tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50834344396487694912024-03-13T04:00:24.649+00:00The Virgin Media TiVo BlogThe Unofficial Blog bringing you news and details about Virgin Media's TiVo products.
Also on Twitter via
http://twitter.com/VM_TiVoBlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-70751947503051417052013-04-06T14:12:00.001+01:002013-04-06T14:12:36.436+01:00Network fault affects Virgin Media's TiVoThere's a <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/F002416256-Network-Availability-Loss-of-TiVo-Apps-amp-TV/td-p/1780664">network fault</a> on Virgin's network at the moment which impacts on several TiVo features, including Catch Up & On Demand. This same fault also affects the TV Anywhere service.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, the fault doesn't (or rather, shouldn't) affect recordings and playback of those recordings.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-59318731809659065982013-02-08T15:11:00.000+00:002013-02-08T15:12:28.802+00:00Liberty Global CEO: No plans to replace Virgin Media's TiVo for Horizon (for now)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PK2UtD2k630/URUUfikty3I/AAAAAAAAChE/sGJcj218X3o/s1600/Liberty+Global+logo+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PK2UtD2k630/URUUfikty3I/AAAAAAAAChE/sGJcj218X3o/s200/Liberty+Global+logo+2012.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Liberty Globals's CEO has stated that - for now - Virgin Media will continue to use and deploy TiVo within the UK digital cable network<br />
<br />
Following <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/what-does-liberty-globals-purchase-of.html">Liberty's purchase of Virgin Media</a>, there's been speculation that Liberty would be replacing TiVo with <a href="http://www.lgi.com/horizon.html">Horizon</a> - Liberty's own next-generation TV platform. Recombu's <a href="http://recombu.com/digital/news/virgin-media-liberty-global-takeover_M11176.html">comparison between the two platforms</a> reveals some advantages for Horizon (like 4 tuners compared to 3 for Virgin's TiVo) and cons (no Catch-Up EPG - TiVo goes back 7 days).<br />
<br />
Speaking via <a href="http://www.c21media.net/archives/100356">C21 Media</a>, Liberty CEO Mike Fries believes that its too soon to compare the platforms or for Liberty to start swapping out TiVo hardware and firmware for Horizon:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Virgin has done a terrific job with TiVo and there’s been a
tremendous acceptance among their digital subscriber base – 35% have
already asked for the box and received it. We need to learn more about
the device and the relationship, but from what we understand at this
level, it’s working very, very well.<br />
<br />
Thus far when you look at the market, TiVo is a leader in the
connected TV space and Virgin Media, as a result, is driving the level
of innovation that competitors can’t really react to. So I’d be
surprised if we did anything to mess that up at this point.</blockquote>
Virgin's deal with TiVo is expected to run for <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/overheard/2013/02/05/tivo-threat-on-the-horizon/">another 4 years</a> and isn't affected by the change of ownership for the Cable company. After that, all bets are off. Liberty may want to use their own product to standardise rollout through their European markets. Interestingly enough, Liberty Global did consider using TiVo firmware to deploy to their customers, before deciding to develop their solution which became Horizon.<br />
<br />
BroadBandTVNews.Com <a href="http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2013/02/08/on-the-virgin-horizon/">speculates</a> that there could be <span style="color: #3d85c6;">"some pooling of resources and a roadmap, probably several years down the
line, which brings Horizon and TiVo somewhere together. Virgin’s 1.33
million and growing TiVo installs make it somewhat impractical to
consider anything else."</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-85972381450939443732013-02-06T20:01:00.001+00:002013-02-08T13:11:49.793+00:001.33 million customers for Virgin Media's TiVo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FvAz1rNi4k/TXERbFepUUI/AAAAAAAAAFU/rZQ0GmI1I70/s1600/34068cf42cb58014cae559714f3d8dc9bef74bc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FvAz1rNi4k/TXERbFepUUI/AAAAAAAAAFU/rZQ0GmI1I70/s320/34068cf42cb58014cae559714f3d8dc9bef74bc6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MTcwNDIwfENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0z&t=1">2012 Q4 results are in</a>. A total of 896,900 customers were TiVoed for the year, and 187,300 in the final quarter, for a total of 1.33 TiVo million customers and 35% of Virgin's TV customer base.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-31108719879992064412013-02-06T19:49:00.002+00:002013-02-08T18:45:38.745+00:00What does Liberty Global's purchase of Virgin Media mean for TiVo?Well....not much really.<br />
<br />
Following reports that the US-based Liberty Global was interested in buying Virgin - well, they didn't mess about. With a speed which would turn Virgin's TV channel negotiation team green with envy, Liberty Global <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21347814">sealed the deal</a> in the early hours of Wednesday morning.<br />
<br />
Repercussions for Virgin's TV customers? None, yet. The company will still be called Virgin Media and despite Liberty Global owning their own STB software, Liberty will continue to use TiVo. If anything, the deal seems more about using Virgin's expertise within Liberty Global's existing cable operations, which operates in several European markets.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-13665842315523688242012-11-17T20:33:00.000+00:002012-12-15T10:25:50.119+00:00Multiroom streaming for Virgin Media's TiVo: Missing channels, Missing TiVos<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8To0LrqpoGg/TVLy2D2y78I/AAAAAAAAAEo/WIQUEoOIs58/s1600/Island_629.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8To0LrqpoGg/TVLy2D2y78I/AAAAAAAAAEo/WIQUEoOIs58/s320/Island_629.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What!??! I can't stream Eastenders to my other TiVo?!? <br />
Why not!?!?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Multiroom streaming (I'll be calling it MRS from here on) has technically been available on Virgin Media's TiVo since the 15.2 software update. However, its <a href="https://my.virginmedia.com/discover/tv/ways-to-watch/multi-room-streaming/intro.html">only recently become available for use</a> and at the moment, the <a href="http://my.virginmedia.com/snippets/discover/overlays/tv/mrs-channels.snippet.html">number of channels available to stream</a> are limited to the point that <i>none</i> of the terrestrial channels can be streamed at present. You can thank the relevant content owners for that. Add on <a href="http://my.virginmedia.com/customer-news/articles/price-change/ways-to-save.html?buspart=EM_56">yet another incoming price increase</a> (you can thank Virgin for that) and the appeal of MRS is diminished somewhat, considering the additional cost of having an extra TiVo.<br />
<br />
Once you have your TiVos connected to your home network (<a href="http://my.virginmedia.com/discover/tv/ways-to-watch/multi-room-streaming/set-up.html">either via Ethernet or Powerline adapters</a>) you <i>should</i> be able to see the other TiVo at the bottom of your <i>My Shows</i> screen. In my cases (and others, <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/Multi-Room-Streaming-not-working/td-p/1072799">here</a>, <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/MR-Streaming-Not-Working/td-p/1542868">here</a> and well, me <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/Why-can-t-I-see-the-other-TiVo-for-Multi-Room-Streaming/td-p/1549014">here</a>), that really is 'should' because the appearance of the other TiVo is erratic, at best, and that's after rebooting the router, upgrading the router to the latest firmware, rebooting both TiVos, re-requesting the IP address and using Static IP addresses for both TiVos (as opposed to the reserved dyamic ones I use with the 20+ devices on my network). Even legacy TiVos owners <a href="http://forums.tivo.com/pe/action/forums/displaythread?rootPostID=11030606">have had this issue</a>.<br />
