Sunday, February 24, 2008

Favorite TiVo Tricks?

Ask the Readers
Favorite TiVo Tricks?

Calling all TiVo users! An (ahem) "friend" of mine just entered the 21st century and got herself a new Series 3 TiVo, and is wondering what all it can do besides, well, all that it does. What are your favorite TiVo tricks and helper applications? You a fan of TiVoToGo? TiVo.net? TiVo2DVD? You streaming your music and photo library to the old TV with TiVo? Tell us about your TiVo setup in the comments.

2:00 PM ON FRI FEB 1 2008
BY GINA TRAPANI
9,524 views
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Tagged:
ASK THE READERS, DVR, TIVO
Comments

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Image of mypod by mypod at 02:17 PM on 02/01/08

Not an application, rather a process: Weekly, we go through our wishlists and suggestions, and select additional shows to be recorded.

Then we go to the To Do List, and to the first item - Recording History. In addition to showing what has been recorded and what will be recorded, it shows, most usefully, what will *not* be recorded, because of lack of space or other issues.

This has helped us discover things like "Keep at most NN episodes" that were set too low, or the need to create a season pass for a show on *each channel* that broadcasts it, if you want to catch every episode. (E.g. in our city, PBS Mystery shows up on three different public TV channels. We had to create Mystery season passes for three channels to capture everything. Tivo is still smart enough not to record the same episode twice.)
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No commenter image uploaded by Hosalabad at 02:28 PM on 02/01/08

Online scheduling is the best ever. If a friend tells you about a show, take a minute to locate it on the grid for your area and record it. If you don't like it give it the thumbs down, either way you win as it will shape future Tivo suggestions.

Also if you forked out for a large hard drive just use the Best recording option.

Your season pass manager is numerical by priority. Adjusting a show's priority will allow one show to take precedence during a clip over another. If you see conflicts that are causing the wrong show to be clipped, check their order in the season pass manager.
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No commenter image uploaded by AltReality at 02:33 PM on 02/01/08

Similar to Mypod's suggestion, I go through my To-Do list about once a week, and weed out all the suggestions that really suck. This allows the tivo to find other suggestions to record in the same timeslot. Of course some of them still suck...but at least you've got a shot at catching something cool.
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Image of rdm by rdm at 02:34 PM on 02/01/08

I only tried on Series2 and the DirecTivos but my favorite tips are the 30 second skip "hack", the clock on the screen hack, and the "make the play bar go away quicker" hack from here:

[www.pcworld.com],121087-page,1-c,personalvideorecorders/article.html
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No commenter image uploaded by fsmontenegro at 02:37 PM on 02/01/08

Tivo now supports Amazon's UnBox service, so this means a VERY nice VoD option for those in the US (I'm in the next country up north... :-) )
Wishlists are a great feature and I recommend getting familiar with them. Keep in mind you can narrow wishlists by category as well (our toddler loves the fact that we can select "Dinosaur" & 'Kids' ... )
Unless there's a good reason to erase something, just let TiVo do its thing and don't worry about cleaning up as you would a regular HD.
For those that want to tinker with it, look up Galleon. It is a community project for a media server for TiVo. Very nice... :-)
[www.galleon.tv]
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Image of morydd by morydd at 02:37 PM on 02/01/08

My recommendation is that you take it back to the store where you got it, as I'm fairly sure that my Tivos have caused me to break whichever of the Ten Commandments forbids worshiping idols. Amazon Unbox is great when you want to rent a movie, but can't be bothered to actually move from the couch. Also check out the stuff on apps.tv for some fun time-wasters. Sudoku, Last.fm and some other interactive games are fun additions too. I also use tivo.net and the tivo desktop software to archive shows that I like to watch over and over (Futurama & Good Eats)
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Image of MercuryPDX by MercuryPDX at 02:47 PM on 02/01/08

Streaming photos to your TV through Tivo is the new "Vacation Slide Nightmare". :)
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No commenter image uploaded by kipsteele at 02:48 PM on 02/01/08

Things we have done with our tivo series 2(very jealous of the season 3 with HD but season 2 with lifetime is awesome :

subscribed to pod casts/video casts -- rocketboom, cnet and pogue, what else could you ask for. Allows me to not get sucked in to them during the work day and catching up at night. 5 or 6 webcasts at 3-10 minutes a piece is awesome.

