More on TiVo's Red Flagged Recordings

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More on TiVo's Red Flagged Recordings

If you haven't already, please read our recent post about restricted shows on TiVo. As you may have noticed, a lot of people are upset about the ability for the TV industry and TiVo to control a box people thought they owned.

Many were quick to point out that restricting two year old reruns of King of the Hill wasn't the intended use for the DRM. Jim Denney, TiVo's Director of Product Marketing, told TechBlog that these were probably just "false positives."

Denney said the copy protection is trigged by a flag in the video signal. The reports appearing on the Web appear to be cases where TiVo misinterprets noise in the signal as a copy protection flag, and imposes the restrictions.

Cory Doctorow over at Boing Boing happened to be at an DRM standards meeting and asked the experts what they thought about random noise triggering the restrictions:

When I asked them if they believed that noise could be "misinterpreted" as a DRM flag, they burst into positive howls of disbelief. One present talked about Macrovision's checksums and said that that must have been "incredible noise if it completed the checksum." A semiconductor expert laughed out loud.

Charitably, an operating system vendor's rep suggested that TiVo might not be lying: rather, he said that perhaps they've just done an "incredibly bad" implementation of Macrovision.

OK, it probably wasn't bad reception that caused it, so the next link in the chain is the local TV station. Is it possible that someone at the station accidentally turned content protection on? Marc Hedlund over at O'Reilly Radar (while mistakenly assuming that the content protection comes from guide data instead of the video signal) argues that it doesn't matter: If the broadcaster … can turn the flag on whenever they want, the power of this feature is in the wrong hands altogether.

It was likely a local broadcaster that made the mistake, but what's to prevent this from happening in the future? How can I protect my TiVo from the mistakes my local TV station makes? The next time someone freaks out on live TV, will the broadcaster flip the "Copy Never" bit to control the damage?

This was probably a mistake, but that doesn't negate the fact that this ~~bug~~ feature is built into every TiVo (and other PVRs).

by George Hotelling September 15, 2005 in TiVo

Comments

Is there a way to filter out Macrovision. I remember during the VCR days there were filters that would take Macrovision out.

Would that work here? Is there any negatives like loss of signal, noise, etc?

Posted by: Vinnie at Sep 15, 2005 8:46:44 AM

can anyone ask one of the original users who had discovered the red flag syndrome what their setup is?

i.e. is if his Tivo is hooked up via analog cable or is it digital cable box via svideo... although on some digital cable boxes/providers the lower channels are still "analog" so that might not "prove" anything regarding analog noise. (but it might be clue)

*shrug*

Posted by: erik at Sep 15, 2005 8:52:27 AM

Well, I've about had enough with this industry. Not saving my recordings to computer, red flagging, advertisements through fast forward, advertisements in the middle of show, huge station logos on the screen, ...

I'd gladly join a consumer revolt and trash my Tivo if this continues. Red flag = dead TiVo to me.

Why can't they be me sensible like what Apple has done with iTunes? Fair use does NOT equal lost sales. Sheesh.

Posted by: Dan Babcock at Sep 15, 2005 9:23:25 AM

I'm getting red flags all the time!!!

I think it could be a combo of both noise and DRM being intentionally set. I have a crummy analog ant. connected by coax to my TiVo through an FM filter. There is a lot of noise in the signal so it makes sense that, that's triggering it. But: consider this - it's ALWAYS flagging certain shows, on at different times of the day on the same channel - but not flagging other shows on at similar times on the same channel. In other words, if only noise is the factor - I'd think it should be always on or flag a show sometimes but not other times (depending on variations in the signal noise) - but this is not the case - it still appears to be targeting some shows specifically despite the noise!

I agree that this is crazy - just the ability for this to happen is going to anger TiVo's base at a time when they're trying to expand the base. What ever the cause may be - this really hurts TiVo's image.

If we are facing a world without full control of our dvr then TiVo's sales line about having a better quality experience than a cable company's dvr is greatly hindered. If you know both are going to irritate you with DRM, why not pay less for the irritation with a cable company's crummy dvr? TiVo's better in many ways - people buy it for control and quality - if you take one out of that equation it's a harder sale.

I'm still sticking with TiVo but I believe this could really hinder their growth and future.

Posted by: andy at Sep 15, 2005 9:31:17 AM

Watching you people try to puzzle this out is like watching a monkey work a Rubik's cube. If, as you suggest, the flag was mistakenly switched on for some show, then *everyone* in that broadcaster's area who recorded the show would have gotten the flag. Did that happen? No. It has happened with various shows in various places. Which makes the noise explanation far more likely. And has anybody even checked to see if any of the broadcasters in question even have the ability to intentionally switch this on? Of course not, it is better to just make up "facts" that fit your theory.

The real problem is that there are a bunch of crybabies out there who are whining because they think they might not get to steal TV shows like they used to get to steal music. Too bad. If you think TiVo is selling out because they trying to walk the fine line between making a useful product and being sued out of existence, then feel free to switch over to your cable company's DVR. I'm sure your cable company has no interest in protecting the content they distribute. Idiots.

