# Can't search for movies on new 3-tuner Tivo



## roy_butterfield (Dec 5, 2011)

I posted this subject on a Tivo forum but I think I must have clicked through to a US one in error, because everyone was telling me how to do it, but with menus that I don't have. It looks as though older models could do it, but Tivo have been galloping backwards into the future with the new model.

I just got a new 3-tuner Tivo, which has been launched with a lot of bells and whistles about search capability, but I can't make it even bring up a simple list of movies that are currently in the guide. Sure, I can check for dramas, or comedies, or Tom Cruise, etc, etc - but who cares? I'm lucky if I can find a dozen programs out of a one weeks choices, so the last thing I want to do is limit the search. JUST GIMME THE LIST! On my 5-year-old Humax PVR I can get such a list in about 5 seconds, then quickly scan down it, checking the info on possibles, and hitting record on the ones that look good.

If anyone knows how to do this on the new Tivo whose search function begins like shown below, please let me know!

Home/Search & Browse/search all TV or browse all TV.

Also, whilst I'm moaning, the 30-second flick forward doesn't actually flick at all. All it does is fast-forward 30 seconds, with all the usually eye-popping pain that you get with fast forward. On my Humax, four quick presses (with maybe the odd short one back) and the ads are GONE! With the Tivo, 9 flick forwards are no better AT ALL than using fast-forward.


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## dwarfofpoison (Feb 5, 2011)

roy_butterfield said:


> I posted this subject on a Tivo forum but I think I must have clicked through to a US one in error, because everyone was telling me how to do it, but with menus that I don't have. It looks as though older models could do it, but Tivo have been galloping backwards into the future with the new model.
> 
> I just got a new 3-tuner Tivo, which has been launched with a lot of bells and whistles about search capability, but I can't make it even bring up a simple list of movies that are currently in the guide. Sure, I can check for dramas, or comedies, or Tom Cruise, etc, etc - but who cares? I'm lucky if I can find a dozen programs out of a one weeks choices, so the last thing I want to do is limit the search. JUST GIMME THE LIST! On my 5-year-old Humax PVR I can get such a list in about 5 seconds, then quickly scan down it, checking the info on possibles, and hitting record on the ones that look good.
> 
> ...


Just set up a Wishlist for Films using just the catagory field only. It will then produce a list of all the upcomming films available on your TV package. About two days worth but if you narrow the search in the catagory (e.g. Films: Crime Drama) it will populate 11 days +.

As far as your flick forward example, It is a "skip" forward procedure on the Virgin TiVo and it is more of a controlled fast forward. If you skip forward with eight presses it will Fast forward 4 mins but it is not an instant jump and you see all the time travelled (it's a matter of tast whether you like it or not!)


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

I made this specially for you, Roy 

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwoxcQ6oHKo[/media]


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## dwarfofpoison (Feb 5, 2011)

cwaring said:


> I made this specially for you, Roy
> 
> [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwoxcQ6oHKo[/media]


That's a first, nice one Carl your vid showed me how I should be using the search and browse. Cheers!


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## Brangdon (Feb 9, 2001)

roy_butterfield said:


> With the Tivo, 9 flick forwards are no better AT ALL than using fast-forward.


It's political. The adverts are what pay for the programmes. Some people (ie, network execs) say that skipping adverts is morally equivalent to theft, and that devices that skip should be illegal, or it will be the end of society as we know it. Viewers like to skip.

Humax have chosen to favour the viewers over than the networks. TiVo seems to have a policy of trying not to annoy networks too much, so have found a different balance. The idea is that with FF you can see enough of the adverts to stop and go back if one catches your interest, so they aren't totally lost.

With Series 1 TiVo the 30-second skip was a hidden feature, disabled by default. I wish there still was a way to disable it, and the skip buttons always jumped to the 15 minute marks. I don't have enough confidence in how long the adverts will be to know how many times to press the button, so instead I FF until I see the programme restart, and the skip button goes unused.


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

dwarfofpoison said:


> That's a first...


 What? Me being helpful? 



> ..nice one Carl your vid showed me how I should be using the search and browse. Cheers!


No problem. Anything else you'd like to see?



Brangdon said:


> With Series 1 TiVo the 30-second skip was a hidden feature, disabled by default. I wish there still was a way to disable it, and the skip buttons always jumped to the 15 minute marks.


You can still do with with the VM Tivo. But I assume you know that, right?

(Just press 'skip' whilst in FF or REW mode.)



> I don't have enough confidence in how long the adverts will be to know how many times to press the button, so instead I FF until I see the programme restart, and the skip button goes unused.


4-5 mins usually does it. (That's 8-10 presses, as the OP mentioned)


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

Brangdon said:


> It's political. The adverts are what pay for the programmes. Some people (ie, network execs) say that skipping adverts is morally equivalent to theft, and that devices that skip should be illegal, or it will be the end of society as we know it. Viewers like to skip.
> 
> Humax have chosen to favour the viewers over than the networks. TiVo seems to have a policy of trying not to annoy networks too much, so have found a different balance.