tivo to go and Unbox -- hooked up our tivo with tivo to go so we stream music/movies over our tivo . And you can save shows to your pc for later viewing/rippage. XBOX 360 allows for simple movie downloads too and has better interface but guessing you don't frag n00bs playing Halo in your free time.

active use of wish lists and season passes -- certain channel tend not to give descriptions because they suck but we know who you are MTV. DO NOT TRY AND SEASON PASS LAW AND ORDER!
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Image of bugmenot21 by bugmenot21 at 02:49 PM on 02/01/08

TiVo + Bittorrent + Vidora = infinite entertainment

www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/TiVo/
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No commenter image uploaded by MGSmith.NJ at 02:51 PM on 02/01/08

I've been a TiVo worshipper for years. Originally bought one for my Dad, but ended up keeping his and buying him a new one. Once you go TiVo you won't go back. Anyway, as for apps I've been a Galleon user for a while ([www.galleon.tv]). More recently, I'm a big fan of pyTiVo ([pytivo.armooo.net]) which lets you stream nearly any video format to your TiVo without buying the TiVo desktop software. Great if you've got lots of DivX and other format videos around. I use both Galleon and pyTivo to stream my entire MP3 library as well. Wonderful feature. Finally, I love the Video-cast downloads available in the 'Download TV and Video' sections. Worth checking out RocketBoom, Veracifier, GeekBrief TV, Frederator, and others.
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No commenter image uploaded by kylep at 02:54 PM on 02/01/08

Tivo button then 2 takes you to the Todo queue to make sure what you want to have recorded is actually going to get recorded (probably more of an issue for us older single tuner Series 2 owners). When you start to get lots of season passes going it is easy to have the wrong shows (my kids cartoons) set to a higher priority. Todo queue also lets you look back in time to see why something did not get recorded (so you know which child to punish).
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Image of MercuryPDX by MercuryPDX at 03:10 PM on 02/01/08

@bugmenot21: Sweet mother of pearl, I have been looking for something like that for a long time.
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Image of MercuryPDX by MercuryPDX at 03:12 PM on 02/01/08

@kipsteele: On that note, you should always set shows that run a bazillion times on certain networks (MTV, VH1, E!, F/X, Etc.) at the very bottom of your priority list.
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No commenter image uploaded by schulman at 03:12 PM on 02/01/08

As RDM says, 30-second skip hack is a must. (While playing a recorded show, hit select-play-select-3-0-select. You'll hear 3 chimes if you did it right. You'll need to redo this whenever the Tivo reboots.)

I also use the number shortcuts constantly. Tivo button-2 takes you to the to-do list, Tivo button-4 takes you to Find Programs to Record, I think Tivo button-8 takes you to Suggestions -- play with these; each number takes you somewhere from the main screen. (I think "0" replays the reboot animation.)

Finally, it's not a trick, but if you live somewhere with dodgy power, put your Tivo on a UPS. You don't want it to reboot every time the power flickers.
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No commenter image uploaded by gunnyman at 03:13 PM on 02/01/08

I have a Directivo and I use it for stuff you aren't supposed to use it for. MRV from one TiVo to another is the Killer App for me. With it and TiVoServer, I can watch content I've downloaded from the internet, including Video Podcasts and torrents.
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Image of Gina Trapani by Gina Trapani at 03:19 PM on 02/01/08

@schulman: I keep trying the 30 second skip hack and either I'm doing it wrong, or it's a no-go on the Series 3. Can anyone confirm either way?
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Image of wolfsong by wolfsong at 03:21 PM on 02/01/08

Slightly off topic.

I had heard that Time-Warner Cable was going to offer Tivo's service with their DVRs but I can't seem to find if on their website. Does anyone know if this just some wild rumor? I'm not ready to give up the OnDemand content yet but I love some of Tivo's features, particularly the online programming.
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Image of Lula Mae Broadway by Lula Mae Broadway at 03:25 PM on 02/01/08

Great post!

