Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Tivo

Ready for CableCards?

medarby — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:14:47 -0800

What is the current state of CableCards? Is it worth adding to my HTPC? I came across this article on Gizmodo regarding CableCards. I've only done cursory reading on the tech as it always seemed to be not well supported (or promoted) or mature enough yet. Is this still the case, or is it time to start looking into it? Anyone have any experience with CableCards or a primer for us newbs that they'd like to share?

How to get this new stupid Comcast box to work with my Tivo?

mingodingo — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:31:43 -0800

Comcast filter: Will the new Comcast adapter box work with my Series 2 Tivo? If not (or if its a hassle), should I change cable/internet providers (and what's a good alternative in the Bay Area)? So, Comcast advertisements fed current customers this lie that if you were with Comcast, you wouldn't have to do anything for the digital conversion--now they want us to go get these converter boxes.

I am not good with hooking this sort of thing up, especially when a Tivo's involved. Will these boxes even work with a Series 2 Tivo? If so, can you explain to me (in a "Comcast boxes + Tivos for Dummies" kind of way) how to hook this up?

And if not, or if it's going to be a huge pain, any suggestions for alternative cable companies in the Bay Area I could switch to that don't require this extra equipment? Right now, I'm getting my extended basic cable and internet from Comcast for under $50, and I'd like to stay in that price range.

Thanks!

Budget home theater

bove — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:07:16 -0800

Help me design a budget HD home theater. I am planning on upgrading to HD. I have a small room and a few constraints. The size of the room dictates a 42" TV. I have about $2000 to spend on everything (this is slightly flexible). I currently have a Tivo (Series 2) and love it. I have Cox cable and will probably switch to their digital/HD service. Help me figure out where to best spend my money. Possible components:

HDTV (no preference for plasma or LCD currently)
HD DVR. Preference is Tivo (or is it worth living with the Cox box?) I am under the impression that with HD Tivo is the only option, I can't build a media center PC
Blu-ray player. I have Netflix and could switch to their Blu-ray plan. Although I am also considering relying primarily on services like Amazon on Demand, Cinemanow, etc.
Speakers/Sound. Major constraint here is I cannot have a full surround sound system. I can't run wires and I can't mount rear speakers. I am thinking about a "virtual" surround sound system.
Universal Remote

Any components I have forgotten? Anything I should do without? Can I build a good setup and stay close to my budget?

Don't burn books, burn TV shows!

pointystick — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:13:53 -0800

I want to preferably burn some shows I recorded from TV and are stored on my TiVo. Please hope me or show me how I can better google a solution. Most of the info I'm finding on doing this is a few years old. I have a TiVo series 2 and a Comcast digital cable connection. As storage space on my TiVo harddrive will soon run out and I want to keep my shows.
The stuff I want to keep is not available on DVD or iTunes or any other way I can find (if they were, I would happily buy them! I am not attempting to get around purchasing something in case that's a question.)
Some stuff I have found on YouTube or Hulu but others defy me and YouTube isn't as satisfying as watcing TV to me.
Has anyone here purchased a DVD with recording capability for this purpose? If so do you have any hints or tips or other ways to go about this? Or is it better to try to get the TiVo content on my PC?
I used to be able to use TiVo Desktop on my PC, but long ago that stopped working and so that's out unless someone knows a fix.

I am not opposed to throwing a little money at this problem but not many hundreds if it can be helped.

Devices can't access Internet

clockworkjoe — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:00:29 -0800

My Tivo and 360 can no longer access the internet because my provider has set up a Terms of Service page that you have to click on through a web browser before it will let you access the internet. What can I do to get internet for my browser less devices? My apartment complex offers free internet access. However, when you connect to it, it redirects you to a page saying "You must agree to our terms of service. Click here to agree." Once you do that it sends you to 1.1.1.1/agree.cgi and then redirects you to Yahoo. Obviously this is no problem for my computer but my Tivo has stopped working since they began this change. I have a series 2 tivo I think (got it last year).

