TiVo Tips: Tivo Hacks - Do more with your TiVo
Add Unlisted Channels
TiVo provides a method to add your own channels, albeit without TiVo-provided
program listings for them. For those times when you switch to local
on-air programming, or need to play your VCR into your TiVo system,
the ability to add a few channels is very handy. To squeeze in your
own channels, follow these steps:
Enter a channel number manually. Press Record. While recording, press
Record to cancel the recording.Repeat for each channel you want to
add.Go to Setup, then Channels You WatchPlace checkmarks next to each
of the channels you entered.
This process will leave behind listings in 'Now Showing' that you
may want to delete.
Change Your TiVo Banner
For variety, you can change the style of the TiVo banner strip by
following these steps:
While watching live TV, press the Right Arrow button repeatedly to
sequence through three different TiVo program banners:
The blue banner that runs across the top of the screen. The blue banner
plus a large, transparent description box that fills most of the screen.
A tiny blue banner only in the top right corner, with the channel number
and name.
You get only the first two options if you do this when watching a
selection from 'Now Showing'.
Check the Time
Your TiVo and television can become one of the biggest, most expensive
clocks you own by entering the following button sequence:
Select, Play, Select, 9, Select
Progress Bar, Be Gone--Quicker
Annoyed with the lingering progress bar at the bottom of the screen?
Make it fade out faster by entering the following button combination:
Select, Play, Select, Pause, Select
Get TiVo Connected
First, there were hacks to add TCP/IP networking into Series 1 TiVos,
which allowed you to extract recorded program files. You could save
the files or play them on your Windows or Linux PC. Then came the TiVo
Home Media Option service, which allows you to remotely program your
TiVo from anywhere you can surf the Web.
Now, there's TiVoToGo, which allows you to legitimately download programs
from your TiVo to your PC for recording onto DVD.
Control the Power to Your Sound System
Your TiVo remote can be programmed to turn your TV on and off, but
did you know it can also control your sound system? Hold down the TiVo
button and the power button just as you do to put in the TV remote
code, then enter the remote control code for your sound system. The
remote will now control the power to both the TV and the audio. This
can also give you volume control for some systems.
An 'Easter Egg'
There's something about showing off some cute
trick your gadgets can do that tempts all of us to push the buttons
to see what happens. Many electronic devices and software programs
have hidden features--often called "Easter eggs"--tucked away behind
obscure keystroke combinations. TiVo is no different. To see a TiVo
Easter egg, follow these steps:
Enable closed-captioning display on your TV. Using your TiVo remote,
go to Browse by Name. Select the characters SHAGWELL.Press Thumbs Up.
You'll be presented with a short video hidden inside your Tivo.
If you look closely, there are more Easter eggs inside this one.
Make TiVo to Go
If you own a TiVo Series 2 box, saving recorded programs to DVD is
much simpler--but more costly--with TiVo's new TiVoToGo feature. Series
2 TiVos feature a USB port, to which you'll need to connect a USB-to-ethernet
or-wireless network adapter (which costs about $30) in order to connect
your TiVo to your home network.
Once you're networked, you'll probably want to sign up for the TiVo
Home Media Option, which will allow you to program your TiVo remotely.
To use TiVoToGo, you need to be sure you've got version 7.1-X or later
of TiVo software in your device. To check your software version:
Go to 'TiVo Central'. Select 'Messages & Setup',
then 'System Information' with your remote.
If you don't have the latest software, you can go to TiVo.com and
request the site to push the upgrade to your unit. While on the site,
download and then install the TiVo Desktop software. TiVo Desktop collects
and presents a list of the programs stored on your TiVo and allows
you to download them to your PC. While on the site, click the link
to download the 15-day free trial of SonicMyDVD--the recommended software
for saving recorded programs from your TiVo onto DVD. (It will cost
you $49.99 to use after the trial period.) Again, this solution is
a bit pricey, but it is the simplest nonhacker-level method to save
your favorite shows.
An alternative to using TiVo's TiVo Desktop software is the open-source
JavaHMO project at javahmo.sourceforge.net. It includes several more
features than the TiVo software, including viewing RSS feeds, images
from NNTP postings, and NOAA weather alerts, reading e-mail, and playing
MP3 files--all on your TV screen.
Get More Recording Time
A group of Linux gurus have figured out how to replace your original
hard drive with a new one, or add a second drive to your TiVo. This
allows you to upgrade the number of hours on your TiVo yourself while
still allowing it to work with TiVo service.
There is now a whole forum dedicated to help with this procedure at
the TiVo Upgrade Center.
Also, check out the TiVo HAQ FAQ site for all the latest details and
other hacks you can do.
NewReleasesVideo.com tells you how to upgrade for yourself and sells
kits to upgrade storage space, while DigitalRecorder.com specializes
in upgrade kits for all manner of DVRs.
TiVO Navigation Shortcuts
The number buttons on the remote allow you to jump quickly to some
of the more common screens without navigating through the menus; using
the buttons will thus save you a lot of time while also allowing you
to demonstrate your TiVo finesse. (Note: These shortcuts are undocumented
and could change in different software versions.)
