# Viewing A .tivo file on a machine without Tivo Desktop



## saberman (May 4, 2004)

Windows XP
Windows Media Player 11

I am in the proces of setting up a new machine and don't want to install TiVo Desktop. I will use either Galleon or pyTivo to transfer files from the TiVo and back to the TiVo from the PC. That works fine.

Now how do I view the .Tivo files on the PC? Windows Media Player 11 does not display them -- probably because it doesn't translate them using DRM and the TiVo MAK. Is there a way to tell WMP 11 to use the MAK to translate Tivo files or do I have to install TiVo desktop just to save the MAK in the right form?


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

You could use tivodecode.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Apart from TiVoDecode, you will need TiVo Desktop as the heart of anything that plays or process tivo files, since it has the decryption DLL.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

To clarify what classicsat is saying, tivodecode is self-contained. It's only other programs that would depend on that DLL. Since your goal is to avoid installing TiVo Desktop, tivodecode is what you want.


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## saberman (May 4, 2004)

wmcbrine said:


> To clarify what classicsat is saying, tivodecode is self-contained. It's only other programs that would depend on that DLL. Since your goal is to avoid installing TiVo Desktop, tivodecode is what you want.


Once again I have to say I am confused. If I install tivodecode does that mean that I can use WMP 11 to view .tivo files?


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

saberman said:


> Once again I have to say I am confused. If I install tivodecode does that mean that I can use WMP 11 to view .tivo files?


Tivodecode will let you convert the *.tivo file to a *.mpg. You will be able to play the *.mpg file with WMP 11 assuming you have whichever codecs installed on your computer that the converted file needs to be played.


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## saberman (May 4, 2004)

CuriousMark said:


> Tivodecode will let you convert the *.tivo file to a *.mpg. You will be able to play the *.mpg file with WMP 11 assuming you have whichever codecs installed on your computer that the converted file needs to be played.


I don't want to convert them -- I just want to play them.

If I wanted to convert them I would use Video Redo Suite which I already have.

So the question still is how do you provide WMP 11 with the DRM information it needs to play .tivo files without either converting them to .mpg or installing Tivo Desktop?


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

saberman said:


> I don't want to convert them -- I just want to play them.
> 
> If I wanted to convert them I would use Video Redo Suite which I already have.
> 
> So the question still is how do you provide WMP 11 with the DRM information it needs to play .tivo files without either converting them to .mpg or installing Tivo Desktop?


The "conversion" of which I speak is simply removing the DRM wrapper. The guts of a *.tivo file are MPEG-2. Conversion was probably the wrong word, and for that I apologize. I used that word because the extension changes.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

Here is a nice GUI wrapper around TivoDecode

http://www.gmonweb.com/portal/CodingFun/Downloads/tabid/54/Default.aspx


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## ruinah (Dec 31, 2007)

do a search for Directshow Dump Utility. It takes less than 3 minutes to snap a file from .tivo to .mpeg and plays flawlessly in media player. I download like 10 shows a week, run directshow dump and then use Freez ipod converter to make them the right size for my nano video. I'm not really sure how it works but it works well.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

ruinah said:


> do a search for Directshow Dump Utility. It takes less than 3 minutes to snap a file from .tivo to .mpeg and plays flawlessly in media player. I download like 10 shows a week, run directshow dump and then use Freez ipod converter to make them the right size for my nano video. I'm not really sure how it works but it works well.


Unfortunately, DSD requires TivoDesktop.dll to function. Normally, the only way to get that installed and working is to install TivoDesktop.

TivoDecode is TivoDesktop free. 

Both DSD and TivoDecoder GUI require MS .NET. But DSD's installer requires .NET 1.1, while TivoDecoder will work with .NET 2.0 or above.

Along the same line, VideoRedo requires TivoDesktop to be installed as well to decrypt .tivo files.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

you can install tivo desktop and then just turn off all the services, no need to have it running for the other programs to make use of the DLL.

I am playing around with PyTiVo right now and read that they have the podcast as setup on the TiVo working now.
I do have desktop services running as 2.6.2 has no memory leak and runs clean for me now but I could just as easily set the services to manual startup in the Windows services off of windows control panel and just use pyTiVo or whatever.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

CuriousMark said:


> Conversion was probably the wrong word, and for that I apologize.


The word "convert" is entirely correct. If you had said "reencode", that would be wrong.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

"Decrypt" is at the correct term.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

classicsat said:


> "Decrypt" is at the correct term.


"Decrypt" is _a_ correct term.


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## saberman (May 4, 2004)

CuriousMark said:


> The "conversion" of which I speak is simply removing the DRM wrapper. The guts of a *.tivo file are MPEG-2. Conversion was probably the wrong word, and for that I apologize. I used that word because the extension changes.


Ah, but I do not want to remove the DRM wrapper. I want to be able to transfer the file back to the Tivo with all of the program information intact. If I pull out the mpg I lost the program information and I don't want to have both a .tivo and a .mpg version of the same file.

