Official Toshiba RS-TX Owners Club

[hishami]

Very helpful. Thank you for the quick response.

Hisham

[hishami]

By the way, I also wondered what Tivo service number code these units have so I can know which wireless network adapters work with it.

Thanks,

Hisham

[trikr]

Hi everyone,

Is the compression quality something that can be updated and improved in the future with a tivo downloaded update or is that a fixed hardware issue? It seems like when i shrink and backup store bought dvd's on my pc the compression is SO much better even though i'm compressing it way more than the tivo does. For instance I can squeeze 8 sitcom episodes from a store bought cd onto a dvd-r and still have it look pretty good. It looks like garbage when tivo does that. It does take a lot longer on the pc though. :rolleyes:

[raiderTIVO]

I found that if I burn exactly two hours of programs onto a DVD, the DVD doesn't play on all devices and that DVD's with less than 2 hours of programs will play on the same devices. I don't know if the players needs some type of buffer that the unused capacity provides, but that's all I can think of.


Hi Folks

I got a TX20 for Xmas and I'm having trouble with DVD's I burn playing on other DVD devices. When I try to play burned DVD on my Polaroid PVD 700 I get only one channel of stereo sound. When I try to play it on an Aiwa unit it doesn't recognize the disk "No Disk". The burned disk does play fine on the TX 20. I've been using -R 8X but from what I've seen here maybe I'll try to find some 4X. Any suggestions or comments welcome.

Thanks

MID

[Welshdog]

I recall reading something- somewhere on this point...but can't find it. Here is the situation. When i burn a disc on my Toshiba it plays perfectly on the Tv....however when i take that same disc and play it on my computer (17" flat panel screeN)...i notice some of what i will term noise at the very top edge of the screen...a thin band of white interference...it is present with certain recorded dvds...others appear however to play fine....any sense of (1) what is causing this and (2) whether it can be corrected either prior to burning the disks or alternatively changing some monitor setting?

Thanks

What you are describing sounds a lot like encoded Closed Captioning. It looks like little white "ants" marching across the very tip top of the screen (it is located on line #21 of the TV frame). I am a video editor and I see this all the time. In fact sometimes I have to be careful not to disturb it during the edit or the CC won't work when the program airs. You might try activating the captioning on your TV to see if that is in fact what you are seeing on your computer.

It's harmless and will almost always be seen on any network show (and commericals). Cable channels and local programming won't always be captioned.

[mtdew]

I am thinking about buying one of the Toshiba models and was reading through the forums. It sounds like picture quality when transfering to DVD varies depending on the quality selected. I was wondering what the capacity of the TX20 and/or TX60 is in the highest quality mode? Can someone provide a breakdown of the capacity in the different modes? (best, medium, etc?)

TIA

[lordrichter]

For the TX20

Best - 32 hrs (1 hr on DVD)
High - 46 hrs (2 hrs on DVD)
Med - 94 hrs (4 hrs on DVD)
Basic - 141 hrs (6 hrs on DVD)

Also, you might want to change your avatar before the forum Avatar Police track you down... that is, unless you are a Sith M&M in real life.

[amt007]

Hi

I have a TX60, recently bought. I successfully set up direct cable (coaxial) into TX60, without cable box. Now, I can record from VCR/camcorder using one of the two sets of AV inputs (one in the front and one in the back). But recording must be done right away and there's no option for timer recording.

I can't find a way to connect my c-band international signal into TX60 to take advantage of features such as "pause live tv" or timer recording. I know they don't provide support for c-band, in terms of programming guide and I accept that. However, I thought they would at least provide an option similar to
"Line In L1 or L2" from my VCR to accept the auxilliary audiovideo input.

Has anyone figured out how to "add" a "Line IN" channel that will correspond to the AV composite input form the front or back of TX60? When I called Tivo support, they said they couldn't tell me, although there might be a way. They asked me to post it on this forum.

Any adivice will be greatly appreciated. :)

amt

[ball6135]

Just picked up my first "Tivo" unit (Toshiba described in this thread)

I am not able to get any audio in Live TV mode? I am able to get audio when playing a DVD?

If I connect the audio cables from the cable box (Motorola / GD) directly, I get audio?

I am using component cables between the Toshiba and the TV for Video, and the R/L cables for sound? (not the digital out..)

Anyone have any thoughts on what it might be? Set up issues?

I have tried resetting the unit. Tried disconnecting the AC power for 30 minutes and then back on... all to no avail?

It seems as though I am missing something between the audio in and the audio out, but I am not sure what it is!?

Thanks in advance for any help you may have!!!

[mjoshi]

Hello All,

Thrilled to be here and thrilled to see TiVo (my first TiVo) and it is TX20. Still not completed reading all things in manual but will catch up soon. Nee to know how can I watch / play whatever is on my computer / laptop on TV using TX20. Also it stated initially that I've 45 days of Tivo plus trial service but now it shows me only 15days of service what is wrong ?

[lordrichter]

Just picked up my first "Tivo" unit (Toshiba described in this thread)

I am not able to get any audio in Live TV mode? I am able to get audio when playing a DVD?

If I connect the audio cables from the cable box (Motorola / GD) directly, I get audio?

I am using component cables between the Toshiba and the TV for Video, and the R/L cables for sound? (not the digital out..)

Anyone have any thoughts on what it might be? Set up issues?

I have tried resetting the unit. Tried disconnecting the AC power for 30 minutes and then back on... all to no avail?

It seems as though I am missing something between the audio in and the audio out, but I am not sure what it is!?

Thanks in advance for any help you may have!!!


Try a different cabling scheme (if possible) and see if that makes any difference. Check your cables to make sure that everything is in the right spot on the back of the TiVo.

[bary]

I am looking at buying a rs-tx60 that is "dead" are there images out there for the harddrive if I have to start from ground zero?

[Oldiesfan]

Yes i don't think you should have a problem. I have COMCAST. I simply just use the TIVO remote to turn to channel 1; order the show with the cable remote; and then hit record. The only problem i have run into is that if there is a half hour of some other show in the "buffer" when you manually hit the record button...your going to get all that as part of your recording....so you want to make sure that you switch channels with the TIVO remote to channel 1 before you start recording (thus removing up to 30 minutes of buffer).

What is the TIVO show is recording after you hit Buy? Is it recording any other feed?

Ber: Thanks for the info. I subsequently contacted TIVO tech. support, Toshiba tech support and my cable provider (Cablevision) All indicated that there should be no problem and that the Cablevision does not filter or otherwise block a recording effort to the HD.

However, when I moved to the PPV channel, "bought" the movie, waited for it to begin, and then initiated the manual record action, all I recorded was the "Buy" screen that prompts you to order the movie. I did not consider the recorded buffer but since I didn't begin the record sequence until that screen was gone and the movie started I don't know how it was captured.

[KenF]

OK, sounds like you are having the same problem as I am. I thought it was because of 8x disks, it is not.....I burned at least 25 8x disks without fail...... For a while I was able to reuse the DVD-R disk because the error was occuring before any info was written. I unpluged the unit for about 20 minutes and the next save attempt almost made it to the end before it failed. I even tried a head cleaner (no luck). EMailing Toshiba was been worthless (see other posts). Let us know if you find anything out.

I'd like to add my name to the list. I have a new unit and did a save to verify that the thing worked. That was the last one that completed. Everthing that I've tried to save since will get the error at the end of the process. I thought that it might be the brand of disks (Samsung) or maybe what I was trying to save is copyprotected (South Park)

[ball6135]

Try a different cabling scheme (if possible) and see if that makes any difference. Check your cables to make sure that everything is in the right spot on the back of the TiVo.

I went through every cabling option that I had.... no luck... Returned it and it was exchanged without a problem... same set up and we are in business!!!!! :D

[lordrichter]

I went through every cabling option that I had.... no luck... Returned it and it was exchanged without a problem... same set up and we are in business!!!!! :D

Cool, glad you got it working, even though you had to get a new unit.

[StanLandman]

I have just updated from a SD-H 400 to a RS-TX60. I used a one for all URC 6131 to control the SD-H 400. Can anyone advise which code[s] on that remote work the RS-TX 60? Also whether it is a dvd or pvr code. Thanks in advance for any help.
Stan

[soinke71]

I have a problem with my Toshiba....I put in a regular DVD today and as soon as the drive closed "live" TV frozen....the LCD display said the DVD was Loading...however after about 5 minutes I went to eject the DVD...and nothing happened...I then tried to power down the unit...but it wouldn't. I eventually had to pull the plug.

Now the problems begin... It won't boot. It does the standard start up but after sitting on the "only a few more minutes screen" for about 3 minutes, it starts the process over in an endless loop.

Please Help. I saw another thread by someone else with the exact same problem however, no replies.

************************************************************ ***
I had the same proble, this forum saved me mucho time and frustration. Called Tivo, they said to Call Toshiba. Toshiba = closed. Tried the hold the eject button trick and it WORKED. The DVD came out, and it booted up just fine (after sitting in a loop for several hours before DVD eject button trick).

I just held down the open / close button from the second I plugged it in, until the tray popped open (finally) ~ 2 to 3 minutes from plug in.

Thanks to ALL!!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello, I Just had the exact same problem with a scratched disc I received from NetFlix; it got stucked inside my Toshiba RS-TX20. Thanks to this thread I didn't waste any time fixing the problem. Just hold down the open/close button for a couple of minutes from the moment the Tivo starts setting up, this forces the unit to open the tray. This trick WORKS.
Thanks a lot.

[sondhead]

Just bought a RS-TX60 from buydig today. Needless to say, it's not here yet but I went ahead and picked up a Netgear WG111 USB Wireless adaptor. Has anyone successfully used this with the Toshiba unit? Are my chances good, or should I be rushing back to get a refund?

The Tivo website's list of approved wireless units really sucks. With their given information it is almost impossible to find most of the items they have listed as full green. What have you guys been using successfully.. described in a way so that I, too, can find online information and purchase? Thanks in advance and sorry if my questions are re-hash or stupid.

Logan

[ashu]

Hmm - it is my understanding that ...
a. DVD Recorder units aren't being upgrades to the newer Operating System (7.1) yet
b. 7.x is the first version that supports G networking.

This just means that (if the adapter you purchased is NOW supported on other TiVos that already have 7.x) you will lack connectivity until the new system is pushed down to DV Recorder units.

I don't have G adapters myself, so I'd recommend you check the other threads around here to find out whether the other units with version 7.1 support that one.

[gblank]

I just purchased an open box unit from Best Buy that I am going to replace my Sony SVR-2000 (130 hr) with. This will allow me to connect to my other Series 2 Tivo 80 hour unit as well as the media on my PC.

The unit I got came with everyting except the Owners Manual which I probably don't need but it would be nice to have anyway. The Toshiba website does not list this model and they referred me to a local dealer who also doesn't have it.

It would be greatley appreciated if anyone has an extra one that I can get or a link to a file that has it.!

[ROB-USA]

I just purchased an open box unit from Best Buy that I am going to replace my Sony SVR-2000 (130 hr) with. This will allow me to connect to my other Series 2 Tivo 80 hour unit as well as the media on my PC.

The unit I got came with everyting except the Owners Manual which I probably don't need but it would be nice to have anyway. The Toshiba website does not list this model and they referred me to a local dealer who also doesn't have it.

It would be greatley appreciated if anyone has an extra one that I can get or a link to a file that has it.!

Here: http://customersupport.tivo.com/userGuides.asp?ug=dvdrecorder_toshiba
:-)

[bastion]

I too picked up an open box TX20 from best buy yesterday. After reading through this thread some last night, I hooked it up this afternoon and began playing around with different hookups and settings. I must agree, the PQ viewing live TV through the unit is very annoying. I paid $400 for this and the picture that comes through the unit, using either coax, composite, or S-video from my digital cable box, is pretty crappy in comparison to the raw signal from the cable box. It's overly dark and grany.

My other complaint is the audio output. I have a pioneer A/V reciever, and have a DVD player, PS2, Game Cube, and an Xbox all running through it with good audio results. But with the TX20 hooked up to it for DVD and Tivo playback, it just doesn't seem to have as much oomph. To get sound levels similar to the other units, I have to crank it up quite a bit more. And as far as DVD playback goes, it does not sound as clear as my panasonic unit, somewhat softer and heavy on the bass. When I tested with a copy of The Incredibles, I found that I was having trouble hearing softer speech (especially the lead characters deeper voice) when the volume was at an appropriate point for the majority of the sound level in the film. This has never been a problem with the panasonic unit (or the PS2 or Xbox). As far as DVD PQ though, it looks great.

I dunno. I might play around with it a bit more tomorrow, but if things stay the way they are now, it's going back. I just can't see paying $400 for a peice of hardware that degrades the video that much and can't put out audio quality on the same level as my $100 DVD player. Has anyone had any similar issues with the Humax or the Pioneer? I was really looking forward to burning DVD's of my fav shows and Hi8 tapes (then editing on PC with TMPGEnc DVD Author), but I don't know if I can live with the quality loss that I am seeing for the cost. Would I get better results from a cheaper Version 2 standalone Tivo unit, and then just copy files to my PC with Tivotogo for editing and burning onto DVD if needed? But at that point I'd have to pay the monthly fee for the Plus as well since Basic is not included. Gah, I'm so confused.

For claification:

Setups tried -
Video into cablebox via coax, to TV via coax from cable box, to Tivo from cable box via composite, from Tivo to TV via component.

Video into cablebox via coax, to TV via coax passthrough on Tivo, to tivo via coax from cable box, from Tivo to TV via conponent.

Video into cablebox via coax, to tv via coax from cable box, to Tivo from cablebox via Svideo, from tivo to TV via component.

In all situations, the audio was either coming from coax or RCA (composite), depending on feed to Tivo from the cable box, and was then RCA to the A/V reciever. The reciever does not have a digital audio input. REcording settings of High and Best were tested on each setup while watching "Live" TV. TV is a failry new Sony 53" RPTV and cable is Standard Digital, no HD.

[gblank]

Thanks for the link Rob...

[gblank]

I too picked up an open box TX20 from best buy yesterday. After reading through this thread some last night, I hooked it up this afternoon and began playing around with different hookups and settings. I must agree, the PQ viewing live TV through the unit is very annoying. I paid $400 for this and the picture that comes through the unit, using either coax, composite, or S-video from my digital cable box, is pretty crappy in comparison to the raw signal from the cable box. It's overly dark and grany.

My other complaint is the audio output. I have a pioneer A/V reciever, and have a DVD player, PS2, Game Cube, and an Xbox all running through it with good audio results. But with the TX20 hooked up to it for DVD and Tivo playback, it just doesn't seem to have as much oomph. To get sound levels similar to the other units, I have to crank it up quite a bit more. And as far as DVD playback goes, it does not sound as clear as my panasonic unit, somewhat softer and heavy on the bass. When I tested with a copy of The Incredibles, I found that I was having trouble hearing softer speech (especially the lead characters deeper voice) when the volume was at an appropriate point for the majority of the sound level in the film. This has never been a problem with the panasonic unit (or the PS2 or Xbox). As far as DVD PQ though, it looks great.

I dunno. I might play around with it a bit more tomorrow, but if things stay the way they are now, it's going back. I just can't see paying $400 for a peice of hardware that degrades the video that much and can't put out audio quality on the same level as my $100 DVD player. Has anyone had any similar issues with the Humax or the Pioneer? I was really looking forward to burning DVD's of my fav shows and Hi8 tapes (then editing on PC with TMPGEnc DVD Author), but I don't know if I can live with the quality loss that I am seeing for the cost. Would I get better results from a cheaper Version 2 standalone Tivo unit, and then just copy files to my PC with Tivotogo for editing and burning onto DVD if needed? But at that point I'd have to pay the monthly fee for the Plus as well since Basic is not included. Gah, I'm so confused.

For claification:

Setups tried -
Video into cablebox via coax, to TV via coax from cable box, to Tivo from cable box via composite, from Tivo to TV via component.

Video into cablebox via coax, to TV via coax passthrough on Tivo, to tivo via coax from cable box, from Tivo to TV via conponent.

Video into cablebox via coax, to tv via coax from cable box, to Tivo from cablebox via Svideo, from tivo to TV via component.

In all situations, the audio was either coming from coax or RCA (composite), depending on feed to Tivo from the cable box, and was then RCA to the A/V reciever. The reciever does not have a digital audio input. REcording settings of High and Best were tested on each setup while watching "Live" TV. TV is a failry new Sony 53" RPTV and cable is Standard Digital, no HD.

Makes me wonder how good of a deal I got. I was going to hook mine up last night but was just too tired. Guess I'll hook it up today and see what the picture looks like and how the sound is.

[Johnny Quest]

I know this is probably a stupid question but did you adjust any of the Audio settings on your box within the Tivo settings menu?

[bastion]

I know this is probably a stupid question but did you adjust any of the Audio settings on your box within the Tivo settings menu?

