# Tivo Stream - Live TV



## tomm1079

Can you stream live tv with the tivo stream? It doesnt seem like it when i read the product page.


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## compnurd

Yes and no. You can start a Stream from Live TV. What happens is the Tivo will start recording that program/channel and stream it to your tablet


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## bradleys

Yes and no....

When you select a live program the stream will initiate a recording and stream the recording.


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## tomm1079

ok so you can only stream live tv if you have an open tuner

Thanks for the clarification guys!


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## Dan203

Not exactly. It doesn't really stream live TV at all. You can pick something that is in the live TV guide but all it really does is start a recoding for that program and stream that. You can't actually stream the live TV buffer. 

Dan


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## ronaldheft

It's close enough. Maybe off by a minute from live TV.


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## Tivogre

My delay from live is ~11 seconds.


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## Dan203

My point wasn't to call out the lag, but to point out you can't really stream live TV. At least not like one would expect. When you select something live to stream it starts a recording for that show and streams that. When that show is over it stops and you are left with a recording in your My Shows. It can't just continously stream the live buffer like you can when watching the actual TiVo. 

Although since the Mini will support real live TV streaming maybe someday they'll update this to do it as well. I just don't think it's possible with the current TiVo software so they used this trick as a compromise. 

Dan


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## jfh3

Dan203 said:


> My point wasn't to call out the lag, but to point out you can't really stream live TV. At least not like one would expect. When you select something live to stream it starts a recording for that show and streams that. When that show is over it stops and you are left with a recording in your My Shows. It can't just continously stream the live buffer like you can when watching the actual TiVo.
> 
> Although since the Mini will support real live TV streaming maybe someday they'll update this to do it as well. I just don't think it's possible with the current TiVo software so they used this trick as a compromise.
> 
> Dan


How could anyone expect to stream a live program without tying up a tuner? It would be cool to stream the live buffer, but I just don't see how streaming live TV without having to use a tuner is even theoretically possible.


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## Dan203

I think people think it should work like if you're sitting in front of the TV and watching live. Meaning it shows you whatever is on the current live station, even if it transitions from one show to another. But the Stream doesn't work that way. It simply starts recording the show you selected and streams that. Once the show is over it returns to the app and you have to select the next show if you want to continue watching.

Dan


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## mattack

jfh3 said:


> How could anyone expect to stream a live program without tying up a tuner? It would be cool to stream the live buffer, but I just don't see how streaming live TV without having to use a tuner is even theoretically possible.


Where did anyone expect it to not use a tuner?

What they're expecting it to do is "just work", and not do a hokey thing like START A RECORDING on the Tivo, which doesn't even automagically delete itself when you're done..


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## jfh3

mattack said:


> Where did anyone expect it to not use a tuner?
> 
> What they're expecting it to do is "just work", and not do a hokey thing like START A RECORDING on the Tivo, which doesn't even automagically delete itself when you're done..


Well, one way or another, a tuner would have to be locked/taken for tuning a live broadcast, so starting a recording is no big deal (and is the only option that doesn't require new code on the DVR). I agree with you that there should be a better way to handle the Stream-initiated recording, but I don't see why the current method seems to bug people.


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## bradleys

mattack said:


> which doesn't even automagically delete itself when you're done..


I am not sure what you are talking about... At the end of the show it *DOES *present you with a dialog asking if you want to delete the recording.

This seems like a petty complaint to me. To watch live TV the system rely's of the MRS procedure to stream content - thus a recording.


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## alyssa

I think the ability to quazi stream 'live tv' it the killer app for me


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## Dan203

You may be disappointed with the current implementation then. It basically sets up a recording for whatever is on live TV and then starts streaming that. When that show is done it stops and leaves a residual recording on your TiVo. Real live streaming probably wont happen until the Mini is released and the streaming API TiVo uses included the ability to stream the live buffer. Right now they're just faking it by starting a recording from the live buffer. 

Dan


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## alyssa

They way they're faking it works for me-
mostly I want it so I can watch during the day while I'm working at my desk. There will always be a turner available and space on my tivo.
As long as when the live tv recording is set up, the buffer(if there is one) is recorded, I'm ok.


