Find what you've been missing. TiVo thread!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Find what you've been missing. TiVo thread!

Henchman 21: Apr 3, 2005; HENCH 4 LIFE

Welcome to the wonderful world of TiVo!!! :golfclap:

What is tivo?

TiVo is a DVR service that connects to your local cable satellite or antenna service that will enable you to watch your favorite shows any time you want!

Well that dosnt sound like anything special..

It can also do so much more if you would let me finish sassy pants. Your TiVo will record every episode of your favorite shows even if it changes times or what day it is being aired so you never miss a show. It can also record two shows at once or record one show while you watch another on a different channel.

You also have the ability to pause, fast forward, rewind, or re-watch somthing you just saw in slow motion. Especially handy during NFL season.

I didnt think TiVo worked with satellite...

Currently only TiVo series 2 works with satellite, and unfortunatly dosnt support HD. TiVo and Direct TV will be releasing a new box later this year to bring everyone up to date.

My local cable/satellite company offers thier own DVR hardware. Why should I use TiVo?

You should use TiVo because you deserve more then what your local provider offers you. Most DVR services offered by other companys have a very clunky user interface and are often times plagued by bad recordings or multiple recordings of the same program.

You also dont get all the extra cool features that TiVo has to offer!

What are these so called "Extra cool features" that you speak of?

Well my dear friend I am glad you asked. With TiVo you get all the cool DVR features I have already discussed plus the bonus of:

Playing music from your PC or Mac using the TiVo interface through your TV.

The ability to download free music videos.

Listen to podcasts and radio stations.

View photos from your PC or Mac in thumbnail mode or as a slideshow

TV downloads!! Watch videos from your favorite tv show or news source free of charge.

YouTube support. Watch your favorite YouTube videos straight from your TiVo without the need to huddle around your computer screen.

All of this plus other cool features like being able to transfer shows to your computer, Ipod, PSP, or to another TiVo unit in your house, make TiVo an excellent piece of home entertainment equipment.

What happens if I forget to schedule a show?

The beauty of TiVo is that it is the only DVR with the capability to schedule your shows online. This is the age of technology! Using your internet connection or an internet enabled portable device you have the ability to make scheduling changes to your TiVo.

I heard that theres no Video On Demand. Whats up with that Mr. Smartypants?

While it is true there is not currently any support for Video On Demand from your local cable company, you can rent or even buy titles directly from Amazon Video On Demand and watch them from your TiVo unit without ever getting your lazy buns off the couch.

Allright allright I'll give this thing a shot. What do I need to get started?

What you need is some sort of video source from either a cable or satellite provider and the TiVo service in addtion to a TiVo DVR and an active phone or network connection.

What TiVo DVR unit is for me, and how much is this gonna cost?

Many different companys have manufactured TiVo units so this is going to be an overview of what each series brought to the table, and not a review of every TiVo unit made.

Series 1

First generation TiVo! This unit is not sold new anymore but can be found on ebay or your local flea market. Standard unit was a little large and offered all the ability to record, pause, rewind, and fastforward. Cant connect to your computer over the network and is slower then newer TiVo units. Can be easily modified but we will get into that more later.

Series 2

Second generation. This TiVo generation brought you faster speeds and the ability to watch recordings from your portable devices as well as connect to your computer over your home network. Some units produced by other manufacturers had built in DVD-R/RW drives.

Series 3

This is where we are today. Offers dual tuners that can record from two sources simultaneously. Also provides CableCARD support for recording of encrypted digital cable.
TiVo HD

This is a TiVo unit with HD support. All your favorite TiVo abilities plus the ability for you to record your favorite HD broadcasts!

TiVo service can be paid either monthly, yearly, every three years or you may purchase a Lifetime plan and never have to pay again as long as you own your TiVo unit. Prices are $12.95, $129.00, $299.00, and $399.00 respectivley. Ordering a new TiVo DVR from the TiVo website will get you either a Series 2 or Series 3 DVR If you want HD programming goodness you must order a TiVo HD or the new TIVO HD XL DVR!!*
*simply a TiVo HD with upgraded recording capacity.

Man that is expensive. What if I dont like this thing?"

TiVo offers a 30 day money back guarantee. If you dont like it simply send it back and they refund your money, easy-peasy-japaneesy.

Ok I got this thing and I have TiVo service. Now what?

Now you set up your TiVo and follow the on screen instructions to set it up. All the instructions are very straightforward picture diagrams for installing your TiVo unit and the on screen setup is very easy to follow.

Whats this CableCARD business?

CableCARD is actually your friend and will be referred to as CC from now on. CC allows you to record encrypted digital cable from your local cable company. Two different CCs exist. Single stream and Multi stream. A single stream card will only allow you to record one channel unless two single stream cards are installed. A multi stream card will allow you to record two channels using just the single card.

How do I get one?

Contact your local cable provider and ask them about CC. The FCC mandates that all major Cable providers must support CC. If they dont there are hefty fines.

PLEASE NOTE: small cable companys that only provide service to a single township may not be obligated to provide cable cards to your area. Please dont assume your Cable company has CC.

I can't get all my channels, whats going on?

Some service providers are using Switched Digital Video to relieve some of the bandwidth so they may provide you with more HD channels. Currently there is no way for you to pick up these channels however TiVo is working with cable companies to release an SDV converter so you may enjoy these channels as well.

This rocks! thanks internet helper guy!

No problem! I Just picked up my first TiVo and am learning as I go but this is a very easy to use piece of equipment and offers many different features that I find very useful. I'll be posting questions in here and answers to things I find out and encourage everyone else to do the same.

Helpful links

http://www.tivo.com
http://www.tivocommunity.com

Henchman 21 fucked around with this message at 11:43 on Sep 11, 2008

# ? Sep 11, 2008 11:36

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# ? May 7, 2024 21:51

Henchman 21: Apr 3, 2005; HENCH 4 LIFE

Mr. Kickstand sir can you please explain all this business about TiVo drive capacity?

Sure can buddy. Different TiVo DVR units contain different internal hard drives and in turn have different recording capabilities. Heres a quick rundown for you:

TiVo Series2 DT DVR:Has a 80GB hard drive and can record up to 80 hours of SD programming. (no HD supported)
TiVo HD:Has a 160GB hard drive and can record up to 20 hours of HD or 160 hours of SD programming.
TiVo Series3 HD:Has a 250GB hard drive and can record up to 30 hours of HD or 300 hours of SD programming.
TiVo HD XL DVR:Has a 1TB (1,000GB) hard drive and can record up to 150 hours of HD or 1,350 hours of SD programming.

If you feel the need for expanded recording capabiliteis the only current external hard drive supported is the Western Digital My DVR Expander Hard Drive. This is not to be confused with the Western Digital My Book external Hard drive. The My Book is not supported and will NOT work.

Cables!!

For the most part a cable is a cable is a cable. Dont bother ordering super special TiVo cables from TiVo themselves or from your local retailer. For most cable shopping i recommend http://www.Monoprice.com Especially for your HDMI cable needs

If you feel that none of the current options directly from TiVo are satisfactory you may go another route and purchase a "Upgraded TiVo DVR" from different internet sites. One of the most popular is http://www.dvrupgrade.com/ They sell upgraded TiVo units with expanded hard drive space up to 2TB. They also sell kits to upgrade your current TiVo unit for more space. These units will not be covered by any type of TiVo warranty.

