# Genie Go



## DolphinGirl

Is the DirecTV Genie Go the only way to get recorded content onto my iPad?

Has anyone been able to get a Genie Go from DirecTV for free?


----------



## Yoda-DBSguy

There's also another alternative. A Slingbox can be used to stream all your content both live and recorded (as well as all other operations to any computer (windows or mac), Most any Smart Phone (Iphone, Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian, Palm, etc), Other iOS (such as an iPad, iPad Mini) and tablet Android Devices.

You can access both in network and remotely out of network; however remote quality really depends on your satellite receiver location's ISP upload bandwidth.

A Genie Go (or otherwise known as the Nomad) stores the content on the device to be used/viewd anywhere you take the device without the need for any internet dependancy); however you are limited to a certain number of show content based on format size as well as a length of time that the content is available for viewing.


----------



## Steve

Yoda-DBSguy said:


> A Genie Go (or otherwise known as the Nomad) stores the content on the device to be used/viewd anywhere you take the device without the need for any internet dependancy); *however you are limited to a certain number of show content based on format size* as well as a length of time that the content is available for viewing.


Not sure what Yoda means about limits based on format size.

RE: Length of time, yes, the content is only good for 30 days after you copy it to your device. After that, you can re-copy it, but only if it's still on one of your DVRs.


----------



## dennisj00

A couple of other 'features' of nomad / GenieGo, it also allows streaming within your home network, so you can watch your recordings (or near live current recording) on your iPad or laptop in the garage, deck or other room without a tv.

You get 5 clients with nomad and they're free. A slingbox sounds nice but remote connectivity is getting more questionable in hotels / condos. You may be able to get your email but streaming video is questionable.


----------



## Yoda-DBSguy

Steve said:


> Not sure what Yoda means about limits based on format size.
> 
> RE: Length of time, yes, the content is only good for 30 days after you copy it to your device. After that, you can re-copy it, but only if it's still on one of your DVRs.


The format size limit I'm refering to is how much material can be on the Genie at any one given time. It's limited due to it's capacity/size.
And I quote:

How many hours of programming can GenieGO™ hold for downloading? Can I expand its storage capacity?

_*DIRECTV nomad™ customers:* nomad™ is now GenieGO™. Same magical device. We just gave it a more appropriate name._
GenieGO™ holds approximately 20 hours of programming for downloading to your device. Actual capacity varies based on type of programming recorded. Once the maximum storage capacity is reached, the oldest shows will be automatically deleted to make room for new ones.
You can increase the capacity of GenieGO™ by plugging in an external hard drive into the USB port. Note: An external hard drive will be formatted for use with the GenieGO, meaning existing content on the hard drive will be deleted. So make sure to back up any important files you want to keep to another storage device before attaching the hard drive to GenieGO.


----------



## Yoda-DBSguy

dennisj00 said:


> A couple of other 'features' of nomad / GenieGo, it also allows streaming within your home network, so you can watch your recordings (or near live current recording) on your iPad or laptop in the garage, deck or other room without a tv.
> 
> You get 5 clients with nomad and they're free. A slingbox sounds nice but remote connectivity is getting more questionable in hotels / condos. You may be able to get your email but streaming video is questionable.


Thats funny as I do it all the time. Given that I am in nation larger chain hotels and not a days-in or laquinta style motel; most all have adequet speed to stream. Some places do infact however limit or restrict access to data on certain ports such as Slings standard port 5001 transport. Thats why I suggest taking 10 seconds and changing the default port to something like 443 in the setup configuration. This has also help many people in colleges and other school or work senarios with access restrictions in place.


----------



## brian26339

Another way to get recorded shows on your ipad is to use windows mediacenter to record your shows. Then use a program such as Handbrake or Air Video Server to convert the mediacenter files into something the ipad can use. Drop the converted files into iTunes and load them up. I get really excellent video quality this way. If you are not already using windows mediacenter as a DVR, then it can be a little bit labor intensive to set up to capture the video if you are using TV set top boxes. If you like tinkering with this type of thing, check out the hauppauge HD-PVR or Colossus. Also go to 1geek1tool.com for software and setup info. 

