# Tivo Stream fact check



## gp0152 (Nov 9, 2012)

This is a just a fact check on Tivo Stream. I've read all of the threads as well as the Reviews on Best Buy.

Question: One reviewer indicates that he is an Elite owner (as I am) with 4 tuners and that the Tivo Steam reserves/ties-up one of those even when not in use.

Is this true?

Many thanks!

GregP


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## southerndoc (Apr 5, 2003)

No, it does not tie up a tuner. You can't watch live TV with the Stream unless you start recording a show and watch the recording as it's being recorded (in that case, yes, it would take up a tuner).


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The reviewer may have been twlking about the Mini. The Mini is a diskless, streaming only, TiVo box that allows you to watch you TiVo recordings or live TV on another TV. For the live TV functionality to work it does require dedication of a tuner. 

The Stream is a simple transcoder box that allows you to watch TiVo recordings on an iOS device. It does not allow real live TV, only recordings


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## gp0152 (Nov 9, 2012)

Thanks for the information. Really appreciate it.

GregP


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## JoeTaxpayer (Dec 23, 2008)

I'm not a product basher, just trying to understand the features this device has. 

I use iTiVo to automatically pull shows from the TiVo to my Mac after they record. Another app (PogoPlug) permits my iPad/iPhone or other computers to see the main computer and stream whatever is there. 

It seems I have the features of the stream already covered, correct? (Except of course, my system has the iTiVo delay, a 9PM show finishes loading by 10PM.)


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Yeah pretty much, but you can watch a show in progress (I think that&#8217;s what you mean by your last comment)..

But you are also wasting power by leaving the other computer on all the time.

Also, I suggest you use kmttg instead of iTivo. It works much better. iTivo is a bunch of weird AppleScripts that seem to fail often, and when they do, they never give a useful error.. (BOTH programs are basically wrappers on top of CLI programs.)


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## txporter (Sep 18, 2006)

JoeTaxpayer said:


> I'm not a product basher, just trying to understand the features this device has.
> 
> I use iTiVo to automatically pull shows from the TiVo to my Mac after they record. Another app (PogoPlug) permits my iPad/iPhone or other computers to see the main computer and stream whatever is there.
> 
> It seems I have the features of the stream already covered, correct? (Except of course, my system has the iTiVo delay, a 9PM show finishes loading by 10PM.)


Another benefit (which may or may not be a benefit for you), is that the Tivo Stream will correctly mux/encode the closed captions to allow them to be switchable on the ipad/iphone when downloading from your Tivo.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

txporter said:


> Another benefit (which may or may not be a benefit for you), is that the Tivo Stream will correctly mux/encode the closed captions to allow them to be switchable on the ipad/iphone when downloading from your Tivo.


Only 708 captions. There is a bug that prevents this from working properly with 608 captions used in analog recordings.


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## txporter (Sep 18, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> Only 708 captions. There is a bug that prevents this from working properly with 608 captions used in analog recordings.


Good to know. I guess that I don't have any analog recordings any more, but something to keep in mind.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Dan203 said:


> Only 708 captions. There is a bug that prevents this from working properly with 608 captions used in analog recordings.


Not just analog recordings, but the vast majority (in my own experience) of SD channel captions too. Once in a RARE while they work, but I have not seen a pattern.. (I *think* maybe Bates Motel has worked on multiple episodes, but IIRC _not_ all.)


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## JWhites (May 15, 2013)

What I find strange is the need for the Stream in the first place. The Premiere is able to both transfer and stream to other TiVo devices, so in theory if a TiVo is connected to a network that has a wireless router or wireless access point, why can't it just permit a wireless mobile device on the network to connect to it directly like the mobile app we use to access recorded shows, guide info, control the TiVo remotely, and manage the to do lists and season passes, is able to do, instead of having us use another device on the network. The only thing I can think of that would make sense is if it transcoded video and audio formats into something the mobile devices can use such as MPEG or H.264 or something. It's just a guess.


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## SugarBowl (Jan 5, 2007)

JWhites said:


> The only thing I can think of that would make sense is if it transcoded video and audio formats into something the mobile devices can use such as MPEG or H.264 or something. It's just a guess.


That's exactly what it does.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

There is speculation that the next TiVo will actually have the transcoding capabilities built in so you wont actually need a separate Stream box.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Since this was intended as a FAQ kind of thread, I've got another question..

Does the Tivo (or Tivos) connected to a Stream need to reconnect to Tivo if the network changes?

That sure SEEMS to be my experience, but I wanted to make sure that it's not a fluke.

I moved into my new house, and even though the physical distance is much shorter, my WiFi bridges seem to be actually flakier.. mostly only noticeable when I wanted to use my iPad/stream in another room.. So for now I switched to Wifi router in living room, with long ethernet cable to bedroom & switch connected to a bunch of items there.. seems to be working..

But when I first tried it, it could see my Tivo, but I couldn't stream/download anything, and wouldn't even go into the first step of the reconfiguring Stream process.

What SEEMED to fix it was reconnecting the Premiere to Tivo, *even* just the "Test Internet Connection" part (not a full daily call). I forget how I switched things again, maybe I went back to the bridges... I had to redo this a few times since I had thought I messed up my network... but then stumbled back on this.

Has anybody else done network reconfigs, and noticed that you had to have the Premiere *directly* connect back to Tivo to get a Stream to work again?


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## JWhites (May 15, 2013)

Dan203 said:


> There is speculation that the next TiVo will actually have the transcoding capabilities built in so you wont actually need a separate Stream box.


Oh so then by years end the Stream could be obsolete in the next generation of TiVo's if one were to change all of their Premiere's over to the Series 5?


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

JWhites said:


> Oh so then by years end the Stream could be obsolete in the next generation of TiVo's if one were to change all of their Premiere's over to the Series 5?


Remember everything about a hardware update is speculation. When and what is really unknown.

If you have iOS devices and want to stream to them now (or side load unprotected content) I would buy a stream and not worry about what might be coming.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

JWhites said:


> Oh so then by years end the Stream could be obsolete in the next generation of TiVo's if one were to change all of their Premiere's over to the Series 5?


That's the rumor. Although who knows if TiVo will deliver on the feature or the time frame. They've been known to let these sorts of things slip.


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