Noob questions about Tivo

[Fleck]

Okay so I ordered my Tivo today, and im extremely ancy about this whole thing. I have a few general questions about the Tivo service and my box before it arrives (I have the Series2 Single Tuner, got it because it was free)

1. Im really excited about the idea of TivoToGo. However, the wording of the "start here" poster (i had to check it out online first) is a little vague regarding networking.


"If you have a home network with a broadband Internet connection, connect a wired (Ethernet) or wireless network adapter to one of the DVR’s USB ports. The TiVo wireless USB adapter is shown in the diagram above. (USB network adapters are sold separately."

I hope that doesnt mean that it wants me to connect an ethernet cable into a USB port. There is an Ethernet jack in the back of the Tivo correct?


2. One of the feature of Tivo that I will most likely use the most is the Season Pass. Is there a way to distinguish new episodes from reruns with the season pass? I dont want my season pass to be clogged with reruns and then miss a new episode.

(For ex. Law & Order: 1 new show a week, but dozens of reruns each day. Damn you TNT!)

3. Will I have to give my box back after my 12 month agreement is over? :D Not that I wouldnt re-up my subscription!

[DancnDude]

For the TiVo you are getting, there is NO ethernet port on the back of it. You need to purchase a USB-ethernet adapter from this list (http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2006.htm) and plug it into the USB port. The new Series 2 DT units have an ethernet port built-in to them.

Yes, there are options on a Season Pass and you can set it to record only New Episodes.

Nope, you always will own the box. You'll just need to keep paying the monthly fee to keep the box working. Otherwise it doesn't do much.

[Fleck]

For the TiVo you are getting, there is NO ethernet port on the back of it.

Bummer.

so why does it say you can "connect a wired (ethernet)..." ?

[Frankenstien]

Welcome aboard.

1) The Series 2 Single Tuner does not have an ethernet port. It has 2 USB ports. Most folks have the best results using the TiVo Brand USB network adapters. You can get them from TiVo, some online stores, and some stores now carry them in store (CompUSA and some others).

2) You can set up your Season Pass to get 1st Run Only, 1st Run & Repeats, or All Showings.

3) The box is yours after the 12 months. Enjoy.

[DancnDude]

Bummer.

so why does it say you can "connect a wired (ethernet)..." ?
It says to connect a wired (ethernet) adapter to the USB port. The USB-adapter has the wired (ethernet) port.

The DT unit is a bit more expensive but you get a great deal more out of it. Ethernet is already included so you don't have to pay extra for an adapter, and dual tuners end up being very useful. Either way though I'm sure you'll enjoy your TiVo :)

[jlb]

Welcome!

Regarding Season passes.....sometimes tribune media gets the repeat flag wrong. You might see a program with a date of 2004 on it, but it does not have the R showing.

Another problem that can occur, but the folks at TiVo have really tried hard to help us with it is a situation like this......

Let's say you have an SP for Lost. It is scheduled to record the episode Wednesday at 9. However, at 7pm on Wednesday, the President asks for time from 9-10 to talk to the nation about some issue. This may not be enough time for Tribune to update their guide data outlets. Thus, you TiVo thinks it recorded Lost but instead you got the POTUS. Now, the real problem with this is that when ABC re-airs that episode of Lost, and since you TiVo thinks it recorded this episode, it may fall under the "TiVo 28 day rule". Any specific program already aired in the last 28 days will NOT be recorded by your SPs or Auto-Record Wishlists. You would have to go in and schedule a "manual recording". This is easy to do.

As I said above, TiVo has tried their best to send out alerts about this to the TiVo base. For DTiVo, or broadband connected TiVos, you would get this alert rather quickly. For phone-line based TiVos, you would only get this alert if your TiVo connected after the alert was sent (but obviously before your program to be useful).

Again, welcome!

[Jonathan_S]

2. One of the feature of Tivo that I will most likely use the most is the Season Pass. Is there a way to distinguish new episodes from reruns with the season pass? I dont want my season pass to be clogged with reruns and then miss a new episode.

(For ex. Law & Order: 1 new show a week, but dozens of reruns each day. Damn you TNT!)
Welcome!

Regarding Season passes.....sometimes tribune media gets the repeat flag wrong. You might see a program with a date of 2004 on it, but it does not have the R showing.Fortunately the TiVo doesn't use the repeat flag to determine if a show is new or a repeat.

Instead it used the original air date (and the episodeID) from the guide data. If the show is on no more than 28 days after the listed original air date the TiVo considers it new (First Run).

Once the TiVo has recorded a specific episode (or after you have manually told it not to record a specific episode) that episode is considered a duplicate for the next 28 days. A First Run Only (new shows) season pass will not record duplicates.


The one time that TiVo might end up recorded old shows with a First Run Only season pass, is when the network hadn't provided any episode information. They just provide a generic description of the whole series.

For example The Simpsons: "Marge and Homer raise their children". And Comedy Central seems to do this a lot with the Daily Show.

These also lack an episodeID, which is how the TiVo tell episodes apart. If a show lacks an episodeID the TiVo will record it just to be safe, because it can't be sure it isn't a new episode.

[classicsat]

There is an Ethernet jack in the back of the Tivo correct?


If you have a DT, yes, otherwise you need a USB ethernet adapter.

If you want to connect wirelessly, you need a USB wireless adapter in any case.

2.Is there a way to distinguish new episodes from reruns with the season pass?

You can select First Run Only.

(For ex. Law & Order: 1 new show a week, but dozens of reruns each day. Damn you TNT!)

Season Passes are channel specific, so if you set the L&O on the original network (NBC I believe), it will not record the TNT airings.

3. Will I have to give my box back after my 12 month agreement is over? :D Not that I wouldnt re-up my subscription!

Nope, the box is yours to keep. You will have to call to change from the bundle pal to service only, or to cancel, if you desire.

[Fleck]

Thanks for all your help guys. I have a few more questiions:

1. Since I dont have a wireless adapter or a landline phone, do I need to get one of the two to get the guide data for the tivo?

2. Can I use any USB wireless adapter? I went on ebay to check out if they had any cheap tivo brand ones and theres all different kinds. Can I use the same one I use to connect my desktop to my wireless connection?

[DancnDude]

Thanks for all your help guys. I have a few more questiions:

1. Since I dont have a wireless adapter or a landline phone, do I need to get one of the two to get the guide data for the tivo?
Yes. TiVo needs to get online either through its built-in modem or online through an adapter in order to get the guide data.

2. Can I use any USB wireless adapter? I went on ebay to check out if they had any cheap tivo brand ones and theres all different kinds. Can I use the same one I use to connect my desktop to my wireless connection?
No you MUST use an adapter from the list here: http://www.tivo.com/adapters
Nothing else will work. One of the reasons is that TiVo uses Linux under the covers and TiVo was able to get drivers to work for these particular adapters.

If you are going wireless, your best bet is to purchase the TiVo wirelsss adapter. It's designed specifically to make updates on the TiVo work better.

[jfh3]

2. Can I use any USB wireless adapter? I went on ebay to check out if they had any cheap tivo brand ones and theres all different kinds. Can I use the same one I use to connect my desktop to my wireless connection?

Don't even bother with any adapter other than the Tivo wireless G adapter. You might save a few dollars, but the advantages of the Tivo-branded option far outweigh those.

You can get the Tivo wireless G adapter directly from Tivo for $49.99 and from CompUSA and other retailers for the same (or less).