# Does the UI enhancements make you want to upgrade?



## HoOn (Dec 13, 2009)

I bought my TiVo HD XL just 3 months ago and love it but sometimes there are things that I missed on my Cables DVR. Like the ability to watch TV in the background while doing some searches or just playing around with the DVR. The cable DVR has been doing that for many years now and I was disappointed that my HD XL didn't have it... until now.

When Premier was announced I loved the fact that you can now watch TV in the background while doing some TiVo searching. I'm seriously thinking of selling my TiVo HD XL with Lifetime so that I could get the Premier and opt for the $200 Lifetime deal.

Does anyone feel the same way I do?

- JOhn


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

Some may since TiVo added it. Personally for me it will be the first thing I turn off. I don't watch live tv so having a screen showing what is currently being recorded only spoils the show for later viewing.

It all boils down to how you use a TiVo/DVR imho. I have pretty much always used TiVo so I count on it to always record so I never used it for live tv. Most people I know who started with cable DVRs use it the opposite way where they record little and mainly use it to control live tv. Some of this is obviously personal preference but I also think this has to do with how unreliable early cable DVRs were. As a result they miss things like the picture in guide.


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

I have no desire to upgrade for the UI enhancements. Most of the new features I would never use and to me the new UI is just more clutter on the screen. I do want an HD interface, but I wanted more information on the screen displayed, not the same amount or less with a lot of clutter around it. I could imagine myself turning it off if I ever get a newer TiVo.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

HoOn said:


> I bought my TiVo HD XL just 3 months ago and love it but sometimes there are things that I missed on my Cables DVR. Like the ability to watch TV in the background while doing some searches or just playing around with the DVR. The cable DVR has been doing that for many years now and I was disappointed that my HD XL didn't have it... until now.
> 
> When Premier was announced I loved the fact that you can now watch TV in the background while doing some TiVo searching. I'm seriously thinking of selling my TiVo HD XL with Lifetime so that I could get the Premier and opt for the $200 Lifetime deal.
> 
> ...


Yes. I plan on replacing my current six lifetime units with six Premieres with lifetime


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

Are you doing it primarily for the new UI or for the faster hardware and MRV? The new UI interests me but I guess since I am not on a HD set yet since I am waiting for the new Panasonic Plasmas this summer it isn't a motivating factor.


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## TrueTurbo (Feb 19, 2008)

The new HD UI is the primary reason I'm upgrading from my TiVo HD to a Premiere XL. I also like the updated hardware but the UI is what sold it for me.


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## Dreamin (Sep 14, 2006)

Yes, primary reason I upgraded: HD UI.


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## HoOn (Dec 13, 2009)

I guess it really depends on your needs.  IO'll have to check out how much it's worth selling my HD XL + lifetime and see if it's not that bad to upgrade.


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## monkeydust (Dec 12, 2004)

mathwhiz said:


> I have no desire to upgrade for the UI enhancements. Most of the new features I would never use and to me the new UI is just more clutter on the screen. I do want an HD interface, but I wanted more information on the screen displayed, not the same amount or less with a lot of clutter around it. I could imagine myself turning it off if I ever get a newer TiVo.


This.

I was hoping HD Tivo UI would mean smaller text and much more on screen to minimize scrolling. I don't want all that crap on there. I just want more facts and less fluff.


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## TrueTurbo (Feb 19, 2008)

monkeydust said:


> This.
> 
> I was hoping HD Tivo UI would mean smaller text and much more on screen to minimize scrolling. I don't want all that crap on there. I just want more facts and less fluff.


And that's what you get with the HD UI. There IS a lot more info on each screen. The new UI displays on 1 screen what the classic UI displayed on multiple screens.


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## monkeydust (Dec 12, 2004)

TrueTurbo said:


> And that's what you get with the HD UI. There IS a lot more info on each screen. The new UI displays on 1 screen what the classic UI displayed on multiple screens.


I've only seen pictures of the new UI. Where's the classic UI viewed on the Premiere? I can't find any screen captures.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

innocentfreak said:


> Are you doing it primarily for the new UI or for the faster hardware and MRV? The new UI interests me but I guess since I am not on a HD set yet since I am waiting for the new Panasonic Plasmas this summer it isn't a motivating factor.


I doing it mainly because TiVo is giving current owners a great deal. I get a discount on the Lifetime of new units, can keep or sell my old units, and can also get a 3 year warranty. So the net cost is minimal to get a new box. Otherwise I'm perfectly happy with my S3 and TiVoHD units and I would only be buying one or possibly two of the new units without the discounts for existing customers.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

monkeydust said:


> I've only seen pictures of the new UI. Where's the classic UI viewed on the Premiere? I can't find any screen captures.


You switch between the new UI and Classic under Messages & Settings -> Restart or Reset system -> Choose HD or Classic menus.

The classic UI looks and functions like the current interface, albeit with additional options and usability enhancements noted in the FAQ.


