# Manual Record without Service?



## KDragon (Apr 28, 2017)

No doubt this has been discussed. Feel free to point me to it...
I was told by a customer service dude today that if you don't have a service account, you would not be able to do manual recordings (ie channel 7, 6pm, 1 hr.) I understand that without service you would not get updates or program info, but at least in the old days, you could still do manual recordings. When I asked, "So if I don't have service, my Bolt is a door-stop?" and he said "yes." Is this correct?


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

You could use it as an OTA tuner to watch TV on a monitor with an hdmi input.


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## KDragon (Apr 28, 2017)

shwru980r said:


> You could use it as an OTA tuner to watch TV on a monitor with an hdmi input.


OK, but would you be able to do manual recording?


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## kpeters59 (Jun 19, 2007)

No...I just tried it on a Series 3 I'm swapping out for a Roamio OTA.

You used to be able to at least pause Live TV, but that seems to have been removed as well...

-KP


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

KDragon said:


> OK, but would you be able to do manual recording?


On my series 3 when I try to schedule a manual recording it lets me choose the option but never presents me the time/date UI, just loops back. This is on a series 3 that had lifetime but was later deactivated, but the lifetime unit was off the network before it was deactivated and never connected back. It gets into an "Inactive" state because lifetime units need to continue to contact TiVo every 30 somewhat days or they go inactive.

I can't say from personal experience how any newer TiVo's behave, though it is likely the same.


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

Without service, a TiVo box is merely a TV tuner. You cannot record, nor do "trick plays".

The only TiVos that could were Series 1 DVRs, but as of TiVo software 3.0, if your TiVo did not allow the functionality, it wouldn't allow it without service (i.e., if you have a series 1 DVR it would work. If you had one of the few series 1 released at the very end that shipped with 3.0, you couldn't)

The trick play functionality was removed much later, but again, if your TiVo supported it when you bought it, it would continue to do so. 

Basically any TiVo after a series 3 disabled everything except tv tuner functionality without service.


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## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

So with an active cablecard it is a cable box with no bells and whistles. no buffer?


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

mattyro7878 said:


> So with an active cablecard it is a cable box with no bells and whistles. no buffer?


I think so but you won't have any guide data and you will receive nag screens that you need service. I've seen used series 3 tivos with lifetime service sell for under $100 on ebay. In my opinion, it's not worth it to use a Tivo without service.


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

I just call it a TV tuner. No buffer, no guide, and nag screens. Just be careful with series 3 units that are lifetime'd - there was a sale on lifetime transfers a while ago and TiVo's been a bit slow deactivating boxes, so you might end up with a deactivated box you thought you had lifetime one because the owner transferred it.


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