# Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 6 and Series 3 OLED



## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

=== 2010-10-09 EDIT BEGIN ===
Oops. Typed too soon. There is still a bug with Law & Order shows. They are archived to the ReadyNAS, but not displayed when browsing to the ReadyNAS from the TiVo Now Playing list.
=== 2010-10-09 EDIT END ===

=== 2010-10-08 EDIT BEGIN ===
With this latest version of ReadyTiVo (version 1.3.1), Netgear has fixed all the known TiVo-related bugs that occur in the Ultra firmware versions 4.2.12 and 4.2.13.

The TiVo archiving function works quite well now. You can ignore all the TiVo archiving problems I've listed in the rest of this thread. I have two ReadyNAS Ultras archiving four TiVos, and it works quite well.

I can't comment on whether there are any non-TiVo-related bugs, as I only use the TiVo archiving function.

If you are running firmware 4.2.12, you need to update to firmware 4.2.13 for the network driver bugfix, then update ReadyTiVo to 1.3.1 for the readytivo bugfixes.

If you are running firmware 4.2.13, update ReadyTiVo to 1.3.1 for the readytivo bugfixes.

If you are running firmware 4.2.14 (full or beta) with multipleTiVos, update ReadyTiVo to 1.3.1 for a bugfix that didn't make the 4.2.14 internal deadline date.

If you are running firmware 4.2.14 (full or beta) with a single TiVo, you should be good.

Here is a link to the ReadyTiVo 1.3.1 software update: http://www.readynas.com/download/addons/x86/4.2/ReadyTiVo_1.3.1-x86.bin

This readytivo version has support for dump.txt, prune.txt, export.csv, and import.csv files. Export.csv and import.csv are introduced in this version of ReadyTiVo. Dump.txt and prune.txt were introduced in a previous version.

When the ReadyNAS begins an archive cycle, it looks in the configured root TiVo directory to see if any files called dump.txt or prune.txt or export.csv or import.csv exist. Lowercase letters only in the filenames.

If dump.txt exists and is less than 2 bytes, it copies the contents of the readytivo database into dump.txt, one line per database item (a database item is a tv program). This lets you view the database contents for troubleshooting purposes. Copying the data into dump.txt enlarges dump.txt beyond 2 bytes so that the next archive cycle will ignore dump.txt until you zero it out again.

If prune.txt exists, the ReadyNAS will read each line of prune and remove the matching database item from the database. It only looks at the program id number at the beginning of the line. All text beyond the program id is ignored. The line must begin with a number or it will be ignored. All database entries with that program id will be removed from the database (there should be only one database entry per program id, but sometimes there are duplicates). You can simply copy a line from dump.txt and paste it into prune.txt. Prune.txt is deleted after it is processed.

If export.csv exists and is less than 2 bytes, the ReadyNAS will fill it with the contents of the database in a comma delimited format, one line per database item. Data field purpose: SHOW_TITLE, EPISODE_NO, EPISODE_TITLE, DURATION, SERIES_ID, PROGRAM_ID, RECORDED_TIME, ARCHIVAL_TIME.

If import.csv exists and contains comma delimited data, the ReadyNAS will import that data into the database.

dump.txt and prune.txt are to be used to remove database entries that are preventing a show from being archived again.

export.csv and import.csv are to be used when migrating shows from one ReadyNAS to another ReadyNAS.

My thanks to the Netgear people (especially Skywalker with whom I was in contact with) for their responsiveness in fixing TiVo-related bugs, plus making it more useful.

- Thom
=== 2010-10-08 EDIT END ===

I've preordered a Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 6 to use with my Series 3 OLED TiVos.

Once I get it, I'll report back in this thread on how it and the Series 3 work together.


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## keyzone72 (Oct 15, 2007)

Hi Thom,

I am also interested in the Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 6, I have 3 Series 3 TIVO OLED units, and I also live in Whittier! I look forward to hearing about your experince with this new unit. Who's the cable provider in your part of Whittier? I have Charter and in opinion, Charter offers the weakest line-up of HD channels. Especially compared to Time Warner and FIOS.

The thing that attracts me to the ReadyNAS Ultra 6 is that according to page 3 of the product PDF, it states that video content can be streamed to a Tivo:

http://www.netgear.com/upload/product/rnduxxxx/readynas_ultra_series_ds_07july10.pdf

If that's the case, that would be really cool to not have to transfer files from the NAS to the Tivo to watch it. I also hope that all the Tivo's in one's household can access the NAS. Let us know how it goes for you.

Good luck.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I don't have cable. My S3 OLEDs are used for broadcast TV recording. I use a DirecTV HR10-250 for non-broadcast channels.

I'd always planned to switch to FIOS when it became available in Whitter, but now I hear FIOS is canceling future expansion, plus turning on the show copy-protection flag (which they didn't used to do.)


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Today I received an email from Amazon. My ReadyNas Ultra 6 has shipped.


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

keyzone72 said:


> Hi Thom,
> 
> I am also interested in the Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 6, I have 3 Series 3 TIVO OLED units, and I also live in Whittier! I look forward to hearing about your experince with this new unit. Who's the cable provider in your part of Whittier? I have Charter and in opinion, Charter offers the weakest line-up of HD channels. Especially compared to Time Warner and FIOS.
> 
> ...


After doing a little research on these units and calling a few of my buds that work for netgear I have decided to order 3 of these units. (3 of the 6 drive bay units).

I found out that once the 3TB drives from Seagate are finanly released for production that these units will fully support the new Seagate 3TB drives. This will be fantastic as this will give each unit a total capacity in RAID 6 format of 12TB.... or 15TB in Raid 5.

I will be choosing the RAID 6 format because it allows for Dual Drive failure.

One of the other big things I love about this that few NAS systems provide support for is USB UPS's!

My current NAS systems provide this support and it has come in very handy multiple times.

Thanks for the heads up on these devices!

TGC


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

My Ultra 6 arrived on Friday. 

It comes with a single page install guide, a warranty booklet, a 6-ft network cable, an AC cable, 24 drive mounting screws (flathead and very short) and a CD.

The CD contains an electronic copy of the install guide, and a copy of the RAIDar software for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The RAIDar software is used to setup and monitor the ReadyNAS.

There is no copy of the hardware manual or the software manual. You have to download that from Netgear.

There is no method of setting up the ReadyNAS without using an external computer running the RAIDar software.

You cannot setup the ReadyNAS until you have at least one drive installed.

I'm using the Linux RAIDar software, installed under Ubuntu.

Under Linux, you must install as a root user, and you must run the RAIDar software as a root user. This was not mentioned in the install guide. My Ubuntu system doesn't default the GUI interface to root privileges. I got around this by opening a terminal window, becoming root user with "sudo -s", then manually starting the software installation with "./install.sh".

After I installed, I found I had to be root user to get the software to run properly. If I wasn't root user, the setup screen would display with radio buttons, checkboxes, and MORE icons, but no text explaining what any of the choices meant. So I used the same terminal window -- sudo -s -- change directory to desktop -- manually start utility method again. Success with initial setup.

As part of the setup process, the ReadyNAS builds the error correction disk by reading the entire volume (and writing the needed data to the error correction disk). With 2 TB drives, this takes several hours. 

On Friday, I initially did a temporary setup using four 7200 rpm 2 TB disks I had. It finished around Midnight, but I'm not sure when I started - mid to late afternoon, probably.

On Saturday, I bought 6 WD Caviar Green 2 TB disks (5900? rpm) and did my permanent setup. Slower rpm drives make the build process slower. I started the Green drive build around 6pm or so, and it was done Sunday morning when I got up.

Now I need to configure it to work with my TiVos, but that will have to wait until I get home tonight.

So far, the ReadyNAS has been very low noise. I suspect the fan varies its speed with the drive heat. That's the reason I went with Green drives instead higher rpm drives.

Last thing I noticed (on ReadyNAS LCD) this morning before leaving for work: 9 TB Available


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## m_jonis (Jan 3, 2002)

Thanks for the info so far. I am curious to know if it really lets you transfer all the stuff from your Tivo. My guess is that it will not. At least if you're in TW areas with an S3/HD/Premiere unit you'll probably only be able to transfer the broadcast HD channels as everything else will be CCI Byte 0x02. But please let us know if that's the case.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

m_jonis said:


> Thanks for the info so far. I am curious to know if it really lets you transfer all the stuff from your Tivo. My guess is that it will not. At least if you're in TW areas with an S3/HD/Premiere unit you'll probably only be able to transfer the broadcast HD channels as everything else will be CCI Byte 0x02. But please let us know if that's the case.


My Series 3 OLEDs only receive over the air broadcast TV. I have no copy-protected recordings to test with.


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## yukit (Jul 23, 2005)

Thom said:


> My Ultra 6 arrived on Friday.
> ...
> On Saturday, I bought 6 WD Caviar Green 2 TB disks (5900? rpm) and did my permanent setup. Slower rpm drives make the build process slower. I started the Green drive build around 6pm or so, and it was done Sunday morning when I got up.
> ...
> Last thing I noticed (on ReadyNAS LCD) this morning before leaving for work: 8 TB Available


Are the WD DRIVES WD20EARS? I didn't think they were officially supported by ReadyNAS, especially when x-raid is used. Did you have to use the jumper on the drive to offset the sector mapping?


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

yukit said:


> Are the WD DRIVES WD20EARS? I didn't think they were officially supported by ReadyNAS, especially when x-raid is used. Did you have to use the jumper on the drive to offset the sector mapping?


