# Looks like trouble ahead



## mschnebly (Feb 21, 2011)

TiVo Exits Best Buy; Walmart Status Uncertain (zatznotfunny.com)


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## gigaquad (Oct 25, 2004)

Not surprising but they've been living off of IP for years. How long has it been since you've seen a Tivo commercial? Nobody uses them anymore, they just use the licensed products from other companies. Yeah, no one but us old tivo guys are buying anymore.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

I had assumed that the TiVo Stream 4K was about to be discontinued at Walmart, given that they have their own inexpensive Android TV streamers (4K for $30 and HD for $25) rolling out. Brickseek was recently (perhaps inaccurately) showing the device on clearance at some Walmart locations for just $19. And when the TS4K wasn't even being shown a few days ago as available directly from Walmart.com, only through a third-party seller on that site, I figured they had sold through all their inventory.

But as of today, the TS4K is available again directly from Walmart.com and they even show it in stock at all three full-size stores closest to me. And the price has now been cut from its previous $40 down to just $29, slightly less than Walmart's new Onn 4K Android TV box.

So it's hard to know what's going on there. Maybe Walmart is going to keep the product and $29 is its new ongoing price. Although TiVo and Amazon are still selling it at $40. Or maybe Walmart still had a fair number of units in their warehouses and they're trying to clear them out now, prior to discontinuing them, at a lower price. But they don't want to price it significantly lower than their own new competing Onn box, at $29.88, and undercut its sales.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

gigaquad said:


> Not surprising but they've been living off of IP for years. How long has it been since you've seen a Tivo commercial? Nobody uses them anymore, they just use the licensed products from other companies. Yeah, no one but us old tivo guys are buying anymore.


They're running tv ads for the Stream 4K currently.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

NashGuy said:


> I had assumed that the TiVo Stream 4K was about to be discontinued at Walmart, given that they have their own inexpensive Android TV streamers (4K for $30 and HD for $25) rolling out. Brickseek was recently (perhaps inaccurately) showing the device on clearance at some Walmart locations for just $19. And when the TS4K wasn't even being shown a few days ago as available directly from Walmart.com, only through a third-party seller on that site, I figured they had sold through all their inventory.
> 
> But as of today, the TS4K is available again directly from Walmart.com and they even show it in stock at all three full-size stores closest to me. And the price has now been cut from its previous $40 down to just $29, slightly less than Walmart's new Onn 4K Android TV box.
> 
> So it's hard to know what's going on there. Maybe Walmart is going to keep the product and $29 is its new ongoing price. Although TiVo and Amazon are still selling it at $40. Or maybe Walmart still had a fair number of units in their warehouses and they're trying to clear them out now, prior to discontinuing them, at a lower price. But they don't want to price it significantly lower than their own new competing Onn box, at $29.88, and undercut its sales.


Why does everyone think that just because Walmart is selling their own brand they won't carry any others?

Don't they sell like Sams-brand cereal or some crap AND Kellogg's?


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

cwoody222 said:


> Why does everyone think that just because Walmart is selling their own brand they won't carry any others?
> 
> Don't they sell like Sams-brand cereal or some crap AND Kellogg's?


There's only so much shelf space in the electronics cabinet where they stock these devices and Walmart has, so far, only ever stocked one Android TV device. First the Mi Box S, then the TiVo Stream 4K. Now they have two of their own Onn brand ones. Given that the TiVo device is relatively unknown, I'll skeptical that they'll continue to make space for it beside their own competing, essentially similar, devices.


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

Was Wallmart (or Best Buy) shelf positioning ever really a big advertising draw for the Tivo Streamers? 

I mean, I think Tivo's in trouble, and this won't help. But is this really the major blow people are making it out to be, other than the historical significance of being the first day that Best Buy doesn't carry any Tivo products since their introduction?


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## gigaquad (Oct 25, 2004)

cwoody222 said:


> They're running tv ads for the Stream 4K currently.


I'm glad to hear that, but I haven't seen one recently.


