[AussieFigjam]

First I really like these devices; so much I bought another 2 for my other TVs before the price goes up (now I own 3 of them). Primarily I have them because they run Android TV, which, among other things, allows me to install a VPN and watch shows from other countries. The device is fast and the picture quality is good.

Now to the issue (aimed mostly at the Tivo developers). streaming consolidators will be the big thing for 2020, so you are on to a good idea with the Tivo Stream app, and it could be a great way to get ahead of the market (again), but it lacks in execution. There is no point in consolidating unless you become the primary way to navigate and launch apps in context; currently the Tivo stream is not consolidating some of the main players. maybe others can chime in here with their wishes, but here are my comments:

• Live TV: I still watch close to 50% of my TV using a live TV streaming app. Without consolidating from the top live TV providers, you are missing most of the content most viewers will watch from. Sling is far from one of the top players, and even if it was, it still controls the minority of the market. YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV are considered the top players here, without consolidating from those, the app becomes mostly useless to most consumers. Personally I use YouTube TV; you decided on Android for a platform, why not chose YouTube TV as the live TV provider? In any case, you really need all 3 of these to cover the market.
• Other streaming providers. You have this well covered with Netflix and Prime Video, but there are some improvements that can be made:
  • Prime: Like many Prime users, I will not usually buy anything from Amazon, I only watch the stuff that comes free with Prime membership. I notice there is both a "Prime" and a "Prime Video" option for services, I think one of them is supposed to only show "free to me", but it doesn't do that. This should be fixed so that, for at least one option, if the show needs to be purchased, it does not show up as an option in Prime
  • BritBox: I know this is not as popular, but I do use it, and it would be nice to consolidate from here. Reelgood does it already.

Currently, I just disabled the app so that it doesn't junk up my home screen because it is largely useless to me (see other thread here on how to do that), but if support is added for at least YouTube TV, I will add it back in a heartbeat.

 

[thyname]

The vast majority of people I personally know who are using live tv apps, are YouTube Tv users. Like 90% of them. Of course, this is just my close circle of friends and family, so nothing scientific here for those scientists or statisticians among you.

So yeah... adding the YTTV to integration is key to TiVo Stream 4K success. Sling TV users are probably a small minority

 

[AussieFigjam]

One other thing. There seems to be no way to mark episodes as "Watched", and there is no good ordering. Organization of shows needs to be better such that I can mark episodes and seasons as watched, and then order by most recently added unwatched episodes of shows. So:

• When I watch the latest episode of a show in "my shows", it drops to the bottom of the list
• I can mark episodes and series as watched so that they don't appear at the top until a new episode is added, maybe I watched them though another platform, so actually watching it from Tivo stream doesn't count, there needs to be a way to manually mark it watched
• The shows are listed in an order so that the shows with the most recently added unwatched episodes appear at the top.

Checkout YouTube TV and Reelgood for ideas on how to do this right.

 

[babsonnexus]

@AussieFigjam, see the thread: TiVo Stream 4K: Path to Perfection

Everything you have noted has already been captured, even BritBox!

 

[schatham]

To be fair to Tivo, it's not like they can just pick any streaming service and use it built in. They need the providers permission.

The big fail is not allowing streaming from Tivo DVR's.

 

[EWiser]

First I really like these devices; so much I bought another 2 for my other TVs before the price goes up (now I own 3 of them). Primarily I have them because they run Android TV, which, among other things, allows me to install a VPN and watch shows from other countries. The device is fast and the picture quality is good.

Now to the issue (aimed mostly at the Tivo developers). streaming consolidators will be the big thing for 2020, so you are on to a good idea with the Tivo Stream app, and it could be a great way to get ahead of the market (again), but it lacks in execution. There is no point in consolidating unless you become the primary way to navigate and launch apps in context; currently the Tivo stream is not consolidating some of the main players. maybe others can chime in here with their wishes, but here are my comments:

• Live TV: I still watch close to 50% of my TV using a live TV streaming app. Without consolidating from the top live TV providers, you are missing most of the content most viewers will watch from. Sling is far from one of the top players, and even if it was, it still controls the minority of the market. YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV are considered the top players here, without consolidating from those, the app becomes mostly useless to most consumers. Personally I use YouTube TV; you decided on Android for a platform, why not chose YouTube TV as the live TV provider? In any case, you really need all 3 of these to cover the market.
• Other streaming providers. You have this well covered with Netflix and Prime Video, but there are some improvements that can be made:
  • Prime: Like many Prime users, I will not usually buy anything from Amazon, I only watch the stuff that comes free with Prime membership. I notice there is both a "Prime" and a "Prime Video" option for services, I think one of them is supposed to only show "free to me", but it doesn't do that. This should be fixed so that, for at least one option, if the show needs to be purchased, it does not show up as an option in Prime
  • BritBox: I know this is not as popular, but I do use it, and it would be nice to consolidate from here. Reelgood does it already.

