Call your provider and order their DVR again. Sell me your TiVo. You obviously have no idea what you are doing.

1. Enable 30 Second Commercial Skip
By default this feature is turned off and available as a "hidden feature", you just need to turn it on. Using the FF/RW buttons work much better anyway, in my opinion.

2. Clean-up the Amazingly Confusing Menu
What confuses you about the menu? It's an amazingly simple text-list. Are you saying you prefer the XBOX 360 UI over a TiVo? Two completely different modes of use. The Xbox is all about browsing eye candy to get/trick you into purchasing content from their marketplace. It's like a Vegas casino, you're not supposed to be able to find your way around or out of it. The TiVo UI is more about quickly navigating to the content you want and getting on your way.

3. Add Picture in Picture to the Tivo Central Guide
I think the rationale behind not having a live TV window is that users should focus at the task at hand. Plus, it takes up a lot of space in the UI.

4. Change the TV Guide
You're doing it wrong. TiVo isn't about surfing or browsing live TV. The idea is to find a show you like, set it, and forget it. After you've had your TiVo for a few months you'll have so many recordings on your box you'll never channel surf again.

5. Allow Users to Control their Experience
#FAIL. Settings and customizations are for power PC users. People don't want to do ANY work when it comes to using their television.

I felt compelled to respond because this is one of the most poorly written articles I've ever read. From the typo in the title (it's spelled "Television" not "Telvision") to the inaccurate fact checking and erroneous usability "tips". Please, have a little bit of pride in your craft…

But it does. That's how it was designed. That's how it works.

Michelle, you complained about something which is untrue. You were corrected by no less than 3 experienced TiVo users in less than a day. Yet you persist in your position. This is highly disappointing.

You complain about having to delete shows twice. You don't. ONE press of the Clear key deletes the show — no need to go into the Deleted folder, unless you want to _permanently_ erase the show (e.g. a questionable movie). Otherwise, TiVo will reclaim deleted shows when it needs the room. In the meantime, they're available for _un_deletion, an essential feature. (Remember typewriters? They had no Undo function. Wasn't that fun? My cable DVR has no undelete, and this permanence gives me the willies every time I delete a show.)

You complain about how deeply essential functions are buried in the menus. TiVo thoughtfully gave power-users shortcuts: press the TiVo key, followed by TiVo or a digit. TiVo + TiVo = Now Playing; TiVo + 2 = "Two"-Do List; TiVo + 4 = Search "Four" Programs by Title. These are documented all over the Net. Your complaint about keystrokes needed to "Connect To The TiVo Service" is specious; it's only used during setup, or when debugging your network. TiVo connects automatically on a daily basis; you normally *never* have to use it.

You call the Now Playing screen "cluttered as heck". Can you elaborate on that? Each show is listed with one colored icon, title, and date — it's an exercise in minimalism. If it's the organization of the list which irks you, have you noticed the nice prompt at the bottom of the screen? It leads you to — gasp — a customization screen, allowing you to sort the list and group each series' episodes into a folder.

Finally, you gripe about having to unlock the 30-second skip, and claim that "Every other DVR I’ve ever used has this feature when you first turn it on." Cable DVRs are typically Scientific Altanta (which has NO 30-second skip) or Motorola (which requires programming the sequence into your remote, like TiVo). DirecTV and U-Verse have no 30-second skip. (They have a 30-second fast-forward instead.) It seems "Every other DVR" you've used excludes the majority of installed units.

Again, I agree with some of your comments, but many of them are wrong or ill-researched.

You complain about having to delete shows twice. You don't. ONE press of the Clear key deletes the show — no need to go into the Deleted folder, unless you want to _permanently_ erase the show (e.g. a questionable movie). Otherwise, TiVo will reclaim deleted shows when it needs the room. In the meantime, they're available for _un_deletion, an essential feature. (Remember typewriters? They had no Undo function. Wasn't that fun? My cable DVR has no undelete, and this permanence gives me the willies every time I delete a show.)

You complain about how deep essential functions are buried in the menus. TiVo thoughtfully gave power-users 11 shortcuts: press the TiVo key, followed by TiVo or a digit. TiVo + TiVo = Now Playing; TiVo + 2 = "Two"-Do List; TiVo + 4 = Search "Four" Programs by Title. These are documented all over the Net. Your complaint about keystrokes needed to "Connect To The TiVo Service" is specious; it's only used during setup, or when debugging your network. TiVo connects automatically on a daily basis; you normally *never* have to use it.

You call the Now Playing screen "cluttered as heck". Can you elaborate on that? Each show is listed with one colored icon, title, and date — it's an exercise in minimalism. If it's the organization of the list which irks you, have you noticed the nice prompt at the bottom of the screen? It leads you to — gasp — a customization screen, allowing you to sort the list and group each series' episodes into a folder.

Finally, you gripe about having to unlock the 30-second skip, and claim that "Every other DVR I’ve ever used has this feature when you first turn it on." Cable DVRs are mostly Scientific Altanta (which has NO 30-second skip) or Motorola (which requires programming the sequence into your remote, like TiVo). DirecTV and U-Verse have no 30-second skip. (They have a 30-second fast-forward instead.) It seems "Every other DVR" you've used excludes the majority of installed units.

Again, I agree with some of your comments, but many of them are wrong or ill-researched.

I like the menu, my 5 yr old can navigate it no problem. Of course she never gets out of the KidZone feature. And you can change the menu set up rather easily.

Picture in picture would be a nice Option, I would not want it. As a TiVo user, I time shift nearly 99% of my programming and if it's actually worth watching I pause my show and come back to it. I do understand why you would want one, but I would be really disappointed if I could not turn it off. And I have a 52" TV.

Yeah, the TV guide can take a little getting use to, but no ads cluttering up the screen and a faster and better UI. And if the program you are watching is boring enough that you are looking at the guide for other shows… well I would be looking for something else too, but I would probably pause or simply stop watching the show. Of course there is always the chance it could get better…. :)

And I agree with the post about the deleted files. No reason to mess with it. How often do you delete files from your trash can on the computer? The TiVo will delete items from the trash as space is needed, you do not have to worry about it.

Enjoy your TiVo, in my humble opinion, it is the top end DVR experience out there.

The interface does need a face lift and TiVo is working on one.

I too have wanted picture in picture when navigating the menus. Almost every day I mutter to myself that its not there.

But otherwise I couldn't disagree with you more. TiVo is so simple a senior citizen can use it. I otta know, my parents are in their 70s and can use it. It's one of the most intuitive interfaces out there. I love it. You are used to the way other services work. I imagine that in a month or so after you get used to it, you'll never want to live without it.

…Dale

Did you also know that you can get a grid guide or the "normal" Tivo guide? Press info while the guide is displayed, and a menu comes up allowing you to choose between the 2 styles (they still use the whole screen).

Finally, my Netflix queue shows as a folder in my Now Playing list. Not sure why yours doesn't. Do you have your now playing list configured to display groups? I suspect that this will fix the Netflix queue thing. (I can't recall how to enable this, but I think there is small text at the bottom of the now playing list that says to press a button to view as groups, or to view as list…