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## CommunityMember (May 22, 2020)

mschnebly said:


> TiVo Exits Best Buy; Walmart Status Uncertain (zatznotfunny.com)


One must remember that for most products, Best Buy is (essentially) operating on a consignment model (Net 90 is a wonderful way to have manufacturers pay to play), such that the manufacturer only gets paid if the product sells, and then only after (in practice) paying for the shelf (or the entire "experience" for someone like Apple) space. Unless you have a very popular product that flies off the shelves, or pay Best Buy even more for additional training to staff to be able to push the product, sometimes a manufacturer cannot make money at Best Buy. I would not be surprised if TiVo simply looked at the numbers, and decided this was not a viable sales channel.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

Stream 4k now at Target.

TiVo Launches 4k Streamer at Target - WolfPoint Group


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## JLV03 (Feb 12, 2018)

I wonder if the Stream 4K going on sale is a counter attack to the Roku Express going for $24.99? Or the other way around?

https://www.amazon.com/Roku-Express-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B07WVFCVJN

Roku Express | HD Streaming Media Player with High Speed HDMI Cable and Simple Remote


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## Aaron Malloy (Oct 30, 2019)

I bought my very first Tivo at Best Buy about 5-6 years ago. It was a Roamio OTA. But even back then, you really had to hunt for them in the store, because they're not in high visibility areas like cell phones and such. They've always been tucked away in a hard to find area.


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## snerd (Jun 6, 2008)

JLV03 said:


> I wonder if the Stream 4K going on sale is a counter attack to the Roku Express going for $24.99? Or the other way around?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Roku-Express-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B07WVFCVJN
> 
> Roku Express | HD Streaming Media Player with High Speed HDMI Cable and Simple Remote


Both. This is why a competitive marketplace is a good thing.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

kdmorse said:


> Was Wallmart (or Best Buy) shelf positioning ever really a big advertising draw for the Tivo Streamers?
> 
> I mean, I think Tivo's in trouble, and this won't help. But is this really the major blow people are making it out to be, other than the historical significance of being the first day that Best Buy doesn't carry any Tivo products since their introduction?


I think having the new TiVo Stream 4K (which is an Android TV streamer, not a DVR) in Walmart was a pretty big deal for them. In many stores, they even had big branded end-cap displays for the product. The goal of that product was to branch out well beyond the dwindling core of TiVo DVR fans (like those who tend to visit this forum) and having it prominently displayed in the nation's biggest retail store chain was a real boon toward that end. But now it appears that Walmart is selling through whatever remains of the product -- most locations no longer have it in stock, while one near me has it on a shelf marked down to $19.

But OTOH, Target is now selling the product, although it remains to be seen if/when it will actually be sold in their stores. For now, it appears to only be available via their website. Which probably doesn't do as much to make more people aware that it even exists.

As far as Best Buy stocking TiVo DVRs in their stores, I'm not sure it's that big of a deal whether they drop them or not. (The latest I've heard is that they're not dropping them, there's just a temporary disruption due to a change in the distributor.) TiVo DVRs are a niche item and I don't think their presence on a bottom shelf in a Best Buy store does much to spark additional sales. Maybe a bit (especially for their OTA DVRs, given the rise of cord-cutting), but not much.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

JLV03 said:


> I wonder if the Stream 4K going on sale is a counter attack to the Roku Express going for $24.99? Or the other way around?


Yeah, it's about competing against cheap Roku and Amazon Fire TV streamers, as well as Walmart's own new Onn-branded Android TV streamers that are officially launching next week ($30 for the 4K box and $25 for the 1080p stick). Looks like the Onn streamers are, as I predicted, replacing the TiVo Stream 4K in Walmart stores.

Hopefully the presence of more inexpensive Android TV devices helps boost that platform, which has always lagged way behind Roku and Fire TV here in the US. (It's ironic that, even though Google is the company most responsible for the success of Android in general, it was Amazon who swooped in and customized Android to make it a big TV player with their Fire TV OS.) Of course, Google *finally* getting into the game with their own new Chromecast with Google TV priced at $50 is probably the biggest shot in the arm to the platform. Maybe they'll cut the price on it down to $40 soon, to better compete with the new Roku Express 4K+.