Currently, I just disabled the app so that it doesn't junk up my home screen because it is largely useless to me (see other thread here on how to do that), but if support is added for at least YouTube TV, I will add it back in a heartbeat.

So you know I watch Apple TV using a vpn on the device. Let's you use British tv apps too.

 

[thyname]

The big fail is not allowing streaming from Tivo DVR's.

I have a strong feeling that will come soon. Just a feeling.

Also, you know the Stream 4K is targeting the non-Tivo users probably. Not the current TiVo DVR owners, like me, who are unfortunately a very small minority

 

[jimpmc]

To be fair to Tivo, it's not like they can just pick any streaming service and use it built in. They need the providers permission.

The big fail is not allowing streaming from Tivo DVR's.

Do they? How do startups like Reelgood and JustWatch have data from other subscription services like Starz, Showtime, and literally 50+ other streaming services?

 

[siratfus]

Did they disable the keyboard? I'm only getting voice option.

 

[shwru980r]

CEO Dave Shull stated that it’s vitally important that TiVo get over its history as a DVR company, he said, noting, We’re only talking about streaming now. But Shull partnered with Sling to provide cloud streaming DVR service, but Sling requires customers to purchase a separate Air TV DVR as well as local storage to receive the broadcast network channels, but Tivo does not integrate the channels from Air TV into their app.

The top ten rated shows are all from the broadcast networks. Most people will still need to purchase an additional Air TV DVR to meet their needs or else use some other legacy DVR like Tivo. CEO Dave Shull managed to deliver a device that doesn't eliminate a DVR and the customer must purchase a DVR from Sling, instead of TIVO, because Shull refuses to provide connectivity with the legacy Tivo DVRs.

Shull was well aware of the broadcast TV hole in this new device. Tivo had a beta Android app a few years ago that they shut down. At a mininum, that beta Android app should have been brought back to the Tivo stream and integrated into the Tivo app.

If the customer is still going to have to purchase a DVR to receive the broadcast channels, why not enable connectivity to the DVRs that Tivo sells?

 

[schatham]

Do they? How do startups like Reelgood and JustWatch have data from other subscription services like Starz, Showtime, and literally 50+ other streaming services?

I was referring to live TV streamers.

 

[siratfus]

CEO Dave Shull stated that it's vitally important that TiVo get over its history as a DVR company, he said, noting, We're only talking about streaming now. But Shull partnered with Sling to provide cloud streaming DVR service, but Sling requires customers to purchase a separate Air TV DVR as well as local storage to receive the broadcast network channels, but Tivo does not integrate the channels from Air TV into their app.

The top ten rated shows are all from the broadcast networks. Most people will still need to purchase an additional Air TV DVR to meet their needs or else use some other legacy DVR like Tivo. CEO Dave Shull managed to deliver a device that doesn't eliminate a DVR and the customer must purchase a DVR from Sling, instead of TIVO, because Shull refuses to provide connectivity with the legacy Tivo DVRs.

Shull was well aware of the broadcast TV hole in this new device. Tivo had a beta Android app a few years ago that they shut down. At a mininum, that beta Android app should have been brought back to the Tivo stream and integrated into the Tivo app.

If the customer is still going to have to purchase a DVR to receive the broadcast channels, why not enable connectivity to the DVRs that Tivo sells?

I do notice while playing around with their offerings at Sling, that they offer some sort of bundle with something called AirTV and an antenna to get local channels. This confuses me so much! LOL! I have not cut the chord, still with Spectrum. One of the issues for me is that I would need to install a antenna on my roof, and I thought the appeal of Hulu and Youtube TV was that they have your local channels. So if I were to cut the chord, I'd go with one of them and not have the hassle of dealing with antennas. Or, am I not understanding something? Do I need to install antennas for Youtube TV or Hulu TV too?

