# Amazon Downloads will play on the Tivo Mini



## Irishb (Dec 11, 2013)

Amazon downloads on the Roamio will not play on the Tivo mini if the show is selected from the Tivo mini menu. If you try to play it on the mini you will receive a "Copyright message".

Here is the work around that works for me -
I have the Tivo App downloaded to my IPad.
Open the app. 
In the drop down menu that lists your Tivo devices - Select the Mini that you want to watch a program on.
Now, go to My shows in the Tivo App.
Select the Show that you downloaded from Amazon.
Press Watch Show.
The show will now play on the Tivo mini that you selected.

I have confirmed that this will work on the Tivo App for Iphone and the Ipad.

Enjoy


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## dcpmark (Feb 8, 2006)

Awesome!! Thanks so much! That fixes one of the two things I wanted fixed in the Roamio! Now if we could just get folders I'd be a happy man.....:up:


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Great find!

Hopefully TiVo doesn't "fix the glitch"


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## Ben_Jamin75 (Dec 18, 2003)

Just tried this, didn't work .


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## megpeg (Oct 21, 2003)

It didn't work for me. I wonder if the glitch was fixed. Does anyone else have this still work for them?


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## Irishb (Dec 11, 2013)

Still works for me. We use it everyday.


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## eboydog (Mar 24, 2006)

Just tried it on mine, works fine. With the spring update I thought there may have been a change but all my minis, Roamio 's and Premieres have recieved the latest update and it still works. 

You have to use the Apple app, select the Mini you want to use, browse your shows and when you come to the one you want to watch, select watch now. The only option will be on this TV with iPad greed out. Once it begins to play, you can use the remote to pause, play and fast forward, if you chose any other remote key command such as switching to live TV or going back to my shows, it will stop and you have to restart the Amazon recording from the IOS device. 

This won't work as mentioned with the android Tivo app as there is not play option and you can only use it browse the recorded shows, you can't even select a mini box to control as you can with the IOS device app.


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## eboydog (Mar 24, 2006)

I just recently in the last couple of days added a second Roamio as I already have a Roamio basic, Premiere's and Mini's on my account. I added the additional Roamio after careful consideration of needing more actual recording space and since I started with the 4 tuner Roamio, having 4 more tuners becoming necessary, this second basic Roamio was a bargain as despite being used bought it for less than $100, well anyhow....

As much as the "glitch" with using the Apple device to play Amazon content from a Mini, I just discovered that there is a working play option if you have two Roamio's were the Amazon content is recorded on one and you attempt to play it from the other Roamio. You can't of course transfer it but the play function works just fine with the standard remote instead of using the Apple app with the Mini.

Now if TiVo would fix the Mini so it will play Amazon recorded content using the TiVo remote control, that would be good. It appears that the Apple glitch isn't as much as a backdoor that might be taken away but rather just a software mistake perhaps? It would be nice if TiVo stepped it up a bit and added the "Play" function to all the boxes that can stream, call me simplistic but this seems as such would be a easy fix to correct esp since Roamio's can stream between each other.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

eboydog said:


> I just recently in the last couple of days added a second Roamio as I already have a Roamio basic, Premiere's and Mini's on my account. I added the additional Roamio after careful consideration of needing more actual recording space and since I started with the 4 tuner Roamio, having 4 more tuners becoming necessary, this second basic Roamio was a bargain as despite being used bought it for less than $100, well anyhow....
> 
> As much as the "glitch" with using the Apple device to play Amazon content from a Mini, I just discovered that there is a working play option if you have two Roamio's were the Amazon content is recorded on one and you attempt to play it from the other Roamio. You can't of course transfer it but the play function works just fine with the standard remote instead of using the Apple app with the Mini.
> 
> Now if TiVo would fix the Mini so it will play Amazon recorded content using the TiVo remote control, that would be good. It appears that the Apple glitch isn't as much as a backdoor that might be taken away but rather just a software mistake perhaps? It would be nice if TiVo stepped it up a bit and added the "Play" function to all the boxes that can stream, call me simplistic but this seems as such would be a easy fix to correct esp since Roamio's can stream between each other.


There is nothing to fix with the Mini. Amazon downloaded content is not supposed to be played on any device except the one it was downloaded to. And since the Mini doesn't have storage, it is left out. The fix is to have a new Amazon app that allows Amazon streaming.

The current work around sounds more like a bug since it isn't supposed to be allowed. Downloaded Amazon content has never been allowed to be streamed to another device. So it sounds like it's a loophole that needs to be closed.


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## eboydog (Mar 24, 2006)

How is not a bug if it streams between two Roamio TiVo's? No copyright is being violated, it is the storage and single household viewing restriction that applies to the copyright. 

If it was a NOT a bug then it wouldn't be possible to stream it at all, with the Roamio being the newest Tivo platform, it a backward design issue not a bug that someone forgot to fix since newer devices permit it. It's not as if there is backdoor code of pressing xx buttons on the remote control in a certain sequence that allows such but rather selecting the recording on one Roamio and having the play option on another Roamio. This ability is there with the Premiere until after you select the play option however the it tells you it can't be played.

