This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Season Pass Management
What's so wonderful about TiVo's software is that there are so many different ways to get at the television content you're after. You can browse the Guide, look at TiVo Suggestions, create WishLists, and browse matches based on those. You can auto-record WishList items, and you can create very detailed search strings if you have Advanced WishLists enabled. And then there are Season Pass recordings and the Season Pass Manager. This feature allows you to auto-record all of the favorite shows you regularly view and to tell TiVo how many to keep and under what conditions (recording quality, show type [first runs, repeats, all], and when to delete them). We won't go into the basics of creating and managing Season Passes here (that's adequately covered in your TiVo Viewer's Guide), but here are a few more advanced considerations:
When setting up a repeat recording, think about which recording technique is better: Season Pass or WishList. If you're only looking for first run episodes on the same network, then a Season Pass makes sense. Even if the show switches times or days of the week, TiVo will catch it. If you're looking to record a show that broadcasts several seasons on different networks (and you want to record them all), a Title-based auto-record WishList is what you want.
For shows, such as the evening news, that you know you'll watch the same day they're recorded (or before the next viewing time), create a Season Pass, but only "Keep at Most" one episode, so TiVo will just record over the previous night's recording. Obviously, this is a question of personal preference (and disk space)—keep two if you like.
If there's a show that you only like to watch now and again but don't really want your TiVo to fill up with multiple episodes (let's say Dweezil and Lisa on the Food Network), create a Season Pass but choose Keep at Most = 1 and Save Until I Delete. That way, you'll always have one to watch when you're in the mood, and when you delete it, TiVo will go grab another one.
Don't forget that conflicted recordings (two that are on at the same time) are prioritized based on where they're listed in the Season Pass Manager. Always make sure that your favorite shows are first in the list.
TIP
Tivocommunity.com has a very useful forum called Season Pass Alerts. Here TiVo users point out upcoming show conflicts, time changes, and other scheduling glitches that could mess us your Season Passes.