Three of the drives are EARS, the other three are EADS, if I'm remembering correctly (this comes from looking at the ReadyNAS RAIDar drive status display). I bought three at one Best Buy, and the other three at a different Best Buy. All were the same stock number. This doesn't mean any of them are 4K drives, however. Western Digital released 0.5K sector and 4K sector drives under the same drive model number. You had to look at the sub-numbers of the drive model to tell which was which.

The ReadyNAS had no problem using the drives I bought. Also, firmware 4.2.12 (which my Ultra 6 came with) is supposed to have the fix for making sure 4K sector drives have the share (partition) boundaries properly aligned when the share is created.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I need to backpedal on the low noise of the Ultra 6 ReadyNAS.

Now that it has been in operation for several hours, I'm hearing a low whine/hum from the box. It sounds like a resonant or harmonic vibration, rather than fan noise. [EDIT] When the Ultra fan is running around 846 rpm, I get the resonance/harmonic noise. The box gets quieter when the fan speeds up. 1400 rpm is quieter than 846.

If I squeeze the top and sides of the box, the noise goes away, or at least diminishes.

It would be fine for business use, but not for home use, where the box will be running 24/7, including quiet times of day, unless your home network extends to areas of your home not used during quiet times of day.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Well, I configured the Ultra 6 last night, but still have been unable to transfer any shows from the TiVos to the ReadyNAS.

The ReadyNAS sees the TiVos and reports their status (idle). The TiVos see the ReadyNAS and display the shows it contains (none as yet). But the ReadyNAS does not copy any shows from TiVos like it is supposed to.

From more reading on the Netgear site, what is supposed to happen is this: At a user configurable time of day (2am), the ReadyNAS is supposed to archive (copy) any shows on the configured TiVos that are the TiVo has set to Keep Until I Delete, assuming the show has no copy protection flag set. All my shows are recorded from over the air broadcasts, so none of them should have that flag set. Plus, I can copy them from TiVo to TiVo.

But no shows are being transferred to the ReadyNAS.

Checking on the Netgear forums, shows other users of ReadyNAS firmware 4.2.12 (which is what the Ultra 6 comes with) have the same problem. Some of these users were working fine under firmware 4.2.11, but their TiVo transfer broke with firmware 4.2.12.

There is a new firmware 4.2.13 out which I will try, although it does not address this problem.

[EDIT: BUG FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE]


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## yukit (Jul 23, 2005)

Thom said:


> Three of the drives are EARS, the other three are EADS, if I'm remembering correctly (this comes from looking at the ReadyNAS RAIDar drive status display). I bought three at one Best Buy, and the other three at a different Best Buy. All were the same stock number. This doesn't mean any of them are 4K drives, however. Western Digital released 0.5K sector and 4K sector drives under the same drive model number. You had to look at the sub-numbers of the drive model to tell which was which.
> 
> The ReadyNAS had no problem using the drives I bought. Also, firmware 4.2.12 (which my Ultra 6 came with) is supposed to have the fix for making sure 4K sector drives have the share (partition) boundaries properly aligned when the share is created.


Thanks for the info. I was just looking at the ReadyNAS site, I found this:
http://www.readynas.com/?p=3690


> UPDATE (July 7, 2010): x86-based ReadyNAS now fully supports 4K sector drives with RAIDiator firmware 4.2.12+.


Actually, more interesting info is the fact that WD20EADS may come in different flavors. That may not affect Tivo internal disk replacement since Tivo's kernel seems to work fine for both 512 & 4k sectors.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

My Ultra 6 is archiving shows. It may have been archiving them from 2am Monday morning.

I first setup the Ultra 6 Sunday evening. I had set it to automatically check for software updates and download them, plus I enabled TiVo and set it to archive TiVo shows at 2am. It was running software 4.2.12, which it came with.

Monday morning, I checked for shows on the Ultra 6 via my TiVo Now Playing screen, and there were none shown.

Since the Ultra 6 didn't appear to be transferring shows, and it was making noise, I turned the Ultra 6 off for the day and went to work.

Returning home Monday afternoon, I turned on the Ultra 6, and proceeded to install add-on "ReadyDLNA_4.2.12_1.0.18.1-x86.bin", unchecked the options to automatically look for firmware updates and automatically download them, and changed the TiVo archive time from 2am to 7pm, which was about a half hour in the future.

About 7:15pm, I noticed that the LEDs on the Netgear switch were blinking like crazy. I went into a TiVo Now Playing and checked the ReadyNAS. Eureka! There were three 1 hour shows displayed on the ReadyNAS.

After watching it and timing it for awhile, I realized that it took my TiVo Series 3 OLED boxes 1 hour to transfer a 1 hour hi-def show to the Ultra 6. Which meant that the three shows already on the Ultra 6 could NOT have transferred there in the 15 minutes or so from the scheduled 7pm archive time to the 7:15pm time when I checked for the presence of shows. This means that the shows began their transfer at the Monday 2am scheduled time, but were not shown as present on the Ultra 6 until I installed the "ReadyDLNA_4.2.12_1.0.18.1-x86.bin" add-on.

Further observation shows that the Ultra 6 is only transferring shows from 1 TiVo, even though there are 4 TiVos connected and configured. This seems a big waste of time and Ultra 6 availability. Since the Ultra 6 has a 1Gb ethernet port, while the TiVos have a 100Mb ethernet port, I would have expected the Ultra 6 to have had an ongoing transfer from each TiVo simultaneously. Otherwise, it is going to take 4 times as long to get the Keep Until I Delete shows transferred from 4 TiVos to the Ultra 6.

Tuesday morning before work, I checked and the Ultra 6 had stopped archiving shows, even though the TiVo it had been archiving from still had numerous Keep Until I Delete shows needing to be archived. So Tuesday morning (this morning) I installed 4.2.13 and configured it to begin archiving TiVo shows at 8am. And it did begin archiving shows at 8am.

[EDIT] Show transfer still going strong Wednesay morning when I got up. It is going to take a few days to get all the Keep Until I Delete shows off this one TiVo. Will see then if the Ultra automatically switches to another TiVo.

When archiving shows, it appears to work from the most recent Keep Until I Delete recordings to the oldest recordings, regardless of folder. Thus, to see the order the shows will be archived in, look at your Now Playing list with sort-by-date ON and folder-grouping OFF. The Keep-Until-I-Deletes at the top will be saved first, and the ones at the bottom will be last.

When viewing the shows on the ReadyNAS via the TiVo, you can see them in two folders. The All Videos folder has all shows on the ReadyNAS in one folder. There is also a set of nested folders, which groups the shows by individual TiVo name, and then by show. It appears to replicate the folder grouping structure seen on the TiVo itself.

[EDIT] From your TiVo, the view that you see (of your shows on the ReadyNAS) depends on whether the TiVo you are using has Grouping turned on, and if your Sort is by date or alphabetical.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

After shows are transferred to the ReadyNAS, do you have to transfer them back to watch them, or can they be streamed? Also, can you watch them from ANY tivo, or ony from the one that recorded it? 

What about videos that originate from your PC. Can you place an MPEG2 file into the READYNAS share and hav it be available to the tivos for viewing?

I realize you probably haven't had a chance to do any of these things yet, but these are the things I'd like to know before dropping $900 for a 4220. What you are providing here is valuable information - I hope others chime in with their experiences too.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Since I updated the Ultra 6 software to 4.2.13, the show transfers from the TiVo to the Ultra 6 now keep running, instead of ending after a few shows like they did under 4.2.12.

But it still only transfers shows from a single TiVo at a time. I will open a trouble ticket on this matter, sometime tomorrow. I tried opening one today, but they need to know info about my router, etc, so it will be better to open the ticket while home.

[EDIT: BUG FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE]


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

jbernardis said:


> After shows are transferred to the ReadyNAS, do you have to transfer them back to watch them, or can they be streamed? Also, can you watch them from ANY tivo, or ony from the one that recorded it?
> 
> What about videos that originate from your PC. Can you place an MPEG2 file into the READYNAS share and hav it be available to the tivos for viewing?
> 
> I realize you probably haven't had a chance to do any of these things yet, but these are the things I'd like to know before dropping $900 for a 4220. What you are providing here is valuable information - I hope others chime in with their experiences too.


After the shows are transferred, you have to initiate a transfer back to watch them. You can watch them while they are transferring, but my Series 3 OLED boxes don't quite transfer fast enough to keep up without pausing the playback. I understand that the Premiere boxes transfer much more swiftly, so they should perform much better at this.

As for videos from a PC, I don't know. I'm willing to test. I found a few .MPG files on my laptop. I'll try setting up that function in the Ultra; I didn't bother setting it up before as I don't plan to use that functionallity. Initially, at least, my Ultra will be used solely by my Series 3 boxes.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Using a Windows computer, I created a folder named MPG inside the already existing Tivo folder on ReadyNAS. I then transfered .MPG from the computer to the MPG folder. My TiVos saw the MPG folder on the ReadyNAS, and would transfer and play .MPG files from it. I tried the same thing for .MP3 files (in an MP3 folder) but the TiVos do not appear to show any folders where they do not recognize the files in the folder.


