Remotes Archives - Page 6 of 14

TiVo iPad App Updated: Channel Search & Free Space Indicator

Unlike the incomplete and stagnant Premiere, TiVo’s iPad app has seen regular updates since release. And the latest brings a handful of improvements:

What’s New in Version 1.2
-New channel search feature which allows you to search channels in the guide by channel number or station name (Ex: ESPN, etc)
-New fast channel indexes in the guide allow you to quickly jump to a group of channels by channel number
-New disk space meter in My Shows lets you see the percentage of disk space the DVR is using
-Fixes crashing/connection loss issues when waking the app from standby or resuming after multitasking
-Significant performance improvements

While TiVo’s couch-based DVR companion is amongst the most well rounded and visually rich, the interface can get a bit busy. The new channel search (bottom, center pic) is a prime example.

Peel, iPhone TV Remote & Content Discovery

Over the last year or so, we’ve come a long way from those initial, unsightly and simplistic iPhone IR remote control dongles. And Peel ($100) represents the next generation of virtual remote. In fact, it’s potentially a contender to replace your Harmony.

The Peel solution consists of an attractive iPhone app, a small orb-like thingy (“fruit”) that you’d place on a coffee- or end-table, and a wireless transmitter (“cable”) that connects directly one’s router. The Peel fruit and cable communicate via the ZigBee spec, as opposed to garden-variety 80211 WiFi, so the fruit may get up to 6 months of power from the included C battery. But the networking is transparent as setup is a breeze – connectivity is automatically configured with next to no intervention. Sync and go.

Configuring Peel to control the devices in your AV cabinet is also fairly efficient. It may not offer the same level of complex interactions as found with Harmony, but it also doesn’t require endless tweaking from a computer. Peel’s iPhone app quickly walks you through the process of registering your components. I had a loaner unit controlling my Panasonic plasma and FiOS DVR in just a minute or so from the couch. A minute later, I had my Roku added to the mix with the television inputs correctly mated to their respective set-tops.

TiVo iPad App To Support Series 3 Hardware

The virtual remote news just keeps on coming… TiVo went ahead and updated their free iPad companion app yesterday. In addition the various bug fixes, better support for multiple DVRs, and background functionality, one user reports a noteworthy upgrade notice: This app currently requires a TiVo Premier Series 4 DVR. Support for RCN and Suddenlink Premier … Read more

Roku iPhone Remote Control App Updated

roku-iphone-remote

iOS remote week continues here at ZNF… As the very fine Roku DVPRemote ($3) was updated early this morning to version 2.1. I’ve been using the app for a few days via my Verizon iPhone (seeya, AT&T), and the two most notable new features are the full fledged gesture area and graphical channel icons.

While DVPRemote has always provided a virtual representation of Roku’s physical remote, the update provides a toggle-able gesture area (above, right) designed “to support heads-up, TV screen-facing operation.” I’m not quite sure if I’ll be putting this feature to use on a regular basis, but there’s a pretty comprehensive list of smooth interactions to choose from:

U = UP, D = Down, L = Left, R = Right
Single finger swipe U, D, L , R for U, D, L, R
Drag finger U, D, L, R for repeated U, D, L, R
Single finger tap to select OK
Two finger tap to select play/pause
Two finger swipe R for fast forward
Two finger swipe L for rewind
Two finger swipe D for instant replay
Two finger swipe U for info

One of my favorite features of DVPRemote is direct channel navigation. Meaning, instead of scrolling through a list of Roku channels on the television one by one, simply tap a visual representation from the iPhone to bring that content up. The first cut was textual. But DVPRemote 2.1 makes it much more visually rich by using channel banner graphics. Which also happens to be more efficient. However, for better use of space, I’d like to see a 2.2 update move to grid view of channels over the current vertical listing.

TiVo Announces Supercharged iPad Remote App

Looks like TiVo is skipping a simplistic mobile remote control app, leapfrogging directly from their limited mobile website to a supercharged iPad app… that is much more than a mere remote. The upcoming app appears to replicate nearly all TiVo functionality in your lap and, most impressive, doesn’t duplicate what’s on screen — meaning you … Read more

Hands On: The Xfinity TV iPad App

Comcast launched the Xfinity TV app to much fanfare today, and though we knew it was coming, we didn’t know all the nitty gritty details until we got our own hands on. After a test run on the iPad, here’s my take on the good, the bad, and the future of the Xfinity app. The … Read more

You Should Buy The New Roku iPhone Remote App

We recognize that folks have widely divergent tastes, needs, and budgets. Which is why there are very few products we outright recommend. However, if you own a Roku and an iPhone or iPod Touch you should pick up the updated DVPRemote app. And, if I’m wrong, you’re only out 3 bucks. While the original DVPRemote was … Read more

The iPad TV Remote Apps are Coming

Not only is Comcast planning to launch a TV remote app “very, very soon,” but CableLabs is making it possible for other cablecos with fewer resources to do the same. At the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo last week, CableLabs execs were talking up a proof of concept the organization has developed for smaller companies who want … Read more