# Should I get the Tivo Stream?



## peterkronenberg (Jan 12, 2005)

Hoping that folks here can help me decide if I will be happy with the Stream.

My wife and I love our Tivo. Obviously, we use it for recording shows and almost never watch anything live. But we can also watch streaming content through Netflix, Amazon, HBO. One thing that I've been hoping for, for years, is for them to add additional providers, such as CBS All Access, Disney+ etc. Not sure why they didn't go in this direction.

Currently, If we want to watch something on CBS All Access, I bring it up on my phone and then cast it to our Google Chrome.

So if I understand the Stream correctly, it will allow me to watch streaming shows either through native support (I assume Netflix, Amazon, etc), or I can just download the Android app for it (e.g., CBS All Access, Disney+). Is my understanding correct?

When watching streaming shows, is the interface the same for all providers? The normal Tivo pause, replay 8 seconds, etc?

The one downside of the current Tivo interface is that we have to search for content on individual providers. Sounds like the Stream will let me search for content across all my providers

Is my understanding correct? Anything that is going to sorely disappoint me?


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

No you are not correct.

All the apps are just the Android apps. There is no “native support”. And no apps have the TiVo interface for play, pause etc.

It’s just an Android dongle with a TiVo app included that lets you aggravate your favorite shows on a single screen And launch the appropriate app from there.

Its $50. If you want to stop casting from your phone, get it. Although you’ll be able to do that, too. The included remote is decent.


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## peterkronenberg (Jan 12, 2005)

cwoody222 said:


> No you are not correct.
> 
> All the apps are just the Android apps. There is no "native support". And no apps have the TiVo interface for play, pause etc.
> 
> ...


Hmm, I got the impression from some of the online reviews that there is a 'Tivo' side an an 'Android' side. I thought the Tivo side had native support for certain streaming platforms. Are you saying all of them just need you to download the corresponding Android app?


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## rczrider (May 16, 2020)

peterkronenberg said:


> Hmm, I got the impression from some of the online reviews that there is a 'Tivo' side an an 'Android' side. I thought the Tivo side had native support for certain streaming platforms. Are you saying all of them just need you to download the corresponding Android app?


The "TiVo" side is really just a separate app, almost a launcher, that (theoretically) allows for searching across those apps it supports _and_ which are installed on the device.

The "Android" side is literally everything. The Stream 4K runs Android TV and everything is an app. For some folks like me who don't have any other TiVo devices, the Stream 4K is just a well-priced Android TV device. I don't care about TiVo. I care that this is the best option compared to the Fire Stick 4K and Mi Box.

If you're looking for any sort of TiVo integration, this doesn't have it. The only real association it has with TiVo is the branding.


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## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

If you dont have a dedicated streaming device (as I didnt) then by all means grab it. Use your Tivos to watch tv and recordings; go over to the stream to watch your CBS and others. In spite of the love and hate here I think the device is just fine. I have a ROKU TV and I think the Stream4k is smoother, functionally and with the remote.


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## rczrider (May 16, 2020)

mattyro7878 said:


> I have a ROKU TV and I think the Stream4k is smoother, functionally and with the remote.


Same. I am less than impressed with Roku in general; no Chromecast capabilities, the Plex app is flaky, and it's far less versatile than either a Fire or pure Android device (eg. no Kodi).

I do like the live TV pause / back / forward capability built into my TV's Roku, though.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

at the end of the day it's just a streaming box and not the best one. Probably not the worst either.

read the forum for info. there's lots of it.

As someone said if you don't have a streaming box yet well then it's probably going to look pretty good. it seemed like the people that didn't have a previous streaming box were the most impressed with it.


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## SugarBowl (Jan 5, 2007)

It also comes with about 50 streaming channels called Tivo+. This might be the biggest benefit for someone that is a cord cutter and does not pay for any streaming services. $50 for a device and 50 channels.


