# Xfinity On Demand Streaming From Roamio To iPad Possible?



## Donzi (Sep 20, 2006)

I just got a Roamio and have access to Xfinity VOD from the Tivo on it. Also, I have streaming working from the Roamio to my iPad. Finally, I can find VOD shows on the TiVo app but my only option is to play them on my TV. Is there any way to stream Xfinity VOD (or Netflix, Amazon, etc.) to the iPad app?


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## Keen (Aug 3, 2009)

Use the Xfinity app?


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## Donzi (Sep 20, 2006)

I'm aware of that. I guess I should have been clearer that I mean't "...to the TiVo iPad app." I like the TiVo interface better. Should I assume that means the answer to my original question is no?

Additionally, I just noticed that the Xfinity app requires iOS6 which is fine with my iPad Air but my kid's old iPad 1 can't be upgraded past iOS 5.1.1.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Don't think so. VOD is a whole different animal. And mostly useless to a TiVo user at that. TiVo >>> VOD.


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## Donzi (Sep 20, 2006)

Thanks fellow CT Tivo'er. I agree TiVo >> VOD but still there's some cool older stuff on VOD that I missed first time around.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Donzi said:


> Thanks fellow CT Tivo'er. I agree TiVo >> VOD but still there's some cool older stuff on VOD that I missed first time around.


Where in CT are you? I'm in Groton/Mystic.


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## markfheil (Mar 22, 2006)

I can't even get Xfinity OD to work on the mini. It just hangs on "Please Wait"


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## patrickthickey (Sep 4, 2002)

Bigg said:


> Don't think so. VOD is a whole different animal. And mostly useless to a TiVo user at that. TiVo >>> VOD.


I'm curious why you assert VOD is useless?

We use Xfinity VOD all the time with our Roamio, it offers a huge library of stuff...and perhaps best, once the channel selection is determined via the broadband connection, the show streams via cable connection. Cable delivered video never suffers from the potential stutter and contention of TCP/IP connections. It likely never comes close to saturation.

It thus also keeps our broadband connection free for other broadband uses.

So what exactly makes it useless?


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

patrickthickey said:


> I'm curious why you assert VOD is useless?
> 
> We use Xfinity VOD all the time with our Roamio, it offers a huge library of stuff...and perhaps best, once the channel selection is determined via the broadband connection, the show streams via cable connection. Cable delivered video never suffers from the potential stutter and contention of TCP/IP connections. It likely never comes close to saturation.
> 
> ...


Because TiVo defeats the purpose of VOD... just record what you want, and then it's there, with local FF and RWD control, not the limit control and buggy software you get with VOD.

It would probably work better if it was over the internet, but that's another story...

And it's not like modern broadband can't handle multiple things at once. Comcast Blast! is 55mbps, which would allow, in theory, 3 4k steams with a little under 10 mbps left over. With HD, you could have many streams going at once. The data cap is the bigger issue, if and when Comcast decides to screw over it's customers.


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## patrickthickey (Sep 4, 2002)

Bigg said:


> Because TiVo defeats the purpose of VOD... just record what you want, and then it's there, with local FF and RWD control, not the limit control and buggy software you get with VOD.
> 
> It would probably work better if it was over the internet, but that's another story...
> 
> And it's not like modern broadband can't handle multiple things at once. Comcast Blast! is 55mbps, which would allow, in theory, 3 4k steams with a little under 10 mbps left over. With HD, you could have many streams going at once. The data cap is the bigger issue, if and when Comcast decides to screw over it's customers.


I do not find Xfinity VOD to be buggy, nor can I find what I want to see NOW using the Tivo exclusively. I enjoy each, and consider it a liability to NOT have VOD considering what I pay Comcast for TV only. I have tested and rejected the Comcast X1 platform, but it is developing and is potentially very usable. In fact, for the areas where Comcast has not managed to embrace the VOD handshake with Tivo, the X1 might be quite an eye-opener due to the size of the catalog.

By choice and preference, I would opt for the Tivo experience if I had to choose only one of the two services. Since I can have both, I go on record as saying we enjoy the heck out of VOD.

As far as Blast! - I understand TCP/IP..... 

So I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying the implementation of VOD on the Tivo is a wonderful thing in my opinion. Oh...you can rewind, and pause but obviously, not fast forward. 

May I ask if you have this offering in your area on your Tivo?


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Bigg said:


> And mostly useless to a TiVo user at that. TiVo >>> VOD.


I probably would have agreed with you not too long ago, but I disagree.

If I have unlimited recording space, I'd probably agree with you.

But after a 'while' (a few days to a week), many shows end up on VOD with VERY few commercials, and thus I watch the HD versions that way (instead of recording ALL shows in HD and ending up with very limited space). I still Tivo the SD recordings, but at least for a couple shows a week lately, VOD the HD versions instead.

Daily Show & Colbert end up with ALMOST no commercials at all, and the ones that are there (really their own promos) are FFable, though I just record on my other device and delay a tiny bit instead.

