Technical Review of The TiVo Premiere

© K.
Fowler (bkdtv)
Unboxed
The contents of the box are as follows:
1. TiVo Premiere
2. TiVo “Enhanced” remote (XL includes “Enhanced” backlit, learning remote)
3. HDMI cable
4. Composite video and analog stereo cables
5. Ethernet cable
6. TiVo Premiere: The Complete Guide
7. TiVo Premiere: Start Here (setup guide)
8. TiVo Legal Terms
9. CableCard Installation Sheet

The TIVo Premiere does not have a phone jack, so you’ll need to buy the TiVo wireless adapter, TiVo
phone adapter, or a third-‐party ethernet bridge if you can’t run an ethernet cable directly to the box.

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Hardware
With early DVR chip designs, processor and graphics performance were not considered a priority; the
foremost concern was cost. The result was more cost-‐effective DVRs for cable and satellite that lacked
the performance needed to support more advanced multi-‐room and user interface features.
When the first DVR chips capable of supporting a responsive high-‐definition interface and robust multi-‐
room functionality became widely available in late 2008, some questioned why there was no new TiVo
hardware with those features. In the end, it all came down to the software. TiVo did not want to simply
refresh its existing UI and software for 16:9 HD. It wanted to create a new, modern interface that would
seamlessly merge DVR and broadband media content. TiVo determined that a Flash-‐based UI approach
– like that taken by Hulu, Boxee, Netflix, and others—was the most effective way to do that.
Broadcom announced Flash Lite support for its new and upcoming chips in January 2009, but it took the
better part of the year for that support to mature to a production state. When TiVo was satisfied that
Broadcom’s Flash implementation would meet its needs, the company selected the highest-‐
performance DVR chip available (BCM7413) to form the core of its new Series4 hardware platform.
The BCM7413 represents an across-‐the-‐board upgrade; it upgrades every major subsystem, including
the CPU, memory controller, 2D/3D graphics, decoders, and disk controller. The most notable feature of
the new chip is a dual-‐core, 400MHz MIPS32/16e CPU. That isn’t much by PC standards, but is
substantial improvement over the single-‐core, 300MHz MIPS CPUs found in most DVRs.

It is worth noting that unlike PCs, the chips in all modern DVRs feature dedicated hardware video
decoders for MPEG-‐2, MPEG-‐4 AVC, and VC-‐1, with a media switch to decouple decode and playback
operations from the CPU. As a result, the CPU is left free to handle the embedded operating system
(usually Linux), the DVR software and interface, and any associated features such as multi-‐room viewing.

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Processor Performance
Performance in Dhrystone MIPS -‐ Higher is Better
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
TiVo Series1 TiVo Series2 DirecTiVo HR10 TiVo Series3 TiVo HD TiVo Premiere
(1999) (2001) (2004) (2006) (2007) (2010)

Like other recent 65nm Broadcom SoCs, the BCM7413 features an improved 2D graphics core – known
as the Memory-‐to-‐Memory Compositor, or M2MC. This part of the chip is responsible for compositing
regions of the on-‐screen display and scaling them to the output resolution. Coupled with the faster CPU,
this new graphics core makes it possible to support more compelling interface designs on set-‐tops.
Superior processing power is of little use if the system lacks the bandwidth to take advantage of it.
Many DirecTV subscribers witnessed the importance of memory bandwidth when the dual-‐chip HR20
design was replaced with the single-‐chip HR21/HR22/HR23. All featured similar raw CPU performance,
but the newer models eliminated the second memory channel for the decoder, instead sharing a single
64-‐bit DDR memory channel between the CPU, graphics subsystem, and video decoders. That took vital
bandwidth way from the system and performance suffered as a result.

The TiVo Premiere features a new 64-‐bit DDR2 memory controller that provides 6400 MB/s of memory
bandwidth. That’s twice the amount of most cable and satellite DVRs based on single-‐chip solutions,
and a 35-‐50% improvement over past dual-‐chip designs like the TiVo Series3, DirecTV HR20, and Dish
Network ViP722. TiVo also equipped the Premiere with 512MB of DDR2-‐800 memory—twice that of
the latest cable and satellite DVRs, and four times the amount of most DVRs in cable homes.

