[nknight]

First post here - been a Tivo user since 2004. In the process of cutting the cable (fully disconnected just last week) I've picked up 2 Roamios with Lifetime service included via eBay. Overall I am extremely happy with both but do have an oddity with one of them. Ideas?

I transferred service and have been using a Roamio OTA 1TB for 4 months. Other than the fact that it had the newer UI I was happy and still am. Trying to finish my household Tivo setup I went to reconfigure my Mini to use this device. It sees it, but once I choose it, it works for 30-40 seconds then starts into this terrible "internet problem" issue. Tivo support was ... well, not effective. This isn't the problem I wish to solve necessarily. The Mini connects fine to my other Tivo OTA 500GB and that works for now.

PyTivo saw this box as did Tivo Online. Yet transfers FROM this box to my PC or other Tivos don't finish. Can I post an image? Well, when I go to tivo and look at my device settings, this particular device has N/A listed under Video Sharing AND Enable Video Downloads. Why? I can't find any limitations like this listed for this particular model and I don't see a setting that would deny it. This again was transferred from a previous owner, but so was the other Roamio and it has checkboxes under these settings.

Part 2 - Thanks to these forums (I've been a lurker forever) I found the instructions for installing the older UI. I did that this morning and I will be SO MUCH MORE HAPPY with the older menus that all my other devices have (and the return of the back button). Anyway, I thought this might help me but I think it's worse as something I tried things my machine is a pre-Series-4 machine and too old to do transfers. Do I just lose this with the old UI? Is it just a fact of Tivo Life? PyTivo no longers sees this machine.

I will try connecting the older Mini again to see if it somehow now works. I want to acquire another one to complete my Tivo network ... but not if I cannot connect to this particular machine. OR ... I shop for a different Roamio OTA. My plan was also to freely transfer recordings to my PC or other Tivos but that is the main problem here.

Again, any ideas? Or did I simply miss an obvious limitation? What is w/o acc. below and if I shop for a new machine, what indicates any limitations?

Thanks in advance.

 

[nknight]

Crazy. The Mini now connects. How many hours I wasted on that. Is it a rule that all UI levels must match? A Mini with the old UI won't connect to a Roamio OTA with the new UI? Whatever ... the Mini does work. Still have to solve the N/A issue above.

 

[just4tivo]

Crazy. The Mini now connects. How many hours I wasted on that. Is it a rule that all UI levels must match? A Mini with the old UI won't connect to a Roamio OTA with the new UI? Whatever ... the Mini does work. Still have to solve the N/A issue above.

I've had intermittent failures to connect which often correct themselves and both my Roamio OTAs are running TE3.

I would expect TiVos to work and play well together more reliably when all are running the same software version.

 

[nknight]

As I reported yesterday, my Mini does now function correctly when attached to this machine. This allows me to go ahead with plans to find another.

HOWEVER, I still cannot transfer recordings to or from this machine. The menu options are there. When I try to transfer from this machine other Tivos spin for a few seconds and then tell me it can't be transfered because it wasn't found (or does not exists ... forget the exact phrase). Yet right after that the video will play just fine from the other machine.

When transferring TO this machine (from this machines menus), I'm told it is queued and will be transferred after all other transfers have been processed. I see no other transfers in play ... perhaps this is one of the other fails. But nothing ever progresses.

I've opened a support case with Tivo but I am not optimistic. The first response (which again closed the ticket, how presumptuous) said the CSR had turned on my machne's setting for Streaming but only a streaming device will work. So ... not addressing my actual issue. My online account still shows those two N/A's for this machine in Device Preferences.

My System Information display now shows my TivoToGo settings as i,a,a,a for this machine.

Why won't transfers to and from this machine work?

 

[JoeKustra]

Only TiVo can fix the i,a,a,a, and it won't be easy. The first letter is all that matters. It must be "a".

 

[nknight]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, after posting today's update I also updated my Tivo case with a much shorter description of the issue I am still having (sometimes I provide way TMI). A reply came quickly suggesting I call in as this couldn't be handled via email/web.

So I did that - called. At first the guy wanted to walk me through all of the basics I've tried many times now. I got him to quickly agree to take a harder look at my TivoToGo status. And after some time on hold he said that they see the issue, nothing is wrong on my end and there is a setting issue with my account/machine. I was told the case was being escalated (and online status says it was) but it may take 24 hours for it to be cleared up. I've been reconnecting my box with Tivo every couple of hours hoping my status would change. Nothing so far. Well, he also said I'd get an email confirming it had been fixed and that hasn't come yet either. Hey, I'm a bit anxious!

Still hoping it can be cleared up and I'm good to go.

I was ready to buy a new box today ... in fact, I placed one offer but it fortunately expired with no action from the seller. If my original Roamio is made to work, I don't really need another one. So I'll give it another day or 2 before I decide I need to buy something else.

Did order a 3TB drive today for whatever machine I end up with. The 2TB upgrade (from 500mb) I did on what is now my wife's machine was so easy I want an upgrade for myself!

 

[nknight]

Update on this situation (but of course a new one has popped up with a new-to-me Mini - another thread).

As I reported last, Tivo said they found an issue on there end for my account/machine settings. I saw my TivoToGo settings change twice before landing at a,a,a,a. They've been there since and I've been transferring back and forth at will. In fact, I hooked up an older Premier machine, backup up my Roamio recordings to it and transferred my season passes over to that. This, so I could install that 3TB drive and no lose anything. Transferring back and a few adjustments, my Roamio is just the way I want it.

Oddly, a few days ago Tivo emailed me wanting to debug through this issue. I had to decline and report that it seemed to all be working now. I'm assuming it will remain so. Thanks for the help and advice, folks!

 

[nknight]

And a couple of weeks later, this machine's TivoToGo settings are back to i,a,i,a and I cannot transfer in or out. How unfortunate. I've opened a new case, but I have to assume that this machine isn't supposed to allow transfers. I can't find an official definition of what the "w/out acc." blurb means at the end of my machine's description (see the image in my first paste, above) ... but I have to suspect that this was sold to the original owner (I'm #2) with reduced features and perhaps for a reduced price? Anyone heard of such a thing?

I'll make plans to replace this is a different box but for now can divert the work I wanted it to do to yet-another Roamio OTA.