steelpaw

There is a way to get Tivo recordings onto a DVD, although there is some loss of quality. This probably won't matter if the recordings are being watched on a portable DVD player. It is also a bit inconvenient, but better than nothing, I suppose. Plug the input of a DVD recorder to the composite video and the audio outputs of the Tivo. Play the recording that you want to copy. You can now record the Tivo recording onto DVD in the same way as any other input. There is copy protection on the digital output of the Tivo, but not on the analogue. That is why this method works. The Tivo outputs simultaneously on all its outputs. This means that you can have it connected to your TV via HDMI and to the DVD recorder via composite all the time. I have this setup. Since I got the Tivo, I never use the DVD recorder to record TV directly, so it is no longer connected to the TV aerial. Once or twice a year, I'll transfer a Tivo recording onto a DVD.

I realise that you are not using a Tivo, but here is something that may assist you in tracking down the cause of your problems. When a Tivo is called upon to record the same channel on both tuners simultaneously, one of the recordings is likely to have no audio if the signal has a high rate of errors. This may occur even if the signal strength is excellent. It seems to be caused by the processor being overloaded dealing with the errors. Something like this might also explain why your problem happens more with HD recordings.

If you use the numeric keypad, the unticked channels will still appear (ie if you press '3' you will still go to SBS 3, even though it is unticked, and you'll get a screen telling you that there is a problem with the aerial input or something like that). But, as I understand it, you're still getting your unticked channels appearing when you use Channel Up/Down. I'm afraid I really don't know why this is happening - it shouldn't be.

Displays them where? They'll stay in the Channel List even when unticked, but you should find that you won't see them anywhere else that matters. The channels shown in the Guide can be altered by pressing Enter when the Guide is displayed and then changing the setting next to Channels. If you have your EPG set to Channels > All, then you will see every channel, including the unticked ones. If you have your EPG set to Channels > You Receive, then you will only see your ticked channels. If you have your EPG set to Channels > Favourites, then you will only see ticked channels that are also marked with a Thumbs Up as Favourites. When you are watching Live TV, unticked channels will be skipped when you use the Channel Up/Down button. Unticked channels will also never be used by the Tivo to record from, whether as a Suggestion or one of your own Wish List or Season Pass recordings. Furthermore, if you have a Season Pass set to record from a channel, and then untick the channel, the recording will fail.

Definitely. Don't delete - as you've found, they'll keep coming back. De-select (ie untick them in the channel list) the channels that are poorly received duplicates. There may be other channels that you don't want in your Favourites list, but might want to leave ticked. For example, in my case, since I really don't care much for sport, I'm not interested in seeing the program guide for One HD, but very occasionally I might tune in to watch the swimming. I leave it ticked, so that it's included in the channels I can access easily, but I don't have it marked as a Favourite, so when the Guide shows Favourite channels only, it's not there.

+1 for Tivo. I loaned one to my parents, against their objections: "Oh, no. It sounds much too complicated for us. We just want something simple like the video was." After two days: "Well, actually, it's much easier to use than I thought it would be." After two weeks: "It's fabulous. I don't know how we ever managed without it." They like the remote, which is well designed and can be used by touch, so they don't need to put their reading glasses on to see which button is which. They like the Season Pass feature, so that shows they like automatically record whenever they're on. They still don't record much to watch later, but this feature also means that they don't have to worry about missing the beginning of a show, since it's being recorded. And most of all they like it because it's easy to use. Every screen clearly explains what your options are, and the functions of the remote control's buttons are consistent throughout every menu.

I realise you are new to the forum and I'm not trying to be mean, but you should read the thread you are posting in before answering. The same answer as yours was already posted more than a year ago. If, on the other hand, you are a spammer trying to get your post count up, then I regret not being nastier and more sarcastic about it.

And there is also the rarely mentioned fact that having a PVR actually makes you more stupid. Consider: now that I have two Tivos, I pretty much only ever watch sitcoms, cartoons and really, really dumb shows (eg Cops, The Biggest Loser). Once upon a time I had the ability to follow documentaries and the comparatively more demanding hour long crime dramas. I still record these, but hardly ever watch them because PVR ownership has shrunk my brain.

Or white electrical tape, if you'd still like to see the light shining through a bit.

I'm almost certain that you need a MAK in order to unlock any of these functions. The only way to get a MAK is to buy the Home Networking Package. The information you have quoted is supplied in the context of the Home Networking Package page. I agree that it is not at all clear, and I think that this is because it is largely copied from the American Tivo information. In the US, I believe that they automatically get a MAK with purchase, and so there is a meaningful difference between the basic Desktop and the premium Desktop Plus, which I think they have to pay extra for. Here, on the other hand, you have to pay to get the MAK, but the Desktop Plus is then free. It is confusing and largely pointless for Tivo Australia to make such a big deal of the difference between Desktop and Desktop Plus, since any Australian user who is able to use Desktop must also have got a Desktop Plus Key. The only relevance, I suppose, is if you have purchased the HNP and want to use more than one computer with it, then whilst you can use Desktop on as many computers as you like, you have to buy Desktop Plus Keys if you want to use Plus on other computers.

I have to disagree with you here. Here, because the hard drive has failed, the item is completely unable to fulfil the purpose for which it was bought (ie to record and playback TV). The question in issue then becomes 'How long should an item of this type last for, given its cost, in order for it to be considered fit for purpose?' For example, at this point in time, a lesser fault, like the labels wearing off the controls, for example, would be very difficult to argue as a cause for replacement, but a complete failure is a different matter, since it is not unreasonable to expect that something like this should work for at least two years or so - it's not especially expensive, but it's not a $20 throwaway, either. It is not reasonable for a manufacturer to produce an item, or a seller to sell an item, in the expectation that some units will be faulty and that they will be absolved of responsibility for these faults. If the fault renders the item unfit for purpose then the responsibility for repair can't just be moved onto the customer. As you point out, it is the seller's responsibility to do something about it. If that something is to send the unit back to the manufacturer for repair, then at this stage it might be sensible to accept that, since insisting on a refund under the statutory warranty will require convincing the Tribunal that the item was unfit for purpose because it should have lasted longer than it did, which may or may not be more trouble and risk than the OP is prepared to accept.