Which PVR application is the best for me?

nitor — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:29:02 -0800

I'm looking for an open source PVR-like application for my vista computer (which is dedicated solely to playing downloaded videos). I'm looking for an open source PVR-like application for my vista computer (which is dedicated solely to playing downloaded videos). I've seen things like Freevo and Media Portal, but all the reviews seem to be really focusing on the PVR aspect of it.

I don't have cable and just want a clean app that will display all the videos I have available on my hard drive.

Which program is the best for my simple needs?

Is my TiVO modem fried?

Joe Beese — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:43:58 -0800

Is my TiVO modem fried? With increasing frequency, the many year old beast runs out of guide information. Now it will not connect to any of the local numbers during the "Getting Program Info" sequence.

I would assume it's the well-documented fragility of the modem. However, it does connect during the initial "Getting Setup Info" sequence.

Does that prove anything? Is this a good enough reason to lay out $280 for a hi-def TiVO?

Is the Blue Screen of TiVo fixable?

AgentRocket — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:56:29 -0800

Does my TiVo Series 1's "Blue Screen of TiVo" mean that it is dead, or do I have my settings messed up? We have a TiVo Series 1 from October, 2001. It is a beloved member of our home but was relegated to the basement when TiVo HD moved in last year.

For 7 years it worked without complaint, but recently it has stopped being able to show live TV; instead, it kicks out the Blue Screen of TiVo that says something like "We cannot display live TV; check your settings." I did not change anything on my setup, but my kid could perhaps have monkeyed with it when playing with the remote.

I thought maybe the cable box was overloading TiVo, so I went around it and went directly in to the back of the TiVo. No luck. I repeated Guided Setup. No luck.

My TiVo still does everything else, including the setup functions, the playing of already-recorded shows, the programming guides, the clicky clicks, etc. Does anyone have any ideas about what I can do to save TiVo? Is the patient already dead?

I'm a Comcast customer is looking to expand my TV horizons.

bamassippi — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:27:25 -0800

I'm a Comcast customer is looking to expand my TV horizons. The wife and I are looking into DVR options. We currently use Comcast (Seattle, WA) w/HD channels and, due to our apartment complex, do not have the option of Dish/DirecTV.

I would prefer a TiVo HD recorder due to TiVo's position in the market ad an industry leader. What successes/failures/thoughts do you have on TiVos current DVR technology

Is Comcast's DVR technology worth it? Obviously, the month-to-month payment is more wallet-friendly than the investment of a TiVo, though I didn't know if the end result was any better.

Thoughts?

One DVR to two TVs?

cocoagirl — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:47:18 -0800

Is it possible to have just one DVR (Comcast Motorola, FWIW) and run it to two different TVs, with all functionality intact and accessible from either set? If not, what's a good set-up for what I'd like to accomplish? I have a projector TV with Comcast DVR downstairs. I now want a TV upstairs and the ability to watch cable and have the same shows programmed for recording, etc. For instance, I want to be able to set up a series recording from one location (downstairs) and then navigate to and watch the recording upstairs later, without having to set up duplicate schedules on two DVRs.

Can I run a splitter of some sort off of the DVR/cable box downstairs and retain the recording and ability to browse channels through the second TV? Hardwiring isn't a problem since there is already a conduit. Would a Slingbox solve any of this? There are quite a few laptops out of commission around the house that could be dedicated to the project. Or TiVo? I'm willing to entertain solutions either costly or ~~makeshift~~ innovative or both. If having & programming two DVRs is really the easiest option, I'm willing to hear that, too, though it just seems silly.

My Tivo has gone blind!!

anastasiav — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:46:34 -0800

Last night my brother in law installed our new router. This morning my Tivo can't see either of the two computers on the network, and they can't see the Tivo either. Help?! Said brother in law in on his way back to PA, so he can't come and fix it. I know the MAK is correct. The Tivo can see the internet fine, it just can't seem to see either of the computers on the network, and Tivo Desktop says that there are "no Tivos available on this network". I've restarted the Tivo. I've spent the past hour and a half digging through forums with no luck. Seems like this should be an easy fix, but I know nothing about routers. Help?