Plus, since I have HBO (its in my current package deal), I end up watching movies that way too, instead of recording them from HBO.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

patrickthickey said:


> By choice and preference, I would opt for the Tivo experience if I had to choose only one of the two services. Since I can have both, I go on record as saying we enjoy the heck out of VOD.
> 
> As far as Blast! - I understand TCP/IP.....
> 
> ...


We have it most of the time (sometimes it doesn't work). It's painful to use though. There is no true FF and RW, the FF and RW (some shows have FF disabled) are pre-made alternate streams that are switched at the headend when you hit the FF button, which results in only one speed, super slow. The TiVo trickplay buttons don't work correctly, the whole interface is a kludge (it's not any better on Comcast's crappy boxes either). The response time is also horrible, as it has to send a signal up to the head end, and then the head end has to respond, whereas with TiVo recordings, the biggest lag is your video processor and TV, as the box itself is usually very responsive, even the Premieres.

It's definitely a last resort for more obscure stuff that you missed. Anything popular you can just torrent.

I'd rather have it than not have it, but it's definitely not a very good feature.



mattack said:


> I probably would have agreed with you not too long ago, but I disagree.
> 
> If I have unlimited recording space, I'd probably agree with you.


Considering that the Premiere XL4 was a 2TB unit, and the Roamio Pro is a 3TB unit, and Comcast triple channels their HD's yielding about 5.5GB/hour, storage space should not be a problem. My XL4, which was 30% full a week and a half ago has handled heavy duty recording the past week and a half with aplomb, and I still have all the primetime coverage on the hard drive plus a few other random recordings, and I'm not even at 50%. And I have a lot of poorly managed junk laying around. If I was doing a good job managing my recordings, I would be under 10% for normal circumstances, and maybe another 10% for my roommates, if that.

I love the XL4, as even with it's now relatively small 2TB drive, it seems like a bottomless pit. The 4TB, 6-tuner Roamio Plus from Weaknees would truly be a bottomless pit. I'm pretty sure that thing could record everything from a summer Olympics and still have room to spare.

Why on EARTH would you record in SD? That's just horrible. HD is the standard now. The only thing I record in SD is ESPNU, since my Comcast system is a 650mhz system, and we don't have the HD version of that channel. Everything else is HD.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

I record in SD *FOR SPACE REASONS* as I said. I keep *SEASONS* of shows sometimes, and yes, have gone back and watched YEARS old recordings (and deleted them of course).

I nowadays mostly offload recordings to make more space.

I just bet I record WAY more stuff than you.. (I record way more than I can watch all the time, but especially way more during the 'regular season', so I have new stuff all summer..)


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

mattack said:


> I record in SD *FOR SPACE REASONS* as I said. I keep *SEASONS* of shows sometimes, and yes, have gone back and watched YEARS old recordings (and deleted them of course).
> 
> I nowadays mostly offload recordings to make more space.
> 
> I just bet I record WAY more stuff than you.. (I record way more than I can watch all the time, but especially way more during the 'regular season', so I have new stuff all summer..)


DVRs are not grandma's attic. If you have a storage problem with today's 3TB TiVo Roamio Pro, then you need to get friendly with the DELETE key. If you don't watch it within a reasonable period of time, you're not going to watch it, so delete it. A 2 or 3TB DVR allows you to keep plenty of garbage around that shouldn't be around, and still have tons of room to record stuff you're actually watching.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Bigg said:


> If you don't watch it within a reasonable period of time, you're not going to watch it, so delete it.


You don't know what the heck you're talking about. Years _is_ a reasonable period of time, for me. As I said, I have gone back and watched old stuff I've recorded.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

mattack said:


> You don't know what the heck you're talking about. Years _is_ a reasonable period of time, for me. As I said, I have gone back and watched old stuff I've recorded.


That's not a reasonable amount of time. That's called being a packrat. Get over it and delete some stuff. Purposely watching a far inferior signal just to have absurd amounts of storage space is just idiotic.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

You're just a jerk.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

+1


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## DigitalDawn (Apr 26, 2009)

Why not just off-load the stuff to DVD or BD discs?


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

mattack said:


> You're just a jerk.


Sorry if you don't like a dose of reality here.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

The reality is, it's HIS gear and recordings that HE paid for, so he can do with it what he wishes.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

HarperVision said:


> The reality is, it's HIS gear and recordings that HE paid for, so he can do with it what he wishes.


And I can call him out if it's stupid.


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

Bigg said:


> And I can call him out if it's stupid.


But it's not. Different people value things differently than you do. Why are you insulting all those folks (and it's lots of folks in lots of threads) just because of your personal values?

I have saved series on my TiVos for a couple of years. Am I stupid?


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## Sashieden (Jun 10, 2011)

But he is watching stuff in SD just so he can be a packrat, it's lunacy.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

CrispyCritter said:


> But it's not. Different people value things differently than you do. Why are you insulting all those folks (and it's lots of folks in lots of threads) just because of your personal values?
> 
> I have saved series on my TiVos for a couple of years. Am I stupid?


We moved on from SD 6 years ago. Using an outdated technology just for the sake of hoarding massive amounts of shows is absurd. And it's even more absurd given that you can use TiVo Desktop to transfer them off to a computer and some people even have NAS setups so that they can hoard stuff AND do it in HD.


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