# TiVo HD FAQ



## dvr4me

> *TiVo HD Frequently Asked Questions*​


This FAQ is a work in progress. It will continue to grow as I gather new information. If you have questions or comments regarding the FAQ or would like to have information added to the FAQ, please send me a Private Message (PM) . Thanks!

*This FAQ is broken up into the following sections:*

Links
TiVo.com FAQ
TiVo.com Specifications
Additional Questions
Bugs
Credits




> *LINKS*​


OFFICIAL TIVO LINKS:
TiVo HD Features Link on Tivo.com
TiVo HD Specifications Link on Tivo.com
TiVo HD FAQ Link on Tivo.com

REVIEW LINKS:
Tivo Lovers Blog (C001)
Gizmodo Review (C002)
CNET Review (C003)
PC Magazine Review
PC World Review

IMAGE LINKS
Tivo Lovers Blog Images (C001)



> *TiVo.com FAQ*​


Tivo HD FAQ Link on Tivo.com

This is the TiVo HD FAQ, cut and pasted from the TiVo site when first introduced 7/24/2007. It has been verified: 08/16/2007.

This particular portion of the TiVo HD FAQ here on Tivo Community Forum is provided for your convenience. It should not be considered an original work by Dvr4me.

*What is the TiVo® HD DVR?*

The TiVo® HD DVR is the ultimate HDTV companion, maximizing your cable experience by combining the clarity of High Definition with the Emmy Award-winning TiVo service. Designed as a universal cable box replacement that works seamlessly with any cable provider, the TiVo HD DVR also includes exclusive TiVo service features such as Movie & TV Downloads through Amazon Unbox, Home Movie Sharing and universal Swivel Search®, delivering the best of broadband video directly to the television set right alongside your favorite broadcast programs.

*What can you do with the Tivo® HD DVR?*


Control cable HDTV with record, pause, rewind and fast-forward
Record up to 20 hours in HD (or 180 hours in SD)
Download thousands of movies from Amazon Unbox directly to your TiVo box*
Search, record and watch shows in HD
Schedule your favorite shows online
Universal cable box replacement designed to work with any cable provider**
Automatically record every episode of your favorite show
Listen to your MP3 collection and view your digital photos on TV*
*Broadband internet connection required
**Cable service required to receive cable channels. TiVo does not provide cable service.

SATELLITE SERVICE NOT SUPPORTED

*How many hours of programs can I record on TiVo HD?*

TiVo HD can record up to 20 hours in HD or up to 180 hours in SD, depending on your cable source.

*What HD resolution modes does the box support?*

TiVo HD supports 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i.

*What is the hard-drive size?*

160GB.

*What is included in the box?*


TiVo HD DVR
TiVo remote control
Composite cables
Component cables
Power cable
Telephone cable
Manual
Quick Start Guide
*What is the retail price for the TiVo HD DVR?*

$299.99 MSRP

*Where can I find a TiVo HD DVR?*

TiVo.com, Best Buy, Circuit City and Amazon. TiVo HD will also be available at many local and regional retailers.

*What are the service options?*

Customers can choose from a 1, 2 or 3yr TiVo monthly or prepaid service plan. A one year minimum service plan is required.

*Do you still offer the Multi-Service Discount (MSD)?*

Yes, if you have multiple TiVo boxes, you may be eligible for the Multi-Service Discount. To learn more about the Multi-Service Discount click here.

*What signal sources does the TiVo HD DVR support?*

The TiVo HD DVR supports digital cable, over-the-air digital antenna (ATSC), analog cable and analog antenna. You will need one (1) Multi-stream CableCARD or two (2) Single-stream CableCARDs to receive HD Digital channels. Without CableCARDs, you will still be able to receive standard definition analog channels, as well as analog and digital antenna channels.

*What outputs are supported on the TiVo HD box?*

HDMI, Component video, S-video, Composite video, Optical audio, Analog audio.

*Does the TiVo HD work with satellite programming?*

The TiVo HD DVR is designed for cable and CANNOT support satellite programming. For customers with satellite service, TiVo offers the TiVo Series2 DT in Standard Definition.

*What is a CableCARD decoder?*

A CableCARD decoder is small card that allows a digital TV or set top box to receive Digital Cable programming from your cable provider. It's about the size of a thick credit card, and fits into a special slot built into the TiVo HD box.

To receive two digital cable channels at the same time, the TiVo HD DVR will require either one (1) Multi-stream CableCARD or two (2) Single-stream CableCARDs. You will need to contact your cable provider to request CableCARD decoders. *All major cable companies are FCC mandated to provide CableCARDs to their digital cable subscribers. Some cable companies offer CableCARDs for free and others charge a small monthly fee.*

*What are the USB ports for?*

The USB ports are for connecting to your home network with the TiVo Wireless G Network Adapter.

*Can I use any wireless network adapter on my TiVo HD box?*

No, only the TiVo Wireless G Network Adapter allows a wireless connection to your home network. The TiVo Wireless G Network Adapter can be purchased separately at TiVo.com and most retailers.

*How is TiVo HD different from the TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder?*

Both products are designed on the Series3 architecture so the core TiVo functionality is the same. However, the TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder will remain as our premium HD DVR product with features such as a bigger hard drive (250gb), THX Certification, front panel display and a programmable, back-lit remote control.

*How is a TiVo HD DVR different from Series2?*

The TiVo HD DVR is the ideal HDTV companion, maximizing the cable experience by combining the clarity of HD with the Emmy Award-winning TiVo service. The TiVo Series2 products are designed for analog television or to be used with an external satellite receiver.

*What is the purpose of the front panel display lights?*

The front panel lights display your current video resolution mode (i.e. 720p or 1080i). They also communicate basic TiVo functions such as power, recording or download in progress.