Allright all you TiVo users. I have shamelessly stolen this list of TiVo codes from TiVocommunity.com to help those of you who feel the urge to fiddle around with your TiVo and dont want to bother registering there. I can not stress enough that if you do not know what your doing. DONT DO IT. The only person responsible for messing up your TiVo or getting the service cancelled is YOU.

Dan203 from TivoCommunity.com posted:

This list was borrowed from a more recent list posted by Otto over at dbsforums.com
-----------------------------------------------------------

The Almost Complete TiVo Codes List

Last Updated: 07-11-03 (4.0 codes section added)
Posted to this forum: 03-05-03

Warning:
Use of any of these codes may cause unknown amounts of harm to your TiVo's data (setup parameters, recorded or scheduled programs, preferences, guide data, etc.). They could conceivably cause your TiVo to act in some way that might upset TiVo Inc. and cause them to terminate your service. Who knows!? Try these codes entirely AT YOUR OWN RISK! They will void your warrenty, turn your hair white, make your friends spit at you, and cause your parents to claim they have no idea who you are anymore. But hey, if you're okay with it, so are we.

Some of these codes WILL damage your unit if you do not read this entire document for the warnings. Read everything here before going and actually doing any of this crazy stuff, okay?

Most of this information comes from the TiVo Hack FAQ and from various postings to the TiVo forums. There are no guarantees that any of these will work on any particular system now or in the future. I try to keep up with version numbers, but I'm not perfect. Okay?

Index:
1. Enabling Backdoor Mode
2. Select-Play-Select Codes
3. Clear-Enter-Clear Codes
4. Enter-Enter codes
5. Clear-Clear-Enter-Enter codes
6. Triple Thumb codes
7. AutoTest mode
8. Dialing codes
9. Sorting the Now Playing List
10. Shortcuts
11. Outdated Codes
12. 4.0 codes

1. Enabling Backdoor Mode
The Backdoor mode can be entered using the remote. This is done by doing a "Browse By Name" or "Search by Title" or wherever you can get to the Ouija screen... Currently, the only easy way to exit backdoor mode is to reboot the Tivo. After entering this code, you will see "Backdoors Enabled!" appear briefly, and it will return to Tivo Central. You can verify that backdoors are on in the System Information screen.

1.3 US and 1.5.0 or 1.51 UK systems: Enter "0V1T" and press Thumbs Up.

1.5.2 UK systems: Enter "10J0M" and press Thumbs Up.

2.0 systems: Enter "2 0 TCD" and press Thumbs Up.

2.5 US and 2.5.5 UK systems: Enter "B D 2 5" and press Thumbs Up.

2.5.2 systems (DirecTivo Only): Enter "B M U S 1" and press Thumbs Up.

3.0 systems: Enter "3 0 BC" and press Thumbs Up.

3.2 / 4.0 systems: Not known at this time. Nevertheless, not all of the codes in this list require backdoor mode to be turned on, notably, all the SPS codes as well as a few others.

If you know of any other codes, it would be appreciated if you could tell me so I can add them.

It should be noted that simply enabling backdoors turns on many new things:
- More info in System Information (including Uptime)
- More info in program detail screens
- 3.0 boxes will have View Upcoming Episodes enabled in Tivolution Magazine and Showcase entries
- And so on...

2. Select-Play-Select Codes
These codes take the format of "Select Play Select Something Select". These do not require backdoors to be enabled for them to work. The best way to do this type of code is to start playing a recorded program and do them while the recorded program is playing. They can be done from LiveTV as well, but people generally have a hard time getting them to work when trying to do that.

S-P-S-9-S - Toggles the Clock display in the bottom right corner. When you are watching LiveTV or a recording, this will show the time and where you are at in the recording. It's a toggle, so do it again to turn it off. However, when you turn it off, it doesn't disappear, you must go into a Tivo menu and return for it to go away. The Elapsed Time Indicator was removed in 3.0, to the general groan of everyone (it was very handy). They appear to have added it back to 3.2 on Series 2 boxes, but whether this becomes generally true is anybody's guess.

S-P-S-InstantReplay-S - Toggles a Status display in the bottom right corner. This displays what the Tivo is currently doing. Bit useless, really. Do it again to toggle it back off. Like the clock code, it doesn't disappear when you turn it off, you must go into a menu to make it disappear.

S-P-S-Pause-S - Toggles the fast disappear of the Play bar. Appears to have no other major effect, but who knows?

S-P-S-3-0-S (1.3, also 2.5, not 2.0 or 2.01) - Toggles 30 second skip mode. This turns the Skip to End button into a 30 second skip button. This was removed in 2.0x, but added back in 2.5.

3. Clear-Enter-Clear Codes
C-E-C stands for "Clear Enter Clear". Note: the claim is that all "C-E-C something" combinations will make the same confirmation tones, but they may or may not do anything. Here are the known codes.

C-E-C Thumbs-Up - Will allow you to access the TiVo's log files on your TV screen. Page up and page down allow you to move through the log information and the right arrow you to move through the log files. Use the left arrow key to get back out to the normal TiVo menus. Thumbs up and Thumbs down will take you to the top of bottom of whatever log is on screen.

C-E-C Thumbs-Down - Will shut down the myworld program on a TiVo. The myworld program is the brain of the TiVo. Shutting it down is not advisable since the only thing you can do with the TiVo at that point is use the BASH shell if you activated one. If you do have a BASH prompt you can rerun the myworld program to get the TiVo running fully again. If not you need to power down and up the TiVo to get it fully functional again.

C-E-C-0 (2.0) - This turns off the display of "scheduled suggestions" in the ToDo List. Also makes the clock (see SPS9S) NOT have a black bar behind it.

C-E-C-1 (2.0) - This turns off the display of "scheduled suggestions" in the ToDo List. Also makes the clock (see SPS9S) have a black bar behind it.

C-E-C-2 (2.0) - This turns on the display of "scheduled suggestions" in the ToDo List. A "scheduled suggestion" is a suggestion the Tivo is planning on recording. It doesn't take effect until something changes in the ToDo List. To cancel a scheduled suggestion, see this post.

C-E-C-3 (2.0) - Appears to do the exact same thing as CEC2. I'm pretty certain there's more to this than we are aware of right now.

**2.5 note**: C-E-C 0-3 (the above 4 codes) do not appear to work in 2.5, but they do still affect the "black background" of the clock. They just don't do anything for the suggestions in the ToDo List. To put suggestions in the ToDo list, see the "thumbs thumbs" code below.

C-E-C 4 - This forces suggestions to be rebuilt (same as 'sendkey dumpState'?).

C-E-C 5 - Toggles the overshoot correction during fast forwarding on and off.

C-E-C Fast-Forward - This resets (reboots) the TiVo

C-E-C Skip-to-end - Turns on "Boat-Anchor" mode. This convinces the TiVo that it should behave as if it has no guide data. Boat Anchor mode is automatic when the unit runs out of guide data, so this is probably only for testing purposes. A bit useless, really.

