# Take control of TiVo before TiVo controls you!



## John Corn (Mar 21, 2002)

Computerized appliances are quietly infiltrating our homes, and if we're not careful, they will surely enslave us.

Overly dramatic, you say? Then consider what happened last month in Great Britain, when thousands of TiVo owners had their televisions hijacked. As my colleagues David Coursey and Josh & John have already lamented, a backroom deal between TiVo and the BBC caused every TiVo in the UK to suddenly add the sitcom Dossa & Joe to their recording schedules. Innocent viewers found themselves forced to record a two-hour program against their will; they were even barred from deleting the show from their TiVo hard drives for four days.

I REITERATE this story only as an example that these machines have minds of their own. These so-called "smart" recorders are no dimwits. The TiVo box is in fact an advanced, highly integrated multimedia computer running a specialized Linux-based operating system. If such a machine landed on our office desktops, most of us would recoil in horror and wait for our corporate IT departments to send in a tactical response team.

Click Here for the rest of the story


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## Maniacal1 (Apr 9, 2002)

John, I'm not defending TiVo on this one, but it's false that all TiVos recorded the program. If the customer had scheduled a recording, TiVo recorded what the user asked for.

The recording was made into the space that TiVo reserves on all units. In the US, that's where the advertising and other features have gone. Those advertisements can't be deleted until they expire either. Those features also included the Oscar showcase, which most customers thought was pretty cool.

TiVo has apologized for not giving their UK customers a heads-up on this experiment. The machines don't have a mind of their own, but marketing people think oddly sometimes.


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## EricG (Mar 28, 2002)

There's several threads on www.tivocommunity.com about this. It's really no big deal, just don't watch it!


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## gcutler (Mar 23, 2002)

Didn't we have this discussion a few weeks ago. Many TiVo subs including myself really don't care. There are many who do care. But it seemed to me IMHO that there were alot of people who do not have TiVo who were angry about it. Many of the "Hypothetical Situations" discussed had such a small percentage change of happeneing (or TiVo changed our viewing habits so it really only ment something to someone who dosen't have TiVo)


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

My SA Tivo recorded commercials for the upcoming Adam Sandler movie "Mr. Deeds". I watched all of them as I, for some reason, enjoy his sense of humor. IMHO, if this is a revenue generating source and it obviously has not interfered w/my Season Passes, I have no problem with it. There have been other "commercials" which I have simply passed on. Watch what you want and skip the rest. BTW, as to commercials and TIVO...anybody notice the onslaught of embedded commercials on Dog Eat Dog last night. The Circuit City big screen and the NetZero timer...


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## Ryan (Apr 24, 2002)

Overly dramatic, you say?

Yes, in fact, I do!


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## EdF (Apr 24, 2002)

We cancelled tivo service Feb 27 when the monthly rate was increased. The phone line was unplugged before cancelling. We don't get the listings anymore but tivo records just fine with manual one-time recordings and season passes. Tivo even adjusted its clock for DST without calling in. NO tivo crap will infect this unit!

It is used with a 301 and mostly for repeating programs (season passes) and some "overflow" when our two 7200's are recording.


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## jrjcd (Apr 23, 2002)

i think the concern of the "non-tivo" people is other similar devices behaving in the same manner...one wouldn't mind it so much if this "feature" was pointed out before one bought the device-it's mainly just a nasty little surprise...


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## Bob Haller (Mar 24, 2002)

ell I occasionally leave a dp on a station, hit record on my vcr and walk away.

If my dp switched to something else I wouldnt be happy.

Of course DPs dont create happiness.....


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## gcutler (Mar 23, 2002)

Bob, For most TiVo users that would happen alot as TiVo records suggestions based on viewing habits. So the only difference was that TiVo forced a suggestion down their throat instead it being based on viewing habits. But just like your situation, I would not like it and turned off "Auto Record Suggestions". 

it seems that most TiVo people I know love the Auto Record of suggestions as they are usually pleasantly surprised, so they lose a little of their moral high ground in that the programming was a suggestion that was auto recorded. Now if it was recorded on my machine with Auto Record turned off, I might be a little angry


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## lee635 (Apr 17, 2002)

But that's the problem with this stuff. Look at internet search engines, they used to match your search query to the most likely match. Now they take your search query and return a bunch of links that the owner paid the search engine to return.

Same with PVRs, if its recording based on my preferences, that's not so bad, but when it starts recording based on paid placement, it becomes a PITA.


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

EDF-How could TIVO record a season pass without a listing? Seems to me a Season Pass is by name. If there are none in the listing, it won't record them.


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## gcutler (Mar 23, 2002)

> _Originally posted by lee635 _
> *But that's the problem with this stuff. Look at internet search engines, they used to match your search query to the most likely match. Now they take your search query and return a bunch of links that the owner paid the search engine to return.
> 
> Same with PVRs, if its recording based on my preferences, that's not so bad, but when it starts recording based on paid placement, it becomes a PITA. *


Seems like we are all rehashing the same arguments from the old thread. It may b a PITA, but I'm willing to put up with it to give TiVo a stronger financial foundation (either to keep the prices down in the future, wait I'm lifetime now, scr*ew future prices, or to keep them in business)


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## The Old Wizard (Mar 24, 2002)

> _Originally posted by MikeW _
> *EDF-How could TIVO record a season pass without a listing? Seems to me a Season Pass is by name. If there are none in the listing, it won't record them. *


Maybe I can answer this one since I have both a stand alone & a DirecTivo.

You can set a manual timer recording to repeat everytime a paticular show is on at the same time each week / day. Of course without the program guide, Tivo will not know if that program has been moved to another time, for what ever reason. In other words it's like setting your VCR to record that favorite program every week at the same time.


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

> _Originally posted by EdF _
> *We don't get the listings anymore but tivo records just fine with manual one-time recordings and season passes. *


I understand manual recordings and timers...but not Season Passes.


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## EdF (Apr 24, 2002)

MikeW - probably "repeating manual timer" is a better description. It only records the same time period. We have it set up to record Letterman M-F 11:35-12:40, MadTV Sat 11-12, etc. The manual timer allows for a one time recording or a repeating recording, then you can select the day or days of the week, then channel # and finally the time. Of course if a network changes the show, we get the new program. Tivo is used only for those programs which almost always appear in the same time slot. Others are recorded on our DP's.


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

Ed-you're right...better description. Season Passes are much more intuitive. I appreciate the fact that when there is a bonus showing of something (like CSI), it is recorded for me.

How do you compare TIVO to DP. I've got a lifetime sub to TIVO but I'm thinking of getting a DP for me and letting my wife control TIVO.


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