# Tivo interface to amazon/netflix is horrible



## davestercrombie (Jul 27, 2010)

Can someone please tell me if they figured out how to do this.

Okay so I have my new TiVo premiere xl. Im have it linked to my amazon and netflix account. 

So when I go to find tv shows I can pick a category and a bunch show up. That all works great. So let's say in this example I pick southland. I see in the corner I see it has the amazon logo. But no where does it let me buy the entire season. I can scroll down and click each episode and they have a price of 2.99. But that is useless. Online u can buy the entire season on amazon on demand. Why can't I buy the season right from my TiVo interface? 


Honestly this TiVo interface with Netflix and amazon is horrible. My roku I spent 70 bucks blows it away. The new netflix interface allows you to scroll through every movie type and gas a search option. The amazon interface allows u to view your entire library as well as so many other search features. I can't believe the TiVo is so horrible in comparison. I thought thought I was going to be blown away when I bought this 499 box with a 399 subscription.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

The Netflix interface on the Premiere is still the old UI. It is one of the sections that hasn't been updated yet. 

I don't buy any Amazon shows so I couldn't tell you about buying seasons via TiVo.


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## drewdog (Feb 3, 2007)

Best way to buy amazon is on Amazon.com and send it to the box. Otherwise, you've go to search for it under 'find shows'


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## davestercrombie (Jul 27, 2010)

I know the find shows on the TiVo. Yes it can find lost, southpark, bones, ect ect on amazon but u can't buy the season from the TiVo interface. The search is useless. It only let's u buy single episodes not a entire season. 

U can go to amazon.com and but the entire episode. Besides that it is useless to do on amazon. If u buy a season if bones u have to click each episode and tell it to send to the TiVo. What a waste if a process. U ever see a roku. For 70 bucks for the hardware u can search all if netflix on a kick ass interface and STREAM from amazon. For a person like me who has 50
Movies in my amazon library and 10
Tv seasons the little roku blows my expensive TiVo out of the water.


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## TrueTurbo (Feb 19, 2008)

davestercrombie said:


> For a person like me who has 50
> Movies in my amazon library and 10
> Tv seasons the little roku blows my expensive TiVo out of the water.


You bought a TiVo for all the wrong reasons! Send it back, get your refund and go have fun with your Roku.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

You had to create to threads just to complain. Wow!

Edit: two threads


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Or he's a shill for Roku...


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## davestercrombie (Jul 27, 2010)

Truetrobo did u even check out the marketing page for the new TiVo?

http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-premiere/index.html

The headline is TiVo more then just a DVR.

Okay. So how is it more?

Under the statement "make any night movie night" it goes on to say how you can access amazon, netflix, and blockbuster.

The netflix interface is sub par at best and the amazon interface is just awful. 

The way this thing is being marketed promotes the ability to access online content. Not just be a dvr. 

If u bought the new TiVo to be just a dvr then you bought the wrong product. (according to the way it is being marketed)


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## TrueTurbo (Feb 19, 2008)

davestercrombie said:


> Truetrobo did u even check out the marketing page for the new TiVo?
> 
> http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-premiere/index.html
> 
> ...


I've owned TiVos since the day they were first released. I know it's the best DVR on the market, with frills. The applications are the 'frills'. Sorry that you fell for the marketing blurb without doing further research. Chances are, the applications will get better over time. As they are, they are not the best, but they are perfectly serviceable.

Again, if you bought a TiVo Premiere for it's subsidiary applications, you bought the wrong product, in the same way if you bought a TV, DVD Player or BluRay Player solely for the network apps they may provide.

Seriously though, if you have just bought the TiVo and you can't live with the applications as they are now, send it back and get a refund. Wait until TiVo have released better apps and try again later.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

I think guy is just spamming this forum. Look at his join date.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

caddyroger said:


> I think guy is just spamming this forum. Look at his join date.


you think - what a blatant trail of threads. We should try and rent some smarter trolls so it is at least interesting


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

ZeoTiVo said:


> you think - what a blatant trail of threads. We should try and rent some smarter trolls so it is at least interesting


This one hasn't mentioned a class action suit yet.


