# kmttg & Tivo Desktop



## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

Some n00b kmttg questions here, so please forgive if they seem green.

For ages I've been a user (if not a proponent) of TiVo Desktop. Even paid for it many years ago. It's been what I've needed to use simply because I used it almost exclusively for just transferring programs back and forth from my TiVos to my desktop where I have quite a truckload of saved stuff.

Anyways, tonight I looked at kmttg, and have to say it's much improved over the last time I used it. I'm considering using just that for my transfers over desktop, because of the radically larger amount of info and options available to me. There's one other beef with TiVo Desktop is that some shows that we keep on the TiVo's (mostly kids shows like Dinosaur Train, stuff like that) have a habit of just being transferred again for no apparent reason, I'd like to stop that.

To that, if I go that route, what do I need to do in terms of uninstalling Tivo Desktop? If I just uninstall TiVo Desktop, will that leave my computer in a state where I can watch the .tivo files on my desktop, and also leave it where I can see what's on my desktop from the TiVo's elsewhere in the house?

Or if I uninstall TiVo Desktop, is there something I need to add on to kmttg to replicate the "server" function? (again sorry if I'm not using the terms right).

I suppose the other option would be to disable all auto transfers in TiVo Desktop, and then just leave it alone, never running desktop, but I suspect that's not the recommended way of doing this.

Tkx for any info.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Joe Siegler said:


> I suppose the other option would be to disable all auto transfers in TiVo Desktop, and then just leave it alone, never running desktop, but I suspect that's not the recommended way of doing this.
> 
> Tkx for any info.


That's basically what I've been doing for several years now. I do usually have the TiVo Desktop server paused. I see no reason to uninstall it. I use it to xfer shows back to my TiVo. There are other ways, but that works for me.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

waynomo said:


> That's basically what I've been doing for several years now. I do usually have the TiVo Desktop server paused. I see no reason to uninstall it. I use it to xfer shows back to my TiVo. There are other ways, but that works for me.


If you leave it paused, then how do the TiVos see the computer to pull shows? I don't want to come in and turn it on only when I want to transfer something, I want that to be available all the time. One never knows when the mood might strike to transfer something. If I'm sitting there with the remote, I'll find something else vs getting up and walking across the house to restart the server just for that.

Yeah, I know #firstworldproblems


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

I replaced TDP with PyTivo and KMTTG. With PyTivo, now I can have several folders to get the videos from on the Tivo, where as TDP only has a meeger single folder, and much less functions. PyTivo has more. I even have transferred .mp4, .mkv files also.

I have also initiated a download from the iPad and it gets downloaded to my PC. TDP cannot do that. 

You would not even need TDP installed, not even a partial uninstall is needed if you were to use the decrypt function in KMTTG. They would be a .mpg MPEG2 file instead of .TiVo.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

ThAbtO said:


> You would not even need TDP installed, not even a partial uninstall is needed if you were to....


OK, I'm confused by that. ARe you saying I would need TDP installed or NOT installed?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> OK, I'm confused by that. ARe you saying I would need TDP installed or NOT installed?


You would not need Desktop at all if you used PyTivo (instead) to allow copying back to Tivo.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

OK, I'll give this combo a go, foregoing TDP. See how I get along after doing it the other way for many years.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

I've been using PyTivo for years now, ever since Tivo Desktop's Tivoserver.exe quit working, so I uninstalled it and installed PyTivo. the only hard part is the setting up, but once that is done, it really flies.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

I had a cheat the old way. I had videos in two places. I pointed TDP to the standard TiVo directory, but all the uh, "other" video I had was elsewhere. In the TDP sanctioned directory, I had a shortcut to the other. It worked fine when using TDP. Will have to see if pyTiVo respects that. 

That was my way around "TDP can only look at one directory".


