# Tivo Roamio won't turn on at all



## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

As the title describes. Yesterday morning I turned my TV on and noticed no signal, thought it was the HDMI cable, and quickly noticed it was not that. I then looked at the front of the Tivo and no lights at all, I then hit the remote to see if any lights came on, and nothing. This is the 2nd Tivo in a month that has gone out on me, . So I thought it might be the power supply, so I took the Tivo home, to check the power supply and see if my other Tivo's had the same power supply so I could verify. Well my other 2 Tivo's at home do not use the same plug, so that was no help. Idid plug it in again to listen, I could hear something but very faint, didn't sound like the HD, but maybe the fan. 

I called Tivo, and that was a waist of time, with all the options they gave me, was cheaper to buy a new one if I had too. My question to you all, what other troubleshooting can I do to make sure it is the power supply or HD. Find it fishy also that this is the 2nd Tivo gone dead in a month at work. 

I know Weekknees offers repairs, are there any other options here is South Florida, for repair, or do you suggest I try a new power supply to see if that is it, and if not, then simply replace the HD ?? 

Anyways any help on this matter, please advise, this is driving me crazy. 

Don


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

Are you talking about the base Roamio (4 tuner cable or OTA version), with an external power supply? 

If it is the base Roamio a replacement power supply is pretty cheap and a good place to start. You could also open it up and see if you can hear the drive spin up, or take it out and replace it to see if that is the problem.

Does it have lifetime service on it? Do you use it for cable or OTA?


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

atmuscarella said:


> Are you talking about the base Roamio (4 tuner cable or OTA version), with an external power supply?
> 
> If it is the base Roamio a replacement power supply is pretty cheap and a good place to start. You could also open it up and see if you can hear the drive spin up, or take it out and replace it to see if that is the problem.
> 
> Does it have lifetime service on it? Do you use it for cable or OTA?


Yes it is and was purchased in 2011

I will go buy a 12V 2A power supply over the weekend to test and see. If it still does not turn on, then I'll proceed to take the cover off and check and listen for the HD, and report back on that.

No that is my only unit that is not on a lifetime, it is on a monthly grandfathered in rate.

I use it for cable with an MCard.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

DonB. said:


> Yes it is and was purchased in 2011
> 
> I will go buy a 12V 2A power supply over the weekend to test and see. If it still does not turn on, then I'll proceed to take the cover off and check and listen for the HD, and report back on that.
> 
> ...


If you end up having to replace it, I would look at the 1TB Roamio OTA with lifetime that lists for $400 but can be bought on Amazon for less. The cable card bracket in your current unit will fit into the Roamio OTA and basically change it into a base Roamio with lifetime. There are threads around on how to do it.

Good luck


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

DonB. said:


> No that is my only unit that is not on a lifetime, it is on a monthly grandfathered in rate.


I thought when you are on monthly, they offer you a refurb unit for something like $50-$100?


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

sfhub said:


> I thought when you are on monthly, they offer you a refurb unit for something like $50-$100?


They did not, do I call customer service for that ?, I had called Support


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

DonB. said:


> They did not, do I call customer service for that ?, I had called Support


I am not totally familiar with the procedure and perhaps I am missing some nuance, but most folks (not including lifetime) seem to post about calling in an getting offered a refurb for $49.
https://www.tivo.com/buytivo/popups/popup_servicePlans.html


> With respect solely to any TiVo BOLT or TiVo DVR which is eligible for, and on which you have obtained, either an annual service plan or a monthly service plan (but not an All-In Plan): your service plan includes, at no additional charge, an enhanced limited warranty (known as *"Continual Care"*) for the full, uninterrupted duration of your annual or monthly TiVo service subscription. With Continual Care, and for a cost of $49.00 (plus shipping and any applicable taxes) after ninety (90) days from your purchase date, you can exchange a defective or inoperative TiVo BOLT or TiVo DVR for a repaired, renewed or comparable product (at TiVo's discretion). The exchange exclusions and restrictions contained in the TiVo DVR Limited Warranty continue to apply; please visit Limited Warranty Info for details.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

sfhub said:


> I thought when you are on monthly, they offer you a refurb unit for something like $50-$100?