Pimp My Wireless Network

billtron — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:33:16 -0800

WirelessNeworkFilter: Please help me set up my home wireless network using two routers. Despite all the particulars of my situation, there must be an easy solution. I have a cold and my brain might be a little fuzzy. I have two routers, a WRT54G running DD-WRT v23 and a brand new WRT54GL that I haven't taken out of the box.

Here's my current setup:
In the back room of the apartment are the main computer, the cable modem, and the DD-WRT router, all hardwired.
On the other side of the apartment, in the living room, are a TV, a first generation TIVO, an XBOX that will soon run XBMC, and several wireless devices that are struggling to reach the signal being broadcast by the router in the back room, often failing.
There is an external hard drive housing the media connection. It can be put anywhere on the network.
The cable modem can be kept in the back room or moved to the living room by the TV.

How should I optimally set up my network, minding the following facts:
1. The most important connection in the house is the main computer. This is why it is the one that is hardwired.
2. The TIVO has no ethernet out capability. It's using a USB wireless thingamajig. The TIVO also will only recognize WEP. If possible, I'd like to work around that to increase security for the computers.
3. I have very basic cable, and the tivo isn't really capturing anything that can't be streamed over hulu.com or the basic channel websites.
4. I would like to watch said streamed videos on the TV in the living room.
5. I would like to access the external hard drive from any computer in the house, and watch its movies and listen to its music through the television.

Tivo vs. Time-Warner DVR

theora55 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:22:10 -0800

I have a Series 2 Tivo. After 5 months of no TV at all, I have TimeWarner cable again. In my area, T-W uses the Sci. Atlanta DVR tuner. It's less expensive than Tivo, by several $ a month. Is Tivo worth the extra $ and hassle? Tivo will only get the 1st 100 channels, unless there's been some sort of upgrade, so no BBCTV, and a few other channels that occasionally have good content and are above 100. I don't have a wifi adapter for my Tivo, and don't want to run a cat5 cable, so I'd have to buy one. But the reviews of the Sci. Atlanta DVR are really bad and Tivo has a pretty great interface.

Backup Tivo Drive

bbranden1 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:32:08 -0800

Backup a Tivo drive: Is there a way (ie windows or linux software) to clone a series 2 Tivo hard drive using only an XP laptop and a couple of external usb hard drive enclosures? ( I don't have a desktop pc into which I would put the Tivo drive and a second, to be cloned, drive.)

tale of two tivos

ducktape — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:07:39 -0800

Tivo question about 2 boxes in same house, sucking off the same cable line teat, but 1 is getting some channels that the other doesn't. My wife has a series 1 thats still hooked up to our land line phone service. My series 2 is hooked up to our wireless network. Her Tivo gets 2 basic channels that my unit suddenly decided not to receive anymore.

What gives?

Comcast DVR w/ Tivo -- any good, in 2008?

galaksit — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:56:35 -0800

Are the Comcast DVR woes over? Would anyone, today, say that the Comcast DVR with Tivo service works well? I'm moving house and want to set up a new TV and internet package with a Tivo-based DVR. Should I keep what I have or go with something new? Boston area in case it matters to the service. It seems that when Comcast rolled out their DVR service many bloggers and other commentators complained about how bad it was. The residue of that is all over the internet, but most of the complaints come from 2007, and it's hard to see if people would consider this, today in mid 2008, something worth having.

I'm moving house soon. I currently run a Series 2 Tivo with the wireless network adapter off a standard Comcast digital cable box. I have a subscription on the Tivo until December 2008. Right now, things are good. I can use Tivo DecodeManager to download and transcode shows on to my computer over 801.11g wifi (thanks to the Tivo Wifi adapter). And the Tivo works nicely, but I would certainly like to be able to watch live TV while something else is being recorded, and my Series 2 is a single-tuner variant. All in all, it's perfect as it stands except for my dual tuner desires.