As for the converting software, I get better quality with Handbrake than with Air Video Server but Handbrake takes much longer to convert the file with the quality settings set high. YMMV.


----------



## peds48

dennisj00 said:


> A couple of other 'features' of nomad / GenieGo, it also allows streaming within your home network, so you can watch your recordings (or near live current recording) on your iPad or laptop in the garage, deck or other room without a tv.


and very soon we will be able to watch "stream" those recordings outside of our networks without having to download them to the device first


----------



## Steve

Yoda-DBSguy said:


> The format size limit I'm refering to is how much material can be on the Genie at any one given time. It's limited due to it's capacity/size.


Gotcha. Assuming you want to store more than 20 hours of content on your portable device at a time, you can easily increase the Genie Go device memory with the addition of a USB memory stick or even a USB drive. E.g., a $10 16GB memory stick will double your Genie Go storage to 40 hours. A $20 32GB stick will get you up to 60 hours, etc.

Remember, tho, If your intent is to increase Genie Go memory for archival purposes, that's not an option. A converted show can only sit in Genie Go memory as long as it's still on the HR it came from. Once you delete the original from that HR, the Genie Go copy is deleted as well.

If a show's been copied to your iPad or iPhone, it will stay on that device for up to 30 days, whether it's still in Genie Go memory or not.


----------



## ProfLonghair

dennisj00 said:


> A couple of other 'features' of nomad / GenieGo, it also allows streaming within your home network, so you can watch your recordings (or near live current recording) on your iPad or laptop in the garage, deck or other room without a tv.
> 
> You get 5 clients with nomad and they're free. A slingbox sounds nice but remote connectivity is getting more questionable in hotels / condos. You may be able to get your email but streaming video is questionable.


I got a Nomad and iPad for my deck a little while ago. There are caveats to this, however:

1) Live is live-ish. YOu have to set it to record, and watch the recording.
2) Live-ish does not have Fast Forward or Rewind capabilities. I use it to watch baseball, and if I pause it for a minute to do something, I can't skip the commercials (or anything else) to catch up. If I miss a play, I missed it, as I can't go back, unless you want to start from the beginning
3) There is only an iPhone app, which means it scales some. It's not bad on the iPad mini, but on a larger screen, it might be
4) Not DirecTv's fault, but the lightning connector for newer CrApple products does not output 1080, which hopefully won't kill me as I plan on using a 720p TV, but be aware.
5) Unless someone can actually prove otherwise, Android streaming is vaporware. Anything listed as 'soon' for over a year is vaporware, and officially in the category of "I'll believe it when I see it"


----------



## RAD

Yoda-DBSguy said:


> Thats funny as I do it all the time. Given that I am in nation larger chain hotels and not a days-in or laquinta style motel; most all have adequet speed to stream. Some places do infact however limit or restrict access to data on certain ports such as Slings standard port 5001 transport. Thats why I suggest taking 10 seconds and changing the default port to something like 443 in the setup configuration. This has also help many people in colleges and other school or work senarios with access restrictions in place.


That's true, but you'll never know until you check in and try it. Plus what may be working for awhile might not after a couple other rooms on the WAP decide that they also want to start streaming their content.

When I travel I also take the digital/HDMI adapter for my iPad and a cable along with me a connect my iPad to the TV set in the room. PQ using Sling can be really hit or miss when you blow it up to a 32->40" screen but GenieGo/nomad conent, while sure not HD, does look good.


----------



## harsh

Yoda-DBSguy said:


> A Genie Go (or otherwise known as the Nomad) stores the content on the device to be used/viewd anywhere you take the device without the need for any internet dependancy);


Has the software progressed to the point that it doesn't need to phone home to verify your subscription?


