# KidZone features (or bugs?)



## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

Figured a thread specifically to discuss some of the KZ features (or bugs) might be helpful. The items listed here are features.

*1) Guide doesn't work in KZ*

When watching a program in KZ, if I hit Guide, I just get a bonk (with a cute Batman-type "Bonk!" graphic briefly superimposed over the bottom left corner of the screen)

*2) Program hidden banner*

When scrolling through channels in KZ, sometimes there is a KZ banner:
"This program is hidden from Tivo Kidzone. Press [channel button picture] to view other channels in Kidzone, or press the [Tivo button picture] button to return to Kidzone Now Playing."

The banner is displayed on a channel allowed in KZ, so I presume it's being displayed, because although the channel is allowed, the content isn't within the currently defined KZ settings (which given my settings seems to be the case).

*3) Channel banner type limited to station and bar types only.*

When changing channels, the channel banner starts out in the small version (time, station, channel) then expands to the title bar format (show title, program start/end, rating) only if the program is viewable. The full banner version (display program description) doesn't seem to be available, regardless of what is set by default outside of KZ.

This seems to be a good idea, though on channels that can be viewed, this results in a "flash" between the small and title bar versions upon tuning the channel - be nice to see this quick swap of formats eliminated.
*

4) When first going into KZ after a reboot, the Tivo introduction cartoon plays.*

This is pretty cute, and can be quickly stopped (as always) by hitting any key. Good reuse though.

*5) Screen saver*

When Tivo has been inactive for at least 4 hours and KZ is enabled, Tivo automatically drops into KZ and displays a KZ screen saver (Blue outer ring, inner red cresent, three red stars and the yellow tippy K Z letters).

Hitting any key plays the introduction Tivolution video before going to KZNP. (The video can be interrupted by hitting any key).

*6) No KZ only bookmarks*

The bookmark status (where you are in a program for "Resume Playing") in KZ is the same as when playing a program from the master NPL. Would be nice to see one bookmark per program per zone, especially if KZ is ever expanded to allow custom NPLs by family member.


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## aus1ander (Sep 17, 2004)

As to #1, I'm pretty sure thats a "feature". In the support document for KZ, they state that channels can only be changed with a "channel up" or "channel down" on the remote. I guess its logical because most kids young enough to use KZ won't use the guide.


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## aus1ander (Sep 17, 2004)

I haven't received 7.3 yet, so I was just wondering... does KZ programming show up in both the master NPL and the KZ NPL? I assume if you set up a Season Pass for say, Sesame Street, that SP spans both KZ and the upper level functions, so the recorded program will appear in both lists.

It would be nice to have all the kids programming only show up in KZ or have a KZ folder in the master NPL.


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

The KZ list is just a "filtered" view of the regular Now Playing List. Now Playing always show all the shows on the TiVo and KidZone Now Playing only shows the "allowed" programs based on the user settings.


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## Dave_N (May 4, 2006)

As someone who has setup kidzone, all of my children 4, 7, 10 expected the keypad buttons to work. I think this should at least be an option. I also believe the guide should list the kid zone configured channels. I do understand that this seems to be "working as designed". I don't think it would too hard to make these two behaviors configurable. 

As an optional feature, it would be nice if the kid zone could be scheduled. E.G, I fall asleep watching the sopranos, a bit slow this season eh ;it would be nice that if at 6:00 A.M. kid zone was automatically enabled.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

Dave_N said:


> As someone who has setup kidzone, all of my children 4, 7, 10 expected the keypad buttons to work. I think this should at least be an option. I also believe the guide should list the kid zone configured channels. I do understand that this seems to be "working as designed". I don't think it would too hard to make these two behaviors configurable.
> 
> As an optional feature, it would be nice if the kid zone could be scheduled. E.G, I fall asleep watching the sopranos, a bit slow this season eh ;it would be nice that if at 6:00 A.M. kid zone was automatically enabled.


If you configure KZ to have only say 9 channels - is it only those channels you see when you hot the channel up or down ?

and why have the guide - my kids would just whine about what they are not seeing. 

I read in that PDF guide or somewhere that KZ will come back after 4 hours of inactivity. so for that one example it would be back at 6am


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

ZeoTiVo said:


> If you configure KZ to have only say 9 channels - is it only those channels you see when you hot the channel up or down ?


Yes. You only see those channels, except if progamming on a channel at that time is not within the allowed rating/program type, then you see the banner I noted in the first post.



> and why have the guide - my kids would just whine about what they are not seeing.


I don't want to see the entire guide, just one built from the allowed KZ channels.


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## bpurcell (Mar 16, 2005)

jfh3 said:


> I don't want to see the entire guide, just one built from the allowed KZ channels.


But KZ isn't necessarily about what you want. It's about what kids would and should use. Especially when they are under 10, I would prefer if my son use as few buttons as possible. Since they probably won't have many channels to choose from, I'd rather they just use the up/down buttons. Changing the Guide to make it only show KZ channels seems like a can of worms that might cause unintended problems if implemented. Maybe they might add it later, but only after test and retest it to death to make sure it will do what you expect.


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## cbordman (May 14, 2001)

ZeoTiVo said:


> If you configure KZ to have only say 9 channels - is it only those channels you see when you hot the channel up or down ?
> 
> and why have the guide - my kids would just whine about what they are not seeing.
> 
> I read in that PDF guide or somewhere that KZ will come back after 4 hours of inactivity. so for that one example it would be back at 6am


Something like that is happening. Selecting 'Exit KidZone' from the now playing list works as you would think, but when i come back to the TV hours later, it is always back in KIDZONE mode.


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## bpurcell (Mar 16, 2005)

According to the KZ instructions, that's what's supposed to happen. If you exit KZ, then leave the tivo alone for 4 hours, KZ will come back on.


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

jfh3 said:


> Figured a thread specifically to discuss some of the KZ features (or bugs) might be helpful. Most of these are probably "features".


But...not a single thing you've listed is a bug. All as designed (with one exception noted below). Would you mind changing the thread title and your post...

As has been mentioned in other threads, the TiVo animation only plays if the box has been restarted. It does not play each time you go to the KZ Now Playing List. That one ought to just be quietly deleted from your post, or at least note that that's not what it does.

Oh...there is another way to play the TiVo animation within KZ. Lots of kids love it...we'd hate to lose that bit of fun.

Pony


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

First, I had my first spontaneous TiVo reboot ever last night. I came out of KZ, went to my media server, downloaded an MPEG file and it said there was a problem and I should check to History in To Do list. I went there and when I clicked on History, the TiVo rebooted. Interesting.

My only complaint about KZ is the inability of telling TiVo that MPEG files are okay for the kids. It bans the MPEG files, so the kids can not even see them. As a result, my kids have lost the old Superman cartoons and other MPEG videos we had on the media server. Not a big deal, but annoying.


