# Tivo to iPad



## Czachorski (Mar 30, 2002)

Any hope of an iPad app that will stream / transfer content from the iTivo straight to the iPad?

I could accomplish this with existing tools via iTivo by going Tivo->download and transcode to the Mac->sync to the iPad. Would be nice to cut out the middle man, so to speak. Any hope for this? Is there anything like this for the iPhone now?

It would be ideal to skip the transcode and just be able to play Tivo files natively on the iPad.


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## solutionsetc (Apr 2, 2009)

Czachorski said:


> Any hope of an iPad app that will stream / transfer content from the iTivo straight to the iPad?


TiVo won't do it. A Slingbox will do it on iPhone and will probably have an app for the iPad soon.


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## AandFDakota2001 (Sep 6, 2008)

Another option that I have used a long time ago is a program called Orb. Should be able to do a Google Search on it, but it had the ability to automatically transfer files from your TiVo to your computer and then stream the TiVo files straight to your mobile device. There's an iPhone app for Orb too. It's been quite some time since I did this so it may not be the same anymore. It's not direct, but you don't have to be home to do it.


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## Czachorski (Mar 30, 2002)

Thanks for the slingbox tip. I researched it all afternoon, and this seems to be exactly what I am looking for. I went to BB a few hours ago and bought one, and its working great so far. Does exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks again!


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## flaminiom (Dec 27, 2008)

When sling puts out an iPad version I'll probably pick it up. Too cool.

Still, a Tivo app would be better if you could transfer in the background rather than occupying the Tivo.


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## Sapphire (Sep 10, 2002)

solutionsetc said:


> TiVo won't do it. A Slingbox will do it on iPhone and will probably have an app for the iPad soon.


I thought that the iPad was able to run all iPod/iPhone apps?


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

Raj said:


> I thought that the iPad was able to run all iPod/iPhone apps?


It should, but maybe a newly written app would take advantage of the increased resolution rather than just pixel doubling.


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## Czachorski (Mar 30, 2002)

hefe said:


> It should, but maybe a newly written app would take advantage of the increased resolution rather than just pixel doubling.


I'm actually not too worried about that. I think that the iPod resolution will look just fine doubled to take up the iPads screen size.

As a test, I took a movie that I imported with handbrake at iPod resolution and opened it on my computer and doubled the window size, and it looked great. Even at full screen on my 24" iMac it looked acceptable. Very watchable.

I too hope that sling recognizes the great market that the iPad may represent for them, and puts out an iPad app that makes use of the full resolution. In the mean time, I am expecting that I will be happy running the iPhone app at double size.


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## DocNo (Oct 10, 2001)

Czachorski said:


> In the mean time, I am expecting that I will be happy running the iPhone app at double size.


Enjoy it while it lasts. In-app purchases can be tied to individual devices, so look for future paid updates to happen as in app purchases 

I'll probably skip every other version and just re-buy so I can continue to use apps on multiple devices, but I look for things with the iPad to get interesting.


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## Czachorski (Mar 30, 2002)

DocNo said:


> Enjoy it while it lasts. In-app purchases can be tied to individual devices, so look for future paid updates to happen as in app purchases
> 
> I'll probably skip every other version and just re-buy so I can continue to use apps on multiple devices, but I look for things with the iPad to get interesting.


I'm fully expecting to have to pay $30 when/if sling comes out with a dedicated iPad app. In the mean time, the existing iPhone app (if it runs on the iPad) should suit me just fine - if they offer me any in-app paid updates, I'll just skip them.


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

Watching movies on every screen including IPad is getting a little much. When does a new idea get old fast? When you keep saying and thinking the same old ideas should be put on every new device. 

However since IPad is on the coffee table anyway, why not turn it into a super remote as well as e-periodical and get rid of all the other clutter!


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

Joe3 said:


> Watching movies on every screen including IPad is getting a little much. When does a new idea get old fast? When you keep saying and thinking the same old ideas should be put on every new device.
> 
> However since IPad is on the coffee table anyway, why not turn it into a super remote as well as e-periodical and get rid of all the other clutter!


there are iPhone apps for remote control that would work on the iPad. So that is happening. As far as the movies on every screen - sure if I bought every device out there then likely having movies on all of them would be overkill. I personally plan on just buying the gadgets that fit my needs and being to watch video on a device meant for video is one of those needs on what I buy. I do not plan to buy an iPad for other reasons, mainly cost versus what it does


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## MediaLivingRoom (Dec 10, 2002)

I would love an iPad app (WiFi Only) that will allow MRV for all TiVo recorded (not live) video.

