[tenthplanet]

That reminds me ... Didn't Google buy SageTV? Whatever happened there?

Supposedly that wanted the tech for the failed Google Fiber TV. And then there is this too.
SageTV to go open source (four years after Google acquired the media center/DVR software) - Liliputing
In the battle with Amazon who knows what Google will acquire. But if they bought both Tivo and Pace...Amazon might sweat a little. And you would have Tivo's with enough memory and power for live streaming apps.

 

[tenthplanet]

Those ads are 100% skippable on my Apple TV. I just fast-forward through them. It takes maybe 10 seconds to skip a minute or so of ads. They aren't terrible, since they're ads for other Amazon Video content and not random things like detergent.

HBO Now does the same thing.

 

[tapokata]

In the battle with Amazon who knows what Google will acquire. But they bought both Tivo and Pace...Amazon might sweat a little. And you would have Tivo's with enough memory and power for live streaming apps.

Given how badly Google pooped the bed with their overpay for NEST, and subsequent head scratching over how to integrate the Nest technology with Google's other products... I have little confidence that Google would have a clue what to do with TiVo.

 

[slice1900]

May 2018. That's puttin' the ain't in maintenance.

The fact they haven't updated TE3 in over a year is a GOOD thing as far as I'm concerned. Yes, there are a few bugs but the ones I run into (a few cases where it loses its place in a live tuner, and losing sounds effects or getting a "black screen", either of which a thumbs down/thumbs up/play/play to restart the GUI) aren't show stoppers. I'd rather leave those bugs alone than have them alter the code and possibly introduce new bugs that are bigger issues for me.

The one thing I don't understand is how every once in a while when I do something simple like 'explore' on a recording I'll get a few seconds of the spinning blue circle. WTF, why isn't this data saved in the DVR instead of (apparently) being downloaded dynamically? But I'll live with that over them trying to fix it and possibly breaking something else worse.

 

[DragonBard]

In the battle with Amazon who knows what Google will acquire. But they bought both Tivo and Pace...

False, Google did not buy TiVo. Rovi purchased TiVo. Google is not involved at all with TiVo.

 

[DigitalDawn]

TiVo Ted's response regarding the ability to downgrade is actually very good news. I guess the TiVo guy I spoke to (not Ted) was misinformed, or the higher-ups changed their minds recently.

I'm going to say something that is probably unpopular here.

If it helps to keep TiVo selling retail boxes, the commercials really aren't a huge issue for me. I would rather have the commercials with TiVo than no commercials and no TiVo. Of course, zero pre-roll ads would be great, but it's only a quick button press to skip them; then the rest of the program is commercial free with Auto Commercial Skip. So, basically, it's a single button press more and you're done.

There may be some other options for TiVo to make additional money. What if they added one or two dollars extra to the TiVo monthly service fee? What if you had the option to choose?

It seems to me, that for most of you it's a "principle thing," and I get that. TiVo could have done this differently (raising the monthly price) and there wouldn't have been as much of a backlash. Hopefully they will reconsider or come up with something a little more palatable for most users.

 

[SullyND]

I don't mind TiVo rolling out ads to new customers, or existing customers who are month to month, or annual. Doing it to existing lifetime? Stinks.

I've been with TiVo long enough that I paid separately ($99) for "Home Media Option" on my S2 (it originally was an add on). TiVo bought some goodwill IMHO by implementing Skip-mode on existing hardware for free. They could have limited it to the Bolt, or charged more for it. (And I'd have gladly paid)

Instead of this ad "feature" if they offered new features, such as profiles, or better parental controls, and offered them as an add on (eg Lifetime subscribers, want user profiles? Now available for $100) I'd be all for it. Monthly subscription $5 more per month if you don't want preroll ads? Sure.

Forcing this "feature" on existing customers stinks.

 

[djones18]

Pre-roll-ads Opt-out Update: Success. After contacting TiVo Tech Support and waiting two days ads are gone at beginning of each recorded program. I did have to restart TiVo using 3-thumbs down method, then perform manual connection to TiVo server for update. As others have mentioned the update took about 15 minutes.

 

[lucidrenegade]

No, not a Rovi/TiVo company. Unless the Edge can produce something more than an embarrassing giggle from the tech world and prove itself as a tech company. But they have had more years to prove they are still in the technology business, more years than any other tech company and so far has failed dissapontingly to show any progress other than a willingness to pick at our bones with ads. Rather, than giving us the technology that meets the needs of their customers, instead they chose to bite the hand that feeds them. The Rovi business plan.

Rovi's CEO (can't remember his name. Sounded like a spaghetti sauce) bet the farm on licensing Tivo patents, which are being invalidated left and right. I was hoping Edge would have been something new (Android TV based, etc.), but no. Just more of the same thing that's gotten them in the hole they're in. It's actually sad to see a pioneer like Tivo continually face plant.

 

[krkaufman]

In the battle with Amazon who knows what Google will acquire. But they bought both Tivo and Pace...Amazon might sweat a little. And you would have Tivo's with enough memory and power for live streaming apps.

False, Google did not buy TiVo. Rovi purchased TiVo. Google is not involved at all with TiVo.

I'm inferring from the context of their statement that they neglected an "if," as in ... "But IF they bought both TiVo and Pace..."

 

[jlb]

.....I'm going to say something that is probably unpopular here.

If it helps to keep TiVo selling retail boxes, the commercials really aren't a huge issue for me. I would rather have the commercials with TiVo than no commercials and no TiVo. Of course, zero pre-roll ads would be great, but it's only a quick button press to skip them; then the rest of the program is commercial free with Auto Commercial Skip. So, basically, it's a single button press more and you're done.
.......