C-E-C 6 - Go into the Node Navigator. The Node Navigator is a trick to let you access menus directly. This is extremely dangerous, even to play with. Please do not go into any of the numbered nodes on this screen, you can (and will) break your unit beyond repair, requiring a full restore from a backup, even just by looking at these nodes. The reason is simple: When you enter certain menus or "nodes", changes can take place. For example, if you found the node to set the zipcode (in the Guided Setup routine), and then exited without changing anything, your zipcode would be erased, and would ruin your lineup on the next daily call, causing the unit to reboot when you go to LiveTV. Several things like this can happen, so just don't even do this. If you accidently get here, press the Tivo button to exit back out, and do NOT go into any of the numbered nodes. Even if you have a clue as to what you are doing, you can do damage just by looking around, so don't.

However, there are two extremely cool things here you can adjust in 3.0 software. Thanks goes to gleffler for letting me know about them.

WARNING: Very dangerous! Have a bit of caution, 'kay? If they don't work, they'll likely break your Tivo, and you're very attached to your Tivo, aren't you? THESE ONLY WORK IN 3.0! Have a backup ready to go.

First trick: Node 1 in 3.0. This node lets you adjust the exact timing of the auto-correction jumpback. Forget the offset/delay method listed below, and get precise. Note that entering this node will stop any recording you might have going at the time. This change will stay in effect after a reboot.

Second trick: Advanced Wishlists! Go to Node 30, and turn on advanced wishlists. Now, go to the Create a Wishlist screen and scroll PAST the bottom to find "Advanced Wishlist". From here, you can create a wishlist that is any combination of actors/directors/keywords/and genres. Nice, isn't it? Be as specific as you wanna be. This will stay enabled after a reboot.

Non-3.0 Users (2.5 only?): Appearantly, you can access Advanced Wishlists as well. Just hit 0 (zero) when creating a wishlist instead of picking the type of wishlist. You do need backdoors enabled. This also will work on 3.0 boxes. There may be a node to activate this as well on 2.0 and up boxes, but why muck about with the dangerous Node Navigator if you don't have to?

C-E-C-Slow - same as 'SendKey dumpState', creates a /tmp/mwstate

4. Enter-Enter codes
E-E stands for "Enter Enter". The following codes must be entered in the "Search by Title"screen. These codes are generally used to set values on the Tivo. You enter the code, and the prompt will appear, along with the red recording light coming on. You then enter the value. You then enter the code again to set the value in, and the recording light will go off. It doesn't actually stop recording if you happen to be recording something, however. Entering invalid values (non-numeric) will cause your Tivo to reboot, so be careful.

E-E-1 - Gives you Speed1: prompt. Turns the record LED on (indicating the backdoor is open and can be changed?). Enter a number for how fast you want the first scan speed to run at, and then press E-E-1 again. The record LED will go out.

The last two digits of the number must be 00 for an integer multiple speed. The digits to the left of the 00 indicate how many times normal playing speed the scan is running. 300 (which is 3x) is the default Speed1 scan speed, but you can't see that, you can only enter a number. A value of "1" is super slow motion (.01x speed) Unit will revert back to default speed when rebooted.

Does not appear to work in 2.0, although the prompt is still there.

E-E-2 - Gives you Speed2: prompt. Default is 2000. See Speed1 above. Does not appear to work in 2.0, although the prompt is still there.

E-E-3 - Gives you Speed3: prompt. Default is 6000. See Speed1 above. Does not appear to work in 2.0, although the prompt is still there.

E-E-4 - Gives you Rate1: prompt. Function unknown.

E-E-5 - Gives you Rate2: prompt. Function unknown.

E-E-6 - Gives you Rate3: prompt. Function unknown.

E-E-7 - Gives you Inter: prompt. Function unknown. Same as TIVO_INTERSTITIAL_INTERVAL environment variable (?). Interstitials were removed a long time ago, so this is probably useless.

E-E-8 - Gives you Open: prompt. Function unknown. Same as TIVO_LONGOPEN_INTERVAL environment variable. (?)

E-E-9 - Gives you Int.disabled, or int.enabled prompt. Toggles "interstitials". Intersititials were little TiVo guy animations that occurred between each menu screen. Most of them were deleted as being too annoying, but the initial boot one remains. Setting the TIVO_DISABLE_INTERSTITIALS environment variable to 1 disables it. Toggling "Int." from the remote causes the animation to play every time you hit the TiVo button. (Reported, may not work for everyone).

E-E-Tivo - If in Debug mode (see C-C-E-E 2 below), lets you set the TiVo's clock. Warning: setting this value may cause all of your Guide data to get "expired". If you want to play with this, keep in mind that TiVo may get mad at you for downloading several copies of your Guide data over the course of a couple of days. The best way to fix a messed up clock without reloading all the Guide data is to do the "Make a Test Call" option. The format of the time entry you use is the same as the format for the settime command. (?)

E-E-Rewind - Lets you set the "Offset:". Defaults to 2000.

E-E-FastForward - Lets you set the "Delay:". Defaults to 957.

The Offset and Delay control the overshoot correction. When you set them, go to any recorded program, play it, pause it, and press FF to do a frame advance. This makes the new values you put in take effect. For 1.3 like correction, use Offset of 1000 and Delay of 750.

5. Clear Clear Enter Enter codes
C-C-E-E stands for "Clear Clear Enter Enter". The following codes must be entered in the "System Information" screen.

C-C-E-E 2 - Turns on or off "Special Mode: DEBUG" (Note: you have to leave the "System Information" screen and re-enter it to see this flag turned on.) Starts sending debugging output to the /var/log/tvdebuglog file. This setting will STAY ON after a reboot. Not advised to leave this on for long periods of time.

C-C-E-E 3 - Seems to initiate a call. (a special one?)

C-C-E-E 7 [works even without Backdoors enabled] - Causes a message to be written to /var/log/tven saying: SetupDebugContext:OnNumber[94]: USER PROBLEM LOGSTAMP .

I'm guessing that Customer Support tells customers who are having problems to do CCEE7 around the time that the problem occurs, and then when they upload the logs, they can help locate what was going on when the problem happened.

C-C-E-E 8 - Takes you to the "Channels You Watch" page with NONE OF THE CHANNELS SELECTED! I guess this might be a quick way to clear your channel list. Fortunately you can just back out of it without losing your current channel list. I didn't try going forward from that screen... AVS Forum member "android" warns that this doesn't work ... and that it just hangs his machine..

C-C-E-E 0 [works even without Backdoors enabled] - It allows you to enter your own "Dial-in configuration code"! It does not appear to let you directly change the TFA value.

TFA stands for Toll Free Authorization.
Possible values:
0=[Access] denied ["you probably didn't ask, but you used a local, so QED"]
1=No decision [made yet] (you got time)
2=Oh you requested (we'll get back to ya)
3=Yeah, I guess so
4=Researched and you are out of luck
5=You had your chance but did nothing

The Dial In Access code (the 000 part) can be changed via some special key sequences.... Anyway, when Tivo CS gets a really unusual problem that needs files downloaded to the unit, they can tell the customer to change the access code and it'll then download certain types of files.. These may be predefined debugging type things or may be files the guy just then put on the server.

