# Streaming Amazon Prime...c'mon TiVo, get your act together.



## mimalmo (Oct 21, 2010)

So Amazon continues to expand their offerings of Prime streaming content that's unavailable to TiVo owners. Meanwhile, TiVo drags their feet when it comes to upgrading to streaming capabilities.

/rant.


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## Thunderclap (Nov 28, 2005)

I agree. We should be able to access our Prime Instant Videos through TiVo since we can access Amazon. It really can't be that hard to set up.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Yep, and their Netflix client has still never seen a UI update and has been far surpassed by others. Not to mention it's still buggy.

But if you've seen the new SD selection screens for Comcast OnDemand or have followed all the trials and tribulations of the HDUI, you can't be surprised by any of this. They just don't seem to care about the UI or apps that much.


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## socrplyr (Jul 19, 2006)

I believe you are complaining in the wrong place. I think Amazon is responsible for the interface, not Tivo. I could be wrong though.


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

The simple solution is to get a Roku box, which currently starts at around $50.

It has an awesome Amazon instant streaming application, is regularly updated, and works with both HD video and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.

Wow, just went to Amazon and saw this on the home page:



> Today we're announcing our biggest addition yet, bringing nearly 3,000 more titles to Prime Instant Video. We've struck a deal with Discovery Networks to bring some of the highest quality, non-fiction, informative and entertaining content about the world to our Amazon Prime customers. Rolling out over the next few weeks are TV shows from Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, and Science. Prime members, at no additional cost, can now stream more than 17,000 titles.
> 
> The new titles include hits such as Deadliest Catch, Mythbusters, Man vs. Wild, Dirty Jobs, Gold Rush: Alaska, and Shark Week, TLC series like Say Yes to the Dress and Cake Boss, as well as content like How It's Made from Science, and The Jeff Corwin Experience from Animal Planet.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Where is the Amazon prime streaming besides PC, Kindle Fire, and Roku?

I'm waiting for it on the Boxee Box personally


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

MikeMar said:


> Where is the Amazon prime streaming besides PC, Kindle Fire, and Roku?












Works great on my Vizio


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

MikeMar said:


> Where is the Amazon prime streaming besides PC, Kindle Fire, and Roku?
> 
> I'm waiting for it on the Boxee Box personally


I have it on Roku and a Panasonic blu-ray player. I don't think the blu-ray outputs Amazon in 5.1 audio though. I haven't tried it in a while since the Roku does it so well.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

My Panasonic 3D TV and Panasonic Blu-ray players all can access it. And I'm pretty sure it's accessible via PlayOn on my PS3. TiVo is irrelevant here.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

But what about the 'one box' that will do it all??


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## uw69 (Jan 25, 2001)

slowbiscuit said:


> But what about the 'one box' that will do it all??


I agree, would be nice if Tivo could pull their collective heads out of the sand long enough to get this functionality working.


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## tomm1079 (May 10, 2005)

slowbiscuit said:


> Yep, and their Netflix client has still never seen a UI update and has been far surpassed by others. Not to mention it's still buggy.
> 
> But if you've seen the new SD selection screens for Comcast OnDemand or have followed all the trials and tribulations of the HDUI, you can't be surprised by any of this. They just don't seem to care about the UI or apps that much.


Of course they are SD. Odds are the comcast stuff will be out before the next big release. Im sure it will get the full facelift with the full HD UI release.

They need to do them in SD regardless. Might as well start their.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

I do agree, this functionality has been sorely missing for far too long. Obviously someone in the Amazon/Tivo chain thought it would be working soon or they would not keep advertising it with an astrisk next to the tivo logo.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

slowbiscuit said:


> But what about the 'one box' that will do it all??


How many people are going to use a TiVo receiver without a display? You're gonna have two "boxes" minimum. And, seriously, how many will have any sort of home theater setup without a DVD/Blu-ray player? And last I saw TiVo has abandoned the combo-DVD concept.


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## wkearney99 (Dec 5, 2003)

Likewise, where's Prime streaming Tivo? 

The one thing I'll give the Tivo Netflix client is it does present a better list of episodes than other clients. But that's about it. Other client interfaces are actually worse at this (sony bd, roku, appletv).

The lack of search *from in the netflix client* is extremely annoying. Yes, you can use Tivo Search but that's tedious, and worse, shows you Prime materials you can't stream (just download). Queue management would be a plus but I can live without it.

Anyway, not to make it Netflix hijack... the point is client UI makes a difference... learn from other's mistakes.

Prime streaming is way past due, what's the problem here?


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## buckeye09 (Mar 11, 2007)

This issue has prevented me from signing up for Prime and is also a major stumbling block to me upgrading to Elite. So both companies are losing potential business from me because they can't figure this out. If I have to bring a Roku into my family room to get quality streaming (Prime and Netflix interface), I might just sell my Premiere and switch to DirecTV and their new super DVR. It is baffling to me that Tivo doesn't understand that one of their main selling points is the "one box" concept. Cable and satellite companies are never going to include Hulu or Netflix or Pandora apps in their DVR's. It is one of the few distinguishing things Tivo has going for it. If they can't make it work and force me to bring in another device to make up for their incompetence, they lose one of their key arguments in my decision making.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

It has been stated here, and in many threads, that this is an AMAZON build, not a TiVo build. Same difference with the new Netflix client, which seems on the verge of release. If Amazon had no intent of finishing the build, then I would expect the TiVo log to disapper.

Has anyone reached out to them to see what their ETA is? That would be more progressive than these continuing threads.

As far as "the one box", it does appear that TiVo is bringing that marketing tagline back. However, they already have better description on their updated website of what it means- it is a Venn Diagram of the confluence of broadcast content and specific additional content. 

Not my favorite campaign, but it is Marketing folks! Bikini clad college girls never show up when I drink a beer either. Lets try and not be quite so literal. Geesh.


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## 241705 (Mar 9, 2010)

Is any of the Amazon Prime content available in HD?


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## JenniferErRn (Mar 15, 2012)

I have a Tivo and Roku so the streaming Prime videos are always available. Roku is a great addition to the Tivo.


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## rayik (Feb 4, 2006)

jrtroo said:


> It has been stated here, and in many threads, that this is an AMAZON build, not a TiVo build. Same difference with the new Netflix client, which seems on the verge of release. If Amazon had no intent of finishing the build, then I would expect the TiVo log to disapper.
> 
> Has anyone reached out to them to see what their ETA is? That would be more progressive than these continuing threads.
> 
> ...


Your points are correct. But I disagree to this extent. The box is not sold by or purchased from Amazon. It's made and sold by TIVO. I would expect solely to go to TIVO for functionality of features. I would not expect to contact a company which neither made nor sold the product. I also would not be happy if TIVO expected me to go to a 3rd party to complain about lack of functionality on the device TIVO manufactured and sold.

Your point was made to us a while ago at Home Depot. We had purchased a special order item from Home Depot. They actually promised us a delivery date. That date came and the item was not delivered. At the store they told us that it was not a Home Depot problem, but rather was due to their 3rd party delivery company. I politely pointed out that we did not buy the item from their delivery company but rather from the Home Depot store. Their response to that was to issue a credit for Home Depot's failure to deliver the product on Home Depot's promised delivery date. Home Depot took responsiblity for something they sold and promised even though a 3rd party was delivering it. That is how responsible companies should act (and even though they failed to deliver as promised, their finally accepting responsiblity brought them much more repeat business from us).

It's TIVO's box. TIVO has to be accountable for functionality regardless of who programs the app.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

buckeye09 said:


> .............. Cable and satellite companies are never going to include Hulu or Netflix or Pandora apps in their DVR's. It is one of the few distinguishing things Tivo has going for it. If they can't make it work and force me to bring in another device to make up for their incompetence, they lose one of their key arguments in my decision making.


DirecTV and Pandora join forces, let you jam out via connected HD DVRs


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

rayik said:


> Your point was made to us a while ago at Home Depot. We had purchased a special order item from Home Depot. They actually promised us a delivery date. That date came and the item was not delivered. At the store they told us that it was not a Home Depot problem, but rather was due to their 3rd party delivery company. I politely pointed out that we did not buy the item from their delivery company but rather from the Home Depot store. Their response to that was to issue a credit for Home Depot's failure to deliver the product on Home Depot's promised delivery date. Home Depot took responsiblity for something they sold and promised even though a 3rd party was delivering it. That is how responsible companies should act (and even though they failed to deliver as promised, their finally accepting responsiblity brought them much more repeat business from us).
> 
> It's TIVO's box. TIVO has to be accountable for functionality regardless of who programs the app.


This is not accurate. You are talking about a service offering from Amazon, a service that you are NOT taking from TiVo. Though it appears that Amazon may make available, nothing has been indicated by TiVo at all that this will be available. TiVo also seems to be making apps available, but would not be responsible for such apps.