 

[shwru980r]

I do notice while playing around with their offerings at Sling, that they offer some sort of bundle with something called AirTV and an antenna to get local channels. This confuses me so much! LOL! I have not cut the chord, still with Spectrum. One of the issues for me is that I would need to install a antenna on my roof, and I thought the appeal of Hulu and Youtube TV was that they have your local channels. So if I were to cut the chord, I'd go with one of them and not have the hassle of dealing with antennas. Or, am I not understanding something? Do I need to install antennas for Youtube TV or Hulu TV too?

YouTube TV offers complete local network coverage in over 98% of US TV households. Hulu doesn't offer PBS and their other network coverage isn't as good as Youtube TV. You probably won't need an antenna with youtube or hulu.

 

[Dan203]

The vast majority of people I personally know who are using live tv apps, are YouTube Tv users. Like 90% of them. Of course, this is just my close circle of friends and family, so nothing scientific here for those scientists or statisticians among you.

So yeah... adding the YTTV to integration is key to TiVo Stream 4K success. Sling TV users are probably a small minority

I think there is a reason TiVo will never support YTTV.... they do locals. I think TiVos next play is to release some sort of OTA DVR that goes along with this device. Sling is the perfect partner for this because they only offer locals in a few areas and even then only has some channels. YTTV offers locals almost everywhere which would make an OTA DVR unnecessary. Plus Dish is also a relatively small company, compared to Google, so it's likely easier for TiVo to partner with them and get some sort of profit sharing when someone using one of these devices signs up for Sling. (I doubt Google would even do that)

 

[cwoody222]

As of this spring, Hulu Live has 3.3M subscribers, Sling has 2.6M and YTTV has “over” 2M.

Many people here seem to think YTTV is running away with the race or Sling is some non-player.

Not at all.

 

[siratfus]

As of this spring, Hulu Live has 3.3M subscribers, Sling has 2.6M and YTTV has "over" 2M.

Many people here seem to think YTTV is running away with the race or Sling is some non-player.

Not at all.

Sling was first out the gate though. So Youtube has done fairly well. I'm new to the live tv streaming world, and I don't expect to leave Spectrum any time soon. But it was news to me that you need to dvr and an antenna with Sling for local channels. That seems like a hassle. But I guess it's a one time hassle, and you save money over the long haul or something? Versus the higher price point of youtube that includes the local channels.

It'll be interesting what happens in the next 5 years.

 

[moyekj]

Plus the huge assumption with Sling is you can use easily use antenna for locals which is a non starter for many. Any streaming TV service that doesn't include the locals is not going to work for me.

 

[Dan203]

As of this spring, Hulu Live has 3.3M subscribers, Sling has 2.6M and YTTV has "over" 2M.

Many people here seem to think YTTV is running away with the race or Sling is some non-player.

Not at all.

What's funny is that as these services are gaining more and more channels their prices are coming more and more inline with traditional cable and DSS. Throw in a half dozen, or more, streaming services with original programming and you end up paying more for this new internet based entertainment then we were before.

 

[Dan203]

Plus the huge assumption with Sling is you can use easily use antenna for locals which is a non starter for many. Any streaming TV service that doesn't include the locals is not going to work for me.

This is also why Sling is only $30 and YTTV is $50. Locals are expensive. Retransmission fees, and just the logistics of dealing with hundreds of different companies who own stations, makes them expensive.

With the option of separate apps offering the content from the big networks is there even a need for locals any more? Besides local news is there really anything broadcast on your local stations you couldn't watch some other way?

 

[moyekj]

This is also why Sling is only $30 and YTTV is $50. Locals are expensive. Retransmission fees, and just the logistics of dealing with hundreds of different companies who own stations, makes them expensive.

With the option of separate apps offering the content from the big networks is there even a need for locals any more? Besides local news is there really anything broadcast on your local stations you couldn't watch some other way?

Well, if you want commercial free versions of just ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX streaming editions then you are talking at least $40/month just for those if you get them individually. I subscribed to CBS All Access for $10/month for a couple of months just for Star Trek access mostly, so that's my only real experience of accessing that kind of service outside DVR realm. Perhaps Hulu + combination of other apps gets you there for cheaper than that, but either way you are looking at multiple apps and a not so seamless integration.