Yup. Set it up for 96kHz and Dolby Digital. No DTS decoding on my reciever currently, so I kept that off. Also played with other settings, but the above should have been optimal (matched what I had setup on the current DVD player).

I ended up returning it tonight. Couldn't justify the price versus how much use we'd get out of it and my dissappointment with the quality. A standard Tivo would have been cool, but once again, I don't feel like paying that monthly fee :P

[shins]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, and just bought a RS-TX20 less than a month ago. So far so good. Then again, I'm not a huge cable, HDTV viewer, so for my basic viewing needs (and playing the DVD with component) the quality has been rather good.

I had a question regarding CD/MP3 playback. Does anyone here know if the USB port in the back can be used to connect to an external hard drive? All of my music is stored on that, and it would be nice to be able to play my MP3 files directly from the external hard drive to my speaker system (connected to my Toshiba via USB). Thanks!

[lordrichter]

Does anyone here know if the USB port in the back can be used to connect to an external hard drive?

No.

[shins]

Aww, too bad. Thanks for the information though.

[ZeoTiVo]

Hello, I am about to get the TX 120 and was wondering if others would post experiences of recording video sources like camcorders or home movie files from a PC onto the TiVo - thanks in advance. :)

[lordrichter]

Recording from a camcorder through the front A/V jacks is pretty simple. You cannot record from cable/antenna while recording from the A/V jack, so TiVo checks a few hours ahead to see if anything is scheduled. You can abort either the camcorder recording or the scheduled recording as you desire.

Each recording is a separate TV show, which you name when you start the recording. Names cannot be changed. Recordings can be timed down to 5 minutes in duration, at which time TiVo will stop. TiVo can be told to stop early, but cannot run long.

With home movies, I have taken to inserting a leader (fade out then fade in) between "scenes". I record each scene separately into the TiVo. This requires some attention and planning as I need to know how long each scene is and what it is. I usually watch the tape noting the times before I record into TiVo. Since scenes are not multiples of 5 minutes in duration, I have to watch for the fade out and stop the TiVo.

I use a video quality according to how much material I want on the DVD, usually High is fine. Video quality is what I would expect from a VHS/8mm analog camcorder like I have.

I write the programs to DVD-R, each program is a separate chapter on the DVD, and the titles tell all.

[clrprsntdngr]

Just bought a RS-TX60 from buydig today. Needless to say, it's not here yet but I went ahead and picked up a Netgear WG111 USB Wireless adaptor. Has anyone successfully used this with the Toshiba unit? Are my chances good, or should I be rushing back to get a refund?

Logan


The WG111 although listed as a supported adaptor does not work because all tivo's using wireless g must have software 7.1 loaded. Unfortunately for those of us who have dvd recorder tivo's, the 7.1 software does not work on our systems. I went through the same thing and just got lucky and found a wusb11 v2.6, so good luck theres always ebay.

[TivoDaddy]

Recording from a camcorder through the front A/V jacks is pretty simple. You cannot record from cable/antenna while recording from the A/V jack, so TiVo checks a few hours ahead to see if anything is scheduled. You can abort either the camcorder recording or the scheduled recording as you desire.

Each recording is a separate TV show, which you name when you start the recording. Names cannot be changed. Recordings can be timed down to 5 minutes in duration, at which time TiVo will stop. TiVo can be told to stop early, but cannot run long.

With home movies, I have taken to inserting a leader (fade out then fade in) between "scenes". I record each scene separately into the TiVo. This requires some attention and planning as I need to know how long each scene is and what it is. I usually watch the tape noting the times before I record into TiVo. Since scenes are not multiples of 5 minutes in duration, I have to watch for the fade out and stop the TiVo.

I use a video quality according to how much material I want on the DVD, usually High is fine. Video quality is what I would expect from a VHS/8mm analog camcorder like I have.

I write the programs to DVD-R, each program is a separate chapter on the DVD, and the titles tell all.
:up: :up: Good summary and thanks for the tip.

[J4yDubs]

Hello, I am about to get the TX 120 and was wondering if others would post experiences of recording video sources like camcorders or home movie files from a PC onto the TiVo - thanks in advance. :)
I just got a TX20 and was wondering the same thing. Thanks lordrichter for answering. I was going to try it out last weekend, but found out I need a 4-pin to 4-pin 1394 cable. Mine's a 6-pin to 4-pin. Time to go shopping.

John

[magnumis]

Can the Toshiba TX20 burn DVD that have been transferred from other Tivo boxes (multi room option)?

[davevt98]

Does anyone have an image of the Toshiba RS-TX20? I have already asked StanSimmons and he does not have one. Please PM me if you have one available. Thank you.

[TivoDaddy]

Can the Toshiba TX20 burn DVD that have been transferred from other Tivo boxes (multi room option)?
As far as I know, no.

[branded]

Rs-Tx20 for $89 -

go to fatwallet hot deals forum and search for tivo.

I cannot post the link as I don't have enough posts.

[erichazann]

Rs-Tx20 for $89 -

go to fatwallet hot deals forum and search for tivo.


I got one of these units last night (the last one in NYC) for $292 and it has a $200 MIR. It's likely that we'll have to fight for the MIR since there was a 50% discount on the normal/sale price of $539.

My question is: I set it up, but I would like to transfer my other shows on my old 40HR Tivo to the new Toshiba and burn DVDs. Is this possible? I know it says you cant burn DVDs from multi-room viewing. Is what I'm trying to do even possible and is it considered multiroom viewing?

Also. I signed up for the trial Premium service on the Toshiba, and it told me it was for 45 days, but it's actually for 7 days I guess because as soon as it was done setting up, it said I only had 6 days left. Is this normal?

I have a Netgear WG111 network adapter, and was going to setup TivoToGO transfers on my older Tivo, but I have to use Virtual PC on my Mac and it's a PAIN. I just want to get those recordings off the older tivo. Is it possible to rip out the HD and just pull the raw files off by putting the HD in an enclosure?

Thank you.

[melbajo]

I have a Toshiba SD-H400, Southwestern Bell DSL, and a Dell wireless 2350 Broadband Router. I have had the TIVO dialing up via a wireless telephone jack, but the jack got struck by lightning. Is it even worth being able to hook it up to my network, or would you just get another wireless jack? If you do think it is worth it, I wanted to know the best steps to go through to be able to connect my Toshiba to my wireless network.

[LiveBlues]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, and just bought a RS-TX20 less than a month ago. So far so good. Then again, I'm not a huge cable, HDTV viewer, so for my basic viewing needs (and playing the DVD with component) the quality has been rather good.

I had a question regarding CD/MP3 playback. Does anyone here know if the USB port in the back can be used to connect to an external hard drive? All of my music is stored on that, and it would be nice to be able to play my MP3 files directly from the external hard drive to my speaker system (connected to my Toshiba via USB). Thanks!

But you could still connect that drive to the PC that you are running the TiVo desktop and stream them over your network via HMO. Or you could also consider a device like an Audiotron or other similar more current box.

[mandm1]

Hi Guys,

I have had my Rx-20 less than a month and love it ... but I had a problem last night that is strange.

I was watching the DVD "Hitch" (commercial - not copied) and tried to do a 7 second instant replay and it took me back approx. 15 minutes! I then used the fast forward/fast rewind buttons, and when I hit play, instead of jumping back just a bit for compensation, it jumped back about 15 minutes. The timeline indicator jumps all over the place when navigating with the FFW/RWD buttons. The only way I could get close to where I was at was to use the chapter up/down buttons.

I have not had any problems with other DVD's or with programs recorded onto the hard drive; only with this particular DVD. I'm going to call Toshiba to see what's up.

Has this happened to any of you when playing Hitch or any other commercial DVD's? Maybe there is some sort of new encoding or copy protection causing interference with the TiVo units search functions ...?

Another poster seems to be having similar problems with his Humax unit in this thread where I also replied: http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=245562

Mike

[mandm1]

Hi Again,

I called Toshiba and the rep. said to try another copy of the disc; that it couldn't be the fault of the player if only one particular disc functioned this way. Kinda' have to agree with this logic, I suppose, but the same disc plays, fast-forwards, and fast-rewinds perfectly on the stand-alone DVD players in my house as well as my PowerMac G5.

I'd like to clarify the comments made in my previous post. The 7-second instant replay is labeled as 8 seconds by Toshiba in their manual. This is interesting, because upon trying to diagnose the problem this morning, I see that:
When pressing the instant replay button, the player always back up 8 MINUTES!
When pressing Fast-Forward - then PLAY, the unit always backs up 8 MINUTES! (Yes, BACKS up.)
When pressing Fast-Rewind - then PLAY, the unit always backs up 8 MINUTES!
When pressing the "advance to end" button, the unit always goes right to the end of the movie and then backs up 8 minutes!

The only way to get close to a desired spot in this movie is while fast-forwarding at 3rd (high) speed, for example; to then press the rewind button 3 times to counter-act the fast-forward instead of simply pressing play. (Thanks, rkester)

I tried a restart of the TiVo unit and that did not help. Toggling off the "30-second skip" code did not help. No other DVD besides "Hitch" that I have tried so far has ANY problems (even those I have made a "backup copy" of.) I will try another copy of the movie from Blockbuster, but I really doubt that will help.

Perhaps others with this unit can try a commercial copy of "Hitch" and see what your unit does. I would be very curious to see what happens.

BTW, my TiVo software is at version 5.4.2-01-2-565 and my DVD firmware is DVD-RW DVR-108RZ 1.15

Mike :confused:

[ashu]

Perhaps others with this unit can try a commercial copy of "Hitch" and see what your unit does. I would be very curious to see what happens.



Ugh - I just mailed Hitch back to netflix this morning. If I had seen this thread before, I would have tested this.

Other commercial DVDs play great in the two Toshibas I have (TX20 and SDH400)

[rrman]

I have the RS-TX20 (Region 1). If I burn a DVD with my Region 1 RS-TX20, will it play on other DVDs that belong to other regions? Or will it only work on Region 1 DVD players?

[Johnny Quest]

Region coding is not an essential part of writing or burning a dvd. The only way to determine the answer to your question is to try it out. I am unaware of whether there is an info screen that would indicate that Region Coding is active in your tivo burner, you can however check this info on a dvd writer in a computer.

Hope this helps.

[ZeoTiVo]

I got one of these units last night (the last one in NYC) for $292 and it has a $200 MIR. It's likely that we'll have to fight for the MIR since there was a 50% discount on the normal/sale price of $539.

My question is: I set it up, but I would like to transfer my other shows on my old 40HR Tivo to the new Toshiba and burn DVDs. Is this possible? I know it says you cant burn DVDs from multi-room viewing. Is what I'm trying to do even possible and is it considered multiroom viewing?

Also. I signed up for the trial Premium service on the Toshiba, and it told me it was for 45 days, but it's actually for 7 days I guess because as soon as it was done setting up, it said I only had 6 days left. Is this normal?

I have a Netgear WG111 network adapter, and was going to setup TivoToGO transfers on my older Tivo, but I have to use Virtual PC on my Mac and it's a PAIN. I just want to get those recordings off the older tivo. Is it possible to rip out the HD and just pull the raw files off by putting the HD in an enclosure?

Thank you.

the answer is unfortunately that you can not use normal TiVo methods to transfer(via MRV) the shows to the RX-20 and burn them to DVD. You can however, do the MRV transfer and watch the shows off the RX-20 on TV if you are not worried about archiving them.

if you want to archive the shows thne you do have a problem with the Mac. There are no announced plans to release TiVoToGo software for the Mac.
You can get the shows to the Mac by using the HTTPS trick.
open a web browser and
use the URL of HTTPS://tivo.ip (substitute the IP address of your TiVo)
userid is tivo
password is your MAK (something like 7648999999 )

that will get you a list of shows with download links
this method does not require TiVodesktop installed, so you can at least get the .tivo files onto your Mac quickly.

after that there is no way to play .tivo files on the Mac - you will have to convert them. Either with a PC tha thas desktop and your MAK configured on it or perhaps in virtualPC with TiVoDesktop installed though I do not own Macs so have not tried. either way do a search on the web for eTiVo the rest of what you need is there

[Chmeeee]

I guess I'll be joining the club now as well. I picked up the TX20 at Best Buy last night for $318 w/tax - $200 rebate. I currently have an 80-hour Series 2 which I will be selling once this is all set up and I'm sure everything works like it should. I'll also be selling my DVD player, since I don't need it anymore, so once the rebates come back it looks like this will come out just about free. :cool:

I have to say that I love integrating the DVD, even just for playing them, never mind burning them. First of all, it reduces my cable maze a bit. Second of all, I don't have to switch over my receiver and TV whenever I watch a movie. Third, I have one fewer remote. And finally, the best part of all: I can watch DVD's with the TiVo interface!

[CCONKLIN1]

Just bought one of these and hope to have a few questions answered.
1. can you record from a dvd to the hard drive?
2. can the hard drive be upgraded?
thanks for your help. i really did not want to slog through 10 pages and the search was not working for me.
Best,
Chris

[jdean5]

I'm close to getting the Toshiba RS-TX20 and have been reading some old posts on here. Forgive me if I'm asking something that may have been answered before, but some of the posts were old and perhaps there have been updates.

My first question is: For this model, if I transfer existing saved shows from my current Series 2 Tivo, will I be able to record to a DVD? I saw in previous posts that there had been a compatability issue and this was not possible? To anyone's knowledge has it been addressed (or will it never be a possiblity)? I guess if I can't "DVD record" what I have saved currently, I may as well just increase the hard drive or get a regular 2nd unit? It's disappointing to think I can't archive what I have to DVD...I won't go the old videotape route...too spoiled now.

Also, I saw that the Pioneer DVD recorder had an accelerated record transfer time while the Humax is in real time. Anyone know what the Toshiba record time is?

Thanks in advance for any input!!

[Chmeeee]

As far as I know, there is still no way to record transferred shows onto DVD.

As for recording time, I have only made one DVD so far, and it took under 30 minutes to burn a disc with 4 - 1 hour shows on it (medium quality). I was pretty impressed.

[ashu]

You can record transferred shows to DVD by TiVoToGo-ing them to your PC ;) But, yes, not on the Toshiba (or any other TiVo/DVDRecorder) unit.

If saving your old shows is critical, yeah, get a larger drive in an existing TiVo. I recommend TTG and burning there. You can also use the front inputs on the Toshiba, record the shows from the old TiVo as a Manual, external source recording, and burn them. You have to do the recording in real-time, though (obviously).

This initial inconvenience is minor when weighed against future convenience. I am quite well-versed with PC-video massaging, DVD authoring etc - but ever since I bought my Humax, it's the ONLY way I archive TV shows (I plan ahead and record archive-worthy suff on the Humax and not other TiVos). I also don't use my PC nearly as much to dump DV tape from my camcorder. The Humax makes incredible DVDs from High/Best quality DV dumps!

Burn speed:
The Toshibas and Humaxes use Pioneer DV-108Z drives, theoretically capable of DualLayer 4X and Single Layer 8X burning. Shortly after I bought my Humax (12/04), it downloaded a new firmware version (1.15) for the drive and now finishes 4 hour medium quality burns in around 17 minutes! As do the Toshiba RS's.

Make sure you use good DVDs. Crummy DVDs will fail when burnt at high speeds (esa, LiquidVideeo et al). TaiyoYuden 8X DVDs seem to burn at 4-8X consistently. Often sold as Madi in Japan Memorex/TDK/Fuji DVD-R! The made in Taiwan ones are also decent - 4X with high reliability.

[Brainiac 5]

Unless I'm mistaken (someone tell me if I am), you cannot even burn shows transferred from another DVD recorder TiVo. This seems to indicate that the problem is not just technical - for whatever reason they just don't seem to want you to be able to do this (even though you could burn the same recordings to DVD using TiVoToGo).

[jdean5]

I recommend TTG and burning there. You can also use the front inputs on the Toshiba, record the shows from the old TiVo as a Manual, external source recording, and burn them. You have to do the recording in real-time, though (obviously). This initial inconvenience is minor when weighed against future convenience.


Thank you for all the input; I really do appreciate it. A new dilemma: I was thinking of getting just a DVD recorder. I saw on other posts that you can hook up to the Tivo unit just as you would a VCR and then "Save to VCR" (but really it would be saving to a dvd). The price for a regular DVD recorder is a bit more friendly but I still think I"d rather have everything in one unit.

It seems I do have some options I did not know about; TIVO, TO GO for instance. So I can save to my computer and then burn on a DVD? Obviously my computer would have to have a DVD-RW? Sorry if it's a stupid question.

But, I think the one that really has me leaning toward going with the Toshiba TIVO is the fact that I can plug in my existing Tivo to the front of the Toshiba and record that way. It's really the same as if I got a plain DVD recorder (records in real time) but like you said the initial inconvenice would be minor. Just to clarify, my existing Tivo Series 2 would hook up to the front of the new Toshiba TIVO , I would record it as "new" to the unit, then transfer to DVD?

[ashu]

Your TTG interpretation is fine. And you'll learn more details once you start using it.

