[jacksonian]

Hi Everyone,
I've had TiVos since day 1, series 1. My wife and I have loved them. I'm currently rocking a Bolt and a couple of Minis. But I've been so disappointed with what seems like a lack of growth/innovation. It seems like it's been 2 years now since the latest interface update which seemed like a step backwards--not being able to go 'back' through the menu and having to hit TiVo home button and start from the top and other little silly things. I'd love to stay with TiVo and honestly that's the only reason I'd keep Comcast at this point. I'm almost ready to jump to YouTube TV and ditch Comcast and TiVo.

This isn't a complain about TiVo vent. I'm really hoping someone has an idea of what their plans are for the future. I'd love to stay with TiVo until I die. But with all the streaming services and lack of innovation, I'm looking for some reassurance that they have something up their sleeve.

Thanks for any insight!
Brent

 

[dianebrat]

There is no future plan in the DVR realm, this is most likely the end of the line.
The reason you haven't seen anything for years is the assorted new owners want out of the retail DVR business.

 

[NashGuy]

I'd love to stay with TiVo and honestly that's the only reason I'd keep Comcast at this point. I'm almost ready to jump to YouTube TV and ditch Comcast and TiVo.

This isn't a complain about TiVo vent. I'm really hoping someone has an idea of what their plans are for the future. I'd love to stay with TiVo until I die.

Hopefully you have many more years of life left in you than TiVo CableCARD DVRs do. All of the major cable operators, including Comcast, have it on their long-term roadmap to eventually change the technology they use to transmit cable TV channels from traditional QAM to streaming IPTV, rendering their systems incompatible with CableCARD devices like TiVo DVRs. Comcast has been very slowly transitioning from QAM to IPTV for nearly a decade now, running both systems side by side, with a few of their newest channels only available on IPTV. Earlier generation X1 boxes were compatible with both QAM and IPTV but the latest ones they've been giving out (as well as their Xfinity Stream app for devices like Roku and Fire TV) only do IPTV. TiVos only do QAM. They cannot access IPTV channels.

At some point -- no one knows when -- Comcast will completely shut down QAM and only offer cable TV service over IPTV. Could be in a year, might be five years from now. When they upgrade the network in an area from the current DOCSIS 3.1 broadband standard to DOCSIS 4.0 is a logical point when that could happen, although Comcast hasn't said so. They've announced that at least some areas will get upgraded to DOCSIS 4.0, allowing multi-gig internet speeds in both directions, in 2023. Will be interesting to see if QAM TV gets shut down in those markets at that time.

Meanwhile, TiVo knows that its DVR business is in irreversible decline, so it has no reason to invest money in evolving/improving it any further at this point. The thing they're chasing now is trying to become a smart TV software provider, using their "TiVo OS" as the built-in software and streaming app platform for 2nd and 3rd-tier TV brands around the world.

Bottom line: if you like your TiVo DVRs and Comcast cable TV service as they currently exist, there's no reason to dump them. But you shouldn't expect them to change or get better. And you should expect that, at some point this decade, they'll cease working. But that day could still be a long way off.

 

[cwoody222]

...not being able to go 'back' through the menu and having to hit TiVo home button and start from the top and other little silly things...

Press the “Back” button on your remote to go back to the previous screen/menu.

Theres no need to use the TiVo button to start over unless you want to.

 

[jacksonian]

Thank you everyone for the insights. I hope TiVo can integrate their TiVo OS into smart-tvs. It's been a great ride. It's weird to get old enough to say you've used a product for almost 20 years and will see the sun set on it due to technological obsolescence.

 

[zalusky]

Streaming is the future period. The content distributors get more control and no longer have to deal with last mile contracts. It has also magnified choice. No longer do you buy a cable package with all Peacocks(NBC)/Paramounts(CBS)/Disney(ABC) bundled. You can pick and choose and drop in and drop out as you wish. Wait for all the shows to be out and subscribe for a month and then leave.

 

[NashGuy]

Thank you everyone for the insights. I hope TiVo can integrate their TiVo OS into smart-tvs. It's been a great ride. It's weird to get old enough to say you've used a product for almost 20 years and will see the sun set on it due to technological obsolescence.

