# Why is Bolt trying to record "not authorized" channels?



## jemenake (Dec 13, 2000)

Sorry if this has been asked, before. I googled and searched here, but all of the "not authorized" questions seem to be about people thinking that certain channels _should_ be authorized.

My situation is that the channel _is_, indeed, _not_ authorized, yet Bolt is trying to record it, anyway. The problem is that I have a OnePass for SportsCenter, which is always on on some channel which isn't in my tier (ESPNNews, ESPNNewsHD, ESPNNewsWithWhippedCreamAndFudge, you get the idea). And it's not just that show. What this causes is that two of my Bolt's 4 tuners always seem to be in use trying to record channels I don't get. It's a problem because, if I want to watch live TV, all 4 tuners are usually in use, so I have to go through what all of the tuners are watching until I find one which is trying to record a blank screen and then stop the recording.

How do I get it to stop that nonsense?


----------



## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

Go into your channel settings and mark those channels as ones you do not receive.


----------



## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

Have you gone into Settings > Channel List and de-selected all the channels you don't receive?

This can take some time so it might be faster to open up the Program Guide (in grid mode), press Left to highlight the channel number, press select, then "Remove from Channel List".


You can also make OnePasses channel-specific if you want it to record shows from a very specific channel.


----------



## jemenake (Dec 13, 2000)

BigJimOutlaw said:


> Have you gone into Settings > Channel List and de-selected all the channels you don't receive?


I don't have a "Channel List" menu item (nor *any* option with the word "Channel") under "Settings & Messages" nor under "Settings".



BigJimOutlaw said:


> This can take some time so it might be faster to open up the Program Guide (in grid mode), press Left to highlight the channel number, press select, then "Remove from Channel List".


Pressing on the channel number in grid mode doesn't bring up a menu. I just get the "bong" tympani sound.

BTW, I have a cable card with a tuning adaptor.


----------



## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

Well, that's weird since there should be options to access your channel list. Is this an operator-provided Bolt?


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

jemenake said:


> I don't have a "Channel List" menu item (nor *any* option with the word "Channel") under "Settings & Messages" nor under "Settings".


Per page 51 in the BOLT Viewer's Guide, you should be looking for 'Channel & App Settings':
TiVo Central
> Settings & Messages
> Channel & App Settings
> Channel List​
If these options aren't there, maybe reboot the BOLT; if that doesn't help, contact TiVo?


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

This is where the 'Channel & App Settings' option was on my BOLT...


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Also, you're trying to make this change directly via the BOLT and not through a TiVo Mini, right? (You didn't mention any TiVo Minis; just wanted to make sure.)


----------



## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

A really important question I've always had is: "Why the heck do I have to do this manually?". The TiVo knows what the dadgum error actually is because it displays it when I try to tune the channel directly. Why isn't there a "scan for non-authorized" channels menu item that I could use to do this automagically?


----------



## jemenake (Dec 13, 2000)

tomhorsley said:


> The TiVo knows what the dadgum error actually is because it displays it when I try to tune the channel directly.


Exactly! The _TiVo_ is what's _telling_ me that the channel is not authorized. If it doesn't mark it as permanently unavailable, why does it not, at least, note that it's it's not authorized _at the start of a recording_ and terminate the recording to free up a tuner?


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Any feedback on posts *6* & *7*, above?


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

tomhorsley said:


> A really important question I've always had is: "Why the heck do I have to do this manually?". The TiVo knows what the dadgum error actually is because it displays it when I try to tune the channel directly. Why isn't there a "scan for non-authorized" channels menu item that I could use to do this automagically?


A scan for unauthorized channels would potentially give incorrect results. If a channel is used for different events like pay events or a channel is shared by the nhl and MLB packages (like most cable systems do), the authorization changes based upon the programming.

Recognizing the channel is not authorized at the time of the recording is a different issue.


----------



## jemenake (Dec 13, 2000)

krkaufman said:


> Also, you're trying to make this change directly via the BOLT and not through a TiVo Mini, right? (You didn't mention any TiVo Minis; just wanted to make sure.)


Actually, last night, I was trying it through the Mini, but I don't recall seeing anything regarding channels on the master Bolt, either. But I was holding off on replying until I could get home to the Bolt and snap a photo so you could see what my menu looks like.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

jemenake said:


> Actually, last night, I was trying it through the Mini, but I don't recall seeing anything regarding channels on the master Bolt, either. But I was holding off on replying until I could get home to the Bolt and snap a photo so you could see what my menu looks like.


The 'Channel & App Settings' option doesn't exist on a Mini. Hopefully you'll have better luck finding it on the BOLT, where it _should_ exist.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

BigJimOutlaw said:


> open up the Program Guide (in grid mode), press Left to highlight the channel number, press select, then "Remove from Channel List".





jemenake said:


> Pressing on the channel number in grid mode doesn't bring up a menu. I just get the "bong" tympani sound.


You'll find that the above capability is ALSO restricted to the host DVR (i.e. not available via the Mini), as is tagging particular channels as 'Favorites.'


