# Votre for having Power Save = Off, still buffer when in standby



## Observer (Aug 14, 2004)

Please reply to this thread if you would like the Power Save = Off setting still buffer when in standby like it did before the most recent update.

I have a common usage behavior of powering up the TiVo and backing up the last 30mins of what ever show is playing and I can as necessary skip and catchup with real time.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I like the new functionality. In the almost 14 years of using TiVos, it's been a very rare occurance that I actually use the buffer when first turning on the Tv. I prefer to just record a lot of content since the TiVo will automatcially delete it anyway(or i can do it myself). So I have no problem with there not being any buffers when coming out of standby.


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## joewom (Dec 10, 2013)

I don't see what this would do. It is suppose to power save. The biggest power consumption is the HDD. So what you are proposing I would think defeats the purpose. Just don't turn on power savings.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

In 12+ years of owning TiVos, I've never once put my TiVos into standby. If you want the buffer, just don't put it in standby. Problem solved.


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## Observer (Aug 14, 2004)

joewom said:


> I don't see what this would do. It is suppose to power save. The biggest power consumption is the HDD. So what you are proposing I would think defeats the purpose. Just don't turn on power savings.





DevdogAZ said:


> In 12+ years of owning TiVos, I've never once put my TiVos into standby. If you want the buffer, just don't put it in standby. Problem solved.


With PowerSave = Off - it no longer buffers shows in standby. Off should leave the original behavior - one would think - it does not.


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## L David Matheny (Jan 29, 2011)

Observer said:


> With PowerSave = Off - it no longer buffers shows in standby. Off should leave the original behavior - one would think - it does not.


I hadn't used Standby on my 4-tuner Roamio (Power Saving Settings = Off) since receiving 20.4.6, but I did so this morning as a test. I was surprised to hear the drive spin up to record the news at noon, and of course all buffers were empty. So the real change (to which you're objecting) is that Standby mode now causes the drive(s) to spin down. I guess that does make sense, since most power savings come from spinning down hard drive(s). And TiVo's position would be that the "Power Saving Settings" determine only when the TiVo goes into Standby automatically, not how Standby mode itself works. TiVo could have split "Off" into "Off" and "Manual", with Off meaning don't spin down even in Standby, but they're probably under pressure from the green lobby to save power whenever possible, which is a nice goal.

I'm more concerned about the power savings being illusory. The current power-saving modes rely on the user to manually enter Standby, or nothing happens for two or four hours, by which time much power has already been wasted. Can a TiVo tell reliably when a TV using HDMI (most these days) is turned off? If so, it should enter some power-saving mode then, rather than waiting several hours. If not, maybe TiVo could make the wait times much shorter when the TiVo is displaying live TV, which often indicates that nobody is actually watching. Some kind of "hit any key" message would be displayed before entering any power-saving mode, of course, so a viewer could veto it.

Or, a Standby button on the remote would make it much easier to be green.


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## sbillard (Sep 17, 2014)

I probably won't use the power saver mode. My normal "shut-down" process is to put the TiVo on "live TV" then power off the TV. I tried the power saving mode. When I turn on the TV power apparently TiVo does not notice the button push. (I did use the TiVo remote to turn power on!) So now the TV powers on but tells me there is no signal. Push "live TV" again and the TiVo wakes up, but why didn't it wake up when the "TV power" button was pressed?

Anyway, I went solar a couple of years ago, so I will trade some power drain for convenience.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

L David Matheny said:


> I'm more concerned about the power savings being illusory. The current power-saving modes rely on the user to manually enter Standby, or nothing happens for two or four hours, by which time much power has already been wasted. Can a TiVo tell reliably when a TV using HDMI (most these days) is turned off? If so, it should enter some power-saving mode then, rather than waiting several hours. If not, maybe TiVo could make the wait times much shorter when the TiVo is displaying live TV, which often indicates that nobody is actually watching. Some kind of "hit any key" message would be displayed before entering any power-saving mode, of course, so a viewer could veto it.
> 
> Or, a Standby button on the remote would make it much easier to be green.


If I switch my HDTV HDMI input to say my BD player, I don't want the TiVo to go directly into standby, but each person may be different, for me if I am watching a movie I don't want to wait for the TiVo to wake up when I switch back the TiVo input.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

sbillard said:


> I probably won't use the power saver mode. My normal "shut-down" process is to put the TiVo on "live TV" then power off the TV. I tried the power saving mode. When I turn on the TV power apparently TiVo does not notice the button push. (I did use the TiVo remote to turn power on!) So now the TV powers on but tells me there is no signal. Push "live TV" again and the TiVo wakes up, but why didn't it wake up when the "TV power" button was pressed?
> 
> Anyway, I went solar a couple of years ago, so I will trade some power drain for convenience.


Why would the TiVo power up when you push the TV power button? The TV power button on the TiVo remote sends the exact same TV on/off code that your original TV remote sends, and that code doesn't tell the TiVo to do anything, by design.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

The TiVo is aware when you press TV power, volume, mute and input buttons. The light on the TiVo blinks when you press any of them. It's part of how the TiVo knows you are actively using the remote.

When I press TV power on the remote I use with my Mini, it wakes up the Mini from screensaver and puts it at TiVo Central.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Arcady said:


> The TiVo is aware when you press TV power, volume, mute and input buttons. The light on the TiVo blinks when you press any of them. It's part of how the TiVo knows you are actively using the remote.
> 
> When I press TV power on the remote I use with my Mini, it wakes up the Mini from screensaver and puts it at TiVo Central.


