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Nero LiquidTV

Posted 10/17/09 at 02:30:37 PM  by Will Smith

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It's not like TiVo for your PC, it is TiVo for your PC

To long-term TiVo users, most other personal video recording solutions, whether they’re PC-based or provided by your cable or satellite provider, just fall short. TiVo takes a complex task—recording your favorite TV shows for later playback on-demand—and makes it simple, easy, and even fun. As officially licensed TiVo software for your PC, LiquidTV delivers all the TiVo features you know and love in a PC-friendly software package.

The LiquidTV package comes with the software, a year of complimentary TiVo service (the annual fee thereafter is $40), a standard TiVo remote, a TiVo IR receiver/blaster combo, and a Hauppauge USB ATSC/NTSC/QAM combo TV tuner. The software requires a relatively unobtrusive activation process, although if you want to move it to another machine after you’ve activated, you’ll probably need to make a phone call.


Nero's TiVo-in-a-box includes a TiVo remote, a USB TV tuner, an IR receiver/blaster, and the software you'll need to get TiVo on your PC!

While the package came with only a single tuner, you can use up to four tuners with the software. Setup was relatively simple, and unlike other PVR software we’ve tested, the TiVo software allows you to easily configure multiple sources with different channel information. For example, we set up the USB Hauppauge tuner with local over-the-air HD channels, then connected a cable box to an ATI TV Wonder 650, using the IR blaster to change channels. We had no problems getting the software working with over-the-air HD or connecting the PC to our cable box, but we couldn’t get the unencrypted QAM support, which our cable provider says is not supported for our area.

All the standard TiVo functionality is present, and shows that you record on other networked Series 2 or higher TiVos in your home can be shared with each other. The LiquidTV software also adds features that users of dedicated TiVo boxes might not be familiar with—auto-convert for portable devices and record-to-DVD. In the options for every show you watch, you can choose to automatically convert recorded programs to versions for your PSP, iPod, or other portable media player after the show is finished recording. For obsessive archivists or frequent travelers, this feature can be a real boon.


Longtime TiVo users will find the LiquidTV interface eerily familiar.

As with other PVR software, the big problem for home users is high-def content. Viewing over-the-air ATSC HD content is easy and free, but the HD equivalent for cable, QAM, is poorly supported and works only for basic cable stations. There’s no way for end-users to get HD signals from their cable or satellite providers into their PVR box.

Beyond that, the software includes all the limitations of dedicated TiVo boxes. Content from certain channels is “protected” from transcoding or burning to DVD. Currently, the only affected channel is HBO.
 
As the TiVo service for set-top boxes costs around $12 a month, $100 for Liquid TV is a great deal, especially if you have a dedicated PVR or home server machine running that you can install it on. (We’d love to pair this software with an always-on Home Server machine, but the Home Server OS isn’t officially supported.) We love the TiVo service, which makes this our new favorite PVR software solution for the PC.

Nero LiquidTV
ATSC

Super-slick TiVo software for your PC. Works well with multiple tuners and multiple TiVos.

NTSC

No HD for premium cable channels; "protected" channels; QAM support is spotty nationwide.

score:9ka
Nero
COMMENTS:
TAGS: Software, nero, reviews, Media Application, LiquidTV
COMMENTS
avatarYo man.

Submitted by plaskon on Mon, 10/19/2009 - 5:43pm

No Aeon Flux, Dog Boy, or Stick Figure Theatre?

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avatarfile format

Submitted by hiawg on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 8:46am

Does anyone know if the files are TIVO or MPEG format. That is the thing I hate about my home Tivo is that the files are TIVO format that require a media access key to play (Windows Media Player only).

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avatargreat idea, but...

Submitted by chocobo on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 5:59am

This seems like a great idea at first but personally I see pretty limited demand for it. If you're the kind of person who can set up a HTPC and would be aware that this product exists and would buy it and install it... you're probably the kind of person who would use a mouse and Windows Media Center, instead of a remote and the Tivo software.

