Fun with KidZone - Poll

[HDTiVo]

How long before the Kidz get the remote when the TiVo is in Parent Mode and lock the adults out? :eek:


1. I don't have Kidz

2. Oh! My Kidz would never do anything like that.

3. About a day.

4. About a week.

5. About 45 minutes before I sit down to watch Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

[ZeoTiVo]

since I alrady set a password on parental controls, whether that DVR uses them or not, to make sure the kids can not get in and change things - I will do the same with Kid Zone and make sure the kids can not find their way in.

so my kids will never do anything like that becasue othersie I would give them ab out a week to find it and play around and then "forget" what they did. I am proud of their inquisitve little nature :D

[HDTiVo]

since I alrady set a password on parental controls, whether that DVR uses them or not, to make sure the kids can not get in and change things - I will do the same with Kid Zone and make sure the kids can not find their way in.

so my kids will never do anything like that becasue othersie I would give them ab out a week to find it and play around and then "forget" what they did. I am proud of their inquisitve little nature :D
Doesn't that put your Kidz on the lower end of the poll's "mischief" scale? :D

[ZeoTiVo]

Doesn't that put your Kidz on the lower end of the poll's "mischief" scale? :D

actually they have already learned not to click on the funny stuff on the PC and geenrally try not to mess with the TiVo in case they do break something. They have learned from my slow repsonse to fix it that it is just a betetr idea to get Dad ahead of breaking something ;)


PS - they do setup some season passes on their own after asking me first

[gonzotek]

How long before the Kidz get the remote when the TiVo is in Parent Mode and lock the adults out? :eek:


1. I don't have Kidz

2. Oh! My Kidz would never do anything like that.

3. About a day.

4. About a week.

5. About 45 minutes before I sit down to watch Game 7 of the NBA Finals.Maybe I'm missing something(I was busy the last couple of days), but how do you know that it will be possible for them to do this? I wasn't aware the specific mechanics of the feature had been explained in that great of detail.

A personal story:I'm the oldest of four children. When parental controls first came out for our cable system, the setup for it was difficult enough for my parents that they had me set it up for them, and thus it presented no obstacle for me whatsoever. But even if I didn't have insider access to the code number, brute-forcing a 4 digit number takes a weekend (or two) at the outside.

Here's hoping that they programmed in a "three tries, you're out" system that makes it painfully obvious the kid was trying to crack the password when the parents come looking. :D

[ZeoTiVo]

Maybe I'm missing something(I was busy the last couple of days), but how do you know that it will be possible for them to do this? I wasn't aware the specific mechanics of the feature had been explained in that great of detail.

A personal story:I'm the oldest of four children. When parental controls first came out for our cable system, the setup for it was difficult enough for my parents that they had me set it up for them, and thus it presented no obstacle for me whatsoever. But even if I didn't have insider access to the code number, brute-forcing a 4 digit number takes a weekend (or two) at the outside.

Here's hoping that they programmed in a "three tries, you're out" system that makes it painfully obvious the kid was trying to crack the password when the parents come looking. :D


it will be password protected but of course no password is set at first. so the update comes, little Johnny plays with it and could even set a password without knowing it. :eek:

I would use your method of having little Johnny sit there all weekend until he found the 4 digit code ;)

[gonzotek]

I would use your method of having little Johnny sit there all weekend until he found the 4 digit code ;)I haven't LOL'd at something in the forum all week. Thanks :)

[HDTiVo]

My main thought about the 'problem' relates to the 4 hour time out for automatically switching to KidZone.

[davezatz]

but how do you know that it will be possible for them to do this? I wasn't aware the specific mechanics of the feature had been explained in that great of detail.

I've tried to explain it in some detail and posted pics of probably 2/3 of KZ-specific screens. There might be other questions I could answer... I have a few pages of notes including a couple of classic PTC quotes about "Hollywood values" and the "ratings sham." ;)

[gonzotek]

My main thought about the 'problem' relates to the 4 hour time out for automatically switching to KidZone.But how would it be possible for the child to lock out the parents, assuming the feature has been set up already with a password?

Dave, any word on what happens(if anything) when the password has been entered incorrectly a few times? For instance I can imagine TiVo putting up a big angry or sad TiVo Guy with "This TiVo has been temporarily disabled because a parental controls PIN was incorrectly entered multiple times. Please enter the correct PIN, or call customer service to have TiVo reset your PIN if you have forgotten it." And make them wait some fair amount of time between any further tries.