Posted by: Chucky at Sep 15, 2005 10:13:09 AM

I just had a very interesting conversation with a TiVo sales rep when I called to complain to them about all the red flags. He told me that:

1. He hasn't personally had many calls about the issue, he *said* I was the only one.

2. They are looking into a few small number of cases where they are having incorrent DRM flags marked on shows. However, after speaking with his supervisor, he told me that in most cases of reports on the web, shows with the flag are supposed to have the flag - this, of course, is very different from what the TiVo marketing Director said when he IDed noise as the main problem.

From this conversation, it appears that TiVo has allowed DRM to intentionally be set on any show - this is not a bug but a "feature"...I think this, combined with the slow production of a standalone HD box and also cheapening marketing tactics, really could lead to TiVo's end.

Posted by: andy at Sep 15, 2005 10:14:41 AM

Chucky - I'm sorry you're so misinformed and have not had the opportunity to think this one out:

If DRM is set on specific shows (as TiVo has stated - see my previous post) then it completely undermines TiVo as a "useful product." The DRM sets a time limit on a show's recording - sometimes only allowing a show to sit there for a week. People buy a TiVo so they can watch "what [they] want when [they] want it." if I want to watch a show two weeks after I've recorded it because I'm busy, but there's a 1 week DRM limit on the recording before it goes away then I'm SOL - and TiVo is no longer the "useful" product it once was....no one's trying to "steal" anything - they're just trying to use the product they paid good money for just as the product was meant to be used.

Perhaps you should give your posts a little more thought before you accuse people of stealing anything.

Posted by: andy at Sep 15, 2005 10:25:41 AM

I get my channels through Comcast Digital Cable and feed it to my TiVo via an S-Video cable. I've never run into any DRM'ed programming. Never. Now I shall also mention that I am not an HBO subscriber so DRM might possibly appear on that content and I would not know.

Posted by: The Jeremy at Sep 15, 2005 10:33:41 AM

However, after speaking with his supervisor, he told me that in most cases of reports on the web, shows with the flag are supposed to have the flag - this, of course, is very different from what the TiVo marketing Director said when he IDed noise as the main problem.

Andy: I'm curious what shows these were? Since, like you said, the marketing director said no shows were to be using these except PPV and VOD, and even then, nothing had used it yet?

Posted by: Kimberly at Sep 15, 2005 10:43:42 AM

Kimberly: these shows were "Fraiser" and "60 minutes" - neither were PPV or VOD, just the plain old ant.

He seemed to think that Fraiser's DRM was correct but the "60 minutes" one was incorrect. He said he'd send the "60 minutes" question to the folks researching the issue. But again, he said that the DRM flags are rarely incorrect.

Posted by: andy at Sep 15, 2005 11:02:40 AM

So you're going to believe a CSR over a TiVo Exec?

I record to my TiVo over a really poor analog connection.

In my previous apt. I shared cable w/ my landlords. The cable was split easily 10 times. Some channels were unwatchable. It was a horrible connection.

Now in a new apt. the cable is still split but probably only around 5-8 times. My signal was even worse. So I bought an amp. The signal is still pretty bad.

I've never, ever seen this flag appear. (on my TiVo or ReplayTV)

Posted by: chris at Sep 15, 2005 11:16:01 AM

Andy, think this through: Why would TiVo voluntarily and deliberately develop and distribute code that makes their product less useful? Think real hard about the *entire* statement.

TiVo has stated that the intent of the Macrovision flags was to support the protection of PPV and other similar, paid content. But your TiVo box doesn't know the source of the content, it just sees an analog signal that comes in the back of the box. If the flags are there, the content is flagged. So, yes, any show could be flagged. But TiVo has also stated that if the flags are intentionally used to protect ordinary broadcast content, they would not support that usage. But it is an all-or-nothing deal. If broadcasters start to routinely spoof the flags just to be dicks, then TiVo will have to pull the code until something is developed that enforces their intended usage. (Unless they are legally forced to comply with some other usage policy.)

But in any event, it isn't TiVo that is taking anything away from you. If the industry can get laws passed and legal precedent set that makes DVRs less valuable, then TiVo is as much a victim as you are.

Now here's something else for you to think through: Why would certain broadcasters go though the trouble and expense to set the flags for random broadcasts of random shows when the only possible effect would be on a tiny number of TiVos that happen to have 7.2 and that recorded those shows? (Of the 110M US TV households, there are about 1.2M stand alone TiVos.) Doesn't the noise explanation seem much more likely? Especially when no broadcaster has actually come out and said "yeah, we're setting the flags." Especially when you, with your noisy setup, are having the problem "all the time," and I and this guy Jeremy (above) have never seen it with our much less noisy digital cable?