TiVo would get a lot of press, as the cable companies DVR's do not have that. (yet)


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## solutionsetc (Apr 2, 2009)

The iPad won't play TiVo's mpeg transfers, they will have to be transcoded and put into iTunes for syncing. There are already third party apps to do this (like iTivo).


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## MediaLivingRoom (Dec 10, 2002)

AT&T U-Verse Mobile First Video: Watch Your Favorite Shows By Phone

http://gizmodo.com/5501314/att-u+verse-mobile-first-video-watch-your-favorite-shows-by-phone


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## Czachorski (Mar 30, 2002)

solutionsetc said:


> The iPad won't play TiVo's mpeg transfers, they will have to be transcoded and put into iTunes for syncing. There are already third party apps to do this (like iTivo).


Yeah, but I don't like the transcoding. It interjects an intermediary step in the process that requires pre-planning of what shows you want on the iPad. I want to be laying in bed, and be able to instantly watch anything on my Tivo on the iPad. The slingbox is a perfect solution for that.

If Tivo wanted to impress me with Premier, they would have included the ability to device shift and place shift more easily. My dream is to have complete and instant exchange of content between my Tivo, my Mac, my iPhone, the web and now an iPad, all wrapped up in an elegant user interface, like only Tivo and Apple can do. If Tivo would have done that, I would think they were visionary and re-inventive. I guess you can tell that I am not too impressed with their direction, or Premier. That being said, I will be a lifelong customer, because what they do, they do well.


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## javabird (Oct 13, 2006)

Czachorski said:


> Yeah, but I don't like the transcoding. It interjects an intermediary step in the process that requires pre-planning of what shows you want on the iPad. I want to be laying in bed, and be able to instantly watch anything on my Tivo on the iPad. The slingbox is a perfect solution for that.
> .


It sounds like what you want is an AppleTV, instead of a Tivo, which will do this.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

javabird said:


> It sounds like what you want is an AppleTV, instead of a Tivo, which will do this.


simply put - the Apple solution is to pay for the convenience requested and pay per show.


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## Czachorski (Mar 30, 2002)

ZeoTiVo said:


> simply put - the Apple solution is to pay for the convenience requested and pay per show.


That's why I don't like their business model. Tivo + cable + slingbox is far more cost efficient, given the number of shows we watch.

If Apple can come up with a subscription model for access to all the shows that I can currently get on cable, for a price that is competitive with cable, then I will dump my Tivo for Apple TV. Trouble is, I don't see the bottleneck being Apple, as much as it is the content providers right now. But like the dinosaurs, they too will be extinct soon.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

Would it be an app for the iPad? or would you just go to watch.slingbox.com?


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## Czachorski (Mar 30, 2002)

magnus said:


> Would it be an app for the iPad? or would you just go to watch.slingbox.com?


I think it will have to be an iPad app. Believe me, as soon as I get my iPad, the first thing I will try in the watch web site. But in order to get it to run properly on my Mac, it was necessary to install a plug in for Safari. I don't believe that will be possible with the iPad, but we will see.


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## BigBoris (Oct 9, 2001)

How much would you pay for such an app? $10? Just asking ... not because I'm working on something like this ...


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

Allowing MRV directly to non TIVO devices would surely reduce revenues. Why would you buy a second TIVO when you can just use another device that doesn't require a subscription?


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## davezatz (Apr 18, 2002)

magnus said:


> Would it be an app for the iPad? or would you just go to watch.slingbox.com?


The web browser requires a plugin and won't work in the iPad. However, there's already an iPhone Slingbox box app ($30). Thoughts how it works on the iPad are here. Video by Jeff F below. And what's coming next.


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## JPA2825 (May 15, 2000)

Not sure if this needs a new thread OR should be posted in the TTG forum. If so, would a Mod please advise?

Have iPod videos & Touches in the family already. iMac & MacBook Air are the 2 computers in the house. Just bought a new iPad and have the following questions:

1 - is iTiVo still the best / only solution for moving shows from TiVo HD to iPod video / Touch / iPad? If not, what is?

