November 28, 2011

Spotify App arrives on TiVo

For Spotify Premium customers. Looks good. Looks very good. First impressions are that this is the first really quality app we've had on TiVo. Type in your account name and password and viola - your playlists, albums, favourites, even the stuff synced from your iTunes accounts. Awesome stuff. Thanks Virgin Media!
UPDATE: Playlists seem to be limited to 300 songs and there's no Search (yet). But there is "browse Artist" so the capability is there to hunt around, you just need to set up your launch pad first with a single track by the artist you want to search for

26 comments:

streaky_7 said...

never really used spotify, even when i got the VM deal where I got 12 months free premium spotify. But now the app is up and running this will be where it will really come in to its own especially as it shows up your playlists from itunes!! love it love it love it. Thanks VM!!

Cherry Hinton Blue said...

"This'lll be good", I thought, and headed over to apps to enter my credentials. "Enter your Spotify username and password", it says. I carefully keyed in one character after another, using the mobile phone-style technique on my remote, until... I came to the first non-alphanumeric character in my password.

Ah well, these things are sent to try us.

And then I read, on a completely unrelated thread, that you can now plug an everyday USB keyboard into the back of your TiVo! Another seemingly pointless feature which turns out to be a real lifesaver..

kdowl75 said...

Ok. I've double checked this twice before posting and will feel really stupid if it's been proven that it's staring me in the face, but, em.. Where's the search field? You know the one that gives you access to spotify's millions of tracks?

gooner145 said...

Right, this app is great. It looks good and sounds good but and a huge but....NO SEARCH FIELD!! you have to rely on play lists you have set up on another PC/lap top! This is incredibly restrictive and I hope ANC pray an update will be released very soon to rectify this as its very disappointing

streaky_7 said...

Yea good points made - no search field - I have playlists in iTunes which is what I use anyway and I imported them to my spotty account so whilst I may not have access to all the songs spirit have to offer, I do have access to all my songs......about 100GB worth so plenty to keep me going. But without search it does defeat the object slightly. But right now it's still better than music on demand which is the most frustrating thing to use due to not being able to search for specific artists/songs (well apart from the first letter and scrolling through page after page).

streaky_7 said...

@Cherry Hinton Blue

If I'm reading your post correctly, if you keep pressing number 1 on the remote, it scrolls through all non-alphanumeric symbols.

Hopefully this helps you login.

Cherry Hinton Blue said...

Thanks, I'll try that! Still it was worth being ignorant just to find out how easy it is to plug in a PC keyboard.

MMCA said...

Tried to dign up with Spotify to try this out. You *need* to have a Facebook account to register. Fail.
Zero interest in letting FB have any of my info.

Back to using Napster with my squeezeboxen.

overyourhead said...

I realise that may be in the minority here but I prefer to watch *TV* on my TV not listen to music.

So I won't be bothering with the Spotify app on my Tivo. I do have Spotify on my PC and mobile but I don't 'consume' (hate that word) music in my sitting room.

In my defence I don't just read books with pictures in them! :-)

streaky_7 said...

@ MMCA - I didnt register it with facebook? I think it may give you the option too but you dont have too. I havent registered with fb and I have spotify on my PC, Mobile and now TiVo.


@ overyourhead - Dont you listen to music when pottering about or anything? I couldnt not have music piped around my room through my surround sound! Its not for everyone I suppose but these sort of apps are the way of the world now. Its all about media hubs - one place for all your music, film, tv etc and TiVo is a great device to build all this on. hopefully a lot more different things will come along as well.....

gooner145 said...

The great thing about spotify is when you have people over they can choose throughout the night what music they want to listen to. At the moment it involves using a lap top or removing Iphone off docking stn to choose before replacing. The thought of casually passing my iPad round controlling TiVo spotify sounds great. Which is why a search field is a must

campbellg said...

I agree with overyourhead.

I wish VM would concentrate less on this sort of gadgetry and put more effort into acquiring better television programming.

MMCA said...

@Streaky_7

Spotity recently partnered with Facebook. Those who had already registered are OK and don't need to sign up with FB. But try to sigin up now? You give your online persona who really need to start to make money. now.

Jez24 said...

The lack of search is a fatal flaw on an otherwise smart interface. I won't use this much until you can search music.

xchris said...

No Search??? The most important and obvious function in Spotify. It just amazes me how this could be omitted by Virgin. I just look at it and think what is the point!

streaky_7 said...

@ MMCA - well blow me - so you do - did not know that!! What a load of bo.....s

- so to register you have to be on facebook

- no search facility

- playlists cant hold more than 300 songs

hmmmmm.....well i have nearly a year for free with VM - but unless they improve some more bits on it I cant see me paying for a premium spotify subscription.....I like it, but right now, if I had to pay for it, I dont think I would

Afront said...

I run a Spotify blog and have a VM TiVo box, so wrote a brief review on the Spotify app at:

Spotify on Virgin Media TiVo: App Review

gsituffers said...

to streaky and general - spotify
£9.99 motnhly to spotify or £9.99 to virgin and have access via tv pc tablet mobile etc -cant see downside - pay the same and gett more access via more devices - simples ....

gooner145 said...

Just rang virgin and was told they have no plans to add a search option. I expressed my disappointment saying it was pointless having the app and wouldn't be using it as a result. Person couldn't understand my point stressing it allows me to play play lists. Big deal!! The whole point of spotify is the ability to search and play any track you want!!

devonshire drivel said...

Well it won't be happening around at my house - can't even get on demand /iplayer etc insufficient bandwidth and it has been 12 weeks since we had reliable or any broadband in the evening. Paying for 50 mb. Call centre a disaster. The online complaint form doesn't recognise me as a customer. The engineers are nice but seem to have their hands tied- when they aren't automatically cancelled straight after a 2 hour call to get them out. Just had a call from the incredibly rude and unsympathetic Neil Holtham from the CEOs office..this after 12 weeks of constant complaints. He refused to give me an email address to send a detailed complaint to and to list some of the worst things that have happened. Eg on my mums 80th we had organised a Skype call with my cousin in Australia. not enough bandwidth to load google or do a speedtest - unlike my cousin who was rearing to go - she lives on the edge of the outback a 50 min drive from a small settlement. When i rang 151 to complain once again I was told that my case was closed as it had been resolved. Took more than an hour to get it reopened. I am a very dissatisfied customer.

ty1 said...

has crashed my tivo twice in two days whilst using it
bit clunky

Alexei said...

Anyone know when the TiVo app is out?

gooner145 said...

Wish I knew. I check the app store everyday

Kevin Lloyd said...

I think its a real step forward certainly when hooked up to the amplifier. Quality is pretty good. Lack of search is an issue but if you have Spotify on the pc or the smartphone then you can use the search functionality on those versions, save the albums/tracks you wish to listen to on new or existing play lists and - given synchronisation - the new tracks will appear on the Tivo version too. Not the first best solution but perfectly acceptable (for me at least).

denzirali said...

Dear Virgin, assuming your product development people read these comments (as they should!), please include the following in your updates;
1) a search function - why this wasn't included at launch I don't know. It is FUNDAMENTAL!
2) a screen saver for the millions of those who have plasma tvs.
3) please make scrolling the playlists faster - my iPhone is way faster over 3G
4) the 'similar artists' tab that appears on the Spotify Desktop would be an excellent addition and woul better the mobile apps' functionality.

That's all for the moment!

Feel free to add to this list folks!

gooner145 said...

Well said. I find it incredible that there is no search option still. It's a redundant app on my box at the moment