[daevid]

First post. Finally just frustrated and annoyed enough to vent...

I had an original TiVo since basically day one. Then upgraded to Premiere. I've paid literally thousands in TiVo subscription fees over the past two decades. And recently a few months back, got a killer deal on a Roamio (and two mini's) with lifetime subs. I updated to the "new" UI but it hasn't been updated in the entire time I've had it installed. I have $1 apps in my Android phone that get updated almost every week and yet this company doesn't seem to do anything. Like you have one job. Make the best DVR possible. But it's just a sad dated pathetic version with so much lost potential. It's even reverted in features compared to the old version...

1. Why don't the thumbs up/down work anymore -- my "suggestions" are absolute garbage and worthless. I used to be able to "like" shows and get useful suggestions. I read that TiVo thinks their algorithm deprecates this need. They're wrong.
   
2. Why can't I sort the guide by channel name, so that all THREE of the same channels are grouped together and I'm not hunting through a numbered list? It's ridiculous.
3. Why are there commercials? We PAY YOU for what amounts to a bloated TV guide. Why do you get to add these interstitials before a show now?
4. The UI locks up sometimes or is unresponsive. Or it is a black screen. Or glitchy.

And now the final nail in the coffin is being notified by IFTTT that "On December 25, 2020, the TiVo service will be removed from IFTTT because the TiVo team no longer supports the service."

Merry Xmas to us... Thanks TiVo for ruining one more useful feature. I love this IFTTT because I have it hooked up to tell me when one of my Ring camera's detects motion and it shows it on screen of my TiVo with a little popup message in the lower corner. I also use it to notify me when my August door lock on my Airbnb is opened/closed to know if guests have come/gone (and therefore if I need to be quiet or can turn up my TV volume).

I work as a Sr. Software Engineer for a major company and if I or my team put out the garbage that this TiVo UI is, I would be probably looking for a new job...

 

[NorthAlabama]

roll back to the te3 guide, and lost functionality you miss will be restored (there are dozens of threads) - you'll lose your recordings, but it will be what you're used to.

 

[daevid]

I guess that's my point though... Why should I have to roll back? Shouldn't TiVo be progressing forward and fixing these regressions and adding amazing new features? Or, as my title suggests/asks, "is TiVo a dead or dying company" at this point and they G.N.Fs?

Rolling back, while restoring a few of those missing features, puts me on a revision that presumably is not going to be updated (either). And if I'm not mistaken, the reason I had to go forward to the new UI was b/c of the Mini's? Maybe the Mini work with the old version... dunno. Either way, a little orthogonal to the point of my "rant".

And also the whole IFTTT thing is disturbing. Why take away features, especially if TiVo as a company are too lazy or whatever to make them natively, IFTTT fills a void with free labor that costs TiVo nothing to maintain... or in fact literally just "do nothing" as they seem to be great at, and leave it alone.

Why isn't there forward progress and updates to the one thing this company is supposed to do?

 

[dlfl]

If not dying, TiVo is definitely evolving — and will have to be to keep up with the rapidly evolving tv marketplace. Digital TV forced a major evolution and complications with CableCARD and Tuning Adapters put a big dent in TiVo’s market penetration. Now the rapid growth of streaming and cloud DVR’s are the evolution drivers. A device that provides an integration of numerous streaming services with good DVR features is needed to be competitive. Whether the Stream is, or will soon become, that device remains to be seen.

After 20+ years TiVo has to be a different company than it once was. I wonder how many of its employees have been there more than 10 years?

 

[driverseven]

One big problem Tivo is facing is that most cable companies no longer support cable cards and that makes it very difficult for Tivo to attract new customers. I have also been a very longtime customer (well over 10 years) but it is a nightmare these days to replace the Tivo box. The cable company put me through absolute hell recently to pair the Tivo with their system. I couldn't possibly recommend Tivo to anyone after that experience. It is sad but Tivo is losing its main business in supporting cable TV and it is way behind the field in streaming.

 

[daevid]

I would argue that the plethora of streaming little sticks from FireTV, Roku, GoogleTV, etc. is exactly the reason TiVo should focus on their core business. I have literally all of those devices and 90% of the time I watch TiVo DVR recorded shows from Comcast cable... The streaming services do not have the latest TV shows. I have Hulu, Netflix, etc. and truth be told, I have all the "3rd party streaming" things whereby I could technically get my TV shows too, but it's a hassle. And then we have people like my g.f. who is probably the real reason I keep this damn TiVo all these years, b/c she's not technical and just knows how to use this remote and all that. Trying to explain how some things are in some services and you have to switch TV inputs and amplifier buttons and use this remote for that thing is a nightmare... When Microsoft killed off (arguably the best thing they ever made) Windows Media Center (which I still use on my main TV as it works amazing with my Ceton InfiniTV 4 HD PCIe card in Windows7) it left a void that only TiVo fills to this day AFAIK. Plex is great but the lack of TV DVR sans OTR garbage is a serious deficiency. TiVo has the brand and the hardware and the connections to cable companies to do what they do best. They need to get their head out of their proverbial a** and stop trying to make a streaming box that is a commodity at this point -- anything running android can do that now. Infuriating. Disappointing.

 

[krkaufman]

got a killer deal on a Roamio (and two mini's) with lifetime subs.

roll back to the te3 guide, and lost functionality you miss will be restored (there are dozens of threads) - you'll lose your recordings, but it will be what you're used to.

Just be aware that rollback to TE3 for A92/A93 version Mini's may be problematic: Trying to Move Mini from TE4 host to a TE3 Host; A95 (VOX/LUX) Mini's haven't been reported as having the problem.

 

[slowbiscuit]

Why isn't there forward progress and updates to the one thing this company is supposed to do?