2 - if yes, what resolution would be best chosen for replay on the iPad? I have viewed a few programs that were converted at the basic iPod resolution and they looked fine to me. Just didn't know if bumping up the resolution would make it even better. 

3 - If change of resolution, how much extra time will it take? We are already in the habit of queueing a few shows when we go to bed at night and letting it run overnight since it takes so long and doesn't seem to like when other things are being done at the same time.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

Well, that stinks. I really do not think I should have to pay $30 for that app. I'd be willing to pay $10 though.



davezatz said:


> The web browser requires a plugin and won't work in the iPad. However, there's already an iPhone Slingbox box app ($30). Thoughts how it works on the iPad are here. Video by Jeff F below. And what's coming next.


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## esa (Apr 16, 2002)

I downloaded the Netflix App onto my iPad and have all of my "Watch Instantly" movies & TV shows available via my home Wi-Fi setup. Works like a charm. BTW, viewing them on an iPad is a great experience --- beautiful picture!

esa


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## avidicus (Jun 10, 2010)

I would pay $30 for a iPad app that mimics the convienece and functionality of the Netflix app. Throw in the ability to schedule programming and you have a complete package...


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Part of the problem is that doesn't it take longer than realtime to transfer some programs? Even on an Ethernet network, transferring an SD program with iTivo (no conversion) seems to take about half an hour for an hour long program. HD would be a lot longer.

However... as a total wild guess.. it seems like there already exist the basic building blocks to make something like this..

start "downloading" the program like iTivo does, but pipe the output through tivodecode then to a decoder that will translate it into something that the iPad can play.

Part of the problem with this is that most/all of the existing tools that can do this are GPL. If some are LGPL, someone could possibly link them into their app without having to release the source code for the entire app.

Yes, this is a pie in the sky idea, but it seems technologically doable. (Though you'd have to do more work to be able to do it from outside your house -- I actually haven't yet figured out how to do that part -- some kind of port forwarding.. I'd like to be able to download shows to my computer at work in the background..)


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

TiVo Desktop 2.8.1 now supports iPad. The converted shows are put into iTunes and will sync when you connect the iPad.


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## bkeny01 (Jul 1, 2005)

CuriousMark said:


> TiVo Desktop 2.8.1 now supports iPad. The converted shows are put into iTunes and will sync when you connect the iPad.


I also put a converted for ipad Stargate universe onto my htc hd2 and it looked fantastic and played without a hitch


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## bigpatky (Apr 23, 2008)

can someone direct me or post the video specs for the tivo desktop ipad conversion? what resolution is it? bitrate?


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## ccfoodog (Feb 16, 2009)

Right now I'm using Tivo Desktop Plus to transfer Tivo files to my PC, then using Pavtube Blu-Ray Video Converter Ultimate to transcode for the iPad. 

Badaboom shows promise with the GPU CUDA support, but it doesn't seem to like the Tivo files (it will do DVDs OK).

I read that Tivo desktop is going to get a minor rev any day now which will support the iPad as an output option.

But.... As indicated in this thread, what would really be nice is direct streaming support.

That said, I don't think my Tivo HD has the horsepower to transcode on the fly, and the iPad is picky about formats. Sigh.

-john


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## ccfoodog (Feb 16, 2009)

CuriousMark said:


> TiVo Desktop 2.8.1 now supports iPad. The converted shows are put into iTunes and will sync when you connect the iPad.


Any chance you know when we'll actually see this? I see no clues on the web site and the "check for update" on my Tivo Desktop Plus says I have the most recent version..

Thanks.

-john


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

ccfoodog said:


> Any chance you know when we'll actually see this? I see no clues on the web site and the "check for update" on my Tivo Desktop Plus says I have the most recent version..
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> -john


It's been available since at least 6/3/2010:


TiVoJerry said:


> Many of the problems with OS7 should be resolved with the 2.8.1 version of Desktop. You can download it from www.tivo.com/desktop. This new version also has:
> 
> * Troubleshooting for common issues available from the Help menu.
> * The Add Video button on the Video tab is now active with or without entering a Plus key.
> ...


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## ccfoodog (Feb 16, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up. Am trying it now.

-john


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## JimmaJabba (Jun 25, 2010)

I had to manually download the 2.8.1 update... 2.8.0 didn't detect it's availability using "check for updates"...