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## HellFish (Jan 28, 2007)

Even if he is a company shill (I doubt it because he acknowledges that the Tivo is a good DVR), everyone agrees that the Amazon & Netflix applications leave something to be desired. 

Are there any other NF boxes that can't browse through movies? True, you can search with the Tivo, but you can't browse. You can browse on the PS3, Xbox360, Wii, Roku, etc.. why not the Tivo? It annoys me that the Tivo does a good job with the searching function, but not the browsing function.


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## davestercrombie (Jul 27, 2010)

No I'm not spamming. I bought the TiVo premiere thinking I would get a kick ass dvr and at least be better then my roku at interfacing with amazon and netflix. 

See I never had s TiVo. So I had no idea how the amazon interface was. I own prob 50 or 60 movies on amazon and a dozen tv DVD sets like lost, 24. 

Comcast started raising rates on the hd box do I figured I would look at TiVo. 

Like I said it's a great dvr but the final selling point was I could watch amazon and netflix in the living room instead of my bedroom.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

davestercrombie said:


> No I'm not spamming. I bought the TiVo premiere thinking I would get a kick ass dvr and at least be better then my roku at interfacing with amazon and netflix.
> 
> See I never had s TiVo. So I had no idea how the amazon interface was. I own prob 50 or 60 movies on amazon and a dozen tv DVD sets like lost, 24.
> 
> ...


Link your TiVo account with your Amazon account, go to Amazon's "Your Video Library", select a show/movie you want to watch on your TiVo, Select download.
Done.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

davestercrombie said:


> No I'm not spamming. I bought the TiVo premiere thinking I would get a kick ass dvr and at least be better then my roku at interfacing with amazon and netflix.
> 
> See I never had s TiVo. So I had no idea how the amazon interface was. I own prob 50 or 60 movies on amazon and a dozen tv DVD sets like lost, 24.
> 
> ...


Can your roku record programs. My Netflix and Amazon does just fine the way it is.


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## davestercrombie (Jul 27, 2010)

caddyroger said:


> Can your roku record programs. My Netflix and Amazon does just fine the way it is.


You totally misunderstood my what I was trying to say.

I like the TiVo. I just think the netflix and amazon interface is awful. I was remarking how advanced my roku interface was to them.


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## davestercrombie (Jul 27, 2010)

caddyroger said:


> Can your roku record programs. My Netflix and Amazon does just fine the way it is.


Do u own any DVD box sets through amazon video on demand? Trying to move 5 seasons if lost on my TiVo is a long intense task the way it is right now. Log in to amazon pick the season click each episode tell it to download. With the roku 3 clicks and your streaming. I don't know how other amazon players are but I doubt they are as labor intensive to play my DVD box sets from amazon.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

davestercrombie said:


> U can go to amazon.com and but the entire episode. Besides that it is useless to do on amazon. If u buy a season if bones u have to click each episode and tell it to send to the TiVo.


I'm not disagreeing about the Amazon interface on the TiVo, but you are wrong about this. If you purchase multiple episodes at the same time on the web site, it will give you the option to watch now, later or download. If you choose download and where to download it to, it will download all the episodes you just bought. You only have to select individual episodes if you don't choose download at this step.

I know it works, because I've done it before.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

Just started using the Amazon channel on Roku and realized just how sucky TiVo's amazon interface is. First, on the TiVo if you buy a show you can only have it on one of the your TiVo's, yet on the Roku it is viewable on them all. There is also no easy way to pull a show down onto your TiVo that you've previously purchased. Would it be so hard to have a library option in the Amazon section?


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

Stormspace said:


> Just started using the Amazon channel on Roku and realized just how sucky TiVo's amazon interface is. First, on the TiVo if you buy a show you can only have it on one of the your TiVo's, yet on the Roku it is viewable on them all. There is also no easy way to pull a show down onto your TiVo that you've previously purchased. Would it be so hard to have a library option in the Amazon section?


I just jump on my PC or iPhone go to my library at Amazon and send it.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

Langree said:


> I just jump on my PC or iPhone go to my library at Amazon and send it.


