Here's my setup -
Slingbox AV
TWO Tivos Premieres both wired into a network. One directly into a router and the other wired into a switch in another room with a single cable going into the router in the other room.
ONE Tivo stream plugged into the switch.
Iphone and Ipad
With the slingbox hooked into the Tivo it was easy to watch the tivo at home and away somewhere via the internet. I really didn't know how useful the Tivo Stream would be since the slingbox only allows you to watch what is currently displayed on the TV. That's fine as long as the TV being watched was not in use.
I had thought that I would need a TIVO stream per DVR but that is not true. The one Tivo stream will stream from Multiple Tivo.
While someone is watching the TV - I can stream to the ipad either what someone else is watching or a show that is already recorded. The con is to watch what is on the the TV - the show actually has to be recording. So what you are doing is the person watching the TV is watching the recording and the IPAD is watching the recording. So the play/pause/skip is independent. I pause the IPAD but the TV continues to play. It works awesome.
With the TIVO's being on the same LAN, I can swap between the two tivos with ease and watch something recorded on either.
The biggest gripe I see on forums and what made me think twice about buying it was that some shows were copy protected and could be transferred. This mainly affects shows from HBO and Showtime. Shows from the networks, IFC, Sundance A&E do not have this copy protection. Everything will still stream even the HBO shows. You just cannot transfer them to the IPAD for storage. the big deal in this is that I have a trip coming up with a 10 hour plane flight. I cannot transfer an HBO show. But I did download about 10 hours worth of shows from other channels I've been meaning to watch and this will be a good time to watch them on the plane. A little bit about the streaming. The estimated time is lower than actual. But I found that the closer I put the iphone or ipad to the wireless router the faster the transfer is. (ie Be downstairs instead of upstairs) So I think the major problem is I need a better router.
The only thing I cannot stream or transfer are recorded video podcasts like the CNET videos and TWIT. The other MINOR issue was that it did not work instantly. I had to force the TIVOs to connect to TIVO on the internet to authorize the TIVO stream. They were schedule to connect in a couple of days. So the people that complain that it started working after a week that was the issue. Force a connection and it started working the afternoon I got it.
Pros:
The TIVO app worked great before I got the TIVO stream and is 200% better now with the stream.
Only One TIVO stream needed for two boxes.
Does not tie up a TV screen.
Ability to save shows on the IPAD or Iphone and watch when there is no internet connection.
No Monthly subscription.
The look and feel ( skip 30 seconds back 8 seconds and) is the same as the big box.
Resumes shows where you left off.
Cons:
Android devices do not work yet. ( I would buy my dad one but he only has a Kindle Fire HD ).
The TIVO and Stream has to on a wired LAN.
Watching Live TV requires a Tuner for recording.
Not viewable from the Internet but the slingbox fixes that.
It was a good buy and something I am happy with.
| Brand Name | TiVo |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 4.8 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 4.25 x 7.43 x 2.06 inches |
| Item model number | TCDA94000 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color Name | Black |
