Just Got "DirecTivo"...Looking for a Few Suggestions and Answers...
 

Hey guys,

So I've heard there are a few quirks in Tivo that can kind of mess you up--or at the very least, people prefer certain things over others (like season passes over wishlists, etc).

Well, I'm all new to this. So, I decided to set up a few season passes. I'm curious if I'm doing this the way it should be done in order to enable me to see what I want to see.

I put a season pass on the following:

Joe Schmoe Show
Playmakers
King of Queens

Now, it asked me if I wanted to do repeats and first run episodes. I stated only first run episodes. Now, King of Queens doesn't premiere new episodes until Oct 1, which it told me on Tivo. However, it also showed all the syndicated King of Queen shows. So, I'm curious, will it record all the syndicated ones even though I told it to only do "first run" episodes? When I hit season pass, it told me there are 26 upcoming episodes, and 25 of them were syndicated.

Lastly, let's say I DO want to record shows in syndication. Usually they come on one, two, even three times a day like the Simpsons. If I want to record, say, the Simpsons or Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, whats the best way to go about this? Season Pass? Wishlists (can someone briefly explain the different between that and season pass)? Another option?

Also, what if a show is a two parter for, say, a finale. Say I have the Joe Schmoe show on season pass and it's usually for an hour. In the finale, it's 2 hours--will Tivo get this still? What if it changes from Tuesday Nights to Thursday for the finale? What if a season pass show doesn't air a new episode for two weeks? Will it record nothing for those two weeks or repeats and pick up with the new episode in the future, or will it be thrown off track.

Thanks a lot, guys. I know it's a lot to read. I appreciate it.

You're right, that's a lot of questions. :)

Bottom line: trust the TiVo, it'll do what you want without much fuss.

If you say first run, it'll only record first run.
If something is on several times a day, record with season pass and set to pick up reruns. It'll record all of them. (Unless they play the same episode three times per day, then it only records one of them).

TiVo will adjust to a changed schedule: will record 2 hours if it's 2 hours, will record Thursday if it's been moved. If it's not new for 2 weeks, no problem. It'll pick it up again. I haven't had a new Sopranos recorded in a year, but the pass is still there waiting.

Re: Just Got "DirecTivo"...Looking for a Few Suggestions and Answers...
 

When you look at "View Upcoming Episodes", you will see all of the episodes airing. The Tivo will only record the ones with the checkmarks next to it. You can also check the "To Do List" to confirm what is going to be recorded for the next couple of weeks.

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Lastly, let's say I DO want to record shows in syndication. Usually they come on one, two, even three times a day like the Simpsons. If I want to record, say, the Simpsons or Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, whats the best way to go about this? Season Pass? Wishlists (can someone briefly explain the different between that and season pass)? Another option?

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There are a couple of differences between a Wishlist and a Season Pass. One, a Season Pass is station specific, so an SP for Simpsons on your local FOX channel will NOT record Simpson episodes on another channel. A Wishlist will record from any channel, any time. It basically is like a Google search on the program guide and whenever it gets a hit for "Simpsons" or whatever, it will record that occurrence. As for what's best, it depends on the show, and how often it airs in your area. For something like the Simpsons, I'd set up a Season Pass for the first-run Sunday Fox shows, and then maybe a Season Pass or manual recording for one of the local rerun spots. Be sure to give the Simpsons three thumbs up, and you'll start seeing all kinds of episodes in your suggestions anyway.

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Also, what if a show is a two parter for, say, a finale. Say I have the Joe Schmoe show on season pass and it's usually for an hour. In the finale, it's 2 hours--will Tivo get this still? What if it changes from Tuesday Nights to Thursday for the finale? What if a season pass show doesn't air a new episode for two weeks? Will it record nothing for those two weeks or repeats and pick up with the new episode in the future, or will it be thrown off track.

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Tivo is dependent on the program guide information provided by the network. It is usually accurate. There are a few stations (i.e. TechTV) which don't provide episode specific info, so recording their shows is more work. For 99% of the cases, particularly for primetime, big-name shows, you won't have to worry. The Season Pass will record both hours of a special two-parter, and it will follow it to another night. It will not record reruns between original episodes if you have it set for First Run only.

Be sure to read through the FAQs and various threads over at www.tivocommunity.com they have the answer for any wuestion you'll ever come up with.

Since the '28-day rule' is ridiculously short on some occasions, I have a question as well.