So, in your HD deal above, you have the scenario set up incorrectly. To correct: You are making a special order from a building supplier, hoping that Home Depot will be able to make it available to you as a middle man. But, HD is not making any $$ from such sale, and made no such promise to act as a middle man to you. Now, that order is late- what part did HD have in it?

Another analogy using apps. Who do I complain to that Plants vs Zombies is not available on my Xoom tablet in HD? Do I complain to Motorola or Google? No, I would complain to PopCap.


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## rayik (Feb 4, 2006)

jrtroo said:


> This is not accurate. You are talking about a service offering from Amazon, a service that you are NOT taking from TiVo. Though it appears that Amazon may make available, nothing has been indicated by TiVo at all that this will be available. TiVo also seems to be making apps available, but would not be responsible for such apps.
> 
> So, in your HD deal above, you have the scenario set up incorrectly. To correct: You are making a special order from a building supplier, hoping that Home Depot will be able to make it available to you as a middle man. But, HD is not making any $$ from such sale, and made no such promise to act as a middle man to you. Now, that order is late- what part did HD have in it?
> 
> Another analogy using apps. Who do I complain to that Plants vs Zombies is not available on my Xoom tablet in HD? Do I complain to Motorola or Google? No, I would complain to PopCap.


I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree jrtoo.

With TIVO, it's TIVO that makes and sells the box. Regardless of who writes the app, it's on the TIVO box that is bought. I would expect to go to the supplier of the box - TIVO - for explanations as to why Amazon prime video does not work. I would not find it acceptable for TIVO to state that some other provider has not written an app for the box they sold me.

As for the HD example. We bought and paid for the item at HD. HD's delivery company failed to deliver on time. HD took responsibilty becasue we went bought the item from HD (and not the delivery company).

TIVO should take responsibility becasue the box is made and sold by TIVO (and not Amazon).

My 2 cents.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Tivo can't demand Amazon or anyone else to do it. At the MOST it's a partnership, and if one side doesn't want to do it or make it a priority, it's not going to happen.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

So, next time I have an app problem on my xoom I should complain to google? If I have a problem with an iOS app I should complain to Apple? 

Your analogy is very flawed from the get go. You simply do not buy Amazon Prime through TiVo, and there has been no offering by TiVo for such service. Your analogy should have you purchasing from the widget maker, not the storefront.

Am I to understand that you believe that TiVo should write all apps applicable for TiVo? So how are they to take over license from Amazon, they are not a party to it.

Believe what you want, but you are, respectfully, wrong.


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## L David Matheny (Jan 29, 2011)

rayik said:


> With TIVO, it's TIVO that makes and sells the box. Regardless of who writes the app, it's on the TIVO box that is bought. I would expect to go to the supplier of the box - TIVO - for explanations as to why Amazon prime video does not work.


The app may come preinstalled on the TiVo, but it's just software that can be updated later like any other computer program. If I buy a Hewlett-Packard computer, but eBay's site doesn't work to my satisfaction, should I complain to HP? Or maybe to Microsoft since they wrote the browser? The way apps are being done these days, that analogy isn't too farfetched.


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

Amazon created the Amazon app? I thought until recently (when TiVo announced they will finally provide a SDK for 3rd party devs), TiVo created all of the apps on the box. They certainly created the original Netflix app.


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## rayik (Feb 4, 2006)

jrtroo said:


> So, next time I have an app problem on my xoom I should complain to google? If I have a problem with an iOS app I should complain to Apple?
> 
> Your analogy is very flawed from the get go. You simply do not buy Amazon Prime through TiVo, and there has been no offering by TiVo for such service. Your analogy should have you purchasing from the widget maker, not the storefront.
> 
> ...


TIVO should be responsible for quality control for the software they release on their box. That is different from an app for an ipod or ipad as you choose to add that app by downloading it and adding it to your device.

If we disagree, so be it.


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## wkearney99 (Dec 5, 2003)

jrtroo said:


> Your analogy is very flawed from the get go.
> 
> Believe what you want, but you are, respectfully, wrong.


In your opinion, fyp. I think it's YOU that's wrong, in this particular case.

Your analogy is for a device that's sold, from the get-go, as supporting 3rd party app installation. That's great, and making requests direct to the software authors is exactly the route I'd advise. But that's not how the Tivo is sold. A Tivo is sold as an appliance with everything integrated. It has no marketplace and isn't sold as having one. Yes, you can use it to purchase or rent content, but not apps. Now, as to whether or not this is a good thing, well, that's a whole other discussion.

Regardless, it would still be nice to see some movement toward being able to use a Tivo to stream the amazon Prime content. Not being able to do so has caused me, and others, to purchase hardware devices from other suppliers and to use them. Tivo is leaving open a door to other devices by not having the means to stream Prime content. This, in my opinion, is bad planning.

Since none of us here work for Tivo or the part of Amazon that might be in charge of this process (or have any authorization to say so) it's impossible to be authoritative about the reasons behind the situation.

What does matter is paying customers are asking for a feature and Tivo's not coming up with an answer to it. We're going elsewhere. The more we go elsewhere, the more open we might be to paying someone else and dropping Tivo entirely. Bad plan Tivo, bad plan.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

jrtroo said:


> Not my favorite campaign, but it is Marketing folks! Bikini clad college girls never show up when I drink a beer either. Lets try and not be quite so literal. Geesh.


Lets try and not be such a big Tivo fanboy here. Jeez.

Tivo's name is on the box and they made a big push when the Premiere was released that this was the 'one box', then failed to finish the job. Yes, they've made progress with Pandora and Hulu Plus, but when you see this app left as abandonware just like Netflix, Youtube, and Rhapsody (after 2 years) you have to wonder what's going on there.

I don't care whether Amazon wrote the app or not - Tivo is responsible for it, because it's a stock part of the OS when you buy the box. There is no third-party app marketplace that you pick and choose from, it's all Tivo. So the customer thinks it's a Tivo app, with good reason.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

slowbiscuit said:


> Lets try and not be such a big Tivo fanboy here. Jeez.
> 
> Tivo's name is on the box and they made a big push when the Premiere was released that this was the 'one box', then failed to finish the job. Yes, they've made progress with Pandora and Hulu Plus, but when you see this app left as abandonware just like Netflix, Youtube, and Rhapsody (after 2 years) you have to wonder what's going on there.
> 
> I don't care whether Amazon wrote the app or not - Tivo is responsible for it, because it's a stock part of the OS when you buy the box. There is no third-party app marketplace that you pick and choose from, it's all Tivo. So the customer thinks it's a Tivo app, with good reason.


It's still 50/50. Tivo can't write the app themselves if Amazon is not giving them access or helping them on it.

Blame falls on BOTH sides.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

dswallow said:


> How many people are going to use a TiVo receiver without a display? You're gonna have two "boxes" minimum. And, seriously, how many will have any sort of home theater setup without a DVD/Blu-ray player? And last I saw TiVo has abandoned the combo-DVD concept.


Physical media devices have been dropping in sales for some time now. I have no physical media 'player' device in out whole home media system. Many folks do not and more are dropping them all the time, just like VCRs.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

I have a DVD setup, but I can't remember the last time I used it. And it's a fairly new upconverting OPPO one too!

Just use my DVR and Boxee Box


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Hey, I'm not being a fanboy here, but a realist.

I do think that TiVo should make it easier for third parties to write apps for the box. Not sure what that is all about. I certainly WANT amazon prime, as I am a subscriber. But as the code (and rights agreements) is AMAZON's responsibility, I still suggest someone ask them about the hold up. The root cause COULD be TiVo, but we don't know that, and I'm sure TiVo would not tell us that. 

I was just pointing out that 1) TiVo got out of the app code writing business; 2) if we want third parties to write apps, we need to encourage them to do so; and 3) the analogy being used is not accurate in this instance.

I'm certainly happy to hear from TiVo that new netflix and youtube apps are on the horizon (at last), and hope that more come our way. Comcast on-demand is exciting as well, but clearly development takes a loooonng time and its unclear why. 

We had a lot more openness from TiVo leadership for the last version push, and I'm hoping that their new communications lead will stop announcing features years in advance of their actual go live date. I'm not aware of other boxes that do that as a regular course of action, instead of as a result of some failure of the development process.


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## larrs (May 2, 2005)

jrtroo said:


> This is not accurate. You are talking about a service offering from Amazon, a service that you are NOT taking from TiVo. Though it appears that Amazon may make available, nothing has been indicated by TiVo at all that this will be available. TiVo also seems to be making apps available, but would not be responsible for such apps.
> 
> So, in your HD deal above, you have the scenario set up incorrectly. To correct: You are making a special order from a building supplier, hoping that Home Depot will be able to make it available to you as a middle man. But, HD is not making any $$ from such sale, and made no such promise to act as a middle man to you. Now, that order is late- what part did HD have in it?
> 
> Another analogy using apps. Who do I complain to that Plants vs Zombies is not available on my Xoom tablet in HD? Do I complain to Motorola or Google? No, I would complain to PopCap.