TiVo Premiere TiVo HD TiVo Series3 TiVo Series2
Memory 512MB DDR2-‐800 256MB DDR400 256MB DDR400 32MB DDR266

1x 64-‐bit DDR
Memory interface 1x 64-‐bit DDR2 1x 64-‐bit DDR 1x 16-‐bit DDR
1x 32-‐bit DDR
Memory bandwidth 6400 MB/s 3200 MB/s <4800 MB/s 525 MB/s

After subtracting the memory reserved for the decoders and other hardware, the Premiere has roughly
384MB RAM available for the embedded Linux OS, TiVo software, and future third-‐party applications.
Contrast that to the 24MB available on the TiVo Series2 and 128MB on the TiVo HD. Most cable DVRs
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are equipped with 128MB, but only 60-‐90MB remains available for the OS and software after
subtracting the reserved memory, limiting possibilities for future enhancement.
An improved memory subsystem and enhanced hardware decoders enable the Premiere to support
higher bitrates and new formats. The older TiVo HD and Series3 hardware couldn’t handle MPEG-‐2 and
MPEG-‐4 video encoded at above 25Mbps, which ruled out any possibility of playing full-‐quality Blu-‐ray
backups stored on a computer. Thanks to its new chip, the TiVo Premiere is able to handle video at
much higher bitrates, including MPEG-‐2 and MPEG-‐4 in 1080p @ 35+ Mbps. The BCM7413 in the
Premiere also adds support for DIVX at up to 1080p, Windows Media Pro (up to 7.1) audio, and AAC-‐HE.
While the TiVo Premiere will output 1080p content as is, it won’t convert lower-‐resolution content for
output at 1080p60. This is a limitation of the system chips found in all existing cable and satellite DVRs.
Broadcom has a new chip on the way with full 1080p60 upconversion for all sources, but waiting for that
solution would’ve delayed the Premiere’s release another 6+ months. TiVo wanted to get the box out
in early 2010, and selected the best hardware that would allow it to meet that goal.
TiVo Premiere TiVo HD TiVo Series3

Tuner IC 2x Microtune MT2131 2x Microtune MT2131 2x Philips TDA6651
Micronas DRX 3946J
Demodulators 2x ATI Theater 314 2x ATI Theater 314
Micronas DRX3944J

Two Microtune MT2131 silicon tuners—a popular 1GHz tuning solution—remain the only holdover from
the TiVo HD design. The Premiere drops the ATI Theater 314 QAM/VSB demodulators in favor of the
newer Micronas DRX 3946A and DRX 3944J. These demodulators are responsible for recovering and
separating the A/V transport stream from the cable or broadcast RF signal for the Broadcom chip.

The Micronas DRX demodulator is the same solution used by SiliconDust in the latest version of its
popular HDHomerun tuner. TiVo uses a different part in the DRX line that adds support for CableCards
and encrypted cable. In theory, it should provide a modest improvement over past TiVos in over-‐the-‐air
reception with an antenna, although we saw little difference at our particular location in limited testing.

Like past TiVo models, the Premiere supports analog channels. The TiVo Premiere features a completely
new implementation of analog support, which eliminates the reliability and quality issues some
customers saw with analog channels on the older TiVo HD model. Those with a TiVo Series2 can expect
to see equal or better picture quality on their analog channels with the TiVo Premiere.

TiVo Premiere TiVo HD TiVo Series3
NTSC decoders NXP SAA7164CE 2x NXT SAA7138CHL 2x ?
MP@ML encoders NXP SAA7164CE VIXS XCode 2115 2x Broadcom BCM7042

In order to record analog channels, a DVR must perform at least three distinct operations: decode the
analog signal (NTSC decoder), convert the analog signal to uncompressed digital form (A/D circuit), and
then compress the uncompressed digital signal (MP@ML encoder) so it can be saved to the hard disk.

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With the TiVo Premiere, all of these operations are performed by a single chip – the NXP SAA7164CE.
This highly integrated IC features two NTSC decoders and ADCs, a 3D comb filter, 2D/3D noise reduction,
and two MP@ML encoders, as necessary to record two different analog channels. Contrast that to the
TiVo HD, which had two separate NTSC decoders and ADCs with a 2D comb filter, plus a third chip for
the MP@ML encoding. In effect, the Premiere replaces three older chips—four on the Series3—with
with one newer, higher-‐performance solution.

The Premiere features the same 10/100Mbps ethernet interface as past models, but to very different
effect. Many complained of poor network performance on past TiVos, but that had nothing to do with
the 100Mbps connection. Rather, it was the fault of limited CPU performance and system bandwidth,
both of which have improved significantly on the Premiere. The result is superior network throughput –
from DVR to DVR and DVR to PC—that far exceeds earlier models.

