# Recording from ROKU with Tivo Premiere



## rmwebb1 (Dec 20, 2008)

Hi, I know this question has been posted before, but there doesn't seem to have been a definitive answer. The posts seem to turn into a "why would you want to do that" or "you don't need to". So please someone just answer the question "yes I can record from ROKU" and how do I hook it up or "no you can't" (and then I thank you for your expertise.)

The reason I want to record is because sometimes Amazon Instant Video (my reason for getting the ROKU) makes certain movies available for a specified time and I would like to record them so that I could have them indefinitely. Sometimes a season of a certain TV show will only be available for a certain amount of time also. 

Thank you in advance for your direct answers.


----------



## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

The answer is.... Drum roll.....

You cannot!

Thanks for the question.


----------



## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

The answer is: YES, you can definitely record to Tivo from a Roku
but only if you have a series 1 or 2 Tivo and a Roku that has composite output (or have a hdmi to composite adapter). The main problems are: It has to be done in real time, No HD, all recordings will be SD, program data won't match the recording.


----------



## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

scandia101 said:


> The answer is: YES, you can definitely record to Tivo from a Roku
> but only if you have a series 1 or 2 Tivo and a Roku that has composite output (or have a hdmi to composite adapter). The main problems are: It has to be done in real time, No HD, all recordings will be SD, program data won't match the recording.


If you are going to do this, then I suggest you get one of the DVD recorder model series 2 units. Then use the front panel camera input jacks for recording from the Roku. Set the DVR to highest recording quality and manually enter the program title when setting up a Roku recording. 
Be sure to allow yourself five minutes before the program starts to do this. That way, the recordings will at least have the right name and be good quality, standard definition still, but full DVD quality.

And yes, the DVR must be subbed for this to work.


----------



## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

OP could always get PlayLater. Quality might be better than using a Tivo anyway.


----------



## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

Just to be clear and answer your specific question:

*NO* you can not record output from a Roku with a TiVo Premiere.


----------



## rmwebb1 (Dec 20, 2008)

I actually have Series 2 and also an HD Tivo, this Premiere is my 3rd Tivo.

According to scandia101 ....
I could record from ROKU that has composite-out to series 2 tivo composite-in and only in realtime.

So then later couldn't i just transfer from my Series 2 to my new Premiere?

I know it sounds like a hassel, but there really are some old movies from the 60s and 70s on Amazon Instant Video that I really love.

Thanks again for the info.


----------



## dwit (May 5, 2004)

rmwebb1 said:


> I actually have Series 2 and also an HD Tivo, this Premiere is my 3rd Tivo.
> 
> According to scandia101 ....
> I could record from ROKU that has composite-out to series 2 tivo composite-in and only in realtime.
> ...


Once it has been recorded on the *S2,* *yes*, it can then be transferred to the Premiere.


----------



## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

rmwebb1 said:


> .........
> The reason I want to record is because sometimes Amazon Instant Video (my reason for getting the ROKU) makes certain movies available for a specified time and I would like to record them so that I could have them indefinitely. Sometimes a season of a certain TV show will only be available for a certain amount of time also.
> .........


I assume the reason you don't just download those instant videos to your Tivo and watch them later is that they have DRM or some other thingy that makes them disappear after a certain tiime. (??)


----------



## rmwebb1 (Dec 20, 2008)

To answer the above question ... I read somewhere that even if you buy an Amazon Instant Video that you were purchasing the license to view it for whatever period of time Amazon has the license for (could be 4-ever or not).

Regardless ... I am an Amazon Prime member, so there are movies that I can stream for free, but it would cost money to download them to my Tivo.

If I do this i can stream the movies for free and then save them. After all, I'm buying the Amazon Prime subscription, I'm buying a Roku to be able to use the Amazon Prime streaming service and I've purchased a Tivo ..... I think that's enough money spent


----------



## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Ah .... Amazon Prime. That and Amazon Instant Video are two different things (to me, at least). I have a different way of scratching that itch: PlayOn, pyTivo, and the pyTivo PlayOn plugin.
PlayOn and pyTivo (with the PlayOn plugin) run on a PC on your home network. PlayOn has a wealth of channels including Amazon, where you register your Prime credentials. You can push (via a browser anywhere on your network) or pull ( from the Tivo menus) any video that PlayOn can get (including Prime videos) and they will be streamed to the tivo to become a tivo recording, not subject to any viewing time limitations. You can start viewing shortly after the transfer starts. These transfers can be queued or they can even be scheduled using a utility program I've written.

All the software I've mentioned above is free except for PlayOn (and Amazon Prime of course). PlayOn has many subscription options, including lifetime, and if you end up paying more than $3/month for it you just aren't trying. BTW, Roku is the client most recommended for use with PlayOn.

Note that Hulu (the free one and Hulu plus) both work fine with PlayOn so this setup is excellent for getting Tivo recordings of Hulu programs. Netflix is another source via PlayOn, plus many other channels.

So, what are the "cons" of this (other than the PlayOn subscription cost):


PlayOn needs to be running on a PC, and not a puny one, and a good high speed internet connection is highly recommended.
Currently PlayOn, regardless of the video channel, doesn't provide HD video, although this doesn't mean everything is in 4:3 aspect ratio, rather most stuff is 16:9 and/or letterboxed aspect. This is probably the biggest issue for many users. The videos look fine on my "little" 40" flat panel and some users say it looks fine on their 50" sets. But others disagree. PlayOn has been stating they are working on an HD version for a long time --- hopefully it will happen.

However, it looks like your options for recording from a Roku to a Tivo will end up giving you SD (i.e., not HD) video anyway. Having had an S2 tivo in the past I can assure you the video quality of the PlayOn videos will match or exceed that.

PlayOn has a 30 day money back guarantee, so I suggest you give my method a try. There might be a learning curve for getting the software going, but there is plenty of help available either here or in the PlayOn or pyTivo forums (from me if not from others).


----------