Best case scenario: Your daily call fails. Worst case scenario: Your Tivo breaks by downloading and running some weird debug thing and is unrepairable without a whole drive backup.

6. Triple Thumb codes (new to 2.5 and up)
New codes, it seems like. There's only a few of these, and they are still being found. Consider them experimental.

- Thumbs Down, Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up, Instant Replay -
:: If done in the ToDo List, it will turn on "Scheduled Suggestions" (See above).
:: If done in the Now Playing List, it will display the "hidden" recordings, like the Teleworld Paid Program. These recordings are those in reserved space.

- Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Instant Replay
:: If done in Now Playing, it will take you to a new menu called "Clips on Disk". This menu has the same content as the hidden recordings, but broken up into clips like they are in the Showcases. If you don't have any clips for whatever reason (haven't gotten any yet, your cable operator pre-empts the clips program, etc), this will reboot the machine.

- Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Record
:: Do it from the Tivo Central main menu to get the "MenuItem Back Door". It shows the current date in both the number of days since Jan. 1st, 1970 (an internal date format) and also in the normal style. If there is a menu item at the bottom (ad) then it will show the expiration date.
:: Do it from the Showcases screen to show all the hidden showcases, if there are any. It's a toggle. Do it again to remove them. Hidden showcases are simply the latest showcases that haven't had anything added to them, and have thus expired.

- Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Clear (3.0)
:: Do it in Tivo Central to change all the fonts to italic.

- Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Enter
:: Dumps debug messages in /var/log/tvlog

7. AutoTest mode (3.0)
Go into Now Playing, view a description and hit 1,2,3 followed by Channel Down (the logs will now report "***** Auto_test mode unlocked! ***** ").

Hit 4 to start the auto test (it presses random keys to simulate someone using the Tivo.. quite annoying in fact)
Hit 5 to change the test
Hit 7 or 8 to change the delay between simulated keys
Hit 4 again to stop .. might have to reboot to avoid triggering it next time you hit 4

8. Dialing codes
Want to change the way your Tivo calls home? Read on. All these codes are inserted into the dialing prefix space in the Phone Setup stuff.

,#034 - This will limit the speed of the modem to v.34 (28.8k) which may improve your connections if you have poor lines. If you have a lot of failed calls, this might help. Makes the call take about twice as long, in theory.

,#019 - Same concept as above, but slower. If the above won't work, try this. But beware that it will seriously slow down the connection and make the call that much longer. Like 4 times longer than normal, approximately.

,#2xx - 3.0 only - Use PPP over Serial for the daily call.
xx stands for the port speed. The first two digits of the port speed are what you put in here. So:
96 = 9600
38 = 38,400
57 = 57,600
11 = 115,200
And so on..
The ,#2xx code will make the unit try to connect to a computer attached to the serial port using PPP. For more info, search the Underground forums.

,#3xx - 3.0 only - Use PPP over serial for the daily call. This is the same as with ,#2xx, but in this mode, it does a "modem emulation". That is, it will send AT type commands over the serial port as if a modem was there. Some third party PPP servers support exactly this kind of mode. Also, this can allow you to connect an external modem to the serial port and having it really dial and complete a call using that modem. Some sites sell preconfigured external modems for this purpose, and it has even been done on TechTV. Search around.

,#401 - 3.0 only - This sets up the Tivo to use ethernet for the daily calls. On Series 1 boxes, this means TivoNet or TurboNet. On Series 2, this means a USB->Ethernet dongle. Not all dongles will work, do a search for more info.

9. Sorting the Now Playing List (3.0)
In Now Playing, Enter:
(S)low (0)Zero (R)ecord (T)humbsUp

Press enter to switch sorting options.

short cut keys are
1 for normal
2 for experation date
3 for alphabetical

10. Shortcuts
Backdoor mode not required, listed here for completeness.

TiVo 0 - Plays the TiVo guy boot movie
TiVo 1 - Goes to the Now Playing list. (in 2.5, goes to the Season Pass Manager)
TiVo 2 - Goes to the To Do list.
TiVo 3 - Goes to Wishlists (in 2.x+)
TiVo 4 - Goes to the "Browse By Name" screen.
TiVo 5 - Goes to the "Browse By Channel" screen in 1.3, and to "LiveTV" in 2.0. No, nobody knows why they changed it. They changed it back to "Browse by Channel" for 2.5 though.
TiVo 6 - Goes to the "Browse By Time" screen.
TiVo 7 - Goes to the "Record Time/Channel" screen (manual record).
TiVo 8 - Goes to the "TiVo's Suggestions" screen.
TiVo 9 - Goes to the "Network Showcases" screen.
TiVo TiVo - Goes to the Now Playing List (in 2.x+)
TiVo Slow (4.0 only) - Goes to "Messages and Setup"

11. Outdated Codes

Teach Tivo (2.0 only)
To activate Teach Tivo, turn on Backdoors, then go to the suggestions list. Special codes here:

1,2, or 3 - Goes directly to different sections in Teach Tivo.
4 - Turns on the "Teach Tivo" menu item in the suggestions list. This won't be immediately visible until the list rebuilds or you change the list in some way (thumb down a program and move the cursor will do it).

DirecTivo trick (2.0 only?)
When it's "Acquiring Satellite Data", you can press thumbs up to get a couple of lines of status messages at the bottom of the screen. I'm not sure what most of them mean, but TX: shows the transponder it's looking at. This can be done whenever it's acquiring, as far as I can tell. No backdoor code required.

12. 4.0 Codes
While the backdoor code for 4.0 has not been found, it's possible to enable the codes if you want to take the drive out and change the hash in MFS (ResourceItem 176 of the second ResourceGroup). I recommend searching around on how to do this if you don't know how. Frankly, if you don't know how, you probably shouldn't even try, as you can break things really badly if you're not careful.

But, if you do it, and thus get the backdoors working, here's some 4.0 only codes:

Disk Usage Space
Go to Pick Programs to Record and press ZERO-THUMBSUP. You'll get a screen detailing disk space used, in both megabytes, percentages, and hours in Basic mode. However, the math used on the screen is some of that "new math" appearantly, as the numbers simply don't add up. Take the numbers with a grain of salt, in other words.

Home Media Option Info
Go to Now Playing and press ZERO-THUMBSDOWN. You'll get a screen that tells you about the Home Media Options activated on your machine. It also shows the various boxes on your network, and you can select them to get different additional info about them.

Henchman 21 fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Sep 12, 2008

# ? Sep 11, 2008 11:37

Huge_Midget: Jun 6, 2002; I don't like the look of it...

