# Upgrade URL to get the New TiVo Experience



## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

I will be posting the URL here to make it easy for people to find out how to get our 4th generation user experience (formerly known as Hydra).

Please do not post any other questions to this thread so that we can keep the URL on the 1st page of the thread.

I expect to post it late tonight or early tomorrow morning. If you have gotten your hands on a TiVo VOX Remote, you do not have to visit this URL. Just pair your remote with your Roamio or BOLT device and press the blue voice button. That should trigger an app on the TiVo to walk you through the process.


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## mbernste (Apr 6, 2003)

Early Access Request


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## watstein (Feb 17, 2005)

Early Access Request


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

TiVo_Ted said:


> I will be posting the URL here to make it easy for people to find out how to get our 4th generation user experience (formerly known as Hydra).
> 
> Please do not post any other questions to this thread so that we can keep the URL on the 1st page of the thread.
> 
> I expect to post it late tonight or early tomorrow morning. If you have gotten your hands on a TiVo VOX Remote, you do not have to visit this URL. Just pair your remote with your Roamio or BOLT device and press the blue voice button. That should trigger an app on the TiVo to walk you through the process.


Hi everyone, as promised, here is the URL you need to visit in order to request our latest on-screen user experience.

Early Access Request

You will need to login with your TiVo.com username and password. From there, you should be able to choose which compatible DVR's you would like upgraded. Boxes that are capable of running the new user experience include all flavors of Roamio (Plus, Pro, OTA) as well as all BOLT and BOLT+ devices. You do not need to select MINI devices to get the update. They get their software upgrade/downgrade instructions when connecting to a host DVR.

I'm going to keep this thread open, but please only use it to post whether the upgrade process worked, whether you ran into any issues, and if there are any tips/tricks to help others get the update. Please keep other topics to other threads. The one we are tracking the most is the VOX launch thread - TiVo Coffee House - TiVo Discussion

Once you select a box to receive the upgrade, it will upgrade itself during its next daily call to the TiVo service. If you are anxious to get the release sooner, you should wait 2-3 hours after requesting the update and then you can force a connection to the TiVo service. Assuming your upgrade request has been processed, you should receive the update during this call. At this point, you can force a restart on the box to install the update, or once again you can just wait and the box will restart overnight and install the update.

So, fastest time to update is 2-3 hours, but it could take up to 48 hours if you just choose a box to receive the update and just wait for it to happen on its own.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## tim_m (Mar 8, 2017)

Thanks Ted, i hope if i don't get it in the next hour or so when i force the connection it does not try and reboot during primetime.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Highlighting from @TiVo_Ted's post...


TiVo_Ted said:


> I'm going to keep this thread open, but *please only use it to post whether the upgrade process worked, whether you ran into any issues, and if there are any tips/tricks to help others get the update*.


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## tim_m (Mar 8, 2017)

Got my Roamio updated but the mini keeps loading tivo central over and over then goes black.


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## sdpadres (Dec 28, 2003)

Houston we have a problem.....my Tivo Roamio updated with no issues. My minis no such luck. I've rebooted both minis. It takes you to the old UI and then my screens go blank. Anyone else have the same issue? Any recommendations on how to fix this?


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## demon16v (Sep 14, 2002)

I am having the same problem. Roamio update was pretty fast but my mini's all show a black screen. 


tim_m said:


> Got my Roamio updated but the mini keeps loading tivo central over and over then goes black.


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## tim_m (Mar 8, 2017)

demon16v said:


> I am having the same problem. Roamio update was pretty fast but my mini's all show a black screen.


This is what i did, select your mini from the priority page. Wait a bit and then force a connection on the mini. The screen comes on for a second when you press the buttons. Navigating to network preferences takes a little patience but once you get there it will download the update. To install it pull the plug. The screen where you do the thumbs down doesn't stay up long enough.


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## Linkerbox (Feb 1, 2005)

Same. Bolt upgrade fine, was way faster than I expected, just a few minutes it seemed compared to the 'hour or more' normal warning screen on reboot.

Mini i just turned on for the morning after the Bolt upgrade and got black screen. Hitting tivo or menu would show the old screen but then it would go to "One Moment" nearly right away and then go black.
I now don't get the old screen or the one moment screen, i'm at just black now. Will probably risk pulling the power/plug on it shortly to see if that helps... fearing its downloading or updating though and pulling the plug will brick it.


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## demon16v (Sep 14, 2002)

Finally I was able to get 2 of the Mini's working but the 3rd one seems totally dead now. Pulled the plug after waiting for it to reboot for 30mim. All I get is a black screen now.