More than the kids gaining control when it's in adult mode, I see brute force guessing attempts as a larger problem. It's just how I think...if I were a kid in KZ house, it'd be what I'd do.

[davezatz]

But how would it be possible for the child to lock out the parents, assuming the feature has been set up already with a password?

Dave, any word on what happens(if anything) when the password has been entered incorrectly a few times? For instance I can imagine TiVo putting up a big angry or sad TiVo Guy with "This TiVo has been temporarily disabled because a parental controls PIN was incorrectly entered multiple times. Please enter the correct PIN, or call customer service to have TiVo reset your PIN if you have forgotten it." And make them wait some fair amount of time between any further tries.

More than the kids gaining control when it's in adult mode, I see brute force guessing attempts as a larger problem. It's just how I think...if I were a kid in KZ house, it'd be what I'd do.

I figured at 28 tries a day, the code can be acquired in less than a year. Also the kids could probably try to figure out the secret backdoor which will probably be online here in the TCF one day. I had a paragraph on hacking KidZone in my blog entry, but figured the clever child will just unplug the coax from the TiVo and run it direct into the TV and watch whatever they want. ;)

I'm not sure about changing the code while in adult mode... it may require you enter the current code to change it, or it might already assume you know it since you're in this mode. I'm also not aware of being locked out after multiple failed attempts, but that doesn't mean it's not there. So my those are my non-answers, sorry. :)

[HDTiVo]

I figured at 28 tries a day, the code can be acquired in less than a year. Also the kids could probably try to figure out the secret backdoor which will probably be online here in the TCF one day. I had a paragraph on hacking KidZone in my blog entry, but figured the clever child will just unplug the coax from the TiVo and run it direct into the TV and watch whatever they want. ;)

I'm not sure about changing the code while in adult mode... it may require you enter the current code to change it, or it might already assume you know it since you're in this mode. I'm also not aware of being locked out after multiple failed attempts, but that doesn't mean it's not there. So my those are my non-answers, sorry. :)
Then there's the old change the channel at the cable box trick. ;)

[gonzotek]

I figured at 28 tries a day, the code can be acquired in less than a year. Also the kids could probably try to figure out the secret backdoor which will probably be online here in the TCF one day. I had a paragraph on hacking KidZone in my blog entry, but figured the clever child will just unplug the coax from the TiVo and run it direct into the TV and watch whatever they want. ;)Too true. But I like a kid who "thinks outside the box" ;).I'm not sure about changing the code while in adult mode... it may require you enter the current code to change it, or it might already assume you know it since you're in this mode. I'm also not aware of being locked out after multiple failed attempts, but that doesn't mean it's not there. So my those are my non-answers, sorry. :)I think you need to enter the password before doing anything at all in TiVo's Parental Controls as they exist today. So my guess is that's how it'll work in KZ. These nitty gritty particulars are the fun questions to ask, when companies present things, for me. They probably hate me :D

[davezatz]

I think you need to enter the password before doing anything at all in TiVo's Parental Controls as they exist today. So my guess is that's how it'll work in KZ. These nitty gritty particulars are the fun questions to ask, when companies present things, for me. They probably hate me :D

Not everything is behind the PIN or in the settings area with KidZone. For example if I'm an adult and I add a Season Pass (or modify an existing one), I believe there is an option to make it available to the KZ section. That might be a nice way to abuse the system. ;)

[HDTiVo]

Not everything is behind the PIN or in the settings area with KidZone. For example if I'm an adult and I add a Season Pass (or modify an existing one), I believe there is an option to make it available to the KZ section. That might be a nice way to abuse the system. ;)
Did you see the screen which allows you to change the KZ PIN?

Is there any "hint" for recovering a forgotten KZ PIN? Maybe the poll should have been how long before I lock myself out. :eek:

[davezatz]

Did you see the screen which allows you to change the KZ PIN?

I didn't... though I bet some secret key combination will let you in if you've forgotten. Assuming customer service is open at that hour to take your call. ;)

[HDTiVo]

I didn't... though I bet some secret key combination will let you in if you've forgotten. Assuming customer service is open at that hour to take your call. ;)
And you don't have to know enough to ask to be bumped up to a Supervisor. :p