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Starting yesterday, the brilliant minds at Pacific Bell – sorry, I mean SBC – sorry, that’s AT&T – have created an “overlay” or a new area code, which means all 310 users must now dial “1-310” even to call a regular, local number.

That means, among other things, your TiVo won’t be able to dial out as-is.

So if you are using dial-up for your TiVo, or even if you use the network but still fall back on your phone line occasionally, you need to update your preferences to deal with this nonsense. Otherwise, guide data stops and nag screens start.

So go here:

Messages and Setup -> Phone -> Dialing Options -> Set Dialing Prefix

and put in the old “1310” and test it out. If it works, accept it. If it doesn’t dig in those options.

With the crazy heat all over the country, we’re seeing a huge increase in the number of failed hard drives. Most of our customers are assuming that this is due to the heat directly – the unit heats up and kills the drive. The heat undoubtedly affects TiVos to some extent, and that could be part of the issue, but we’re pretty sure the bigger issue is power fluctuations.

We’re in California, and our power problems are once again making national news. But in many other parts of the country the power problems are affecting TiVo users as well.

The problem is that with the blackouts, and maybe even more so with the brownouts, the power fluctuates enough to speed up and slow down the hard drive, potentially while the head is reading and writing.

So, we’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Get a UPS for your TiVo! This may not make you completely immune to all power problems (your UPS can still run out) but it does help with many.

Here’s our UPS info:

General information and buying links

Blog info about getting the UPS protection

DirecTV has finally committed publicly to the new version of the OS for the High Def TiVo. Here’s a link to their page about this:

DirecTV Announces 6.3 for HD TiVos

You do need a phone line connected to your HR10-250 to get the update. As in the past, we’re pretty sure that the update itself will be transmitted via satellite signal, but that a dial-in will be needed to tell your TiVo to go ahead and update to the new software. So if you don’t have a phone line connected to the unit, your unit won’t get the go-ahead.

For those of you who have been just dealing with the nag screens instead of getting actual dial-ins, you really should connect up to a phone line, at least until you get the update downloaded and installed.

If you can’t connect to a phone line for some reasons, we have some help:

VoIP: If you have VoIP and can’t get the TiVo to connect, check out our TiVo External Modem Kit which works with Vonage and most other VoIP providers. For the HR10-250, you’ll also need the stereo to serial cable since that cable originally only shipped with non-DirecTV units.

No nearby phone line: Two options here. Wait until everyone seems to be getting the download, and move your unit temporarily to another room for a dial in, or string a long phone cord over. Or, check out our wireless modem jack that uses your power lines to get you an easy phone line extension near the TiVo.

In any event – finally!

Go here to get the update:

TiVo Desktop

Mac support still isn’t there, but if you have a PC and an iPod, it’s time to start moving shows from your TiVo to your Video iPod.

The vast majority of remote-controlled consumer electronics devices these days, including all TiVos, are controlled using infrared (IR) technology. While useful and convenient for most uses, IR suffers from one primary drawback: It requires a line of sight from the remote control to the unit that is being controlled.

Increasingly, though, many of our customers are looking for radio frequency (RF) remote controls for their TiVos and other equipment. If you are not using RF now, or if you have not thought about moving from infrared to RF, here are some reasons to do so:

1) Using an RF remote, you can put your TiVo in a closet, drawer or other cabinet (which is often quieter than on top of or next the TV), and run wires from there to the TV. If your TiVo is in your bedroom and are bothered by the drive or fan noise, this can be a marriage-saver!

2) With RF, you can control your TiVo, radio, etc., from any room in your house (presuming it’s not the White House or some other monstrosity—RF does have a limited range). This will help if you want to watch a TiVo on multiple TVs, if you have audio playing throughout your house from a central location, etc.

3) You can use RF to drive people in the house crazy…sitting safely in your bedroom while the person in the living room is trying to watch TV

…and the list goes on.

If you have a device that has an infrared remote (such as a TiVo), but prefer RF, you have a couple of options. One of the easiest and least expensive is this device, the RF Remote Extender, which replaces a battery in the remote with a smaller battery (same voltage) and a special transmitter that sends the remote’s keypresses via RF to a receiver that sits near the TiVo (or other device(s)) that you are controlling. It’s range is up to 150 ft, depending on the type of material the signal has to penetrate.

Alternatively, a number of RF universal remotes will convert IR into RF, although they can be quite expensive, and we are still searching for one that we are happy enough with to stock.

As RF becomes more popular, more consumer-electronics devices have the functionality built-in. DIRECTV is incorporating RF functionality into its more of its higher-end receivers and remotes. The H20 high definition receiver (which is not a DVR, not a TiVo) includes an RF remote control.