Series 3 Frequently Asked Questions

[WK-Jason]

Does the Series3 work with DIRECTV?
Unfortunately, no. There's not support for satellite users and the TiVo Series 3 has no way of controlling an outboard cable box.

Will the Series 3 work without a CableCARD?
Yes, you can use the unit to view and record digital and/or analog antenna signal and a standard definition, analog cable signal.

How do I acquire CableCARDs for my Series 3?
Cable providers vary on their pricing and installation requirements, so weaKnees has begun to gather the information to help you here (http://www.weaknees.com/cablecard.php). Bottom line is,
all cable providers are required by law to provide CableCARDs on request.

Can I install my own CableCARD(s)?
The cable providers seem to want to do this themselves. Usually a reasonable visit charge will apply...I've heard of fees anywhere from 20 to 30 bucks.

Can the Series3 order Pay-Per-View or Video-on-Demand?
No. The generation of CableCARDs that work with the Series3 are one-way only. There is no two-way communication between the TiVo and the cable provider, so ordering these services through the TiVo isn't possible. HOWEVER. if you've ordered a program either over the phone, online or on another cable box so that it's been descrambled for your house, the TiVo should be able to view and record the show.

Are the HDMI and component outputs simultaneously active?
Yes. Unlike with the Directv HR10-250, you can output in HD with both of these ports at the same time.

Are there any known problems with the Series3 yet?
None that we know of, except that demand exceeded supply for a short while.

[jtsapienza]

Can an owner add an external hard disk to the Series 3? Tivo lists the port as "future" but there ought to be a way to use it. Is the problem that the user cannot format a disk? Or is this just Tivo's way of being the exclusive supplier of external HDs (and only when they get around to it)? I want to buy a T3, but I'm holding off until this is resolved. John Sapienza

[WK-Michael]

Currently, there is no support for external drives on Series3 units. It's not that TiVo wants to be the exclusive supplier (although they may indeed want that) but as far as I know it's that the CableCARD compliance doesn't allow for things like external storage. So compatibility with CableCARD is a trade-off - you can't do this or Multi-Room Viewing.

If somehow TiVo manages to deal with the legal hurdles and get these things going, we fully expect to be able to have external drives. But, to be honest, we really don't think this is going to happen any time soon.

[WK-Jason]

And, of course, in the meantime, you can buy a unit with double or triple the recording capacity.

From what we've learned, when the external storage does happen, it won't be a hot-swappable in that you won't be able to have various external drives and exchange them at will. When an external storage device is disconnected, the TiVo will ask if you're sure you want to remove this device, and if you confirm, it will need to be reformatted when you reconnect. The reason for this is to protect your data in case of a power loss, but not to allow a user to infinitely archive contect.

[jtsapienza]

Thanks for the quick feedback. It looks like getting a WeaKnees unit with their largest hard disk is the way to go. Now, can we get WK to offer a full TB of hard disk storage? They exist, but possibly not in AV-favorable units. I'm just a little concerned about comments posted about the 750 gb drives not being as free of video noise as possible.

[WK-Michael]

These drives we're now using (Seagate DB35 SATA) are really the best available, and they're both extremely quiet, and rock-solid. Not sure about the 'video noise' issue, but we haven't seen that at all.

Next, we don't know of any terabyte drives out there, but if you can point us to them, we'll take a look.

[jtsapienza]

The LaCie Big Disk Extreme is an external 1tb drive. And Hitachi announced it has internal 1tb drives in development. But 750gb is probably going to keep me happy a long time. Thanks again for the prompt assistance. John Sapienza

[jtsapienza]

I apologize for my earlier comment on noise in the WeaKnees T3. I'm posting this so people don't go off with nasty rumors about WeaKnees based on my error.

I went searching and found the comment about noise in the techdigs.net review of the Weaknees T3. But I'd missed their 10/24/06 update:

"Today, weaKnees made available a modification that will make its 500GB and 750GB Series 3 upgrades quieter. The free modification requires that customers ship their TiVos to weaKnees. Details are available by contacting weaKnees. All future Series 3 upgrades, will include the modification.

"As we mentioned in a recent review of the weaKnees 750GB upgrade, the upgraded hard drive units available to weaKnees were not specifically designed for video streaming and there was a bit more chatter in the drive than on a standard TiVo Series 3. While we didn't find the noise significant, those who use the Series 3 in very quiet environments may welcome this free upgrade -- if they can bear to part with their Series 3 for a few days."