Newer components built on newer manufacturing processes tend to consume less power, and TiVo
directly benefits as result. Without any new power saving modes, the TiVo Premiere averages 25 watts
while recording, sufficient to meet the current ENERGY STAR tier1 requirements for DVR products. That
is a significant reduction from the 38 watts used by a stock TivoHD and the 40+ watts used by a Series3.

Perhaps the least significant difference about the TiVo Premiere is also the most obvious. TiVo opted to
take a “safer,” more understated approach to case design with their new DVR. The hardware is housed
in a slim, all-‐black chassis measuring 16.5”W by 9.7”D by 2.4”H. The new aesthetic matches the black
display and equipment bezels adopted by consumer electronics in recent years, yet still provides a
distinctive look with green, blue, and red lights to indicate power, transfers, and recordings. For those
that don’t want to notice the TiVo at all, the lights can be disabled through a menu option.
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Hardware: Under the hood

The TiVo Premiere is opened just like the TiVo HD, but with four torx T10 screws rather than six.
There are no warranty seals to break.
The hard drive is attached to the drive cage with four torx T15 screws, and the drive cage is held in place
with four torx T10 screws – just like the TiVo HD and Series3. The only notable difference is the drive
orientation. The drive in the 320GB Premiere is the Western Digital “GreenPower” WD3200AVVS.
Removing the four screws and drive cage reveals the Micronas DRX demodulators and NXP SAA7164C.
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1 Broadcom BCM7413 System chip

2 Numonyx Strataflash JS28F640P30B85 8MB Flash ROM
3 9WG27 256MB DDR2-‐800
4 9WG27 256MB DDR2-‐800
5 NXP SAA7164CE/3 Dual NTSC decoders + MP@ML encoders
6 Altera EPM3032A CMOS EEPROM
7 Micron Technology 46V16M16-‐5B 32MB DDR400 SDRAM
8 Micronas DRX 3944J QAM/VSB demodulator w/ POD interface
9 Micronas DRX 3946J QAM/VSB demodulator
10 Microtune MT2131 Silicon tuner
11 Microtune MT2131 Silicon tuner
12 California Micro Devices CMD2030-‐AOTR HDMI 1.3 transmitter
Western Digital WD3200AVVS 320GB SATA-‐2 hard drive

The TiVo Premiere supports the same external drives as the TiVo HD, namely the 1TB My DVR Expander.
Internal drive upgrades are not possible with current tools. WinMFS identifies the drive as being from
TiVo, but reports a compatibility error when any attempt is made to backup the software. Spike, the
author of WinMFS, has shown interest in updating his upgrade tool for the Premiere, so it looks like it is
only a matter of time before upgrades are again possible.
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High-‐definition interface
TiVo’s new high-‐definition interface won’t be complete for initial launch. Instead, the new interface will
roll out over the course of multiple updates, the first of which is planned for early April. TiVo’s Bob
“Pony” Poniatowski set aside time to discuss the past, present, and future of the new interface.
Several years ago, TiVo began researching HD UIs. It looked at what others were doing, conducted
usability studies, and engaged customers to gather feedback on proposed designs to determine the best
way to proceed. About a year ago, TiVo finalized plans for the new UI and set to work prototyping and
building the new interface in Adobe Stagecraft (Flash Lite 3.1 with Actionscript 2.0).
Why use Adobe Flash? In its research and discussions, TiVo found that consumers disliked separate
interfaces for local and remote content, both on its own DVRs and in many third-‐party products.
Customers wanted a single, consistent interface for all content. A primary goal of TiVo’s new HDUI is to
eliminate the disparate interfaces and seamlessly integrate DVR and Internet sources so the user no
longer has to worry about how or where to access content. Adobe’s Flash platform is well suited for this
project, as it provides the flexibility to create consistent experiences for local and remote content.
Flash on the Premiere is not a browser plug-‐in like users have on their PCs, but a specialized Stagecraft
application environment optimized by Broadcom for the hardware. TiVo, Broadcom, and Adobe
continue to work to provide the best possible Flash experience. As an example, work is now being done
to improve performance through better utilization of the second core on the TiVo’s Broadcom chip.
For the near term, the TiVo Premiere runs the traditional interface and the Adobe Stagecraft
environment simultaneously and swaps between the two for different menus. TiVo is redoing “high-‐
traffic areas” of the interface in HD first, with less trafficked menus to follow later. The initial HD
interface update will include HD menus, My Shows, search, and browse TV, but it will be far from
feature complete. Other parts of the interface, including live TV features such as the channel banners
and guide, will see a refresh in later updates. Over time, more of the interface will move to the HD UI,
such that the user will see less and less of the older menus until they are eliminated from view entirely.
[The classic UI will always remain a settings option for those that want and/or need it.]
TiVo’s plans also call for the Premiere to get new, enhanced Flash versions of all the popular HME
applications—Netflix, Rhapsody, some games, etc—that seamlessly integrate with the new interface.
These new Flash versions won’t be available at release; they too will follow later and replace the existing
HME versions. Looking forward, TiVo intends to develop Flash versions of all new applications for the
Premiere; the older platforms are unable to support Flash, so they will get HME versions when possible.
Although it is still in the planning stages, TiVo intends to make their Flash environment accessible to end
users and end-‐user applications. TiVo’s Bob Poniatowski mentioned an apps store where third parties
and end-‐users might share (and sell?) Flash applications written in Adobe Stagecraft.
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Classic interface, enhancements

