# Watch recently aired network shows through my Tivo



## garek007 (Sep 3, 2013)

Hi,

I just bought a Roamio and I really want to love it, but so far, I'm frustrated. One of the first things I want to do is just to watch network shows that have already aired on my Tivo. For example, I just missed 3 episodes of Big Brother. I can go to the CBS website on my laptop and watch those 3 episodes, for free. How do I do this on my tivo?

I see that I can pay for it through Amazon Prime, but why would I want to do that when I can get it free from their website?

Can anyone tell me how to watch this through my tivo?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

This is a limitation of the networks. They don't want you to be able to watch these shows on your TV for free. Heck they even purposely block you from watching them on an iPad. Unless they wise up and relax the rules there isn't anything TiVo can do about it.


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## TC25D (Aug 21, 2013)

garek007 said:


> I just bought a Roamio and I really want to love it, but so far, I'm frustrated. One of the first things I want to do is just to watch network shows that have already aired on my Tivo.
> 
> Can anyone tell me how to watch this through my tivo?


Without you setting up a recording for these network shows, can you tell us why you thought the Tivo could do this?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I assume he expected TiVo to have a browser so he could watch via the networks website? Or maybe a way to cast flash video from his computer to the Roamio?

Actually you could do that second one with a $35 Chromecast and the special Chrome Tab extension. Basically any video you can play on your computer can be mirrored to a TV. But the computer is doing the playback, the software is just capturing the screen and mirroring it to the TV. So you need a relatively powerful computer for it to work.


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## sbiller (May 10, 2002)

garek007 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just bought a Roamio and I really want to love it, but so far, I'm frustrated. One of the first things I want to do is just to watch network shows that have already aired on my Tivo. For example, I just missed 3 episodes of Big Brother. I can go to the CBS website on my laptop and watch those 3 episodes, for free. How do I do this on my tivo?
> 
> ...


Hulu Plus (subscription required) offers this feature for a number of the networks.


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## MScottC (Sep 11, 2004)

The big broadcast networks are all about monetizing their current primetime offerings. A big part of what the current TW/CBS fight was about who owns the rights to CBS's shows in mediums other than broadcast. CBS fought hard to keep those rights. Do you think they're going to play those shows for free online?


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## garek007 (Sep 3, 2013)

Dan203 you have it right and thanks for the tip. sbiller, thanks for the tip. Mscott, I can already watch those shows for free over the air, or I can log in to the website and watch them for free through my laptop. 

I already know how to do this I just hook a VGA cable from my laptop to my TV, but I was hoping the Tivo could do it and I could use the remote. It makes it a touch more convenient.

It's honestly better for the networks if I watch the shows over the internet, because they can force me to watch commercials. When I used to have cable and a DVR, I'd just skip the commercials.

The thing is, so far Tivo is not living up to my expectations. It seems to have a tough time picking up my antenna signals, and I pay a subscription fee just to have a menu. I used to have a Wii that didn't have a subscription, and I could still get Hulu, netflix and it had an internet browser.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

garek007 said:


> Dan203 you have it right and thanks for the tip. sbiller, thanks for the tip. Mscott, I can already watch those shows for free over the air, or I can log in to the website and watch them for free through my laptop.
> 
> I already know how to do this I just hook a VGA cable from my laptop to my TV, but I was hoping the Tivo could do it and I could use the remote. It makes it a touch more convenient.
> 
> ...


At it's heart the Roamio is a digital cable or OTA DVR. If you are unable to pickup OTA channels and do not have digital cable there really isn't any reason to own a Roamio, as there are much cheaper ways to get the IP streaming services (Netflix, Hulu+, etc.).

If you can not improve your OTA reception with a better antenna I would return your Roamio.


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## garek007 (Sep 3, 2013)

Thanks atmuscarella,

Yes it seems as if it's made more for people with a ton of viewing options. all I really need is the primary OTA channels and the ability to watch them on the internet, or maybe a HULU subscription. I think I may trade it for an apple tv.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

garek007 said:


> Dan203 you have it right and thanks for the tip. sbiller, thanks for the tip. Mscott, I can already watch those shows for free over the air, or I can log in to the website and watch them for free through my laptop.
> 
> I already know how to do this I just hook a VGA cable from my laptop to my TV, but I was hoping the Tivo could do it and I could use the remote. It makes it a touch more convenient.
> 
> ...


But with an Xbox you also need a subscription to have access to those services.


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## garek007 (Sep 3, 2013)

I also want something that can record though, this is the dilemma


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## garek007 (Sep 3, 2013)

aaron, I agree. I probably won't do Xbox or ps3, maybe a wii, but really just need a basic DVR that can capture OTA feeds


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Not sure how a wii will do this. 

Sounds like you may want to check out your antenna for reception issues if you are looking for DVR features. A poor signal is a poor signal and makes recording content unworkable regardless.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

garek007 said:


> I also want something that can record though, this is the dilemma


If you can get OTA reception the Roamio is a great DVR and I think it is worth the cost even if all you use it for is OTA (which is what I do). I would much rather record my OTA shows with a DVR and watch them that way then stream them from Hulu or the network's web site. With four tuners you can pretty much record anything you want and never need to stream anything that has been broadcast via OTA. Right now you can not "go back" to stuff that has already been broadcast but as time goes by you will have recorded everything and should have it all available on your DVR for viewing.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

garek007 said:


> aaron, I agree. I probably won't do Xbox or ps3, maybe a wii, but really just need a basic DVR that can capture OTA feeds


TiVo is pretty much the only option in standalone DVRs. Unless you want to build an HTPC and use Windows Media Center. On the plus side Media Center doesn't have a subscription fee. On the down side building an HTPC with 4 OTA tuners is going to cost more then $199.


