Latest TiVo update brings YouTube with it
As a part of the v9.4 update to TiVo HD and Series 3 set-top boxes, support was added for YouTube H.264 videos -- a feature TiVo was announced in the spring.
The "summer update" that TiVo announced yesterday will be rolling out over the course of the next few weeks, and will grant native H.264 decoding to S3 and HD DVRs. It has been added under TiVo Central "Find Programs and Downloads" under the "Download TV, Movies & Web Video" icon. While the only option is currently to "Watch YouTube Videos," the result is a YouTube experience unique to TiVo.
Early versions of this feature will not allow users to log on to their YouTube accounts, but an update expected in September will add that function. Users will be able to search via keyword, or browse videos by Featured, Most Recent, Most Viewed, Top Rated, and Top Favorites categories. The ratings system also remains intact.
Because user logins cannot yet verify the age of the user, TiVo users wishing to view age-flagged content will find they cannot. KidZone also turns off access to YouTube, for parents concerned that their children may be viewing racy content.