We Are Creating A TWCable TV App For Android Tablets

Oct 31 2011

We Are Creating A TWCable TV App For Android Tablets

Back in March of 2011, we launched our hugely successful TWCable TV for iPad app. So far, people seem to love it — even people that don’t own iPads. Ever since that launch, we’ve had a steady stream of customers asking us some variation of the following three questions:

1) When do you plan to create a similar app for Android?
2) How soon can I use my Android tablet to do the same thing?
3) Why don’t you have an app for Android already?

This is a great problem for us to have – and we’re happy to announce our first foray into an Android-friendly TWCable TV app. After Android’s release of Ice Cream Sandwich in the first few months of 2012, we will be able to offer a live streaming TV experience.

As a side note: Who at Google is in charge of naming upcoming OS releases? Whoever it is, you just KNOW that guy commutes on a unicycle. Or a Razr scooter at least.

I digress. For our first release, the following features will be available:

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

The image of the guide in Android below is from the latest dev version, and may change by the release date – but I just thought you might want to see a screencap as it stands right now.

We hope to have this available to launch in late November. However, we have a lot of exciting new products in the pipeline, and release dates may get shuffled and pushed back. This is the way of the world now. Either way, I’ll announce the releases on this blog and on Twitter on the day that they are live.

Categories: Content Delivery, Cool Stuff, Customer Care, Future of the Industry, Product Launches, What's New

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40 Responses to “We Are Creating A TWCable TV App For Android Tablets”

Deanna
Oct 31, 2011
at 5:18 pm

This is great news! One question: will people who just have basic cable and not digital be able to use the app? Obviously not the remote control and DVR parts, but watching TV?
Andrew
Oct 31, 2011
at 5:36 pm

Ice Cream Sandwich should be coming out in November 2011, not the first few months of 2012.
Levi
Oct 31, 2011
at 6:43 pm

This is nice, but when will we be able to watch TV on our Android tablets? iPad owning customers have been able to do this for almost a year now
Jason schwartz
Oct 31, 2011
at 10:14 pm

What about the iPhone???? If cablevision can do it the. TWC should too!!
Edward Sugimoto
Oct 31, 2011
at 10:52 pm

Great news!
Craig M
Nov 01, 2011
at 12:35 pm

I have used the iPAD app, but find it useless since you have to be on your home internet connection for it to work.

Will we be able to use the Android App when we are away from home over 3G/4G/LTE or a WiFi connection?
Jeff Simmermon
Nov 01, 2011
at 12:37 pm

Craig – does the iPad app work when you are at home, using your home internet connection? If the answer is yes, then it’s actually not useless.
xzombiex66
Nov 02, 2011
at 12:17 am

About time can’t wait…
Tom Parkison
Nov 02, 2011
at 1:18 pm

How about an app for Android phones to manage the DVR?

That’s what I feel is really missing on Android phones at the moment, yes… video would be nice but for phones, I think the screen may be too small.
Greg D.
Nov 02, 2011
at 3:32 pm

Especailly since it was intended to be an extension of the home experience.

And next I would expect IPhone to be next.
Rick
Nov 02, 2011
at 5:06 pm

Will this be available for Android Phones?
Ryan C
Nov 03, 2011
at 9:44 am

Jeff, are we to assume that the feature list you are calling out is in addition to live streaming the same as the ipad?
Rich Iwanski
Nov 03, 2011
at 3:20 pm

It’s about time ! The quicker the better. Now the little people can have the same cable tv as the iPad people. Thank You, Leona Helmsley !
rdweiler
Nov 03, 2011
at 4:13 pm

So, does this mean it will only run on ICS or Honeycomb?
Anthony
Nov 03, 2011
at 4:25 pm

im very excited due to the fact that i hate apple products this will definitly open up a greater customer base for TWC!!!!.. AWSOME AWSOME
Gadgetman
Nov 03, 2011
at 4:34 pm

Wonderful, very glad Android is getting love:)
Jeff Simmermon
Nov 03, 2011
at 7:06 pm

Hi, Tom – I don’t know the dev schedule, or what the priorities are, but I do know that we intend to offer this eventually. I have NO idea when, though.
Jeff Simmermon
Nov 03, 2011
at 7:06 pm