*Are TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing available on TiVo HD?*

TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing are not currently available on the TiVo HD DVR. We expect that a version of TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing features will be made available for the TiVo HD DVR in the future.

*What features work with the TiVo HD box?*

Amazon Unbox on TiVo, universal Swivel search, Online Scheduling, KidZone, Home Movie Sharing, Music and Photos, Fandango Movie Tickets, Yahoo! Weather and Traffic and more.

*Does TiVo HD include an HDMI cable?*

No, TiVo HD does not include an HDMI cable. HDMI cables are sold separately and available at [u]www.tivo.com[/u] or in retail stores.

*Does the TiVo HD have a Firewire output?*

No, the TiVo HD does not support 1394 (Firewire) outputs.

*Does the TiVo HD box work with my cable company's video on demand and pay-per-view services?*

Currently, certain advanced and interactive digital cable services such as video-on-demand, enhanced program guide, and pay-per-view services may require the use of a separate cable company-provided set-top box. For more information about interactive digital cable services, please call your local cable operator.



> *TiVo.com TiVo HD Product Specifications*​


Tivo HD Specifications Link on Tivo.com

This is the TiVo HD Product Specs, cut and pasted from the TiVo site when first introduced 7/24/2007. It has been verified: 08/16/2007.

This particular portion of the TiVo HD FAQ here on Tivo Community Forum is provided for your convenience. It should not be considered an original work by Dvr4me.

*Product Overview:*


Controls cable TV with Record, Pause, Rewind, and Fast-Forward in HD
Records two HD channels at once, while watching another recorded show
Records up to 20 hours in HD (or 180 hours in Standard Definition)
Designed specifically for cable customers (1)
Video output modes include: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i

*Product Features:*


Download thousands of movies directly to your TV**
Share home movies with your friends and family on their TV**
Get broadband videos, music and photos on your TV**
Schedule shows online**
Discover broadcast and broadband shows with universal Swivel Search**
Easily pre-approve what your kids watch with TiVo KidZone

*Product Dimensions:*


16.5" W x 12.625" D x 3.375" H
Weight: 12 lbs.

*Product Specifications:*


Signal sources: Digital cable, Analog cable, Digital antenna (ATSC) and Analog antenna channels (satellite not supported)
Outputs: HDMI, Component video, S-video, Composite video, Optical audio, Analog audio
Video output modes include: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i
Inputs: Dual CableCARD support (2 slots), Cable coax, Antenna coax
Ethernet connection, USB 2.0 ports (2), phone line, E-SATA***
Works with the TiVo Wireless G Network Adapter
TiVo Series3 architecture

*Included in Box:*


TiVo HD box
TiVo remote control
Manual
Quick Start guide
Composite, Component, Power cables

*Footnotes:*

(1) TiVo HD and TiVo Series3 HD may require two CableCARDs to receive two digital cable channels.

*Broadband Internet connection required.

**Multiple TiVo DVRs required. Each TiVo DVR requires own TiVo Service subscription.

***E-SATA port for future use only.

TiVo HD and TiVo Series3 DO NOT support satellite service.

TiVo service is required and sold seperately. No functionality is represented or should be expected without a paid subscription to the TiVo service. Minimum 1 year service plan required.



> *ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS*​


*Comparing the TiVo HD to the S3, what are the hardware specifications, the TiVo HD advantages, and the TiVo HD disadvantages?*

See [post=5353037]this post.[/post]

*What is the speed of the Ethernet Port on the TiVo HD?*

Per [post=5355185]this post by Megazone[/post], the ethernet is 10/100.

*What is the brand and model number of the hard drive?*

Western Digital 160Gb WD1600AVBS SATA hard drive.

*Can the TiVo HD output to a standard TV?*

Per [post=5356026]this post by avmike[/post], his S3 will output to a standard TV just fine and will downconvert any HD programming to 480i resolution.

*I purchased my TiVo Product Lifetime service on or before January 21, 2000 and would like to use the one-time "Grandfather transfer" (KDB code 09-07-04) to transfer the Lifetime service to my new TiVo HD. Can I?"*

Although TiVo initially was not allowing the "Grandfather transfer", it has been confirmed by [post=5356056]gbronzer in this post[/post] that Tivo will allow you to transfer your Tivo Product Lifetime service if you qualify for KDB code 09-07-04 transfers.

*Does the TiVo HD support SDV (switched digital video)?*

Not at this time.

*Does the TiVo HD support MRV (multi-room viewing)?*

Not at this time. However, per the FAQ on Tivo.com, "We expect that a version of TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing features will be made available for the TiVo HD DVR in the future."

*The TiVo HD has an E-SATA port like the S3. The S3 E-SATA port is currently working using kickstart 62. Does the E-SATA port work on the TiVo HD? Can I use kickstart 62 to enable the port? (C004)*

Although the TiVo HD does have an E-SATA for hard drive expansion, it is not currently enabled in the TiVo software included on the TiVo HD. The workaround for the S3 (kickstart 62) is based on a different TiVo software revision and will not work on the TiVo HD. TiVo does have plans to enable the E-SATA port in the TiVo HD but a definitive date has not been set.

*What is the SD and HD recording capacity?*

There are two types of TV channels the TiVo HD handles: analog and digital. The goal of the TiVo HD is to record digital information onto the hard drive. While analog channels must be converted into a digital format, digital TV signals are provided in a already compressed MPEG2 digital format.

Since the TiVo HD must convert the analog channels into a digital format, it provides 4 different levels of compression for standard definition (SD) analog recordings. For SD recordings, it will record approximately:


BEST quality: 45 hours, 30 minutes
HIGH quality: 73 hours, 17 minutes
MEDIUM quality: 96 hours, 34 minutes
BASIC quality: 184 hours, 26 minutes

Digital channels and High Definition (HD) channels need no futher processing or compression since they are already in digital format (there is no setting for recording quality of a digital channel on the TiVo HD).

