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TiVo Launches $50 Streaming Video Player to Take On Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV

139K views 2K replies 213 participants last post by  NashGuy 
#1 ·
#1,184 ·
Theres lots to screw up with the ChinaRoboics device, esp HDMI/CEC issues, then you have the Hulu stuff..
Its all software stuuf you figure the Google lords would have fixed by now. And up until recently the Prime app would not keep you logged in. Believe me, theres a lot of bugs and only experienced people should get this for now.
 
#1,340 ·
This looks like the 3rd gen fire Tv pendant with the cord on the side instead of the corner. Target had the 3rd gen pendant for $17 a couple years ago to clear them out. The fire tv pendant didn't sell that well.
 
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#1,372 ·
Possible -- but considering that they're already partnering with a cable-like streaming company in Sling, I don't see the desire to undercut traditional cableboxes by drawing more attention to streaming alternatives. Sling and it's peers are already catering to that middle group of wanna-be cord cutters … the group that still wants cable, but just at the lower price. The focus for the future for company growth is to entice cord cutters and the cord cutter-light crowd. I don't see that meshing with current box owners.
 
#1,528 ·
From what I read you won't have to search for a show, you add shows you like to watch list and it will play directly from the watch list. It won't launch Netflix and you won't see the Netflix logo. Not 100% on that but we shall see... mine arrives Saturday

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#1,627 ·
I see someone on Reddit, in the TiVo section, said that their Chrome Ultra Ethernet adapter works with their TiVo Stream 4K. So that should be good news for the people that want to have a wired connection with it.
 
#1,641 ·
I can confirm that Channels DVR plays back at original quality on the TiVo Stream 4K just fine.

I received my device on Friday and my initial impression is that it has potential. I hope they continue to improve the TiVo app on this device and allow additional streaming providers access to the GUIDE. I still use a cable card from Comcast and run everything through a HD Homerun and Channels DVR. How awesome would it be if they added access to the HD Homerun as a source?

Has anyone else had issues with the main Android TV home screen not loading after leaving an app? When I hit the circle (home) button on the remote, I just get a black screen. I can hit the TIVo button or Netflix button and it will open those, but I can’t get back to the home screen unless I reset the box.

Is there a remote control command I can hit to reset the box? Or is the only way to reboot it by pulling the usb power?


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#1,642 ·
I can confirm that Channels DVR plays back at original quality on the TiVo Stream 4K just fine.

I received my device on Friday and my initial impression is that it has potential. I hope they continue to improve the TiVo app on this device and allow additional streaming providers access to the GUIDE. I still use a cable card from Comcast and run everything through a HD Homerun and Channels DVR. How awesome would it be if they added access to the HD Homerun as a source?

Has anyone else had issues with the main Android TV home screen not loading after leaving an app? When I hit the circle (home) button on the remote, I just get a black screen. I can hit the TIVo button or Netflix button and it will open those, but I can't get back to the home screen unless I reset the box.

Is there a remote control command I can hit to reset the box? Or is the only way to reboot it by pulling the usb power?

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That would be ideal if I can't have my tivo...especially since channels has tv everywhere access!!!

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#1,786 ·
Doesn't the full size DVR remotes cost as much or more than the TiVo stream 4K.
 
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#1,783 ·
All,

In case you have not seen it, I have been tracking all the issues you've mentioned and then some on this thread:

TiVo Stream 4K: Path to Perfection



Please feel free to note any of these and new issues you experience on that thread so I can make sure I'm capturing them all. There are a lot of threads going on now, so I'm sure I'm missing things!
 
#1,856 · (Edited)
Rovi and Tivo are not two distinct entities. The Tivo board of directors is the 'Rovi' board of directions. Not sure how get conflicts of interest when the same folks on the exact same board. ( The Rovi name primarily got dropped in that 2016 acquisition).

A contributing issue is probably
TiVo prepares to split its business into two as it pursues sale - TechCrunch
Followed by
"...Today, the company announced those plans have been put on hold as it has instead merged with technology licensor Xperi Corporation, in a $3 billion deal. ..."
TiVo merges with technology licensor Xperi in $3 billion deal - TechCrunch

I don't think this deal is technically complete, but there is clearly some "fog" as to who is going to be in charge when it is done. Xperi makes most money on IP but is more physical tech IP. Maybe that is happy medium that will help the Tivo subset or they'll just spin it out. Most of the Tivo(Rovi) board isn't going to make it through the merger. So there is a new "sheriff' coming to town. But in part that also creates some 'fog' . So the quote above has a good chance of being close to appropriate. ( technically may not be overt stupidity but "not knowing , not skilled " probably plays a role. )
Xperi and Tivo are officially merged as of today. TIVO stock symbol is no more. IT's XPER now.

I read after the Xperi merger that the plan is to still spin off the company into 2 parts - IP and Product.

One of the plans for the combined company is to embed the STream 4k on connected tvs. Xperi has relationships with all the tv manufacturers. Similar thing in automotive. They want to use Tivo's metadata search to combine with their HD Radio product and automotive relationships.

I take it Shull is no longer CEO. Jon Kirchner is the CEO of Xperi.

Xperi Holding Corporation - Investor Relations
 
#1,923 · (Edited)
Too little, too late, I imagine. If the Mi Stick 4K really is shipping for $50 in July, the TS4K is dead. It doesn't work with other TiVo products and the USB-C port* (which is a huge benefit, IMO) works with so few adapters that it's borderline useless.

Yes, the TS4K has Dolby Vision and the Mi Stick doesn't, but as noted in another thread, there are virtually no TVs that can make use of the advantages of DV, so HDR10 (an open standard and therefore without licensing fees) is more than good enough.

I hate the remote, too, but I realize some folks like a remote with a ton of buttons.

Now, if it's actually a FHD/1GB unit that's $50 - with a 4K/2GB unit being more expensive - that's a different story. With the exception of some proprietary goodies Google can bake into their "Sabrina" (aka Chromecast Ultra 2), a device based on the Amlogic S905Y2 isn't worth more than $50, IMO. I could see Xiaomi doing something like $35 for the FHD version and $50 for the 4K variant, though why anyone would opt for the FHD version to save $15, I don't know.

*EDIT: might be that the Mi Stick 4K does, in fact, come with a USB-C port for power which, in theory, could allow for power pass-through and hub/Ethernet adapter usage.
 
#2,037 · (Edited)
What functionality that's typical of an Android TV device with these hardware specs did TiVo take away? Seems to me that they only added stuff with the TiVo Stream app and a remote control with additional buttons that cater to traditional linear TV. Granted, there are stability issues/bugs, some of which TiVo has addressed and some which they say they're still working on.
There are quite a few A/V options that come with stock Android (which are present on Mi Box, for example) that they removed some reason that is undoubtedly stupid. The short of it is that they took something functional and broke it. I'm guessing it's sheer incompetence, but it also wouldn't surprise me to find out that they're doing a lot of data collection under the covers, and that the modifications to Android TV for this purpose is a large part of what's causing issues. Given the (relatively) high amount of data that's being sent from these dongles (way more than with my Mi Box or Fire Stick 4K), it's plausible.

They still haven't fixed the black flashing from Plex and Kodi. Again, probably related to some A/V settings they messed with.

As for the remote, it seems that the only people who find it to be a positive addition are those who use previous TiVo products. The reason other streaming devices have simplified remotes is because the extra buttons are pointless. And TiVo forgot useful buttons like FF and RW.

The specs that leaked for Sabrina shows that it has nearly the exact same hardware as the TS4K. While TiVo's dongle has the Amlogic S905Y2 system-on-a-chip, Sabrina has the Amlogic S905X2. The only real difference is that the latter supports ethernet while the former does not.

The hardware in the TS4K is the same thing that Google put in their ADT-3 dongle, released back in Jan. for Android TV developers. And the hardware in Sabrina is the exact same thing in the Verizon Stream TV box. All of these devices have the same CPU and GPU and the same 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.
No one has suggested otherwise. All of these dongles are running the same SoC and so there's no hardware advantage. It's all software; again, TiVo borked the software for some reason and I have more faith that other companies have not. I certainly expect Google's to operate smoothly and with features that are actually useful (unlike the Stream app).

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced the TS4K exists for the sole purpose of data collection, so they can develop and refine the software / algorithms that are the company's only money maker. I think I'd rather pay $20-30 more for a functional device that isn't collecting as much (because of course the Google product will be data mining)...or at least is collecting it competently.
 
#2,038 ·
There are quite a few A/V options that come with stock Android (which are present on Mi Box, for example) that they removed some reason that is undoubtedly stupid. The short of it is that they took something functional and broke it. I'm guessing it's sheer incompetence, but it also wouldn't surprise me to find out that they're doing a lot of data collection under the covers, and that the modifications to Android TV for this purpose is a large part of what's causing issues. Given the (relatively) high amount of data that's being sent from these dongles (way more than with my Mi Box or Fire Stick 4K), it's plausible.

They still haven't fixed the black flashing from Plex and Kodi. Again, probably related to some A/V settings they messed with.
I doubt the bugs have anything to do with whatever data that the TiVo Stream app collects. I'd chalk it up to this being TiVo's first product like this and they didn't get the firmware right in the rush to get this out the door. Can't see how removing whatever A/V settings you're talking about would be related to data collection. Sounds a bit paranoid.

