Armstrong TiVo Service Manual

The TiVo® Service

Quick Guide

TiVo® Service Quick Guide

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Welcome

Table of contents

Using this guide 3 Quick Tour – The TiVo Central® screen 5 Quick Tour – My Shows 7 Quick Tour – Finding & recording shows 10 Quick Tour – Watching live TV 19 Quick Tour – Using the guide and mini-guide 24 Quick Tour – video on demand 26 Quick Tour – Music & Photos 28 Quick Tour – Streaming or transferring shows 30 Getting more info 31 Troubleshooting 32

TiVo® Service Quick Guide

Using this guide

Thank you for choosing the TiVo experience from Armstrong. The Quick Tours in this guide describe features of the TiVo service running on the following TiVo devices:

The MG1 digital video recorder (DVR) has multiple tuners and a hard drive allowing you to

pause and rewind live TV, and to watch and record different shows at the same time (the number of tuners varies by model).

The Mi3 set-top box (STB) is a tuner-less, allpurpose companion to your DVR (the Mi3 uses

your home network to “borrow” a tuner from a connected DVR). With the Mi3, you can watch live TV, search and browse for shows, watch shows saved on DVRs in your home network, enjoy video on demand, and more. You can even start watching a show in one room and finish it in another!

Note: Most of this guide applies to using the TiVo service on your

DVR. Any specific service differences for the Mi3 are noted. For much more visit tivo.com

Basic terms

When we talk about the TiVo service, here are some terms you should know:

Live TV. If you’re watching a show as it’s being broadcast, you’re

watching live TV. You can pause live TV for up to 30 minutes. When you resume watching, you’re “behind” live TV. (You can always get to live TV by pressing the Live TV button on your TiVo remote control.)

Multi-tuner. A tuner is a device found inside DVRs, TVs, cable

boxes — anything designed to receive TV signals, including your DVR. A tuner picks one channel to display; it “tunes” to that channel. The DVR has multiple tuners inside and it can simultaneously record different shows on the different tuners (pressing the Live TV button on your TiVo remote will switch among the tuners). See “Watching multiple shows at once” on page 20 for more information about switching tuners.

Streaming. Streaming means watching a video directly from

another device; there’s no need to transfer or download it first. With your DVR, you can stream shows to or from another DVR in your network or from a number of broadband sources. You can also stream to one or more Mi3s!

Host/Client. When your DVR streams shows to another DVR or

device, including the Mi3, your DVR is a “host.” The DVR or device receiving the shows is the “client.” And your DVR can be a client, too! When you stream shows from another DVR to your DVR, your DVR is a client.

TiVo service. If your DVR (or Mi3) is the body, the TiVo service is

the brains! The program information provided by the TiVo service powers the program guide, allowing you to search for shows, and more. See “Searching for shows (and more!)” on page 10 for more information.

CableCARD

Decoder. A CableCARD decoder allows your DVR

to receive digital cable channels without a cable box. Your DVR comes with the CableCARD already installed. You should not remove the CableCARD at any time.

TiVo® Service Quick Guide

TiVo

Service Quick Guide

Quick Tour – The TiVo Central® screen

Your starting point for just about everything!

The TiVo Central screen is the starting point for just about everything you do with your DVR or Mi3. From the TiVo Central screen, you can see a list of all the shows you’ve recorded, find new shows to watch, explore great video-on-demand choices, and more.

To get to the TiVo Central screen from live TV or any TiVo screen, just press the TiVo button

at the top of your TiVo remote control. Use the UP , DOWN , LEFT , and RIGHT arrows on the remote to move around, then press the SELECT button on an option that interests you.

The Video Window

The Video Window is located in the upper right corner of the TiVo Central screen and most other TiVo menu screens, unless you choose to turn it off or temporarily hide it. The Video Window continues playing the show you were watching when you entered the TiVo Central screen.