The 160 gigabyte hard drive in the TiVo HD will record up to 20 hours of HD programming. Notice how it says "up to 20 hours". It may be less or it may be more depending on how compressed the digital signal is from your signal provider. Some 1 hour shows might only take up 5 gigabytes of space while other shows might take up 8 or 9 gigabytes of space.

Atmuscarella pointed out to me that SD digital programs should take up a lot less space than their HD counterpart. After testing a few shows, it appears that a SD digital channel will take up approximately 1.6 gigabytes of space per hour of recording. Based on this number, if you were to purely record SD digital programs, you can expect about 100 hours of programming to fit on the 160Gb hard drive. Like HD recordings, this number can vary greatly depending on what you are recording and how much the recording is compressed (a high action, colorful movie with a lot of scene changes is not going to compress as well as a slow moving movie with few scene changes).

Please keep in mind that HD and SD recordings are not exclusive of one another. If you record 10 hours of HD, you've filled 1/2 of the hard drive and only have 22 hours of BEST quality SD recording capacity left.

*How can I figure out how much space is being used by a show?*

Just go to your "Now Playing" list, select the show, and rather than pressing play, press the "info" button on your TiVo remote. On the info screen it will tell you the percentage of the hard drive space being used as well as how many gigabytes of space is consumed by the show.

*What software revision is the TiVo HD running out of the box?*

8.1.7A1-01-2-652 is the revision my recorder was running on first boot.

*What is the current software revision?*

8.1.7B2-01-2-652, introduced 08/16/2007

*What is the history of the software revisions that have been released?*

8.1.7A1-01-2-652, Initial release 
8.1.7B1-01-2-652, introduced the week of 08/03/2007
8.1.7B2-01-2-652, introduced 08/16/2007

*I need more space! The 160 gig drive is just too small. Can I use the usual tools to replace my 160 gig drive with a larger hard drive?*

The previous tools do not work on the TiVo HD. However, new tools have been developed and many people have been successful in upgrading their drives to larger drives. (Thanks Spike2k5!!) See [post=5368943] this post[/post] for all the details.



> *BUGS*​


*When I set the LED's to "ALL OFF", the green LED remains on. (Fixed in software version 8.1.7b)*

Typically when you set the LED's to "ALL OFF", all the LED's will go dark. However on the TiVo HD, the green LED remains on. It is not known whether this is a feature or a bug or whether TiVo will correct it. It is just known to currently operate in this manner.

*When I first setup my TiVo HD (without cablecards), I only get the "basic" or analog channels. None of the digital clear QAM channels are in the channel lineup.*

After you get the TiVo HD setup and running under your cable system you should do a "channel scan". This will scan all channels and add those channels that are not in the TiVo guide list. It may add quite a few blank channels. In my case, it added about 125 additional "dead" channels. The only way to know if a channel is live or not is to go through your channel list and enable all the channels, then use the channel up/down button in Live TV mode to scan through them. Tuning HD takes a bit of time so you'll probably want to pause on each channel for a second or two before advancing to the next. I recommend you write down the channels that are working, then disable the non-working channels in the channel list.

Unfortunately there is no way at this time to link the digital channels to guide data. You can manually record from the channels, however since there is no program information the Now Playing List will not show the program information. It will only show the channel, day, and time recorded.

*I was channel flipping like a maniac through my HD channels on my TiVo HD and it rebooted/locked up/unresponsive for a minute or two! My TiVo is connected using HDMI.*

Tuning the HD channels seems to take a bit of time. If you channel flip through them too fast using the channel up/down button it may become unresponsive for a period of time. I have noticed if you unplug the HDMI cable the TiVo "might" start responding. On one occasion the TiVo simply rebooted.

If you use the guide to switch channels, it seems to work fine. Try to avoid fast channel flipping using the channel up/down button.

*I just finished a channel scan and I was using the signal strength screen. After I flipped through maybe two dozen channels, my TiVo rebooted. What's up?*

It's probably related to the same bug posted above. When going through digital channels, something is causing a reboot. Maybe there is some type of memory leak or buffer overflow. Just expect that your unit might reboot if you're using the signal strength screen and navigating through the channels.



> *CREDITS*​


C001: Added TiVo Lovers Blog and Tivo Lovers Blog Images link, posted [post=5351456]HERE by Megazone[/post]

C002: Added Gizmodo review link, posted [post=5352171]HERE by Higuchem[/post]

C003: Added CNET review link, posted [post=5352409]HERE by twassel[/post]. Credit to mchiles for starting the post but unable to post the link due to post count.

C004: Added suggestion by Bareyb to add E-SATA information to the FAQ. Thanks!


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## jaynas

i am paying 8 bucks a month for my tivo service now. i have a series 2. will i be able to keep paying 8 bucks a month if i buy the tivo hd or do i have to pay the 12.95, 14.95, 16.95, etc a month.


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## yunlin12

jaynas said:


> i am paying 8 bucks a month for my tivo service now. i have a series 2. will i be able to keep paying 8 bucks a month if i buy the tivo hd or do i have to pay the 12.95, 14.95, 16.95, etc a month.


The Tivo HD won't affect the price you pay on your S2. You will need to pay additional service fee for the HD, which should be the MSD rate of 6.95/month.


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## km23

Does the TiVo have Coax audio or just optical?


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## Dan203

Looks like it;s optical only, but if you need coax you can get something like this...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B0002GV876

I bought one a while back because my receiver only has 2 optical inputs and 1 coaxial, and I had 3 devices with optical outputs I wanted to connect to it. I have it connected to a Toshiba DVD TiVo unit and it works great.