As for your choice/decision - that's between you, your perception and value of your free time, and your wallet. Can't help with any of those :) (although I'd happily lighten your wallet if offered ;) )

[jdean5]

Ha. I need every cent for my new TIVO. Was I on target about using the front jacks on the Toshiba to transfer and then burn to DVD's? Have you heard any stories (good, bad) about using a non-tivo DVD recorder to recorder off the unit?

[zhelder]

Hi everyone. I just purchased an RS-TX20 unit, taking advantage of the great deal at Best Buy. I haven' t hooked it up yet, because I'm trying to figure out the best way to hook up my unit. I am going to hook the unit up to a relatively old 27" Sony TV. (One set of composite A/V inputs, one s-video input). I have a Hughes Directivo unit hooked up to this set (secondary unit) and a Panasonic VCR with two sets of composite A/V jacks. I have basic cable on the set as well, but if possible I would like to keep the Directivo unit hooked up to the TV and use the RS-TX20 in conjunction with the Directivo unit, since I get many more channels on DirecTV. Can the RS-TX20 change channels on the Directivo unit and use the Directivo unit as a tuner? Also, any suggestions on how to hook up the RS-TX20 to work in conjunction with the Directivo unit while keeping the VCR hooked up? Thanks for any info!

[orion27]

I have a question about the TX20. I just set mine up yesterday and started the 45 day Plus trial. It then said 6 days remaining in the messages so I called Toshiba and they said it would have the full 45; the counter sometimes mis-displays the time left on that model.

I was looking at the things one can do with the Plus service, including Online scheduling. Is there a way to try that feature during the trial? It seems I need to activate the Tivo, but to do so I would have to subscribe, which I don't want to do, at least not yet.

Also, when a scheduled record is about to start, it pops up the box asking if I want to switch to that channel. Is there a way to disable the question and just have it switch automatically?

Thanks.

[ashu]

zhelder: you, sir, are a prime candidate for someone to say "read the manual" to. No offense. You've missed the point of a TiVo. It can only 'tune' over the air or basic cable. Anything encoded/encryped (satellite box, cable box) is sent to it as a video signal, and it controls (and TAKES OVER) channel changing on said box. (Once your TiVo is set up) You can throw away your satellite/cable box remote. So I'll say it "Read the manual".

orion27: online scheduling etc - onlly for valid, registered accounts. I guess it cross-references their internal account-holder database and their channel preferences. A tril is probably not registered the same way. I doubt you can disable that popup - but its default action is to go ahead and change channels to make the recording anyway.

[Tpfer]

ashu: you sir might want to know what you are talking about before you start slamming people.

I also got a toshiba since I wanted to transfer some dv to dvd quickly. I have 4 directv boxes and I have hooked up the to toshiba to a directivo unit. the regualr tivo comes with IR cable that changes the channels on the Direvtv unit. I can also set it up to a non-tivo dtv unit and record from satellite.

[ashu]

caught me napping there, tpfer - I speed-read the question and assumed it was about a regular (non dtivo) directv box. apologies to zhelder.

The manual would still be handy, eh ;)

And tpfer - define 'slamming' While you're at it, define 'misinterpretation" :D

[ZeoTiVo]

I am going to hook the unit up to a relatively old 27" Sony TV. (One set of composite A/V inputs, one s-video input).

I have a Hughes Directivo unit hooked up to this set (secondary unit)

and a Panasonic VCR with two sets of composite A/V jacks.

I have basic cable on the set as well,

but if possible I would like to keep the Directivo unit hooked up to the TV
and use the RS-TX20 in conjunction with the Directivo unit, since I get many more channels on DirecTV.
Can the RS-TX20 change channels on the Directivo unit and use the Directivo unit as a tuner?

Also, any suggestions on how to hook up the RS-TX20 to work in conjunction with the Directivo unit while keeping the VCR hooked up? Thanks for any info!

well you got the answer on using the IR balster (does serial cable work to a Hughes?) to control the DirectTiVo and I assume it has composite out you can hook to the composite in on the TX20. Never had a DirectTiVo or DirectTV so this is only my assumption. The manual for both units will have the details ;)

as for the VCR, since I am assuming the DirectTiVo can hook up to the composite in on the TX20 -
then you can bring basic cable and hook it to the VCR first and then hook the VCR via COAX to the TX20 and then COAX out from the TX20 to the TV. I would use the svideo input on the TV for the DirectTiVo as it has the digital source.
Also hook composite out on the TX20 back to the VCR so you can do the "save to VCR" if wanted.
If you want to watch a tape from the VCR then you need to put the TX20 into standby so the VCR will pass through to the TV from coax. Check the manual on passthrough on the TX20


personally i would take the VCR out of the picture and just use the DVD recorder to make and play DVDs.

[jdean5]

Component Video Hook Up Question

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashu,

I posted this elsewhere...maybe you have some answer? Any one else ? Greatly appreciated...thanks!


My new Toshiba arrived yesterday and hook up went great...except... I'm hoping someone has had some experience with component cables and can help me out.

My old DVD player was hooked up with Component cables to my TV (my tv has component cable inputs). The difference with component cables was really great...the clarity when I would watch DVD's was awesome. In my old set up I'd have to switch my TV channel from SVHS (which is what Tivo feeds thru on my TV) to CVI (the channel my tv feeds thru for my DVD player).

So, today after hooking up all cables...including the component cables and audio cable (S Video Cable) from the Toshiba DVD recorder to the TV, as I did with my previous stand alone DVD player, I encountered this problem: No audio on the CVI channel. The DVD video and audio come thru on the SVHS channel and in flipping back and forth between channels, I notice that the CVI channel's quality is slightly better, and of course I'd like to continue to use my component video feed.

I called Toshiba and some nasty man (who was trying his best to be polite) first told me my audio hookup was wrong, but I simply have the audio coming out of the Toshiba TIVO, back into my TV...I think that's correct. He said he really couldn't help me because he wasn't familiar with my TV (a Phillips). He said if it was a Toshiba TV he could tell me exactly what to do.

Anyone have any input? Thanks a lot!

[windracer]

It sounds like you haven't connected any audio cables (red/white) or TOSlink (optical). You mentioned S-Video for "audio" but S-Video only carries video. You'll still need to connect the red/white cables to your TV input, or the optical to your receiver (or TV, if it supports it).

It sounds like you're using both video outputs at the same time: one to the "DVD" input of your TV, and one to the CVI. But there's only one set of composite audio jacks, so you'll either need a splitter, or connect the composite audio to DVD (like you've got) and use the optical for the other.

[jdean5]

Hey ...thanks so much for your input.

I do have red/white cables going from to my tv input, from the tivo dvd player.

In my case, the "DVD" input IS the "CVI". In my stand alone DVD hookup before, the DVD fed through the CVI channel. You are definitely right that it seems I have two video outputs going on. The SVHS output is for TIVO and with my old hookup the CVI output was for DVD. I still have both outputs now but can't figure out where my wires are going wrong to have no audio on the CVI channel.

I have three connections. They are:

1) Component on DVD/TIVO to Component on TV

2) OUT: Audio R, Audio L (red, white), S Video on DVD/TIVO to IN: Audio R, Audio L (red, white) S Video on TV

3) IN: Audio R, Audio L (red, white), S Video on DVD/TIVO to OUT: Audio R, Video L ,S Video on Cable Box.

It worked on my last unit but somewhere along the way here I"m going wrong.

[windracer]

But the problem is you only have audio cables going to a single input on the TV (SVHS) but have video going to both (SVHS and CVI). That's why there's no audio on the CVI input.

I think the confusion here is that you don't need two separate video outputs for the TX20 ... it doesn't matter if you're watching TiVo or a DVD, there's a single video signal from the DVR.

So, what I think you need to do is run the component video cables and a set of red/white audio cables from the back of the TX20 to a single input on your TV (component jackset on your TV should also have audio jacks). Then, you watch both DVDs and TiVO on the same TV input ... no need to switch inputs to watch a DVD or TV.

Basically, combine #1 and #2 you have listed ... no need for S-Video anymore. Your cable box to TiVo setup is fine.

I may still be confused, but that's how I've integrated my TX20 into my setup. The only difference is I also run a TOSlink optical cable to my receiver so I can use surround sound when watching DVDs.

[jdean5]

That literally took me 5 seconds...and it worked!!! Thanks a million!

[windracer]

Always glad to help!

[SpikeyMikey]

I've been reading everyone's posts. Sorry if I missed the answer to this, but I cannot seem to find the answer to my questions. So here are my questions...


I see the RS-TX20 has a Digital Audio Output (Optical Toslink). I have two questions regarding this.

I know a Movie DVD with Dolby Digital format can be played with the RS-TX20 DVD player so an audio receiver can produce the DD surround sound effects.

1. If a movie is recorded from a Satellite or Cable box with the Tivo feature, can this movie be replayed from the RS-TX20 hard drive with the DD surround sound effect?
2. Can this movie be written from the hard drive to a DVD using the DVD Recorder so that the Dolby Digital format can be replayed from this DVD later while reproducing the DD surround sound effect?

Thanks in advance.

I haven't been able to locate an answer to iml84myd8s' second question: Can the DVD recorder burn the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio?

[ashu]

Nope. Only Dolby Pro Logic (II? Perhaps not) encoded Stereo.

TiVoToGo-ing it to my PC (via another TiVo) led to initial issues - until I downloaded the right codecs to handle Dolby Pro encoded audio streams.

<edit>
Ooohh - good catch there, windracer :)

[bossofyou]

I just bought an RS-TX20 that had no remote. I purchased a One-for-All URC-6131 remote, and have programmed everything, easlily, EXCEPT the RS-TX20. Anyone out there have a code that will work? I've tried the search function & nothing happens. Emailed OFA, & they're out until Tuesday, of course. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[zhelder]

Thanks to everyone who gave advice to me on my set-up. Apology accepted, Ashu. Thanks for sticking up for me, Tpfer. Thanks for the good advice, ZeoTivo. OK, well, I'm almost there. After reading the manual at least 10 times and following ZeoTivo's tips, I have the RS-TX20 and my Directivo hooked up to the set, and they both seem to be working. I am having a tremendous amount of difficulty, however, in getting the IR blaster to work consistently. Also, I've been going a little crazy because the RS-TX20 and the Hughes Directivo unit operate on the same remote frequency, and since the machines are so close together when a command is sent to one machine, the other machine picks up a command as well. Although only one video is displayed on the screen at one time, at times the channel bars from the two machines display at the same time, causing all sorts of confusion. Other times, the channel will appear to change, but the station remains the same. I have tried setting up the IR blaster using all sorts of configurations, and it has worked, but there are times when it does not work. I tried buliding a tent, and haven't had much luck. Either the signal penetrates the cloth or the IR blaster won't work. I'm real close, as I have been able to record programs from the satellite box onto the Toshiba unit, but until I can fix these problems with the remote and IR blaster, I'm going to be going crazy. I don't have the option to move the machines farther apart, so I'm hoping someone has some suggestions on how I can create an effective tent and how to improve the performance of the IR blaster. One last question: can the IR blaster be used to power a satellite/cable box on, or can it just change channels? Thanks again for any information.

[Runch Machine]

Also, I've been going a little crazy because the RS-TX20 and the Hughes Directivo unit operate on the same remote frequency, and since the machines are so close together when a command is sent to one machine, the other machine picks up a command as well.

You can change the remote code that the two units respond to. Out of the box, they are both set to code 0, which allows them to respond to all remote codes. You need to change both boxes to a different remote code. Change one to respond to code 1 and the other to respond to code 2. To do this, cover up the front of one unit. Use the remote for the the other to go into the system info screen and page down to the remote code. You will see it shows 0 or not set. Cover the front of the remote and hold down the Tivo button and the pause button. When the light on the remote stays on, press the 1 button (or what ever number you want to set it to, 1-9). Then aim the remote at the tivo and press the 1 button again. (you can actually press any button). It will then change the code on the screen to the code you set. Do the same for the other unit. If it is a DirecTivo, you have to press the Directv button since there is no Tivo button on the remote.

[ashu]

Be careful changing the Remote Code on the DTiVo - the IR blasters (from the RS-TX20) may no longer send the same code-based signals out any more! You can reset the code - the manual mentions how (code 0, after TiVo-Pause, perhaps?)

I imagine changing the code for (only) the Toshiba and its remote *should* take care of things.

[Tpfer]

ashu is right for once ;) .

I had changed the code on the Toshiba and that helps, but it is not the real solution. The IR blaster converts some of the codes sent to the Toshiba and changes Directivo channels.(Tivo button, Record button,...)

I have not had a chance to mess with it too much and I have removed the Toshiba from the Directv box. It will work best with a regular satellite box. There is really no point in using the Toshiba, if you have enough Dirtectivos to record everyting you want. The Toshiba recording quality is not as good as the DTiVo recording quality.

[zhelder]

Well, I spent a whole bunch of time trying to get things to work. I changed the remote codes, to no avail. When the codes are set to different numbers, the IR blaster doesn't work. I threw in the towel and I pulled out a 5 year old RCA DirecTV receiver (the one I got when I originally got DirecTV) and hooked it up to the Toshiba. It's working better. Maybe one day when I'm feeling adventurous I'll try again, but after struggling with this for 10 days I'm tired. Two last quick questions: Is there any way to prevent the Toshiba from recording the displays of the DirecTV receiver (channel info, etc. )? And since I'm assuming the IR blaster can't be used to power on the DirecTV unit, does the DirecTV unit have to stay on at all times when recording programs from the satellite? Again, thanks to all for the help and information.

[ashu]

My tip (endorsed by Tpfer - yay!) alluded to the problem you faced.

The TiVo can't be told not to record banners from the source cable/satellite box. It merely records whatever is sent to it along the input (SVideo ro Composite plus Audio). You can minimize it by changing settings on the box itself - shorter duration/greater transparency? The new software onA delphia's boxes allows for a 1-second banner, I love that! Matches my own shortened TiVo display banner.

And yes- you leave the cable/satellite box ON perennially. At 20-sih Watts on average, not a biggie. (IMnshO - especially compared to TiVo-less mindless channel surfing with all your AV equipment powered on - looking for something to watch!)

[skatefan20]

Hi! Newbie to Tivo (the device and the forum)! :)

Have hooked up my satellite box, an OTA DTV STB, and camcorder thru S-Video -- not at the same time.

Video quality is acceptable, although I find the Hauppauge card installed on my PC to be a tad bit better.

There is this weird thing going on when watching video thru S-video on the RS-TX20. When going from extremely dark scenes to bright scenes, from that point on, the video often whitens or is bleached momentarily at any time... it's somewhat like macrovision or a flash from a camera, but I know it's not macrovision.

I haven't hooked up the devices long enough thru the composite video to know if the glitch is present on that connection. The only remedy I have found is to watch thru composite, but I would rather watch thru the S-video connection -- there is a HUGE difference in image quality when using S-Video vs. composite on this Tivo. I don't usually notice this big of a difference between these two connections on other devices.

So, is there anyway I can resolve this S-video glitch? Does anyone else have this problem?

[Bimwad]

Hey all, new TX20 owner, and new to TiVo/TC.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the unit -- right now, I'm still using the Basic service, being fed with analog cable and connected thru S-video to my TV. It's getting updates thru a wireless connection to my network.

However, my experience has not been trouble-free.

The first unit I bought had a bad DVD drive -- it wouldn't open, and the system thought it was stuck in "Loading" mode. The drive didn't even register in the System Information screen. The TiVo portion worked fine.

So I exchanged it for another new unit, but this one has had glitches of its own.

I find that at certain times, when I change channels, the banner on the new channel disappears after an instant, instead of lingering a few seconds like it should (and is set) to.

More troublesome was when I returned home yesterday, I found the unit locked up with a grey screen, the clock display off, and the HD/DVD lights illuminated. It wouldn't respond to any of the buttons on the front panel or remote.

I pulled the plug and rebooted it, and it seems to be working fine again.

These are probably software related, and I realize that all software has bugs. The first problem is really minor, but I hoping the second was an anomaly and rebooting doesn't become a periodic requirement.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but my experience has me questioning my faith in Toshiba & TiVo QC/QA.

Anybody else?

[ccrochet]

Hey Bimwad...

Now that I've got my avatar squared-away to keep the avatar police at-bay, I'll risk posting again! ;)

Your symptoms sound suspiciously similar to the initial ones I had on my FIRST TX-20. Yes, I'm on my second now. Turned out that my poor "best friend" got messed-up by what appears to have been a power surge / spike. Basically, the problems got progressively worse. I started getting pauses for no apparent reason -- both on playback of recordings, and even live TV. The unit would completely freeze-up, and also would generate the dreaded "green screen of death" with the error "a serious error has occurred".

Once that had been going on for a while, I figured it was probably toast, so contacted TiVo and then Toshiba for support. They agreed that the hard drive was toast & issued me an RMA. As instructed, I shipped them just the unit itself, with none of the books / cables / remote / etc. What I got back was a BRAND NEW (not reconditioned) TX-20 -- complete with all books, a new remote, and all the cables!

