TiVo is an established name in the market for everyone who wants DVRs and streaming consoles. TiVo has designed high-end devices that deliver seamless performance and they keep upgrading the devices for the same reason. Recently, TiVo released the TiVo Stream but news of TiVo Stream discontinued surfaced in the market. So, let’s see what went down there!
Is TiVo Stream Discontinued?
Before we check out information about discontinuity, it is important to understand what the device is all about. TiVo Stream is the device that allows the users to browse, create, and search the watch lists on different apps from one place. TiVo Stream is basically the HDMI streaming dongle that had the combination of DVR features and Live TV, so users could access YouTube, HBO, Netflix, and Sling TV. However, TiVo Stream didn’t make a great hit (calling it unsuccessful would be more precise).
According to the CEO, they don’t think that the dongle can compete while using the Android TV. This is because the competitors are the content guides that allow the users to search for movies and shows but Google has already added it to the Google TV layer at the most competitive rate, so there is no point in the dongle. Moreover, the CEO said that they worked on the combination approach and opted for the three-way approach, starting with the dongle.
The users can attach it to the TV, desired user interface, and move it into the application but it cannot get over the top of Android TV features. Moreover, the embedded solution has to work for broad content browsing, engagement, and discovery.
The issue occurred when Google stated that they want to move beyond the basic OS levels and dive deeper into UX. Now, TiVo wants to embed the smarts into the TVs as it works betters, and Fire TV has been performing well.
The entire point is that TiVo Stream was amazingly perceived and reviewed but the user interface wasn’t something that users wanted (some people even called it confusing).
It can be seen by the fact that TiVo Stream was launched at $50 (it was a discount since the price had to be spiked up to $70 aft the promotion period was over) but TiVo reduced the price to $39 when Google launched the Chromecast at $50 (with better features and user interface).
That being said, TiVo will launch it back as licensing on the operating system and the streaming features will be added to smart TVs. Also, we would like to add something more to the price part.
That’s because TiVo wanted to increase the price but it never came since Google launched a better device at the same rate and there were price increases planned either. In addition, when Google launched Chromecast, the first step of the streaming plan seemed useless (or unwanted).
As for now, TiVo will launch it as an environment that can be applied on Android TVs as it has higher chances of purchases since built-in content discovery software would be a people-magnet. However, it doesn’t mean that dongle won’t be available because it can be bought from retailers and even Amazon has it.