As for the remote, it seems that the only people who find it to be a positive addition are those who use previous TiVo products. The reason other streaming devices have simplified remotes is because the extra buttons are pointless. And TiVo forgot useful buttons like FF and RW.
Or people who want a remote that works with linear channel services too, such as Sling, TiVo+ and the Channels app (which now offers an option to customize the remote so that it works natively with their app). I would agree, though, that the 0-9 buttons are generally a waste unless they begin using channel numbers in the TiVo Stream's grid guide (although the Channels app does make use of them). As for FF and RW buttons, those aren't typical on Android TV remotes. You just use the left and right directional buttons.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced the TS4K exists for the sole purpose of data collection, so they can develop and refine the software / algorithms that are the company's only money maker.
To the extent that there's any real plan for how the TS4K will meaningfully contribute to the bottom line, I think it lies in a combination of thin margins on the hardware, ad revenue from TiVo+ content, user data collection, and maybe some cut from Google for subscriptions/purchases made on the device. But in the near term, I'd say the TS4K is more about corporate window dressing, to show that TiVo's product division is finally doing *something* about streaming.
 
#2,039 ·
I doubt the bugs have anything to do with whatever data that the TiVo Stream app collects. I'd chalk it up to this being TiVo's first product like this and they didn't get the firmware right in the rush to get this out the door. Can't see how removing whatever A/V settings you're talking about would be related to data collection. Sounds a bit paranoid.
I didn't say there was a direct relationship between the removal of specific A/V settings and data collection. I never suggested the Stream app was the only thing collecting data, either.

In fact, I pointed out (as others have) that the TS4K is responsible for a comparatively large upload of data and suggested that changes to the firmware for the purpose of collecting data system-wide could contribute to the device's instability.

The fact is that TiVo doesn't make money on hardware. They don't require you to use the Stream app (and given its shortcomings, doing so would make the device a complete failure). At $50, they are probably close to breaking even or operating on extremely thin margins.

So what's the purpose of the device? Given that there is no subscription revenue associated with the TS4K and TiVo as a company survives on software and licensing, it stands to reason that the device's purpose is to collect data for improvement of their software. I'm not quite sure what argument there is against this logic. And so if we accept it as a likely truth and couple that with the abnormally large data uploads and bugs that are the direct result of TiVo messing with things that make no sense for them to mess with (really, tell me what possible value there is them removing A/V options), it is neither an unreasonable nor "paranoid" conclusion that TiVo modified perfectly functional firmware for the purpose of increasing their data collection.

I'm not here to spout conspiracy theories. It's nothing more nefarious than a company doing what companies do: take a loss or break even on a device or service in trade for information than they can sell. I'm not even suggesting they're collection personally identifiable information. What I'm suggesting is that their attempt to modify functional firmware to fit their business model has produced a buggy and lackluster device.
 
#2,083 ·
#2,185 ·
Smile Green Finger Gadget Happy


So I took a trip to Walmart and got my hands on the new chromecast! But unfortunately I was not allowed to purchase just yet. It wasn't on the floor shelves so I asked the Walmart dude working there if they had it in stock. He said we have it right here, he then pulls me to the side and opens the locked shelf behind the counter. He let me look and hold the box. He was even cool enough to let me snap this pic. He told me they will go on sale on September 30th, the same day as the Google event.
 
#3 ·
Looks like TiVo is getting into the streaming stick game.

TiVo Launches $50 Streaming Video Player to Take On Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV

Apparently more content will be coming to TiVo+ as well.
This definitely plays to Tivo's strength of being able to curate content from all sources, and makes good on the promise of the Tivo Roamio. Since it is Android based, app support isn't an issue, it's simply now about writing the software to use the API's to determine where given content is. I particularly like that you can set up a "season pass" of sorts to be alerted when something shows up down the line on one of the streaming services, which is something nobody else is doing today. If they can support all of the streaming service providers, including DVR'ed content by them, this could be a win.

That being said, what does the business model look like? Is Tivo+ the ONLY way they make money on this, or will there be a subscription cost for the Tivo software? A $50 stick that curates all OTT services isn't a hard sell against Roku, Apple TV, Amazon, etc. But a $50 stick that also costs even $5 a month is a non-starter for me, since Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon all offer "good enough" versions of this with no monthly fee. Apple does it with no advertising, while Roku and Amazon do it with advertising for other apps/channels on the respective platforms.
 
#8 ·
But a $50 stick that also costs even $5 a month is a non-starter for me, since Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon all offer "good enough" versions of this with no monthly fee. Apple does it with no advertising, while Roku and Amazon do it with advertising for other apps/channels on the respective platforms.
From TiVo.com:
  • Fast and easy integrated search with no additional TiVo service fees.
  • Access to live TV and a cloud DVR from Sling TV.
  • Top streaming services plus over 5,000 apps on Google Play.
  • Stunning picture quality with 4K UHD and Dolby Vision HDR.
  • Get more done with the Google Assistant and more.
 
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