Eventually, yes, but I’m not sure when.
Jeff Simmermon
Nov 03, 2011
at 7:07 pm

No – see this sentence from my post: “After Android’s release of Ice Cream Sandwich in the first few months of 2012, we will be able to offer a live streaming TV experience.”
Jeff Simmermon
Nov 03, 2011
at 7:07 pm

That’s a good question. I would assume that from reading this, but I’ll have to ask to find out for sure.
Lee Short
Nov 04, 2011
at 4:04 pm

Hey, Sling Box will now with Androids, so you really don’t have to wait if you have a sling box and there are other benefits like working to PDAs, other wireless computers. Comes in high def and work w/ DVR, letting you use a virtual remote. cool stuff!
JerryGPena
Nov 04, 2011
at 6:17 pm

Great, the iPad app was the only reason I regretted getting the Galaxy Tab, but now I regret nothing. Now if you could only work on better integrating your service with Google TV.
Ken
Nov 04, 2011
at 7:24 pm

Awww, you got me excited for a moment. Who even has an Android tablet? Far more customers want an Android phone app than a tablet app.
James
Nov 04, 2011
at 8:18 pm

If ICS supports the app, why not Honeycomb, as ICS is virtually the same system, just with a cross over for phone support as well. So far many tablets have not announced a move to ICS, or may be sticking with Honeycomb since the systems are so similar. It seems we’re missing out on a lot of customer without building for Honeycomb too.
Chris Williams
Nov 04, 2011
at 10:59 pm

Without live steaming I do not see the point… that is what we all want anyway.
Wil
Nov 05, 2011
at 1:14 pm

So will it be horribly broken like ESPN for XBox? Will it actually work with the antique STBs you hand out in Indiana?
Ryan
Nov 06, 2011
at 10:59 am

What about Honeycomb support?
Jean Rajski
Nov 07, 2011
at 10:48 am

Can’t wait for the Android TV app for TWC!!
Please hurry!
Ryan B
Nov 07, 2011
at 10:50 am

Great news! Glad to see us Android users finally getting some love
Mike McEachin
Nov 07, 2011
at 11:08 am

I am excited about this. I have been waiting since I have a Galaxy Tablet. Still waiting on the full screen fix for WatchESPN on there as well.
Mike Leonard
Nov 07, 2011
at 11:48 am

I have the Motorola XOOM – I am looking forward to seeing this work on that Android platform device.
ViLe
Nov 07, 2011
at 9:26 pm

TWCs days our numbered

internally they are falling apart & have been for quite some time

they dont care about there customers or there employees

its all about Sales/Money

im glad to know that technology will soon put them out of business as far as there cable services go
Bryan
Nov 08, 2011
at 7:42 pm

And what of the Windows Phone?
Ron Arnau
Nov 10, 2011
at 6:03 pm

I almost sold my galaxy tab 10.1 for an ipad simply for apps…this app being on the top of the List!
ishmil pair
Nov 18, 2011
at 7:59 pm

This is great news. Many people have multiple andriod devices (like myself) and have been asking about this since the ipad app rolled out.
Mitchell
Nov 30, 2011
at 2:00 pm

Downloaded this app last night and it looks great but the channel changing feature is no where to be found.
Larry Evans
Nov 30, 2011
at 10:10 pm

You’ve probably figured it out by now, but to change channels do a long press on either the channel number or show you wanna watch from the guide then an option will come up to either record or tune to that channel.
Karen
Dec 02, 2011
at 9:20 am

I have an HP Touchpad; will this app work on that?
Jim C
Dec 05, 2011
at 6:49 pm

Yes, I installed the twcable app for Android on my Samsung Galaxy 8.9 running Honeycomb a few days ago. Everything worked flawless on both my SA8300HDC set tops, DVR Manager and Remote. Now a few days later the DVR manager still works correctly, but the remote control feature fails to change channels on either set top. Both set tops have been sent initializing hits and rebooted and working in two way mode. The app does control and read the DVR listings fine just no longer has the remote feature working. I rebooted everything including my router and MTA modem.
Robert
Jan 04, 2012
at 1:33 pm

Would be great if it worked in North Texas