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## blobly (Aug 5, 2009)

TIVO has been a dead man walking for years now. The stream was their last ditch effort to remain relevant. The amount of people using even their cable companies DVR is on the decline. Everything is streaming now. I am going to assume that most people are using the built in apps on their TVs - if not Amazon, Apple, Google, & Roku lead the the aftermarket pack, TIVO has zero chance competing in that space.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Got this email today&#8230;.


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## pl1 (Jan 18, 2007)

jlb said:


> Got this email today&#8230;.


I think there is a play on words going on here. I do not think "all-in-one" is equivalent to "all-in service", do you? And as far as I can tell, life would be an additional $550 (MINUS TE3).

Monthly, annual or all-in service pricing options available


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

DEF a play on words


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

It will be a sad day when Tivo finally goes under and my Tivo's reach the end of their lifespan. What other DVR is as easy to use, especially for over the air content.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

What's different now from when TiVo "exited" Best Buy last year?

Looks like Best Buy is dumping TiVo


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## mschnebly (Feb 21, 2011)

cwoody222 said:


> What's different now from when TiVo "exited" Best Buy last year?
> 
> Looks like Best Buy is dumping TiVo


How many retailers can you lose and it not look like you're in trouble?


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Resist said:


> It will be a sad day when Tivo finally goes under and my Tivo's reach the end of their lifespan. What other DVR is as easy to use, especially for over the air content.


I would say that the Channels DVR is nearly as full-featured and easy-to-use for OTA TV as a TiVo. But it's not as easy to set up because it involves multiple items -- a network tuner, an always-on computer or NAS running the Channels DVR server software, plus the streaming device(s) on which you run the Channels app for actual viewing and DVR management.

Although you could simplify a Channels set-up by using the Nvidia Shield TV as your streaming device. It's a powerful Android TV streamer that can run the Channels DVR server software. But you'd still need to attach storage to it (USB hard drive or SD memory card) to have sufficient room for recordings. So in that case, the only other thing you'd need would be a network tuner (e.g. HDHomeRun) connected to your router via ethernet. All the recording would be handled inside the Nvidia Shield TV and then you could use other Android TV, Fire TV and/or Apple TV devices on other TVs throughout the house running the Channels app to watch live and recorded TV (much the way you might use TiVo Mini boxes on secondary TVs with a main TiVo DVR).


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

pl1 said:


> I think there is a play on words going on here. I do not think "all-in-one" is equivalent to "all-in service", do you? And as far as I can tell, life would be an additional $550 (MINUS TE3).
> 
> Monthly, annual or all-in service pricing options available


Perhaps unintentional. I expect the "all-in-one" is just a reference to the DVR+steaming aspect of the box. If anything, the false advertising is in characterizing any TiVo box as being an acceptable streamer, let alone "all-one-one," given how few services have up-to-date apps for the platform.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Resist said:


> It will be a sad day when Tivo finally goes under and my Tivo's reach the end of their lifespan. What other DVR is as easy to use, especially for over the air content.


Yeah, sadly, I don't see us TiVo owners having the same ability as ReplayTV owners after the demise of ReplayTV/SonicBlue/DNNA to continue device use.


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## Bruce24 (Jan 8, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> If anything, the false advertising is in characterizing any TiVo box as being an acceptable streamer...


Well at least in my opinion, the advertising of SkipMode as a feature has been false advertising for years.

_"The SkipMode feature is available on the top 20 most-watched networks and more channels will be added in the future. The shows that will be SkipMode-enabled are those that appear during the most common recording hours: seven days a week, between the hours of 4:00 pm and midnight (12:30 am for late night talk shows airing on ABC, NBC, and CBS). Recorded shows with the SkipMode feature appear in your My Shows lists with a Green SKIP icon."_

At this point getting most of shows on the top 4 network between 8pm and 10pm is a very good day.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

mschnebly said:


> How many retailers can you lose and it not look like you're in trouble?


My point is, have they really lost Best Buy? People thought they lost them last year, too.


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## PSU_Sudzi (Jun 4, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Yeah, sadly, I don't see us TiVo owners having the same ability as ReplayTV owners after the demise of ReplayTV/SonicBlue/DNNA to continue device use.


I think the folks in Australia have kept theirs going. But we could end up like Moxi owners who were bricked by Arris (or whoever owned them at the time).


