# Create a Hydra/G4 Forum



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Of course, it would mean moving all the Hydra stuff too. But it would sure help people who have done the upgrade, or wish to do the upgrade, with one forum to look for support.

Thanks.


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## Mike Lang (Nov 17, 1999)

Won't it be standard on all future hardware?


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

If it needs to be kept oriented towards hardware, then maybe a TiVo Bolt VOX/Mini VOX forum would be a good approach, with it basically getting Hydra content as well. While I don't know if the Bolt VOX or Mini VOX models can be downgraded to the classic HD UI, they do at least seem to default to downloading/installing the Hydra interface without other user intervention, from what I've seen described.

There's certainly a big difference between Hydra and the classic HD UI. And they'll both be around for a while. Somehow, someway it sure would help to find a way to focus conversation and pleas for assistance better.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Mike Lang said:


> Won't it be standard on all future hardware?


At least right now and for the announced TiVo future (per TiVo), one has the option to upgrade Bolt and Roamio boxes to Hydra, and to downgrade Bolt Vox, Bolt and Roamio boxes away from Hydra. It is a separate track.

If, one day, Hydra were to become the only interface, a separate Hydra sub-forum could be closed to new comments, with readers/posters deferring back to their physical box sub-forums.


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## eherberg (Feb 17, 2011)

If we're bringing up a re-do of the forum -- perhaps it is time to consider a broader re-organization? Right now - hardly anybody follows the current organization anyway. Want to keep up with things that affect your Roamio? You'll have to check in at least 3 different places. Same with any of the other models or Minis. pyTivo Desktop discussion is not in the Home Media / TTG forum -- it's in the Coffee House forum. And that was a mod who posted that thread there. 

I'm not bagging on the people that are posting -- but instead observing that the current organization of topics doesn't seem to fit _how_ people are posting. Perhaps a rethink of how things are organized -- with more of a feature-based organization of forums rather than a hardware-based organization. It seems to be how people are moving anyway.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

eherberg said:


> If we're bringing up a re-do of the forum -- perhaps it is time to consider a broader re-organization? Right now - hardly anybody follows the current organization anyway. Want to keep up with things that affect your Roamio? You'll have to check in at least 3 different places. Same with any of the other models or Minis. pyTivo Desktop discussion is not in the Home Media / TTG forum -- it's in the Coffee House forum. And that was a mod who posted that thread there.
> 
> I'm not bagging on the people that are posting -- but instead observing that the current organization of topics doesn't seem to fit _how_ people are posting. Perhaps a rethink of how things are organized -- with more of a feature-based organization of forums rather than a hardware-based organization. It seems to be how people are moving anyway.


Part of the explanation, I think, is that the boxes are 2-featured: hardware and software. While the hardware may be distinct, the software often isn't (well, at least more recently, up until Hydra). And so if you go into the Roamio sub-forum, for example, while great for the hardware, you miss part of the software discussion, which also could be under the Bolt or Premiere sub-forums, or in the Coffee House/catch-all sub-forum. And so perhaps a nod to maintaining the hardware sub-forums but separating out the UI, in a separate Hydra sub-forum.


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## Nak (Aug 18, 2010)

Mike Lang said:


> Won't it be standard on all future hardware?


Maybe, but all current hardware has a choice. The New Mini VOX can be run on either.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Does the forum software offer a way to subdivide forums but keep an aggregated view available?

For example, a TiVo Bolt forum with subforums broken out possibly as Bolt, Bolt+, Bolt VOX, Mini, Mini VOX, etc., but the view when going into the "TioVo Bolt" forum is for all threads in those subforums to be visible as if they were all just in the same forum area. But you could go into the Mini VOX subforum and see only those threads posted there?

That might make for a more presentable collection of threads and still give some specificity to hardware variants in the overall family of hardware, without creating so many small forums it becomes hard to find things for the average user.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Here's a question I can't answer. Right now I'm running 20.7.4 on Roamio, Mini and Premiere. If I upgraded to Hydra I would be using 21.7.2. So when new software is release, for whatever reason, will it affect both version or only one. If 20.7.4 is the end that will make some people unhappy. But if my Roamio is running 21.7.2 I would want to report problems in a Forum (not just a thread) that would put other Hydra user's eyeballs on the issue.

Is this bad?

Also I want to buy the new Mini VOX. I don't want Hydra. I hope I can determine where to seek help. At this time I'm not real confident that I can use Mini VOX hardware with a 20.7.4 host. BTW, I already don't view some of the Forums, like TiVo Series3 HDTV DVRs and several others. Just because I feel a Hydra/VOX/G4 forum would be better doesn't mean I would ignore it. I don't have a Bolt but read every post in that Forum.


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## Mike Lang (Nov 17, 1999)

We can so subforums but you'd have to enter each one.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

These folks using XenForo are doing something to allow forum aggregation: Forum Aggregation is now on


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## Mike Lang (Nov 17, 1999)

Yeah there's a subscription addon that does that but you have to keep paying for it and David mirrors all settings on each site so may not be an option.


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## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

In a Perfect world, separate subforums would be great, but we don't live in Perfect.

Suppose I come here trying to see if anyone else is having a problem with premium channels on a Mini. Is that a problem specific to MY version of the Mini, or is it a general problem? Might it be the version of the UI I'm running? Might it be both? I just think you'll either end up with a bigger mess, or you'll need a lot of moderation to move posts to the appropriate forum.

Just my opinion from years of experience as a forum administrator and observing the way members post here. YMMV


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## Mike Lang (Nov 17, 1999)

Keep in mind that anything we change...ANYTHING...will please half of the membership and the other half will kick and scream and complain as loudly as they can for an obnoxiously long time.

No changes will be made lightly without some semblance of a vast majority approval. Which may never actually happen.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Mike Lang said:


> Keep in mind that anything we change...ANYTHING...will please half of the membership and the other half will kick and scream and complain as loudly as they can for an obnoxiously long time.
> No changes will be made lightly without some semblance of a vast majority approval. Which may never actually happen.


I can't argue with that. It has been true more often than not. Thanks for the feedback.


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

Hasn't new hardware always been given it's own forum? If so, the Mini VOX qualifies.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Is that this add-on, that's $25 for the first 12 months and $15 for each subsequent 12 months? Is that how XenForo add-ons work -- buying the support is required?

Aggregating Forums 1.2.1 | Atelier Aphelion


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

I'm voting for a VOX/Hydra combined forum, most of the Hydra issues are cross hardware and more interface based, it's a slog to go through the forums ignoring all the Hydra discussions that I don't care about.


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## CloudAtlas (Oct 29, 2013)

dianebrat said:


> I'm voting for a VOX/Hydra combined forum, most of the Hydra issues are cross hardware and more interface based, it's a slog to go through the forums ignoring all the Hydra discussions that I don't care about.


So was the final solution not to create a new forum or sub-forum for Hydra or UI issues?

So many TiVO issues are software related and hardware independent And it's become confusing with TE3/Encore 20.x.x issues vs TE4/Hydra 21.x.x issues.

Maybe a *System Software *forum?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

CloudAtlas said:


> So was the final solution not to create a new forum or sub-forum for Hydra or UI issues?
> So many TiVO issues are software related and hardware independent And it's become confusing with TE3/Encore 20.x.x issues vs TE4/Hydra 21.x.x issues.
> Maybe a *System Software *forum?


I have learned the 50/50/50 rule. So whatever someone does, half the people will like it, half will hate it and half will ignore it.

BTW, you would have to explain *System Software* to most users who need help. 

No offense meant.


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