<br />
Just to add to my confusion, I could always see the other TiVo on the network via <i>Home > Help & Settings > System Info > Multi-Room Streaming</i>. However, it turns out that <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/MR-Streaming-Not-Working/m-p/1558730#M66604">this screen merely shows the TiVos you are billed for</a>, <i>not</i> the ones currently on your home network.<br />
<br />
Want more confusion? That same screen always lists each billed TiVo has having its Video Sharing Disabled, even now MRS has been enabled on all TiVos. This is a mistake due to be fixed in a future firmware update.<br />
<br />
This is my home network:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hwVNrsHCgds/UKflDVGW26I/AAAAAAAAA8M/Ea0n_-Uje1s/s1600/My+home+network.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hwVNrsHCgds/UKflDVGW26I/AAAAAAAAA8M/Ea0n_-Uje1s/s400/My+home+network.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both network switches have various devices connected to them. The only devices which can't see<br />
each other then I expect them to are the 2 TiVos. Why?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I even tried swapping my 500Mb homeplugs with the older 200Mb ones I had. I had limited success, in which both TiVos could see each other and stream from each other without disappearing from the other TiVo's My Shows screen. <i>Ah-ha</i> I thought, was the 500Mb homeplugs at fault?<br />
<br />
I then swapped the plugs back to the 500Mb versions and to my surprise, both TiVos could <i>still</i> see each other. So, not the 500Mb homeplugs then.<br />
<br />
I eventually realised that when when I removed and then reinserted the homeplug connected to the router in the bedroom, that, somehow, enabled the TiVos to see each other. For about a hour or so. After which they disappeared from each other's <i>My Shows</i> screen.<br />
<br />
The method which TiVos use to discover each other on a home network is reported to be based on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Datagram_Protocol">UDP network protocol</a>, this operates on a 'best-effort, performance based, no guarantee of delivery' basis (streaming itself is based on UDP since streaming video is a time sensitive operation). <br />
<br />
I'm guessing that when I disconnected and then reconnected the homeplug connected to the router, my router dispatched a flurry of UDP data packages which enabled the TiVos to see each other - briefly. By the next day, the TiVo were MIA again from the other TiVo's<i> My Shows</i> screen. I wonder if this discovery process used by one TiVo to locate another is robust enough. None of the 20+ devices on my home network have trouble seeing each other when I expect them to.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K71ErmqWXMo/UKfzgQb7OmI/AAAAAAAAA8g/UZ4GoHYgZ-U/s1600/covertaffairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K71ErmqWXMo/UKfzgQb7OmI/AAAAAAAAA8g/UZ4GoHYgZ-U/s320/covertaffairs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can only stream you!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For now, I've come to a halt to get MRS working. Due to the limited channels available to stream, the only stream-able content I have are episodes of <i>Covert Affairs</i>. Virgin are working on adding more channels for MRS, but given the forthcoming price increase I might be dumping one of the TiVos anyway. Plus I've wasted enough time attempting to get MRS working.<br />
<br />
At least I have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Resort_%28U.S._TV_series%29">Last Resort</a> to watch......what do you mean <a href="http://screenrant.com/last-resort-666-park-avenue-cancelled/">its been cancelled???!?</a><br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE</b>: Virgin are now saying that not all <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/MR-Streaming-Not-Working/m-p/1565534#M66845">Homeplugs are compatible with MRS</a>, and are recommending that Netgear products be used to stream content between TiVos. I'm currently using the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-PA511KIT-Gigabit-Powerline-Adapter/dp/B005FVOKM8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1353239069&sr=8-3">500Mb homeplugs from TP-LINK</a> and they work fine with the various game consoles, media streamers, Blu-Ray players and NAS Drives on my network. They work fine with <i>all</i> those devices apart from the TiVos.<br />
<br />
I'm sure the Netgear 500Mb products are fine products. They should be, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-Powerline-Nano-500-Set/dp/B006O5S6LA/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1353239509&sr=1-2">they're almost double the cost</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-88382608297994814392012-11-06T19:31:00.002+00:002012-11-06T19:43:03.307+00:00TV Anywhere and Multi-room streaming: Now available for Virgin Media TiVo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zRYyoK3uukU/TUb6rrRI8TI/AAAAAAAAAD0/sfIfbJxG5K0/s1600/HappyPeople.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zRYyoK3uukU/TUb6rrRI8TI/AAAAAAAAAD0/sfIfbJxG5K0/s320/HappyPeople.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Can we say, about time? I'll have more to say once I've had a play with these long-awaited upgrades to Virgin's TV Service powered by TiVo - until then:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://store.virginmedia.com/digital-tv/tv-anywhere.html">http://store.virginmedia.com/digital-tv/tv-anywhere.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://my.virginmedia.com/discover/tv/tvanywhere/app/get-set-up.html">http://my.virginmedia.com/discover/tv/tvanywhere/app/get-set-up.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://my.virginmedia.com/discover/tv/ways-to-watch/multi-room-streaming/intro.html">https://my.virginmedia.com/discover/tv/ways-to-watch/multi-room-streaming/intro.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-32554340791547543262012-11-03T19:41:00.001+00:002012-11-04T20:19:43.442+00:00Planned Recordings for Virgin Media's TiVo may fail this weekend<a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/IMPORTANT-Series-Link-and-WishList-issue-3-4-Nov/m-p/1536232/thread-id/65717">A fault with the metadata supplied to Virgin's TiVo boxes</a> means that TiVo customers should check their planned recordings this weekend:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Your "New Only" Series Link and WishList recordings may fail
this weekend. If you have changed the default setting for any Series
Links or WishLists to record "New Only", we recommend that you change it
back to "New & Reruns" to avoid missing new recordings over the
weekend.<br />
<br />
If you have missed anything on channels from BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, you may be able to find your show on Catch Up.<br />
<br />
We're working on this under the fault reference F002224369 and we'll update this announcement as soon as we have more news on this.</blockquote>
<br />
UPDATED: This issue was fixed by Virgin on Sunday morning:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hi we resolved this issue this morning and as soon as your TiVo box
updates it's EPG your Series Links and Wishlinks will start working as
normal. So you'll be able to restore them to "New Only" status.<br />
<br />
If it hasn't updated the EPG yet you can force it to by selecting the following option Home > Help & Settings > Settings > Network > Connect to the Virgin Media Service now.<br />
<br />