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## PHILBX (Jul 1, 2006)

My WD expander died a messy death recently and I am most interested in the Ready NAS as a replacement. I have a ton of questions. Please excuse my digital impairments:
1. How do you instruct the S3/HD to archive shows to the ReadyNas?
2. Must you archive all shows on Now Playing or can you be selective? Can the TiVo be instructed to only archive shows to be deleted?
3. Do the shows archived on the ReadyNas appear on Now Playing similar to videos on a networked PC or a MRV Tivo on the LAN? 
4. Can the TiVo's share ReadyNAS with networked PC's for backup and other storage requirements? Will widows setup and find folders on the ReadyNas independent of TiVo files?
5. Is ReadyNAS internet accessable as other NAS storage devices?
6. Will the ReadyNas work with most good wireless routers? 
Sorry for running on here. Thanks


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## keyzone72 (Oct 15, 2007)

Thom said:


> After the shows are transferred, you have to initiate a transfer back to watch them.


Well that just about does it for me. I already have an HP Home MEdia Server running the Tivo software and that does the same thing as this ready NAs Ultra. Too bad. I was really excited about the idea of transferring shows and movies from my Tivo's to this device and then streaming them back.

What a dissapointment.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

keyzone72 said:


> Well that just about does it for me. I already have an HP Home MEdia Server running the Tivo software and that does the same thing as this ready NAs Ultra. Too bad. I was really excited about the idea of transferring shows and movies from my Tivo's to this device and then streaming them back.
> 
> What a dissapointment.


http://code.google.com/p/streambaby/


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

PHILBX -

Once per day, the NAS scans the configured TiVos for shows flagged as Keep Until I Delete. Any KUID shows not already on the NAS will be copied to the NAS. All control over the archive process is external to the TiVo. The TiVo simply responds to external requests.

The NAS box remains a NAS box, and will respond to any device on the network, if both are configured to do so.

The ReadyNAS saves each TiVo file as FILENAME.TIVO, and these files are accessible from the NAS like other files. At least, I assume so, since I can see them from my Windows computer. There is also a FILENAME.NFO file, which contains XML-formatted data about the show.

I suspect you could use TiVo Desktop software to copy specific shows from a TiVo to your computer, then use the computer to copy the shows to the correct folder in the NAS where the TiVo should see them.

The TiVos display the ReadyNAS at the bottom of the Now Playing list as though it were just another TiVo that shows can be transferred from.

As for wireless routers, it will work as well as any other computer. Given the size of the files, I wouldn't recommend it.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Thom said:


> The ReadyNAS saves each TiVo file as FILENAME.TIVO, and these files are accessible from the NAS like other files. At least, I assume so, since I can see them from my Windows computer. There is also a FILENAME.NFO file, which contains XML-formatted data about the show.


Do you get the *full extended info* for the show from the Tivo?

i.e. can you hit Info and get original air date, episode #, and such? [and is that info back on your Tivo AFTER transferring]

When transferring BETWEEN Tivos(*), that info is NOT kept, you get only the very generic info.

(*) At least one data point, between S3 & TivoHD. I know that when I download with iTivo, I do get extended files [for no particularly good reason I have it make both the xml and other type of file] that has that info in them....


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

A new software problem seems to have appeared. I'm running version 4.2.13 software.

What appears to be happening is that if the previous day's transfer hasn't completed by the next scheduled start time, the old transfer stops and a new transfer is not started. [EDIT] The transfer resumed (based on network LEDs) sometime within 2 hours, and appeared (again, based on network activity LEDs) to continue where it left off. Rest of previous post deleted.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Mattack -


The .NFO file I looked at had minimal info, along with a Tribune media copyright message.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

Thom

Once again I want to thank you for posting all of this information. This is the pain you have to endure by being an early adopter. 

I am very interested in the ReadyNAS, but I am researching how difficult it would be to get pytivo - and possibly harmonium - running on this device. I'm not too sure about harmonium, but I think the sticky bit as far as pytivo is concerned is not the python code, but the binaries it uses such as ffmpeg. I'm not sure about the type of processor the Readynas uses, how much horsepower it has, and how open the device is - i.e. can I simply telnet or ssh into it and start installing software.

Every day I change my mind on whether or not I should get one of these or just build my own Linux fileserver with raid. FreeNAS is also an option, although I would prefer if it were Linux based and not FreeBSD.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Example of a typical .NFO file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<tvshow>
Community
<plot>The sexual tension between Jeff and Britta is a popular topic among the members of the group; a contest turns the campus into a war zone. Copyright Tribune Media Services, Inc.</plot>
<episodetitle>Modern Warfare</episodetitle>
<runtime>30 min</runtime>
<capturedate>2010-05-07T03:00:00</capturedate>
</tvshow>

Here's another example, which has episode number:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<tvshow>
Lost
<episode>115</episode>
<plot>Hurley agonizes over what the group's next move should be; Locke is curious about the new arrival in his camp. Copyright Tribune Media Services, Inc.</plot>
<episodetitle>Everybody Loves Hugo</episodetitle>
<runtime>62 min</runtime>
<capturedate>2010-04-14T04:00:00</capturedate>
</tvshow>


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Just for the heck of it, here is a brief directory listing of the Ultra 6 share named "media" where the TiVo files are stored. There is also a "Backup" media share used for non-media devices which I don't use and didn't capture.

tivo-nas-1 is what I named the Ultra 6.

media is the name the Ultra software has for the media share.

The folders immediately beneath media were also created by the Ultra software.

The S3-2, S3-3, and S4-4 folders are the names of the three TiVos that have archived files to the Ultra. The Ultra software created each machine's folder the first time it transferred a file. The software also created the show folder names. This may have something to do with the fact that I have grouping turned on for all my TiVos.

Using a Windows computer, you can create your own folder inside the TiVo folder, and the TiVos will see it and get files from it, if the files are something they recognize, like .MPG files. If no files are recognized, the TiVos will not show the folder at all.

\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music
\\tivo-nas-1\media\BitTorrent
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Videos
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Pictures
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 217 - White Tulip.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 216 - Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 219 - Brown Betty.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 220 - Northwest Passage.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 218 - The Man From the Other Side.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 216 - Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 221 - Over There, Part 1.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 215 - Peter.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 220 - Northwest Passage.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 208 - August.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 215 - Peter.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 219 - Brown Betty.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 222 - Over There, Part 2.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 221 - Over There, Part 1.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 208 - August.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 222 - Over There, Part 2.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 217 - White Tulip.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Fringe\Fringe - 218 - The Man From the Other Side.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 110 - Corner Man.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 112 - Christopher Chance.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 104 - Tanarak.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 110 - Corner Man.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 111 - Victoria.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 111 - Victoria.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 109 - Baptiste.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 112 - Christopher Chance.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-4\Human Target\Human Target - 104 - Tanarak.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Martha Stewart Show
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\60 Minutes
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Law & Order_ Special Victims Unit
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Good Wife
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Physical Education.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Modern Warfare.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Football, Feminism and You.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Communication Studies.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Communication Studies.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Beginner Pottery.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - The Art of Discourse.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Romantic Expressionism.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Interpretive Dance.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Introduction to Film.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - 2010-05-27.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Beginner Pottery.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Romantic Expressionism.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Interpretive Dance.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - The Art of Discourse.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Introduction to Statistics.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - 2010-05-27.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Modern Warfare.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Spanish 101.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Contemporary American Poultry.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Social Psychology.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Introduction to Film.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Spanish 101.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - English as a Second Language.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Introduction to Statistics.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Football, Feminism and You.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Comparative Religion.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Debate 109.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - English as a Second Language.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Pascal's Triangle Revisited.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Investigative Journalism.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Comparative Religion.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Social Psychology.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Investigative Journalism.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Contemporary American Poultry.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Basic Genealogy.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Physical Education.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Pascal's Triangle Revisited.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Debate 109.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Community\Community - Basic Genealogy.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Martha Stewart Show\The Martha Stewart Show - Spider show_ arachnids.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Staircase Implementation.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Hofstadter Isotope.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Plimpton Stimulation.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Lunar Excitation.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Lunar Excitation.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Staircase Implementation.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Cushion Saturation.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Cushion Saturation.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Plimpton Stimulation.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Big Bang Theory\The Big Bang Theory - The Hofstadter Isotope.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\60 Minutes\60 Minutes - 2010-03-14.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\60 Minutes\60 Minutes - 2010-03-14.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Law & Order_ Special Victims Unit\Law & Order_ Special Victims Unit - Witness.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Law & Order_ Special Victims Unit\Law & Order_ Special Victims Unit - Witness.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Good Wife\The Good Wife - 118 - Boom.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\The Good Wife\The Good Wife - 118 - Boom.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Late Night With Jimmy Fallon\Late Night With Jimmy Fallon - Kevin Connolly; Christina Hendricks.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Late Night With Jimmy Fallon\Late Night With Jimmy Fallon - Kevin Connolly; Christina Hendricks.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - The Way Through.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Exit One.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Smoke and Steel.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Incoming.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Static.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - The Edge.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Saved.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - The Truth.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Pilot.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - The Edge.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Saved.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - The Truth.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Exit One.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Smoke and Steel.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - The Way Through.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Static.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Incoming.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-2\Persons Unknown\Persons Unknown - Pilot.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Let No Man Put Asunder.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FMA102~D
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Course Correction.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Future Shock.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Countdown.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - The Garden of Forking Paths.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Revelation Zero.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Blowback.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Countdown.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Future Shock.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Let No Man Put Asunder.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FXGBXU~X.NFO
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Queen Sacrifice.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Queen Sacrifice.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Course Correction.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - The Negotiation.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Better Angels.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Better Angels.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Revelation Zero.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - The Negotiation.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - Blowback.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\FlashForward\FlashForward - The Garden of Forking Paths.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 110 - Dr. Linus.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 112 - Ab Aeterno.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 104 - LA X (Part 1).nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 109 - Sundown.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 108 - Lighthouse.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 107 - The Substitute.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - Across the Sea.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - The Final Journey.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - The Last Recruit.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - LA X (Parts 1 and 2).nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 113 - The Package.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 106 - What Kate Does.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - The Final Journey.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 115 - Everybody Loves Hugo.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 109 - Sundown.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 114 - Happily Ever After.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 104 - LA X (Part 1).TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 84 - There's No Place Like Home.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 108 - Lighthouse.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 102 - The Incident.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 110 - Dr. Linus.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - Final Chapter.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - Final Chapter.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 86 - There's No Place Like Home.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 113 - The Package.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - The End.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 86 - There's No Place Like Home.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 114 - Happily Ever After.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 105 - LA X (Part 2).nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 103 - The Incident.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - The End.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 112 - Ab Aeterno.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 103 - The Incident.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 105 - LA X (Part 2).TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - The Candidate.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 106 - What Kate Does.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 84 - There's No Place Like Home.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 107 - The Substitute.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - What They Died For.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 87 - Because You Left.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 111 - Recon.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - Pilot.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 111 - Recon.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 115 - Everybody Loves Hugo.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - LA X (Parts 1 and 2).TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - The Last Recruit.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - The Candidate.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 102 - The Incident.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - What They Died For.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - Pilot.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - Across the Sea.TiVo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\TiVo\S3-3\Lost\Lost - 87 - Because You Left.nfo
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\08 Selfish.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\09 Can't Find the Feeling.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\06 Good to Me.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\05 It's Love.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\10 Up To the Bottom.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\04 Weakling.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\01 Freak Of Nature.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\02 Corrupt.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\07 Another Night Away from Home.mp3
\\tivo-nas-1\media\Music\03 Drama Queen.mp3