I've seen that Comcast offer a DVR with Tivo service now for essentially the same monthly cost as a Tivo contract. I'm sure it's got more disk space (nice) and can do HD (not a big deal for me) and probably has two tuners. But if the unit is as broken as early adopters found it to be, I think I'd rather stick with what I have.

And the killer would be if I could no longer DL shows to my computer.

Should I in fact be looking at a Series 2 DT instead?

Many thanks to anyone who entertains my rather trivial request.

My Baby Misses The 'Tivo Guy'

anastasiav — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:28:22 -0800

My son misses the "Tivo Guy"! Can you help? After five years of faithful service, our old series 2 Tivo died and was replaced (by Tivo) with a new series 2 DT box. All great and wonderful ... except for one thing: My toddler was madly in love with "the guy" (the original Series 2 Tivo animation with the slides and balls and catchy music), and when we played the new animation for him he burst into tears. He misses The Guy.

I know we can watch it on YouTube, which will do for now - but is there an Easter Egg anywhere on the Series 2 DT with the old video on it? Or, failing that, is there somewhere I can download the old animation from and then transfer it onto my Tivo?

What are the alternatives to Tivo?

mhh5 — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:01:29 -0800

What are the best DVR options for 2008? I've tried looking through previous AskMeFi answers for a decent DVR setup recommendation, but it seems like the past answers may be kinda out-of-date. Basically, I'm looking to replace my Comcrap-supplied DVR with something that is as easy to setup and use -- but that doesn't have all the annoying interface problems. Is Tivo's HD DVR basically what I'm looking for? (And should I even consider getting one off of eBay?) Or has another DVR manufacturer stepped up to the plate recently? Thanks!

Add channels to Tivo

genefinder — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:11:37 -0800

How can I make Tivo recognize all the channels my TV knows about? I don't subscribe to digital cable, and don't use the Comcast cable box. I hook my cable directly to the TV and there are channels that show up there that are HD channels. I don't know if they are actually HD without the box, but I do know the reception on these is better than the standard channels. These channels have numbers like 4-1, 7-1 etc...There are also additional channels (44-1, 44-2, etc...) that Tivo doesn't find.

I can't figure out how to tell Tivo to add these to the channel lineup it is getting as part of the setup process when it downloads from Comcast. Is there a way to do this so I can Tivo the better channel option. I am sick of Lost looking terrible!

a tivo we will go, a tivo we will go...

griffey — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:47:59 -0800

What's the best TIVO for me? We're completely fed up with our cable company (Charter) and their DVR service. We just got a new Motorola DVR from them, and the interface is so bad its impossible to use...looks like they let the engineers do User Interface work. Horrible.

I'm looking at grabbing a Tivo to replace it with, but can't find answers to a few questions: will replacing the cable box affect the channels we can receive? I could ask Charter, but don't think I'd get a straight answer, somehow.

Also, what's the difference between the Tivo HD Series 2 and the Series 3, besides nearly $200? What's the Series 3 got that makes it worth the extra cash? In a situation where we've got one central TV room, and a (right now) non-HD TV (although that will change within the year), and both of us would love to be able to use Tivo-to-go...what's the right Tivo for us?

How can I encode DVDs to play on Tivo?

psmealey — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 05:49:03 -0800

Can I encode my dvd's for Tivo using Handbrake, MPEG streamclip or similar tool? Does TiVO employ a compression scheme that one of these tools can out put DVDs to or is it proprietary? Or is there another, better way to rip DVDs so that I can load them up on my Tivo box (using the Tivo desktop)?

Is MythTV any good? Is TiVo worth the crazy costs?

chrisamiller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 01:30:07 -0800

I'm getting cable for the first time in 5 years soon, and I'd like to get one of these new-fangled PVRs. I've found plenty of info on TiVos, but I'm having trouble finding recent information on alternatives, like MythTV. Does anyone have first-hand experience or quality links? I'm a tech-savvy Linux user at home, so installing something like MythTV isn't going to be a problem. I also love the idea of having all of my recordings freely accessible, so that I can load them on my iPod, watch them on my computer, burn them to DVD, etc.