Best thing I ever did for my Tivo was do a hard drive upgrade:

www.weakness.com

I've got 160GB and have loads of movies and stuff saved up - no worrying about something deleting prematurely...
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No commenter image uploaded by Gerard Sorme at 03:26 PM on 02/01/08

Another vote here for the ease of use with Amazon's UnBox. It's a great service. (As is, btw, their new mp3 digital downloads .89/.99 and DRM-FREE!)

That PC World article (linked in RDM's post at 2:34 PM)is very good - be sure and check that out.

I'm not sure if Tivo is the best or worst thing to happen in our household. I know I don't get out near as much! :(
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Image of Gina Trapani by Gina Trapani at 03:28 PM on 02/01/08

@schulman: Ah, confirmed that I'm an idiot and was doing it wrong. The 30-second hack is now officially working, thanks all!
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No commenter image uploaded by schulman at 03:34 PM on 02/01/08

@Gina Trapani: I'm glad you got it working! You do have to do it while playing a recorded show, not while watching live TV.

I've had mixed experiences with Weaknees, but it is a glorious thing to have the extra hard drive space.

@Wolfsong, I've heard (from a Comcast technician) that new Comcast Motorola DVRs are going to have the TiVo interface available, but I don't know when that will be available.
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Image of aeronaut by aeronaut at 05:11 PM on 02/01/08

I bought the TIVO plus software after trying several solutions for getting recorded video to an ipod that were mentioned here on LH. The TIVO software is pretty straightforward and I've not experienced any problems with the conversions. Pretty soon I'll have all the Futurama episodes available for those long trips!
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Image of missdona by missdona at 05:19 PM on 02/01/08

@Gina

You don't have to do it again when it reboots. It's now a permanent fix that was in the last software upgrade. Once you do your 30sec skip, it's done forever
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Image of rdldr1 by rdldr1 at 06:25 PM on 02/01/08

Why doesnt TiVo have a 30-second commercial skip feature? Perhaps to avoid the lawsuits that hit ReplayTV. But I learned a cool TiVo trick on the interweb that "activates" the "secret" 30-second skip feature.
On your Tivo Remote hit up this combo:
select; play; select; 3; 0; and select.
You should hear three dings. This means that the "->|" button below the fast forward button now becomes the 30 sec skip button. To go to the end of the episode, just hit fast forward then "->|".
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Image of hakukaji by hakukaji at 06:35 PM on 02/01/08

spend the money to upgrade the Tivo Desktop Software to Tivo Desktop Plus. It's a one time $25 fee, and it will allow you to transfer and encode your tivo recordings in the easiest most efficient way. Tivo Desktop Plus + iPod = one happy person!
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No commenter image uploaded by 2-7offsuit at 06:45 PM on 02/01/08

If I was going to buy a Tivo what model would you guys suggest on the cheap? Where's the best place to get one?
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Image of takemetoyourtoaster by takemetoyourtoaster at 07:18 PM on 02/01/08

hey anybody know how to get videos off of a comcast dvr onto a mac??
please help me!
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Image of mschlock by mschlock at 11:00 PM on 02/01/08

Go to digitaldroplet.net and download AudioFaucet. It directly interfaces with your computer's iTunes library and *updates the play dates and play counts* when songs play through your TV, which I love because I listen to my tunes using a "hasn't been played in the last 3 months" smart playlist. It's the only "stereo" I have in the house and I heart it muchly.

WishLists are also your friend. Enter all your favorite musical artists as auto-recording WishLists and watch as random shows appear from time to time. We recently got VH1 Classic over here and it picked up a Paul Simon documentary that contained things I actually did not know about the Graceland album, and I thought I was a fairly big fan. Good times!

And a final little "hack": Turn on closed captioning (digital is best, the S3 has it) and watch shows in single speed fast forward. I did this for the recent rerun of last year's Lost finale to remind myself what the hell was going on without committing to 1.5 hours of watching. It was awesome.
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No commenter image uploaded by mwagner at 12:10 AM on 02/02/08

I'm a little obsessive about TiVo.

Every day I glance through the list of already-recorded shows and extend the date on everything that has a yellow circle, or yellow-circle-with-exclamation-mark next to it. I find if you simply save-until-I-delete, it messes up future recordings.

I keep a *huge* wishlist. Just tonight we added a new cop-comedy-buddy show starring the gorgeous something-or-other McCormack, who starred in the last couple of years of "The West Wing." The promo looked funny and it said "coming soon," so I saved it to a wishlist and now we can forget about it. (I should write a book -- "GTD With Your TiVo.")

