# Apologizing in advance for repetitive questioning



## fifidanon (Sep 19, 2006)

We've had the R15 since Monday 9/18 (I'm the originator of the "Should a grown woman cry over a DVR" thread, if that helps) and this being day five, we're trying very hard to give the new unit a chance before knee-jerking right back to the Tivo unit (R10, I believe, if I'm reading threads correctly).

I've actually spent some quality time (when I can steal it away) reading back through older threads in order to avoid asking questions that many regulars to this thread have - I've no doubt - asked and answered ad infitum, but since we just moved into our new home, have two closings to contend with (one yesterday, the second one Monday) and one daughter falling quite sick and missing an entire week of third grade, my time is unavoidably limited, and I'll most likely be appearing on here now and again asking repetitive questions.

We're actually adapting better than I'd have assumed at the beginning of the week, probably because I've so much else on my plate I can't properly obsess over the new unit as I'd be prone to do under normal circumstances. So, just a couple of questions for now:

List: Any way to alter format as with the Tivo? Can you order the info alphabetically as opposed to chronologically?

Series Link (called this in R15, Season Pass in Tivo, correct?): I've read enough to understand there are serious problems with this feature, as in recording all episodes, as opposed to just new ones. Once the unit has locked into recording all episodes, is there any way to get out of recording the repeats? Do you need to go through your To Do List and individually select episodes that are repeats, and manually deselect these episodes to not record? Will the unit let me do this?

Thanks again for all the terrific help and support. Seems a nice bunch of blokes (and blokettes?) here in the R15 Q&A forum.


----------



## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

fifidanon said:


> List: Any way to alter format as with the Tivo? Can you order the info alphabetically as opposed to chronologically?


Hit list, then menu, then list by...



fifidanon said:


> Series Link (called this in R15, Season Pass in Tivo, correct?): I've read enough to understand there are serious problems with this feature, as in recording all episodes, as opposed to just new ones. Once the unit has locked into recording all episodes, is there any way to get out of recording the repeats? Do you need to go through your To Do List and individually select episodes that are repeats, and manually deselect these episodes to not record? Will the unit let me do this?


Go into prioritizer and select the SL. Select record, then hit the green button to get to the SL tab. You can select/change to First Run, Repeats or Both.


----------



## fifidanon (Sep 19, 2006)

qwerty said:


> Hit list, then menu, then list by...
> 
> Go into prioritizer and select the SL. Select record, then hit the green button to get to the SL tab. You can select/change to First Run, Repeats or Both.


Thanks, qwerty for the quick response. Very helpful. How do I handle the shows my daughters watch, where they want the repeats (Zoey 101, That's So Raven, Ned's Declassified, etc.) in addition to the first runs, but we don't want the same episodes over and over again. Does the R15 have the feature that Tivo had where it will not record the same episode that was recorded in the past 28 days, I think it was? And have I read on here that Series Link will only keep the most recent five shows, even if there is disk space remaining?

Thanks, and sorry if the answers here are obvious ones. When I have more time to play with the thing I'm sure I'll discover some of this on my own. Until then . . . appreciate the help most sincerely.


----------



## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

fifidanon said:


> Thanks, qwerty for the quick response. Very helpful. How do I handle the shows my daughters watch, where they want the repeats (Zoey 101, That's So Raven, Ned's Declassified, etc.) in addition to the first runs, but we don't want the same episodes over and over again. Does the R15 have the feature that Tivo had where it will not record the same episode that was recorded in the past 28 days, I think it was? And have I read on here that Series Link will only keep the most recent five shows, even if there is disk space remaining?
> 
> Thanks, and sorry if the answers here are obvious ones. When I have more time to play with the thing I'm sure I'll discover some of this on my own. Until then . . . appreciate the help most sincerely.


The R15 seems to have some form of 28 day rule, but like the First Runs vs Repeats it doesn't always work like it should.

The easiest way to set them up is probably to select and episode from the guide, select record, hit the green button to get to the SL tab. Here you can change SL settings to Both. You can also change Keep at Most to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or all. From this screen you can also hit menu and find the option to change you SL default setup. That way, you can just find a program in the guide and hit record twice to automatically set up the SL to the defaults you chose.