Early purchasers of the TiVo Premiere may receive the 14.0 or v14.1 software without the new interface.
The “classic” interface is noticeably faster on the Premiere than the Series3, though not as fast as some
might expect given the new hardware. The chip inside the Premiere is a dual-‐core 400MHz processor,
meaning it combines two 400MHz processors on a single chip. In order to realize full performance, the
DVR software must be re-‐written to take advantage of both processor cores.
The Linux operating system on the Premiere supports both cores, but TiVo opted not to update its
classic interface, choosing instead to focus its efforts on the new software. As a consequence, the
classic runs almost exclusively on a single 400MHz core. This still represents a significant upgrade over
the 300MHz processor in the Series3, especially when you consider that other features – like multi-‐room
viewing and recorded file downloads—are able to take advantage of the second core.
Much of the press surrounding the TiVo Premiere concerns the new interface. But the TiVo Premiere
also incorporates some useful non-‐interface enhancements that are available in the classic interface.
¾ 30 second scan

On past TiVos, the ADVANCE (-‐-‐>|) button toggled between the beginning and end of the program
by default. If the user wanted that button to perform 30 second skip—a popular feature to skip
commercials—they had to enter a special remote sequence: SELECT-‐PLAY-‐SELECT-‐3-‐0-‐SELECT.

The TiVo Premiere ships with a new 30 second “scan” function enabled by default on the ADVANCE
(-‐-‐>|) button. This feature is very similar to the 30 second "slip" on DirecTV's latest DVRs. It doesn't
skip 30 seconds; instead, it fast forwards through a 30 second interval in one second (i.e. 30x speed).
Pressing ADVANCE repeatedly queues added time. If you hit the ADVANCE button four times in a
row, the DVR fast forwards through 120 seconds of programming (or commercials) in four seconds.

The traditional 30 second instant skip function is still available, and enabled with the same remote
sequence. Simply enter SELECT-‐PLAY-‐SELECT-‐3-‐0-‐SELECT while viewing a recorded program.

¾ Trick play enhancements: Jump to beginning/end and skip-‐to-‐tick on live TV

With the Premiere, pressing and holding the REPLAY button for one second jumps to the beginning
of the recording or the beginning of the live TV buffer. Pressing and holding the ADVANCE button for
one second jumps to the end of the recording or the end of the live TV buffer (i.e. live TV).

Users can also jump backward in 15 minute increments on both live TV and recordings by pressing
the REPLAY button while rewinding. Pressing ADVANCE while fast forwarding will jump forward in
15 minute increments. This works on both recordings and live TV.

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¾ Increased menu timeout

Under previous versions of the TiVo software, the DVR would revert to live TV after five minutes of
user inactivity on any menu. With the Premiere, TiVo increased that timeout to 15 minutes. This
change will also apply to the HDUI when it is released.

¾ Increase in default “keep until” period for new recordings

The TiVo Premiere protects all new recordings for three days, up from two days (48 hours) under
previous versions of the TiVo software.

