REVIEW: TiVo Extras Add Little Luster

In this handout photo released by TiVo, a screen grab from Yahoo! Photos is shown. (AP Photo/TiVo) (AP)

The company also says the Live 365 Internet radio service has proven popular. It lets you play live music from a fairly wide variety of stations in about two dozen categories. Because the content is streamed, there are occasional hiccups in the sound, but not often enough to be too annoying.

Another service offers various podcasts, including 15-minute audio snippets of TV executives chatting about shows like ABC's "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy." I didn't find them enlightening. Perhaps more die-hard fans would. Other podcasts include the president's weekly radio address, summaries of top stories, and recordings from a handful of music and public radio stations.

I wasn't too impressed with KidZone, which lets parents browse for kid-centric programming, or Product Watch, which gives viewers the option of ordering promotional videos on various products. But don't most people get TiVo so they can skip over ads?

KidZone pointed out some children's shows I'd never heard of before, offering brief descriptions that included the age range they were tailored toward. Some new parents might find it helpful.

I got turned off, however, when "Wife Swap" showed up on one of the recommended lists with an explanation that it "fosters acceptance toward other lifestyles and shows people they can learn from their differences."

Yahoo Traffic was a disappointment, highlighting only a few construction projects and scheduled lane closures on nearby highways. I was also underwhelmed by the lineup of games, none of which seemed remotely catchy.

Some TiVo customers have complained that all the add-ons have slowed down their TiVos. The company has acknowledged the problem and said it's trying to address it.

Overall, TiVo says it has been pleased with how many people use its online services. More than half of its roughly half million broadband subscribers log into at least one service in a typical month, the company says.

TiVo is working on other online features, but isn't saying anything specific about what they'll entail or when they'll roll out.

But I doubt many customers are holding their breath waiting for new online options to pop up on their TiVo menus.