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

hfwarner3 said:


> My only complaint about KZ is the inability of telling TiVo that MPEG files are okay for the kids. It bans the MPEG files, so the kids can not even see them. As a result, my kids have lost the old Superman cartoons and other MPEG videos we had on the media server. Not a big deal, but annoying.


Yep, it's something that we'd like to add support for in the future, but there is no simple solution today.

Hope your kids are enjoying KidZone...the testing we did here with parents and kids was really amazing. Parents liked it, but kids *loved* it. Having their own space was a big deal.

Pony


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

TiVoPony said:


> Yep, it's something that we'd like to add support for in the future, but there is no simple solution today.
> 
> Hope your kids are enjoying KidZone...the testing we did here with parents and kids was really amazing. Parents liked it, but kids *loved* it. Having their own space was a big deal.
> 
> Pony


Now we just need KidZone for adults  Then we can have profiles for each user in the house.


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

rainwater said:


> Now we just need KidZone for adults  Then we can have profiles for each user in the house.


I know someone who uses KZ when they have parties. If guests want to watch TV, it's no problem. You just can't mess with any planned recordings, nor can you load his box up with prank recordings. 

Pony


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## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

TiVoPony said:


> Yep, it's something that we'd like to add support for in the future, but there is no simple solution today.


I don't have 7.3 yet and am in no rush to get it as 2/3 of my kids are no longer legally children! However I was wondering if .tivo files xfered back to the Tivo were accessible in Kidzone. If so this thread might be of interest:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=284726

It would also provide a possible solution if TiVo could provide a PC utility for creating .tivo files from MPG's or provide interested outsiders the format so we could do it ourselves.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

petew said:


> I don't have 7.3 yet and am in no rush to get it as 2/3 of my kids are no longer legally children! However I was wondering if .tivo files xfered back to the Tivo were accessible in Kidzone. If so this thread might be of interest:
> 
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=284726
> 
> It would also provide a possible solution if TiVo could provide a PC utility for creating .tivo files from MPG's or provide interested outsiders the format so we could do it ourselves.


I will have to try that. Just last night I tried pulling off a blocked .mpg (a video from my son's kindergarten class) from the Tivo and round-tripped it back again. But it remained blocked. 

Attaching a new header may work (going to try it now), but, of course, it will have a false program details and title.

Edit: it does work, but an incorrect title is too confusing


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

TiVoPony said:


> Yep, it's something that we'd like to add support for in the future, but there is no simple solution today.
> 
> Hope your kids are enjoying KidZone...the testing we did here with parents and kids was really amazing. Parents liked it, but kids *loved* it. Having their own space was a big deal.
> 
> Pony


The Kids love it so far. It was funny to hear them talk about how easy it is to find THEIR stuff now that all that "stinky mama and daddy stuff" was out of the way.


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

TiVoPony said:


> But...not a single thing you've listed is a bug. All as designed (with one exception noted below). Would you mind changing the thread title and your post...
> 
> As has been mentioned in other threads, the TiVo animation only plays if the box has been restarted. It does not play each time you go to the KZ Now Playing List. That one ought to just be quietly deleted from your post, or at least note that that's not what it does.
> 
> ...


I've edited the original post.

What's the other way to play the animation within KZ?


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

rainwater said:


> Now we just need KidZone for adults  Then we can have profiles for each user in the house.


KidZone is GREAT and I think it will be a defining feature for Tivo.

Having individual profiles would be a great expansion of the concept.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

jfh3 said:


> What's the other way to play the animation within KZ?


Ask your kids, they probably already know. 



Spoiler



Press 0 key


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## peteypete (Feb 3, 2004)

Just got KidZone. Now gotta get Kids.

Just trying it out. Seems DAMN Easy to use! Hopefully the Guru Guides are just as good.


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## bedelman (Feb 26, 2001)

greg_burns said:


> I will have to try that. Just last night I tried pulling off a blocked .mpg (a video from my son's kindergarten class) from the Tivo and round-tripped it back again. But it remained blocked.


Is the video un-rated? If so, it probably will always be blocked. I think KidZone will block anything un-rated just to be sure.


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

bedelman said:


> Is the video un-rated? If so, it probably will always be blocked. I think KidZone will block anything un-rated just to be sure.


There is an option about whether or not to filter unrated content, but I don't know if it applies that logic to the mpeg files you pull off the server or not. I am getting killed with work this week, so it will be at least Friday before I can play with it to find out. Given the channel restrictions we have in place, I am not sure I am that worried about unrated content any more since PBS is the only channel I can think of that might put unrated content on the wire and that would almost certainly be after the kids' viewing hours.


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

hfwarner3 said:


> The Kids love it so far. It was funny to hear them talk about how easy it is to find THEIR stuff now that all that "stinky mama and daddy stuff" was out of the way.


That's good to hear - from your prior posts, it seemed like your family would be in the target market for KidZone.

Now just go tell all your friends how cool it is ...


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

jfh3 said:


> That's good to hear - from your prior posts, it seemed like your family would be in the target market for KidZone.
> 
> Now just go tell all your friends how cool it is ...


I have already posted my "review" of KidZone to two different dad lists and told 2 people at work about it. My "mantra" at this point is - "if you let your kids watch tv, you need TiVo with KidZone. Period."


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## Grimm1 (Jan 10, 2000)

First let me say...great feature...thanks TiVo! 

OK...have had the KidZone update for about 2 days now and here are a few bugs/quirks that I have noticed so far. 

1) From the "To Do List" I am not able to cancel a scheduled recording using the "Clear" button on my remote. Instead "like the old days" I have to hit "Select" and then "Clear". 

2) Once canceling a show from the To Do List instead of being returned to the current page of the To Do List (page the canceled show was on), I am instead returned to page 1 (the top of the To Do List). 

3) There doesn't appear to be an easy way to enable KidZone while watching a show. Before with "parental controls" you could access that feature and turn it on from the large banner. Using that same option now takes you to "KidZone Settings" which says "KidZone is ON" and gives you the option to "Turn Off TiVo KidZone" which might be a little confusing to some. It should show that KidZone is ON but disabled and give you the option to enable it just like we could with the Parental Control feature and then be able to back right out to the show we were currently watching. The way it has to be done now is 1) hit TiVo button, 2) select Now Showing, 3)select Enter TiVo KidZone, 4)search through the KidZone Now Playing for the show that was being watched, 5)press play. 

4)No large banner when in the KidZone. A feature my kids might not use that much but I sure do when I'm watching shows with them. Doesn't seem practical to have to go through the process of exiting KidZone just so I can read the name of the episode and description for the show in the large banner and then have to go thru the process of re-entering the kidzone and finding and starting the show that was being watched. 

5)This seems like a big one. When not in the KidZone changes can be made to the KidZone settings without a password (except for turning it OFF or changing the password). I'm pretty sure we had an extra buffer of protection with parental controls that even when it was disabled you needed a password to make changes to the settings. 

6)No easy way to put TiVo in "Standby" while in the KidZone. 