----------



## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

And if setting them up that way does not prevent the repeats from recording, then the only other thing I have found is to go into the to-do list and individually cancel the episodes you don't want. Time consuming and inconvenient, because the double dash deletion does not work there, you have to select the show, select record, select "don't record", select ok, over and over.

Or, wait until they have recorded, then use double dash to delete them from the VOD list.

Carl


----------



## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

fifidanon said:


> List: Any way to alter format as with the Tivo? Can you order the info alphabetically as opposed to chronologically?





qwerty said:


> Hit list, then menu, then list by...


Just so you know it does not stay this way, you will have to do this every time you go into MYVOD.


----------



## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

cabanaboy1977 said:


> Just so you know it does not stay this way, you will have to do this every time you go into MYVOD.


I didn't know that. That's messed up!


----------



## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

qwerty said:


> I didn't know that. That's messed up!


Yeah it is. I don't use it, but what's the point of have a sort option that doesn't stick?


----------



## fifidanon (Sep 19, 2006)

cabanaboy1977 said:


> Just so you know it does not stay this way, you will have to do this every time you go into MYVOD.


Yes, I did discover that as well, thought I was doing something wrong. A pointless feature, if you have to change it back every time. Absurd.

Other interesting anamolies (anomolies?) I've been subjected to in week two of Life with R15:


Recorded Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters on Sunday night. In my List, instead of each program having its own proper place on the list, Brothers and Sisters is now a folder containing the proper episode of that show, but also the episode of Desperate Housewives is listed as a second show in the Brothers and Sisters folder. Desperate Housewives is not listed separately anywhere on the list.


When watching a recorded show, sometimes the "bar counter" (I don't know the proper name for it, it's the bar on the bottom of the screen that shows you what portion of the show you are watching, as well as creeping forward or backward as you fast-forward or rewind) just stays in the same spot. Doesn't move at all, so you've no idea what portion of the show you've actually watched or how much remains to be watched.

More to follow, I've no doubt. BUT -- I will say, I do not HATE the R15. Thought I would, thought I'd revert to Tivo unit in no seconds flat. But I am learning, and adjusting, if not ecstatic over it. Biggest influence for not switching back - DISC SPACE - naturally! - for recorded shows vs. the scant disc space in the Tivo. It had gotten to the point where I spent more than half my "Tivo Maintenance" time trying to juggle which shows to hold onto as other shows raced into exclamation point/near oblivion.


----------



## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

fifidanon said:


> Yes, I did discover that as well, thought I was doing something wrong. A pointless feature, if you have to change it back every time. Absurd.
> 
> Other interesting anamolies (anomolies?) I've been subjected to in week two of Life with R15:
> 
> ...


I ran into the Progress Bar problem the other night. I was trying to FF through a show and it got stuck at 19 minutes (which also corresponded to a drop in signal for that show) I just left it in FF and finally it passed the bad spot. I had to stop and start the show to get the bar working again.

Also you know you can upgrade the drive in Tivo right?


----------



## fifidanon (Sep 19, 2006)

Clint Lamor said:


> I ran into the Progress Bar problem the other night. I was trying to FF through a show and it got stuck at 19 minutes (which also corresponded to a drop in signal for that show) I just left it in FF and finally it passed the bad spot. I had to stop and start the show to get the bar working again.
> 
> Also you know you can upgrade the drive in Tivo right?


This is an older thread that I started; haven't been back to this forum for a short while (computer issues). But I would like to revisit this reply - how do you get your Tivo drive upgraded?

I have done fairly well with the R15, despite the bugs and all, but I just miss the user-friendliness of the Tivo so much. If I had more recording space, I would love to go back to my Tivo. So I am interested in hearing about upgrading (I held onto my Tivo unit when we were switched to R15s).

Thanks.


----------



## ApK (Mar 6, 2006)

fifidanon said:


> Biggest influence for not switching back - DISC SPACE - naturally! - for recorded shows vs. the scant disc space in the Tivo. It had gotten to the point where I spent more than half my "Tivo Maintenance" time trying to juggle which shows to hold onto as other shows raced into exclamation point/near oblivion.


You can easily add (or have added) a bigger drive to your Tivo unit and get MUCH more space. HUNDREDS of hours.

I've just ordered a DTivo to replace my R15.


----------



## fifidanon (Sep 19, 2006)

ApK said:


> You can easily add (or have added) a bigger drive to your Tivo unit and get MUCH more space. HUNDREDS of hours.
> 
> I've just ordered a DTivo to replace my R15.


Who did you order this from and how much did it cost? I thought I had read Tivo units were not that easy to come by. I already have a Tivo unit - so I assume I'm looking to upgrade my existing unit. And how did DirecTV handle your switching back? Were you within your 30-day period with your R15? We still have another 8 days left since receiving the new receivers.


----------



## ApK (Mar 6, 2006)

They're easy enough to come by, all that varies is the reliability of the seller and the price.
I ordered from a eBay store called TivoMagician. I give no endorsement, as I have not actually received or tried it yet! (UPS says it'll be here Wednesday.)

Several people on this forum also have or recently had DTivos for sale.

As I haven't actually done it yet, I can't say how DTV will handle the switch, but from what I've read here and been told by DTV, once I get an access card, switching will not be a problem. DTV confirmed that my two year commitment is just to have service, not to keep the R15 active, so replacing it is not a problem.

I've had the R15 for about 6 months now. I'll put it in a closet until it learns to behave properly.

If you are otherwise happy with your Tivo, yes, you can just upgrade it's drive. You can buy large, prepared drives on eBay and elsewhere for not terrible amounts of money, and if you (or your friends) are not geeky enough to do it your self, there are vendors, like forum sponser Weaknees, who will upgrade it for you.


----------



## fifidanon (Sep 19, 2006)

ApK said:


> They're easy enough to come by, all that varies is the reliability of the seller and the price.
> I ordered from a eBay store called TivoMagician. I give no endorsement, as I have not actually received or tried it yet! (UPS says it'll be here Wednesday.)
> 
> Several people on this forum also have or recently had DTivos for sale.
> ...


Can you give me some ballpark figure for the actual cost to upgrade the Tivo?


----------



## ApK (Mar 6, 2006)

You can get an exact price but it depends on what you want. You can just buy a 100 GB drive for under $99 and do everything yourself, or you can click the Weaknees.com banner add at the top of this page to see how much they'd charge do it all for you.


----------



## bearymore (Sep 1, 2006)

fifidanon said:


> Can you give me some ballpark figure for the actual cost to upgrade the Tivo?


I built a completely new Tivo. I got a refurbished Philips DSR704 without harddrive for $69.95 from PTVUpgrade.com. I bought a 200GB harddisk from Newegg.com for $59.95. I bought Instantcake software to format the harddisk for Tivo from PTVUpgrade.com for $20. Total cost $150 for a 176 hour Series 2 Tivo.


----------



## ApK (Mar 6, 2006)

ApK said:


> They're easy enough to come by, all that varies is the reliability of the seller and the price.
> I ordered from a eBay store called TivoMagician. I give no endorsement, as I have not actually received or tried it yet! (UPS says it'll be here Wednesday.).


I was in a hurry to order this and decided to roll the dice and trust the sellers good feedback rather than following the advice of obtaining and checking the RID.

Turns out the receiver is from an account in collections and cannot be reactived.



I've contacted the seller and am waiting to see how he resolves it. So far, it's only cost me some additonal frustration and annoyance.

EDIT: Heard back from the seller and got the best kind of reply I could hope for. So everything will hopefully work out with the replacement unit...let you know in a few days.....

ApK


----------



## ApK (Mar 6, 2006)

Yeah! Tivo Magician came through. When I told told them about the problem activating the DVR, they profusely apologized and immediately sent a replacement (without waiting to get the bad one back) and they sent it with a bigger drive to make up for the incovienience!
Got the replacement today, and DTV let me move the access card from one of my spare D11s, so I was able to try it immediately.

It works! Woo hoo! 140 hour dual tuner DTivo, baby, yeah!

We still have a bunch of stuff to watch on the R15, we have to reprogram all our remote controls, and we have a lot of SLs...I mean...SPs...to setup so we're keeping both it and the R15 activate for another day or so.

I'm psyched. I'm also exhausted. Must go to bed now.

ApK


----------

