iPhone App DVR Remote [Text View]

pcbrew

02-25-2009, 10:21 PM

There was a thread over in the S3 forum on the enabling technology. TiVo added a way to send command via the network for a high end Crestron remote. Some guys figured out the protocol and there are now a few Apps on the iTunes store for this. I think DVR Remote looks like the best - I have it on my Touch.

BTW, it only works on S3/THD and yes, you can select the TiVo to control if you have multiple units (it finds them on it's own).

http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6859796#post6859796

The main reason I bought was to use it for the keyboard feature to simplify entering search text. There is a YouTube demo of this feature here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1yGfJve-IQ

Resist

02-25-2009, 11:07 PM

DVR Remote Lite is the free version, DVR Remote is the pay version.

It's a shame it only works with Tivo Series 3, Tivo HD and Tivo HD XL boxes but I am sure it is a Tivo issue and not the app's.

Yes the text search function is really cool.

Mattack, I didn't have to enter a Mac (not MAK) address, so I have no idea what you are talking about.

JYoung

02-25-2009, 11:40 PM

Mattack, I didn't have to enter a Mac (not MAK) address, so I have no idea what you are talking about.

He meant Media Access Key.

The app has the capability to access your Now Playing via the Tivo web server,

And yes, you can easy switch between multiple Tivos.

Resist

02-25-2009, 11:42 PM

Oh Media Access Key, sorry I misunderstood.

I found that the response time of this app seems just as fast, if not faster, than my Tivo remote. I am very impressed so far.

Mars Rocket

02-26-2009, 09:54 AM

I tried that one, but the on-screen layout was terrible. There's another app called RemoteT that works better for me and includes a Text Entry section for quickly typing out things in the TiVos search areas.

KnightShade

02-26-2009, 01:21 PM

mattack

02-26-2009, 10:35 PM

The main reason I bought was to use it for the keyboard feature to simplify entering search text. There is a YouTube demo of this feature here:
http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6859796#post6859796

Did you post the wrong thread? I don't see a link to a YouTube demo in that thread.

And yes, you can easy switch between multiple Tivos.

Could you explain how this works? I guess I'll just download the app.. but I don't want the equivalent of a "remote code 0"(*) app running if that's what it does by default.

(*) controls all Tivos.

pcbrew

02-27-2009, 12:42 AM

I fixed the link in the post above, now points to YouTube.

When you first start the App, it come up with a list of the TiVo's it has found and you pick the one you want to control. TO change, go back to that screen and change your selection. There isn't a screen shot on the developers web page http://www.stutsmansoft.com/dvrremote/Default.aspx, but I'll try to get a snapshot of that screen tomorrow.

mikelinley

02-27-2009, 01:57 AM

nice ap..cant wait to try it out..thanks for the info..gotta love TiVo and IPhone!

JYoung

02-27-2009, 02:43 AM

Could you explain how this works? I guess I'll just download the app.. but I don't want the equivalent of a "remote code 0"(*) app running if that's what it does by default.

(*) controls all Tivos.

There is no such function on this app.
This app controls each TiVo by network IP address.

mattack

02-27-2009, 10:45 PM

OK, that's kind of hokey.. I thought it "typed" the characters over the network stream.. but it really 'types' them by moving the Tivo cursor around and hitting enter.. Weeeiird.

pcbrew

02-27-2009, 11:32 PM

Here is a snap of the DVR selection screen.
Note that only the S3's can be controlled.

wmcbrine

02-28-2009, 05:57 AM

Here is a snap of the DVR selection screen.
Note that only the S3's can be controlled.Why doesn't it exclude the S2's from the list? Lame, unless it's still doing something with them (like displaying the Now Playing list).

OK, that's kind of hokey.. I thought it "typed" the characters over the network stream.. but it really 'types' them by moving the Tivo cursor around and hitting enter.. Weeeiird.Well I thought it was clever, when I came up with it. (http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6243141#post6243141) :) But anyway, it's all we can do with the remote interface provided, as far as we know. (There's that mysterious "KEYBOARD" command, but no one's gotten it to do anything.)

JYoung

02-28-2009, 04:56 PM

Why doesn't it exclude the S2's from the list? Lame, unless it's still doing something with them (like displaying the Now Playing list).

