Downloading content via the internet. Very innovative.
PlayLater - TiVo You Need To Do This!!
As I have an HTPC attached to my receiver/TV I decided to test out MediaMall's PlayLater software.
TIVO PAY ATTENTION you need to be providing us with this feature.
While this software is less than perfect, it shows exactly what TiVo needs to be doing to stand out in the streaming media world.
This software gives you the ability to capture streams from many sources such as hulu, Netflix, SyFy etc. to be viewed latter. This would be a natural for TiVo and give them a one up on other devices.
While those with great Internet connections may not see the advantage (other than being able to skip Hulu's advertisements) for many of us using streaming at peak times is tentative and having the shows on your hard drive is much more of a sure thing.
TIVO PAY ATTENTION you need to be providing us with this feature.
While this software is less than perfect, it shows exactly what TiVo needs to be doing to stand out in the streaming media world.
This software gives you the ability to capture streams from many sources such as hulu, Netflix, SyFy etc. to be viewed latter. This would be a natural for TiVo and give them a one up on other devices.
While those with great Internet connections may not see the advantage (other than being able to skip Hulu's advertisements) for many of us using streaming at peak times is tentative and having the shows on your hard drive is much more of a sure thing.
1 - 20 of 72 Posts
It will be interesting to see how this plays out since they will more than likely get sued.
I'm sure Hulu would just love this and would continue to leave the Hulu+ Tivo app active while users fast forward through Hulu commercials.This software gives you the ability to capture streams from many sources such as hulu, Netflix, SyFy etc. to be viewed latter.
Screw Hulu - if the ignorant content producers would realize that if they gave their customers a reasonable way to get to their content that there is a significant chunk of them that would gladly pay for commercial free content. Or double the monthly Hulu for ad-free - I'll pay it!I'm sure Hulu would just love this and would continue to leave the Hulu+ Tivo app active while users fast forward through Hulu commercials.
Again, like DVRs, this software isn't the problem, but a symptom of the real fundamental problem...
Only one major problem with this - it will not schedule recordings. Records only current running programs, which makes it useless as far as I'm concerned.
Email from Playlater.
I am happy to assist you today...It is not possible to record a program
that is not scheduled to air live until the following day...I see from
your logs you were trying to record an ESPN3 video...When you select a
video to record via PlayLater, PlayOn starts transcoding the video
immediately...If the video doesn't exist yet(which in this case it does
not) then there is no video for PlayOn to retrieve and an error message
will be returned.
For a live ESPN3 video you would actually have to select the video after
it has started.
Thank you for contacting PlayOn support!
Email from Playlater.
I am happy to assist you today...It is not possible to record a program
that is not scheduled to air live until the following day...I see from
your logs you were trying to record an ESPN3 video...When you select a
video to record via PlayLater, PlayOn starts transcoding the video
immediately...If the video doesn't exist yet(which in this case it does
not) then there is no video for PlayOn to retrieve and an error message
will be returned.
For a live ESPN3 video you would actually have to select the video after
it has started.
Thank you for contacting PlayOn support!
TiVo can't afford to go against any media co.s or cable co.s Small co.s can try and if they stay small may get away with it, but TiVo can't do this type of thing, if they could they would have told cable labs screw it a long time ago, and not copy protect any programs. Some people may be willing to pay for ad free programs, HBO, etc. are providers that use that model with success, I have no idea if Hulu plus would be succefull with such an ad free model.As I have an HTPC attached to my receiver/TV I decided to test out MediaMall's PlayLater software.
TIVO PAY ATTENTION you need to be providing us with this feature.
While this software is less than perfect, it shows exactly what TiVo needs to be doing to stand out in the streaming media world.
This software gives you the ability to capture streams from many sources such as hulu, Netflix, SyFy etc. to be viewed latter. This would be a natural for TiVo and give them a one up on other devices.
While those with great Internet connections may not see the advantage (other than being able to skip Hulu's advertisements) for many of us using streaming at peak times is tentative and having the shows on your hard drive is much more of a sure thing.
Yep, this is a lawsuit waiting to happen - Tivo won't touch this with a ten-foot pole, they are too busy sucking up to the content providers and the cableCos.
The only way you will see this happening is via a hack or other nefarious method. hulu and netflix will terminate your account and likely sue any company that pushes this to market.
Funny it works as advertised on my HTPC no hacking, no nefarious method just download and use the currently free (monthly subscription fee coming soon) PlayLater software. I am not saying they will not get sued but it seems like they would have done a little legal research before spending the money to develop the software. It will be interesting to see if they do run into any legal issues. I can not really see paying for the service, I don't have Netflix and will be dropping Hulu+ when the free trial runs out. But if I were going to be using streaming allot I would want something like this.The only way you will see this happening is via a hack or other nefarious method. hulu and netflix will terminate your account and likely sue any company that pushes this to market.
Thanks,
That's because comparatively few people are doing it. If it were to become mainstream, with a company such as Tivo, that's when the problems would become evident.Funny it works as advertised on my HTPC no hacking, no nefarious method just download and use the currently free (monthly subscription fee coming soon) PlayLater software
If one wants to argue that Hulu should offer commercial-free service, then that's a separate issue. I personally wouldn't pay money for Hulu+ due to the commercials. I'm already doing that (paying to receive commercials) with comcast. I don't need to repeat the same with Hulu.docno said:Screw Hulu - if the ignorant content producers would realize that if they gave their customers a reasonable way to get to their content that there is a significant chunk of them that would gladly pay for commercial free content. Or double the monthly Hulu for ad-free - I'll pay it!