Tomorrow, I'm going to be sitting down and looking through the wishlist to see what's coming up that we should record. I will go through the to-do list and make sure everything we want to see is recording, and cancel anything we *don't* want to see. I also look through the movie channel listings to see what's coming up that we might want to see. Whole thing takes about 45 minutes. I know that sounds time-consuming and boring, but I find it restful. When I'm done, I make a note of the latest time that TiVo's schedule covers, and make a note to do the sweep again the day before the schedule runs out. I do this every 12 days or so -- that's how far ahead TiVo's schedule goes.

I keep a supply of sitcoms on the TiVo. I work from a home office and don't like to eat in front of the computer. I find sitcoms are perfect for breakfast, lunch, and snack breaks -- interesting enough to keep me entertained while I'm eating, but not so engaging that I'm tempted to linger at the TV when I should be getting back to work. Currently my sitcom stockpile includes episodes of "The Simpsons," "How I Met Your Mother," and "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

We have a hacked WeaKnees Series 2 TiVo with dual tuners and about 130 hours capacity. That's why I have to go through it to make sure we don't lose anything, I think we have about a hundred hours of movies and TV shows stocked up on there. Because we really are going to watch "Hollywoodland" one day.
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No commenter image uploaded by annelid at 05:41 AM on 02/02/08

I complain about TiVo still only being on Series 1 in the UK. :( :(
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No commenter image uploaded by adcaev at 09:03 AM on 02/02/08

I don't have a landline in my house, so I hooked it up the TiVo to my home network with a wireless adapter. I installed the TiVo Desktop software on my computer. I dropped $25 to get the premium software, TiVo Dekstop Plus. Here's why: it streams pretty much ANY format. That means that if I *ahem* aquire *ahem* a movie from the internet in Divx, Xvid, etc., it will stream to my TV in perfect format. I tried to find open source alternatives to do this, but the proprietary TiVo software is, by far, the best and easiest to use. So my addons to the plain ol' TiVo cost me about $35, but it was worth it.
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No commenter image uploaded by loudguitars at 10:50 AM on 02/02/08

With the S3, you can use what's called the Kickstart 62 code to add any eSATA hard drive. Really easy and a hell of a lot cheaper than paying someone to crack open your box and install a new hard drive. I slapped a 750 gigger on bringing my total storage up to 1TB, and it's awesome.

Note, this isn't available on the TiVo HD without some hacking, but you can use approved hard drives (right now only the WD My DVR Expander drive) without resorting to any hacking or weird workarounds.
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Image of normanm4 by normanm4 at 06:02 PM on 02/02/08

You HAVE TO give "paid programming" 3 thumbs down out of the box...spares you some stupid "tivo suggestions" down the road (unless of course you are enamored with the "Jack LaLanne Power Juicer"...then by all means, skip my suggestion.
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No commenter image uploaded by FrogBoy at 07:29 PM on 02/02/08

Gina,

Welcome to the world of TiVo! It's been rocking my world for the last seven years now. If you really want to open that bad-boy up here are some things you must do.

1) Get it connected to your home network (I am sure you did this already but just in case you haven't, it's a must for some cool enhancements).

2) Install TiVO Desktop on your PC. Aside from allowing you to play your massive mp3 collection from your TiVo box/home theater setup, or watch your digital pictures on that crazy flat panel from the comfort of your couch, TiVO Desktop allows you to transfer .mpg content between your computer and TiVO. The beauty of this is that it works both ways so if you have an .mpg that you want to watch on your TiVo, put it in the appropriate folder (the default, if memory serves, is "My Documents\My TiVo Recordings") and then, from your TiVo, scroll down to the bottom of "Now Playing" and enter the folder with your computer name. From here you can select and download any .mpgs that are sitting in the "My TiVo recordings" folder of your PC. Sweet! Needless to say this is essential (and free):
[www.tivo.com]

If you are rockin a Mac they got a version for you as well:

[www.tivo.com]

If you want to convert movies transferred from your TiVo to .mpg, "DirectShow Dump" is your man. Conversions take around five minutes (if that much because TiVO stores content in .mpg form already). This tool just strips off the extraneous information that TiVo appends to the mpg.And for all you lifehackers this process can be automated by applying a "watch" to a specific folder.