If you're interested in TiVo's foray into smart TVs, here's a good recent article that covers it:

TiVo is making its case as a smart TV platform

The first TVs with TiVo OS are set to launch next year.

www.theverge.com

 

[cwteevee]

If you're interested in TiVo's foray into smart TVs, here's a good recent article that covers it:

TiVo is making its case as a smart TV platform

The first TVs with TiVo OS are set to launch next year.

www.theverge.com

OP is going to be disappointed that that TiVo OS has nothing to do with its DVRs.

 

[trip1eX]

OP is going to be disappointed that that TiVo OS has nothing to do with its DVRs.

yeah I would imagine it's just the Tivo Stream 4k. No different than Roku, GoogleTV, FireTV and AppleTV plus the Samsung/LG TV OS's etc.

 

[southerndoc]

There's no reason TiVo can't work with the MSOs to catch their IPTV streams. They could even partner with DirecTV Stream and sell TiVo TV with an online DVR and their patented commercial autoskip.

The problem is they seem to have no interest in this. I'm sure they've looked into it and done the financial forecasts. It's probably just not a thing that will make them profitable.

 

[NashGuy]

yeah I would imagine it's just the Tivo Stream 4k. No different than Roku, GoogleTV, FireTV and AppleTV plus the Samsung/LG TV OS's etc.

Yeah. I think the TiVo OS home screen is probably pretty similar to what you see inside the TiVo Stream app on the TiVo Stream 4K. A critical difference, though, is that TiVo OS is their own thing based on Linux rather than a lightly customized version of Google's Android TV as the TiVo Stream 4K uses. Which means that TiVo OS will have to have its own set of apps that developers at the various streaming services will have to create and support. Will be interesting to see the level of buy-in that the TiVo app store gets from streaming services given that it's going to be deployed, at least in the near term, on a pretty small percentage of cheaper TVs in Europe.

 

[cwoody222]

There's no reason TiVo can't work with the MSOs to catch their IPTV streams. They could even partner with DirecTV Stream and sell TiVo TV with an online DVR and their patented commercial autoskip.

The problem is they seem to have no interest in this. I'm sure they've looked into it and done the financial forecasts. It's probably just not a thing that will make them profitable.

Actually there’s a very good reason they can’t “catch” the IPTV streams. There’s no universal standard so any retail device wouldn’t work with any provider.

As for “they could partner with DirecTV Stream”… sure, if DTV or any partner wants to. But they don’t. DTV doesn’t need them, the same reason their DVR hardware partnership ended - it ceased being necessary for DTV.

 

[Worf]

I think it's more about the MSOs not wanting third parties to do their DVR. I mean, look what happened after the CableCARD mandate died - the majors basically dropped support for it as fast as they could (there are threads on which cable providers still support it, which ones basically grandfather it in, and which ones aren't going to even bother).

The DVR is a "branding" experience so MSOs will be able to run their own content on the menus and such - i.e., ads and other marketing stuff. You use their stuff, they want you to know about it.

Plus, things like IPTV mean they can move the DVR to the cloud which they really like the idea of - suddenly you're forced to obey their whims. Like if they have a popular show they don't want you to skip ads on, a cloud DVR can block that from happening. Something like TiVo or your own DVR on premises is less likely to disallow skipping.

TiVo represents their worst nightmare in allowing the consumer to control the TV watching experience.

 

[ufo4sale]

As long as I'm alive and kicking TiVo will never go away. I am their official mascot and make good money for them.😃

 

[vbphil]

Streaming as it is today won't last a whole lot longer. Companies are finding out that the profit margins of direct delivery are suffering. In the beginning they were huge as Netflix was enjoying but now, they see that there is an end to a growing number of subscribers and dumping huge quantities of money into new streaming content can't last. Selling access to bundlers like Comcast was more profitable. Somehow the business model will return to something like that.

The beauty of Comcast (cable providers) is channel surfing. Try bouncing around to avoid commercials with streamers, it's impossible. Also, try to get 2 TVs in sync to watch Thursday Night Football from Amazon Prime each TV with its own Fire Stick.

