TiVo - Tips and Tricks

nmdale

Established Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
924
Reaction score
164
Points
202
Location
Sheffield
I thought it would be a good idea to list some tips and tricks for Virgin Media's TiVo. Feel free to add your own suggestions below, and I will edit this first post so that they are all in one place!

  • To quickly delete a recording from My Shows or elesewhere press *clear*.
  • To quickly play a recording press *play*.
  • To jump to the bottom of lists press skip *->|*.
  • To scroll page up/down use channel up/down.
  • Press and hold *Power* button turns your TV on or off.
  • Press and hold *Text* to change AV source on your TV - note may not work on all TV sets.
  • Whilst in TV guide or elsewhere pressing *Slow* will remove the mini TV in the corner.
  • Press *OK* to bring up the mini guide, use up/down to navigate and note that channel up/down will scroll the page.
  • To jump to the end of a recording or playback press and hold *->|* and to jump to the beginning press and hold *|<-*.
  • Pressing *->|* mulitiple times will queue in 30 second increments.
  • Whilst fastwording pressing *->|* will jump to the next white bar.
  • Pressing *Info* and then scrolling down to the 3 R's will allow you to see what is on each tuner, where you can select each one and change the channel, each tuner will keep a one hour buffer, perfect if you want to keep and eye on two football games at the same time.
  • If you miss the start of a program, but have a tuner on that channel pressing record will capture up to the last hour in the buffer, so you can watch the program from the beginning .
  • Pressing *HOME* followed by

    1. Manage series links
    2. Planned recordings
    3. Wishlists
    4. Search all TV
    5. Browse all TV

  • To change video format whilst watching a recording press *up*.
  • If the screen locks up pressing the following key combination may help - *Thumbs up* *Thumbs down* *play* *play*.
  • To reset the box hold in the standby button on the box for about 5 seconds.
 
Last edited:
i would just like to add the way the engineer set mine up when i hold down power it turns off the tv and my surround sound which is great ! :thumbsup:
 
Thanks! I'll be getting our new Tivo box in a few days. After suffering the old V+ box for a few years I can't wait!!!

One thing though - I can't find any info on archiving recordings from the Tivo. Does the SCART work? Is this the only option (as per the old box)?

Cheers!
 
Thanks! I'll be getting our new Tivo box in a few days. After suffering the old V+ box for a few years I can't wait!!!

One thing though - I can't find any info on archiving recordings from the Tivo. Does the SCART work? Is this the only option (as per the old box)?

Cheers!

The scart works for archiving, but you have to play the programme back whilst it's recording.

The V+ system with a separate decoder, which enabled to use the V+ as normal whilst archiving isn't in the Tivo box.
 
A tip from me.

Whilst looking through the guide menu, the description about the tv show/film you highlight is set out at the top of the screen, sometimes the length of the description is longer than the amount of space provided for in the menu design. You may also want to know who is on the film say. Naturally you would think by pressing "info" it would bring up more detail (exactly like it does when you are watching a programme and press the "info" button). No, nothing happens. But if you press the "R" button, a new box opens with the full description of the show/film, plus other options. Press back to go back to where you were in the menu. Its a simple work around. Although you wouldn't think of pressing "R" for details if you weren't thinking of recording it.

Hope this is useful
 
^I think they're working on a fix for that :)

Hope so as it was the wife who told me the system was stupid because the info button didn't work when on the menu screen but i managed to find a work around, but she's still not impressed!
 
Hope so as it was the wife who told me the system was stupid because the info button didn't work when on the menu screen but i managed to find a work around, but she's still not impressed!

Neither is mine!:oops:
 
Neither is mine!:oops:

There's just no pleasing them! :rolleyes:

The latest is the remote, due to its shape it keeps falling off the arm of the chair, i tell you?! :rolleyes: Or she's picked it up the wrong way round.

But she found an episode of Bondi Rescue in suggestions that pleased her :clap:
 
I'm probably being a complete idiot... But, if you come out of watching a recorded programme, how do you change the default 'From Begining' starting position when you go back in?
 
I'm probably being a complete idiot... But, if you come out of watching a recorded programme, how do you change the default 'From Begining' starting position when you go back in?

If you just hit play on the program, in 'my shows', it will resume from where you left off.