I really can't beleive that analogy either. However, I am going to choose to agree with wkearney99 . I am going to try to call Microsoft about the several programs that I have that don't work properly in Windows--now that I know it is not the software maker's problem, but Microsoft's (or maybe go up one more level to Dell since they made the "box").

By the way, the Home Depot example is also flawed and the poster pointed it our himself. He bought the special order item from Home Depot, not the supplier. In this case you cannot to my knowledge buy Amazon Prime from Tivo. Had he bought the item from the supplier and had it shipped to Home Depot for pickup, how would any of that be Home Depot's fault?

I assume Tivo has some responsibility in that they get paid something (I assume) when one uses Amazon Prime on their Tivo- but I belive that responsibility would be around making sure their software remains compatible with the SDK they make available to Amazon.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

There will never be one box that does everything and is great at it. There will always be another device that does certain things better. I figure I will always need multiple boxes to handle my local streaming, internet streaming, and recording.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

aaronwt said:


> There will never be one box that does everything and is great at it. There will always be another device that does certain things better. I figure I will always need multiple boxes to handle my local streaming, internet streaming, and recording.


I pretty much agree. Plus even if someone built the one perfect box it would cost more than most people would be willing to pay and have to be replaced almost yearly to stay the best at everything. Kind of like what Apple wants to happen with the ipad .


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

But Tivo could've done it, had they cared about retail boxes. The hardware is clearly capable, but the software dev/effort/money clearly are not. The sub money is not just for guide data, ya know.

I think that in any of these app's cases that it is Tivo's responsibility to make it work as changes are made to the backends, or accept that they're half-done (or in Rhapsody's case, broken) efforts. It would be different if they just abandoned them like they did the S3/HDs because they're no longer being sold, but that's not the case here.

The customer doesn't care that it's an Amazon app, they just know it's on the Tivo and Tivo should take care of it.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

slowbiscuit said:


> The customer doesn't care that it's an Amazon app, they just know it's on the Tivo and Tivo should take care of it.


To be clear, we are talking about a non-existent "vaporware" Amazon Prime app, not the current Amazon app. I do hope that Amazon does create a Prime app - I also hope that its failure to be produced so far is Amazon's and not a TiVo generated issue.

Did I read someplace that TiVo was revamping their tools for add on app service providers? Could that new product be a cause for Amazon to hold out on this as an offering?


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## rayik (Feb 4, 2006)

larrs said:


> By the way, the Home Depot example is also flawed and the poster pointed it our himself. He bought the special order item from Home Depot, not the supplier. In this case you cannot to my knowledge buy Amazon Prime from Tivo. Had he bought the item from the supplier and had it shipped to Home Depot for pickup, how would any of that be Home Depot's fault?


The point I was trying to make was that TIVO included the Amazon app on the product TIVO sold me. Since it is TIVO that put the Amazon app on the product they sold, they are the responsible party.

If I had bought a TIVO without an Amazon app, and that was pushed on to the box by Amazon with TIVO's permission, then there would be nothing to contact TIVO about.

Since it's on TIVO's product that they sold, to me it's TIVO's responsibility.

People will differ on that view and that's okay.



larrs said:


> I really can't beleive that analogy either. However, I am going to choose to agree with wkearney99 . I am going to try to call Microsoft about the several programs that I have that don't work properly in Windows--now that I know it is not the software maker's problem, but Microsoft's (or maybe go up one more level to Dell since they made the "box").


If it was a built in utility or accessory program included in windows, then yes call Microsoft even if that included program was not MS code but 3rd party code. If MS put it in their base OS install, MS is the place to go for complaints. MS will also trouble shot / respond in that situation.


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## larrs (May 2, 2005)

rayik said:


> The point I was trying to make was that TIVO included the Amazon app on the product TIVO sold me. Since it is TIVO that put the Amazon app on the product they sold, they are the responsible party.


OK, I'll bite- Tivo included the Amazon On Demand App. They never included or promised the Amazon Prime Application. Prime came later and is completely differerent/separate from the OnDemand app. And, if I might add, that works fine. I use it frequently and I like it just as it is.



> If I had bought a TIVO without an Amazon app, and that was pushed on to the box by Amazon with TIVO's permission, then there would be nothing to contact TIVO about.
> 
> Since it's on TIVO's product that they sold, to me it's TIVO's responsibility


.

I call bulls__t on that (not to offend anyone, but see my first statement.



> People will differ on that view and that's okay.


I don't see how.



> If it was a built in utility or accessory program included in windows, then yes call Microsoft even if that included program was not MS code but 3rd party code. If MS put it in their base OS install, MS is the place to go for complaints. MS will also trouble shot / respond in that situation.


More BS, but this really proves to me that you are really clueless, and I really don't mean to offend, maybe it is me. I cannot in any way, shape form or fashion understand your argument. This is clearly IMHO an Amazon thing. Tivo made the box and gave you what was promised. Not their problem that Amazon is taking time to deliver a Prime App for the Tivo.

On another note, I would love it to show up as well as I am a Prime member. I just can't see it being Tivo's issue.


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## rayik (Feb 4, 2006)

larrs said:


> Quote:
> If I had bought a TIVO without an Amazon app, and that was pushed on to the box by Amazon with TIVO's permission, then there would be nothing to contact TIVO about.
> 
> Since it's on TIVO's product that they sold, to me it's TIVO's responsibility
> ...


Since you fail to see my point in any way and you feel I am "clueless," I'll just stop here. I just wish I could feel that TIVO does no wrong.

No offense taken. Take care.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

rayik said:


> Since you fail to see my point in any way and you feel I am "clueless," I'll just stop here. I just wish I could feel that TIVO does no wrong.
> 
> No offense taken. Take care.


Wasn't he saying that the Amazon sticker was for another product, and NOT the prime streaming

Hell isn't prime streaming pretty new, so there I doubt they would have had a sticker for it


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## wkearney99 (Dec 5, 2003)

And, I'll repeat, nobody here is actually in a position to speak authoritatively about what is or isn't keeping it from being available already. So it's a bit pointless to get all worked up about whether someone else's opinion seems wrong... all of this is just speculation and lashing out at each other does nothing to get us any closer to being able to stream Prime to the boxes.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

I recently watched an interview where a TiVo rep discussed implementing Amazon Prime streaming and that they are in negotiations with Amazon for that app - this has also been referenced on facebook...

This was posted in July









We also know that TiVo is implementing a new app SDK that all future apps will be developed on - current focus is on redesigned YouTube and Netflix apps.

I also have Amazon Prime and would love to see the service on my TiVo - but I think to solely blame TiVo is short sighted, easy, but unfair.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

In July, and it's now March? LOL, typical Tivo slow as molasses development.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Maybe...

But, everything takes time, time to negotiate with the content providers, time to implement the new development SDK, time to write and test the delivery platform.

I also suspect that other initiatives have taken a higher priority, such as the rewrite of the netfix and YouTube apps.

The question is - do you want to know they are working on delivering the content services or do you simply want to be surprised? 

TiVo is a small company and sometimes limited in how much and how quickly they can deliver products. And frankly they have rapid fire development in both hardware and software going on right now... Slow as Molasses? Maybe, but in this case, speed is definately in the eye of the beholder.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

My primary point has been that it DOES make sense to reach out to AMAZON and understand what their plans are for the service. A secondary point would be that AMAZON is making several customers confused with their use (supposedly approved) of the TIVO logo for Prime while offering a similarly named experience on the TiVo that is not prime and has been supported for years on multiple platforms.

Unfortunately I forgot that AMAZON had that offering, or I would have cleared up my messages commenting upon the analogies being used appropriately.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

Amazon Prime is the new Hulu Plus. TiVo is doomed without it until they have it and then most people will say that it's not so great, actually.

My guess is that adding Prime will require a renegotiated a contract and Amazon probably wants better terms now that they've got more device partners and they're throwing in free content. They may even be pushing TiVo to ditch downloads entirely since they require a different encoding than everything else. I'd really hate to see that happen since downloads are a much better experience than streaming.

Just my theory, but be careful what you wish for. Sometimes your pony shows up and bites you on the ass.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

nrc said:


> Amazon Prime is the new Hulu Plus. TiVo is doomed without it until they have it and then most people will say that it's not so great, actually.
> 
> My guess is that adding Prime will require a renegotiated a contract and Amazon probably wants better terms now that they've got more device partners and they're throwing in free content. They may even be pushing TiVo to ditch downloads entirely since they require a different encoding than everything else. I'd really hate to see that happen since downloads are a much better experience than streaming.
> 
> Just my theory, but be careful what you wish for. Sometimes your pony shows up and bites you on the ass.


Are the encodes lower quality for streaming? Otherwise it should be identical, at least for the people that have the proper bandwidth. The download option is excellent for people who don't have the bandwidth to stream properly. But also you have to pay per title as well.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

I think Prime is a subset and might have licensing restrictions or other things that need to be worked out. But still I'd like to see an updated streaming app on the TiVo so that whenever Amazon were to say OK it would just be a switch to flip.



jrtroo said:


> It has been stated here, and in many threads, that this is an AMAZON build, not a TiVo build. Same difference with the new Netflix client, which seems on the verge of release. .....


And it's also been "stated" probably just as many timers that's it's a TiVo build. So do you (or anyone) have a source to show that either or is correct? (I dont think anyone KNOWS- we're all just guessing)



rainwater said:


> Amazon created the Amazon app? I thought until recently (when TiVo announced they will finally provide a SDK for 3rd party devs), TiVo created all of the apps on the box. They certainly created the original Netflix app.


I'd agree with this assessment of the past for sure- I think it's pretty clear that in the past TiVo wrote the apps or was very much involved with it. Seems to be an opinion that TiVo no longer writes apps and it's up to the content providers to do at this point (If that's more than an opinion but a known fact I'd love to see the reference- it would sure clear stuff up once and for all)



MikeMar said:


> It's still 50/50. Tivo can't write the app themselves if Amazon is not giving them access or helping them on it.
> 
> Blame falls on BOTH sides.


We have NO idea that TiVo doesn't have all the information and support from amazon that they need. So again we can't state with certainty that Amazon has anything to do with it. And on the flip side we dont know that Amazon isn't withholding all the information and so Tivo is not at all to blame either.

We're all just guessing- unless someone has some references?


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## Mr. E (May 18, 2008)

I've given up on the "one box to rule them all" dream, at least for now. So I have a Premiere Elite for cable (and occasional YouTube), a Netgear NeoTV 550 for local network streaming of videos and Blu-ray/DVD ISOs, and a Roku 2 XS for Internet streaming sites other than YouTube. 

Yeah, it would be great if TiVo could do all of this itself, but I can't imagine they will ever be able to do all of this to everyone's satisfaction. At the very least all of the individual partnerships and negotiations would seems to prevent it. Even Roku, who is pretty much dedicated to Internet streaming, doesn't have every major site onboard.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

With pytivo, jukebox and vidmgr utilities running on my server, I am pretty happy with Tivo's ability to use network audio, video and photos throughout the home. The youtube app works well enough. Really the only piece still missing from the 'one box' solution in our home is the Amazon Prime app.

With Amazon clearly subsidizing the cost of Rokus just to get market share away from Apple, I just don't see why they have not helped where required to get the app on Tivo. Large installed base there and hopefully more to come with the IP settop boxes on the way.


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## JulienPDX (Mar 2, 2004)

jrtroo said:


> So, next time I have an app problem on my xoom I should complain to google? If I have a problem with an iOS app I should complain to Apple?
> 
> Your analogy is very flawed from the get go. You simply do not buy Amazon Prime through TiVo, and there has been no offering by TiVo for such service. Your analogy should have you purchasing from the widget maker, not the storefront.
> 
> ...


His analogy isn't flawed; you're talking about an operating system in which its clearly stated that third-parties make Apps/Plugins for it and those companies are responsible for providing support/features on those apps.

Even if Tivo just makes an OS and other companies write the apps; that isn't clear to either him nor any average joe blow consumer. We buy these devices from TiVo and TiVo adds/subtracts functionality based on partnerships that THEY maintain (at least on the customer-facing side). The only interaction we have with those third-parties is having an account with them. I think the real way to resolve this is to put it on TiVo b/c they still control the functionality.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

aaronwt said:


> Are the encodes lower quality for streaming? Otherwise it should be identical, at least for the people that have the proper bandwidth. The download option is excellent for people who don't have the bandwidth to stream properly. But also you have to pay per title as well.


TiVo encodes are the highest bitrate that Amazon provides. They are a different codec so I can't say for sure that it translates to higher quality in all cases.


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## dekipp (Apr 3, 2012)

FYI...I emailed Amazon support and and got a very quick reply:
Hello,

I understand you want to stream Prime Instant videos on your Tivo Premier DVRs.

Please note as Tivo is a downloadable device, you'll not be able to stream prime videos.

However, you can instantly stream on Mac or PC and on some of the blu-ray player models and Samsung models. A list of devices compatible with Amazon Instant Video can be found here:

amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices

To watch Prime instant videos from a Mac or PC, you must be logged into the Amazon.com account associated with your Prime membership. On the detail page of a Prime instant video, click "Watch now" to begin viewing.

To watch Prime instant videos from a compatible Internet-connected TV, Blu-ray player or set-top-box, you must have your device linked to the Amazon.com account associated with your Prime membership.

Thanks for your interest in Amazon Instant videos.

Did I solve your problem?

If yes, please click here:


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## compnurd (Oct 6, 2011)

dekipp said:


> FYI...I emailed Amazon support and and got a very quick reply:
> Hello,
> 
> I understand you want to stream Prime Instant videos on your Tivo Premier DVRs.
> ...


That answer makes no sense since Netflix is streaming. This is sounding more and more like a Amazon problem


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Sounds like it was someone that didn't know what they were talking about, so I would say it doesn't answer anything either way.


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## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

the ps3 just got it

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/03/playstation-3-gets-amazon-instant-video-kinda-out-of-nowhere/


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## L David Matheny (Jan 29, 2011)

dekipp said:


> FYI...I emailed Amazon support and and got a very quick reply:
> Hello,
> 
> I understand you want to stream Prime Instant videos on your Tivo Premier DVRs.
> ...


But the link they gave you, Amazon Instant Video Compatible Devices, lists Series 2, Series 3 and Series 4 TiVo models. So I guess Amazon is saying that Prime is different, and the app they give TiVo to support their services doesn't allow streaming, probably because of some kind of licensing limitations. As compnurd points out, TiVo hardware is obviously capable of doing streaming.


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## Jackamus (Sep 20, 2010)

Personally I am someone who wishes TiVo would get Amazon Prime access and also HBO Go. Now that later would be really nice. Other wise, I do love my TiVo's.


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

L David Matheny said:


> But the link they gave you, Amazon Instant Video Compatible Devices, lists Series 2, Series 3 and Series 4 TiVo models. So I guess Amazon is saying that Prime is different, and the app they give TiVo to support their services doesn't allow streaming, probably because of some kind of licensing limitations. As compnurd points out, TiVo hardware is obviously capable of doing streaming.


Yes, Prime is specifically different than the regular Instant Streaming.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Little surprise at TiVo users getting confused on the two Amazon video products if their own CSRs can get them confused as well.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

The app for the PS3 is nice. I sure wish that there was one for the Tivo. The PS3 app will get used a lot over the summer.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

Seems like amazon needs to write the code to make this happen. Seems the closest thing to an official comment anyplace is tivomarget tweeted that the new Netflix app is coming from Netflix and the new YouTube app is coming from Google. So i would infer that a new amazon prime capable app would need to be provided by amazon.



MichaelK said:


> I think Prime is a subset and might have licensing restrictions or other things that need to be worked out. But still I'd like to see an updated streaming app on the TiVo so that whenever Amazon were to say OK it would just be a switch to flip.
> 
> And it's also been "stated" probably just as many timers that's it's a TiVo build. So do you (or anyone) have a source to show that either or is correct? (I dont think anyone KNOWS- we're all just guessing)
> 
> ...


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## compnurd (Oct 6, 2011)

This is great!! The PS3 is my one box.... and it has the hardware to back that up!


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

MichaelK said:


> Seems like amazon needs to write the code to make this happen. Seems the closest thing to an official comment anyplace is tivomarget tweeted that the new Netflix app is coming from Netflix and the new YouTube app is coming from Google. So i would infer that a new amazon prime capable app would need to be provided by amazon.


And it has been mentioned by Margaret in the past that these apps are developed and provided by the content owners.

I suspect for Amazon and others - it is a matter of scale. A lot more people have PS3's then have TiVo's.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

bradleys said:


> And it has been mentioned by Margaret in the past that these apps are developed and provided by the content owners.
> 
> I suspect for Amazon and others - it is a matter of scale. A lot more people have PS3's then have TiVo's.


Maybe but they still didn't get the app right for the PS3. The audio output is broken.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

compnurd said:


> This is great!! The PS3 is my one box.... and it has the hardware to back that up!


Except for a DVR, of course. Hardly the 'one box' for anyone here. Tivo could be that if they could get off their ass about these apps.


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

aaronwt said:


> Maybe but they still didn't get the app right for the PS3. The audio output is broken.