Posted by: Chucky at Sep 15, 2005 11:22:02 AM

Chris and Chucky:

I agree it seems crazy for TiVo to voluntarily modify their technology to make it more useless.

Nonetheless, I can only report my experiences here - I'm getting the DRM flags quite often (always for Fraiser and 60 minutes), and I had a conversation with a TiVo rep who said exactly what I've written here. Yes, a TiVo rep is not an exec, and I would trust the exec over the rep usually...but then: I'm getting these red flags, his supervisor appeared to be familiar with the situation, and they have a team looking at DRM on regular shows that aren't supposed to have it (meaning some ARE supposed to have it) - so I'm thinking that the exec may not have been entirely honest about this "feature."

There are really too many factors in play to ID other reasons (line noise, local stations, etc.) - if you guys aren't having this problem, that's great - I'm happy for you....I remember those days....

I hope you're right Chuck, I hope they do send an update to disable the current implementation of DRM if they see broadcasters abusing the technology....

Posted by: andy at Sep 15, 2005 11:59:42 AM

You people are whiners. How is it in Tivo's interest to make their product less useful? If they purposely did this, then it is a legal issue, not a "Tivo is trying to hurt your feelings isse."

Trust me, Tivo is in no position to annoy subs or potential subs and if they did this on purpose it was because they were forced to. If they were forced to, then other dvr's will be forced to as well.

So you can piss, moan and whine all day, but if your worst fears are true, you better start building your own DVR.

Posted by: Tyson at Sep 15, 2005 12:20:10 PM

By they way, maybe this site should be called tivoblog.com instead of pvrblog. When was the last time anything other than Tivo was discussed?

Posted by: Tyson at Sep 15, 2005 12:21:32 PM

I sent the original comment about the Simpsons, and to erik's question: I have Comcast analog fed directly into the Tivo (no cable box). I'd call my signal quality about average - no real problems on my standard 27", but occasionally some noticeable artifacts on my HDTV. I don't remember which station the show was recorded from (downside to the Tivo effect :-) because it deleted itself before I could get around to taking pictures.

---------------

Here are my thoughts on Tivo’s DRM, and fair warning that I've been a copyright reformer since the 1992 Home Recording Act. I've always had two primary objections to rights-management: 1) the government should stay away from technology mandates, and 2) DRM tends to complicate things, be too blunt, and is often misused. I think the Tivo DRM is a great example of these overall problems.

First a paragraph on the topic of government mandates (although it probably deserves more). At the moment, most non-satellite Tivo boxes don’t have government mandated DRM (the FCC rules for satellite tuners require DRM and have not yet been challenged in court). Until a recent court ruling though, the FCC had required DRM for HDTV tuners (in the form of the so-called broadcast flag). So in this environment can we really say that Tivo implemented analog DRM of their own free well? From the consumer point of view, the government still does not require this feature, so yes Tivo is too blame for putting DRM into their system.

I’m not familiar with the details of the MacroVision protocol used by Tivo, but as a cryptographer with some expertise in the DRM field, I think a false positive is unlikely. However Chucky’s desire to blame this on noise may have some validity if the Tivo DRM features were not fully QA’ed (for example they did not perform certain checksums and the like). I think it is much more likely that some stations accidentally turned on the flag. This happened a number of times before, especially to those poor souls trying to use digital HDTV signals (already a landmine of incompatibility due to competing versions of self-imposed DRM). In many cases the TV stations had been broadcasting everything with a flag set on but it was not until customers got the latest set of components that anybody noticed something was wrong.

I am less charitable to the idea that Tivo is programmed to accept broadcast flags for PPV and not for other content. This is unlikely to happen for any number of reasons (primarily because it is against consortium rules, but also harder to implement, requires more data storage and greater chances of being wrong, harder to test, easier to break, etc.). The reason consortiums have rules requiring that the broadcast flags apply to all signals is because that is what the studios want - their real goal. They use piracy and PPV as talking points to get government mandates, but you will notice that the actual laws never limit how the DRM can be used. For example all VCR’s now have mandated MacroVision recognition circuitry for the claimed reason of stopping rental tape piracy (section K of the DMCA), but you will note that there is no rule that limits the circumstances of when a VCR tape can be produced with MacroVision protection! This means the studios, who usually use MacroVision on everything, gain the ability to prevent fair-use back-ups of non rental tapes as a side effect of the government mandate.

Posted by: seaan at Sep 15, 2005 12:57:49 PM

Vinnie asks about filtering out MacroVision. For the analog signal this could probably be done, but you will need to use an external tuner to do that. Note that I had an analog cable signal fed directly into the Tivo's tuner.

In fact I can think of any number of ways to attack this system (control the tuner, filter the signal, etc.); but all of them will be more hassle to setup and operate. I prefer to avoid the ahssle by not buying MacroVision respondent equipment in the first place.

Posted by: seaan at Sep 15, 2005 1:02:20 PM

It occurs to me that I overlooked one possible government mandate that caused Tivo to get into bed with MacroVision. I even mentioned it in my first post - the 1998 section K requirement to force VCR's to recognize MacroVision signals.

