How to search
Your TiVo® DVR is hooked up and you’re all set to change the way you watch TV. Now all you need is some stuff to watch. Not to worry: with the TiVo DVR, you’ll have a well-stocked “Now Playing List” (your list of recorded shows) in no time.
Searching by title
Know the title of a show you want to record? Finding it is easy.
Tip: If you only know one word in the title, and it isn’t the first word, try a Title Wishlist search to find the show. Find out how to create a WishList.
- Hide the steps
Press the TiVo button to go to the TiVo Central screen, then select "Find Programs and Downloads."
Select “Search by Title.”
If you want to limit your search to a specific category of show (HD shows, movies, etc.), select the desired category and subcategory.
The next screen has a grid of letters. Use the RIGHT, LEFT, UP, and DOWN arrows to move around the grid, then press SELECT to choose a letter.
Select the first few letters in your show’s title. (You can leave off words like “The”). The TiVo service searches through all available shows (usually, those airing within the next two weeks), and lists matching shows on the right side of the screen.
When you see your show title displayed on the right side of the screen, press the RIGHT arrow to move to the list of shows.
Press the UP or DOWN arrow to highlight your show, then press SELECT.
A “Program Information” screen appears. You can use this screen to record the episode, view upcoming episodes, or get a Season Pass recording. See how to never miss a show you love for more information on Season Pass recordings.
Tip: Replace hyphens ( – ), slashes ( / ) and periods ( . ) with spaces. For example, use 20 20 to search for the title “20/20.” Any other marks, such as apostrophes ( ’ ), asterisks ( * ) and ampersands ( & ) are ignored. For example, use 6 OCLOCK NEWS to search for the title “6 O’Clock News.”
All recorded shows appear in your “Now Playing List,” which you can access simply by pressing the TiVo button on your remote control twice!
Finding something new with Swivel Search
Swivel Search helps you find new shows that are related to shows you already like. Plus, it searches both broadcast TV and broadband downloads including Amazon Unbox. You’ll find Swivel Search under “Find Programs and Downloads,” or by selecting “More Options” from any recorded show.
Note: To use Swivel Search, your TiVo DVR must be broadband-connected. See how to connect your TiVo DVR to the Internet for instructions.
- Show the steps
Press the TiVo button to go to the TiVo Central screen, and then select Find Programs and Downloads.
Select "Universal Swivel Search".
Enter NEW YORK using the onscreen keypad. Notice that the tag NEW YORK appears in the right column marked with the TiVo Tag icon.
Highlight the NEW YORK tag and press SELECT on your remote. A screen listing a variety of matching shows appears, everything from Law & Order to Sesame Street.
Select Law & Order, then select “More program info…” in the right column. The Law & Order series screen lets you browse Upcoming Showings, and gives you a list of people and tags in the left column.
Select any person’s name and you’ll see other TV shows and movies related to that person, whether he or she is an actor, director, producer, etc. You can even select “If You Like This…” in the left column to see related shows.
Select any title to see options to record or download the show.
All recorded shows appear in your “Now Playing List,” which you can access simply by pressing the TiVo button on your remote control twice!
Note: Swivel Search works best if it searches only on channels you receive, ensuring that search results always include shows you can record. To do this, Swivel Search prompts you to change your privacy status to “opt in,” allowing the TiVo service to store information about your channel lineup for use in Swivel Search.
Searching by time or channel
If you don’t remember the exact name of a show, but you know what time or channel it’s on, you can still find and record it with the TiVo service.
- Show the steps
Press the TiVo button to go to the “TiVo Central” screen, and then select “Find Programs & Downloads.”
Select “Record by Time or Channel.” You’ll have four options:
Browse by time
Browse shows on a specified day and time (for example, you can browse all shows airing on Saturday night at 8 p.m.).
- Show the steps
If you want to limit your search to a particular category (for instance, HD shows or movies, use the arrow buttons to highlight a category (for example, Movies), then press SELECT. If you don’t want to limit your search, select “Don’t Select a Category.”
Press the UP/DOWN arrows to select the date you want to see, then press RIGHT arrow to move to the time column, and press the UP/DOWN arrows to select a time.
Press SELECT to see the list of shows without leaving the channel selector, or press RIGHT arrow to see the list of shows and move to the list.
When you find a show you want to record, highlight it and press SELECT.
All recorded shows appear in your “Now Playing List,” which you can access simply by pressing the TiVo button on your remote control twice!
Browse by channel
Browse through shows airing on a particular channel
- Show the steps
Choose either “All Channels,” which includes all the channels you receive, or “Favorite Channels,” which includes just the channels you have selected as your favorites.
Press the UP/DOWN arrows to select the date you want to see, then press RIGHT arrow to move to the channel column.
Press the UP/DOWN arrows to select a channel. (You can also use the numbers on the remote to enter a channel, then press ENTER.)
Press SELECT to see the list of shows without leaving the channel selector, or press RIGHT arrow to see the list of shows and move to the list.
When you find a show you want to record, highlight it and press SELECT.
All recorded shows appear in your “Now Playing List,” which you can access simply by pressing the TiVo button on your remote control twice!
Manually record time/channel
Schedule a recording on a specific channel at a specific time (just as you would with a VCR).
- Show the steps
Choose the recording type, using the UP/DOWN arrows to select whether the recording will be “One Time” or “Repeating,” then press RIGHT arrow.
Choose the day(s) for the recording, using the UP/DOWN arrows to change the current selection. If you chose “Repeating,” you can choose to repeat the recording on a specified day of the week (“Every Tuesday”) or several times a week (“Every M – F” or “Every Day”).
Press RIGHT arrow and choose a channel using the UP/DOWN arrows (or by entering a number with the remote, then pressing ENTER).
Press RIGHT arrow and set the hour, minute, and am/pm for the start and stop time, using the UP/DOWN arrows to change the current selection. Press RIGHT arrow or SELECT.
You’ll see a confirmation screen. The DVR shows a “best guess” show title based on guide listings for that time and channel. Select “Record This Showing.”
All recorded shows appear in your “Now Playing List,” which you can access simply by pressing the TiVo button on your remote control twice!
Use the guide to find shows
Use the on-screen guide to find shows and set up recordings quickly—just press the GUIDE button on your TiVo remote. The guide displays up to two weeks of programming.
- Show the steps
Highlight a show’s title in the guide, then press RECORD.
On the screen that appears, select “Record This Showing.” After the TiVo service schedules the recording, you’ll return to the guide.
Find alternate airings of a show:
- Show the steps
Select the show from the grid.
Select “Season Pass and Other Options,” and “View Upcoming Episodes.” You can use this list to choose the showing that is most convenient for you to record.
All recorded shows appear in your “Now Playing List,” which you can access simply by pressing the TiVo button on your remote control twice!
Need more help?
- Support topic: Universal Swivel Search Displays Internal Error #32