Worked out well for me -- just had to do without it for about 3-4 weeks. Gotta love that warranty!

Anyway, I have a feeling you're in roughly the same boat -- with a hard drive that has started going south. Once it starts that backwards slide, your chances of eventual recovery are slim in my experience. I purchased an APC branded UPS to take better care of my friend and defend him from the onslaught of the dreaded Florida summer thunderstorms...

Hope this helps...

[vegasguy]

I received an RS-TX20 as a Christmas gift. Seven months later and I'm on my fourth unit, which appears to have died tonight, less than a week after I hooked it up.

I'm by no means a novice when it comes to hooking up electronics, although I'm certainly not an expert, and have NEVER had any problems with any of my equipment in the past. I even bought a $100 Monster surge protector -- complete with cable and telephone connections -- to make sure my newest TiVo was completely isolated from any possible electrical surge.

Despite all my attempts at protecting the RS-TX60, it began to pixelate a recorded program, followed by longer and longer pauses. The unit reset itself, followed by more and more pauses. You could hear the hard drive grinding; then live TV wqas afflicted with the same pauses, rendering it unwatchable.

The unit then reset itself again and seems hung up on the "welcome" screen, with both lights permanently on.

As I said, this is the fourth unit that's died on me in seven months. The first one, the RS-TX20, went out after my wife shocked it while hitting the power button. The next RS-TX20 had a DVD stuck in it. The third unit, which Toshiba upgraded to the RS-TX60, lasted nearly a month before it began freezing during live tv and recorded playback.

Now this unit is suffering from the same sort of problem.

Toshiba doesn't seem to be of much help. Whoever it is I get on the phone each time I call, swears they aren't having any problems with the unit and tells me Toshiba will provide me with a replacement unit since I'm under warranty. With the last return, they offered a full refund, which is awkward since this was a gift.

I would prefer to have a replacement RS-TX60 and have it work. But, for the life of me, I have NO idea what I'm doing wrong.

I have a coaxial RF cable going from the wall into the surge protector and then into TX60. I have another coaxial RF cable going out from the TX60 in to my TV so that I can watch another program while recording something else. There's also an S-video connection from the TX60 to the TV and a digital audio cable to my receiver.

It could be repeated user error, but I've hooked up a friend's basic TiVo unit and they've had no problems. I've also never had problems with any of my equipment before: audio-video or computer.

When we watch TV while recording something else, I simply switch the video source on my TV, without putting TiVo into standby mode, and use the TV remote to switch channels. Could that be the culprit?

Sorry to cut in on someone else's thread, but I couldn't find a place to post a new thread. (It's late and my eyes are tired.) Any suggestions would be welcomed and much appreciated. I came across this forum in a last-ditch effort to troubleshoot the problem on Google. I sincerely hope someone can help.

Thank you.

[Bimwad]

Hey Bimwad...

Your symptoms sound suspiciously similar to the initial ones I had on my FIRST TX-20. Yes, I'm on my second now. Turned out that my poor "best friend" got messed-up by what appears to have been a power surge / spike. Basically, the problems got progressively worse. I started getting pauses for no apparent reason -- both on playback of recordings, and even live TV. The unit would completely freeze-up, and also would generate the dreaded "green screen of death" with the error "a serious error has occurred"...What I got back was a BRAND NEW (not reconditioned) TX-20 -- complete with all books, a new remote, and all the cables!

Hope this helps...

Thanks for the reply.

My second unit was 3 days old when it froze up, and is less than a week old overall. The power company here is actually pretty good, so I don't believe it was any sort of power surge that caused the problem. I've had other a/v equipment running off the same power lines and cable for years with nary a problem, even during the infrequent thunderstorms we get. Aside from the one blank screen lockup, the Toshiba has functioned without any glaring problems or picture freezes.

The only difference between my first and second units that might even remotely cause any hickups is that the power connector on the second unit required much more force to insert the power cord and have it remain in place. When I initially plugged it in, I thought it was DOA because it didn't power up! But again, the unit sits stationary in a cabinet, so I don't think intermittent power loss due to a poor connection is at fault.

I'll keep my eye on it for the time being, and hope I don't have to test Toshiba's warranty service as you, or vegasguy have, as good as it sounds :)

[ccrochet]

Well, good luck with your TiVo, Bimwad...

I did NOT enjoy being without my TiVo for the 2-3 weeks it took to get it replaced by Toshiba. Wouldn't wish that on anyone... You may be looking at a possible short in the power cable as another possibility. That should be relatively inexpensive to replace, though.

However it goes, good luck!

Thanks...

[ZeoTiVo]

I have a coaxial RF cable going from the wall into the surge protector and then into TX60. I have another coaxial RF cable going out from the TX60 in to my TV so that I can watch another program while recording something else. There's also an S-video connection from the TX60 to the TV and a digital audio cable to my receiver.


these units are fairly reliable and having four go bad cant just be coincidence as you imply in your post. Could it possibly be something going on with the Coax cable and the surge protector you have it plugged into ?

It seems to be the only thing "different" from your other AV equipment that is not having problems. maybe google aroind on ways to check the sheilding of the coax for the cable run or see if there are surges in it etc...


Everything you post would be the correct way to use this unit though you do not mention if you have it hooked up to a network or let it dial in by phone, which of course is another connection power troubles could get in on.

[netsfan]

I can't seem to find a button on the remote to jump between 2 channels! :eek:

Is there a way to do this? Even the cheapest TVs have a Previous Channel button. Please tell me that there's a way!!!

[lordrichter]

I can't seem to find a button on the remote to jump between 2 channels! :eek:

Is there a way to do this? Even the cheapest TVs have a Previous Channel button. Please tell me that there's a way!!!

You mean you can watch live TV on these things? Wow.


:D


Nope, no previous button on the remote that I am aware of. In few hours that I have watched live TV in the years since getting a TiVo, I never noticed.

[netsfan]

Nope, no previous button on the remote that I am aware of. In few hours that I have watched live TV in the years since getting a TiVo, I never noticed.

There are times when two shows are on at once, and with satellite you can't record a different show while watching one. So that "Previous" button has gotten quite a workout over the years. This is a very bad unexpected side effect. :(

[netsfan]

Never mind I got it!

The "Enter" button does the trick! :D

[ashu]

On standard Peanut remotes (for 240 and 540 TiVos), the Enter button is labelled Enter/Last ;)
Toshiba - in their infinite wisdom - left it out of even their Penut remote (of course, their heiny-ugly SD-H400 remote also lacks it)

Good find!

[skatefan20]

Hi!

Just wanted to post to see if anyone else is having the problem I have when watching thru S-video (see my post #329). Right now, I have to watch/record thru composite as that doesn't have moments where the screen is bleached or whitens momentarily during bright, bright scenes -- however, the composite is definitely not as sharp.

[lordrichter]

On standard Peanut remotes (for 240 and 540 TiVos), the Enter button is labelled Enter/Last ;)
Toshiba - in their infinite wisdom - left it out of even their Penut remote (of course, their heiny-ugly SD-H400 remote also lacks it)

Good find!

Cool. My TiVo brand peanut is old enough that the lettering on the plastic is starting to fade out. I never noticed the Last, but yeah, I can see that it is there. My most recent Peanut is from my Toshiba, and as noted, isn't there in the first place.

Not sure when I'll ever need this knowledge, though... :)

[lordrichter]

Hi!

Just wanted to post to see if anyone else is having the problem I have when watching thru S-video (see my post #329). Right now, I have to watch/record thru composite as that doesn't have moments where the screen is bleached or whitens momentarily during bright, bright scenes -- however, the composite is definitely not as sharp.

Have you tried a different S-Video cable? Tried a different TV with S-Video input? Need to rule out a TV or cable problem.

[adamarket]

Me too. I've owned my RS-TX60 unit since about March and burned upwards of 30 disks without issue. Now suddenly, about 1 in 3 fails to save. I try the various "magical" solutions, such as rebooting the TiVo, resetting the DVD settings, etc. These things "seem" to work but who knows. The cost of DVD-Rs have come down, but not so much that a failure doesn't hit the pocket book.

Adam

[adamarket]

Same thing has started happening to me. As you say, no help from Toshiba site and the usual places (which is how I ended up here). So far re-starting the Tivo seems to help but I have no idea if it actually is.

[skatefan20]

Have you tried a different S-Video cable? Tried a different TV with S-Video input? Need to rule out a TV or cable problem.

Yay, a reply...thanks!!

Yeah, I did try several S-Video Cables including one I bought for ~$20 at Radioshack, and hooked it up with a camcorder, Sylvania DTV Tuner, and satellite box. Still having problems with bright scenes. I'll try to hookup the Tivo to my capture cards on my PC and post pics of what I'm experiencing. No problems with composite on the Tivo, but there is a significant decrease in sharpness.

OT: Dark scenes and black levels are just HORRIBLE with this RS-TX20! No way does it touch my Hauppauge 150-MCE. The LG 3410 HDTV DVR has a more superior picture quality, even during analog recording (returned this thing as it was too damn expensive). This is my first Tivo, and if this is an indication of the picture quality on other Tivo's, this will be my first and last Tivo purchase. However, nice use as a VCR replacement!!

[lordrichter]

Several people complain about blacks levels and video quality for the TiVo units (all of them) and the DVD units in particular. Others say that some models are better than others.

I purchased the TiVo to watch cable TV programs when I have time rather than when broadcast. Local stations (CBS,NBC,FOX,ABC) on my cable network have static and other video artifacts and the TiVo certainly does not improve on the signal. I can watch TV through anything and am extremely forgiving on picture quality. I once had such a poor cable signal at one point due to a bad connection out at the street that I might as well have been on a cheap Walmart rabbit ears antenna.

So, yeah, to anyone that expects DVD quality pictures off their cable (digital or analog) through the TiVo, I have disturbing news for you...

But, it has to be a really really bad picture before I notice it (snowy black and white was when I first decided to get upset).

[weekendwarrior]

My son bought me a rs-tx 20 toshiba tivo2 machine, knowing how much I like my 80 gig one I bought last year. Well upon hooking the new unit up. Nothing, just the little window on the front of the unit says "welcome" Then says "setup". can't get a tv screen even through the video output. So I hooked my old one back up with the same connections and it works fine. Called Best Buy about it this afternoon. They said it had been discontinued but they would do me right buy it. Either order another one or substitute something comparable. I haven't called toshiba yet. I may do that before I go to Best Buy and see what they say. Any idea what's wrong? Or did I just get stuck with a lemon. Anyone?

[13junk]

I've got an RS-TX20 and I have vertical lines on the screen when either viewing Tivo Menus, Live video, or Recorded programs. They are not always there they flicker in and out. They do not show up on the screen when I view through the coax pass through. I've seen this in a few other threads, and perhaps at the begining of this one I've been reading for hours! But I've never seen a solution. For the record I do agree with the fact blacks are crused on the TX20. If that was my only problem I likely wouldn't be writing.

My first setup was coax to cable box, coax to Tivo, composite to receiver, s-video to TV. I've tried 2 different pairs of reliable compsite cables, and I've tried connecting them straight to the TV (even though my DVD and VCR which are connected to the receiver in the same manner to not have display issues) and the lines are always there.

My second second setup was coax to cable, composite to Tivo, composite to TV. Same flickering vertical black lines.

I am running version 5.4-01-2-565

Can anyone help me?

Thanks

[lordrichter]

Called Best Buy about it this afternoon. They said it had been discontinued but they would do me right buy it. Either order another one or substitute something comparable. Any idea what's wrong? Or did I just get stuck with a lemon. Anyone?

Assuming that all other diagnostic attempts have failed, sounds like a defective unit.

If Best Buy is willing to order you another one, that sounds like a plan. If you send it in to Toshiba, it will be a few weeks turnaround. The TX-20 is a stock item for Best Buy so they can probably get one on the next truck, even if that store doesn't normally stock them.

[lordrichter]

I've got an RS-TX20 and I have vertical lines on the screen when either viewing Tivo Menus, Live video, or Recorded programs. They are not always there they flicker in and out. They do not show up on the screen when I view through the coax pass through.

My first setup was coax to cable box, coax to Tivo, composite to receiver, s-video to TV.

My second second setup was coax to cable, composite to Tivo, composite to TV.


Have you tried coax to cable box, composite to TiVo, S-Video to TV?

In general, when you see video problems on the TiVo menus, it is a problem in the TiVo output, the cables, or somewhere else after the signal leaves the TiVo.

My guess is that there is a problem with the TiVo output hardware that only Toshiba will be able to resolve.

I don't think that the video inputs and outputs on the TX-20 and TX-60 are the most robust things in the shop.

[13junk]

Have you tried coax to cable box, composite to TiVo, S-Video to TV?

Haven't tried that. I intended to buy an additional s-video cable today to try s-video from cable box to Tivo, just for grins and an excuse to get an s-video cable. But that would allow me to try the above. Thanks for the option. :up:

Oddly with the overnight software update to 5.4.2-01-2-565, the vertical lines are gone. Will have to see if it is the same when I come home and then push the cabinet back to the wall :)

OT: S-video out of Tivo cannot be a long term solution for me because all my devices run through the 8 year old receiver, which of course I couldn't covince my wife to chalk up the extra $100 for the s-video connection, optical audio, and mute feature. (guess what I hear every day, "I wish I could mute the sound")

[james_r_reed]

Just bought a DVR Model RS-TX20 on Saturday. My first TiVo ever. Did I make a good choice?

Was $599 at Best Buy with $200 mail in rebate.

Was an impulse buy.

An odd thing I noticed was quite a few surface scratches in the face plate of the unit. The packaging was sealed (box and internal bag). Anyone else experience this?

I'd expect a brand new unit, fresh out of the box to have no blemishes of any kind. Was not the case on mine.

J.R.

[james_r_reed]

OK, I'm concerned after reading and re-reading the posts in this thread that I may not have purchased a good TiVo unit.

I purchased the RS-TX20 at Best Buy mainly because it was the most expensive unit they offered. I often equate that with a sign of quality.

Since reading posts in this thread I have run around anxiously putting surge protectors on every line (phone, electrical, cable) coming into the unit itself.

I'm paranoid that the unit "hums." etc. etc.

I've read the return policy (and 4 yr service plan) documents from Best Buy a dozen times and am planning a trip there tomorrow. Does the service plan cover lightening or other "acts of God"?

What's the word on the RS-TX20? Good? Bad?

All thoughts, advice are greatly appreciated.

J.R.

[csyria]

I don't have an opinion for you on whether or not you should keep it, but I do have this piece of advice:

Swap out the power surge protector for a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). If you look around in the ads, you may be able to find one on the cheap. And in this case, a cheap APC 350va model is ALL you need.

I'm suggesting this for a few reasons:
First, because it has the possibility to expand the life of your unit. Power problems that aren't covered by a regular surge protector have the possibility to damage the hard drive in ANY DVR. These problems include brownouts and under/overvoltages.
Second, because it is nice not to have to wait for the unit to reboot when you have a two second power outage. No more missing chunks of shows.
Third, a UPS is more likely to actually protect you from lightning.

The one I mentioned above (a 350va UPS) will run the TiVo by itself for at least 45 minutes when the power goes out. And if the battery dies, the power to the TiVo will go out in a clean way, unlike the way normal power will often go out (it may flicker a few times, or go to undervoltage for a second before dying).

I hope this was helpful. :)

[lordrichter]

I like my TX-20, although it is currently being repaired. Something happened to the coax input rather suddenly, leaving me with a nice rainbow effect on any programs recorded. I've had one of these units for quite some time, I was an early adopter.

My unit is on a UPS. All my computers, including TiVo, are on UPSs ranging from 280VA to 550VA. The cable and phone lines to TiVo are running through a surge suppressor.

I have no idea what the problem with the coax input was. It happened between 7am and noon on a weekday.

I am still positive on the units and plan on holding a party for it when it returns.

[Bimwad]

Just bought a DVR Model RS-TX20 on Saturday. My first TiVo ever. Did I make a good choice?

Was $599 at Best Buy with $200 mail in rebate.

Was an impulse buy.

An odd thing I noticed was quite a few surface scratches in the face plate of the unit. The packaging was sealed (box and internal bag). Anyone else experience this?

I'd expect a brand new unit, fresh out of the box to have no blemishes of any kind. Was not the case on mine.

J.R.

Look closely, and you'll find that there is a protective film covering the part of the face plate where you see the scratches.

A good unit? IMO, not for $600. Acceptable for $300. Very good for $100. Will I now be expelled from the Cult of TiVo? :D

It would be interesting to compare reliability statistics between TiVo SA users and Toshiba and/or Humax users, and for CE products in general.

What makes problems more difficult to diagnose is that these units are vulnerable to both hardware and software issues, whereas a typical appliance is probably much less vulnerable to the latter.