If you have a unit that qualifies for TiVo's continuous care add on warranty they will replace the unit for $50. However that warranty/program only started recently and only covers units since the change for as long as they are continuously subbed via a monthly or annual sub. I also believe it only pertains to new/refurbed units not units bought used from someone else.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

atmuscarella said:


> If you have a unit that qualifies for TiVo's continuous care add on warranty they will replace the unit for $50. However that warranty/program only started recently and only covers units since the change for as long as they are continuously subbed via a monthly or annual sub. I also believe it only pertains to new/refurbed units not units bought used from someone else.


Ah, ok, thanks. All my units are lifetime, I just remember reading about Continual Care and figured TiVo would rather get you a refurb and continue taking your money than lose your stream of income.

The TiVo page mentioning Continual Care doesn't mention the part about cut-off date nor the provenance of the purchase. It does say it covers Roamios and Bolts. Since OP has a Roamio I guess OP needs to figure out what the cutoff date is and where he purchased the unit?

https://support.tivo.com/articles/Features_Use/TiVo-Limited-Warranty


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

Anyways, all my units were bought directly from Tivo, and I called them about an hour ago, and of course got someone again from the Philippines who had to put me on hold to find out, then finally came back to me and said yes, I have 2 options, either ship my unit to them and once received they will send me a refurbished unit for $49, or I can have then ship me a unit by 2 day delivery, and bill my credit card 199.99 and $49, and once I receive the unit, I am to send then back my defective unit, and they will credit my credit card 199.99 back, then said it could take 60 days to receive the credit back. I said why didn't you people tell me this yesterday. He had no answer, LOL 

Anyways seems like a no brainer, even if it's the power supply which would be $20, or the HD which would be over $100 anyways, might as well get a refurbished unit for the $49. Unless you all disagree ?? 

Whatever happened to speaking with people from the US. Now it's always Philippine support people ?? I'm assuming the sale made the difference.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

DonB. said:


> Anyways seems like a no brainer, even if it's the power supply which would be $20, or the HD which would be over $100 anyways, might as well get a refurbished unit for the $49. Unless you all disagree ??


The power supply is probably something like $5 or $6 on ebay (doesn't have to be TiVo brand, most 12V 2.5A, higher amp is fine, but match the voltage and polarity). I would probably try a power supply first, even if you have to borrow one just to test that theory. You'd get to keep everything in tact and you know the history of your own box. There is always a small risk when you get a refurb box, which might cause another return/refurb cycle.

If it isn't the power supply, then $49 is a no brainer.


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

sfhub said:


> The power supply is probably something like $5 or $6 on ebay (doesn't have to be TiVo brand, most 12V 2.5A or greater should be fine). I would probably try a power supply first, even if you have to borrow one just to test that theory. You'd get to keep everything in tact and you know the history of your own box. There is always a small risk when you get a refurb box, which might cause another return/refurb cycle.
> 
> If it isn't the power supply, then $49 is a no brainer.


OK, will go today to Walmart or Radio Shack, just to test to see, I can always buy one from eBay afterwards if it is the PS. I agree, it's a box my wife uses and has all her Housewives stuff on it, so you know how that goes


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

sfhub said:


> (doesn't have to be TiVo brand, most 12V 2.5A or greater should be fine).


Well instead of going out this morning to get a power supply to test, I decided to use the power supply from my Router which is 12 V 3.5 A.

Plugged it in and nothing, no power and a faint sound from the box cover. So I guess getting a refurbished one are my only options right now rather then having to buy a new one again.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

DonB. said:


> Well instead of going out this morning to get a power supply to test, I decided to use the power supply from my Router which is 12 V 3.5 A.
> 
> Plugged it in and nothing, no power and a faint sound from the box cover. So I guess getting a refurbished one are my only options right now rather then having to buy a new one again.


Have you checked the polarity of the power supplies? They are NOT all the same.

