[exdishguy]

Okay, so there are no plans to implement pre-roll ads on TE3, I understand. However, I hear there are ads in Hydra's guide. Namely, for TiVo+ right now.

Is the TE3 guide going to be modified to show ads like the TE4 guide? I would find that so irritating. I just want confirmation as to whether or not guide ads are coming to TE3.

No plans to introduce ads in any way to TE3 since the platform is frozen in "maintenance mode."

 

[exdishguy]

I am loathe to comment here and re-subscribe myself to the updates, but I wonder if I have a related issue: on all of my units (a Bolt, a Bolt Vox, two A93 minis) when starting to play back a recording they display the right-arrows background image for .5-2 seconds before starting the playback. No ads, no BSC, just the background image.
Is this related to the ads? Will calling an opting out fix it? Or is it just the box running a bit slow?
I'm not entirely sold on TE4 but the family loves the voice search, and we all know what comes of upsetting the apple cart.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yea, the right-arrow background is the tell-tale sign that pre-rolls are coming to a Tivo box near you. Once you opt out, that should go away along with the pre-roll ads. The guide ads and Tivo+ nonsense is another story.

 

[Amnesia]

No plans to introduce ads in any way to TE3 since the platform is frozen in "maintenance mode."

Well, there are no announced plans. We don't really know if there are unannounced plans...

 

[Rapt0r]

An update. Since my original post on this issue I've not received any subsequent ads, though I am now receiving a brief nonspecific graphic prior to my recorded content. I did request that they remove the pre-roll ads, which was agreed to and taking effect within 72 hours. My assumption regarding the brief graphic is that it's a placeholder for future ads, which I suspect is unfortunately inevitable.

A further update. I've not received any additional pre-roll ads, and I don't believe I've received any more 'placeholder' graphics. Perhaps they've backed off on this, for the moment.

However I now notice what I consider to be ads every few lines in the guide. Frankly, just as annoying to me. If they are doing this stuff thinking that we want it, that it enhances are viewing pleasure they're wrong. I've spent a lot of money on their equipment as well as their extremely overpriced subscription but I'm ready to move on. Having a unified guide has been the only thing keeping me from cutting the cord. But the direction TiVo is going looking for ways to insert ads everywhere has me at the end of my patience with them. What's next, persistent PiP ads?

 

[schatham]

No plans to introduce ads in any way to TE3 since the platform is frozen in "maintenance mode."

Bolt Vox TE3: Last night changing the channel on live TV their was a very brief ad, a ping noise then live TV show was playing. It was odd enough that I backed up to see what that was and their was no ad. I tried this 3 times, no ad showing, just the start of the show.

So maybe they are doing something to bring ads to TE3.

 

[spiderpumpkin]

I think they are doing something to TE3 Encore. My 3TB 6-tuner Bolt Vox had all kinds of strange blue circles and connecting to Tivo errors that I've never had before.

 

[exdishguy]

Bolt Vox TE3: Last night changing the channel on live TV their was a very brief ad, a ping noise then live TV show was playing. It was odd enough that I backed up to see what that was and their was no ad. I tried this 3 times, no ad showing, just the start of the show.

So maybe they are doing something to bring ads to TE3.

Good lord. I hope you're wrong (no offense). What TE3 version of firmware does your Bolt show?

 

[b_scott]

I can't do that. The last time I tried, I got to the second commercial break and couldn't stand it. And ended up purchasing the rest of the season. So now I do it with all the shows on the CW. Since I really hate commercials

ok. seems a bit persnickety to me but if you don't care about money I guess that's your prerogative.

 

[aaronwt]

ok. seems a bit persnickety to me but if you don't care about money I guess that's your prerogative.

If you care about money, then getting shows from cable would not be a priority. Since they will typically cost more.

But sure, I care about money. I pay less now, paying for these shows separately, paying for Philo, and paying for Hulu commercial free. Than I did when I was on the FIOS Ultimate HD tier.
I was paying around $155 a month for Ultimate HD, gigabit internet, and digital phone service.

I dropped down to Custom Tv, Gigabit internet, and digital phone service. And now I pay around $90 each month to FiOS. That $65 a month savings way more than covers what I pay for individual shows, Philo, and Hulu ad-free each month. Only now the video quality is much better than what FiOS or Comcast has. Or OTA in the DC area has.

The individual shows only cost between 75 cents and $2 an episode for the highest quality version, HD. When I buy the entire new season at once. Which is typically pre-ordered, prior to the new season being aired on broadcast.

The most I've ever paid per episode was $2. And that was for the most recent season of The Magicians.(I also buy the SyFy shows outright, in addition to the CW shows)

But I also didn't switch to save money. I switched to get better video quality, and still be able to avoid commercials. Since FiOS video quality has been crap for several years now. Although not as bad as Comcast yet.

But saving money was just icing on the cake.

 

[TKnight206]

I can't do that. The last time I tried, I got to the second commercial break and couldn't stand it. And ended up purchasing the rest of the season. So now I do it with all the shows on the CW. Since I really hate commercials.