Not quite lame because you can access the Now Playing list of a Series 2 with the app.
You can't control it, of course.

DVRRemote

02-28-2009, 05:25 PM

Hi Guys!

I just wanted to say thanks for the kind words - I appreciate it!

I'm not going to go in detail about features and changes on this forum, as it would probably be considered off-topic, but I did want to say that filtering of Series 3 TiVo units is something that I've resolved in the forthcoming 1.03 update.

Many more cool features are coming so stay tuned!

Resist

02-28-2009, 07:54 PM

My only issue with this app is that the buttons need to be larger and it would be nice if it could change the TV volume.

Mars Rocket

03-01-2009, 12:51 AM

My only issue with this app is that the buttons need to be larger and it would be nice if it could change the TV volume.

I can't see how that would be possible unless your TV had a network connection and allowed network control, or you piped the audio through something else (like an AV receiver) that did.

Resist

03-01-2009, 09:30 AM

I assume you are talking about volume control?

Mars Rocket

03-01-2009, 12:52 PM

Yes, sorry. The buttons could obviously be made larger.

DVRRemote

03-01-2009, 12:53 PM

I hear you loud and clear. :)

jkalnin

03-02-2009, 10:43 AM

The free jailbroken app is also killer:
http://code.google.com/p/tivoremote/

Makes my iPhone into a working peanut!

http://tivoremote.googlecode.com/svn/www/images/screen_shot.png

modnar

03-02-2009, 12:39 PM

OK, that's kind of hokey.. I thought it "typed" the characters over the network stream.. but it really 'types' them by moving the Tivo cursor around and hitting enter.. Weeeiird.
I don't considerate hokey, considering it's really the only option that's been discovered so far, especially since, as I understand it, TiVo hasn't documented this feature (please correct me if I'm wrong).

On the other hand, it's a huge time saver!

wmcbrine

03-02-2009, 03:22 PM

They've documented it... for Crestron. Not for the public, no.

Or they may have written it to Crestron's specs. The design kind of sucks compared to the officially published TiVo interfaces, which makes me wonder. (Not that I'm complaining -- it's exceptionally transparent, which is why all the third-party remotes can exist in the absence of documentation from TiVo, and even without the developers having Crestron devices to reverse engineer. It's almost like they wanted the hackers to figure it out.)

TishTash

03-03-2009, 08:36 AM

Just a note: When the TiVo happens to be sluggish, it doesn't register all the rapid keystrokes from text entry, rendering at the least gobbledygook, or the most, a bunch of random navigation (arrow) keystrokes that may result in who knows what. So make sure your TiVo is in a responsive mode.

[Speaking of which, as a trivial aside, when I tried to enter a number from the TiVo Central screen to shortcut to, say, the "To Do List" by pressing "2." (I know, not what the app is for.) DVR Remote let loose a bunch of keystrokes, which only later I figured out was it trying to navigate to "2" as if the keyboard were onscreen. My bad.]

Finally, someone mentioned you can modify the keyboard layout on the app. I tried to figure this out, but I'm stumped. Any hints?

DVRRemote

03-03-2009, 08:41 AM

dig_duggler

03-03-2009, 11:56 AM

I don't considerate hokey, considering it's really the only option that's been discovered so far, especially since, as I understand it, TiVo hasn't documented this feature (please correct me if I'm wrong).

On the other hand, it's a huge time saver!

Heck, I bought it just for this feature. It will easily save me $3 in aggravation. I'm impressed given the price. Works well.

walterwatts

03-19-2009, 07:47 PM

Could someone please explain to me why EVERYTHING that is cool, ie. this DVR Remote app, Netflix, etc. won't work on my THREE networked Series 2 DT's and all require Series 3 or HD etc.

I'm really getting sick of Tivo's abandonment of the Series 2 customers like me who spend upwards of $40 to $50 per month on service only to be left out of the product improvement loop.

ARE YOU LISTENING TIVO ACCOUNTANTS ie. $40 to $50 PER MONTH!