So I have been kicking around the idea of getting the new TiVo HD box for my home theater system. However, I am on Verizon FiOS and I know that there are some compatibility issues that people have been having with them. Also, I really don't want to jump on the TiVo bandwagon and then have CableLABS release a new CableCard spec or something that won't be supported. I really, really wish the FCC would loving ream the cable providers to get with a single standard that would allow of multi-stream decoding and 2-way communication (necessary for VoD and other features). None of the cable providers want to support CableCard because they stand to loose millions of dollars in revenue from people no longer renting their shitastic set top boxes. I just want a DVR that isn't sluggish, will hold more than 20 hours of HD material, and has room for future upgrades (I know the TiVo HD has eSata enabled).

# ? Sep 11, 2008 17:00

Stares At Floor: Mar 4, 2007

KickStand posted:

TiVo service can be paid either monthly, yearly, every three years or you may purchase a Lifetime plan and never have to pay again as long as you own your TiVo unit. Prices are $12.95, $129.00, $299.00, and $399.00 respectivley. Ordering a new TiVo DVR from the TiVo website will get you either a Series 2 or Series 3 DVR If you want HD programming goodness you must order a TiVo HD or the new TIVO HD XL DVR!!*
*simply a TiVo HD with upgraded recording capacity.

Please forgive me if I am mistaken. I take the above quote to mean that in addition to my Cable service which includes the DVR and HD extra charges, I would have to pay Tivo a monthly fee?

# ? Sep 11, 2008 22:36

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Stares At Floor posted:

Please forgive me if I am mistaken. I take the above quote to mean that in addition to my Cable service which includes the DVR and HD extra charges, I would have to pay Tivo a monthly fee?

you would still have to pay the hd fee from your cable company but not the dvr fee. You would pay tivo a monthly fee however or prepay.

# ? Sep 11, 2008 23:43

Henchman 21: Apr 3, 2005; HENCH 4 LIFE

Huge_Midget posted:

So I have been kicking around the idea of getting the new TiVo HD box for my home theater system. However, I am on Verizon FiOS and I know that there are some compatibility issues that people have been having with them. Also, I really don't want to jump on the TiVo bandwagon and then have CableLABS release a new CableCard spec or something that won't be supported. I really, really wish the FCC would loving ream the cable providers to get with a single standard that would allow of multi-stream decoding and 2-way communication (necessary for VoD and other features). None of the cable providers want to support CableCard because they stand to loose millions of dollars in revenue from people no longer renting their shitastic set top boxes. I just want a DVR that isn't sluggish, will hold more than 20 hours of HD material, and has room for future upgrades (I know the TiVo HD has eSata enabled).

The most compatability issues right now seems to be pixellation over a small range of channels and its hit or miss weather you get this or not. For the most part it is on Verizons end but some people are getting it due to the cable getting too hot from the termination point in thier house. I know Verizon in particular was completely against CableCARD, even more so then most other cable companies, however they now offer both single stream and multi stream cards.

I agree that no 2-way communication sucks for VOD but I never use it anyways so it didnt bother me much to not have it when I ordered my TiVo. As far as upgradability for the HD TiVo, the only current upgrade for Series 3 users that is supported by TiVo is the MyDVR expander by western digital. Otherwise you would currently have to hack your TiVo to use
a different eSata drive or install a differnt drive. Ill be updating the second post to touch on this sometime this morning. I have alot of time at work to kill so this thread is going to get tons of updates :unsmith:

Stares At Floor posted:

Please forgive me if I am mistaken. I take the above quote to mean that in addition to my Cable service which includes the DVR and HD extra charges, I would have to pay Tivo a monthly fee?

You would pay your normal fee for cable service and the extra charges for HD. You would not pay the cable company to use thier DVR because you wouldnt have it anymore. You would pay TiVo either the monthly, yearly, 3 year or lifetime plan and that would be it. If you got a CableCARD from your cable company you would pay them for that. It worked out for me to cost the same monthly for my TiVo and a CableCARD as it would to use thier DVR but I am buying the lifetime plan so in a little more then 2 years I'll be ahead and have my own equipment.

Henchman 21 fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Sep 12, 2008

# ? Sep 12, 2008 05:42

chemosh6969

Jul 3, 2004

code:
cat /dev/null > /etc/professionalism

_{_{I am in fact a massive asswagon.

Do not let me touch computer.}}

If anyone has a tivo they should get download and use pyTivo
http://pytivo.armooo.net/

By default you can put mpeg video files and transfer them from your pc to the tivo. With this, it'll transcode all your other video files so you can watch them on your box.

It also shares photos and music.

It's programmed in Python so it'll work on Mac, Windows, and Linux boxes.

# ? Sep 14, 2008 03:03

toenut: Apr 11, 2003; fourth and nine

KickStand posted:

The most compatability issues right now seems to be pixellation over a small range of channels and its hit or miss weather you get this or not. For the most part it is on Verizons end but some people are getting it due to the cable getting too hot from the termination point in thier house. I know Verizon in particular was completely against CableCARD, even more so then most other cable companies, however they now offer both single stream and multi stream cards.

I just switched from Comcast to FiOS TV and have pixellation issues on local channels. I was able to fix the majority of pixellation on my own by using attenuators, but I still have some pixellation issues. I called Verizon today to have a tech come out and try some of the known fixes on tivocommunity, and they basically said they couldn't help me because I'm using Tivo. After bitching at this response they agreed that "someone might look into it" and I "may hear back from them, no guarantees". I love my Tivo, but I am very pissed at Verizon.

# ? Sep 19, 2008 00:44

qirex: Feb 15, 2001

Well it's payday so I just ordered a refurb HD Tivo with lifetime service. Now to unsheathe the wireless headset I have here at work and battle the evil Comcast sales department.

# ? Sep 19, 2008 19:22

Philthy: Jan 28, 2003; Pillbug

Picked up the My DVR expansion for my HD Tivo last weekend. $150 at Best Buy for an extra 500GB. You literally just plug it in with the Tivo off, turn it back on, and now you have 660GB of storage space. Got it just in time since it looks like all my season passes just started last week and they're all in HD now. God I love Tivo.

Philthy fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Sep 19, 2008

# ? Sep 19, 2008 23:51

Deathlove: Feb 20, 2003; Pillbug

The supposedly new TiVo UI: http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/09/29/potential-new-tivo-user-interface-shown-on-video/

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I really like the current one, but I could see how they could think it could use an update. Might want to watch fast, they're starting to get pulled down as TiVo finds them around the web.

# ? Sep 29, 2008 17:36

qirex: Feb 15, 2001

Having Used my HD Tivo now I'd say the UI REALLY needs an update.

Does anyone know if it's possible to "migrate" my season pass and thumbs up/down info to my new box? It would be kind of a drag to set all that up again.

# ? Sep 29, 2008 18:08

brc64: Mar 21, 2008; I wear my sunglasses at night.

KickStand posted:

Whats this CableCARD business?

CableCARD is actually your friend and will be referred to as CC from now on. CC allows you to record encrypted digital cable from your local cable company. Two different CCs exist. Single stream and Multi stream. A single stream card will only allow you to record one channel unless two single stream cards are installed. A multi stream card will allow you to record two channels using just the single card.

I'm a little confused on this. If you want to be able to utilize two channels at once, you need either 2 single-stream cards or one multi-stream card? Does the Tivo have two card slots, then, or if your cable company doesn't have multi-stream cards (no idea how common this is), are you out of luck?

quote:

I can't get all my channels, whats going on?