The way this originally worked was that MacroVision would send out a pulse during the screen refresh operation, which tended to overload a resistor (or capacitor or something - I'm not an analog expert) and cause a visible glitch on the screen. Many VCR manufactures responded by beefing up the circuitry, and hence ignored the attempted copy protection. The external boxes did the same thing, either cheaply (by supplying their own sync signal) or more throughally (time-based-correlatation which had other good uses too).

I’m now speculating that when the law forced Tivo to recognize MacroVision signals; that was when Tivo decided to go whole hog down the DRM route. Instead of just doing it the cheap and easy way (if signal present – don’t record), they built-in some advanced circuitry that responded to DRM signals (e.g. record once, store only for x, etc.).

I’ve been so much into DRM on the digital front, that I overlooked some of the older analog systems. That is of course the problem with devices that can reprogram them selves, you never know when you will have functionality taken away (30-second skip, ability to record shows until I delete, etc.). Trust is very important for vendors with these types of systems (for example how many knowledgeable people will use Quickbooks given the way Intuit has abused their trust). So far Tivo has been in the middle, not perfect but acceptable for me. Their handling of DRM could very easily push me over the edge.

Posted by: seaan at Sep 15, 2005 1:18:12 PM

Andy/Everyone,
Has anyone who is seeing the red flags discussed this issue with the local station that is broadcasting the shows in question? You might have to speak with an engineer or programming manager, but an informed conversation would help resolve just where the DRM is getting turned on.

Who knows, maybe the local station screwed up and doesn't even know this is happening. Wouldn't be worth a phone call to find out?

Posted by: Don at Sep 15, 2005 1:26:03 PM

From what I've reas, the 'noise' hypothesis is the most likely. This is not the first time this has come up, I've seen it reported before. And it can impact shows for one user and not other, recording the same channel. That means it isn't in the broadcast source.

Now, it could readily be that there is supposed to be some kind of checksum performed to confirm the flags, and there is a bug it TiVo'd code that is not performing this properly. That's always a possibility, we don't know the code. Cory's 'findings' prove absolutely nothing. The people he talked to don't know TiVo's code, and it isn't even clear that the 'DRM experts' are familiar with this particular MacroVision feature. MacroVision is an entire family of systems, you can know one inside and out and know nothing about another. Cory seems to have an agenda, trying his best to stir up the shit over this. He should get a job on Fox News.

My understanding is that it is also illegal for these limits to be placed on broadcast television, so any cases of it appearing there are certainly erroneous.

As for some CSR saying it is supposed to be on Fraiser, etc. Bullshit. Someone is making answers up, or is just confused. It shouldn't be there. This would be all over if it was being applied to any given show deliberately. Sounds like a CSR didn't want to handle the issue. I'd jump into the thread on this over at TiVoCommunity. They've been asking people who've seen this to contact TiVo reps directly so they can troubleshoot it.

Posted by: MegaZone at Sep 15, 2005 1:28:32 PM

I'd personally buy the "noise" argument as well, since everyone getting it all seem to be using crufty rabbit-ear anntennas. I don't totally buy some kneejerk DRM responses from programmers that Cory at BoingBoing got.

Since everyone getting the bad flags seems to use the same setup (and it's not cable or a satellite), I tend to think the "data noise tripped erroroneous flagging" is the problem.

Still, that's a major whopping bug in TiVo's software to allow it to happen to anything but PPV and VOD.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Sep 15, 2005 2:53:26 PM

Anyway you slice this, it's still bullshit. I've been a Tivo subscriber for years and I've been wringing my hands about this for years.

If it is part of Tivo's evolving DRM implementation, I never signed on for it (yeah, it's probably buried deep in the micro print of Tivo's TOS agreement).

If it is a bug, that's even worse, as ANY recording might fall prey to it to "signal noise".

I never thought I'd consider a PVR without a Tivo logo on it, but this development changes things considerably. I worried that Tivo might succumb to Hollywood pressure considering their financial woes. Looks like they've finally caved...

Posted by: ToeCutter at Sep 15, 2005 7:00:48 PM

ToeCutter, if TiVo has to cave to this, who do you think will be left? MOT and SFA will do what cable tells them, Replay has already been beaten like a bad dog, and MSFT, well, they're not about to go to war with media companies they want to get in bed with. You could build your own (MythTV or the like), but what are the vast majority of consumers going to do? They'll either buy the product and accept the limitations, or the DRM will be so obnoxious that the DVR as we know it will die and everyone will be back to watching TV on the networks' schedule.

I'm sure TiVo would be thrilled if the whole issue just went away and they could concentrate on making their product better. But they can't afford a huge legal battle with the entire media world. The pragmatic course for them is to try to address the concerns of the copyright holders while still making the product valuable to consumers, even if that means making it somewhat less valuable than it could otherwise be. It sucks for the consumer, and it sucks for TiVo.

