# TivoToComeBack Guide?



## Hyrax (Sep 1, 2007)

Is there such a thing as a user guide for this feature? 

I put a .tivo file in my PC's Tivo directory, and tried to find where in Tivo DeskTop it allows me to transfer the file to my Tivo...cannot find it.

Do I send from the PC, or do I pull from the Tivo?


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## andyw715 (Jul 31, 2007)

files on your machine should show up on the Now Playing List. There'll be a computer icon, select that and it should list your tivo files.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Hyrax said:


> or do I pull from the Tivo?


Yes.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

This page still needs to be updated for the S3 and THD, but it might help:

http://customersupport.tivo.com/LaunchContent.aspx?CID=4012D160-79C3-4238-96C8-A27B323D1413


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## Hyrax (Sep 1, 2007)

Thanks for your help!

My problem was that I just couldn't get the computer Icon to appear. I finally forced a connect to Tivo, the icon appeared, and all is working.


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

windracer said:


> This page still needs to be updated for the S3 and THD, but it might help:
> 
> http://customersupport.tivo.com/LaunchContent.aspx?CID=4012D160-79C3-4238-96C8-A27B323D1413


I have DVD VOB files that I would like to make viewable on my S3 and HD units. I can convert those VOB files into a single file in one of the formats that is supported: I can use either Popcorn or InstantHandbrake.

Windows Media Video (.wmv) 
QuickTime Movie (.mov) 
MPEG-4/H.264 (.mp4,.m4v,.mp4v)
MPEG-2 (.mpg,.mpeg,.mpe,.mp2,.mp2v,.mpv2)
DivX and Xvid (.avi, .divx)

I have made one .mp4 file from a DVD. As instructed, I save the file to my TiVo Recordings folder. But the movie does not show up via the computer icon in the now playing list. I do see content that I have transferred from the TiVo to the PC, but I don't see this new file that I converted from a DVD and placed in the folder.

Do I need to prepare this file differently, convert it differently. Or is this just an indication that I need TiVo Desktop Plus?

Also, for those that have done this process, quality-wise, what settings do you find to be the best when going from DVD VOB to mp4 or other format?

Thanks.

I think I have found part of my answer. I think I DO NEED the plus version of Desktop. Alternatively, could I not just convert those VOB's straight to MPEG-2, then maybe rename them as *.tivo files?


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

20TIL6 said:


> Do I need to prepare this file differently, convert it differently. Or is this just an indication that I need TiVo Desktop Plus?


If you want to transfer any file formats _other_ than .tivo or .mpg (i.e., all of those formats you listed), you'll need to upgrade to TiVo Desktop Plus.

You don't need to rename the MPEG-2 files to .tivo, the .mpg extension should be sufficient.


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

windracer said:


> If you want to transfer any file formats _other_ than .tivo or .mpg (i.e., all of those formats you listed), you'll need to upgrade to TiVo Desktop Plus.
> 
> You don't need to rename the MPEG-2 files to .tivo, the .mpg extension should be sufficient.


Thanks so much.

One more ? What would be the pros/cons of just converting straight to MPEG-2 vs. converting to MPEG-4 and then having TiVo Desktop Plus doing on-the-fly conversion for playback on the TiVo? I'm thinking quality, file size, performance, etc.

I think my version of Popcorn, or Handbrake, can go from VOB to MPEG-2.


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## bryus (Mar 15, 2004)

20TIL6 said:


> Windows Media Video (.wmv)
> QuickTime Movie (.mov)
> *MPEG-4/H.264 (.mp4,.m4v,.mp4v)*
> MPEG-2 (.mpg,.mpeg,.mpe,.mp2,.mp2v,.mpv2)
> DivX and Xvid (.avi, .divx)


I have used Handbrake on my Mac to do this but have a problem I ripped Season 1 and 2 of Avatar to the default iPod H.264 format (bolded above). When I play them on the TiVo it looks great, until there is a a quick pan or a lot of action on the screen, then the whole thing gets jerky. I tried the AppleTV settings and the TiVo wouldn't play it.

Does anyone have suggestions for the proper resolution, bitrate, etc to encode a show from a DVD? I'd really like to be able to serve stuff up to my TiVos instead of using the DVD player.

Thanks.


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## briankasper (Dec 1, 2004)

20TIL6 said:


> I have DVD VOB files that I would like to make viewable on my S3 and HD units. I can convert those VOB files into a single file in one of the formats that is supported: I can use either Popcorn or InstantHandbrake.
> 
> Windows Media Video (.wmv)
> QuickTime Movie (.mov)
> ...


I think most of those file types can be transcoded on the fly by pyTivo, can't they?

I only have the non-Plus version of TiVo Desktop, and I was able to stream an MPEG-4-encoded file to my TiVo using pyTivo (which transcodes the files using another utility named ffmpeg, as I understand it).

-B


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## tase2 (Sep 27, 2004)

But would downloading, and paying for Tivo Desktop Plus be the easiest method?

Are there still limits on the DeskTop Plus that some of the other applications don't have?