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## alyssa

ok n00bish question here regarding live tv;

about the as yet to be released tivo mini
Is the thought that by adding the mini to a Premiere (XL4) and a Stream system, a person will be able to stream live tv to an ipad?


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## Dan203

No. My thought (I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who's linked them) is that once the Mini is released AND they fix dynamic tuner allocation* they will then have an API built into the TiVo software which allows a remote device to take over a live tuner and as such it should be trivial to add that same functionality to the iPad app. You wont actually need a Mini to make it work. Teh Stream and the Mini use the same basic API to talk to the remote TiVo so what can be done on one should be capable of being done on the other. 

Dan

* At launch the Mini will require complete hijacking of a tuner to show live Tv. I doubt they'll allow the iPad app to do that. However they've said that they are working on dynamic tuner allocation where the tuner will only be grabbed when you're actually watching live TV. Once that happens then it should be possible to at it to the iPad app without any ill effects.


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## alyssa

can i read into what you've said & surmise that tivo hasn't actually said they'd add the live tv functionality to the stream? 

That said, I'm glad the mini won't be required ! 
As always, I am in your debt dan,
thank you


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## Dan203

Yes. TiVo hasn't said anything. This was merely an educated guess on my part. The Stream uses the same API to communicate with a TiVo that the Mini does, so once e Mini is out there would be nothing preventing them from porting all the features available to the Mini over to the iPad app including live tv support. Although from what we hear the initial release of the Mini will have a hard link to the host TiVo and will permenantly steal one if it's tuners for live TV. It unlikely they will allow that via the Stream since it's more dynamic and supports up to 4 devices. However TiVo has said that future software update will allow the Mini to dynamically grab a tuner from a TiVo for live TV. I believe that once that ability is in place then we'll see the same functionality added to the iPad app for the Stream. 

Dan


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## alyssa

that's fine, I'll take your educated guesses over mine any day<grin>

given the process outlined, I guessing the time frame is in the year (+) range then for true streaming of live TV.

btw, got everything set up then determined the location I most want to stream to has too weak a wifi signal<eyeroll> *but* it was a smooth process getting it set up on a ipad mini and it works great when I'm in range.


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## Austin Bike

If they can't get around the "needs to record it before it streams", at least autodelete anything that was being streamed that is not in the to do list.

My wife watches football in another room in the house and I hate to find 6+ hours of HD games sitting on my tivo a few days later


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## Dan203

alyssa said:


> btw, got everything set up then determined the location I most want to stream to has too weak a wifi signal<eyeroll> *but* it was a smooth process getting it set up on a ipad mini and it works great when I'm in range.


Had the same problem. Ended up buying a wifi N router and it has much better range then my old wifi G one.

Dan


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## magicspell

Just stumbled on this thread. Answered some of my questions regarding streaming "live" TV. Sorry if I should know this but will the TiVo Stream send to a PC? I'd like to stream to a desktop in another room. As far as I can tell from the product info though, it may be limited to just iPad/Android devices?


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## alyssa

It is my understanding that the stream can currently only stream to idevices


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## Dan203

Only works with iOS for now. They're working on Android support. I assume there will eventually be a Windows8 version as well which would then allow it to work on a PC.

Dan


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## siratfus

Found this thread, so I'll ask here instead of starting new thread. This is such an old thread, so I was wondering has the technology changed?

Right now, I can stream from the Roamio Plus, but it sets up a recording first. So nothing has changed in that regard, correct?

What I'm curious about is a Dan23 on post #8 above says the Mini will support true live streaming. It's been over a year since that comment, has it come to fruition? Curious if my Ipad App is not functioning properly, or if it hasn't come true yet. Because right now, if I select the Tivo Mini on the network, nothing works. It says streaming is not supported. So when Dan23 was referring to the "mini," he probably meant the tivo stream box?


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## MikePA1

siratfus said:


> What I'm curious about is a Dan23 on post #8 above says the Mini will support true live streaming. It's been over a year since that comment, has it come to fruition? Curious if my Ipad App is not functioning properly, or if it hasn't come true yet.


Clearly, it has not come true yet.


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## Dan203

Nope, not yet. But dynamic tuner allocation has only been available for the Minis for a few weeks now. I still think we'll eventually see the Stream able to grab a live tuner like the Mini does, rather then the macro hack they're using now.


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