----------



## RAD

harsh said:


> Has the software progressed to the point that it doesn't need to phone home to verify your subscription?


Yes, most of the time, it still needs to verify a valid account at least every 30 days.


----------



## PK6301

I talked to a CSR this afternoon, I do not qualify at this time to get a free GenieGo, but they did offer me one for 1/2 price off the $99 selling price. Is it worth the $50 ?.
What are the pros and cons.. I saw the other day they FINALLY released the long awaited android app. This is why I have started to look into this product.
I appreciate any input you may have... Thanks...

Sent from my GT-P3113 using DBSTalk mobile app


----------



## ProfLonghair

PK6301 said:


> I talked to a CSR this afternoon, I do not qualify at this time to get a free GenieGo, but they did offer me one for 1/2 price off the $99 selling price. Is it worth the $50 ?.
> What are the pros and cons.. I saw the other day they FINALLY released the long awaited android app. This is why I have started to look into this product.
> I appreciate any input you may have... Thanks...
> 
> Sent from my GT-P3113 using DBSTalk mobile app


Save your money. It doesn't work with root, most devices are incompatible, and the video looks bad even if you run a stock device that IS supported.

At this point, if I didn't already have the Nomad, they couldn't pay me $50 to take it. I'll be looking to sell or return mine soon.


----------



## NR4P

My opinion, GenieGo is an excellent device to take shows with you for watching on a phone or tablet or PC.

I use GenieGo all the time on airplanes. The way I see it (no pun intended), I could pay an airline $7.99 per trip/direction for a few hours of crappy TV on a small hard to see screen with fingerprints plus extra $ for PPV. Or transfer my favorite shows and movies from my DVR, watch them on 7' to 15" screens at no additional charge at 35K feet.

Its not HD but on 7" to 15" screens the quality is very good. And free after a one time investment.


----------



## dennisj00

I'm not sure where the crappy picture is coming from but we use it daily. Not only to take shows with us on the iPads but streaming around the house - in the garage, out on the deck, where ever there's not a tv. Wife watches a lot of her shows while in the kitchen.

The PQ is as good or better than anything streaming on the iPad or a laptop.

I often have something streaming near real-time (start a recording and stream it with geniego) - to keep my eye on something while we're watching something else on the big TV. My PIP.


----------



## JimAtTheRez

Did I read earlier that this would allow you to stream in your nework, sorta like the old Directv2pc worked? I sometimes like to stream a game almost live on my laptop, while watching another program on TV with my wife. I can still use Directv2pc on my old, slow laptop, but not on my newer laptop. Thanks in advance.


----------



## gpg

JimAtTheRez said:


> Did I read earlier that this would allow you to stream in your nework, sorta like the old Directv2pc worked? I sometimes like to stream a game almost live on my laptop, while watching another program on TV with my wife. I can still use Directv2pc on my old, slow laptop, but not on my newer laptop. Thanks in advance.


Yes. Start recording the game, then you can begin streaming it from the GenieGo. There's no trick play available when streaming.


----------



## ProfLonghair

JimAtTheRez said:


> Did I read earlier that this would allow you to stream in your nework, sorta like the old Directv2pc worked? I sometimes like to stream a game almost live on my laptop, while watching another program on TV with my wife. I can still use Directv2pc on my old, slow laptop, but not on my newer laptop. Thanks in advance.


Yes, but if it is currently recording, you don't get fast forward/rewind



dennisj00 said:


> I'm not sure where the crappy picture is coming from but we use it daily. Not only to take shows with us on the iPads but streaming around the house - in the garage, out on the deck, where ever there's not a tv. Wife watches a lot of her shows while in the kitchen.
> 
> The PQ is as good or better than anything streaming on the iPad or a laptop.
> 
> I often have something streaming near real-time (start a recording and stream it with geniego) - to keep my eye on something while we're watching something else on the big TV. My PIP.