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## siratfus (Oct 3, 2008)

peterkronenberg said:


> Hoping that folks here can help me decide if I will be happy with the Stream.
> 
> My wife and I love our Tivo. Obviously, we use it for recording shows and almost never watch anything live. But we can also watch streaming content through Netflix, Amazon, HBO. One thing that I've been hoping for, for years, is for them to add additional providers, such as CBS All Access, Disney+ etc. Not sure why they didn't go in this direction.
> 
> ...


If all you've used is your Tivo, and this will be your first gadget, I think you'll be very happy with it. So basically, from my understanding, your Tivo is your all in one place right now. You view your recordings there and you use whatever apps they have. When they don't have a certain app, you cast from your phone. You have very basic needs, which means, if the Tivo dongle is your first smart device, you will like it.

The remote has essentially 2 home screens. One button goes to the main Android TV home screen, and the other is the Tivo button, which takes you to the Tivo Stream app. This is just an app, but it is Tivo's "special" app, so they made a home button specifically for it. In this app, it aggregates searches across select providers, currently only these: Sling, Netflix, HBO Now, Prime (included in prime), Prime Video (to view the stuff you have to pay), Hulu, Disney+, Google Play Movies and TV. So you can launch movies from this app, or save to a watchlist. Currently, it does not sync and pull the watchlists you may already have in each of those apps. So you're basically starting from scratch in terms of watchlist.

So anything else, you'll need to use the other home button that takes you to the main Android interface. Here you can install and launch any apps you want, including the apps listed above. You can customize your home so that you can get to CBS all Access quickly if you want. It has built in Chromecast, so you can cast from your phone if you wish. But it basically has everything. Casting to me, is when I can't find my remote. LOL!

In terms of play, forward, rewind... each app behaves a little differently. But it's the usual stuff, you can play, pause, forward, rewind, etc.

What a lot of us are unhappy about is that we cannot access the recordings on our actual tivos. They could have just branded this product an entire different name. It has nothing to do with your Tivo DVR, treat it as a supplement. If it's your first such device, go for it!

Ooh, I forgot to mention. You can install REELGOOD app, which does essentially what the Tivo Stream app is trying to do, but includes way more apps, one of which is CBS all access. You can also check out the Amazon Fire products. The reelgood app can be installed in those fire tvs too. But Fire's home screen is not Android TV. They have their own design and it's very Amazon-centric. If you hate ADs, you might not want the Fire product.


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## md wass (May 17, 2020)

SugarBowl said:


> It also comes with about 50 streaming channels called Tivo+. This might be the biggest benefit for someone that is a cord cutter and does not pay for any streaming services. $50 for a device and 50 channels.


I'm not sure I would call those 50 "channels" actual channels...its the kind of stuff that even for free no one will bother watching more than once to see what it is..


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## fattymcbuckles (May 21, 2020)

peterkronenberg said:


> Hoping that folks here can help me decide if I will be happy with the Stream.
> 
> My wife and I love our Tivo. Obviously, we use it for recording shows and almost never watch anything live. But we can also watch streaming content through Netflix, Amazon, HBO. One thing that I've been hoping for, for years, is for them to add additional providers, such as CBS All Access, Disney+ etc. Not sure why they didn't go in this direction.
> 
> ...





peterkronenberg said:


> Hoping that folks here can help me decide if I will be happy with the Stream.
> 
> My wife and I love our Tivo. Obviously, we use it for recording shows and almost never watch anything live. But we can also watch streaming content through Netflix, Amazon, HBO. One thing that I've been hoping for, for years, is for them to add additional providers, such as CBS All Access, Disney+ etc. Not sure why they didn't go in this direction.
> 
> ...





peterkronenberg said:


> Hoping that folks here can help me decide if I will be happy with the Stream.
> 
> My wife and I love our Tivo. Obviously, we use it for recording shows and almost never watch anything live. But we can also watch streaming content through Netflix, Amazon, HBO. One thing that I've been hoping for, for years, is for them to add additional providers, such as CBS All Access, Disney+ etc. Not sure why they didn't go in this direction.
> 
> ...


