# DO NOT DELETE "THX OPTIMIZER" video!!!



## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

I was just informed that if you delete the THX OPTIMIZER video from your TiVo Premier Elite that you can't get it back, short of exchanging your TiVo.

I set up my elite on an older TV set. I deleted the video because it took up space & cluttered up my TV "My Shows" listing.

Today I got a new TV set. Wanted to "Optimize" it with the included glasses.

No luck... Video is Not available short of replacing the unit.

No where in the box, or on the box, or on any support pages (at the time of this posting) was any notification about deleting that video.

I have written a few emails to TiVo in regards this...

Thought I would give you all a FYI...

TGC


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

to the moderator... We need to make a sticky of this thread, or you can create one. 

Owners of the new ELITE unit, need to be aware NOT to delete the THX Optimizer video in case they ever want to get a new TV screen, or put their TiVo Elite on a different TV set.


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

Yep, I deleted mine too. I was pretty pissed at myself when I realized there was no way to undelete it.


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## gamo62 (Oct 12, 2002)

Was this available on the PremiereXL? I have tried transferring it to the computer. Even though it is supposedly not copy protected, it fails. I can't transfer it from the Elite. 

There should be a way to write protect that file.


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

I don't know it was on the XML or not

I tried before I deleted it to transfer it to another computer or TiVo

Tgc


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

TexasGrillChef said:


> to the moderator... We need to make a sticky of this thread, or you can create one.
> 
> Owners of the new ELITE unit, need to be aware NOT to delete the THX Optimizer video in case they ever want to get a new TV screen, or put their TiVo Elite on a different TV set.


While I agree that it's not cool that there's no way to get it back I think the statement above is a bit over the top, it's not that you can't EVER get a new TV or move the DVR, it's just that one of many options to calibrate it is no longer at hand.


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## I WANT MORE (Oct 13, 2009)

I am unable to transfer the THX video from my Premier XL to my Premier.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

dianebrat said:


> While I agree that it's not cool that there's no way to get it back I think the statement above is a bit over the top, it's not that you can't EVER get a new TV or move the DVR, it's just that one of many options to calibrate it is no longer at hand.


I agree. It's simply common sense that once you delete something, it's gone.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Didn't people go through the same thing with the S3 box or at least the Premiere XL box? I thought this was the case with all the THX certified TiVos that had the optimizer?


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

My S3's did not contain and optimizer vid.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

ADG said:


> My S3's did not contain and optimizer vid.


I couldn't remember if they did or not. Then it was just the premiere XL boxes.


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

dianebrat said:


> While I agree that it's not cool that there's no way to get it back I think the statement above is a bit over the top, it's not that you can't EVER get a new TV or move the DVR, it's just that one of many options to calibrate it is no longer at hand.


So are you saying that Elite owners SHOULDN'T be alerted or notified of this issue?

TGC


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

ADG said:


> I agree. It's simply common sense that once you delete something, it's gone.


Thats not always true.

If I delete TiVo Desktop + from my computer, I can re download the program from TiVo.com & reinstall it.

If I delete music I purchased from iTunes, I can also re download it.

If I puchase music or movies or books from Amazon, I can re download it even if I delete it off my computer, or Amazon fire, or Kindle, etc....

If I delete a show I downloaded via a podcast/internet. I can redownload it.

Etc...

The list can go on....

TGC


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

TexasGrillChef said:


> So are you saying that Elite owners SHOULDN'T be alerted or notified of this issue?
> 
> TGC


I'm saying in many cases and for many people it's NBD, and certainly not ALL CAPS STICKY WORTHY, in my personal opinion.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

The real question is, if you delete a show from your TiVo, can you re-download it? The answer has always been no.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

If not, then I think the warning is warranted.

Having said that, a lot of DVD's have a THX optimizer (who doesn't have Star Wars on DVD?), what's wrong with just using that?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

steve614 said:


> If not, then I think the warning is warranted.
> 
> Having said that, a lot of DVD's have a THX optimizer (who doesn't have Star Wars on DVD?), what's wrong with just using that?