Remember if you've missed any recordings on BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 you can still see them using Catch Up.</blockquote>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-78937335248310536762012-10-31T21:10:00.000+00:002012-10-31T21:10:47.835+00:00News on Virgin Media's content delivery plans; TiVo; Apps; TV Anywhere<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ok-sEqmFvmc/Ticzi9CKuWI/AAAAAAAAASQ/plArNcnlqMk/s1600/IMAG0149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ok-sEqmFvmc/Ticzi9CKuWI/AAAAAAAAASQ/plArNcnlqMk/s320/IMAG0149.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feed me with content! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
VideoNet has an <a href="http://www.v-net.tv/next-step-for-virgin-tivo-tv-anywhere-companion-app/">video interview online</a> with Ian Mecklenburgh, Virgin Media's Director of Consumer Platforms (Digital Entertainment) regarding some of Virgin current and future plans to deliver content to your TiVo, PC and Tablet, including deeper integration of TiVo apps into the user interface where relevant for the channel, having to implant Content Delivery Networks deeper into Virgin's network to meet the increasing customer demand to deliver VOD and Over-the-Top content, differences between VOD delivered by the legacy service and the 10Mb dedicated broadband connection, the development of Virgin TV Anywhere and a lot more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-38948191207024233752012-10-30T23:02:00.000+00:002012-10-31T21:32:14.648+00:00Fall Update for TiVo Premiere unleashed; Coming soon for Virgin Media's TiVo?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5sl5yfhSMR0/UIh2NQ47INI/AAAAAAAAA74/6c7KkBwKSUw/s1600/676978571.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5sl5yfhSMR0/UIh2NQ47INI/AAAAAAAAA74/6c7KkBwKSUw/s320/676978571.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Over in the States, TiVo have released 20.2.2 of the firmware for the TiVo Premiere, Premiere XL, Premiere 4, and Premiere XL4/Elite. As <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/hd-user-interface-to-be-completed-for.html">previously reported</a>, the latest firmware finally sees the conversion of several standard definition screens within the user interface to HD.<br />
<br />
It also sees the arrival of several other improvements, including better reporting of recording conflicts and background re-indexing of planned recordings when the priority of Series Links and recordable Wishlists are changed.<br />
<br />
There's no word of when this version of the firmware will show up on Virgin Media's TiVo, and what changes will be made in the process (besides repainting the colours in Virgin Red), but I'd say its pretty likely that the new firmware will show up for Virgin Media's TiVo at some point, since the code base for Virgin's TiVo and the TiVo Premiere is shared.<br />
<br />
Read all about it <a href="http://blog.tivo.com/2012/10/fall-update-for-tivo-premiere-dvrs/">at the TiVo Blog</a>, and view some early feedback on the latest firmware release <a href="http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=495279">at the TiVo Community Forums</a>. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-42345427470565323972012-10-25T00:26:00.000+01:002012-10-27T18:50:55.614+01:00HD user-interface to be completed for TiVo Premiere; Virgin Media's TiVo to follow?One of the weak points about Virgin's TiVo (and indeed, the original TiVo Premiere which Virgin's TiVo is based on), is that several of the user interface screens are displayed in a much lower resolution, which for 2012, doesn't look great:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-942dgmEEIIo/TmvmC5aU-1I/AAAAAAAAAS4/UJ92VSj_XWc/s1600/er_photo_146641_52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-942dgmEEIIo/TmvmC5aU-1I/AAAAAAAAAS4/UJ92VSj_XWc/s400/er_photo_146641_52.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuck!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As I said in <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/p/tivo-reviewed.html">my review</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
While they're good enough to be functional, they don't look great
compared to the lovely HD screens such as the Home and My Shows screens.
A pity, because some of those low-res screens would be more usable if
they could contain more information.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hH4dLgXfbw0/UIh0stR1etI/AAAAAAAAA7w/iFDLKQ0G3pQ/s1600/676949221.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hH4dLgXfbw0/UIh0stR1etI/AAAAAAAAA7w/iFDLKQ0G3pQ/s400/676949221.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much better! This will be the TiVo Premiere's version of what's known as the<br />
'Manage My Series Links' screen on Virgin TiVo.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hH4dLgXfbw0/UIh0stR1etI/AAAAAAAAA7w/iFDLKQ0G3pQ/s1600/676949221.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> <br />
After a long, 2 year wait, it looks like TiVo are close to converting those screens (Planned Recordings and Series Links) into the HD we know and love. <a href="http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=494624">This thread</a> at the TiVo Community Forums reveals that the fall software update for the TiVO Premiere is due to be released soon in the States, and TiVo's Margret Schmidt (Vice President of Design & Engineering at TiVo) has<a href="http://twitpic.com/b71dd1"> uploaded screenshots</a> of the new HD screens:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5sl5yfhSMR0/UIh2NQ47INI/AAAAAAAAA74/6c7KkBwKSUw/s1600/676978571.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5sl5yfhSMR0/UIh2NQ47INI/AAAAAAAAA74/6c7KkBwKSUw/s400/676978571.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This looks better too - and it looks like you can view recording conflicts for each show <br />
in what us Brits call the 'Planned Recordings' screen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Of course, you can expect these screens to be altered for Virgin's TiVo, and recoloured to the Virgin Red we all know and love for a future software update. When that will happen is anyone's guess.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-15069178842196120692012-10-24T20:29:00.002+01:002012-10-26T17:52:38.101+01:00Virgin Media Q3 2012 Results; 30% of customer base TiVoed; TiVo moving into the Cloud?; Sky Basics on TV Anywhere<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FvAz1rNi4k/TXERbFepUUI/AAAAAAAAAFU/rZQ0GmI1I70/s1600/34068cf42cb58014cae559714f3d8dc9bef74bc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4FvAz1rNi4k/TXERbFepUUI/AAAAAAAAAFU/rZQ0GmI1I70/s320/34068cf42cb58014cae559714f3d8dc9bef74bc6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The TiVo invasion of Virgin's TV Customer base continues</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Virgin Media's <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MTU3ODM2fENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0z&t=1">Q3 earning results</a> for 2012 revealed that 1.1 million TiVos are now sitting pretty within the Digital Cable Network. 202,000 TiVos were unleashed in Q3, meaning that 30% of Virgin's TV customer base has now been TiVoed.<br />
<br />
As for the forthcoming (and much delayed but coming soon in a matter of weeks honest really) <strike>iPad app</strike> <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Virgin%20TV%20Anywhere">TV Anywhere</a>, Virgin CEO Neil Berkett confirmed (during the conference call - <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/942101-virgin-media-s-ceo-discusses-q3-2012-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single">full transcript at Seeking Alpha</a>) that Sky Basic channels will be available for streaming to your PC/Mac, with the possibility of Sky Premium channels to follow:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It will launch with all of our – we have the PC and Mac
rights for broadly all of our content. We don’t have quite that number
of rights for the tablet. So, there will be some restricted rights. But
it will include all of Sky basics initially. And we’re in conversation
