There are two main reasons Multi Room Viewing can fail. Multi Room Viewing, or MRV, is the ability of Series2 and Series3 TiVo DVRs to see each other over the network and be able to transfer shows between each other (or, potentially, with more TiVos, if there are more on the network).

The first of the two main reasons why this ability fails to work is that the TiVo doesn’t realize it has been authorized to transfer, or, in fact, it hasn’t been authorized to transfer. To set this ability, you have to login to your TiVo.com account and select the DVR preferences area under “Manage my account.”

From here, be sure that “Allow Transfers” is checked for each DVR on the account. If the option isn’t available for a DVR, that means that the DVR in question doesn’t support networking.

If your unit already has this option checked, then you may need to “refresh” the unit to be sure it’s fully communicating with the TiVo server. This loss of communication can occur with a hard drive change or an OS update or for various other reasons.

To “refresh” the setting, uncheck the “Allow Transfers” preference for the DVR in question on this screen. Then choose the “Save Preferences” button.

Next, on the TiVo itself, force a connection over the network to the TiVo servers. To do this, navigate to TiVo Central -> Messages & Settings -> Settings -> Phone & Network and then choose the option “Connect to the TiVo service now.” After that is complete, the TiVo should learn that it cannot transfer shows. 

Now, enable transfers again on the TiVo.com website, and save the preference again. Then force another connection from your TiVo to the server.

See if other TiVos show in your Now Playing List at this point.

If that doesn’t do the trick, watch for our next blog post about troubleshooting network problems.

As DIRECTV TiVos age, we are seeing more problems with satellite tuners. I thought it would be helpful to summarize some of the more frequent symptoms of a bad DirecTiVo satellite tuner. (Also see our TiVo troubleshooting page.) Here are some of the more common symptoms associated with a defective satellite tuner (you need not have all of these symptoms to have a bad tuner):

1. “Searching for Signal on Satellite 1″ or “Searching for Signal on Satellite 2″ message appears on your screen. Sometimes, this message appears constantly; other times it appears and disappears.
2. Some of your recordings record; others don’t, especially when you have two programs set to record at the same time.
3. If you conduct a satellite test, you see one or both of your satellites without any signal strength on all transponders. (To conduct a test, go to Messages and Settings > Settings > Satellite > Test Satellite Signal Strength > Ok; then cycle through the various transponders and satellites. Note that even fully functional units do not get a signal on every transponder, but your SAT 1 and SAT 2 signal strengths should be the same.)
4. If you conduct a satellite test, you see the satellite signal strength on one of your tuners jump up and down, or you see one of the satellites significantly lower than the other. (To conduct a test, go to Messages and Settings > Settings > Satellite > Test Satellite Signal Strength > Ok; then cycle through the various transponders and satellites. Note that you won’t necessarily get signal on every transponder.)
5. You see heavy and significant pixellation (blocky picture) on one or both of your satellite tuners. This could be a drive or a bad tuner, and we previously wrote about ways to diagnose the source of a pixellating DIRECTV TiVo. If you rewind, the pixellation is in the same place repeatedly.
6. You see consistent, heavy pixellation on certain satellite channels, but not all of them.

If you are unsure whether you have a bad tuner, here are some tests you can conduct to help troubleshoot:

1. If you are running two tuners and only one of your tuners is bad, try swapping cables in the back. Put the SAT 1 cable in the SAT 2 port, and vice versa. If the problem follows the cable (i.e., if the bad tuner was SAT 1 but after swapping cables is SAT 2), then you know you have a dish problem and not a satellite problem.
2. If you are running two tuners and the bad tuner seems to be SAT 2, then you should be able to repeat satellite setup (Messages and Settings > Settings > Satellite > Repeat Satellite Setup) and specify that you have only one tuner. After doing that, your unit should work fine, but with only one tuner. If it does, then you know you have a bad SAT 2 tuner.
3. If you have heavy pixellation on one tuner, then you can pause a pixellating channel and switch tuners (down on the circular directional arrow pad) and confirm that the pixellation disappears. If it does, then you have a bad tuner.

If you have determined that you do indeed have a defective tuner, then you have a few options: (1) You can abandon the TiVo and upgrade to high definition using one of DIRECTV’s non-TiVo DVRs. (2) You can send in your TiVo for a TiVo tuner repair. (3) If you have a bad SAT 2 only, then you can run with only SAT 1. (4) You can get a replacement DIRECTV TiVo (while supplies last).

We’ve had a bunch of questions about setting up units with antenna inputs recently. Customers with new drives, or re-doing Guided Setup with Series2 units with 9.3 have experienced problems with the auto-search for channels. TiVo knows about it, and is supplying a fix for it – 9.3c. If you have an affected unit, get on the priority list here:

http://research.tivo.com/93priority/index.htm

Thanks to GizmoLovers for the first report that we saw – this answered several questions for us over the weekend!

OK – probably not quite, but it’s pretty bad. And I’m not talk pornography (although we happen to have a good one of those here today also) but straight-up, actual dirt.

See that strange blob on the right that looks like a prop from a ’70s outer space movie? Its smaller sibling is just to the left of the fan.

Here’s another shot from a different angle:

Let us implore you: please, please! consider cleaning out your TiVo. This adds a huge amount of heat to the inside of the unit, both by insulating the heat, and impeding the air flow. In this case, the power supply was blown, likely because it overheated.

If you have a hankering to open up your unit and clean it, just be sure to take the normal precautions:

• Unplug the unit and let it sit for five minutes. This lets the drive spin down, and drains power from the capacitors.
• Take the unit outside, or to a well-ventilated space.
• Carefully remove the cover.
• Clean the interior with compressed air, using short blasts from at least 12 inches away. 
• Never use a vacuum on the unit. Static electricity could cause serious problems.

Think of it as preventative maintenance: an apple a day for your TiVo.

Tags: dirty tivo, tivo cleaning

Dan Costa just wrote a good piece about what he expects to be a resurgence of TiVo DVRs in the face of cable DVRs. It’s on the PC Magazine website. He’s on to what I consider to be one of the most important issues in the differentiation between a cable DVR and a TiVo: a TiVo isn’t just a DVR. Many people think that a DVR is basically a generic box, and that TiVo has become the name for the box since it was the first large brand name in the field. Part of that is true, but TiVo has evolved far, far beyond just being a DVR, and that’s where the real issue is. A TiVo doesn’t just have a nicer interface and a much better remote than a cable DVR (although those are both true and important aspects of the experience). Simply put, the term DVR really undersells what a TiVo does. Here’s a quick, incomplete list of features on a TiVo that far outstrip anything on a cable DVR, and also most satellite DVRs:

• Amazon Unbox – Want something that isn’t being broadcast currently, like an old movie, or a super-new one? Likely, it’s here.
• Streaming music from a PC or Mac – Your TiVo is attached to your stereo receiver, so use your computer’s storage, and ditch the CD player or iPod dock. This is much better.
• Online Scheduling – Schedule shows from your web browser. Don’t type with the remote! (some satellite DVRs are getting this)
• Videocasts – More and more good, high quality content is available, and much, much more is coming. Do you want it on your PC or your TV?
• Transfer video to your computer – Burn DVDs, or take your laptop on a plane with shows you’ve recorded on your TiVo.

That’s really just a partial list, but these are some of the features I use that cable DVRs just don’t have. The TiVo isn’t just a DVR anymore.