# IR receiver location for series 3?



## jkwaterman (Jan 25, 2005)

Hi,

I am trying to use a series 2 tivo to change channels on a series 3 so that I can record various standard def programs on the series 2 from the series 3. I want to use tivotogo to then download the recorded programs to my PC. I am having problems getting the IR Blaster on the series 2 to change the channel on the series 3. Where is the IR receiver eye on the series 3? Has anyone tried this and succeeded?

Thanks, JW


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## hiker (Nov 29, 2001)

The IR receiver eye is just to the left of the buttons. Use a flashlight and you will see it. I use a RF remote with an IR emitter stuck to that spot and it works fine. I haven't tried exactly what you are attempting.


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## cheerdude (Feb 27, 2001)

What you just typed... just doesn't make sense.

The IR Cable only handles the channel changing; it does nothing about sending the actual cable signal to the TiVo's hard drives to be recorded.

The IR Blaster changes the channels on a cable box; the TiVo sends the signal through the blaster to the box to change the channel. The Series 3 doesn't (to the best of my knowledge) recognize the IR signals from the blaster.

I could go on; but needless to say... you can't do what you are trying to do. You can record SD shows on the Series 3, but can't at this time use TiVo-To-Go. You can record SD shows on the Series 2 *and* use TiVo-To-Go .


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## Jerry_K (Feb 7, 2002)

cheerdude,

I believe the OP wants to use the tuner of the S3 (TTG crippled) to output video to his S2 so he can record and download SD programming. So he needs to change the channel on the S3 using the S2 IR blaster.


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## hiker (Nov 29, 2001)

But does the S2 have the TiVo IR codes builtin for changing the channel on the S3? I thought the builtin IR codesets where only for cable/satellite STBs. In other words, can you use Guided Setup to tell the S2 you are controlling another TiVo?


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## mportuesi (Nov 11, 2002)

Why on earth would the OP want to do what he's doing? Essentially he's trying to use the S3 as a cable box. This sounds like a submission for the Rube Goldberg award if ever there was one.

Why not just simply record the SD programs using the S3?

- If they're digital cable shows, they don't take up a lot of space on the S3.
- If they're analog channels, a cable splitter will feed a cable signal directly to both the s3 and the S2 units.
- If lack of TTG on the Series 3 is the issue, then the correct solution is to actually rent a cable company set-top box for the S2, in addition to the S3 unit.


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## Shawn95GT (Oct 7, 2005)

I've managed to dump Discovery HD recordings from the S3 out to my Digital Camcorder and then bring that back to my PC. It transfered VERY nice and VERY clean to DVD.


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

Shawn95GT said:


> I've managed to dump Discovery HD recordings from the S3 out to my Digital Camcorder and then bring that back to my PC. It transfered VERY nice and VERY clean to DVD.


And this is why all the protection they put into these systems will never stop bootleggers (not that the poster wants to bootleg, but there's nothing stopping him).

Bootleg copies aren't known for their perfect quality, just good enough.

They (CableLabs and the like) have to stop wasting so much time preventing us from using things like TTG and MRV with our S3, and focus on the economics of bootleggers. Nothing else will make any difference.

Give me my damned MRV and TTG now!


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## jkwaterman (Jan 25, 2005)

The reason I want to record the S3 shows to the S2 box is so that I can continue porting Standard def shows to my PC for backup and use down the road and use them forever. The S3 box doesn't have enough disk space to store every show I watch, Neither does the S3. If cablelabs would only get off their butts and allow tivo to bless the S3 with tivotogo usage for at least standard def shows, then I would not need to use the series 2 to move programs to the PC. My PC is hooked up to the TV so that I an watch these shows from the PC as well as the Tivo Right now I have to place the tivo s3 on the proper channel in order to record to the series 2.


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## cheerdude (Feb 27, 2001)

Why not just use the S2 ?


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## jkwaterman (Jan 25, 2005)

are you suggesting that I go back to my junky comcast dvr set top box so that I can use the S2 box with it. That sounds more screwed up than trying to control the S3 box with the S2 box. I like the S3 except for the lack of tivo to go. It doesn't seem like this can be done because the S3 does not handle the IR Codes the Tivo S2 sends using the Default Tivo barnd box. I would need to set up the IR Codes in the S2 manually and I can't find the S3 IR codes anywhere on the web


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Why not just use a standalone DVD recorder, burn to DVD (rewritable DVDs), and then move to the computer that way? Seems WAY less hacky.


