# Series2 Video Input Recording HELP



## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

I have a TIVO subscription at home. However I was using my old S2 box at my office using the video input to record photos and as a security camera backup. It worked fine for nearly 3 years. 

A month ago we had power problems and I had to reset/restart everything and go through the Guided Setup. The S2 worked like normal until yesterday. I tried to transfer some photos and I cannot get it to record. When I go to "Find Programs>Record by Time or Channel>Set up Manual Recording" or press the "Record" button nothing happens. I assume that when the Guided Setup was used it changed/updated the operating system. 

Is there any rollback or solution?


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

What does the "System Information" show for "TiVo Service Account Status" and "TiVo Sevice Level"?


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## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

lpwcomp said:


> What does the "System Information" show for "TiVo Service Account Status" and "TiVo Sevice Level"?


It shows...
TiVo Account Status: 3: Account in Good Standing
TiVo Service Level: I:-


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Nada said:


> It shows...
> TiVo Account Status: 3: Account in Good Standing
> TiVo Service Level: I:-


I think that means that while your _*account*_ is OK, that particular TiVo is _*inactive*_. Redoing guided setup probably put it into the 30-day evaluation period, which has now expired and thus the TiVo has gone into doorstop/boat anchor mode. There might be someone who has a method for getting you out of this but I don't know how to do it. The only TiVos designed to be used w/o a paid subscription or product lifetime service were those with an integral DVD recorder that came with TiVo Basic.


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## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

lpwcomp said:


> the TiVo has gone into doorstop/boat anchor mode.


That's what I was afraid of. Thanks!


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Nada said:


> I have a TIVO subscription at home. However I was using my old S2 box at my office using the video input to record photos and as a security camera backup. It worked fine for nearly 3 years.
> 
> A month ago we had power problems and I had to reset/restart everything and go through the Guided Setup. The S2 worked like normal until yesterday. I tried to transfer some photos and I cannot get it to record. When I go to "Find Programs>Record by Time or Channel>Set up Manual Recording" or press the "Record" button nothing happens. I assume that when the Guided Setup was used it changed/updated the operating system.
> 
> Is there any rollback or solution?


If you do not have a lifetime sub on that S2, and have not been making monthly sub payments, it should not be showing

TiVo Account Status: 3: Account in Good Standing

regardless of your other TiVo.

If you disconnected it from any way to contact the TiVo servers before your most recent monthly payment expired back when, it would have said that until it connected again, but if you went through Guided Setup it would have had to have connected successfully or you'd still be stuck in GS, unable to proceed.

What model is your other TiVo and how long ago did you get it and what kind of sub does it have?


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## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

unitron said:


> If you do not have a lifetime sub on that S2, and have not been making monthly sub payments, it should not be showing
> 
> TiVo Account Status: 3: Account in Good Standing
> 
> ...


I don't _think_ that the S2 has a lifetime subscription. It was a gift maybe it was prepaid for a few months -- I don't recall. However, I have been paying a monthly subscription for years. Would the S2 status code read "5: Lifetime Service."?

The other model is a Series 4 Premiere, stand alone. It is on a monthly subscription in another ZIP code (from the S2).

If I can get the S2 to record again using my subscription, Is there any way that I can stop it from blocking the recording functions after 30 days without connecting?


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Nada said:


> I don't _think_ that the S2 has a lifetime subscription. It was a gift maybe it was prepaid for a few months -- I don't recall. However, I have been paying a monthly subscription for years. Would the S2 status code read "5: Lifetime Service."?
> 
> The other model is a Series 4 Premiere, stand alone. It is on a monthly subscription in another ZIP code (from the S2).
> 
> If I can get the S2 to record again using my subscription, Is there any way that I can stop it from blocking the recording functions after 30 days without connecting?


A subscription is for a specific TiVo. An account can have multiple TiVos on it but they each have to have their own subscription or have Product Lifetime Service, which is also for a specific TiVo.