¾ Output modes, auto-‐detection of supported formats, 1080p24

With the Premiere, TiVo did away with its native, hybrid, and fixed output modes in favor of a more
elegant implementation. The Premiere lists each output format – 1080p24, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and
480i—and asks the user to place a checkmark next to those they want to output natively without
processing. If the user only checks 1080i, then all other formats are converted to 1080i. If the user
checks 480i and 720p, then 480i channels are output as 480i, while all other formats are converted
to 720p. If the user checks 720p and 1080i, then 720p and 1080i content is output natively, while
other formats are converted to 1080i.

For those that don’t know what their TV can do, the TiVo Premiere adds an auto-‐detect feature to
determine all supported output modes. The user can then customize as desired.
It is possible that current TiVo HD and Series3 owners will see some or all of these enhancements in a
software update, but TiVo has not announced anything to that effect.
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Multi-‐room viewing
The current implementation of multi-‐room viewing on the TiVo Premiere is just like that on the TiVo HD
and Series3, with one exception—performance. Typical multi-‐room throughput on the TiVo Premiere is
three to four times that of the TiVo HD, reaching as high as 80Mbps sustained.
At such high throughput, MRV on the Premiere works very well for unprotected content. Unfortunately,
the TiVo Premiere does nothing to address the issue of protected recordings, as it still relies on copies
which CableLabs’ expressly forbids on such content. CableLabs only permits streaming of protected
content and only with certain forms of encryption (ex: DTCP-‐IP).
Federal law requires that recordings from local channels be left unprotected, but also gives cable
companies free reign to protect whatever they want on cable channels. Some large cable companies,
most notably TWC and Brighthouse, now protect virtually all of the cable content on their systems,
rendering it incompatible with the current multi-‐room implementation on the TiVo Premiere.
If TiVo has any plans for multi-‐room streaming with DTCP-‐IP, as Moxi introduced last year, they aren’t
saying. Confronted on the issue, TiVo acknowledged the serious problem of copy protected content,
but would not say what they were doing to address it, or when customers might see a solution.
Multiroom Viewing
Throughput in Mbps between like TiVos -‐ Higher is Better
Minimum Typical Maximum
72
TiVo Premiere 75
80
24
TiVo Series3 28
35
16
TiVo HD 20
27

All tests run under Classic interface in 14.0-‐01-‐3-‐746.
Maximum refers to throughput observed while recording two SD channels (TNT, TBS) on Verizon FiOS.
Typical refers to throughput while recording two lower-‐bitrate HD channels (AMCHD, CCHD). Minimum
refers to throughput while recording two high-‐bitrate HD sports channels (ESPNHD, ESPN2HD).
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Download recorded files

One TiVo feature you won’t find on a cable or satellite DVR is the ability to directly download recorded
files over your wired or wireless home network.
TiVo serves up the recorded files through a built-‐in https server. This server and its file transfers run as
a background process, so they do not interfere with the operation of the DVR. With the TiVo Premiere,
you can record two different HD channels, watch a previously recorded HD program, and download a
HD recording to your computer over wireless, all at the same time.
A common complaint about download capability on past TiVos related to its “speed” or throughput.
Network throughput on older TiVos was limited by CPU performance and system I/O, and further
reduced by the on-‐the-‐fly remuxing into MPG. Recordings on the TiVo are stored in a proprietary
transport stream format, and TiVo decided it was best to remux these transport streams into a PC-‐
compatible MPG. Remuxing of the transport stream into MPG format doesn’t affect quality, but it
slows the transfer considerably since it is done in real-‐time as a low-‐priority background process.
The TiVo Premiere significantly improves download throughput through the combination of the
improved processor, superior I/O, and the ability to download in TS format. First seen on Australian
TiVos, downloading in transport stream format minimizes the on-‐the-‐fly processing needed for the TiVo
to send a recording to a computer. The result is significantly improved throughput, as seen below.
Recorded File Downloads

Download throughput from TiVo in Mbps -‐ Higher is Better
42
TiVo Premiere (TS) 54
60
32
TiVo Premiere (MPG) 32
33
10
TiVo Series3 (MPG) 13
17
6
TiVo HD (MPG) 9
12

The current version of TiVo Desktop 2.8 does not support TS downloads, so anyone using that program
will only see the TiVo Premiere (MPG) rate noted above. For now, TS downloads are only possible
through the third-‐party kmttg program or the TiVo’s built-‐in https server. A video comparison of
download throughput on the Premiere and TiVo HD can be found on this page at Youtube.
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Assuming one uses kmttg or the TiVo’s built-‐in https server to download recorded files, they can expect
download times comparable to those below. Be aware that these results were obtained under the
stock 14.0 software with the classic UI; results could change with future versions of the software.
Download time for one-‐hour recording

