TVSquad

If you hate waiting for your sluggish TiVo to accomplish basic tasks like scheduling recordings, returning to the TiVo Central screen, or changing Season Pass priorities, help is on the way. But you may have to wait a little longer. Oh the irony.

As we reported a few days ago, TiVo has begun rolling out an updated version of its set top box software. The 9.3 software update reportedly brings improved multi-room viewing, and progressive downloads from Amazon Unbox, meaning you can start watching a video while it's still downloading. But BetaNews reports that TiVo's 9.3 software update will pack a major speed increase.

Users should apparently see 10 to 30 seconds shaved from the amount of time it takes to create a Season Pass or adjust the priority of existing Season Passes. More basic functions like bringing up the TiVo Central screen, scrolling through Now Playing recordings, and changing channels will also get speed boosts, of around 1 second each.

If you've got a Series2 recorder and want to increase your chances of getting the update before your jealous friends and family members, you can sign up at TiVo's priority update web page.

TiVo and Comcast may have missed their August target date for rolling out optional TiVo software to Comcast cable boxes. But hey, better late than never right?

This week Comcast customers in New England who signed up for the service started receiving software updates on their set-top-boxes. This is the first time any cable company has delivered TiVo software without offering a standalone TiVo box. Once upon a time TiVo and satellite provider DirecTV had a partnership to deliver co-branded set-top-boxes, but that relationship has since gone the way of the dodo.

There's no word on when Comcast/TiVo will begin offering the service outside of New England, but given how long it took for anyone besides a TiVo or Comcast employee to get the service in the first place, I wouldn't hold my breath.