# New TiVo features-- Internet-- a YAWNER! (LONG)



## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

Gee, I was looking forward to the idea of our TiVo connected to the Internet, getting the weather, music, podcasts, etc.

It's a great concept but the execution leaves much (everything?) to be desired!

We're on a wireless hook up... we can stand up and walk over to our family room laptop and get the weather far faster and in more detail than going through the TiVo.

Then, we tried a podcast... well, it looked as if it were downloading it in the background, so I went to Now Playing, rummaged a little, and then checked back on the podcast. What gives? Had to start the downloading again. I discovered when one wades out of the incredibly nested, hierarchical menu structure--step by step, left arrow--that you will, eventually, be informed that leaving the podcast section terminates the download! Well, no such message is given if you simply hit the TiVo button.

But my real complaint is, what's the point of it all given that it takes forever to download a podcast and the TiVo is unusable in the meantime?

I went and showered, had lunch, and when I returned, I further discovered that this podcast business is STREAMING ONLY! I had expected the podcast to show up in the Now Playing menu-- no dice. So it must have streamed the show while I was eating and then DISCARDED IT. Given how long it takes to download a show, it simply makes more sense to do it in the background on our laptop, while we can actually be productive, or entertained, then to tie up the TiVo.

YAWN!

[which will likely be your reaction after wading through this excessively long post!  ]

P.S. Perhaps a wired unit works okay, or perhaps what's needed is a Series 4 TiVo with dual processors and USB 4.0 and an advanced huge RAM cache or buffer  that would let one download in the background and that could render this marginally useful--but unless one can save the show on the drive and listen or watch it later--it's really pretty useless, at least to us.

I really wish TiVo would spend even 10% of its software development in adding such features as undelete, free space indicator, & intelligent folder updating of transfered shows rather than rolling out this stuff too early. (IFU: knowing that programs with the same name belong in a folder even if that show isn't in the guide--and even if it is, making sure all transfered shows are grouped which doesn't always happen!)


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

TiVoEvan74 said:


> Gee, I was looking forward to the idea of our TiVo connected to the Internet, getting the weather, music, podcasts, etc.
> 
> It's a great concept but the execution leaves much (everything?) to be desired!
> 
> ...


TiVo-provided podcasts are streaming only. You cannot ff, rw, or pause the stream. However, Galleon, will download podcasts to your pc automatically (configurable to save only x episodes per podcast), and allows you to play them back on your tivo with full trick play(1x,2x,3x ff/rw support). It also does many other useful and fun things with your media and internet content.


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

We download podcasts via iTunes, with subscription settings, great interface, works like a charm. Would there be a reason to use Galleon instead-- save that one could transfer the podcast to the TiVo, but why do that? Why not simply play it on the computer? Or, stream it via the network (Airport) to a stereo system?

I just don't get the podcast biz on the TiVo as it now works (machine tied up and as you point out, no controls such as rw or ff).


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## TechDreamer (Jan 27, 2002)

Tivo does not have the capital to properly develop software for the series 2. Tivo is desperate to add "value" compared to cable DVR's, but they just can't seem to execute.


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## ChuckyBox (Oct 3, 2005)

Keep in mind that this is all new functionality, and TiVo doesn't have a lot better idea than any of us as to what will ultimately be popular and what will fall flat. I think the Live365 feature is pretty good, but some of the other stuff is less-than-compelling (except that stupidly addictive Same Game  ). Also keep in mind that the people on this forum are probably much more computer savvy than the average TV watching public (I'm writing this on my laptop as I sit in front of the TV, so things like traffic and weather on the TV aren't very useful to me). So I think we'll see some things come and go, and other things (like your streaming podcasts) be refined as TiVo gets feedback. 

I see one of three things happening: 1) The whole "convergence" thing is still being over-hyped, and the DVR will remain the DVR (with maybe a few broadband features -- like downloads); 2) Slowly, over time, TiVo (and others) develop a fairly powerful set of broadband features whose combined weight causes an evolution in the way the television fits into the home; 3) someone comes up with the elusive "killer app" and there is a stunning revolution in home entertainment. #2 seems most likely, but I don't rule out #3 -- and I think it would be much more likely to happen in the TiVo world if TiVo would open up the DVR functions in the HME SDK.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Your critique is well justified.

