# Hack to use TiVo like VCR without guide info or service plan.



## ChangedSoul

Hi, I am not trying to get my tivo to have illegal service updates for channel guide data. Just want to get that out up front.

I have a tivo that sort of died on me and wasnt displaying channel guide info right so I sort of retired it and moved my lifetime account on it to another one of my tivo's. After the account transfer was complete via TiVO, I was unable to do anything with my old one aside from watch already recorded shows. This reallt upset me. I would think without the service for the TiVo, I would at least me able to set it to record based on Time and Channel just like a VCR but without the hassel of a tape.

Is there a hack that will allow me to do this?


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## Gunnyman

ChangedSoul said:


> Hi, I am not trying to get my tivo to have illegal service updates for channel guide data. Just want to get that out up front.
> 
> I have a tivo that sort of died on me and wasnt displaying channel guide info right so I sort of retired it and moved my lifetime account on it to another one of my tivo's. After the account transfer was complete via TiVO, I was unable to do anything with my old one aside from watch already recorded shows. This reallt upset me. I would think without the service for the TiVo, I would at least me able to set it to record based on Time and Channel just like a VCR but without the hassel of a tape.
> 
> Is there a hack that will allow me to do this?


TiVo Inc sees this as stealing service therefore it isn't allowed to be discussed here.
Therefore you won't find an answer here. Also it's doubtful this is possible anyway. Tivo has always said they are a Box + service company. They've gone to great lengths to make sure you can't use a box without service.


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## ChangedSoul

I was unaware of that. thank you for your help.


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## rgura

Follow-up related question, not focusing at all on the legal issues at all. I, like many other TiVo fans jumpped at the opportunity to transfer my lifetime service from my S2 to an S3. A while back TiVo had a limited offer for 1-time transfers of lifetime service to the S3, in addition the offer also included a 12 month subscription for you old box.

Now that the 12 month on the S2 is running low, I would normally be inclined to do one of 3 things:
1.) Sell it, however there is no real market as TiVo virtually gives S2's away these days
2.) Hack the dickens out of it to make something of a project out of it
3.) Recycle it

The typical American would likely toss it in the trash and add to our massive dead technology landfill problem. It would be wise for TiVo to offer some type of recycle program for unused S1 or S2 units.

RG

PS: Personally I am planning on tearing our the guts of the old unit, finding a low-cost micro-AT board that fits and basically using it at a Linix MythTV case...


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## JWThiers

rgura said:


> Follow-up related question, not focusing at all on the legal issues at all. I, like many other TiVo fans jumpped at the opportunity to transfer my lifetime service from my S2 to an S3. A while back TiVo had a limited offer for 1-time transfers of lifetime service to the S3, in addition the offer also included a 12 month subscription for you old box.
> 
> Now that the 12 month on the S2 is running low, I would normally be inclined to do one of 3 things:
> 1.) Sell it, however there is no real market as TiVo virtually gives S2's away these days
> 2.) Hack the dickens out of it to make something of a project out of it
> 3.) Recycle it
> 
> The typical American would likely toss it in the trash and add to our massive dead technology landfill problem. It would be wise for TiVo to offer some type of recycle program for unused S1 or S2 units.
> 
> RG
> 
> PS: Personally I am planning on tearing our the guts of the old unit, finding a low-cost micro-AT board that fits and basically using it at a Linix MythTV case...


This is one of those projects that looks good on paper, but when you really look at it turns out to be impractical.

The reason that CE (consumer electronics) devices are so cheap is that all the parts are optimized to do one thing really well. Unlike a PC which is a general purpose device (meaning it can do many different things). MythTV and all the like rely heavily on the processing power of the CPU. As opposed Tivo which used as cheap of a CPU as they could get away with and relied on propietary MPEG encoding chip to do the hard work. I don't rmember the exact year that Tivo started, but it was the late 1990's. In 1997 the Pentium w MMX and Pentium 2 were the big dogs of the CPU world. The point is that Tivo's CPU is probably along the lines (Performance wise anyway) of a 286 or 386 at best. Remember MythTV relies on the CPU not an MPEG encoder, meaning that all of the encoding would have to either be done by a 386 class at best chip or would need to write drivers that would allow a hacked MythTV (which you would also have to do) to use the MPEG encode/decode chip instaed.

Bottom line, Can it be done? Sure, anything can be done given enough time, money, devotion to the project and hacking skills. Is it practical? Given how inexpensive a tivo is or even a Home Theater PC running media center, it just doesn't make sense to try, unless you just want to do it so you can say you did.


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## SullyND

JBottom line said:


> He's not talking about using the TiVo Hardware if he is trying to put a motherboard in it. He's basically only getting a case, in which case, a purpose-built computer case probably makes more sense.


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## JWThiers

I agree the case might be useful I was confused by using a "low-cost micro-at BOARD" and thought he was talking about the tivo board.

DOH


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## rgura

Exactly, probablly going to get a Foxxcon ATX MB $70, use the existing tivo hard drive and add an AMD 3800+ $65

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186086

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103068

Plus Linux + Myth


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## classicsat

Sure you can built a PC DVR, but that is kinda OT here.

And you can fit it into a TiVo case, if you really want.


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