Some service providers are using Switched Digital Video to relieve some of the bandwidth so they may provide you with more HD channels. Currently there is no way for you to pick up these channels however TiVo is working with cable companies to release an SDV converter so you may enjoy these channels as well.

This is the main thing keeping me away from Tivo right now. When they solve this problem, are they just going to release some kind of crazy little adapter, or are you going to have to get a whole new unit? Or have they said, yet?

KickStand posted:

Mr. Kickstand sir can you please explain all this business about TiVo drive capacity?

Sure can buddy. Different TiVo DVR units contain different internal hard drives and in turn have different recording capabilities. Heres a quick rundown for you:

TiVo Series2 DT DVR:Has a 80GB hard drive and can record up to 80 hours of SD programming. (no HD supported)
TiVo HD:Has a 160GB hard drive and can record up to 20 hours of HD or 160 hours of SD programming.
TiVo Series3 HD:Has a 250GB hard drive and can record up to 30 hours of HD or 300 hours of SD programming.
TiVo HD XL DVR:Has a 1TB (1,000GB) hard drive and can record up to 150 hours of HD or 1,350 hours of SD programming.

Wait, so if the Series 3 is HD, what is the regular HD? Do they both offer dual channel recording? Other than the size of the harddrive, what differences exist between the two?

# ? Sep 29, 2008 18:44

Deathlove: Feb 20, 2003; Pillbug

qirex posted:

Having Used my HD Tivo now I'd say the UI REALLY needs an update.

Does anyone know if it's possible to "migrate" my season pass and thumbs up/down info to my new box? It would be kind of a drag to set all that up again.

I've been using TiVo for eight years. Change frightens and confuses me.

No way to migrate season passes and such. Yes, it sucks; I don't see how hard it would be to set up TiVo Desktop to import/export an XML file with that information, but I'm just one guy.

brc64 posted:

I'm a little confused on this. If you want to be able to utilize two channels at once, you need either 2 single-stream cards or one multi-stream card? Does the Tivo have two card slots, then, or if your cable company doesn't have multi-stream cards (no idea how common this is), are you out of luck?

TiVo HD/S3s have two slots, so you're set either way.

quote:

This is the main thing keeping me away from Tivo right now. When they solve this problem, are they just going to release some kind of crazy little adapter, or are you going to have to get a whole new unit? Or have they said, yet?

Rumor is there will be a USB dongle that you can attach to your system. I don't think it's materialized yet, though.

quote:

Wait, so if the Series 3 is HD, what is the regular HD? Do they both offer dual channel recording? Other than the size of the harddrive, what differences exist between the two?

TiVo Series 3 came out first, and included an OLED screen that showed what was recording/a clock, THX certification, and a "premium" remote (piano black instead of the plastic). The price point was also way higher. TiVoHD came after that. A chart of features is nyah: http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/23/tivo-hd-vs-series3/

# ? Sep 29, 2008 18:56

Philthy: Jan 28, 2003; Pillbug

The new UI doesn't do anything for me. I don't know if I could handle anything changing. If they need to do anything, they need to make it more responsive.

What I would like is different font scaling options so I can take advantage of HD. It feels like i'm looking at the guide in 480i still back on my Series 2.

# ? Sep 30, 2008 06:28

Radiant: Mar 20, 2008

I'm not really sold on the new interface, but the ability to "rent" from Netflix certainly has me interested. I've already got an account with them, so I'm wondering how that'd work. I'm guessing it'll just pull from the pool of "Watch Instantly" titles.

Of course, the cynic in me says that it probably won't be rolled out to S2 boxes just so they can drive more people to the HD units. :v:

# ? Oct 3, 2008 20:34

Philthy: Jan 28, 2003; Pillbug

Radiant posted:

Of course, the cynic in me says that it probably won't be rolled out to S2 boxes just so they can drive more people to the HD units.

The tuner in the HD boxes is amazing compared to the S2 boxes. If I had known that before I even bought an HDTV, I would have gotten one a long time ago. The image quality upgrade was at least twice as good, like needing glasses and then getting a good prescription.

# ? Oct 4, 2008 19:07

LordOfThePants: Sep 25, 2002

One thing not mentioned in the OP is Tivo Suggestions. Tivo Suggestions are one of the reasons I love my Tivo.

As you're watching TV, you rate programs from 1-3 "Thumbs Up" or "Thumbs Down". Using these ratings, Tivo will find shows it thinks you like and will start recording them. If you don't rate anything, it will use the shows you record/set up Season Passes for to find things you might like.

Once you get it trained, it's awesome. It probably records 10-15 things a day for me, so I always have something to watch. Tivo Suggestions will never take priority over your scheduled recordings and they're always deleted first to make room for other programs.

The only thing I don't like about the Tivo HD is while they have a QAM tuner and will pull in the unencrypted channels your cable provider might send over the pipe, there isn't any guide data for them. All you see is "Information not available" - which makes it pretty hard to set as season pass for anything. You have to do it old school (like a VCR) by setting a manual recording, but even then you end up with a Now Playing list full of shows with no guide data. I did that for about a week until I broke down and bought an antenna to get the OTA channels. You can combine that with a standard cable lineup and it works pretty well (but then you're relying on OTA reception)

# ? Oct 4, 2008 23:00

LordOfThePants: Sep 25, 2002

Bumping this to throw out some info on a pretty annoying TivoHD/Series 3 bug that just hit me this weekend.

I noticed two weeks ago that my Tivo hadn't scheduled the new episode of Mythbusters to record. I didn't pay much attention to it and assumed it was a one time thing.

This whole weekend I didn't get ANY Tivo Suggestions recorded. This is unusual, but I had a lot of stuff on the Tivo and thought that maybe it was running out of room so it stopped recording them. Last night I checked my To Do list, and it was empty except for a manual recording of South Park I had set up.

I rebooted the Tivo and while I was waiting for it to come back up, I hit up the Tivo Community Forums. I found this thread:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=405090

Turns out I wasn't the only one who's had this bug and it's been happening since mid-September. If you find your To-Do list empty and you know there's upcoming episodes of something it should be recording, you need to go into your season pass manager (Tivo Button, then 1) and re-arrange the order of your season passes. This will recalculate everything and should add most of them to your to-do list.

I had some residual weirdness (ie: it wasn't recording CSI this coming week even though it's the first show on my season pass list), but for the most part it fixed it after re-ordering everything a couple times.

There was no official solution in the thread on how to get Tivo Suggestions working again, but after I rebooted I went into the Thumb Ratings and changed a few of them. My Tivo was recording things again today, so that must have worked.

I have no idea what caused this - I have a stock TivoHD and haven't changed anything lately. It seems to be random, so if you notice shows dropping off your To-Do list, make sure you keep an eye on it.

# ? Oct 27, 2008 22:40

Weird Uncle Dave: Sep 2, 2003; I could do this all day.; Buglord

I don't think this is a bug as such, but it bugs me.

I've got a dual-tuner Series 2. Let's say I'm watching a show live on Tuner A (say a game of the World Series), and the TiVo is recording a Suggestion on Tuner B.

If I'm watching the show on Tuner A, and the TiVo wants to record another Suggestion, it'll pop up on-screen and say "may I change the channel on this tuner to record X." No problem. I can just cancel it.

If the TiVo wants to start a scheduled recording, though, my choices are:

Let it switch the channel on Tuner A to record, then flip to tuner B, stop the suggestion recording, and switch Tuner B to whatever channel I was just watching live
or, I can have it not record my scheduled show on Tuner A, period.

What I want is for that pop-up screen to have a third option: "Cancel recording of suggestion on other tuner, start scheduled recording there, leave this tuner alone."

Is there any workaround for this, or any official channels for making suggestions to TiVo?

# ? Oct 27, 2008 23:02

Henchman 21: Apr 3, 2005; HENCH 4 LIFE

I think your only option is the first one where you switch to your other tuner and cancel the program your recording on that tuner. The third option would be nice of course but it just isnt there.

# ? Oct 27, 2008 23:54

LordOfThePants: Sep 25, 2002

Weird Uncle Dave posted:

Is there any workaround for this, or any official channels for making suggestions to TiVo?

It's not exactly what you're looking for, but if one tuner is recording something you've scheduled (call it Tuner A) and the other is recording a suggestion (call it tuner B), you can change the channel on Tuner B and it will stop recording the suggestion automatically. You don't have to stop the recording manually.

The Tivo Community forums are monitored by Tivo employees, but I wouldn't hold out much hope getting something added in a future software update. Tivo is not exactly fast in adding features.

# ? Oct 28, 2008 00:35

ViceCapades: Dec 18, 2006

Is there any easy way to delete all the mail notifications or stop them from adding a message when the unit doesn't phone home? I haven't plugged my series 2 into a phone line in two years and if i go to check my messages, the system crashes.

# ? Oct 29, 2008 03:32

Flying_Crab: Apr 12, 2002

I've wanted a Tivo for a while although can anyone explain the following:

Do both tuners have to be from one source IE cable or antenna? Can I have one cable, one antenna? This leaves me curious.

# ? Oct 29, 2008 07:53

Weird Uncle Dave: Sep 2, 2003; I could do this all day.; Buglord

DoktorLoken posted:

I've wanted a Tivo for a while although can anyone explain the following:

Do both tuners have to be from one source IE cable or antenna? Can I have one cable, one antenna? This leaves me curious.

Based on my Series 2: There's only one coax input, so if you're going coax-only, it'll be two tuners of whatever that is.

There's also a set of AV inputs. Probably the most common setup is to connect the AV inputs to your cable box, then coax to the coax input. That way, both tuners have access to "basic cable" through the coax, and one will have access to your digital channels. You could also get a Series 3 TiVo and two CableCARDs (assuming your cable company's head isn't all the way up its rear end), and record two digital channels at the same time.

# ? Oct 29, 2008 14:50

brc64: Mar 21, 2008; I wear my sunglasses at night.

Weird Uncle Dave posted:

Probably the most common setup is to connect the AV inputs to your cable box, then coax to the coax input.

I thought one of the goals of TiVo was to replace your cable box and simplify everything? Maybe that's what the Series 3 is for. How does it handle two separate inputs like that, anyway? If you're feeding TiVo straight A/V output from a cable box, it wouldn't have any way of knowing what channel you were watching or have any way to change the channel to set up a new recording, would it?

# ? Oct 29, 2008 15:49

Weird Uncle Dave: Sep 2, 2003; I could do this all day.; Buglord

Thanks to the giant clusterfuck that is CableCARD, the Series 3 could replace your digital cable box. If your cable company will give you cards and doesn't make it a giant pain in the rear end to install them, and if they actually work once installed. That's been getting better over time, but it's still kinda iffy. The older TiVo is "just" a TiVo, but isn't that enough? :q:

If you're using a digital cable box, you'll basically need to leave it alone, and let the TiVo take it over. You'll either have to run a separate cable from the TiVo to the cable box's serial port (if it has one, most do), and let the TiVo do all the channel-changing; or if you have an old/weird digital box, set up an "IR blaster" (basically a little thing that pretends to be your cable box's remote, that you just set up right in front of the cable box).

Yes, this does mean if your digital cable box includes other fancy stuff (on-demand, PPV) you may have to jump through some extra hoops to use them. And if someone finds the digital cable remote and starts playing with it in the middle of the TiVo recording a show, the TiVo won't know that you're doing so, and it'll gladly record whatever random channels you put it on, on-screen menus, whatever. I suggest just hiding the remote for the digital cable box to minimize the chances of someone doing that. Kinda sucks, but nothing's perfect.

# ? Oct 29, 2008 16:00

chemosh6969

Jul 3, 2004

code:
cat /dev/null > /etc/professionalism

_{_{I am in fact a massive asswagon.

Do not let me touch computer.}}

Weird Uncle Dave posted:

You'll either have to run a separate cable from the TiVo to the cable box's serial port (if it has one, most do), and let the TiVo do all the channel-changing; or if you have an old/weird digital box, set up an "IR blaster" (basically a little thing that pretends to be your cable box's remote, that you just set up right in front of the cable box).

Not on a Series 3. You'll have to get a cable card instead. You just have to call the cable company and order a couple. Just saying, in case there was confusion.

# ? Oct 29, 2008 17:12

complex: Sep 16, 2003

Weird Uncle Dave posted:

Is there any workaround for this, or any official channels for making suggestions to TiVo?

Disclaimer: This is all on my Series 3 Tivo HD.

A trick I've found is: If you are watching live TV and hit "Live TV" then it will swap tuners.

So, the solution I think would be:

1. Choose "Do nothing".
2. Pause your baseball game on Tuner A.
3. Hit "Live TV" to swap to Tuner B.
4. Change the channel to the scheduled recording about to start and record it manually.
5. Swap tuners again and go back to your baseball game on Tuner A.

# ? Oct 29, 2008 18:09

LordOfThePants: Sep 25, 2002

DoktorLoken posted:

I've wanted a Tivo for a while although can anyone explain the following:

Do both tuners have to be from one source IE cable or antenna? Can I have one cable, one antenna? This leaves me curious.

If you have a TivoHD, it has two coax ports on the back. I have my (analog) cable line going in one side and the OTA antenna going in the other one. I have my lineup set up so I have both OTA channels and cable - then I go into the cable lineup and delete the locals that I'm picking up OTA.

I do this so I can get the high-def locals and actually get their programming information. TivoHD has a QAM tuner, but there are no listings for the programs so it makes it hard to schedule season passes for shows on them.

# ? Oct 30, 2008 11:24

qirex: Feb 15, 2001

Finally! Check out the news on the HD service in bold too
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10078711-93.html

quote:

The ability to stream Netflix movies and TV shows will begin beta testing for select TiVo owners immediately, with an official roll-out scheduled for early December. It will be available on TiVo HD, HD XL, and Series3 DVRs (not Series2 or DirecTV models).