----------



## PHILBX (Jul 1, 2006)

Thom,
Thanks for the valuable response. One more question. How does the TiVo know that the ReadyNAS is on the network? To make TiVo aware of PC's on the network you need to run TiVo desktop. Is there an similar step to set up the NAS? Also are you sure that wireless links would be too slow. I MRV HD shows between TiVo's wirelessly and get excellent results.


----------



## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

PHILBX -

The Netgear ReadyNAS runs a service called ReadyDLNA to work with TiVos. The Ultra series of ReadyNAS comes with this service. You do have to enable/configure the service and enable TiVo support when you setup the Ultra.


----------



## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I'm still having a problem with the transfers stopping after a few hours.

Today, I tried a diffent approach. My router is configured to only issue up to ten IP addresses, with an expiration time of 1440 minutes. I changed the expiration to one minute. Now to see if transfers work more continously.

[EDIT: BUG FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE]


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Well, shortening the life of the IP assignment did nothing.

I now suspect that my TiVos contain too many shows for the ReadyNAS software to process.

The TiVo with the least number of total shows recorded has over 200 shows. The one with the most shows recorded has over 470 shows.

I suspect the ReadyNAS software has a limitation on how many shows it can process when looking for a show to archive. I've posted a question on the ReadyNAS forum, but it probably won't get answered for a few days.

[EDIT: BUG FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE]


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

Sounds like the same bug that I have in a script that I wrote to do essentially the same thing. I haven't bothered to track it down since I rarely transfer enough to trigger it. 

Basically my script gets a 404 error for the next download if the previous download took more than a few hours. My guess is that the URLs that Tivo provides for downloads expire after a period of time.


----------



## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Just a small update. Netgear has remote accessed my Ultra and placed it's TiVo function into debug mode to collect data. 

Hopefully, the data collected over the next couple of days will point them towards the problem.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Well, I've learned what is causing my problem in not transferring shows. It will be up to Netgear to fix it.

ReadyNAS v4.2.13 software (and 4.2.12 as well, I'm certain) only scans the top 128 entries in a TiVo's Now Playing list when looking for Keep Until I Delete shows to transfer. Any shows below 128th place from the top are never seen, and never transferred. My four Tivos have approximately 220, 270, 310, and 470 Now Playing list entires (all four Tivos have dual 1 TB hard drives).

I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

[EDIT: BUG FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE]


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

1270 shows on your combined NPL's - you are a power tivo user. I was worried about this product after seeing your experiences, but you are pushing this to a point that I would never get near. That's not to say that this shouldn't get fixed - it most certainly should. But I am less reluctant to move forward with my decision.

Do you recommend buying a prepopulated unit - with 2 2TB drives, or would I be better to buy the empty unit and get my own drives. I realize I could probably save some money with the latter approach, but I also understand that it takes considerable time to set up these RAID arrays - the first approach would save me time. Perhaps the biggest factor for me would be the specs of the drives that are pre-installed. Would I be able to buy better drives than those that are preinstalled and still save money?

I think right now I'm leaning towards the empty unit.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

My preference is to buy an empty box, then fill it myself.


I recommend green drives for lower power consumption, less heat, and less noise (lower rpm).


A ReadyNAS dedicated to home TiVo use does not need high performance drives. I recommend Western Digital, Samsung, and Hitachi. Not Seagate at present. Shop for price.

Setting up your ReadyNAS is something you begin one day, then complete the next day. This is because the box scans the entire raid array to establish the error correction disk data.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Thom said:


> Example of a typical .NFO file:


But could you try comparing hitting the info button on the Tivo from the 'original' recording to hitting the Info button after transferring back from the NAS box?

Thanks..


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

The "Mock" episode of The Good Wife that is on Tivo A was automatically archived to the ReadyNAS last night. I transferred this episode from the ReadyNAS to Tivo C. I also directly transferred this episode from Tivo A to Tivo B using the Multi Room Viewing feature of the Tivos. Plus I used a Windows computer to go into the ReadyNAS and copied the contents of the .NFO file.

And I find myself confused.

Tivo A (the source of the original recording) displayed this when I pressed the Info button:

Title
Episode Title
Description
Content Rating
Rating
Kidzone Status
Actors
Guest Stars
Directors
ExecProducers
Writers
Categories
Color Mode
Episode Num
Original Air Date
Disk Usage
Extended?
Rec End Padding
Guide Padding

Tivo B showed less info (Tivo A to Tivo B MRV transfer) when Info button pressed:

Title
Episode Title
Description
Content Rating
Rating
Kidzone Status
Disk Usage
Extended?
Rec End Padding
Guide Padding

Tivo C (Tivo A to ReadyNAS to Tivo C) showed the full info just like TiVo A:

Title
Episode Title
Description
Content Rating
Rating
Kidzone Status
Actors
Guest Stars
Directors
ExecProducers
Writers
Categories
Color Mode
Episode Num
Original Air Date
Disk Usage
Extended?
Rec End Padding
Guide Padding

The ReadyNAS .NFO file showed the least info of all:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<tvshow>
The Good Wife
<episode>119</episode>
<plot>After he chases Alicia out of the apartment, Peter's electronic monitor sounds; Grace and Zach scramble to come up with a way to keep their father from being arrested. Copyright Tribune Media Services, Inc.</plot>
<episodetitle>Mock</episodetitle>
<runtime>60 min</runtime>
<capturedate>2010-08-18T05:00:00</capturedate>
</tvshow>

The ReadyNAS .NFO file had less information than any of the TiVos.

Either Tivo C was getting info on the episode from its still current Guide data, or there is info encoded into the .TIVO file. I *think* Tivo C was getting info from its Guide data, but I don't really know.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

They are trying a new build in my Ultra 6, and so far it seems to be working. Apparently, when the ReadyNAS would request a list of shows from the Tivo, the Tivo only returns a maximum of 128. So they had to modify their software to allow for only getting 128 show listings at each request.

Also, it appears that my other problem of only transferring from one Tivo at time has also been fixed. As I type this, all four Tivos are simultaneously transferring shows to the Ultra.

THANK YOU !!

Will have to monitor this for the next few days...


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## jboy (Sep 25, 2003)

Thom said:


> They are trying a new build in my Ultra 6, and so far it seems to be working. Apparently, when the ReadyNAS would request a list of shows from the Tivo, the Tivo only returns a maximum of 128. So they had to modify their software to allow for only getting 128 show listings at each request.
> 
> Also, it appears that my other problem of only transferring from one Tivo at time has also been fixed. As I type this, all four Tivos are simultaneously transferring shows to the Ultra.
> 
> ...


Hi Thom,

Jerryk from the ReadyNAS forums here. So are you beta testing a new build? I hope it is better. I am still seeing weirdness with some shows marked as "Keep Until I delete" not getting archived to the ReadyNAS Pro.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

jboy said:


> Hi Thom,
> 
> Jerryk from the ReadyNAS forums here. So are you beta testing a new build? I hope it is better. I am still seeing weirdness with some shows marked as "Keep Until I delete" not getting archived to the ReadyNAS Pro.


I don't think of it as beta testing, as my software version (4.2.13) hasn't changed. I suspect they used my box as a development/test platform. But then again, yes, that probably means I am beta testing...

Either way, I'm happy, and can live with the software in its current incarnation.

