Hi, I have a few long questions about Bolt features.
1. My old TiVo supports single-stepping. Press Pause, then each press of Forward or Reverse will single-step. No mention of this in the Bolt user manual. Does it still work, on recorded TV? (I presume it doesn't work with streaming, though in theory with a buffer there is probably no reason it couldn't be implemented. To date, I haven't seen it available with any streaming device, or content streamed to a computer. It's very helpful for catching fast-moving content, reading show end-credits, etc., at least when they are visible. They are becoming increasingly difficult to see as they get squooshed down in favor of promotional material or closing content.)
I realize single-stepping is a relic of the past. All VCRs supported it, TiVos supported it, and so do older Comcast DVRs. Last I heard, Xfinity X1 doesn't support it, and surely no one who streams a lot expects anything better than instant replay (on some streaming channels), or 15 second skip, with or without a preview pane depending on the channel. (It's still a wild-west of user interfaces, at least on the Roku, where every channel works differently, uses different Roku buttons to perform similar functions, etc.)
Many streaming channels dim the picture when you pause, so they can not only not step, but block you if you try to pause something, which is really kind of unbelievable from a user interface perspective. I would describe streaming as far closer to the era of pure live TV viewing, though with a small amount of "trick play" - far less than TiVo pioneered and DVRs partially copied.
2. Xfinity On Demand: Lots of threads discussing it here, and technical information at tivo.com, that says it is possible to access Xfinity On Demand programming.
Xfinity itself says it is simply not possible:
http://ift.tt/2b1igT7
"Using a digital-ready TV and CableCARD instead of a Comcast digital converter or adapter will allow you to access all of the one-way digital cable channels in your package – but not interactive features like XFINITY On Demand programs, Pay Per View events, or the On-Screen Guide."
Er - strange. This must be up-to-date content at Comcast - they've had a lot of years to get the CableCARD stuff right!
What is the actual truth here?
3. Remote device control
Certain streaming channels support management through smartphone/tablet apps. For instance, on Roku, YouTube supports it, and I think Netflix as well. It's quite similar to one mode of AirPlay, I believe. So with YouTube, you can use a tablet or smartphone's YouTube app, use the keyboard on the device to find content, and use the app's playback controls to control the Roku channel. (You can also use the Roku remote at the same time if you wish.) While the content is playing back on the TV, you can continue to search for new content on the device, or switch to any other app if you prefer. The largest advantage is use of a full keyboard rather than hunt-and-peck, and search works much better - you are using, for instance, Google's own YouTube search rather than the less powerful search Google has built in to their Roku channel.
There is a name for this feature - it relies on Wi-Fi "direct", I think, and depends on the streaming device acting as a mini-Wi-Fi access point (aka a built-in kind of router). You select content on the remote device, which simply sends the URL to the streaming device. The streaming device opens its own connection to the content, freeing the remote device to do anything else, in the same app or another. (It's not a "mirroring" of content to the Roku, though mirroring has its own advantages. I think mirroring works on Chromecast and Apple TVs, but possibly nowhere else?)
In these cases, the standard remote also uses Wi-Fi direct, not IR or RF, to control the streaming device.
This feature generally has to be built in to specific streaming channels on a case by case basis.
For channels that don't support this feature, there is a Roku app that runs on a smartphone or tablet that lets you do standard Roku searches (and other remote playback tasks) using the smart devices's own virtual keyboard.
TiVo Bolt uses RF. Are any features like this available? I would imagine not - it would require RF output capability from the device, and support by the app writers like Google and Netflix.
For YouTube and Netflix, these features are so good that I would be unlikely to want to give them up and watch streaming content on a TiVo. The integration of content on the TiVo seems very cool, though!
I think the Bolt supports some version of playback of content stored on a computer. Not sure how that works - also some form of Wi-Fi, but indirect through one's home network rather than direct? Would it similarly allow mirroring of content being viewed live on computer? (Like YouTube.) How is the quality, vs. the built-in YouTube app on the TiVo?
4. My ancient Comcast cable box (not X1) has several outputs, include analog RCA outputs. Useful for saving to DVD, even though over that output HD content is presented as letterboxed 4:3. I use this to save some things in, admittedly, sub-standard quality - things I might not have any other way of accessing in the future, or very brief extracts of things where I don't want or need most of the surrounding content.
I have a basic tunerless DVD/VCR combo recorder/player that works fine for this, and someday I may even use it to convert some old material from VHS.
Is the only way to accomplish something similar with the Bolt to transfer the content onto a computer, then burn a DVD on the computer?