with Sky in respect to premiums and we’ll continue those conversations
over the next six months as we look to renew our premium contract with
them.</blockquote>
As for the future development roadmap for Virgin TiVo, its looks like its heading in the Cloud:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We have a roadmap and are in conjunction with TiVo. We
represent a significant proportion of TiVo gross adds, well over half,
and as such, we’re in constant conversation with them in respect to what
the roadmap looks like. The roadmap does look like moving initially the
UI to the cloud. The user interface to the cloud and then as we move
into the world of DOCSIS 3.1 and further on, we’ll see – we’ll be moving
the whole set-top box to the cloud in respect to storage and that will
evolve, I’m quite comfortable that the pace in which we’re looking at
that is consistent with our peers, if not ahead. Again, it’s why we
chose the partner we chose. </blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F1WQv5mo73k/UIg_u4-0QRI/AAAAAAAAA7c/sVe_DMnyyog/s1600/cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F1WQv5mo73k/UIg_u4-0QRI/AAAAAAAAA7c/sVe_DMnyyog/s320/cloud.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future home for your TiVo recordings?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This would be a <i>huge</i> upgrade for Virgin and TiVo. For instance, the age-old Virgin TV issue of an non-Dynamic EPG would be solved with a cloud-based EPG, which could be updated near-instantly when required remotely. User interface updates (and who knows, maybe even a complete HD interface!) would be far easier to implement.<br />
<br />
Hopefully, Virgin and TiVo are thinking <i>beyond</i> a Cloud-based EPG - for instance, your Series Links and Wishlists could be saved into the Cloud, ready to reinstall on a replacement TiVo in case the old one develops a fault.<br />
<br />
As for storage, that hints of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_DVR">Cloud/Networked based PVR system</a>, where every programme on every channel (or the vast majority of them) would be recorded at the national/local headend, ready for you to playback. If we briefly walk around the potential minefield called 'content rights', then one possible advantage of such a system would be infinite recording capacity, which would either replace or supplement the hard drive capacity within your existing TiVo.<br />
<br />
Other advantages could include the ability to stream your recordings to any compatible device (without additional transcoding hardware such as the <a href="http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-stream/index.html">TiVo Stream</a>), and other fancy tricks like the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2012/06/bbc_iplayer_live_restart.html">'live restart' feature currently in use on BBC iPlayer</a>. There's been talk of <a href="http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/apple-tv-could-be-evolving-into-a-cloud-based-pvr">Apple</a> jumping onto the Cloud-PVR bandwagon and several European Pay-TV platforms have <a href="http://broadcastengineering.com/news/cloud-PVR-europe">already made that jump</a>. Looks like Virgin Media are looking to join them with TiVo's help.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-48369087988752655352012-10-20T12:34:00.001+01:002012-10-20T12:34:45.014+01:00First video plus more reviews for Virgin Media's TV Anywhere App for TiVo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bR6zV4VaFYg/UEtN4jWpDTI/AAAAAAAAA6s/fQmF5IBwH-Y/s1600/iPad_TVGuide-580-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bR6zV4VaFYg/UEtN4jWpDTI/AAAAAAAAA6s/fQmF5IBwH-Y/s320/iPad_TVGuide-580-90.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/35486787-post964.html">DaBoz over at Cable Forums</a> was one of the beta testers for the forthcoming (and much delayed) iPad TiVo App, which has been shaped into the Virgin TV Anywhere service. DaBoz has uploaded a video of the app in use <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxGCvl1U1eA&feature=youtu.be">at YouTube</a>.<br />
<br />
Elsewhere, Gadget Helpline have <a href="http://blog.gadgethelpline.com/sneak-peek-hands-virgin-tv-ios-mac-pc/">reviewed the service and the app</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
TiVo users will benefit from being able to manage their set top box
from the site, adding recordings and managing existing recordings with a
few clicks. We can see this being very useful indeed, and can see
ourselves logging on quickly while at work to tee up a few recordings
for the evening! On demand content can be accessed with ease, with links
to the likes of iPlayer coming from the guide.<br />
<br />
Virgin TV Anywhere launches later this year for iOS, PC and Mac, with
the service being free to all Virgin TV subscribers. An Android version
of the app will also be coming along next year, and when we pushed
about other platforms we were told that other platforms were being
considered for the future.</blockquote>
<br />
And so have <a href="http://boxofficebuz.com/news_full.php?id=6040">BoxOfficeBuz.Com</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The best thing about the switch from the TiVo menu to the app is the
fact that the menu’s are practically the same, if I were to be picky I’d
say that the app menu looked a whole lot better than the actual TiVo
menu which didn’t appear to hold as much information or perhaps there
was more dead space due to the screen size. </blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-12592057296397684792012-10-08T20:54:00.003+01:002012-10-08T20:54:46.320+01:00Tekkish.com reviews Virgin Media's TV Anywhere/TiVo App<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iw1pdPJgrgM/UEtN3hcY0zI/AAAAAAAAA6c/tGkFo1rDfrk/s1600/Online_ondemand-580-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iw1pdPJgrgM/UEtN3hcY0zI/AAAAAAAAA6c/tGkFo1rDfrk/s320/Online_ondemand-580-90.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Tekkish.com has <a href="http://www.tekkish.com/2012/10/08/the-all-new-virgin-tv-anywhere-ios-app-now-you-can-watch-wherever-you-are/">a comprehensive look</a> at Virgin Media's TV Anywhere service:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Once you are tapped into the TiVo box through the application you can
manage recordings, wishlists, series links and browse the EPG to
world’s end. You can browse latest entertainment news, watch thousands
of hours of ‘on demand’ and obviously the huge amounts of live
television.<br />
<br />
Overall this service is a must-have and will make fighting over the
remote control at home a thing of the past. (This is because you will
now fight over the iPad!)</blockquote>
The full article also includes a lengthy FAQ list with Virgin Media. Along the nuggets of info revealed is that streaming for all content will be available over both WiFi and mobile broadband.<br />
<br />
Check out the <a href="http://www.tekkish.com/2012/10/08/the-all-new-virgin-tv-anywhere-ios-app-now-you-can-watch-wherever-you-are/">full article at Tekkish.com</a>. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-43261640260813987482012-10-06T19:25:00.000+01:002012-10-06T19:25:35.834+01:00Thanks for the reminders, Virgin Media - but why the record for TiVo?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_jOr807Vb_k/T-yiMuVCf1I/AAAAAAAAA5k/0aGGiH5sWew/s1600/IPAD+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_jOr807Vb_k/T-yiMuVCf1I/AAAAAAAAA5k/0aGGiH5sWew/s320/IPAD+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Well, the <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/software-release-153-coming-soon-for.html">15.3 software update</a> has been out for a while now. Among the improvements are the arrival of reminders for fans of Live TV events. Or rather, 'Record & Remind' as its known on TiVo. Some of you may be wondering why TiVo can't remind you without recording. Well, its partly to do with the way TiVo's tuners work.<br />
<br />