It's a DVD first of all, so that would be SD which is different settings than HD. Secondly you want the setting adjusted for the specific input device. So it needs to be output from that device.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

Also one should note that a C&D all will remove the THX video from your XL TiVo, and i know no way to get it back on that TiVo, so if you purchase a upgrade/replacement drive you will not have that THX video. I keep the original hard drive of my TPXL, if my 2TB drive ever failed, I can remake another 2Tb drive and have the THX video on the new drive.


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

Arcady said:


> The real question is, if you delete a show from your TiVo, can you re-download it? The answer has always been no.


Again it depends on what show your talking about, and how it got put on your TiVo in the first place as well as if the show was copy protected or not.
Many shows that I have "Recorded" that aren't copy protected I moved to My NAS. Then deleted. If I want to watch it again, I transfer it from my NAS back to the TiVo.

Short of copy protection, about 95% of the shows that are on our TiVo's can be obtained & put back on our TiVo's, or watched from our TiVo's in one fashion or the other. Maybe not "immediately" but given a little time, eventually. None of which require exchanging your TiVo.

You also have the "deleted" folder, which you can Undelete shows you have deleted. Provided that you haven't recorded to much between the time you delete and the time you wish to recover.

TGC


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

steve614 said:


> If not, then I think the warning is warranted.
> 
> Having said that, a lot of DVD's have a THX optimizer (who doesn't have Star Wars on DVD?), what's wrong with just using that?


Oh I have several good Blu-ray optimizer discs All work great.

Here is a fact though. Each input, each device has different "levels" of output and quality to the TV.

My TV actually has a different colour, Brightness, contrast etc... setting for EACH input the TV has. So EACH input can be set differently. Both my old TV and my new TV had this.

There WAS a big difference in those settings between the use of my Blu-ray player, and those that I had set for the TiVo Elite. As well as for the XBox 360, and other devices that I have as well.

So having a Blu-ray THX opitmizer disc is great, but only really works on setting the correct levels for the Blu-ray.

I do have the capability to rip Blu-rays, & in the mean time I have, and then transfered the video to my Elite and then made the apropriate corrections. However, in this ripping, coversion & transfer process. Quality was lost & changed. It apparently isn't possible to transfer the original Blu-ray file with 100% quality intact to the TiVo, either with TD+ or PyTiVo. Somewhere something is getting obviously changed.

I will admit it is better than nothing, but it isn't the ideal solution. I DO feel that I AM loosing functionality of my TiVo Elite that I did PAY for. I am not unable to optimize my TV for the TiVo Elite using the included glasses.

BTW the transfer of the Blu-ray Rip, doesn't make use of the glasses, so isn't as accurate as well.

For those elite owners who want and desire the best settings possible, then we have lost this featue in our Elite units if we have deleted it. OR in the least, we have to keep it around, taking up space on our hard drives, so that we don't really get the maxiumum recording space we should have, and it clutters up our "My Shows" list.

I will admit, if your hooking up an elite to a 32" $200 LCD TV, the optimizer probably isn't going to do you much good. However, I am hooking my Elite up to a 70" $6,000 LED TV. So YES it does make a difference.

TGC


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

Here is one other intersting note...

Which I wonder why they just didn't embed the video in part of their DVR Diagnostics screen or wherever. As when we reboot our TiVo's, We have that short "Start up" video that never seems to go away. It's always there. Why can't they do something like that with the THX optimizer video? Embed it somewehre in the menu systems. 

2nd... Since they download a bunch of advert stuff, why cououldn't they do the same with the THX optimizer video?


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## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

For what it's worth, any Tivo owner can also grab the AVSHD 709 files from the AVS forum (the MP4 version) and copy the mpeg4 videos to the HD Tivos they would like to calibrate.

I used pytivo to transfer the files. The encoding changes are minimal. I was able to use identical TV settings for both the bluray and Tivo connections.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=948496


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## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

This just goes to show the level of competence at Tivo. I can understand not wanting to setup a system that allows users to re-download the video. I don't understand why they put copy protection on these videos or why they can't just put the videos up on their website or even youtube.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Maybe it is required to be copy protected by THX? Since it is their content and not TiVos. So TiVo would have no say in it.


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

*UPADTE....*

Today I went to my computer that runs TiVo Desktop + to transfer over a bunch of TV Show, Movies etc from my TiVo Elite to my Computer & NAS.

As of TODAY..... The "THX Optimizer" Video is NO LONGER Copy Protected. I was able to successfully transfer the video off to my computer.

The Video played just fine on my computer running TD+

I then transfered to another Premiere (NON Elite) TiVO... it played just fine!

For those of you who are wondering how I got my "THX Optimizer" video back after I deleted this is how I did it. I was still under my 30 day return policy from Best Buy. I EXCHANGED the unit at Best Buy on thursday. I called the cable company (TWC) and in within a few hours my new Elite was back online and working with TWC. Both Friday & Saturday still ahd the Video as being copy protected, yet I was able to transfer all other videos.

So NOW I have a BACKUP copy on my NAS system that I can easily transfer back to the TiVo should I ever get a new TV set.

Additional Info. I did try with pyTiVo and it wouldn't transfer. That doesn't mean that pyTiVo wouldn't work. Just that I wasn't succesfull useing pyTiVo.o

So if you have TD+, see if you can transfer the THX OPTIMIZER video now.

TGC


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## L David Matheny (Jan 29, 2011)

TexasGrillChef said:


> Today I went to my computer that runs TiVo Desktop + to transfer over a bunch of TV Show, Movies etc from my TiVo Elite to my Computer & NAS.
> 
> As of TODAY..... The "THX Optimizer" Video is NO LONGER Copy Protected. I was able to successfully transfer the video off to my computer.
> 
> ...


So, if you've got it on your computer, could you transfer a copy to another computer ... like mine? Or (really more to the point) to the computers of people who mistakenly deleted their copies?


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## PrimeRisk (Dec 16, 2002)

TexasGrillChef said:


> *UPADTE....*
> 
> Today I went to my computer that runs TiVo Desktop + to transfer over a bunch of TV Show, Movies etc from my TiVo Elite to my Computer & NAS.
> 
> ...


I don't know if there is any difference between the download capability between the free TiVo Desktop and the Plus version, but since day 1 the THX optimizer has never shown copy protected on my Elite. It has always shown as transferable to KMTTG, TD, and my other Premieres, but anytime I've tried to actually move it, it claims to successfully transfer it, but all I get is a 0 byte file.


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## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> Maybe it is required to be copy protected by THX? Since it is their content and not TiVos. So TiVo would have no say in it.


That could be true but the other Tivo videos that are provided on new boxes are also copy protected. I don't know if they can be re-downloaded or not.


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## whompus60 (Oct 3, 2011)

Wait. So the elite has thx optimizer video? It is not the thx media director enabled?


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

PrimeRisk said:


> I don't know if there is any difference between the download capability between the free TiVo Desktop and the Plus version, but since day 1 the THX optimizer has never shown copy protected on my Elite. It has always shown as transferable to KMTTG, TD, and my other Premieres, but anytime I've tried to actually move it, it claims to successfully transfer it, but all I get is a 0 byte file.


You also can't do MRV with the THX video. It is a special file given it has always shown as transferable. It will fail though.


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## PrimeRisk (Dec 16, 2002)

rainwater said:


> You also can't do MRV with the THX video. It is a special file given it has always shown as transferable. It will fail though.


Well, we do have 1 person here who says they've been able to get it off of their TiVo...TexasGrillChef with only TiVo Desktop Plus.