I think it's safe to say that whomever manufactures these units for Toshiba and TiVo does have some hardware QC issues. Any TiVo veterans care to comment about the track record for late-model SA TiVos? Both the DVD units and SA units share the same physical chassis, and both originate from Mexico, so it's likely that they're made in the same factory, or at least based on the same reference design. The Toshiba merely has a DVD-R drive and a different software version to accompany it.

As for the UPS, it's a good idea if only for the convenience of not having to reboot after a power failure or lose any recordings in progress. Most UPSes, and cheap ones in particular, don't offer much in the way of surge protection, and the cheap ones certainly don't act as power conditioners.

And there is a certain skepticism that consumer surge protectors don't do nearly as much as they claim to in the first place. While they don't hurt, they aren't the impenetrable and absolute shields that a lot of the ad copy implies them to be.

[ZeoTiVo]

I've read the return policy (and 4 yr service plan) documents from Best Buy a dozen times and am planning a trip there tomorrow. Does the service plan cover lightening or other "acts of God"?

What's the word on the RS-TX20? Good? Bad?

All thoughts, advice are greatly appreciated.

J.R.

you bought a good unit. The higher price among TiVos however reflects the DVD burner. I would place the quality of the Toshiba unit slightly above a HUMAx DVD burner TiVo though. The HUMAX model is more closely aligned to the Stand Alone TiVo 540 model. Humax was going for lowest price while Toshiba took a little more of the quality road.

I own a 240 TiVo, 540 TiVo, SD H400 and RS TX20 Toshiba models. all four have operated just fine for me with none of the problems listed in this thread. Bear in mind of course that most people find this thread when they have a problem and are looking for answers. I happen to be into the added features of TiVo like HME and TiVoToGo and future direction of TiVo in general so I come to these forums even though I am not having specific problems to solve.

now in general TiVo has gone down a raod of lower price point over time - looking for that magic 99$ price that would move boxes and sell subscriptions. So of course quality of parts has moved toward the low cost spectrum, but still overall they have a decent track record on quality. The only real hiccup in the road was the rush out the door of version 7.1 for TiVoToGo, that had some glitches but the DVD burner TiVos did not get it due to differetn code branches. 7.x will come to the DVD burners later this year with all the whiz bang features so that all TiVos are based on the same code base. Hopefully, with round 2 things will go pretty smoothly.

as for the discontinued part. I have not looked to see if Toshiba is putting out a newer model. In general MY SPECULATION is that a cable card reference design is in the works and will be released first half of 2006. Most likely TiVo makers are watching their inventory in advance of that.

I love my RS TX20 though and it has the added advantage of being able to go back to TiVoBasic when/if newer models come out that I get and migrate to. Add to that DVD burning that my 8 year old can do and it is a box that will be in service for a long time to come in some capacity :up:

[bigjohn]

Got my RS-TX20 Sunday evening after going to a couple stores, seems they are running low on supply...

Setup and operation a breeze as usual - just need something meaty to test the DVD burner with - playback is fine (watched Stripes last night).

No real complaints except for the lack of a Playlist button on the remote (I know, Tivo button twice, but it's not the same)

[Mahkook]

Could others out there with the RS-TX** please do me a small favor and check the firmware of your DVD drive (shown in the sytem info page)? I am experiencing some problems with playback of newer rented DVD's that might be due to new copy prevention schemes they are using (explained in another thread). I would like to know your firmware version and how new your machine is so that I can compare and possibly contact Toshiba for a firmware update if I have an older version.

Mine: DVD-RW DVR 108RZ rev. 1.15

Muito Obrigado!
Mahkook

[Bimwad]

The current DVD drive firmware is 1.15. The TiVo software is 5.42.

Both were updated shortly after setting up my unit in the past week and a half (from 1.08 and 5.41).


On another note, my unit started to pixellate and went blank for a second toward the end of a program I was watching tonight on live TV. The entire glitch lasted about 5 seconds and was captured in the recording I had set it to perform at the same time. Sigh.

[TivoRoop]

I love my Toshiba TX60 TIVO. I can record and burn TV shows on DVDs except for one minor issue.

I don't know if anybody is experiencing this issue but I have noticed that If I burn a DVD of a TV show which has Closed captions, and play that DVD in my Pioneer DVD player, I cannot turn on Closed captions. If I play the same DVD in Toshiba where I originally created that DVD, I can turn ON and see closed Captions.

On my Pioneer DVD player, I can Turn ON and see CC when I play DVD movies rented from Blockbuster etc. That indicates that problem is not with Pioneer player.

Is there any setting on Toshiba TX60 which needs to be changed for this to work.

I'll appreciate any feedback on it.

Thanks.

[Phillip Chapman]

I'm considering getting the TX20 with Best Buy's current sale and $200 rebate offer. I had been leaning towards getting the Toshiba XS34, but if I could get the TX20 for $130, I can do menu creation and editing on the PC.

I had a few questions, I was hoping you all would be kind enough to answer:

1. When you record an outside source with the TX20 via the S-Video cable where does the recording go, in Tivo's "Now Playing" list? Can you enter a title for the S-Video Recorded material?

2. I am planning on using just Tivo basic. Will the $200 rebate + 50% off at Best Buy still apply for this unit? Or will I not get the $200 Tivo rebate because that requires Tivo Plus activation?

3. Just to verify, if I only use Tivo basic I can record outside material (from DirecTivo, VHS via S-Video) without any problems? This would be a deal breaker for me if I could only record with Tivo basic, not also through S-Video.

4. I'm familiar with standalone Tivo units, but will Tivo basic limit any functionality of the DVD-Recorder itself?

5. Does this unit have the black level bug as some previous Toshiba models (XS32/XS52)? I've read people complaining here about pictures quality, but if I use best or high, will low quality really be an issue?

[13junk]

2. I am planning on using just Tivo basic. Will the $200 rebate + 50% off at Best Buy still apply for this unit? Or will I not get the $200 Tivo rebate because that requires Tivo Plus activation?

My Best Buy rebate for my purchase of the tx20 does not require TivoPlus activation, just purchase of the unit. I bought it on June 30th.

[vtrSlider]

Hi All:

I Purchased the RS-TX20 while looking for a DVD burner with a firewire, iLink, IEEE1394 input.
I've been trying to record from the Comcast (Motorola) 6412 from the firewire output directly to the RS-TX20 firewire input.

Everytime I try to record I get a brief flash of the program on the 6412 and then a blue screen.

Has anyone tried to record from the firewire port?

[Brainiac 5]

5. Does this unit have the black level bug as some previous Toshiba models (XS32/XS52)?I don't have one myself, but from what people have reported here (especially one poster who actually measured the signal), it has its own black level bug that is different from the one on the XS32/XS52. Instead of a problem with a black level that is 7.5 IRE too high, the TiVo unit seems to have a problem that involves a black level 7.5 IRE too low.

However, it sounds like the problem is on playback only, unlike the XS32/XS52 where the problem was recorded onto the disc. I don't think anyone has verified this in any scientific way, but unless I've misunderstood what people have posted, it seems like the disc is actually recorded with the correct black level and is displayed correctly on other players. The problem is just that the unit itself outputs video with a 0 IRE black level instead of the 7.5 IRE that is correct for North America.

To anyone who has one and has noticed this problem - do I have the right impression? The discs play back dark on the unit itself but look normal on other players?

[Phillip Chapman]

Instead of a problem with a black level that is 7.5 IRE too high, the TiVo unit seems to have a problem that involves a black level 7.5 IRE too low.

However, it sounds like the problem is on playback only.

While not ideal, if it is playback only and not actually recorded incorrectly on the disc I can maybe tolerate it. I'm wondering if you turn off "enhanced black" on the unit if the picture won't be displayed correctly in this case. Does this effect playback on ALL discs on just DVD-R's that you record?

By the way, if any kind sole has an extra "50% off Tivo" coupon that they would be willing to share, please send me a PM or e-mail.

You guys are the best. Thanks. Looking forward to hearing more feedback from other TX-20/TX-60 owners.

[Nolzman]

By the way, if any kind sole has an extra "50% off Tivo" coupon that they would be willing to share, please send me a PM or e-mail.


I know they can had on e-bay for as little as $6 or $7. I bought a couple from there and was able to use them on the HD Tivo. I am waiting for BB to re-stock the Toshiba, so I can get one of those also.

[tombaker]

I have vertical lines on the Toshiba RS-TX20 on coaxial and composite outputs.....Component output seems to resolve it....saw some post that a hardware software update may fix this.

Do I have a sub par machine or is this normal
tia

[ZeoTiVo]

I had a few questions, I was hoping you all would be kind enough to answer:

1. When you record an outside source with the TX20 via the S-Video cable where does the recording go, in Tivo's "Now Playing" list? Can you enter a title for the S-Video Recorded material?

3. Just to verify, if I only use Tivo basic I can record outside material (from DirecTivo, VHS via S-Video) without any problems? This would be a deal breaker for me if I could only record with Tivo basic, not also through S-Video.

4. I'm familiar with standalone Tivo units, but will Tivo basic limit any functionality of the DVD-Recorder itself?


I had mine in TiVoBasic fro a while before getting around to subscribing it. It will be our main TiVo so Basic was not enough.

anyway to your questions -
1 - i recorded from my camcorder over composite in TiVo basic and had all the functionality. Including a keyboard widget on the screen to name the show.
I assume the other inputs are identical.

3. recording outside sources is the same in TiVobasic.

4. and to be redundent no DVD - recorder functionality was missing with basic.

[Phillip Chapman]

Thank you ZeoTiVo. Great info. Much appreciated.

I guess the biggest issue I have is just questions about video quality. Everything will be recorded in high or best and that sounds pretty subjective from the other comments in this thread.

[ZeoTiVo]

Thank you ZeoTiVo. Great info. Much appreciated.

I guess the biggest issue I have is just questions about video quality. Everything will be recorded in high or best and that sounds pretty subjective from the other comments in this thread.

Many report little visual difference between High and Best quality. I for one would have to get close to the TV screen to see any difference. With that large a hard drive I tend to use High quality for something I care about the video quality of like StarGate adn its visuals or my own Home Movies with such beautiful children as my own ;) for things like Sitcoms or the Tonight show I use medium quality.

I can definitely see the difference between medium and high.

the difference there is in the file size however is significant. medium shows I can transfer around or move via TTG at better than real time. high is somewhat better than real time on MRV and a little worse than real time on TTG. I do not even use best quality as it ios significantly bigger than high quality and I for one do not get struck by a difference between high and best.

on the DVD - it takes the same anount of time to burn a full DVD no matter the quality. the difference is how much fits
1 hour of best quality on a DVD
2 hours of high
4 hours of medium.

I have never used low quality.

PS all outside sources always record to the hard drive, and then you burn to DVD or not.

[Brainiac 5]

While not ideal, if it is playback only and not actually recorded incorrectly on the disc I can maybe tolerate it. I'm wondering if you turn off "enhanced black" on the unit if the picture won't be displayed correctly in this case. Does this effect playback on ALL discs on just DVD-R's that you record?That's a very good question about "enhanced black" - I've downloaded the manual and looked at it, and I didn't see any option for choosing enhanced vs. normal black. If there were such an option, I would speculate as you do that the non-enhanced black setting would fix the problem. Maybe someone who owns this unit can comment on whether or not such an option exists...?

About whether this affects playback on all discs - my impression from what I've read is that it affects ALL playback of ANYTHING - DVD-Rs recorded on the unit, commerical DVDs, and even shows played back from the hard drive. Again, maybe someone who has one of these units and has noticed the problem can comment on whether or not this is correct.

[Bimwad]

Here's a question for the vets.

I'm trying out the external recording function for the first time by dubbing some old tapes. From reading the manual, it strongly implied that only the front panel inputs could be used with an external source. The rear inputs seemed to be reserved for a cable box or sat. receiver, and then only as an either/or scenario with the RF input unless one upgraded to TiVo Plus.

So I dutifully connected the VCR to the front inputs, and then found that the recording menu screen offered me the option of either front or rear inputs?! Does anybody know offhand whether the rear inputs do indeed work for external sources, along with the RF while in Basic mode?

I plan to try it, but I don't want to go through the rigamarole of tearing down and rebuilding the stereo cabinet to redo the wires if I don't have to.

[lordrichter]

I use the rear inputs for my VCR so that I can play back my old VHS home movies and the front input for my 8mm camcorder because it is easy to get to them.

[Runch Machine]

Go ahead and tear it down so you can use the rear jacks. They work great for copying from external sources. I use mine all the time that way.

[Bimwad]

Thanks for the confirmations!

[ScubaCat]

I searched the forum but did not find any reference to this problem.

I was watching a program on my new RS-TX20 TiVo last night. I had begun watching after the program started, so I was watching about 20 minutes behind live TV. Right in the middle of the recording TiVo changed to the next highest channel and continued recording. :confused:

I certainly didn't do it manually. If I had, the recording would have stopped. I verified that I had set TiVo to record the full 1 hour program. TiVo just seemed to have decided that I needed to watch "Troy" instead of "Six Feet Under". Has this ever happened to anyone else?

[lordrichter]

Is the TX-20 connected directly to cable or through a cable box?

[PriorSayin]

Any suggestions on how to hook up an RS-TX20 to a Dish 811 HD receiver so it plays on an Hitachi 48" HDTV monitor? Details please as I am lame.
Thanks in advance and sorry if this has been asked before but I'm in a jam.

PriorSayin

[ScubaCat]

Is the TX-20 connected directly to cable or through a cable box?

I have Dish Network. Line in from Dish to Dish receiver to TX-20. I use the IR channel changer.

I've had other versions of TiVo since 2001 and I've never had one change the channel during a recording.

[bigdumbanimal]

I have vertical lines on the Toshiba RS-TX20 on coaxial and composite outputs.....Component output seems to resolve it....saw some post that a hardware software update may fix this.

Do I have a sub par machine or is this normal
tia


I also have this problem with a new RS-TX20. I have not tried component yet...just S-Video and Composite. The picture is really good from cable box to TV (Receiver,) however I get faint black vertical lines when it comes from the Tivo. I am connecting to Tivo now to see if any firmware updates exist. Next I'll try to find some component cables to use. Both my composite and S-Video cables are Acoustic Research...which aren't bad cables. Thanks in advance.

[Bimwad]

Can anybody here confirm that both the digital and analog audio outputs are active simultaneously?

If they are, it would help me get around the input limitations of my TV. If they aren't, it would save me the cost of a Toslink cable.

TIA

[Tplyr]

"Quote:
Originally Posted by tombaker
I have vertical lines on the Toshiba RS-TX20 on coaxial and composite outputs.....Component output seems to resolve it....saw some post that a hardware software update may fix this.

Do I have a sub par machine or is this normal
tia
"
I also have this problem with a new RS-TX20. I have not tried component yet...just S-Video and Composite. The picture is really good from cable box to TV (Receiver,) however I get faint black vertical lines when it comes from the Tivo. I am connecting to Tivo now to see if any firmware updates exist. Next I'll try to find some component cables to use. Both my composite and S-Video cables are Acoustic Research...which aren't bad cables. Thanks in advance.
---------------
I also have the same problem as tombaker and bigdumbanimal with my newly purchased Toshiba RS-TX20. I've done this much so far, and I get the exact same results: "The picture is really good from cable box to TV (Receiver,) however I get faint black vertical lines when it comes from the Tivo."

My cable input runs from the wall outlet -> through my cable company's cable box -> through my VCR -> then to the RS-TX20 via a series of component and coaxial connections. This setup works great (crystal clear, no vertical lines) when I was using my other Tivo Series 2 - 40 Hour unit which was replaced by the RS-TX20.

Before I disconnect and reconnect all the wiring and spend an enormous amount of time trying to diagnose everything, I'd like to know what else to try besides connecting the component cables from my cable box -> to the Toshiba RS-TX20 Tivo unit -> to my TV.

And, if possible, I'd like to know if a specific solution exists for this "black vertical lines (on TV screen) when it comes from the Tivo" problem. :confused: Thanks.


FYI Update:
My current Software Version: 5.4-01-2-565
My current DVD Drive Firmware Version: DVD-RW DVR-108RZ rev. 1.08

[bigdumbanimal]

I was cruising the Tivo support forums this morning and found out that this should be resolved by a Tivo software update. My Tivo downloaded updates for a couple of hours last night and never finished correctly. I am going to pick up a USB wireless ethernet adapter tonight and try updating with that. I get the black lines both in the Tivo menus and while watching TV. My old series 2 used the same cables and didn't have this problem. I'll post tonight/tomorrow with my findings. Let me know if you find anything.

[tombaker]

It appears that after a few days.....TX20 did go out and get a software update....and the lines seem gone....I could tell it was a major update because I got the dancing TIVO startup animation when I woke up my TIVO

I often turn it to standby at night

I am currently using normal composite cables with no lines.....I needed my component TV imputs for a PS2....

I now look forward to the 7.1 software update to come out.

[ashu]

Can anybody here confirm that both the digital and analog audio outputs are active simultaneously?

If they are, it would help me get around the input limitations of my TV. If they aren't, it would save me the cost of a Toslink cable.