7)The "Enter" key no longer takes you to the extended information screen for a show. Now you have to use "Info" were in the past you could use either. I'm guessing this might have been intentional to get people to use the Info button. But unless the "Enter" button is supposed to do something else I don't see the harm in leaving it functional. BTW...I like how in the extended info screen it now shows the size of the show...so instead of saying "Less then 1%" it also shows 2.53GB...Nice!


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

Grimm1 said:


> 1) From the "To Do List" I am not able to cancel a scheduled recording using the "Clear" button on my remote. Instead "like the old days" I have to hit "Select" and then "Clear".
> 
> 2) Once canceling a show from the To Do List instead of being returned to the current page of the To Do List (page the canceled show was on), I am instead returned to page 1 (the top of the To Do List).


Yup, both are bugs. #1 is new with 7.3, #2 with 7.2.x



Grimm1 said:


> 4)No large banner when in the KidZone. A feature my kids might not use that much but I sure do when I'm watching shows with them. Doesn't seem practical to have to go through the process of exiting KidZone just so I can read the name of the episode and description for the show in the large banner and then have to go thru the process of re-entering the kidzone and finding and starting the show that was being watched.


This seems to be working as designed and is #3 in my original post. I presume this was done for the same reason that "Guide" doesn't work - to keep the program description for upcoming programs that may not pass the KZ filter hidden.


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## MighTiVo (Oct 26, 2000)

TiVoPony said:


> Yep, it's something that we'd like to add support for in the future, but there is no simple solution today.
> 
> Hope your kids are enjoying KidZone...the testing we did here with parents and kids was really amazing. Parents liked it, but kids *loved* it. Having their own space was a big deal.
> 
> Pony


Won't they show up if you allow unrated? But then you get all unrated...

Seems the add programs to KidZone menu should let you tag anything for KidZone already recorded and reviewed by an adult regardless of rating.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

hfwarner3 said:


> I have already posted my "review" of KidZone to two different dad lists and told 2 people at work about it. My "mantra" at this point is - "if you let your kids watch tv, you need TiVo with KidZone. Period."


I have another planned use for it.

My wife's parents will watch the kids for us. They want to watch TV and usually just watch Live TV becasue they do not want to mess with the TiVo. frankly I do not wnat them messing with it either.

Now I can turn on Kidzone but set the ratings to the oldest age and then allow all the different shows be visible. this is on our main TV.

they can then "mess" with the TiVo all they want and I encourage them to do so to see how cool a TiVo is. I no longer have to worry about what they might have done while I was gone :up:

This is good for babysitters as well and you can sett he block to their age appropriate as well and know they are not going to sneak in some show their parents would not want them to watch


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

TiVoPony said:


> I know someone who uses KZ when they have parties. If guests want to watch TV, it's no problem. You just can't mess with any planned recordings, nor can you load his box up with prank recordings.
> 
> Pony


one thing missing for me in that type of scenario though is the ability to see other TiVos and copy content as appropriate to the ratings. Hopefully you are working on adding that for KZ as well. MRV is much used in our house and will be missed by the kids.


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## Dave_N (May 4, 2006)

So is the consensus that the guide and the keypad will never be available in kid zone? I think there would be a demand for this although our household usage might be atypical. ( I have about 30 channels enabled in kid zone and it is a pain to tune with just channel up/down instead of "just put in '11' for channel 11".)


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

Dave_N said:


> So is the consensus that the guide and the keypad will never be available in kid zone? I think there would be a demand for this although our household usage might be atypical. ( I have about 30 channels enabled in kid zone and it is a pain to tune with just channel up/down instead of "just put in '11' for channel 11".)


the guide would take some work to make it just for KidZone since it already is lifting a heavy load to createt he guide to display - add in the filter by and the load gets a lot heavier for the processor. I would not count on that one.

I think the keypad might end up being a good idea though. Basically they disabled the keypad so it is easy for very young kids. Teenagers though would get the idea that only certain channels will work and it should be easy enough to display a banner saying channel not reachable.

I think though the idea is to make KidZone into a place whre the kid content is all there is, not so much a denial of content thing - You can not enther that channel number , but more of a when you change channels it goes right to the next channel you want and skips all that adult junk you don't care about.

but that means a marketing oppurtunity of making a remote with the keypad on it for kids to use. That way older kids can use the peanut and enter channel numbers while younger kids just hit the channel up/down and are all happy that CNN never comes up.


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

ZeoTiVo said:


> I think the keypad might end up being a good idea though. Basically they disabled the keypad so it is easy for very young kids. Teenagers though would get the idea that only certain channels will work and it should be easy enough to display a banner saying channel not reachable.


Perhaps KZ could enable the keypad only for certain age ranges and/or have an option in KZ to enable the keypad.

(I agree with you that Guide is not likely to be enabled, given the logic that would be required to display/manage it. Only so much the limited processor can handle. Sure hope they over-spec the Series 3 processor, so we have some "growth" room).


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

jfh3 said:


> Perhaps KZ could enable the keypad only for certain age ranges and/or have an option in KZ to enable the keypad.


If we are going that route, I would say you add one more setting - Enable Keypad: Yes/no


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

ZeoTiVo said:


> one thing missing for me in that type of scenario though is the ability to see other TiVos and copy content as appropriate to the ratings. Hopefully you are working on adding that for KZ as well. MRV is much used in our house and will be missed by the kids.


While your kids can't initiate an MRV, the parents can! You can transfer all the shows you want from dvr to dvr, and they'll continue to transfer in the background while you're in KidZone.

Pony


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

MighTiVo said:


> Won't they show up if you allow unrated? But then you get all unrated...
> 
> Seems the add programs to KidZone menu should let you tag anything for KidZone already recorded and reviewed by an adult regardless of rating.


Nope. It's a metadata thing. We just can't support some files in KidZone today (if the proper info isn't there we don't have a means to allow it in).

So home movies, and the occassional manual recording won't make it into KidZone. For those programs you should see a 'not allowed' icon on the 'Add Programs from Now Playing' menu.

Pony


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

I hit was is, for me, a killer bug. When I first set things up I set the KZ to be ages 9 & under. This set the pre-set KZ channels to a couple of PBS, Disney and Nik. I later changed the settings to 12 & under. But then I decided that the KZ channel list was too restrictive so I added (check boxed) some more. The TiVo completely ignores my KZ channel settings, only up/down scrolling the two PBS, Dis & Nik (and the later two aren't even in my list of *normally* allowed channels) in LiveTV mode. Since I can't set the KZ to allow channels that I'm Ok with my kids watching, some which include their favorite & OK shows, I've had to turn the whole KZ thing off.


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## danieljanderson (Nov 19, 2002)

ZeoTiVo said:


> the guide would take some work to make it just for KidZone since it already is lifting a heavy load to createt he guide to display - add in the filter by and the load gets a lot heavier for the processor. I would not count on that one.


How is this any different from filtering the guide for types of movies or sports?

I think the TiVo can handle it. I think it was omitted to keep the interface as clean as possible.


