[CH1]

I've looked at the threads but nobody seems to have problems with video downlaod at the moment.

I know someone out there will be able to tell me what dumb thing I've done but I can't figure it out. I had TiVo plugged into Freeview and a HDD/DVD recorder & a scart switcher so I could record in play mode directly from TiVo but suddenly I was getting the blue screen of death. Plugging Freeview box striaght into TV showed the problem was with TiVO so I set everything up as the TiVo guide suggests without any fancy daisy-chaining & eventually worked out I needed a new co-ax cable to connect TiVo to the DVD. Now I have Live TV back & TiVo recording fine but no matter what I do I can't download from TiVo to the DVD. I realise I now have to use the VCR button on TiVo to view the menu screens on the DVD but when I select "download to VCR" I don't get the countdown function and whatever setting I have my DVD player input set to (I've gone back to RGB instead of video as that's what my TV screen seems to be defaulting to) - if I hit record on the DVD all I get is a black screen.

Some kind soul out there will, I'm sure, know how to get me back to happy co-existence with my little silver box - clicking on "now playing" and getting a blank screen was depressing but now I run a serious risk of my hard drive filling up and having no way of downloading/editing the matter on there. Help - please!!!

 

[martink0646]

Hi CH1,

Your situation is quite puzzling & one thing stood out. You said you have the TiVo connected to the DVDR by co-ax!!!!

I have had various DVDR's connected to my TiVo for about 5 years now & I would never connect via co-ax.

Firstly, I'm not even sure it would work but I would never try this this method to check it out. The co-ax socket on the DVDR is for the tuner which you won't be using because you are using the TiVo as your source. Even if you do have a co-ax pass through why would you want to use co-ax as the PQ will be much lower than is possible.

This brings me onto my second point. It seems as though you are describing using the save to VCR option on TiVo to archive onto DvD? Is this what you have always used & has now stopped working? If so your best bet is to stop now!!

The save to VCR uses the VCR socket which only outputs composite. You may as well use a VCR for the quality of recording you are getting. If you utilise the TV scart you will get glorious RGB recordings on your DvD's.

If you wish to use RGB your setup will be really simple;

SOURCE SCART socket (SKY, Cable, Freeview Box etc) => TiVo AUX SCART socket
TiVo TV SCART socket => DVDR Input SCART socket
DVDR Output SCART (TV?) => TV SCART socket

Check that the SCART socket you are using on the TV is RGB compatible (& check your SCART's are fully wired). If you use AV1 it should be.

If you use this setup then when the DVDR is playing a DVD it will default to that. In any other state it will pass through the TiVo signal to the TV. All you need to do is have the TV on AV1 (or whatever SCART you choose).

I hope this has helped & it should make things simpler with no need for a SCART switcher. The only time you will need one of those is if you run out of SCART sockets on an item. e.g. I only use one of the TV's SCART's for my whole system but I utilise a SCART switcher as I have a need to record multiple sources onto DVD & my Liteon (Macrovision free) DVDR only has one input SCART. More normally it is the TV that runs out but this way you are combining everything into 1 socket.

There could be other problems lurking there with the the TiVo & also you mentioned defaulting to RGB & there may be problems with settings if TiVo or your TV aren't set to RGB but try the above first & then we can start from scratch with settings if you wish to try it this way.

Regards,

Martin

 

[CH1]

Thanks Martin - I'll print this off & look at it - the co-ax goes from the TiVo RF out to the DVD RF in & there's always been a connection there - it was that cable which had frayed & therefore I had assumed it was the cause of the problem - I had a digital signal coming through the box & decoding OK if hooked up to TV but not once TiVo came back into the equation. I am using the scart connections as shown in the set-up diagram on the TiVo. I'm using AV1 so far as I can tell.

With regard to the VCR download command, No - I never ever used it before - I used to run video from the TiVo disc, just hit "One touch record" on the HDD and the programme would copy to the HDD but I never had to use the VCR button on the remote either - now I can't switch to the DVD without using it - does that help?. The DVD will record live TV and I can play previously recorded material on it with the settings I have - I just doesn't "see" the TiVo system however I try it.

 

[martink0646]

Hi CH1,

Reply with exactly what is connected to what including the type of equipment you are using as that might help.

I had a digital signal coming through the box & decoding OK if hooked up to TV but not once TiVo came back into the equation

Does this mean you are plugging a DIGITAL signal from a freeview box into the TiVo using co-ax? TiVo's tuner (connected to the RF socket) is analogue only. Forget co-ax. Whatever source you are using (SKY, Cable Freeview?) take a SCART from there to the TiVo. The only time you need to use the RF is if you a using a dual setup i.e SKY or Cable on SCART & Freeview on RF.

I might be getting the wrong end of the stick so if you list your details, I or someone else will be able to get you connected properly (which sounds like the problem to me) or diagnose the fault with TiVo & tell you how to fix it.

Regards,

Martin

EDIT: I have just re-read your post & you mention the co-ax going between TiVo & the DVDR. This is confusiong me more as you also mention a SCART setup. Forget the manual, the info is outdated especially with regard to DVD archiving (& I think I remember reading sometime about mistakes). Unplug everything, start again using the guide I gave you above & it will give you the best quality recordings & simplify your setup. If you still have problems then the clever people on here can trace it & help.

 

[CH1]

Martin,

YOU are a clever person - your set up works fine & much less trouble than the diagram in the user manual. I had the aux scart set to the freeview box ("astratec "- works on "Humax" for IR code setting) but not the TiVo TV scart to the DVDR (Pioneer 420-H) and I think I had the TiVo TV scart going directly to the TV (well, it seemed logical). The TV is a Logik (there's an umlaut over the o but can't do symbols on here) and can double as an LCD monitor.

Re the co-ax thing - my system Info says its a second input (? for ariel only). My TiVo is (sadly) unmodded and only has the standard disc (hence the need for HDD to shift things off - also I like to edit before archiving things to DVD)- anyway, with any luck the TiVo disc will cope with two weeks' worth of recordings now I can download what I have stored on it so I am really grateful to you for your help. This forum is a lifeline.............

Many, Many thanks,

Chris

 

[martink0646]

Hi CH1,

Glad I could help & yes....this forum is a lifeline. I have been helped far more than I could possibly help others.

With regard to the co-ax, in your situation it will just repeat BBC1 & 2, ITV, CH4 & if you're lucky, dependent on where you are, Five. As you already have freeview I cannot see the point of even having it connected (cue someone explaining why ). You might as well connect it straight to your TV so if TiVo is recording something & you want to watch something another channel, you will have that limited capability.

Regards,

Martin