TiVo Roamio OTA review: TiVo made a DVR for cord-cutters, but is it worth it?
Cable TV and TiVo go together like peanut butter and jelly, or at least they did until now. The company that, for all intents and purposes, invented the DVR has, after 14 years, released one specifically designed for people who don’t want to pay for a TV subscription. If you look past the marketing, the $50 TiVo Roamio OTA is actually the same as the standard-edition Roamio, but with a nonfunctional CableCARD slot and no option for Lifetime Service. So, is this the one box a cord-cutter needs? Just as important, is the price right?
Hardware and remote
On the outside, the TiVo Roamio OTA is identical to the standard edition. Same 3.7-pound, 14.3 x 7.4 x 1.9-inch box with an external power supply. Same recording indicator and power LEDs. The same WiFi (802.11a/b/g/n), Ethernet and port selection (USB, coax input, optical and analog audio out). It even requires the same $15 composite breakout cable if you prefer not to use HDMI. No HDMI-CEC either; again, just like other TiVos. It also comes with a 500GB hard drive, four tuners and the ability to expand via eSATA. Unlike its more expensive sibling, though, these tuners only capture over-the-air signals. The ability to tune into ATSC content is a strong suit here — I didn’t have any problem picking up broadcast channels in my area with a $15 RCA antenna or a more expensive one from Mohu Leaf.
The box itself is physically appealing, with its glossy piano-black plastic, faceless TiVo guy and textured gray material. I appreciated TiVo’s industrial design efforts when I first reviewed the Roamio Pro, and the fit and finish is just as welcome on the new OTA edition. I’ve always disliked external power supplies and while I’ve learned to live with them, I haven’t stopped complaining about the accompanying tangle of wires. Unlike the Pro, the OTA doesn’t feature MoCA, but that can be overcome with a $50 accessory adapter (with yet another external power supply). The OTA also doesn’t have an integrated TiVo Stream (like the Plus and Pro do), so streaming to your mobile devices will run you another $130.
The stubby peanut remote (as I like to call it) is the same as on the rest of the TiVo Roamio lineup. That means it’s RF instead of IR, doesn’t have a backlight and can only be programmed with IR codes of TVs and audio/video receivers from an included database. It can’t learn to control your TV and AVR using your existing remotes, though. I’m not still holding out hope that TiVo will release an accessory remote with a backlight and the ability to learn, but without a slide-out keyboard, like back in the Series3 era. One small, but very useful feature that the Plus and Pro have that the lower-end Roamio DVRs don’t is the remote finder. I can’t tell you how useful I’ve found it to press a button on my Roamio Pro DVR and listen for the TiVo theme music to help me locate my missing remote.
Software
The TiVo Roamio OTA is also identical to its big brothers when it comes to software. It’s every bit as fast, with the same features and the same third-party apps like Netflix and Hulu. Still, I’d like to take this opportunity to review the new features added to the Roamio lineup since I reviewed the Roamio Pro over a year ago. The two big additions are ones I’ve been complaining about as long as I can remember. The usefulness of the boring default Season Pass settings added in the spring 2014 release can’t be overstated. I only wish I could get back all the time I’ve spent over the years setting every single Season Pass to keep all my recordings and to only record new episodes.
Now, there’s no longer a need to do this manually every time. It works exactly as you’d expect, in fact, but is limited to a few essential settings: record new and reruns, new only or everything; keep at most a number of episodes or all; and start or stop recording on time or add up to five minutes on either end. I’m not sure why TiVo didn’t include the ability to choose a default “keep until” setting; maybe next year.
The more interesting new feature came this summer and was quite overdue. Now the “My Shows” view makes it easier to sort through terabytes of recordings. In particular, a customizable third column lets you filter by category, as well as find episodes you didn’t quite have time to finish. And the fact that it’s configurable to the point it can be disabled completely means it’s pretty much a complete win.
