TiVo's Live TV "screen saver" oddity

[Schmye Bubbula]

After a period of time has elapsed, TiVo automatically will leave any user screen, such as Now Playing, and switch to Live TV, a "screen saver" of sorts to prevent TV tube burn-in.

I've noticed a real curiosity: When I switch my TV's video input from TiVo to regular live television, the TiVo will take much, much longer to auto-switch to its Live TV, an hour or more.

I wonder why that is, and how TiVo knows that it's not actively being viewed through my TV's video input.

[windracer]

What kind of remote are you using? Maybe the TiVo is seeing the IR activity and even though it's not meant for it (the TiVo) I think that will "reset" the drop to Live TV timer.

[wmcbrine]

How do you notice this if you're not watching the Tivo's output?

[NoCleverUsername]

Someone started a thread a while ago about something like this happening with his series 2 DT, but I couldn't find the thread.

I've noticed it too but only on my DT unit. Probably a bug specific to the software version that it's running.

How did we notice this? Easy. When I switch back to the DT unit after watching one of my other TiVos or a DVD (non-TiVo DVD player), the DT is still on the exact same screen it was on when I switched away from it. If I turn off the TV and go away to do something else or go to bed, the DT does go back to Live TV at some point. (Not a clue how long, because it's not worth my time to test it.)

I only use TiVo remotes to control the TiVos. There are no 3rd party universal remotes. Each TiVo is definitely set to a different remote address. (I've had multiple TiVos long enough to be 100% sure of this.)

[Schmye Bubbula]

What kind of remote are you using? Maybe the TiVo is seeing the IR activity and even though it's not meant for it (the TiVo) I think that will "reset" the drop to Live TV timer.What you're saying makes perfect sense, as far as it goes, but inasmuch as the behavior coincided with a TiVo software update, and didn't occur for years prior with my same TV remote, I rule it out.

[windracer]

If you have multiple TiVos in the same room, that would explain it, though. I have the same "problem."

[Schmye Bubbula]

If you have multiple TiVos in the same room, that would explain it, though. I have the same "problem."I'm sorry, I don't follow. If I have my TiVo remote's "DVR" switch set to control only one Tivo at a time, why would the remote effect the other Tivo?
Perhaps answering my own question, I do notice that the yellow DVD on both TiVos always has flashed on a remote command, even if the aforementioned switch isolation otherwise works, so both TiVos receive the remote's IR, but it gets parsed out in software on the other TiVo. Possibly the latest TiVo software introduced a bug that "leaks" to the other Tivo a "screen saver" reset, while the rest of the isolation still works.

[RoyK]

Probably the software in the TiVo is accepting any activity from the IR sensing circuitry to reset the software timer used for the menu timeout. This isn't an uncommon programming technique. It's quick and dirty and most of the time good enough.

[ZeoTiVo]

Probably the software in the TiVo is accepting any activity from the IR sensing circuitry to reset the software timer used for the menu timeout. This isn't an uncommon programming technique. It's quick and dirty and most of the time good enough.
yes, and actually with multiple TiVo's in thesame room it might even be a feature :)
Frankly Iwish the TiVo never went back to live TV without a specific button press and either had some other screen saver or moved the menu around. Burn in is just not a problem with modern TV sets and the end user can easily control how long a TV would display one menu anyhow.