The simplest, cheapest multimeter is all it takes to test voltage. Just search "multimeter" on Amazon, for example. As low as $7. Or $9 at Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stalwart...75035&wl11=online&wl12=55485898&wl13=&veh=sem


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

sfhub said:


> Ah, ok, thanks. All my units are lifetime, I just remember reading about Continual Care and figured TiVo would rather get you a refurb and continue taking your money than lose your stream of income.
> 
> The TiVo page mentioning Continual Care doesn't mention the part about cut-off date nor the provenance of the purchase. It does say it covers Roamios and Bolts. Since OP has a Roamio I guess OP needs to figure out what the cutoff date is and where he purchased the unit?
> 
> https://support.tivo.com/articles/Features_Use/TiVo-Limited-Warranty


The Continual care warranty started after they released the Bolt so sometime after the fall of 2015. At the time it was a little unclear if TiVo was going to retroactively cover existing monthly/annual subscribers. Appears they are going to for Roamio units. The question about used/resubbed units came from the language in this line: "TiVo's Continual Care warranty covers your TiVo BOLT or TiVo Roamio for the uninterrupted duration of your monthly or annual TiVo service subscription". There was some debate on what "uninterrupted duration" meant. Not sure there has been any resolution (meaning anyone actually posting about their experience).

In any event I agree a $50 refrub is the way to go.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

dlfl said:


> The simplest, cheapest multimeter is all it takes to test voltage.


If you want to go the multi-meter route, harbor freight commonly has coupons for free multimeters with any (even $1) purchase. Just look in the pennysavers or online ads. They rotate the free items but usually you can find the multimeter through some path. I wouldn't use it to test HVAC but for these little power supplies and batteries it is fine.

A little simpler is to look at the label on the power supply to see if it lists the config. TiVo has voltage on the inside and ground on the outside. In my experience almost all modern day stuff uses this config for barrel type power supply connectors. Only on some very old equipment (or universal power adapters that have a switch) have I seen positive outside. I would worry more about it when buying a random used power adapter replacement on ebay where you don't know where it came from.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

sfhub said:


> 12V 2.5A or greater


I should clarify the "or greater" part meant the amperage, NOT the voltage.


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

sfhub said:


> I should clarify the "or greater" part meant the amperage, NOT the voltage.


Yep, but I did test with a 12V 3.5 A and nothing, small faint sound but that's it. I'm going to order a refurbished some, If I use the 2 day shipping version, how long does it take them to credit the $199.99 back to our cards.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

DonB. said:


> Yep, but I did test with a 12V 3.5 A and nothing, small faint sound but that's it. I'm going to order a refurbished some, If I use the 2 day shipping version, how long does it take them to credit the $199.99 back to our cards.


I don't have experience with TiVo advanced ship RMAs. Do they actually charge your card or do they "auth" your card for the amount. Many times companies do the auth, then only capture/charge if you don't return within a certain period. Some companies actually do the charge and refund.


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

sfhub said:


> I don't have experience with TiVo advanced ship RMAs. Do they actually charge your card or do they "auth" your card for the amount. Many times companies do the auth, then only capture/charge if you don't return within a certain period. Some companies actually do the charge and refund.


Well going by what they told me, they charge it when shipped, said it could take 60 days for credit to be applied, but I bet they read from the prompter. LOL


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## Teeps (Aug 16, 2001)

My roamio basic died, like the op's, after 97 days of service.
I was offered the same deal $49 for refurb, and option of sending in broken tivo then wait for replacement.
Or, pay up front for replacement, then get credit when broken unit was returned and received.
I forget how long it took to get credit but 60 days does not sound out of line...

NOTE: The referb did not come with a power supply or remote!


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

DonB. said:


> Well going by what they told me, they charge it when shipped, said it could take 60 days for credit to be applied, but I bet they read from the prompter. LOL


It will probably take less that's 60 days --- unless you are one of the unlucky ones who have posted war stories here in which the credit was never processed. But you don't have much choice unless you want to wait weeks or months to get your new unit.


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

Good to know about the remote and power supply. What is the power supply we have is bad, LOL


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## Teeps (Aug 16, 2001)

DonB. said:


> Good to know about the remote and power supply. What is the power supply we have is bad, LOL


Exactly!
I bought a 2.5 amp supply even though the 2 amp original supply was good.
Never hurts to have excess capacity.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

DonB. said:


> Well going by what they told me, they charge it when shipped, said it could take 60 days for credit to be applied, but I bet they read from the prompter. LOL


I haven't had to get a replacement unit and do a return since 2010, but back then I received a refund on my credit card 2 days after TiVo received the bad unit (based on UPS tracking & my credit card statement).