Of course the TiVo is aware of the button presses. Any equipment that has an IR receiver and is within the line of sight of the remote will be aware of the button presses. But just like your A/V receiver doesn't respond when you push a button that's meant for TiVo, your TiVo isn't going to respond when you push a button that's meant for your TV.


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## joewom (Dec 10, 2013)

Observer said:


> With PowerSave = Off - it no longer buffers shows in standby. Off should leave the original behavior - one would think - it does not.


Again why are you using standby. If you want it to buffer leave it on period.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

DevdogAZ said:


> Of course the TiVo is aware of the button presses. Any equipment that has an IR receiver and is within the line of sight of the remote will be aware of the button presses. But just like your A/V receiver doesn't respond when you push a button that's meant for TiVo, your TiVo isn't going to respond when you push a button that's meant for your TV.


No, it's not the same at all. If I press buttons on my Blu-Ray remote, the light on the TiVo doesn't light up. If I use the actual TV remote, the TiVo doesn't light up. The TiVo remote is sending the IR code for the TV along with a code to the TiVo to let it know you are using the TiVo remote.

It would be trivial for TiVo to make the TiVo do something when you use any button on the TiVo remote, including TV Power. (Which they have demonstrated with the Mini already.)


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## L David Matheny (Jan 29, 2011)

lessd said:


> If I switch my HDTV HDMI input to say my BD player, I don't want the TiVo to go directly into standby, but each person may be different, for me if I am watching a movie I don't want to wait for the TiVo to wake up when I switch back the TiVo input.


That's a good point. Can the TiVo tell (over HDMI) if the TV is switched to a different input as opposed to being switched off? I doubt it, but I don't know what status information is available over HDMI. Maybe if the TiVo is connected to an HDMI input which is not currently accepting data, that condition (and the live-TV case) could cause shorter standby times to be in effect, say one hour for Low & Med and 30 minutes for High power savings. Or maybe the TiVo could monitor use of the TV-power button (since most of us use TiVo remotes) to decide when to go into Standby. In any case, surely it's a very ineffective power-saving strategy that kicks in only after two to four hours, with most of that time probably wasted because nobody was watching.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Arcady said:


> No, it's not the same at all. If I press buttons on my Blu-Ray remote, the light on the TiVo doesn't light up. If I use the actual TV remote, the TiVo doesn't light up. The TiVo remote is sending the IR code for the TV along with a code to the TiVo to let it know you are using the TiVo remote.
> 
> It would be trivial for TiVo to make the TiVo do something when you use any button on the TiVo remote, including TV Power. (Which they have demonstrated with the Mini already.)


Yes, it would be trivial for TiVo to do that, IF THEY WANTED TO. But why would they want to? Does someone really want their TiVo to power up/down every time they turn their TV on or off? What if they're in the middle of watching a show and someone accidentally turns off the TV (using another remote, kid touches the power button, etc.)? Shouldn't the TV come right back to where it was rather than to TiVo Central? Or what if someone uses the TiVo remote to turn on the TV but intends to use another device (Blu-Ray, Roku, Apple TV, etc.)? If the TiVo was in standby, it shouldn't come on in that situation.

Basically, trying to tie the power state of the TiVo into the same button press as the power state of the TV would be highly problematic, and it's why TiVo, by design, doesn't respond to the TV power button.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

I didn't say the TiVo should do anything when you press TV Power. I said they _could_ make it do that.

And it wouldn't work if you pressed a button on the TV's actual remote. The TiVo has no idea if you use the TV remote to press power, volume, etc. It only knows when you use the TiVo remote.


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## L David Matheny (Jan 29, 2011)

DevdogAZ said:


> Yes, it would be trivial for TiVo to do that, IF THEY WANTED TO. But why would they want to? Does someone really want their TiVo to power up/down every time they turn their TV on or off? What if they're in the middle of watching a show and someone accidentally turns off the TV (using another remote, kid touches the power button, etc.)? Shouldn't the TV come right back to where it was rather than to TiVo Central? Or what if someone uses the TiVo remote to turn on the TV but intends to use another device (Blu-Ray, Roku, Apple TV, etc.)? If the TiVo was in standby, it shouldn't come on in that situation.
> 
> Basically, trying to tie the power state of the TiVo into the same button press as the power state of the TV would be highly problematic, and it's why TiVo, by design, doesn't respond to the TV power button.


They would have to think it through. As you say, they wouldn't want the TiVo to come out of standby just because the TV is turned on. But if the TV is turned off, surely it would be reasonable to put the TiVo into standby either immediately or maybe (to protect against accidental button presses) after a much shorter time delay. It could be useful for the TiVo to monitor the power state of the TV (assuming that a TiVo remote is being used).


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

How much money are we talking about saving here over the course of a month or a year? It can't be that much, can it?


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

waynomo said:


> How much money are we talking about saving here over the course of a month or a year? It can't be that much, can it?


Between $5 and $15 per TiVo probably. Per Year.


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## Observer (Aug 14, 2004)

joewom said:


> Again why are you using standby. If you want it to buffer leave it on period.


Standby before the update would at least shut down part of the TiVo Function (output) and turn the lights off...

Yes we could leave it on all the time, but TiVo hassle what undermined their own tag line of "watch your TV your way" and should leave existing behavior as a valid config option when making updates.


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## joewom (Dec 10, 2013)

Observer said:


> Standby before the update would at least shut down part of the TiVo Function (output) and turn the lights off...
> 
> Yes we could leave it on all the time, but TiVo hassle what undermined their own tag line of "watch your TV your way" and should leave existing behavior as a valid config option when making updates.


Really?


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