# TiVo + Comcast Xfinity everywhere? Worth switching?



## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

I could use some help understanding the Comast Xfinity / Tivo integration. Neither Tivo.com nor Comcast.com gives me anything useful. My Fios 2-yr contract is up this December, and I'm considering switching to Comcast if the Xfinity integration with Tivo is worthwhile.

Is Comcast Xfinity supported on TiVo in all locations now? Is the "X1 Digital Platform" the service I need?

Is "Xfinity" the typical set of Free On-demand and Pay-per View services? 

Does anyone have it? How do you like it? Any downsides I should be aware of, that might diminish its value?

Thanks. I've never had an on-demand cable service personally, since I've always had a Tivo with digital Cable TV. I don't know if this is worth the trouble (and possible expense) of switching cable co's.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

The Tivo online agent only adds to my confusion:
Chris: If you choose to use a CableCARD device, you will only be able to receive one-way digital cable channels and may have limited access to features such as XFINITY On Demand or the On-Screen Guide.


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

XFINITY On Demand for TiVo
http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2300/kw/xfinity

Video on Demand Essentials 
http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2756/related/1


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Its there, but you are not finding it.

Xfinity is just marketing/branding, X1 is the comcast DVR. Ondemand is in all markets, but if you have season passes its no big deal. I use netflix way more frequently, but if you somehow find a new program you can sometimes get back-episodes.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

ShoutingMan said:


> The Tivo online agent only adds to my confusion: Chris: If you choose to use a CableCARD device, you will only be able to receive one-way digital cable channels and may have limited access to features such as XFINITY On Demand or the On-Screen Guide.


TiVo offers its own program guide, so you don't need any MSO provided guide, it's moot. They're usually saying something like that is a negative attribute of cablecards only if you use one directly in a TV. Then there's usually not a guide unless the TV happens to offer one, like the TiVo does.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

It's nice to have Xfinity OnDemand. Free, PPV and Pay-by-provider items are available. Easy access to the occasional programming that's screwed up because of poor sport program scheduling decisions; catching episodes of series you start watching late; the occasional movie -- for the most part there's integration with the guide data you browse/search via the TiVo, as well as the ability to go to Xfinity OnDemand directly and browse/search there.

There's nothing special other than having a TiVo OnDemand billing code added to your account (free) to enable to Xfinity OnDemand app. If the package you get includes OnDemand (I think they all do these days), there's no extra charge.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

ShoutingMan said:


> I could use some help understanding the Comast Xfinity / Tivo integration. Neither Tivo.com nor Comcast.com gives me anything useful. My Fios 2-yr contract is up this December, and I'm considering switching to Comcast if the Xfinity integration with Tivo is worthwhile.
> 
> Is Comcast Xfinity supported on TiVo in all locations now? Is the "X1 Digital Platform" the service I need?
> 
> ...


I live in the Silicon Valley area of California and recently switched to Comcast Digital Preferred TV package on a two year contract. Prior to switching to Comcast, I was with Directv for many years.

I purchased a Roamio Pro and Mini, both with lifetime service. I got a cablecard from the local Comcast office. Comcast tech came out and switched my internal wiring from Directv to Comcast. Connected up my Roamio Pro and Mini to their respective cable outlets, plugged in my ethernet cable (not Comcast) to the Pro, inserted the cablecard into the Pro, booted up the Pro, went through the step-by-step screen instructions, Comcast tech called and got my cablecard paired at the appropriate step, booted up the Mini, set up the Pro for ethernet + Moca, set the Mini for Moca, and was up and running. Later I went in the Pro Channel menu and masked off channels I don't get, want, or are SD dups of HD channels so the channel guide only shows the channels of interest.

Comcast's Xfinity On Demand (XOD) service is supported by a Tivo app and works well. XOD is included in the Comcast Digital Preferred package. XOD offers both free and pay TV shows and movies.

The only headache I experienced was my initial cablecard was flaky and would lose channel authorization almost every other day for several weeks. Unfortunately, it worked well enough that it wasn't obvious that it was the root cause. I finally picked up another cablecard, had it paired, and finally achieved stability. Comcast support was good during this hassle with the cablecard and I got ~1.5 months worth of billing credits without me having to request them.

In summary, I am pleased with Comcast, my Tivo Pro, and my Tivo Mini. The recent addition of the new Amazon app (as well as Vudu) is a very nice addition since I am an Amazon Prime sub. I believe you will be satisfied should you switch to Comcast/Tivo.


