# Video Podcasts auto transfer to Series1 or Series2?



## MacBrian (Feb 24, 2002)

Not many of my favorite video podcasts are "subscribe-able" on my S2 TiVo. As an alternative, TivoToGo, pyTivo, etc. are great ways to get the podcasts into an S2 TiVo. But, I've got no way to delete the source video files on the PC after they've been transferred and watched without traipsing to my computer room and manually deleting them, hoping I remember which ones I've transferred and watched and which ones I haven't.

Has anyone worked out a way to use something like PyTivo or TivoServer to transcode a video podcast and then _automatically_ insert it on a hacked, network-capable Series1 or an S2 Tivo?

Seems to me like it would be possible and desirable to, for example, have a daemon monitor the iTunes "Podcasts" folder for newly arrived video podcasts, transcode them to the acceptable format for the Tivo and then FTP (insert) them to an S1 Tivo. Or even an S2, if possible.

I currently watch video podcasts with TivoToGo on my S2 Tivo (as well as the few that I have subscribed to on the Tivo itself), but I'd like a way to automate the process so that new podcasts arrive on the Tivo automatically, just like the ones you can subscribe to ON the Tivo. It seems doing something like this with an S1 Tivo might be a great way to go! Ideally an application on the Mac or Windows side of this scenario would keep track of what podcasts have been transcoded and sent to the Tivo. Then the podcast could be viewed and deleted on the Tivo. This application could also have a user-configurable "shelf-life" for source files that have been transcoded and inserted on the Tivo. (Kinda like the iTunes "keep the last 'n' episodes" preference.) One might set them to expire, for example, 2 weeks after being transcoded and inserted on the Tivo. That would keep hard drive space available on the Mac or PC and evaporate the chore of deleting the source video files from the computer.

The problem I have with TivoToGo and the Series 2 units is that MRV doesn't allow me to delete the source file on the PC from the Tivo's interface in my TV room. I'll transfer a few video podcasts, watch them, then delete them from the Tivo, but that leaves the originals on the PC and therefore still in the list of available shows to transfer. Then I have to go to the PC, remember which ones I've watched and which ones I haven't, and delete them manually. Kind of a bother--it interrupts my couch-potato time by having to go to another room to delete the files from the PC after I've watched them. (I know, I know, I'm working hard for my laziness!) 

Anyone have any ideas or leads to what might accomplish these goals?

--Brian


----------



## BTUx9 (Nov 13, 2003)

Possible: probably
Easy: very unlikely

for S2 machines, it should be possible to write an HME/HMO app that would at least let you delete manually from the Tivo UI, but for an automated solution, you'd probably have to run a daemon on the PC that communicates with a server on the Tivo (I'd suggest TWP)


----------



## MacBrian (Feb 24, 2002)

BTUx9 said:


> Possible: probably
> Easy: very unlikely
> 
> for S2 machines, it should be possible to write an HME/HMO app that would at least let you delete manually from the Tivo UI, but for an automated solution, you'd probably have to run a daemon on the PC that communicates with a server on the Tivo (I'd suggest TWP)


I haven't the foggiest idea even where to start to write an HME/HMO app. Guess this will go nowhere...


----------



## wkearney99 (Dec 5, 2003)

Another idea would be to subscribe to the podcasts on a PC. Then setup the PC to serve a copy of the podcast AFTER it's converted the video. Then just tell the Tivo to subscribe to the podcast from the PC. Shouldn't be all that much hassle to rig it up on something like a linux box. Since schedule tasks will be involved (using cron) it should be likewise trivial for the script to delete the video once it's been consumed by the Tivo.


----------



## MacBrian (Feb 24, 2002)

wkearney99 said:


> Then just tell the Tivo to subscribe to the podcast from the PC.


Interesting idea...!

But how would I tell the TiVo to subscribe? Correct me if I'm wrong -- but I'm under the impression the ONLY video podcasts one can subscribe to are the ones in TiVo's list in the "Find Programs > Download Movies & TV" menu. Unlike audio podcasts, you can't specify a URL or network address for a video podcast transfer, right? Or have I missed something in the menus somewhere?

But yes, otherwise, all transcoding and file management could be automated on the PC side, if there were only a way to automate the insertion onto the TiVo instead of manually starting the transfer through MRV.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Wait for TiVo Desktop 2.6. It is supposed to have that functionality.


----------



## wkearney99 (Dec 5, 2003)

Oh, right, without being able to specify the URL yourself it'd be a problem. Well, if you were really hell bent you could configure the router to redirect the Tivo's web traffic to your own internal setup. But I'm guessing that's beyond the scope of what most folks would put up with. There's only "so many" flaming hoops you want to jump through...


----------



## MacBrian (Feb 24, 2002)

wkearney99 said:


> There's only "so many" flaming hoops you want to jump through...


Heehee...yeah, to do something that _seems_ as simple as wanting to delete a watched program on the remote system. If TiVo's working on this for the next update, then there's no point in reinventing the wheel. But I know how TiVo's updates go...what was it, over 2 years to get TiVoToGo functionality on a Mac?


----------



## Xtra7973 (Apr 6, 2006)

I haven't tried this but it may just work for you. In nanvue there is an option for it to monitor any directory for files to process. So it should process any podcast you setup in nanvue for that directory then upload it all automatically for you. It also has a delete source option for when its done converting the file and uploading it. I will have to try this myself, to be honest I never really thought about using it that way.


----------



## MacBrian (Feb 24, 2002)

Xtra7973 said:


> I haven't tried this but it may just work for you. In nanvue there is an option for it to monitor any directory for files to process.


Thanks! I hadn't heard of "nanvue" before -- I'll check it out. But in "BREAKING NEWS" - I think I'll wait for this:

http://investor.tivo.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=284912

Amazing, and very timely!


----------

