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TiVo News Troubleshooting Help

Good Article about TiVo vs. Cable DVRs

Dan Costa just wrote a good piece about what he expects to be a resurgence of TiVo DVRs in the face of cable DVRs. It’s on the PC Magazine website. He’s on to what I consider to be one of the most important issues in the differentiation between a cable DVR and a TiVo: a TiVo isn’t just a DVR. Many people think that a DVR is basically a generic box, and that TiVo has become the name for the box since it was the first large brand name in the field. Part of that is true, but TiVo has evolved far, far beyond just being a DVR, and that’s where the real issue is. A TiVo doesn’t just have a nicer interface and a much better remote than a cable DVR (although those are both true and important aspects of the experience). Simply put, the term DVR really undersells what a TiVo does. Here’s a quick, incomplete list of features on a TiVo that far outstrip anything on a cable DVR, and also most satellite DVRs:

  • Amazon Unbox – Want something that isn’t being broadcast currently, like an old movie, or a super-new one? Likely, it’s here.
  • Streaming music from a PC or Mac – Your TiVo is attached to your stereo receiver, so use your computer’s storage, and ditch the CD player or iPod dock. This is much better.
  • Online Scheduling – Schedule shows from your web browser. Don’t type with the remote! (some satellite DVRs are getting this)
  • Videocasts – More and more good, high quality content is available, and much, much more is coming. Do you want it on your PC or your TV?
  • Transfer video to your computer – Burn DVDs, or take your laptop on a plane with shows you’ve recorded on your TiVo.

That’s really just a partial list, but these are some of the features I use that cable DVRs just don’t have. The TiVo isn’t just a DVR anymore.

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Customer Shipment

Customer Shipment of the Day

What great packaging! You used the plastic endcaps that we spend a fortune on! Thanks!

Oh, what’s that? You needed a bag for the drive? And so you used the one from your prescription for lubricating jelly for your bowels? Great! Thanks!

But, seriously folks: please, please don’t send us such packaging. It’s kinda gross, really.

If you call today and you’re on hold, that’s because we’re busy disinfecting the office.

Categories
Troubleshooting Help

Diagnosing Pixelization – Hard Drive or Tuner?

Pixelization is definitely one of the most common problems that TiVo users encounter. The question is, is this blockiness of images due to problems with the tuners or with the hard drives?

Both components can cause pixelization, but the problems act a bit differently in each situation. Of course, diagnosing the problem correctly is essential to fixing the problem . . .

Our best procedure for differentiating between the two problems is this: replay the bad segment. If the pixellization recurs exactly as it did the first time (watch carefully, and try it again if necessary) then the problem is almost definitely with the tuner. If the pixellization changes when you replay the segment, then you likely have a bad hard drive.

While you may think that a bad spot on a hard drive should cause the same pixellization to happen during a replay, our experience shows differently. If a hard drive has an error on the surface, or any other problem feeding data to the processor, then the results are different each time. But if pixelization is recorded to the drive, then it replays the same way each time.

Also, a DIRECTV TiVo often will have just one bad tuner, not two, so if you see pixelization, you can try removing one of the satellite cables from the back to see which tuner is pixellating. If you are watching a show and pull a cable, the picture will either disappear or you will see “Searching for signal on Satellite” with the pixellating picture still showing. If you continue to see the picture, then the tuner you are watching is the one that you did NOT pull out. If you are seeing pixelization only on one tuner, but not the other, then you have a bad tuner.  (Please please NEVER move the TiVo while it is on. Also, take note that you can switch tuners on a DIRECTV TiVo by pressing down on the circular directional pad.)

So how do you fix this? If you have a bad drive, that’s easy. We have replacement, pre-formatted TiVo hard drives for every model TiVo. Be sure to get a replace kit in this situation.

If your tuner is bad, then we can repair tuners on DirecTV TiVo units, and we also have replacement DirecTV TiVos still. If you have a standalone TiVo, and you don’t have lifetime service, it’s probably better to consider a new unit. See our list of new TiVos.

Categories
WeaKnees News

Blog Update and Move

If you’re reading this, you’re seeing our new blog installation using WordPress instead of MovableType. We made the change, got a new host, and imported. So some old links may not work, but we’ll do our best to get everything straightened out quickly.

Meanwhile, one of the reasons we moved to the WordPress platform is to allow comments again. We had turned off comments due to the overwhelming amount of comment spam we were getting. But thanks to the much more sophisticated WordPress system, using Akismet, we’re able to turn commenting back on, and hopefully keep the spam down to a minimum, while allowing legitimate comments to come on through.

Categories
TiVo News

9.3 OS Update is on the Move!

Once again, a new OS update is coming, and once again, there’s a Priority List.

If you’ve been around TiVo DVRs for a while, you know that TiVo releases software updates slowly at first (the little switch) then, after they make sure there are no horrendous problems on that subset of people (not exactly beta testers, since they do that too, but, maybe, chi testers) they through the big switch, and release the software to everyone.

Anyway, during the “little switch” time period, customers who want to be test victims and to get their hands on the latest software fastest can pretty much always sign up at the priority link:

http://www.tivo.com/priority

The list of units changes depending on what’s being updated, but the URL is always the same.

In this case, the update is 9.3 for Series 2 units. And the update seems to focus on making the interface faster. So I’ve signed up!