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## dalabera (Jan 10, 2013)

kokishin said:


> The only headache I experienced was my initial cablecard was flaky and would lose channel authorization almost every other day for several weeks. Unfortunately, it worked well enough that it wasn't obvious that it was the root cause. I finally picked up another cablecard, had it paired, and finally achieved stability. Comcast support was good during this hassle with the cablecard and I got ~1.5 months worth of billing credits without me having to request them.
> .


I guess you have to be lucky, I went to a Comcast retail store picked up a cable card myself and installed it without any issues, however just needed to call Comcast so they could work their magic. 
So far everything is working great, but you will find some people having issues with their initial setup. 
VOD interface is completely different, but once you get used to it you will find your shows easily.
Good Luck!


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## Capmeister (Jan 20, 2005)

We love the extensive Ondemand via Comcast on our tivos.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

worachj said:


> XFINITY On Demand for TiVo
> http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2300/kw/xfinity
> 
> Video on Demand Essentials
> http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2756/related/1


Thanks. But unfortunately I've seen those pages and they have no useful information. The first one says "Comcast XFINITY On Demand customers in eligible markets might begin to have access to Comcast's XFINITY On Demand video library through their Roamio Series or Premiere Series DVRs."

It doesn't explain what those "eligible markets" are. The page linked to explain that is a vapid promo page with no info. Contacting Comcast gives me a clueless salesman who responds with more confusion.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

dswallow said:


> It's nice to have Xfinity OnDemand. Free, PPV and Pay-by-provider items are available. Easy access to the occasional programming that's screwed up because of poor sport program scheduling decisions; catching episodes of series you start watching late; the occasional movie -- for the most part there's integration with the guide data you browse/search via the TiVo, as well as the ability to go to Xfinity OnDemand directly and browse/search there.
> 
> There's nothing special other than having a TiVo OnDemand billing code added to your account (free) to enable to Xfinity OnDemand app. If the package you get includes OnDemand (I think they all do these days), there's no extra charge.


Thanks. The on-demand for back episodes (for when Tivo misses a show for Football borks The Good Wife) and maybe free movies would be a little extra.

Do you know if the Tivo + Comcast option is available nationally now? Recently it was "select markets". But I can't find solid info that it's available here in my service area. And since you can't readily 'trial' a cable co for a month to see if it's any good, I need to sort this


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## news4me2 (Jul 10, 2010)

> Do you know if the Tivo + Comcast option is available nationally now? Recently it was "select markets". But I can't find solid info that it's available here in my service area.


JRTROO mentioned earlier that "Ondemand is in all markets". I know that I now have it in the INDY area.



> And since you can't readily 'trial' a cable co for a month to see if it's any good, I need to sort this


You DO have a 30 day window to cancel new cable service if you are not happy: 
http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/Customers/CustomerGuarantee.html


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

jrtroo said:


> Xfinity is just marketing/branding, X1 is the comcast DVR. Ondemand is in all markets, but if you have season passes its no big deal. I use netflix way more frequently, but if you somehow find a new program you can sometimes get back-episodes.


I felt this way originally, but now like On Demand for some uses, EVEN with Season Passes (and now a big hard drive so I can record most stuff in HD).

Some shows (e.g. WSOP and Manhattan) show up with NO COMMERCIALS on On Demand.. So it's even easier than skipping commercials on a Tivo.

I use On Demand for HBO shows (except This Week with John Oliver since I watch that almost live) and movies.

Even though I have a ton of tuners, I have used it to catch a rare missed ep or screwed up recording (I think once or twice, even with padding, a recording went outside its allotted time).

Oh yeah, even network shows show up with VERY little commercials after a few days, so it is tolerable (at least as much as Hulu), and MOST "extended basic" channels seem to be FF-able.. so you can use it to catch up on a show you just got into -- or I was using it for a few shows before I had a new big hard drive to watch the HD version of a show I was recording the SD version of as a backup.


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## BadlyDrawnBoy (Dec 24, 2001)

I have in the past 2 months gone from Comcast with Tivo to the X1 system.

Moving house at present. The x1 system is terrible. 

Shows that I Can do season pass for with the Tivo I cannot with the X1, I am going back to Tivo this weekend - This place has been a temporary location.

The OnDemand I had via Tivo was as good as the On Demand via the X1 except in how it is organised, Comcast has a nice layout for shows, by night. 

My position - if you have had and liked a Tivo, don't go for X1


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

ShoutingMan said:


> *......(for when Tivo misses a show for Football borks The Good Wife) ........*


Oh wow, here I thought you were a "Shouting*Man*", but complaining about football messing up a show like THE GOOD WIFE?!?!?!