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## Linkerbox (Feb 1, 2005)

Linkerbox said:


> Same. Bolt upgrade fine, was way faster than I expected, just a few minutes it seemed compared to the 'hour or more' normal warning screen on reboot.
> 
> Mini i just turned on for the morning after the Bolt upgrade and got black screen. Hitting tivo or menu would show the old screen but then it would go to "One Moment" nearly right away and then go black.
> I now don't get the old screen or the one moment screen, i'm at just black now. Will probably risk pulling the power/plug on it shortly to see if that helps... fearing its downloading or updating though and pulling the plug will brick it.


Pulled the plug to reboot mini, getting same problem. Hitting tivo brings up old menu but i only get 1 button press worth of time before it goes 'one moment' then black screen.


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## demon16v (Sep 14, 2002)

Of the 2 minis that I was able to get working one was gen1 and the other is gen2. The one not working is a gen1.


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

demon16v said:


> Of the 2 minis that I was able to get working one was gen1 and the other is gen2. The one not working is a gen1.


Well, we clearly have some sort of issue with installing gen4 UI on MINI's. I've pulled the alarm bell to investigate further. I've asked a couple of you to send me your TSN's so we can look at the logs.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DeltaOne (Sep 29, 2013)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Well, we clearly have some sort of issue with installing gen4 UI on MINI's. I've pulled the alarm bell to investigate further. I've asked a couple of you to send me your TSN's so we can look at the logs.


Some of us have been posting Mini problems on one of the Coffee House boards. I've been having trouble updating a Gen 1 Mini.


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## Mockenrue (Jun 27, 2016)

I updated my Bolt and Mini without any issue. I registered both online, and it took about 90 minutes for the updates to be available when calling back to the TiVo service. Once both downloads completed, I accepted the prompts to restart and install. In about 5 minutes or so, both were up and running and I was able to play content from both. I also purchased a Mini Vox this morning, which I haven't set up yet. I wanted to makes sure I was up and running on existing devices first. Hopefully the new one updates as easily.


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## kwhittenberger (Apr 14, 2004)

Count me in the group that has a borked mini. If I disconnect the main Tivo box, a premiere, from the network, then I can see the mini home page but a small soon as I reconnect the network, back to the loop. I would be fine downgrading if I could.


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## demon16v (Sep 14, 2002)

Hi Ted, I was out all morning and left the non working mini plugged in. I came home to find, Url invalid on the screen. So I unplugged it again, replugged it in and it finally went to the update. All seems good now, thank you.


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## peekb (Feb 12, 2005)

In case it helps, the URL displayed for me was http://\05 and the error was about an invalid character (I'm guessing that backslash )


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

Thanks all for the clean reporting of issues and for sending me some TSN’s. The team has tracked 2 separate issues right now. The weird URL issue is because a page got dropped from our website when we rolled out the new pages for VOX. The second issue is that 1st and 2nd gen MINI’s weren’t properly mapped into gen4/Hydra in one of our data centers. We are working hard to resolve both issues ASAP. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JACKASTOR (May 26, 2011)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Thanks all for the clean reporting of issues and for sending me some TSN's. The team has tracked 2 separate issues right now. The weird URL issue is because a page got dropped from our website when we rolled out the new pages for VOX. The second issue is that 1st and 2nd gen MINI's weren't properly mapped into gen4/Hydra in one of our data centers. We are working hard to resolve both issues ASAP.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Maybe a link to a tutorial Gen4/Hydra video would be helpful with some basic information to explain the changes... etc...
Is that possible.?

Hail Hydra

Jack


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

JACKASTOR said:


> Maybe a link to a tutorial Gen4/Hydra video would be helpful with some basic information to explain the changes... etc...
> Is that possible.?
> 
> Hail Hydra
> ...


I'll have to find the video links, but here is a web page overview - New Experience


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

tim_m said:


> Got my Roamio updated but the mini keeps loading tivo central over and over then goes black.


As of 4:50pm Pacific, we believe we have fixed this issue which resulted in some black screens and a weird on-screen web page error. If someone tries to update a MINI and still has the problem, please post here and DM me your TSN.


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

peekb said:


> In case it helps, the URL displayed for me was http://\05 and the error was about an invalid character (I'm guessing that backslash )


We believe this is fixed now.


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

kwhittenberger said:


> Count me in the group that has a borked mini. If I disconnect the main Tivo box, a premiere, from the network, then I can see the mini home page but a small soon as I reconnect the network, back to the loop. I would be fine downgrading if I could.