Dan


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## Hogues92

"To receive two digital cable channels at the same time, the TiVo HD DVR will require either one (1) Multi-stream CableCARD or two (2) Single-stream CableCARDs."

I hope that this mean that they have the software in place to take advantage of the M-Card in place. If so, I hope that they share it with the S3 owners as well!


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## HDTiVo

Denny said that the MCard support is there at launch.


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## mph005

> Can I use any wireless network adapter on my TiVo HD box?
> 
> No, only the TiVo Wireless G Network Adapter allows a wireless connection to your home network.


Anyone know how true this is? Is this a requirement shared with all S3 boxes, or just the new HD one?

Already have a cheapo Linksys usb adapter running on my S2 box. Not looking forward to buying a Tivo branded adapter, especially since I can't even do transfers between boxes.


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## Manny24

Does the "Full" Series 3 have a display on the front panel to tell you what channel you are currently on? It does not appear that the new HD Tivo has that. If this is supposed to completely replace my cable box, I think that could be one upgrade I might wait for.


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## Arcady

No, the Series3 does not show you what channel you are watching on the front display. It shows you what programs are recording. You can see what channel you are watching by pressing info and looking at your screen (like on any TiVo.)

People still watch live TV?


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## Dan203

Manny24 said:


> Does the "Full" Series 3 have a display on the front panel to tell you what channel you are currently on? It does not appear that the new HD Tivo has that. If this is supposed to completely replace my cable box, I think that could be one upgrade I might wait for.


The "Full" S3 does have a display on the front, however it does not tell you which channel it's on. Instead it displays the name(s) of the program(s) you're recording, the time, and a couple of other things like the video resolution setting. If you want to know what channel you're on a simply press of the right arrow key will bring up a banner with the channel number.

Dan


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## Manny24

Thanks for your response. I think I could handle not having the channel displayed but my fiance might have some trouble with it, at least at first anyway.

Looks like a really nice product.


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## PhantomDilbert

You'll get over the not knowing the channel very quickly.

My wife was like "what's a TiVo" and why do you need one? Now when it is offline she asks "um when are you going to fix it?" She can't live without it now!


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## bareyb

mph005 said:


> Anyone know how true this is? Is this a requirement shared with all S3 boxes, or just the new HD one?
> 
> Already have a cheapo Linksys usb adapter running on my S2 box. Not looking forward to buying a Tivo branded adapter, especially since I can't even do transfers between boxes.


As far as I know you can use any adapater you want. If TiVo has implemented a "feature" on new models that disallows other brands then that would make me a little concerned about future eSATA having the same feature forcing you to use a TIVo branded HDD... Let's hope that's just marketing fluff.


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## Dan203

eSATA is a lot different then USB networking. For USB networking to work TiVo has to update and maintain drivers, and in some cases even firmware, for several different chipsets. This creates a support and development burden on them. eSATA is nothing more then an internal port pointed outward. There is no special chipset and no drivers. For TiVo to support eSATA all they have to do is develop the technology once, and then any drive with an eSATA port will work. There is no extra burden to maintain support for specific drivers or chipsets, if the drive has the port then it will just work.

Dan


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## bareyb

Dan203 said:


> eSATA is a lot different then USB networking. For USB networking to work TiVo has to update and maintain drivers, and in some cases even firmware, for several different chipsets. This creates a support and development burden on them. eSATA is nothing more then an internal port pointed outward. There is no special chipset and no drivers. For TiVo to support eSATA all they have to do is develop the technology once, and then any drive with an eSATA port will work. There is no extra burden to maintain support for specific drivers or chipsets, if the drive has the port then it will just work.
> 
> Dan


Ah. I hadn't considered that aspect. Very good reasoning Dan. Thanks. I feel better. I can go hook up my new drives in peace.


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## Jon J

Are there any reports on how sensitive the ATSC tuners are? If they are better than the ones in the HR10-250 (which wouldn't be too hard) it might be a better choice for OTA recording.


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## vman41

Jon J said:


> Are there any reports on how sensitive the ATSC tuners are? If they are better than the ones in the HR10-250 (which wouldn't be too hard) it might be a better choice for OTA recording.


More importantly, are they as good as the Series 3, which are phenomenal.


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## dozens

Will OnDemand and switch digital video be support by this box (eventually) ? Does the box have the ability to send upstream data (DOCSIS modem) ?


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## megazone

dozens said:


> Will OnDemand and switch digital video be support by this box (eventually) ? Does the box have the ability to send upstream data (DOCSIS modem) ?


No sign of DOCSIS at this point, though there is still speculation on just what that Xilinx FPGA is for. But there may be support for SDV, even VOD, without it.


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## HDTiVo

megazone said:


> No sign of DOCSIS at this point, though there is still speculation on just what that Xilinx FPGA is for. But there may be support for SDV, even VOD, without it.


Is that wired to be able to send (or trigger something else to send) something up the coax?

What about MOCA?


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## m_jonis

So no QAM tuning then, eh?


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## daroz

I called TiVo (sales) earlier today as my local TWC MSO is going to be rolling out SDV aggressively. According to the rep (who put me on hold for 5 minutes looking for the answer) SDV isn't supported in the TiVo HD. No word on if it's possible in the future.

A second call to sales made an hour later confirmed the first call.


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## dvr4me

m_jonis said:


> So no QAM tuning then, eh?


I believe it does support Unencrypted QAM. (I'll see if I can substantiate that information with something official.)