TiVo needs a clear technology roadmap to both guide their development efforts and inform current and potential customers what they can expect.


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## dylanemcgregor (Jan 31, 2003)

I agree that the podcast feature needs some work, but no need to damn the whole set of internet apps. Both the weather and movie apps work pretty well for me. I don't leave my computer on when I'm not using it, so it is quicker than the laptop for me by a long shot. The games are nice for when one of us gets a phone call in the middle of a movie. My favorite feature by far though is GoBack to send files from the laptop to TiVo. All in all I think it is a pretty good start and I hope there is better to come.

-Dylan


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## ChuckyBox (Oct 3, 2005)

HDTiVo said:


> TiVo needs a clear technology roadmap to both guide their development efforts and inform current and potential customers what they can expect.


I imagine they know what they are doing, but I see no reason for them to tell everyone, including their competitors, what they are planning.


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

TiVoEvan74 said:


> We download podcasts via iTunes, with subscription settings, great interface, works like a charm. Would there be a reason to use Galleon instead-- save that one could transfer the podcast to the TiVo, but why do that? Why not simply play it on the computer? Or, stream it via the network (Airport) to a stereo system?
> 
> I just don't get the podcast biz on the TiVo as it now works (machine tied up and as you point out, no controls such as rw or ff).


Galleon would stream it to the TiVo, not transfer(no HME app can transfer to the TiVo, it acts as a dumb terminal). It's nice because it provides a pretty interface, with the podcasts tags and other metadata. You could use your iTunes setup with Galleon, and just use the playback features in Galleon, if you wanted, to get the podcasts out from iTunes into your Home Theater setup. If you already have an Airport with iTunes streaming, it might not make any sense to bother, but if not, it might. I'm just letting you know there are choices. It can have advantages, for instance, if you used Galleon for playback, you can use your tivo remote to select a track and manipulate the playback. Until recently(I think, the Apple remote controls iTunes, right?), using an Airport meant you had to use a computer keyboard to control playback, which I personally don't like to do.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

Yup. We're sucking on many fronts of late. (I say we since I own TIVO stock.)

Still love it, just have zero confidence in TiVo itself as a company.

However, I have enough confidence that they will be bought out that I haven't yet divested my stock interest. 

Come on Google/Apple! Start that bidding war for TIVO any time, PLEASE!


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

TiVoEvan74 said:


> We download podcasts via iTunes, with subscription settings, great interface, works like a charm. Would there be a reason to use Galleon instead-- save that one could transfer the podcast to the TiVo, but why do that? Why not simply play it on the computer? Or, stream it via the network (Airport) to a stereo system?
> 
> I just don't get the podcast biz on the TiVo as it now works (machine tied up and as you point out, no controls such as rw or ff).


With Galleon, you can listen to them on the PC (they are stored in a folder). I use Galleon as a general Podcast client, and mostly listen to them on the PC, but do have the opportunity to listen to them on the TiVo.

Depending on how iTunes is set up, you can likely hook Galleon to that, and play your current podcasts and MP3s.

The TiVo podcast applet streams from the varius podcast servers, hence no control.

FWIW, I run Galleon on a Linux machine, and have it's podcast DL folder linked to my home folder for quick access. Its capabilities on a Windows or a Mac are likely different.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

The HME stuff definitely has the feel of version 1 with a little bit of version 2 in some of it. I like it but it is not something I am drawn to yet. TiVo is till looking for that killer app, being able to select from and DOWNLOAD podcasts or video straight onto the TiVo for later trickplay playback would be my vote as well.
The series 3 with mepg-4 playback would be needed to make this work well though. sigh.


