TiVo help please......I Said Please

[ChiefsFanatic]

I just got Tivo today. I think it is pretty damn cool. I have a couple of questions.

1. How can you tell how much space you have left to record on? If I want to records the game or something, I want to know that I have enough space.

2. When it says record to VCR, could it be a DVD-Recorder instead?

I have looked through the user manual, but I just couldn't find the answers.

Any other Tivo tips would be appreciated as well.

Thanks.

ChiefsFanatic

[Kylo Ren]

It doesn't tell you that you have X number of hours left. Just try to set a recording. If you don't have enough space, it'll tell you that you don't have enough. But don't stop there. You may be able to make some simple changes and reattempt your recording:

1. delete some recordings that you no longer need
2. downgrade the recording quality of the show you are recording or other shows that are scheduled to record
3. downgrade the number of days that you want to save your recording or other scheduled recordings
4. just keep trying different things, you'll figure it out

I don't know if you can record to a DVD recorder, but I don't see why not.

I've had TiVo since Sept. 11, 2001. I can answer most of your questions. Contact me whenever you want. Enjoy!! You're going to love it.

TIPS:
1. If you are going to record a Chiefs game, ALWAYS record it on BEST quality. For live action, you need a really high quality recording or it'll be grainy.

2. A 3 hour recording on Best quality will eat up allot of disk space. Only set the recording to save for 1 day. This will free up disk space for other recordings. You can delete it after you watch it or you can always extend the "save" date later.

3. Lastly, the TiVo will allot 3 hours for an NFL game. When you set the recording, ALWAYS add an extra 30 or 60 min. in case the game goes long or goes into OT. You'll kick yourself the first time that you miss the end of the game.

[ChiefsFanatic]

Thanks. I have not even figured out how to change the recording quality.

I have the Hughes basic DirectTv Tivo DVR.

[ChiefsFanatic]

So, how do I change the quality?

[Kylo Ren]

Just set up a recording and there will be an option to change the recording quality. You'll see it there.

[Kylo Ren]

Bump this thread during the day tomorrow. You'll get more tips from other TiVo owners.

[ChiefsFanatic]

Thanks

[Gaz]

1. Some people record some fluff programs as warning tags. When they start disappearing, you know you are at your limit.

2. Yes, you can record to a DVD burner. Hook the wires up to your DVD burner instead of a VCR. Works just fine.


Here is a site you need to bookmark:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/

xoxo~
Gaz
TiVo fan.

[Frosty]

I don't think you can change the recording quality on the DirecTV units. It records the raw signal from the satellite.

[Gaz]

DirecTiVo units do not have a quality setting. As arc mentioned, they record the raw satellite signal.

Stand alone TiVo units have quality settings.

xoxo~
Gaz
Loves his DirecTiVo.

[Ultra Peanut]

I got DirecTiVo in August (http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=96253). It is downright holy.

By the way, have you done the S-P-S-30-S code* to skip forward thirty seconds yet? There's nothing more joyous than breezing past a commercial and hearing that blip noise. Not even shooting somebody in the face in GTA: San Andreas.

*Hit Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select while viewing a program (live or recorded), and you should hear three chimes. Then you'll be able to skip ahead 30 seconds by hitting the "skip to end" button. You can still skip to the end, or the next fifteen-minute marker in a recording, by hitting the button while fast-forwarding at any speed. It's handy beyond the telling of it. You'll need to do this every time the TiVo restarts, but it only takes about two seconds.

[Kylo Ren]

I don't think you can change the recording quality on the DirecTV units. It records the raw signal from the satellite. OK. Maybe you're right. I don't know about the Direct TV unit. I have the Phillips "stand alone" unit.

[Ultra Peanut]

By the way, my only complaint is that the "TiVo Suggestions" they recommend are mostly utter crap. Maybe it's just because I'm a fairly finicky viewer, even with TiVo, but I try to rate anything and everything I have an opinion about.

[Gaz]

I disabled Suggestions a long time ago. Giving a “Thumbs Up” to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” netted me tons of teen dramas. The Suggestion categories are too broad a brush for my tastes.

Still, they can be useful. If you allow the unit to record the Suggestions, it would make a nice barometer for the remaining time available. TiVo will always delete a suggested program before one you choose. Let it record suggestions and take note as they disappear.

Mrs. Gaz and I got locals this week, so I can start TiVo-ing those Chiefs games. WOO HOO!!!

xoxo~
Gaz
Has had zero regrets with TiVo.

[foxman]

3. Lastly, the TiVo will allot 3 hours for an NFL game. When you set the recording, ALWAYS add an extra 30 or 60 min. in case the game goes long or goes into OT. You'll kick yourself the first time that you miss the end of the game.

