blog.shrub

When you upgrade your TiVo, you lose everything.

Season passes, wish lists, saved thumb ratings, channel configurations — everything. Yes, you can transfer recordings — but only one at a time. It’s a very slow, very manual process.

What TiVo needs is a migration assistant. When you get a new Mac, the Mac OS X setup assistant automagically copies over your applications, network settings, files, user account, password.

After you’ve migrated everything, you log in to your new Mac, just like it was your old Mac. You don’t notice a difference. Just that it’s faster.

I recently purchased a TiVo HD. The TiVo was pre-activated, so I didn’t have to activate it on tivo.com.

Before I pass on my old TiVo (a series 2), I want to transfer the programs from it to my new TiVo HD. In order for transfers to work:

• both DVRs must have active service agreements
• “allow transfers” must be enabled on tivo.com
• both DVRs must be associated with the same tivo.com account

For some reason, my new TiVo was associated with the account of the person who ordered it, not my account.

I called TiVo, confirmed a few details, and they sorted everything out.

So, what’s the problem? It requires human intervention. The first time I attempted this process, the TiVo call center was closed. This account transfer should be a self-service option.

When I forget my password for AT&T’s web site, they text me a new one. It’s a pretty smart idea — communicating the secure information out-of-band.

My TiVo should have a unique identifier — other than the service number — that’s only visible from the device itself. Since my TiVo connects to the Internet already, this should be pretty straightforward. Once I enter that information, TiVo can confirm ownership of the box, and transfer it over to my account.