In the immortal words of the ESPN's Monday Night Countdown........

........*Come on, Man!!!*


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

HarperVision said:


> Oh wow, here I thought you were a "Shouting*Man*", but complaining about football messing up a show like THE GOOD WIFE?!?!?!
> 
> In the immortal words of the ESPN's Monday Night Countdown........
> 
> ........*Come on, Man!!!*


Now, now, Dave; have you been living in your mom's basement for so long that you didn't even consider that maybe ShoutingMan has a wife to accommodate?


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## wwu123 (May 15, 2008)

jrtroo said:


> Its there, but you are not finding it.
> 
> Xfinity is just marketing/branding, X1 is the comcast DVR. Ondemand is in all markets, but if you have season passes its no big deal. I use netflix way more frequently, but if you somehow find a new program you can sometimes get back-episodes.


In addition to benefits others have mentioned, another benefit you miss out if you don't use On demand is free premium preview weekends. In my area Comcast now does these via On demand streaming rather than decrypting the channels temporarily. So you can't watch or record those channels during the preview, but you can binge watch via the On demand app.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Good to know. Now i just need to re-figure out how to find those weekends....


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## humbb (Jan 27, 2014)

jrtroo said:


> Good to know. Now i just need to re-figure out how to find those weekends....


"There's a website for that" 
http://www.freepreview.tv/tag/comcast

I would also check their homepage; sometimes free previews for DirectTV, etc. work on Comcast but are not specifically tagged for cable.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

chiguy50 said:


> Now, now, Dave; have you been living in your mom's basement for so long that you didn't even consider that maybe ShoutingMan has a wife to accommodate?


For the record, I haven't lived in mommy's basement, or anywhere under her roof, in a LONG time! And yes, I have a wife, but I also have more than one TV and multiple TiVo devices!

Wife, shmife, that's what's wrong with the world today....time to grow a pair guys!


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

HarperVision said:


> For the record, I haven't lived in mommy's basement, or anywhere under her roof, in a LONG time! And yes, I have a wife, but I also have more than one TV and multiple TiVo devices!
> 
> Wife, shmife, that's what's wrong with the world today....time to grow a pair guys!


tivocommuity.com does not have the "like" feature which denotes that a forum member "likes" a post. (for example, avsforum.com offers this capability).

Anyway, I "like" your post.:up:


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

HarperVision said:


> Oh wow, here I thought you were a "Shouting*Man*", but complaining about football messing up a show like THE GOOD WIFE?!?!?!
> 
> In the immortal words of the ESPN's Monday Night Countdown........
> 
> ........*Come on, Man!!!*





chiguy50 said:


> Now, now, Dave; have you been living in your mom's basement for so long that you didn't even consider that maybe ShoutingMan has a wife to accommodate?


Football is boring.

The Good Wife is the best show on TV.

I enjoy watching it with my wife.

I'm man enough to state the simple truths.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

BadlyDrawnBoy said:


> I have in the past 2 months gone from Comcast with Tivo to the X1 system.
> 
> Moving house at present. The x1 system is terrible.
> 
> ...


Got it. I thought "X1" might be the name for the service that enables the Tivo integration. It's difficult to parse the Comcast website. It's all gibberish about Comcast with Xfinity on the X1 at X speeds , and pay $X per month to get the X Network.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

ShoutingMan said:


> Football is boring. The Good Wife is the best show on TV. I enjoy watching it with my wife. I'm man enough to state the simple truths.


Fair enough, man status restored!


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

ShoutingMan said:


> Football is boring.


You obviously haven't been watching the Bears this season. I find their performance on the field to be absolutely riveting!


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Crappy Comcast with their crappy On Demand vs. the best QAM-based TV service in America delivered via fiber to your house with super-fast symmetrical internet? That's not even a question, unless you get a really, really good deal from Comcast, can't get Verizon to come anywhere close to it, and are willing to put up with an inferior service to save a few $$$. Otherwise, FIOS wins. Hands down.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

Bigg said:


> Crappy Comcast with their crappy On Demand vs. the best QAM-based TV service in America delivered via fiber to your house with super-fast symmetrical internet? That's not even a question, unless you get a really, really good deal from Comcast, can't get Verizon to come anywhere close to it, and are willing to put up with an inferior service to save a few $$$. Otherwise, FIOS wins. Hands down.


My super-fast symmetrical internet delivered via fiber can hardly stream Netflix during primetime. YouTube can also be dodgy in the evenings.

And Comcast has BBC America; Fios gives me Disney XD instead.

