# Where is the Stream for sale?



## Patrickcg

The TiVo website doesn't have them and refers you to best buy. 

They don't have them.

Fry's doesn't have them.

Amazon only has them from third party vendors that are selling them for almost 190 bucks. 

Has anyone seen a stream for retail in the past few weeks? If so, where. I have a Romio, basic model, and was looking to upgrade it, and now it doesn't look like I can without through the nose.


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## gthassell

patrick, I have a stream available for sale. I was going to put it up on ebay soon, but if you would be interested, let me know what you would be willing to pay (total price shipped to your door), and could probably arrange something. 

You can look at my eBay ratings (TiVoFanTodd) if necessary. I'm just getting ready to list a number of older TiVos (S1s, S2s, and an S3 HD) and accessories, but would love to avoid eBay fees if possible. 

Just PM me if interested.


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## fivetoedbear

Also looking to buy a Stream. Totally sold out at Best Buy in the Chicago area (not quite prepared to drive all the way to Aurora for the one store that has it).

Only a few on eBay.

Is TiVo just out of stock, or are they discontinuing it, or what? Can't imagine they're going to drop the Stream since there's no OTA Roamio with Stream built in.


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## foghorn2

I cant find this anywhere and I don't shop Ebay


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## fivetoedbear

foghorn2 said:


> I cant find this anywhere and I don't shop Ebay


I've opened a ticket with TiVo Customer Support, and am gently pressing for a better answer than "go to BestBuy.com".

I've asked for the company to at least make an official announcement of their intentions to make the Stream available in the future.

If they're just waiting for the next manufacturing run to arrive, I can wait. If they're going to discontinue it, well, I suppose I'm at the mercy of eBay and the unit that's on Amazon for $250.


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## foghorn2

Thats a mini you linked!


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## h2oskierc

Here is the stream. Shows up as not available for shipping, and also don't see any for pickup, at least in my area...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/tivo-stream/6303102.p?id=1218734743251&skuId=6303102


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## foghorn2

h2oskierc said:


> Here is the stream. Shows up as not available for shipping, and also don't see any for pickup, at least in my area...
> 
> http://www.bestbuy.com/site/tivo-stream/6303102.p?id=1218734743251&skuId=6303102


Same here, nor at Fry's or Amazon (seller).

I'd try Montgomery Wards but they closed decades ago


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## Arcady

I heard they have lots of them at Circuit City. 

But seriously, I can't find any sellers at retail that have one in stock.


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## series5orpremier

They messed up estimating demand or keeping track of inventory.

A few speculations on why this happened, all with the possible exception of (2.) amounting to the discontinuance of the external stream:

1. They are close to releasing a refreshed Basic with built in stream and/or
2. They are EOLing the Basic to be replaced by the OTA at entry level and/or
3. They are repositioning streaming as a premium feature available only with the Plus/Pro, to provide some incentive for buying them other than 6 vs. 4 tuners.


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## Einselen

Picked up a stream last week at Bestbuy.com, yesterday saw a pending charge from Bestbuy.com for $655 so looks like someone breached my card so my bank canceled it. Just a word of caution if ordering from Best Buy. Granted it could have been stolen elsewhere, but the coincidence is just too strong.


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## fivetoedbear

TiVo Customer Support is totally dodging the issue.

First, they told me to go buy a TiVo stream from Best Buy.

I reminded them that it's not available from Best Buy, and that it'd be nice if loyal customers knew what the plan was for the product, is it going to be restocked or not.

And they gave me a link to the page where you suggest new features.


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## fivetoedbear

series5orpremier said:


> They messed up estimating demand or keeping track of inventory.
> 
> A few speculations on why this happened, all with the possible exception of (2.) amounting to the discontinuance of the external stream:
> 
> 1. They are close to releasing a refreshed Basic with built in stream and/or
> 2. They are EOLing the Basic to be replaced by the OTA at entry level and/or
> 3. They are repositioning streaming as a premium feature available only with the Plus/Pro, to provide some incentive for buying them other than 6 vs. 4 tuners.


Another possibility is that they're holding back a manufacturing batch of TiVo Stream devices for a firmware update to support MPEG-4 as required by some Comcast cable systems. That update is to be out in early 2015 according to this article.

I don't know how the Stream software upgrade works compared to a regular TiVo, but shipping the next batch with MPEG-4 support already in it might reduce customer service costs.