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

NashGuy said:


> I would say that the Channels DVR is nearly as full-featured and easy-to-use for OTA TV as a TiVo. But it's not as easy to set up because it involves multiple items -- a network tuner, an always-on computer or NAS running the Channels DVR server software, plus the streaming device(s) on which you run the Channels app for actual viewing and DVR management.
> 
> Although you could simplify a Channels set-up by using the Nvidia Shield TV as your streaming device. It's a powerful Android TV streamer that can run the Channels DVR server software. But you'd still need to attach storage to it (USB hard drive or SD memory card) to have sufficient room for recordings. So in that case, the only other thing you'd need would be a network tuner (e.g. HDHomeRun) connected to your router via ethernet. All the recording would be handled inside the Nvidia Shield TV and then you could use other Android TV, Fire TV and/or Apple TV devices on other TVs throughout the house running the Channels app to watch live and recorded TV (much the way you might use TiVo Mini boxes on secondary TVs with a main TiVo DVR).


A lot of people would just bail to Tablo if they were still in business.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

NashGuy said:


> I would say that the Channels DVR is nearly as full-featured and easy-to-use for OTA TV as a TiVo. But it's not as easy to set up because it involves multiple items -- a network tuner, an always-on computer or NAS running the Channels DVR server software, plus the streaming device(s) on which you run the Channels app for actual viewing and DVR management.


And that's just way too complicated for most people. A DVR should be just as easy to connect to a TV, as a VCR was, back in the day.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

tenthplanet said:


> A lot of people would just bail to Tablo if they were still in business.


Did I miss Tablo going under? edit: Or were you thinking of Simple.TV?


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Resist said:


> And that's just way too complicated for most people. A DVR should be just as easy to connect to a TV, as a VCR was, back in the day.


Yeah, probably too complicated for most people. But honestly, an OTA DVR is kind of a nerdy, niche-y thing anyhow in the US. It's something you have to be aware exists and then seek it out. You have to be willing to set up and use an OTA antenna and understand how that works in connection with the DVR.

The average non-technical American is just going to keep cable TV and use whatever DVR the cable company gives them, or they'll cut the cord and access the shows they want on-demand very conveniently via streaming apps. (Cheap or free access to the Hulu, Paramount+, CW, and PBS apps makes an OTA DVR a needless complication for most folks.)

So if you're aware of OTA DVRs and interested enough to research the category and buy one, you're probably technically inclined enough to set up and use Channels DVR. (It's actually pretty simple, with well documented instructions.) But I'm sure that there will continue to be a sliver of consumers who only want an all-in-one OTA DVR box, like a TiVo, that they connect directly to the TV.

Which, I guess, is why Tablo recently introduced such a product line. They refer to them as their "HDMI" DVRs because, unlike their other products (which are headless network-connected DVR servers), these boxes have an HDMI connection to plug directly into a TV, and come with a remote control.

Introducing Our Newest TV-Connected OTA DVR, Tablo QUAD HDMI

What is a shame, IMO, is that Tablo didn't choose to run these new DVRs on Android TV, which would have given them access to a huge app store. As it is, these new DVRs are only good for OTA TV and nothing else. You have to switch to a different TV input, device and remote to use streaming apps. And these days, hardly anyone who uses OTA TV *only* uses OTA TV. It's something they use alongside streaming. One of the biggest knocks against TiVo DVRs over the years has been their poor app platform. But at least they have useable apps for a few major services. These new Tablo DVRs got nothin'.

Here's an OTA DVR with Android TV available in the UK. No reason why Tablo, Channels, or Plex couldn't create something similar for the US market.

Humax


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## CommunityMember (May 22, 2020)

NashGuy said:


> Here's an OTA DVR with Android TV available in the UK. No reason why Tablo, Channels, or Plex couldn't create something similar for the US market.


I presume you know that Android TV, with Live Channels, has a built-in DVR when you have access to supported tuners (and, typically, a USB hard drive, since most Android TV devices do not have much internal storage).


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

CommunityMember said:


> I presume you know that Android TV, with Live Channels, has a built-in DVR when you have access to supported tuners (and, typically, a USB hard drive, since most Android TV devices do not have much internal storage).


