I'm a big fan of the Tivo stream feature as well. I can watch any show I want on my Tivo using my iPad as the display device. It gives me an instant TV in any room without requiring any wires, power, or fees.
I tried this feature out last week when we were on a trip.
It works well WHEN THE HOTEL INTERNET IS GOOD. One night we watched a recorded show streaming from our TiVo back home and it worked great! The next night, not so great - I guess the other guests were using up the bandwidth to the hotel.
Also note that the ability to stream from your home TiVo is dependent on your bandwidth from your house to the internet. Usually all we care about is the bandwidth from the internet to the house.
We have 50/5, so 50 Mbps to the house and 5 Mbps from the house. That's enough to make this TiVo streaming work well. If you have something slower, like my pervious internet service which was 10 Mbps / 768 Kbps. It won't really work.
The newer Tivo Roamios have support for out of the home streaming though some content can't be streamed at all.
Uh, lifetime service, itself, is $500. The cost of the device is over and above that. (Current TiVo owners get a $100 break on the cost of lifetime service on a second TiVo on the same account.)Thank you very much for all your posts. I guess Tivo is still going strong. It looks like it will be about $400 with life time service.
There are several alternatives to TiVo, both OTA and cable. However, the financial sense you're talking about requires placing less value on convenience and less value on your own skills and experience than I was place on those things.From my perspective, paying for a TIVO and lifetime service to record OTA programs doesn't make financial sense. I went down this same path last year and found the most cost-effective approach was to use my PC as my DVR by using Windows Media Center along with a tuner to receive OTA programs.
Perhaps the compromises. We have a decent setup with which we can stream videos from various sources, but apparently either the service, equipment or connections we are using don't support DD5.1. I value DD5.1 more than HD.The only potential drawback to the system is that the audio isn't transmitted to the TV, only video - audio is through your computer speakers. (I'm sure there is a way to send audio as well, but I haven't pursued it.) That's not a problem for us as I have a decent set of speakers for my desktop, and they (and the computer) are located on my roll-top desk, adjacent to our TV. Inexpensive and it works great. What's not to like?
Have you actually set-up and used a HDHomeRun system? See the quick start guide below.The HDHomeRun path requires a level of technological self-sufficiency that is beyond what most people have. Having a friend set you up, or following arcane instructions that you don't really understand, leaves your setup effectively dependent on that for which you have no reasonable expectation of support. I'm a really smart guy, with regard to this stuff. I used to be a Bell Labs engineer, and worked on some of the early voice/video/data projects. So I understand the discipline. I could probably set up HDHomeRun and keep it working for me pretty reliably. I don't. It's not "worth" the bother or effort, to me.
From my perspective, paying for a TIVO and lifetime service to record OTA programs doesn't make financial sense.
I went down this same path last year and found the most cost-effective approach was to use my PC as my DVR by using Windows Media Center along with a tuner to receive OTA programs. I purchased a HDHomerRun dual tuner (~$100) which allows me to record two OTA programs simultaneously. The tuner/Windows Media program combination functions exactly like a DVR, recording the programs I schedule to my hard drive (I record to a back-up drive for more capacity). We watch the recorded programs on our TV, which I have set up as a second monitor. The system even has a remote control: Amazon.com : Windows Remote Control
The only potential drawback to the system is that the audio isn't transmitted to the TV, only video - audio is through your computer speakers. (I'm sure there is a way to send audio as well, but I haven't pursued it.) That's not a problem for us as I have a decent set of speakers for my desktop, and they (and the computer) are located on my roll-top desk, adjacent to our TV.
Inexpensive and it works great. What's not to like?
Have you actually set-up and used a HDHomeRun system? See the quick start guide below.
I'm no engineer and, unlike you, don't consider myself to be a "really smart guy" but even I can follow 'plug and play' instructions and follow on-screen prompts.
Once installed the HDHomeRun operates like a "normal" DVR using the Windows Media Center program included in Windows 7 or higher - no special effort needed to keep it running.
Got it. I have the original Tivo Stream, which is a separate box on my network. It sounds like the later Tivo models have become more advanced in their streaming capabilities.
Expecting everyone to appreciate the things you decide to take onto yourself is unreasonable.I could probably set up HDHomeRun and keep it working for me pretty reliably. I don't. It's not "worth" the bother or effort, to me.
We would like to replace the Comcast DVRs we have as they are Junk (with a capital J) and we are returning the third one in three months today . I can't believe they are still handing out the Scientific Atlanta 8300 boxes that are legacy devices and are crappy to start with.
Our other alternative after moving into this newer home in November 2013 is Consolidated Communications wich is as bad or worse than Comcast. Uverse or Verizon are not available here.
We have three rooms with TVs (Family room - main viewing, master bedroom, and second bedroom which is not routinely used.
What would be a good Tivo setup for the house given that DW records her "shows" rolleyes and watches them in the family room or master bedroom. I am a light TV watcher and only watch news and some shows I record on the Velocity channel (car nut here).
Current cost of equipment is as follows:
Comcast:
2 HDDVRs @ $17.95 each = $35.90/month
1 Std DVR @ $9.95 = $9.95/month
Service plan @ $3.99 = =$3.99/month (may not need this with Tivo)
Lease of modem = @ $8.00 = $8.00/month (could replace with bought unit)
Total monthly fees not including internet and channel package = $57.75
I suspect I would need to purchase a Tivo Roamio and a couple of Minis to handle the coverage. Would a mini in the master bedroom suffice if all DW wanted to do was watch shows recorded on the family room unit?
It looks like the equipment package for two minis and the Roamio is about $350 from Amazon (Prime membership). What gets me is the "service fees" from Tivo, especially if you buy the lifetime of $800 to cover all three units.
I suspect we will be in this house for a long time since we are "older" than most folks here and our kids and grandkids are all local. So spreading out the "service cost" over a long period sounds reasonable.
Anybody, especially the Tivo users here, have any suggestions or things I should be concerned about if I undertake this adventure?