Broken is kind of strong. It's not the way that you want it, but audio is output. (He doesn't like the fact that it converts everything for output into 7.1 channel LPCM. An AVR can't detect and output Pro Logic matrixed surround elements in stereo sound encoded like that, because it can't treat it as being stereo; it's 7.1 sound with 5.1 dead channels). It does do a pretty good job with 5.1 sound on titles which have it.

I do agree that they should change this; the PS3 Netflix player used to do the same and they fixed (it was worse, because it wasn't creating proper surround sound for titles with 5.1 channel DD+ tracks).

Otherwise the PS3 app is hands down the finest Amazon player yet produced. It's visually beautiful and chocked full of cool features, one of the best of which is a list of recently played titles, helpful given that Amazon still doesn't have queues for Prime Instant Video. Sadly, my launch model PS3 runs too hot and noisy for me to use this. Hopefully something similar will be brought to Xbox--my Xbox S is virtually silent.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

mikeyts said:


> Broken is kind of strong. It's not the way that you want it, but audio is output. (He doesn't like the fact that it converts everything for output into 7.1 channel LPCM. An AVR can't detect and output Pro Logic matrixed surround elements in stereo sound encoded like that, because it can't treat it as being stereo; it's 7.1 sound with 5.1 dead channels). It does do a pretty good job with 5.1 sound on titles which have it.
> 
> I do agree that they should change this; the PS3 Netflix player used to do the same and they fixed (it was worse, because it wasn't creating proper surround sound for titles with 5.1 channel DD+ tracks).
> 
> Otherwise the PS3 app is hands down the finest Amazon player yet produced. It's visually beautiful and chocked full of cool features, one of the best of which is a list of recently played titles, helpful given that Amazon still doesn't have queues for Prime Instant Video. Sadly, my launch model PS3 runs too hot and noisy for me to use this. Hopefully something similar will be brought to Xbox--my Xbox S is virtually silent.


Even with 5.1 tracks it's doing the same thing, sticking it in a 7.1. wrapper so the two rear surround channels will be dead.
The way I want it is the correct way that it is supposed to be output. A stereo signal is not supposed to be in a 7.1 or 5.1 wrapper, it is supposed to be in a 2.0 wrapper. This has been standard for a very, very long time. Some devices had the same issue in the late 90's.

I've been using a 7.1 setup for eleven years now. And even having those two rear channels empty seems weird when there is usually content in those speakers when decoding with PLIIx.(or even PLII which I used prior to getting a PLIIx receiver, but that just put the same audio in both back surround speakers while PLIIx is able to simulate a discrete 7.1 sound field)


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## poppagene (Dec 29, 2001)

blackngold75 said:


> Is any of the Amazon Prime content available in HD?


Yes


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## poppagene (Dec 29, 2001)

dswallow said:


> My Panasonic 3D TV and Panasonic Blu-ray players all can access it. And I'm pretty sure it's accessible via PlayOn on my PS3. TiVo is irrelevant here.


You can access playon with the right variant of pytivo -- and yes I can access Amazon Prime Instant Videos on tivo using pytivo and playon


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## compnurd (Oct 6, 2011)

slowbiscuit said:


> Except for a DVR, of course. Hardly the 'one box' for anyone here. Tivo could be that if they could get off their ass about these apps.


I could care less about the Tivo being able to do it


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## wkearney99 (Dec 5, 2003)

compnurd said:


> I could care less about the Tivo being able to do it


Really, how much less?

It's "I couldn't care less."


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

compnurd said:


> I could care less about the Tivo being able to do it


Then why are you in this thread? No one cares that your PS3 works great.


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## ctcraig (Mar 16, 2002)

So I also want a Prime streaming app to my Amazon account. I took a look at when the PS3 was launched (11/11/2006), now I don't own a PS3 but what took them so long to get an Amazon Prime Streaming app? I mean I've had my Elite for a month and I want Prime Streaming now!


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## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

slowbiscuit said:


> Except for a DVR, of course. Hardly the 'one box' for anyone here. Tivo could be that if they could get off their ass about these apps.


Tivo doesn't seem to have much desire to be a "one box" anymore. I don't even think they use that term in their marketing.

Given the number of apps that are being released for Xbox and other devices, I think those may become a "one box" before Tivo will. The more content that is readily available OnDemand, the less need there is for a DVR.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

aadam101 said:


> Tivo doesn't seem to have much desire to be a "one box" anymore. I don't even think they use that term in their marketing.
> 
> Given the number of apps that are being released for Xbox and other devices, I think those may become a "one box" before Tivo will. The more content that is readily available OnDemand, the less need there is for a DVR.


They are back to using the "one box" B.S. again:

http://www.tivo.com/what-is-tivo/tivo-is/index.html?WT.ac=tivohome_pricechange_mantle_manifesto#playvid​I just finished another survey and told them they needed to stop the "One box" B.S. or actually deliver it in the comments section at the end. Also told them they need Amazon Prime streaming and Vudu along with fixing Netflix. Not sure if it does any good but they have my 2 cents hope others tell them the same.


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## compnurd (Oct 6, 2011)

slowbiscuit said:


> Then why are you in this thread? No one cares that your PS3 works great.


Enjoying the Show


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## hybucket (Nov 26, 2004)

This reply that I just got from Amazon appears to be more personal than some of the others I've seen here (tho it may also be just a template...who knows.)

_
I'm sorry that Amazon Prime videos can't be viewed for free on your Tivo because Amazon Instant Videos are download only for Tivo devices.

The reason that this is so for Amazon Instant Videos and not for Netflix and Hulu is because Tivo hasn't yet made an agreement with Amazon to allow Amazon videos to be streamed on the Tivo. Once that agreement is made, Tivo and Amazon software engineers will have to work together to make the software to allow the Amazon Instant Videos to work on the Tivo.

If you want to maximize your chances of being able to stream Amazon Instant Video, then sending a quick request to Tivo wouldn't hurt.

This webpage lists the different options available to contact Tivo Support:

http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1279

Thank you for voicing your frustration about this. My mom has a Tivo and a Prime membership and is constantly asking me this same question, so I totally empathize. I've forwarded your message to our Amazon Instant Video development team. Usually the more requests for a certain feature they receive, the harder they work to make it happen. Customer feedback like yours is very important in helping Amazon continue to improve the experience of using its digital video service.

Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

_

Thank you for your inquiry. Did I solve your problem?

Best Regards,

Joy H

Amazon.com_


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

hybucket said:


> This reply that I just got from Amazon appears to be more personal than some of the others I've seen here (tho it may also be just a template...who knows.)


That's definitely doesn't seem to be a template. Good reply. If Amazon wasn't available on my 3 Roku boxes, Blu-ray player, and TV I would be much more interested in seeing it on TiVo.

However, with the Netflix and YouTube that TiVo recently delivered, I think I'll stick with these other boxes that have created apps that fly circles around the TiVo versions.


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

djwilso said:


> However, with the Netflix and YouTube that TiVo recently delivered, I think I'll stick with these other boxes that have created apps that fly circles around the TiVo versions.


Those apps on TiVo are standard UIs created by the service and available on multiple devices; my PS3 and two BD players have that same Netflix GUI (though the TiVo version lacks a couple of significant features). VUDU and Hulu Plus are the same app on every platform, except the Xbox 360, where they follow MS' Metro look-and-feel and can be controlled by voice and gesture via Kinect.

Amazon Instant Video, on the other hand, is different on every platform that I have it for (two BD players, PS3, Xbox, Roku 2--the PS3's version is a masterpiece of UI design; sadly that doesn't make up for my launch-model 60GB PS3 being a noisy power hog so I don't use it). Given that, I don't think that Amazon has come up with a common UI yet (they do all have some elements in common, like background color and fonts). With no common UI they have to do something custom for TiVo, which I'd expect to be more TiVo-esque than the common GUIs for Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, etc.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Well Amazon Prime Streaming is now available on the iPad (as is downloading of purchased videos). That's something I thought would never happen. That makes TiVo pretty much the last holdout.


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## compnurd (Oct 6, 2011)

morac said:


> Well Amazon Prime Streaming is now available on the iPad (as is downloading of purchased videos). That's something I thought would never happen. That makes TiVo pretty much the last holdout.


Not on Xbox


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

compnurd said:


> Not on Xbox


If you're talking about the Xbox 360, you're wrong as of 29 May.

Unlike Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube, who all have common UIs that TiVo probably ported with a minimum of effort, Amazon doesn't seem to have created such a thing; it's different on every platform I have with an Amazon player, which are Sony and Panasonic DVD players, PS3, Xbox 360 and Roku 2. TiVo probably has to design and implement their own UI for Amazon--add scheduling the time and effort for that (without profit) to any other factors which are holding this up.

Of course many people don't like the non-TiVo-related common Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube UIs on TiVo. If TiVo writes their own UI for Amazon, we'd expect it to have TiVo look-and-feel, with predictable response to remote commands.