Plus, if it is a bug, and it is their fault, it is kind of embarrassing.

Posted by: Chucky at Sep 15, 2005 9:24:26 PM

A plausible reason Tivo MIGHT have okayed the flag was in order to land contracts as set top providers for cable and satellite providers intending to use the Tivo interface as they see fit, their own branded Video On Demand service. You have probably read descriptions of same cable Video On Demand, and know it is not as open as Tivo is now, because they may want to sell you the viewing rights several times. For instance, for a PPV movie or event they do not want you to keep or watch more than once.

It was a bullet Tivo may have had to bite to keep solvent; but also one that would put them in hot water with their current user base. These "mistakes" count as test marketing the new restriction. Someone having a marathon of a syndicated show to hype release of a DVD box set collection, may want to restrict your views (want more? Buy them). Affiliates running syndicated content want to keep you watching, when the sitcom rolls around again, to see new ads, so they wipe your file once you have viewed it once.

Remember when DIVX was a one use DVD, rather than a codec? That idea never went away.

Posted by: Bud Landry at Sep 15, 2005 9:37:35 PM

I still think that someone who is actually seeing the red flags should contact their local station. Why leave it to TiVo to investigate?

Posted by: Don at Sep 16, 2005 6:22:41 AM

The best part is that TiVo is getting cash monthly from a majority of users for an increasingly bothersome product. Maybe if TiVo built/sold a straight-up PVR box (no adverts, flags, premiums) folks would be happier.

SnapStream, Myth or Sage anyone?

I agree Tyson, this blog is very TiVo-centric. Perhaps there ought to be a "red flag" on all TiVo-related posts so I know which one's to skip over.

Posted by: Jason at Sep 16, 2005 8:25:56 AM

It's not just local stations. There is a red flag on IFC right this minute. Check it out if you can.

My Tivo is currently recording a conversation with Lauren Bacall and it has the red flag showing up saying that the program will be deleted by 9/23.

You can see evidence here
http://flickr.com/photos/aaronh/43813090/
and here
http://flickr.com/photos/aaronh/43813094/in/photostream/

Posted by: Aaron H at Sep 16, 2005 9:50:01 AM

The IFC case is the first time that I have heard if this happening when the recording was not happening OTA. I don't get IFC so I can't see it. But it sucks. Big time.

Posted by: Don at Sep 16, 2005 10:08:32 AM

I was wrong about the channel. I went back to see if they were airing it again and it was on Turner Classic Movies. All the same, I'll be building my MythTV/Freevo/Something at once.

Posted by: Aaron H at Sep 16, 2005 10:14:00 AM

What a bunch of cry babies. Thisis an outrage...I'm taking my marbles and going home...I'll build my own pvr...my pussy hurts...etc.

Posted by: KWBENNETT at Sep 16, 2005 12:36:03 PM

Ha, nice. Cry babies, eh? I have around $2k wrapped up Tivo hardware. I'd say that justifies a few tears if it suddenly starts deleting recorded shows due to DRM. DRM, mind you, that didn't exist when I laid down the cold hard cash for these Tivo boxes.

Chucky: Just like everything else that has been putrified by DRM, I'll take it underground. There are countless apps that allow a PC to work as a DVR. With MS pouring gobs of DRM into Windows Vista, perhaps this will be the year that the Linux MPC distros take off. Linux appears totally unencumbered by DRM at this point.

As far as the rest of the viewing public? I guess they'll have to suffer through their ignorance...

Posted by: Toecutter at Sep 16, 2005 2:09:17 PM

Second thought: While not PVR-related, I purchased an IO Data Avel LinkPlayer a few weeks back and this beauty will play just about anything a Divx or Xvid encoder will spit out, at 1080i, no less. And, it's completely DRM-free, save DVD upscaling.

Should my recordings suddenly start "vanishing" due to DRM/Macrovision/signal noise/whatever, I can pretty easily grab just about anything off of mere hours after it airs. And, the posters are kind enough to edit out commercials before posting their rips!

Consider the irony: All the efforts by the studios/broadcasters to protect their content have only served to motivate viewers to snag content illicitly.

So many years discussing this DRM debacle, so little learned from it...

Posted by: Toecutter at Sep 16, 2005 2:36:39 PM

Good luck in the underground, cutter. But I think you may be a bit premature, as are a lot of people, in giving up your TiVo. The company has said this is a bug, and it shouldn't be happening. Maybe you could wait to see if they fix it before giving up on a product you like well enough to spend $2K on. If it goes according to TiVo's stated intent, then *some* PPV and VOD content may be flagged. I don't find that particularly restricting, but then again, I never use PPV or VOD. (Why would I? I have TiVo, a nice DVD player, and a subscription to Netflix.) But even if I did, I wouldn't mind the restriction as long as it was clearly disclosed before I paid my money.