----------



## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

TonyD79 said:


> A scan for unauthorized channels would potentially give incorrect results.


Not as incorrect as it is now . I'd gladly manually fix one or two VOD channels it might include if I could automatically eliminate all the premium channels I don't subscribe to. Now I have to manually fix all the premium channels (a vastly larger list).

In fact, I just got to manually fix them again after the Rovi change renamed all of them .


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

jemenake said:


> Actually, last night, I was trying it through the Mini, but I don't recall seeing anything regarding channels on the master Bolt, either. But I was holding off on replying until I could get home to the Bolt and snap a photo so you could see what my menu looks like.


Any update...?


----------



## jemenake (Dec 13, 2000)

Okay, so it seems (as someone suggested) that the TiVo Bolt doesn't let you edit the channel lineup when you're trying to do it from a TiVo Mini. You have to actually be interacting with the Bolt, itself.

I *have* been able to remove the unauthorized channels (thanks, everybody), but I'm still curious as to why the TiVo sits there, trying to record a channel, while its *telling* me that the channel isn't authorized.


----------



## aspexil (Oct 16, 2015)

jemenake said:


> Okay, so it seems (as someone suggested) that the TiVo Bolt doesn't let you edit the channel lineup when you're trying to do it from a TiVo Mini. You have to actually be interacting with the Bolt, itself.
> 
> I *have* been able to remove the unauthorized channels (thanks, everybody), but I'm still curious as to why the TiVo sits there, trying to record a channel, while its *telling* me that the channel isn't authorized.


I think that is a valid question. But possibly the wrong forum and something you need to direct to Tivo support? It could be a bug in their software they need to fix. As I'm OTA only I don't have a problem with unauthorized channels.

Though recently Tivo left me a message that it changed the TV lineup for my Bolt. It added a whole bunch of channels we do not receive OTA and had to go in and delete them from my channel list. If it happens again I'll contact Tivo to complain but it is the first time since Oct 2015 that has happened.


----------



## achalupa (Oct 27, 2008)

aspexil said:


> Though recently Tivo left me a message that it changed the TV lineup for my Bolt. It added a whole bunch of channels we do not receive OTA and had to go in and delete them from my channel list. If it happens again I'll contact Tivo to complain but it is the first time since Oct 2015 that has happened.


TiVo really can't win here. There are reports all over the forum about people living between zip codes or wanting to pull in OTA stations from multiple zip codes. I live in central Iowa and have channels in the listing for Lincoln Nebraska and Eastern Iowa. I removed them once and they are gone. I think TiVo is doing the right thing by overshooting the area. They should be doing this for all areas.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

aspexil said:


> I think that is a valid question. But possibly the wrong forum and something you need to direct to Tivo support? It could be a bug in their software they need to fix. As I'm OTA only I don't have a problem with unauthorized channels.


It's not a bug, as much as a long-standing shortcoming. The TiVo will try to record from channels included in the 'My Channels' channel list, simple as that; if 'My Channels' includes unauthorized channels, it's going to try recording. It'd be great if the TiVo could somehow scan and identify the channels actually received, but it doesn't.



aspexil said:


> Though recently Tivo left me a message that it changed the TV lineup for my Bolt. It added a whole bunch of channels we do not receive OTA and had to go in and delete them from my channel list. If it happens again I'll contact Tivo to complain but it is the first time since Oct 2015 that has happened.


What you experienced was part of TiVo's transition from Gracenote (formerly Tribune Media Services) guide data over to guide data supplied by Rovi (TiVo's new "parent," now confusingly renamed 'TiVo'). You'll want to be extra-vigilant in the near-term, especially as the new TV season begins, and report any lineup issues to help get the "Rovi" data in-line.

See: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10976176

p.s. Also...
http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=542872 and 
https://www.tivo.com/lineup.html​


----------



## PCurry57 (Feb 27, 2012)

jemenake said:


> Sorry if this has been asked, before. I googled and searched here, but all of the "not authorized" questions seem to be about people thinking that certain channels _should_ be authorized.
> 
> My situation is that the channel _is_, indeed, _not_ authorized, yet Bolt is trying to record it, anyway. The problem is that I have a OnePass for SportsCenter, which is always on on some channel which isn't in my tier (ESPNNews, ESPNNewsHD, ESPNNewsWithWhippedCreamAndFudge, you get the idea). And it's not just that show. What this causes is that two of my Bolt's 4 tuners always seem to be in use trying to record channels I don't get. It's a problem because, if I want to watch live TV, all 4 tuners are usually in use, so I have to go through what all of the tuners are watching until I find one which is trying to record a blank screen and then stop the recording.
> 
> How do I get it to stop that nonsense?


As others have already informed you you need to deactivate those channels in Settings. There is another way to do this though.

Press Guide on the remote, then press the yellow A, press, channel down. You should be in guide options on style. Select Grid Guide. Now move up two to channels select "My Channels". Press the yellow A again.

Now if your scroll left in the guide to highlight the channel Press select remove from channel list.


----------