On the legacy V+ HD, there were 3 tuners available. But only 2 of them could be used for recordings. The remaining free tuner was always dedicated to showing whatever live TV or VOD content you were currently watching. Hence, when a reminder was activated, it could use always use the 'live tuner' in order to switch over to the programme you wanted to be reminded about. As such, reminders would never conflict with scheduled recordings.<br />
<br />
Compare that to TiVo. Like the V+ HD, TiVo has 3 tuners. Unlike V+ HD, all 3 tuners are available for recordings. While this offers more recording flexibility, it also means that in order for a TiVo reminder to work, it effectively has to grab a tuner for the entire duration of the 'reminded' programme, in order to prevent it from being grabbed by a scheduled or suggested recording. <br />
<br />
Now, you could ask "why not reserve a tuner for the reminded programme <i>without</i> actually recording that content?" My response would be a question: "yeah....why not?", followed by a questioning look at TiVo.<br />
<br />
I'm guessing that the resulting rewrite and re-testing of TiVo's recording logic wouldn't be worth the hassle (or the resulting wait for the result to be deployed to Virgin's TiVo customers), especially compared to the minor inconvenience of having the reminded programme appearing in the <i>My Shows</i> list. Bear in mind that this 'reminded' programme would be deleted anyway if and when lack of recording capacity became an issue.<br />
<br />
Virgin would say that having the reminded programme recorded for you is convenient in case you're unexpectedly away from home when the live, super-duper TV Event blockbuster you wanted to be reminded about is on. Readers of this blog know that I don't always agree with Virgin (the recording defaults feature in 15.3 comes to mind), but in this case, its hard to argue with their logic.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-36502242955512151702012-10-06T14:45:00.002+01:002012-10-06T14:45:59.267+01:00Early reviews for Virgin Media's TV Anywhere service and TiVo app<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5_285eBcs8/UEtN4ByQRwI/AAAAAAAAA6k/9jA5zPWm1iY/s1600/iPad_Remote-Control-580-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5_285eBcs8/UEtN4ByQRwI/AAAAAAAAA6k/9jA5zPWm1iY/s320/iPad_Remote-Control-580-90.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The first reviews for Virgin's TV Anywhere service are starting to appear online, after a selected number of customers were invited to view the beta version of the service.<br />
<br />
From <a href="http://www.binarymoon.co.uk/2012/10/virgin-tv-anywhere-the-future-of-television/">Binary Moon</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you're at home you will also be able to use the iPhone/ iPad apps
as remote controls (no more losing the remote down the sofa!). The iPad
remote in particular has been redesigned so that it's a lot nicer to use
(including gestures and scrubber bars for adjusting your playback
position). Due to the size of the iPhone screen the iPhone remote is
essentially a photo of the Virgin Tivo peanut remote so not so nice -
but still good as a spare.</blockquote>
<br />
From <a href="http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/virgin-tv-anywhere-the-lowdown/">TQS Magazine</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Stream available channels (about 30 remotely, and 60 in the home on
launch) wherever you are. Kind of like TV Catch Up, but better. If
you’re in the house, your streaming won’t affect what’s on the TV
either. You can stream a film in your room while your family/flatmates
watch X Factor in the living room. Lovely....Ok, it’s really good. As well as turning your iPad into the world’s most
expensive (and coolest) remote, Virgin TV Anywhere let’s you manage,
explore and discover TV the way it should be – easily.</blockquote>
<br />
From <a href="http://tech.bitchbuzz.com/why-virgin-tv-anywhere-is-a-must-for-tv-lovers.html">BitchBuzz</a>: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My only complaint about Virgin TV Anywhere is that you can’t watch shows
or films you’ve recorded to your TiVo box, which seems like an obvious
want from most customers. I’m told this will eventually be something
Virgin will look at introducing – but in the meantime, just being able
to hack into your box from, well, anywhere is pretty exciting.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From James Anderson (<a href="http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/35481990-post743.html">via Jameseh at Cable Forum</a>):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In my opinion, the best feature by far of the Virgin TV Anywhere iPad
app is the ability to switch between watching something on your iPad and
watching it on your television. If you are browsing the guide on your
iPad and see a programme that you wish to watch on your widescreen
television, you can just do a flick gesture and in less than a second
your television programme will start playing on the TV rather than your
iPad. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is!</blockquote>
<br />There's still no release date for Virgin TV Anywhere, with TQS Magazine mentioning that it could be available within the next 3 to 6 weeks. The iPad version of the app will be released first, with an Android version to follow next year. <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-92093623094561501262012-09-23T16:00:00.000+01:002012-09-23T16:00:43.888+01:00Virgin Media giveth and taketh away multi-room streaming for TiVoHopes were raised - briefly - when TiVo customers discovered that <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/TiVo-to-TiVo-streaming-now-working/td-p/1463656">the long-awaited multi-room streaming feature was working</a> for some content from Channel 5. Virgin has since confirmed that <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/TiVo-to-TiVo-streaming-now-working/m-p/1465056#M62690">they are testing this feature</a> for future deployment:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0e1aK7vTDfs/TtVNX2aGhYI/AAAAAAAAAUE/H8OrY4XUVsg/s1600/IMAG0169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0e1aK7vTDfs/TtVNX2aGhYI/AAAAAAAAAUE/H8OrY4XUVsg/s320/IMAG0169.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blockade continues for streaming between TiVos.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We've been testing the Multi Room Streaming feature on TiVo, to do this we had to switch a few channels on for a short period of time. These channels have now been switched off so you will no longer be able to use the feature. Once we're happy it's working the way it should we'll be able to confirm a launch date. More news as and when we have it.</blockquote>
There's no word yet regarding if multi-room streaming on Virgin's TiVo will use the customer's own home network, or if streaming will involve Virgin's own network (via sending the stream to the nearest headend and back again). Virgin were previously <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/ipad-app-delay-for-virgin-medias-tivo.html">investigating</a> a method of enabling streaming within the home while excluding the use of the customer's home network.<br />
<br />
This (and the complex nature of UK content rights) had contributed to the delay of multi-room streaming, along with the iPad app. Since Virgin are a Pay-TV operator, they have to take into consideration the content rights owned by the channels broadcasting on Virgin's network. TiVo sold in the States have no worries since their sold at retail.<br />
<br />
A breakthrough of sorts was made with the announcement of <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/virgin-medias-tv-anywhere-service-30.html">Virgin TV Anywhere</a>, but for now the waiting for streaming between multiple TiVos continues. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-85232974509045952122012-09-08T15:07:00.000+01:002012-10-06T14:46:20.990+01:00Virgin Media's TV Anywhere Service: 30 channels to stream & enhanced for TiVo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bR6zV4VaFYg/UEtN4jWpDTI/AAAAAAAAA6s/fQmF5IBwH-Y/s1600/iPad_TVGuide-580-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bR6zV4VaFYg/UEtN4jWpDTI/AAAAAAAAA6s/fQmF5IBwH-Y/s320/iPad_TVGuide-580-90.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