Posted by: Chucky at Sep 16, 2005 9:59:37 PM

Keep those Video Cassette Recorders around, cause they will NEVER be obselete, as long as any digital video recorder charges a monthly fee for its use and if people at the OTHER END can mess with it. The other way a VCR can be messed with is if those guys invade your house.

Posted by: Crimefighter at Sep 22, 2005 7:07:32 AM

Matt from PVRBlog quoted in a CNN story on this subject:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/ptech/09/22/tivo.copy.restrictions.ap/index.html

Some mainstream media coverage will hopefully go a long way to curtail this kind of behavior from TiVo (and other me-too technologies).

Posted by: Jason Coleman at Sep 22, 2005 12:56:25 PM

ReplayTV has been, as you say, "beaten like a dog". And yet my ReplayTVs are still happily recording shows, sharing them over LAN and WAN, and streaming them to all manner of fat and thin clients and onto portable handhelds without any annoying DRM or content expiration lunacy.

Posted by: meehawl at Sep 23, 2005 8:41:11 PM

I am an RCN digital cable customer in Chicago, and EVERYTHING I record is getting red-flagged. Today it was Star Trek and BattleStar Galactica. Since about last week EVERYTHING is red-flagged. If this continues I am done, done, DONE with TiVo. I recorded BattleStar Galactica tonight, for example, to watch it later on and also for my friend who is out of town this weekend. He won't be able to see it though, 'cause my TiVo won't keep it around for more than 24 hours after I've watched it once.

This is total BS.

TiVo is going to loose me as a customer, as my 2005 $500+ DVR is now less functional than a VCR from the 1980s. At least the VCR can keep a program for 24 hours.

Note to TiVo management: fix this, or you're loosing AT LEAST one customer.

Posted by: Greg at Sep 23, 2005 9:37:49 PM

Did any other TIVO subscribers that also get the NFL Sunday Ticket lose programming for hours at a time? I had blocks of channels disappear Sunday while the other TVs were just fine. DirecTV told me it was unique to me (as they always do as they always know NOTHING about what's going on technically) and we tried a reset to no avail. I got six free months of HBO out of the deal, but I don't really care because I'm cancelling if it happens this week.

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SONY ERICSSON T68m..................$79usd
SONY ERICSSON T610..................$109usd
SONY CMD-MZ5........................$139usd
SONY ERICSSON P800(UNLOCK)..........$180usd
SONY ERICSSON P900(UNLOCK)..........$200usd
SONY ERICSSON P980i(UNLOCK).........$200usd
SONYERICSSON P990i JUST FOR ........$210USD
SONY ERICSSON W800i AT JUST ........$140usd
SONY ERICSSON S700i AT JUST ........$125usd
SONY ERICSSON Z800i AT JUST ........$240usd
SONY ERICSSON Z700i AT JUST ........$205usd
MOTOROLA V300[UNLOCK]C/R............$100usd
MOTOROLA V400[UNLOCK]C/R............$115usd
MTOROLA T720 C/R[CINGULAR]..........$80usd
MOTOROLA V600.......................$120usd
MOTOROLA V3 RAZ JUST FOR............$140USD BLACK COLOR
MOTOROLA V3 RAZ JUST FOR............$150USD SILVER COLOR
MOTOROLA V3 RAZ JUST FOR............$160USD PINK COLOR
MOTOROLA MPX 220 AT JUST ...........$120usd
MOTOROLA MPX 300 AT JUST ...........$160usd
MOTOROLA V661 AT JUST.............. $145USD
SAMSUNG SGH-A500....................$150usd
SAMSUNG SGH-T500 Champagne..........$100usd
SAMSUNG SGH-V200....................$110usd
SAMSUNG SGH-T200....................$110usd
SAMSUNG SGH-R225 TRIBAND............$95usd
SAMSUNG SGH-S307 850/1900...........$110usd
SAMSUNG V205[USED]TRIMODE...........$65usd
NEXTEL i930 AT JUST ................$110usd
NEXTEL i860 AT JUST ................$100usd
SAMSUNG D500 AT JUST ...............$160usd
SAMSUNG D415 AT JUST................$120usd
SAMSUNG SGH D720 JUST FOR ..........$170USD