I don't know if Comcast is any better, but I doubt it's any worse.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

Bigg said:


> Crappy Comcast with their crappy On Demand vs. the best QAM-based TV service in America delivered via fiber to your house with super-fast symmetrical internet? That's not even a question, unless you get a really, really good deal from Comcast, can't get Verizon to come anywhere close to it, and are willing to put up with an inferior service to save a few $$$. Otherwise, FIOS wins. Hands down.


My super-fast symmetrical internet delivered via fiber can hardly stream Netflix during primetime. YouTube can also be dodgy in the evenings.

And Comcast has BBC America; Fios gives me Disney XD instead.

I don't know if Comcast is any better, but I doubt it's any worse.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

ShoutingMan said:


> My super-fast symmetrical internet delivered via fiber can hardly stream Netflix during primetime. YouTube can also be dodgy in the evenings.
> 
> And Comcast has BBC America; Fios gives me Disney XD instead.
> 
> I don't know if Comcast is any better, but I doubt it's any worse.


Netflix has paid the protection money to Verizon, so they're fixing that issue, just like happened for Comcast a few months prior. Verizon has BBC World News I think, as well as Al Jazeera America in HD, plus basically everything else you can imagine in HD, and in better quality than Comcast. Plus, the whole fiber thing with the RF signal generated locally, and a direct Ethernet connection to your router (if you set it up that way).


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## Number528 (Oct 6, 2011)

ShoutingMan said:


> And Comcast has BBC America; Fios gives me Disney XD instead.


I get BBCA on 189 and BBCAHD on 689. FiOS in central Virginia.


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## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

ShoutingMan said:


> And Comcast has BBC America; Fios gives me Disney XD instead.


Interesting metaphor.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

In the basic package, Fios has Disney XD vs Comcast with BBC America. (At my previous apartment, I had Comcast, and got caught up on Dr. Who. When I moved, I lost BBC with Fios. I'd have to upgrade to the next higher Fios package to get BBC.)


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

Bigg said:


> Netflix has paid the protection money to Verizon, so they're fixing that issue, just like happened for Comcast a few months prior. Verizon has BBC World News I think, as well as Al Jazeera America in HD, plus basically everything else you can imagine in HD, and in better quality than Comcast. Plus, the whole fiber thing with the RF signal generated locally, and a direct Ethernet connection to your router (if you set it up that way).


I may not have tried Netflix since that change. It would be interesting if that's fixed.

I don't hate Fios, but it didn't live up to my expectations. I suspect it's substantially over-subscribed in my area.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

ShoutingMan said:


> I may not have tried Netflix since that change. It would be interesting if that's fixed.
> 
> I don't hate Fios, but it didn't live up to my expectations. I suspect it's substantially over-subscribed in my area.


That was several months ago, and many users are reporting much better results now. However, full implementation may take until the end of this year to complete. Comcast was much faster, as they had the fiber lines and ports all set up, ready for Netflix to pay the protection money into Comcast's racket.

There's no way FIOS is over-subscribed at the BPON/GPON level. It's the same peering issues and the racket against Netflix that we've been hearing about for months. If you do the math out, the oversubscription ratios are very low for FIOS, and even with the higher tiers that have come about over the last few years, the last mile of FIOS is very much underutilized.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

I'm trying Netflix this week and it's much better than it was a few months ago! And it seems ComCast is more expensive than Fios even with a two year deal. So I'll probably stay with Fios. 

My Fios experience is still weird at times: service falls off a cliff at times at night, going to under 0.1 Mbps up/down for a period, and then restores itself 10 minutes later. But I'm encouraged that Netflix seems to be working acceptably now.

Getting On Demand through my Tivo would be nice. But it's not worth $10 or $20 per month more, for me.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

ShoutingMan said:


> I'm trying Netflix this week and it's much better than it was a few months ago! And it seems ComCast is more expensive than Fios even with a two year deal. So I'll probably stay with Fios.
> 
> My Fios experience is still weird at times: service falls off a cliff at times at night, going to under 0.1 Mbps up/down for a period, and then restores itself 10 minutes later. But I'm encouraged that Netflix seems to be working acceptably now.
> 
> Getting On Demand through my Tivo would be nice. But it's not worth $10 or $20 per month more, for me.


And with Comcast, you get lower video quality and fewer channels. If you really wanted VOD, you could always rent one HD non-DVR box with FIOS for that.

Your speeds shouldn't do that. Something weird going on. Even cable is usually more stable than that, and FIOS is known to be ROCK solid.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

Bigg said:


> And with Comcast, you get lower video quality and fewer channels. If you really wanted VOD, you could always rent one HD non-DVR box with FIOS for that.
> 
> Your speeds shouldn't do that. Something weird going on. Even cable is usually more stable than that, and FIOS is known to be ROCK solid.


FIOS performance: I don't know. It's weird and erratic. Mostly pretty great. But there are the well known problems with YouTube and Netflix. And performance can plummet at odd times, and then recover. But we had weird problems with ComCast in this area in an apartment complex. Who knows? 

I assume they're all mediocre, and hope to find the optimal balance of quality, stability, price and features. Fios is again looking better as I re-evaluate it against ComCast in my neighborhood (to my surprise).

A benefit of ComCast wold have been on-demand integrated as part of the whole Tivo experience through the house. Having a separate box, that I've have to toggle between it and the Tivo, on just one TV, is a non-starter 

That said, given Comcast's price increase and Netflix improved performance, Netflix is now a viable "on demand" service to me if I want to spend an extra $10/month.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

ShoutingMan said:


> FIOS performance: I don't know. It's weird and erratic. Mostly pretty great. But there are the well known problems with YouTube and Netflix. And performance can plummet at odd times, and then recover. But we had weird problems with ComCast in this area in an apartment complex. Who knows?


Right, but the peering issues with YouTube and Netflix (of which Comcast had issues with too) are separate from the overall speed. The overall speed should be 100% rock solid. Are you on wired or wireless? If it's wireless, it's most likely that side of things, not Verizon.



> I assume they're all mediocre, and hope to find the optimal balance of quality, stability, price and features. Fios is again looking better as I re-evaluate it against ComCast in my neighborhood (to my surprise).


FIOS is the best pay-TV provider for TiVo, hands down. Google Fiber is probably the best overall, but it's only in a few places, and doesn't have TiVo...



> A benefit of ComCast wold have been on-demand integrated as part of the whole Tivo experience through the house. Having a separate box, that I've have to toggle between it and the Tivo, on just one TV, is a non-starter


Or just don't use On Demand. It's kind of pointless with a TiVo anyway.



> That said, given Comcast's price increase and Netflix improved performance, Netflix is now a viable "on demand" service to me if I want to spend an extra $10/month.


Netflix is really a different service from VOD. But it provides a lot of content that VOD doesn't, whereas VOD is just cable content On Demand, which ends up doing what the TiVo could have done in the first place.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Re:


kokishin said:


> Comcast's Xfinity On Demand (XOD) service is supported by a Tivo app and works well. XOD is included in the Comcast Digital Preferred package. XOD offers both free and pay TV shows and movies.


Ok, so I'm evaluating going Comcast+Roamio, but am having trouble getting info on the following. Any feedback would be MOST helpful.

*Is "XOD for TiVo" nationwide, now?* Online & phone support haven't been helpful; it's looking like I'll have to hit the local office, 300 miles away, or wait until install time to learn. (There used to be an "availability" link on Comcast's(?) site that provided an authoritative "NO!" for my locale, but I can't find that link, anymore.)

*Is "XOD for TiVo" integrated with the new "OnePass" feature?* OnePass seems nice, but Netflix, Amazon and HuluPlus don't provide current "free" episodes of HBO, FXX, AMC, etc. shows, diminishing its value. It would seemingly need XOD integration to be fully "there" for Comcast subscribers.

*How does "XOD for TiVo" consume tuners?* I found the following unexpected XOD for TiVo troubleshooting tip, causing me some concern for how it will affect the user experience.


> *Currently Recording" or Tuners Unavailable*
> 
> To watch On Demand content, the DVR must have an available tuner. If all tuners on your box are currently being used, upon launching the application, you will be presented with an option to cancel an existing recording or go back to TiVo Central.


Especially *IF* XOD for TiVo is integrated with OnePass, if two people are simultaneously leveraging XOD4T on a 6-tuner Roamio Pro to view OnePass "recordings" for a show, are only 4 tuners then available for recording content? (seems needlessly hobbled, especially if other streaming apps don't have the same "available tuner" requirement -- though I'm sure it's a Comcast licensing issue; this requirement would really need to be waived if XOD for TiVo is to be part of OnePass)



Bigg said:


> Or just don't use On Demand. It's kind of pointless with a TiVo anyway.


Perhaps somewhat true at the time of posting, but, now, with OnePass, a 6-tuner Roamio may be sufficient for even the most demanding household, with streaming sources effectively becoming additional virtual tuners for the Roamio. (e.g. With a HuluPlus subscription, I wouldn't have to record a whole slew of broadcast TV shows, anymore, freeing up valuable tuner slots.)