Still, TiVo hasn’t been successful at changing the way I find things to watch. The company has done some great things with What to Watch Now to help make the various viewing options slightly less overwhelming. This new third column in the UI improves things too, but I can’t help but think there’s more work to be done. It may be as simple as combining these two features into one. Perhaps a list view of What to Watch now (as opposed to icons) with the same configurable categories. I’m not sure, really, but the bottom line is: I like the direction TiVo is going in here and look forward to even more options for sifting through all that content.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the remaining standard-definition menus on the TiVo Roamio lineup. It seems some of the TiVo faithful are very upset that the time and care hasn’t been taken to redesign every single menu of the TiVo experience in HD. But as a self-proclaimed HD snob, I can’t say I agree. I understand it may annoy people when the UI switches back and forth, but at the same time, TiVo has to make difficult resource-allocation decisions; redesigning barely used UI elements is clearly not the best use of TiVo’s time. Every new feature and setting is designed with HD in mind and it’s surely just a matter of time before every menu gets the HD treatment — it’s only been four long years.
The cord-cutter proposition
The question TiVo hopes to answer is if the Roamio OTA will appeal to the estimated 7.6 million US households that don’t subscribe to cable. Netflix, Hulu and the like get lots of credit for enabling people to watch TV without paying big bucks for a premium cable or satellite subscription. That means, though, that the antenna remains your best friend if you’re a frugal TV fan. And just because you choose not to spend your hard-earned money subscribing to bunch of channels, that doesn’t mean you don’t want the 21st century luxury of a DVR.
There’s no shortage of startups attempting to fit this need, but unfortunately, when it comes to DVR functionality, most aren’t even as good as the original TiVo from almost 14 years ago. Simple.TV, Channel Master, Tablo and others are doing their best, but are mostly just realizing how difficult it is to create a robust DVR platform. In particular, reliability, fit, finish and usability are usually second to content — all areas where TiVo excels.
Then again, though TiVo was one of the first to offer Netflix streaming almost six years ago, the company has fallen behind in more recent years with many, many missing options like: WatchESPN, Vudu, HBO Go, Amazon Prime, Epix, Crackle and CinemaNow. To be fair, not all of these will appeal to cord-cutters, as services likes WatchESPN and HBO GO require a cable subscription to watch (and who would ever borrow their friend’s sign-in info?!). But the absence of Vudu and Amazon Prime are pretty glaring; I can only hope the rumors of these services coming to TiVo are true. Until that happens, though, you might be unlikely to get down to one box; you might additionally need a Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV. Then there are all those network apps, which would offer a good backup, in the event that your OTA setup lets you down.
Even with the streaming options that TiVo does offer, there’s room for improvement. Some of the streaming apps on TiVo aren’t as good as the versions available on Roku and other boxes, with Pandora being one major example. Accessing these streaming services isn’t as easy as it is on other boxes, but that has a lot to do with the fact that TiVo is a DVR first and a streamer second. On top of that, the user experience isn’t as cohesive as the ones that the Xbox and Apple TV deliver since TiVo’s streaming apps aren’t customized to match the TiVo experience.
Ultimately, the biggest problem with TiVo is the price. At $699 with Lifetime Service, the standard TiVo Roamio isn’t exactly a low-cost solution and so TiVo hopes that it can entice cord-cutters with essentially the same box (for someone with no interest in paying for cable) for $50, plus $15 a month. The problem is the service charge, which almost no one believes is worth the price of a Netflix and Hulu subscription combined. The service, of course, is little more than a way for TiVo to subsidize the price of the hardware and provide people with a low upfront cost. But without a Lifetime Service option, you’d have to really be missing the big picture to go with the cord-cutter edition — it takes about three and a half years at $15 a month to catch up to the $699 price of the standard Roamio with Lifetime.
Wrap-up
The TiVo Roamio OTA is interesting. Marketing a box to those who don’t want to pay for cable while at the same time selling boxes to cable companies, and to customers of cable companies, is like walking a tightrope — one I think is manageable. The real problem is that while I believe the TiVo Roamio is the best over-the-air DVR ever available, the low upfront cost isn’t worth the higher total cost of ownership (the standard Roamio works with OTA or cable and is cheaper after three and a half years when you buy Lifetime Service).