From all of the traffic in this thread it appears that I must install Tivo Desktop if I want to be able to play .tivo files without unwrapping them.


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

I don't know if this still works with current versions of the dll, but there is a hack that enables just the playback parts of TD, circa 2005. The site's still up at:http://www.geocities.com/jattilah/
.

Here's a blog post about it: http://www.gearbits.com/archives/2005/07/watching_tivo_r.html

And archived forum thread: http://archive2.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=224081 (which doesn't seem to be loading for me currently).


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## JayJayTen (Feb 11, 2008)

Video Redo Plus will just play the .TIVO file and you will not have to convert the file.
I just do not know if you need Desktop on the same PC. I would guess NOT.

Downside VideoReDo is about $50.00
Jay


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

JayJayTen said:


> Video Redo Plus will just play the .TIVO file and you will not have to convert the file.
> I just do not know if you need Desktop on the same PC. I would guess NOT.
> 
> Downside VideoReDo is about $50.00
> Jay


If you don't have TivoDesktop on the same PC as VR, it will not play nor convert from what I recall.


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## DGX (Aug 30, 2004)

greg_burns said:


> If you don't have TivoDesktop on the same PC as VR, it will not play nor convert from what I recall.


Actually it will. Video Redo does not rely on TiVo Desktop. I use Video Redo on a Vista box that does not have TiVo Desktop installed. I not only use it to convert, but I also use it to simply watch the .tivo files I do not want to convert. VR makes a handy dandy media player for .tivo and dvr-ms files.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

DGX said:


> Actually it will. Video Redo does not rely on TiVo Desktop. I use Video Redo on a Vista box that does not have TiVo Desktop installed. I not only use it to convert, but I also use it to simply watch the .tivo files I do not want to convert. VR makes a handy dandy media player for .tivo and dvr-ms files.


Then something has changed.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

I apologize for the hijack but perhaps this would be a good thread for the following question (I've been trying to get a simple answer with no success): Once I download an HD recording to my pc in .tivo format (with tivo desktop), how do I record it to blu-ray? I have a blu-ray burner on my pc as well as Roxio 10. Thanks in advance.


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

ADG said:


> I apologize for the hijack but perhaps this would be a good thread for the following question (I've been trying to get a simple answer with no success): Once I download an HD recording to my pc in .tivo format (with tivo desktop), how do I record it to blu-ray? I have a blu-ray burner on my pc as well as Roxio 10. Thanks in advance.


When you asked this same question a while back I pointed you at this thread. Did it help or not? I know it does not directly relate to using Roxio, but the rest of the information should be useful to you. If you are looking for a specific Roxio how-to you may also want to ask at the Roxio forums.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

Mark,
That thread seems to be more complex than it needs to be. It may be 100&#37; correct, but I'm hoping there is a simpler way - thus the above post. Thanks for the follow up though.


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

Fair Enough. I used a bundled version of MyDVD which was made by Sonic before they were bought by Roxio. If it works like creator does, then it is pretty easy. The folks over on the Roxio support forum are also very nice and helpful and I suspect there may be someone who can point you at a work flow using TiVo files. I personally chose to buy VideoRedo TV Suite instead of upgrading the MyDVD that came on my computer. I found it was much easier to use when it comes to trimming commercials and much faster at burning a DVD. I don't know if it will do Blu-Ray. 

I am confident you can do it all in Roxio, but am not the person to know how. Good luck.


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## saberman (May 4, 2004)

DGX said:


> Actually it will. Video Redo does not rely on TiVo Desktop. I use Video Redo on a Vista box that does not have TiVo Desktop installed. I not only use it to convert, but I also use it to simply watch the .tivo files I do not want to convert. VR makes a handy dandy media player for .tivo and dvr-ms files.


Which program are you using to transfer the video from your TiVo to your Vista box and how did you enter the Media Access Key?


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## jmemmott (Jul 12, 2003)

DGX said:


> Actually it will. Video Redo does not rely on TiVo Desktop. I use Video Redo on a Vista box that does not have TiVo Desktop installed. I not only use it to convert, but I also use it to simply watch the .tivo files I do not want to convert. VR makes a handy dandy media player for .tivo and dvr-ms files.


It may work for you but when I am run VRD TVS on Vista without the DirectShow filter and it will not work for me. It just pops open a dialog telling me it is unable to open the file.

The other possibility is that you have the Tivo DirectShow filter and are unaware of that. If you have ever even tried to install the Tivo Desktop on your computer it will still be there because the TiVo uninstaller does not remove it. Look for C:\Program Files\Common Files\TiVo Shared\DirectShow\TiVoDirectShowFilter.dll.

If someone wants just the filter for playback/editing, it is possible to copy it from another computer and register it with DirectShow but it is simpler to just install and then uninstall the TivoDesktop leaving the filter behind properly registered.


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