TIA

I can confirm that (at least for TiVo shows; when i watcha DVD I don't bother with analog, of course ;) ) I can double check for DVDs if you'd like, but I'm quite confident you should be fine. My Humax DRT800 (bedroom, older TV) definitely sends DVD audio out over analog - but I haven't confirmed digital is simultaneously active!

<edit> Although if you do have a home theater system, why do you even need the analog setup? And if you don't have one, resta ssured that stereo output (TiVo'd shows, live TV and streamed MP3s) play virtually identically via analog and digital audio interconnects (I've compared them both with my old receiver) DVD's, of course, only send encoded Dolby Digital or DTS or PCM audio over digital interconnects.

[Tplyr]

I also have the same problem as tombaker and bigdumbanimal with my newly purchased Toshiba RS-TX20. I've done this much so far, and I get the exact same results: "The picture is really good from cable box to TV (Receiver,) however I get faint black vertical lines when it comes from the Tivo."

My cable input runs from the wall outlet -> through my cable company's cable box -> through my VCR -> then to the RS-TX20 via a series of component and coaxial connections. This setup works great (crystal clear, no vertical lines) when I was using my other Tivo Series 2 - 40 Hour unit which was replaced by the RS-TX20.

Before I disconnect and reconnect all the wiring and spend an enormous amount of time trying to diagnose everything, I'd like to know what else to try besides connecting the component cables from my cable box -> to the Toshiba RS-TX20 Tivo unit -> to my TV.

And, if possible, I'd like to know if a specific solution exists for this "black vertical lines (on TV screen) when it comes from the Tivo" problem. :confused: Thanks.


FYI Update:
My current Software Version: 5.4-01-2-565
My current DVD Drive Firmware Version: DVD-RW DVR-108RZ rev. 1.08


I left the wiring alone and didn't have to spend an enormous amount of time to diagnose all the wiring. :eek:

A second or third Tivo connection downloaded a major software update for a few hours which fixed the black vertical lines problem.

My current Software Version is still the same: 5.4-01-2-565
My current DVD Drive Firmware Version is now upgraded to: DVD-RW DVR-108RZ rev. 1.15

I'm pleased to now know it's only a firmware/software issue and not a hardware issue. Thanks tombaker and bigdumbanimal for your tips and help. :up:

[bigdumbanimal]

It appears that after a few days.....TX20 did go out and get a software update....and the lines seem gone....I could tell it was a major update because I got the dancing TIVO startup animation when I woke up my TIVO

I often turn it to standby at night

I am currently using normal composite cables with no lines.....I needed my component TV imputs for a PS2....

I now look forward to the 7.1 software update to come out.

I came home from work last night, rebooted the Tivo and the lines were all gone. You were right on...just a software update.

Thanks

[Bimwad]

I can confirm that (at least for TiVo shows; when i watcha DVD I don't bother with analog, of course ;) ) I can double check for DVDs if you'd like, but I'm quite confident you should be fine. My Humax DRT800 (bedroom, older TV) definitely sends DVD audio out over analog - but I haven't confirmed digital is simultaneously active!

<edit> Although if you do have a home theater system, why do you even need the analog setup? And if you don't have one, resta ssured that stereo output (TiVo'd shows, live TV and streamed MP3s) play virtually identically via analog and digital audio interconnects (I've compared them both with my old receiver) DVD's, of course, only send encoded Dolby Digital or DTS or PCM audio over digital interconnects.

Thx, I've got it working the way I thought it would -- analog audio output direct to the TV for mostly casual viewing, when I don't feel like firing up the HT system, and the digital audio out to the receiver for full effect.

Only oddity is that even though I changed the audio setting to 96kHz, my receiver is only detecting 48kHz. I guess normal program content doesn't go any higher.

[Nolzman]

Just purchased a TX20 and I have a simply question. Does the box contain a cable ready tuner (i.e. VCR). The reason I ask is this unit is for my in-laws and they have basic cable only. No cable box necessary, but do have a cable box. Can I split the cable and have one go to the cable box then onto the TV, and one to the TX20 and then to the TV. That way they can record one thing and watch another.

Does the unit have more than one TV tuner? What is the best way to set this up with a basic cable box?

[azitnay]

Yes, the RS-TX20 and all other SA TiVos have tuners built-in, so you can use them with "no cable box" cable setups.

Only one tuner, BTW.

You'll probably want to split the cable before the cable box, so you can watch live TV on one side and record TiVo on the other. If they need/want to record channels they only receive over the cable box, you'll have to connect the cable box to the TiVo and fiddle with the IR blasters. However, if they can live with only recording channels they receive straight off the wire, you can leave the cable box on the TV side of things and let the TiVo tune basic cable itself.

Drew

[Runch Machine]

Actually you don't have to split the cable. The RS-TX 20 has an RF (TV Signal) pass through. Connect the cable directly to the top RF connecter, Connect another coax cable to the bottom RF connector and to the TV. This will result in a better picture and less signal loss. This is how I use it and it works great.

Note that in order to see a picture from the RS-TX20 you have to connect it to the TV via video and audio jacks. This unit does NOT send a signal on channel 3 like a VCR. Just to be clear this unit does have cable ready tuner. When you set it up you tell it cable input or TV antenna input during guided set up.

[azitnay]

Good point... If it wasn't passthrough-only, I'd still recommend splitting, just so you don't have to hassle with standby all the time. But with passthrough, yours is clearly the best way.

Drew

[mindstorm]

Does anyone know if the RS-TX series supports the saving of camcorder footage shot in 16:9 format in that aspect ratio? So far, I've had no luck in getting the camcorder footage to come out in the correct format (16:9). When I save from my camcorder to the RS-TX unit, the unit "squeezes" the video into 4:3 format --my wife likes it since she says we all look thinner :)

So far I have tried recording to the unit via s-video and firewire.

I still have not explored all the output options in my camcorder (Sony) so there way be so way there to preserve the aspect ratio, but I wanted to see if anyone else has encountered this issue and discovered a workaround.


Thanks,

Doug

[bamaman]

I have a question about recording to the DVD. Is there a way to record the contents of a folder? Say I have 3 episodes of Six Feet Under in the folder and I want to record all of them to the DVD, can I tell the DVD recorder to record all that is in the folder or do I have to record each show one at a time?
Thanks

[azitnay]

One at a time... Not a big deal, since you'll most likely never be putting more than 8 of anything on a single disc anyway. And this way, you can order them.

Drew

[windracer]

Right, so technically it's not one at a time. You can queue up a bunch of shows (in any order, as azitnay mentioned) to burn to DVD (as many as will fit).

[azitnay]

Ahh... I misread the question a bit. Select them one at a time, but burn them all at once, indeed.

Drew

[Runch Machine]

I was wondering if I could record a DVD movie to the hard drive and then burn it to a DVD. I found that it allows a movie to be copied to the hard drive but when you go to make a DVD it doesn't allow you to select the movie. The check box has a circle with a line through it.

My question is, How does it know it is a program that is not to be copied? To get the movie on to the hard drive I connected an external DVD player to the S-Video input on the front. The result is an analog copy on the hard drive. How is this any different, technically, then connecting a camcorder with home movies on it and making a DVD copy?

[azitnay]

The TiVo presumably picked up the Macrovision copy protection embedded into the analog stream of the DVD. Your home movies most certainly would not have this protection.

Drew

[ROB-USA]

Just bought a DVR Model RS-TX20 on Saturday. My first TiVo ever. Did I make a good choice?

Was $599 at Best Buy with $200 mail in rebate.

Was an impulse buy.

An odd thing I noticed was quite a few surface scratches in the face plate of the unit. The packaging was sealed (box and internal bag). Anyone else experience this?

I'd expect a brand new unit, fresh out of the box to have no blemishes of any kind. Was not the case on mine.

J.R.

I have had this model since dec 04 and burned over 250 disks so far with not ONE failure. I couldn't be happier...I've never had a bad experience in audio/video quality.

My only issue is... as a user of this particular model is.. we've been told the Tivo2Go functionality will be forthcoming sometime in 2005. Well, it's already near the end of July and we still don't have it.

[ZeoTiVo]

I have had this model since dec 04 and burned over 250 disks so far with not ONE failure. I couldn't be happier...I've never had a bad experience in audio/video quality.

My only issue is... as a user of this particular model is.. we've been told the Tivo2Go functionality will be forthcoming sometime in 2005. Well, it's already near the end of July and we still don't have it.


they said summer of 2005 so that can mean August or September as well.
patience. ;)

[Runch Machine]

Just bought a DVR Model RS-TX20 on Saturday. My first TiVo ever. Did I make a good choice?

Was $599 at Best Buy with $200 mail in rebate.

Was an impulse buy.

An odd thing I noticed was quite a few surface scratches in the face plate of the unit. The packaging was sealed (box and internal bag). Anyone else experience this?

I'd expect a brand new unit, fresh out of the box to have no blemishes of any kind. Was not the case on mine.

J.R.

There is a strip of clear plactic tape over the front face plate display to protect it. You need to peel it off, then the front will look perfect. Look carefully around the edge and you will see the plastic tape to peel off.

[omextreme]

I just bought a tx20 and i have this blinking static type stuff in the menus. It is on the composite output, not the component?? It is really bothering me,

running
5.4-01-2
dvr109r2 1.25

Seems to be in sync with the hd running, just setit up so i cannot record anything untill it is done doing it's update thing, 4+ hours apparently

Any thoughts?

[zmlb20]

Hi - Have had the RS-TX60 for some time now but one odd problem with recording to DVDs. Generally, I save movies at "high" quality which typically records at 2 hours and thus will fit on a singe DVD. But occasionally I get a program with goes over 2 hours and, regardless of how long over 2 hours, I get varying requirements on the number of DVDs required for the burn (e.g. a show that saved at 2 hrs 4 minutes wants 3 DVDs to complete the burn and a show that saved at 3 hrs wants 4 DVDs to complete the burn). Anybody else experienced this? Any suggestions? Thanks...

[stuart2]

[QUOTE=Runch Machine]I was wondering if I could record a DVD movie to the hard drive and then burn it to a DVD. I found that it allows a movie to be copied to the hard drive but when you go to make a DVD it doesn't allow you to select the movie. The check box has a circle with a line through it.

hi i also have same problem original dvd is my own dvd i was making back up its not working please help me

[ashu]

omextreme: I *think* a new software update that corrects that issue will download to your Toshiba. The factory software had that issue, and the next upgrade fixed it. Patience (and force a couple of connections perhaps?)

zmlb20: have you avctually gone ahead and attempted to burn it anyway? perhaps it merely reports 3 in error (although that is a reportable error) and does, in fact, finish with just two DVDs as expected. No idea how you would report that error though. I wonder whether others also encounter it? I've never seen it myself.

stuart2 and Runch Machine, commerical DVDs have MacroVision (google for that). TiVo respects that directive/flag (it is meant to prevent copying) and while you can copy a DVD to the TiVo itself, it WILL NOT let you burn that DVD to another blank DVD. That would be illegal. If you burn a DVD with home movies on your PC or another DVD burner (or, indeed, the Toshiba istelf), and then play it back externally and record it to the Toshiba - it will lack the MacroVision flag, and will, in fact, be burnable to DVD.

[stuart2]

thanks ashu :)
you are expert :up:

[zmlb20]

omextreme - thanks for the info. Guess your are referring to a Toshiba software update from the Toshiba site - not from my regular Tivo updates (it updates regularly via broadband connection).

No, I have not actually tried to burn on. I wondered also if it was just reporting multiple disks when it will actually finish with two.

Thanks again... I'll look for a firmware upgrade on the Toshiba site.

[squirrelwithnuts]

1. I burn off the video onto how ever many disks it says I need (dvd-rw baby)
2. I use DVD decryptor in ifo mode to demux the audio and video giving you pcm and mp2
3. I use HeadAC3he and encode the audio into 48Hz .wav
4. Repeat for each dvd if applicable
5. I use adobe premiere to remove the commercials and combine the video if applicable
6. I burn this onto a dvd if I do not want a fancy menu. I can even have it loop if I do something for work and it to re-run
7. I use Encore to make a pretty menu and add my shows and make a nice menu driven DVD.

So far I have seen no diff in quality over watching it off of the tivo because I never really re-encoded the video. I basically demux it cut it re-mux it. Perfect every time.

I will also add that my copies of adobe are not necessarily legal. I know I know shame on me... but if I could afford them I would probably use something better anyway. :p

[mikeurz]

I am new to TIVO and to my Toshiba RS-TX20. Couple questions, and I apologize if these have been asked before. I have Comcast Cable and am using the serial connector to change channels. It works, but:

Channel changing is very slow. I press my selection off the guide then the numbers slowly appear on my screen and then I go to the channel. Is there any way of speeding thisup? Also, with my digital Cable, I get On Demand, whi is nice because my little ones can watch their shows whenever. Going through the Toshiba, I can access the On Demand Menu but then it seems like the device is trying ti change to another channel (usually 003). It trys to do this a few times before settling down. Now I cannot use my Toshiba remote to scroll through the On demand Menu. Anyone have a solution to this?

Also, a basic question: Since I cannot seem to find a power button on the remote, does that mean that the intention is never to turn this off? Also, am I supposed to leave the Cable box on as well, or just shut it off? Thanks, this looks like a great forum.

[cprovo]

I just purchased the rs-tx20 and was going to ask the same power on / off question. I assumed that you are supposed to put the unit in Standby mode - which I've done a couple times now. The only problem is after putting it in Standby mode I can't get it to turn back on by pressing the TIVO or Live TV buttons. Can anyone help us newbies?

[ScubaCat]

Yes, you are meant to leave the cable/dish box and TiVo on all the time. Don't you have recordings set up for when you are not watching TV? TiVo needs to be on and have access to the cable/dish feed to do what it does best. I know it seems odd at first, but you'll get use to it.

The channel changing is slower than without TiVo. That was very annoying to me at first, but you get use to it too.

Sorry, I don't know anything about "On Demand".

Enjoy your TiVo. The wonderful things you can do with TiVo will far outweigh the small annoyances.

[ZeoTiVo]

I am new to TIVO and to my Toshiba RS-TX20. Couple questions, and I apologize if these have been asked before. I have Comcast Cable and am using the serial connector to change channels. It works, but:

Channel changing is very slow. I press my selection off the guide then the numbers slowly appear on my screen and then I go to the channel. Is there any way of speeding thisup? Also, with my digital Cable, I get On Demand, whi is nice because my little ones can watch their shows whenever. Going through the Toshiba, I can access the On Demand Menu but then it seems like the device is trying ti change to another channel (usually 003). It trys to do this a few times before settling down. Now I cannot use my Toshiba remote to scroll through the On demand Menu. Anyone have a solution to this?

Also, a basic question: Since I cannot seem to find a power button on the remote, does that mean that the intention is never to turn this off? Also, am I supposed to leave the Cable box on as well, or just shut it off? Thanks, this looks like a great forum.

as noted - leave everything on (except the TV, that you have a power button on the remote to turn off) the TiVo takes very little power (60 watt light bulb) and it needs to be on to do scheduled recordings. The cable box needs to be on as well since most do not turn on simply by hitting a channel button and you will not get the correct channel to record.

There is no power savings or other reason to put the TiVo in standby other than to act as a pass through for the coax. With a cable box a passthrough has little use since the TiVo needs to use the cable box to descramble and send the correct channel to the Tivo to record.

A TiVo was never meant as a channel surfer and is inherently slow at changing channels since the Tivo recording part needs to sync up with the new channel to record it poroperly with no initial glitches. There is no way to speed it up.

On demand is designed to work straight off the cable box and the extra little channel changing it does is just not supported by the TiVo. You can record it but you have to get the cable box set on its own first and then start a manual recording. TiVo was designed around doing scheduled recordings off of preposted guide data so recording on demand becomes trickier. I have never even had a cable box or on demand so others will have to speak to finer details of that.

in short many TiVo owners get a second cable box and have it going straight to their TV for channel surfing and On demand viewing. Though over time many stop channel surfing as the TiVo fills up and they get more proactive on simply recording what they want to see.


(when I was sick once and laid up for a few days I actually did just put the TiVo on live TV and it became my channel changer for me, moving on to the next show I wanted to watch automatically as it recorded them. I put the remote away and just lay there and let the TV wash over me to keep my mind off how sick iwas feeling. It actually was very cool - kind of like preprogammed channel surfing)

[azitnay]

If you're willing to only allow your TiVo to record the channels you receive over the cable itself with no box (usually channels under 100, with the exception of some pay channels), you can set the TiVo up to not use the cable box and tune the cable channels itself. This will get you:

1) Much faster channel changing (essentially the same speed as normal channel changing, since the TiVo's doing the tuning).

2) You can set the cable box up independently of the TiVo on another TV input, and still use it for on-demand, premium channels, digital channels, etc.

Of course, the downside is that you can't TiVo premium and digital channels. There are pluses and minuses. Me, I don't even bother with digital cable -- extended basic gives our TiVos enough to chew on.