Traded in the iPad for a Sony NSZ-GS7 and Slingbox, and it's SD to HD. Realizing that part of that is the iPad for their SOC Lightning HDMI, but it's just as subpar on my Nexus now, too. Not just streaming, but the transferred shows as well.

And, as an apples-to-apples ish comparison, Netflix looks the same on both the Sony and Nexus, so it's not a screen quality issue or anything. Directv just down-rezes the video, no two ways about it, and it's not necessary, since Netflix, Hulu, Slingbox, Amazon, etc. all manage to do it well.

It's becoming more and more clear that DirecTV is content to lag behind, and knows that while it has people like me trapped via Sunday Ticket exclusively, we'll just have to tolerate it.


----------



## dennisj00

Again, I don't know what's wrong with your streaming or downloads to your tablet, but our picture quality of either to the iPad(s) is nearly perfect. 

Directv may lag behind in supporting all the android models but it's probably a different reason.

Enjoy your sony and slingbox. geniego includes 5 clients for free.


----------



## ProfLonghair

dennisj00 said:


> Again, I don't know what's wrong with your streaming or downloads to your tablet, but our picture quality of either to the iPad(s) is nearly perfect.
> 
> Directv may lag behind in supporting all the android models but it's probably a different reason.
> 
> Enjoy your sony and slingbox. geniego includes 5 clients for free.


The iPad video on the iPad was definitely better than the video on the Android. The Android version is not good enough for me on the deck, but will work for downloading Thomas the Train and Sesame Street for the 2 year old to watch at Red Robin. He isn't as picky as me.

The iPad video to the TV is more the fault of the Lightning connector. Apple compresses the video, sends it through the cable, which has it's own chip that uprezzes it. If you have a 30 pin connector iPad you don't have that problem.

I get the reasons why they only support some devices, although I disagree with them. One thing I don't understand, however, is how my Nexus 10 is not supported. My Samsung Galaxy S3 is supported, and Samsnug builds the Nexus 10, and the Nexus 4 and 7 are supported, so I wonder what the issue is there. Of course, I had to get a hacked version or try to fool the root to make it eventually work on the Nexus 10, and again, I know the reasons, but disagree with them wholeheartedly.

I guess, for me, it's disappointing to see this with them as a company. I have several pieces of hardware, for free, from when I had time to help in the CE program, and they were more cutting edge. Now, I just don't get that from them, overall. Last to the party in the whole house DVR thing, last to the party with >2 streams per box, and now this sad excuse for an Android app after waiting on it for so long? I will eat crow on my vaporware comments, but when they had the bar set, at least in my mind, so high, letdowns like this just seem all the worse.


----------



## PK6301

If I get the GenieGo they list it as an accessory. I know it does not extend your commitment. Does that mean it is owned or is it still leased?
Thanks

Sent from my GT-P3113 using DBSTalk mobile app


----------



## gpg

PK6301 said:


> If I get the GenieGo they list it as an accessory. I know it does not extend your commitment. Does that mean it is owned or is it still leased?ThanksSent from my GT-P3113 using DBSTalk mobile app


GenieGo is an owned accessory. You can resell it if you decide you don't want it.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

Actually while you can resell it, it's tied to your account and it is extremely difficult to get one moved from account to account. Not impossible, not against the laws of physics, but the owner of a used one should be prepared to spend a lot of time on the phone.


----------



## whorne

NR4P said:


> My opinion, GenieGo is an excellent device to take shows with you for watching on a phone or tablet or PC.
> 
> I use GenieGo all the time on airplanes. The way I see it (no pun intended), I could pay an airline $7.99 per trip/direction for a few hours of crappy TV on a small hard to see screen with fingerprints plus extra $ for PPV. Or transfer my favorite shows and movies from my DVR, watch them on 7' to 15" screens at no additional charge at 35K feet.
> 
> Its not HD but on 7" to 15" screens the quality is very good. And free after a one time investment.