Well you get it now and save 20 dollars but it currently has a lot of issues that need fixing .Hopefully they push some updates to address all the problems.Or it may be better to wait and see if all the problems get fixed but then you maybe paying the 70 dollars price by then.Tough choice


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

SugarBowl said:


> It also comes with about 50 streaming channels called Tivo+. This might be the biggest benefit for someone that is a cord cutter and does not pay for any streaming services. $50 for a device and 50 channels.


Nah there are other free streaming services out there like Plutotv that you can get on most every platform. And I'm guessing Plutotv has better content.


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## peterkronenberg (Jan 12, 2005)

siratfus said:


> currently only these: Sling, Netflix, HBO Now, Prime (included in prime), Prime Video (to view the stuff you have to pay), Hulu, Disney+, Google Play Movies and TV. So you can launch movies from this app, or save to a watchlist. Currently, it does not sync and pull the watchlists you may already have in each of those apps. So you're basically starting from scratch in terms of watchlist.


This is the part that made me think that there was 'native' capability. So it only searches across these limited 'supported' streaming services, right
But I also thought that it would combine the Wishlists from all of them. So that's a bit disappointing.

So if I wanted to watch CBS All Access, just as an example, the Tivo app wouldn't know anything about it. So if I did a search for The Good Fight, it just wouldn't find it?



siratfus said:


> What a lot of us are unhappy about is that we cannot access the recordings on our actual tivos. They could have just branded this product an entire different name. It has nothing to do with your Tivo DVR, treat it as a supplement. If it's your first such device, go for it!


Yeah, that's a bit weird. Would love not to have to switch TV inputs and just stay in one place



siratfus said:


> Ooh, I forgot to mention. You can install REELGOOD app, which does essentially what the Tivo Stream app is trying to do, but includes way more apps, one of which is CBS all access. You can also check out the Amazon Fire products. The reelgood app can be installed in those fire tvs too. But Fire's home screen is not Android TV. They have their own design and it's very Amazon-centric. If you hate ADs, you might not want the Fire product.


So I can just download the Reelgood app and use that instead of the Tivo app? Seems to me that there is a definitely a market here for other people to write better apps

thanks everyone for all the suggestions and helping me to better understand.


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## AussieFigjam (Mar 5, 2020)

I think all your questions were answered already, as already mentioned, this is just an Android TV box with a Tivo app installed, and for an Android TV box, it is pretty good for the price (maybe not so much when the price goes up soon). I bought it because it is Android TV, and that allows me to do things (like VPN), but there are some points that may be worth mentioning related to your questions:


It also contains Chomecast built-in, so if you are used to casting to your screen, you can do it with this box and get rid of your Chromecast dongle
The Tivo app (Tivo Stream) is kind-of what you mentioned, it aggregates shows from various places and allows you to search everything in one place, but execution is lacking somewhat at this point, and your experience with this will vary based on which streaming services you subscribe to. If you have only Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, and you don't care about searching any TV shows which are broadcast, then it works well. If you have any other streaming or "live TV" services other than Sling, it doesn't work very well, but maybe that will change in the future, and I'm willing to give Tivo the benefit of the doubt at this point; this is just a software update away.
It does not aggregate anything from existing traditional Tivo devices (yet), so you will still end up having to switch TV inputs and do a different search to find and watch anything from your existing Tivo
The remote is actually really nice (matter of opinion); if you are used to Tivo, you will feel comfortable with it.


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## siratfus (Oct 3, 2008)

peterkronenberg said:


> This is the part that made me think that there was 'native' capability. So it only searches across these limited 'supported' streaming services, right
> But I also thought that it would combine the Wishlists from all of them. So that's a bit disappointing.
> 
> So if I wanted to watch CBS All Access, just as an example, the Tivo app wouldn't know anything about it. So if I did a search for The Good Fight, it just wouldn't find it?


Yes, currently, you would have to start from scratch regarding watchlist. That is if you want the watchlist in one location in the tivo stream app.