Yeah, I'm aware. But if you look into it, it's a bit of a mess. Google has never supported the Live Channels app all that well and it seems like abandonware at this point.

I bought one of those new Onn UHD Android TV boxes this week for $30 to try it out. I had hoped to use the "Network Tuner" input source in the Live Channels app to pull in OTA channels from my HDHomeRun Connect tuner. Doing it that way (as opposed to using the HDHomeRun app as the input source) allows you to pause and rewind live TV and use the free Live Channels DVR features.

But I could never get "Network Tuner" to show up in the app. Apparently others have had this problem in the past, based on comments I read in the Nvidia Shield forum. I'm not sure if that feature ever advanced beyond beta status anyhow. I guess it got yanked from recent versions of the app? I have a DLNA-compatible HDHomeRun that advertises itself across the network, so compatible devices can see it. (Even my old Panasonic Bluray player sees it and can pull in OTA channels from it, ha.) So I don't know why the Live Channels app on this Android TV box didn't detect its presence and offer up the Network Tuner input source. I even tried installing an old version of the Live Channels app from a few years ago (2018), when people were reporting successfully using the feature, but that version of the app wouldn't even launch after installation. So it was a bust.

Aside from an HDHomeRun network tuner, the only other US tuner I know of that could be used with Live Channels is a particular Hauppauge WinTV dual USB tuner. I don't happen to have one, so I couldn't try that out.

At this point, my guess is that *if* Google chooses to support OTA tuners, it will do so as an input source in the Live tab of their new Google TV UI. So far, the only sources that can pass through linear channels to the grid guide in that UI are YouTube TV and Sling. But I'm a bit skeptical that Google will do that, much less offer free OTA DVR service in that UI, because they'd rather you just pay them to subscribe to YouTube TV.


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## Jacopo (Jun 9, 2021)

I think America has moved on to the likes of YouTube TV or cable boxes. Poor tivo had a decent run and I enjoyed using mine but now both boxes are in a box in the attic now.


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

krkaufman said:


> Did I miss Tablo going under? edit: Or were you thinking of Simple.TV?


What I meant to write is in the future the Tablo would be a device that many former Tivo owners or people looking for a simple OTA DVR would go to/bail to, if in the future they are still around. The future for turnkey OTA recorders is cloudy at best. Tivo could be a domino and not an isolated case.


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

cwoody222 said:


> My point is, have they really lost Best Buy? People thought they lost them last year, too.


How many people actually bought one from BB ? Over the years most of the ones I've had came directly from Tivo and one from Amazon.


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## Jacopo (Jun 9, 2021)

I got my Tivos from BB. Only local place that had them.


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## CommunityMember (May 22, 2020)

NashGuy said:


> Yeah, I'm aware. But if you look into it, it's a bit of a mess. Google has never supported the Live Channels app all that well and it seems like abandonware at this point.


Live Channels (using their network tuner) worked quite well for me for over a year when I was experimenting with it for cable as a backup, and someone a few doors down uses it for OTA even today. And 3rd party providers can provide their own sources of course. I have no idea why it did not work for you, and it is likely not relevant as to why any specific person may have issues, as it is what it is for them.


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## Charles R (Nov 9, 2000)

Resist said:


> What other DVR is as easy to use, especially for over the air content.


Amazon's Recast is more or less a plug in replacement for TiVo. You do need a streamer but that's an advantage not a disadvantage as you have an all-in-box per se.

Sadly they haven't seen fit to update it over the years but it's pretty solid.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

CommunityMember said:


> Live Channels (using their network tuner) worked quite well for me for over a year when I was experimenting with it for cable as a backup, and someone a few doors down uses it for OTA even today. And 3rd party providers can provide their own sources of course. I have no idea why it did not work for you, and it is likely not relevant as to why any specific person may have issues, as it is what it is for them.


It's a problem that's been going on for some folks for quite awhile apparently.


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidTV/comments/ei3w44


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## JimG19 (Jun 30, 2005)

Jacopo said:


> I got my Tivos from BB. Only local place that had them.


I got mine from BB too. But the BB stands for Blockbuster. They are still chugging along though.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

Charles R said:


> Amazon's Recast is more or less a plug in replacement for TiVo. You do need a streamer but that's an advantage not a disadvantage as you have an all-in-box per se.