This is some of the best advice you will ever get. There is nothing and I mean NOTHING more frustrating then missing the 4th qtr because the game went another 30-60 mins.

Also GAZ is right about disabeling the suggestions, they suck.

When setting a season pass I would recomend making sure you select first run only otherwise you get every stinking rerun.

[Fairplay]

[QUOTE=Psicosis I'm a fairly finicky viewer, even with TiVo, but I try to rate anything and everything I have an opinion about.







Which is about....oh...everything!

[Lzen]

I got DirecTiVo in August (http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=96253). It is downright holy.

By the way, have you done the S-P-S-30-S code* to skip forward thirty seconds yet? There's nothing more joyous than breezing past a commercial and hearing that blip noise. Not even shooting somebody in the face in GTA: San Andreas.

*Hit Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select while viewing a program (live or recorded), and you should hear three chimes. Then you'll be able to skip ahead 30 seconds by hitting the "skip to end" button. You can still skip to the end, or the next fifteen-minute marker in a recording, by hitting the button while fast-forwarding at any speed. It's handy beyond the telling of it. You'll need to do this every time the TiVo restarts, but it only takes about two seconds.

Man, that sounds like a pain in the bum. My Dish Network dvr has a button for skipping forward 30 seconds and a button to backtrack 10 seconds. And mine also shows how many hours I have left in the DVR menu. Out of curiosity, how many hours of recording time does yours allow? Mine is 100 hours and there is no quality setting. It just records the direct signal from the satellite reciever.

[Kylo Ren]

By the way, my only complaint is that the "TiVo Suggestions" they recommend are mostly utter crap. Maybe it's just because I'm a fairly finicky viewer, even with TiVo, but I try to rate anything and everything I have an opinion about. You can disable that. After about 2 months of the TiVo recording a bunch of stupid crap, I disabled it.

[Ultra Peanut]

Man, that sounds like a pain in the bum. My Dish Network dvr has a button for skipping forward 30 seconds and a button to backtrack 10 seconds.It takes two seconds, at most, once every couple of weeks or so. There's a 10-second backwards skip button, as well.

[Ultra Peanut]

You can disable that. After about 2 months of the TiVo recording a bunch of stupid crap, I disabled it.I've never actually had them enabled to record, I just occasionally check them out.

[Kylo Ren]

TIVO QUESTION:

This has boggled me for some time now. For example, let's say I want to set a season pass for Seinfeld. It is on about 5 times per day on weekdays. But I only want it to record the 6pm show everyday. If I set up a season pass, it records 5 Seinfeld's every day. How can I specify only the 6pm show. Here's another example.......The Soprano's. It's on HBO about 10 times per week. I do most of my TiVo recording (this is another important TIP) late at night while I'm sleeping. That way I can watch live TV during the day. My TiVo doesn't have the ability to watch live TV and record another show on another channel at the same time. But I do want to buy one that does have that capability if someone wants to make a recommendation. Soprano's come on Sunday night at 8pm, then 11pm, then 1am and so on. I want to record ONLY the 1am show. But I want to use the season pass so that I don't have to set a new recording every week. Can anyone tell me how to do this?

[Kylo Ren]

bump

[Ultra Peanut]

I think you could set a recurring manual recording.

[Kylo Ren]

I think you could set a recurring manual recording. That may be a good idea. I'll try that. I don't use the manual recording too much.

[ChiefsFanatic]

I forgot, who said they had DirectTV Tivo? How many hours can you get? I am going to record big blocks overnight, just to see.

[Kylo Ren]

I just bought the Humax DVD recorder and TiVo DVR combo unit ! I'm pumped!

[Gaz]

The DirecTiVo unit has a maximum recording time of 35 hours.

There are several places on-line that will sell you a bigger hard drive pre-configured for a TiVo device. Since it voids your warranty, you might want to hold off on that for a while.

xoxo~
Gaz
Has found 35 hours sufficient for his needs.

[ChiefsFanatic]

The DirecTiVo unit has a maximum recording time of 35 hours.

There are several places on-line that will sell you a bigger hard drive pre-configured for a TiVo device. Since it voids your warranty, you might want to hold off on that for a while.

xoxo~
Gaz
Has found 35 hours sufficient for his needs.


My box says "up to 35 hours" I didn't want to depend on it in the future and get screwed. I doubt that I will have a problem until later in the season. I really need to get a DVD recorder.

[Gaz]

ChiefsFanatic-

Record some junk programs right off the bat. They will occupy the bottom of your Now Playing list. As your hard drive fills up, they will disappear off the bottom of the NP list. When they start disappearing, mark the shows you do not want deleted as “Save Until I Delete” and archive the permanent keeper stuff to VHS or DVD.

BTW, all the Showtime channels are free on DirecTV all weekend. Score some movies.

xoxo~
Gaz
Might just fill up that hard drive.