My daughter likes some of the disney channel shows that, due to repeats, come on, seemingly, dozens of times a day. She only spends every other weekend with me. I like to have a small library of stuff for her when she arrives, so I set up season passes, but then again, I don't want to fill up the hard drives with those shows. Also, once I get a library built up, I don't want them on my To Do list, so I keep getting conflict messages I have to override when I find a movie or sport event I want to record on the fly (they are at my lowest SP priority, round near #30 or so).

So I set it up to save no more than 5 for example. But I'd rather it STOP recording that show at that point, and not record another until we delete one. Now I don't want to set up her 10 SP every other weekend when she comes over, but what other choices do I have so my HD isn't busy recording (and deleting the ones recorded yesterday) Even Stevens and Lizzie Maguire 24x7?

Y2K Falcon, what you want to do is go to your recording options for the particular wishlist and set the "Auto-record wishlist programs" (not sure if that's exactly what it is, but something like that) to "off" or unchecked or whatever it is. Then, when you're ready for more, go back and reactivate it.

Hmmm.. I haven't seen that... Is that only "Wishlist" functionality? I have it set up as a SP, but I could set it up as a WL if that would work better.

:drool: Hilary Duff wishlist


Sister Sister - DIS1
342 upcoming episodes. -rolleyes-

For Y2k you have the space for it. but what you need to do is just allow it to keep 2 shows or something like that, so it will record but only use up 1 hour or 2 hours of the show.

But what I don't like about that, BDB, for cases like this is, it will record 2 shows on the first day, right? But then when the next one comes on, it will record THAT one, and delete the 'old' one (unwatched, from earlier that day). I'm tired of those shows filling up my to-do list.

We don't care about sequence, obviously, just having different things to watch that she likes.

Same goes for my wife's HGTV shows, and my stepson's Fox Sports You Gotta See This habit.



With 240+ hours, I do have the space, but that's not the issue. Of course, with family member specific folders, I wouldn't be as upset about it. :grunt:

I'd just set it to 'save all', and know the first places to look should things get full. ;)

Yes, it only works for Wishlists. If you go to "Pick Programs To Record" -> "Season Pass Manager" -> then find the Wishlist, you can choose "Don't auto-record programs (3rd choice down). Once you need some more shows, you have to go into "Pick Programs To Record" -> "Search Using Wishlists" -> pick the old wishlist, which will be listed on the first page, and set it to "Auto-record WishList programs".

Y2K -- If you mark a season pass with both "SAVE UNTIL I DELETE" and "KEEP 5 ONLY" then it won't record any newer ones until you've watched a few of the old ones on your list...

adamblast is right. Thats how I handle it.

Ah! A GREAT reason for the "Save until I delete"!!!!!


Thanks Adamblast!!!!!! A perfect solution!

When I change it, will the future episodes disappear off my To Do list??? (until I do delete and then it reindexes and finds it needs to grab one or more?)

Yep, that's just the way it should work...

TIVO sortcut most people don't know:

Press #2 (button 2) on your remote when in the main menu and it takes you STRAIGHT to the To Do List page (at least in all the current programs for DirecTV and TIVO). Saves several clicks and works great. Enjoy your TIVO!!

Okay, let me jump on this thread with a couple questions of my own.

First, is there anyway to LEGALLY upgrade a DirecTivo? I've got a 35 hour hard drive now, but was looking for more.

Second, is there any way to order the "Now Playing" list so it's alphabetical, or at least grouping episodes of the same program together?

Thanks in advance!

:hscratch: I thought all remotes had a "List" button? :hscratch: The one for my DirecTivo does...

I'm just happy I found out how to sort the to do list alphabetically... I no longer care when I recorded things, or when they "expire", I just want to see what I have.

This would be a good time for (I've only used the sort and 30 second skip ones):


[EDITED TO ADD: I guess I was answering your question while you were typing it, Darthlurker!]

Upgrading your tivo hard drive violates no known laws. You will, however, violate your 90 day warranty. ;)


See the post above this one. I don't know of a way to do grouping (or even better, folders) for DirecTivo.

I couldn't live without the SORT feature anymore... It lets you choose BY DATE (default), BY EXPIRATION, or ALPHABETICAL...

Too bad I have to enable it (and the 30-second-skip) every time there's a reboot or software update...

Yea but how often are their software updates? Then again I still have a S1SA. :D

I do use the backdoor time code. Select>Play>Select>9>Select. At first I didn't like it but I can't stand to watch the tele without the time now. It's discrete and in the far bottom righthand corner of the screen UNDER the station logos.