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

GoAWest said:


> I hit was is, for me, a killer bug. When I first set things up I set the KZ to be ages 9 & under. This set the pre-set KZ channels to a couple of PBS, Disney and Nik. I later changed the settings to 12 & under. But then I decided that the KZ channel list was too restrictive so I added (check boxed) some more. The TiVo completely ignores my KZ channel settings, only up/down scrolling the two PBS, Dis & Nik (and the later two aren't even in my list of *normally* allowed channels) in LiveTV mode. Since I can't set the KZ to allow channels that I'm Ok with my kids watching, some which include their favorite & OK shows, I've had to turn the whole KZ thing off.


Are you sure? When I was playing around with KZ, I was able to add additional channels above those suggested by the KZ age setting.

What you describe would be a serious bug, IMO. Try it again and try and detail the steps for us..


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

jfh3 said:


> Are you sure? When I was playing around with KZ, I was able to add additional channels above those suggested by the KZ age setting.
> 
> What you describe would be a serious bug, IMO. Try it again and try and detail the steps for us..


I do not have this bug. I both added and removed channels from the standard lineup that KZ gave me.

What model do you have?


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

GoAWest said:


> I hit was is, for me, a killer bug. When I first set things up I set the KZ to be ages 9 & under. This set the pre-set KZ channels to a couple of PBS, Disney and Nik. I later changed the settings to 12 & under. But then I decided that the KZ channel list was too restrictive so I added (check boxed) some more. The TiVo completely ignores my KZ channel settings, only up/down scrolling the two PBS, Dis & Nik (and the later two aren't even in my list of *normally* allowed channels) in LiveTV mode. Since I can't set the KZ to allow channels that I'm Ok with my kids watching, some which include their favorite & OK shows, I've had to turn the whole KZ thing off.


That's definitely not as designed. It's also new...you have the designation of being the first to report this (internally, beta, externally, my mom...everyone).

We're trying to replicate this...if anyone else sees it, or if there are more details you can provide, it's much appreciated!

Pony


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## Grimm1 (Jan 10, 2000)

TiVoPony said:


> Nope. It's a metadata thing. We just can't support some files in KidZone today (if the proper info isn't there we don't have a means to allow it in).
> 
> Pony


What's the story with no large banners? It's such a buzzkill to be sitting and enjoying a show with the kids and instead of quickly looking at the shows description without interrupting the show (much) I have to go through the whole process of exiting KidZone, looking at the description, then re-enter KidZone, find show, and then resume playing. Someone gave an explanation of why they "thought" large banners are turned off...but even if that is the correct assumption I think enabling large banners should be the parents call.

Also...how about giving us the option to quickly enable KidZone while watching a show the same way we were able to with Parental Control?

Why are changes to the KidZone settings allowed without a password when KidZone is disabled? Is this by design or a bug?

Also I found out last night if you make a change to the age range that TiVo will undo any custom settings you have already made without telling you. If I've already made custom changes to what channels are allowed and what ratings are allowed then KZ should not undo those changes. At the very least it should warn me that by continuing I will lose these changes.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

TiVoPony said:


> While your kids can't initiate an MRV, the parents can! You can transfer all the shows you want from dvr to dvr, and they'll continue to transfer in the background while you're in KidZone.
> 
> Pony


yes and to be accurate, on the main TiVo downstairs not on KZ - they can see the Kids TiVo (running KZ) and pull shows from it no problem. so that is well.

But we have american Idol on the main TiVo and if they want to watch it for the thousandth time I usually ask them to head upsatairs adn watch it. But with KZ they will need me to go upstairs and start the transfer for them so they can watch it.

it fits the easy use model but it would be nice if they could see other TiVos to MRV and the metadata tells them if it is acceptable to view or not.


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## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

TiVoPony said:


> Nope. It's a metadata thing. We just can't support some files in KidZone today (if the proper info isn't there we don't have a means to allow it in).
> 
> So home movies, and the occassional manual recording won't make it into KidZone. For those programs you should see a 'not allowed' icon on the 'Add Programs from Now Playing' menu.
> 
> Pony


Pony,

Greg Burns confirmed that a .tivo file transferred back from a PC had all the correct Metadata and could be seen in KidZone, so why can't we have a PC utility to create a .tivo file?


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## Dave_N (May 4, 2006)

danieljanderson said:


> How is this any different from filtering the guide for types of movies or sports?
> 
> I think the TiVo can handle it. I think it was omitted to keep the interface as clean as possible.


I was thinking of something simpler; use the guide to display channels enabled in kid zone. I.E. we already have channels you receive / favorites. In Kid Zone mode could we not have the Kid Zone configured channels?


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

GoAWest said:


> I hit was is, for me, a killer bug. When I first set things up I set the KZ to be ages 9 & under. This set the pre-set KZ channels to a couple of PBS, Disney and Nik. I later changed the settings to 12 & under. But then I decided that the KZ channel list was too restrictive so I added (check boxed) some more. The TiVo completely ignores my KZ channel settings, only up/down scrolling the two PBS, Dis & Nik (and the later two aren't even in my list of *normally* allowed channels) in LiveTV mode. Since I can't set the KZ to allow channels that I'm Ok with my kids watching, some which include their favorite & OK shows, I've had to turn the whole KZ thing off.


We appreciate the report, but I have to admit that we've had no luck reproducing this at all, either here or with our testers.

Are you certain you're seeing what you've described here?

Thanks,
Pony


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

Grimm1 said:


> What's the story with no large banners? It's such a buzzkill to be sitting and enjoying a show with the kids and instead of quickly looking at the shows description without interrupting the show (much) I have to go through the whole process of exiting KidZone, looking at the description, then re-enter KidZone, find show, and then resume playing. Someone gave an explanation of why they "thought" large banners are turned off...but even if that is the correct assumption I think enabling large banners should be the parents call.
> 
> Also...how about giving us the option to quickly enable KidZone while watching a show the same way we were able to with Parental Control?
> 
> ...


Thanks for the feedback. All of the above is as intended, with the one exception of the channel list reverting to the default when you change the age range. We'd rather it not do that, but it does. If you change your age range, you will have to add in any channel list changes you'd made previously. Sorry about that one, it's just the way it is.

The other issues are all as designed. We're trying to keep this product simple!

Pony


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## MighTiVo (Oct 26, 2000)

TiVoPony said:


> Thanks for the feedback. All of the above is as intended, with the one exception of the channel list reverting to the default when you change the age range. We'd rather it not do that, but it does. If you change your age range, you will have to add in any channel list changes you'd made previously. Sorry about that one, it's just the way it is.
> 
> The other issues are all as designed. We're trying to keep this product simple!
> 
> Pony


I hope you can change the product to allow selection of any program regardless of rating or metadata to add to KZ. 
As it is now these programs being disallowed makes the product far from simple by requiring one to understand the underlying principles of what can and can't be added.

I know I haven't figured it out yet...