Classic TiVo coupled with cable is still the best experience.

 

[djw]

ChannelsDVR for TVE and OTA is where TiVo should have branched, if they were interested in doing so. It is apparent that they are not interested in surviving as a DVR.

And I agree that Classic TiVo is still the best DVR experience. Cable shouldn't be necessary in that equation.

 

[JimmyS]

I too have used TiVo for 20 years. For me, the problem with switching is streaming is still terrible for sports. Both visually and financially. I have great Internet speeds, but the streams still look terrible for fast action (and of course they are also minutes behind real time).
Financially, the cost of all the streaming services to see regular TV, MLB, and NHL is too much compared to the plans I've locked in with FIOS (NFL is thankfully still mostly on local channels).

Hopefully things improve before TiVO/Cable is gone.

 

[charlotte110]

Hi Everyone,
I've had TiVos since day 1, series 1. My wife and I have loved them. I'm currently rocking a Bolt and a couple of Minis. But I've been so disappointed with what seems like a lack of growth/innovation. It seems like it's been 2 years now since the latest interface update which seemed like a step backwards--not being able to go 'back' through the menu and having to hit TiVo home button and start from the top and other little silly things. I'd love to stay with TiVo and honestly that's the only reason I'd keep Comcast at this point. I'm almost ready to jump to YouTube TV and ditch Comcast and TiVo.

This isn't a complain about TiVo vent. I'm really hoping someone has an idea of what their plans are for the future. I'd love to stay with TiVo until I die. But with all the streaming services and lack of innovation, I'm looking for some reassurance that they have something up their sleeve.

Thanks for any insight!
Brent

I have had TiVo forever too and loved it. We use it to record from an antennae. However, when I bought the last update, it would not longer receive CBS and PBS after about six in the afternoon. Those local stations swore they did nothing different, but I know they did something because it worked in the day time. Because we watch those two networks frequently, we changed to You Tube TV. We still have TiVo and I try to keep it up to date because we sometimes watch a show that had a streaming problem on You Tube TV. We keep saying we need to drop it because we essentially pay $12.95 for nothing every month. Some day we will. I assume theTiVo receivers have not improved.\
T

 

[electrowiz64]

TiVos not gonna die off, contrary to all. They’ll shrink for sure, but with the right management, they can live on.

The parent company owns the DVR patent so they will live on from that (as long as live TV is relevant). TiVo does have partnerships with smaller providers like RCN & Mediacom who want DVRs but don’t wanna pay the X1 tax like [email protected]/Charter joint venture & Cox licenses. And TiVo does have an IPTV platform available for these service operators (I think RCN is issuing TiVo IPTV client boxes to new customers). For everyone else, there are smaller providers that will probably stay on QAM for more years, but tivo will probably stop making CableCARD boxes and fixate on antenna customers (CableCARD users can buy on the secondary market). Spectrum has a whoLe plan of mid split rollout that will eliminate Out of Band spectrum that the cablecards communicate with & Verizons new ONTs don’t even have RFoG cable so the end is near.

TiVo OS will not live on, developers and Linux TiVo sdk is a little awkward. If it were, we’d have MORE apps for existing TiVos. The rest of their consumer market relies on Android TV OS

 

[myblown23t]

Hi Everyone, I've had TiVos since day 1, series 1. My wife and I have loved them. I'm currently rocking a Bolt and a couple of Minis. But I've been so disappointed with what seems like a lack of growth/innovation. It seems like it's been 2 years now since the latest interface update which seemed like a step backwards--not being able to go 'back' through the menu and having to hit TiVo home button and start from the top and other little silly things. I'd love to stay with TiVo and honestly that's the only reason I'd keep Comcast at this point. I'm almost ready to jump to YouTube TV and ditch Comcast and TiVo. This isn't a complain about TiVo vent. I'm really hoping someone has an idea of what their plans are for the future. I'd love to stay with TiVo until I die. But with all the streaming services and lack of innovation, I'm looking for some reassurance that they have something up their sleeve. Thanks for any insight! Brent

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