You can press the PAUSE button on your TiVo remote to pause what’s playing in the Video Window, and press PAUSE again to resume playing.

To temporarily hide the Video Window, press the SLOW button . Press SLOW again to restore the Video Window.

If you’d rather permanently turn off the Video Window, from the TiVo Central screen select ‘Settings & Messages,’ then ‘Settings,’ then ‘Displays,’ then ‘Video Window.’

Discovery Bar

The Discovery Bar is the bar of thumbnail images across the top of the TiVo Central screen and many other TiVo menu screens. What you’ll see in the Discovery Bar depends on you! Often, the Discovery Bar displays ideas for shows you might like based on what shows you

To return your show to full screen from TiVo Central or any other TiVo menu screen, just

press the ZOOM button

on your

TiVo remote.

TiVo

Service Quick Guide

record and mark as your favorites. For example, if you record the show “American Idol,” the Discovery Bar might display thumbnails for other shows, like “So You Think You Can Dance.” It all depends on what you’re interested in and what’s available to you.

The Discovery Bar also displays lots of other great viewing options: popular shows or sports events that are playing on live TV, items from your My Shows list, TiVo Suggestions, new video-on-demand shows, and more!

Press the UP arrow to move up to the Discovery Bar, then the LEFT and RIGHT arrows to move around. Press the SELECT button on an image that interests you to open an information screen about that item.

’What to Watch Now’

‘What to Watch Now’ sorts through all of your channels and video provider offerings to show you a list what’s available right now. Choose from popular live TV shows, live sports events, movies, TiVo Suggestions, and more! Just select ‘What to Watch Now’ to get started. (You can also select ‘What to Watch Now’ from your My Shows list.)

. . . And more!

From the TiVo Central screen you can find shows, manage upcoming recordings and downloads, access music and photos from your networked PC, and explore a variety of apps and games. You’ll learn more about these options later in this guide, but remember — it all starts from the TiVo Central screen.

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Quick Tour – My Shows

All the shows recorded by your DVR are shown in the My Shows list. To get to the My Shows list from any menu screen or from live TV, just press the TiVo button twice. (Just press it once if you’re already on the TiVo Central screen.) You can also see the My Shows list of any other DVRs on your home network. Just press the DOWN arrow until you see the DVR you want. Highlight it and press the SELECT button to see that DVR’s My Shows list.

Highlight any title in the My Shows list (even a show that’s still recording) and press the PLAY button to play the show from the beginning, or to resume playing from where you left off.

To delete an individual show or a group, highlight the show or group name and press the CLEAR button .

Note: Deleting a show on your Mi3 will delete it from the host DVR.

Highlight a title and press the SELECT button to open an information screen where you’ll be able to play, delete, or get more information about the show.

Using My Shows categories

The left column on the My Shows list contains categories that help you quickly locate shows in the list. Highlight a category in the left column to view shows only in that category; for example, highlight “Kids” to view only kids’ shows, or “Movies” to view only movies. Personalize your My Shows list by hiding certain categories or changing the category order.

1. Press the button and select “Left Column: [Show Categories].”

2. Highlight a category you want to hide, and press SELECT to remove the check mark.

3. To change the order of the categories, highlight the one you want to move, press the

RIGHT arrow, and then use the UP and DOWN arrows to place the category where you want it.

When viewing the My Shows list, use the CH UP/ DOWN button to jump an

entire page at a time.

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4. When you're happy with your list, press A twice to return to the My Shows list.

Note: When the “Kids” category is turned on, kids shows and movies will appear only in

that category. (For example, you’ll find kids movies under “Kids,” not under “Movies.”)

Available space

A small bar underneath the words “My Shows” on the My Shows screen lets you know how much space you have available for new recordings on your DVR. If you don’t want to see the amount of space used, press the button and choose the option to turn it off.

Sorting shows

You can view My Shows either alphabetically by title (from A to Z) or by date recorded. Press the button to change how the list is sorted. Press it again to switch back.

Grouping shows

When Groups are on, shows are organized into folders, and a number in parentheses to the right of each folder shows how many shows it contains. If you’ve recorded several episodes of the same show, they can all be collected into a group. You’ll also see groups for HD recordings, TiVo Suggestions (if you have auto-recording of Suggestions turned on), and auto-recording WishList

searches.

Groups are on by default. To turn them off, press the button to turn groups off. Press it again to turn Groups back on.

Even if Groups are turned off, you’ll see the Recently Deleted group at the bottom of the My Shows list. Shows you delete go to the Recently Deleted group, where they remain and are available for recovery until space is needed for new recordings.

A show’s title may appear in more than one group, even though there is only one recording of the show. For example, you might have several episodes of a show in that show’s group, and the same titles in the HD Recordings group, which includes all shows recorded in HD. When you delete a show in one group, the title also disappears from any other group.

Deleted shows go to the Recently Deleted group, where they remain until space is

needed for new recordings.

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When your shows are grouped, you can highlight the group name and press the PLAY button to play all of the shows in the group in sequence, beginning with the oldest.

Program details

You can highlight any show in My Shows and press the SELECT button to see the program details screen, which offers these options:

• Play (or Resume playing if you’re returning to a partially watched show).

• Keep until... By default, recordings are saved until space is needed for new shows. But

you always have the option to keep a show for as long as you want. Just select ‘Keep until...’ and on the next screen, choose ‘Keep until I delete’ or specify that the show be kept until a specific date you choose.

• Delete now (or Stop recording if recording is in progress).

• Bonus features Watch YouTube

™

videos related to the show and more.

Note: Some bonus features may not be available; check with your service provider for

more information.

• Explore this show Find details about the show, including information about upcoming

episodes and cast members.

• More options View upcoming episodes or broadcasts of a show or movie, or get a

Season Pass

recording of a series. Select ‘More options’ to choose how long to keep a

recording (by default, recordings are saved until space is needed for new ones).

TiVo

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Quick Tour – Finding & recording shows

You can find shows to watch or record by searching, browsing, or asking for recommendations! Season Pass

recordings help you catch every episode of your favorite

show (even if the day and time changes), and WishList

searches locate shows based on

your interests! Read on to learn more.

Searching for shows (and more!)

Search by show title, episode title, show description, or person name (actor, director, etc.). The TiVo service searches upcoming TV shows and movies, web videos, video on demand, and more, all at the same time. You can even search for a particular channel by its network name or call sign (such as NBC or ESPN).

1. From the TiVo Central screen, select ‘Find TV, Movies, & Videos,’ then choose ‘Search.’

2. Use the letter grid to spell out the title, person, or word you’re looking for. Press the

arrow buttons to move around, then press the SELECT button on each letter you want. As you select letters, a list of possible matches appears on the right. For example, if you enter the letters HOW, you might see matches for the TV show “How I Met Your Mother,” the video-on-demand movie “How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days,” and the director Ron Howard. Results are sorted by popularity, with better matches higher in the list.

3. Keep selecting letters until you see what you’re searching for. If you make a mistake, you

can press the CLEAR button to erase everything, or the REWIND button to erase one letter at a time. Insert a space by pressing the FAST FORWARD button .

4. Use the RIGHT arrow to highlight the show or person name, and press the SELECT

button to view the information screen.

5. For a show, select ‘Get this show’ to record the next showing or to set up a Season Pass

recording on the host DVR. From the information screen, you can also view upcoming

If you’re in the program guide, you can always press the ENTER button to go to Search.

Press the button to filter the type of shows displayed in your results: choose from ‘All,’ ‘Available,’ and ‘Free.’

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episodes or an episode guide, learn more about cast members, and access bonus features!

Recommended shows

With all the programming available to you, sometimes a recommendation comes in handy. The TiVo service is here to help: the Discovery Bar, Collections, and TiVo Suggestions put a variety of recommendations at your fingertips.