That is all,

Walter

PS.
$40 to $50 PER MONTH
$40 to $50 PER MONTH
$40 to $50 PER MONTH
$40 to $50 PER MONTH

PS2.
If Tivo can come up with a way to upgrade my three Series 2's to Series 3, HD, (WHATEVER HW upgrade it takes to take advantage of all the cool new features and 3rd party toys that are NOT available to Series 2 owners), at NO or ALMOST NO INITIAL changeover/exchange/etc/ costs to me, my $40 to $50 PER MONTH income stream will remain VERY secure.

Otherwise, said income stream for Tivo's coffers is looking pretty bleak.
<wink, wink, nudge, nudge>

wmcbrine

03-19-2009, 09:30 PM

Could someone please explain to me why EVERYTHING that is cool, ie. this DVR Remote app, Netflix, etc. won't work on my THREE networked Series 2 DT's and all require Series 3 or HD etc.Netflix depends on new hardware that isn't in the S2. In principle, they could do it for S2, but that would require streaming MPEG-2 (the only kind of video the S2 can handle). And that would mean more bandwidth, which would mean greater expense, less likelihood of it working with the average user's broadband connection, and a different system for TiVo than for all the other devices that support Netflix. (Amazon actually did this for their VOD, but their solution is not streaming-based.)

With the network remote, on the other hand, I know of no technical reason that the interface couldn't be extended to the S2. When it first appeared, it was for the sake of Crestron integration (and this is still its only official purpose). This was apparently regarded as a "'high-end" feature, so they only made it work with the "high-end" TiVos. No, it doesn't make much sense to me, either.

mattack

03-19-2009, 10:40 PM

If Tivo can come up with a way to upgrade my three Series 2's to Series 3, HD, (WHATEVER HW upgrade it takes to take advantage of all the cool new features and 3rd party toys that are NOT available to Series 2 owners), at NO or ALMOST NO INITIAL changeover/exchange/etc/ costs to me, my $40 to $50 PER MONTH income stream will remain VERY secure.

Totally off topic, but since your 3 S2DTs are each going to eventually become 'single tuner' boxes (possibly with the analog OTA channels still on cable for a few more years)... seems to me that the $199 (others have quoted that price, it's about $250 at Amazon right now) to 'upgrade' to a Tivo HD would save you money in the long run -- fewer subscriptions.

(Plus, IMHO you should have gone lifetime long ago..)

walterwatts

03-20-2009, 11:18 AM

Totally off topic, but since your 3 S2DTs are each going to eventually become 'single tuner' boxes (possibly with the analog OTA channels still on cable for a few more years)... seems to me that the $199 (others have quoted that price, it's about $250 at Amazon right now) to 'upgrade' to a Tivo HD would save you money in the long run -- fewer subscriptions.

(Plus, IMHO you should have gone lifetime long ago..)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I would have "gone lifetime long ago", those lifetime contracts wouldn't have been transferrable to WHATEVER HW upgrades it takes to take advantage of all the cool new features and 3rd party toys that are NOT available to Series 2 owners, which was the whole point to begin with.

Walter

TishTash

03-30-2009, 03:19 AM

Hi TishTash,

To edit the layout, scroll to the bottom and use the Edit button. Then tap-and-hold buttons and drag them where you want.

Check out the support board on stutsmansoft.com for FAQ, other questions or assistance.

Thanks for the help. One more thing: I notice that of the five keyboard layouts supported, there isn't one for entering email addresses, such as for registering Yahoo! accounts to obtain weather and traffic (under Photos, Showcases, etc. from TiVo Central). No biggie, since you only need to enter once to set it, or just use a zip code, but this is just an observation.

Second (one more thing after one more thing), the keyboard layout for Actor's Name under Wish List searches contains a comma as the last item on the top row, and I've found using the next closest layout sometimes results in errors. Again, just an observation for an admittedly narrow circumstance; I know you can't very well have twenty keyboard layouts!

netringer

03-30-2009, 12:03 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I would have "gone lifetime long ago", those lifetime contracts wouldn't have been transferrable to WHATEVER HW upgrades it takes to take advantage of all the cool new features and 3rd party toys that are NOT available to Series 2 owners, which was the whole point to begin with.

You're not wrong unless TiVo offers another one time transfer deal to get the customers holding torches away from the drawbridge out front come June 2009.

If you had sprung for lifetime you not only would have not paid for service for the 2-3 or more years, you could still get part of that back if you sold teh old S2 on eBay.

I paid for lifetime twice _ $399 on a Series 1 and $299 "one time offer" to "transfer" lifetime to a new $599 Series 3. Even though I didn't use either unit continuously, I'm very sure I'm ahead. I've had the Series 3 exclusively for the last year and I will for the forseable future.

BTW, I'd buy your old S2 if it had Lifetime. :rolleyes:

ZeoTiVo

03-30-2009, 12:48 PM

PS.
$40 to $50 PER MONTH
$40 to $50 PER MONTH
$40 to $50 PER MONTH
$40 to $50 PER MONTH

PS2.
If Tivo can come up with a way to upgrade my three Series 2's to Series 3, HD, (WHATEVER HW upgrade it takes to take advantage of all the cool new features and 3rd party toys that are NOT available to Series 2 owners), at NO or ALMOST NO INITIAL changeover/exchange/etc/ costs to me,

you know if you are going to repeat it a bunch of times you should at least be accurate

12.95 + 9.95 + 9.95 = 32.85

Also - why is it that TiVo should take the hit on hardware? A valued customer is one who is willing to pair fair price for value. Should I contact my DVD manufacturer because it can not do the cool Blu ray stuff. Should Microsoft be getting in touch with me about the Xbox I have and how they are going to put me in a 360 model?

your misconception is that the sub is somehow paying for the cost of the hardware when that is clearly not the case. Since TiVo is not exactly swimming in money then I would not expect much from the wink and the nudge. Either deal with the terms you purchased under or move on to something else that has those cool features.

The way TiVo has "come up with" is to get the new hardware and then easily move the monthly sub onto the new hardware. You will need to determine if there is value in paying for the hardware or not.

JacksTiVo

04-13-2009, 05:13 PM

I have been away from TCF for quite a while and found time today to try to catch-up. I came across the DVR Remote for my iTouch and purchased it. Nice application and the speed seems to me to be faster than the TiVo peanut remote. I haven't yet tried the keyboard function, but I would expect it to be easier than the using the peanut's arrows and select keys.

Tivogre

04-13-2009, 08:59 PM

Is it possible to store the MAK associated with specific DVRs?

I have the remote set up for all of my home Tivos. They are all the same MAK.

I went to my in-laws this week-end, and the DRV remote found their Tivo HDs... BUT once I entered their MAK, MINE no longer worked when I returned home.

If the software stored the MAK ASSOCIATED with each device, one could seamlessly go location to location and maintain control.

Also... any way to set it up to be able to PLAY an item from NPL?

DVRRemote

04-13-2009, 09:01 PM

Hi Tivogre,

It's only storing one MAK - but that's a good suggestion and a situation I've run into myself.

Regarding playback of NPL items - it's something I'm working on, but won't ship until it's reliable. Right now it's too easy to get out of sync and blast keystrokes all over the screen with unpredictable results.

For more DVR Remote suggestions and discussion visit the support forum.

Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for supporting DVR Remote!

Tivogre

04-13-2009, 09:12 PM

Wow! that was a fast response.

What about playing from the iPhone NPL?

Chew

04-14-2009, 10:56 AM

I may be the only one with this problem, but.....

When I use the keyboard option on a Youtube search, it will only register the first 5 characters I enter. :confused: For example, I entered a search for "Puzzle Quest Galatrix Review" into the app and the TiVo only shows "Puzzl"...then starts searching.

DVRRemote

04-14-2009, 11:05 AM

Chew, are you using the Lite version? That's an intentional limitation of the demo version.

JimboG

04-14-2009, 01:14 PM

Derek,

This is a great application! I've used plenty of free apps from the App store, but this is the first one that I have felt was worthy of a purchase!

I'm pretty sure the convenience of a usable keyboard alone is worth the three bucks. I may or may not buy a second copy for my wife's iPhone, but I'm quite happy that I purchased at least one copy of the program.

Just a couple of quick suggestions: First, it would be nice if the Now Playing List loaded a little quicker. I don't know if this is an issue with DVR Remote, my wifi router, or the Series 3, but it seems to take about five seconds for the Now Playing List to populate. (I know, I'm being impatient.)