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## Teeps (Aug 16, 2001)

atmuscarella said:


> I haven't had to get a replacement unit and do a return since 2010, but back then I received a refund on my credit card 2 days after TiVo received the bad unit (based on UPS tracking & my credit card statement).


It's a different tivo now; but I would hope that is still the case.


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

I'll keep you all posted, Order and being shipped tonight. They did bill the full amount on my card already. I thought it would be here in 2 days, but he said 4 to 6 days. I'll know more tomorrow when the tracking number is active in the system.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

DonB. said:


> I'll keep you all posted, Order and being shipped tonight. They did bill the full amount on my card already. I thought it would be here in 2 days, but he said 4 to 6 days. I'll know more tomorrow when the tracking number is active in the system.


I think they all ship from TX for the most part, so however long it takes from there.


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## Sparky1234 (May 8, 2006)

DonB. said:


> I'll keep you all posted, Order and being shipped tonight. They did bill the full amount on my card already. I thought it would be here in 2 days, but he said 4 to 6 days. I'll know more tomorrow when the tracking number is active in the system.


My TiVo return while not too recent was fine.


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

Update, received Tivo Saturday delivery by Fedex which I was stun. The box did have the remote and power supply included, so will be returning the broken box today. Will let you all know how quick credit is posted.


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## schatham (Mar 17, 2007)

Test the old Tivo with your new power supply.


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## Teeps (Aug 16, 2001)

DonB. said:


> Update, received Tivo Saturday delivery by Fedex which I was stun. The box did have the remote and power supply included, so will be returning the broken box today. Will let you all know how quick credit is posted.


Cool.
The unit is probably is not a refurb. You get an extra remote and power supply out of the deal!


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

Teeps said:


> The unit is probably is not a refurb.


I think CS can order the Refurb with or without accessories.


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## Teeps (Aug 16, 2001)

sfhub said:


> I think CS can order the Refurb with or without accessories.


Interesting. They told me to keep the power supply and remote as the replacement would not have them. 
It (replacement tivo) came in a plain white box.


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

Another update, the replacement had an issue also. Once all setup and done with the guided setup. The screen went out on me, but power lights still on the front of the box. So I changed HDMI cables and same, no picture. I said WTF. So I moved it around to 3 different TV, still couldn't get a picture, tried 3 different HDMI cables also, same result. Called them back up, they're sending me another unit. They emailed the return label. Did not get shipping confirmation. So I called back and said, hope you're not waiting for this box to arrive in Texas before you send me a replacement, after I paid for expedited shipping on the first one. They said let me check, they were confused at the whole process, and finally got them to ship another yesterday, after spending an hour on the phone with the support agent. All day and night no email for shipping confirmation, I called back just before they closed, they said no worries it's being shipped. You'll get confirmation by email tonight. Well this morning, still no confirmation, so I'll have to call back this morning, and I'm sure I'll get another story.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

DonB. said:


> Another update, the replacement had an issue also. Once all setup and done with the guided setup. The screen went out on me, but power lights still on the front of the box. So I changed HDMI cables and same, no picture. I said WTF. So I moved it around to 3 different TV, still couldn't get a picture, tried 3 different HDMI cables also, same result. Called them back up, they're sending me another unit. They emailed the return label. Did not get shipping confirmation. So I called back and said, hope you're not waiting for this box to arrive in Texas before you send me a replacement, after I paid for expedited shipping on the first one. They said let me check, they were confused at the whole process, and finally got them to ship another yesterday, after spending an hour on the phone with the support agent. All day and night no email for shipping confirmation, I called back just before they closed, they said no worries it's being shipped. You'll get confirmation by email tonight. Well this morning, still no confirmation, so I'll have to call back this morning, and I'm sure I'll get another story.


I wouldn't hang up until they give you the order # for the replacement. In my experience once the order is in the system, everything moves quickly.


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

I must say, when Tivo was owned by Tivo in the US, customer service was much better, dealing with Rovi is an absolute joke. I can see why Rovi wants to concentrate on the software and not deal with settop boxes, this is pretty obvious. All the support agents including the supervisor are trained to say the same think. 

Anyway, even though they were suppose to ship overnight for all the mess ups they did, they did not. It'll be here on Wed and I can't deal with calling them again. I must say, it's sad that it has come to this.


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