Like many other consumer electronics companies, TiVo observes various forms of copy protection as required by several industry authorities. These requirements are different for analog and digital content.
Program providers decide which programs within limited categories will have copy protection. If you believe that you are getting copy protection messages incorrectly, please call us and let us know. Questions regarding the use of copy protection on Pay-Per-View, Video on Demand, DVD or VHS content would be more effectively directed to the copyright holders themselves, not TiVo Customer Support.
When a program is protected, a red flag will appear next the program in the Now Playing List. This flag indicates that the program will be deleted under a schedule defined by the copyright-holder.
Analog Signal Copy Protection for TiVo Series2, TiVo Series3, TiVo Premiere, and TiVo Premiere XL
Like most television reception equipment, TiVo® boxes recognize copy protection technology applied by program providers. This copy protection may be applied to certain limited categories of analog programming (such as Pay Per View, Video On Demand, DVD or VHS sources) and requires TiVo to respond in a pre-defined manner. Copy protection rules include:
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Copy Never - This content is not allowed to be recorded by a TiVo box.
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7 Day Unlimited - These programs can be recorded and viewed as many times as you like within 7 days of their original recording date
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7 Day/ 24 Hours - These programs can be stored for up to 7 days but once you begin watching the show, you must complete viewing within 24 hours.
Digital Signal Copy Protection Policies for TiVo EDGE Series, TiVo BOLT Series, TiVo Roamio Series, TiVo Premiere Series, and TiVo Series3 Devices
TiVo Series3 and newer devices are compliant Digital Cable Receiver (DCR) devices which use CableCARDs™ to receive high-quality digital cable content in its native format. In addition to the rules for analog content, these DVRs must also comply with the content protection policies for Digital Cable content. These copy protection rules vary by content type, and in general, premium and pay channels will have more restrictive rules.
CableCARDs display copy protection for the current channel(s) as CCI bytes. The following CCI byte values affect only digital content:
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0x00: Copy freely - Content is not copy protected.
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0x01: Copy No More - Essentially the same as 0x02.
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0x04: Content is Copy Freely, but will have an a copy protection technology applied to the analog outputs. This will cause content viewed on an HDTV with component cabling to be seen in standard definition. This will adversely affect content saved to VCR or DVD when the recorder is connected to an analog output on the box.
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0x07: Content is Copy Never for digital content (deleted after 90 minutes) and will have an a copy protection technology applied to the analog outputs. This will cause content viewed on an HDTV with component cabling to be seen in standard definition. This will adversely affect content saved to VCR or DVD when the recorder is connected to an analog output on the box.
To view the CCI byte value for a channel:
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Tune to the channel in Live TV.
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Press the TiVo Logo Button and go to:
Devices on TiVo Experience 3 (software version: 20.x or earlier):
| TiVo Series | Menu Path from TiVo Central |
TiVo BOLT
TiVo Roamio | Settings & Messages > Help > Account & System Info > Diagnostics |
| TiVo Premiere | Settings & Messages > Account & System Info > TiVo box Diagnostics |
| Series 3 and & earlier: | Messages & Settings > Account & System Info > Diagnostics |
Devices on TiVo Experience 4 (software version: 21.x):
| TiVo Series | Menu Path from Home |
TiVo EDGE
TiVo BOLT
TiVo Roamio | Menu > Help > Account & System Info > Diagnostics |
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Check the Channel value for Tuner 1, which is on the first page of the Diagnostics screen. If you do not see the one you want, use the Channel Down button to scroll to the information for Tuner 2.
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Once you find the channel number, look below it for the CCI byte setting. If the CCI Byte setting is N/A, the channel is analog.
Your cable provider must repair (bind) the CableCARD to its slot in the TiVo box before you can view content with any CCE vale other than 0x00
Analog signal issues that may cause false copy protection
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If an analog signal is weak or noisy, it may cause the TiVo box to incorrectly flag a program as copy protected. To determine whether a program is being flagged appropriately, remove any splitters or RF modulators (which weaken the signal strength) between the wall cable connection and the box.
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If the program is still being flagged as copy protected, connect the cable directly from the wall cable connection to a VCR. If the program is still being copy protected, the broadcaster is marking the program as copy protected.
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If the signal is too weak, placing a line amplifier between the wall cable outlet and the box may improve the signal enough to allow the box to accurately determine whether copy protection should be applied.
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Finally, the signal can be over-amplified or too noisy. If you have one or more line amplifiers between the wall cable outlet and the box, you may want to remove one to see if the box stops flagging content as copy protected.
Multi-Room Viewing, Multi-Room Streaming, In or Out of Home Streaming and TiVoToGo
Not all programs may be transferred using the Multi-Room Viewing, Multi-Room Streaming, In or Out of Home Streaming and TiVoToGo features due to the use of copy protection mechanisms permitted under the FCC’s encoding rules. Some shows cannot be transferred due to the copy protection assigned them by the program provider. These shows usually are marked with a red circle-slash icon. (47 C.F.R. 76.1904)