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

GoAWest said:


> The TiVo completely ignores my KZ channel settings, only up/down scrolling the two PBS, Dis & Nik (and the later two aren't even in my list of *normally* allowed channels) in LiveTV mode.


OK, so I was "half" wrong. It turns out that I *am* able to set (add/remove) the KZ channels (except for... see below). The issue was, with the controls set to a 9-yr or 12-yr old and defaults, the TiVo wasn't displaying anything on almost all channels. So as I walked from 2-3-4-5-6-7-8..., it just kept saying that there weren't any programs available. I then hit a couple of PBS stations (which were broadcasting G-rated cartoons) which showed something. I just didn't understand the diff between a channel not showing up a all and nothing valid being displayed on the channel (aggravated by my Dis/Nick issue).

A comment here -- this UI could stand some improvement. The biggest change I'd make is to go ahead and display the headers (all three versions depending on which mode is selected) so that the user can see what's on the channel and understand *why* it is being blocked. And allow the pop-down Info banner to show up in in KZ.

I also noticed that the KZ default is very restrictive, including blocking all Not Rated shows and movies. But I've discovered that a *lot* of shows are unrated--the news, a basketball game, etc. For now, I've had be become ultra-liberal and unblock most things and drop the restrictions a step or two too far just to get a handle on what's on and what the TiVo is blocking. As I mentioned, showing the show info even for blocked shows would help a lot, as well as displaying a message as to why a show is blocked.

The second part of my problem, which is still correct: As I mentioned, the Disney (chan 53) and Nick (chan 55) are *not* selected in the *normal* channel selection (which goes up to 80+) *nor* the KZ (which only goes up to 15). However, these two stations *are* showing up when I up/down channel surf, first with a KZ channel and "blocked" message and then a moment later as a TiVo "blue screen" showing that the TiVo isn't even receiving a channel. I have not been able to find a way to remove these as they're already deselected everywhere.


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## Grimm1 (Jan 10, 2000)

TiVoPony said:


> Thanks for the feedback. All of the above is as intended, with the one exception of the channel list reverting to the default when you change the age range. We'd rather it not do that, but it does. If you change your age range, you will have to add in any channel list changes you'd made previously. Sorry about that one, it's just the way it is.
> 
> The other issues are all as designed. We're trying to keep this product simple!
> 
> Pony


OK...well I don't understand why removing the "functionality" of the banners would be by design and how that is somehow protecting our kids...but if there's a list somewhere that registers me as a person that thinks that the functionality of the banners should be left alone put me on it.

I also don't understand why it would be "by design" that changes can be made to the KidZone Settings without the use of the passcode. Seems to me that is something a parent is not going to want there kids to get into and make changes. A passcode is required to change the settings on Parental Controls and it should be required for changing the KidZone settings.

It also doesn't make sense why it would be "by design" to make us go out of our way to enable KidZone while watching a show...1) press TiVo button, 2) press select to enter Now Playing, 3) page to the top of Now Showing and highlight Enter KidZone, 4) press select, 5) page down and find the show you had to interrupt, 6) highlight it and press play. Before with parental controls we could access the Parental Control settings from the large banner, enable Parental Controls and then left arrow right back out to the show we were watching. KidZone lets you access the KidZone settings in the same way but leaves out the functionality of enabling KidZone. I can not see any possible reason why that is by design.

Has anything been mentioned about why we can't sort the KZ Now Playing by date? I noticed we couldn't do it right away but figured...meh...not that big a deal. But I'm already seeing why this would be handy for the parent. As shows are recorded TiVo is filtering shows to be shown or not shown in the KZ. Occasionally it lets in a show that a parent doesn't want in there which is why we have the option to "hide from KZ". I am now seeing that because I can't sort by date I have to scan through the whole list for any new shows that have popped up. Having to scan the list top to bottom makes it easier to miss a show. If we could sort by date then we would only have to look at the top of the list which would show the latest recorded shows.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

Grimm1 said:


> If we could sort by date then we would only have to look at the top of the list which would show the latest recorded shows.


Agree. I knew I didn't like this feature, and now I know my reason why.


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## aaronkn (Nov 8, 2002)

A apologize if this was mentioned previously, and I simply missed it, but I was wondering if while in KZ the ability to delete a program is disabled (or at least password protected). One of my big concerns before handing the keys to the remote over would be for my son to accidentally delete a show that he's later screaming he wants to watch.

And with a relatively full TiVo, the "Deleted Programs" folder isn't much of a savior, as they disappear for good quickly.

Thanks,
Aaron


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

aaronkn said:


> A apologize if this was mentioned previously, and I simply missed it, but I was wondering if while in KZ the ability to delete a program is disabled (or at least password protected). One of my big concerns before handing the keys to the remote over would be for my son to accidentally delete a show that he's later screaming he wants to watch.
> 
> And with a relatively full TiVo, the "Deleted Programs" folder isn't much of a savior, as they disappear for good quickly.
> 
> ...


http://www.tivo.com/4.1.4.faq.asp

specifically...
http://www.tivo.com/4.1.4.faq.asp#26


> *There is no Delete This Program Now? message at the end of a recording.*
> 
> Yes. When TiVo KidZone is enabled, deleting programs can only be done from the program details screen. Deleting is not password-protected. If your child accidentally deletes a favorite program, you can recover the show from the Recently Deleted folder at the bottom of the regular Now Playing List screen. Please note that deleting a show is not the equivalent of hiding a show. Deleting actually deletes the recording; hiding only prevents the program from appearing within TiVo KidZone.


I just looked that up last night cause I thought it was a bug that I could delete shows at all from KZ (edit: w/o a password confirmation). :down:


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## aaronkn (Nov 8, 2002)

Thanks for the response. I can see that as a potential problem. It's very possible my son could delete a program by accident, and then all hades will break loose if he doesn't tell us about it before the Recently Deleted folder purges said show.

-Aaron


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

Sounds like you need to invest in a bigger hard drive. 

Then you can join the whiners that have *too* much stuff in their recently deleted folder.


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

aaronkn said:


> ...my son could delete a program by accident, and then all hades will break loose if he doesn't tell us about it before the Recently Deleted folder purges said show.
> 
> -Aaron


Maybe there's an early life lesson (at least in regards to computers and tech) for your son.


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

Grimm1 said:


> OK...well I don't understand why removing the "functionality" of the banners would be by design and how that is somehow protecting our kids...but if there's a list somewhere that registers me as a person that thinks that the functionality of the banners should be left alone put me on it.
> 
> I also don't understand why it would be "by design" that changes can be made to the KidZone Settings without the use of the passcode. Seems to me that is something a parent is not going to want there kids to get into and make changes. A passcode is required to change the settings on Parental Controls and it should be required for changing the KidZone settings.
> 
> ...


It sounds as though Parental Controls might work better for your household. And the good news is they're still there, ready to use, just as before.

The KidZone Now Playing List is designed for children. Sorting the Now Playing List, seeing the name of the blocked show, not being able to delete programs themselves...tested poorly with children (and with some parents). We kept it simple, clean, and targeted for kids to use.