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## Soapm (May 9, 2007)

PrimeRisk said:


> Well, we do have 1 person here who says they've been able to get it off of their TiVo...TexasGrillChef with only TiVo Desktop Plus.


You would think his first thoughts would have been to post it up somewhere to help others out. And to prove it was done, not that I need proof,...


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

So, you're suggesting TexasGrillChef should (possibly) commit copyright infringement?


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## Soapm (May 9, 2007)

steve614 said:


> So, you're suggesting TexasGrillChef should (possibly) commit copyright infringement?


Until they tell him to take it down, yes... You do get a warning and the only ones interested had a legal version of the file to begin with...


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## lafos (Nov 8, 2004)

PrimeRisk said:


> Well, we do have 1 person here who says they've been able to get it off of their TiVo...TexasGrillChef with only TiVo Desktop Plus.


TiVo desktop + did not permit transfer of the THX optimizer video from my PXL. It claimed success, but with a zero-byte file.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

With my Tivo Elite it's stuck in the recent deleted shows folder. I tried deleting it form there and it won't go away. An episode of "The Totally Rad Show" is also stuck and wont go away. I tried restarting and no luck.

Any Ideas what to do?


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## agredon (Jul 26, 2011)

aaronwt said:


> Maybe it is required to be copy protected by THX? Since it is their content and not TiVos. So TiVo would have no say in it.


TiVo copy protects their Instructional videos ("More than a Cable Box", etc...) for some inexplicable reason...so it may well have been TiVo who copy protected the THX Video.


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## Distortedloop (Dec 6, 2007)

Successfully transferred it from the Elite to a Series 3, but it won't play. Any attempts to transfer to my Mac using multiple methods results in a 98kb file only.

I have to say, I almost deleted it after using it the first time, but was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it back. For once, with a TiVo, my instincts were correct.

I agree 100% this should be something that's in the settings menus, not the now playing list.

Sometimes I think the UI designers from TiVo just don't get it.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Distortedloop said:


> Successfully transferred it from the Elite to a Series 3, but it won't play. Any attempts to transfer to my Mac using multiple methods results in a 98kb file only.
> 
> I have to say, I almost deleted it after using it the first time, but was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it back. For once, with a TiVo, my instincts were correct.
> 
> ...


Why would anyone delete it? If they delete it they obviously don't want it.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

aaronwt said:


> Why would anyone delete it? If they delete it they obviously don't want it.


They may do a C&D all because they upgraded/replaced the hard drive, that would delete the THX video. Its too bad that the THX video goes with a C&D all as the opening video will stay.


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

aaronwt said:


> Why would anyone delete it? If they delete it they obviously don't want it.


I did a Clear & Delete Everything as part of troubleshooting steps to try to get Daylight Saving Time to deactivate on my Elite.

Instead of bringing the system back to a factory default state as when you just get it out of the box, it also deletes the THX video.

So, while I don't really need it, I would like to have kept it. Oh well. Lesson learned.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

djwilso said:


> I did a Clear & Delete Everything as part of troubleshooting steps to try to get Daylight Saving Time to deactivate on my Elite.
> 
> Instead of bringing the system back to a factory default state as when you just get it out of the box, it also deletes the THX video.
> 
> So, while I don't really need it, I would like to have kept it. Oh well. Lesson learned.


Yes a clear and delete does this. The same thing happened when I did a clear and delete on my S3 before selling it and it wiped the THX video from it.


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## jff6791 (Jan 8, 2009)

aaronwt said:


> Yes a clear and delete does this. The same thing happened when I did a clear and delete on my S3 before selling it and it wiped the THX video from it.


Pressing the Format button on front panel also deletes this video. I did this inadvertently thinking it was an On/off switch and used it while relocating power connection. I didn't want to just pull the power plug out of the wall. So guess I'm in the SOL crowd now too.


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## bbrown9 (Mar 12, 2011)

jff6791 said:


> Pressing the Format button on front panel also deletes this video. I did this inadvertently thinking it was an On/off switch and used it while relocating power connection. I didn't want to just pull the power plug out of the wall. So guess I'm in the SOL crowd now too.


Wow! Talk about surprising the customer! That has got to be a bug. I can't believe that TiVo intended that behavior.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

jff6791 said:


> Pressing the Format button on front panel also deletes this video. I did this inadvertently thinking it was an On/off switch and used it while relocating power connection. I didn't want to just pull the power plug out of the wall. So guess I'm in the SOL crowd now too.


What is the* Format Button *on the TiVo ?? Do I have one on my TPs ??


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## jff6791 (Jan 8, 2009)

lessd said:


> What is the* Format Button *on the TiVo ?? Do I have one on my TPs ??


It's the one on right front here <http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-premiere-elite/index.html>


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

jff6791 said:


> It's the one on right front here <http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-premiere-elite/index.html>


I don't have the Elite so I never had any format button, does it do the same as clear and delete all ? What if you push it by mistake ?


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## bshrock (Jan 6, 2012)

lessd said:


> What is the* Format Button *on the TiVo ?? Do I have one on my TPs ??


 Changes the output format ie 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i the S3 and Premiere has a format button also.


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## jff6791 (Jan 8, 2009)

bshrock said:


> Changes the output format ie 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i the S3 and Premiere has a format button also.


Yep - I had that totally wrong. Sorry. Turns out the THX video was deleted on 5/6 - 7 months before I received this box new from Tivo. Was able to recover it so we're all set.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

bshrock said:


> Changes the output format ie 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i the S3 and Premiere has a format button also.


OK it does not format the drive, I did know about the output TV format button.


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## jrm01 (Oct 17, 2003)

jff6791 said:


> Yep - I had that totally wrong. Sorry. Turns out the THX video was deleted on 5/6 - 7 months before I received this box new from Tivo. Was able to recover it so we're all set.


How did you recover it? Was it in the Recently Deleted Folder?


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## jff6791 (Jan 8, 2009)

jrm01 said:


> How did you recover it? Was it in the Recently Deleted Folder?


Yes - even though it was deleted last May which I wouldn't call recent.


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## forum1 (May 25, 2011)

I have not deleted the THX Optimizer from my two Premiere XL units (both purchased in summer 2010) for this very reason. I am sure I will want it for future display adjustments, yet there appears to be no external source to obtain it from. I don't mind the storage space hit on the TiVo, but I do like to keep the My Shows list tidy and wish I could get rid of this entry that always stares me in the face, much in the same way I wish Hulu Plus, Netflix, and YouTube could be removed from My Shows (without disabling the services). Ref http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=8901577#post8901577

I did have the idea to transfer the THX Optimizer to my PC for safe keeping, but as others have mentioned, even though the 168 MB file is not listed as copy protected the TiVo Desktop software ends up transferring over a 0 MB file (8,568 bytes in the local file system) that doesn't play.

I think moving the THX Optimizer to a menu item under Settings somewhere makes a lot of sense.


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## jrm01 (Oct 17, 2003)

forum1 said:


> I think moving the THX Optimizer to a menu item under Settings somewhere makes a lot of sense.


+1


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

moving it to a menu is a good idea- but i don't see why they can't just host it on their servers somehow and allow people to download it at will like the scores/hundreds of web videos we can download. I realize those other things aren't hosted by tivo, but how much bandwidth really is needed. Put it on the shows list when you first buy it and if you delete it then allow a fresh download from a menu- how many people and how often are people really going to download it?


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## dssxxxx (Nov 11, 2003)

Just glanced at this thread.

Where is this video on the Elite?


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

it's in "my shows" when you first turn it on. It stays there until you delete it.


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## dssxxxx (Nov 11, 2003)

I went to deleted section and found the THX video and restored with no problem. One of the advantages of a large HD.


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## vurbano (Apr 20, 2004)

It is absolutely absurd that there is no option to go to tivo's website and schedule a download of it to your premiere.


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