As long as the Amazon purchases stay on a single Tivo and the rentals expire when they are suppose to do, the streaming option from within a household isn't the issue as otherwise Amazon would have insisted that such be stopped. This is just a matter of new Tivo features haven't flowed down to older devices, if older TiVo's could do everything that the newer ones did, no one would be buying the newer TiVo's such as the Roamios.

In 2014, streaming from a single dvr to another room isn't any different than in 1994 and running AV cables to another room to watch content on a TV from another TV in a different room. The TiVo streaming function is nothing more than extension cables from a center source of content in your home.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Its a bug because it is not applying whatever logic is in place to otherwise restrict this streaming from a mini directly. It is an AMAZON restriction.


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## eboydog (Mar 24, 2006)

Btw - as a being a bug or not, I just bought a second Roamio and found that there is no problem streaming Amazon content from one Roamio to another. No option of course to "transfer" but without using an Apple device and simply using the Tivo remote, you can select the content off one Roamio and select play it on the other room Roamio. 

The only bug as I see it is Tivo not standardizing the functional interface across those devices which can stream since the streaming function is relatively new to TiVo's as they transition away from the "transfer" standard to handle recordings. As long as the Amazon recording can't be copied from the orginal dvr, there is no reason that Amazon's copyright and restrictions aren't being honored. In home streaming is nothing more than hi tech extension cords in between your dvr and the television and as long as the viewing is confined within the home were the Tivo dvr resides. Again I say this suggests that that the only "bug" is that Tivo hasn't refined in home streaming playing function across their newer Tivo device products.

You can't suggest that Amazon wouldn't force Tivo to stop such a function ASAP if Amazon felt their copyright restrictions were being violated, their concern is that the rented content must expire on time and that purchased content can not be copied from one location to another. After all that is satisfied, anything that encourages more purchases of content is something that Amazon wants to see so preventing you from viewing your Amazon recordings in the same home were it was purchased for isn't anything they aren't going to impede.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I don't recall being able to stream Amazon content between TiVos. It has been restricted. Unless something has changed. The last time I checked I could not stream downloaded amazon content between my two Roamios.

Unless I'm mis-remembering. But I do recall in the past having to always download the Amazon content on the TiVo I wanted to watch it on.


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## eboydog (Mar 24, 2006)

aaronwt said:


> I don't recall being able to stream Amazon content between TiVos. It has been restricted. Unless something has changed. The last time I checked I could not stream downloaded amazon content between my two Roamios.
> 
> Unless I'm mis-remembering. But I do recall in the past having to always download the Amazon content on the TiVo I wanted to watch it on.


WELL something is weird! I know I did this but I just checked and what I described DIDN'T WORK! I know I'm not imagining it but last weekend I was just fooling around after I activated my newest Roamio and I pulled up the shows on the other Roamio were I have "Gravity" (for those noting I keep mentioning that movie but it's the only Amazon movie I ever purchased instead of renting!) but I was able to select play and it played on the 2nd Roamio!

I just noticed too that this time when I went to that movie, there was red crossed out circle which wasn't there before while this time it did. I'm wondering if it had something to do with the idea that it was just activated or perhaps also perhaps because last weekend I was having internet issues were my internet was down???

OK, I'm wrong!


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## GmanTiVo (Mar 9, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> I don't recall being able to stream Amazon content between TiVos. It has been restricted. Unless something has changed. The last time I checked I could not stream downloaded amazon content between my two Roamios.
> 
> Unless I'm mis-remembering. But I do recall in the past having to always download the Amazon content on the TiVo I wanted to watch it on.


I Just discovered the Mini's inability oi stream Amazon (downloaded, paid for) content and was not too pleased.

Kid sick at home, in bed upstairs in my bedroom watching tv with a Mini (which replaced a FIOS STB).... I purchase on the Roamio Pro (family room) an Amazon rental, tell my kid, wait 2 min. and you should ber good to go, then I run out to get groceries.... wifey calls 5 min. later telling me it is not showing up on the Mini upstairs and in a very annoyed voice asks me "why did we swap out the FIOS bax?".... ugh 

I'll have to try the workaround (bug exploit above), my kid has an iPhone so should be able to do what an iPad does.

Gman


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## sangs (Jan 1, 2003)

GmanTiVo said:


> I Just discovered the Mini's inability oi stream Amazon (downloaded, paid for) content and was not too pleased.
> 
> Kid sick at home, in bed upstairs in my bedroom watching tv with a Mini (which replaced a FIOS STB).... I purchase on the Roamio Pro (family room) an Amazon rental, tell my kid, wait 2 min. and you should ber good to go, then I run out to get groceries.... wifey calls 5 min. later telling me it is not showing up on the Mini upstairs and in a very annoyed voice asks me "why did we swap out the FIOS bax?".... ugh
> 
> ...


Well if it makes her feel any better, she wouldn't have been able to stream Amazon content to the FiOS box either.


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