THROWBACK THURSDAY: That time I got way too excited about GenieGO

Back in 2014, I introduced you to the second-generation GenieGO, which was DIRECTV’s product for transferring recorded shows to your phone or tablet. GenieGO, originally called Nomad, was a device that was really “of its time” and not something that could have come earlier or later. Back in the early 2010s, most folks didn’t have a data plan fat enough to stream hours of programs, and DIRECTV’s On Demand offerings weren’t anywhere near as comprehensive as they are today. But, people did want to have their recorded shows on their phones, and the answer was this product.

By today’s standards the first-gen product was a bit underpowered. It took about 1.5 hours to prepare and transfer a 1-hour program, and that just wasn’t going to cut it. But, it was better than nothing and it helped you get your kids’ programs onto a device they could stare at on long trips.

The second-generation device, renamed “GenieGO,” was better. Transfer time was cut to about 25 minutes per hour of programming and the device could be set up to pre-load some programs so that it only took 5 minutes to transfer. Still, there were some issues with the standalone app and the product never really took flight like it should have.

DIRECTV’s plans for getting your content onto your tablet or phone really took flight after the AT&T acquisition when the company let nearly anyone with an AT&T cell phone plan stream DIRECTV content for free. Since there wasn’t any restriction on data, the whole on-demand library was added to the excellent DIRECTV app for smartphones and tablets, and the ability to prepare and transfer programs was added to the Genie DVR. The old GenieGO became obsolete and honestly, it wasn’t missed by many.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.