Personal Technology Tips in Plain English
Tivo
PayPerView Launched on Tivo – Download & Watch Movies and TV Shows Directly To Your Tivo
Jul 19th
If you have a Tivo, you can already to amazing things with your TV, even if you’ve already taken them for granted.
Here’s something new to keep the shine on your Tivo box. Amazon just notified customers that their Amazon Unbox service allows you to rent or buy movies and videos directly from your Tivo. Read the rest of this entry »
How To Impress Your Friends When A Plasma HDTV Is Not Enough
Jul 1st
You bought yourself that beautiful HDTV plasma for Father’s Day. Now what else do you need?
How about a TiVo that works with your HDTV? They just made one that’s also the world’s first THX®-certified, digital video recorder? Dual tuners allow subscribers to record two different shows in HD at the same time, while watching a third pre-recorded show. With the high quality OLED front-panel display, the TiVo Series3 HD box will show what is recording, even when the television is off. The TiVo Series3 HD box enables the user to record up to 32 hours of HD programming, or up to 300 hours of recording capacity in standard definition. With a built-in Ethernet jack and USB ports, the TiVo Series3 HD box also provides advanced connectivity and easy networking.
Here’s a VIDEO TOUR of the TIVO HDTV DIGITAL MEDIA RECORDER: Read the rest of this entry »
Tivo Tip: Video Tour of Recording Programs on Your Tivo
Jun 22nd
If you don’t have a Tivo, you don’t know what you’re missing.
But that’s not good enough to get you to buy one. Have you ever seen it in action?
Do you want to see how easy it is to find and schedule your Tivo to record movies? Or your favorite TV show like Lost? Or Grey’s Anatomy? Or House? Or any other recurring program?
Tivo Tip: How to Get 1 Year of Tivo Subscription Service Additional Free
Jun 5th
Back when I purchased my Tivo, I bit the bullet and purchased the “Lifetime Subscription Plan” for $250 or something close to that. In hindsight, it was kind of comical that I was even weighing whether or not it was worth it. Basically you had to use Tivo for 24 months to break even. Seemed like a long time for a “new” technology back then — before it was proven that the company had staying power in the market.
Now it turns out to be a great decision because Read the rest of this entry »
Tivo Tip: 30-Second Commercial Skip Tivo Hack Doesn’t Work?
Jun 4th
One of the most widely known Tivo secrets isn’t really a secret. It’s basically a way for Tivo – the company – to technically stay out of hot water with the major networks because they aren’t selling a device that really skips commercials “out of the box”.
Although everyone knows that you can skip commercials with Tivo, the 30-second skip feature isn’t anywhere in the Tivo manuals or FAQ’s — hence the “hack” that everyone uses and loves. And ages ago, you found the neat hack, programmed it and have been happily skipping around programs with ease for as long as you know. The fact that the Tivo didn’t come pre-programmed like this doesn’t even enter your mind until you find the button not working at all… Read the rest of this entry »
Tivo Tip: How to Watch Live TV While Recording Another
May 10th
If you have a Tivo, you already understand how it’s a revolutionary device. “Time-Shifting” is the term that the chipheads use – basically, having the ability NOT being tied to a specific time to watch specific programs. Kind of like creating your own “on-demand” catalog at home. Or another way to put it is a suped-up VCR or DVD-Recorder (think about it, all the Tivo does is automate recording TV shows for you and sorting through tapes or DVD’s with the power of a remote control.
But one limitation most Tivo users kind of “get used to” is that if your Tivo is recording a program, it looks like it has taken control of the TV, and in order to switch the channel, you have to go through a menu screen that asks you to make a choice:
1) keep recording the program that it’s currently recording and you can watch it as it goes along or
2) Cancel the recording so that you can watch live TV and skip around channels.
Little do most Tivo owners know that there’s a 3rd option:
I can hear you right now screaming “HOW?” How much does it cost? Where do you upgrade your subscription? 
Nope, it’s not an “upsell” from Tivo, although they should sell a kit that makes this nice and easy for you to do.
With a basic little thing called an RF splitter that you can pick up from Radio Shack for under $10. And your TV must have both composite video and RF connections (most TV’s do these days). Tivo.com has simple instructions on how to set-up the wiring so that you can acheieve this Tivo Nirvana.
Although the aim is not to watch live TV (that’s the whole point of Tivo!), if your record a lot of shows, there will be enough times that there are head-to-head programmed shows that are both worthy of watching. Now you don’t have to sacrifice one of the shows!
Along with the 30-second skip Tivo Hack, this is probably the most useful Tivo tip around yet one of the largest Tivo secrets.
Tivo Tip: 30-Second Commercial Ad Skip Secret
Apr 4th
Why does everyone buy a Tivo? So that they can skip the commercials. Then why isn’t there a button on the Tivo remote control that allows you to skip commercials?
In order to appease Hollywood, Tivo didn’t explicitly include this functionality out of the box. Nor does it make it the the USP (unique selling proposition) in it’s marketing to the masses. Only through WoM (Word of Mouth) does the real reason to buy Tivo come across.
BUT, the Tivo-folks ain’t no dummies. And they know what their customers want.
So here’s the “Tivo hack” or “Easter Egg” that everyone knows about that you’ve been scratching you head about. It’s easy enough to Google it and find the exact programming sequence, but I post it here for educational purposes of my family in hopes that they don’t keep asking ME to re-program the remote every time there’s a blackout or a power surge causing our Tivo to burp and re-set itself. Read the rest of this entry »
I love tech, gadgets and the web. Hope you pick-up a useful tip or two here today that helps you use technology to your advantage! Better yet, why not share your own expertise in a comment on a post today to help the other readers that land here for answers!