The Discovery Bar

The Discovery Bar appears at the top of most TiVo screens. What you’ll see in the Discovery Bar depends on you! Often, the Discovery Bar displays ideas for shows you might like based on what shows you record and mark as your favorites. For example, if you record the show “American Idol,” the Discovery Bar might display thumbnails for other shows, like “So You Think You Can Dance.” It all depends on what you’re interested in and what’s available to you.

You can customize what appears in the Discovery Bar by going to ‘Settings & Messages,’ then ‘Displays,’ then ‘Customize Discovery Bar.’

Collections

You can browse groups of related shows -- like award winners or movie boxed sets -recommended by the TiVo service, partners, or video providers. Find Collections by choosing ‘Find TV, Movies, & Videos’ from the TiVo Central screen, then choose ‘Browse TV & Movies.’

When viewing a collection, press the button to see options, or the button to change the sort order.

TiVo

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TiVo Suggestions

You can rate any show — whether it’s live, recorded, or listed in the program guide — by pressing the THUMBS UP

or THUMBS DOWN ® button. You can give a show up to

three Thumbs Up (great!) or three Thumbs Down (terrible!).

TiVo Suggestions uses these ratings to create a list of shows you might like. The more shows you rate over time, the better TiVo Suggestions will get at finding interesting shows for you.

Auto-recording TiVo Suggestions

When your DVR has available space, it automatically records TiVo Suggestions. But you don’t ever need to worry about recorded Suggestions taking up space — here’s why:

• TiVo Suggestions never replace shows you record, or prevent your shows from being recorded.

• TiVo Suggestions are always the first shows deleted to make room for your recordings.

If you’d prefer not to record TiVo Suggestions automatically, you can turn them off. From the TiVo Central screen choose ‘Settings & Messages,’ then ‘Settings,’ then ‘Recording,’ then ‘TiVo Suggestions.’

On the TiVo Suggestions screen, choose ‘No, don’t record TiVo Suggestions.’ You can still see the TiVo Suggestions list and choose to record individual shows.

Watching TiVo Suggestions

Recorded suggestions appear in the TiVo Suggestions group inside the My Shows list. You can watch, save, or delete them just like any other shows.

You can also use the THUMBS UP button to mark any video

provider, category (like sports or cooking), or collection (like awardwinning movies or holiday shows) as a favorite.

TiVo

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Viewing the Suggestions list

You can easily review a list of upcoming TiVo Suggestions. From the TiVo Central screen choose ‘Find TV, Movies, & Videos,’ then ‘Browse TV & Movies,’ then ‘TV,’ then ‘Suggestions.’

To make sure a show records, highlight it and press the SELECT button. You can also use the THUMBS UP

or THUMBS DOWN ® buttons to rate shows in this list and

improve future recommendations.

To display a list of all shows that you’ve rated, while viewing the upcoming TiVo Suggestions screen, press ENTER button to see the Review Thumbs screen. Then, highlight a show and use the THUMBS UP and THUMBS DOWN buttons to change its rating.

Season Pass® recordings

On a DVR, a Season Pass recording automatically records every episode of a series that airs on a certain channel — even if the day or time changes! Just select a show from the guide or your search results, and choose ‘Get a Season Pass.’

If the TiVo service finds any conflicts in scheduling upcoming episodes of the Season Pass recording, you’ll be asked to choose whether you want to keep the previously scheduled recording or record the new show instead.

Season Pass recording options

When you set up a Season Pass recording, you can choose how many episodes to keep and how long to keep them using Recording Options. Choose ‘First run only’ if you want to skip the re-runs.

You can cancel the recording of any episode in a Season Pass recording collection by highlighting the title in the To Do List and pressing the CLEAR button . You can delete

Any time you choose to record a

show, it automatically gets one

Thumbs Up.

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Armstrong TiVo Service Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual