# Make Mini release tuner on TV power off



## HiJon89 (Jan 26, 2011)

I'm getting a bunch of TiVo minis set up in the house and we've already run into issues with the mini holding onto the tuner unless you return to TiVo central. My family will never remember to press the TiVo button to release the tuner, but they are very good about turning off the TV when they're done watching. Has anyone found a way to make the TV Power button release the tuner? If you could program the mini remote to make the TV Power button also emit the TiVo central signal it seems like that would be the simplest solution but I'm not sure if the remote is programmable in that way.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Don't think this can be done but this sounds like a good feature to be added to the remote design. The current 4 hr. timeout is a compromise that doesn't work for those who want to play music while sleeping and doesn't avoid tying up too many tuners in your situation.

Another suggestion would be to allow the host TiVo to reclaim tuners on the panel that lists the tuning info for all the tuners (click info then down during live play). This is probably cleaner than the previous idea.


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## Robbo1 (Oct 31, 2015)

HiJon89 said:


> If you could program the mini remote to make the TV Power button also emit the TiVo central signal it seems like that would be the simplest solution but I'm not sure if the remote is programmable in that way.


I don't believe this is an option for the Tivo stock remote but is definitely do-able with a Universal Remote. We use Harmony 650s (discontinued, but readily available on Ebay for $40 refurbed) which work great with Tivos. I have the Off button for the "Watch Tivo" activity set to send the "Tivo Central" signal prior to turning off the TV.

Recent discussion here about universal remotes -- http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=535323


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Robbo1 said:


> I don't believe this is an option for the Tivo stock remote but is definitely do-able with a Universal Remote. We use Harmony 650s (discontinued, but readily available on Ebay for $40 refurbed) which work great with Tivos. I have the Off button for the "Watch Tivo" activity set to send the "Tivo Central" signal prior to turning off the TV.
> 
> Recent discussion here about universal remotes -- http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=535323


Great tip. But 650 is not discontinued.


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## HiJon89 (Jan 26, 2011)

Robbo1 said:


> I don't believe this is an option for the Tivo stock remote but is definitely do-able with a Universal Remote. We use Harmony 650s (discontinued, but readily available on Ebay for $40 refurbed) which work great with Tivos. I have the Off button for the "Watch Tivo" activity set to send the "Tivo Central" signal prior to turning off the TV.
> 
> Recent discussion here about universal remotes -- http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=535323


That's one option but we like the stock TiVo mini remote, and also to keep RF we would need to buy a pretty expensive Harmony remote (more expensive that the mini itself). At this point I'm considering some sort of IR receiver/blaster setup where the TV power signal is picked up by the IR receiver which triggers a TiVo home signal to be blasted at the TiVo mini


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

If you get a Slide remote, you could learn the Tivo button to the TV Pwr button in addition to TV Power. You get everything you want including RF, plus backlight and qwerty.


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## HiJon89 (Jan 26, 2011)

But then if I wouldn't be able to use the TiVo button to get back to the home screen during normal use right? (because it would turn the TV off)


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## BRiT wtfdotcom (Dec 17, 2015)

HiJon89 said:


> But then if I wouldn't be able to use the TiVo button to get back to the home screen during normal use right? (because it would turn the TV off)


Thats not what was said. You leave tivo button as is. You place 2 codes onto the TV Button.

TV Power button = Tivo Central code AND TV Power code
Tivo Button = Tivo Central code


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## nleavitt (Oct 9, 2012)

but doesn't it require two presses of the Tivo button to release the tuner? In that case, using the power button programmed for Tivo central would still need one more press - assuming you are in live tv mode, then turning off the tv.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Ok then, learn two of them. But why does it require two? All that does on mine is take me to my recordings list.


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## skypros (May 19, 2015)

I have asked Tivo to please have a function that when you press the TV PWR it will put the Tivo DVR (and mini) to go into standby.

It falls on deaf ears  ..... For some reason when no one is watching TV Tivo thinks it is a good idea to assume every tuner should be operating like someone is watching it on the DVR or Mini.