And it still isn't very expensive. I end up paying between 75 cents and $2 per HD episode when I buy the entire season. The most I've paid was $2 an episode. And that was for the Magicians, which is on SyFy. All the CW shows have cost me $1.50 or less per HD episode.

Would it be cheaper to watch the CW shows on Netflix a year later?

The CW is ending its Netflix deal, but that doesn't mean Riverdale is disappearing might be worth a read first.

 

[aristoBrat]

ok. seems a bit persnickety to me but if you don't care about money I guess that's your prerogative.

IMO, people hate ads. This thread alone has about 1,500 replies from folks who hate the idea of short pre-roll ads that can be skipped with the press of a button (or removed with a call/email to customer service).

The idea that someone would buy an episode because it's the only way to skip multiple 90+ second ads doesn't seem persnickety to me, IMO. Some have limited time to watch shows, and time itself can be more valuable commodity than the cost of bypassing ads.

 

[aaronwt]

Would it be cheaper to watch the CW shows on Netflix a year later?

The CW is ending its Netflix deal, but that doesn't mean Riverdale is disappearing might be worth a read first.

Yes it would be cheaper. But I don't like waiting nine months to watch these broadcast shows. Especially when they are usually over twenty episodes each season.

 

[b_scott]

IMO, people hate ads. This thread alone has about 1,500 replies from folks who hate the idea of short pre-roll ads that can be skipped with the press of a button (or removed with a call/email to customer service).

The idea that someone would buy an episode because it's the only way to skip multiple 90+ second ads doesn't seem persnickety to me, IMO. Some have limited time to watch shows, and time itself can be more valuable commodity than the cost of bypassing ads.

Sure, and if it were all shows then I would understand. For one show, once a week, not worth the extra money. Personal choice I guess.

 

[TKnight206]

What would be the downsides to digital purchases?

If purchasing, you're paying a lot for something you may only watch once. Renting would be a nice option, provided it's a practical price.

If purchasing, you're also subject to losing your digital purchase. (E.g., The Simpsons season 3, episode 1, or Roseanne season 10)
Renting would alleviate the bitterness of having paid for something to only have it taken away, even if offered a refund.

 

[aaronwt]

What would be the downsides to digital purchases?

If purchasing, you're paying a lot for something you may only watch once. Renting would be a nice option, provided it's a practical price.

If purchasing, you're also subject to losing your digital purchase. (E.g., The Simpsons season 3, episode 1, or Roseanne season 10)
Renting would alleviate the bitterness of having paid for something to only have it taken away, even if offered a refund.

Have they started taking away any digital purchases yet? The last time I checked, I still had access to all the digital purchases I made on Xbox, back around 2006 or 2007 or so. And I still have all my Vudu digital purchases I made since 2007.

 

[TKnight206]

Have they started taking away any digital purchases yet? The last time I checked, I still had access to all the digital purchases I made on Xbox, back around 2006 or 2007 or so. And I still have all my Vudu digital purchases I made since 2007.

From the CW? Not to my knowledge.

 

[mbernste]

frankly, everyone expects to have an Exit button

Why would you need an exit button on a TiVo? Just press the TiVo button to get out of an app. It seems pretty intuitive and no one had to tell me to use it, it just made sense when I picked up the remote for the first time.

 

[NashGuy]

Why would you need an exit button on a TiVo? Just press the TiVo button to get out of an app. It seems pretty intuitive and no one had to tell me to use it, it just made sense when I picked up the remote for the first time.

Pressing the TiVo button won't get you out of TiVo Central (or whatever they call the main TiVo home screen UI) -- in fact, that button takes you there!

Every other DVR has a button, usually named Exit, that takes you out of whatever on-screen menu system or app that you're in, back out to whatever was playing before you entered that menu system or app -- either live TV or a DVR recording. There's no equivalent button on a TiVo.

 

[Bigg]

Pressing the TiVo button won't get you out of TiVo Central (or whatever they call the main TiVo home screen UI) -- in fact, that button takes you there!

Every other DVR has a button, usually named Exit, that takes you out of whatever on-screen menu system or app that you're in, back out to whatever was playing before you entered that menu system or app -- either live TV or a DVR recording. There's no equivalent button on a TiVo.

Left will take you out of whatever you're in. I'm still not sure why TiVo would need an "Exit" button, as it has a "Live TV" button, and the TiVo button.

 

[NashGuy]

Left will take you out of whatever you're in. I'm still not sure why TiVo would need an "Exit" button, as it has a "Live TV" button, and the TiVo button.

If you're watching live TV, but you're behind the timeline due to pausing/trick play, or if you're watching a recording -- and then you go into the TiVo menu system -- you don't want to press the Live TV button, because that will dump you out some place you don't want to be.

And, no, at least when I had a TiVo, pressing the left D-button did not take me back out of TiVo Central into what I had been watching in the scenarios above. The only way to do that was by pressing the "Zoom" button. Completely unintuitive.

Look, you know you're on the wrong side of a UI/UX debate when *literally* no other system has implemented the conventions that you're arguing for. If TiVo's approach made sense, it would have been copied by other DVRs, *especially* given the fact that TiVo was the original DVR system. Heck, even the Mac eventually gave up on insisting on a one-button mouse after Windows had been around for a decade...