We believe we have resolved this issue. To reiterate, you cannot upgrade a MINI to gen4/Hydra if you do not have a Roamio or BOLT/BOLT+ host DVR running on the same network. This triggered some weird loop where the MINI got the update request, but then couldn't connect to the Premiere. It then had problems downgrading because the service was telling it to upgrade. I recommend that you only select DVR's from the priority update page, and let the MINI get its upgrade instructions from a host DVR after it is upgraded to gen4/Hydra.


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## JACKASTOR (May 26, 2011)

TiVo_Ted said:


> I'll have to find the video links, but here is a web page overview - New Experience


 Yeah that page is ok. But it doesn't cover things.


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## FACTAgent (Aug 28, 2013)

Hi Ted, Have you heard about any switched digital video tuning issues with Bolts updated to Hydra? My updated Bolt cannot tune SDV channels (V52, V53 or black screen) but my updated Roamio Pro can. Both units have same make and model tuning adapter and cable cards and both had no SDV issues prior to the upgrade.


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## timgt (Sep 11, 2014)

Got my Bolt and 2 Mini's updated. The Mini's have 2 strange issues after the update however.

1. Tuning into certain channels such as CBS and NBC it freezes for about 3 seconds before it plays the audio/video. Other channels work fine. This never happened pre update.

2. When using the "what to watch" feature, the Mini's list shows or movies that have no video provider offering the content so it just shows a white strip to the right of the movie/show. The bolt only lists movies/shows it has available on live TV, Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon prime.


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## mmihok (May 7, 2010)

Have same issue with my mini’s That have been updated....

Tuning into certain channels such as CBS and NBC it freezes for about 3 seconds before it plays the audio/video. Other channels work fine. This never happened pre update.


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

mmihok said:


> Have same issue with my mini's That have been updated....
> 
> Tuning into certain channels such as CBS and NBC it freezes for about 3 seconds before it plays the audio/video. Other channels work fine. This never happened pre update.





timgt said:


> Got my Bolt and 2 Mini's updated. The Mini's have 2 strange issues after the update however.
> 
> 1. Tuning into certain channels such as CBS and NBC it freezes for about 3 seconds before it plays the audio/video. Other channels work fine. This never happened pre update.
> 
> 2. When using the "what to watch" feature, the Mini's list shows or movies that have no video provider offering the content so it just shows a white strip to the right of the movie/show. The bolt only lists movies/shows it has available on live TV, Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon prime.


Who are your providers?

Could it be be the delays are only on mpeg2 channels?


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## mmihok (May 7, 2010)

Comcast... never experienced it prior to the upgrade today.... happening on various channels... local channels as well as CNN, FoxNews, AMC etc...


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

mmihok said:


> Comcast... never experienced it prior to the upgrade today.... happening on various channels... local channels as well as CNN, FoxNews, AMC etc...


Then it's not an mpeg2 problem.


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

FACTAgent said:


> Hi Ted, Have you heard about any switched digital video tuning issues with Bolts updated to Hydra? My updated Bolt cannot tune SDV channels (V52, V53 or black screen) but my updated Roamio Pro can. Both units have same make and model tuning adapter and cable cards and both had no SDV issues prior to the upgrade.


Can you please DM me your TSN's and I'll look into this tomorrow morning?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DeltaOne (Sep 29, 2013)

TiVo_Ted said:


> I recommend that you only select DVR's from the priority update page, and let the MINI get its upgrade instructions from a host DVR after it is upgraded to gen4/Hydra.


Ted, I've updated one Mini, have two more to update. I selected all three Mini's on the priority page.

I plan on updating those two Mini's on Monday. Safe to do since they were selected on the priority page?


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

DeltaOne said:


> Ted, I've updated one Mini, have two more to update. I selected all three Mini's on the priority page.
> 
> I plan on updating those two Mini's on Monday. Safe to do since they were selected on the priority page?


Yes, it appears that the only problem was if you select a MINI on an account with no compatible DVR running gen4

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## FACTAgent (Aug 28, 2013)

FACTAgent said:


> Hi Ted, Have you heard about any switched digital video tuning issues with Bolts updated to Hydra? My updated Bolt cannot tune SDV channels (V52, V53 or black screen) but my updated Roamio Pro can. Both units have same make and model tuning adapter and cable cards and both had no SDV issues prior to the upgrade.


Fixed: Restarted Tivo. Then, disconnected USB and powered down tuning adapter, powered up tuning adapter and waited several minutes until light stopped flashing before reconnecting USB cable. Usually, I do not disconnect tuning adapter when I power cycle it.


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## DeltaOne (Sep 29, 2013)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Yes, it appears that the only problem was if you select a MINI on an account with no compatible DVR running gen4 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You were correct...I've updated my other two Mini's and it went fine. Thanks for all your help!


