# Mini FAQ?



## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

Is there a comprehensive FAQ for the Mini? Having relied for so long on multiple DVRs, I have not expended any effort to keep up with developments regarding the Mini and find myself with loads of questions, now that my Series 3 will apparently be obsoleted by the cable company's conversion to MPEG-4.


Is it just a streaming device? or is there a buffer?
How does fast forward and advance work on the Mini?
Can HBO programming (i.e., copy protected) be viewed on the Mini?
Can the Mini stream off TiVo Desktop (or whatever new desktop application/server currently exists)?
The best price may not be found on the typical websites people purchase TiVo equipment from... Do all Mini's automatically have lifetime service or do some come without service requiring a separate fee to use the device?


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

https://www.tivo.com/shop/mini

Click FAQ.

It is a streaming only device that can use a tuner from a host tivo and view recordings, as well as normal DVR activities like pause, REW, FFD. That tuner works with trick play. It cannot stream from another device like a PC. All content can be streamed.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

Yeah I saw the page on the TiVo website... it wasn't detailed enough for my tastes.  

I'm glad to know trick play works... I'm curious how well it works though.


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## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

Just streaming. There may be a small local video buffer (just as with any streaming device), but the 30 minute buffer is on the DVR itself.

FF and advance work virtually identical to the DVR itself.

Yes copy-protected programming can be viewed on the Mini.

No Desktop support.

They all come with lifetime out of the box. That seems to be permanent.

But for an extra second for streaming to begin, you don't even know there's a difference between the DVR and Mini playback. Once playback begins, trickplaying works just as well as on the DVR. The one thing you lose is you can't press the Live TV button to toggle between tuners.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

FYI- streaming recorded content between DVR boxes works pretty much in the same way, Roamio and Premiere.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

> Access your 4-tuner TiVo DVR through your Ethernet or MoCA home network to schedule recordings, WishList searches and Season Pass recordings


Is this comment on TiVo's webpage intended to mean that you cannot do these things with the TiVo Roamio Plus because it is 6 tuners?


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## convergent (Jan 4, 2007)

bicker said:


> Is this comment on TiVo's webpage intended to mean that you cannot do these things with the TiVo Roamio Plus because it is 6 tuners?


I don't think so... probably should have said "4 or more tuner". You can do those things from the Mini on a Roamio.

One other thing to be aware of is there are 2 versions of the Mini out there that look nearly identical but there are differences explained here - http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10482584#post10482584 The price of the older is what you might see out there looking like a great deal for under $100. I mentioned because you asked about pricing.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

Okay I've read a few threads that talk about tuner allocation on the Mini and I'm wondering how you can be sure that all six tuners are available to the host. I suppose best practice would be to go to TiVo Central (or whatever it is called now) when done using the Mini, but won't that eventually time out and return you to watching live television (and therefore monopolizing a tuner on the host)?


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

No.

In fact, if you leave it connected to a tuner it will time out and disconnect from the tuner after around 4 hours.


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## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

Yeah, there's a 4 hour idle timer.

Last I checked if the DVR needs the tuner for a recording, the Mini will be prompted -- cancel recording or exit Live TV. If there's no response, it'll reclaim the tuner. So basically you don't have to worry about it too much.


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

bicker said:


> I suppose best practice would be to go to TiVo Central (or whatever it is called now) when done using the Mini, but won't that eventually time out and return you to watching live television (and therefore monopolizing a tuner on the host)?


Mini will stay on tivo central. No time out from there.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

Beyond that ridiculous activation delay, the Mini is excellent. The trick play is noticeably inferior, but it isn't enough to make me regret the purchase and seek out alternatives, especially since I still have TiVo's excellent standard trick play on our main television (where the Roamio is).

Not that we have to deal with it yet, but how does watching live television on the Mini work with SDV?


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## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

You shouldn't notice a difference.


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

Roamio handles the SDV for the mini just like if you were watching the roamio.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

BigJimOutlaw said:


> You shouldn't notice a difference.


Well, I do. It's quite noticeable. I have never had someone time me, but I would guess I can skip over a four minute segment in about 7 seconds on my Roamio, and it takes at least at least 15 seconds on the Mini.


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## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

That kind of sounds unusual, can't say that's my experience.

To be clear I was referring to SDV. The DVR/TA does all the tuning legwork. You won't notice a difference between a normal channel and a switched one on the Mini.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

Oh! I thought you were talking about trick play. Sorry for my confusion.


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## Chuck_IV (Jan 1, 2002)

I picked up a mini this weekend to go with my Roamio plus. I really don't notice any difference between the Roamio and Mini with the trick play but the channel changes do take a little longer.

I do really miss not being able to swap tuners line the Roamio. Not sure why they don't allow you to grab at least a second tuner if available.

I also hate the way it handles recording what you are currently watching in that it dumps your current buffer and only starts recording from the point that you hit record. I know the work around of dropping the tuner then going to the guide and then recording but it seems really silly it's set up this way.


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## jamesteixeira (Nov 22, 2014)

bicker said:


> Beyond that ridiculous activation delay, the Mini is excellent. The trick play is noticeably inferior, but it isn't enough to make me regret the purchase and seek out alternatives, especially since I still have TiVo's excellent standard trick play on our main television (where the Roamio is).
> 
> Not that we have to deal with it yet, but how does watching live television on the Mini work with SDV?


Watching SDV channels is no different. But I've had the issue were I was watching recordings on a Mini all night and then go to another room and watch directly off the Roamio, then I see that there is a message saying "No Tuning Adapter". You don't see tuning adapter messages on a Mini, only on the Roamio.

If I had see those messages while watching the Mini, I could have saved some recordings that didn't record because of a tuning adapter problem.


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