Because cablecard is dying and they were never able to work deals to replace it, plus streamers with DVR functionality mean you don't need anything but cheap sticks or built-in TV apps to use them. Yes, none of them work as well as a Tivo+Minis setup but they are way cheaper and the younger gen of folks don't want to pay for cable or mess with OTA.

More importantly, Tivo as a company has always been a one step forward two steps back org, and they have been too slow to market for everything.

 

[MrDell]

I agree... not the TiVo we used to know. I personally don’t think that I would invest in any new hardware. I have a Roamio and a Bolt and 3 minis. Hopefully they will last for a while. By the way... you can call and opt out of those annoying pre roll adds.

 

[Saturn_V]

If not dying, TiVo is definitely evolving - and will have to be to keep up with the rapidly evolving tv marketplace.

The entire concept of "time-shifting" has changed. I'm not saying DVRs are obsolete, but they're no longer considered essential since streaming and VOD have become so widely available and accessible.

I think it's too late- you have an entire generation of consumers that grew up without cable and VCRs, but stream to their heart's content. TiVo's challenge isn't attracting new customers- it's keeping the ones they've got from leaving the platform.

Still own two Roamios. But have been using less and less for years.

 

[ej42137]

Still own two Roamios. But have been using less and less for years.

I've got three Bolts and two Roamios. The only thing I watch on TiVo these days is "Jeopardy".

 

[Saturn_V]

I've got three Bolts and two Roamios. The only thing I watch on TiVo these days is "Jeopardy".

The FireTV Recast caps my daily Jeopardy shows.

The last thing I seriously recorded on TiVo was the Ken Burns Vietnam War series. That was three years ago. The Roamios still have "standing orders" to record PBS staples. (ATK, Nova, Frontline, Independent Lens) but so does the Recast. And I have fewer and fewer reasons to change inputs.

 

[daevid]

And now these idiots are ending Alexa integration too... Instead of progressing into the IOT and smarthome space like everyone else, they're going backwards FFS.
https://zatznotfunny.com/2020-12/tivo-ends-ifttt/

 

[cwoody222]

And also the whole IFTTT thing is disturbing. Why take away features, especially if TiVo as a company are too lazy or whatever to make them natively, IFTTT fills a void with free labor that costs TiVo nothing to maintain... or in fact literally just "do nothing" as they seem to be great at, and leave it alone.

Because IFTTT is no longer free for companies to participate in.

I'd wager that the percentage of TiVo user who even know what IFTTT is so low it doesn't make any sense for TiVo to pay to support a minuscule amount of their users.

IFTTT shot itself in its foot by changing its free model by starting to charge users and companies.

IFTTT itself will be gone soon enough. Likely sooner than TiVo.

 

[Pokemon_Dad]

When Microsoft killed off (arguably the best thing they ever made) Windows Media Center (which I still use on my main TV as it works amazing with my Ceton InfiniTV 4 HD PCIe card in Windows7) it left a void that only TiVo fills to this day AFAIK. Plex is great but the lack of TV DVR sans OTR garbage is a serious deficiency.

Many of us have moved on to Channels DVR at this point. I find it much better than Plex, because the developers are focused on making a good DVR while Plex tries to cover too many bases.

It relies on HDHR tuners instead of Ceton, but also offers a beta feature for recording TVE streams. Here are a couple posts about the setup I've been running all year (where I also mention that my last remaining TiVo and Minis are still on TE3, also highly recommended): https://www.tivocommunity.com/community/i...

 

[Aaron Malloy]

The entire concept of "time-shifting" has changed. I'm not saying DVRs are obsolete, but they're no longer considered essential since streaming and VOD have become so widely available and accessible.

I agree. I stopped paying for my Tivo OTA service for good about 9 months ago. I figured I would miss the way I watched TV with it. But I found that I really don't. Since I stream nearly 100% of what I watch, I can still time shift, rewind and fast-forward like a DVR. And everything that's on the air these days will be streamed shortly after. I'm not really missing anything.

'Stream' and 'Netflix' have replaced 'Tivo' as the verb of choice with most people these days. Tivo doesn't even have the name recognition anymore, so it's not like they're going to be a factor outside of their core business.

 

[Lurker1]

To summarize:
Is TiVo a dead or dying company?
Yes.

 

[Finalrinse]

I love my TiVo's (2) and Mini's (5), all with Lifetime service. I'm paying Comcast around $160. a month (includes cable, phone, internet). If I had to go all Comcast equipment/service and duplicate what I have it would easily add $100 per month more. I'm cloning a new hard drive for my Roamio Pro as I type this, just for maintenance purposes (cheap at $73 for 3TB), my Roamio's are 6 years old and love them. I want to keep them going as long as I can.

 

[dlfl]

........ and the younger gen of folks don't want to pay for cable or mess with OTA.
..................

Two corrections:
1. It isn't paying for cable that's the rub; it's the hassle of dealing with cable.
2. It isn't just the younger generation; I'm many decades past "younger" and cut cable a year ago.

Cable TV has built a scab for most of their customers, at least those who cared about what they watched, how much it cost, and the effort required to deal with them in response to frequent automatic huge rate increases.

 

[Aaron Malloy]

Two corrections:
Cable TV has built a scab for most of their customers, at least those who cared about what they watched, how much it cost, and the effort required to deal with them in response to frequent automatic huge rate increases.

Whether cable or satellite, I think most people got tired of paying for channels we weren't going to be watching that much anyway. I like sports, but I'm not rabid about them. But a big chuck of what cable/sat companies were getting from me was going straight to ESPN and others, and then much of that money was going to sports teams who have been getting obscenely rich via insane TV contracts. We the TV viewers were/are a big reason they've gotten so rich.