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## compnurd (Oct 6, 2011)

mikeyts said:


> If you're talking about the Xbox 360, you're wrong as of 29 May.
> 
> Unlike Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube, who all have common UIs that TiVo probably ported with a minimum of effort, Amazon doesn't seem to have created such a thing; it's different on every platform I have with an Amazon player, which are Sony and Panasonic DVD players, PS3, Xbox 360 and Roku 2. TiVo probably has to design and implement their own UI for Amazon--add scheduling the time and effort for that (without profit) to any other factors which are holding this up.
> 
> Of course many people don't like the non-TiVo-related common Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube UIs on TiVo. If TiVo writes their own UI for Amazon, we'd expect it to have TiVo look-and-feel, with predictable response to remote commands.


Appears i am!


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

morac said:


> Well Amazon Prime Streaming is now available on the iPad (as is downloading of purchased videos). That's something I thought would never happen. That makes TiVo pretty much the last holdout.


Seems like a good opportunity to email Amazon and ask about the status of a TiVo product...


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## rhettf (Apr 5, 2012)

Amazon seems to really be picking up the pace of making Amazon Prime a competitor to Netflix with the new Apps and content deals. I can only hope the TiVo gets updated. 

In my mind it would make the TiVo one step closer to being the ultimate box, I'll be in TiVo bliss when Prime and HDX Vudu movies are available. 

I only assume TiVo could play HDX since 1080p24f works with Netflix.


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

rhettf said:


> Amazon seems to really be picking up the pace of making Amazon Prime a competitor to Netflix with the new Apps and content deals. I can only hope the TiVo gets updated.
> 
> In my mind it would make the TiVo one step closer to being the ultimate box, I'll be in TiVo bliss when Prime and HDX Vudu movies are available.
> 
> I only assume TiVo could play HDX since 1080p24f works with Netflix.


TiVo doesn't need 1080p24 output to play HDX or 1080p24 Netflix any more than it needs 720p24 output to play 720p24 Netflix. The vast majority of streaming video from all sources is encoded at 24p. TiVo can convert the 1080p24 to 1080i30 for output if you have 1080i enabled and 1080p disabled (or both enabled, but then you get into the possibility of it dropping in and out of 1080p due to fluctuations in bandwidth/server-responsiveness, which causes ugly visual drop-outs with most equipment). This is because TiVo cannot convert anything else into 1080p24 so it can't stay at 1080p24 output if it suddenly receives streamed content in another resolution. I wouldn't try it unless your television can handle 24p and you always get a connection which will handle 1080p24 rock solid (about 7 Mbps to always keep ahead of the 5.2 Mbps average stream).

Many, like me, have televisions which can't handle 24p input and we still watch 1080p res TiVo and VUDU, significantly sharper than the 720p versions.


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## mimalmo (Oct 21, 2010)

Seriously TiVo, you still haven't figured this out?


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

My wife asked me to get the first season of Downton Abbey for her so I went to the first episode from Amazon and got "Watch Now". For a moment I thought they'd done it. Turns out the first episode was just a free download but I thought in the past those said "Buy now for $0.00".


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## eaadams (Apr 25, 2000)

I got prime this Christmas for shipping and with the idea of keeping it for video. 

Then today when I went to plug in some shows (assuming my TIVO could download the videos to watch in my now playing) and BAH HUMBUG I can't. 

lame & I am unhappy. 

shows tivo isn't cut out to be the media center of my house. 

too bad. now I realize I just have a glorified cable box.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

I would be VERY happy if Amazon would just give access to tivo through the currently available DRM enabled download system for videos available to prime accounts. No new software required and it would actually work much better than streaming.....


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## poppagene (Dec 29, 2001)

Just a reminder to the complainers that if you run playon software on your computer and pytivo with the fork that enables playon, you can access amazon instant prime video on tivo. For me, the easiest way to access prime content on tivo is to add shows or movies to my instant video watchlist and then to view them using playon and pytivo. I could access these through my sony bluray or through my xbox360 or through PBOs, but I find it more convenient to watch through tivo.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

poppagene said:


> Just a reminder to the complainers that if you run playon software on your computer and pytivo with the fork that enables playon, you can access amazon instant prime video on tivo. For me, the easiest way to access prime content on tivo is to add shows or movies to my instant video watchlist and then to view them using playon and pytivo. I could access these through my sony bluray or through my xbox360 or through PBOs, but I find it more convenient to watch through tivo.


That's not really a solution since you need a computer fast enough to transcode and PlayOn costs money. You might as well get a Roku for $50 at that point.


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## HockeyFan (Oct 9, 2010)

Blu ray player is better solution.
Their about same price as roku , plus
can play blu rays's , and you don't need
to have your computer on.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

mimalmo said:


> Seriously  Tivo *Tivo/Amazon*, you still haven't figured this out?


fixed that for ya.


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## poppagene (Dec 29, 2001)

morac said:


> That's not really a solution since you need a computer fast enough to transcode and PlayOn costs money. You might as well get a Roku for $50 at that point.


Tivo desktop requires a computer and amazon, netflix etc all require a reaonably fast internet connection. Playon has the added bonus of being able to serve up free hulu to tivo and my other devices. a lifetime subscription to playon is often on sale for $50 which is less that the annual cost of amazon prime for example or the cost of a roku.

edit: currently the lifetime playon license is on sale for $40 http://www.playon.tv/buy/


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

poppagene said:


> Just a reminder to the complainers that if you run playon software on your computer and pytivo with the fork that enables playon, you can access amazon instant prime video on tivo. For me, the easiest way to access prime content on tivo is to add shows or movies to my instant video watchlist and then to view them using playon and pytivo. I could access these through my sony bluray or through my xbox360 or through PBOs, but I find it more convenient to watch through tivo.


Does PlayOn stream HD now? I have a lifetime PLayOn account but I have not used it in a long time. I only got it since they were giving away a free Roku2 with. So I figured I was going to get a another Roku2 anyway, so I might as well get the Lifetime PlayON.


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

poppagene said:


> Just a reminder to the complainers that if you run playon software on your computer and pytivo with the fork that enables playon, you can access amazon instant prime video on tivo. For me, the easiest way to access prime content on tivo is to add shows or movies to my instant video watchlist and then to view them using playon and pytivo. I could access these through my sony bluray or through my xbox360 or through PBOs, but I find it more convenient to watch through tivo.


A cheap Roku is a far better solution, in my opinion.

With Roku 2, you get the following for Amazon Instant Video:

High Definition video (720p)
Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
Captions for titles that have caption support
Nice interface, including the Amazon WatchList and Your Video Library


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Yeah but people are either too lazy or have WAF issues with switching inputs. They want Tivo to do it all as promised in that 'one box' marketing BS, but the reality is ignored.


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## eaadams (Apr 25, 2000)

slowbiscuit said:


> Yeah but people are either too lazy or have WAF issues with switching inputs. They want Tivo to do it all as promised in that 'one box' marketing BS, but the reality is ignored.


agreed and also the TIVO serves as a to do list for watching. If siting on multiple devises I will inevitably forget where I am in say a tv series as I watch it.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

slowbiscuit said:


> Yeah but people are either too lazy or have WAF issues with switching inputs. They want Tivo to do it all as promised in that 'one box' marketing BS, but the reality is ignored.


Ya I find it amusing that some people are either too lazy or too ignorant to change inputs. Heck even my 80+ year old parents can do it. To listen to some people you would think you need to be a rocket scientist or that it took some major amount of action to do it. Now I understand people not wanting as many things attached to their AV receiver/TV as I do (currently I have 13 and yes I haven't used some of them in months or maybe even years), but 3 or 4 shouldn't be a problem for anyone.


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## poppagene (Dec 29, 2001)

aaronwt said:


> Does PlayOn stream HD now? I have a lifetime PLayOn account but I have not used it in a long time. I only got it since they were giving away a free Roku2 with. So I figured I was going to get a another Roku2 anyway, so I might as well get the Lifetime PlayON.


Since none of my tvs are larger than 37 inches, i didn't notice much difference, but since you asked, I checked the amazon vod streamed via playon and pytivo to my tv is showing up as 480p resolution. My samsung led tv can access playon directly via ethernet and the amazon hd video seems to be 720p.


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## LynnL999 (Oct 7, 2002)

eaadams said:


> agreed and also the TIVO serves as a to do list for watching. If siting on multiple devises I will inevitably forget where I am in say a tv series as I watch it.


The apps on my Roku for both Netflix and Amazon show which episodes you've already watched. I think the TiVo Netflix app does this also.


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## HockeyFan (Oct 9, 2010)

eaadams said:


> I got prime this Christmas for shipping and with the idea of keeping it for video.
> 
> Then today when I went to plug in some shows (assuming my TIVO could download the videos to watch in my now playing) and BAH HUMBUG I can't.
> 
> ...