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

Well, Galleon certainly has some amazing features then... but I wonder if I'd ever do it, especially as I guess I would face two downloads, one to the laptop and the other over to the TiVo. Wait, I just re-read your post... it streams it directly to the Tivo and I take it that there you can play it back later and ff, rw, etc.? Hmm...

I installed it at one point on my Mac and it took forever and a day to transfer a show to the Mac, but that was 1/2 hour video... a shorter audio podcast... hmmm....


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## samo (Oct 7, 1999)

> I really wish TiVo would spend even 10% of its software development in adding such features as undelete, free space indicator, & intelligent folder updating of transfered shows rather than rolling out this stuff too early. (IFU: knowing that programs with the same name belong in a folder even if that show isn't in the guide--and even if it is, making sure all transfered shows are grouped which doesn't always happen!)


You got it. Except for a hype factor, there is no value added in internet applications. For years I had OpenTV applications on my DishDVRs. How often did I look up weather? Maybe half a dozen times. How many times did I play games? Never. How many times I used FSI? ALWAYS. And TiVo is the only brand of DVR that does not have a free space indicator. Go figure.


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## naiLS1 (Aug 19, 2005)

samo said:


> How many times I used FSI? ALWAYS. And TiVo is the only brand of DVR that does not have a free space indicator. Go figure.


It'd be nice to just have a little indicator or gauge in the bottom corner of the Now Playing screen. Come on TIVO!


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## dmdeane (Apr 17, 2000)

ChuckyBox said:


> #2 seems most likely, but I don't rule out #3 -- and I think it would be much more likely to happen in the TiVo world if TiVo would open up the DVR functions in the HME SDK.


That's the key IMO. TiVo, Inc. should open up all DVR funcions to HME asap. Then TiVo, Inc. can watch and see what kind of functionality the HME community develops. It might teach TiVo, Inc. a thing or two which they would not have been able to think up on their own, plus it doesn't cost TiVo, Inc. a cent for research and development costs. Sounds like a win-win proposition to me.


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## ChuckyBox (Oct 3, 2005)

dmdeane said:


> That's the key IMO. TiVo, Inc. should open up all DVR funcions to HME asap. Then TiVo, Inc. can watch and see what kind of functionality the HME community develops.


Yep, but right now, no one has a clue what will come of it. The ability to combine controllable video content with broadband access to the internet is still fairly new. But somewhere out there is a kid with an idea for a networked game that depends on recordings of that week's shows or music videos, or a couple of college students with a theory about how to combine information sources that gives the viewers a distillation of news that's actually significant and lets them elect to see multiple perspectives of stories that interest them, or a multimedia artist with an automated way to combine each day's soap operas into a funny composite show. The possibilities are endless. Yes, there are other ways all of these things could be accomplished, but TiVo has the ability to provide a very nice, clean interface that guarantees that some of these products will be available on TiVos first, and a good-sized installed base to make use of them. I imagine they see some risk in opening up their system this way, but I hope they also see the opportunity.


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## megazone (Mar 3, 2002)

All these complaints boil down to "This isn't what *I* want."

That's fine - but, first, most of the folks in these forums are not representative of TiVo's core market, and, second, some folks do enjoy the features. I use the Yahoo Weather app regularly just to check the weather fast - like from the TiVo in my bedroom when I'm getting ready for work, just to know what kind of day it will be. I use the Fandango application all the time too - even when I'm sitting in front of my laptop, I just find it easier to check on the movies up the street that way. That's just me.

Around the net I've seen people raving about how much they enjoy the podcast features, or Live365. Those aren't for me, I don't bother with podcasts and I have my own music, but I don't think they're bad features.

There are things TiVo does that I never use. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, anything to do with LiveTV is pointless - I never use it. So pausing LiveTV, the guide, etc, - waste of time as far as I'm concerned, they could use the engineering for something else. But I don't think they *should*, they know their market better than I do.

When TiVo first added HMO - music and photos, people had the same reaction. "Why would anyone ever want to play music or view photos through their TiVo? Why is TiVo wasting their time?" Well, they've been very popular features.