How is needing a streamer make it an advantage? I don't need a streamer with my current Tivo.


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## ManeJon (Apr 14, 2018)

I live in Maine - was reminded today as I was driving through some of the minor out in the country areas. Every house has a dish on it. We have huge areas of the state that don't have high speed internet let alone cable service. I wonder, if sat go out of business how all these places will get TV service before high speed internet gets to them. Maybe the small sat internet will do it but there is still a need for sat TV service


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

ManeJon said:


> I live in Maine - was reminded today as I was driving through some of the minor out in the country areas. Every house has a dish on it. We have huge areas of the state that don't have high speed internet let alone cable service. I wonder, if sat go out of business how all these places will get TV service before high speed internet gets to them. Maybe the small sat internet will do it but there is still a need for sat TV service


Probably an option of YouTube tv or Hulo where they offer locals and cable paired with satellite internet service&#8230; From what I am reading the new satellite service that is rolling out is fairly dependable with half way decent speeds.


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

ManeJon said:


> I live in Maine - was reminded today as I was driving through some of the minor out in the country areas. Every house has a dish on it. We have huge areas of the state that don't have high speed internet let alone cable service. I wonder, if sat go out of business how all these places will get TV service before high speed internet gets to them. Maybe the small sat internet will do it but there is still a need for sat TV service


Definitely, there are parts of the country that are are too far from OTA towers, don't have cable but have been able to get satellite TV.


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## jerryez (May 16, 2001)

I tried streaming with my Roamio OTA TiVo and it loaded way to slow and each program was verrry slow. I bought a Roku Ultra and never looked back. Is the TiVo streamer any better?


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## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

A TCL tv will let you throw a usb drive into a port allowing you to record it's channels. That would make it a Roku with an ota dvr


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## dslunceford (Oct 19, 2000)

Resist said:


> How is needing a streamer make it an advantage? I don't need a streamer with my current Tivo.


How are you watching Disney Plus? Or HBO Max? Or Paramount+? Or Any of the other OTT services? Heck, how are you watching Hulu without issue? My Bolt, Roamio and Minis choke trying to run an app that hasn't been updated in a long time.

TiVo's streaming capabilities for its DVRs are woefully out of date.


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

dslunceford said:


> How are you watching Disney Plus? Or HBO Max? Or Paramount+? Or Any of the other OTT services? Heck, how are you watching Hulu without issue? My Bolt, Roamio and Minis choke trying to run an app that hasn't been updated in a long time.
> 
> TiVo's streaming capabilities for its DVRs are woefully out of date.


Amazon was the only thing that streamed well..I gave up on Hulu years ago and went with an Apple TV.


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## ManeJon (Apr 14, 2018)

Got notice that Spectrum here in Maine is doing updates tonight on their TV service. Hope my TIVO still works tomorrow


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## samsauce29 (Nov 30, 2007)

ManeJon said:


> Got notice that Spectrum here in Maine is doing updates tonight on their TV service. Hope my TIVO still works tomorrow


Did they give any specifics on the update?


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

dslunceford said:


> How are you watching Disney Plus? Or HBO Max? Or Paramount+? Or Any of the other OTT services? Heck, how are you watching Hulu without issue?


I don't have any of those services but if I did I could use my Chromecast 4K or the apps on my smart TV, if my Tivo didn't do them well.


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## Darrell Patton (Jul 19, 2018)

mattyro7878 said:


> A TCL tv will let you throw a usb drive into a port allowing you to record it's channels. That would make it a Roku with an ota dvr


The USB drive on my TCL TV will only allow pause and rewind/fast forward on the currently tuned OTA channel. No record capability.


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## CajunRuss (Oct 1, 2014)

ManeJon said:


> I live in Maine - was reminded today as I was driving through some of the minor out in the country areas. Every house has a dish on it. We have huge areas of the state that don't have high speed internet let alone cable service. I wonder, if sat go out of business how all these places will get TV service before high speed internet gets to them. Maybe the small sat internet will do it but there is still a need for sat TV service


Tmobile home internet might be an option coupled with youtube TV. I am very pleased with that setup.


