Do you want Amazon Prime Instant Video? Contact Amazon

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Would be nice. One of the main reasons I bought a Roku was for Amazon prime streaming, as well as a more operable netflix app (I have a TiVoHD, but just ordered a premiere which I assume has a better nextflix app.)

 

I contacted Amazon and got the following response:

"I'm sorry to hear that you had an unsatisfactory experience with the unavailability of Prime videos on TiVo Devices.

But our development team is working to bring prime videos to different devices like TiVo as we make future improvements to our prime video service.

This is something which we don't want you to experience as our customer as we are working hard to provide our customers with the best digital experience and in spite of all our efforts there are some cases like yours where in we don't have a satisfactory resolution for you as we don't have that particular feature available and we really regret for that.

However, I’ve taken this as a feedback and forwarded your request to our development team for consideration and make this feature available as soon as possible.

Customer feedback like yours is very important in helping us continue to improve the experience of using our prime video service. We will make every effort to evaluate the information you have provided, and try our level best to lead it to program changes or enhancements

I don't assure you that this will be brought into effect immediately but I assure you that every feedback will be considered, hope we've a good news for you very soon.

Because Amazon team is working for all the possible alternatives that can be made available to our customers so as to provide all the features and there is a development team which works on all these feedback's.

Please understand our limitations on this matter because we would've really liked to have this feature only there was another way however as I hope you'd understand, we need to go through certain protocols to make prime videos available for all devices but we are working on these feedback's.

If you need more help, Amazon video specialists can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week using the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/digital-video.html

I hope you understand our limitation and we look forward to seeing you again soon."

 

OMG people, how hard is it to hit the input switch button on your AVR or video processor to get Amazon Prime from Roku/BD/whatever else has it? Even for renting, I use Roku, it just works so much better...

 

Good for you. I'm glad this limitation satisfies you.

 

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It shouldn't affect anyone. Just switch inputs and go. The TiVo's streaming apps are atrocious anyways. It's a great DVR, and not much more.

 

Well, it does.

What if you don't have a Roku? What if your setup doesn't make switching easy?

Regardless, it's easier if it's all capable on one device. With the Roamio, I use it for Netflix and Hulu and it works great. It's more trouble to switch to the Roku than stay in the same interface, so I'd like to have that for Amazon as well. Why is that so unreasonable? It's technically feasible, and it would be convenient, and I want it.

And believe me, for the completely non-techie members of the family, they have no patience for device switching. One device to do it all is a big deal for people like that.

 

Roku3 for me with a Harmony 700/650 depending which location. All transparent after programing Harmony. In my office I only have 2 HDMI inputs (DVD player also), put in a remote transfer switch, and as said before, all transparent after programing. No need to wait for If/When/Crappy Interface from Tivo.

 

It's not rocket science to switch devices. I have a setup with a DVDO EDGE that's fed from something like 9 different components, some through another HDMI switch, and some through a composite converter that's behind that, the DVDO EDGE sends audio to the AVR, and video to the TV, and it's not difficult to use three or four remotes to get set up on what you want, with the correct settings as well (particularly how the AVR is processing the surround, i.e. direct for ESPN, and TV logic for many others, all channel stereo for the Wii). Once you learn the remotes, you can basically mash through all the buttons before the TV is even fully on and HDMI locked.

The Roku just does streaming so much better than the TiVo. It's made for streaming, so use it for that, and let the TiVo do DVRing, which is what it's good at. There's nothing wrong with a half dozen components and a few hundred feet of cabling to get a system that does everything well.

 

Something about this sentence makes me think sarcasm. It's sad to know you are being serious.

 

It shouldn't be. I have the right gear for various tasks. My current components are:

60" Sharp 3D LED-LCD
Onkyo 9400THX 7.1 HTIB
DVDO EDGE
TiVo Premiere XL4
Windows 7 PC with 9TB of storage plus boot SSD
Roku
Apple TV
Blu-ray player
Xbox x2 (mine and roommate's)
Wii
N64
GCN
VCR
Bluetooth adapter

Inputs for HDMI laptop and 1/8" minijack

The whole thing is documented on a schematic I made in excel and printed on 11x17 paper so my roommates can figure it out (it also made it a lot easier to build).