And some of the arguments don't make sense. So the podcasts are streaming - so it 'ties up' the TiVo? So what? If you're trying to listen to a podcast, why the hell would you have the TiVo playing something else at the same time? Some people want to listen to the podcasts through their entertainment system, and the TiVo is a convenient way to do that - without having to buy more devices.

Just because you don't use something, or you don't see the point, doesn't mean other users don't find it a valuable feature.

I can't even take these kind of complaints seriously anymore, just more blah blah blah why aren't they doing the things I want them to do that people have been posting since the first TiVos shipped. A very old and broken record that gets replayed every damn time TiVo adds any features. "Why did they do X? I wanted them to do Y!" Or "I don't see the point in X! TiVo is stupid! TiVo is going to fail!"

Predictable.


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

TiVoEvan74 said:


> Well, Galleon certainly has some amazing features then... but I wonder if I'd ever do it, especially as I guess I would face two downloads, one to the laptop and the other over to the TiVo. Wait, I just re-read your post... it streams it directly to the Tivo and I take it that there you can play it back later and ff, rw, etc.? Hmm...
> 
> I installed it at one point on my Mac and it took forever and a day to transfer a show to the Mac, but that was 1/2 hour video... a shorter audio podcast... hmmm....


Just to make sure we're all clear on the podcast differences:
Using Galleon, as a podcast client or merely hooked to iTunes' library, you can use ff/rw/pause etc. It is streaming the pre-downloaded content from your PC, not downloading to TiVo and not streaming live off the net, but that's a "very good thing" because once the podcast has downloaded, Galleon can allow TiVo to trickplay it. If you use Galleon as your podcast client, you can manage them from the TV screen (add new subscriptions, delete previous episodes, etc.). If you'd like to continue using iTunes as your podcast client, you would still be able to use Galleon to playback on the TiVo (with ff/rw/skip/etc.)

Using the TiVo podcast client, the software has to work directly with servers from all over the web, and many of them have no easy way to skip around in the podcast until after the complete file makes it to your hardware. But the way the current HME client in TiVo works, nothing can be downloaded to the TiVo hd, so only a live stream can be played, as it comes in over the wire, discarding the bits afterwards. However, everything happens on the TiVo, without requiring you to maintain a computer somewhere running Galleon.

It's all about tradeoffs and options. I like having the options that are available to me today. I would love to be able to put more things on the TiVo drive (I use GoBack heavily), for full strength playback. But I realize the logistical nightmare for TiVo, Inc. once they let us programmatically add things to the drive. GoBack is solely a user-initiated function. Nothing can show up on the drive that the user did not specifically ask for. Once we start letting programs from our local area networks and/or the internet automatically place things there, I can imagine more than a few situations that result in support calls to TiVo or worse.


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## cynthetiq (Mar 13, 2004)

I just think that the TRAFFIC and WEATHER features should do a look up as often as it looks for new mail for TCO recordings. 

Traffic and Weather should be WAITING for me when I select them not me waiting for it to update when I go there.

that's my only complaint on the internet apps.

Podcasts streaming, sure, but then my TV is on... waste of electricity when I can effectively do the same thing and pump it through the ipod to the amplifier.


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

cynthetiq said:


> Podcasts streaming, sure, but then my TV is on... waste of electricity when I can effectively do the same thing and pump it through the ipod to the amplifier.


That's true anywhere the TiVo is hooked direct to the tv(iow, plenty of places), but my setup was already TiVo->multi-input Home Theater Tuner thingy->tv, so I pick out what I like and then can turn the tv off. Although when I have people over, we often leave the tv on because they like the pictures Galleon finds when it plays back music(this doesn't apply to podcasts of course, but I don't generally listen to TWiT with company ).

I've got to say, I like the 'push' idea of traffic and weather to the TiVo. That general concept could apply to other fun things as well (email, rss, etc.)


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

Appreciate the responses (all but one!). I certainly recognize the potential, but was dismayed to find that podcasts were streaming, how long they took, and that one has to wade into a deep menu structure. 

