Why is that lately I will find that a show has not recorded because a higher priority show was recorded instead, but I don't receive any advance warning?

Well that sounds like an interesting Video Game!

I heard it can be beaten in under 2 hours...blah

I tried to buy a TIVO at Best Buy, but they wouldn't let me use a $5 off coupon! WTF

The controller sucks, I'm going back to my square sharp-cornered NES gamepad.

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

I knew sooner or later I would post in the wrong forum by mistake.

BTW my link leads you to move TiVoNuts that you'll know what to do with

When you first setup a new recording or season pass, it will tell you whether there is a conflict. There is then the option to either record the new show no matter what (putting it at the top of the list in terms of priority) or leaving it as is and missing some shows due to conflicts. After that, you should check to make sure that conflicts are resolved. This is easy to do by checking your "to do" list (Tivo button, 2) and choosing the first option (recording history). It'll tell you what wasn't recorded in the past, what won't be recorded in the near future, and why.

Just think if it notified you every single time a higher priority show was recorded. Every time you get updates, it would have to send you messages. The whole idea behind the priority list is to make sure you schedule season passes in a certain order, and then just forget about it. It's not perfect, but it's good, and you can still tweak it. For instance, I had the Simpsons on Fox rated higher than several shows. This is usually no problem, but Fox has been showing the Simpsons every day during primetime, so I missed Joan of Arcadia. Because the Simpsons is on so often, I should've put it lower on the list. If I want to make sure I tape every Sunday episode, I can create another manual recording for Simpsons at 8 on Sunday, and place it at a higher priority...

I just wish they would offer some warning when I am picking a show to record First Run only, and it decides not to record it.

How could it warn you ? It indexes guide info 24/7, so you'd have to be parked in front of your TV all the time to see the warnings.

Try this -

- Shows that only air once in a given week (like new episodes of big-network, prime-time programs) should be at the top of the Priority list.

- Shows that air new episodes multiple times in a given week (cable & HBO/Showtime, etc) get moved to the bottom of the list, taking advantage of the flexibility these reruns offer.

- One-shot recordings will overide the Priority List, so before committing a one-shot to the To Do list, check for upcoming showings during late-night or afternoon hours.

If you have a DirecTiVo you have fewer conflicts anyway, but using these guidelines will help avoid the few that do still occur.

A warning if a show leaves its normal timeslot and overtakes another show. I can't imagine that happens that frequently. I don't know how it would be done I'm just mad that this has happened twice already.

But your way is good, and I just spent some time doing that, but damn Tivo really takes a while to reset its priorities.