Drew

[cprovo]

So we leave it on but if by chance it's placed in standby mode - how do you turn it back on? I have placed mine in standby a couple of times and have had to unplug and then re-start. It didn't turn on once I pressed the TIVO or Live TV buttons.

[azitnay]

Hmm, I believe either of those buttons should work.

However, since the RF on the RS-TX20 is passthrough-only, there's very little point to putting the unit in standby in the first place. Just don't do it :).

Drew

[cprovo]

I now know it doesn't have to be put into Standby mode but now that I've done it and it's not turning back on using the buttons I'm concerned that I have a defective unit. Could this be possible or does anyone know of a reason it's not turning back on?

[windracer]

What if you use the TiVo button on the front of the unit? The little TiVo-guy logo is actually a button. Try that ... maybe it's a remote issue?

[DarkShadows]

I just recently purchased a RS-TX20 unit and am in the process of setting up a wireless network.

This weekend I bought the Linksys BEFW11S4 router at Staples for $10.00, my thinking was I could add an inexpensive USB bridge device.

Apparently even though routers have come down dramatically in price, the adapters are still on the pricey side, especially given the fact that this is "B" technology were talking about.

Would I be better off getting a wireless "G" and waiting for the update in the next month or two?

[eldred24]

I just got in on the Toshiba deal as well. Question though, I have set up my Tivo remote to control Mute, Input, Power, and Volume when I switch Inputs to the cable input but for some reason can not program the remote to change the channel. It does everything else though. So I always have to use the original remote to change the channel when I am on the normal cable input. Any suggestions? Thanks

[ashu]

Guided Setup determines whether
a. Cable is sent and tuned directly on the TiVo's RF tuner
OR
b. Channels are changed via Serial or IR control on a cable or satellite box.

Can't have your cake and eat it too :) You'd have to repeat Guided Setup to change what the Channel change buttons control (internal tuner or signals to external decoder box)

Well, actually Satellite + Cable is possible, but not what you're trying to achieve.

[mikeurz]

Thanks for all your help with my previous questions. One question about wireless connections now. I have a Linksys wireless G router and have attached a Wireless G USB adapter to my Toshiba. I cannot seem to get the two to link. When I go to the setup screen to phone and network settings, all I see are options to change my phone settings but not network. I originally set this device up to access via phone line. Do I need to re-run the setup?

[azitnay]

What model adapter are you using? Is it listed on http://www.tivo.com/adapters/ as a known-to-work adapter?

Drew

[ZeoTiVo]

I just got in on the Toshiba deal as well. Question though, I have set up my Tivo remote to control Mute, Input, Power, and Volume when I switch Inputs to the cable input but for some reason can not program the remote to change the channel. It does everything else though. So I always have to use the original remote to change the channel when I am on the normal cable input. Any suggestions? Thanks


I think the question is - how to change the channel on the TV tuner with the TiVo remote.
short answer - you can not do that with the TiVo remote.

long answer Best Buy and radio shack have universal remotes that can control multiple devices for under 20$ and will get you everything on one remote. JUst be sure to get one tha tcan support the RS TX20. and for that I actually have not looked at the cheap remotes as I won a harmony remote in a contest that normally retails for 100 or more. I like it :up:

[ashu]

I think the question is - how to change the channel on the TV tuner with the TiVo remote.
short answer - you can not do that with the TiVo remote.

long answer Best Buy and radio shack have universal remotes that can control multiple devices for under 20$ and will get you everything on one remote. JUst be sure to get one tha tcan support the RS TX20. and for that I actually have not looked at the cheap remotes as I won a harmony remote in a contest that normally retails for 100 or more. I like it :up:

Good catch. No fair - he edited his original question! My first reading made me interpret it as "how do I get the Channel control to control the TiVo's RF tuner for basic cable input AND my external device's channels via Serial/IR". Yeah, over-done :(

[jangelj]

I've read this whole thread (or at least skimmed it) and have a question. I know TTG is not available for the Toshiba DVD units (yet), but if I upgrade to Tivo Plus service, can I then get the .tivo files from the unit to my PC using the h, t, t, p, s, method? (sorry for the spacing, < 5 posts so can put a url)


Do I even need to upgrade to tivoplus to be able to do this? Seems like if I get the unit on my network with an IP address I should be able to get to the files even with tivo basic.
John

[azitnay]

1) RS-TX units don't yet have software version 7.x, so not only can they not use TiVoToGo via TiVo Desktop, they don't even run a web server, so the https method is out of the question as well. The https method is essentially a part of TiVoToGo.

2) Since features like TiVoToGo are not available on TiVo Basic, I'd imagine the web interface to the NPL isn't available, either. It's all one and the same.

Drew

[jangelj]

Thanks for the quick reply!
I was afraid the units wouldn't have the web server. Sucks.

I called tivo yesterday about something else (twice) and both reps I spoke with said that the upgrade for the DVD units wasn't expected until the end of the year or early next year.

This is my first series 2 unit and I just recently discovered all the things you can do with a 7.x series 2 unit. HME, TTG, etc. I am drooling as we speak, but must wait till the software update.

john

[azitnay]

Hmm... That's the first "official" word I've heard that it's been pushed back, but then again I'm not sure how official the word of a CS rep really is. We'll just have to wait and see.

Drew

[windracer]

I've read this whole thread (or at least skimmed it) and have a question. I know TTG is not available for the Toshiba DVD units (yet), but if I upgrade to Tivo Plus service, can I then get the .tivo files from the unit to my PC using the h, t, t, p, s, method? (sorry for the spacing, < 5 posts so can put a url)

Do I even need to upgrade to tivoplus to be able to do this? Seems like if I get the unit on my network with an IP address I should be able to get to the files even with tivo basic.
John
Well, TTG and the https interface both require a media access key (MAK) which you won't have unless you subscribe to TiVo Plus. I'm sure if you try and hit the https port with your browser, you'll get the login, but unless you know your MAK, it won't do you any good.

[holidayidol]

Well, TTG and the https interface both require a media access key (MAK) which you won't have unless you subscribe to TiVo Plus. I'm sure if you try and hit the https port with your browser, you'll get the login, but unless you know your MAK, it won't do you any good.

I was able to get my MAK without subscribing to TiVo Plus.

To accomplish that, I went to the website and established a login and password. I started through the first couple of steps in the registration process, and then when it got to the actual TiVo Plus subscription part, I backed out.

Then when I logged back in, my MAK was in the top right corner.

[azitnay]

Ok... So your tivo.com account has a MAK. But I don't think your account has any concept of the TiVo Basic box, right? Thus, your TiVo Basic box won't work with that MAK.

Drew

[holidayidol]

Ok... So your tivo.com account has a MAK. But I don't think your account has any concept of the TiVo Basic box, right? Thus, your TiVo Basic box won't work with that MAK.

I don't know because I can't test it regardless on an RS-TX20!
Kind of a catch-22 isn't it.

[jdean5]

Hi...

I seem to remember a few posts on here regarding "blackening" (?) Not sure if it was called that exactly, but I've had my Toshiba TX-20 for a few weeks now and just now I'm noticing that on certain shows it gets very dark...if someone is wearing black or if the background is black, everything seems to disappear. Can someone refresh my memory on this? What is it exactly and can it be prevented? Do I need to record at a higher quality (I use Medium for the most part)? Is this a glitch in the unit they haven't perfected yet? Any info is appreciated. Thanks for your help.

[lordrichter]

Some people claim the Toshiba and Humax DVD writer units "crush" the blacks. I dunno entirely what that means, and it sounds ominous, if not painful, but so far the only solution I have seen has been to not purchase the Toshiba and Humax DVD writer units.

It might be something to do with the software that is encoding the signal, or in the hardware itself. I doubt that changing the recording quality will change this because the kind of people that have complained about this in the past include those types that would never record at less than Best quality, anyway. Still, it might be worth a try because it might improve the situation.

I am trying to remain blissfully ignorant of any problems related to blacks displayed on my TV. This is obviously something that I am not noticing on my TX-20 and I am afraid if I know too much I might start noticing it, then it would bug me. :)

[windracer]

I don't know because I can't test it regardless on an RS-TX20!
Kind of a catch-22 isn't it.
Well, you could try to login to the https port with that MAK you received, but it probably won't work (I'm sure they thought of that). :)

I seem to remember a few posts on here regarding "blackening" (?)
I've noticed darker (crushed) blacks as well, but I figured it was my TV. Increasing the brightness and contrast seemed to help a bit.

[azitnay]

Well, you could try to login to the https port with that MAK you received, but it probably won't work (I'm sure they thought of that). :)

RS-TX units are still running 5.x, which didn't even have a webserver running, right?

Drew

[windracer]

RS-TX units are still running 5.x, which didn't even have a webserver running, right?

Whoops, my mistake ... got it all confused with my 7.1 box. :) That's what I get for replying at work when I'm not in front of the machines to test my "theories."

[Mikeguy]

New owner, here--couldn't resist the Best Buy offer and had been considering this unit since before it issued.

A quick question: are the various "back door" hacks I see posted around the web possible on the Toshiba player? (Or will I kill the unit by trying them?!?) Any favorite place where the most useful and other tips may be found?

And does the 30 second skip modification work with the Toshiba? I thought I may have read somewhere that it does not (but my mind is a haze at this point--I just finished reading this entire thread!).

Thanks!

[azitnay]

Backdoors require a backdoor key sequence to be entered, and unfortunately, it's been quite a few versions since anyone's come up with the correct key sequence. It's still possible to enable them with some more advanced hacks, though.

30-second skip works fine with the RS-TX units... You might have heard that it doesn't work with the Toshiba SD-H400 DVD player unit, which is true.

Drew

[jdean5]

Some people claim the Toshiba and Humax DVD writer units "crush" the blacks. I dunno entirely what that means, and it sounds ominous, if not painful, but so far the only solution I have seen has been to not purchase the Toshiba and Humax DVD writer units.

It might be something to do with the software that is encoding the signal, or in the hardware itself. I doubt that changing the recording quality will change this because the kind of people that have complained about this in the past include those types that would never record at less than Best quality, anyway. Still, it might be worth a try because it might improve the situation.

I am trying to remain blissfully ignorant of any problems related to blacks displayed on my TV. This is obviously something that I am not noticing on my TX-20 and I am afraid if I know too much I might start noticing it, then it would bug me. :)

"Crush" ...that was the word. Thanks. I totally understand the "blissfully ignorant" part. I hesitated for a week to actually post on here because I didn't want to admit what I was seeing. Funny thing is, I didn't notice it at first and it only seems to be on one certain show I record. I'll live with it (or maybe try a higher quality for the heck of it) because I love the unit otherwise. Thanks!

[taxman69]

I recently acquired the RS-TX20 and am taking advantage of the free trial of TIVO PLUS. I know that when the trial ends and reverts to the Tivo Basic, that I will not be able to search for shows to record based on titles (I will be basically limited to recording by time and channel).

However, when the program is saved:

(1) will the Tivo recognize the name of the program, or will it always just say the day and time of the recording

(2) will the programs be organized into folders like they are now

and

(3) when I record out to a DVD, will it have the program name in the title as it does now?

Thanks!


John

[Xab]

Question,

I use a Bose 321GS system, and when I pick Bose from the AV receiver list in the remote control settings, the 1131 code it gives does NOT work for volume/mute on my Bose receiver.

Is there a different code that does work?

[windracer]

(1) will the Tivo recognize the name of the program, or will it always just say the day and time of the recording
Yes, you still get program Guide data, so you will still see the name of the show recorded.


(2) will the programs be organized into folders like they are now
Nope, that's part of TiVo Plus. See here:

http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv1199.htm?

(3) when I record out to a DVD, will it have the program name in the title as it does now?
Yes.

[tivojanuary]

what brand/type media are you recording on. i have the toshiba rs-tx20 and want to buy in bulk but i would like to know what brand dvd-r are reliable with this machine. thanks for any help.

ps...i have used rca and verbatim with some success.

[windracer]

what brand/type media are you recording on. i have the toshiba rs-tx20 and want to buy in bulk but i would like to know what brand dvd-r are reliable with this machine. thanks for any help.
I'm using TDK's 8x DVD-Rs, and Memorex's 2x DVD-RWs ... no problems yet.

[oly4him]

RS-TX20

I am running out of space a lot quicker than I would have thought.

Is there anyway to add an additional hard drive internally, or even externally through the second USB port?

[lordrichter]

RS-TX20

I am running out of space a lot quicker than I would have thought.

Is there anyway to add an additional hard drive internally, or even externally through the second USB port?

I think there is room inside for only one hard drive, so if you want to increase storage, you need to replace that hard drive with a new one. You cannot attach a USB drive.

One place to look: http://www.weaknees.com/toshiba_tx20.php

[jshorr]

I got one of these units and I have three quick questions......1, anyone ever notice it taking a really long time "cleaning up" before dialing the initial program data call? This was on a unit that was set up before I got it (open box) that I told to rerun guided setup. 2) I notice the menus don't seem to come up all that quickly from time to time....one time I went to something and it scrolled onto the screen really slowly. 3) I can hear the hard drive, it's not loud but not super quiet either.

Anyone experience some/all of this, should I be concerned at all? Thanks.

[Phillip Chapman]

I got one of these units and I have three quick questions......1, anyone ever notice it taking a really long time "cleaning up" before dialing the initial program data call? This was on a unit that was set up before I got it (open box) that I told to rerun guided setup.

This is pretty common. I think it took almost two hours to "clean up". Eventually when "cleaning up" it will begin to give you a percentage. Just let it sit and do it's thing. Concerning menu speed, after a few days the Tivo should download some updates that will make everything run faster. Everything appears to be running as expected with your unit.

[jshorr]

This is pretty common. I think it took almost two hours to "clean up". Eventually when "cleaning up" it will begin to give you a percentage. Just let it sit and do it's thing. Concerning menu speed, after a few days the Tivo should download some updates that will make everything run faster. Everything appears to be running as expected with your unit.

I appreciate the information, thanks. I was a little surprised to see it happen a second time after the first call failed though. I won't worry about it. As for the other thing.....since someone else had it before me, I wonder if they already got the updates....what software version are you on? It wasn't like the menus were all super slow or anything.....people on another forum got me paranoid that someone may have fooled around with the TiVo before returning it to Best Buy....I've seen no evidence of that though so it is probably just paranoia.

Also I didn't search the whole thread but do you know what the max recording speed of the unit is?

[DarkShadows]

I have a question in regards to quality of the video as it passes out through the composite cables.

I don't have the ideal setup with the TV I am using with my RS-TX20, I am passing the video signal out via composite cables(Monster cables).then out to the TV.

The picture via COAX on my TV is fine as passed through the unit but through the composite cables through my receiver it's quite grainy and the color is not as good as well.

Any tips or suggestions or is that the norm running off composite?

[ashu]

Composite SHOULD be better than Coaxial. Something's wrong somewhere. Bad cables, connectors, pass-through (on the receiver) etc. How does a direct connection (TiVo to TV) look?

[Bruzer]

I too have a question about video quality:

My TV only has COAX input, so a bought an RCA CRF910 RF Modulator, which has both Composite and S-Video inputs. Everything I read says that S-Video should provide a better picture, however when I use that, I get "ghosting". It's especially noticeable when I look at banner descriptions in Live TV (I'll see 2-3 extra outlines around the text). I don't see this problem with the Composite inputs. The S-Video cable I have isn't "Monster Cable" quality, so I don't know if that's an issue or not. Has anyone else noticed this difference? Would a different modulator help (any recommendations)?

Thanks for the help.

[Xab]

If anyone has any idea why the 1131 code doesn't work for Bose receivers, or knows what code does work for them, please post it.

[ashu]

Bruzer:
Monster Cable isn't QUALITY, unless you prefeix the noun with the adjectives overpriced, average, or even sub-par :)

Get a decent Recoton or Acoustic Research cable (shouldn't cost over 5-8) and try again. The TRULY cheap/thin/plastic grade ones may be bad ... but I've never noticed a difference :) You may just have a faulty one.

[Bruzer]

Bruzer:
Monster Cable isn't QUALITY, unless you prefeix the noun with the adjectives overpriced, average, or even sub-par :)

Get a decent Recoton or Acoustic Research cable (shouldn't cost over 5-8) and try again. The TRULY cheap/thin/plastic grade ones may be bad ... but I've never noticed a difference :) You may just have a faulty one.
Actually, the one I have is a Recoton and I had been using it to connect between my DVD player and another TV. The picture has seemed fine, so that's why I suspect that it's not the cable. I'm wondering if I just picked a cheap quality RF modulator.

[LiveBlues]

For those interested in TiVo To Go for the burner units, plus some hinted at improvements, you may want to check out this (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=253047) thread posted by TiVoPony in the Coffee House.

[lordrichter]

I have mixed feelings about updating the DVD writer TiVo software up to the "7.x" area. I am not interested in TiVoToGo on the Toshiba and I am not sure that the other improvements are worth it. I don't think that it will mess anything up, just not having any software problems with my Toshiba and if it ain't fixed...