I totally agree with your assessment on the GenieGo. I travel very often and this thing makes the travel time so much more nicer.


----------



## The Merg

Stuart Sweet said:


> Actually while you can resell it, it's tied to your account and it is extremely difficult to get one moved from account to account. Not impossible, not against the laws of physics, but the owner of a used one should be prepared to spend a lot of time on the phone.


I can vouch for that and I was the one that purchased the used one....

- Merg


----------



## gpg

Stuart Sweet said:


> Actually while you can resell it, it's tied to your account and it is extremely difficult to get one moved from account to account. Not impossible, not against the laws of physics, but the owner of a used one should be prepared to spend a lot of time on the phone.


I bought a used one on eBay and got it activated without too much difficulty. It did take two business days for DirecTV to transfer it from the old owner's account to mine, but I didn't have to spend a lot of time on the phone to arrange the transfer. The CSR called me back when the transfer was complete and wanted to stay on the line while I activated it.

I don't doubt that a brand new one is easier to activate, but at the time I saved myself around $40 so it was worth the two-day wait to me.


----------



## rd76

Love my slingbox. I get everything live including the ability to watch all the recorded programming. Live tv works excellent even on 3g. Set up on a sling was so easy. There customer service was excellent. Have been using about 6 months without any issues...


----------



## Rob Dawn

peds48 said:


> and very soon we will be able to watch "stream" those recordings outside of our networks without having to download them to the device first


Is this true?
My son will be going off to college this Fall so GenieGo wouldn't help him since his laptop would have to be on our home network to download shows from GenieGo.
But if he could download showsto his laptop remotely then GenieGo would work for him.


----------



## peds48

Rob Dawn said:


> Is this true?
> My son will be going off to college this Fall so GenieGo wouldn't help him since his laptop would have to be on our home network to download shows from GenieGo.
> But if he could download showsto his laptop remotely then GenieGo would work for him.


note that I never said "download shows remotely" but rather stream outside your network. The same way "watch now" works in your network, but "on the go"

http://support.directv.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3875/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzY5MjQyNjM3L3NpZC84U2k0WlFxbA==


----------



## Rob Dawn

peds48 said:


> note that I never said "download shows remotely" but rather stream outside your network. The same way "watch now" works in your network, but "on the go"
> 
> http://support.directv.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3875/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzY5MjQyNjM3L3NpZC84U2k0WlFxbA==


Sorry for my confusion, but after reading that DirecTV article I'm still not exactly sure what GenieGo will let you do when you are outside of your home network???


----------



## inkahauts

Right now the point if genie go is to download programs to your mobile Device while you are at home so that when you are not at home you will already have them on your mobile device to watch.


----------



## peds48

Sorry for my confusion, but after reading that DirecTV article I'm still not exactly sure what GenieGo will let you do when you are outside of your home network???


As of right now, if you are in your home network and open the GenieGo app (Nomad) you can select a title and you have two options, one of them is to download it to your device for offline viewing. the second and newer choice is to "watch it now" if you select the second choice, the show will stream to your mobile device almost immediately. the latter is you we will be able to do if DirecTV ever releases this feature


----------



## goinsleeper

Rob Dawn said:


> Sorry for my confusion, but after reading that DirecTV article I'm still not exactly sure what GenieGo will let you do when you are outside of your home network???


Currently you can download or stream the content while inside your home on the same local network. When the new feature hits, you'll be able to stream from the Nomad/GenieGo from outside your home network.


----------



## Rob Dawn

goinsleeper said:


> Currently you can download or stream the content while inside your home on the same local network. When the new feature hits, you'll be able to stream from the Nomad/GenieGo from outside your home network.


Great!!
That's exactly what I want to be able to do so my son will still be able to keep up on shows without having to watch them live in his dorm room.
Anyone know when the "outside your home network" feature is coming??