Use the Reelgood app for all in one if CBS All Access is important to you. Or just go into the actual CBS ALL Access app. You do not need to use the Tivo Stream app. Again, it's no different than Fire Sticks, Apple TVs, Rokus. None of those devices offer all in one searches either. It's the APP that does that, and some of the apps that do that are Tivo Stream, ReelGood, and JustWatch.


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## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

SugarBowl said:


> It also comes with about 50 streaming channels called Tivo+. This might be the biggest benefit for someone that is a cord cutter and does not pay for any streaming services. $50 for a device and 50 channels.


Along with Xumo and Pluto you can keep yourdself entertained for just the cost of internet.


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## siratfus (Oct 3, 2008)

mattyro7878 said:


> Along with Xumo and Pluto you can keep yourdself entertained for just the cost of internet.


Absolutely. Pluto tv alone is pretty good. Our world is definitely spoiled today. Remember how happy we were with just basic cable from wall to tv via coaxial? Think of Pluto Tv as that but even more channels.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

SugarBowl said:


> It also comes with about 50 streaming channels called Tivo+. This might be the biggest benefit for someone that is a cord cutter and does not pay for any streaming services. $50 for a device and 50 channels.


TiVo+ also is available on TiVo DVRs (I don't recall starting with what generation of boxes), which the OP already has. 


fattymcbuckles said:


> Well you get it now and save 20 dollars but it currently has a lot of issues that need fixing .Hopefully they push some updates to address all the problems.Or it may be better to wait and see if all the problems get fixed but then you maybe paying the 70 dollars price by then.Tough choice


Who knows what the Amazon, etc. price will be when the device finally goes full retail, and what the price will be on Black Friday and at other specials--perhaps TiVo will have the kinks worked out by then?


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## fattymcbuckles (May 21, 2020)

Mikeguy said:


> TiVo+ also is available on TiVo DVRs (I don't recall starting with what generation of boxes), which the OP already has.
> 
> Who knows what the Amazon, etc. price will be when the device finally goes full retail, and what the price will be on Black Friday and at other specials--perhaps TiVo will have the kinks worked out by then?


I'm hoping so


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## omelet1978 (Mar 7, 2006)

The two different home screens, the Tivo interface and then the Android TV interface, is probably the biggest weakness. The reason I say that is with my Roku people can just pick the remote up and use the device. With the Tivo Stream most people are not going to know to press the round circle on the middle left of the remote to get to the Android TV section of the device.

That being said, Tivo Stream is not a bad product. It’s just with Tivo we’ll have to wait another year or 2 before it’s fully developed. For me it makes SlingTv immensely better in the fact there is are guide and live tv buttons on the remote which I do not have on the Roku. Also the Guide is better with you being able to see more channels and scroll through faster. Little things that make a difference.


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## rczrider (May 16, 2020)

omelet1978 said:


> The two different home screens, the Tivo interface and then the Android TV interface, is probably the biggest weakness. The reason I say that is with my Roku people can just pick the remote up and use the device. With the Tivo Stream most people are not going to know to press the round circle on the middle left of the remote to get to the Android TV section of the device.


Oh, absolutely. As much as I dislike Roku as a platform, I think their remote is about perfect (of the ones I've tried).

My Nexus Player and Mi Box remotes were almost too simple; I managed them fine, but for a lot of folks, it's not immediately intuitive. I personally don't care for the TiVo remote setup - too many buttons - but it's certainly not bad.

Roku takes the guesswork out of it with just the right number and type of buttons. IMO, of course.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

cwoody222 said:


> ...It's just an Android dongle with a TiVo app included that lets you *aggravate* your favorite shows on a single screen...


While you might not have intended, you speak the truth.


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## siratfus (Oct 3, 2008)

Bierboy said:


> While you might not have intended, you speak the truth.


The auto-correct on my device just got the new "subliminal" firmware update. It can tell how you really feel. A.I. is getting scary.


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