[jangelj]

Has anyone created an upgrade code for JP1 remotes for the Toshiba units? I found one in the JP1 yahoo group but it is for the other Toshiba DVD Tivo unit (I think).

j

[jkociol]

When will TIVOTOGO be out for the Toshiba Tivo DVD???????????

[ashu]

When will TIVOTOGO be out for the Toshiba Tivo DVD???????????

When, oh When, for the love of *** will people learn to read (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=3120890&&#post3120890)?

[jkociol]

Hey dude, you don't need to be obnoxious. I work full time and have a family at home so I don't have much time to read an entire message board. I guess you have too much time on your hands.

When, oh when, will people let people be and don't need to be such a jerk!

[jkociol]

I still don't see you answer from your read link, ASHU, will you be kind enough to give a straight answer.

thanks

[azitnay]

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=253047

BTW, the post ashu linked to contained a link to this thread.

Drew

[jkociol]

Hey great! Thank you.

[ber]

Hey dude, you don't need to be obnoxious. I work full time and have a family at home so I don't have much time to read an entire message board. I guess you have too much time on your hands.

When, oh when, will people let people be and don't need to be such a jerk!

This may be a stupid question...but i will ask it anyway....I have an RS-TX....what additional advantanges will TIVO TO GO proivde for me...given that i can burn programs any time i want to transfer them to a computer or mobile divice....i obviously see the advantages to stand alone TIVO uses with units not allowing burning...but not our units or a HUMAX

[jkociol]

I do sometimes watch movies on my laptop and/or PC. I think it will be easier than burning a DVD everytime.

[Johnny Quest]

ber - there is no advantage, in the time it would take you tranfer via Tivo to Go, you could burn and rip to your computer, plus you wouldn't be limited in the software that you could use to edit the content like you are with TTG.

[ashu]

I still don't see you answer from your read link, ASHU, will you be kind enough to give a straight answer.

thanks

Sorry, I wasn't in a straight answers mood. Obnoxiousness begets obnoxiousness.

As Drew pointed out, my link (to a message a scant 3 messages prior to your message!) contained a link to the thread with the info. But obviously that was way too convoluted.

[slyone]

Hey everyone......I too just got into these Tivo units and seem to really enjoy the benefits of this type of system! I have found that the darker scenes in movies are very blotchy? dark and is that pixelation? That is the 1 big con I have noticed. I too have issues when saving a normal movie, it reports it will take 2 dvd's(on some)? I do and have always (2-3 wks.) recorded all shows at Best quality. Is there any way to find bitrate info on these units or better yet, change it? Thanks and glad to be onboard! :D

[windracer]

That is the 1 big con I have noticed. I too have issues when saving a normal movie, it reports it will take 2 dvd's(on some)? I do and have always (2-3 wks.) recorded all shows at Best quality. Is there any way to find bitrate info on these units or better yet, change it? Thanks and glad to be onboard! :D
Best Quality will only allow you to fit 1 hour on a DVD. If you lower your recording quality, you can obviously fit more onto a disc.

Go to Messages & Settings, Settings, Recording, Recording Quality, if you want to change your default level (it'll also show you how much you can fit on a DVD at each level). Or, when scheduling shows, override your default quality if you know you're going to want to burn it onto a disc.

[tazzftw]

Woo, my TX20 has just arrived.

Yeah, those black lines are there. But apparently one connection to Tivo will solve that.

[wongat]

The manual says that the rs-tx20 should stop recording after 30 minutes if you put the machine in standby mode, but I notice that does not occur and it keeps recording 24x7. When I turn on the machine after a night of standby, I can still rewind up to half an hour. I have a friend noticing the same for his machine. I just feel the life expectancy of the hard drive will be much lessened. Is this a Toshiba software bug?

[lordrichter]

Just let it record 24x7 and forget about standby mode.

[windracer]

Standby mode <> Off

Even in Standby, the HD is still recording the rolling 30-minute Live TV buffer. All Standby does is enable the RF pass-thru so you can watch one show while the TiVo records another (without using an RF splitter, which is the easier solution IMHO).

[wongat]

I am stating a difference between what the manual says about standby mode and what the machine actually does. As long as everybody is experiencing the same thing on there machines, I feel better that I didn't get a broken machine. This could be a documentation error or an implementation they forgot about. Obviously I have no choice but to let the continual recording occur. I like everything about this machine except this 'feature'. I don't need a rolling buffer in the middle of the night, and I want my machine to last. This results in the hard drive working much more than it should. I would also feel better if I knew that this hard drive is easily replaceable like other tivo machines. I'm not paranoid enough yet to take out the hard drive and image it. BTW, my RF pass thru works without putting the machine in standby.

[windracer]

I am stating a difference between what the manual says about standby mode and what the machine actually does.
I see what you're getting at. On pg. 90 of the manual, the bullet says:

- The DMS will continue to save a portion of Live TV - up to 30 minutes of programming

This does not mean recording stops, it means there will always be 30 minutes in the buffer.

This results in the hard drive working much more than it should.

Today's HDs are meant to continually spinning. In fact, constantly starting and stopping them reduces their life. The DVR is like any other PC "server" that is meant to be always on. If you turned it off, it wouldn't be able to record your shows.

And you're right, I was incorrect about Standby activating the RF pass-thru. Apparently on the TX20, the pass-thru is always active (I don't think this is the case on the standalones).

[lordrichter]

I am stating a difference between what the manual says about standby mode and what the machine actually does. As long as everybody is experiencing the same thing on there machines, I feel better that I didn't get a broken machine. This could be a documentation error or an implementation they forgot about. Obviously I have no choice but to let the continual recording occur.

I have three TiVo units that are operational with a total combined operational time of 6 or 7 years. I have never put one in standby, even to see what happens. I have never had a hard drive failure in a TiVo.

I also have several computer systems running 24 hours a day. Each has 2 hard drives, all spinning constantly (no green modes here). I always have at least three systems running and have for the last 10-15 years. I lost track of how many have died over those years, it is somewhere around 2. I have a shelf full of operational but obsolete drives.

I had a defective batch of 16GB Western Digital drives die at work a few years ago when 16GB was hot stuff. Of 8 drives purchased, 4 failed in the first year. Of the remaining 4, 3 are still in use, one was never taken out of the box.

I like everything about this machine except this 'feature'. I don't need a rolling buffer in the middle of the night, and I want my machine to last. This results in the hard drive working much more than it should.

Other than consuming 8 watts (2 watts idle) in a device that draws 40-50 watts, there is no harm in letting the hard drive run over night.

I would also feel better if I knew that this hard drive is easily replaceable like other tivo machines. I'm not paranoid enough yet to take out the hard drive and image it. BTW, my RF pass thru works without putting the machine in standby.

You can purchase a replacement hard drive from different vendors. They come preinstalled with TiVo software for your model of TiVo and take about 30 minutes to install.

[Petua]

I bought an RS-TX20 a couple of weeks ago. For the most part, I like it, but I have a few questions. Please forgive me if these have already been answered. I've skimmed through this forum but I may have missed an answer somewhere.

1) After setting the default recording mode to High Quality, I find that whenever I attempt to record a show which is currently airing, it defaults to Best Quality mode and I don't see any way to change it. Oddly, if I pick something from the Guide which hasn't started yet, it will use the quality that I've preset. Is there anyway to make it use my preset quality all the time?

2) Another quality question. Let's say I've recorded a 90 minute program in Best Quality and I later wish to burn it to a DVD, which will only hold 1 hour of Best Quality video. Can I have it burn at a lower quality? (I could probably answer this myself if I take time to try it.)

3) When viewing a long (3 hour) program tonight, I had to interrupt my viewing and come back to it later. Usually it will pick up where I left off, but in that case it started at the beginning for some reason. It took what seemed like a long time to fast forward (using the fastest speed) to the middle of the 3 hour show. Is there a quicker way to get there?

4) Every time I try to connect via the phone line, I get as far as "downloading" and it seems to work for a good 10-20 minutes. However, every single time it fails due to the call allegedly being interrupted, even when all of the phones in our house are disconnected. I do seem to be getting updated program information, but what might I be missing out on by the call never completing?

Thanks to anyone who can help answer my questions.

[Runch Machine]

I bought an RS-TX20 a couple of weeks ago. For the most part, I like it, but I have a few questions. Please forgive me if these have already been answered. I've skimmed through this forum but I may have missed an answer somewhere.

1) After setting the default recording mode to High Quality, I find that whenever I attempt to record a show which is currently airing, it defaults to Best Quality mode and I don't see any way to change it. Oddly, if I pick something from the Guide which hasn't started yet, it will use the quality that I've preset. Is there anyway to make it use my preset quality all the time?

2) Another quality question. Let's say I've recorded a 90 minute program in Best Quality and I later wish to burn it to a DVD, which will only hold 1 hour of Best Quality video. Can I have it burn at a lower quality? (I could probably answer this myself if I take time to try it.)

3) When viewing a long (3 hour) program tonight, I had to interrupt my viewing and come back to it later. Usually it will pick up where I left off, but in that case it started at the beginning for some reason. It took what seemed like a long time to fast forward (using the fastest speed) to the middle of the 3 hour show. Is there a quicker way to get there?

4) Every time I try to connect via the phone line, I get as far as "downloading" and it seems to work for a good 10-20 minutes. However, every single time it fails due to the call allegedly being interrupted, even when all of the phones in our house are disconnected. I do seem to be getting updated program information, but what might I be missing out on by the call never completing?

Thanks to anyone who can help answer my questions.

As I believe it says in the manual, the 30 minute buffer is always recorded at Best Quality. There is no way to change this. Therefore, when you decide to record live TV, it will always be at Best QualityWhen you schedule a program from the program guide, it will record at the pre-set quality setting.

I noticed that on some DVDs when you go back to watch them later, some will start where you left off and others start at the beginning. I don't know if this is related to the specific DVD or not.

[lordrichter]

2) Another quality question. Let's say I've recorded a 90 minute program in Best Quality and I later wish to burn it to a DVD, which will only hold 1 hour of Best Quality video. Can I have it burn at a lower quality? (I could probably answer this myself if I take time to try it.)

No. TiVo cannot change the recording quality on the fly.


3) When viewing a long (3 hour) program tonight, I had to interrupt my viewing and come back to it later. Usually it will pick up where I left off, but in that case it started at the beginning for some reason. It took what seemed like a long time to fast forward (using the fastest speed) to the middle of the 3 hour show. Is there a quicker way to get there?

You can use the skip button (looks like an arrow pointing to a bar) in to the right and below the pause button to jump to the next mark along the green play line.

[jeff281]

I have had my toshiba for about 6 months now and love it

but....

Can I buy an external hard drive and plug it into the USB for additional storage. I was thinking about a 200-300gb hard drive but do not want to buy it if I cannot use it.

Thanks

[azitnay]

You cannot simply buy an external hard drive and use it, but it isn't too hard to upgrade the internal hard drive yourself. See the TiVo Upgrade Center for details.

Drew

[lordrichter]

The way it looks, because of the DVD drive, you can only REPLACE the existing hard drive with another (larger) one. You cannot ADD a hard drive on the TX models like you can on some of the other ones.

That means lost programs, seasons passes, and you have to redo guided setup after the upgrade, unless you do it yourself and copy everything over.

[azitnay]

I don't think the DVD drive itself is the reason; I'm pretty sure it's on a separate IDE channel from the hard drive. I believe the reason WeaKnees doesn't sell add kits for the RS-TX models is that there's no clear, easy way to mount two hard drives inside the case.

That being said, it's not that hard to perform the replace operation yourself, thus allowing the option of keeping your recordings.

Drew

[windracer]

That means lost programs, seasons passes, and you have to redo guided setup after the upgrade, unless you do it yourself and copy everything over.
Not true ... as azitnay mentioned, you would just backup the existing drive from your TX20, then restore and expand the image onto a larger hard drive, thus preserving all of your recordings and settings.

This does mean you need enough drive space to hold an image as large as your drive (120gb) and a file system that supports files that large.

So it's slightly complicated, but doable.

[azitnay]

I don't think you need enough hard drive space to hold a 120GB image... You can just do a mfsbackup | mfsrestore, right?

Drew

[lordrichter]

I don't think the DVD drive itself is the reason; I'm pretty sure it's on a separate IDE channel from the hard drive. I believe the reason WeaKnees doesn't sell add kits for the RS-TX models is that there's no clear, easy way to mount two hard drives inside the case.

That being said, it's not that hard to perform the replace operation yourself, thus allowing the option of keeping your recordings.

Drew

I have not opened my TX-20, but I have opened an original Series 2 box. I think that the DVD player in the TX models takes one of the two places inside the unit that they like to mount the hard drives. Hopefully the DVD player is not on the same IDE channel, but I'm not certain that it would matter if it was.

[lordrichter]

That means lost programs, seasons passes, and you have to redo guided setup after the upgrade, unless you do it yourself and copy everything over.

Not true ... as azitnay mentioned, you would just backup the existing drive from your TX20, then restore and expand the image onto a larger hard drive, thus preserving all of your recordings and settings.

Thus the "do it yourself" part... :)

Meaning, you can't just have Weaknees send you a replacement drive and install it, if you want to keep your pre-existing recordings and season passes.

[Bimwad]

All Standby does is enable the RF pass-thru so you can watch one show while the TiVo records another (without using an RF splitter, which is the easier solution IMHO).

RF pass-thru is active all the time. When I want to watch another program while TiVo is recording, all I do is switch my TV's input from external video to the TV's tuner, which is fed by the RF output. No need for a splitter.

Since it's not like an old VCR which used Ch 3 or 4 for output in the days before video inputs were common on TVs, there's little reason for the RF pass-thru to do anything but what it does, all the time.

[windracer]

I don't think you need enough hard drive space to hold a 120GB image... You can just do a mfsbackup | mfsrestore, right?
Yeah, that would be the smart way. :) Assuming you have the ability to hook up both drives at the same time. I have an external drive tray/bay that I use so I don't have to constantly be opening my PC to hook up the drives. The downside to that is having to do two step upgrades (backup drive 1 to file, restore file to drive 2) instead of using the pipe method.

[ashu]

FYI, a one-step (piped mfs commands) backup, with shows et al (60GB worth) from my Humax DRT800 drive to a new 300GB took just around 10 hours. And the command was precisely the same as the one for regular Series 2 units. Should be the same procedure for the Toshibas.

[slyone]

Standby mode <> Off

Even in Standby, the HD is still recording the rolling 30-minute Live TV buffer. All Standby does is enable the RF pass-thru so you can watch one show while the TiVo records another (without using an RF splitter, which is the easier solution IMHO). Hi windracer, I thought you could/or I have recorded a show while watching another? I cannot do that..? My wife was upset that I had setup to record some shows and when it starts(records) it inadvertantly changes to that channel, I had changed the channel w/another remote and recorded the new station! I just tried recording and then changing channel and Tivo says if I change channel-I lose recording?TIA I think I got, if I setup recording, I have to change channels using my other remote (non-Tivo).

[windracer]

Hi windracer, I thought you could/or I have recorded a show while watching another? I cannot do that..? My wife was upset that I had setup to record some shows and when it starts(records) it inadvertantly changes to that channel, I had changed the channel w/another remote and recorded the new station! I just tried recording and then changing channel and Tivo says if I change channel-I lose recording?TIA
Right, the TX20 (and most Series2 boxes) only have one tuner. So if the TiVo is recording a show, and you try to change the channel, it will first warn you that a recording is in progress. If you choose to go ahead and change the channel, the recording-in-progress will stop.

If you want to watch another Live TV show, while the TiVo is recording, you either need to put the unit in Standby and have the RF pass-thru connected to another input on your TV, or use an RF-splitter to split your cable line before your DVR and connect one split to the TX20 and the other to your TV (this assumes you have analog cable without a cable box).

Now, you can watch a previously recorded show from your Now Playing List while the TiVo is recording another show on Live TV.

[slyone]

I think I may have it. If I am recording a show, I must use my other remote (supplied by cable co.) to change the channel..?

[azitnay]

Is your TiVo set up to control your cable box? If so, you should -never- use its remote to change the channel while the Tivo is recording something, or the TiVo will continue merrily on, recording the new channel you switched the cable box to. In fact, hide that cable box remote in a drawer far, far away -- it's simply not worth the trouble.

If you want to watch something else live while the TiVo is recording, you can either split off the cable and feed it directly into the TV, thus allowing you to watch only channels you receive straight over the wire (often channels under 100), or you can pay your cable company a few more bucks a month to rent another cable box, and have access to all your channels.

Drew

[Runch Machine]

The TX20 has RF passthrough and NO output on channel 3/4. The RF passthrough is active regardless if the TX20 is on/outputting a picture, or off/standby. You have to connect the TX20 via componenet, composite or S-Video. There for there is no reason to split the signal from the cable. There is no need to put the TX20 into stand by. Just switch the input on your TV to use the TVs built in tuner.