So it seems you solved whatever the slight noise problem had been. I'd misremembered it being about video noise. Oh, well, I'm old enough to have Senior Moments!

[WK-Michael]

Many thanks for the correction. We admit, those stock drives are LOUD and that's why we made sure to get quiet ones.

Note to any current owner of a loud 750 drive in a Series 3 from us: contact us to get a quieter unit!

[pilotster]

I've read the posts in this forum and have a couple of (probably dumb) questions:

If I buy a new Series 3 from Weakness can I assume that it will contain the more quiet drive(s)?

Is the user interface on a Series 3 identical to the one I'm used to on the Series 2?

I have three Series 2 recorders - if I transfer my lifetime service from one of them to a Series 3 will I make it inoperative?

Thanks - I'll probably have more questions before I'm done ...

[WK-Michael]

Yes, all Series3 units from WeaKnees now containt the quiet drive.

The user interface has a few minor differences due to the different features, but the key options are identical.

If you transfer service using the TiVo VIP transfer (http://www.tivo.com/vip) then you get service on the old box for one year as part of the deal.

Fire away with more questions . . .

[pilotster]

Do you know what the cost of regular service per month will be on the box that I convert to HD? This is probably well-known by everyone else here, but I've never had to pay a monthly fee - all my Tivo's have "lifetime" service ...

[WK-Jeff]

You will get one month of service free on the box that had the lifetime service. After that, you will get a discount of $6/mo for that older box, so long as it remains on the account with the Series3.

The monthly fee you pay depends on the length of time you commit to TiVo for service, and whether you are willing to pre-pay for service.

The least you'll pay is $6.95/mo for the additional unit.

For more information:

Discount Terms (http://www.tivo.com/4.0.msd.asp)
Discount FAQ (http://www.tivo.com/4.0.msd.faq.asp)

[bigruss]

Just purchased a series 3. I have a pair of WD 500GB Drives purchased from Best Buy. Looking in the TIVO box, it would appear I need to purchase the bracket you sell to allow both drives to fit. No problem. However, it appears that there is only one connection for one hard drive. Both one power and one data cable. Both go to a sort of connector that makes them one connector, which goes to the HD. Does the bracket come with any cables to make the second drive work? If not, does WK sell the new cables or adaptors to allow a second drive? For the sake of this thread, just where does the second data cable plug into on the board?

[WK-Michael]

Actually, the Series3 can currently only hold one drive, and it must be a SATA drive. We sell these drives here (http://www.weaknees.com/s325.php).

[bigruss]

I am not sure where to post this message, but a comment about weaKnees is due. On the Thursday prior to Christmas, I sent a pair of hard drives to WeaKnees for installing software for my TIVO 3. I live near San Francisco. On the following Wendsday, just after Christmas, I received back my hard drives. Formated for my TIVO 3. I installed one and fired up the new TIVO. All is working just fine. Where on the planet can anyone get service like this? Nice going weaKnees! Russ

[WK-Michael]

I am not sure where to post this message, but a comment about weaKnees is due. On the Thursday prior to Christmas, I sent a pair of hard drives to WeaKnees for installing software for my TIVO 3. I live near San Francisco. On the following Wendsday, just after Christmas, I received back my hard drives. Formated for my TIVO 3. I installed one and fired up the new TIVO. All is working just fine. Where on the planet can anyone get service like this? Nice going weaKnees! Russ

This place is as good as any - really any place is perfect for a nice comment! Much appreciated! Glad to hear you're happy with our service!

[deepblackhole]

Can't find this topic in any other thread or forum, so will launch here...

On my Series-3 HD box, the front panel "sometimes" identifies (displays) the title of a program currently being recorded. Two questions:

1) What determines whether or not the title is displayed next to the red LED on the front panel?

2) Is there some way I can FORCE my box to always display the title? This is a handy and convenient thing, and it should be the default. Its nice to be able to see what my TiVo is recording even if my TV is off.

[60614]

Question re: "Record 2 digital cable shows at once"

I want to buy a Series 3 or HD unit and use two signal sources: analog cable, and over-the-air HDTV. I think I can do that, right? But am I correct that I won't be able to record two channels at once since they're not digital cable? What is the reason for that limitation? Thank you.

[WK-Michael]

Yes, you can do that, and yes, you can actually record two shows at once from either source.

[60614]

Thanks. So what does it mean in the specs when it says "Two CableCARD decoders required (available from your cable provider)." I don't have a cable card at all. Just a plain analog cable wire coming into my house (well into my existing TIVO, actually.)