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## monkeydust (Dec 12, 2004)

bkdtv said:


> You switch between the new UI and Classic under Messages & Settings -> Restart or Reset system -> Choose HD or Classic menus.
> 
> The classic UI looks and functions like the current interface, albeit with additional options and usability enhancements noted in the FAQ.


I looked in the FAQ and didn't see anything for usability enhancements for the classic UI. All I really care about is a smaller, sharper font so I can see more on the screen at once. I have a 70" TV and the current font is unnecessarily large.


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## slude (Feb 9, 2008)

TrueTurbo said:


> And that's what you get with the HD UI. There IS a lot more info on each screen.


In the screenshots I've seen posted, it appears that there is a lot more _ancillary_ info on each screen (e.g. promotional graphic for the series, links to other stuff the actors, director, etc. are involved in and so forth) but it didn't appear that the screens show any more of the core info per-screen. E.g. the screen for what used to be Now Playing did not appear to show more shows per-screen or show more characters within each show's title. In short, it looked like TiVo took the existing non-HD screens and just wrapped new content around them. If you wanted IMDB on your TV, that's great; if you wanted a UI that used the space of HD to reduce navigation requirements then you seem to be SOL.



TrueTurbo said:


> The new UI displays on 1 screen what the classic UI displayed on multiple screens.


 Can you identify an example of this (preferably with links to the published screen shots)?


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

slude said:


> Can you identify an example of this (preferably with links to the published screen shots)?


Unfortunately, I don't have a link at the moment, but there was definitely a video demo I saw where they specifically illustrate how the new HDUI is designed to show more information at once.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Really no. TiVo (at least my Series 2) has reached the point it is just a utility device for me, just recording TV and providing it for viewing anytime. Being I have only satellite and analog broadcast, a Series 3/4 is of no benefit to me.

Not to say I am not intrigued and would not get a Series 4 otherwise.


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## Lenonn (May 31, 2004)

HoOn said:


> I bought my TiVo HD XL just 3 months ago and love it but sometimes there are things that I missed on my Cables DVR. Like the ability to watch TV in the background while doing some searches or just playing around with the DVR. The cable DVR has been doing that for many years now and I was disappointed that my HD XL didn't have it... until now.
> 
> When Premier was announced I loved the fact that you can now watch TV in the background while doing some TiVo searching. I'm seriously thinking of selling my TiVo HD XL with Lifetime so that I could get the Premier and opt for the $200 Lifetime deal.
> 
> ...


Do the enhancements make me *want* to upgrade? Yes.

*Will* I upgrade? No. Two TiVo HD's, a Series 3 and a Series 2 are enough. There's not enough of a difference between the old models and the new one to justify this.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

slude said:


> In the screenshots I've seen posted, it appears that there is a lot more _ancillary_ info on each screen (e.g. promotional graphic for the series, links to other stuff the actors, director, etc. are involved in and so forth) but it didn't appear that the screens show any more of the core info per-screen. E.g. the screen for what used to be Now Playing did not appear to show more shows per-screen or show more characters within each show's title. In short, it looked like TiVo took the existing non-HD screens and just wrapped new content around them. If you wanted IMDB on your TV, that's great; if you wanted a UI that used the space of HD to reduce navigation requirements then you seem to be SOL.
> 
> Can you identify an example of this (preferably with links to the published screen shots)?


Here are some examples from betanews.com screen shots.

Here's the new TiVo Central. Notice that in this example, when you've chosen "Find TV, etc..." you now have the option to navigate to the next menu to the right instead of having to go to a new screen.










Here's an example from "My Shows". Some of the information about the program is now available on screen instead of having to select the show. There's also quite a bit more room there for show titles, at least to my eye.










Here's a link to a demo by TiVoPony on the betanews site where you can see some of this in action.
http://www.betanews.com/article/Exclusive-Video-Indepth-with-TiVos-new-Premiere-interface/1267653389


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## drewba (Nov 25, 2000)

I'm just not a fan of how busy the home page is. I'm glad that the 'picture in list/guide' can be turned off, but I really wish that whole top banner could be turned off. I'd much rather have the extra real estate to display more shows in My Shows. 

The integration of Netflix, upcoming shows and Amazon VOD is nice though.


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## riekl (Jan 29, 2001)

Until they refresh the guide with something that isn't from 1999 I'll pass ..


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

so you are just waiting for screen shots of the new guide then to make your decisipon? Since it has yet to be shown yet, I am guessing that is what you mean. Any pictures of the guide you have seen are from the original UI because it wasn't finished when they showed it as they said in the video.


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## riekl (Jan 29, 2001)

innocent -- No, they haven't even started to work on the guide. The new UI that is coming in April will still have the old crappy guide from 1999


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

riekl said:


> The new UI that is coming in April will still have the old crappy guide from 1999


I'm hoping, at least at some point, that TiVo will offer way more customization when it comes to the guide. Even the StarSight guide in my TV from the mid 90s allowed you to change the channel order.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

riekl said:


> innocent -- No, they haven't even started to work on the guide. The new UI that is coming in April will still have the old crappy guide from 1999


And you know they haven't started on it how?