That's currently the only way on the TiVo and it's not as convenient since I have to stop what I'm doing and schedule it. I like the Roku interface better for immediate viewing of purchased content. For rentals, I prefer the TiVo interface. Go figure.


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## mabbo6 (Nov 10, 2010)

why don't you connect your roku and tivo both to your tv? they do different things. you want to download and record, then use the tivo and go through the backwards interface. you want to stream, then you can't record (without doing a hack) but you'll get a better experience. the whole industry is moving to streaming -- users get a better experience, and content owners don't have to worry about being napsterized by downloadable content sharing.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

mabbo6 said:


> why don't you connect your roku and tivo both to your tv? they do different things. you want to download and record, then use the tivo and go through the backwards interface. you want to stream, then you can't record (without doing a hack) but you'll get a better experience. the whole industry is moving to streaming -- users get a better experience, and content owners don't have to worry about being napsterized by downloadable content sharing.


I happen to have enough of both to do just that, but it doesn't mean that TiVo can't improve the interface to match the competition, which was my point.


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## wrbortz (Dec 18, 2011)

I see a lot of posts from people defending TiVo for their substandard Amazon menu. 
I'm a series 1 (lifetime),series 2 (lifetime), and Premiere (lifetime) subscriber, and given that I've dropped well over $1500 on TiVo, I would expect that they would create an interface that is BETTER than a $50 Roku box. I have a Roku 2 LT and XD, on two other sets in my home, that we use mostly just for video games and watching movies....however, when we want to use our TiVo, there's a 480 stretched menu, that's slow and crappy. The netflix one does not allow you add movies to your queue...just play ones you've added from a PC. Now given that TiVo did such a great job with the iPad app, why the heck can't they upgrade the Amazon and Netflix capability of this box? I'm not bashing TiVo, ...it's a great DVR, and still, in my mind, the best you can get...and I prefer using a cablecard and saving money on my cable bill (with one Cablevision HD box, and a Cablevision card in my TiVo, my triple play comes to 82.84 every month all-in...so there's no complaint there...)....but c'mon TiVo, take a LEADERSHIP role out there and fix those menus...they're SAD by comparison. Streaming, and cloud/virtual libraries are not going away, so if you're going to play in that arena, either go all in, or get out.
My Roku has updated the Amazon interface twice since I got it, all in the background, seamlessly. No reason TiVo can't make their better.


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## wrbortz (Dec 18, 2011)

TrueTurbo said:


> I've owned TiVos since the day they were first released. I know it's the best DVR on the market, with frills. The applications are the 'frills'. Sorry that you fell for the marketing blurb without doing further research. Chances are, the applications will get better over time. As they are, they are not the best, but they are perfectly serviceable.
> 
> Again, if you bought a TiVo Premiere for it's subsidiary applications, you bought the wrong product, in the same way if you bought a TV, DVD Player or BluRay Player solely for the network apps they may provide.
> 
> Seriously though, if you have just bought the TiVo and you can't live with the applications as they are now, send it back and get a refund. Wait until TiVo have released better apps and try again later.


Why would you say that? He never said he was buying TiVo soley for the other apps. TiVo was one of the first that I recall where you could buy or rent Amazon content...yet they allowed someone else to leapfrog them. To say that a TiVo is just a DVR means that you seem to be stuck in the same mindset as their developers...in the past...which explains a lot about why TiVo has lost so much market share to the cable company DVR's. I think you need to start looking at what he was really saying, since we're all supporters of TiVo...he's saying he expects better, and it sounds like your telling him that if he wants better, he bought the wrong product...which is absolutely absurd. To "box in" TiVo as a DVR only, is silly, since time-shift AND on-demand streaming are BOTH current expectations, and deliverables in ANY DVR today. It's not a "subsidiary product", rather it's a "necessary feature" to be a competitive player in this space. I too am saddened to see such a lousy interface for both Amazon AND Netflix. They need to step up their game. If you think that TiVo is just a DVR, then YOU bought the wrong product, not him.


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