[WK-Jeff]

It just means that to get HD or premium stations on an HD TiVo, you have to contact your cable company to order CableCARDs. A CableCARD is like a cable box on a card that is inserted into the back of your TiVo.

[BRNJones]

MY HD TV decodes HD channels on my basic cable feed. However, the Tivo HD does not. It appears the Tivo HD REQUIRES the card, correct? Furthermore, it seems if I really want to record two sources at once, I would need two cards, for which my cable company wants to charge me another $25/mo. for a 2nd card. Is there any way to record two sources with only one card?

Finally, does anyone know of any way to manage three Tivos in one room? i.e. any remote control alternatives or are there only two different discrete codes in the Tivo software? Since the new HD Tivos don't work with DirecTV, I am forced to create this elaborate setup which includes two SD Tivos, one DirecTV DVR (UGH!) and one Tivo HD.

[WK-Jeff]

MY HD TV decodes HD channels on my basic cable feed. However, the Tivo HD does not. It appears the Tivo HD REQUIRES the card, correct? Furthermore, it seems if I really want to record two sources at once, I would need two cards, for which my cable company wants to charge me another $25/mo. for a 2nd card. Is there any way to record two sources with only one card?

Finally, does anyone know of any way to manage three Tivos in one room? i.e. any remote control alternatives or are there only two different discrete codes in the Tivo software? Since the new HD Tivos don't work with DirecTV, I am forced to create this elaborate setup which includes two SD Tivos, one DirecTV DVR (UGH!) and one Tivo HD.

$25/mo for a CableCARD?! Are you sure that is not the service call charge? I have never heard of a cable co charging that much for a cable card.

Yes, you need 2 cards to record 2 stations, unless your cable co supports Multi-stream cards.

You can control up to 9 TiVos in one room. There are discrete codes 1-9.

[bigruss]

You will need two cards. My Comcast charges I think $2 a month rent for the cards. There are basic HD channels you will get for free. For an extra $5 a month, you get the local HD channels added to the cards. For an extra $5 again you get all the HD channels on your cable system. Should you subscribe to a service such as HBO, you will get those HD channels with the first $5 subscription. The $25 service fee is well worth it. I had two bozos come out here 4 times each and got it working on the last visit. Yes, they were both clowns, didn't know Jack $hit either. Spent about 10 hours total on their cell phone trying to make it work. Changed the cards 3 times. The TIVO 3 can record two channels at the same time and play what is recorded at the same time as well. Sweet. :)

[BRNJones]

Yeah, they want $25 for the second card because I only have one TV activated for cable service according to them. so to get the second card, I need to activate another TV which it is $25/mo. more to have multiple TVs...and THIS is just one more reason I have DirecTV as my primary!! I modulate the cable channels and my satellite throughout my house to eight other TVs anyway.

So the Tivo MANDATES a CableCard to even give you the FREE HD channels that come over the wire, correct? I just don't understand this becasue my two HD sets (which have card slots) show our local HD channels without cards so why did Tivo make it that we MUST pay extra for these cards??? I have even scanned for these channels and it does not pick them up on the Cable OR Antenna inputs.

[BRNJones]

So I am assuming the discrete codes are all activated in the same manner the usual "1" and "2" are? You just have to remember which remote you programmed differently, right?

Thanks a lot guys for all of your input!!

[WK-Jeff]

So I am assuming the discrete codes are all activated in the same manner the usual "1" and "2" are? You just have to remember which remote you programmed differently, right?

Thanks a lot guys for all of your input!!

That is correct; or you can get a remote with a DVR1/DVR2 switch, which we have on the website.

[bgreig]

I notice that Tivo now offers an external drive (My DVR Expander) for the Series 3. Does that mean I can now use my Maxtor external drive with my Series 3?

[WK-Michael]

In some cases, yes, and in some, no. We have more info and kits here:

http://www.weaknees.com/esata

[tall060]

I have a WD Esata 320GB external drive. Will this integrate with a Tivo HD unit?

[WK-Jeff]

It can be added, but not automatically. You can send the TiVo and the drive to us and we can marry the two together, but only the TiVo-authorized drive will marry to the TiVoHD's factory hard drive automatically.

[chrisssteeven]

Hello friends

I am gazing the discrete codes are all activated in the same manner the usual "1" and "2" are? You just have to remember which remote you programmed differently, right?

Whats the right input? i don't know.
Have it please.