TiVo Stream beams DVR content to iPad
I've been a TiVo customer for a while. I've always preferred its UI to the jenky schlop the the cable companies call a DVR (I'm looking at you, Comcast and Verizon).
Simply put, the cableco DVRs are garbage and TiVo is superior is just about every way. I also like the fact, expensive as it may be, that you can purchase a lifetime subscription to the TiVo service and avoid the usurious monthly fee that the cableco adds to your bill for the priviledge of "leasing" their bogus equipment.
I purchased a TiVo Premiere XL4 in May (with lifetime subscription, natch) and was thrilled to learn about TiVo Stream when it was unveiled. The device was available for pre-order in August and officailly went on sale today at TiVo.com for $129.
It works like this: plug Stream into your home network and it takes live or recorded programming from a TiVo Premiere-series DVR and reformats it for viewing on iOS devices like an iPad or iPhone. The only caveat is that both the TiVo and the Stream must be plugged into Ethernet (Wi-Fi isn't supported).
Currently Stream only supports iOS, but TiVo says Android is coming. According to the company, the Stream is the first device to allow streaming and recording to as many as four devices without interrupting what's currently being viewed on the TV.
Another nice feature is that TiVo Stream allows you to wirelessly transfer shows to your iOS device so that you can view them on the go, like the company's integration with Toast Titanium on the Mac (and TiVo Desktop Plus on Windows). It claims to download a one hour show in 15 minutes.
TiVo pushed out the Stream-capable 2.0 version of its iOS app earlier this evening.
Now if mine would only get here already.
What DVR do you use? Does it work with your iOS device?
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