Otherwise if you press ok on the program, instead of scrolling across to 'from beginning', just press ok on 'resume playing'.
 
If you just hit play on the program, in 'my shows', it will resume from where you left off.

Otherwise if you press ok on the program, instead of scrolling across to 'from beginning', just press ok on 'resume playing'.
:thumbsup: Thank you!
 
Just starting to get to grips with my Tivo that was installed on Sunday and thought I'd share a little tip:

Automatically record a clashed show if on later on a different channel
For shows that may clash and are repeated on other channels, add a series link for all the other channels it appears on. The result is it will try to record on 1 of these if all the other higher priority similar links fail to do so. The beauty is you won't get duplicates as the series link is ignored if the same episode has been recently recorded from any channel. :thumbsup:

I've set these 'multi-showing' series links to low priority and kept the shows that are shown only once toward the top because I know that in all probability the former will record eventually and so don't want them to stop a show-once program recording.

It's a little annoying that if you just have the series-link for the one channel, showings on other channels appear in the upcoming program list but won't set to record automatically without the above.
 
Last edited:
It's a little annoying that if you just have the series-link for the one channel, showings on other channels appear in the upcoming program list but won't set to record automatically without the above.
That's what a Title Wishlist is for ;)

 
Last edited:
Hopefully about to get Tivo but before I do I was wondering??? Does the VCR scart still output a signal via a modulator like the V+ box does as if it doesn't I won't be getting on cos I need my 2nd TV powering with Virgin.
 
There is only one scart on the TiVo, but yes it does output at the same time as HDMI.

BUT, there is a glitch/bug which affects some setups, that requires you to switch away from HDMI before turning your TV off otherwise, it also cuts the scart.

Note also, that the TiVo outputs only what is being viewed, there is no copy to VCR function like that on the v+.
 
I'm very new to TiVo (only had it a week), but won't the above record everything from every series, if shown? What if, for example, you only wanted episodes from the latest season of The Simpsons? Is there a way to do this?

As I say, I am very new to TiVo and may be missing something obvious, so please be gentle with me :)

You can select to record; New, New + Re-runs or All Episodes so no issue there. The problem is that often a wishlist will elect to record the SD channel broadcast instead of the simulcasted episode on the HD version of the channel. Channel 4 appears to be the worse culprit where you have a simulcast on C4, C4HD & C4 AD and it will record the C4 AD channel by default. My suggested method means you can put the HD channel series link in and it won't record from the other 2 but if you add the same series link but for C4+1, E4 & E4+1 at a lower priority it will record from one of these if the 1st HD broadcast clashes. :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
My suggested method means you can put the HD channel series link in and it won't record from the other 2 but if you add the same series link but for C4+1, E4 & E4+1 at a lower priority it will record from one of these if the 1st HD broadcast clashes. :thumbsup:
Yep. That'll do it :)
 
Holding down the power button on the box and releasing after 3 or 4 seconds will restart the box. Saves having to go into the menu system.

For future reference I am talking about the original cisco box here.
 
You can select to record; New, New + Re-runs or All Episodes so no issue there.
That's another thing I don't quite get. What is the difference between "New & Re-runs" and "All Episodes". Surely they're the same thing?
 
To the best of my knowledge:

New
Only records shows actually flagged as new. These shows have a little 'new' icon displayed. Won't record same ep within 28 days.

New+Repeat
Records all episodes but won't record same ep again if it is repeated within 28 days.

Everything
Does just that. Records every episode, ignoring the 28-day rule.
 
Last edited:
Just had my Tivo fitted this morning by a lad who looked old enough to be my son and he knew less about the system than I did (which is a first)!! Firstly, I don't know if the box has been upgraded but mine doesn't suffer the issue as reported earlier in that if I turn off my main TV I still get the signal sent via the Scart on my 2nd TV which is a result.
Quick question, I've noted on the EPG that some programmes have a symbol attached that is a letter C with an arrowed circle around it. What does this signify as all I got was an apparent 2nd hand quck start guide??
 
....I've noted on the EPG that some programmes have a symbol attached that is a letter C with an arrowed circle around it. What does this signify as all I got was an apparent 2nd hand quck start guide??

It means the program is or will be available on catch-up :smashin:
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom