It's a 1-trick pony, streams to an iOS device to watch on that device, they make no allusions that it's more.

If you want it on a TV they want you to use their solutions, either a DVR or the upcoming Mini, but the Stream isn't meant to display on the big screen.

 

Because the content providers specifically do not want you using the stream in that way...

 

The newest version of the HBO GO iOS app will let you use AirPlay. It seems the content providers are starting to get over it.

But TiVo wants you to buy a mini, so they probably won't turn this feature on.

 

I'm not so sure they care that much. If the HBOGo app loosens the restrictions imposed by the content providers then I don't think TiVo will purposely keep blocking it just because they want you to buy a Mini instead. The Mini will still provide a better experience and better video quality, so it's not like they would compete directly with one another.

 

I'd be curious the percentage of content HBOGo streams which is not HBO original (Which is the only reason I subscribe - their non-original content sucks). Beyond that, HBO has direct agreements with their content providers, and has leverage with them (Ok film studio, you don't want us streaming, we won't be featuring your product anymore).

TiVo has no such agreements, and has the potential to tick off substantially more content providers, including the networks that carry them.

 

HBOGo allows you to stream pretty much all the same movies that are avialble to watch on their live channel. I use it to watch movies sometimes because it's more convenient then remembering to look through the guide and pre-setup a movie I want to see.

 

The newest version of the HBO GO iOS app will let you use AirPlay. It seems the content providers are starting to get over it.

But TiVo wants you to buy a mini, so they probably won't turn this feature on.

But it is the content provider, in this case, HBO, who is deciding what can be done with the app. With a single app tied to a single product, it's easy to make that happen.

 

Um,

I just said it was the content provider.

 

Has anyone tried this with a Jailbroken device? Airplay or HDMI... Wondering if it will work then?

 

Has anyone tried this with a Jailbroken device? Airplay or HDMI... Wondering if it will work then?

Yes.

You need two tweaks installed:

xCon lets you stream to the iPad/iPhone (tricking the TiVo app, which normally doesn't let you stream to a jailbroken device.)

UnrestrictPremium lets you use AirPlay mirroring, even though this app precludes you from AirPlay of any kind.

I've installed both and have gotten this to work with my AppleTV.

 

Yes.

You need two tweaks installed:

xCon lets you stream to the iPad/iPhone (tricking the TiVo app, which normally doesn't let you stream to a jailbroken device.)

UnrestrictPremium lets you use AirPlay mirroring, even though this app precludes you from AirPlay of any kind.

I've installed both and have gotten this to work with my AppleTV.

Note: for this to work, I had to turn off UnrestrictPremium's toggle for "Airplay Override." Not sure why. With that toggle on, I couldn't even stream regularly to the iPad. I'd get an error, buffering, and then unable to connect. With "Airplay override" OFF, everything worked properly again. With it off, AirPlay Mirroring still works (that's the whole point of UnrestrictPremium, after all.)

This took me a bit to troubleshoot and I was getting frustrated, almost started to think my Stream went bad. Glad I figured out what was causing the problem, and was able to work around it.

 

Note: for this to work, I had to turn off UnrestrictPremium's toggle for "Airplay Override." Not sure why. With that toggle on, I couldn't even stream regularly to the iPad. I'd get an error, buffering, and then unable to connect. With "Airplay override" OFF, everything worked properly again. With it off, AirPlay Mirroring still works (that's the whole point of UnrestrictPremium, after all.)

This took me a bit to troubleshoot and I was getting frustrated, almost started to think my Stream went bad. Glad I figured out what was causing the problem, and was able to work around it.

What's the quality like

 

Pretty freakin' good, I've gotta say. Audio sync is perfect. PQ is good too. The TV I am using this with has an "automatic" scaling function so the video window fills the screen nicely. This also works with the TWC Cable (live TV) app which also typically precludes AirPlay/AirPlay Mirroring.

If you do this you'll probably want to leave the iPad/iPhone plugged in, because it is on and playing/streaming the whole time and you don't want the battery to die down on your device. In this case the iOS device is basically acting as your "remote control" too, it just so happens to be playing the show on your iOS display as well. With Mirroring, if you turn the iPad screen off, it turns off the TV/AppleTV display off too.

The UnrestrictPremium tweak was also recently updated in Cydia. Now "Airplay Override" has 3 different toggles to try, all to achieve the same "native AirPlay" function via different means with different apps. I tried each, and each, prevented the TiVo app from streaming video AT ALL. I'll be reporting this to the developer in the hopes he can fix this.