More details have been revealed from Virgin Media and various media sources regarding the forthcoming TV Anywhere service, which will allow customers to stream around 30 live TV channels and over 2000 hours of On Demand content directly to their PC or Tablet device.<br />
<br />
Virgin TV Anywhere will use adaptive bitrate streaming technology (currently used by the likes of Netflix and Lovefilm), so the more bandwidth available on your connection, the better the stream quality. For reference, 720p HD streams via Netflix only requires 3.5Mb.<br />
<br />
According to <a href="http://crave.cnet.co.uk/homecinema/virgin-tv-anywhere-is-tablet-tv-sky-go-rival-50009126/">CNET</a>,
streaming will only be available via WiFi. Recorded content won't be
available to stream, but Virgin are apparently looking into offering
that option in the future.<br />
<br />
There's no word yet on what the available channels will be, but I wouldn't expect to see any Sky channels on the service since its likely that the likes of Sky One will be exclusive to stream on <a href="http://go.sky.com/vod/page/default/home.do">Sky Go</a>. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5_285eBcs8/UEtN4ByQRwI/AAAAAAAAA6k/9jA5zPWm1iY/s1600/iPad_Remote-Control-580-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5_285eBcs8/UEtN4ByQRwI/AAAAAAAAA6k/9jA5zPWm1iY/s320/iPad_Remote-Control-580-90.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Customers without TiVo (and Virgin are trying their best to <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/25-of-virgin-medias-tv-customers-have.html">convert you</a>) will also be able to use Virgin TV Anywhere's web access on their PCs to enable limited TV Recommendations.<br />
<br />
Customers with Tivo will also have access to a Tablet app which will allow you to remote control your TiVo and change channels, fast-forward and rewind live TV via buttons or gesture control, search and discover content, manage content and set recordings.<br />
<br />
There is no extra charge for the service and all content will be
available to stream regardless of what TV package you're subscribed to.<br />
<br />
Virgin TV Anywhere is scheduled to launch this Autumn. The app will be available for Fruit owners from the iTunes store around the same time. Owners of Android devices will have to wait until 2013. If they can't wait until then, they should check out the excellent <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gzero.tv&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd">TV Catchup app</a> from Google Play.<br />
<br />
There's no connection details yet for the service, but I'm betting (hoping?) that CAT-5/6 cable is involved if the remote control functionality is to be responsive enough to use. The Virgin version of the TiVo iPad app had been previously delayed due to <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/ipad-app-delay-for-virgin-medias-tivo.html">Virgin's desire to eliminate the need for extra cables within their customer's home networks</a> (we can handle the extra cables, Virgin, really!).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-4622101916058192792012-08-25T14:59:00.000+01:002012-08-25T19:59:54.977+01:00Revealed: Virgin Media's plans to export TV Anywhere, via TiVo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vBbHhscKbnY/TgtvdoutJrI/AAAAAAAAAIA/Xn5ftPwLpEs/s1600/TiVoiPadApp-728-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vBbHhscKbnY/TgtvdoutJrI/AAAAAAAAAIA/Xn5ftPwLpEs/s320/TiVoiPadApp-728-75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Virgin's main rival for Pay-TV services - Sky - have offered their customers the ability to stream content from Sky boxes to mobile devices <a href="http://go.sky.com/vod/page/default/home.do">for a while now</a>. Now, it looks like Virgin have plans to offer the same service to their customers, as <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/Virgin-TV-Anywhere-preview-in-What-HiFi-today/td-p/1423498">confirmed</a> on the Help and Support Forums and as <a href="http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/35467163-post1051.html">printed in What Hi-Fi Magazine</a> (via Cable Forum, thanks to Chad):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Virgin is taking the battle to SKY and looking to free further your TV
from your living room with the launch of its TV Anywhere service. The
new service will deliver live TV and video-on-demand content, and it
will give you the ability to manage your set-top box in the form of a
new look website and a brand-new app.<br />
<br />
The app aims to bring the Virgin TiVo experience to your smartphone or
tablet, allowing you to browse the EPG, manage your recordings and
change channels without affecting the image on your TV screen. And if
you can't agree on what to watch, you can stream content straight to
your portable device for a multiscreen experience. <br />
<br />
Due to launch in Autumn 2012, Virgin TV Anywhere is free and,
theoretically, available to all Virgin customers. While any Virgin
customer can access the new look website, the live TV and on-demand
content that you can access will depend on your choice of Virgin TV
package. The added extras via the website, such as setting your box to
record, managing your recordings, and social aspects such as liking
certain content will also be exclusive to Virgin TiVo customers.<br />
<br />
The New Virgin TV Anywhere app will also be for Virgin TiVo customers
only, bringing the sort of functionality familiar to SKY customers with
the SKY Go app to Virgin TiVo users. The TV Anywhere app will launch on
iPod touch, iPhone and iPad in Autumn 2012, though an Android app is in
the pipeline for 2013. You'll need a wi-fi connection to watch content,
though a 3G offering is on the wish list.<br />
<br />
Also on the to-do list is the ability to watch your own personal
recordings stored on your TiVo box on your tablet or smartphone. Clever.<br />
<br />
It's a big push for Virgin in to the mobile TV domain, and the company
is bullish about the advantages of its own service when compared with
SKY's. Virgin has been doubling its customers' broadband speeds. Fibre
optic network speeds of up to 100Mb help ensure stable streaming to
other devices in your home, while the TiVo box has its own dedicated
10Mb connection for streaming content, ensuring it won't throttle speeds
elsewhere. Exciting times for TV, then - and wherever you want to
watch.</blockquote>
<br />
Sounds good, if a bit late - to say that the iPad app has been delayed is an understatement, in part due to Virgin believing that their customers <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/ipad-app-delay-for-virgin-medias-tivo.html">don't want another cable (CAT-5) near the TV</a>, or TiVo for that matter. There's also no mention of the long-awaited multiroom streaming facility between TiVos.<br />
<br />
I suspect that Virgin Media's TV Anywhere (can we call it VMTA for short?) <i>may</i> require a Virgin version of the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/21/tivo-stream-ip-stb-cable-show-2012/">TiVo Stream Transcoder</a>, first shown at the CES show. TiVo Stream converts live, recorded or On-Demand video (all in MPEG 2 currently for Virgin) into video formats suitable for mobile devices (MPEG 4 and potentially Flash, before that's killed off by HTML 5) <br />
<br />
