# iPad app released September!



## Tavis75 (Jan 27, 2011)

According to The Register, VM have announced the UK release of the TiVo iPad app for September! Longer away than I would have hoped but at least they've announced a date. As speculated on in the article, I wonder if they will be adding any major additional functionality over the US version, considering quite how long it's taking to release.

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/03/08/virgin_media_ceo_promises_tivo_tablet_app_in_september/


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

A long time just to change the colour scheme to red...


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

So over 18 months after the release of the VM Tivo? Usual VM "coming soon", then.


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

I can only assume there must have been some issues/problems.


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## GizUK (Oct 8, 2001)

cwaring said:


> I can only assume there must have been some issues/problems.


They must be some issues/problems if they will take 6 months to fix.


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## yerksha puddin (Nov 25, 2003)

...and an Android version ???


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## ColinYounger (Aug 9, 2006)

Pure speculation: what if VM are in negotiations for streaming content to other devices, and the delay is for those negotiations to complete so that you can watch programmes on your portable device?


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Interesting article on possible reasons for the delay here.


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

Nonplussed by that article TBH

A reason for delay is supposedly that it needs home network access, and "most" don't have wired ethernet near the TiVo,

Surely the end user can easily fix it by using homeplugs etc If they have a reason to, like an *iPad app* or multi room streaming for example 

Catch22 - they won't enable til we're ready, we won't buy homeplugs until there's something to use them for.

I think the reason is probably more contractual - apparently TiVo only allows a set number of changes/ software releases per year, so they have to prioritize what changes to ask for and when - TiVo might also be negoitiating a price for using the app.

Also as Colin says - I can imagine sky etc might view streaming as rebroadcasting, so want more money too..


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## brightonjohn (Mar 3, 2011)

I'm not really interested in the streaming aspect of this app or in watching content on my iPad. But just being able to do what the USA TiVo Buddy does without having a laptop or PC on would be nice.


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## Brangdon (Feb 9, 2001)

I wouldn't have thought releasing the app would involve updating the TiVo software, or require further permission from TiVo Inc. Whatever the problem is, it must be something they weren't aware of a year ago else they wouldn't have announced it when they did.

Lack of connectivity seems possible, but they really ought to have thought of that before specifying the box, and I don't see how it's going to change in 6 months. Unless they are going to give us all some extra free hardware to fix it, and are negotiating a deal.

In my view the box should have had WiFi. They already provide wireless routers for cable internet users. It seems like a lack of joined-up thinking, however you look at it.


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## brightonjohn (Mar 3, 2011)

The latest version from the US is available. I have carried out this uo-grade and found that, so far, I haven't needed to use any computer on my network for this to work. When I started the new version of the app it asked me for my Media Access Key which the previous version did not do.
So fingers crossed - seems to be working well at the moment.

BUT beware - gesture controls such as using the slider to advance through a recording will still crash your TiVo and require a reboot.

So VM may have good reason to with hold this app because although I'm happy to play with it and will find and avoid the pit falls that doesn't make it commercially viable for a company to release and then support.

On the other hand it isn't unknown for companies to release BETA versions of software (e.g. Windows 7 and 8) so that you get a huge number of testers rather than just waiting for a (small?) development team to bring the product to market and ready to go.


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## brightonjohn (Mar 3, 2011)

Spoke too soon with regard to having to have a computer running BonjourVM! After a few hours the connection was dropped and I had to run the software again. Even so the app is running nicely enough and even the basic gesture of sweeping across the large panel three times to fast forward at 32x and one smart tap in the same place to revert back to playing works well and is very easy to do from the comfort of my armchair.


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## TIVO_YORK99 (Feb 14, 2001)

If I worked for VM and was concerned that people would struggle to network their TiVo then I would work on making the TiVo available over the VM network or over the Internet.

You would therefore not need to put an Ethernet cable into the TiVo, you would just connect to it through its own cable network connection. Makes a lot of sense to me.

If this is what they are doing then I am happy with September as it takes time to setup and test.

Let's face it we can use the American TiVo iPad app with very little work already so I'd be happy to wait.


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## Tony Hoyle (Apr 1, 2002)

I'm not sure VM want every tivo streaming video over their internal network - especially if they enabled streaming to the ipad app as they propose.. then you've got potentially several hundred thousand tivos sending video streams over the internet, which gets expensive (and the support problems when they try to do it over a cheap DSL connection and it buffers and breaks up, and the customer blames VM).

If Sky users can work out how to plug a cable into their boxes, I'm sure VM users can.


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## brightonjohn (Mar 3, 2011)

Tony Hoyle said:


> I'm not sure VM want every tivo streaming video over their internal network - especially if they enabled streaming to the ipad app as they propose.. then you've got potentially several hundred thousand tivos sending video streams over the internet, which gets expensive (and the support problems when they try to do it over a cheap DSL connection and it buffers and breaks up, and the customer blames VM).
> 
> If Sky users can work out how to plug a cable into their boxes, I'm sure VM users can.


I'm not even sure that it's the streaming video bit that I want at all. Its the comfortable and convenient way of operating and managing my TiVo that I appreciate.


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## brightonjohn (Mar 3, 2011)

As of today, 26th March 2012, I am finding that the right hand side of the screen jumps from today's programmes to Sat, 07/4

Very strange. However, resetting the app from within its settings has sorted the problem.:up:


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## SPR (Nov 28, 2001)

Unless the launch of the app is going to be accompanied by the delivery of an iPad too then I really don't care!
Why wasn't a more vendor agnostic approach taken?

Also, traffic back to the core would not be a sensible approach - the LAN is exactly the right place for it.
Wireless bridge, long cable (less that 90m), homeplug can easily be used where the cable modem is not next to the TV.
Running aerial cable has never been a problem to the masses in the past - why should Cat5 be any different?


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