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## briankasper (Dec 1, 2004)

tase2 said:


> But would downloading, and paying for Tivo Desktop Plus be the easiest method?
> 
> Are there still limits on the DeskTop Plus that some of the other applications don't have?


I'm pretty new to pyTivo, since TTG was only activated for my S3 2 days ago, so there are undoubtedly others with more authoritative answers. That being said, though, I'd think that for one-stop-shopping, a combination of Tivo Desktop Plus and their recommended media burning tool (Roxio, I think) would be the easiest. I found pyTivo very easy to install, configure, and use, but I'm a computer geek, so I'm not a good test case.

I'm not familiar enough with the ins-and-outs of Desktop, Desktop Plus, and pyTivo to comment about what capabilities they may or may not have relative to each other. I would generally say, though, that if you want ease-of-use, going with whatever TiVo recommends is probably your best bet.

-B


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

I've seen reference to pyTivo, but I am not sure what it is. Although I have had TiVo for several years, most of that time was with a DirecTiVo. So having all the network features available on my S3 and HD units is very new to me.

Like it was mentioned by bryus, I want to take my DVD library, rip out the VOB's, then with good quality and ease of use, make that content available to my networked TiVo's. If TiVo Desktop Plus is the answer, that's fine. If something else, OK.

I've got my DVD's already ripped, but the conversion from VOB to MPEG-4 is painfully SLLOOOW. I have an old Mac, and like I mentioned, I am testing with Handbrake and Popcorn. Anybody have some suggestions for VOB to MPEG-4 conversion software for the PC. I have a new, pretty fast PC that I could be using instead.

Thanks.


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## Jiffylush (Oct 31, 2006)

I only have experience so far with xvid and mpeg that I have created.

If space is not an issue for you then imho mpeg2 is superior. When I use an xvid my computer has to transcode it during the transfer process, so it is cpu limited. Mpeg2 just seems to go over natively, at +20mb so I am easily able to watch it immediatley with no threat of catching up to the buffer.

What I am trying now is a server/client setup, where the mpeg files are stored on my computer and I watch them on the tivo while they are transferring, then delete them when done.

As far as the renaming vob to mpeg thing goes, as long as the vob is just the video with one audio track it should be fine, but sometimes they contain menus or multiple audio tracks and I believe that would cause problems. 

I can still use divx and xvid files, but if I am making the file I find mpeg the best.

I am using TiVo Desktop Plus and I have a series 3, so I am obviously very new to this (2 days now?)

edit: fwiw AC3 (5.1 sound) seems to work fine, or at least my surrounds think it is


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## tetzel1517 (Dec 29, 2003)

I looked at the Mac instructions for pyTiVo and my head started spinning. Way too much mucking around in the Terminal for my comfort. Programs like that annoy me, because it's not that hard to wrap it up in a nice GUI that does all that stuff for you. So I guess I'll be sticking with using VisualHub for all my TTCB needs.


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

You can use VideoRedo to make the VOBs into a single MPEG-2 that can play on the TiVo. Since the file is MPEG-2 you won't even need desktop Plus. This is discussed in several other threads here, just search on VideoRedo and VOB.


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## briankasper (Dec 1, 2004)

20TIL6 said:


> I've seen reference to pyTivo, but I am not sure what it is. Although I have had TiVo for several years, most of that time was with a DirecTiVo. So having all the network features available on my S3 and HD units is very new to me.
> 
> Like it was mentioned by bryus, I want to take my DVD library, rip out the VOB's, then with good quality and ease of use, make that content available to my networked TiVo's. If TiVo Desktop Plus is the answer, that's fine. If something else, OK.
> 
> ...


If you already have your video files as MPEG-4 (.mpg files) and all you want to do is put them in a directory and have them show up on your TiVo, pyTivo is one way to do it (it can also be used to stream MP3 files to your TiVo).

In a nutshell, once you've installed pyTivo, you put all your MPEG-4 files in a directory and configure pyTivo to let your TiVo access that directory using whatever name you want (say, "Movies"). Then, the next time you go to "Now Playing" on your TiVo, you'll see a new folder named "Movies". If you navigate into that folder, you'll see a list of all the filenames in the pyTivo directory on your computer.

pyTivo is free, but setting it up is slightly more involved than TiVo Desktop Plus. The only way to stream MPEG-4 files using the TiVo-supported route is via TiVo Desktop Plus, and I didn't want to pay for it (and I'm attracted by the "geek" factor of pyTivo).

pyTivo has another advantage over TiVo Desktop and TiVo Desktop Plus: it can be configured to run as a "service", which means it starts up whenever Windows starts -- a user doesn't have to be logged on. TiVo Desktop (and TD+) require the user that installed them to log onto the PC in order for them to start. Since they also require the installing user to have Administrative privileges, this is a bit of a security hole (you don't want to log on to your PC with Admin rights if you can avoid it).

In general, though, if you want to watch MPEG-4 files from your PC on your TiVo with the greatest ease-of-use and you don't mind having to be logged on to your PC whenever you do this, TiVo Desktop Plus is probably a simpler way to go.

If you want to read up on pyTivo, check out

http://pytivo.armooo.net/

which has pretty good, if slightly sparse, documentation.

