Tivo on a TV without cable box?

[NewYorkLaw]

If tivo is connected to a cable line that has NO cable box can I assign the channel order?

We have a tv connected directly to our cable jack at the wall in our bedroom without a cable box. It works, although most of the cable channels are scrambled. All the "regular" network channels and a few of the basic cable channels are there, unscrambled, but channels are in the "wrong" places (channel 2 is on 3, 5 is on 8, 12 is on 17, etc.).

We're considering a 2nd tivo which would be used on this television. Mostly, we only want to be able to watch shows that are recorded on our other tivo, which is connected to the television with the cable box (tivo to tivo transfers) so ultimately, there should be no problem.

But, we're curious and our question is whether the second tivo can be "taught" about the differnt channel lineup so that it could be used to record things on the channels in the places they are, or whether that tivo would not be able to record correctly. If I remember the guided setup, it figured out the channel lineup on its own based on my cable provider and I don't remember any settings to override those settings.

ALSO, we're wondering whether the two tivos can be set to automatically synchronize or automatically transfer programs without intervention. What we would like to have is the bedroom television (which receives regular network broadcasts) record stuff like survivor, american idol, oprah (my wife's shows) and automatically send them to the living room tivo, where we do most of our television viewing. If they could automatically synchronize (both always have the same programs) that would be fine, too.

Any of this possible? What are your thoughts?

Pete

[JimSpence]

You have to do guided setup and select the cable lineup of your cable company. Your cable company probably uses slightly different lineups for their cable box from the non box lineup.

I'm not sure about the synchronizing part. Try the Home Media Features forum.

[NewYorkLaw]

But, when I run guided setup, I can tell it to ignore what my cable company says the lineup should be?

I'm afraid to run guided setup on my current box because I don't have a phone line at home and do not want to screw anything up and have to start over at my neighbor's house (which is how I got past initial setup before using my network)

Pete

[ZeoTiVo]

their is no way to sync them adn for MRV you need to pull teh show from a TiVo - there is no push.

But on my wired network at home we MRV shows around all the time. My kids will pull their shows off the kids TiVo in the playroom downstairs and since they are medium quality they are faster than real time and it is no big deal you had to start the download.

Plus you can queue up a bunch of shows and they will transfer in the order you queued them up

as fior the channels Jim was talking about picking the non cable box lineup during guided setup. Also you can not "reassign" channels but you can deselect channels that are scranbled so the TiVo ignores them



PS - once you have done guided stup - you can redo it and keep the network setting - just pick guided setup -
and now with 7.2 you can do a network setup right out of the carton.

[megazone]

But, when I run guided setup, I can tell it to ignore what my cable company says the lineup should be?No. TiVo can *only* use one of the pre-programmed line-up choices. You cannot re-order channels or create your own lineup on the box.

[gastrof]

No. TiVo can *only* use one of the pre-programmed line-up choices. You cannot re-order channels or create your own lineup on the box.

Not entirely true.

You can contact TiVo, tell them "I have such and such a cable provider, but I have no box...and you don't list my lineup".

You then give them your lineup, and in two or three days they'll have that lineup available as an option.

Contact them thru this webpage-

https://customersupport.tivo.com/caseSubmitLineup.asp?


Odd that they wouldn't already have a "no box" option for this cable provider, tho'.

[NewYorkLaw]

THANKS, that's what I'll do.

[LifeIsABeach]

Your TiVo gets it's lineups from zap2it.com. You can check over there to see if a compatible lineup exists.

[NewYorkLaw]

Even better, thanks!

I guess it's safe to say that both boxes can choose different cable lineups without problems?

Pete

[simonalope]

Even better, thanks!

I guess it's safe to say that both boxes can choose different cable lineups without problems?

Yup - the boxes don't talk to each other and lots of people have both cable and satellite, or cable and OTA, or some other combination of providers.

[pdhenry]

It's easy to remove the scrambled channels from the list of "Channels I Receive". If the remaining unscrambled channels are as per the cable company's lineup this is all that would be required.

Example: Here, broadcast Channel 8 is provided on cable Channel 3. The TiVo knows that it's provided on Channel 3 of my cable company's lineup. Analog HBO is provided (scrambled) on cable Channel 25. When I connect the TiVo without a box I edit Channel 25 out of the list of channels that I receive and the TiVo knows not to try to record HBO content.

[NewYorkLaw]

Yes, but my situation is that broadcast channel 2, for example, is cable channel 2. But on my tv without the box, it for some reason is channel 3. It's not scrambled and we would like to record from it. How do we tell Tivo that channel 2 is now located on channel 3?
Pete

[ZeoTiVo]

Yes, but my situation is that broadcast channel 2, for example, is cable channel 2. But on my tv without the box, it for some reason is channel 3. It's not scrambled and we would like to record from it. How do we tell Tivo that channel 2 is now located on channel 3?
Pete


you can not do that. there is no reassignmnet.

the advice to go to www.zap2it.com and see if that "other" lineup exists is your best bet, if you find it there then you know to select it when you do guided setup.


if you do not find it there then ask the cable company if they have lineup that matches and then send that info to TiVo via the https://customersupport.tivo.com/caseSubmitLineup.asp?

and ask TiVo to add it.

that is all there is to get a matching lineup.

otherwise you will just have to take a full lineup, deselect the channels you do not get - setup manual recordings and get used to the misnamed shows

[NewYorkLaw]

Thank you - THANK YOU!
zap2it has my lineup under my cable provider as "cable ready" so I am good to go!
Thank you again!!!

Pete

[NewYorkLaw]

I now have the 2nd tivo in the bedroom without a cable box and it's not going as smoothly as hoped.

I can only see channel "3" (which is actually 2) and tivo has no way of changing channels. I guess the tivo has no tuner.

Also, I did not find my "cable ready" choice that I saw under the zap2it website.

Did I misunderstand? I thought I could connect the tivo directly to a cable without a cable box to get the unscrambled "free" channels.. how does one go aobut changing channels if this is the case?

Pete

[JimSpence]

Since the TiVo no longer has a cable box to control, you need to rerun guided setup and select the no cable box option and tell it what cable lineup (it may be called "basic") to use for its internal tuner.

[ZeoTiVo]

I use extended basic cable from Time Warner hooked right into the TiVo. The TiVo changes channels just fine. You have hooked the TiVo to the TV wrong somehow and thus are not seeing the right output.

edit - what Jim Spence said - that is exactly what you need to do

if you do not see the lineup during guided setup then use that link to TiVo to give them the zap2it listing and let TiVo know they need to include it