And an awesome DVR


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## caryrae73 (Dec 1, 2008)

I don't care myself if TiVo ever had Amazon Prime streaming since so many other things I have can, like my PS3, Nintendo Wii U, iPad, iPhone, PC and HDTV but I can see people my like it if they don't other devices that use Amazon Prime streaming.

I saw today that the Nintendo Wii now has Amazon streaming. Now if TiVo made a box like a PS3 that had all the movie streaming apps, played Blu-Ray discs, and was a TiVo that would be nice.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

TiVo will just find a way to screw it up, like the Netflix and Youtube interfaces, so I don't care if they ever add it.


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## HockeyFan (Oct 9, 2010)

caryrae73 said:


> I don't care myself if TiVo ever had Amazon Prime streaming since so many other things I have can, like my PS3, Nintendo Wii U, iPad, iPhone, PC and HDTV but I can see people my like it if they don't other devices that use Amazon Prime streaming.
> 
> I saw today that the Nintendo Wii now has Amazon streaming. Now if TiVo made a box like a PS3 that had all the movie streaming apps, played Blu-Ray discs, and was a TiVo that would be nice.


Ps3 with built in dvr?
I use amazon with smart tv app that tivo's
connected to.
tv has to be on anyway to watch amazon,
so that's good enough. 
Sony remote's clunky, but once show starts
it's all in the past.

I've written off amazon prime getting on the TiVo .
They just added it to iPhone , so who knows.


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## DonaldBurns65144 (Jan 11, 2011)

I had been thinking of upgrading to a 4 channel Tivo for Christmas, but purchased a Roku XS that was on sale for $80 instead and linked it to my TV's 2nd HDMI input. Tivo lost a sale due to lack of Amazon Instant or whatever you wish to call their Prime free downloads. I did want to avoid extra "boxes" due to the crappy Bose Lifestyle 28 with multi-room built-in speakers that was a "comes with" with purchase of our house. It supplies the family room TV with the output from the Tivo Premiere and is the source for the multi-room audio. So I would have liked being able to just continue to have the Tivo feeding the Bose for multi-room audio if I wandered away from the TV during an Amazon Prime movie. Guess I should be happy with the new 2nd benefit of owning the Roku, I now have Twit video where I had been only getting just audio downloads on my phone. Guess hoping to someday be able to add channels to a Tivo like one does to a tiny Roku velcro'ed to the back of my TV would be a kin to balsphemy?


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

HockeyFan said:


> Blu ray player is better solution.
> Their about same price as roku , plus
> can play blu rays's , and you don't need
> to have your computer on.


Roku doesn't need to have a computer on, either. And the UI is a lot faster, easier to traverse than any Blu Ray player. And it offers thousands of streaming channels. Most "smart" Blu Ray players only offer a handful, if that.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Fofer said:


> Roku doesn't need to have a computer on, either. And the UI is a lot faster, easier to traverse than any Blu Ray player. And it offers thousands of streaming channels. Most "smart" Blu Ray players only offer a handful, if that.


Most people only use those handful of channels. The Panny 3D BD player I recently got has the major apps. It doesn't need a computer on just like my Rokus don't need a computer on. I am using my Roku2 boxes less since getting the BD player. I'll probably get a second Panny BD player to put on my secondary TV and will use my second roku less as well. Actually that will be a good reason to move that roku2 box to my tertiary TV permanently and only use the apps on the panny BD player in that room


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

I have a bunch of stuff connected to this LCD panel: a Roku 2, Panasonic BDT220, PS3, Xbox 360, TiVo Premiere and this PC. I don't run streaming VOD on the game consoles as a rule because they burn a lot of power (and the launch model PS3 gets a little loud). I don't use the TiVo for streaming either, because the only streaming app it has that I would use is Netflix and I have better Netflix players. I play any video files and watch YouTube clips on this PC; the Windows 8 Netflix app and VUDU web players do 1080p now, but there's still only mediocre stereo sound from either. For Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus and HBO Go, I use my Roku 2. In ways I like the common Netflix UI (on PS3, TiVo and BDT220) better than the Roku's, but the Roku's UI is smoother and faster than the TiVo and BDT220 and it starts streams faster than anything other than PS3, which I don't use for aforementioned reasons. I'm now using the Panasonic BDP for VUDU, because its video rendering is the best of all my devices, the most digital artifact free with rarely any detectable judder. Its Netflix player is fine but the UI's response to navigation commands is a bit slow, and its Amazon player lacks 5.1 sound support.

It's a pity that the PS3 is such a relative power hog (drawing about 180W when streaming) and a bit noisy. Its Netflix player is the fastest, generally starting streams in 2 or 3 seconds and its Amazon player has one of the finest user interfaces I've seen on any application on any platform. It can't bitstream Netflix's DD+ sound, a definite strike against it.

I use my TiVo as a DVR .


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

TiVo should just give in and allow a passthrough video input, let Roku handle all the Internet streaming. TiVo completely sucks at everything except being a DVR.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

Fofer said:


> TiVo should just give in and allow a passthrough video input, let Roku handle all the Internet streaming. TiVo completely sucks at everything except being a DVR.


I disagree, Pandora works great and subscribing to pod casts also works for me without any issues.


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

It's all relative. I'd say Pandora works adequately, and sure, the downloading of podcasts is okay, if you don't want any power features. These functions, on nearly every set-top box out there, work worlds _better_.


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## compnurd (Oct 6, 2011)

Fofer said:


> It's all relative. I'd say Pandora works adequately, and sure, the downloading of podcasts is okay, if you don't want any power features. These functions, on nearly every set-top box out there, work worlds _better_.


I would not go that far... Extra features on Direct TV's box are worse


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

Fofer said:


> It's all relative. I'd say Pandora works adequately, and sure, the downloading of podcasts is okay, if you don't want any power features. These functions, on nearly every set-top box out there, work worlds _better_.


Well I have lots of devices to compare to my TiVos and I can assure you the TiVos are not the worst. I am sure that someone with great Internet speeds and reliability will find some devices (my Rokus comes to mind) superior to the Premiere at streaming but others like my blu-ray player, Google TV, & Netgear NeoTV are not. Also for those of us with poor or spotty Internet being able to download podcasts and Amazon stuff is great as I never now when it will stream properly (on any device).


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

atmuscarella said:


> Ya I find it amusing that some people are either too lazy or too ignorant to change inputs. Heck even my 80+ year old parents can do it. To listen to some people you would think you need to be a rocket scientist or that it took some major amount of action to do it. Now I understand people not wanting as many things attached to their AV receiver/TV as I do (currently I have 13 and yes I haven't used some of them in months or maybe even years), but 3 or 4 shouldn't be a problem for anyone.


I'll pass over your pointless ignorant insults and try to explain so you can understand.

It's not so much that people are lazy or ignorant- some feel it's a PITA that is greater than they want to deal with.

Typically to use multiple boxes one invariably needs to have multiple remotes or need a nasa engineer to program/use/navigate your universal remote to get to all the things you need or you compromise on the remote. You have to hope that your various devices dont get out of sync, you have to remember different UI's and shortcuts and the like, etc.

I have owned literally piles of universal remotes. Some costing well into the hundreds of dollars. I've been buying them for 10+ years always with a dream that "this can be THE one that will really work well". It's a pain even with any of them. I've basically given up on using any of them- I prefer to just use the tivo rf remote (teaching it the few commands it is able to learn) and then suck it up and use the cruddy remote for my second box for the things it does. Oh yeah, i have a second box on input 2 of my home theater system so that I can get amazon prime and the rest. I'm not too ignorant to use it- i do when i need to. And I'm not too lazy to use it - if there's something i want i use it- but it does annoy me a touch every time i'm forced to use the second remote and switch inputs and deal with all the little annoyances that entails.

I want (dont NEED) tivo to live up the "the one box" marketing that they themselves came up with. I didn't have a dream one night and came up with that on my own- they sell themselves as that. And honestly I dont even want millions of things in that one box. I want the big guns and tivo has all of those (in my humble opinion) except amazon prime.

So there's no need to be ignorant and call people names- read a little about what people are saying instead of being foolish and making assumptions since we all know what happens when you assume.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

I have a LinkSys Harmony One and push a single button to switch inputs on my TV and receiver and switch to controlling the selected device. It works very well, the only downside is it's a bit slow compared with the remotes that come with my devices. I use it for everything except my Premiere, for which I use the slide remote. Sometimes I use iOS apps to control my devices (the Roku and TiVo apps are nice), but normally I don't.


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

My Harmony One was very slow until I recently went in and tweaked all the "delay" settings. Inter-command, input-after-TV-power, etc.

Now it's MUCH faster. Still (sometimes) a touch slower than the actual remotes, but very usable and certainly a lot better than juggling all the remotes.

Just pointing that out, it makes WORLDS of difference, at least when it comes to speed.