The service will effectively be identical to the Netflix feature available on the LG BD300, Samsung BD-P2500, and BD-P2550, Roku Player, and--as of mid-November--the Xbox 360. That means that existing Netflix subscribers can stream more than 12,000 movies and TV shows directly to their TV over a broadband Internet connection on an "all you can eat" basis, with no additional charges beyond the existing Netflix and TiVo service fees.

Interestingly, the TiVo/Netflix tie-up makes good on a deal originally announced in September 2004. At that time, the then-novel idea of streaming Netflix movies directly to TiVo set-tops generated a lot of industry buzz and consumer excitement, but nothing became of it. Both companies seemed to go their separate ways, with TiVo adding on-demand content from Amazon and (just last week) CinemaNow and Jaman, while Netflix's service rolled out on the above-mentioned devices from Roku, LG, Samsung, and Microsoft. More than four years later, however, TiVo owners will finally be getting their Netflix streaming.

Separately, CNET has confirmed that Netflix's nascent HD streaming capability will soon be coming to all Netflix-compatible devices, not just the Xbox 360. However, the Netflix HD library will be starting with a very small selection (just 300 titles), and will require significantly higher bandwidth than the standard-def streaming that's currently available.

# ? Oct 30, 2008 18:32

Deathlove: Feb 20, 2003; Pillbug

qirex posted:

Finally! Check out the news on the HD service in bold too
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10078711-93.html

I was a beta tester for Unbox and I keep waiting for my email to come in and it hasn't.

Between this and not getting into the NXE beta, I'm never going to have Netflix on my magic boxes near my TV.

# ? Oct 31, 2008 02:57

SpacedOut: Dec 1, 2004; It's got planets and stuff.

qirex posted:

Finally! Check out the news on the HD service in bold too
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10078711-93.html

This is fantastic! I was just about to buy that Roku Netflix thing, too. Now if I could just get in on the Mac "Watch Instantly" beta testing, I'd be set!

# ? Oct 31, 2008 14:38

chemosh6969

Jul 3, 2004

code:
cat /dev/null > /etc/professionalism

_{_{I am in fact a massive asswagon.

Do not let me touch computer.}}

Deathlove posted:

I was a beta tester for Unbox and I keep waiting for my email to come in and it hasn't.

Between this and not getting into the NXE beta, I'm never going to have Netflix on my magic boxes near my TV.

I got in on a few and got a duffle bag at the end of one. I'd really like to get in on this.

# ? Nov 1, 2008 00:55

Philthy: Jan 28, 2003; Pillbug

qirex posted:

Finally! Check out the news on the HD service in bold too
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10078711-93.html

I'm just worried that the HD content will be HDMI only. I use component with my HD Tivo because the HDMI handshaking on the HD Tivo takes around 10 seconds with my receiver. I have no idea why, as everything else that uses HDMI is literally instant.

# ? Nov 1, 2008 04:42

Henchman 21: Apr 3, 2005; HENCH 4 LIFE

Philthy posted:

I'm just worried that the HD content will be HDMI only. I use component with my HD Tivo because the HDMI handshaking on the HD Tivo takes around 10 seconds with my receiver. I have no idea why, as everything else that uses HDMI is literally instant.

I was having this same issue with the handshaking taking too long over HDMI on my new Pioneer 1018. I had my video output set to 720p hybrid on the TiVo. As soon as I changed my output resolution to 720p Fixed all problems went away. Maybe try that?

# ? Nov 1, 2008 05:04

Deathlove: Feb 20, 2003; Pillbug

SpacedOut posted:

This is fantastic! I was just about to buy that Roku Netflix thing, too. Now if I could just get in on the Mac "Watch Instantly" beta testing, I'd be set!

http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2008/11/how-to-get-the.html ?

# ? Nov 2, 2008 17:14

Ultimate Mango: Jan 18, 2005

LordOfThePants posted:

Bumping this to throw out some info on a pretty annoying TivoHD/Series 3 bug that just hit me this weekend.

I noticed two weeks ago that my Tivo hadn't scheduled the new episode of Mythbusters to record. I didn't pay much attention to it and assumed it was a one time thing.

This whole weekend I didn't get ANY Tivo Suggestions recorded. This is unusual, but I had a lot of stuff on the Tivo and thought that maybe it was running out of room so it stopped recording them. Last night I checked my To Do list, and it was empty except for a manual recording of South Park I had set up.

I rebooted the Tivo and while I was waiting for it to come back up, I hit up the Tivo Community Forums. I found this thread:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=405090

Turns out I wasn't the only one who's had this bug and it's been happening since mid-September. If you find your To-Do list empty and you know there's upcoming episodes of something it should be recording, you need to go into your season pass manager (Tivo Button, then 1) and re-arrange the order of your season passes. This will recalculate everything and should add most of them to your to-do list.

I had some residual weirdness (ie: it wasn't recording CSI this coming week even though it's the first show on my season pass list), but for the most part it fixed it after re-ordering everything a couple times.

There was no official solution in the thread on how to get Tivo Suggestions working again, but after I rebooted I went into the Thumb Ratings and changed a few of them. My Tivo was recording things again today, so that must have worked.

I have no idea what caused this - I have a stock TivoHD and haven't changed anything lately. It seems to be random, so if you notice shows dropping off your To-Do list, make sure you keep an eye on it.

THis happened twice on my TiVoHD recently, and just happened yesterday on my Series 2. On my series 2 I actually had to restart the device to get it to start recording again. Even then it still wouldn't record suggestions until I manually deleted all my old recordings from the deleted folder.

Is speculation still that it is ultimately bad guide data that is the cause?

# ? Nov 13, 2008 02:04

wolrah: May 8, 2006; what?

I'm loving my TivoHD, I had forgotten how nice it was from back when I had a nightlight S2 a few years ago, but I have one incredibly annoying issue.

When I'm watching a program that has a Dolby 5.1 audio track and either the video ends or the cable glitches for a second resulting in an audio dropout I get an incredibly annoying squeal. I found some old posts on the TiVo Community forums about a similar issue, but they claim it was fixed with a S3 software release from before the THD even existed.

Standard small drive THD connected via HDMI through a Marantz SR7001 to a LG Scarlet, audio handled by the Marantz.

# ? Nov 13, 2008 23:14

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 7, 2024 21:51

chemosh6969

Jul 3, 2004

code:
cat /dev/null > /etc/professionalism

_{_{I am in fact a massive asswagon.

Do not let me touch computer.}}

Netflix on TiVo will be available in December! TiVo customers will be able to instantly watch over 12,000 movie & TV episodes from Netflix via any broadband connected TiVo� HD, TiVo� HD XL and TiVo� Series3� DVRs.

Here�s how it�ll work:

* Visit the Netflix website and add movies & TV episodes to your individual instant Queue
* Your selections will show up on your TV and will be available to watch instantly through the TiVo service
* Use your TiVo remote control to browse your instant Queue, and make selections right on the TV screen. Plus, read synopses and rate movies all from the comfort of your couch
* Control your viewing experience with your TiVo DVR: pause, fast-forward, rewind and restart your movies & TV episodes whenever you want

Your Netflix movies are available when you want with your TiVo DVR!

# ? Nov 21, 2008 17:37

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Find what you've been missing. TiVo thread!

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