There's also the matter of streaming rights - will for example, Sky's TV channels be available to stream on VMTA? Or will streaming for channels like Sky One be exclusive for Sky Go customers?<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-57076451789595033762012-08-10T21:36:00.000+01:002012-10-06T19:26:05.416+01:00Full rollout for Software Release 15.3 coming soon for Virgin Media's TiVo<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E3rb8qZPLb4/UCVv3LFWYNI/AAAAAAAAA6E/2-7vi4TI_h4/s1600/JESSICA-ENNIS_2300130b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E3rb8qZPLb4/UCVv3LFWYNI/AAAAAAAAA6E/2-7vi4TI_h4/s320/JESSICA-ENNIS_2300130b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well worth the delay for 15.3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With the end of the Olympics (and Team GB's superb performance in London 2012) coming to an end, its almost time for Virgin to unleash the latest software update (Version 15.3) for TiVo: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #3d85c6;">
We’re updating your TiVo box to enable some great new features<br />
<br />
Your update will happen in the early hours one morning between 13th and 24th August. That’s the time we know you're least likely to be watching TV or recording shows, so we hope it won’t interrupt anything. We’ll let you know back here on 27th August to confirm we’ve updated your TiVo box.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="color: #3d85c6;">
Make sure your TiVo box is either turned on or in standby mode overnight during this time, since the update won't start until your box is next switched on. Instead of switching your TiVo box off at the mains every night, it’s best to just put it in standby. That way, any updates (including smaller ones we might not write to you about) can happen while you’re doing other things.<br />
<br />
Most importantly, the update will take on average 30 minutes and you won’t be able to watch TV or use the box at all during this time.<br />
<br />
If the update is interrupted by someone switching the TiVo box off, there is a small risk you could lose all your saved settings and recorded shows. So, it’s really, really important that you leave your box on and make sure everyone at home knows not to use it during that time.<br />
<br />
Also, if you have any recordings planned for that particular time they won’t record.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="color: #6fa8dc;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Thanks</span></blockquote>
But what extra features are in the update? Well:<br />
<ul style="color: #3d85c6;">
<li><b>Record and Reminders</b> - Reminders, where even if you
do miss the reminder pop-up, you still won't miss your show as TiVo
will still record it for you. </li>
<li><b>General stability updates for TiVo and interactive services</b></li>
<li><b>HDMI connection reliability improvements</b> – Some of you who've seen this issue should see a reduction in the number of invalid HDMI error messages.</li>
<li><b>Global settings</b> – You can now set default recording options for new single recordings, Series Links, and WishLists</li>
<li><b>Streamlined Video On Demand Search</b> – You can now find and play your favourite video on demand shows in a flash</li>
</ul>
15.3 has been<a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/pilot-software-version-153-rollouts-for.html"> piloted in several areas for a while now</a>, with the full rollout delayed until after London 2012.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-79870005811310557142012-07-24T20:37:00.003+01:002012-07-24T20:37:54.804+01:0025% of Virgin Media's TV customers have TiVo; iPad app coming in late 2012?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S8mqI17Vff8/TQfgbYnvEjI/AAAAAAAAADU/OVV7M4PImYw/s1600/GridEPG-420-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S8mqI17Vff8/TQfgbYnvEjI/AAAAAAAAADU/OVV7M4PImYw/s320/GridEPG-420-90.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Virgin Media's 2nd quarter results for 2012 are in, and the TiVo invasion of the Digital Cable TV network continues with 938,800 customers getting TiVoed - that figure is due to reach 1 million this week. 25% of Virgin's TV customer base now has Virgin's next-gen PVR. Despite the fact that the monthly TiVo fee (now included in the Collections packages) increased from £3 to £5 per month, the take-up for TiVo increased compared to the previous quarter.<br />
<br />
But what about the impending threat from YouView? Virgin Media CEO Neil A. Berkett <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/743291-virgin-media-s-ceo-discusses-q2-2012-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single">doesn't seem to concerned about that</a>:<strong><br /></strong><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
TiVo is a significantly superior product to the impending YouView.
It has far greater intelligence search, recommendation, and discovery
tools, which means that our customers wherein combined with a far
greater array of content whether that be free, over the top, or pay will
have a significantly superior product and well-priced and well
positioned as part of our essentials 25 pound bundle. </div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
TiVo braces over the top applications and clearly these are
distributed by a dedicated IP pipe. Separate from the dedicated IP pipe
or spectrum such as video on demand, separate from the broadcast taking
advantage of our connectivity advantage. </div>
</blockquote>
<br />
And the iPad app? Where the <i>heck</i> is it?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #3d85c6;">
We have an exciting product roadmap ahead of us with
the next step being the launch of iPad companion app with live streaming
in the fourth quarter....that will ultimately move to a full application across multiple devices. </blockquote>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-18841122365253879832012-06-28T19:52:00.000+01:002012-10-06T19:32:16.201+01:00Pilot software Version 15.3 rollouts for Virgin Media's TiVo: Reminders & Global Padding coming soonAll settled down after all the excitement of <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/152-software-update-for-virgin-medias.html">15.2</a>? Well, the pilot software release for 15.3 (or 15.3.RC4-VMC-2-C00 to be precise) has started according <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/TiVo-Software-Update-Pilot/td-p/1288987">to a post at Virgin's Help and Support Forums</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #3d85c6;">
We've just started piloting the next update to the TiVo software to
selected users in the Preston, Ashford, Andover, Stoke, Colchester and
Crawley areas. You don't need to do anything to receive the new
software, it should download automatically overnight over the next two
days if you're part of the pilot. We're hoping to push it out to
everyone after the Olympics if the pilot is successful, we'll make an announcement when we've got more news on that.<br />
<br />
What's changed in the new software:<br />
<br />
<b>Record and Reminders</b> - Reminders, where even if you
do miss the reminder pop-up, you still won't miss your show as TiVo will
still record it for you. <br />
<br />
<b>General stability updates for TiVo and interactive services</b> <br />
<br />
<b>HDMI connection reliability improvements</b> – Some of you who've seen this issue should see a reduction in the number of invalid HDMI error messages.<br />
<br />
You can check if you're on the pilot by going to Help & Settings
> System Info > System Info, the software version will read 15.3
if you're on the pilot.</blockquote>
<br />
That's right - reminders, an <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/poll-results-majority-of-virgin-medias.html">often requested feature</a> - are indeed coming to Virgin's TiVo. Here's a screenshot (thanks to <a href="http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/35446948-post6.html">nicko at Cable Forums</a>):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_jOr807Vb_k/T-yiMuVCf1I/AAAAAAAAA5k/0aGGiH5sWew/s1600/IPAD+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_jOr807Vb_k/T-yiMuVCf1I/AAAAAAAAA5k/0aGGiH5sWew/s400/IPAD+006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