In the meantime though, even with the current setup, it's pretty darn good and certainly usable. This setup makes me "less sad" that the upcoming TiVo Mini doesn't work with 2-tuner Premieres (as I have.) It only works with the 4-tuner ones, for now, apparently, and we hope that TiVo works out dynamic tuner allocation so it will work for older boxes too. But until then, and even if they don't, this represents a great way to simultaneously share TiVo content with another TV set. Add a TiVo Stream, an AppleTV and a jailbroken iOS device, and you're in business.

 

Nice. Now find me a way to have my Apple TV browse and stream my tivo without a phone or a tablet in the middle and I will be a happy man.

 

Amen, brother. Amen.

 

This is actually good news. Thanks for the confirmation!

As long as you are OK with using an iPad or iPhone to watch TV, it can basically do what a Tivo Mini does for $100 (if you already have the phone or tablet).

I guess the biggest issues

1) Battery drain on iDevice
2) Battery life gets reduced quicker on iDevice
3) Taking time to get the stream app connected to the iDevice then the TV (quick watching recorded or live TV can be a pain).


Plus, my Tivo stream seems to freak out on my every two weeks or so. I have to unplug it, wait 10 minutes and I am good.

 

As long as you are OK with using an iPad or iPhone to watch TV, it can basically do what a Tivo Mini does for $100 (if you already have the phone or tablet).

You also need the TiVo Stream which is $130. Even if they had an app that ran natively on the Apple TV you'd still need the Stream. So cost of entry for an Apple TV + TiVo Stream is almost the same as a TiVo Mini.

 

The TiVo Mini also has a monthly cost (or a lifetime fee) -- and for now, and maybe forever, requires at least a 4-tuner TiVo to work.

I have a 2-tuner TiVo and will not upgrade just for the Mini. And I'm disappointed (yet again) that TiVo couldn't implement this properly.

 

I have a 2-tuner TiVo and will not upgrade just for the Mini.

Yeah, you wouldn't downgrade from an S3 to a Premiere either. How long are you gonna hold out, six months?

I paid top dollar for the Series 3, and it's working fine, I'm not about to downgrade just so I can use their iPad app.

TiVo, you really lost me on this one.

 

LOL - you got me there. How long did it take you to find that?

But, it's worth mentioning, I got the Premiere for $40 or so on Woot. Lifetime was $199 I think. It's a better box in every way, mostly due to the iPad app (and the fact that TiVo stopped any kind of development/support on the S3.) The menu speed never quite improved to the level of the S3 and the SD menus, but at least now it's usable in HD.

I ended up profiting by selling off the S3, too.

"Upgrading" to a 4-tuner box, just so I can use the Mini, even though I only ever need 1 or 2 tuners, and never watch live TV, just isn't happening. TiVo needs to make the Mini work with dynamic tuning, on a 2-tuner box, or I'm not buying anything from TiVo again.

 

If you only ever need 1-2 tuners then you're not recording enough.

There are only a couple slots a week where I record more then two shows at a time. The main thing I use the 4 tuners in my Elite for is padding. I can pad everything and still never have a conflict. It's pretty nice.

 

The TiVo Mini also has a monthly cost (or a lifetime fee) -- and for now, and maybe forever, requires at least a 4-tuner TiVo to work.

I have a 2-tuner TiVo and will not upgrade just for the Mini. And I'm disappointed (yet again) that TiVo couldn't implement this properly.

I would be willing to bet it has more to do with support and customer sat issues. People would buy the mini then every time they were recoding one show while watching another and another family member turned on the mini, all hell would break out.

From a support standpoint, having 4 tuners means that a mini is less likely to conflict, and that means less likely to generate support calls.

Also, there could be some "secret sauce" in the newer models that prevents it from working with the older models. And let's not forget that tivo wants to sell more units.

 

You also need the TiVo Stream which is $130. Even if they had an app that ran natively on the Apple TV you'd still need the Stream. So cost of entry for an Apple TV + TiVo Stream is almost the same as a TiVo Mini.

True but with the stream you also get the bonus of using it to watch live tv on the tablet too.

 

You don't even need Apple TV to get stream to work on your tv. The new digital av to HDMI lighting cable would work just as well if you were able to set up your phone or tablet using the stream. The mini will have much better quality and most likely be faster then using the stream to Idevice to TV.

The perk about using the stream set up is you could take videos with you, which you can't do with the mini. Another is stream is much cheaper!!!

 

You don't even need Apple TV to get stream to work on your tv. The new digital av to HDMI lighting cable would work just as well if you were able to set up your phone or tablet using the stream.

I am pretty sure the app prevents video out via HDMI (unless you're jailbroken with a tweak like UnrestrictPremium) though. Have you actually tried it?