I have 5 TiVos on my account - 2 TiVo 2s, both with PLS, one TiVo HD on monthly and 2 Premieres also on monthly.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Nada said:


> I don't _think_ that the S2 has a lifetime subscription. It was a gift maybe it was prepaid for a few months -- I don't recall. However, I have been paying a monthly subscription for years. Would the S2 status code read "5: Lifetime Service."?
> 
> The other model is a Series 4 Premiere, stand alone. It is on a monthly subscription in another ZIP code (from the S2).
> 
> If I can get the S2 to record again using my subscription, Is there any way that I can stop it from blocking the recording functions after 30 days without connecting?


You need to go to tivo.com and log onto your overall account and see what's what.

If you set up that S2 to have monthly payments charged to a credit card and never specifically told TiVo, Inc., to cancel that subscription, then they've probably been charging you for it every month ever since.

That's in addition to whatever they're doing about the Premiere.

You may need to let that S2 connect again, so that it knows that it's paid up, depending on what you see when you logon to your overall TiVo account.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Also, during Guided Setup you'll probably have to have an active video signal connected to the TiVo's video input and then lie about having a cable box or satellite service.


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## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

lpwcomp said:


> A subscription is for a specific TiVo. An account can have multiple TiVos on it but they each have to have their own subscription or have Product Lifetime Service, which is also for a specific TiVo.


I need to check that out. The credit card charge has not be anything to shock me in to investigating but I need find out what I'm paying for.



unitron said:


> You need to go to tivo.com and log onto your overall account and see what's what.
> 
> ....You may need to let that S2 connect again, so that it knows that it's paid up, depending on what you see when you logon to your overall TiVo account.


I have not had time to logon to tivo.com. It would be the first time so I would need to register serial numbers etc.

I took the S2 home and connected by phone until the record options became available and stopped the connection before all of the programming stuff downloaded. The Account Status is still says "3:Account in Good Standing"

Thanks to both of you for your help. According to the security camera backups scheduled on the *To Do List*, it appears that I have 2 weeks to find a fix or order a dumb DVR/PVR before the problems start again. I'll also be able to find out what we are paying for.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Does anyone monitoring this topic have an inactive TiVo they could briefly hook up and let it phone home to see what the status would show? I'm still thinking that it is possible that the _*account*_ is in good standing but that _*specific TiVo*_ is inactive (TiVo Service Level: I. If that is the case, then it may not even be on your account but on the account of the person who gave it to you.


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## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

lpwcomp said:


> I'm still thinking that it is possible that the _*account*_ is in good standing but that _*specific TiVo*_ is inactive (TiVo Service Level: I.


The service level now says "C:030413"


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Nada said:


> The service level now says "C:030413"


And it still won't let you record? When you redid guided setup, how di you say it was configured and from what input are you trying to record?


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Nada said:


> The service level now says "C:030413"


It's still subscribed.

Based on that date, March 4th, you've got another payment that'll be charged somewhere in the next couple of weeks.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

You can go back through GS and tell it you have a DirecTV receiver feeding your line inputs (be sure to have a video signal going in at the time, or it won't believe you) and then tune to Channel 1 to get whatever's connected to those inputs.


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## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

lpwcomp said:


> And it still won't let you record? When you redid guided setup, how di you say it was configured and from what input are you trying to record?


It has/will let me record since let it 'phone home' again a day ago. That is when the service code changed from 'I' to 'C:030413'. As I said, I disconnected the line after the record features were enabled. I didn't want the programming info. However, according to the *To Do List*, the scheduled security cam recordings will stop after 2/17 (14 days after the last connection).



unitron said:


> You can go back through GS and tell it you have a DirecTV receiver feeding your line inputs (be sure to have a video signal going in at the time, or it won't believe you) and then tune to Channel 1 to get whatever's connected to those inputs.


Before the power surge problems in January, it was set for DirecTV. The Security cam was on channel 3 and I would input the photos using channel 101. When I had to use the GS in January, the DirecTv choices had changed (some agreement with TiVo) and I could not use channel 3 or 101. I switched to Sky Angel as the satellite provider so I could use channels 3 and 333.

My problem is that the S2 worked without service or 'phoning home' for almost 3 years and I am afraid that that is now finished. I don't _want_ or _need_ service on the S2. From what I have been reading, there is not an alternative that I can go buy. It seems like I have 12 days to copy everything off of the HD and learn about a PROM, killhdinitrd and that stuff.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Nada said:


> It has/will let me record since let it 'phone home' again a day ago. That is when the service code changed from 'I' to 'C:030413'. As I said, I disconnected the line after the record features were enabled. I didn't want the programming info. However, according to the *To Do List*, the scheduled security cam recordings will stop after 2/17 (14 days after the last connection).
> 
> Before the power surge problems in January, it was set for DirecTV. The Security cam was on channel 3 and I would input the photos using channel 101. When I had to use the GS in January, the DirecTv choices had changed (some agreement with TiVo) and I could not use channel 3 or 101. I switched to Sky Angel as the satellite provider so I could use channels 3 and 333.
> 
> My problem is that the S2 worked without service or 'phoning home' for almost 3 years and I am afraid that that is now finished. I don't _want_ or _need_ service on the S2. From what I have been reading, there is not an alternative that I can go buy. It seems like I have 12 days to copy everything off of the HD and learn about a PROM, killhdinitrd and that stuff.


What kind of TiVo is your other TiVo and how long have you had it?


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## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

unitron said:


> What kind of TiVo is your other TiVo and how long have you had it?


It is a Series 4 Premiere. We got it around the summer of 2010.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Nada said:


> It is a Series 4 Premiere. We got it around the summer of 2010.


There's an outside chance you could leverage that S4 ownership into getting them to let you have $99 lifetime on the S2, which would pay for itself in about a year, but I suspect that no matter how the sub is kept current they may have changed the software so that connecting every 2-4 weeks will be necessary to have ongoing record capability instead of the way it was back when when you stopped letting it connect.

(there are some threads around here about the $99 offer--it seems buying or having bought an S4 is necessary in addition to whatever other criteria they have but don't disclose, so that you have to play Customer Service Representative roulette on the phone til you get one that'll go along with it.)

That thing that got changed from I to C will update itself by about a month every month or so as long as it's still on a paid sub and connecting, and I think that's the cutoff date by which it needs re-assurance that the sub is still ongoing before it decides that the account status can no longer be assumed to be 3:Good standing.


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## Nada (Feb 3, 2013)

unitron said:


> There's an outside chance you could leverage that S4 ownership into getting them to let you have $99 lifetime on the S2, which would pay for itself in about a year, but I suspect that no matter how the sub is kept current they may have changed the software so that connecting every 2-4 weeks will be necessary to have ongoing record capability instead of the way it was back when when you stopped letting it connect.


That's great. Perfect if they don't require connecting. I will see if I can find/get that offer. I had been looking on Ebay for a used S2 with a lifetime subscription but I read that the previous owner with the SN could transfer the subscription to a new box after the sale.

Thank you for the suggestion.:up:


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Nada said:


> I had been looking on Ebay for a used S2 with a lifetime subscription but I read that the previous owner with the SN could transfer the subscription to a new box after the sale.


Where did you read that?


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Nada said:


> That's great. Perfect if they don't require connecting. I will see if I can find/get that offer. I had been looking on Ebay for a used S2 with a lifetime subscription but I read that the previous owner with the SN could transfer the subscription to a new box after the sale.
> 
> Thank you for the suggestion.:up:


Lifetime almost always stays with the unit.

Generally someone's not going to be able to sell you a lifetimed TiVo and then transfer the lifetime out from under you (especially after you go online to tivo.com, log onto your account, and add that TiVo via its TiVo Service Number to your account).

If someone has a Series 1, and lifetime for it was purchased on or before January 20, 2000, then they can transfer that lifetime sub one time to another TiVo--that was the accomodation for an earlier version of the description that wasn't as clear as it could have been about whose or whats lifetime was meant.

Other people have been able to transfer lifetime subs if their TiVo died really early, but I think they've had to pay a transfer fee.

And I think there were some Series 3 promotions that might have made a transfer possible, but the time to be able to do that is long expired.

What you want to do to check out a TiVo is get the TSN from the seller and run it past TiVo customer service (I do it via online chat) to find out the current account status, and anything for which it is or is not eligible.

If you look on the back of a TiVo at the sticker by the power cord, you'll see that it has both a serial number and a TiVo Service Number.

The TSN is what a lifetime sub is attached to back at the tivo.com servers.


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