At first, I thought it odd that a TiVo Reminder would remind you <i>and</i> record - that potentially creates a little extra work since you'll have to remove the 'reminded' programme from your <i>My Shows</i> list. However, this approach does have the advantage of recording the programme for you if indeed you're unexpectedly out when the reminded big game or (shudder) X-Factor Final is on. In effect, a TiVo reminder is an Announced Recording.<br />
<br />
15.3 will also bring another requested feature -<a href="http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/11/33686708-coming-soon-virgin-tv-2012-vol-page-91.html#post35447040"> user-defined global padding for all recordings</a>, as well as reducing the army of screens one must fight through to play VOD content.<br />
<br />
The pilot is expected to last 5 weeks, with a full rollout not expected until after London 2012 in order to minimise disruption to the TV services during the Games.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-66359965924316017772012-06-08T21:32:00.001+01:002012-06-08T21:32:48.191+01:00App arrivals & updates for Sports & Music on Virgin Media's TiVoAmong the latest app arrivals for TiVo is a new<a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/Music-Search-App-now-available-on-TiVo/td-p/1253311"> Music Search app</a> which will - not surprisingly - let you search for music from Virgin's vast VOD Music library. Its available from Red Button on Channel 300, or via drilling into the Apps and Games menu. It will also be available from the Catch-Up/On Demand Music menu from 12th June.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qTMnQN_yu4U/T9JH9TTdgSI/AAAAAAAAA34/ITZNz7ukE1c/s1600/2012-06-08+19.35.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qTMnQN_yu4U/T9JH9TTdgSI/AAAAAAAAA34/ITZNz7ukE1c/s400/2012-06-08+19.35.10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
In an ideal world, this search would be available from the main TiVo search, but, this app will do nicely. <br />
<br />
Already available (and very recently rolled out for Virgin's TiVo) is an <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/BBC-Red-Button-Sports-App-Upgrade/td-p/1249345">update for the BBC Sports app</a>, with new options for Euro 2012 and (soon) Wimbledon, HD video when available, autoplay of videos and more live and on-demand coverage. Unfortunately, the app also had <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/Poland-V-Greece-Juddering-and-Freezing-on-BBC-Sports-App/td-p/1253431">some issues with video playback for the opening game of Euro 2012</a> which both Virgin and the BBC are <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/F002032913-BBC-iPlayer-Euro-2012-football-issues-on-Tivo/td-p/1253499">looking into</a>.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-71449043395466729052012-04-25T21:41:00.000+01:002012-04-25T21:41:27.938+01:00Virgin Media 2012 1st Quarter Results: 677,000 TiVo subscriptions, 18% of Virgin's TV Customer base<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N4lNe8y3rME/Tb1sTxC6TOI/AAAAAAAAAF4/dS_tLFFD-6E/s1600/Virgin_Media_TiVo_size_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N4lNe8y3rME/Tb1sTxC6TOI/AAAAAAAAAF4/dS_tLFFD-6E/s320/Virgin_Media_TiVo_size_9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MTM2NTQ0fENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0z&t=1">1st quarter results of 2012 are in for Virgin Media</a>, and the TiVoizlation of the Digital Cable Network continues, with 677,000 subscriptions to TiVo, up by 242,000 from the previous quarter. 18% of Virgin's TV customer base now has TiVo, and that number will only increase thanks to the <a href="http://virgintivo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/virgin-media-make-tivo-heart-of-their.html">new Collections packs</a> which all feature TiVo.<br />
<br />
Not surprisingly, Virgin Media CEO <b style="font-weight: normal;">Neil Berkett <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/526921-virgin-media-s-ceo-discusses-q1-2012-results-earnings-call-transcript?source=thestreet">was pleased with the results</a>, and the impact TiVo has had on them:</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #3d85c6;">
Virgin Media TiVo is driving more consumption of PayTV programming.
TiVo customers are 23% more likely to watch a PayTV suggestion than a
free TV suggestion. Suggesting that TiVo is unlocking content discovery.<br />
<br />
The other great thing about Virgin Media TiVo is it’s dedicated,
over-the-top connection, allowing our customers access to content and
applications outside of our TV world garden. Unlike in a DSL garden,
the bandwidth this connection uses will not impede the bandwidth other
devices are using at the same time. <br />
<br />
Virgin Media TiVo is a superior differentiated product and our
customers are loving the features. The key customer satisfaction
ratings, which we measure through promoter score, or MPS, are 24% higher
than the non-TiVo customers. That’s our critical mass. This is why
we’re offering TiVo as standard in our new collections. It’s the future
of TV being delivered now and we will continue to improve and enhance
service. <br />
<br />
....TiVo continues to sell very
strongly. We had 242,000 net adds in the quarter. This is despite a
price increase from £3 to £5 at the end of February. Remember, we’ve
only been advertising this service for three quarters now and we have
already penetrated 18% of our entire TV base. Over 40% of TiVo gross
adds in the quarter were new to Virgin Media TV. </blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-78889488893529820222012-04-25T21:01:00.000+01:002012-04-25T21:01:01.478+01:00New YouTube app is all about you on Virgin Media's TiVoThere's been a lot of new apps appearing on the Virgin Media TiVo platform recently. Most of these have been promotional apps for mobile phones and certain TV channels/content (sorry, no Lovefilm or Netflix yet). But one of the new apps (or rather, an update of an existing one) has been for YouTube.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KfLjVOx3RxA/T5hVdkGbCmI/AAAAAAAAAVY/s2r8yp7FMEM/s1600/2012-04-25+20.45.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KfLjVOx3RxA/T5hVdkGbCmI/AAAAAAAAAVY/s2r8yp7FMEM/s400/2012-04-25+20.45.57.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The new app is much improved over the old versions and <i>finally</i> allows you to login to your YouTube account (which is far easier than you'll expect) and view your subscriptions and playlists, subject of course, to content restrictions.<br />
<br />
There's room for improvement here. For instance, you can't watch content which you'll flagged as 'watch later', and the subscriptions content is all in one list, and isn't divided into a folder per channel. Still, this is a <i>massive</i> improvement on previous versions of the app, and from my (very limited) testing, the video quality is at least on a par with the Xbox 360 version of the app.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083434439648769491.post-74125890568961496722012-04-11T21:41:00.000+01:002012-04-11T21:41:48.282+01:00BBC Red Button finally arrives on Virgin Media's TiVoFrom <a href="http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/BBC-Red-Button-now-available-on-TiVo/td-p/1141651">the Help and Support Forums</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We're very happy to announce that BBC Red Button is now available to
Virgin Media TiVo customers. The features available include video news,
full length text articles from the BBC News website and coverage of F1
season that is always up to date and available whenever you want to
watch. Later this year the BBC Sport Red button services will be
extended to cover other major events e.g. Euro 2012, Wimbledon and
Olympics.<br />
<br />
If you’re watching any BBC channel, just press the red button on your
TiVo remote. Then arrow up or down to choose iPlayer or the News or
Sports app, then select OK. Or you can select the BBC News or Sports app
from the ‘Apps & Games’ section of your TiVo menu.<br />
<br />
The new service is being rolled out to everyone over the next 24 hours, so don't worry if you can't see it yet.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7