Once TiVo has started recording your favorite shows, you'll spend much of your TV time watching TiVo, not your TV. What's great about watching recorded TV is that, with a press of a button, you can activate TiVo's secret 30-second skip-ahead feature to conveniently bypass a commercial.
Of course, television networks are understandably squeamish about the way DVRs let users fast-forward through commercials. One of TiVo's competitors even unveiled a way to skip commercials completely and automatically. The networks panicked, sent in their lawyers, and the competitor removed the feature from its newer models.
Fortunately, the TiVo corporation took a much less combative stance; it doesn't advertise the fact that TiVo, too, allows users to skip commercials - not automatically but by skipping ahead in 30-second increments.
Although the 30-second jump is neither officially supported by TiVo nor covered in its manuals, here's how to activate this hidden feature and begin using it:
1. While watching a recorded show, press these keys in the following sequence: Select --> Play --> Select --> 3 --> 0 --> Select.
If TiVo's sound effects are turned on, TiVo makes three "ding" sounds to show that you've activated the feature. (If you've turned off TiVo's sound effects, you won't hear anything.)
2. When a commercial begins, quickly press the Skip-to-End (Advance) button to jump 30 seconds ahead; repeat until you've skipped past the commercials and your show begins.
Fast-forwarding through commercials gives you more control over the timing. If you want more control, you may not want to use the 30-second skip feature.
Keep in mind that the feature disappears if TiVo loses power or resets itself. In those cases, reenter the code sequence in Step 1 to turn the 30-second jump feature back on.
To turn off the 30-second skip and return normal function to your Skip-to-End button, reenter the key sequence listed in Step 1.