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## Arcady

The Stream already converts content to mpeg4. No hardware update is needed to take mp4 and send it as mp4.


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## kazak99

Website says it's in stock: http://www.weaknees.com/tivo-stream.php


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## Arcady

kazak99 said:


> Website says it's in stock: http://www.weaknees.com/tivo-stream.php


It lies. When you click "add to cart" you get a page that says: "Sorry! This item is currently out of stock."


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## kazak99

Arcady said:


> It lies. When you click "add to cart" you get a page that says: "Sorry! This item is currently out of stock."


Good catch! I tried adding the Stream from Weaknees to my cart and it reported back, "Sorry! This item is currently out of stock."


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## Patrickcg

Arcady said:


> It lies. When you click "add to cart" you get a page that says: "Sorry! This item is currently out of stock."


Weaknees is one of the third party retailer selling them for 190 on Amazon though.


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## series5orpremier

Patrickcg said:


> Weaknees is one of the third party retailer selling them for 190 on Amazon though.


Guess again


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## Patrickcg

series5orpremier said:


> Guess again


Well, they were before they ran out since Amazon now has none for sale.


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## dcline414

The low inventory could be due to the popularity of the Roamio OTA, which doesn't have streaming capabilities built in. Don't forget that there were a lot of Aereo users who lost their mobile access to OTA broadcasts, and a Roamio OTA with stream is arguably one of the best alternatives.

Also, the Stream is in stock at my local Frys for $129&#8212;if they are truly impossible to find online or in some local markets, I wouldn't mind picking one up and shipping it somewhere. UPS ground or USPS priority shipping would almost certainly be less than $50. $190 for a Stream is borderline price gouging.

Edit: It appears my local Frys has ONE stream in stock, so finding one currently available for $129 may be harder than I realized. Maybe I should buy it and sell to the highest bidder online!


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## foghorn2

Stream is no longer listed @ Fry's. Whats going on?


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## fivetoedbear

dcline414 said:


> The low inventory could be due to the popularity of the Roamio OTA, which doesn't have streaming capabilities built in. Don't forget that there were a lot of Aereo users who lost their mobile access to OTA broadcasts, and a Roamio OTA with stream is arguably one of the best alternatives.


That's a really good point. TiVo had a press release on 1/7/15 and are really pushing the TiVo Roamio OTA, and the Stream is featured heavily in that marketing effort.

Cord-cutting is getting to be a bigger movement, and there are more new services coming (like SlingTV) to provide on-demand access to some cable programming.

I decided to go to the ordering page on tivo.com and get a web-chat with a representative. Let them know that Best Buy is pretty much out of stock nationwide.

The only thing they'll say is there's no time frame for availability, and no date announced. Sounds very much like a "key phrase" for customers asking about the Stream.

I expressed that a lot of us really want to buy one, and that I was looking forward to using my iPad in the kitchen, for instance.

I just asked to please make sure the decision makers know there's interest, and the agent admitted "Yes...we are getting a few complaints" and "Keep checking the website."

So who knows, maybe I need a little patience.


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## jeremymc7

I just picked one up on eBay today and for under $100.

No other place anywhere has them.

But if you don't buy on eBay you'll just have to wait unfortunately.


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## just4fn44

I recommend a slingbox 350.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/brands/...ype=REDIRECT&issolr=1&searchRedirect=slingbox


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## foghorn2

Not buying something that looks like it has chicken pox.
Plus that device will not allow distinct viewing, just a mirror.


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## dcline414

I don't really understand why a Stream is necessary to enable video transmission in the first place if the host DVR is connected to the network. The whole concept very much sounds like technology from centuries past.










So my question to the Stream is....


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## Arcady

dcline414 said:


> I don't really understand why a Stream is necessary to enable video transmission in the first place if the host DVR is connected to the network. The whole concept very much sounds like technology from centuries past.


It transcodes from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4, which is required to play video on an iOS device. There wasn't enough CPU horsepower in the Premiere to do this (it barely had enough to draw the menus on the screen) so they put this function in the Stream. The Roamio Plus/Pro has the encoder chip on the motherboard, plus the internal network switch, etc. These parts were left out of the cheap Roamio to save money.


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## just4fn44

foghorn2 said:


> Not buying something that looks like it has chicken pox.
> Plus that device will not allow distinct viewing, just a mirror.