I fully agree that offering a commercial-free pay service is the way for Hulu to go. But, they don't. Unlike the traditional networks, Hulu does control the chain of distribution, all the way down into the app the runs on your device.
Can you put the downloads into the TiVo Desktop "My TiVo Recordings" directory and copy them to a TiVo to watch them on a television instead of a computer?Funny it works as advertised on my HTPC no hacking, no nefarious method just download and use the currently free (monthly subscription fee coming soon) PlayLater software. I am not saying they will not get sued but it seems like they would have done a little legal research before spending the money to develop the software. It will be interesting to see if they do run into any legal issues. I can not really see paying for the service, I don't have Netflix and will be dropping Hulu+ when the free trial runs out. But if I were going to be using streaming allot I would want something like this.
Thanks,
I do not believe so. My HTPC is attached to the same receiver that my TiVos are so I have not messed with moving recordings around but part of the reason "Play Later" claims it is legal to record the streams is that the software locks the records down with DRM. So I am assuming there is no way to play them on anything but the device they are recorded on without some kind of hack.Can you put the downloads into the TiVo Desktop "My TiVo Recordings" directory and copy them to a TiVo to watch them on a television instead of a computer?
TiVo can't do this because it's illegal and they would get sued out of existence.
Little companies can get away with selling software that does stuff like this because they're small and have no real money. If a big company like TiVo did something like this they would get a lawsuit slapped on them almost immediately.
Dan
Little companies can get away with selling software that does stuff like this because they're small and have no real money. If a big company like TiVo did something like this they would get a lawsuit slapped on them almost immediately.
Dan
also, of what value on the TiVo is it. The value on a PC would be a laptop where you could watch the video where you have no internet connection like on a trip or at lunch. The TiVo is pretty much in place and not moving. so streaming Netflix now or later is the same thing. if you have some streaming issue then either get that fixed or use an alternative like Amazon UNBOX that does download the movie to be played later.TiVo can't do this because it's illegal and they would get sued out of existence.
Little companies can get away with selling software that does stuff like this because they're small and have no real money. If a big company like TiVo did something like this they would get a lawsuit slapped on them almost immediately.
Dan
There several values I could see if TiVo could do this without being sued to death.also, of what value on the TiVo is it. The value on a PC would be a laptop where you could watch the video where you have no internet connection like on a trip or at lunch. The TiVo is pretty much in place and not moving. so streaming Netflix now or later is the same thing. if you have some streaming issue then either get that fixed or use an alternative like Amazon UNBOX that does download the movie to be played later.
- Allows off peak down loads for homes that maybe streaming to multiple TVs and not have the bandwidth to handle it. It is easy to say "switch" but many of us still have only 1 high speed Internet option you take it or leave it or move.
- Allows you to watch the TV though the TiVo UI not the Netflix, Hulu, etc app.
- Allows the user to save programs for latter viewing that maybe rotating out of Hule, Netflix ect.
Thanks,
I'm not seeing the advantage, like the OP says. The vast majority of us can watch it streamed. Unless you have a crappy internet connection, I don't see the point.
BTW, Amazon on-demand works exactly like this, downloads the content before you can watch it. It was worthless to me who didn't want to wait an hour to start watching a movie.
BTW, Amazon on-demand works exactly like this, downloads the content before you can watch it. It was worthless to me who didn't want to wait an hour to start watching a movie.
In that case they wouldn't have been bucking CableLabs; it's a Federal offense--violation of copyright law put in place by the DMCA--to sell (or even give away) any device which ignores a copy protection mechanism. Those copy protection mechanisms weren't put in the CableCARD spec for grins and chuckles--they were put there by government fiat in order to insure the success of the digital transition by keeping content providers happy and willing to transmit perfectly reproducible digital versions of their content into homes over cable....TiVo can't do this type of thing, if they could they would have told cable labs screw it a long time ago, and not copy protect any programs.
There are plenty of download video rental services. Microsoft's Zune Video Marketplace titles can be either stream or download. The advantage of downloading is that you can get the highest quality high bandwidth version of the title even if you don't have the network to support streaming the video at that quality level. You have to wait several hours, but you can get a 10 Mbps HD copy of a film over your 3 Mbps connection.I'm not seeing the advantage, like the OP says. The vast majority of us can watch it streamed. Unless you have a crappy internet connection, I don't see the point.
BTW, Amazon on-demand works exactly like this, downloads the content before you can watch it. It was worthless to me who didn't want to wait an hour to start watching a movie.
That wouldn't seem to be the case with this--you can record stuff, but at no higher quality that you can stream it, so if you have a slow connection you can only make crappy slow-connection-quality recordings.
That is an oversimplification, there are still exceptions allowed for fair use (for example, extracting a clip from a DVD to use it in a nonprofit documentary).In that case they wouldn't have been bucking CableLabs; it's a Federal offense--violation of copyright law put in place by the DMCA--to sell (or even give away) any device which ignores a copy protection mechanism.
Stripping the DRM from an ebook to hack the bit that prevents read-aloud is even considered a fair use and is exempt. In principle, is that so different from stripping the do-not-copy bit from a protected broadcast that prevents me from watching it in my bedroom?
What someone needs to do, is press the issue to see whether making a "backup copy" of a program which one has legally purchased, is a fair use and is therefore exempt from the DCMA. Similarly, is timeshifting and/or placeshifting of a legally purchased program a fair use?
1 - 20 of 72 Posts
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