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

I had about 5 folder show up on my Tivos and they all work to their respective folders on the PC. Another plus is KMTTG can push with PyTivo, doubt TD can do that.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Get the WmcBrine version, think it was easier to setup.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

I'm already setup. Once I get done doing what I'm doing, I'll go check it out.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Joe Siegler said:


> If you leave it paused, then how do the TiVos see the computer to pull shows? I don't want to come in and turn it on only when I want to transfer something, I want that to be available all the time. One never knows when the mood might strike to transfer something. If I'm sitting there with the remote, I'll find something else vs getting up and walking across the house to restart the server just for that.
> 
> Yeah, I know #firstworldproblems


My TiVo can still see and transfer files from the PC with the desktop server paused.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

Joe Siegler said:


> In the TDP sanctioned directory, I had a shortcut to the other. It worked fine when using TDP. Will have to see if pyTiVo respects that.


pyTivo doesn't speak Windows shortcuts. Instead, point pyTivo directly at the directory you need, or else make a true filesystem-level link.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Joe Siegler said:


> I had a cheat the old way. I had videos in two places. I pointed TDP to the standard TiVo directory, but all the uh, "other" video I had was elsewhere. In the TDP sanctioned directory, I had a shortcut to the other. It worked fine when using TDP. Will have to see if pyTiVo respects that.
> 
> That was my way around "TDP can only look at one directory".


I've got a Buffalo Linkstation (NAS drive) and I discovered that I can put a short cut to it inside the My TiVo Recordings folder and any .tivo files on it are available to my TiVos just like the other .tivo files in there.

Unfortunately it's only 500GB.

Hardly worth bothering with.


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

If you uninstall Desktop, I'd use the Remove Partial option. That way it leaves the decryption layer behind so that you can still play files on the PC with Media Player. VideoReDo also needs that layer to load .TiVo files.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

ggieseke said:


> If you uninstall Desktop, I'd use the Remove Partial option. That way it leaves the decryption layer behind so that you can still play files on the PC with Media Player. VideoReDo also needs that layer to load .TiVo files.


Yes, but if you were to put the .TiVo files onto another PC without TD installed/partial uninstall, it would not play there.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

ggieseke said:


> If you uninstall Desktop, I'd use the Remove Partial option. That way it leaves the decryption layer behind so that you can still play files on the PC with Media Player. VideoReDo also needs that layer to load .TiVo files.


If I fully go that route, what I'll probably do is just leave TDP installed, and just preventing it from running at startup. JUST IN CASE something unforseen comes up and I'd need it. Figure it can't hurt to leave it there, not like HD space is an issue in 2013 anymore. 

I got it all up and running last night. Need to solve a port problem, as my push to TiVo isn't working, and from what I can gather, that's usually up to a port on the computer's firewall.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> If I fully go that route, what I'll probably do is just leave TDP installed, and just preventing it from running at startup. JUST IN CASE something unforseen comes up and I'd need it. Figure it can't hurt to leave it there, not like HD space is an issue in 2013 anymore.
> 
> I got it all up and running last night. Need to solve a port problem, as my push to TiVo isn't working, and from what I can gather, that's usually up to a port on the computer's firewall.


TD will still reside in PC hogging memory, but with KMTTG's Decrypt function, its totally unnecessary. I think PyTivo needs autopush.jar to setup push.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

ThAbtO said:


> TD will still reside in PC hogging memory, but with KMTTG's Decrypt function, its totally unnecessary. I think PyTivo needs autopush.jar to setup push.


It won't be in memory if I turn the service off, and prevent all the various bits from running in startup.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> It won't be in memory if I turn the service off, and prevent all the various bits from running in startup.


If you pull up Task Manager (Press CTRL-Shift-ESC), there may be a "Tivoserver.exe" running under the process tab.

When I had TDP installed and it quit working, Tivoserver.exe was running at startup and hogging most of my CPU processes and never stopped.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

ThAbtO said:


> If you pull up Task Manager, there may be a "Tivoserver.exe" running under the process tab.


There isn't. I also prevented three TiVo items from running in startup, one of them named that.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> There isn't. I also prevented three TiVo items from running in startup, one of them named that.


You may have stopped it, but the next time you start up Windows, it would start again.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

Not if you go into services and disable stuff there, too (on top of the three in startup).


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## RusRus (Apr 8, 2013)

OK, I'm totally confused. I don't have Tivo Desktop Plus but I do have Tivo Desk Top (the free version).

There is all this talk of "transferring" recorded programs from the Tivo DVR to the computer using DTP.

Using just Desk Top I can copy, not transfer, a recording from my DVR to my computer and I can view the show both on my computer and my TV.

If I delete the show on my DVR I can still view it on my PC. If I delete if from my PC I can still view it on my TV.