Time in Minutes -‐ Lower is Better
TCM (SD) ABCHD CBSHD FOXHD FXHD NBCHD CCHD ESPNHD
4
10
13
TiVo Premiere (TS) 13
13
14
15
20
15
43
52
TiVo Series3 (MPG) 54
56
57
64
83
22
62
76
TiVo HD (MPG) 78
81
83
93
120

The “Classic” interface uses one core almost exclusively, leaving plenty of processing power for
downloads and other transfers. Preliminary tests under a beta version of the high-‐definition interface
show that download throughput is much more inconsistent, with frequent drop-‐offs of 20% to 30%.
It is not clear what impact further dual-‐core optimization might have. More effective use of both
processor cores by an optimized high-‐definition interface could negatively impact network throughput,
while dual-‐core optimizations made for networking could conceivably improve throughput further.
The “Classic” interface will remain available as a user option even after the new HD UI is released.
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Push & pull video transfers

As mentioned earlier, the new chip in the TiVo Premiere features more robust decoders capable of
decoding and displaying higher bitrate video, including full 1080p MPEG-‐2 and MPEG-‐4 at 35+Mbps.
The new CPU dramatically improves MPEG-‐2 and MPEG-‐4 video transfers to the TiVo.

MPEG-‐2 Video Transfers to TiVo

Push/Pull transfer throughput in Mbps -‐ Higher is Better
35
TiVo Premiere 37
40
10
TiVo Series3 12
15
5
TiVo HD 7
9

The MPEG-‐2 numbers shown above apply to both “pull” transfers for PC videos and recordings selected
through the TiVo’s recorded list, as well as recordings “pushed” to the TiVo using pyTiVo or Streambaby.
I was able to watch Elephants Dream from w6rz.net in full 1080p24 via both push and pull with no delay,
once the TS file was remuxed into MPG format with Streamclip.
With this level of performance, it is finally feasible to download and store recordings on remote storage
for playback. High-‐definition MPEG-‐2 recordings from antenna and cable run a maximum of 19Mbps,
meaning the Premiere can pull those recordings back from a computer at twice real-‐time.
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MPEG-‐4 Video Transfers to TiVo

Push/Pull transfer throughput in Mbps -‐ Higher is Better
50
TiVo Premiere 56
60
13
TiVo Series3 15
15
12
TiVo HD 13
14

These numbers apply to MPEG-‐4 videos “pushed” to the TiVo using pyTiVo, Streambaby, or TiVo
Desktop’s auto-‐transfer folders. It is not known whether the Premiere possesses the ability to pull
MPEG-‐4 files directly from the recorded list; if it does, no tools exist to take advantage of that capability.
PC video isn’t the only content that benefits from the improved transfer performance. Amazon VOD
programs download in far less time, provided you’ve got the bandwidth necessary to support it.
Amazon VOD
Download throughput on a 25Mbps FiOS connection -‐ Higher is Better
25
TiVo Premiere 25
25
6
TiVo HD 9
11

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Streaming performance
TiVo does not yet offer built-‐in support for streaming PC video playback. Enthusiast Kerry Griffin sought
to fill the void with his own streaming video application for the TiVo. Dubbed “Streambaby,” the free
Java applet allows HD TiVo owners to browse, play, and fast forward through virtually any kind of video
file stored on their computer, without waiting for any transfers. Compatible videos – such as MPG and
MP4 files—are available for streaming at full quality, while other video files are converted to MPEG-‐2.
With past TiVos, streaming throughput was so slow that users were forced to compromise on playback
quality. Most HD video files had to be recompressed on the fly – with quality loss—to fit within the
throughput limits of those boxes. With its superior throughput, the TiVo Premiere eliminates the need
to compromise video quality during streaming playback.
The Streambaby application does have one key limitation—a 1.1GB streaming limit. It must pause for
several seconds and re-‐buffer after every 1.1GB streamed. As an example, users of the program will see
video pause with a “rebuffering” message three times during playback of a 4GB computer video file.
The TiVo Premiere does not eliminate the 1.1GB buffer limit in Streambaby. That limitation is specific to
Streambaby, and won’t be fixed until TiVo responds to Mr. Griffin’s request for assistance.

MPEG-‐2 Video Streaming

Streaming throughput in Mbps with Streambaby -‐ Higher is Better
35
TiVo Premiere 37
40
10
TiVo Series3 12
15
5
TiVo HD 7
9

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MPEG-‐4 Video Streaming

Streaming throughput in Mbps with Streambaby -‐ Higher is Better
50
TiVo Premiere 56
60
13
TiVo Series3 15
15
12
TiVo HD 13
14

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Power consumption
The TiVo Premiere consumes 22 watts at startup and 25 watts after the boot process is complete. This
represents a substantial reduction from the TiVo HD, Series3, and many older cable DVRs, and it was
sufficient to meet the ENERGY STAR tier1 specifications that took effect on January 1, 2009.
Power Consumption -‐ Recording/Playback

Power Consumption in Watts -‐ Lower is Better
U-‐Verse DVR 17
DirecTV HR23 23
TiVo Premiere 25
Cisco RNG200 25
Samsung SMT-‐H3270 30
Motorola DCX3400 31
Motorola DCH3416 31
Moxi MR-‐1500T3 32
Motorola QIP7216 35
TiVo HD 38
Motorola QIP6416 38
TiVo Series3 41
Motorola DCH6416 41
DirecTV HR20 41
Sony DHG-‐HDD250 42
DireTiVo HR10-‐250 42
Dish ViP722 59
Dish ViP622 59
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

The Premiere does not meet the more stringent tier2 specifications that go into effect on January 1,
2011. There is no “grandfather” rule for ENERGY STAR certification, so all units manufactured after
January 1, 2011 must meet the new standards if they are to carry the ENERGY STAR logo.
If TiVo wants to market and sell the Premiere as an ENERGY STAR product well after January 1, it will
need to revise its design, or find some solution to reduce total daily consumption. The tier2 energy
allowance for a product like the TiVo Premiere should work out to around 160kWh/yr, or 18 watts
average consumption if no sleep or idle mode is used.
18

© K.Fowler (bkdtv)
Monthly Operating Cost

Assumes 4 hours of daily viewing and national average of $0.1176/kWh
U-‐Verse DVR $1.16

DirecTV HR23 $1.88
Cisco RNG200 $1.91
TiVo Premiere $2.12
Motorola DCX3400 $2.48
Samsung SMT-‐H3270 $2.54
Motorola DCH3416 $2.55
Moxi MR-‐1500T3 $2.71
Motorola QIP7216 $2.96
TiVo HD $3.01
Motorola QIP6416 $3.22
TiVo Series3 $3.33
DirecTV HR20 $3.33
Sony DHG-‐HDD250 $3.42
Motorola DCH6416 $3.47
DireTiVo HR10-‐250 $3.56
Dish ViP722 $4.64
Dish ViP622 $4.64
$0.00 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $2.50 $3.00 $3.50 $4.00 $4.50 $5.00

Direct any comments or questions regarding this document to ilovehdtv at verizon dot net.
19

Technical Review of The TiVo Premiere

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Technical Review of The TiVo Premiere

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© K.

The contents of the box are as follows:

Memory 512MB DDR2-­‐800 256MB DDR400 256MB DDR400 32MB DDR266

TiVo Premiere TiVo HD TiVo Series3

Hardware: Under the hood

There are no warranty seals to break.

1 Broadcom BCM7413 System chip

Classic interface, enhancements

¾ Increased menu timeout

Minimum Typical Maximum

Download recorded files

Recorded File Downloads

Minimum Typical Maximum

Download time for one-­‐hour recording

TCM (SD) ABCHD CBSHD FOXHD FXHD NBCHD CCHD ESPNHD

Push & pull video transfers

MPEG-­‐2 Video Transfers to TiVo

Minimum Typical Maximum

MPEG-­‐4 Video Transfers to TiVo

Minimum Typical Maximum

Minimum Typical Maximum

MPEG-­‐2 Video Streaming

Minimum Typical Maximum

MPEG-­‐4 Video Streaming

Minimum Typical Maximum

Power Consumption -­‐ Recording/Playback

Monthly Operating Cost

U-­‐Verse DVR $1.16

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Memory 512MB DDR2-‐800 256MB DDR400 256MB DDR400 32MB DDR266

Download time for one-‐hour recording

MPEG-‐2 Video Transfers to TiVo

MPEG-‐4 Video Transfers to TiVo

MPEG-‐2 Video Streaming

MPEG-‐4 Video Streaming

Power Consumption -‐ Recording/Playback

U-‐Verse DVR $1.16