While we certainly expect that many of you in the mid-Atlantic region who have lost power due to the storms last weekend have bigger problems to deal with, taking a moment to unplug your TiVo or other DVR while your power is out is a good bit of preventative caution.
This advice can probably apply to many different types of electronic equipment, especially computers, but since we’re all about DVRs here, we’ll speak directly to these. One of the main components in a DVR is a hard drive, and hard drives really like consistent power, or consistent lack of power. But spinning up and down as they get and lose power is really not great for these components. And that’s generally what happens when power is out – bits come through as the crews work on getting everyone’s power back on. So you might have power for a bit, and then it’ll go off again for a bit, or the amperage or voltage will be below normal.
We generally recommend a UPS for just about everyone, and especially for situations with power fluctuations. But a UPS can only help short-term. The power it stores probably can sustain a DVR for a few hours. And it’ll be beeping that whole time, generally. See our earlier blog post for more info about a UPS working with your TiVo.
Even if you already have a UPS, you should unplug both that and your DVR, and wait until your power is on consistently. That should do a lot to protect your unit – those quick fluctuations can’t touch your unit if it isn’t plugged in.
So if you don’t have power at the moment (and you’re somehow reading this) unplug your TiVo! It can’t record now anyway! And if you have friends or relatives without power, tell them to unplug next time you talk to them.
And, should you have a problem with your unit after power restoration, we have a complete TiVo repair department, and lots of TiVo troubleshooting resources, and we can take care of almost any problem.