Today’s article is about an application that I use frequently when I am in the mood to veg out in front of the TV. I have cable through Time Warner and sometimes, I don’t want to have to scroll through the Channel Guide to find something I want to watch. Luckily, I have i.TV on my iPhone. This app is a lifesaver when it comes to TV listings (plus more).
I will try to describe some of the features that are available on i.TV and its uses. I will do this by screen order. We have TV, Movies, Favorites, Searches and More. (NOTE: Any words with an underline will open a picture of the screenshot when clicked.)

TV Screen

This screen displays the shows that are currently on TV. On the top of the screen, you can choose to go backward or forward in 30-minute increments. The View button (in the upper left-hand corner) gives you four options: Shows displaying all the shows on the screen, Channels to display only the channels you choose with the option to show what is on Now, for the Day, or All for the whole week. You will see a small thumbnail picture (if available), name of the show, episode, channel number and call letters/network. Some will have a star rating. You just scroll down to see all programs available. When you get to a show you’re interested in, you can click on it.

Categories to view Types of programming which offer the options of Movies, Sports, Family, News, Lifestyle and Genre ListGrid option which displays a Landscape mode TV Grid on the screen. (To return to regular mode, just turn your phone.) then finally a

The Edit button in the upper right-hand corner allows you to change the Channel Lineup information.  To remove a channel from your lineup, just uncheck it. To rearrange the channels, just slide the channel up or down. If you mess up, you can also Reset (in the upper left-hand corner of screen).

When you click on a show you’re interested in, the display will show a Details tab and a Watch tab along with an Overview of the show displaying Synopsis, Premise, Genre, Duration, Released Date, Language, Syndication, and Category. You can also click on the heart in the upper right hand corner to Favorite the show.

The Details displays the following boxes: Reviews-from other i.TV users and Wikipedia-show information.) Gallery displays pictures from the show. Credits displays information about the cast. Reviews displays reviews from other i.TV users. Wikipedia displays information of the show from Wikipedia.

The Watch tab displays the following clickable boxes: Downloads displays items that are available for download through iTunes that you can purchase directly from iTunes. (It directs you to the iTunes app when an item is clicked.) Netflix displays DVDs that are available through Netflix. When an item is clicked, it displays Netflix information (forms of availability through Netflix). Streams display a list of shows that will stream through your iPhone. Upcoming displays upcoming episodes with day, time, and channel information. (Again, click on an item and it displays an overview of that episode.) Record displays TiVo Settings. (I don’t have TiVo so I’m not sure how this works). Remote displays remote control settings (if a remote control device is found). Invite to Watch displays an email form to send an email to a friend to watch the show you want to share. Alerts display a screen for you to set up alerts for the given show. (Supported by Push Notification.) NOTE: not all boxes display in all episodes.

Movies Screen

The Movies tab opens in Released mode by default. The screen will show what is currently playing in theaters showing a thumbnail of the movie, the title of the movie along with the rating and release date.  Both the Coming and Released tabs display the same options. The movie screen displays Details and Watch tabs. You will also see an ! in the upper right-hand corner, which allows you to Sort Movies By: Release Date, Title, Content Rating or Star Rating. The Theaters tab (on the top of the screen), display the names and addresses of the closest theaters by distance. You will notice an ! in the upper right hand corner, this allows you to Sort Theaters By: Location or Theater Name.

The Details tab displays an Overview, Preview button (if a preview is available), information pertaining to the movie like Starring, Synopsis, and Content. (NOTE: not all movies will display the information listed.) The Watch tab displays boxes consisting of Downloads, Netflix, Streams, Invite to Watch, Remind Me, and Theaters. The Downloads, Netflix, Streams, Invite to Watch are similar to the TV screen descriptions. Remind Me displays an email form enabling you to send yourself an email reminder. The email contains information about the movie you want to be reminded about. Theaters display the closest theaters with names of theaters, address, and movie times.NOTE: Not all of the features listed above are available for each movie.

Favorites Screen

Search Screen

More Screen

The More screen gives you five options; News, Netflix, Settings, Remotes and Help & Hints.  The Edit button in the upper right-hand corner allow you to Configure what items you want to display as bottom menu buttons. News displays four tabs on the top of the screen (E!, CNN, MSNBC, USA) along with a slider that displays the options of News, Photos, Videos, and More. It is pretty self-explanatory. Clicking News display the news from that channel. Clicking on Photos display photos from that channel, etc., etc., etc. for each channel. Netflix displays four options at the top of the screen (Disc, Instant and At Home). The Edit tab in the upper-right corner allows you to move items up or down or delete items. Disc displays items in your Netflix Disc queue. Instant displays items in your Instant queue. At Home displays the movie you currently have at home. Settings display the following settings: Accounts, TV Service, Preferences, Remote Settings, Alert Settings, and Settings Lock.

Account displays a screen with i.TV, Wallet, Netflix and TiVo. i.TV displays your i.TV account information. Wallet displays your Payment Methods saved. Netflix displays your Netflix account information. And TiVo displays your TiVo account information TV Service displays information for the services available in your location. You can change your location by clicking on the ZIP tab in the upper right-hand corner. Then, you scroll down the list until you see the service provider you use. Preferences displays Ratings Filter, Hide channels, Pay Per View, Music (audio), Infomercial, Non-English, and Off-Air. Ratings Filter (where you can set the ratings like TV-PG, TV-14, TV-MA, etc., etc. along with the ability to turn off Adult Content or Unrated Content). Hide Channels Over: allow you to select the highest channel number to display. The Pay Per View, Music (audio), Infomercial, Non-English and Off Air displays an On/Off slider on the Listing Preference screen. Remote Settings displays Supported Devices (TiVo HD DVR, etc.) along with Remote FAQs, TiVo setup instructions and information for manufacturers that would like to support the i.TV remote framework. Alert Settings displays a list of your favorites. You can choose to Clear All from the button in the upper right-hand corner, delete individually or move items up or down. Settings Lock displays the On/Off slider on the Settings screen to lock the settings.

Now that you know all that i.TV can do, download i.TV from the iTunes apps store. It’s FREE!!! After you install i.TV on your iPhone, and open it, a popup will ask “i.TV would like to use your current location (click Don’t Allow or OK). Once you click your choice, you will be given a screen (the TV Service screen) displaying your zip code location in the upper right-hand corner and a list of service providers. Choose your service provider. That’s all you do. It will then display the channel listings of what is on TV now. (NOTE: i.TV delivers local – U.S. and Canada TV and movie listings.) To download i.TV, click on the iTunes icon at the end of this article to be directed to iTunes App Store where you can download i.TV for FREE.
I hope that this article has helped those who weren’t sure about i.TV and what it can do. If anyone has any comments about their experiences with i.TV, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks.
-TINA