I have both and the I much prefer the slingbox to tivo stream. I have my sling hooked up to my mini in a room the is not used very often and when I use it nobody's home anyway. I don't know what you mean by mirror. I can use the sling just like I was at home watching tv. It has the remote and I can watch anything that tivo has to offer. The picture and connection is better and less buffering.


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## Arcady

just4fn44 said:


> I don't know what you mean by mirror.


If you connect a Slingbox to a TiVo that people might be watching, then you either have to watch what they are watching, or you will interfere with that person's viewing. It "mirrors" whatever is output from the TiVo it is connected to.

I bought an extra Mini and connected my Slingbox to that so my wife could use the main TiVo as normal when I want to connect via Slingbox from outside the house.


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## fivetoedbear

just4fn44 said:


> I have both and the I much prefer the slingbox to tivo stream. I have my sling hooked up to my mini in a room the is not used very often and when I use it nobody's home anyway. I don't know what you mean by mirror. I can use the sling just like I was at home watching tv. It has the remote and I can watch anything that tivo has to offer. The picture and connection is better and less buffering.


How's the quality on that...the Slingbox 350 doesn't have HDMI input. Presuming it should use the component video. Is that HD?


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## Arcady

Yes, component video is HD. I have it set to output 1080i, which the Slingbox sends along nicely. The Slingbox handles slow connections better than the TiVo app from what I can tell. I use both, but usually use the Sling app when I'm on a slow connection (or on cellular.)


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## just4fn44

+1


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## Arcady

Maybe the Streams are all stuck in those ships anchored off the west coast, unable to be delivered until the ports open back up...


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## foghorn2

Yes, we need them fast, fresh off the boat -
Sea Weed and all!


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## davezatz

foghorn2 said:


> Not buying something that looks like it has chicken pox. Plus that device will not allow distinct viewing, just a mirror.


In my opinion Slingbox is far superior to Stream in terms of streaming video quality and platform support. Stream/Roamio is better in terms of direct control, vs Sling's IR blaster, and ability to offload on iOS.


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## plpmke

I've found that Slingbox quality relates more to the strain on Sling's servers than anything else (I have 5MB up, Slingbox 350 connected via comp to a Mini). Last January from Prague, on rental wifi, I had a great connection/picture with no problems on an iPad 1. During the football season, my sister will get drops/blocking/etc when she is testing to see if she could watch the game from my market on a new MacBook Pro (she's on wired 50MB FIOS down) .


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## davezatz

plpmke said:


> I've found that Slingbox quality relates more to the strain on Sling's servers than anything else


None of your video passes thru Sling's servers - at least it didn't use to. They are/were simple a dynamic DNS service helping your viewing device find your personal Slingbox.

Given real performance vs advertised and shared overhead, 5MB isn't a whole lot to work with and that upstream bandwidth is the most critical piece. I doubt your sister would get a reliable "HD" full screen stream from your Slingbox (especially if you were home surfing the web while she was testing).

Also, iPad 1 resolution is pretty low and a smaller screen than a higher res, larger screen of a MBP. So even if you were to have tested on the same day with the same conditions from the same networks, the lower res, smaller iPad might actually look better.


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## James M. Duff

in an online chat with a tivo rep today, i inquired about the tivo stream availability. they said that it had not been discontinued nor updated. shortages are due to the popularity of the device by Tivo Roamio OTA owners. they expected tivo stream supply to eventually catch up with demand but did not have an estimate of availability from best buy, or on their website.

I also inquired about the latest developments in the tivo software, wrt whether it circumvented previous problems i've had with Cox cable's use of CCI flags. specifically, i asked the whether the new "delete from dvr before copy to IOS" functionality would avoid the "copy once" restriction and allow copying premium hbo content to an iPad. answer: yes. we'll see when i finally get one.


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## davezatz

One source tells me production had halted, while another says inventory should return in a few weeks. They don't really contradict one another...


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## Arcady

davezatz said:


> One source tells me production had halted, while another says inventory should return in a few weeks. They don't really contradict one another...


Maybe they are both right. Production halted after they built a new batch, they shipped them via cargo ship, the ship was stuck off the port of Long Beach, and now that ships are being unloaded again, they will be on shelves in a few weeks.


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## telemark

WK listed a few on amazon.com today, above MSRP. I assume this is old stock.

