I Finally Have A Use For TiVo KidZone
When TiVo KidZone was first released I thought it was a great feature however, at the time of its release I really didn’t have a use for it. A year and a couple months later I now find TiVo KidZone extremely helpful. My 2 1/2 year old son now knows how to turn on the TV and I’m pretty sure he even knows how to use the remote. We don’t allow him to watch TV whenever he wants to but, being a 2 1/2 year old he sometimes turns on the TV without our permission. That being said, I decided to enable TiVo KidZone on both my Series 2 and Series 3. As I’m sure you’re aware, there’s a lot of junk on TV that isn’t appropriate for a 2 1/2 year old. If possible, I’d like to prevent my son from seeing something that he shouldn’t. Thanks to TiVo, I no longer have a TV in my house that isn’t “protected”.
I especially like how KidZone groups all of my son’s shows together and how he only has access to the programs that are appropriate for his age group. I also like how it blocks “Live TV” that isn’t appropriate for him to see. Another nice thing about KidZone is that it is easy to deactivate whenever I want to watch TV.
If you have small children, I highly recommend that you give TiVo KidZone a try. TiVo has done a nice job developing this feature. Check it out if you have a child in your house. I’m sure you’ll be pleased….
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As a side note, I would like to thank Brian for putting me down as his TiVo rewards referrer. If you’d like to put me down as your referrer, all you need to do is enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo. Thanks Brian!
August 21st, 2007 at 9:25 am |
You’re welcome. Thanks for creating what has become one of my favorite blogs. I was looking for a cost effective way to get ahold of a Series 3. Your tip to the “factory renewed” specials saved me a bundle.
I have been a happy Series 2 user for 3.5 years. When I recently got a HD TV, I couldn’t justify the cost of the Series 3 (TiVo HD wasn’t available yet). I decided to give the cable company DVR a try. After waiting 3 months for a SA 8300HDC, I decided - and got the wife’s support - to buy a Series 3. The interface on the 8300 was so terrible that I couldn’t stand to use it. I would rather watch standard definition on my Series 2 than suffer with the 8300.
August 21st, 2007 at 11:45 am |
Brian,
Congrats on your S3. I’m sure you’re going to like it. Have you installed the CableCards yet?
Good luck and let me know if there is anything else I can do.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:22 am |
The regular TiVo parental controls work well enough for me. I’m still staying the hell away from KidZone because of the association with the Parent’s Television Council.
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:48 pm |
It’s me again. My “factory renewed” S3 arrived today and I hate to say it, but it may be staying in my house an even shorter period than my SA 8300HDC. It came with two glaring problems. The “select” button on the remote simply doesn’t work. I figured that wouldn’t be a big deal - TiVo could send me another and I could use my Series 2 remote for the time being. Then the time came to demo for my wife - she immediately notices what I missed at first - The OLED display is DOA. Completely black. I have recording LEDs and Activity LEDs, but no Clock/recording indication. Essentially I now have a overpriced THX certified TivoHD instead of the Series 3 I was expecting.
I just thought your readers may want to know that “factory renewed” doesn’t necessarily mean that anyone even tried basic functionality out before shipping it back out.
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:46 pm |
Brian,
That’s too bad. have you shipped it back?
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:38 pm |
I haven’t sent it back yet. I need to find some time to call Tivo support and arrange an exchange. I fully intend on getting a working series 3. It’s just a little hard with a newborn to find the time to wait on hold with tech support and the lack of a support email address is really unacceptable.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:07 pm |
I know exactly what you mean. I had to go through a similar situation right when my son was born…. Let us know how it turns out.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:59 pm |
I finally got around to calling TiVo support. To my great surprise, I was able to talk to a human being within seconds of calling. The tech support agent - Isaac - was extremely helpful. Within a few minutes, we had arranged a cross-shipment exchange. I should have my replacement box in two days. I was even happy enough to stay on the line to answer the satisfaction survey. As promised it was short, sweet and to the point.
Let me know if there are any issues with your referral points caused by the exchange.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:57 pm |
Glad to hear that it went well. I had a good experience with TiVo tech support when I had to call them for my S3. Let us know how your new TiVo turns out.