Thanks for reading, and for any thoughts!
1. My old TiVo supports single-stepping. Press Pause, then each press of Forward or Reverse will single-step. No mention of this in the Bolt user manual. Does it still work, on recorded TV? (I presume it doesn't work with streaming, though in theory with a buffer there is probably no reason it couldn't be implemented. To date, I haven't seen it available with any streaming device, or content streamed to a computer. It's very helpful for catching fast-moving content, reading show end-credits, etc., at least when they are visible. They are becoming increasingly difficult to see as they get squooshed down in favor of promotional material or closing content.)
I realize single-stepping is a relic of the past. All VCRs supported it, TiVos supported it, and so do older Comcast DVRs. Last I heard, Xfinity X1 doesn't support it, and surely no one who streams a lot expects anything better than instant replay (on some streaming channels), or 15 second skip, with or without a preview pane depending on the channel. (It's still a wild-west of user interfaces, at least on the Roku, where every channel works differently, uses different Roku buttons to perform similar functions, etc.)
Many streaming channels dim the picture when you pause, so they can not only not step, but block you if you try to pause something, which is really kind of unbelievable from a user interface perspective. I would describe streaming as far closer to the era of pure live TV viewing, though with a small amount of "trick play" - far less than TiVo pioneered and DVRs partially copied.
2. Xfinity On Demand: Lots of threads discussing it here, and technical information at tivo.com, that says it is possible to access Xfinity On Demand programming.
Xfinity itself says it is simply not possible:
http://ift.tt/2b1igT7
"Using a digital-ready TV and CableCARD instead of a Comcast digital converter or adapter will allow you to access all of the one-way digital cable channels in your package – but not interactive features like XFINITY On Demand programs, Pay Per View events, or the On-Screen Guide."
Er - strange. This must be up-to-date content at Comcast - they've had a lot of years to get the CableCARD stuff right!
What is the actual truth here?
3. Remote device control
Certain streaming channels support management through smartphone/tablet apps. For instance, on Roku, YouTube supports it, and I think Netflix as well. It's quite similar to one mode of AirPlay, I believe. So with YouTube, you can use a tablet or smartphone's YouTube app, use the keyboard on the device to find content, and use the app's playback controls to control the Roku channel. (You can also use the Roku remote at the same time if you wish.) While the content is playing back on the TV, you can continue to search for new content on the device, or switch to any other app if you prefer. The largest advantage is use of a full keyboard rather than hunt-and-peck, and search works much better - you are using, for instance, Google's own YouTube search rather than the less powerful search Google has built in to their Roku channel.
There is a name for this feature - it relies on Wi-Fi "direct", I think, and depends on the streaming device acting as a mini-Wi-Fi access point (aka a built-in kind of router). You select content on the remote device, which simply sends the URL to the streaming device. The streaming device opens its own connection to the content, freeing the remote device to do anything else, in the same app or another. (It's not a "mirroring" of content to the Roku, though mirroring has its own advantages. I think mirroring works on Chromecast and Apple TVs, but possibly nowhere else?)
In these cases, the standard remote also uses Wi-Fi direct, not IR or RF, to control the streaming device.
This feature generally has to be built in to specific streaming channels on a case by case basis.
For channels that don't support this feature, there is a Roku app that runs on a smartphone or tablet that lets you do standard Roku searches (and other remote playback tasks) using the smart devices's own virtual keyboard.
TiVo Bolt uses RF. Are any features like this available? I would imagine not - it would require RF output capability from the device, and support by the app writers like Google and Netflix.
For YouTube and Netflix, these features are so good that I would be unlikely to want to give them up and watch streaming content on a TiVo. The integration of content on the TiVo seems very cool, though!
I think the Bolt supports some version of playback of content stored on a computer. Not sure how that works - also some form of Wi-Fi, but indirect through one's home network rather than direct? Would it similarly allow mirroring of content being viewed live on computer? (Like YouTube.) How is the quality, vs. the built-in YouTube app on the TiVo?
4. My ancient Comcast cable box (not X1) has several outputs, include analog RCA outputs. Useful for saving to DVD, even though over that output HD content is presented as letterboxed 4:3. I use this to save some things in, admittedly, sub-standard quality - things I might not have any other way of accessing in the future, or very brief extracts of things where I don't want or need most of the surrounding content.
I have a basic tunerless DVD/VCR combo recorder/player that works fine for this, and someday I may even use it to convert some old material from VHS.
Is the only way to accomplish something similar with the Bolt to transfer the content onto a computer, then burn a DVD on the computer?
Thanks for reading, and for any thoughts!
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