Update:

Here's the information posted in the S3 FAQ about Clear QAM:



megazone said:


> *Does the S3 support unencrypted digital cable channels, aka QAM in-the-clear, without a CableCARD?*
> 
> Partially. Clear QAM channels can be tuned directly by entering the correct channel number. Recordings can be scheduled by time and channel. There is no guide data for digital cable channels without CableCARD, and hence no Season Passes or Wish Lists are possible. There is currently no way to manually map channels. TiVo is looking into the possibility to provide mapping in the future.


Basically this means that although the Tivo can tune the Clear QAM channels, they don't correspond with guide data. So you can manually record channel 93.3 at 8pm on Tuesdays, but you cannot set a season pass to record your favorite show on 93.3.

I have my Tivo HD on order so I'll update the FAQ once I have first hand information.


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## dvr4me

Adding additional questions and answers from other posts on TCF. If you have anything specific you'd like added, either post here or send me a PM. Thanks!


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## dozens

The answer for SDV suggest it will be available in the future. Is this really the case ? Has Tivo made any public statements saying SDV will be supported ? If so, what time frame ?


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## mph005

dozens said:


> The answer for SDV suggest it will be available in the future. Is this really the case ? Has Tivo made any public statements saying SDV will be supported ? If so, what time frame ?


They've said maybe. And I think that's about the best answer you will get out of them. No time frame. Might not ever happen.


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## bicker

dozens said:


> The answer for SDV suggest it will be available in the future.


If you really read the sentence critically, you'll realize that the "answer" is anything but. It effectively says nothing significant. We know practically nothing after reading the "answer" that we didn't know before reading the "answer".


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## HDTiVo

> TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing are not currently available on the TiVo HD DVR. We expect that a version of TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing features will be made available for the TiVo HD DVR in the future.


Somehow eSata support is listed as "late 2007" but MRV/TTG is "in the future."


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## dvr4me

Updated product lifetime subscription information.


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## bareyb

HDTiVo said:


> Somehow eSata support is listed as "late 2007" but MRV/TTG is "in the future."


I'm still confused about eSATA expansion on the new HD TiVo. Does it work on the new boxes like it does on the S3 or not?


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## Ishma

bareyb said:


> I'm still confused about eSATA expansion on the new HD TiVo. Does it work on the new boxes like it does on the S3 or not?


No, it appears that the backdoor is closed on TiVo HD. However, sounds like it will be active by the end of the year. Sooner???


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## megory

Great compilation of information, DVR4me! Thanks for gathering it and posting it!


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## dvr4me

megory said:


> Great compilation of information, DVR4me! Thanks for gathering it and posting it!


Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it.

My TivoHD will arrive tomorrow, so I hope to put some images and further updates into the FAQ soon.


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## CharlesH

Ishma said:


> No, it appears that the backdoor is closed on TiVo HD.


Is it really a closed back door, or is it actually driver differences due to the different chipsets, and the needed drivers are in place on the S3 but not the HD?


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## Ishma

CharlesH said:


> Is it really a closed back door, or is it actually driver differences due to the different chipsets, and the needed drivers are in place on the S3 but not the HD?


Your probably right. I just meant the backdoor code on the Series3 will supposedly not work on TiVo HD. We will have to wait for the software upgrade that enables the feature.


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## megazone

dozens said:


> The answer for SDV suggest it will be available in the future. Is this really the case ? Has Tivo made any public statements saying SDV will be supported ? If so, what time frame ?


1. It *may* be available. 2. TiVo's CEO stated, before Congress, that TiVo was working with the cable industry on a solution for SDV on uni-directional CableCARD devices. 3. No time frame.

Reference 1. Reference 2. Reference 3.


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## cramer

vman41 said:


> More importantly, are they as good as the Series 3, which are phenomenal.


Acording to Samsung (marketing poo)... 30% better.

(EDIT)
As for SDV... Alas, it has the same ATI Theater chipset. So, no modulator or RF transmitter.


ATI Theater 314​


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## dvr4me

Updated recording quality size estimates and initial software revision.


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## m_jonis

megazone said:


> 1. It *may* be available. 2. TiVo's CEO stated, before Congress, that TiVo was working with the cable industry on a solution for SDV on uni-directional CableCARD devices. 3. No time frame.
> 
> Reference 1. Reference 2. Reference 3.


And pigs may fly (not busting on Megazone). I just don't believe the Cable industry will ever play nice with SDV.

Just like I don't think that "holllywood" will ever play nice with MRV. Even the cable companies can't get their own MRV to work without getting slapped with a lawsuit.

Ironically I think Verizon is the only one who's "gotten" away with it (that's a provider), but I don't remember if theirs was SD only or if it did HD as well.

Apparently it's okay to view SD content on other things, but not HD (according to the content providers).


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## m_jonis

dvr4me said:


> I believe it does support Unencrypted QAM. (I'll see if I can substantiate that information with something official.)
> 
> Update:
> 
> Here's the information posted in the S3 FAQ about Clear QAM:
> 
> Basically this means that although the Tivo can tune the Clear QAM channels, they don't correspond with guide data. So you can manually record channel 93.3 at 8pm on Tuesdays, but you cannot set a season pass to record your favorite show on 93.3.
> 
> I have my Tivo HD on order so I'll update the FAQ once I have first hand information.


thanks. So it's still as worthless as it was before. Basically you have to turn your Tivo into a "dumb" VCR.

Absolutely stupid. The technology is there and it should be easy to do. If you're smart enough to "know" about Clear QAM, you should be able to handle the interface/mapping mechanism.

In my case, time Warner cable uses the same channel numbers.

ClearQam "CBS" is 18-06 and the same channel on the STB is: 1806 (the TV doesn't do 4 digit numbers without a - somewhere)

It was easy for me to go into MythTV and tell it what QAM channel was what.

