# "The broadcaster will not allow this program to be recorded by Tivo"



## Gerhard (Sep 29, 2002)

Ok, 

So I just got this note from a friend in email, and I'd like to know if anyone else has see this:

"My dad has run into an interesting problem with TiVo that I've not seen yet, nor is it on the Community site (though I think he plans to change this.) He had several recordings in the last few days simply not record...with a note saying something like 'the broadcaster will not allow this program to be recorded by TiVo' The interesting thing is apparently TiVo blocked out an hour of blank space anyway."

Anyone?

Gerhard 

PS I did post this in the S3 forum, but I suspect my buddies dad has a Series 2 unit...


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## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

Assuming that show was not PPV or VOD then your friends dad's cable co is illegally setting the copy never flag in the cable signal. He should contact his cable company. This has been discussed here before several times.


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## Gerhard (Sep 29, 2002)

Of course... this has neven been discussed with ME before... but I do find that VERY interesting!

This would only apply to the series 3?

Gerhard


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## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

Gerhard said:


> This would only apply to the series 3?


No. These flags can also be set in an analog signal, so this problem can occur and has been seen with a Series 2.

here's a link to one of the threads discussing this problem.


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## Gerhard (Sep 29, 2002)

petew said:


> No. These flags can also be set in an analog signal, so this problem can occur and has been seen with a Series 2.
> 
> here's a link to one of the threads discussing this problem.


You rule! Thanks a bunch!!


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## Y-ASK (Aug 17, 2001)

petew said:


> Assuming that show was not PPV or VOD then your friends dad's cable co is illegally setting the copy never flag in the cable signal. He should contact his cable company.


As you said it all depends on what was being recorded but doesn't the illegal part only apply to local stations that broadcast OTA in the clear? For example, couldn't the History Channel block a show from recording if they really wanted to?

Y-ASK


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## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

Y-ASK said:


> As you said it all depends on what was being recorded but doesn't the illegal part only apply to local stations that broadcast OTA in the clear? For example, couldn't the History Channel block a show from recording if they really wanted to?
> 
> Y-ASK


I believe use of "Copy Never" is restricted to PPV and VOD where the end user has control over the timing of the broadcast. Cable channels can use "copy once" which allows Tivo to record the show but TTG and save to DVD are disabled and, I believe, Tivo will also output Macrovision preventing Save to VCR.


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## Y-ASK (Aug 17, 2001)

Ahhh, I see. Very interesting...

Y-ASK


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

I have the same problem. I just bought a DVD Recorder, but ANYTHING I try to record out of the TiVo--even if it's live television, or even if it's just the TiVo menus--I get a message from my DVD player saying "This program is not allowed to be recorded." 

According to my info at tivo.com my TiVo box IS set to "Transfers ALLOWED". However, I did notice that under Media Access Key in my TiVo menus it says "Temporarily Not Available" (which I believe is the same thing it's said since I bought the S2DT this past August).

I'm currently on hold with Tech Support, listening to my cellphone minutes evaporate...


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## Justin Thyme (Mar 29, 2005)

As Pete said, this has been covered.

Specifically, the solution is to remove the info in the VBI. http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=3246091#post3246091

A Sima GoDVD (it's a video stabilizer useful for DVD to VHS transfers) will do this for you. Available from Best Buy at about $99. Ebay I have seen these sorts of boxes go in the $40 range. Anything that knocks out the VBI will do it, since this is where the flags live when you are using analog cables.

Sorry- out of luck if you use something other than analog. Isn't digital great?


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

Well, I was told my the initial phone operator that a case number would be opened. However, when she then transferred me down the line, I spent a HALF-HOUR listening to crappy hold music and eventually had to hang up before my cellphone company bills me a hundred bucks for going over my minutes.  (I understand they're very busy right now, what with Christmas and all the newbies calling them up with problems, so I'm not necessarily blaming TiVo for my wasted 30 minutes of cellphone time, but I simply couldn't hang on any longer.)

So, currently, I have this nice spankin' new DVD Recorder that can't record diddlysquat coming out of the TiVo box. Sweet...


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## Justin Thyme (Mar 29, 2005)

You will find that you aren't allowed to record that output to anything else either without something like the Sima. It's because of the Macrovision cross licensing entanglement discussed in the thread mentioned. If you are a CE company and want to get the licenses for making a DVD player, you cannot make a product that does not obey the flagss when recording. Not just Tivo is outputing these flags, but everyone else.

And Tivo reps are not going to tell you how to deal with such annoyances that deal with these silly gifts from Hollywood.

You have to come to TCF for that.


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

Justin Thyme said:


> You will find that you aren't allowed to record that output to a dvd recorder either without something like the Sima.


I know this is a Macrovision thing, but it's not the same problem as the "red flag on recorded programs" problem in the other thread (i.e. it's not a case of my cable company telling me I can't record something). I think this has to do with my Media Access Key. According to that screen, "The TiVo license agreement allows you to transfer content to up to ten devices within your household". So doesn't that mean I should be able to make copies? However, it then says, "Media Access Key: Temporarily not available". So I'm hoping it's some sort of glitch.

All I want to do is burn some DVD copies of freakin' Travel Channel shows to free up some room in the TiVo box. It's not like I'm trying to steal something. Why is it that these movie, cable, and technology companies make us all feel like we're trying to rob Fort Knox, LOL?


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## Justin Thyme (Mar 29, 2005)

I never thought about it, but always associated "transfers allowed" with MRV/ TTG. But it is totally reasonable to assume that if Tivo was confused and thought transfers were disallowed that it would also may be raising the VBI copy flag on output. 

To isolate the problem, determine if the flag is set by your provider.

1) Try recording Travel Channel live to your DVD recorder. If that works, now try recording to Tivo, then try playing to the DVD recorder. If you get the error, you are right. Tell the Rep this. 

2) If it does not record travel directly, then try recording a local channel to the DVD recorder. If this fails, then it is your video provider mistakenly sending the do not record flags. It happens, and is inadvertent- very illegal to do this on OTA programs.


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

Justin Thyme said:


> To isolate the problem, determine if the flag is set by your provider.
> 
> 1) Try recording Travel Channel live to your DVD recorder. If that works, now try recording to Tivo, then try playing to the DVD recorder. If you get the error, you are right. Tell the Rep this.


Yeah, I tried recording my cable channels with the DVD Recorder and they recorded fine. But when I try to record ANYTHING coming out of the TiVo--even a TiVo menu screen--it won't record.

I looked at "Manage My Account" on TiVo.com again, and noticed that I *do* have an active Media Access Key on the account, yet the TiVo box doesn't have it.

According to the Tech Rep, sometimes there's a bug where, if you do not re-name your TiVo box online, it doesn't pick up the Media Access Key. (I had left my box un-named.) This makes sense, because I bought my parents an S2DT in December and installed it for them, and I re-named their TiVo box online, and when they scrolled through their menus for me they found they DO have a Media Access Key.

So, I re-named my TiVo box online. And then I forced it to call in. And now when I check under System Information the DVR Name is what I entered on line... but I *still* don't have a Media Access Key listed.

So, I forced a restart of the box. I waited for it to do it's "Welcome! Powering up..." bit. I forced it to call in again. And there's still no Media Access Key.


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

Well, I finally got a Media Access Key into the TiVo box.

And it didn't help.

Anything I try to record to DVD from the TiVo box still says "not allowed to be recorded". Apparently, the Macrovision signal is still coming through. I can't even record a TiVo menu. And I can't trick it by starting the DVD Recorder first; as soon as the TiVo signal starts up the DVD Recorder stops recording and gives me the "not allowed to be recorded" menu.

I can't describe how aggravating this is. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to record stuff from the TiVo to a DVD Recorder. The paragraph in the Media Access Key page even SAYS that. Yet here I sit, with a brand new DVD recorder, and I can't record with it.


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## gastrof (Oct 31, 2003)

Have you PM'd TiVoStephen or TiVoJerry?

They've stepped in and helped TiVo subscribers who post here when phoning TiVo hasn't been all that successful.


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## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

There are reports of DVD recorders giving a false positive, refusing to record a show even though the copy protection flag is not set. Or this may be a hardware problem on either the Tivo or DVD recorder. Have you tried calling the DVD recorder support line?


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## gastrof (Oct 31, 2003)

If he tries to record off something else, such as a VCR, this might say if it's the TiVo or the DVD recorder.

If he can record off a VCR, I'd say the TiVo's acting weird.

If it can't record off the VCR, then it's likely the DVD recorder.


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

petew said:


> There are reports of DVD recorders giving a false positive, refusing to record a show even though the copy protection flag is not set.


Is the DVD recorder a Toshiba? Those in particular are prone to the false positive problem. Search avsforum.com for details.


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

petew said:


> There are reports of DVD recorders giving a false positive, refusing to record a show even though the copy protection flag is not set. Or this may be a hardware problem on either the Tivo or DVD recorder. Have you tried calling the DVD recorder support line?


It's a Pye. It cost $90. Their support line is probably a loop recording of laughter...

(Seriously... all their instruction booklets say is "you cannot record copy-protected video". If I call their support line, if I'm lucky, that's all their help line would tell me, too, I'm willing to bet...)


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

gastrof said:


> If he tries to record off something else, such as a VCR, this might say if it's the TiVo or the DVD recorder.
> 
> If he can record off a VCR, I'd say the TiVo's acting weird.
> 
> If it can't record off the VCR, then it's likely the DVD recorder.


