TiVo Community Forums Archives - TiVo Suggestions Going Crazy

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TiVo Suggestions Going Crazy
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Posted by: TiVo_Al

OK, so I record one NASCAR Truck race on Friday night and I even marked it with a thumbs down. Next morning I have 11 PAGES of suggestions for every sporting event known to mankind, from women's vollyball to billiards, rodeo to NBA. I then carefully take 45 minutes to give every suggestion two thumbs down and eliminate the list. Sunday morning I have ANOTHER 11 pages of suggestions for basically the same thing. I've had to turn off suggestions.

Any "suggestions" on what I should do?

Posted by: nextguard2

Did you by any chance notice that each of those reccomended sporting events had at least one Sony ad in them?

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NextGuard = Paul from Atlanta

Posted by: Xaa

TivoAL,

It sounds like you don't have a big thumbs profile going, so when you recorded the race, it thinks you really love sports.

Just try to give shows you prefer a thumbs up. I've found positive reinforcemnt results in better suggestions.

In any case, how is having no suggestions recording, better than having 11 pages of sporting events? It sounds like break even, but if you have suggestions turned on there is still a chance to get something you like. By turning them off, you have taken away that chance and gained nothing.

Xaa

Posted by: DaveLessnau

You can reset all your Thumb ratings to the default blank by going to "Reset Thumb Ratings and Suggestion" in the "System Reset" menu. You'll lose ALL the Thumbs you've applied to shows.

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Dave Lessnau

One Sony and one Philips with 2.5.1

Posted by: Ov1Ture

My Suggestions were going really well (I had Thumbs Up'd over 100 shows), I was getting good programs and deleted the ones I didn't really like. One evening, I changed my 1 Thumbs Up for The Daily Show to 2 Thumbs Up and a couple days later, The Suggestions page showed almost ALL news shows. The only "news show" I ever watch IS The Daily Show. I had to reset and start over again. I am moving slower now and am more conservative with "Thumbs."

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What is it about the Silver ones?

Posted by: TiVo_Al

My only problem with resetting thumbs is that then I'll get every movie ever made as a suggestion (the undocumented TiVo default).

The reason I turned off suggestions is that TiVo feeds several TV sets throughout the house and last Saturday and Sunday it kept switching the channel to record a suggestion when I was in another room watching before I could get to it to stop the channel change.

Posted by: NFLnut

You know, of late, I've been getting some pretty weird Suggestions myself. This on two TiVos that have been operational for over a year. Did the Suggestions engine get tweaked a little again?

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NFLnut
- Private First Class, TiVo Marine Corps

Current Rank: 2.5

(2) Philips DSR6000R
(1) Philips HDR31201

Posted by: Xaa

My suggestions are pretty good, but if you watch a bunch of live TV, the channel switching/messages can get annoying.

I'd love a feature that would allow you to set up when to record seuggestions. For me it would be M-F from 12 AM to 5PM, and Sat-Sun 12 AM to 12 PM.

Xaa

Posted by: DJRobX

If you haven't gotten 2.5 yet, check the underground for the Teach TiVo backdoor. You can fix problems like this easily with it.

Posted by: Phillip

quote:
Originally posted by TiVo_Al:
My only problem with resetting thumbs is that then I'll get every movie ever made as a suggestion (the undocumented TiVo default).

The reason I turned off suggestions is that TiVo feeds several TV sets throughout the house and last Saturday and Sunday it kept switching the channel to record a suggestion when I was in another room watching before I could get to it to stop the channel change.

Well TiVO_Al, if what you say is correct, you've blown away my (very limited) understanding of how the TiVo Suggestions work! http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

You violate two of the rules (sorta' anyway) that I thought I had down pretty pat. #1, I don't believe TiVo will ever purposely change channels to record a suggestion or even give you a hint that it wants to change, unlike when it wants to record anything else, you are warned on the screen, with the default being no action required on your part. The 'sorta' part of rule #1 is that if TiVo is recording a suggestion and you push the power button on the remote--then select a channel--the recording of the suggestion will terminate without warning and remove any trace of it from the Now Playing list...

Can anyone else refute these postulates???

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Phil Gunsul -- WB9AAX

Posted by: TiVo_Al

Well, I went ahead and reset thumbs last night. Can't wait until I get home tonight and see what TiVo surprises I have.