My one objection: "And some of the arguments don't make sense. So the podcasts are streaming - so it 'ties up' the TiVo? So what? If you're trying to listen to a podcast, why the hell would you have the TiVo playing something else at the same time?"

Say, I don't appreciate 4 letter words being cast in my direction! This is a family board, after all!  

Please re-read my original post... I don't want to watch TV and listen to a podcast at the same time, although many young multi-taskers might (those who like picture within a picture, or listening to the radio while watching TV). 

The point was that during the time (5 minutes, 10 minutes, half hour or whatever ) it takes to get a podcast to start streaming to my TiVo, I could be watching a show, or setting up things to record, etc. And the big deficiency is that it isn't there for me to play when I want, to rewind, etc. as a podcast is on my laptop. There's where it sounds as if Galleon could be a nifty solution, especially for a video podcast.

Maybe you're on a wired connection? And, of course, maybe the streaming starts more quickly than that, I gave up after a minute or two.

And by the way, when several people chime in, in agreement, then it doesn't simply boil down to "what I want" but rather what many in the TiVo community want! And some of us aren't high-end users, talking hacking, extra apps, but just using the new features and scratching out heads when basic interface elements go begging.

Look, in reality, I was trying to understand the use of this, in its current incarnation-- and people are providing some insights. I'll have to try the movie listing feature, although stepping into the dining room and opening up the newspaper gets us there even faster than a net connection would!

As to the weather, I can understand it, if someone's computer is off. We no longer turn ours off, simply put them to sleep. We have laptops (Macs) and it's a simple matter of opening the lid-- the Mac wakes from sleep in the time it takes for the lid to open--and there's our weather menu item waiting for us-- or an icon to click on that brings up the weather, with rich detail, weather map, forecast, etc. But, yes, if your computer is off entirely, or if things are slower on the Windows side to wake from sleep, then I can understand how the weather feature could be a plus. ---> Although wouldn't it be cool if one could park that in the TiVo Central list, so all one would have to do is press the TiVo button!

By the way, unlike my reaction to this set of new features, when I first tried out the photos to TiVo, I was impressed. I thought, "That's pretty cool, a great way to show off trip pictures, show stuff to more folks at once, rather than crowding around the laptop, etc." and it's been fun, although admittedly I rarely use it after th novelty wore off.


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## scottc42 (Jan 5, 2006)

I've been reading this forum for years without contributing, so I figure it is finally time I join in.

My TiVo usage is for quick, easy, entertainment... and that's it. I've got my wife's desktop upstairs, mine downstairs, and either one of our laptops is always floating around somewhere, so if I want to check weather, buy tickets, read email, news, etc., I can jump on anyone of these computers that are never shut down.

If I want to watch HDTV I go to my "theater room" in the basement where I have to use my crappy SA dvr... but I will make an effort for the 2-3 HD shows I watch every week. If I want to do some serious music listening I will go to the same theater room to play a cd.

But...

If I want to pay the bills and need to entertain the kids, I go to the living room and pull up one of 20 Thomas the Tank Engine episodes on TiVo.

If I'm entertaining guests and I want some music in the background... I go to the living room and pull up my cd collection on TiVo.

If I want to show those same guests a few snapshots of last week's birthday party... I pull up the photos on TiVo.

If I'm trying to catch my wife in the mood, I go to the bedroom and pull up Norah Jones or Joss Stone or James Taylor or whatever might suit at the time... on TiVo. (In fact I bought my bedroom TiVo for exactly this purpose, and I almost never use it for watching television.)

I actually love the live365 feature, and it is pretty much the only one of the internet features that I use. (although I was kinda' addicted to wordsmith for a while!) I subcribed to live 365, so I have access to a million stations, and I love being able to email myself track information with a single click of the button.

My point in all this is that my TiVo needs to be easy to use. If I have to wait a long time for an application to open, I am not going to use it. Even if TiVo community members are not the "average" TiVo users, I think anyone would get frustrated with some of the wait times to open these apps. And yes, all 3 of my TiVo's and both of my desktops are wired.