From the TiVo Central screen (press the "TiVo" button
to get there), press the following keys to jump to their respective
functions:
0 = Show the TiVo cartoon introduction1 = Season Pass Manager 2 =
To Do List 3 = Search Using Wishlists 4 = Search by Title 5 = Browse
by Channel 6 = Browse by Time 7 = Record Time/Channel 8 = TiVo's Suggestions
9 = Showcases TiVo = Now Playing The 30-Second Skip
Series 1 TiVos (those that don't feature a
USB port on the back panel) can have the benefit of the 30-second
skip-past-commercials feature found in Series 2 boxes. The Advance
button that normally brings you to the end of a recorded program
will become the "30-Second-Skip" button:
While viewing a recorded program or live TV enter the following sequence
on your remote:
Select, Play, Select, 3, 0, Select
If your TiVo plays three Thumbs Up "blings" in
a row, the Advance button is now reprogrammed to skip forward by
30 seconds. This bit of reprogramming is not permanent--you'll have
to redo it if your TiVo reboots.
Network Your Series 1 TiVo
If you own a TiVo Series 1 box, you need to install a network interface
like a TurboNet card and install some custom Linux code that allows
copying raw TiVo video files to a computer.
To enable network access, you'll need to hack into your TiVo with
a terminal program, such as HyperTerminal or ProComm through the serial
interface to install and set up network file transfer capabilities.
Details on the hack and the code you need, a program known as mfs_ftp,
can be found online.
Once your TiVo is accessible over your LAN, follow the steps in the
mfs_ftp forum topics mentioned previously and in the documentation
provided with the program to upload the program from computer to TiVo;
configure the files; then launch the mfs_ftp program so the TiVo is
ready for you to move files back and forth.
Once you have TiVo content files on your computer, the next obvious
step is playing them, which can be accomplished using the TiVo MPlayer
(available here). There are flavors of MPlayer for Linux, Windows,
and Mac OS X. You can also convert TiVo files to standard MPEG format
using TyStudio, available here.
Reboot TiVo Without Unplugging
Every computer needs a restart once in awhile, and TiVo is no different.
The TiVo Setup menu provides a 'Restart Receiver' option that restarts
without wiping out your personal settings. Do not select 'Full System
Reset' unless you need to do a complete reboot that will wipe out all
of your settings.
Sorting the 'Now Playing' List (Series 1 TiVo)
If you have an older TiVo, you too can sort
your "Now Playing" list.
It requires opening a back door into the software. If you're running
TiVo OS 3.0 (to find out the version of software running in your TiVo,
go to the 'Messages & Setup' menu and select 'System Information'),
follow these steps:
Head to either the Browse By Name or the Search By Title screen, where
you can enter letters and numbers.
Enter the following code as shown, including the spaces between characters
(backdoor codes for other TiVo OSs can be found in TiVo Hacks by Raffi
Krikorian, at the O'Reilly Books site):
3 0 BC
Now press the Thumbs Up button. You'll hear
three thumbs-up blings, and your TiVo will briefly display the words, "Back doors enabled!" (To
disable back doors, reboot your TiVo.)
Next, to enable sorting, head to the Now Playing screen and enter
the following sequence:
Slow-Motion, 0, Record, Thumbs Up
You'll again hear the three thumbs-up blings
and see a menu bar appear at the bottom of the Now Playing list,
stating "Press Enter for sort
options". When you press "Enter" (the small "Enter/Last" button at
the very bottom of your remote), your TiVo will zoom to a 'Now Playing
Options' screen.
From here, you can sort by Newest (by record date), Expiration (by
expiration date), or Alphabetical (by program name). You can also enter
1, 2, or 3 at the 'Now Playing' screen as a shortcut to these options.
Sorting the 'Now Playing' List (Series 2 TiVos)
To sort the "Now Playing" list, call up the list from your TiVo Central
screen, and then enter the "S0RT sequence":
S = Slow Play button0 = Zero buttonR = Record buttonT = Thumbs Up
button
You'll hear the "three blings" sound effect and see "Press DISPLAY
for sort options". Press Enter to see the following choices:
1 = Newest (most recent items first)2 = Display the list ordered by
expiration date, oldest first3 = Display the list alphabetically
Press 1, 2, or 3 to try out a sorting order.
Pressing "Enter" will
prompt you to make one of the choices permanent.
Tivomatic (Keep Those Commercials--or Not)
With a feature officially known as IPreview,
TiVo (in partnership with both NBC and ShowTime) may prompt you to "press thumbs up to record" during
an advertisement. This feature lets you record what is being advertised
and then return you to your show. When you see the prompt you have
the following options:
Press Thumbs Up or Select to bring up the recording screen. Press
Clear to make the icon go away until the next preview or you rewind
past the point where the preview begins.
Get More TiVo Tips
Hard copy guides to many more TiVo features include Hacking Tivo:
The Expansion, Enhancement and Development Starter Kit by Jeff Keegan,
Hacking the TiVo by William von Hagen, and TiVo Hacks by Raffi Krikorian
(at the O'Reilly Books site). For almost anything you wanted to know
or ask online about TiVo, visit the tivofaq site.
All Hacks above provided by: PCWorld.com
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