Programming a DVR from a mobile phone

Written by James Delahunty @ 07 Mar 2007 5:03 User comments (3)

AT&T and Verizon Wireless (the top two U.S. wireless providers) have both announced new features that will allow customers to remotely record TV shows by programming their DVRs with their mobile phones. AT&T said that its subscribers can now use their mobile phones to record TV shows on home TVs using Homezone, a video-on-demand service that AT&T offers with satellite TV provider EchoStar Communications.

Verizon Wireless said its customers will be able to use their phones to program TiVo Inc. digital video recorders remotely, starting next week. The third largest provider, Sprint Nextel Corp., also plans to make a similar offer available later in the year through its venture with cable providers such as Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc.

While analysts agree that such services can help to either attract some new customers, or retain current customers as competition gets tougher, the demand for such features is not very high. A survey conducted by a Jupiter Research analyst showed less than 10% of respondents as interested in such features.

Source:
Reuters

<Amazon and TiVo bring video downloads to TV >YouTube access banned in Turkey

3 user comments

18.3.2007 13:25

limelight

Send private message to this user

Member

Thats...a little extreme, plus its just another charge of many added to an already confusing cell-phone bill.

And the service still sucks where i live.

28.3.2007 16:37

TravDude

Send private message to this user

Junior Member

I agree. It'd be nice if the service providers focused on ensuring that I don't get a dropped call every 10 minutes.

I'm confused. If TiVo automoatically records your favorite shows when you tell it to (i.e. the season pass), why would I need to program it remotely?

However, without small incremental advancements in technology, the great ideas wouldn't be possible.

38.3.2007 23:50

Mikiec

Send private message to this user

Newbie

Big deal, Sky have enabled me to do this in the UK for 12 months.

Its only really of any use to record one off shows, which aren't on series link, that you forgot to schedule while you were right there in front of the TV. But it is handy to have.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

	Netflix buys HBO and Warner Bros studios (05 Dec 2025 8:04) Netflix has won the bidding competition for media giant Warner Bros and will acquire HBO as well as the Warner Bros film studios.
	Massive Android 0-day vulnerability found - here's what you should do immediately (08 Nov 2025 5:35) A very serious security flaw has been found in the Android operating system, allowing malicious code to be executed on a phone or tablet.
	Review: Roborock Saros Z70 - robot vacuum with an arm (20 Oct 2025 6:13) In out in-depth review of Roborock Saros Z70 we put the robot vacuum through a 3 month test period, where we observed its work in normal home. The sci-fi -like arm of Z70 was a little bit disappointing, due its limited functionality.
	End of an era: TiVo stops making DVRs (14 Oct 2025 4:12) TiVo, once synonumous with digital TV recording in the United States and in select other countries, has stopped making DVR devices as of October, 2025.
	Strava takes Garmin to court (02 Oct 2025 2:30) The world's perhaps best-known sports app developer Strava has filed a lawsuit against American sports watch manufacturer Garmin, accusing the company of patent infringement. 1 user comment

	Guide: Is Your Wi-Fi Sluggish or Slow? Here's How to Fix Do you have problems with you Wi-Fi? Slow connection or is it cutting off constantly? This guide aims to remedy these problems. 1 user comment
	Does your phone rattle? Here's why it happens When you shake your phone and hear a light rattle, clatter, or jingle, it's likely not broken. The culprit is probably the optical image stabilization (OIS) system in your phone's camera, meaning everything is functioning as it should. 2 user comments
	GUIDE: Wi-Fi speeds are slow? Here are some tips Having problems with Wi-Fi speed and stability at home? Here are some tips to follow to alleviate the issues. 1 user comment
	What IP rating for dust and water resistance means An IP classification (such as IP68) is given to mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, and other devices, but what do these classifications mean? 1 user comment
	Guide: Phone battery drains quickly - how to fix (iPhone / Android) In this guide, we go through the most typical reasons for rapid battery drain with phones, and look at potential reasons or solutions.

Programming a DVR from a mobile phone

3 user comments

Latest news

Reviews

Guides

News archive

Subscribe

Sections:

Follow us:

	Review: Roborock Saros Z70 - robot vacuum with an arm In out in-depth review of Roborock Saros Z70 we put the robot vacuum through a 3 month test period, where we observed its work in normal home. The sci-fi -like arm of Z70 was a little bit disappointing, due its limited functionality.
	Roborock Saros 10 review - Great, but not perfect We tested Roborock Saros 10 robot vacuum for more than two months in order to see whether it is really worth its hefty price tag. The mopping, self-emptying Saros 10 was mostly great, even perfect. But its object avoidance was bit disappointing. 1 user comment
	Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review - obstacle avoidance doesn't work as it should, otherwise almost perfect robot vacuum We put the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra through a very, very long review process. The $1800 mopping robot vacuum is almost perfect, but its obstacle avoidance was surprisingly bad, considering the price - and compared to its competitors.