Anyway, guys... thanks for all the useful information you have been providing in this forum. It's been fun.


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

Scott, good summary of how you use TiVo... ease of use and quick or instant response are important.

Just tried out some more of the new internet features, 2 of which do fit that bill.

1) *Fandango and movies* ... pretty cool. Especially useful that it gives phone numbers as we've discovered that calling before going is essential to confirm movie times! *Nit-picks: * original selection of theaters including those in cities 50 miles away! That's ridiculous! Fortunately, one can narrow it down to the immediate locale. *Problem: * first use, it bombed!

_So, yes, I can see using this and understand why people like it._ Now, I assume that this service is available on the net, which, for us, generally would be faster and more useful than turning on the TV. Perhaps the on line service has links to reviews, which would be helpful. As mentioned, newspaper listings are even faster.

2) *Live365*. Amazing to have access to all those different "radio"channels. And once you select them, they start streaming almost immediately (within seconds). *Nit-picks: * wish it had more classic music channels and more talk shows and that it grouped the talk shows. Wading through a long list is a drag. Sound pops or clicks, too, as the streaming doesn't work perfectly. This is on wireless with a strong 80-90% signal. Not sure that we would actually turn on the TV to listen to the radio, but _I can understand many people like this! _ (We'll consider it via the laptop.)

3) *Podcasts still a problem!*. Still don't get it. It took 31 minutes for it to even start streaming a show! That's far too long to tie up the TiVo. I'll continue to fetch our podcasts via iTunes and the Mac, that's for sure. *Major nit-pick with podcasts: * Interruptions are truly interruptions! Family, household, animal, phone calls, doorbells. There's no pausing! Streaming is really a drag. I got a long distance phone call from an old friend, which took priority... but then it means one would miss a chunk inside a streaming show (that's destroys a radio drama or interview) or one would have to reload the entire podcast! Silly! *But as explained here by others, Galleon would allow one to download a pod cast to their computer and then later send it to the TiVo where one would have control!*

*General nit-picks*: it takes more than a minute from the time of turning on the TiVo to get to the weather (loading the screens with a Please Wait message) and even longer to get to a particular podcast (sub-menus). Weather and traffic as several people have pointed out should be available instantly at the opening TiVo central screen.


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## beejay (Feb 3, 2001)

megazone said:


> And some of the arguments don't make sense. So the podcasts are streaming - so it 'ties up' the TiVo? So what? If you're trying to listen to a podcast, why the hell would you have the TiVo playing something else at the same time?


I want to pause podcasts just like I do TV. 

I'd like the option to listen to part of a podcast, watch a TV show, and then return to the podcast where I left it.

I think that makes sense.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

As said above, you want galleon then. I tried the TiVo Podcast applet, and like the Galleon one better, because it downloads to my PC, and I have the option to listen there also.


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

classicsat, right you are! I've amended my post about the nifty features to add the Galleon advantage. I'll now have to try it and see how I like it!


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## J4yDubs (Jul 3, 2002)

megazone said:


> So the podcasts are streaming - so it 'ties up' the TiVo? So what? If you're trying to listen to a podcast, why the hell would you have the TiVo playing something else at the same time?


I'd love to be able to play the BSG podcast in the background while BSG video is playing. That's the way your supposed to listen to it. I currently do it with my iPod and mute the TV. If it would keep the podcast in sync with the show, I'd be in heaven. Maybe even auto download the podcast (as a season pass option or a "Get Podcast" menu item) and allow you to choose which audio to use when you play it.

Commentary tracks are popular on DVD's. This could be the same thing, but for TV.

John


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

I'm a pretty savvy TiVO user, I use Galleon and TiVo Desktop daily to download shows to PC, and play music on the TiVo... and I have no clue where the applications are that you're all talking about. Where do I go to get them/activate them?


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

MickeS said:


> I'm a pretty savvy TiVO user, I use Galleon and TiVo Desktop daily to download shows to PC, and play music on the TiVo... and I have no clue where the applications are that you're all talking about. Where do I go to get them/activate them?


