# Stream worth it for Android only?



## MarcusInMD (Jan 7, 2005)

I am only concerned with downloading shows to my android equipment not really streaming.

Also, we have comcast cable and I am just wondering if it's worth it if they tag most shows so they cant be downloaded..


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

MarcusInMD said:


> I am only concerned with downloading shows to my android equipment not really streaming.


The latest Android app has a download option.



MarcusInMD said:


> Also, we have comcast cable and I am just wondering if it's worth it if they tag most shows so they cant be downloaded..


Maybe where you are is different, but most Comcast locales only copy protect premium channels.


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## MarcusInMD (Jan 7, 2005)

Does the download function work well?


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

MarcusInMD said:


> Does the download function work well?


In home, yes, out of home, not so much.


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## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

MarcusInMD said:


> Does the download function work well?


I got the impression that the "move protected show to tablet" style of download doesn't work on android, but does on ios. So since you can only download unprotected shows, you could do that indirectly via a computer with tools like pytivo and kmttg.


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

I've had success with the download functionality since it was added to the add. You have to plan ahead - in my case the downloads take about .75 to 2 times the length of the show in question depending on the quality selected. I don't find the queue very reliable - it seems to time out every now and then even when I am not using my phone. However, it is nice that you can while it is in progress.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The iOS app requires that it be open and in the foreground to download. If you switch away at all it pauses the download and you have to manually resume it. If the Android app downloads at all in the background that's an improvement.


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

So I just tried downloading another show OOH as a test. 30 minute show, selected medium quality (which seems the best option for my 6" phone screen), estimated size 366mb and time 39 minutes. To avoid connection issues, I left my phone plugged in at the desk on the office wifi as moving around with it could interrupt the connection.

The show completed downloading in 38 minutes with a final size of 355mb. During the 38 minutes, I went to the homescreen several times to open other apps. After using an app, I would go back to the tivo app to check and saw no interruption or error message and the progress continued at the expected rate. The screen also went to sleep several times either by timing out or me hitting the power key. I was careful to not open more than one app before going back to tivo to avoid the OS closing tivo for memory management. But I would say the background downloads do work.

No issues with playback of the show. 8s jump back and 30 sec skip work great with either swipe left/right or symbol press.

On a side note, this was a show that I had already started watching at home. The app recognized that and gave me the option to start the download from the resume point or the beginning. Thought that was a nice touch.

Overall I have found the app much improved with the latest update. I watched the Cowboys/Giants game last night using the app while watching a recorded show on the tivo. No problems streaming whatsoever. I used to the the cable company app but like having access to the buffer for replays.


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## MarcusInMD (Jan 7, 2005)

Wow, those download times are nuts. I guess if I got the stream I could have it save stuff overnight to my device. This certainly doesn't sound like something to be done when you in a hurry planning for a trip.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

MarcusInMD said:


> Wow, those download times are nuts. I guess if I got the stream I could have it save stuff overnight to my device. This certainly doesn't sound like something to be done when you in a hurry planning for a trip.


That's out of home. In home downloads typically take 15-25 minutes per hour of programming. (seems to depend on the encoding of the original recording)


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

I suppose the limiting factors are the transcode and upload times. Unfortunately, I only have ~2-3mbps upload at home so that is likely my bottleneck for OOH.

After I ran that OOH test posted above, I started another 30 min. show medium quality download ~333mb OOH and left for an errand soon after. I wanted to see how the downloading would work under normal phone use (during a phone call, normal app usage, moving around) if you couldn't plan ahead. No surprise there - you need to plan ahead and probably check the app now and then to see if the connection was interrupted. 

I got reconnecting messages when moving between wireless access points in the building or from wifi to 4GLTE mobile data (~8mpbs). Each time I had to press the red warning icon to get the download to resume. What would have taken ~40 minutes at the desk, took 1.5 hours in my pocket from start to finish. I don't think much progress when made as I ran errands - I would estimate only about 80mb came in during an hour of driving around and in stores. Part of that was likely down time between my 5-10 minute intervals of checking the app to see if it needed to reconnect. One time the app was closed by my phone because it had stopped downloading and the phone needed the memory for other apps. I know it's obvious not to expect that kind of downloading performance under those conditions, but I wanted to see how it would do. Now I know for sure that it takes planning ahead to be ready for a trip. Don't wait until you're driving to the airport.

I will try from home and see how much better it is.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Be careful with that resume feature. I've run into issues where when playing a resumed download it will simply stop at the resume point and say the program is done. Or throw up some error that you can never get past. Although all my experience is with iOS, so maybe Android works better.


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

I haven't run into the resume issue but then again I've been doing more testing than watching. Are you saying it is more reliable to choose to download from the beginning in your experience?

I ran some tests at home this evening. You were right - each 30 minute show took about 7-10 minutes to download. While I would like to think I will always plan ahead, it's also nice to know what to expect when I am traveling and want to watch a brand new recording. This could be a life saver when I am at the in-laws.

I have to say that I was not thinking I would use stream much after experimenting with it as I was not thrilled by watching via the app. Streaming is not really my thing - no patience for buffering or glitchy navigation. But this download feature has made me feel good about upgrading to the plus to get the stream (among other things). I would much rather do something else while it downloads and then watch buffer-free at my convenience.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I have had issues with resume in the past, but it's been a while since I used it and as I said all my experience is on iOS so Android could be different.

The fact that Andorid can download in the backgroun is pretty slick. I might use it more often if you could do that on iOS. On iOS you basically have to set your device down, plugged in, powered on and with the TiVo app in the foreground for it to work. Not fun when it takes 15-20 minutes per hour of content.


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

I am not a big app person, but I've had other apps where the android version lags behind iOS. Looks like android takes the lead on this one for now...


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

Since I was traveling this week, I thought I would try to download some shows that had just recorded before the flight home. Unfortunately the hotel and conference center wifi was too slow to complete 50% of a 1 hour show before I had to leave for the airport after three hours of trying to download. Each time I checked on the status it seemed to be timed out. I kept the download going as I made my way to the airport via mobile data. That meant the downloading was stopping and starting as my connection changed from 4G to LTE and back. By the time my flight was boarding, I only had about 45 minutes of the show according to the progress bar although the file size was already larger than the original estimate. 

When watching the show on the flight, I noticed that the content jumped back to the beginning a few times. For example, I watched the first 5 minutes and then the video/audio showed the beginning of the show again even though the progress meter showed I was on minute 6. I thought this meant I would not have all of the content but most of the show was still there after a few content restarts. I'd blame this anomoly on the interrupted data connection and the stream perhaps starting at the beginning again. That would explain the larger than expected file size. At any rate, OOH download is spotty if you don't have a good consistent wifi connection. After I landed I watched the last part of the show via stream over wifi with no issue.


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