Second, I would love to have the ability to start programs or delete programs from the Now Playing List. Ideally it would be nice to be able to access the Now Playing List over the internet from work and see what's recording or delete a suggestion where my TiVo just completely flubbed guessing my preferences in shows. Obviously it is important to launch only those features that work reliably, but these couple of changes would turn a very good application into a great application.

Keep up the good work and thank you very much. By the way, any S3 / TiVo HD users who have an iPhone or iPod Touch should at least try out the free version, DVR Remote Lite. You can't enter more than five characters of text in the keyboard mode, but if you had full keyboard functionality there would be no reason to buy the full version of the app for $3.;)

Chew

04-16-2009, 07:31 AM

Chew, are you using the Lite version? That's an intentional limitation of the demo version.

:o Sorry, I didn't know that was the case.

Resist

04-20-2009, 07:10 AM

I hear you loud and clear.Okay....then when are we going to get larger buttons? I have stopped using the app because with its small buttons, I end up hitting the wrong one to many times. Please fix this already!

javabird

04-22-2009, 01:13 PM

Derek,

Just a couple of quick suggestions: First, it would be nice if the Now Playing List loaded a little quicker. I don't know if this is an issue with DVR Remote, my wifi router, or the Series 3, but it seems to take about five seconds for the Now Playing List to populate. (I know, I'm being impatient.)

I've been trying out the lite version, but I'm not sure if I will buy it, mainly because it takes such a long time to load the Now Playing list (even the shortened list for the Lite version). The competitor, the free "MyDVR" app loads my whole Now Playing list twice as fast.

DVRRemote

04-22-2009, 01:22 PM

Thanks for the comments!

- Larger buttons: This is coming, but the way I am handling this is taking some time (it's not just an issue of including larger graphics.) Soon.
- Now Playing List: Hmm, thanks for the heads-up on this. Initially I thought the lag was on the TiVo side, and unavoidable. I will investigate ways to speed this up.

Support forum: www.stutsmansoft.com/support

kupe

04-22-2009, 07:29 PM

Thanks for the comments!

- Larger buttons: This is coming, but the way I am handling this is taking some time (it's not just an issue of including larger graphics.) Soon.

Thank you! I just bought it- but I'm putting it away until the larger buttons are available- not usable as is IMHO.

Kupe

DVRRemote

04-22-2009, 07:39 PM

Thanks Kupe, we appreciate the support.

I really want to get this right for the large-button crowd - can you give me some feedback on bothers you?

- Are all buttons too small, or just the square ones (record, thumbs, etc.)
- Is it the directional pad?

More details about what you don't like, and why, will help me help you.

So you know where my head was...the design tradeoff I made was for more buttons onscreen without scrolling...specifically I wanted replay/skip to fit.

I guess it's a matter of how you use it; I tap with my index finger but if you want to thumb it like a real peanut, I could see the button size being a problem.

One last note on button size, if you revert to the original layout (or if you haven't customized it) the touch "zones" around the buttons are much larger than the graphics themselves.

DVRRemote

05-02-2009, 12:04 PM

Attention, large-button fans!

DVR Remote 2.0 has been submitted to Apple for approval, and the big new feature is...SKINS.

The app can now be customized any way you want by creating a simple XML file and images of your own choosing.

For full details, check out http://www.stutsmansoft.com/support/messages.aspx?TopicID=109

jkalnin

05-04-2009, 09:17 AM

That was my biggest complaint about the original layout, that the buttons were too small and close together. Love the keyboard by the way, took me a while to figure out that I had to change it to match the TiVo display. I kept getting crazy word searches till I fixed that setting. Also, you should be able to set the keyboard layout to default to the one you want. I have to switch it every time which is a bit of a hassle.

DVRRemote

05-04-2009, 11:02 AM

Thanks for the feedback! The keyboard switching is a common usability problem that I haven't found a good way to solve yet. I put the descriptive text on there (Swipe to select keyboard that matches your screen) but nobody seems to notice it.

Remembering the last keyboard used is a good suggestion and easy enough to implement for 2.01.

javabird

05-06-2009, 02:40 PM

Looks good, I see the Now Playing list should load faster - I will try it out and may purchase this time if it is truly faster.

bkdtv

05-06-2009, 03:41 PM

Please consider adding the ability to support TiVos on a different subnet.

My wireless network is 192.168.100.x and my wired network is 192.168.10.x. I can't access my TiVos in your application unless you allow me to define their IPs (192.168.10.5, 192.168.10.6, etc).

At the bottom of the device list, you could add an entry like "Manually add a TiVo at a specific IP."

DVRRemote

05-06-2009, 03:43 PM

You can force an IP in the iPhone Settings app for DVR Remote. Just enter the IP in the "Auto open device" section.

The auto-detection will never work across subnets, due to the way Bonjour works, but you should be able to open the device this way.

Resist

05-08-2009, 03:58 AM

Are all buttons too small, or just the square ones (record, thumbs, etc.)Yes all buttons are to small. You have a lot a free space doing nothing.

DVRRemote

05-08-2009, 04:01 AM

In that case I think you'll appreciate the "Default(Large)" skin that is part of 2.0. (See the link further up the thread for screenshots.)

DVRRemote

05-10-2009, 04:13 PM

DVR Remote 2.0 has been approved and will show up in the App Store shortly!

gonzotek

05-10-2009, 08:04 PM

DVR Remote 2.0 has been approved and will show up in the App Store shortly!Downloaded and tested, nice improvements. My wife likes the starry night skin.

javabird

05-11-2009, 06:35 PM

I just bought the DVR remote, but I can't see how to add the skins. What am i doing wrong? ( I had the Lite version installed before, but I deleted that when I bought the full version - could that have caused a problem?)

DVRRemote

05-11-2009, 06:37 PM

Scroll the remote down to reveal the number pad and toolbar at the bottom.
Tap the action button (lower left corner) then select Skins.

On a side note - I'm going to refrain from posting any further about DVR Remote here, out of respect for the TivoCommunity. If you have more questions or have ideas, please post them on the support forum:

http://www.stutsmansoft.com/support/forum7-dvr-remote-support.aspx

Thanks for the support!

modnar

05-11-2009, 08:10 PM

DVRRemote: The fourth text entry type has an issue after entering a space. It seems to be off by a letter after the space.

javabird

05-11-2009, 09:36 PM

Resist

05-12-2009, 05:59 AM

Any chance of making the buttons positions more like the glow remote?

DVRRemote

05-12-2009, 08:50 AM

Ok, last post for real this time. :)

If you just want to change the button positions, you can do that using the Edit button on the remote, then tap and drag them wherever you wish.

If it's the look and feel of the glow remote that you want, fortunately this can be accomplished by making a skin for it, and adding it to the device from the skins screen! I'm preparing a FAQ on creating your own skins on the support forum shortly.

DVRRemote

05-14-2009, 09:13 AM

We will :) But what tweaks does it need? Let me know...I aim to please.

cleverdevil

05-14-2009, 11:37 AM

I love the idea of the app, and have purchased it. However, I find it more difficult to use the iPhone to control my TiVo than to use the regular remote. I think its because I am able to control the TiVo remote without having to look at the buttons, by touch.

I think it would be nice to add a gesture based remote to DVR app, to alleviate this problem. I don't need most of the buttons on the remote when I am using it for typical day-to-day watching. I mainly need: ff, rw, play, pause, up, down, left, right, select, and the TiVo button. These might be able to be mapped to gestures:

ff: tap-swipe right
rw: tap-swipe left
play: single tap
up: swipe up
down: swipe down
left: swipe left
right: swipe right
select: double tap
tivo button: tap-swipe up

Something like this would be hugely useful. You might even try using the accelerometer to control ff and rw.

Anyway, great app, but it definitely needs some usability improvements if its going to supplant the TiVo remote for me.

jkalnin

05-14-2009, 12:49 PM

While I don't ever imagine using my iPhone 100% of the time instead of the peanut, the keyboard alone makes it a worthwhile investment for youtube watchers. I agree about the buttons. I control the peanut without having to look down based on feeling the buttons. So, maybe it should be looked into controlling the TiVo (DVR) with a different UI using the accelerometer and touch screen vs just emulating a current remote layout.

Think outside the box!