Hardly surprising, look at the history:

ReplayTV was launched the same year as TiVo (1999) and basically sued out of existance for its commercial skip feature:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReplayTV#Legal_battle


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## OzSat (Feb 15, 2001)

As a general rule for prime time programmes I have found - ITV1 is 8 presses - FX is 9 presses.

Overnight and 1 press is often all you need for the ad break.


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## Faz (May 2, 2004)

Nice video Carl.

The WishList method seems the best option available, but I don't find it very useful as the results page isn't so great, limited by not only the low screen resolution (causing lots of titles to end with ...) but also includes the +1 and HD.

The Search All TV and limiting by Film category method would be fine, but unless I'm missing something, there doesn't appear to be a way to list all films, with no results returned until a search criteria is entered.


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Faz said:


> Nice video Carl.


Thanks.



> The WishList method seems the best option available, but I don't find it very useful as the results page isn't so great, limited by not only the low screen resolution (causing lots of titles to end with ...) but also includes the +1 and HD.


All good points, but I don't worry too much about the title being cut off as you need to press [ok] to get the full synopsis anyway 



> The Search All TV and limiting by Film category method would be fine, but unless I'm missing something, there doesn't appear to be a way to list all films, with no results returned until a search criteria is entered.


Also true. With the old S1 units, you could just enter a "0" (zero) and it would then list all the films in alphabetical order so you could go through them. Unfortunately, you can't do that anymore as Tivo now finds the first letter anywhere in the title


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## jethrouk (May 7, 2011)

roy_butterfield said:


> .... whilst I'm moaning, the 30-second flick forward doesn't actually flick at all. All it does is fast-forward 30 seconds,....


Quite - not sure who the VM/Tivo programming monkeys thought this would benefit

To get it to actually skip you first have to set it _ffwding_ - then press 'skip' and it 'skips'


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## stevelup (Jun 4, 2002)

jethrouk said:


> VM/Tivo programming monkeys


Just out of interest, what do you do for a living that gives you the right to call other people monkeys?


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## Fixerman (Jan 31, 2011)

cwaring said:


> I made this specially for you, Roy
> 
> [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwoxcQ6oHKo[/media]


First class Carl!:up: Thanks for taking the time to put that helpful video together.

Maybe you could try your hand at a few more of the most popular topics?


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## jethrouk (May 7, 2011)

stevelup said:


> Just out of interest, what do you do for a living that gives you the right to call other people monkeys?


Judging by your post I'll take it 'Rocket Scientist' still wont be good enough


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## Fixerman (Jan 31, 2011)

Why don't we all try to get along for a change and stop this pointless bickering. It can only result in putting people off joining the forum.

Peace to all Men!​


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Fixerman said:


> Maybe you could try your hand at a few more of the most popular topics?


Sure. Such as?

Nice to see JethroUK back on here. He's good a laugh if nothing else


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## Brangdon (Feb 9, 2001)

cwaring said:


> You can still do with with the VM Tivo. But I assume you know that, right?
> 
> (Just press 'skip' whilst in FF or REW mode.)


I don't want to have to be in FF mode.



> 4-5 mins usually does it. (That's 8-10 presses, as the OP mentioned)


The uncertainty - 8 or 10 - is part of the problem. Especially as the answer varies from channel to channel.


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

And yet it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm just happy to be able to skip the ads *at all *


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

cwaring said:


> All good points, but I don't worry too much about the title being cut off as you need to press [ok] to get the full synopsis anyway


Also note that page up/down jumps to the next film in the list when viewing descriptions in view upcoming episodes IIRC
Speeds browsing up a bit.


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

cwaring said:


> I made this specially for you, Roy
> 
> [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwoxcQ6oHKo[/media]


I must be missing something, but how do you get the 1st method to actually show you all films? I've just tried it at home and it won't show me anything without putting something in the search field.


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

You still need to enter text, but it limits searching (titles, actors, etc.) to only Films; or whatever you filter on.


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

cwaring said:


> You still need to enter text, but it limits searching (titles, actors, etc.) to only Films; or whatever you filter on.


ok I did misunderstand then. I thought it was a 
way to show all films. Looks like its not possible then.

Thanks anyway for doing the video. Just as an aside what do you use to make the videos?


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

kmusgrave said:


> Looks like its not possible then.


It is. Use the second way; Wishlists.



> Thanks anyway for doing the video. Just as an aside what do you use to make the videos?


Record to DVD then import and edit with Windows Movie Maker.


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## Fixerman (Jan 31, 2011)

cwaring said:


> Record to DVD then import and edit with Windows Movie Maker.


You make it sound so easy Carl!


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Well it's not difficult 

I use the video converter you can find here: http://www.freemake.com/

Along with the audio converter, they are two excellent (and completely free!) programs.


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