Then again, if you want a DVR without a cable subscription, the Roamio OTA is virtually your only option. What’s more, it’s not like you can completely replace it with a Roku or Apple TV; either way, you’re going to sacrifice some content. An OTA DVR, for example, has access to live NFL on CBS each Sunday, but TiVo doesn’t have nearly as many apps as either Roku or Apple. Given that, we’ll say this: If you’re interested in cutting the cord, but you’re not ready to shell out hundreds up front on a regular TiVo box with Lifetime Service, then $50 to get started (plus $15 per month) isn’t a terrible deal. But that’s not saying much.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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WSJ: 5.9-inch Nexus 6 to launch this month
Last week we reported on a leak of Nexus 6 details, which said it would have a 5.9″ QHD screen, a 3,200 mAh battery, a 13 MP camera with OIS, a 2 MP shooter on the front, fast-charging capabilities, and essentially be a stretched out Moto X (2014). We also reported on some alleged photos of the device spotted in the wild. Good news Googlers: the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has pretty much confirmed these rumors.
The WSJ says that “three people familiar with the situation” that Google expects to release the Nexus 6 this month. They also go on to talk about its screen, maker, and that the next version of Android will be released with it. Things we pretty much know at this point, but just confirming these things more than anything.
I’m still interested to see how people will accept such a massive phone. The phablet market has definitely grown, which WSJ talks about in their article, and was proven by Apple finally making the switch to a bigger screen. Nevertheless, even Samsung’s newest Note is 5.7″, but has software and a stylus to make it easier to use. It will be interesting to see what happens with the release of this device, because while Google has never had huge numbers in its Nexus sales (certainly not compared to Apple or Samsung), but they have sold out several times on their last couple of phones, and manufacturers have taken cues from Google on how to build their flagships based on Nexus phones. If nothings else, we can be excited for the release of the beautiful looking Android L.
What do you think of all this? Will the Nexus 6 sell well, or will its size just be overkill?
To check out all the photos (rendered and real) that we currently have of the Nexus 6, check out this post.
via WSJ
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Motorola tweets and deletes image of red Droid Turbo
Oops. Motorola’s Droid Landing twitter account on Friday jumped the gun in regards to the upcoming Droid Turbo. The picture you see here was tweeted without any accompanying text or details and then promptly deleted. Indeed, this looks to be the Verizon red take on the big, bad superphone.
With no expected launch date to share just yet we’re left to drool over the rumored specifications. If you’re like us then you can’t wait to get your hands on the 5.2-inch ultra high definition display, 21-megapixel rear camera, and 3900mAh battery!
Droid Landing (removed) via Droid Life
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Sharp AQUOS Crystal, the edge-to-edge oddity, now available at Boost coming soon to Sprint
Two months ago Sprint announced that they would be the official launch partner for a new comer device from Sharp. The Sharp AQUOS Crystal as it is aptly named is rather interestingly design Android powered phone with a very unique edge-to-edge screen that dominates the upper section of the phone.
The AQUOS Crystal offers up an edge-to-edge 5-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720. It packs a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage and a micro SD slot with support for a 128GB card. The device offers a 2040 mAh battery that is rated for 13 hours of talk time. As for photos, you get a 8MP rear camera with flash and a fairly standard 1.2MP front facing camera. (Yes, it is down at the bottom.) It also launches with Android 4.4.
Sharps big push is the AQUOS Crystal design. However, in their promo video for the device, they spend a great deal of time talking about the camera software and the audio. In the audio department the AQUOS Crystal boasts Harman/Kardon LiveStage technology mixed with CLARI-FI. The CLARI-FI technology is said to restore all types of compressed digital music back to their original sound quality. Another sound achievement, or difference compared to other devices in the market, is how you hear your calls. There is no earpiece speaker. Rather it uses the entire screen panel as a speaker. They call it a direct wave receiver.
On the camera side of things Sharp has put some pretty cool features inside. You get the usual smile detection , panorama shot and sequential shot options, but you also get framing advisor and night catch. Framing advisor helps new, and seasoned, photographers use various grid overlays to set up image composition.
Kind of cool really. Night catch will brighten backgrounds and the subjects to help you take better shots in low light situations.
Overall the Sharp AQUOS Crystal packs quite a few things that make it a stand out device. Possibly the most impress thing is that the device is listed for $149.99 with Boost Mobile and is available today. The press release lists that it is also available for the same $149.99 price tag for Sprint Pre-Paid, but I am not seeing on the pre-paid site just yet. However, it is live at Best Buy and will be at Radio Shack on October 21st. It will be making its way to Sprint on October 17th for $0 down and monthly payments of $10. The suggested retail price is $239.99.
