Can I use an old TiVo without a program guide?

October 11, 2007 8:43 AM

Using TiVo Series 1 without programming guide? Can I still tape stuff?

I am getting a free series 1 TiVo that a friend does not use. I only want it to record basically one show to watch in the other room where I do not have a DVR (treadmill TV!). I don't want to pay a fee for the programming guide for one show. So what are my options? Is there any sort of manual record this channel at this time?

Any suggestions if I decide later to expand the functionality? Not sure if I will but maybe.

FYI I have Comcast Digital Cable but plug in Analog stuff seems to work as well..if that matters.

posted by UMDirector to Technology (8 answers total)

I think you can still manually set it up to record a time and channel. However, if your channel line-up is not set, it won't know what channels it can receive.

But, if your friend's lineup is hte same as yours, they will already be in the box.
posted by Futurehouse at 8:51 AM on October 11, 2007

Response by poster: No his channel lineup is for NYC, mine is Boston.

Is that something I can do manually? 72 equals Comedy Central, etc?
posted by UMDirector at 9:05 AM on October 11, 2007

on a series one tivo you can set manual recordings without program guide. i.e. you will set it to record at a specific time on a specific channel. series two tivos will not function without connecting to the mother ship.
posted by phil at 9:08 AM on October 11, 2007

Yes, you should be able to set the TiVo to manually record a certain channel at a certain time. You could try going through the Guided Setup to get all the channels sorted out. If you need to, I think you could subscribe to TiVo service to get everything set up, and then cancel in the first 30 days at no charge.
posted by designbot at 9:13 AM on October 11, 2007

Tivo menu > "Record by Time/Channel" > "Manually Record Time/Channel".

It does expect to know what the channel is, and will tell you the name of the program on at that time. Maybe it doesn't matter though (if it does, just sign up for a month like designbot suggests). User Guide.

Comcast Digital Cable but plug
*snicker*
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 9:18 AM on October 11, 2007

Only certain Series 1 tivos -- "manufactured before October of 2001 ... if they shipped with software version 1.3 or earlier" can do this. Plus, the clock may drift over time and it's tricky to reset it without a phone call. Also be aware that there's a 1-year commitment for Tivo service nowadays, with a $150 early-cancellation fee. As for the 30-day cancellation, "Only initial activations of TiVo service are eligible for this offer. Service renewals, payment plan changes, or upgrades are not eligible for this offer."
posted by squid patrol at 9:20 AM on October 11, 2007

You can manually record on a specific channel/time, but you won't have any information about the program. I don't think you can redo the channel guide without signing up for service, but it might work. I'll check tonight on my unregistered TiVo Series 1 I keep at work, but I think you can set the manual recording to repeat, which would work great for your setup.

If it was programmed for Boston cable channels, and your desired channel number is in that list, everything should work fine.

We use mine to just flip through channels and have the capability to pause and rewind live TV in the 30 minute buffer.

If you do have to use the digital cable box, you should be able to change the input from cable to satellite (which is the S-video or RCA input), and change channels on the box instead of the TiVo.
posted by shinynewnick at 9:50 AM on October 11, 2007

I had an old S1 TiVo that the modem fried on. Eventually the clock drifted far enough that recording was confusing. I looked into manual setting of the clock but that required using a cable to interface with a computer.

But if you manually typed in a channel and hit record, it would add it to the listings so channel up down would work. YMMV.
posted by ALongDecember at 10:45 AM on October 11, 2007