And if some open source person in their spare time can do it, you'd think Tivo could as well.


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## moyekj

Great job dvr4me. Mods, I think this thread deserves to be a sticky one for it's 1st page as was done for the S3 FAQ thread.


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## rainwater

CharlesH said:


> Is it really a closed back door, or is it actually driver differences due to the different chipsets, and the needed drivers are in place on the S3 but not the HD?


eSATA is no different than any other SATA drive. So the fact that it's using a SATA drive means the kernel already supports eSATA drives. It probably just hasn't been ported to the TiVo HD code base yet.


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## dvr4me

Here's a few things I was able to confirm:

When you first setup the TiVo HD (without cablecards), it will only show the basic channels. You must then do a channel scan to find any digital/QAM channels. 

My unit found 252 channels, though only a dozen of them were actually in use. I deleted the non functioning channels.

Unfortunately, just like the S3, the TiVo HD can tune the channels, but does not have any way of mapping the channels to the guide data. Thus, there is no guide data for any of the scanned digital channels (when you are not using cablecards).

You can record on those channels with a manual time/channel recording, but it will have no show information in the now playing list.

The TiVo HD software (8.1.7a) works well for the most part, but it does have a few small bugs. One is the LED settings for the front panel. In my case, if I set them to OFF, the green power LED stays on all the time and the amber recording light does go OFF. On the S2DT, the when you set all LEDs to off, they ALL go off.

The other error I encountered was when I was playing with the over the air signal strength. I had it on the signal strength screen for quite a bit of time (10-15 minutes). When I was rapidly flipping through all the channels (again while on the signal strength screen) the Tivo rebooted.

On a positive note, the HD recording looks fantastic on the HD digital QAM channels. Hopefully at some point Tivo will update the software so I can map the QAM to some guide data (it's a wish item).


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## CCourtney

bareyb said:


> As far as I know you can use any adapater you want. If TiVo has implemented a "feature" on new models that disallows other brands then that would make me a little concerned about future eSATA having the same feature forcing you to use a TIVo branded HDD... Let's hope that's just marketing fluff.


I tried it tonight with the TiVo HD I bought today. The answer is No, you must use theirs 

I had to go over phone line. I'm happy to say it's doing a champ of a job over Vonage (VoIP.) :up:

CCourtney


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## jfh3

dvr4me said:


> Here's a few things I was able to confirm:
> 
> When you first setup the TiVo HD (without cablecards), it will only show the basic channels. You must then do a channel scan to find any digital/QAM channels.
> 
> My unit found 252 channels, though only a dozen of them were actually in use. I deleted the non functioning channels.
> 
> Unfortunately, just like the S3, the TiVo HD can tune the channels, but does not have any way of mapping the channels to the guide data. Thus, there is no guide data for any of the scanned digital channels (when you are not using cablecards).
> 
> You can record on those channels with a manual time/channel recording, but it will have no show information in the now playing list.
> 
> The TiVo HD software (8.1.7a) works well for the most part, but it does have a few small bugs. One is the LED settings for the front panel. In my case, if I set them to OFF, the green power LED stays on all the time and the amber recording light does go OFF. On the S2DT, the when you set all LEDs to off, they ALL go off.
> 
> The other error I encountered was when I was playing with the over the air signal strength. I had it on the signal strength screen for quite a bit of time (10-15 minutes). When I was rapidly flipping through all the channels (again while on the signal strength screen) the Tivo rebooted.
> 
> On a positive note, the HD recording looks fantastic on the HD digital QAM channels. Hopefully at some point Tivo will update the software so I can map the QAM to some guide data (it's a wish item).


I can confirm all of the above.

In addition, there is a bug where you can't directly tune any channel with three digits after the . (e.g. 0.655), but you use channel up/down to tune them.


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## vstone

Apparently we do NOT yet know if the channel 0 problem has been corrected by either hadrware or software. Of course, absent Tivo making a statement on the issue or a report of the issue on an HD we may never know. If we see it we know its an issue. The only way to confirm it has been fixed would be to see an S3 and HD side by side and see the channel 0 issue on the S3 and not on the HD.


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## chg

dvr4me said:


> Here's a few things I was able to confirm:
> 
> When you first setup the TiVo HD (without cablecards), it will only show the basic channels. You must then do a channel scan to find any digital/QAM channels.
> 
> My unit found 252 channels, though only a dozen of them were actually in use. I deleted the non functioning channels.
> 
> Unfortunately, just like the S3, the TiVo HD can tune the channels, but does not have any way of mapping the channels to the guide data. Thus, there is no guide data for any of the scanned digital channels (when you are not using cablecards).
> 
> You can record on those channels with a manual time/channel recording, but it will have no show information in the now playing list.
> 
> The TiVo HD software (8.1.7a) works well for the most part, but it does have a few small bugs. One is the LED settings for the front panel. In my case, if I set them to OFF, the green power LED stays on all the time and the amber recording light does go OFF. On the S2DT, the when you set all LEDs to off, they ALL go off.


I am thinking of getting one of the TiVo HD's only for OTA HD recording. I would not use a cable card. So, this mean I would have no guide information and could not set up a season pass?


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## aus1ander

chg said:


> I am thinking of getting one of the TiVo HD's only for OTA HD recording. I would not use a cable card. So, this mean I would have no guide information and could not set up a season pass?


No, this is incorrect. TiVo provides guide information for your OTA stations based on your ZIP code. This is downloaded to your TiVo over the internet/phone line just like for cable stations. Even if you had a cable card and digital cable, guide data is still downloaded from TiVo, not from your cable company.

In fact, I have the exact setup you are considering (OTA HD with no cablecards). Season passes are working fine.