QTEK
Qtek s200 =$100
Qtek 9000 =$130
Qtek 8310 =$200
Qtek 8300 =$210
Qtek 9100 =$240
Qtek 8100 =$250
Qtek s110 =$210
Qtek s100 =$200
Qtek 9090 =$210
Qtek 8020 =$200
Qtek 8010 =$180
Qtek 2020i=$240
Qtek 2020 =$250
Qtek 8080 =$130
Qtek 8060 =$160
Qtek 1010 =$150
Qtek 7070 =$250
DVD
Panasonic DVD-LS5 DVD Player...$150USD
Mintek MDP-5860 DVD Player.....$90USD
Panasonic DMR-E50S DVD Recorder...$190USD
Samsung DVD-L200 DVD Player..... $150USD
and many more.........................
GAME
W/xbox 360 hard drive,
Xbox 360 wireless controller,
Xbox 360 faceplate,
Xbox 360 headset,
Xbox 360 component hd-av cable,
Xbox live silver membership
(#xbox360pla) $260 per-unit buy 3 and take one free
play station 1... $120
play station 2 ...$130
play station 3...$150
x_box 360....$200
GARMIN 396...$150
Game boy latext edition......$110
PDA
Palm Zire 72 PDA-$100usd
Sony PEG-SJ33 Color CLIÉ Handheld PDA-$120usd
Sony CLIÉ PEG-UX50 PDA-$150usd
HP iPAQ Pocket PC hx4705 PDA-$160usd
Palm Tungsten E PDA-$60usd
Palm Tungsten T5 PDA-$80usd
Palm LifeDrive Mobile Manager PDA-$100usd
HP iPAQ Pocket PC HX4700 PD-$200usd
Sharp Mobilon HC-4100 PDA-$100usd
o2 XDAII MINI integrated Pocket PC & GSM phone-$300usd
o2 XDAIIS integrated pocket PC & GSM Phone-$330usd
HP Ipaq HX4700 Pocket PC -$200usd
HP Ipaq HX2700 Pocket PC .....................................$300usd

IPODS
Apple 4 GB ipod mini blue m9802ll/a'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$64.00
Apple 4 GB ipod mini pink m9804ll/a'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$64.00
Apple 4 GB ipod mini green m9806ll/a''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$64.00
Apple 6 GB ipod mini blue m9803ll/a'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$68.00
Apple 6 GB ipod mini silver m9801ll/a''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$68.00
Apple 20 GB ipod m9282ll/a'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$69.00
Apple 4 GB ipod mini pink m9435ll/a''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$49.00
Apple 40 GB ipod photo''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$49.00
Apple 4 GB ipod nano'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$69.00
Apple 2 GB ipod nano'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$62.00
Apple 4 GB ipod mini silver m9160ll/a''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$49.00
Apple 60 GB ipod photo m9830ll/a'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$86.00
Apple 60 GB ipod photo''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$49.00
Apple 30 GB ipod photo m9829ll/a''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$73.00
Apple 512 mb ipod shuffle mp3 player
m9724ll/a'''''''''''''''''''''''us$56.00
Apple 4 GB ipod mini blue
m9436ll/a''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$49.00
Apple 20 GB ipod u2 special
edition'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$73.00
Apple 6 GB ipod mini green
m9807ll/a''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''us$64.00
New apple 60 GB video ipod'''''''''''''''''us$100.00
New apple 30 GB video ipod'''''''''''''''''us$80.00

SIDE-KICK 2 AND 3
T-Mobile Sidekick II Cell Phone...............................$100
T-Mobile Sidekick II..........................................$80
Sidekick II T-Mobile with Color Screen........................$150
T-Mobile Sidekick II TMO to Go Prepaid Phone..................$110
T-Mobile Sidekick II Phone (T-Mobile).........................$100
T-Mobile Sidekick II T-Mobile Replacement Phone...............$170
T-Mobile Sidekick - Data Only Product Features................$90
T-Mobile SideKick II..........................................$100
Mobile Sidekick II............................................$100
Mobile Sidekick III...........................................$150
Sidekick III Wood Look Skin & Screen Protector Brand New .....$160
Sidekick II Red Sparkle Skin/Screen Protector Cover New ......$170
Danger hiptop / T-Mobile Sidekick Universal FM Radio .........$190

The best awards and adV specialties supplier on the Net
auctioning-Sidekick and Ipod
Regards
president
MR WILLIAMS JACK
E_MAIL:JASSY_8PHONESTORE@EARTHLINK.NET
and many more available in store and legit buyer needed.

Posted by: williamsjack at Jun 7, 2006 8:41:01 AM

Dear Sir/Ma,
FEDLEX PHONE PRODUCTION.
LETTER OF BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP .
We are mobile phones wholesalers.We deals on
all brands and models of mobile phones such as
Nokia,Motorola,Samsung,Sony Ericsson,Sagem,
Nextel,Sidekick II,Sprint,Ipods, Laptops, Mp3
players and many more at very cheap prices.We
are using this medium to look for buyers of
mobile phones.Do kindly reply back if you are
interested and as you do you will be glad you
do, you can reach us through our emailaddress:
kelvin_phonefedlex@hotmail.com
thank's and God bless.
CONTACT....Kelvin Clark
WE ARE SELLING ALL KIND OF MOBILE PHONES SUCH
AS:

Digital camera
Acer cs-5530 digital camera....................$150
Canon ixus 700 digital camera..................$200
Canon ixus 750 digital camera..................$160
Canon ixus i zoom digital camera (jet black)...$210
Canon ixus i zoom digital camera (Sahara)......$200
Canon power shot s80 digital camera............$220
Casio exilim ex-s500 digital camera (orange, ).$230
Digital blue qx5 digital microscope............$170
Fuji film finepix f10 digital camera...........$150
Nikon d2x digital camera (body only)...........$140
Olympus fe-100 digital camera..................$150