The sort feature is the same for DirecTivos.

My upgrade is shipping as we speak, from what I have read Tivo do not frown upon people upgrading.

I won't have as much as y2k, but will add 105gb to my total, should have it tomorrow :D

Tivo unofficially embraces upgrading. Take a look inside many of their models...you'll find an extra bay and cable for a second drive. Since they don't sell second drives, just what are they there for? ;)

Guys, I'm having some problems with "DirecTivo"

Now, lets say I see a show I like thats coming on in an hour. I go to program guide, see that the Simpsons is on at 11:00pm. I then press "record" for "The Simpsons" at 11:00pm, and it records it. Recording this way works fine.

But, it seems it is NOT recording my season passes or shows I find via the "search for title". I typed in a couple season passes or did a search for a certain show. I'd find it, and it'd tell me it would record a certain show at a specific time. During the time the show is on, the channel is changed to something else I'm currently watching, but I see the red light on indicating it's recording the show I want. I then go into "List" and I see the show I want recorded is currently recording. But afterwards, the show is gone. It's not listed, and therefore not recorded.

I also noticed that when I want to do this for shows that come on back to back, it overwrites the first show. So, if the Simpsons comes on at 11:00pm followed by Seinfeld on the same network, it will record the Simpsons, then immediately records Seinfeld seemingly over it. And when it's all said and done, neither Simpsons or Seinfeld are there for my viewing. It's almost like it either immediately erases the shows or doesn't record them at all.

Any help would be great.

PacMan2006, are you saying that you have NO SHOWS at all in your "Now Playing" list? The Tivo doesn't store anything, or just random problems? When you set up your recordings, do you choose "Save Until I Delete"? How many hours can your Tivo hold? Have you upgraded the drive?

The only thing I can think of other than a hard drive problem, is that your Tivo is full of programs you have told to save until deleted (green dot next to the name), and the new stuff (not told to be held until deleted) is being constantly overwritten because it's the only space available. Do you see any suggestions in your "Now Playing" list? If not, that's a sure indicator that you are out of room.

PacMan: (I also saw your almost as equally not helping thread on the tivo community forum)

I have a gazillion questions to ask cause with the info presented it could be a million things! In the other thread, folks are thinking it could be a bad LNB/tuner. :whofart:

You are looking at the "Now Playing list", not the To Do list, right???? :hscratch:

We need more info:

1) how many items are on your "Now Playing list"?
2) do you have 'record tivo suggestions' turned on?
3) are there suggestions on your NPList (you'll see the little black circle tivo items next to them)?
4) have you upgraded your tivo yet, or is it still 35 hour defaults (assuming you have a 'new' DirecTivo, meaning a Hughes HDVR2 or Phillips DSR7000)?
5) How exactly are you doing the recording? Are you going to the show in the "guide" and then hitting the record button??
6) Do you have both receivers on your tivo getting signal? (two coax cables coming in the back + one going to the tv)
7) What happens when you toggle between your receivers while watching "something else" while the recording is going on?
8) When you look at your Season Pass for the shows you are having trouble with, what are the settings for each show? (i.e. how many to save, save until, etc.)
8) Is it POSSIBLE that you are CHANGING CHANNELS on the SEASON PASS RECORDING TUNER WHILE THE SEASON PASSED SHOW IS STILL ON?????? If you are watching a show on one tuner while the second is happily recording a season pass on the other tuner, and you hit "Live TV" to switch to the other tuner (or the up/down arrow button and "Select", you switch to the other tuner, and I am not sure what warning (if any) you will receive if you THEN try and change the channel on THAT tuner.


Actually, that last question has me worried...

Are you thinking that it is recording the show for you just because you are watching it live, seeing the green bar grow, etc.? EVERY show you watch "live" is being recorded into the 30 minute buffer, but as soon as you change channels, or 30 more minutes pass, it goes away. You need to do something extra to KEEP it, like hit the record button (in the guide before a show starts, or while watching a show to record from as far back as the buffer goes in that show to the end) or have a season pass or wishlist.

Email me... I'd be more than glad to talk through it. I'd even foot the phone bill for a LD call. :lol: (god bless cell phone plans) It pains me to see someone with DirecTivo not being able to use it for what it can do!

No offense, but it seems like being new to it, you might just not be sure of what you are doing. I've never heard of this problem.