Get the right tools for the job. TiVo isn't it. You do realize there are such things as power strips right, ethernet switches and HDMI switches, right? I currently have two Ethernet switches, 2 or 3 power strips running off a surge protector, and a DVDO EDGE, HDMI switch, and composite switch.

 

If TiVo gets Amazon Prime streaming, then it WILL be the right tool for the job, and I'll happily use it. And my TV setup will be blissfully simple and consisting of very few components. I have a very clean looking installation, and I intend to keep it that way.

 

Just because I have several hundred feet of wiring in my HT setup doesn't mean that it looks like a slob put it together. The wiring is well hidden from the user.

TiVo is still terrible with streaming video, even if it gets support for Amazon Prime.

 

I made no comment about your installation. I'm glad you enjoy your setup. I hope to have a setup I can enjoy as much at some point. If I get Prime on TiVo, I certainly will.

 

That's what I was getting at. You have a lot of boxes, some which are for a dedicated purpose (Blu-ray player, Xbox, Wii).

Thinking about streaming services alone, how many of those boxes could you get rid of (excluding the Tivo) and still get all the streaming services you use (If you had to consolidate)?

 

None of them are fully overlapping. I might be able to get Amazon Prime on the TV, not sure, I've never really used it, but there are other apps on Roku that aren't on the TV. The Apple TV lives in it's own world, as does pretty much everything else. That's why I have all those devices. So that I can have whatever content I want. I'd say that aside from my roommate's GTA binges, 90%+ of the usage is TiVo, but I still have the other options available when I want them.

 

What makes you assume that everyone HAS a Roku or BD player that is Prime Video compatible? Believe it or not, we would all be smart enough to use your brilliant suggestion if we had a roomful of gear. Not everyone does. I DON'T have a Roku, I don't have a gaming system, (or want either one) and I have a perfectly good BD player that doesn't support Prime Video. I'm out of HDMI ports on my AVR and don't see any reason to replace THAT, either. Right now I have NO source that works with Prime, hence my interest in TiVo and I'd rather not add another box to my system just to get it. (I'd be perfectly happy if Samsung provided a firmware update to my BD player that added the service, but so far no luck on that front.)

Regards,

Joe

 

I just about fell for Amazon's big interstitial ad push on Prime while checking out. Until I did the due-diligence & stumbled on this & other threads.

I don't need to buy more devices to serve up niche content. I also don't want to compromise on marginally-suitable platforms, or to watch television in a tiny formfactor on my lap. I need more services that utilize my perfectly-suitable _existing_ hardware. Especially when you consider devices that cost for hardware and suck-up additional fees for on-going access.

Hard line: No sale on Prime until they support Tivo for Prime streaming. The fact they do it with Amazon Instant Video on Tivo just underscores it's a choice Amazon is making and not a technological hurdle...

I sent them another in what I'm sure is a pretty continuous stream of Tivo support requests.

 

LOL! The whole thing is documented on a schematic I made in excel and printed on 11x17 paper so my roommates can figure it out (it also made it a lot easier to build).

You have the tools all right. But I still can't figure out if you're joking, being sarcastic, or truly oblivious to the fact that not everybody is willing to spend the money, or even a desire to have that many "tools" to manage. It be nice to have an Amazon Prime app on the tivo. Now, do people want it bad enough to spend $100+ on the Roku and cabling? Do you really think this is only about "switching inputs?"

 

But there's another rub-- DVDO's Edge has automatic user-configurable prioritized input switching, which is fantastic. We use it with our Tivo, Bluray, and Nintendo Wii. The problem with a Roku box is that it never shuts off it's HDMI output, and nor does a Tivo. So the auto switching feature is junk. I have a complicated setup in my house as well (not as much as yours) and the auto-switching makes it SO easy, as well as the auto-audio routing (if AVR is on, use surround sound; if AVR is off, use TV speakers) ... Makes it *SOOO* easy for the entire family to use a complicated setup.

I would love for the Tivo to support streaming. Alternatively I would be willing to get a Roku --- if it had a standby mode.

..dane