I'd still love the ability to add supplemental USB- or network-connected tuners, but OnePass may prove that desire completely unnecessary -- provided a sufficient variety of streaming sources.

Thanks for whatever feedback you can provide.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> *How does "XOD for TiVo" consume tuners?*
> 
> 
> > *Currently Recording" or Tuners Unavailable*
> ...


Ah, this explains why XOD for TiVo requires a tuner...


MadPB said:


> Even for On Demand, the Tivo uses the internet connection to browse the titles and control the playback. The video itself comes over a channel (it's -not- streamed over the network connection).


Not liking the prospect of XOD for TiVo quite as much, now, OnePass or not.


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## CharlesH (Aug 29, 2002)

The XFinity On Demand TiVo app works pretty much the same as OnDemand works on Comcast set-top boxes. The only difference is that the TiVo app talks to the OnDemand server over the public Internet for control (not necessarily using Comcast; any service provider will do), while the set-top box talks directly to the OnDemand server over the cable using a built-in cable modem. In both cases, the content comes down over a cable channel, utilizing a tuner in the TiVo.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> Perhaps somewhat true at the time of posting, but, now, with OnePass, a 6-tuner Roamio may be sufficient for even the most demanding household, with streaming sources effectively becoming additional virtual tuners for the Roamio. (e.g. With a HuluPlus subscription, I wouldn't have to record a whole slew of broadcast TV shows, anymore, freeing up valuable tuner slots.)
> 
> I'd still love the ability to add supplemental USB- or network-connected tuners, but OnePass may prove that desire completely unnecessary -- provided a sufficient variety of streaming sources.
> 
> Thanks for whatever feedback you can provide.


Who would someone with cable get HuluPlus? That makes no sense. And if you want to record something, you're going to record something. OnePass is pretty stupid. If you somehow need more than 6 tuners, which is quite the extreme TV watching in the first place, you could always just have 2 or 3 TiVos.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

Bigg said:


> If you somehow need more than 6 tuners, which is quite the extreme TV watching in the first place, you could always just have 2 or 3 TiVos.


On my Roamio Pro, I have one timeslot each week with seven scheduled recordings. Fortunately, one of the shows is on a cable channel that reruns the same episode a few hours later. The TiVo automatically figures this out for me.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

CharlesH said:


> The XFinity On Demand TiVo app works pretty much the same as OnDemand works on Comcast set-top boxes. The only difference is that the TiVo app talks to the OnDemand server over the public Internet for control (not necessarily using Comcast; any service provider will do), while the set-top box talks directly to the OnDemand server over the cable using a built-in cable modem. In both cases, the content comes down over a cable channel, utilizing a tuner in the TiVo.


Right, and thanks for the explanation.

Having been using the Xfinity app on the Xbox 360, I had expected the XOD for TiVo to also operate over IP (strictly); didn't have a clue that the video was delivered down the coax.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Arcady said:


> On my Roamio Pro, I have one timeslot each week with seven scheduled recordings. Fortunately, one of the shows is on a cable channel that reruns the same episode a few hours later. The TiVo automatically figures this out for me.


Right. Thanks, and excellent example of a productive, value-added post.

I've got a similar bottleneck on the 25th, partly due to the number of things I want to record, but also because I've set the recordings for post-padding (combined with the DVR's lack of a mechanism to efficiently handle padding for back-to-back recordings on the same channel).

The possibility of such spikes in tuner allocation grows the more post-padding you require, the more users your recording schedule must accommodate, etc.

Your suggestion to ensure proper prioritization of the OnePasses to allow automatic rescheduling *would* likely resolve my issue on the 25th.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Bigg said:


> Who would someone with cable get HuluPlus? That makes no sense.


Seeing past responses I'm not sure it's worth the time, but... Well, someone who wants access to the deep archive of shows available on HuluPlus, p'raps? It's not just about being able to view the latest shows freshly premiering. Why have Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc? More content.

Further, it has provided a good backstop if/when the DVR has choked on a recording, for some reason -- whether technical hiccup, or world-event related. (weather, car chase, etc) Plus now, with OnePass, HuluPlus will make even more sense, effectively becoming additional virtual tuners on top of my 6-tuner Roamio, allowing the DVR to skip recordings for a whole slew of shows we watch. (for the second time)



> And if you want to record something, you're going to record something.


Yogi?

The expectation is that we're paying for simplicity *and* reliability.



> OnePass is pretty stupid.


m'kay



> If you somehow need more than 6 tuners, which is quite the extreme TV watching in the first place, you could always just have 2 or 3 TiVos.