I'm with you 100%. I also would prefer no ads, but for me, having TiVo is the most important part of the equation. And one more button press is not that big a deal to me. Heck, I don't even care that I don't have auto-skip. And there are even times where I use the FF method to advance even though I know I have the Skip button.

Every person is different. What is important to each of us may be different. But I wholeheartedly agree that perhaps the situation could have been handled differently.

 

[tenthplanet]

I'm inferring from the context of their statement that they neglected an "if," as in ... "But IF they bought both TiVo and Pace..."

Whoops if is now added to the post..Thanks for catching that.

 

[BobCamp1]

Not saying TiVo would ever do this, but they COULD force TE 4 on you, even if you roll back (per the terms and conditions). They could also choose to outright discontinue the S3 and S4 regardless of lifetime status.

Again, not saying they would, but I also never thought they would do this, so.....

I think "forcing customers to TE4" and "canceling/refusing the ad opt out" have the same (low) chance of happening for older customers. I wouldn't downgrade to TE3 just to avoid the small possibility of not being able to opt out of the ads in the future.

If you are a new customer, and you can't opt out, and you can't stand the ads, then I would recommend downgrading to TE3. Otherwise call Tivo up and opt out.

FYI, I knew they would do this because everybody else is doing it, even for paid services like Amazon Prime. Rovi has the ability to generate targeted ads which is where a lot of the money is made these days.

 

[Joe3]

I don't mind TiVo rolling out ads to new customers, or existing customers who are month to month, or annual. Doing it to existing lifetime? Stinks.

I've been with TiVo long enough that I paid separately ($99) for "Home Media Option" on my S2 (it originally was an add on). TiVo bought some goodwill IMHO by implementing Skip-mode on existing hardware for free. They could have limited it to the Bolt, or charged more for it. (And I'd have gladly paid)

Instead of this ad "feature" if they offered new features, such as profiles, or better parental controls, and offered them as an add on (eg Lifetime subscribers, want user profiles? Now available for $100) I'd be all for it. Monthly subscription $5 more per month if you don't want preroll ads? Sure.

Forcing this "feature" on existing customers stinks.

I'm with you 100%. I also would prefer no ads, but for me, having TiVo is the most important part of the equation. And one more button press is not that big a deal to me. Heck, I don't even care that I don't have auto-skip. And there are even times where I use the FF method to advance even though I know I have the Skip button.

Every person is different. What is important to each of us may be different. But I wholeheartedly agree that perhaps the situation could have been handled differently.

You know guys, I too want to see TiVo thrive, grow, and stick around. I think this action is not a one and done thing. It's a pattern of behavior that sets the bar low and is the philosophy of low exceptions. It is the lazy idea of just enough is good enough. TiVo is an American invention and it should act that way and not in the way of a loser, which is a foreign idea to us, and false, but these words in our history have always been true.

"If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or build a better mouse-trap than his neighbor; though he build him a house in the woods, yet will all the world make a beaten path to his door."

 

[krkaufman]

TiVo is an American invention and it should act that way and not in the way of a loser, which is foreign idead to us, and false, but these words in our history have always been true.

 

[Narkul]

TiVo Ted's response regarding the ability to downgrade is actually very good news. I guess the TiVo guy I spoke to (not Ted) was misinformed, or the higher-ups changed their minds recently.

I'm going to say something that is probably unpopular here.

If it helps to keep TiVo selling retail boxes, the commercials really aren't a huge issue for me. I would rather have the commercials with TiVo than no commercials and no TiVo. Of course, zero pre-roll ads would be great, but it's only a quick button press to skip them; then the rest of the program is commercial free with Auto Commercial Skip. So, basically, it's a single button press more and you're done.

There may be some other options for TiVo to make additional money. What if they added one or two dollars extra to the TiVo monthly service fee? What if you had the option to choose?

It seems to me, that for most of you it's a "principle thing," and I get that. TiVo could have done this differently (raising the monthly price) and there wouldn't have been as much of a backlash. Hopefully they will reconsider or come up with something a little more palatable for most users.

If this article is correct, then downgrading is a temporary fix.

TiVo confirms ads are coming to all DVR recordings regardless of subscription status

"The company intends to roll out the commercials to users still on TiVo Experience 3 at a later date. So not updating to the latest software is not a way to avoid the ads."

Don't know much about the integrity of Techspot, and the article doesn't quote who exactly gave them this information. This may be a little worrisome for those running to TE3 though.

 

[wmcbrine]

I'm OOTL. What are MSO's and who are their customers?

MSOs = cable companies. TiVos that are rented from the cable company rather than purchased retail.

 

[cwoody222]

If this article is correct, then downgrading is a temporary fix.

TiVo confirms ads are coming to all DVR recordings regardless of subscription status

"The company intends to roll out the commercials to users still on TiVo Experience 3 at a later date. So not updating to the latest software is not a way to avoid the ads."

Don't know much about the integrity of Techspot, and the article doesn't quote who exactly gave them this information. This may be a little worrisome for those running to TE3 though.

Believe TiVo Ted, not a site which you do not know the integrity of.

All these various tech sites picked up the story and started to rewrite (ie: copy) the original to get their own page views.

They scoured sources (probably such as this forum) to get new details which may or not have been validated.

This isn't "reporting" it's regurgitation.

Tivo Ted works for TiVo. He has said TE3 won't get ads. He said it plainly. End of speculation.

 

[hummingbird_206]

MSOs = cable companies. TiVos that are rented from the cable company rather than purchased retail.

I had no idea that was happening. Thanks for the info.

 

[JoeKustra]

I had no idea that was happening. Thanks for the info.

One of the first: Service Electric Cablevision | TiVo

Like was posted, the remote's Skip button is the On Demand button. But they (SECV) have no problem with cable cards.