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## garek007 (Sep 3, 2013)

thanks all. based on my readings this morning, I think I might just go with an appleTV. It doesn't have a DVR, but if I subscribe to HULU I can view old episodes of TV and with an antenna, I can watch live episodes. Plus, it has WatchESPN so I'm hoping I can get Monday night football as well.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

garek007 said:


> thanks all. based on my readings this morning, I think I might just go with an appleTV. It doesn't have a DVR, but if I subscribe to HULU I can view old episodes of TV and with an antenna, I can watch live episodes. Plus, it has WatchESPN so I'm hoping I can get Monday night football as well.


The Roamio has access to Hulu plus.


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## Devx (Jun 1, 2006)

garek007 said:


> thanks all. based on my readings this morning, I think I might just go with an appleTV. It doesn't have a DVR, but if I subscribe to HULU I can view old episodes of TV and with an antenna, I can watch live episodes. Plus, it has WatchESPN so I'm hoping I can get Monday night football as well.


Just FYI, WatchESPN requires an active cable subscription of the appropriate tier with a participating provider, similar to HBO Go.


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## garek007 (Sep 3, 2013)

aaron, yes but the Roamio also has a subscription fee

Devo, thanks I'll look into this further before making my decision. Do you know if I can just subscribe separately to just WatchESPN or do I need to have a whole cable package?


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## TC25D (Aug 21, 2013)

I am not aware of any cable company that offers subscribing to just one channel.


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## Devx (Jun 1, 2006)

garek007 said:


> aaron, yes but the Roamio also has a subscription fee
> 
> Devo, thanks I'll look into this further before making my decision. Do you know if I can just subscribe separately to just WatchESPN or do I need to have a whole cable package?


It will require ESPN as part of the cable package and providers aren't doing a la carte pricing. To make it worse, most providers purposely make ESPN at least mid level or higher tier which includes plenty of other channels that you probably don't want.


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## Dave in Houston (Jul 25, 2012)

Do you have Aereo in your viewing area? It's coming to Houston in September, and it sounds like it might be better than Tivo for your needs.

You would still need a Roku or some kind of hardware, I'm not sure whether they're on Apple TV. And they charge $8 to $12 per month.

A recent Dwight Silverman column:

As I wrote in todays Houston Chronicle, Aereo is finally coming to town.

The service captures over-the-air, local TV broadcasts and streams them over the Net to its subscribers. Aereo provides a DVR service so you can watch your favorite shows when you want, with the ability to pause, rewind and fast-forward.

Youll pay a minimum of $8 a month for Aereo, which gets you 20 hours of cloud-DVR storage. For $12, you can store 60 hours. You may pay Aereo for this service, but Aereo isnt going to pay the broadcasters for their signals. And as youd expect, the legacy TV industry doesnt like that one bit.

They argue that Aereo is violating copyright laws by distributing their content without permission. Aereo, on the other hand, says you have a right to watch over-the-air TV via an antenna, which the company is merely renting to you. Each customer gets an individual, dime-sized antenna and personalized storage space on a server. So far, three federal courts have sided with Aereo, saying the New York-based startups service is legal.

You can expect a new round of lawsuits when Aereo hits town, as has happened in other cities where it has launched.

What you cant expect, though, is that this startup rolling into Houston will generate new jobs. I asked CEO and founder Chet Kanojia how many people Aereo will hire when it launches here, and he said that, initially, the number is effectively zero.

Thats because Aereo sets up shop in an existing data center, Kanojia told me. The array of dime-sized antennas are installed on the roof of the facility, and the servers down below are used for DVR storage. Presumably, existing data center employees do any hands-on maintenance thats necessary, and the company can manage other aspects remotely.

Aereo may eventually hire people to do local marketing, but their numbers likely would be minimal.

As someone who recently dropped cable TV to go Internet-only for my television, Im very interested in trying Aereo. When I gave up U-verses television service, I lost the ability to record network TV, and this would give it back. Currently, I use Hulu Plus to watch some network shows, and I buy season passes on iTunes for others. Aereo could save me money.

There may be a convenience issue, though. Aereo works on PCs and Macs with modern browsers, on iOS devices and on Roku. Android compatibility likely will come by the time the service rolls out in Houston, I was told.

Im mostly using Apple TV for streaming these days, and you can use AirPlay to send Aereos service to that box. Still, I wish there was a native Aereo app on Apple TV.

Does Aereo sound like a service to which youd subscribe? Let us know in the comments.​


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## garek007 (Sep 3, 2013)

Dave in Houson... it does not appear to be in my area just yet, sounds cool though. UGH, I may just break down and get dish or direct tv. There just aren't really any options for cutting the cord just yet that give me everything I want...


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

If you already have a pc, which it sounds like you have a laptop, then all you need to do exactly what you want is what Dan mentioned earlier. Just buy an external USB or Ethernet tuner like the Ceton InfiniTV or Silicon Dust HDHomerun, connect it to your pc and set it up with Windows Media Center. That will be your DVR. Then to get all the streaming options, just use/get an XBox 360 to use as a WMC "DVR" extender with a ton of streaming options as well (Netflix, Hulu+, espn, XFinity, Time Warner, Redbox, Vudu, etc.)


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