Regarding passwords for settings...there is one. You have to have the password to get *out* of KidZone. Without that password you can't get to the settings screens. And the system automatically reverts to KidZone after four hours of inactivity...so you don't have to worry about being the first one to wake up Saturday morning.

If you're worried about your kids finding the DVR in 'parents mode'...don't leave it there. It's one click to put it into KidsZone. Sprinkling passwords throughout the interface wasn't the goal...a simple and clean division between the parent's TiVo experience and the kid's is what we went for, without compromising the product for either party. I think we hit the mark admirably.

But if you think your password has been compromised...give TiVo customer support a call. They can get you access to your DVR again. 

And again, not every household is the same. If you prefer the old-style Parental Controls, no problem!

Pony


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

I have received this update on one of my Tivos and *I don't want it* because it has messed up my Toshiba remote.

Is there any way to back out of the 7.3 software back to 7.2 AND is there a way to preclude my other Tivo from receiving this update?


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

sharkster said:


> I have received this update on one of my Tivos and *I don't want it* because it has messed up my Toshiba remote.
> 
> Is there any way to back out of the 7.3 software back to 7.2 AND is there a way to preclude my other Tivo from receiving this update?


This is not something we've heard of before...can you provide more information as to what exactly is happening?

EDIT - I see elsewhere on the forum that it is using the stop button to stop a recording (as opposed to a DVD) that isn't working for you. We are aware of that issue and are investigating.

Thanks,
Pony


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Thanks, TivoPony! It is much appreciated. :up:


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

Why is it that every time a new version comes up, it seems like everyone wants to ride the Pony?!?


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## iDriveX (Jun 3, 2003)

Hi TiVoPony-

A Feature request for the next update of KidZone. When you create a season pass or recording, and you choose to allow it in KidZone, perhaps another screen could come up that says:

Show in KidZone and Now Playing
Show in KidZone only

That way it keeps my Now Playing list a little clean. At this point, I am using the E/I Guide and then a few shows with season passes like "The Wonder Pets" and "The Wiggles" among others. This just fills my Now Playing list with kid shows and for me its annoying. I can understand if others might like this but not me, unfortunately. Another option might be that anything that is allowed in KidZone might show up in a "KidZone Shows" folder in the NowPlaying list, so that anything selected as Allowed to be in KidZone would be in its own separate folder.

Just a suggestion. Thanks for taking it into consideration.

-iDriveX


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## megazone (Mar 3, 2002)

hfwarner3 said:


> Why is it that every time a new version comes up, it seems like everyone wants to ride the Pony?!?


You know, I like Bob, he's a great guy and I've chatted with him many times... but I don't like him _that_ way. ;-_)

(Man, I wish I was going to TC-Con. I was really hoping to this year, but life... pfeh.)


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

iDriveX said:


> Hi TiVoPony-
> 
> A Feature request for the next update of KidZone. When you create a season pass or recording, and you choose to allow it in KidZone, perhaps another screen could come up that says:
> 
> ...


I like the idea of "Show in KidZone only"


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## Grimm1 (Jan 10, 2000)

TiVoPony said:


> It sounds as though Parental Controls might work better for your household. And the good news is they're still there, ready to use, just as before.
> 
> The KidZone Now Playing List is designed for children. Sorting the Now Playing List, seeing the name of the blocked show, not being able to delete programs themselves...tested poorly with children (and with some parents). We kept it simple, clean, and targeted for kids to use.
> 
> ...


I think my problem is that TiVo KidZone is apparently being designed for "young children". I think TiVo is making a mistake by not adding some flexibility for parents with older children (tweens and young teens). While TiVo's "Parental Controls" do a pretty good job, there are things that could improve it...most of those things were used for KidZone for example being able to flag a show as OK for the kids even if it conflicts with the restrictions you have setup such as a blocking a show that has no rating. Giving the kids their own "Now Playing" screen is also another great feature of KZ.

I've probably asked in (so many words) about 4 times in this thread of why blocking the large banner is such a great idea and I've yet to read it.

The people at TiVo that designed the "Parental Controls" had the wisdom to require the passcode to make changes to the the PC settings even when PC have been disabled. In a perfect world the PC's will always be enabled by the parent when the parent is done with the TiVo. But because that's just not always going to happen they put in that extra protection...exactly the same reason they setup PC to enable itself after 4 hours of inactivity. They borrowed the 4 hour thing for KZ and it just doesn't make any sense that the other was not also incorporated.

Your answer relies on the "perfect word" scenario and that the parents will never forget or become distracted and accidently leave the TiVo in "parent mode"...hmm..then why bother with the 4 hour fallback safety then?

I just can't see why leaving the settings unprotected in "parents mode" was by choice. Are parents really going to be bothered by the extra layer of protection or are they going to be happy that it is there? I think the latter....otherwise they wouldn't be using the KZ feature in the first place.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

Grimm1 said:


> I think my problem is that TiVo KidZone is apparently being designed for "young children". I think TiVo is making a mistake by not adding some flexibility for parents with older children (tweens and young teens).


there is flexibility for older kids. You can add shows from now playing and setup season passes and add those to the KidZone side as well. So the content range age may stop and 12 and under but you can change the specific ratings if need be or just add the shows in.

I plan on setting the downstairs TiVo to allow all range of content and anything in my now playing list. Then when my wifes parents are over to watch the kids I will turn on kid zone and let them have at it with no worries fro them or me, 

I can see wanting a password on the settings when not in Kid zone though. Savvy teens would sneak in there given the chance and change the settings for something they want. It probably was because of some deal with keeping both parental controls and KidZone on the TiVo - maube the password module could not get chnaged to allow two different settings - one for Parental and one for Kid Zone. Probably working on that for the next release.

as for having different zones on the same TiVo - what a mess to keep straight what is in what now playing list and how do you password it so each is roped off and then which is the default one , etc... It just does not fit a simple interface design like TiVo strives for to have multiple zones. Maybe you need multiple TiVos


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

Grimm1 said:


> Your answer relies on the "perfect word" scenario and that the parents will never forget or become distracted and accidently leave the TiVo in "parent mode"...hmm..then why bother with the 4 hour fallback safety then?


Once we all get our RFID chips implanted, the TiVo 4 can have the RFID reader installed in the TiVo itself and in the remote. You can then setup a PIN for each RFID, so the PIN will match the person that is holding the remote. At that point, I think it would be nice to have a custom Now Playing for each person and TiVo will only play certain show, allow certain channels, or show full show descriptions if the right RFIDs are in the room so kids never read the descriptions of Jerry Springer reruns.