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## Ilene (Dec 26, 2001)

For Series 3, the IR sensor is located around the display clock. Place your blasters above and below the clock display and you should be good to go. 
I found this answer by searching the forum and someone had reported this. We are using ours for Slingbox. I have the first version and I absolutely love it. Second best invention. TiVo is first. 
- Ilene


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## btwyx (Jan 16, 2003)

Ilene said:


> For Series 3, the IR sensor is located around the display clock.


It isn't there, its over next to the buttons. As mentioned if you shine a flashlight at it, you should be able to see a small round patch which is lighter purple. That's the receiver.


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## mportuesi (Nov 11, 2002)

jkwaterman said:


> are you suggesting that I go back to my junky comcast dvr set top box so that I can use the S2 box with it.


You don't need the Comcast DVR set-top box. Just their generic set-top box with no DVR. That's the way S2 boxes are meant to be used with digital cable.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

If you're trying to dump already recorded shows from the S3 to the S2, I could understand it. But then there is no need to use the IR between S2 and S3.

If you're trying to make the S2 control the channel changing on the S3 so you can pass the TV signal straight through from the S3 to the S2, that makes no sense whatsoever. Just get a standalone non-DVR cablebox from Comcast to connect to the S2 instead.


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## leiniesguy (Jan 23, 2007)

hiker said:


> The IR receiver eye is just to the left of the buttons. Use a flashlight and you will see it. I use a RF remote with an IR emitter stuck to that spot and it works fine. I haven't tried exactly what you are attempting.


Thanks for the tip, I was getting frustrated trying to figure out where to place my "extender eye", this worked great.


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## Toeside (Feb 14, 2002)

As odd as some think this sounds, I'm considering something along the same lines. 

I have an HR10-250 (DirecTV HD TiVo) that is soon to be unsubscribed. It's still a good OTA tuner, and I'm considering connecting a Series2 to it so we can still record the OTA content(though I'd have to really think about spending money on a short term TiVo). Since the HR10-250 uses standard TiVo IR commands, I'm assuming that a TiVo can't control a TiVo. True?


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## DamnedEyez (Oct 30, 2006)

I do similar, but I just record it on the S3...then manually record it over to the S2. (Yeah, the name will show whatever was airing when you did the transfer recording, but it works well enough.) Granted, that does take the auto- part out of the equation...


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

mattack said:


> Why not just use a standalone DVD recorder, burn to DVD (rewritable DVDs), and then move to the computer that way? Seems WAY less hacky.


That would be the easiest way. you can get a decent DVD recorder from Walmart for under $80 or a DVD recorder/VCR combo for under $100. They are cheap but they work very well. Better than the two Phillips burners I've had for the last 3 years. The only advantage with my Phillips was they recorded the audio in DD2.0
Most burners record the audio in stereo PCM.
It seems like it would be a long process to go from the S3 to the S2 to the PC to a DVD. Just go straight from the S3 to a DVD. The picture quality is excellent for being a DVD.


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## dwlawhorn (Jan 1, 2009)

On the front of the series 3 box you will note that 2/3's of the right front is a silver rectangle with a dark plastic rectangular cover in the middle that has some indicator lights that show through it. The center of the IR receiver is about 3 7/8 inches from the left edge of the dark plastic strip which covers the indicator status lights.


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## redtape (Oct 14, 2003)

dwlawhorn said:


> On the front of the series 3 box you will note that 2/3's of the right front is a silver rectangle with a dark plastic rectangular cover in the middle that has some indicator lights that show through it. The center of the IR receiver is about 3 7/8 inches from the left edge of the dark plastic strip which covers the indicator status lights.


You do realize that this is a 2+ year old thread?


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

dwlawhorn said:


> On the front of the series 3 box you will note that 2/3's of the right front is a silver rectangle with a dark plastic rectangular cover in the middle that has some indicator lights that show through it. The center of the IR receiver is about 3 7/8 inches from the left edge of the dark plastic strip which covers the indicator status lights.


GREAT NEWS!

But in the 2 years that past since this was posted, you can now just transfer the shows over the network....


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## alansh (Jan 3, 2003)

Not all of us. Cox in Phoenix is blocking TTG for all of the non-broadcast channels. You can either play it back to a capture device, or use a Series2 with a cable box.


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