They put new software in my box on Wednesay evening, and it began scanning through the entire list of shows on all four Tivos, and began transferring KUID shows from all four Tivos simultaneously.

Friday night, one Tivo finally stopped transferring shows (may have completed).

Saturday afternoon, a second Tivo stopped transferring shows.

Sunday morning, a third Tivo stopped transferring shows.

I'm waiting for the final Tivo to stop transferring shows.

One quirk of the current software I'm running, is that it appears that the ReadyNAS will not begin a new transfer of shows until the old transfer has completed. Thus, the Tivo that takes longest to transfer shows (for whatever reason) delays new show transfers from the other Tivos. I don't know if this is correct, I'm just assuming/theorizing based on the behavior I observed.

Also, this is only a problem during the initial transfer of shows from a Tivo to the ReadyNAS. After that, the ReadyNAS is just keeping up with what was most recently added to the Now Playing list.

Right now, I'm waiting for the final Tivo to stop transferring shows. Then I'll see if a new round of show transfers kick off at the scheduled time (18:30 for my ReadyNAS).

Based on email exchanges with them, they mostly had two stock Tivos available for testing ReadyNAS/Tivo interaction. My four dual 1TB drive Tivos appear to represent a somewhat rare testing platform to them.

They've said nothing to me about it, but I expect what they learned from observing my ReadyNAS/Tivo interactions will migrate fairly swiftly to a new software update for all ReadyDLNA-capable ReadyNAS boxes.

If your Tivos have less than 128 total shows in their Now Playing lists, your ReadyNAS should get all your KUID shows.

If you have KUID shows lower than 128th place on your Now Playing list, you will either have to request support (via forum, or via phone), or wait for a new update to be released. I'll check my ReadyDLNA version number to see if it has changed. If so, I can tell you the version number I am running, and you may be able to mention/request it.

Since they directly accessed my ReadyNAS and installed the software at a more fundamental level than I can access, I have no updated files or links that I can point to.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

jboy said:


> Hi Thom,
> 
> Jerryk from the ReadyNAS forums here. So are you beta testing a new build? I hope it is better. I am still seeing weirdness with some shows marked as "Keep Until I delete" not getting archived to the ReadyNAS Pro.


Contact Netgear (by forum or by phone) and see if you can get an update called ReadyTiVo v1.1 (or later than 1.1 if they have one). My ReadyNAS TiVo archiving didn't begin to work right until they had me install ReadyTiVo v1.1. Even then, they had to come back in and update it, but hopefully, their updates were rolled into v1.1.

ReadyTiVo isn't a true add-on, it is just an updated replacement for the TiVo software in the ReadyNAS.


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## jboy (Sep 25, 2003)

jbernardis said:


> Do you recommend buying a prepopulated unit - with 2 2TB drives, or would I be better to buy the empty unit and get my own drives. I realize I could probably save some money with the latter approach, but I also understand that it takes considerable time to set up these RAID arrays - the first approach would save me time. Perhaps the biggest factor for me would be the specs of the drives that are pre-installed. Would I be able to buy better drives than those that are preinstalled and still save money?
> 
> I think right now I'm leaning towards the empty unit.


Whatever you do make sure the drives are on the Hardware Compatability List (HCL) for the NAS. The ReadyNAS forums have plenty of people complaining about lost data and hung array builds because of using unsupported drives.

The ReadyNas prepopulated units tend to come with Enterprise level drives which are more expensive, but more reliable.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Well, a new bug showed up in ReadyTiVo_1.1. If you make a configuration change (such as altering the TiVo archive start time) while an archiving is on-going, it affects/interferes with the archiving process.

I'm now running ReadyTiVo_1.1a since last night. Archiving started on schedule. Now to see if each TiVo's archiving runs independently of the other TiVos.

[EDIT: BUG FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE]


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

Thom,

I know you did an experiment placing an mpeg2 file into the tivo directory and the tivo found it and was able to play it. Thank you for doing that.

I have one other question - the tivo has SOME native capability for playing mpeg4 files, although I'm not certain what the boundaries are. Would it be possible for you to place an mp4 file on the NAS to see if it will natively transfer to the tivo? 

I know, for example, with pytivo, I can PUSH mp4 files to the tivo with no transcoding, but I cannot pull them. Based on that, I wouldn't expect the above experiment to succeed, but I thought it worth asking.

Thanks
Jeff


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

jbernardis said:


> Thom,
> 
> I know you did an experiment placing an mpeg2 file into the tivo directory and the tivo found it and was able to play it. Thank you for doing that.
> 
> ...


I don't have any MP4 files to test with. Give me a link to some.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Thom said:


> I don't have any MP4 files to test with. Give me a link to some.


Specifically, you'll need an h264 video codec paired with an AC3 audio codec (or less desirable AAC), within an mp4 container. Here is (user gleaned) video specs for TiVos: http://code.google.com/p/streambaby/wiki/video_compatibility

Here's a link: http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/watch.html


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Thom said:


> Tivo B showed less info (Tivo A to Tivo B MRV transfer) when Info button pressed:


Thanks a lot. At least you've confirmed what I see. I would often use MRV as a "quick" edit (transfer from pause point) for things that I save -- the musical guest usually in the last ~10 minutes of a talk show.. But since it doesn't have OAD and other info, I have generally not done that.

But at least you're seeing the same thing that I am. It's really a shame that Tivo->Tivo transfers have LESS info than Tivo -> NAS -> Tivo transfers.

I always knew you *could* get this info (e.g. iTivo, ktmmg or whatever it's called) from a transfer.. I had thought they might be doing something hacky/illegitimate. But if "official" Tivo licensees can do it, then it's just a bug (or arguably an optimization) that Tivo->tivo transfers don't get all of that info.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

orangeboy said:


> Specifically, you'll need an h264 video codec paired with an AC3 audio codec (or less desirable AAC), within an mp4 container. Here is (user gleaned) video specs for TiVos: http://code.google.com/p/streambaby/wiki/video_compatibility
> 
> Here's a link: http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/watch.html


I am unable to download any of the .MP4 files from the Sita Sings The Blues site. I've tried right-clicking and Save As..., and I've tried left-clicking.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I am running software v4.2.13 with ReadyTiVo v1.1a.

I've noticed the following problems:

1. My TiVo shows ReadyNAS shows as being recorded 8 hours later than the correct time.

For example, if a show in the TiVo Now Playing list was recorded at 10 pm on Aug 23, it will be displayed in the ReadyNAS Now Playing list as having been recorded at 6 am on Aug 24.

2. ReadyNAS file naming method leads to file overwrite problem. (This has existed since ReadyTiVo v1.0.)

On 8 / 17, my TiVo recorded a Star Trek episode titled " The Menagerie ". This episode had an episode number of 16. The TiVo remote control INFO button showed it was Part 1 of 2 parts.

On 8 / 18, my TiVo recorded a different Star Trek episode titled " The Menagerie ". This episode had an episode number of 16. The TiVo remote control INFO button showed it was Part 2 of 2 parts.

The ReadyTiVo.log shows that both episodes were archived. However, there is only one episode on the ReadyNAS. When viewed from Windows, its filename is "Star Trek - 16 - The Menagerie.TiVo". I believe that the second episode also used the same filename, and overwrote the first episode. Subsequent archive cycles see the two episodes on the TiVo, and declare that each of them was already archived, and use the correct individual archive time for each episode. Thus, there appears to be two entries in the ReadyNAS database, but only one show on the ReadyNAS RAID array. The ReadyNAS does not archive either episode again because it considers both of them already present on the ReadyNAS.

3. During the archive process, all four of my TiVos will archive files to the ReadyNAS simultaneously, if they have files to archive. Only the first TiVo to finish its archive cycle is returned to an idle state. The other TiVos are listed as archiving, even if they are done transferring shows. When the last TiVo finishes archiving, then all remaining TiVos are returned to an idle state.

4. The first TiVo for which an archive cycle is completed is returned to an idle state. If the overall archive cycle is still ongoing for other TiVos, and the next archive cycle start time rolls around again, the idle TiVo will begin an archive cycle again, but it does not scan the TiVo for new shows. Instead, it uses the old data of shows it already processed and archived. Since it already archived the shows that match this old data, it does not archive anything new for that cycle, even if a new Keep Until I Delete show was recorded on the TiVo while in the midst of the previous archive cycle. Nothing new will be archived [SPECULATION] until all individual TiVo archive cycles are complete. Then, at the next start time, a new archive cycle will start from scratch and scan the TiVos for new shows. [END SPECULATION] [It hasn't been long enough since the overall archive cycle ended for me to verify my speculation in the previous sentence.]

5. If a new archive cycle start time is reached while a previous archive cycle is still on-going, the ReadyTiVo.log file (which shows actions and progress of the archive cycle) stops logging data. The archive cycle continues, but there is no log file showing a history of what occurred.

[EDIT: BUG FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE]


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I am now running v4.2.13 software with ReadyTiVo v1.1b.

The 8 hour time/date offset is being looked at.

The same filename problem is supposed to be fixed in 1.1b. I will explicitly test that in a day or two, after it finishes the current archive cycle.
[EDIT] The same filename problem is fixed.

An unspecified error that affects archiving from TiVos with long Now Playing lists (like mine) is supposed to be fixed.


