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TiVO HD - Newb Questions

3K views 34 replies 16 participants last post by  andyf 
#1 ·
I just got a TiVo HD this week and it's the first TiVo (not dvr) I have owned. I have a couple basic questions:

1. How can I tell how much space is left on my TiVo?
2. Can I customize the menus? Like add things I use a lot (maybe weather or music) to the main menu?
3. Is there any "work-a-round" to be able to publish shows (like divx) to the TiVo?
4. Are there any "must have" addons I should get?
 
#2 ·
1: You can't really. The most you can do is watch suggestions, as they go down, space is nearing a low.
2: No.
3: Not until transfers get enabled. Until then if you must watch such videos on your TV, you need some other appliance that does that.
4: Tivo Wireless G adapter.
 
#3 ·
classicsat said:
1: You can't really. The most you can do is watch suggestions, as they go down, space is nearing a low.
2: No.
3: Not until transfers get enabled. Until then if you must watch such videos on your TV, you need some other appliance that does that.
4: Tivo Wireless G adapter.
1. Alternatively, if you keep suggestions disabled as I do, just watch your deleted folder.
4. The wireless adapter really isn't a must-have if you're got a wired data port near by. I probably would have suggested a better remote.
 
#5 ·
yes, I have a network cable close by and that's a no brainer for me.

I am doing things a little backwards and I got my TiVo HD before my HDTV (planning to get one in a few months). I wanted to get everything setup and kinks worked out first. I plan on buying a new 500-750g HDD before I get the new TV. The current drive seems fine for SD.

I can't believe there isn't a more accurate way to tell how much space is left. wow... /shrug with a 500g drive I don't think it's going to matter.

Thanks for the info guys...
 
#6 ·
Once you move into the HD and digital world how much space is left on your hard drive doesn't tell you all that much because how much space is needed per hour of video varies significantly depending on what you are recording and at what quality level (for analog video). As an example the TiVo HD can recorded upto 20 hrs. of HD or upto 180 of SD content (at the lowest quality setting). Of course they could provide info on the maximum hrs. of HD or SD recording time remaining, instead of how much space you have left.

Thanks,
 
#7 ·
BankZ said:
yes, I have a network cable close by and that's a no brainer for me.

I am doing things a little backwards and I got my TiVo HD before my HDTV (planning to get one in a few months). I wanted to get everything setup and kinks worked out first. I plan on buying a new 500-750g HDD before I get the new TV. The current drive seems fine for SD.

I can't believe there isn't a more accurate way to tell how much space is left. wow... /shrug with a 500g drive I don't think it's going to matter.

Thanks for the info guys...
You don't really "need" to know how much space is left. TiVo will delete the oldest shows first in order to make room for scheduled recordings. As suggested by others if you have suggestions enabled they will ALWAYS be deleted before a program you have recorded or if you notice shows in the deleted folder when suggestions are disabled (personally I think the suggestions feature is a must have).

Your's is a very common question for new TiVo owners. After you start to trust your TiVo and get a feel for how long your recordings generally last based on the activity of your recording schedule you will probably not feel you need a way to know about your free space.
 
#9 ·
hpb said:
You don't really "need" to know how much space is left.
Isn't one of the requirements of Amazon Unbox that "there is enough free space to hold the video" before downloading? I thought it a bit ironic when I ready that, considering that the Tivo has no free space indicator. If they had a free space computation, then Unbox could tell you whether or not it could download the video before it tries to.
 
#10 ·
You can use the TiVo Glo Remote with the THD box; I just purchased one (in white - so I don't get it mixed up with the living room remote, which is a black Series 3 remote). Works like a charm, and I can lay in bed and watch TiVo without worrying about having the lights on. :)

You can order one here, through the TiVo Community Store, I believe, or from TiVo.
 
#11 ·
smbaker said:
Isn't one of the requirements of Amazon Unbox that "there is enough free space to hold the video" before downloading? I thought it a bit ironic when I ready that, considering that the Tivo has no free space indicator. If they had a free space computation, then Unbox could tell you whether or not it could download the video before it tries to.
Funny thing about TiVo and free space - I really find myself not worrying about it.

As mentioned, turning on TiVo Suggestions is sort of a way to keep tabs on your free space. If you see that you have a lot of suggestions being recorded when the box is otherwise "idle", you can assume you've got a good deal of disk space left. On the other hand, as those suggestions dwindle, you probably don't. TiVo will remove suggestions first to free up space for requested recordings.

You can also get an idea of how much space a particular program is taking up if you hit the "Info" button while on the description of a recorded program in the Now Playing list. You'll get "extended" info that will tell you, among other things, the percentage of disk space that particular program is taking up.
 