Add your TiVo Service Number here:
http://research.tivo.com/onlineservices/

And the applications should show up under "music, photos, and more" alongside of your Galleon apps. The form says it may take up to a few weeks, but most reports I've seen are much shorter times (3-5 days).


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

Thanks. So this is just a test phase then?


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

MickeS said:


> Thanks. So this is just a test phase then?


Don't let the url deceive you. They're rolling it out to everyone (actually I thought they were pretty much complete at this point, but obviously you are evidence that I'm wrong  ). It was announced a little before the xmas season: http://www.tivo.com/cms_static/press_71.html

Cheers!


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

Mine showed up a week or so ago on one of our units but still hasn't shown up on the other one, which was activated several weeks before it this fall. Wonder what determines the order? 

By the way, we had a lot of fun playing the Wordsmith & Skull and Bones games today. Need to look for the Wordsmith for the Mac.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

I have always gotten updates fairly quickly. I'm surprised I haven't gotten this.


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## dwgsp (Aug 28, 2005)

TiVoEvan74 said:


> 3) *Podcasts still a problem!*. Still don't get it. It took 31 minutes for it to even start streaming a show! That's far too long to tie up the TiVo.


Weird. On both my Tivos, podcasts start playing in just a few seconds. Both are connected to my wired network. Maybe your wireless network isn't performing well. But then why would Live365 stations start so quickly? I dunno...

Like I said at the top... weird!


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## megazone (Mar 3, 2002)

At this time HME applications don't have any access to the TiVo's hard drive. Everything is HME is 'streamed' - it is similar to X Windows, for the UNIX/Linux folks. The TiVo is the X Windows server - it is just a display and all of the screens, and audio, is generated by the 'client' running elsewhere. That's why there is no buffering, etc, on the box.

Now, some of the features - like trick play - could be implemented in the HME application for podcasts. If it buffered the pod cast, it could handle it. The issue then is scaling - how long to you hold a buffer for a user before flushing it? A centralized server could also handle transcoding, etc, like Galleon does.

Anyone who wanted to could setup this kind of application, even charge for the service - see http://www.apps.tv/ for an example of hosted HME applications.

The market is open - if you think there is real demand, go for it.


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## tech-lover (Feb 17, 2006)

Just about every day I download and watch video podcasts on my PC. I can watch these on a television in my study but I would really like to transfer them to my Tivo Series 2. I downloaded the Tivo Desktop but this doesn't seem to deal with podcasts - audio or video.

Is it possible for me to move internet video podcasts from my PC to my Tivo? How do I go about doing this?

Thanks


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

tech-lover said:


> Just about every day I download and watch video podcasts on my PC. I can watch these on a television in my study but I would really like to transfer them to my Tivo Series 2. I downloaded the Tivo Desktop but this doesn't seem to deal with podcasts - audio or video.
> 
> Is it possible for me to move internet video podcasts from my PC to my Tivo? How do I go about doing this?
> 
> Thanks


For mp3 audio, add the folder the podcasts are being downloaded into to TiVo Desktop. For video, the TiVo requires a specifically formatted mpeg2 file. Videora can take care of converting most filetypes.


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

Well, it's been a month, and I haven't used any of those Internet features again!

The novelty of playing a game via Tivo or turning on the TV and TiVo to get to a music station wore off quickly--as in one day.

The other day, our 2nd TiVo got the surfin' features and I didn't even bother to test it. That's what a yawner all this is.

Then yesterday morning with snow previously forecast, I decided to, lazily, from bed, hit the remote to see what Yahoo weather would tell me. Well, of course, that was a production... too many menus to wade through and then it turned out that it didn't automatically register me from our other TiVo. So, it was out of bed, go to the study, dig up the password on the computer (where I could have simply looked up the weather!), back to the 2nd Tivo, then the fun of selecting all those letters for the user name and password... Ooops! A mistake, wrong user name, back to the study, back to the computer (where I could have simply looked up the weather!) (oh, wait, I said that before!  ), back to the bedroom, back to the 2nd Tivo... at this point, the whole point of being lazy and using the tivo to check the weather was moot. Still, I persevered, entered the yahoo info (gee, I thinks, maybe I don't want to be doing this given yahoo's politics), finally get to the weather screen...

and then I discover that it's virtually nothing, an icon or two, a temperature and that's it. For all that trouble, I could have and should have and will simply go to the laptop and get a real forecast, with radar and satellite maps, etc. I then tried a podcast again... and waited, and waited--no streaming, after a minute or two of twiddling my thumbs, I said, "Forget it!"