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## julsssark (Apr 28, 2009)

Thank you Ted for taking the time to investigate bug reports and provide status updates. I ran into the Tivo Mini with Premiere bug and the issue is resolved for me (the Mini presented me a downgrade screen and the downgrade fixed the problem). Thanks again for taking the time to engage the community -- it really makes a difference.


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## CoxInPHX (Jan 14, 2011)

FACTAgent said:


> Hi Ted, Have you heard about any switched digital video tuning issues with Bolts updated to Hydra? My updated Bolt cannot tune SDV channels (V52, V53 or black screen) but my updated Roamio Pro can. Both units have same make and model tuning adapter and cable cards and both had no SDV issues prior to the upgrade.


Is your Tuning Adapter connected to the Upper/Top USB port on the Bolt?
There have always been SDV issues when the Lower/Bottom USB port has been used.
https://support.tivo.com/articles/F...l-a-Tuning-Adapter-for-Switched-Digital-Video
*TiVo BOLT users:* always connect the USB cable to the *TOP* USB port.


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## samccfl99 (Sep 7, 2013)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


@TiVo_Ted, maybe you will see this here. I really hate to bother you about 20.7.4 in the middle of Gen4 fixing, but can you please ask L3 to fix the buffer killer problem when in a live buffer and a recording starts on that same channel, when you get a chance? It is 100% reproducible and started with 20.7.4, was fine in 20.7.2 and before. This has been reported as you may know. This is really annoying and they did this a few years back and it got me again...and again. I usually record everything, but sometimes view news live. The original and proper function is to close the buffer and keep playing till the end while starting the new recording in a new buffer. Thank you. You are doing a great job. Maybe in a few months I will upgrade when everything settles down.

Also, if I order the Vox remote with dongle (have a Roamio Pro), will that remote work OK on Gen3? Yes, I know there will be no Vox until I update. Just preparing.

*THANKS AGAIN!*


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

samccfl99 said:


> @TiVo_Ted, maybe you will see this here. I really hate to bother you about 20.7.4 in the middle of Gen4 fixing, but can you please ask L3 to fix the buffer killer problem when in a live buffer and a recording starts on that same channel, when you get a chance? It is 100% reproducible and started with 20.7.4, was fine in 20.7.2 and before. This has been reported as you may know. This is really annoying and they did this a few years back and it got me again...and again. I usually record everything, but sometimes view news live. The original and proper function is to close the buffer and keep playing till the end while starting the new recording in a new buffer. Thank you. You are doing a great job. Maybe in a few months I will upgrade when everything settles down.
> 
> Also, if I order the Vox remote with dongle (have a Roamio Pro), will that remote work OK on Gen3? Yes, I know there will be no Vox until I update. Just preparing.
> 
> *THANKS AGAIN!*


I don't have an answer for this yet. I believe I understand what's happening and am investigating. I'll add this to my short list.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Just being curious, I went back to the web page used to upgrade a TiVo to G4. I did the upgrade to one of my Roamio boxes, played with for a day, then removed it. It's pretty, but I don't need it right now. I noticed that the TSN for the box I upgraded is no longer listed. I guess there will be other methods to upgrade in the future. Just mentioning it.


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## Tammy Koenig (Nov 18, 2017)

TiVo_Ted said:


> I will be posting the URL here to make it easy for people to find out how to get our 4th generation user experience (formerly known as Hydra).
> 
> Please do not post any other questions to this thread so that we can keep the URL on the 1st page of the thread.
> 
> I expect to post it late tonight or early tomorrow morning. If you have gotten your hands on a TiVo VOX Remote, you do not have to visit this URL. Just pair your remote with your Roamio or BOLT device and press the blue voice button. That should trigger an app on the TiVo to walk you through the process.


Hi Ted,
I just purchased the vox remote. I have a Tivo bolt, but when I go to the upgrade page it says I have no boxes that can upgrade. Can you help me with this?

Tammy Koenig


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Tammy Koenig said:


> Hi Ted,
> I just purchased the vox remote. I have a Tivo bolt, but when I go to the upgrade page it says I have no boxes that can upgrade. Can you help me with this?
> Tammy Koenig


Save time: send him your TSN. Click on his name, then start a conversation. It's the same as a PM.


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

Tammy Koenig said:


> Hi Ted,
> I just purchased the vox remote. I have a Tivo bolt, but when I go to the upgrade page it says I have no boxes that can upgrade. Can you help me with this?
> 
> Tammy Koenig


once you put batteries in the vox remote and try to pair it it should walk you through the hydra upgrade on the bolt


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

Just bumping for those who might be looking for the link to switch to Hydra


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