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## JimmaJabba (Jun 25, 2010)

Also, does anyone know why TiVo Desktop converts video for iPad to 640 x 360 when the native resolution for the iPad is 1024 x 728? Is there a way to change the rez that the converted defaults to?


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## MJedi (Jun 17, 2002)

I wish there was a TiVo app that allows streaming to an iPad locally, similar to the MRV feature on TiVos. I don't need a Slingbox, since don't care about watching my TV shows outside the house. Yeah, I could transfer the shows to my Mac using Toast, but that would require transferring, converting then syncing every show I want to watch.

Sadly, this probably won't happen.

Want to watch TiVo shows on your iPad? Oops. There's no app for that.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

MRV doesn't stream -- it copies. (unfortunately)


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

davezatz said:


> The web browser requires a plugin and won't work in the iPad. However, there's already an iPhone Slingbox box app ($30). Thoughts how it works on the iPad are here. Video by Jeff F below. And what's coming next.


Wow that is really slow to respond to remote input. I have a Solo and if I use my laptop connected to WiFi to control it there is only a tiny lag between press and response. That thing seemed to have like a 3+ second delay. That would drive me nuts! Not to mention it would be practically useless for FF/RW.

Dan


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

So if you bought the Slingplayer app for the iPhone and want it on the iPad, do you have to pay for it again? Or does the app for the iPhone work on the iPad?


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

It should work, but of course you'll only get iPhone quality -- it'll be video doubled (if you put it into that mode).


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Resist said:


> So if you bought the Slingplayer app for the iPhone and want it on the iPad, do you have to pay for it again? Or does the app for the iPhone work on the iPad?


Sling could update the existing app into a combined iPhone/iPad app. Somehow I don't think they'll go that route though. Considering the resolution on the iPhone 4, new iPod Touch and iPad are similar, it would make sense to do so though.

Sling doesn't seem to move very quickly when doing anything. It took them weeks to fix a login problem that should have been fixed in a day. Who knows how long it will take to come out with an iPad app.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

CuriousMark said:


> TiVo Desktop 2.8.1 now supports iPad. The converted shows are put into iTunes and will sync when you connect the iPad.


But this is only available for PC, is that right? I can't seem to find a mac version of the TiVo desktop software that allows you to even transfer shows to your computer, let alone get them on your iPad. Is that right? Is this expected to change anytime soon?


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## Gregor (Feb 18, 2002)

For Mac, iTivo is your friend.


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## jmeray (Apr 28, 2003)

For my iphone i have used a little app called TVHARMONY. Works nicely, and it does all the work in the background. Unfortunately it hasn't been updated in quite some time so although it works ok for the iphone, not so sure we'll ever get a dedicated iPad config (although i believe you can config your own output to match iPad specs).

I also use the slingbox. Yeah, would love the quality to be better on the iPad, but its certainly watchable for keeping up with a baseball game or football when you are multitasking. If you are dedicated to watching the game only, then you'd do much better to turn on the 42" 1080p in the Man cave.


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## genjyo622 (Oct 12, 2010)

Transferring TiVo recordings to PC is easy and straight-forward. All you need is a freeware by TiVo--- the TiVo Desktop. Connect the TiVo box with your home network, and run TiVo Desktop. Click on "Pick Recordings to Transfer". Check the box next to the title of the show (or shows) you want to transfer and click on "Start Transfer". Transfer times vary, but may be as long as the show's duration to complete the transfer.

Convert TiVo recordings to to iPad compatible formats with pavtube.
forums.tivo.com/pe/action/forums/displaythread;jsessionid=4D283F6EC9B0608F52A12F764C6397D5?postID=10462445&ie=x#e10462445


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Originator is using a Mac, Tivo Desktop isn't fully capable on the Mac.. you have to buy Toast to do it officially, or as the originator already mentioned, use something like iTivo.


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## shootsbooz (May 22, 2004)

I haven't tried it, but couldn't you have Tivo Desktop do an IPOD transfer then just point AirVideo at the IPad compatible files? Now that I think about it, I am sure that the IPad files may have DRM embedded in them. I will give it a try and report back.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Did you read what I said MONTHS ago? Tivo Desktop DOES NOT TRANSFER FILES ON THE MAC.


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