I did get 2.5 last week and the race was the first thing I recorded since (this is my second TiVo and I only use it to record when I am recording two things at once). Maybe there was a change in the suggestions engine, or maybe when 2.5 arrived I lost all of my old thumbs ratings.

Posted by: Xaa

quote:
Originally posted by Phillip:
Well TiVO_Al, if what you say is correct, you've blown away my (very limited) understanding of how the TiVo Suggestions work! http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

You violate two of the rules (sorta' anyway) that I thought I had down pretty pat. #1, I don't believe TiVo will ever purposely change channels to record a suggestion or even give you a hint that it wants to change, unlike when it wants to record anything else, you are warned on the screen, with the default being no action required on your part. The 'sorta' part of rule #1 is that if TiVo is recording a suggestion and you push the power button on the remote--then select a channel--the recording of the suggestion will terminate without warning and remove any trace of it from the Now Playing list...

Can anyone else refute these postulates???

Phil,

Tivo will not record suggestions or even ask to record them if there has been remote activity in the last 30 minutes and you are watching Live TV. If there has not been any activity on the remote (say you are watching a movie), Tivo will put up a screen asking if it is OK to change channels and record the suggestion. Of course, it will start recording sugestions right away if you are watching something from Now Playing.

If you change channels during the recording of a suggestion, the recording of that suggestion will stop and it will be removed from the NP list.

Xaa

Posted by: BrettStah

quote:
Originally posted by TiVo_Al:
My only problem with resetting thumbs is that then I'll get every movie ever made as a suggestion (the undocumented TiVo default).

The reason I turned off suggestions is that TiVo feeds several TV sets throughout the house and last Saturday and Sunday it kept switching the channel to record a suggestion when I was in another room watching before I could get to it to stop the channel change.

So turning off suggestions had nothing to do with the actual recordings that were being suggested then, right?

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Brett
<FONT size="1">
Even though I was their captive, the Indians allowed me quite a bit of freedom. I could walk freely, make my own meals, and even hurl large rocks at their heads. It was only later that I discovered that they were not Indians at all but only dirty-clothes hampers.
</FONT s>

Posted by: BrettStah

Here are some suggestions about "Suggestions":

1) Don't panic/get upset/have a cow if and when Tivo records things you don't like! It's only using time and hard drive space that wouldn't be used anyway.

2) If Tivo records a ton of the same show or type of show, there is no need to spend tons of time thumbing down each and every one of the suggestions. Give a few of them a Thumbs down or two, and you're done. If you want to clear out the current suggestions, feel free, although Tivo will eventually remove them for you.

3) Go through the upcoming schedule, and give some Thumbs Ups to some shows that you like, to give it an idea of the types of shows you like to watch. Also, remember that by default when you record something with a one-time recording or season pass, it will receive an automatic one Thumbs Up.

4) Re-read number 1 above.

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Brett
<FONT size="1">
Even though I was their captive, the Indians allowed me quite a bit of freedom. I could walk freely, make my own meals, and even hurl large rocks at their heads. It was only later that I discovered that they were not Indians at all but only dirty-clothes hampers.
</FONT s>

Posted by: Phillip

quote:
Originally posted by Xaa:
Phil,

Tivo will not record suggestions or even ask to record them if there has been remote activity in the last 30 minutes and you are watching Live TV. If there has not been any activity on the remote (say you are watching a movie), Tivo will put up a screen asking if it is OK to change channels and record the suggestion. Of course, it will start recording sugestions right away if you are watching something from Now Playing.

If you change channels during the recording of a suggestion, the recording of that suggestion will stop and it will be removed from the NP list.

Xaa

Xaa,

Thanks so much for the clarification. I don't know what it is that fascinates me so about the TiVo suggestions, they just do! Too much time on my hands I guess http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

I'm not sure in the time I've had my TiVo (several months over a year now...), that I've ever had it ask to change channels to a suggestion. OTOH, if I didn't carry the remote around with me, surely my wife would hide it on me! I just can't keep my hands off of it. I haven't seen an ad on TV in over a year now--wonder if there's anything new out there http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

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Phil Gunsul -- WB9AAX