My pet theory is there's a parts shortage, specifically the main chip. The manufacturer Zenverge was acquired in Dec 2014. Such a thing could stall production as they move over to another fab/line.


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## foghorn2

From Amazon:

"Price:	$186.99 + $4.99 shipping
Only 12 left in stock.
Ships from and sold by weaKnees DVR Superstore.
Estimated Delivery Date: Feb. 26 - March 3 when you choose Expedited Shipping at checkout."

How is it that this vendor has 12 and selling way above retail and no one else has any?


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## Arcady

I did a search on Best Buy's site and a few stores more than 50 miles away from me claim to have one in stock. Buying one online for retail price seems impossible right now.


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## A.VOID

I've been seeing a bunch on ebay. Decent prices too


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## Arcady

A.VOID said:


> I've been seeing a bunch on ebay. Decent prices too


There is only one for sale on eBay right now, with a bid of $168.50 as of this posting. I just sold one on there and people bid it up to nearly 200 dollars.

The Best Buy in Cherry Hill NJ said they have one in stock, but when I went there, they couldn't find it.


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## foghorn2

Maybe a new "Aereo Stream" device for cord cutters with the Roamio OTA? Just wondering


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## Patrickcg

Weaknees has dropped their price to $150 on Amazon now. Maybe it will be back in stock soon and that's why they are dropping the price when they were selling them for $180


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## foghorn2

I'd buy it from them if they sold it for $129.99 with prime shipping. Many of their products have prime shipping. They are selling them on their own website for $129.99 free shipping but I'd rather pay through Amazon. Don't trust paypal or direct credit card entries on most webstores.


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## Patrickcg

foghorn2 said:


> I'd buy it from them if they sold it for $129.99 with prime shipping. Many of their products have prime shipping. They are selling them on their own website for $129.99 free shipping but I'd rather pay through Amazon. Don't trust paypal or direct credit card entries on most webstores.


They are not selling it on there store. If you click add to cart it tells you it is out of stock. They don't tell you it is out of stock because they are selling their supply for more money on Amazon. It's there right to do it, but it doesn't make we want to ever buy anything from them.


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## foghorn2

Looks like WeaKness ( is it pronounced "weenies"?) has them in stock, $ 129.99 free shipping. If Amazon or BB does not have it in stock by the end of the week, I will order from them.


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## davezatz

foghorn2 said:


> Looks like WeaKnees ( is it pronounced "weenies"?)


Yes.


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## BigJimOutlaw

Freescale bought Zenverge (the makers of the transcoder) back in Nov/Dec. Wonder if something surrounding that could've disrupted supply at least temporarily. They're both fabless so maybe they stopped to transition to one of Freescale's fab partners. Just another theory.


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## Patrickcg

foghorn2 said:


> Looks like WeaKness ( is it pronounced "weenies"?) has them in stock, $ 129.99 free shipping. If Amazon or BB does not have it in stock by the end of the week, I will order from them.


Nope. See the post directly above yours. When you add it to your cart it is out of stock. For course, what they mean by out of stock is we are selling them on Amazon for 30-50 bucks above retail.


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## bradleys

TiVo has them back in stock...


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## foghorn2

New batch from Weaknees: made on FEB 12 2015. 
I'd buy direct from them! Not old/used stock on ebay.
Impressed.


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## Arcady

I wouldn't buy anything from a company that writes an image to a $65 drive and charges $200 for it.


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## foghorn2

Arcady said:


> I wouldn't buy anything from a company that writes an image to a $65 drive and charges $200 for it.......<earlier post>..........There is only one for sale on eBay right now, with a bid of $168.50 as of this posting. I just sold one on there and people bid it up to nearly 200 dollars..


But we could buy an old one from you for up to $200, right!


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## foghorn2

Arcady said:


> There is only one for sale on eBay right now, with a bid of $168.50 as of this posting. I just sold one on there and people bid it up to nearly 200 dollars.
> 
> The Best Buy in Cherry Hill NJ said they have one in stock, but when I went there, they couldn't find it.


Gee those ebayers better watch the current bidders! They can get em cheaper and newer now!


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## Arcady

foghorn2 said:


> But we could buy an old one from you for up to $200, right!


Hey, I started mine at $99. eBay bidders drove up the price. Was I supposed to turn down the money?

And for the record, I have shipped formatted TiVo drives to members on here for the cost of postage. So


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