TiVo News #105: Swivel Search your way to TV bliss!

Letter from the Editor

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been going on a TV treasure hunt every few days now with TiVo’s new universal Swivel Search—an awesome (really, that’s the word for it) only-on-TiVo search feature that helps you navigate both traditional broadcast TV plus the brave new world of broadband video with one simple search. Some say it’s like IMDB for your TV (we’re flattered), while others swear it’s more fun than that Kevin Bacon game.

Just put in a word or phrase, and TiVo scours not just your tens of thousands of hours of TV programs you already get from your cable provider, but also the growing list of FREE program downloads you can get courtesy of our TiVoCast partners (like The New York Times, CNET, The Onion, and more)—as well as the thousands of TV and movie titles you can buy or rent from Amazon.com, to help you discover some new entertainment gems. And starting today, you can now order your Amazon Unbox on TiVo videos right from your TiVo remote; prepare to master broadband movie downloads just by exercising your thumb.

Really, you must try it yourself to understand the boundless joy of the TiVo “Swivel,” but don’t forget: You must be broadband-connected to reap the rewards of the TV treasures that await. If you haven’t yet done so, now’s the time to take the plunge. Come on, the water feels great!

Splish, splash and Swivel,
Shanan

P.S. It really is stupendous fun to see through Swivel Search how someone is related to someone else—or something, for that matter, so here’s a bonus challenge especially for you TiVo pirates: Use Swivel Search to explore the tangled web of seemingly very different actors (alive or dead), and send me your “map.” If you unearth something particularly sparkly, I’ll send you some TiVo booty as a reward.

Example “map”: You just watched How I Met Your Mother, which uses a lot of Flashbacks in the plot. The Swivel “FLASHBACK” Tag leads you to The Family Guy, which stars Seth Green. Seth was also in Austin Powers, as was Will Ferrell. Will was in The Producers with Matthew Broderick, and Matthew will always be Ferris Bueller. Ferris was directed by John Hughes, who also directed the movie She’s Having A Baby, which starred—go figure—Kevin Bacon.

In case you’re stuck at work reading this and haven’t yet tried your hand at Swivel Search, here’s what to expect:

Or watch a demo for a virtual couchside experience (be mindful of your volume since you’ll hear a fair share of the unmistakable TiVo “bloops!”).

If you’re already home, start your TV treasure hunt with Swivel Search now from either of these two places:

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TiVo Tip: Speed Reading

Got a long Now Playing List and growing? Instead of blooping your way down each and every show, hopefully you’ve discovered this little (not-so-secret) secret: Use the CHAN UP/DOWN button to quickly browse page by page.

This especially comes in handy when you use “View upcoming episodes” following a WishList® search that garners umpteen results, e.g. Keyword: 2006, Category, MOVIES.

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On June 20, 2007, the American Film Institute (AFI) named its 100 greatest American movies of all time. Get this Guru Guide and you’ll automatically get all of the movies from the list that get broadcast.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. It knows its movies.

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Even though grandma and gramps live 3,000 miles away, there’s no reason you couldn’t include them both in your summer travels. If you’re taking any home movies on the shore or in the woods, don’t forget that TiVo and One True Media make it simple to share them by delivering them right to your friends’ and family’s Now Playing List. If you’ve got a good TiVo Home Movie Sharing story to share, please send it here.

You’ll be Home Movie Sharing in just a few simple steps if you watch this video.

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Limited Edition TiVo® Remote with American Flag Skin

Point Value: 6,000

Add some fanfare to your living room by dressing up your TiVo remote with a splash of stars and stripes. A TiVo Rewards exclusive.

History Detectives¹
Best for: Ages 10+
Lively series reveals history’s everyday secrets. This educational series covers wide-ranging topics (from the Civil War to Mickey Mouse to Charles Lindbergh); the investigators demonstrate that history is fascinating, fun, and occasionally frustrating. Three mysteries are investigated in each hour-long episode.

Set up TiVo KidZone. It’s easy!

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Survey says you’re still not taking full advantage of one of TiVo’s best features: the WishList search. There is no better way to personalize your TV experience, so grab that remote and customize. From TiVo Central, select Find Programs, then Create a WishList search, and then…:

Once you create your search term, you can choose to “View upcoming episodes” every 14 days or so, or set it to auto-record every match. And if you’ve got good suggestions to share, send ‘em to Shanan.

Bonus Tip: Koyaanisqatsi is accompanied by a wonderful score from Philip Glass, who asserted at the time, “I don’t do film music.” But it’s also a great conversation-starter if played on your big-screen TV accompanied by your own soundtrack during a party.

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If you have questions or comments regarding this newsletter, you can email the editor. (Unfortunately, due to volume received, not every email can be answered.) By submitting comments, you grant TiVo Inc. a nonexclusive, irrevocable right to use your comments in any way it desires without notice or compensation to you.

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¹ Television show and its producers are not sponsored by or affiliated with TiVo.