So what I'm saying is I am not transferring the program from my DVR to my PC; I'm "copying" the show.

If I come back from a trip I do not have to "transfer" unseen shows back to my DVR as they were never "transferred" to begin with but only copied.

Shouldn't we be using the term copy and not transfer when referring to recordings from our DVR to our PC? Or is this just semantics?


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

Joe Siegler said:


> Need to solve a port problem, as my push to TiVo isn't working, and from what I can gather, that's usually up to a port on the computer's firewall.


If you're talking about pyTivo, Push failure is usually due to failure of mind.tivo.com. Or if you just don't have your tivo_username and tivo_password set in pyTivo.conf.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

wmcbrine said:


> If you're talking about pyTivo, Push failure is usually due to failure of mind.tivo.com. Or if you just don't have your tivo_username and tivo_password set in pyTivo.conf.


I do have them set.

I also set all this up after midnight when I was tired, so it's possible something was misconfigured. But so far everything's working except push to TiVo with the kmttg/pyTivo combo.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> I do have them set.
> 
> I also set all this up after midnight when I was tired, so it's possible something was misconfigured. But so far everything's working except push to TiVo with the kmttg/pyTivo combo.


Did you know that whenever you make changes to PyTivo (not through the web interface), you would need to stop and restart the service.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

ThAbtO said:


> Did you know that whenever you make changes to PyTivo (not through the web interface), you would need to stop and restart the service.


Well, everything I've changed with pyTiVo has been through the web interface, and whenever I've done that, I've restarted it. Again, web interface. If that's not what I'm supposed to be doing, let me know.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> Well, everything I've changed with pyTiVo has been through the web interface, and whenever I've done that, I've restarted it. Again, web interface. If that's not what I'm supposed to be doing, let me know.


It can be done either way. I usually do not use the web interface except on the iPad.


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## christheman (Feb 21, 2013)

RusRus said:


> OK, I'm totally confused. I don't have Tivo Desktop Plus but I do have Tivo Desk Top (the free version).
> 
> There is all this talk of "transferring" recorded programs from the Tivo DVR to the computer using DTP.
> 
> ...


My take on semantics:

To me "transfer" means to copy from one medium to another, as is used in the motion picture industry with "film transfer" to indicate where an entire celluloid film reel is copied frame by frame or cell by cell by semi-automated optical machine to a computer. Or as many people say, "digitize" (bless their hearts). In the end the film finds its way back to the canister unharmed. They actually go to great lengths to try to preserve it. So I may be stepping on some toes by saying this, but to me a Transfer would indeed be more similar to a Copy. In any case the word Transfer is basically open for interpretation.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

I've only been using this for two days, so I'm going with web interface for now.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> I've only been using this for two days, so I'm going with web interface for now.


yea, I guess you can call me an advanced PyTivo user.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

Hey, I believe I read somewhere that one can create a Wishlist for a TiVo box on kmttg as opposed to the incessant boop-boop you have to do with the peanut in front of the TV.

I took a look, and couldn't find where to do that. Assuming this is possible, can someone direct me to it? Tkx.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

Joe Siegler said:


> Hey, I believe I read somewhere that one can create a Wishlist for a TiVo box on kmttg as opposed to the incessant boop-boop you have to do with the peanut in front of the TV.
> 
> I took a look, and couldn't find where to do that. Assuming this is possible, can someone direct me to it? Tkx.


* Make sure you have latest kmttg version installed from here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/kmttg/files/?source=navbar
* From main kmttg window choose "Remote" tab and then "Search" or "Guide" sub tab and you can use "WL" button to create wishlists (including auto record wishlists if you want).


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

moyekj said:


> * Make sure you have latest kmttg version installed from here:
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/kmttg/files/?source=navbar


I should, unless it's been updated in the last week and a half. Haven't been using this too long.



> * From main kmttg window choose "Remote" tab and then "Search" or "Guide" sub tab and you can use "WL" button to create wishlists (including auto record wishlists if you want).


Tkx, I'll go check it out.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

BTW, after messing with this since early September, I just realized tonight that I haven't used Tivo Desktop once. 

Actually, no wait there was one time. There was an episode of a kids show I was having problems getting the proper metadata transferred over, and I tried with TDP, but that was the only time.

It's actually still installed on the computer, I never uninstalled it - I just disabled it from ever running again, and been using the kmttg/pytivo combo.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

RusRus said:


> OK, I'm totally confused. I don't have Tivo Desktop Plus but I do have Tivo Desk Top (the free version).
> 
> There is all this talk of "transferring" recorded programs from the Tivo DVR to the computer using DTP.
> 
> ...


It really is "copy" (and not what Microsoft calls "move", which is copy and then delete the source), but TiVo Desktop calls it "transfer" instead of "copy" for some reason, so in talking about Desktop we often say "transfer", but we're talking about a process that leaves the source intact.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

RusRus said:


> Or is this just semantics?


Yes.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

OK, I've been using this combo now for almost two months, and have gotten quite used to it. One odd question. When I run kmttg, I get a command prompt window pop up and then the app runs. The window just sits there, nothing on it, and my closing it doesn't seem to have any effect on kmttg's operation.

What is that? Is it harming anything to close it out? I get picky and like a tidy desktop. Tkx.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Joe Siegler said:


> OK, I've been using this combo now for almost two months, and have gotten quite used to it. One odd question. When I run kmttg, I get a command prompt window pop up and then the app runs. The window just sits there, nothing on it, and my closing it doesn't seem to have any effect on kmttg's operation.
> 
> What is that? Is it harming anything to close it out? I get picky and like a tidy desktop. Tkx.


How are you starting KMTTG?

I don't get that when I start it.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

waynomo said:


> How are you starting KMTTG?
> 
> I don't get that when I start it.


It's a shortcut that is sitting in "\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs".

That shortcut is pinned to the Start screen (I run Windows 8.1). It's the only way I could figure out how to put an icon for kmttg on the Win8 Start screen. I couldn't pin directly to the .jar file.

Edit: If I go straight to the shortcut as opposed to the "pin" on the Win8 Start screen, I get that same box.

Edit 2: If I go straight to the .jar file and click that, no box.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> It's a shortcut that is sitting in "\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs".
> 
> That shortcut is pinned to the Start screen (I run Windows 8.1). It's the only way I could figure out how to put an icon for kmttg on the Win8 Start screen. I couldn't pin directly to the .jar file.
> 
> Edit: If I go straight to the shortcut as opposed to the "pin" on the Win8 Start screen, I get that same box.


Right click the icon, properties, and set target to the jar file if it isn't.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

ThAbtO said:


> Right click the icon, properties, and set target to the jar file if it isn't.


It's currently set for this:


```
%SystemRoot%\system32\cmd.exe /C C:\Users\Joe\Documents\kmttg_v1p0e\kmttg.jar
```
Which if I'm not mistaken was the way the docs told me to do that. Given I was unfamiliar with the software on initial setup, I followed the docs pretty closely.

EDIT: OK, I took out that bit at the beginning with the systemroot & /C and it runs the app and doesn't give me the box.

EDIT 2: The Win8 pin also works right now, too. If that bit with systemroot & /C isn't needed, why was it in the docs then?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Joe Siegler said:


> It's currently set for this:
> 
> 
> ```
> ...


C:\Users\Joe\Documents\kmttg_v1p0e\kmttg.jar

This is all that is needed.

The CMD will open a command prompt window giving access to DOS commands.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

I now have about a dozen versions of KMTTG in my single kmttg folder. Each time its updated, I make a copy and rename to kmttg_xx_version.jar. A desktop shortcut still points to an older version and I also have a keyboard shortcut button that points to kmttg.jar. They will always use the same kmttg.ini config file.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

Does anyone running KMTTG on Windows have a good icon to use? The default shortcut shows a pretty dumpy looking icon, and I was hoping someone had a suggestion for something better than that. Tkx.


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## Joe Siegler (May 10, 2000)

I ended up using the icons embedded in the TiVo Desktop programs, which are still installed on this computer, but just deactivated. I left them there "just in case" something crops up I can't conceive right now, and I might need them. Doesn't hurt anything, they're not running anyway.  Here's a screen grab of what I did - see attached.

I also wanted to thank those that got me pointed in the direction of kmttg. I'm now hooked on it, and can't imagine going back to TD+ at this point (despite leaving them installed). This does a whole lot more than I thought was possible.

Makes me sad that TiVo didn't develop their software better. Oh well.


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