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## DCIFRTHS (Jan 6, 2000)

drewba said:


> I'm just not a fan of how busy the home page is. I'm glad that the 'picture in list/guide' can be turned off, but I really wish that whole top banner could be turned off. I'd much rather have the extra real estate to display more shows in My Shows.


Agreed. Way too busy. Additionally, the horizontal *advertisement bar* consumes 25% of the screen...


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

Moxi has won emmys for their UI


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

I pretty much record shows and watch them with my DVRs and that's about it. So I find the UI to be next to irrelevant for the way I use a DVR. The TiVo HD is very responsive and I don't see any increase in speed mattering much - the Series 2 TiVos are a little slower loading the IU but after that respond plenty fast enough. I did want to upgrade the Series 2 I use for OTA but ended up ordering a refurbished Series 3 instead of buying a new Tivo Premiere. If they had a TiVo with a Blu-ray player in it I would have been very interested in that. 

Thanks,


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## LoneWolf15 (Mar 20, 2010)

ZeoTiVo said:


> Moxi has won emmys for their UI


If off-topic posting could have an award, I'd nominate you.

Tivo has won an Emmy as well.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

What were the EMMYs for?


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## LoneWolf15 (Mar 20, 2010)

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2006-07/tivo-picks-up-interactive-television-emmy/



> In a shocking upset, TiVo scored an Interactive Television Emmy at the AFI Digital Content Festival. Actually, is anyone really surprised TiVo took home top honors? ABC also picked up an Emmy for their experimental web streaming platform. Awards will be handed out at the Creative Arts Awards Ceremony in LA on August 19.
> 
> "_This year's Interactive Television Emmy Awards recognize original interactive television programming content, applications and services that have been deployed in the United States between June 1, 2005 and May 31, 2006 and that have demonstrated creative excellence. "TiVo was the very first offering in the DVR space and it is great that they are still leading the way," said Brian Seth Hurst, Governor of the Television Academy's Interactive Media Peer Group. "The TiVo service is certainly impressive in both its offering and user experience and meets the standard of excellence. It's easy to see why the voters deemed it worthy of the Emmy._"


Note: One could debate whether Tivo was the first offering (compared to the now-defunct, but then-competitive ReplayTV), but it is arguably the winner for longevity.


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## TrueTurbo (Feb 19, 2008)

LoneWolf15 said:


> If off-topic posting could have an award, I'd nominate you.
> 
> Tivo has won an Emmy as well.


Can we vote that 'ZeoTiVo' be forced to change his login name to 'ZeoMoxi' so that it's more obvious why he's here?


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## flaminiom (Dec 27, 2008)

Re: The original post, it's not just the UI. It's a new platform that should do some cool things down the road. Obviously you shouldn't buy on possibilities alone, but this is the next chapter for Tivo and for early adopters it will be interesting to go along for the ride.


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## robin50 (Feb 15, 2007)

I would be interested in upgrading *if the grid shows the programs that are sceduled to record at a glance* (different color perhaps). It is tedious to have to point to a program in the grid and hit the record button to see if the message says Record as planned. Yes, that one simple _*long overdue* _feature would make it worth it for me.


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## ericr74 (Apr 16, 2001)

What is it about the Premier that requires new hardware as compared to Series 3 or TiVo HD? I can understand that a beefier processor or larger HDD may incrementally help overall, but what about the new features requires new hardware? I guess my bottom line question is this: is there a reason why these changes can't be introduced as a firmware update on existing HD/Series3 hardware?


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## JimboG (May 27, 2007)

robin50 said:


> I would be interested in upgrading *if the grid shows the programs that are sceduled to record at a glance* (different color perhaps). It is tedious to have to point to a program in the grid and hit the record button to see if the message says Record as planned. Yes, that one simple _*long overdue* _feature would make it worth it for me.


Or just a simple red dot to show that the program is scheduled to record.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

JimboG said:


> Or just a simple red dot to show that the program is scheduled to record.


And don't forget the red heart on Valentines Day.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

ericr74 said:


> What is it about the Premier that requires new hardware as compared to Series 3 or TiVo HD? I can understand that a beefier processor or larger HDD may incrementally help overall, but what about the new features requires new hardware? I guess my bottom line question is this: is there a reason why these changes can't be introduced as a firmware update on existing HD/Series3 hardware?


It is not an incremental improvement. It's like upgrading to a computer that is three times as fast.

If your comment regards the features noted by the above posters (ex: red dots in EPG to indicate scheduled recordings), that has nothing to do with the hardware and everything to do with legacy software code. The older software platform is very difficult for TiVo to update and enhance with features, which factored into their decision to create a new UI from scratch. Creating the new software in Flash and Actionscript allows TiVo to avoid many of the problems it had in updating / improving the existing software.

Broadcom -- the manufacturer of the TiVo's CPU -- doesn't support Flash on older CPUs because they are too slow to run it with acceptable performance.


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