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## Betageek (Aug 28, 2010)

My ReadyNas (RND2150 with 2x1GB Samsung spinpoints) is not seeing my TIVO. In the ReadyNAS FrontView setup, I have checked ReadyDLNA. I have checked automatically update database and enable TiVo support in the config area. When I perform a scan, I don't get my TiVo box showing up after the scan is complete. I have "Media share:" set to "media" and have tried leaving the Media folder text box empty, as well as trying "Videos". No joy.

I do see the ReadyNas on my Tivo Now Playing list, fwiw. I have all file protocols turned on.

Any help would be much appreciated!

FYI my intended function is archiving recorded shows to my ReadyNas.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Betageek said:


> My ReadyNas (RND2150 with 2x1GB Samsung spinpoints) is not seeing my TIVO. In the ReadyNAS FrontView setup, I have checked ReadyDLNA. I have checked automatically update database and enable TiVo support in the config area. When I perform a scan, I don't get my TiVo box showing up after the scan is complete. I have "Media share:" set to "media" and have tried leaving the Media folder text box empty, as well as trying "Videos". No joy.
> 
> I do see the ReadyNas on my Tivo Now Playing list, fwiw. I have all file protocols turned on.
> 
> ...


What version of software and ReadyDLNA are you running? The ReadyDLNA version is show at the lower right of the ReadyDLNA TiVo config screen, in small text.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Well, I've encountered a new "bug" in the ReadyTiVo software.

Once the ReadyNAS transfers a show from a TiVo to the ReadyNAS, it will not transfer that show again if the show is deleted from the ReadyNAS.

What I believe is happening is that deleting the files for a show from the ReadyNAS does not delete the ReadyNAS database entry for that show. When the ReadyNAS scans a TiVo for shows to transfer, it compares the show info from the TiVo against its database. If a show is already in its database, it does not transfer.

I consider this a flaw as it really nullifies ReadyNAS show management by the end user.

At the present time, in order to get the show to transfer again, a Netgear person has to remote into the ReadyNAS and manipulate the database.

[EDIT: FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE. USER CAN MODIFY DATABASE CONTENTS TO ALLOW RE-RECORDING A SHOW.]


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## Betageek (Aug 28, 2010)

Thom said:


> What version of software and ReadyDLNA are you running? The ReadyDLNA version is show at the lower right of the ReadyDLNA TiVo config screen, in small text.


Firmware: RAIDiator 4.1.6. Double checked that I had installed the most recent version of ReadyDLNA.

I'm not seeing any ReadyDLNA version number at all. In the streaming config window of FrontView, there is the box with a checkbox and "ReadyDLNA, enables playback of videos, music and pictures from DLNA/UPnP AV network media players." Below this is a sub box with the Media share pull down and the Media folder text entry field, followed by two checkboxes, one for automatically updating the database and the second for enabling TiVo support. Below both is a "Rescan Media Files" button. I hit the scan button and after a period of time I get a message saying media scanning is complete but with no change to the page interface.

This is what I see on the ReadyDLNA config screen:

(Argh. With less than five posts the board won't let me post an image or link...to view the URL below, cut and past to a browser window and preceed with "http:" )

//farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4935440140_32f539c0cf_b.jpg


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Make a media folder name TiVo (spelled just that way).

Your best bet for support from a forum is: http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=76


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## Betageek (Aug 28, 2010)

Thanks Thom.

Tried that. No change. I'll post my question to that forum and see where it goes. Thanks so much for your help.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Betageek said:


> Thanks Thom.
> 
> Tried that. No change. I'll post my question to that forum and see where it goes. Thanks so much for your help.


Perhaps your router blocks some ports that the ReadyNAS and the TiVo use to communicate. (I don't know which ports would be used.)


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Isn't this expensive for what you get? I just use a PC with TiVo desktop and a softraid card that handles a couple of RAID 5 setups. I'm not worried about two drives failing because with the hundreds of drives I've used, I have never seen two fail at the same time. Plus I also run a WHS setup I can use for storage with duplication if the 10TB attached to my TiVo desktop PC needs to be offloaded.


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## StanSimmons (Jun 10, 2000)

Thom said:


> I am unable to download any of the .MP4 files from the Sita Sings The Blues site. I've tried right-clicking and Save As..., and I've tried left-clicking.


Thom, are you still looking for some MP4 files to test with? PM me and I can set you up a private link that has some files that are known to work with TiVoHD.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

StanSimmons said:


> Thom, are you still looking for some MP4 files to test with? PM me and I can set you up a private link that has some files that are known to work with TiVoHD.


PM sent.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I am currently testing ReadyTiVo 1.1c, which is supposed to have a fix for the 8 hour time/date display problem of archived shows.

I've also sent Netgear what I consider to be a VERY good argument against their policy of the ReadyNAS never archiving a show again after it has been deleted from the ReadyNAS (basically, they maintain a ReadyNAS database entry for the show, so the ReadyNAS knows it was already archived, no matter which channel or TiVo it was archived from.)

Their policy of never archiving shows again after deletion from the ReadyNAS does NOT take into account bad TiVo recordings that occur due to:

Bad guide data (wrong show was recorded).
Previous show ran long (part of show recording is missing).
Special/Emergency events (show was preempted at last minute).
Bad recording (weak signal ruined recording).

Unless Netgear wants to get involved in editing the database for each individual ReadyNAS when these events occur, they need to put in place a software mechanism that allows the end user to manage these problems, or they need to automatically delete any database entries that do not have a corresponding show file on the ReadyNAS.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I downloaded an MP4 file, but the TiVo would not list it as being present on the ReadyNAS.

I know the TiVo will recognize MPG files, so tonight I'll try rename the MP4 to an MPG and see if that works.


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## StanSimmons (Jun 10, 2000)

Thom said:


> I downloaded an MP4 file, but the TiVo would not list it as being present on the ReadyNAS.
> 
> I know the TiVo will recognize MPG files, so tonight I'll try rename the MP4 to an MPG and see if that works.


Any MP4 files are going to have to be pushed to the TiVo rather than pulled. Maybe Netgear should talk to the author of pyTivo to get that working.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

Thom said:


> I downloaded an MP4 file, but the TiVo would not list it as being present on the ReadyNAS.
> 
> I know the TiVo will recognize MPG files, so tonight I'll try rename the MP4 to an MPG and see if that works.


Thanks Thom. This is what I expected. This means that the Netgear only seem to work with mpeg2 which means that we can't really compress these files. It's a shame because the videos can still retain quite good quality when if they are properly compressed to MP4 format - for example I have a 90 minute video format of a HD hockey game. In mpeg2 format, it's about 12GB - compressed to MP4 it's about 5.5GB.

I guess the next idea is to see if pytivo can be made to work in this environment. I assume pytivo itself is not going to be the issue - it's just written in python which is highly portable. The issue is going to be ffmpeg and tivodecode, binaries that are invoked by pytivo.

Does anybody have any insight here?


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I renamed the MP4 file to MPG. The TiVo saw the presence of the MPG-named file, and would initiate a transfer, but would stop almost immediately with a zero length file.

I guess MP4s will have to be transcoded to whatever format the TiVo can handle. MP2 ?

From communications with Netgear, the ReadyNAS only uses the HMO protocol. The ReadyNAS does not have either Java or Python on the ReadyNAS, so HME is not used. They may look into it.

Their ReadyTiVo software v1.1b or c is pretty usuable right now. I really only see two changes that I think are important. They need to remove the ReadyTiVo database restriction that prevents the ReadyNAS from ever archiving the same show again (regardless of channel or TiVo); and they need to allow the end user to select (on a TiVo-by-TiVo basis) whether the ReadyNAS archives only KUID shows or ALL shows (copy flag permitting).

By not allowing the ReadyNAS to archive the same show ever again, Netgear is restricting the end user to using the box in a way that Netgear thinks is what the end user needs. This is wrong. I've only had my box a few days and I've come up against this restriction already for a few shows.

Ditto for only automatically archiving KUID shows. I'm the end user of this box, and I really want it to archive ALL shows. That way I would not have to set any Season Passes or Wishlists to KUID. By the time they get to the bottom of the Now Playing list, they are already archived.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I'm curious about pyTiVo. Does it work with an unmodified TiVo? 

I'm aware of the existence of the HMO and HME protocols (APIs ?) for TiVos. Does pyTiVo use different protocols?


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

Thom said:


> I'm curious about pyTiVo. Does it work with an unmodified TiVo?
> 
> I'm aware of the existence of the HMO and HME protocols (APIs ?) for TiVos. Does pyTiVo use different protocols?


I'm not sure about the HMO/HME, but pytivo most certainly works with an unmodified tivo. It provides a similar function to the readynas software - serving videos (and music and photos) to the tivo, but where it differs is that it provides for transcoding on the fly. Whatever format the video is in, it is transcoded to the correct format (MPEG2?) on the fly while the video is being transferred. It does not support streaming - there is another package called streambaby that does that.

You mentioned the readytivo software several times. Is this generally available, or is it only available to you since you are acting as a beta tester.


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## StanSimmons (Jun 10, 2000)

Thom said:


> I'm curious about pyTiVo. Does it work with an unmodified TiVo?
> 
> I'm aware of the existence of the HMO and HME protocols (APIs ?) for TiVos. Does pyTiVo use different protocols?


http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=328459&highlight=pytivo

pyTivo uses HMO.