One more time: Simplicity. Reliability. We've done the 3 TiVo thing; one of the desires is to avoid the islands of content we've had in the past. A 6-tuner TiVo wasn't enough, but the combination of XOD for TiVo and the new OnePass may be enough to enable a single TiVo DVR to be our one-stop shop.

And, again, once you want to post-pad your shows, the 6-tuner limit can be hit pretty quickly.

_With all of the above moving the ball forward on Xfinity+TiVO not a bit._


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

krkaufman said:


> Having been using the Xfinity app on the Xbox 360, I had expected the XOD for TiVo to also operate over IP (strictly); didn't have a clue that the video was delivered down the coax.


The video is delivered down the coax either way. 

The XOD interface is an ugly big menu tree that you have to wade through, so try to avoid it whenever possible. Searching from Tivo's HD interface or using 1Ps is the way to go. My wife uses XOD all the time using the interface, but I use the Tivo to search and play.


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## alleybj (Dec 6, 2000)

Comcast on demand has a nice 3D movie selection, if you're into that. Some pay, but a number free if you already subscribe to HBO or Starz. I have Comcast and Directv, and Comcast on demand is the only place I've seen the HBO and Starz availability


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

slowbiscuit said:


> Searching from Tivo's HD interface or using 1Ps is the way to go.


Are you confirming that "XOD for TiVo" content shows up in 'My Shows' via OnePass?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

slowbiscuit said:


> The video is delivered down the coax either way.


Chuckle; good point. I was thinking inside the box (/house).


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

alleybj said:


> Comcast on demand has a nice 3D movie selection, if you're into that. Some pay, but a number free if you already subscribe to HBO or Starz. I have Comcast and Directv, and Comcast on demand is the only place I've seen the HBO and Starz availability


Interesting. We do have a 3D television, so that is something we'll have to take a look at. Thanks.

TiVo's web page mentioning 3D TV doesn't explicitly mention that the Mini supports 3D, but I'm assuming it was just an oversight.

edit: Ah, but the Mini FAQ page *does* explicitly say that the Mini supports 3D. Good to go.


> Tivo Mini does not have a tuner or hard drive, and does not need a CableCARD. Additionally, Mini is compatible with 3D programming.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Arcady said:


> On my Roamio Pro, I have one timeslot each week with seven scheduled recordings. Fortunately, one of the shows is on a cable channel that reruns the same episode a few hours later. The TiVo automatically figures this out for me.


There are a lot of shows like that. Usually, with some creativity, you can knock down a few tuners in "crunch points".



krkaufman said:


> Seeing past responses I'm not sure it's worth the time, but... Well, someone who wants access to the deep archive of shows available on HuluPlus, p'raps? It's not just about being able to view the latest shows freshly premiering. Why have Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc? More content.


Hulu Plus is just a bunch of TV shows that are on TV anyway. It is a purposely failed attempt at a TV alternative for cord-cutters. Netflix is mostly a different set of content, and is a much better set of content. Amazon Prime isn't very good, but it's free anyway.



> Further, it has provided a good backstop if/when the DVR has choked on a recording, for some reason -- whether technical hiccup, or world-event related. (weather, car chase, etc) Plus now, with OnePass, HuluPlus will make even more sense, effectively becoming additional virtual tuners on top of my 6-tuner Roamio, allowing the DVR to skip recordings for a whole slew of shows we watch. (for the second time)


Most stuff repeats, and if it doesn't, a lot of that is available on torrents for once in a blue moon.



> Yogi?
> 
> The expectation is that we're paying for simplicity *and* reliability.


What does that have to do with anything? My point is that TiVo users record the TV they want to record, not stream or on demand it. That's the whole point of TiVo. Netflix makes sense, as they have stuff that's not on TV, and from what I've heard, the interface on TiVo is actually decent now. I don't really care, as I have like 6 other devices that do Netflix.



> m'kay


And?



> One more time: Simplicity. Reliability. We've done the 3 TiVo thing; one of the desires is to avoid the islands of content we've had in the past. A 6-tuner TiVo wasn't enough, but the combination of XOD for TiVo and the new OnePass may be enough to enable a single TiVo DVR to be our one-stop shop.


You're clearly extreme users, as 6-tuners is more than enough for just about any family or household. As extreme users, you probably should just have more than one TiVo.



> And, again, once you want to post-pad your shows, the 6-tuner limit can be hit pretty quickly.