Nope, while I appreciate all the things people seem to use it for, it's not going to fit in our lifestyles--at least not now, with a too deep menu structure, no customizability (e.g., put an entry at the top of the Now Playing list), lack of responsiveness (no instant streaming), limited information, and yahoo reliance. Oh, well, nice try Tivo!


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

TiVoEvan74 said:


> ...I then tried a podcast again... and waited, and waited--no streaming, after a minute or two of twiddling my thumbs, I said, "Forget it!"...(no instant streaming),...


I won't try to convince you of the usefulness or lack thereof of any of the features, however you should know you may have a problem on your network or TiVos (more likely the network if both TiVos have this symptom). Or, there may be an oddball podcast server out there that is either too slow/overloaded, misconfigured, or in some other way unreachable by your network/TiVo, that you unfortunately picked to play. But when everything does work, as it does for my setup, you should get near-instantaneous playback. Maybe TiVo is to blame, but you may want to do a little investigation to be sure about that. If your network does have an issue, it could manifest in other, non-TiVo-related ways as well.


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## bidger (Mar 30, 2001)

I can sympathize with TiVoEvan74, but I can also understand why TiVo has to start to offer these features since they're a part of what a Home Theater PC offers. The Yahoo features are flaky in that you never know if they'll be available when you want to use them. Live365 is alright, but I get XM through DirecTV, so that's what I use more often. Games are fun, but I don't like wearing down the batteries in my remote. 

Sorry, but software features are no substitute for hardware features. When the Series 3 comes out, SA users will see what I mean.


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

To be sure, I recognize that lots of people like these features and are using them. We all have different styles and expectations. I don't think we'll ever get into using the TV or TiVo to surf the web!

But I do recognize the importance of their doing this-- and that it is an early version-- and that the hardware seems underpowered and the interface immature-- and I expect it to get better.

Well, we are connected wirelessly, and that seemed to be the verdict from other posters. Wired podcasts seem to start right away, but wireless... no way.

Have others used wireless and gotten near instant starts? If so, then the earlier poster is right and there is something wrong with our set up. But what could that be? And how could one trouble shoot it?

The USB adapters were the Linksys recommended by TiVo, we are using whatever network password system is used (WAP? WEP? whatever it is), we are on a cable modem with Airport Express. The wireless signals are excellent 85-90%+. Transfers of shows being units are fairly fast, with near instant starts. Other of the net features, including the radio, come on right away... but the various podcasts we've tried (and there have been several) don't start right away at all... 

So, any notions of what to look for? Of course, what am I saying... it really doesn't matter. As noted earlier in the thread, get a phone call, UPS signed delivery, fmaily or friend to chit-chat or attend to, etc. and you've missed key portions of your show (unless you do Galleon or the other Mac/PC softwarre solutions).


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

TiVoEvan, what is the connection strength of your wireless connection (under the Network Info screen)? It may be that you just need to adjust the position of the adapter.

Personally I have about 80% connection strength and have never had an issue with any of the Podcasts.

As for the Yahoo apps: We've been working to improve the reliability of these apps; there have been a couple of outages in the last few months, and you should not be seeing any further problems.

Best regards,
Stephen


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

Stephen, thanks for responding. As noted in my post, the wireless signals are great, really strong! They range from about 80% to 90%+ and the report is always "Excellent"! Alas, that's not it!

Any other ideas? Is there some other network indicator to check? Could it be related to password protection on the system? Could it be related to the cable modem or internet cable system provider?


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