I'm a bit worried about the details of MythTV though. The old reviews I can find were all kind of halfhearted, and I haven't found anything that reviews the latest and greatest versions.

What particularly worries me (and my non-techie fiancee) is the usability of the system:

- Are the menus as easy to navigate?
- Is scheduling shows as easy?
- Are there advanced features of TiVo that I'll regret not having?
- Is the maintenance relatively pain-free?

If I do go the TiVo route, how difficult is it to get my recordings off of a PVR like that? I read something about hacking the TiVo, but I'd prefer a simpler solution. (bonus points if that solution is linux-friendly)

Two hd tv's, digital cable and a Series 2 Tivo.

captaindistracto — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:39:44 -0800

Two hd tv's, digital cable and a Series 2 Tivo. what to do? I have digital cable which runs through an HD box for one of the tv's. The picture is amazing, I have no complaints with that set up. The problem is, I've split the cable (shhhh, don't tell) and have it running through a series 2 Tivo, then into the other hd set and this picture looks grainy and not so lovely. I'm assuming the Tivo is responsible for the lame picture, but will a hd Tivo resolve the issue if I'm not running this line through the cable box? Is it possible to get a good lookin' picture with a DVR on the back end without the cable box? Bonus points if you can point me to a solution which doesn't involve a new DVR as well.

Thanks!

Too Many Moments of Zen to Count

rokusan — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:37:41 -0800

Specific Daily Show and/or Colbert Report episode recommendations (with air dates so I can find them)? I'm putting together a 'greatest hits' DVD to give to an overseas friend for Christmas, and he's never been exposed to the Daily Show or Colbert except for YouTube clips. I have the regional DVD tech and the copyright issue under control. I just need content help.

I know that Comedy Central has most (all?) of these episodes online, and for that matter I even have about 1000 of them on my own hard disk... but that's a LOT of video to search through with no index. CC's blurbs pretty much just describe them all as "great", or list the guests. Sadly, the guests are the least useful part of those shows.

I've done some digging for a community-ratings site or somesuch, but I've come up empty. Some of the highly-rated ones on YouTube are nice, but they seldom mention the episode they're from or include an air date. So I come to you, AskMites.

I have no special favorite contributors (I think they've all done some great pieces, and some poor ones) or guests in mind. I'm open.

Even if all you can do is suggest a particular episode with its date (or week?) and a reason it's great, I'll track it down! I just need something better than "that one where Ed Helms makes those people look foolish."

Can my wired TiVo join a home network for TiVo to Go?

Duluth?! I Hardly Know Her! — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:19:48 -0800

Can my wired TiVo join a home network for TiVo to Go? I was just gifted a Series2 with lifetime service. Here's how I hooked it up:

Modem --> (not wireless) Router --> one branch wired to TiVo, the other wired to my Airport Express. Then my Airport creates the wireless network for my computer, and the TiVo successfully connects to the network for programming and stuff.

I want to do TiVo to Go and listen to my iTunes on the tv, so I tried to set all that up on my computer - including buying Toast 8 - but I can't make it work. After a couple days, I realized that I am an idiot and my TiVo is not really a part of my home network because (in completely non-technical terms) it uses it's own little piece of my modem and the Airport uses a different piece. I paid a decent bit for one adapter already (a USB-ethernet adapter, because my TiVo is old school), and I don't want to buy the wireless adapter and start this all over again. Is there a way to make my TiVo talk to my computer? even though it's wired through the modem? They are only 20 feet away from each other so it seems sad that I can't figure out a solution.

Here's one idea: can I just run a long ethernet cable under the floor and go straight in to my computer? Then the Airport would get the internet signal, sling it to my computer, and my computer could feed it to my TiVo. Would that work? Is there some other way to make my airport/computer recognize the existence of my TiVo?