Stream Out of Home Newbie Question

For a Premiere, you need a dedicated TiVo Stream device (model TCDA94000) to stream recordings from your TiVo Premiere to an Android phone/tablet or iOS device. TiVo no longer sells one so you need to buy one from eBay. That Stream device also needs to be activated on your TiVo account.

A TiVo Stream 4k is a streaming service device that does not integrate with TiVo DVRs at all.

I have a Premiere + TiVo Stream. For the most part, it works. But the execution is clunky. If you want to watch live TV, the software essentially starts a recording and you watch that. It can take 5-10 seconds from channel selection to viewing. Additionally, the quality isn't as good as the TiVo Stream transcodes the video.

Another detriment is out of TiVo's hands. Some cable companies are restrictive with their implementation of the CCI Byte. This bit of information on each channel/program instructs viewing/recording software the restrictions on how the program can be viewed/recorded. I have Cox and everything that isn't a local broadcast channel sets this byte. In other words, I cannot stream ANY program recorded from a cable channel outside of my home. I can, however, download a recorded program that gets deleted once the download is finished. I unfortunately need to be in my home for this to work.

 

I hope I didn't sound too negative. For me, a Premiere and TiVo Stream works, it's just clunky and I would definitely NOT want the Stream to be my primary viewing device. If you have the need for a second viewing location, I would strongly recommend the Mini to go with the Premiere.

Of course, don't use the Premiere or the Mini for streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, etc). Buy a cheap Chromecast, Roku, or even the TiVo Stream 4k. I use the TiVo Stream 4k because I like having a decent remote.