# Hacking DirectTV Tivo System



## mizuhri (Jun 20, 2006)

Want to hack my DirectTV Tivo so I can get shows from it to my PC. I am afraid I will mess something up if I take it apart or do other things. Is hacking it my only possible way to transfer files from Tivo to PC?


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

mizuhri said:


> Want to hack my DirectTV Tivo so I can get shows from it to my PC. I am afraid I will mess something up if I take it apart or do other things. Is hacking it my only possible way to transfer files from Tivo to PC?


If you have a video capture card in your pc you could use the input as a vcr and use a composite or s-vid out from D*. If you want to use a network you need to hack.


----------



## mizuhri (Jun 20, 2006)

JWThiers said:


> If you have a video capture card in your pc you could use the input as a vcr and use a composite or s-vid out from D*. If you want to use a network you need to hack.


Do you think they will ever make TivoToGO for DirectTV Tivo's?


----------



## Martin Tupper (Dec 18, 2003)

No.


----------



## mizuhri (Jun 20, 2006)

Martin Tupper said:


> No.


Why? Any certain reason?


----------



## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

Copyright issues mostly. OTOH, the picture quality of TTG extracted videos is inferior to the ones you extract directly from a hacked unit.


----------



## cheer (Nov 13, 2005)

Especially as DirecTV is moving away from Tivo, I wouldn't expect much in the way of new features. They have said they plan on some kind of downloadable video feature for their newer non-Tivo DVRs but no timeframes.

Any other method of getting videos off cannot be discussed on this forum.


----------



## mizuhri (Jun 20, 2006)

I am just scared that I will mess something up when I go to hack it. My Tivo is my life.


----------



## Nandy (May 13, 2006)

Buy one of the kits from PTV upgrade and get a computer inclined person to make the hardware swap. The way I see it a tivo is not more than a modified linux box with a video card. Otherwise, video capture is the only way.


----------



## mizuhri (Jun 20, 2006)

Nandy said:


> Buy one of the kits from PTV upgrade and get a computer inclined person to make the hardware swap. The way I see it a tivo is not more than a modified linux box with a video card. Otherwise, video capture is the only way.


I have a tuner card in my computer.


----------



## Scott D (Jun 17, 2001)

> I have a tuner card in my computer.


But I bet it isn't a satellite tuner.


----------



## Budget_HT (Jan 2, 2001)

Some tuner cards also have line inputs which could be used to receive the analog video and audio from the DirecTiVo.


----------



## cheer (Nov 13, 2005)

Even if it doesn't, you can go from the RF output (assuming it's not an HR10-250) to the tuner card's input, then set the tuner software to channel 3.

OK, it won't look great. But it will work.


----------



## mizuhri (Jun 20, 2006)

What tuner card would I need for my DirectTV Tivo?


----------



## cheer (Nov 13, 2005)

Best you can do is get a tuner card that accepts S-Video in and capture it that way. There are no tuner cards that will do a digital capture from a Tivo.

If you have the HD Tivo you might be able to get a tuner card that accepts component HD video, but I have no idea if that will really work or how effective it is.


----------



## mizuhri (Jun 20, 2006)

So all I need is a tuner card that has S-Video? thats it?


----------



## cheer (Nov 13, 2005)

Yes, and of course capture software (but your tuner card ought to include that).

It will be slow -- as in realtime slow. You'll have to start the capture recording and then play the show from the Tivo. And no guarantees on the quality (which will largely depend on the quality of the tuner card, but with a DirecTV SD Tivo the best you can possibly hope for is SVCD quality, and odds are you won't quite get that).


----------



## rbautch (Feb 6, 2004)

If you have a digital camcorder, you can also use that instead of a capture card. Back in the old days, I used to run a S-video cable from tivo to camcorder, then firewire from camcorder to pc. Worked great, and the video quality was decent.


----------



## cheer (Nov 13, 2005)

rbautch said:


> If you have a digital camcorder, you can also use that instead of a capture card. Back in the old days, I used to run a S-video cable from tivo to camcorder, then firewire from camcorder to pc. Worked great, and the video quality was decent.


Yep, good idea, although many digital cameras nowadays don't include the analog inputs anymore...


----------



## oshunluvr (Mar 22, 2006)

I can't imagine anything more boring than plugging a vcr into my hd directtv tivo to record a show. All that digital data sitting there just waiting for some smart kid to figure out how to install dvd recording software right into my HR10-250. It's just a linux box with an unused IDE channel just waiting for something to do. I would even cut a hole in it and install the dvd drive right in there - after the warrantee expired of course! 

If we had version 7 software we could at least get the files to the desktop. 

Too bad all the smart hackers are working on a virus to infect your dumb windoze operating system instead of useful things like decoding/burning Deadwood... 

...I wish I didn't have three jobs and a family or I figure it out by myself!


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

oshunluvr said:


> I can't imagine anything more boring than plugging a vcr into my hd directtv tivo to record a show. All that digital data sitting there just waiting for some smart kid to figure out how to install dvd recording software right into my HR10-250. It's just a linux box with an unused IDE channel just waiting for something to do. I would even cut a hole in it and install the dvd drive right in there - after the warrantee expired of course!
> 
> If we had version 7 software we could at least get the files to the desktop.
> 
> ...


The OP asked if there was any way besides hacking, and you can get the files off the tivo (we just can't talk about it here).


----------