-B


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## briankasper (Dec 1, 2004)

tetzel1517 said:


> I looked at the Mac instructions for pyTiVo and my head started spinning. Way too much mucking around in the Terminal for my comfort. Programs like that annoy me, because it's not that hard to wrap it up in a nice GUI that does all that stuff for you. So I guess I'll be sticking with using VisualHub for all my TTCB needs.


That's a fair point. I'm a computer geek using a Windows PC, so I didn't find installing and configuring pyTivo a big deal. I glanced at the Mac instructions and they seemed fairly complicated, especially for someone who (as you mentioned) isn't that familiar with typing commands in Terminal.

Again, if ease-of-use is your primary concern, it's probably best to shell out the shekels for TiVo Desktop Plus.

-B


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## briankasper (Dec 1, 2004)

Jiffylush said:


> I only have experience so far with xvid and mpeg that I have created.
> 
> If space is not an issue for you then imho mpeg2 is superior. When I use an xvid my computer has to transcode it during the transfer process, so it is cpu limited. Mpeg2 just seems to go over natively, at +20mb so I am easily able to watch it immediatley with no threat of catching up to the buffer.
> 
> ...


I'm trying to do exactly the same thing, but I've already transcoded many movies to MPEG-4, and space (on my PC) is an issue for me, so I'm willing to take the hit required to re-transcode-and-stream MPEG-4 movies from my PC.

Just like you said, I plan to delete anything I send from my PC to my TiVo after I'm done watching it to save space for my Season Passes.

It seems to me that the first movie I tried last night (I'm pretty new to TivoToGo as well, also being an S3 owner) transferred at about 2X speed, so I'm not that worried about catching up for movies, but you're right that could be an issue for TV shows that have commercials.

By the way, the movie I transferred last night has a Dolby Digital audio track that was detected by my receiver, so I agree that AC3 digital audio appears to work. I can't think of a way that DTS would fail to work if DD works, so I think there shouldn't be problems with digital surround audio.

-B


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## Hyrax (Sep 1, 2007)

So, is there any unofficial way for me to be able to move HD MPEG-2 files from my PC to the TivoHD? I tried using the current release of VideoReDo to create a .tivo file, but that didn't work. 

There must be another way to get this to work.


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## chrisirmo (Feb 11, 2004)

briankasper said:


> Again, if ease-of-use is your primary concern, it's probably best to shell out the shekels for TiVo Desktop Plus.


FYI, there is no Mac version of TiVo Desktop Plus, so that option won't work. We've been left out in the cold on that one.


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## briankasper (Dec 1, 2004)

Hyrax said:


> So, is there any unofficial way for me to be able to move HD MPEG-2 files from my PC to the TivoHD? I tried using the current release of VideoReDo to create a .tivo file, but that didn't work.
> 
> There must be another way to get this to work.


Over in the S3 forum, TivoPony has stated that for now, "TiVoToComeBack (transferring video from your PC to your TiVo DVR) is supported, although HD content must have been originally recorded on a TiVo DVR to 'come back' as HD. "

Hopefully they'll permit non-TiVo HD content to be used with TTCB at some point, but that's up in the air right now.

Here's TivoPony's complete post (sorry about quoting it instead of providing a link, I'm not sure how to link to a post):



> Oh, to set some expectations (I've mentioned this before, but will do so again here):
> 
> There are two 'types' of transfers - native and non-native. You won't see any reference in the UI to these terms, as it's rather techy, but so you know:
> 
> ...


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## mr2828 (Jun 19, 2007)

Hyrax said:


> So, is there any unofficial way for me to be able to move HD MPEG-2 files from my PC to the TivoHD? I tried using the current release of VideoReDo to create a .tivo file, but that didn't work.
> 
> There must be another way to get this to work.


Some of us over in the pyTivo thread are experimenting and have got 720p files transferred over. It seems that the word that you can't do this is incorrect.


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## DinoBambino (Nov 19, 2003)

I thought I read somewhere that a separate Tivo Desktop Plus license key is required for each computer. Can anyone confirm?

Kinda sux - I'm sure there are many people who have Tivo Desktop stored on multiple computers. I have two desktops running (one file server and a main pc) and both have media files on them.

Oh well, looks like I need to do some file moving.


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## dubluv (Mar 3, 2006)

windracer said:


> If you want to transfer any file formats _other_ than .tivo or .mpg (i.e., all of those formats you listed), you'll need to upgrade to TiVo Desktop Plus.
> 
> You don't need to rename the MPEG-2 files to .tivo, the .mpg extension should be sufficient.


so, if i have an mpeg video (a short clip off my digicam), it should transfer to the tivo? or are there some mpeg that require me to convert them to something tivo likes, as mpeg-2? i do see this mpeg in the tivo NPL, but i can't transfer it.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Here's the page that describes what formats can be transferred:

http://customersupport.tivo.com/LaunchContent.aspx?CID=4012D160-79C3-4238-96C8-A27B323D1413

It hasn't been updated for the S3/THD boxes yet, so I'm not sure how much still applies, but it should give you a general idea (specifically the table at the very bottom of the page).


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