My parents got one of these about two weeks ago. We went for this unit because: 1) they definitely needed a DVD player; 2) my mum was very keen on the idea of being able to record shows onto DVD to keep, even though I kept saying that the Tivo does all the recording you need for timeshifting viewing and anything else you can buy on DVD; 3) they have a lot of videos, so having a VCR built in makes for simplicity of TV inputs and remote controls, as well as a neat appearance in the TV stand; 4) not having an HD tuner didn't matter so much because they also have a Tivo to catch any HD only show that they might really want to keep. I haven't really used it much, so can't comment on how easy it is to use, other than to say it's not as simple as the Tivo. Nothing is as simple as the Tivo! On the weekend, I showed my mother how to use the EPG to set up timer recordings and she's going to try a few this week to test it out. Then we will move onto transferring recordings from the Tivo to DVD.

Maybe not. Don't forget some elderly parents have equally elderly TVs that only have RF in. I think some of the Topfields might do an RF out from the PVR, but it is quite a rare feature on PVRs in general. Might be time to upgrade the TV as well. I finally got my parents a new TV and they are delighted with it. Their old CRT was quite fuzzy, so it was hard for them to read titles, captions and even the generally easy to read Tivo GUI. Now they can read it all even without their glasses on.

I tried a budget rf modulator from Jaycar a year or so ago (it was about $25 but you also had to get a power pack for it separately) with very little success. I was trying to connect a set top box without RF out to an old TV that only had RF in. PQ was generally not good, and there was 'flag-waving' type distortion across the bottom of the screen.

Thanks for your reply. I hadn't thought of the Home Networking option, even though I have it on my Tivo at home, although I never actually use it for transfers to/from the PC. I'm fairly sure that you can't use the Tivo Desktop software to burn DVDs, I think you need third party software to convert the files. However, I believe that this kind of software is readily available and I might look into this option a bit further. I really think they are better off with a Tivo to record off the TV, a DVD player to play DVDs and a list of online stores from whom they could buy the DVD of just about any show they might ever wish to keep. They never watch sport, which is about the only thing I can think of where you might want to record a DVD of something because you won't be able to buy one.

I am looking for a single tuner DVD recorder for my parents. They have a Tivo on loan from me at the moment, and are very pleased with it, but still feel that they would like to be able to record some things to keep. It only needs to be a single (digital) tuner, since most of their actual viewing will be through the Tivo. Also needs to have component/composite in to accept signal from Tivo. Above all, it needs to be easy to use! I have a Phillips DVDR 3365 which I tried out yesterday recording a file off the Tivo, and I couldn't believe how difficult it was to use. This is a machine that I used to use regularly until I got a Tivo about 18 months ago, so once upon a time I could use it with comparative ease. The remote is poorly laid out, all the buttons look the same, the menu structure is confusing and non-intuitive and so on. I have considered the Panasonic DVDR HDD units (edit: instead of the Tivo + DVDR option), but I am not sure how they go on the ease of use factor. Would anyone who has used one of these and a Tivo care to comment on how they stack up next to each other?

To make it more accurately convey what they actually mean, they ought to write it: 'Free Ad-funded/Pay per View'. Then it makes sense.

Blockbuster's gone from Tivo now. And good riddance, I say. All the movies are through CASPA, which has a much more reasonable billing structure. Although the prices are the same, CASPA only asks for ten dollars upfront, not thirty, and doesn't automatically top itself up from your credit card the way Blockbuster did.

You can't beat a Tivo in terms of simplicity of operation and an interface that is not only easy to understand but also in nice clear easy to read large font. It also has a remote that is well laid out and easy to use by feel without needing to read the tiny print on the buttons. Updates are handled automatically and the user doesn't have to do anything. For the less mobile who can't get out to the video store, the CASPA service provides downloadable content for a fee per item. On the down side, it is more expensive than you had in mind and does need a broadband connection. Some will complain that you can't skip ads, only FF them, but I don't think this is a deal-breaker for people upgrading from a VCR.

The Home Networking Package will only work with one computer unless you purchase a Desktop Access Key for each additional computer you want to include on the network. If you have already done this, then the IP address problem suggested above is well worth looking into, and if that's not it, then try waiting - a lot of start up networking problems seem to fix themselves once the relevant information percolates through the Tivo universe.

Speak for yourself. I'm a right know-it-all when I go shopping.

I know what doesn't stop it and that's actually setting up a CASPA wallet.

Sure it does, like the OP and mickrob said, all you do is Select>Play>Select>9>Select on the remote. It brings up a small digital clock in the lower right hand corner and when you are playing a recording it also shows its elapsed time. Go through the sequence on the remote again to make it go away.

I had a lot of trouble setting up WPA with Tivo and had a similar situation to yours where it would connect OK until the protection was enabled. Unfortunately, this was a while ago now and some of the details have slipped my mind, but I did make a few notes at the time that may help. I have a Netcomm Router using WPA PSK. I had to change the algorithm for the Pre Shared Key from TKIP to AES before it would work with Tivo. Other notes I have made include using upper case not lower case letters when entering the key into the Tivo. These two things were the big, big problem causers in my case. Smaller problems arose from the necessity to reboot the router, and to use a static IP address.

Perhaps if you could briefly outline what you have tried, then people will be able to target their advice accurately and not suggest things that you have already done.