if the Tivo Stream would work or be worthless?

Debbi


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

You can "stream" anything, but you can only "copy" unprotected content. Basically if you can't transfer it to a PC via TivoToGo then you wont be able to copy it to the iPad either. However you'll be able to watch it on the iPad as long as you are connected to the same local network as the TiVo.

Dan


----------



## sbiller (May 10, 2002)

Mysterylabs said:


> I have Comcast and I use to transfer shows to my portable device until I upgraded to a a cablecard and the Tivo Premier. Then shows were copy protected and I could no longer transfer them to my portable. So the idea of the being able to transfer shows again appeals to me.
> 
> But, I wrote to Tivo's Customer Support, whose reply was "_Thank you for contacting TiVo Customer Support. I would be glad to answer your question. Most copy protected shows can still be streamed between units, just not transferred. This depends entirely on the type of copy protection. TiVo is bound by law to adhere to the copy protection_." Since I did not think she understood my question, I called support and talked someone in Technical Support. He told me it would be useless to buy a Tivo Stream because the shows would still be copy protected and unable to transfer.
> 
> ...


Debbi,

Based on this list --> http://www.missingremote.com/forums/cable-provider-copy-protection-switched-digital-video-and-self-install-status-master-list

It appears most Comcast areas are very Stream friendly. I think you are saying that using TiVo Desktop on a PC you see most of the shows as red circle / copy protected. For those shows, the Stream will only be able to Stream. It won't be able to download (sideload) onto your iOS device for out-of-the-home viewing.


----------



## Iceback (Oct 12, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> You can "stream" anything, but you can only "copy" unprotected content. Basically if you can't transfer it to a PC via TivoToGo then you wont be able to copy it to the iPad either. However you'll be able to watch it on the iPad as long as you are connected to the same local network as the TiVo.
> 
> Dan


Well that is a deal breaker for me. I travel 3-4 days a week and was looking forward to loading my IPad up with unwatched content, but since 70% of my HD recorded Time Warner content is copy protected, that would be useless for my purposes. It would be nice if copy protected content could be moved from device to device by the same owner.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Moving is what they'd have to do. When that CCI bit is set it means the user is only allowed to have one copy of the show. So if TiVo wanted to allow it to be downloaded they would have to move it, not copy it, to the other device. Which means as it transferred it would have to be deleted from the TiVo. In the case of the Stream this would present a bit of a problem because it's being transcoded there would be no way to move it back to the TiVo so it would be stuck on the iPad. And if there were any errors during the move it could result in a lost recording because you'd only get one shot at it. 

That being said I hope a future version of TiVo software allows moving of protected content, both to the PC and the iPad. 

Dan


----------



## man cave (Nov 15, 2014)

I have frontier fios. Everything is copy protected,so it renders TiVo streaming outside of my network via android app useless.


----------



## gamo62 (Oct 12, 2002)

Still won't play MPG4.


----------



## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

gamo62 said:


> Still won't play MPG4.


Still scheduled for 1st quarter 2015


----------



## JWhites (May 15, 2013)

please be patient, it is being actively worked on.


----------



## gvlbob (Sep 26, 2014)

Can someone tell me why the app doesn't give the option to just stream using a buffer instead of recording the whole program all the time?


----------



## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

gvlbob said:


> Can someone tell me why the app doesn't give the option to just stream using a buffer instead of recording the whole program all the time?


I am not sure anyone on the forums definitively understand the technical / legal issues around streaming "live" TV.

It may just be as simple as they only had to build a single delivery mechanism or it could be as complicated as not being allowed to place shift "live TV". (Or a combination of a number of issues)

It would be nice to know, but I am not expecting a change anytime soon.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

My guess... The Stream existed before the Mini so they didn't have a mechanism to stream live TV when it was developed, and now that they do they just haven't gotten around to implementing it in the Stream/app. 

Could be harder then it sounds. With a Mini there is a direct connection between the TiVo and the Mini, with the Stream it sort of sits in the middle between the app and the TiVo and acts as a proxy. So the communication protocol might be simpler and incapable of dealing with all the scenarios involved with streaming a live tuner. (like requesting the tuner, receiving and replying to messages, etc...)


----------



## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Exactly, and it would require the tivo to allocate a tuner to the stream and this may be the rub... 

Today, if my wife and I both want to stream a show, I would initiate a recording, we would both independently initiate a stream and control it independantly. The tuner is quietly doing it's job recording the show without regard to either me or my wife.

If the stream allowed direct access to a tuner, we would each have to access an separate tuner taking away from the pool. This could get expensive (resource wise) very quickly.

As it is today the stream doesn't leverage a tuner at all. With the advent of dynamic tuner allocation it could be done - but would that leave 2 tuner TiVos out? 

The more I think about it, I am pretty sure the expense of tuner allocation is exactly why it is designed this way.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Actually I hadn't considered that under the current scheme each Mini can only allocate 1 tuner, but in the case of the Stream it can actually stream 4 things simultaneously so it would need to be able to allocate 4 tuners. I believe the current design uses the TSN to allocate tuners from the pool, so it may not even be possible for a single TSN to allocate 4 different tuners. At least not without a major design change. 

I don't think it's a resource issue, as streaming a recording is no different then streaming a live tuner.


----------



## Bytez (Sep 11, 2004)

How many streams from an already recorded show can be streamed to other devices?


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

A single Stream, standalone or in a Roamio, can handle 4 simultaneous streams. Premiere units can only have 3 outgoing streams at a time, so you can only fully utilize it if you have multiple Premiere units. Roamio units can support 11 outgoing streams at a time so they have no problem maxing out the Stream provided you have enough network bandwidth.


----------



## Bytez (Sep 11, 2004)

Sorry, I meant how many streams to a phone or tablet OOH.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Not sure about OOH. That goes through a proxy, so it may be limited to one. I've never actually tired, and never heard of anyone trying, so I can't say for sure.


----------

