XBMC Media Center Review

I've been testing out the XBMC Media Center on my Rikomagic MK802IIIS Android Mini PC as well as on my LG Nexus-4 for a few days and I thought that I would write a review on it as well as detail how to install it on Android devices. I attempted to install it on my old Samsung Nexus-S but even though it installed, I was forced to uninstall it because I couldn't get it to run consistently so I didn't want it to occupy space on my device when it wouldn't always run. I also tried installing it on my Acer Iconia Tab A100 Android tablet but the XBMC program was not compatible with the device.

To install XBMC onto your Android device, the first thing that you should do is to download it from the XBMC site at http://xbmc.org/download/. You must also enable your Android device to accept 3rd party applications by going into Settings -> Security -> Unknown sources (enable this option). After doing this and having the XBMC APK file, you must execute/install the APK file onto your Android device. There are many ways of doing this depending on the particular Android device. In my case, I used my Dropbox account in order to get the XBMC APK file onto my Android device and install it. The installation takes a few minutes to complete and after it is fully extracted/installed onto your Android device, you should have the XBMC program.

Once the XBMC program is installed, the next step is to launch it and configure it for at least 1 add-on. There are various add-ons available and various repositories. I won't detail any particular one but you can find various sources for things ranging from movies, videos, and television shows. By configuring the proper add-ons and repositories, people can get media on par or better than what is available on the various Netflix sites even when using a service like Unblock-Us with Netflix which allows me to get the Netflix selections from 10 countries (Canada, US, UK, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, & Finland).

I highly recommend installing XBMC on your Android device (or another compatible device/platform) if your device supports it. I find it to be a useful additional resource for videos/media that can't be found on Netflix, YouTube, NFB, or some of the television broadcaster's own websites. On another note, I attempted to install XBMC on my jailbroken iPhone 3GS but because my iPhone 3GS is on iOS 4.01, XBMC is not compatible on it (even though according to the documentation on the XBMC website that it is compatible with iOS 4.x and above). XBMC works very well on both my Rikomagic MK802IIIS Android Mini PC device as well as on my LG Nexus-4.

If you have any questions/comments regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and any comment which contains a URL link (whether it is embedded or not) will automatically be labelled as spam and will not be posted.

Tivo Series 2 Dual Tuner PVR Review - Part 2

One of the things that I like about the Tivo service is that it allows me to remotely record a program or a series over the internet.

I sometimes find out about a program that will be televised while I'm not at home and I would like to schedule the recording. With a Slingbox, it would be possible to remotely access your PVR and just like if you were sitting in front of your PVR, you could go through the recording menu on your PVR using the SlingPlayer software. The only drawback with this is that it requires that you have access to the SlingPlayer software and enough internet access (i.e. not blocked) in order for you to remotely access your Slingbox from the PC and issue the record command.

With a Tivo, this can be done entirely using the internet and a browser so no special software is required. As long as the computer is capable of browsing web pages, it will be capable of issuing the record command remotely for a program scheduled a few hours in the future. All you have to do is make sure that your Tivo is connected to either the internet (via WiFi or network cable) or to a phone line. If it is connected to the internet, you can record an episode approximately 1 hour away. If the Tivo is connected via a phone line, it can only record an episode after it dials into Tivo to download settings, updates and the television schedule. I don't recall how often Tivo dials in for the television schedule guide updates since I've always used my internet connection for the television guide updates but I believe that it only happens once every 24 hours. If this is the case, it means that if your Tivo is connected via a phone line, you will have to issue the record command about a day in advance in order to have the command accepted.

In order to record a program or a "Season Pass" remotely, you will have to have access to the internet (web browser). You will then log onto Tivo's website using your log-in credentials. Once you do this, you must locate the program that you want to record via the webpage television schedule. You can issue the record command and have your Tivo let you know if/when the recording will happen (via e-mail). If it doesn't happen because of a higher priority program, you can also have your Tivo let you know about this (via e-mail).

In fact, I issued a record program command remotely via the internet yesterday when I was at work, I found out that Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield would be featured on Oprah Winfrey that day. Being somewhat of a boxing fan, I was interested in hearing what both boxers had to say. I'm not someone who normally watches Oprah and her program is not one of the television programs programmed as a "Season Pass" on my Tivo. I opened up a browser and logged into my Tivo account. I did a search for Oprah Winfrey and issued the record command. A few minutes later, I received an e-mail informing me that the record command was successfully sent to my Tivo and that the television program that I selected was placed on my "To Do" list on things that would be recorded.