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## StanSimmons (Jun 10, 2000)

jbernardis said:


> I'm not sure about the HMO/HME, but pytivo most certainly works with an unmodified tivo. It provides a similar function to the readynas software - serving videos (and music and photos) to the tivo, but where it differs is that *it provides for transcoding on the fly.* Whatever format the video is in, it is transcoded to the correct format (MPEG2?) on the fly while the video is being transferred. It does not support streaming - there is another package called streambaby that does that.
> 
> You mentioned the readytivo software several times. Is this generally available, or is it only available to you since you are acting as a beta tester.


pyTivo can also push correctly formatted MP4 files to unmodified TiVoHD's. Files that are pushed are not transcoded.... at least that is the case with wmcbrine's fork of pyTivo. http://github.com/wmcbrine/pytivo


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

jbernardis said:


> ...You mentioned the readytivo software several times. Is this generally available, or is it only available to you since you are acting as a beta tester.


The ReadyTiVo software is part of the ReadyDLNA software which is part of the overall RAIDiator software that the ReadyNAS runs.

The ReadyTiVo software (1.1c) I have in my ReadyNAS was installed by Netgear through remote access to my ReadyNAS. It is not generally available. I only have it because I am reporting problems and Netgear is trying to fix those problems.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

I was able this weekend to get pyTivo running on my Netgear Ultra 4. This is not just a passthrough pytivo, but a full transcoding pytivo using the McBrine branch. I was able to get python 2.5, ffmpeg, tivodecode, and tdcat all built for the environment. Once I had the binaries running, the python code basically dropped in. I didn't have to change anything.

I was a bit worried about the horsepower of the CPU, but once I learned that it was an x86 atom processor with 2 cores, I decided to give it a try. I tried 1) uploading a file from a tivo using the togo plugin, 2) pulling a video from a tivo (requiring transcoding), 3) pushing a video to the tivo (requiring transcoding) and 4) pushing a video to the tivo not requiring transcoding. In every case, the CPU was at least 70&#37; idle (according to top). In the cases where transcoding was not necessary, the CPU was >90% idle. ffmpeg DID seem to commandeer one of the cores, so I wouldn't want to have a situation where I was doing two transcodings at the same time, but these observations led me to completely abandon ReadyDLNA as a media server and go with pyTivo.

The ultra 6 would be an even better environment because I think it is a quad core, but I'm happy with what I've accomplished. Now I can actually shut my PC off at the end of the day.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

jbernardis said:


> I was able this weekend to get pyTivo running on my Netgear Ultra 4. This is not just a passthrough pytivo, but a full transcoding pytivo using the McBrine branch. I was able to get python 2.5, ffmpeg, tivodecode, and tdcat all built for the environment. Once I had the binaries running, the python code basically dropped in. I didn't have to change anything.
> 
> I was a bit worried about the horsepower of the CPU, but once I learned that it was an x86 atom processor with 2 cores, I decided to give it a try. I tried 1) uploading a file from a tivo using the togo plugin, 2) pulling a video from a tivo (requiring transcoding), 3) pushing a video to the tivo (requiring transcoding) and 4) pushing a video to the tivo not requiring transcoding. In every case, the CPU was at least 70% idle (according to top). In the cases where transcoding was not necessary, the CPU was >90% idle. ffmpeg DID seem to commandeer one of the cores, so I wouldn't want to have a situation where I was doing two transcodings at the same time, but these observations led me to completely abandon ReadyDLNA as a media server and go with pyTivo.
> 
> The ultra 6 would be an even better environment because I think it is a quad core, but I'm happy with what I've accomplished. Now I can actually shut my PC off at the end of the day.


Would you be willing to post those binaries, and any tips or instructions for getting them loaded onto an Ultra? I would like to run them on my Ultra 6, but I don't have the skill-set for compiling them, especially troubleshooting compile problems.


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

NAS-central is a great place to share those kinds of things.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

Thom said:


> Would you be willing to post those binaries, and any tips or instructions for getting them loaded onto an Ultra? I would like to run them on my Ultra 6, but I don't have the skill-set for compiling them, especially troubleshooting compile problems.


I'm not sure if it's as simple as uploading a few binaries, because I'm not fully aware of what all got installed. Obviously there were executables, but there were also many libraries. I think the easiest thing to do is to build these programs on your machine.

Let's see if I can recall everything I did.

First, enable root ssh access via the add-on from the netgear web site. With this installed, you can log into the NAS via putty.

Once logged in, the first thing I did was install python2.5 using 'apt-get install python2.5'. I'm not sure this is really necessary because the NAS already has python 2.4 on it - but I didn't know that at the time. You will also need to install the python imaging library. I tried to do this with apt-get, but the package was for python2.4 and would not work with 2.5, so I downloaded the tar file from the python web site and here is where I had a few problems. The solution was simple, though. First I had to do 'apt-get install build-essential' to get all of the build tools installed, and then I had to do 'apt-get install python2.5-dev' to install the python dev environment. After that, I was able to follow the imaging library installation instructions.

Next came ffmpeg. There is an apt-get package for ffmpeg, but it is too old. So I downloaded the latest tar file from the ffmpeg site and built it according to the instructions: './configure' 'make' and then 'make install'.

Next came tivodecode (and tdcat). Same instructions as for ffmpeg - download the  tar file, './configure', 'make', and then 'make install'.

Finally it was time for pytivo. This literally just dropped into place. I needed to edit the config file and I ran it interactively initially. After I was satisfied with its operation, I installed a startup script in the /etc/init.d directory and ran 'update-rc.d pytivo default' to add the script to the startup sequence. I've attached the startup script as an attachment. Name the startup script 'pytivo' (I had to add the .txt extension to satisfy this forum) and don't forget to make it executable (chmod +x pytivo). Also, you'll need to change the path to the pytivo installation in the script - it's /usr/local/pytivo on my system.

Good luck!!!!


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Thanks! I'll be trying this in a few days.

Where is the best place to get the pyTiVo .py files?

I looked at SourceForge and their files appear to be for a Mac, although I assume the .py files will be identical.

I also found some files at www.videohelp.com, with 2008-08-03 in the filename.

If my Ultra 6 has python 2.4, I'm going to try and use that version.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

One other thing - if you DO install python 2.5, you need to set up a link for the name python in the bin directory. I'm not at home right now, so I don't know the directory offhand - but let's assume it's /usr/local/bin. Whatever it is, change into that directory and do the following:

rm python - don't worry - you're not actually deleting anything - you're just removing the symbolic link to python2.4

ln -s python2.5 python - this sets up a new link to python2.5

If you are too scared to do this, you can instead invoke pytivo with the 2.5 interpreter:

python2.5 pyTivo.pl

but don't also forget to use python2.5 in the init script.

The latest version of the McBrine fork for pytivo can be found here.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

did you apt-get install build-essentail?

I'm not sure if this will get gcc too, but I assumed it would. I actually did an apt-get of gcc before I knew about build-essential - but maybe you need to do both.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

One further note - when I initially built the python image lib, I didn't notice that it did not have jpeg support. I had to completely remove it and apt-get libjpeg62 abd libjpeg62-dev (and also libfreetype6 and libfreetype6-dev) before I rebuilt it.

BTW you ONLY need the imaging library if you also want pytivo to serve photographs too.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

When I did a ./configure for ffmpeg, I got an error message about Unknown C Compiler gcc.

So I did an " apt-get install gcc ".

When I run ./configure again, I get an error message " gcc is unable to create an executable file. "

I was hoping to skip the developer stuff, but I guess I will have to install it.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I removed what I had installed, then installed python 2.5.

When I try to install build-essential, I get an error about broken dependencies for libc6, libc, and g++.

When I try to install libc, I get an error about broken dependency for something called lenny2.

I'm through for now. I'll try again later.

My Ultra 6 did not have python installed originally; at least, when I typed python at the prompt, it was command not found.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

Thom

I got the message about gcc unable to create an executable, but it was solved by installing build-essential. I never saw the lib messages nor the lenny2 message that you received.

On my ultra4, I too got command not found when typing python, but when I went to install 2.5, I saw artifacts from 2.4.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Moving away from pyTiVo discussion (I haven't been able to compile it on my Ultra 6 as yet; may try again later) and back to discussing the ReadyNAS Ultra 6 operation with TiVos...

A brief recap: The Ultra 6 shipped with RAIDiator software version 4.2.12 (RAIDiator is simply Netgear's name for the overall software package that runs their NAS.) Unfortunately, the TiVo function does NOT work correctly in either version 4.2.12 or the current version of 4.2.13.

The RAIDiator software is made up of sub-packages, which themselves may be made up of sub-sub-packages. In the case of the TiVo functions, a sub-package called ReadyDLNA contains a sub-sub-package called ReadyTiVo. ReadyTiVo is the software that contains the TiVo functions of the ReadyNAS box.

I've made Netgear aware of various failures and deficiencies in their ReadyTiVo software. They have been bug-fixing, and are now up to ReadyTiVo1.1d. If you have a ReadyNAS Ultra which is NOT working correctly with your TiVo(s), you can download ReadyTiVo1.1d at http://www.readynas.com/download/addons/x86/4.2/ReadyTiVo_1.1d-x86.bin and install it into your Ultra using the procedure to install add-ons.

Please note that, while I've just this hour installed ReadyTiVo1.1d onto my Ultra 6, I haven't had enough experience with it to determine how bug-free it is. ReadyTiVo1.1c was pretty good (but not perfect), so I expect 1.1d to be pretty good as well. I've put the 1.1d link in this message for those of you who are running the problematic as-shipped version.

