TiVo begins its 'summer update' rollout

TiVo HD and Series 3 DVR owners are being treated to a slightly ahead-of-schedule software release. The manufacturer expects its rollout of firmware v9.4 to be complete by the end of the month.

Some new features have been added to improve the user experience. The option to "Play Folder" allows saved episodes of a season to be viewed in succession, and the "Delete Folder" option -- logically enough -- deletes the contents of an entire folder.

The guide can now be viewed while watching live or recorded TV, and the guide itself has received a couple of new features. Station "call signs" are now searchable (e.g., WPIX, WBAL, etc.), which then lists the channel number and signal source. Users can now instantly jump ahead exactly 24 hours in the guide by pressing "advance." Pressing "Instant Replay" will take the guide back 24 hours.

A "Review Thumbs" feature has been added, which lets users view all of the programs to which they've given a "thumbs" rating. Also, the closed captioning button has turned into more of a toggle switch than menu button, turning captions on and off as needed while viewing.

Users in the TiVo Community Forum welcome the upgraded functionality, but still complain about un-fixed (and frequently nondescript) bugs that cause freezing, which can only be cured by a reboot. Users of series 2 boxes report feeling left out, but an update to that is expected soon.