Time Warner Cable Customers: Access Your DVR and Channel Guide From Anywhere

Being a cable guy during my day job for this certain company, was only natural that I would write-up an article and express my opinion on it. Time Warner Cable has decided to catch up to Comcast, with their much popular XFINITY for Android, by coming out with a remote app for Honeycomb tablets. Dang, not for phones? I’m going to be forced to get a tablet now.

This app will feature full remote control functionality, access to the DVR interface, and in-app 7-day programming guide. This is pretty exciting but being a cable guy, it makes me fear the worst. I can already hear the customers complaining, “I set my DVR to record Jersey Shore from my tablet when I was at Starbucks ordering my triple cinnamon caramel latte, and it didn’t record!” Oh how I would love to respond with, “Well first off you shouldn’t watch that trash TV that’s rotting your brain!” But of course I cannot. Well let’s just hope the app works well. I’m sure it’s going to have its foul-ups but what app doesn’t.

According to sources, it seems that Time Warner Cable might be pushing back the release of this app to the end of November due to a heavy product release schedule. They are referring to the new MDN or ODN DVRs that are Time Warner’s new “whole house” DVR box, with its new interactive guide. The company is trying to get as many customers with these new boxes even if they don’t want the “whole house” function(“whole house” function meaning recording in one room and watching in another) so I can see what they mean about heavy product release schedule. Check out the major features it has:

• Interactive Program Guide (IPG) – a complete IPG experience, with 7 days of program listings including full program description
• Remote Control of STB –the ability to use the Android tablet as a set-top box remote control, choosing a program from the grid guide and tuning the MDN or ODN STB to the selected channel.
• DVR Manager – the ability to remotely program MDN or ODN DVRs with capabilities similar to the current web & mobile Remote DVR Manager product