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

MichaelK said:


> I have owned literally piles of universal remotes. Some costing well into the hundreds of dollars. I've been buying them for 10+ years always with a dream that "this can be THE one that will really work well". It's a pain even with any of them. I've basically given up on using any of them


Something tells me you've not tried a Harmony remote.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

eaadams said:


> too bad. now I realize I just have a glorified cable box.


I wish Tivos would do the free Amazon Prime streaming too, but calling it a glorified cable box is a compliment!

A Tivo is a cable box that:
1) lets you download shows (if they're not copy protected). AFAIK, no other satellite/cable box lets you do that AT ALL.
2) ACTUALLY MOSTLY RELIABLY (far more than other cable boxes) records the shows you want to record.. and doesn't lose programming upon an OS upgrade
3) Lets you TURN OFF CHANNELS YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN.

So calling it a glorified cable box is a compliment!


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

mattack said:


> I wish Tivos would do the free Amazon Prime streaming too, but calling it a glorified cable box is a compliment!
> 
> A Tivo is a cable box that:
> 1) lets you download shows (if they're not copy protected). AFAIK, no other satellite/cable box lets you do that AT ALL.
> ...


No, it's not a compliment. It's meant as a dismissive insult since most cable boxes suck.

Most people buy into TiVo for so much more, after all, it is marketed as the "one box" ("to rule them all.") It is far from that. Given what we all know is technically possible, the deficiencies of this box are frustrating.

I'll agree with your points. It's more than a glorified cable box, it's a great cable box and possibly the best, easiest, most reliable DVR. But that's it. Nothing more. If that phrase is a compliment, it's a compliment to crappy cable boxes, merely for being in the same realm of comparison.


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

morac said:


> I have a LinkSys Harmony One...


"LinkSys"? Don't you mean Logitech ?

I had a pre-Logitech Harmony SST-768, followed by a Logitech Harmony "for Xbox 360" followed by a Harmony One. (Before the Harmonies I had 3 or 4 pricey universals like a Philips Pronto but none that I liked nearly as much). I use my Harmony to control 8 or 9 devices and don't use any other remotes (except one for my tower fan, which I could program into my Harmony). My only criticism of it is that it's their only current model without red/green/blue/yellow buttons, useful for my game consoles and TiVo.

Sadly their newest cool looking Harmony Touch seems ruined by the placement of transport control buttons _above_ its large touchscreen . I think that I'd have a hard time using them without accidentally palming the screen.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

MichaelK said:


> I'll pass over your pointless ignorant insults and try to explain so you can understand.
> 
> It's not so much that people are lazy or ignorant- some feel it's a PITA that is greater than they want to deal with.
> 
> ...


A little touchy aren't we? Just for the record I didn't have you or any other individual person in mind when I posted my general comment. Also just for the record:


Do I think TiVo should get Amazon Prime Streaming on the Premiere: YES absolutely along with Vudu and any other streaming service possible. 
Do I think Internet Streaming services as implemented on the Premiere are at an acceptable level of performance: No absolutely not - however I believe we will need a hardware refresh before the problem can really be fixed (or simple put I don't expect it to get much better on the Premiere).
Do I find it laughable when people complain about having to switch inputs and use different devices: Absolutely - we are not talking about piles of remotes or dozens of devices we are talking about having 2 (TiVo & Roku) instead of 1 (TiVo) everything else is the same. To change inputs on my AV receiver requires one click/button push, on my TV it requires 3 clicks/pushes of the same button so yes if someone is to lazy or ignorant to do that I really do not have much sympathy for them.


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## kevreh (Jan 30, 2002)

mikeyts said:


> "LinkSys"? Don't you mean Logitech ?
> 
> I had a pre-Logitech Harmony SST-768, followed by a Logitech Harmony "for Xbox 360" followed by a Harmony One. (Before the Harmonies I had 3 or 4 pricey universals like a Philips Pronto but none that I liked nearly as much). I use my Harmony to control 8 or 9 devices and don't use any other remotes (except one for my tower fan, which I could program into my Harmony). My only criticism of it is that it's their only current model without red/green/blue/yellow buttons, useful for my game consoles and TiVo.
> 
> Sadly their newest cool looking Harmony Touch seems ruined by the placement of transport control buttons _above_ its large touchscreen . I think that I'd have a hard time using them without accidentally palming the screen.


Ha ha, your like me. I have no less than 5 Logitech's sitting in my house right now. Lost count. I have to say, no one is advancing and evolving universal remotes at a variety of price-points like Logitech is. It seems like they've tried it all in terms of shapes, materials, software, screens, buttons, you name it. However, unlike Apple, it seems this is their business model is to release many fairly-good remotes versus less very-stellar remotes.

I was looking at reviews for the Harmony One, only to find some issues with cracked screens when "lightly" dropped (link). And now the new remote is the Harmony Touch.


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## kevreh (Jan 30, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> Most people only use those handful of channels. The Panny 3D BD player I recently got has the major apps. It doesn't need a computer on just like my Rokus don't need a computer on. I am using my Roku2 boxes less since getting the BD player. I'll probably get a second Panny BD player to put on my secondary TV and will use my second roku less as well. Actually that will be a good reason to move that roku2 box to my tertiary TV permanently and only use the apps on the panny BD player in that room


I have a Roku too, and think that in general Roku will do a better job keeping up and adding new apps, since thats their mission; to be an app media player. TVs and DVD Players, otoh, may not be so quick to make updates.

I gave up on Pandora/Amazon/Netflix on my Tivo HD since they're so slow and the apps are inferior to those on AppleTV and Roku boxes.

IF Apple does come out with their consilidated TV/DVD/app player that the rumors say, then that will be an elegant, consolidated solution.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

djwilso said:


> Something tells me you've not tried a Harmony remote.


owned a pair of 890s for my main tivo's and used them for years. When One died I ponied up for a replacement. Before I owned the two 890's I also had an 880. So I've bought and used probably 500 bucks worth of Harmony remotes. I had home theater master's before that. More basic one for all models too. Etc Etc. While the 890's are perhaps the best thing out there and as close as possible to perfect they still are not as optimal as using the original remotes (in my humble opinion) - especially if it's an rf remote like you can get with a tivo slide or some blue ray players.

It's still a pita (to me) compared to just using the original remote. As soon as you go off the 'main buttons' and have to hunt through the screens it becomes somewhat less fun to use the harmony's. Then your stuff gets out of sync and you need to use the help to get it back. Programming isn't all that horrible but needing to dig out a computer to tweak something and then needing to reprogram the remote AND the zwave receivers isn't the most fun either when all you want to do is tweak something minor.

Maybe I'm crazy but i dont think i'm that out of the norm and Joe sixpack doesn't want to be needing to even buy a universal remote never mind program it. How many friends houses have we all gone in where they have a pile of remotes on the end table and complain about it? We've all probably seen a comedian or two how has a bit about the situation too.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

atmuscarella said:


> A little touchy aren't we? Just for the record I didn't have you or any other individual person in mind when I posted my general comment. Also just for the record:
> 
> 
> Do I think TiVo should get Amazon Prime Streaming on the Premiere: YES absolutely along with Vudu and any other streaming service possible.
> ...


probably a little touchy- laughing.

But point is just becasue people want amazon prime on tivo doesn't mean they are stupid or ignorant. Plenty just want the convenience.

Myself I'd love for tivo to slap a blue ray in too along with the amazon prime-  . THAT would be the ONE box.

The funny thing is- maybe much of the thing is tivo was too successful at creating a intuitive UI and great remote that people love. They've set the bar so high that using other boxes or remotes is annoying and so people long for Tivo to just handle the other apps too.


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

MichaelK said:


> especially if it's an rf remote like you can get with a tivo slide or some blue ray players.


Slight nitpick. The TiVo Slide remote is Bluetooth, not the other standard "RF" you see with other remotes (that don't require line-of-sight, like IR.)


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

Fofer said:


> Slight nitpick. The TiVo Slide remote is Bluetooth, not the other standard "RF" you see with other remotes (that don't require line-of-sight, like IR.)


I understand that it's bluetooth - but honestly i dont know if the protocol really matters so much as if it's radio frequency. As long as it's rf and not ir so that line of sight isn't required i think it's golden. The problem with multiple boxes and IR universal remotes is that you have remote sending out the ir signals at several different targets. The end result is if you aim the remote slightly the wrong angle or whatever you, for example, turn on your tv and your tivo flips to the my shows screen but your amp doesn't turn on your audio or it stays stuck on the wrong input and you are hearing your steaming boxes audio.

The harmony 890's were nice in that regard because they use rf (actually z-wave flavored) to get to a receiver and then you could smack stick on ir emmiters directly on your devices ir targets and you could get rid of most of the problems with IR.

(Although perhaps my love of RF is becasue the ones I've used are 2-way rf in bluetooth or zwave, i think my bluray players keyboard remote is also bluetooth come to think of it...)


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