#12 ·
Kind of bugs me that this isnt a standard feature... whats the big deal to put a percentage used on the main screen. I am begining to lose faith in how good tivo is supposed to be; this, picture breakup, slowwww guide/menus and I miss comcast moto showing me which programs are movies by a color.
 
#13 ·
Must have, IMO, for any HDTV, is a Harmony remote. It is the most amazing experience to use, and makes things -work- instead of having to use 3 or 4 remotes for everything, it is just one. But it is more than a programmable remote. Check it out.

Word of warning, some people think that they are expensive...use one and you'll understand...I didn't have a problem spending $100 on an awesome remote.

joneSi

edited cause I'm a moron
 
#14 ·
LifeIsABeach said:
4. A larger internal hard-drive or a large external eSATA drive (not sure if this works yet on the TiVo HD).
I've had a 750GB FreeAgent Pro for more than 3 months on my S3 (working reliably) and things that were recorded 3 months ago are still pending deletion. Listen to what LifeIsABeach said. Once you have about a gig, and settle on what you record, there will be pretty much no need to worry. I had 320gig on a SD S2 and never had any worry about deletions.
Must have, IMO, for any HDTV, is a Harmony remote.
I have a one-for-all remote that costs less than the harmony's and it works great for every-day usage. It costs less than $35.
 
#15 ·
joneSi said:
Must have, IMO, for any HDTV, is a Harmony remote. It is the most amazing experience to use, and makes things -work- instead of having to use 3 or 4 remotes for everything, it is just one. But it is more than a programmable remote. Check it out.
Which model of Harmony remote do you recommend? Does it only do pre-programmed commands, or can it learn IR from an existing remote?
 
#16 ·
smbaker said:
Which model of Harmony remote do you recommend? Does it only do pre-programmed commands, or can it learn IR from an existing remote?
I like the Harmony 720 (~$125 @ Costco). All Harmony remotes can learn IR from an existing remote, but that is largely unnecessary. Most only need to use the Windows / Mac application which guides one through device / component selection and then automatically programs your Harmony remote over USB. Through this application, you can also customize the hard buttons and the buttons on the LCD.

Click for larger image.

KenAF said:
The Harmony 720 is very easy to setup and use. One button switches to the correct display input and audio input for each activity (see first image). One button turns everything off. There is no need to figure out macros, because the Harmony does all that for you -- it asks you questions such as "What video input on your TV does the Tivo use," "What audio input on your receiver does the Tivo use," etc and gives you a list of options to pick from. It then uses the answers to those questions to setup the activities. WAF is very high.

If there is a downside to the Harmony remotes, it is that the buttons are relatively small and feel cheap. They don't have the feel or responsiveness you get with higher-end remotes. If it weren't for the nice LCD screen, activity switching, and PC wizard-based setup, you'd think it was a $30 remote.

If cost is a non-issue, and you don't mind spending $250+ for a remote, you might want to consider the upcoming URC MX-810 pictured below-left. Compared to the Harmony remotes, the buttons on the MX-810 are much larger and have a far superior feel. It should be out in the next month, and is supposed to have software setup similar to the Harmony.

Click for high-resolution image.

tripleb said:
The Harmony 720 is 8.1" long by 2.1" wide. The two URC remotes pictured above are about about 8.8" long by 2.1" wide.
 
#18 ·
Bankz,

Could you describe the problem further?

What channels are you watching?

When you set the Tivo to 4:3, SD channels are displayed full-screen 4:3 and the aspect button only works on widescreen (HD) channels. When you set the Tivo to 16:9, then HD channels are displayed to fill your widescreen and the aspect button only works on SD channels.

Most older displays (and some newer displays) have something called overscan, which means they cut 3-5% of the picture off around each side of the screen. They do this to hide artifacts that are often seen at the edges of the image.
 
#21 ·
TiVotion said:
You can use the TiVo Glo Remote with the THD box; I just purchased one (in white - so I don't get it mixed up with the living room remote, which is a black Series 3 remote). Works like a charm, and I can lay in bed and watch TiVo without worrying about having the lights on. :)

You can order one here, through the TiVo Community Store, I believe, or from TiVo.
For a little more you can get a Harmony remote that controls your entire system painlessly.

I suppose the Tivo remote would be fine for a simple Tivo/TV combination but even in my bedroom I have an amplifier, DVD player, TV and cable box.

I got a Harmony 520 on closeout from Sears for $50 a month ago. I have a Harmony 880 I got from Dell a year ago for $90. Harmony 880 is the best remote I've ever used for home theater and I've used dozens.
 
#26 ·
I assume you have done so already, but since you have an older 4:3 SD TV, make sure the TivoHD is set to 4:3 aspect ratio under Settings -> Video.

The aspect button on the remote will give you different display options (zoom, crop, etc) when on HD channels.
 
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