Of course, my cat also has her RFID tag implanted in her neck. It would be nice if the developers could program TiVo to see if anyone else besides the cat is in the room and give me the option of recording and playing back shows about birds from the nature channels only during daylight hours when no one is asleep when no once else is in the room. Particulary the dog. If TiVo saw his RFID along with the cat's RFID, it should not play the show because the cat attacking the TV really freaks out the dog.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

hfwarner3 said:


> Particulary the dog. If TiVo saw his RFID along with the cat's RFID, it should not play the show because the cat attacking the TV really freaks out the dog.


maybe it could play Tom and Jerry cartoons when both tags are the only ones present


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## RoyK (Oct 22, 2004)

ZeoTiVo said:


> ...
> 
> Then when my wifes parents are over to watch the kids I will turn on kid zone and let them have at it with no worries fro them or me,


Don't trust the in-law's judgement?



ZeoTiVo said:


> I can see wanting a password on the settings when not in Kid zone though. Savvy teens would sneak in there given the chance and change the settings for something they want.


...

If the kids still need to have their viewing restricted when they are in their teens then the parent's have failed and TV viewing will soon be the least of their problems...


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## mchips (Feb 21, 2003)

RoyK said:


> Don't trust the in-law's judgement?


 I don't think that was his point...

KidZone allows for his in-law's to not have to monitor what the kids watch, because the parent, namely Zeo in this case, has set up his TiVo with KZ to control that for them... having nothing to do with trusting their judgment, but instead allowing them to have one less thing to be worried about while watching the kids... definitely an added benefit...


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## hfwarner3 (Feb 12, 2002)

Plus it means that Grandpa can't spend the entire visit sitting on the couch watching sports!


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## mtshipp (Mar 7, 2006)

Pony,

Just heads up that when I go the kidzone update (7.3.x) my stop button quit too.

Please keep us informed.

Thanks!


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## yeans (Jun 24, 2006)

aus1ander said:


> I haven't received 7.3 yet, so I was just wondering... does KZ programming show up in both the master NPL and the KZ NPL? I assume if you set up a Season Pass for say, Sesame Street, that SP spans both KZ and the upper level functions, so the recorded program will appear in both lists.
> 
> It would be nice to have all the kids programming only show up in KZ or have a KZ folder in the master NPL.


Not only nice, but important. it seems to me that (prob for technical reasons) they have this and network sharing with another rooms reversed--- 
what you really want is a reference (alias) to another program in another room instead of a real time copy-- 
and an actual copy or move to another folder (kidzone) instead of having every program in both lists. Not only would that reduce the clutter in your NPL, but avoid the problem of starting to watch a kids program in NPL instead of KZ 'cause you happened to be there.


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## Grimm1 (Jan 10, 2000)

GoAWest said:


> The second part of my problem, which is still correct: As I mentioned, the Disney (chan 53) and Nick (chan 55) are *not* selected in the *normal* channel selection (which goes up to 80+) *nor* the KZ (which only goes up to 15). However, these two stations *are* showing up when I up/down channel surf, first with a KZ channel and "blocked" message and then a moment later as a TiVo "blue screen" showing that the TiVo isn't even receiving a channel. I have not been able to find a way to remove these as they're already deselected everywhere.


Pony

I just noticed the other day that I have the same thing. When in KZ and using the channel up/down to change channels I get 4 channels that are not even selected as channels I receive let alone channels that I gave the OK to KZ to use. In fact that's not even possible since the KZ channel filter only displays the channels that I have preselected as channels that we receive.

One thing I noticed the 4 channels have in common as they are kid friendly channels. HBO Family Pacific, Toon Disney Spanish, Boomerang, and Boomerang Spanish. That also seems to connect to the channels GoAWest is reporting which are also kid friendly (Nick and Disney).

It's almost like KZ has a list of default "kid approved" channels and as long as it see's they are listed in our guide data it is adding them even if we don't have them selected as channels we receive.


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## Grimm1 (Jan 10, 2000)

GoAWest said:


> The second part of my problem, which is still correct: As I mentioned, the Disney (chan 53) and Nick (chan 55) are *not* selected in the *normal* channel selection (which goes up to 80+) *nor* the KZ (which only goes up to 15). However, these two stations *are* showing up when I up/down channel surf, first with a KZ channel and "blocked" message and then a moment later as a TiVo "blue screen" showing that the TiVo isn't even receiving a channel. I have not been able to find a way to remove these as they're already deselected everywhere.


OK...I figured out how to fix this. What I had to do was go into the TiVo settings and add the channels that were showing up using the up/down channel button in KZ that were channels I don't get. After adding those channels go to the TiVo KZ settings channels and you will see those channels listed and marked as KZ approved. Unmark them, then go back to the TiVo settings and remove those channels from the list of channels you receive. Now the up/down channel button should skip those channels that you don't receive.

It looks like KZ by default is flagging a list of pre-approved family friendly channels even if you don't have those channels listed as channels you receive. As long as KZ sees those channels in your guide data it flags them as available to KZ.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

hfwarner3 said:


> Plus it means that Grandpa can't spend the entire visit sitting on the couch watching sports!


actually it just meant that Grandpa and Grandma are not into new tech. They just got a DVD player this year. I can tell them to use the TiVo knowing they will not go off on some other menu and get confused or do soemthing accidental.

if grandpa is watching my kids - he can watch all the sports he wants and indeed does  I just set the downstairs TiVo to wide open but with Kid zone keeping you in the now playing menu.

and yes, teens should get what they can not watch and consequences for it - I meant savvy pre-teens but typed it wrong.


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## gbnyc (Jun 19, 2002)

ZeoTiVo said:


> I think the keypad might end up being a good idea though. Basically they disabled the keypad so it is easy for very young kids.


 PLEASE give an option to allow use of the number keys. I only allow about 15 channels, and still it's ridiculously slow to move through them with just Up and Down. My 3 year old can push the 6 key to go to Nickelodeon, but can't sit there pushing Up or Down, waiting for the cable box to change, and then doing it again and again.

I'll give up and go back to Parental Controls, but that's a problem too since I have a couple of shows I allow my kids to watch that have a prohibited rating, so under Parental Controls they have to ask me for the password to watch those shows (and then, of course, Parental Controls are off so they could watch anything). At least KidZone lets me add specific shows to KZ.

Incidentally, it seems to me that whoever decides what shows are allowed under KZ just didn't look at the shows available on certain channels: many shows for very young children on Cartoon Network, for example, with Y or G ratings, are blocked under KZ by default. As are many G-rated Disney movies.

And, unless I've missed something, the procedure for allowing shows in KZ, at least if they're not in the Now Playing list already, is torturous: search by title, select show to see if it's already allowed in KZ (why not an icon in the list?), if not then set to record an upcoming show, choose option to add to KZ, set to record, then cancel the recording. I did this for several shows which I don't mind the kids watching sometimes, via live TV, but which I don't want to record.

KZ just isn't quite ready for prime time, so to speak.