Here is the add-on install instructions from memory, so you may want to look them up on the www.readynas.com website:

1. Download and save ReadyTiVo1.1d to the computer that you use to run the RAIDar software (ReadyNAS config and management software).

2. Start the RAIDar software.

3. Click the SETUP button to connect RAIDar to your ReadyNAS box.

4. Click SYSTEM.

5. Click UPDATE.

6. Click LOCAL tab.

7. Click CHOOSE FILE.

8. Browse to the ReadyTiVo1.1d file, highlight it, and click OPEN.

9. Click UPLOAD AND VERIFY IMAGE. Info/warning message appears. Click OK.

10. If verify is successful, click PERFORM SYSTEM UPDATE.

11. If update is successful, you will have to reboot your ReadyNAS box to complete the update. You can either use the ReadyNAS box power button to reboot the box, or use RAIDar's SYSTEM -> SHUTDOWN -> SHUTDOWN AND REBOOT DEVICE -> APPLY function to do it.

Done.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Netgear has fixed the TiVo problems that were in RAIDiator 4.2.12 and 4.2.13. You can get almost all the fixes in the addon ReadyTiVo 1.1d. The one problem that 1.1d doesn't fix is if you have more than one Ultra ReadyNAS configured for TiVo service.

ReadyTiVo 1.1d http://www.readynas.com/download/addons/x86/4.2/ReadyTiVo_1.1d-x86.bin

RAIDiator 4.2.14-T14 (a beta version) fixes all problems that I'm aware of, including using more than one Ultra ReadyNAS with your TiVos. I'm currently running this version and the TiVo function is working quite well. I'm not using any functionality other than the TiVo one, so I can't attest to whether or not it has any non-TiVo-related problems. If you are using the ReadyDLNA TiVo functions in an x86 ReadyNAS, you really need to be running either the ReadyTiVo 1.1d addon, or RAIDiator 4.2.14 (which contains ReadyTiVo 1.2).

My thanks to the Netgear people (especially Skywalker whom I was in contact with) for their responsiveness in fixing TiVo-related bugs, plus making it more useful.

- Thom


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I've found another bug.

If there is an ampersand (&) in the show title (like Law & Order), the show is archived but the ReadyNAS doesn't list the show for the TiVo to see it.

This will probably also affect shows that have an ampersand in the episode title, if not the show title.

=== 2010-10-06 EDIT BEGIN ===

I've identified a bug in 4.2.14-T14 (and probably earlier versions) with shows that have either an & or a / in the show name or episode title. It's been reported to Netgear, they've identified the cause, and a fix will be issued soon.

=== 2010-10-06 EDIT END ===

[EDIT: BUG FIXED BY LATER SOFTWARE RELEASE]


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

The evolution of the TiVo function on the ReadyNAS x86 line continues! At least one more bugfix, which was discovered too late to make it into the commit for the 4.2.14 full release of the ReadyNAS firmware. Plus some backdoor tools for the ReadyNAS TiVo function.

Here is a link to THE ReadyTiVo 1.3.1 software addon: http://www.readynas.com/download/addons/x86/4.2/ReadyTiVo_1.3.1-x86.bin

This version has support for dump.txt, prune.txt, export.csv, and import.csv. Export.csv and import.csv are introduced in this version of ReadyTiVo. Dump.txt and prune.txt were introduced in a previous version.

When the ReadyNAS begins an archive cycle, it looks in the configured root TiVo directory to see if any files called dump.txt or prune.txt or export.csv or import.csv exist.

If dump.txt exists and is less than 2 bytes, it copies the contents of the readytivo database into dump.txt, one line per database item (show). This lets you view the database contents for troubleshooting purposes, and it also enlarges dump.txt beyond 2 bytes so that the next archive cycle will ignore dump.txt until you zero it out again.

If prune.txt exists, the ReadyNAS will read each line of prune and remove the database item (show) from the database. It only looks at the program id number at the beginning of the line. All text beyond the program id is ignored. The line must begin with a number or it will be ignored. All database entries with that program id will be removed from the database (there should be only one entry per program id). You can simply copy a line from dump.txt and paste it into prune.txt. Prune.txt is deleted after it is processed.

If export.csv exists and is less than 2 bytes, the ReadyNAS will fill it with the contents of the database in a comma delimited format, one line per database item (show). Data field purpose: SHOW_TITLE, EPISODE_NO, EPISODE_TITLE, DURATION, SERIES_ID, PROGRAM_ID, RECORDED_TIME, ARCHIVAL_TIME.

If import.csv exists and contains comma delimited data, the ReadyNAS will import that data into the database.

dump.txt and prune.txt are to be used to remove database entries that are preventing a show from being archived again.

export.csv and import.csv are to be used when migrating shows from one ReadyNAS to another ReadyNAS.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

There is still a bug with the display of Law & Order shows. They get archived to the ReadyNAS, but will not display as present when browsing to the ReadyNAS from the TiVo Now Playing list.


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## cO8W6zlv (Mar 27, 2010)

What happens when the ReadyNAS is disconnected from the network? Is it married to the TiVo like an eSATA drive?


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

No. The ReadyNAS is seen just like an external computer running TiVo Desktop software or some other TiVo-aware software.

The ReadyNAS simply makes a copy of a TiVo KUID show on the ReadyNAS hard drive array. The TiVo doesn't care if the ReadyNAS is there or not.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Thom said:


> No. The ReadyNAS is seen just like an external computer running TiVo Desktop software or some other TiVo-aware software.
> 
> The ReadyNAS simply makes a copy of a TiVo KUID show on the ReadyNAS hard drive array. The TiVo doesn't care if the ReadyNAS is there or not.


How often do you have to go in and prune back the KUID recordings? I'm so ready for a NAS (or really any kind of storage upgrade), and that one thing is probably what's keeping me from considering it as a candidate. The built-in TiVo archiving sounds like a nice feature, but the Keep Until requirement seems like an odd one...


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## cO8W6zlv (Mar 27, 2010)

Ok, I may be ready for a ReadyNAS, but I don't want the thing wailing away at 30+ db in my media room. 
How far away from the TiVo can it be placed with no degradation? Can I put it in the garage or a closet?
Does TiVo support ReadyNAS?


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

cO8W6zlv said:


> Ok, I may be ready for a ReadyNAS, but I don't want the thing wailing away at 30+ db in my media room.
> How far away from the TiVo can it be placed with no degradation? Can I put it in the garage or a closet?
> Does TiVo support ReadyNAS?


Like any other NAS (Network Attached Storage) server, it can go anywhere on your network you want it to go. It is also a backup server for your computers and a shared drive for all your users to store things on. The best place to put it is near your router, so that all users have about equal access to it.


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## jbernardis (Oct 22, 2003)

It doesn't have to be near your router - it's a network device and as long as it's anywhere on your network, anybody on that network will have access to it. I guess in a more complex home network you might have to worry about the number of hops between two devices, but I can't imagine that 2 hops introduces any meaningful latency over 1 hop - and that is about as complex as a home network would get.

Right now, my readynas is in my office - halfway accross the house from either of my tivos. When I am finished with my rewiring project, it will go in the basement where I have my router and where all the wire runs home to.


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## eallison978 (Sep 11, 2008)

For what it's worth, my NAS deauthorized my bedroom TiVo automatically. I was able to authorize it without any kind of problem. See clip from my readytivo.log below

[2010/10/25 23:00:05] config.c:210: info: Next archival scheduled for: Tue Oct 26 23:00:00 2010
[2010/10/25 23:00:56] tivo_utils.c:246: info: Holmes on Homes (Honeymoon Ensuite) is no longer KUID. Skipping.
[2010/10/25 23:00:56] tivo_utils.c:839: info: Finished archiving from Bedroom [4872].
[2010/10/25 23:01:51] tivo_utils.c:839: info: Finished archiving from Living Room [4871].
[2010/10/25 23:01:51] main.c:248: info: Finished archiving
[2010/10/26 04:36:30] discovery.c:167: info: (Browser) REMOVE: service 'Now Playing on NOTEBOOK' of type '_tivo-videos._tcp' in domain 'local'
*[2010/10/26 05:58:51] discovery.c:167: info: (Browser) REMOVE: service 'Bedroom' of type '_tivo-videos._tcp' in domain 'local'*
[2010/10/26 07:31:54] discovery.c:105: info: Verifying newly found TiVo (Bedroom)...
[2010/10/26 07:32:14] tivo_utils.c:82: error: ERROR grabbing details for Bedroom: connect() timed out!
[2010/10/26 07:32:14] discovery.c:121: info: Bedroom is not authorized
[2010/10/26 10:02:32] discovery.c:167: info: (Browser) REMOVE: service 'Now Playing on NOTEBOOK' of type '_tivo-videos._tcp' in domain 'local'
[2010/10/26 18:16:32] discovery.c:167: info: (Browser) REMOVE: service 'Now Playing on NOTEBOOK' of type '_tivo-videos._tcp' in domain 'local'
[2010/10/26 23:00:02] main.c:236: info: Doing TiVo downloads...
[2010/10/26 23:00:03] config.c:210: info: Next archival scheduled for: Wed Oct 27 23:00:00 2010
[2010/10/26 23:00:43] tivo_utils.c:602: warn: TiVo (Bedroom) is not ready
[2010/10/26 23:02:20] tivo_utils.c:839: info: Finished archiving from Living Room [8810].
[2010/10/26 23:02:20] main.c:248: info: Finished archiving


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