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Geek Tip: Make Your TiVo's Progress Disappear Faster

GeekSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:40:59 -0800

Although I think you should get a TiVo for more than just to watch the tube, there are some minor things I wish I could change about the player. For example, the status bar on the bottom of the screen - it takes forever to disappear! Now some of you may think I'm being overly dramatic, but really, it takes a while, no?

So when you can't take it anymore, just enter this sequence on your remote: Select, Play, Select, Pause, Select, which should take care of your lagging status bar for good.

Daily Tech: BlackBerry Announces a TiVo App

GeekSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:35:46 -0700

BlackBerry users with a TiVo box can now record their favorite shows remotely with the TiVo app - The Boy Genius Report
Borders will be rolling out free WiFi in 500 store locations across the country - CrunchGear
Wired chats with Felicia Day about the Guild and what it's like to be a geek in Hollywood - Wired
A BlackBerry desktop manager for Macs is said to be coming out on Oct. 2 - Engadget
Zipcar releases a pretty sweet iPhone app that will even unlock your car for you - USA Today
The Motorola Cliq android handset is coming to stores on Nov. 2 and will cost $200 - Gizmodo
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game Ever bracket! - GeekSugar

People Aren't Watching Commercials During Popular Shows

GeekSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:44:23 -0700

TV networks, don't hate me - but I barely ever watch commercials. This is probably because my DVR is always full, so whenever I do watch a show, I feel the need to quickly get through it as fast as possible so I can delete it and move on to the next one!

A majority of you said that you occasionally watch commercials even with a DVR, but did you know that nearly all shows that won Emmys this year are more likely to have their commercials skipped over? That's right, according to the New York Times, 30 Rock was the only exception among the group (which was blamed on NBC's creative ad placements).

Why does this happen? Well, Todd Juenger, TiVo's vice president for research and measurement, seems to think that people don't want to sit through commercials of hit shows they are really wrapped up in. . . which totally makes sense.

Where do you stand on this? Do you fast-forward through commercials during shows that you are completely sucked into? And if you don't have a DVR - but hate commercials - here's how you can skip over ads using a standard remote.

Photo courtesy of NBC

How To: Skip Ads With a Standard Remote Control

GeekSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:31:50 -0700

Don't you just love TiVo? You can skip over commercials at lightning fast speeds, and pause and rewind live TV. It's a luxury I don't think I can live without. Even those of you with a regular, cable-company assigned DVR can perform all these great tricks, but I found a faster way to get through those annoying commercials - you can skip over commercials in 30 second increments with a simple hack and your standard remote.

Why would this be necessary? Oh, I don't know, because you can't wait a single second more to finish watching the latest episode of Gossip Girl, and the never-ending pain med and TUMS ads are out of control? Cause sometimes it seems that even though you're forwarding at four times the normal speed, it still seems to take forever to scrub through? Cause we're all impatient? You know what I mean. Check out the simple six-step hack I found on Wisebread to make your commercials disappear a little quicker when you read more.

Press the Cable button at the top of the remote.
Hold the Setup button until the Cable button flashes twice.
Enter 994 on the keypad. The Cable button will flash twice again.
Push the Setup button once.
Enter 00173.
Finally, push the button that you want to use as the 30-second skip; I chose the A button since I don't use it for anything else. The Cable button will flash twice.

To restore the original functionality to that key, follow the first steps described above, but after entering 994, push the remapped key twice. The Cable button will blink twice if your input has been accepted.

Geek Tip: Three Ways to Stretch Your TiVo's Space

GeekSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:51:31 -0700

Nothing's worse than finding that your TiVo has deleted one of your shows or hasn't recorded an episode because it has run out of space. I get it; I'm a TV junkie too, and have a few tips for pushing your TiVo's space to the max.

Record shows in lower quality rather than highest quality. Note: this is only for standard def TVs and series 2 or lower.
Modify your Season Pass settings to record a low maximum number of episodes, and make sure you select "first run only" for shows so you don't get any reruns (if you don't want them).
When in doubt, add an external hard drive. Western Digital makes a TiVo expander that will add a ton of hours to your TiVo's hard drive, available in 500 GB or a terabyte.

More Than a Recorder: 6 Other Reasons to Get a TiVo

GeekSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:04:36 -0700

Watching live TV is so 20th century. These days, advantages in technology let us enjoy one of life's great pleasures - watching the tube - without being chained down by a schedule. A DVR is great, but a TiVo DVR offers a ton of features besides just recording your favorite shows.

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TiVo Launches Custom RSS Feeds to Watch New Content

GeekSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:38:11 -0700

Owners of TiVos know that the devices do so much more than just record shows. Now, they do even more: today, TiVo launched custom RSS feeds so you can get a ton more content on your TiVo.

If you have a TiVo Series 3, a TiVo HD, or HD XL, you'll be able to add feeds or season passes for hundreds of new web videos, shows, and podcasts.

The custom feeds are especially helpful since TiVo's search listings don't always pull up what you're looking for. Having it directly fed in and downloaded makes things way easier.

Want to see it in action? Check out TiVo's website.

How To: Take Your Fave Shows on Your Travels

GeekSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:50:48 -0700

Traveling is terrific, but I get full-on separation anxiety when I leave my TiVo. I just don't like feeling disconnected and I miss my shows - even when I know they are waiting for me upon my return. Good news, sports and soap fans: there a handful of amazing applications and devices that will allow you easy access to your media. Set your recordings before you leave on that jet plane.

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You Know You're a Mother When: Tot Takes Over Television

LilSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:00:30 -0700

When babe's is in arms, a mother can watch what she wants - from Grey's Anatomy to The Real Housewives, she doesn't have to worry about wee eyes seeing racy scenes or hearing inappropriate language. Then, the child enters the toddler phase and it's time to tame what's being shown on the tube. This can get hairy if the home only has a single television set. Hours once reserved for watching a parent's favorite sitcoms are filled with episodes of Thomas the Train and other cartoons. Or prime viewing time becomes bath, story and bedtime. If moms and dads still want to partake in the water cooler conversations at the office centered around the fate of George and Izzie, they may want to invest in a DVR or TiVo!

Daily Tech: "Interplanetary Internet" Means Tweets From Space

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:05:35 -0700

"Interplanetary Internet" will allow astronauts to tweet from outer space - Discover
Netflix has announced it will stream movies to Sony Bravia TVs. - Business Week
Best Buy and TiVo are teaming up. - NYT
Could social networking sites can reveal your social security number? - WSJ
BlackBerry's U2 commercial: Brought to us by Apple? - Gizmodo
"Death by Cell Phone" campaign launches in Florida. - Switched
Make your own charging pocket from a shampoo bottle. - Unplggd