And for the folks that like it just the way it is.... that is fine, make it an option in the settings for us that want tuners released when the TV is OFF.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

They should be able to tell when the TV is turned off. At the very least they should be able to detect the loss of the HDMI connection. But there are also CEC commands they could look for.


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## Robbo1 (Oct 31, 2015)

mdavej said:


> But why does it require two? All that does on mine is take me to my recordings list.


From -- https://support.tivo.com/articles/Installation_Setup_Configuration/TiVo-Mini-Setup

Releasing a tuner for other TiVo devices

Once you access the host DVR's tuner from TiVo Mini, that tuner is not available for other network devices. When you are done using the Mini and want to release the host tuner to other network devices (e.g., another TiVo Mini, TiVo Stream), press the TiVo button to return to TiVo Central, then press the TiVo button a second time to release the tuner.

Unless you actively release the tuner, it remains available to TiVo Mini for an hour and a half. If the tuner is not accessed during this time, it is automatically released.​


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## L David Matheny (Jan 29, 2011)

Dan203 said:


> They should be able to tell when the TV is turned off. At the very least they should be able to detect the loss of the HDMI connection. But there are also CEC commands they could look for.


TiVo DVRs have always been promoted as having all outputs active at the same time, a useful feature for many people. So if some people want their Mini (or other TiVo) to go into standby when the HDMI output is no longer being used, TiVo would need to make that a menu option since it would also affect the other outputs.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Robbo1 said:


> From -- https://support.tivo.com/articles/Installation_Setup_Configuration/TiVo-Mini-Setup
> 
> Releasing a tuner for other TiVo devices
> 
> ...


Wow, did they really document that?  What version did that information come from?


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## aspexil (Oct 16, 2015)

JoeKustra said:


> Wow, did they really document that?  What version did that information come from?


Let me google that for you... ;-)

https://support.tivo.com/articles/Installation_Setup_Configuration/TiVo-Mini-Setup

Search on the word "second" in the section titled "Releasing a tuner for other TiVo devices"

Don't know what version that was introduced.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

aspexil said:


> Let me google that for you... ;-)
> 
> https://support.tivo.com/articles/Installation_Setup_Configuration/TiVo-Mini-Setup
> 
> ...


I followed the link. I am amazed that such wrong information is still on their web site. Unless that's the place the TiVo CS people get their information.


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## ClearToLand (Jul 10, 2001)

JoeKustra said:


> ...*I am amazed that such wrong information is still on their web site*...


But I read it on the internet! How could it be wrong?


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## nleavitt (Oct 9, 2012)

please clarify, what information is wrong? I assumed the article is correct since it is from Tivo directly. Does it not take 2 presses to release a tuner?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

nleavitt said:


> please clarify, what information is wrong? I assumed the article is correct since it is from Tivo directly. Does it not take 2 presses to release a tuner?


Press TiVo button. Tuner is released.

From TiVo Central you could put Mini into Standby, but that's more keystrokes. After Standby the TV Power button still works.

Inactivity timeout is four hours. TV Power button does not count as activity.


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## HiJon89 (Jan 26, 2011)

BRiT wtfdotcom said:


> Thats not what was said. You leave tivo button as is. You place 2 codes onto the TV Button.
> 
> TV Power button = Tivo Central code AND TV Power code
> Tivo Button = Tivo Central code


Ah that's a good idea, I might look into that (not sure how I would program the IR code for TiVo home button though since all the remotes I have are RF)


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## aspexil (Oct 16, 2015)

JoeKustra said:


> Press TiVo button. Tuner is released.
> 
> From TiVo Central you could put Mini into Standby, but that's more keystrokes. After Standby the TV Power button still works.
> 
> Inactivity timeout is four hours. TV Power button does not count as activity.


I have to agree. As soon as we hit the Tivo Central button the ethernet activity on the Mini stops. 2nd button press of TC does nothing but take to recorded shows.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

aspexil said:


> I have to agree. As soon as we hit the Tivo Central button the ethernet activity on the Mini stops. 2nd button press of TC does nothing but take to recorded shows.


You might want to check that. I see a packet about once a second. It may be the reason that power saver never stops the HDD on my Roamio. Or not. I can't see the packet data.


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