[prish.com]

Want your TiVo controller to power up your TV and stereo with a single button press. It can do it!

[tivosupport2.instancy.com]

Want to add extra capacity. Not sure if it will work with a series 3 but when the hard disk drive on my series 2 (with lifetime membership) died a horrible death, InstantCake allowed me to take a fresh 300 GB drive and bring it back from the dead.

[www.dvrupgrade.com]

OK, I am running out of breath here. That should get you started. Keep up the great work Gina! Thanks for all the wonderful tips!
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Image of angelfish by angelfish at 09:36 PM on 02/02/08

If you have young children who like to get up really early in the morning, set a season pass for the shows they enjoy and keep 3-5 episodes each. Then teach them how to use the TiVo remote. It's never too early to introduce children to technology.

On our "back-up" TiVo, I record reruns of old shows that I don't care about a lot but that are fun to watch (NYPD Blue, L&O), then watch them while I'm on the treadmill with the closed-captioning on.

If you like the Daily Show, you'll want to record it manually, and not with a season pass. For some reason, even though the show airs four times a day, none of the repeats are designated as repeats so TiVo will record it all four times. I just set a manual record for Comedy Central Monday through Friday from 10:00-11:00 (Central) and I get both Stewart and Colbert in one shot.

For the shows I really don't want to miss, I record them on both TiVos. When the "TiVo is scheduled to change the channel in two minutes to record [whatever]" message comes on and my husband is in the middle of something else, he really doesn't think twice about canceling my scheduled recording (and yet I still love him).

Okay, one more and I'll shut up. If there's an hour-long show you like to watch on the night it actually airs (Lost, anyone?), start watching it about 20 minute after it starts. That way you can zip through the commercials and still be done in time to get to the fan message boards and geek out. Not that I've ever done that.
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Image of ejl10 by ejl10 at 11:57 AM on 02/03/08

You almost have to upgrade the hard disk to make it worthwhile. With a 160GB drive I have a 137 hour series 2 unit. I just let it do its thing, and I don't even have to have cable! There's always something on that I want to watch.
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No commenter image uploaded by MikeT at 12:14 PM on 02/03/08

I second most the recs on this thread, but here are a few I haven't seen:

I don't watch the news much, but like to have it available, so I set my season pass for the local news to only keep one copy. That way I always have the latest. And I record shows like that in Basic quality, since I don't really care that much about picture quality.

Check out the options in "Download TV and Movies", there are some good video podcasts in there.

If you run your sound through a TV receiver, you can set the Tivo remote's power button to automatically turn on the receiver and TV and the same time.
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Image of MegaZone by MegaZone at 09:41 PM on 02/03/08

I'd recommend TiVo users check out the menu/navigation shortcuts and back door codes: [www.tivolovers.com]

If you have a networked TiVo, also check out [www.Apps.tv], [www.PlayTeeVee.com], and [www.Galleon.tv] for some cool 3rd party applications that work with TiVo.

There are also several useful websites and blogs that cover TiVo - [www.tivocommunity.com], [www.tivolovers.com] (my site), [www.tivoblog.com], and [www.zatznotfunny.com] are a good start.
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Image of MegaZone by MegaZone at 09:43 PM on 02/03/08

@mypod: Season Passes are tied to one channel, but WishLists are not. So if you have a show, like Mystery, that airs on multiple channels. You might be able to use an Auto-Record WishList to catch it instead of multiple Season Passes. That can be easier to managed, if it is a viable option for the program.
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Image of MegaZone by MegaZone at 09:48 PM on 02/03/08

@wolfsong: Comcast and Cox have deals with TiVo to use the OCAP port of the TiVo software. Comcast is currently deploying the software in the Boston area, with more areas to follow later this year. Cox is still several months from deploying. At this time Time Warner has not made a deal with TiVo to use the TiVo software on their DVRs.
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Image of MegaZone by MegaZone at 09:50 PM on 02/03/08

@wolfsong: Oh, I forgot, one solution other users have done is to get a TiVo Series3 or TiVo HD, but to also keep a non-DVR cable box to use just for OnDemand or PPV content. (Personally I find so much content is available just from the TiVo that I wouldn't have time for OnDemand.)
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Image of MegaZone by MegaZone at 10:02 PM on 02/03/08

@2-7offsuit: At this point I really recommend the TiVo HD. It works with cable and/or antenna, and it can record HDTV, of course. It is the best balance of performance, features, and price. Even if you don't have an HDTV now it works well with standard TVs and it'll be ready if/when you get an HDTV.

If price is the main issue, the Series2DT is the least-cost option. There is currently a special: [www.tivolovers.com]

But the S2DT is standard-definition only, and it is only dual-tuner for analog cable channels. Digital channels require an external cable box, and only one is supported. Also, no antenna support.

I don't mean to make it sound like a bad box, it isn't, it just isn't as good a product as the TiVo HD or Series3.
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Image of MegaZone by MegaZone at 10:12 PM on 02/03/08

@loudguitars: There is no need to use the KickStart 62 code any longer. TiVo released eSATA support for the Series3 and the TiVo HD officially. While the TiVo HD is limited to supporting only the officially blessed Western Digital 500GB 'My DVR Expander', the Series3 will work with any eSATA drive - just connect it.
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Image of MegaZone by MegaZone at 10:16 PM on 02/03/08

@angelfish: TiVo owners with young children would probably benefit from trying out the TiVo KidZone features too.

As for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, I use a Season Pass for both. I find that the guide data is correct *most* of the time, *except* for Monday's, for some reason. The repeat episodes on Monday during the day aren't properly flagged. But I deal with those, and any other anomalies by periodically checking my To Do List and pruning unneeded recordings.
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Image of MercuryPDX by MercuryPDX at 09:46 AM on 02/04/08

@angelfish: There's actually a "Wish list hack" to ensure that you get only ONE copy of any new Daily Show (or Colbert Report).

From [www.tivocommunity.com] :

1. Create a new WishList.
2. Enter the show title as the first Keyword (or as a Title Keyword); "Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
3. Give it a Thumbs up (which is the default)
4. Enter the generic program description as the second Keyword (NOT as a Title Keyword): "A humorous slant on top news stories"
5. Give it a thumbs down* (You are telling it "NOT" by using the thumbs down here).
6. Set the WishList to Auto Record with "first run only".

In an nutshell, this will record all new episodes and ignore episodes with generic guide data.

No more reruns. No more multiple recordings. No more random Friday recordings as part of a M-F manual recording. And TiVo can choose to record a later airing if the tuners are busy at 11:00pm.
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Image of angelfish by angelfish at 07:55 PM on 02/04/08

Thanks megazone and mercurypdx. As I was my comment, I thought "Hmmm. Wonder if they've fixed that yet." I've had mine set this way for a long time and have never gone back to check. I recall a "Daily Show" where Stewart was actually apologizing to TiVo users for the multiple copies of the show. But that was quite some time ago.
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No commenter image uploaded by HeartBurnKid at 08:26 AM on 02/05/08

@MercuryPDX: Nice idea, but the only problem is that Tribune sometimes doesn't give the descriptions for new episodes, either, instead just giving the same generic description. So you're bound to miss a few episodes that way.
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No commenter image uploaded by capitolm94 at 03:58 PM on 02/05/08

If you have a blu-ray or HD DVD player, make your own HD DVD's (or Blu-ray) from standard DVD media from the HD shows you record, works awesome, archive TV shows in the same quality that they were aired.

[www.tivocommunity.com]

This should totally get a how-to, its not that hard and very impressive!
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Image of Molly O'Poverty by Molly O'Poverty at 09:29 AM on 02/22/08

For months now, I've been unable to get online scheduling of my TiVo to work though Yahoo!. I always get an "Sorry, we're currently unable to link your TiVo account to your Yahoo! account. Please try again later or contact customer support."

I have a lifetime paid membership on my Toshiba series 2 TiVo and a valid yahoo account. All other functions like TiVo desktop all work fine.

Anybody out there have success with it?

I'm on a Mac (OS X 10.4.11) and thought that maybe safari was the problem so I tried Camino and Firefox but still no luck.
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Image of Molly O'Poverty by Molly O'Poverty at 10:50 AM on 02/22/08

Just for the heck of it, I tried "Record Now" from Yahoo! TV's listings page and... it worked! Online schedule also worked directly thru tivo.com's website. I guess I was already signed up since I have TiVo ToGo/Desktop installed and already had a Yahoo! account linked? Strange.