----------



## peds48

nope, not yet


----------



## trh

peds48 said:


> note that I never said "download shows remotely" but rather stream outside your network. The same way "watch now" works in your network, but "on the go"
> 
> http://support.directv.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3875/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzY5MjQyNjM3L3NpZC84U2k0WlFxbA==


I clicked on your link: "Sorry, that answer is no longer available." So maybe this will be available 'soon'?


----------



## peds48

I clicked on your link: "Sorry, that answer is no longer available." So maybe this will be available 'soon'?


it looks like DirecTV took the page down. finally!!!


----------



## goinsleeper

"Coming soon" is all we get.


----------



## peds48

it was supposed to be released at the beginning of June. But this is the reason why DirecTV does not make this types of announcements


----------



## jeff803

Just some info for the masses, I picked up a GenieGo from a retentions rep for shipping only, $19.99. She did use some credits I had to get that price so it may depend on how much heart you have.


----------



## peds48

jeff803 said:


> Just some info for the masses, I picked up a GenieGo from a retentions rep for shipping only, $19.99. She did use some credits I had to get that price so it may depend on how much heart you have.


Right on! the "heartier" the better :up:


----------



## SlimyPizza

Below is from the current DirecTV website and is exactly what I hoped from the GenieGo. I take it this is a very new feature. The account reps I spoke to on the phone argued that this (streaming recorded content remotely w/o downloading first) was not possible. Has anyone used this feature? Work ok?





Stream shows instantly anywhere you
have a Wi-Fi connection.


Stream a recorded show to your laptop or mobile device anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection—inside or outside your home. No need to download it first before you start watching. In fact, you can start streaming as soon as the show begins recording to your HD DVR!


----------



## Laxguy

Yes, it works nicely! Too bad for me that my upload is severely limited, and won't change for some time- if ever- if optical ever gets strung here. 

As to the slimy part, here are some suggestions: 

Use less water in dough prep.
Drain tomatoes prior to topping
Cook longer and maybe a tad slower.(lower temp)
Switch to a less oily cheese.
Refrigerate in between meals.....

:grin:

Enjoy!


----------



## JimAtTheRez

So, when does D* plan to update the software so you can FF, etc? Or did I miss that part? Heck, we could FF on the old Directv2PC software.


----------



## Laxguy

That's on streaming only. The GenieGo can download whole programs from the home LAN and they can be played anywhere, WiFi or no.


----------



## FlyingBoat

I would think another thing to consider is the slingbox will take up your receiver so someone will not be able to watch something else on the TV attached to the same receiver. Not sure how that works with GG. I would think if streaming from it that it wouldn't tie up the receiver, but perhaps it would, like the case where you can't have two DVRs watch something from a 3rd DVR at the same time.


----------



## peds48

FlyingBoat said:


> I would think another thing to consider is the slingbox will take up your receiver so someone will not be able to watch something else on the TV attached to the same receiver. Not sure how that works with GG. I would think if streaming from it that it wouldn't tie up the receiver, but perhaps it would, like the case where you can't have two DVRs watch something from a 3rd DVR at the same time.


yes, the GenieGo ties up a "streaming" tuner. So for example, if you had 3 minis you could only use 2 while the GenieGo streams to a mobile device.

Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk


----------



## GekkoDBS

ProfLonghair said:


> Save your money. It doesn't work with root, most devices are incompatible, and the video looks bad even if you run a stock device that IS supported.
> 
> At this point, if I didn't already have the Nomad, they couldn't pay me $50 to take it. I'll be looking to sell or return mine soon.


Any other ways to transfer the Genie recordings to a Mac computer that does not involve this Geniego?


----------



## peds48

GordonGekko said:


> Any other ways to transfer the Genie recordings to a Mac computer that does not involve this Geniego?


sure, video capture hardware/software like ElGato or Colossus...

Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


----------