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## ManeJon (Apr 14, 2018)

samsauce29 said:


> Did they give any specifics on the update?


No - but all worked OK this am so that is good


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

jerryez said:


> I tried streaming with my Roamio OTA TiVo and it loaded way to slow and each program was verrry slow. I bought a Roku Ultra and never looked back. Is the TiVo streamer any better?


Better at streaming than a Roamio? Yes. It's an Android-TV-based device.
Better than a Roku? Maybe.


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## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

Darrell Patton said:


> The USB drive on my TCL TV will only allow pause and rewind/fast forward on the currently tuned OTA channel. No record capability.


You may be right. I own a TCL now but had a Samsung previously. I may be mixing up my TVs. Sorry bout that.


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## SandiMacD (Apr 19, 2017)

Resist said:


> It will be a sad day when Tivo finally goes under and my Tivo's reach the end of their lifespan. What other DVR is as easy to use, especially for over the air content.


That sad day fast approaching for me. I cut cable almost 2 years ago, bought 2 Roamio OTA and they record PBS and local news. I've bought 9 tivos total since 2003 and am down to 3. The 2 Roamios are on different antennas and the Premiere XL with the old cable card is good for watching the recorded roamio content.

One of the Roamios is dying. After unplugging it for a day, it lasts up to 2 hours before it "dies" with front lights start flashing repeatedly. So I was looking today to see if it's worth replacing. Decided no, that TiVo is in a death decline. They have a solid niche market of OTA/cable channels and I am not sure if that will keep them going. If TiVo goes belly up, there won't be a channel guide. So no point in me investing in a device with an unknown future.

There are only 2 channels that I can't record on my current streaming services. One is PBS and the other is ABC. Much, but not all, of them are available via PBS passport. The one Roamio OTA is able to handle recording those channels for now and I can watch them on the Premiere so I can see them in 2 rooms which is good enough.

I considered Tablo but not quite sold on the interface yet. I read where Tablo can be accessed via Roku or Apple TV for playback, but to record, it uses a different software interface. I use Roku on one of our TVs and Apple TVs on the other 2 so at least that part would work

I read a post here where someone said the Tablo set up was too complicated for the average person. Made me laugh!! My generation had to figure out electricity, TVs, printed TV guides & antennas. Then VCRs came along and we had to figure out how to connect them and set up recordings based on time or using codes in a TV Guide publication. Tablo sounds far easier than that! Maybe Tablo will work towards making itself easier to configure for this generation who grew up with plug and play.

TiVo was great in it's heyday. Will continue to enjoy my Roamio OTA for as long as that lasts.


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

SandiMacD said:


> One of the Roamios is dying. After unplugging it for a day, it lasts up to 2 hours before it "dies" with front lights start flashing repeatedly.


The front lights flashing is usually either the external power supply or the hard drive. I would try swapping the power supplies between your two Roamio OTAs and see if the problem follows it.


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## SandiMacD (Apr 19, 2017)

Thanks, will give that a go. Replacing the power cord is reasonable but I suspect its the hard drive because it works for 2-3 hours. If a power cord issue it likely would happen as soon as plugged in.


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## pl1 (Jan 18, 2007)

SandiMacD said:


> One of the Roamios is dying.


Just FYI, you should be able to find a very cheap Roamio (with Life) on Ebay. Recently, I paid about $200 for a cable and/or antenna version with Life. I just needed one OTA station and since today's TiVo's can't do both OTA & cable at the same time, I run the Roamio for OTA and watch it with my Bolt. Plus, it gives me a backup in case I lose cable (or vice versa).

EDIT: Also, Hard drives are cheap to replace and they self format in the Roamio.


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## SandiMacD (Apr 19, 2017)

pl1 said:


> Just FYI, you should be able to find a very cheap Roamio (with Life) on Ebay.


The one dying is actually one I picked on CL 2 years ago. Like I said, I only record on 2 channels and the current OTA working lets me record on 4 channels. Absolutely no need for a 3rd Tivo unless I really needed to watch Tivo recordings in the guest room- which I don't. Our guests use their own streaming apps and services. 
So am good. But thanks for replying.


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