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AOL 9 integration with TiVo

AOL has been talking about their integration with TiVo for the past few months, but now that version 9 is out, I decided to give it a spin.

I'm an advanced internet user, so I'm not really used to AOL, but I can see why family members have used it for years. Where I typically use 5-6 specialized, small applications to perform certain functions and use a a few dozen websites to gather information, AOL 9 has them all one-click away, if you're not already bombarded with features popping into windows upon login. I'll limit this mini-review to strictly TiVo features though.

First off, I had to hunt around for the TV listing features. I missed the small "What's On TV" in the left quick start bar and instead found "TV Listings" under the Services menu. After clicking, I got the following basic TV grid:

Viewing the current TV listing grid

Once you've found a show you want to record or get more information on, you simply click the title to launch another window with program info. That looks something like this:

Getting info on an episode

The small "Record on my TiVo DVR" link next to the TiVo icon is all you need to click to start the remote recording process. The URLs to launch the record functions are all in the form of: http://mercury.tivo.com/tivo-record/main.do with various URL parameters appended, but entering the exact URL directly into any browser gives a 404. After an intermediate step of logging into my TiVo account, AOL stored my info and would immediately shuttle me off to the following page of recording options:

Choosing from recording options

After enjoying the 3D bubbly graphics of AOL 9, the crude HTML form elements were a bit of a visual let-down. One thing I didn't like (that you can't see in the screenshot) is the default for all new recordings was to create a season pass for something, when most users don't want to do that. For the purposes of this demo, I set mine to only record this single episode, and to cancel any other recordings (thankfully it defaults to "only if no conflicts are found"). After telling it to record this and email me about it, the final screen ended the process:

Confirmation screen of chosen recording

After this, I just closed the 2 or 3 windows that popped onto each other during the process (I personally hate that, but I suppose AOL users are used to it), and could select from other programs in the grid or start a search. I received an immediate email on my AOL account stating the recording was set, and later I got another email saying it was successfully set on my TiVo and I also got a new message on my TiVo indicating the recording was made via AOL.

AOL vs. Home Media Option

Overall, the experience was very similar to the Home Media Option's Remote Scheduling feature, but the experience is definitely smoother with the integrated AOL platform. Going through the identical process of recording an episode on the TiVo site directly, I noticed it felt like it took a couple more steps, but was otherwise identical in terms of features and options available. On the bright side, the AOL feature is free with an AOL account (something 20 million people already have), whereas the TiVo feature was part of the $99 HMO package.

Overall, a nice integration for a cheaper price than direct from TiVo, and something other portals (like TVguide.com) or internet service providers may offer someday.

by Matt Haughey October 14, 2003 in Product Reviews, TiVo

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