It records off the VCR fine; I plugged the VCR into it and recorded cable channels as well as the beginning of a store-bought videotape.

As soon as I switch back to the TiVo source, it stops recording.

Again, it's not just a specific item in my To Do list. It's anything coming out of the TiVo, even a live channel, even a TiVo menu. In fact, if I go to Standby, and press "record" on the DVD recorder, it starts to record but as as soon as I take the TiVo out of Standby the DVD recorder stops recording.

Apparently it just doesn't like the signal coming out of the TiVo, Media Access Key be damned. Quite irritating...


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## Justin Thyme (Mar 29, 2005)

Good test- Menus too! That's interesting. Tivo can't be sending flags on a menu. 

Your DVD recorder has to be confused.

Can you borrow a friend's DVD recorder and see if theirs works?


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## gastrof (Oct 31, 2003)

Does this suggest there's reason to question the value of Pye?


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## TiVoJerry (Jul 26, 2005)

JD10367, what are the first three numbers of your TSN? I've seen one other report of this nature and am wondering if this might be platform-specific.


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

gastrof said:


> Does this suggest there's reason to question the value of Pye?


I would give that a big ol' green TiVo "Thumb UP". If I'd known, I would've spent the extra money for a better recorder.


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

TiVoJerry said:


> JD10367, what are the first three numbers of your TSN? I've seen one other report of this nature and am wondering if this might be platform-specific.


I assume you mean TiVo Service Number? It's 649.

Since it happens with any signal from the TiVo (including a menu screen) I'm going to assume one of two things:

1.) The TiVo is wonky and somehow sends the copyright signal all the time, Media Access Key be damned, and/or...

2.) The Pye DVD Recorder is worth less than the cardboard box it came in (which I threw out, and thus can't return).


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## restart88 (Mar 9, 2002)

JD10367 said:


> Well, I finally got a Media Access Key into the TiVo box.
> 
> And it didn't help.
> 
> ...


I understand the frustration VERY well. I suddenly couldn't get Tivo to transfer anything to PC until someone here told me to check my Windows firewall settings. Old shows would play fine and I could transfer TO Tivo, just not to PC. All fixed now!

Not that this helps you except to say I'm empathetic to your misery.

I did have that "Cannot record" flag come up on a recorded show from my Dish 508 I was trying to transfer to DVD burner once but it was because I'd accidentially switched live to a channel I didn't subscribe to. I had thought maybe my Panny ES20 was made before the flags thing, but it would seem it is not.


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## TiVoJerry (Jul 26, 2005)

I've opened up a report on this issue. At first glance, it seems to only affect the 649 platform, and even then may only show up when connected to certain DVD recorders (although I could certainly be wrong at this stage). 

Analog video output connections have nothing to do with the Media Access Key, as that only affects the transferring of programs between networked DVRs and PCs.

Of course, none of this helps you right now but at least you know we're aware of it.


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## javabird (Oct 13, 2006)

TiVoJerry said:


> I've opened up a report on this issue. At first glance, it seems to only affect the 649 platform, and even then may only show up when connected to certain DVD recorders (although I could certainly be wrong at this stage).
> 
> Analog video output connections have nothing to do with the Media Access Key, as that only affects the transferring of programs between networked DVRs and PCs.
> 
> Of course, none of this helps you right now but at least you know we're aware of it.


Thanks, TiVoJerry. I'm glad to know about this. I have the same PYE DVD-R and a 649 Tivo, and having the same problem. I thought it was the recorder.


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

TiVoJerry said:


> Of course, none of this helps you right now but at least you know we're aware of it.


While you're at it, why don't you hop over to the DirecTV Receiver forum and investigate the rebooting problem everyone's complaining about. Even if it's bad guide data, your software shouldn't be getting confused enough to reboot the box!


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

javabird said:


> Thanks, TiVoJerry. I'm glad to know about this. I have the same PYE DVD-R and a 649 Tivo, and having the same problem. I thought it was the recorder.


And unfortunately I'm not in a position where I can return the Pye and/or borrow someone else's DVD recorder to see if it works.

If anyone else out there has TSN 649, please feel free to chime in as to whether or not your TiVo lets you record stuff out of it with a DVD recorder (and what type of DVD recorder you have).


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## javabird (Oct 13, 2006)

JD10367 said:


> And unfortunately I'm not in a position where I can return the Pye and/or borrow someone else's DVD recorder to see if it works.
> 
> If anyone else out there has TSN 649, please feel free to chime in as to whether or not your TiVo lets you record stuff out of it with a DVD recorder (and what type of DVD recorder you have).


I was able to get it to record from Tivo by using a Sima CT-2 "Video Enhancer" (I got it off ebay for another video project a while back). I tried it with the DVD-R after reading recommendations from others in the forums. It is frustrating, though, because I have to move it back and forth between the Tivo and the VCR depending on what I want to record. I guess I will need to look into getting a switcher, but I wish there was a simpler solution.


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## JD10367 (Dec 21, 2006)

javabird said:


> I was able to get it to record from Tivo by using a Sima CT-2 "Video Enhancer" (I got it off ebay for another video project a while back). I tried it with the DVD-R after reading recommendations from others in the forums. It is frustrating, though, because I have to move it back and forth between the Tivo and the VCR depending on what I want to record. I guess I will need to look into getting a switcher, but I wish there was a simpler solution.


I really don't want to go buy yet another piece of equipment. If I'd known, I would've just bought the more expensive DVD recorder. (


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## javabird (Oct 13, 2006)

Agreed. I exchanged mine after spending way too much time trying to get it to work, and not being satisfied with the image quality from VHS. (I got a Sony, which so far seems to record nicely from the Tivo.)


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## Keyser Soze (May 11, 2002)

JD10367 said:


> Again, it's not just a specific item in my To Do list. It's anything coming out of the TiVo, even a live channel, even a TiVo menu. In fact, if I go to Standby, and press "record" on the DVD recorder, it starts to record but as as soon as I take the TiVo out of Standby the DVD recorder stops recording.
> 
> Apparently it just doesn't like the signal coming out of the TiVo, Media Access Key be damned. Quite irritating...


Interesting read... I found this thread through a google search, and I seem to be having the exact same problem. I have a Series2 unit, and just picked up a Samsung dvd recording unit.

After setting up the dvdr many different ways, I also can not get it to record any signal coming from my Tivo box (pre recorded shows/live TV/tivo menus/etc).

My TSN number also starts with a 649.

Looks like I'll be picking up a GoDVD box in the near future.


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## TiVoJerry (Jul 26, 2005)

Phantom Gremlin said:


> While you're at it, why don't you hop over to the DirecTV Receiver forum and investigate the rebooting problem everyone's complaining about. Even if it's bad guide data, your software shouldn't be getting confused enough to reboot the box!


Your particular issue should be resolved. I was unable to respond as I was heading out to CES. If it is still an issue, please force a phone call and you should be set.


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## BrianEWilliams (Apr 15, 2002)

JD10367 said:


> eventually had to hang up before my cellphone company bills me a hundred bucks for going over my minutes. :


Get a Skype Out account: http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/

$15 for a year of backup phone service if you have broadband.


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## jkeilholz (Feb 3, 2007)

I'm having this same problem and it looks like this thread stopped.

I hate reading an entire thread and getting to the end and finding a resolution was never posted.

I'm using a series 2 TSN 649 Magnavox dvd recorder.
Time Warner - dvd recorder works fine from any other TV in the house that isn't connected to my dvr.
As soon as i try recording anything from the dvr though, I get message "This Program Is Not Allowed To Be Recorded"


I just finished logging onto Tivo and naming my box and making sure the preferences were set to allow transfers. My box name hasn't shown up under settings yet.


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## restart88 (Mar 9, 2002)

Just a quick thought. Are you sure you have an active video signal going in when you get the message? I learned that dead air will trigger the message on mine.


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## georgebitar (Feb 9, 2007)

I've had this problem also with the Series 2.
Thanks,
George Bitar


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## jkeilholz (Feb 3, 2007)

I spoke with two techs at Tivo Support that both admitted that they have gotten a lot of recent reports of people not abe to record to their dvd recorder. They said that their developers are looking in to it but gave no time line for how long until it works.

The manager I spoke with just told me to copy everything to my pc and he gave me some links to free software to convert the .tivo files and burn to dvd.


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## mizweb (May 1, 2006)

ANY RESOLUTION TO THIS FROM TIVO SUPPORT?? IT'S BEEN A WHILE...I just started having problems.

Hi,

I'm in the same situation, however, I have no new box/TiVo/DVD player...it was all fine a few days ago...now all recording is prohibited.

I tried the "unplug Tivo" suggestion I read in an old post...it was a no-go.

I'm with Comcast.

Anyone else? If so PLEASE POST!!!


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## Alcatraz (Nov 22, 2000)

Are you using a cable box? If so, have you tried unplugging it instead of the Tivo?


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

mizweb said:


> ANY RESOLUTION TO THIS FROM TIVO SUPPORT?? IT'S BEEN A WHILE...I just started having problems.
> 
> Hi,
> 
> ...


You're going to have to provide a few more details of your setup.

What kind of Tivo?
What kind of recorder?
How are they hooked up?
What are you trying to record?
What happens?


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