I am just SO JAZZED when technology actually works as advertised! Now I can schedule programs any old time or where!!
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Upgrade Your TiVo's Hard Drive for More Recording Space

a die-hard TV lover you may regularly be bumping up against your storage limits. If so, web site NewReleaseVideo's in-depth guide to upgrading your TiVo's hard drive might be just what you're looking for. The process from start to finish isn't for the faint of heart, requiring a few special tools and some work in a Linux live CD environment, but if you're serious about increasing your TiVo's storage capabilities, the guide is also extremely detailed and beginner-friendly (though unfortunately photo-less).

Watch Video Downloads on Your TiVo for Free

Your TiVo can play more than just television it's recorded —it can also play video that you've downloaded to your computer from the internets, and it can do it without the pay-for TiVo Desktop Plus upgrade. If you're a BitTorrent'ing, usenet'ing, podcatching, downloading fool, filling up your hard drive with movies, television episodes, and video clips you want to watch from the couch instead of the computer chair, you can do just that if you've got a TiVo sitting under your flat screen in the living room. Using the free Videora TiVo Converter for Windows, here's how to watch your video downloads from the comfort of your couch without forking over extra cash.

Note: If you don't have a TiVo but still want to watch your video downloads in the living room, check out our previous tutorials on how to build your own DVR, or hack your classic Xbox into a tricked out media center, or watch video on your Xbox 360.

Ready to start watching downloads on your TiVo? Here's what you'll need to get started.

* A TiVo connected to your home network
* A Windows PC on your home network
* A PC video file you want to watch on your TiVo (.AVI, .MPG, etc.)

First, if you haven't already, download and install the free TiVo Desktop Software onto your PC. This is the app that will let your TiVo see your PC and vice versa. Once TiVo Desktop is up and running, on your TiVo, under Music, Photos, & More, select "Enable Home Network Applications."

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Once that's done, if all goes well, you'll see your PC listed in TiVo's "Now Playing" list, as shown below (my PC's named MULDER).

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Once you can see your PC from your TiVo, in theory you should be able to simply copy video files to your PC's TiVo folder (by default, C:\Documents and Settings\YOURUSERNAME\My Documents\My TiVo Recordings and access them on your TiVo. And you can do this—if your files are MPEG2 or .TIVO files. However, if you've downloaded an .AVI file, for instance, TiVo will tell you you've got to upgrade to TiVo Desktop Plus (which costs $24.95).

But you can keep your 25 bucks and still watch video from your TiVo. The Videora TiVo conversion tool makes your files TiVo-friendly for free. Download the Videora TiVo converter for Windows, install, and fire it up. Click the "Transcode New Video" button and add your .AVI file to the converter queue, and then click the "Start" button. (If you've got several files to convert, repeat this process for each one—Videora will add the files to its queue and work on the next one as each job completes). Videora's conversion process isn't a quick one, and depends on the length of your files. You might want to start this sucker before you head to lunch or to bed for the evening.

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Hint: to get an estimated amount of time a particular conversion will take, from Videora's sidebar choose "Setup" and in the "Profile Picker" tab you can enter the video's length, the profile you want to use, and hit the Calculate button to get an estimated conversion duration time.

Once your conversion job's done, click on the Move option in Videora's sidebar. From there, you can move or copy the video file that's converted for TiVo to TiVo's video folder on your PC's hard drive.

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Now, on your TiVo, browse to your PC. The newly-converted and transferred files will be listed there. Select one to transfer it over your network from your PC to your TiVo. You can start watching the file as the transfer happens—no need to wait for a long network copy to complete.

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Automatically Convert Your BitTorrent Downloads (Advanced Videora Usage)

Now that you've converted a downloaded video file for your TiVo, you're never going to want to do it manually again. Using the main Videora application along with your BitTorrent client and the Videora TiVo converter, you can set up a "watch folder"—the folder where your BT downloads get saved—and the Videora TiVo converter will make the files saved there TiVo-ready automatically. Here's more on setting up "ITVCasting" with Videora and BitTorrent.