Since in many smaller markets, people can access OTA stations from very far away with good equipment, the number of stations provided for your individual zip code usually includes a lot of stations that are physically impossible for you to get reception. I live in Rochester, MN, and with my TiVoHD, I can get guide data for all the stations within a 150 mile radius, but I obvious only get reception for my local stations. You simply delete the extra stations from the "Channels You Receive" list.


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## chg

aus1ander said:


> No, this is incorrect. TiVo provides guide information for your OTA stations based on your ZIP code. This is downloaded to your TiVo over the internet/phone line just like for cable stations. Even if you had a cable card and digital cable, guide data is still downloaded from TiVo, not from your cable company.
> 
> In fact, I have the exact setup you are considering (OTA HD with no cablecards). Season passes are working fine.
> 
> Since in many smaller markets, people can access OTA stations from very far away with good equipment, the number of stations provided for your individual zip code usually includes a lot of stations that are physically impossible for you to get reception. I live in Rochester, MN, and with my TiVoHD, I can get guide data for all the stations within a 150 mile radius, but I obvious only get reception for my local stations. You simply delete the extra stations from the "Channels You Receive" list.


Thanks. I have a 10% off Circuit City coupon, so I think I will pick one of these up.


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## tootal2

Do i need a phone line to setup tivo hd? i only have dsl and vonage


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## jfh3

tootal2 said:


> Do i need a phone line to setup tivo hd? i only have dsl and vonage


No, you can do the entire setup with a broadband connection.

Phone hasn't been required for initial setup for some time now.


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## joneSi

I'm anxious to hear reports from those that have tried an upgrade, or know where to find more information. As an avid TiVo'er abroad (in Spain for a while) I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on one, crack it open, and have a 750gb drive all for my favorite HD shows, (btw not including the eSATA port as I understand it does not work right now). Though it seems there is some holdup, software wise. 

joneSi


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## dvr4me

joneSi said:


> I'm anxious to hear reports from those that have tried an upgrade, or know where to find more information. As an avid TiVo'er abroad (in Spain for a while) I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on one, crack it open, and have a 750gb drive all for my favorite HD shows, (btw not including the eSATA port as I understand it does not work right now). Though it seems there is some holdup, software wise.
> 
> joneSi


As we all are. Spike2k5 is working on WINMFS (see [post=5368943] this post[/post]) and has been able to upgrade the drive in his TiVo HD. The tool hasn't been released yet though. Hopefully soon we'll have the ability to upgrade our drives.


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## JANNINO

Does the 30 second skip hack still work on the HD Tivo like it did on the Series 3?


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## bareyb

JANNINO said:


> Does the 30 second skip hack still work on the HD Tivo like it did on the Series 3?


Yes :up: .


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## vstone

m_jonis said:


> ...
> ClearQam "CBS" is 18-06 and the same channel on the STB is: 1806 (the TV doesn't do 4 digit numbers without a - somewhere)
> ...


TWC in SC doesn't do this.


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## tootal2

Does tivo hd compress HDTV? Or is it not compressed at all?

Im waiting dhl for my tivo hd. I hope he gets here before i goto work.

thanks


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## Toeside

tootal2 said:


> Does tivo hd compress HDTV? Or is it not compressed at all?
> 
> Im waiting dhl for my tivo hd. I hope he gets here before i goto work.
> 
> thanks


Digital signals are already compressed by being in MPEG2 format. Neither the Series3 nor the TiVo HD recompress digital content.


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## tootal2

Toeside said:


> Digital signals are already compressed by being in MPEG2 format. Neither the Series3 nor the TiVo HD recompress digital content.


 will it look as good as my hdtv tuner? I guess it should. Its going to nice to get rid 
of the cable company DVR


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## Toeside

tootal2 said:


> will it look as good as my hdtv tuner? I guess it should. Its going to nice to get rid
> of the cable company DVR


There are other factors--like the scaler involved, but it should be _pretty much_ the same.


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## dvr4me

I've updated the faq to include information on SD digital recordings. 

Based on my testing, an SD digital channel recording will consume about 1.6 gigabytes of hard drive space per hour netting you about 100 hours of SD digital recordings. Of course that all depends on how much the signal is already compressed before being sent. But since it's aleady in a digital format there is no quality loss due to compression at the TiVo as there would be when recording an SD analog channel.

Just a reminder that if you have any suggestions for the FAQ, send me a private message.


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## dvr4me

Updated the FAQ to include information on the new software revision.


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## dolfer

Can this be a sticky?


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## peteypete

Here's a dumb question. Is it available now? (Aug 07). Amazon is still preorder but it looks like you can get it now from tivo.com or bestbuy or circuit city. 

Why is Amazon showing an Aug 25 release date. Are they giving the big box retailers a head start?


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## jordanz

FYI - Multi-room Viewing and Tivo-to-Go ARE available on the Tivo HD. I don't know why the FAQ says they're not. I haven't connected two Tivos yet. But, if you go to http://www.tivo.com/guides and look up the Home Media Features Guide, it says that it can do it.


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## jmpage2

peteypete said:


> Here's a dumb question. Is it available now? (Aug 07). Amazon is still preorder but it looks like you can get it now from tivo.com or bestbuy or circuit city.
> 
> Why is Amazon showing an Aug 25 release date. Are they giving the big box retailers a head start?


Many times Amazon is just a "go between" who sells on the behalf of a distributor, etc.

It's entirely possible that big box stores like BB, CC and others made a large enough ordering commitment that they have received the initial allocation of units.


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## Dogen

No they're not. Supposedly ToGo is going to be available later this year, and I have heard the same rumors about MRV, but as of now they don't work since they lack approval from CableLabs.


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## jordanz

Dogen said:


> No they're not. Supposedly ToGo is going to be available later this year, and I have heard the same rumors about MRV, but as of now they don't work since they lack approval from CableLabs.