Any interest in this guy?
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GT Seeks to Void ‘Oppressive and Burdensome’ Agreements With Apple, Outlines Sapphire Wind Down Process
Yesterday, lawyers for Apple’s bankrupt sapphire production partner GT Advanced Technologies notified the court that court that the company would be seeking to “wind down” operations at its sapphire production facilities in Arizona and Massachusetts, while also pursuing efforts to escape from contracts related to those operations.
In a pair of filings today, GT has followed through on those plans, with one filing asking for court approval to void its contracts related to the operation, calling the terms of its contracts with Apple “oppressive and burdensome.”
As discussed in detail in the Supplemental First Day Declaration, the agreements imposed oppressive and burdensome terms and obligations on GTAT. The contracts and leases…provide no benefit to GTAT’s estates, and GTAT’s continued performance under the Agreements is no longer a viable business option. […]
GTAT has determined that the Agreements are no longer necessary for GTAT’s business operations. The Agreements also are not a source of potential value for GTAT’s future operations, creditors, or interest holders and constitute an unnecessary drain on GTAT’s resources.
GT believes it will be able to pursue further claims against Apple, but is unable to do so at this stage of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, and so has asked that the agreements be voided while maintaining its right to pursue future claims against Apple related to the agreements.
GT’s second filing addresses the wind down procedure for its sapphire production facilities, noting that sapphire boules currently being grown in furnaces are valued at roughly $20,000 each and take up to 30 days to grow, and thus it is in the interest of the company and its creditors to allow boules already being grown to be completed.
[M]erely “pulling the plug” is not a viable option given the significant value of GTAT’s equipment at these facilities (most notably, the sapphire growing furnaces) as well as the significant value of the sapphire boules that are currently being grown in the furnaces (a process that can take up to 30 days). For these reasons, GTAT has developed the Wind Down Process, which will allow GTAT to wind down its sapphire manufacturing operations in as orderly a manner as possible while preserving the value of its assets.
The first stage of GT’s Wind Down Process involves maintaining a crew of 75 employees to monitor ongoing sapphire growth and then remove the boules and prepare them for sale, a process expected to be completed by mid-November. The second stage, requiring 15 employees, involves the cleaning and decommissioning of the furnaces themselves to preserve their value. Finally, roughly 35 employees will be needed to “shut down and clean up” the Arizona facility, with final closure coming by December 31.
Overall, GT projects that 890 employees will lose their jobs with the shutdown, with the company seeking approval to spend approximately $65,000 in incentives to ensure certain qualified employees remain with the company during the wind down process.
Apple has not commented publicly on the matter beyond its initial statement expressing surprise at GT’s bankruptcy filing and pledging to work to preserve jobs in the area.
(Image: GT sapphire furnace)
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Chinese Carriers Take One Million iPhone 6 Pre-Orders in First Six Hours [iOS Blog]
Pre-orders for Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus started today in China, with sales from the country’s three carriers hitting one million units, reports Chinese publication Tencent (via Fortune). This figure includes orders processed by China’s major wireless carriers and does not account for those orders accepted by Apple or the more than 6,000 resellers that also opened iPhone reservations today.
While pre-orders officially began on Friday, October 10th, Chinese website JingDong started accepting iPhone 6 and 6 Plus reservations last week. In its first week, the website processed more than 9 million reservations, with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus almost equally popular among consumers.
Apple launched its new iPhone models in September with sales reaching 10 million in the opening weekend. Demand for the new iPhone models remains strong, with Apple reportedly pushing back production of a rumored 12.9-inch iPad in order to boost the company’s iPhone 6 Plus supply first.
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Boost Mobile to Offer iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Starting October 17 With $100 Discount [iOS Blog]
Boost Mobile confirmed that it would begin selling the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus starting next Friday, October 17, reports CNET. The new iPhones will join the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in Boost’s existing smartphone lineup.
Boost Mobile, a division of Sprint, offers a no-contract prepaid service that requires users to purchase their phones at full price and pair them with prepaid mobile cellular and data plans. Unlike its competitors, Boost offers the iPhone at a discounted price, taking $100 off the full retail price of each available model. Prices start at $549 for the 16 GB iPhone 6, with the iPhone 6 Plus priced at $649 for the entry-level 16 GB model.