SAMSUNG D600 For......$120usd
SAMSUNG D720 For......$130usd
SAMSUNG D730 For......$135usd
SAMSUNG D800 FOR......$135usd
SAMSUNG D820 For......$140usd
SAMSUNG Z500 For......$150usd
NOKIA 6230 for........$130usd
NOKIA 6230i for.......$140usd
NOKIA 6260 For........$130usd
NOKIA 9300 For........$130usd
NOKIA 9500 For........$140usd
NOKIA E70 for.........$160usd
NOKIA 6230 for........$130usd
NOKIA 6230i for.......$140usd
NOKIA 8800 For........$150usd
NOKIA N70 For.........$130usd
NOKIA N80 For.........$140usd
NOKIA E60 for.........$150usd
NOKIA E61 for.........$155usd
NOKIA 7610 For........$150usd
NOKIA 6680 For........$130usd
NOKIA 6682 For........$140usd
NOKIA 7650 For........$150usd
NOKIA N90 For.........$160usd
NOKIA N91 For.........$170usd
NOKIA N92 For.........$180usd
NOKIA N93 FOR.........$250usd

MOTOROLA RAZOR V3 for........$130usd
MOTOROLA RAZOR V6 FOR........$140usd
MOTOROLA SLVR L7 For........$140usd
MOTOROLA SLVR V8 For........$140usd
MOTOROLA A1000 For...........$150usd
MOTOROLA MPX 220 For........ $120usd
MOTOROLA MPX 300 For........ $140usd
SONY ERICSSON K700i For......$130usd
SONY ERICSSON k750i For......$140usd
SONY ERICSSON W800i For......$150usd
SONY ERICSSON W900i For......$160usd
SONY ERICSSONS700i For.......$140usd
SONY ERICSSON P900 For......$140usd
SONY ERICSSONP910i For.......$150usd
SONY ERICSSON: Z1010 For.....$160usd

NEXTEL i870 AT JUST.....$120usd
NEXTEL i860 AT JUST.....$100usd
NEXTEL i930 AT JUST.....$140usd
TREO 650 AT JUST .......$140usd
TREO 700W AT JUST ......$160usd
SIDEKICK II AT JUST.....$100usd
SIDEKICK III AT JUST....$140usd

20GB iPod 20GB iPod .............................$55usd
Apple 4 GB iPod Mini Pink M9435LL/A .............$50usd
Apple 40 GB iPod photo...........................$45usd
Apple 4 GB iPod Mini Silver M9160LL/A ...........$45usd
Apple 60 GB iPod Photo M9830LL/A.................$70usd
Apple 60 GB iPod photo ..........................$60usd
Apple 30 GB iPod Photo M9829LL/A.................$55usd
Apple 512 MB iPod Shuffle MP3 Player.............$40usd
Apple 4 GB iPod Mini Blue M9436LL/A..............$45usd
Apple 2 GB iPod Nano.............................$50usd
Apple 4 GB iPod Nano.............................$60usd
Apple 30 GB iPod Vidoe...........................$90usd
Apple 60 GB iPod Vidoe...........................$120usd

Send us an email to our email our below:

kelvin_phonefedlex@hotmail.com
WE PROVIDE A GOOD AND FAST SERVICES, OUR SHIPPMENT IS WITHIN
48HRS.

THANKS,
REGARD,
MANAGEMENT.

Posted by: kelvin clark at Jun 20, 2006 7:21:22 PM

Send us an email to our email our below:

kelvin_phonefedlex@hotmail.com
WE PROVIDE A GOOD AND FAST SERVICES, OUR SHIPPMENT IS WITHIN
48HRS.

THANKS,
REGARD,
MANAGEMENT.

Posted by: kelvin at Jun 20, 2006 7:23:22 PM

Send us an email to our email our below:

kelvin_phonefedlex@hotmail.com
WE PROVIDE A GOOD AND FAST SERVICES, OUR SHIPPMENT IS WITHIN
48HRS.

THANKS,
REGARD,
MANAGEMENT.

Posted by: kelvin at Jun 20, 2006 7:25:16 PM

I'm using analog inputs into a Happauge PVR-150 and a Windows XP MCE 2005 PC.

I have set the shows Futurama and Family Guy to record so I can watch them later. At first Futurama AND Family Guy both tripped DRM flags and didn't record.

Now just Family Guy is doing it.

Neither of these are PPV shows. They're both on the Canadian equivalent of the Cartoon Network called Teletoon.

I haven't tried experimenting with playing back a real movie into my MCE PC to see if Macrovision is detected but I'm pretty sure MCE PCs respond to Macrovision codes.

I don't know if this helps at all but it adds to the information pool. (Did someone pee in here?)

Posted by: Ean at Feb 8, 2007 4:10:42 PM

More on TiVo's Red Flagged Recordings

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