Wow - then I think Tivo is being a bit misleading on their website. The FAQ says one thing, but the manual in the box says another. From the manual:



> Consult the Home Media Featurs Guide at www.tivo.com/guides ...


So, I did consult it. On Page 1, it says:



> Multi-Room Viewing  Record programs in the living room and watch
> them in the bedroom, or vice versa.


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## jmpage2

If you look at the front page of the guide it says "Series 2 and Series 3" so if the guide doesn't differentiate between the two for home media capabilities, shame on Tivo.


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## dvr4me

Updated the FAQ (verified working links, verified the information provided on Tivo.com, changed formatting slightly to more coincide with the information format on Tivo.com, added cut & paste disclaimer).

Just a quick comment on how I am currently using my TiVo HD:

- No cablecards (yet). Using basic/expanded basic analog cable
- Using OTA antenna for HD reception

Thus far my TiVo has been performing very well and I am very pleased with my transition from DirecTivo satellite to standalone TiVo HD with analog basic and OTA HD.

I do need to greatly improve my antenna for OTA HD though. My signal strength ranges between 55ish up to 95ish depending on the station, the weather, planetary alignment, etc. However, I'm about 22 miles from the towers, below a hill, with two 150 foot trees in the way... so I'm not surprised. I'm using a cheap $30 Radio Shack outdoor UHF antenna on a stubby 18 inch mast (hehe, I took off the Directv dish and just mounted the antenna to the existing J-mount). I'm sure it will improve if I setup a 10 foot mast with a better antenna.

Just a reminder that if you have any suggestions for content, let me know.


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## jfh3

May want to update the release level:

What is the current software revision?

8.1.7B2-01-2-652, introduced 08/16/2007.


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## dvr4me

jfh3 said:


> May want to update the release level:
> 
> What is the current software revision?
> 
> 8.1.7B2-01-2-652, introduced 08/16/2007.


Doh! Thanks Jfh3. Updated.

Also updated information and references for hard drive upgrading.


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## Tarik

I am a little confused. I have a series 2 tivo box and HD cable box with HD services like TNTHD, DSC theater and all that good stuff plus the digital choice channels. Would tivo HD replace my HD Cable box and still receive the above services?
sorry for the dumb question


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## jmpage2

Tarik said:


> I am a little confused. I have a series 2 tivo box and HD cable box with HD services like TNTHD, DSC theater and all that good stuff plus the digital choice channels. Would tivo HD replace my HD Cable box and still receive the above services?
> sorry for the dumb question


Yes, you'd have the Tivo HD, and one M-card or two S-card digital cable cards that you would need to rent from your local provider.

The Tivo HD would tune and record analog/digital/HD stations via Cable Card or with the over the air antenna connection (or both).

You would not have a seperate cable box connected to the Tivo HD.

Hope this answers your question.


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## Tarik

it does answer my question thank you very much. One more thing, Do I need to buy another monthly subscription fee or can I just use the one I have for series 2?


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## jrm01

You should be able to transfer the subscription if you are going to discontinue use on the S2, otherwise you would be eligible for $6 discount on the second Tivo.


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## TokyoShoe

jmpage2 said:


> If you look at the front page of the guide it says "Series 2 and Series 3" so if the guide doesn't differentiate between the two for home media capabilities, shame on Tivo.


I went through this same issue. They don't differentiate in the guide regarding Series 2 and Series 3 available features. They just state that the guide covers Series 2 and 3, and then list out a bunch of features that are "available". It took me coming to the forums and posting before I found out that MRV and TTG were not active on TiVoHD's yet. Heck even if you read just the unit's manual there are one or two severely misleading statements in there are well.

I think Tivo Inc. really needs to rework their guides and materials , make some Series 3 specific guides and manuals.


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## mwhip

Question about TiVo HD...

If you do antenna only can you record two things at once? 

If you do antenna and cable card (SD) can you record and SD and HD OTA at the same time. 

I know these are probably dumb but I have searched and do not see the answer.


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## lickwid

mwhip said:


> Question about TiVo HD...
> 
> If you do antenna only can you record two things at once?
> 
> If you do antenna and cable card (SD) can you record and SD and HD OTA at the same time.
> 
> I know these are probably dumb but I have searched and do not see the answer.


If you have an OTA antenna hooked up, you can record two channels at once with that. There is an internal splitter that splits the signal. If you have cablecard hooked up, you can also record 2 channels with that. It should also work in any combination of the two.


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## RFDuncan

mph005 said:


> Can I use any wireless network adapter on my TiVo HD box?
> 
> No, only the TiVo Wireless G Network Adapter allows a wireless connection to your home network.
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone know how true this is? Is this a requirement shared with all S3 boxes, or just the new HD one?
> 
> Already have a cheapo Linksys usb adapter running on my S2 box. Not looking forward to buying a Tivo branded adapter, especially since I can't even do transfers between boxes.
Click to expand...

Sorry to post this WAY after your question, but for the record, this is not true. I was able to utilize a "decomissioned" game adapter from my Gamecube - the Linksys WGA11B Wireless-B Game Adapter. It connected fine, and I have been downloading software patches and Unbox programming wirelessly since last August. So there ARE wireless adapters out there that work...


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## Brian G.

Can one effectively only use a single CableCARD (S-Card) in your TiVo HD? The short answer is yes, but you lose all dual tuner capability, which is a real bummer.

For some reason I assumed that using a single CableCARD would limit me to 1-tuner recording the QAM from the cable provider and the other tuner could happily record OTA content from the antennae. Doesn't work that way. You need 2 S-Cards, 1 M-Card or none to get the dual tuners to actually work.

Brian G.


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