The whole idea behind Tivo is that it's very simple and easy, and anyone can use it. But the people who could really use this product probably wouldn't buy it and set it up themselves. I guess it's pretty good for people who have computer literate friends to help them get things set up. Or maybe for more advanced users who just really like the Tivo interface and want to use a remote.

Hmm... just went and read some reviews and wow are they awful. The software is pretty broken and it is unable to perform at anywhere near the level of a real Tivo, it records the wrong episodes of shows, it crashes, it's just a mess. I guess that's why this thing was $200 earlier this year, and is now down to $60 at frys.com. You're pretty much buying a tuner and a remote, with some very spotty software being thrown in for free.

At least it does seem to work for SOME people... certain people seem to have theirs running well and the Maximum PC reviewer seems to be one of them. 

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avatarNero Sucks

Submitted by PsiSoldier on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 5:55am

Ok I tried out Nero's Liquid TV based off of Maximum PC's review and it was an absolutely horrible experience.

I installed the Liquid tv and drivers and it would not work so I tried calling Nero's tech support and was told that they only have one person on staff who can handle Liquid TV problems and they would call me back.. But never did.

 Every time I try to connect to the Tivo service it says it is not responding.  So of course I have disabled and even went so far as to uninstall my fire wall and disabled the firewall in my router as well and yet it will not connect.

 So I check and download the newest version of Liquid TV from their site. Still it does not work. Finaly I decide I'll format my computer and reinstall windows and then try again. So I format, install liquid tv and download my critcal updates and install all my computer's drivers..  Still Liquid TV does not work.

 So I think. Ok maybe my ISP is blocking Tivo. So I call AT&T and sit on the phone with them for a good bit of time while they check over everything and finaly she decides that there is nothing on their end blocking it.

 So I try calling Nero for the 6th day in a row and get a hold of some knucklehead that does not give me the same "We only have one person who can handle liquid tv problems" line and all this worthless piece of flesh says is "Its your Firewall"  "No" I say "I have disabled and uninstalled my firewall, It is Not the firewall" to which he replies "I dont know what to tell you, its your firewall"  "Bahh you people are idiots" I say "Click" 

 So finaly at this point I start thinking I never did see the .NET framework get updated when I ran my windows update after reinstalling so I go back and realize that the .NET framework is under Custom Updates so I get all the .NET upgrades and magically TIVO starts working after that.  Of course I had already had .NET installed prior to formating because I know I needed it for something, maybe steam or impulse or some online games, but maybe it was not the up to date version or something, who knows. Anyways now I have Tivo finaly working kind of, not very well really since it still wants to stutter and not work 100% appropriately. 

 Overall I'm pretty dissapointed. Particularly when Win 7 will come with Media center that does the same thing for free I'm thinking.

 

I really cant imagine that there is any good reason for TIVO to not work well on my computer.  Its definitely time for me to build a new computer which I'm working on now (Just bought me a new ATCS 840 Case) but no reason this computer should have any problems running Tivo

 

Asus A8N SLI premium

AMD 64 X2 +4800 Overclocked

Geforce 9800 GX2

 2G Ram

 

I cant imagine that should really be having trouble running simple TIVO on a fresh install of Windows XP

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avatarSurprised this got such a

Submitted by aerotive on Sat, 10/17/2009 - 1:27pm

Surprised this got such a good score.  Most reviews around the net are much more negative, mainly about the software being unstable.

It's pretty cheap at Amazon at the moment so will give this a second look.

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avatarTiVO/Tv Tuners & Closed Captions

Submitted by Daemon on Sat, 10/17/2009 - 4:00pm

I've been looking around to pick up a TV Tuner or a TiVO Kit for sometime, my main concern is I'm a Deaf indivual in Ontario, Canada and Closed Captioning is a MUST.  Apparently with some tuners captioning is only available in the US side of things. Media Center should support it with any card, but seems most cards are built to work only in the US even though they're 'sold' in Canada. After spending cash for a TV tuner and finding out that Media Centre won't work with it unless I'm in the US is just crushing. Aren't there any that will work with Media Centre in Canada?

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