When you issue the record command via the internet, you will receive 2 e-mail confirmations. The first one will be similar to this where it states that the command was received by Tivo:

confirmations@tivo.com	date at time
To: emailaddress
Hello, We have received your request to record "Rocky Balboa" on Channel 334 for Tue 10/20 at 3:30 AM.  Priority: Only record if nothing else conflicts  Quality:  Use the default on the DVR  Keep Until:      Space needed  Start Recording: On Time  Stop Recording:  On Time The next time your DVR named "DVR XXXX" connects to the TiVo service, it will receive this request and send you another email with the results.  You can always see the status of your requests by checking your TiVo Messages and the To Do List or Recording History. Best regards, TiVo http://www.tivo.com/support/ ********** If you need to re-request this program, be sure to change at least one recording option so it will be recognized as a new request by your TiVo DVR. ********** Note: This is an automatically generated email notification.  Please do not reply to this message if you need help; instead, please visit http://www.tivo.com/support/

The second e-mail confirmation will either state whether the program was successfully or not successfully accepted by YOUR Tivo (i.e. placed in your Tivo's "To Do" list). An example of the e-mail which shows that the program was accepted by your Tivo is here:

TiVo - Your DVR XXXX DVR	date at time
To: emailaddress
Hello, Your online request for "Deep Impact" has been received. This program is now scheduled to record and appears in the To Do List. Best regards, TiVo http://www.tivo.com/support/ ********** If you need to re-request this program, be sure to change at least one recording option so it will be recognized as a new request by your TiVo DVR. ********** Note: This is an automatically generated e-mail notification.  Please do not reply to this message if you need help; instead, please visit http://www.tivo.com/support/

If the program was not successfully accepted by your Tivo, the e-mail will state the reason. An example of the e-mail which shows that the program was not accepted by your Tivo is here:

TiVo - Your DVR XXXX DVR	date at time
To: emailaddress
Hello, Your online request for "Rocky Balboa" has been received. However this program COULD NOT be scheduled to record because it conflicts with a previously scheduled, higher priority recording. Tip: Try using "View upcoming episodes" to find other times to record this program. Will NOT record:            Rocky Balboa   10/20   3:30 am - 5:30 am   334 ACTIONC            overlaps with   Smallville   4:00 am - 5:00 am Best regards, TiVo http://www.tivo.com/support/ ********** If you need to re-request this program, be sure to change at least one recording option so it will be recognized as a new request by your TiVo DVR. ********** Note: This is an automatically generated e-mail notification.  Please do not reply to this message if you need help; instead, please visit http://www.tivo.com/support/

If you have any questions/comments regarding my "Part 2" on Tivo Series 2 Dual Tuner PVR, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section.

Tivo Series 2 Dual Tuner PVR Review - Part 1

After purchasing a Tivo Series 2 Dual Tuner PVR about 2 years ago and using it, I thought that it was time for me to write a review of Tivo features as well as my outdated Tivo Series 2 Dual Tuner PVR.

Tivo was available in the US for awhile but was officially made available to some Canadian stores (with the exception of Quebec) on December 2007.

I actually purchased my Tivo a few months before the official launch news in Canada from a user on Ebay after having a conversation with a co-worker. I was under the mistaken impression that Tivos would not work in Canada or with Canadian programming. He informed me that Series 2 Tivos were compatible in Canada and the prior version could be hacked so that some of the features would work. He informed me that Tivos could also be hacked so that customers could use some of the features without paying a monthly fee. I talked with him about the subscription charges and he mentioned the price as well as there being a lifetime option available sometimes. I searched on Ebay for a Canadian seller who was selling a Series 2 Tivo with lifetime subscription and found one.  Even though I was using digital satellite television and not analogue cable, I opted for the dual tuner version (can only use 1 tuner if used with satellite) because it had a built-in ethernet port whereas the other Series 2 Tivos required the extra expense of purchasing a Wi-Fi USB network card.

After I received my Tivo, I called Tivo and transferred the account to my name. I then set it up for my television service provider using the menu. I could either connect the Tivo to a phone line or to my network. I opted for the network which would give it somewhat additional functionality. The television schedule guide was then downloaded to my Tivo.

In Part 2, I'll write about some of the things that the Tivo is capable of doing. Since Tivos have a lot of features, depending on how much I cover, there might be a part 3, part 4, etc.   ;-)

If you have any questions/comments regarding my "Part 1" on Tivo Series 2 Dual Tuner PVR, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section.