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## mchips (Feb 21, 2003)

gbnyc said:


> Incidentally, it seems to me that whoever decides what shows are allowed under KZ just didn't look at the shows available on certain channels: many shows for very young children on Cartoon Network, for example, with Y or G ratings, are blocked under KZ by default. As are many G-rated Disney movies.
> 
> I'll give up and go back to Parental Controls, but that's a problem too since I have a couple of shows I allow my kids to watch that have a prohibited rating, so under Parental Controls they have to ask me for the password to watch those shows (and then, of course, Parental Controls are off so they could watch anything). At least KidZone lets me add specific shows to KZ.


 Bottom line, the parent decides what shows are allowed under KZ...

The ratings of television programs, unlike major motion pictures, are controlled by the stations, which, unfortunately, the rating on the same show can vary from station to station, market to market. Ratings of television programs are not consistent across the nation, and TiVo has no control over that, but has created KZ to give that control over to the parents, so the parent can decide what's appropriate or not.

As you noticed, KZ just builds upon and improves the old Parental Controls, allowing parents to be selective by adding/removing individual shows that may have been rated too high or low by the station, or simply shows that a parent feels is acceptable or not for their own personal family values... so, bottom line, it's the parent who decides what shows are allowed under KZ based on their own personal family views and values, while the station controls the television program ratings... many of which aren't even rated at all, and because of it, "unrated" shows are blocked by default, but can still be changed by the parent... the parent is no longer therefore limited by the station's ratings, putting the control back in the home where it belongs...

The default settings are just a place for parents to start... if TiVo included too many stations and was too liberal with default rating settings, people would be complaining about just the opposite... it's probably best to start with what most people may not object to, and then let individual families add to it from there... it's probably better for a child to miss an appropriate show, than to inadvertently view an inappropriate one... so conservative is probably best here... parents can then make it as liberal as they want...

If you chose ages 6 and under for the default ratings when you set up KZ, "G" rated television shows are blocked by default, not allowing anything above a "TV-Y"; however, movies rated with a "G" are allowed, as that's the lowest available for movies, plus movie ratings are more consistent, thanks to the MPAA; basically, it appears the lowest ratings for each were selected for 6 and under... but you can change that in the KZ settings if you feel all "G" rated shows are appropriate for your family; just keep in mind that your local station may not have the same standards as you do as to what television programs should be rated... the one thing TiVo seems to have done well is making KZ pretty flexible for individual family values...



gbnyc said:


> PLEASE give an option to allow use of the number keys. I only allow about 15 channels, and still it's ridiculously slow to move through them with just Up and Down. My 3 year old can push the 6 key to go to Nickelodeon, but can't sit there pushing Up or Down, waiting for the cable box to change, and then doing it again and again.
> 
> And, unless I've missed something, the procedure for allowing shows in KZ, at least if they're not in the Now Playing list already, is torturous: search by title, select show to see if it's already allowed in KZ (why not an icon in the list?), if not then set to record an upcoming show, choose option to add to KZ, set to record, then cancel the recording. I did this for several shows which I don't mind the kids watching sometimes, via live TV, but which I don't want to record.
> 
> KZ just isn't quite ready for prime time, so to speak.


 These other things you've listed sound more like feature enhancements of what more you'd like to see it do... which is fine, but it doesn't make KZ not ready... that's the thing about TiVo and computers, they can do so much, that that's all people see sometimes... that is, what more it could do, instead of what all it already does... with that mentality, TiVo should never update, as there's always more it can do... 

But perhaps the channel changing and being able to add a show to KZ without first setting it up as a recording may be nice features they'll consider adding for a future update... I, too, would vote for seeing those added someday... but I'm sure adding these and other features aren't quite as simple as some people may think... if they were, we'd probably see more TiVo features in all DVR's, instead of just the simple and basic stuff most only do now...

KZ is great now for families who want to control what their family watches... no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater because it's missing some additional features that you'd like to see added... TiVo definitely is still continuing to pioneer our TV viewing, making it more and more TV our way...

But I'll second your suggestions of these for a future update...


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## Grimm1 (Jan 10, 2000)

gbnyc said:


> PLEASE give an option to allow use of the number keys. I only allow about 15 channels, and still it's ridiculously slow to move through them with just Up and Down. My 3 year old can push the 6 key to go to Nickelodeon, but can't sit there pushing Up or Down, waiting for the cable box to change, and then doing it again and again.


I agree...I've witnessed several times already my 10 year old daughter watching live TV on TiVo and realizing she is going to have to sit there and channel up/down through about 15 channels and just toss the TiVo control down and get up and say "I'm goanna watch TV upstairs". She knows she can walk upstairs, grab the cable remote and punch in 132 in half the time it will take to sit through channeling up or down.

I think some of the KZ features are great and really needed! I also think they went a little overboard by blocking the large banners and killing the keypad. Those two things can be a major inconvenience to lose and should be an option for people to turn on if they feel they need that much restriction.

There needs to be some leeway to take in account "older children" that might not need as much restriction as younger children. It's great that (like with parental controls) you can adjust that level of restriction with the MPAA ratings and TV ratings. But there doesn't seem to be that allowance for less restriction in the KZ interface. The KZ interface is set at the strictest setting and that's what everyone using it has to use.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

mchips said:


> If you chose ages 6 and under for the default ratings when you set up KZ, "G" rated television shows are blocked by default, not allowing anything above a "TV-Y"; however, movies rated with a "G" are allowed,


and to expand what mchips is saying - KZ is also about more than just blocking content. It is about giving a young child a small subset of shows he will be happy with adn make them easier to find. So the idea is that for an under 6 year old - even block out the TV-G stuff as that is probably meant for a child 6 and up. But the TV-Y stuff like Barney or Teletubbies is there as the choices for the child without a bunch of other stuff that while not inappropriate is just not aimed at his age group.


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

Grimm1 said:


> OK...I figured out how to fix this. What I had to do was go into the TiVo settings and add the channels that were showing up using the up/down channel button in KZ that were channels I don't get. After adding those channels go to the TiVo KZ settings channels and you will see those channels listed and marked as KZ approved. Unmark them, then go back to the TiVo settings and remove those channels from the list of channels you receive. Now the up/down channel button should skip those channels that you don't receive.
> 
> It looks like KZ by default is flagging a list of pre-approved family friendly channels even if you don't have those channels listed as channels you receive. As long as KZ sees those channels in your guide data it flags them as available to KZ.


G1, thanks for figuring out this workaround. I did it last night and was able to remove the two "kid-friendly but I hadn't selected them dammit!" channels that were showing up in the up/down channel scroll.

I'd really like to see the bug in the TiVo code, esp. with the fact that we had to turn it on and then back off to get rid of those channels. What part of "if (in KZ list) show in channel scroll; else don't" wasn't coded correctly... . By including these "kid friendly" channels when they weren't selected, it suggests that somebody was trying to be "smarter" than me about which channels I should include...


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

jfh3 said:


> What's the other way to play the animation within KZ?





greg_burns said:


> Ask your kids, they probably already know.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just watched the KidZone Tip that was on Tivo Central tonight. Its says to press the 1 key!

How can you make a whole clip on that single thing and get it wrong?


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