If you hit the limit once in a while, you can usually find something that doesn't *really* need padding and remove it. Even with 4 tuners, we pad a lot of stuff, and rarely ever use all 4 for recording. Extreme users should have more than one TiVo to have enough tuners available.



> _With all of the above moving the ball forward on Xfinity+TiVO not a bit._


HUH? Xfinity VOD is still pretty much useless. A nice gesture, but it doesn't have a practical application.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

It's not useless, that's entirely your opinion (as usual). It's a good way to catch up on a current season that you got into late, for example, and you get the entire back catalog of HBO if you sub to that.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

slowbiscuit said:


> It's not useless, that's entirely your opinion (as usual). It's a good way to catch up on a current season that you got into late, for example, and you get the entire back catalog of HBO if you sub to that.


HBOGo.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

Bigg said:


> HBOGo.


If you have a way to watch that on your TV, and if you want to use data on your internet connection instead of coax delivery, and if HBO Go has all the same shows that are available through on-demand.

But if you are on Comcast and you have a TiVo, then you have XOD, so why would you use HBO Go on your TV? I only use HBO Go when I'm away.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Arcady said:


> If you have a way to watch that on your TV, and if you want to use data on your internet connection instead of coax delivery, and if HBO Go has all the same shows that are available through on-demand.
> 
> But if you are on Comcast and you have a TiVo, then you have XOD, so why would you use HBO Go on your TV? I only use HBO Go when I'm away.


Chromecast, Roku, AirPlay, that part is easy. It doesn't really matter how it gets there, whether it's via IP or via QAM, either way it's going through Comcast, IP just works way better.

I have and would use HBOGo because VOD on TiVo is a disaster vs. using a phone or iPad with the HBOGo interface, which is a far better experience. Although most of what I watch on HBO is current stuff, and I just record it on TiVo.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

What if I have no Chromecast or Roku or AppleTV?

I don't use the crappy Xfinity SD interface. I search for a show I want to watch, click it, and if one of the choices to view it is Xfinity, then I click on play.

Also, it matters to me if it's IP or QAM, because I don't want to waste a bunch of bandwidth on video if I don't have to.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Bigg said:


> Chromecast, Roku, AirPlay, that part is easy. It doesn't really matter how it gets there, whether it's via IP or via QAM, either way it's going through Comcast, IP just works way better.


If you're lucky enough to be in a non-'trial' Comcast cap area, sure.

I'm not, and my son routinely uses up almost all of our cap every month so XOD is great for this stuff.

Once again your opinion is just like anyone's butthole.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Arcady said:


> What if I have no Chromecast or Roku or AppleTV?


You should get one or more of them, they are awesome!



slowbiscuit said:


> If you're lucky enough to be in a non-'trial' Comcast cap area, sure.


Yeah, that sucks. We cruise through 400-600GB some month with no issues.


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## mahermusic (Mar 12, 2003)

Bigg said:


> Crappy Comcast with their crappy On Demand vs. the best QAM-based TV service in America delivered via fiber to your house with super-fast symmetrical internet? That's not even a question, unless you get a really, really good deal from Comcast, can't get Verizon to come anywhere close to it, and are willing to put up with an inferior service to save a few $$$. Otherwise, FIOS wins. Hands down.


Now back to reality.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

mahermusic said:


> Now back to reality.


Back to reality? What I posted _IS_ reality.


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## mahermusic (Mar 12, 2003)

Bigg said:


> Back to reality? What I posted _IS_ reality.


Hey, who am I to compete with the little voices in your head telling you that?


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

LOL, or delusions of grandeur.


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## mahermusic (Mar 12, 2003)

Exactly!!!


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

mahermusic said:


> Hey, who am I to compete with the little voices in your head telling you that?


And so how does Comcast's over-compressed mess of TV and cable-based internet get anywhere close to what Verizon FIOS offers? That's right, it doesn't.


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## mahermusic (Mar 12, 2003)

Bigg said:


> And so how does Comcast's over-compressed mess of TV and cable-based internet get anywhere close to what Verizon FIOS offers? That's right, it doesn't.


...And you keep telling yourself that... (or perhaps.. those voices again...)


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

mahermusic said:


> ...And you keep telling yourself that... (or perhaps.. those voices again...)


Are you blind Slowsky? That's the only way you could not realize that FIOS delivers a better internet and TV experience.


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## mahermusic (Mar 12, 2003)

Bigg said:


> Are you blind Slowsky? That's the only way you could not realize that FIOS delivers a better internet and TV experience.


The fact that you actually BELIEVE the drivel you're spewing is what makes your posts so funny...and there is still help for your....condition.


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