Boost’s mobile plans include unlimited talk and texts along with data available in 1 GB, 5 GB and 10 GB allotments. From now until November 3, Boost is taking an additional $5 off the cost of its prepaid plans. Plan prices now cost $35 monthly for the 1 GB plan, $45 monthly for the mid-tier 5 GB plan and $55 monthly for the 10 GB option.
Boost joins several other prepaid carriers offering the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Prepaid options for the iPhone also are available from Consumer Cellular, Straight Talk, Net 10, and others.
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AIAIAI TMA-1 Headphones: Professional sound from the world’s top DJs 36% off [Deal of the Day]
Whether you’re hitting the studio to put the final touches on your latest mix or just traveling by train to a company meeting, the TMA-1 Headphones offer professional quality sound and a sleek aesthetic for a top-notch experience.
Crafted for professionals, by professionals, the TMA-1 have been tested by the world’s top DJs including A-Trak, RJD2, MSTRKFT, Madlib, and more. With titanium drivers and adjustable ear cups, you’re certain to find the perfect fit for clear and accurate tones. For stage or studio function, the interchangeable ear pads can easily be swapped out for noise-isolating options. The Cable Lock function ensures that your cord doesn’t get yanked from your head after a minor snag.
For just $159, AndroidGuys readers can get their hands (and ears) on headphones tuned for clarity with a fashionable matte finish. Whether it’s the stage, the studio, or the office, the TMA-1 is the perfect fit.
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A Swiss designer built a machine that sends messages by balloon
The practice of sending messages in bottles (or other floating vessels) has been used to determine the flow of oceans and relay military information. Of course, folks also use the method to serendipitously send correspondence to whoever should stumble upon it. The same principle applied to a contest that designer David Colombini entered as a young lad. With the goal of seeing whose balloon would travel farthest, he and other children released them, and Colombini’s made it from Switzerland to Austria. Now, he’s made Attachment: a student project that accepts messages from a website, attaches them to biodegradable balloons and floats them off “haphazardly to a potential recipient.”
Messages can take the form of text, images or videos (via links, we’d surmise) that the setup prints, stuffs into a biopolymer tube and tethers to the inflated object before taking flight. A crowdfunding campaign helped Colombini finance the construction of the machine that’s capable of sorting the entire process, except for rolling the paper and tying off the balloon. “The basic idea was to take a stand against the current use of smart technologies by creating a poetic concept, using current technology that allows us to communicate differently and rediscover expectation, the random, and the unexpected,” the project page explains. Unfortunately, you can’t send messages at the moment as the project is ongoing, but the goal is to make the rig fully automatic for use at museums, galleries or festivals in the future.
Filed under: Misc
Via: Wired
Source: Attachment, David Colombini
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‘Retroism’ heralds return of gaming classics from MicroProse, Accolade and others
Do you like video games? Have you been playing them for, like, 30 years? Well good news: that gum you like is going to come back in style! Okay, okay, we’re just really excited that Twin Peaks is getting a third season. But also, classic games from the likes of MicroProse, Accolade and Infogrames are being brought back to life care of Tommo and Night Dive Studios under the name “Retroism.” Starting today, Retroism is bringing back games from that trio of studios and “other iconic publishers,” and the initiative kicks off with Sid Meier’s Colonization, Pirates! Gold Plus and Covert Action.
Retroism isn’t exclusive to any particular platform, instead choosing to distribute via Steam, GOG.com, Amazon, Humble, and several others. And the two companies behind Retroism aren’t exactly new to the concept: Tommo relaunched the Neo Geo platform with Neo Geo X, while Night Dive Studios helped to bring System Shock 2 back into playable form.
Beyond this week, Retroism is aiming for weekly releases “throughout the fall,” both as individual games and in bundles. There doesn’t seem to be a defined pricing structure, nor is it clear if Retroism releases will arrive on various distribution stores all at once. Here’s hoping it doesn’t follow the Square Enix/Nintendo model of charging insanely high prices for nostalgia-fueled purchases.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD
Source: Tommo/Night Dive Studios
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AIVAnet 