I'm about to have my DircTivo unit installed on Saturday and I had a quick question.

Can you set Tvio to record a specific channel at a specific time or is it just by program.

For example, could you just tell it to record the three hour block from Friends to E.R. on Thursdays on channel 4 or do you have to set up each individual program seperately?

The TiVo has both abilities: Manual Record can be used to set up a recording of whatever length for whatever channel.

By the way: setting up Manual Records for a 3 hour block on Thursday nights would bypass the TiVo ability to record "first-run" episodes only. So, if only Friends is new, it would only record Friends. A manual recording would still record 3 hours.

I don't have a single manual recording in my Season Passes. Don't find the need to.

I have manual recordings for my Premier League Season Pass.

As they are pay-per-view games, and the title changes every week, I record from 7-9am every saturday and 8-10am every sunday.

Interesting. I've heard many people here complain that Tivo cuts off their programs when they run late. For example, a supersized Friends. Does this always happen?

The whole Friends thing isn't TiVo's fault: it's NBCs. They schedule the show for 30 minutes and then it runs 32.

If it's scheduled for Supersizing, TiVo adjusts.

Friends is the only show on all week I "pad" the end of the recording by adding 5 minutes beyond the scheduled end time to ensure the entire episode is recorded.

At first, this was a problem. But Tivo fixed it by extending the recording length. I don't watch Friends but I do watch "Will and Grace" that follows and it isn't usually cut even during one of NBC's supersized nights.

I've only done manual record maybe 3 times in the 2 years I've had my TiVo.

Just got a (SA) Tivo myself. I use manual record for something like ESPN Sportscenter, where I don't necessarily want a season pass since it's on nearly 24 hours a day, and I don't want to scroll through the listings to select the ones I want. So I record from 5 to 6 am every day. Is there a better way to do this?

Is it the same hour rebroadcast throughout the day? If it is, you can set the recording option to record first run only. That's a great feature in TIVO.

Maybe you could do what I do with The Daily Show. I set up a season pass for it with Keep at Most set to one episode. That way I always have the most current showing and I don't have a bunch of TDS in my now playing list.

They vary the show a little each time they show it (since they update sports scores constantly, except maybe in the middle of the night). I think they consider each run as a "new" show.

I set up other season passes using that keep at most one trick. The problem with Sportscenter is that it's on so much, it'll record almost constantly. Which isn't so bad, but it does mean that I'll rarely ever get TIVO suggestions, which I presume record only when nothing else is scheduled.

That being said, between Season Passes and Wishlists, you'll rarely ever need Manual Record. But it's there if you do. The downside is that the new series 2 units will not work without service, even as manual record units. But who'd want a TIVO without service?

But if it's on all day long and is constantly updating, there should be no need to record. You can just watch it live.

Watch it live? What does that mean?

Just kidding. That's true, I suppose. The benefit to getting it recorded is that it's not literally on all day, it just seems like it (they play it for like 6 straight hours from midnight on), and I can fast forward through not only the commercials, but sports I'm not all that interested in.

If you don't like the keep the one, do a keep 2, 3, or whatever. That way it stops recording unless you delete another show but you're still left with a choice of updates to view.

That's interesting that you would want suggestions. I often hear how people hate suggestions, a feature I like and use when I have free space.

Yeah, NBC are complete jerks when it comes to their comedies, intentionally staggering the times to screw with their viewers. Inconsistent and misleading programming is the lowest of the low. I made a conscious decision a while back not to play their game. If they run stuff too long or start it too early to force me to watch other shows around something I'm interested in, I'll just miss it.

As long as the networks are honest about when their show will begin and end, TiVo will catch it properly, even if it's at a completely whack time like 6:22 am.

das

I guess ReplayTV just filed for Chapter 11 today. Good thing I got a Tivo last week.

the manual recording, at least on stand alone tivos, can also be used to record from any av equipment that's connected

So how long does it usually take for the system to download all the program info. So far, none of the shows I want to record are even listed.

Well, by now you should have your answer.....

But, it usually takes several days. It receives the information from the satellite at a trickle rather than all at once during a daily phone call.