# Easier to use pyTivo - pyTivo Desktop



## Dan203

I have just completed a new version which now includes a full feature UI called "pyTivo Desktop" which includes TiVoToGo support. I hope it works well for everyone. Please let me know if you have any trouble with it...

New website...

pyTivo Desktop

Release builds
Last Updated - Windows: 12/24/19 5:06am - v1.6.22
Last Updated - Mac: 12/12/19 5:34pm - v1.6.20

Beta builds
Last Updated - Windows: None
Last Updated - Mac: None



Spoiler: Original Post



I've created an easier to use/install version of pyTivo. It's compiled into a standard Windows exe and does NOT require you to install python on your PC to work. It also includes a simple UI for setting up and managing shares. Some of the advanced features still have to be setup using the web UI or by editing the config file by hand, but this should be a lot easier for people to get going if all you want to do is transfer videos from your PC to your TiVo or use Music/Photos.

pyTivo_setup.exe

pyTivo_setup.zip (alternative for those getting antivirus warnings with exe)

In a future release I plan to add a UI for some of the advanced settings and maybe the TTG portion too.

I'm also going to try creating Mac and Linux versions too when I have some more time.

Edit: 4/2/17 Updated version with settings dialog


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## dslunceford

I uninstalled PyTiVo a while back, maybe around the time Plex first hit, as I was using it mainly to push content. May give this a try though. Thanks.


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## slowbiscuit

Something like tivodecode-ng or tivolibre code needs to be integrated in as well because you currently can't decrypt H.264 .tivo files to native with pyTivo (e.g. Tivo-to-PC transfers on Comcast). I don't think wmcbrine ever released a version that handles them but kmttg handles them just fine with tivolibre.

BTW music playback from pyTivo is still broken on the Roamios. Tivo broke it with 20.6.3.


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## UCLABB

Dan203 said:


> I've created an easier to use/install version of pyTivo. It's compiled into a standard Windows exe and does NOT require you to install python on your PC to work. It also includes a simple UI for setting up and managing shares. Some of the advanced features still have to be setup using the web UI or by editing the config file by hand, but this should be a lot easier for people to get going if all you want to do is transfer videos from your PC to your TiVo or use Music/Photos.
> 
> pyTivo_setup.exe
> 
> In a future release I plan to add a UI for some of the advanced settings and maybe the TTG portion too.
> 
> I'm also going to try creating Mac and Linux versions too when I have some more time.


Chrome won't let me download the file.


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## foghorn2

Thanks Dan, Im inclined to buy VideoReDo even though I dont really need it just to support the stuff you did here.
Or let us donate to this project.

I know how to program myself, but with a full time job and 3 kids, I have no time.


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## foghorn2

UCLABB said:


> Chrome won't let me download the file.


It should take you to a MS OneDrive Site and click on the Tile.


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## UCLABB

foghorn2 said:


> It should take you to a MS OneDrive Site and click on the Tile.


Yes, that is when Chrome blocks it. I haven't figured out how to block it. Unless someone knows, perhaps I'll try another browser.


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## Dan203

I can upload a zip as well. Maybe Chrome will allow that. I don't have an actual server to host this on, that's why I used OneDrive.


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## Mikeguy

UCLABB said:


> Yes, that is when Chrome blocks it. I haven't figured out how to block it. Unless someone knows, perhaps I'll try another browser.


Just go via another browser, the simple solution--no issue with IE11.


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## krkaufman

Wow, great effort and contribution, Dan. I've been putting off getting pyTiVo running forever, but now I feel like I need to give installing the original version a try just to appreciate the work you've done.


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## Dan203

I've uploaded a zip for those of you having trouble downloading the exe


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## osu1991

Thanks
I've had pytivo set up on my desktop and laptop, since I got a Tivo. I use it and VideoRedo weekly.
I have an older spare laptop, Ill have to pull out and install it on that. This could save me having to look up the instructions, when others ask me how to do it.


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## Dan203

I posted a very minor update just now, overwriting the original files. Just a few minor UI tweaks, nothing functional.


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## eherberg

UCLABB said:


> Yes, that is when Chrome blocks it. I haven't figured out how to block it. Unless someone knows, perhaps I'll try another browser.


Just an FYI -- I use Chrome and was able to download it just fine yesterday.


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## UCLABB

eherberg said:


> Just an FYI -- I use Chrome and was able to download it just fine yesterday.


I had about three layers of warnings about the download. I ended up using Edge and had to keep clicking download anyway. Hope Mr. Haddix isn't a hacker!


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## Dan203

You caught me! The past 15 years I've spent on this site were just to butter you up so I could trick you into installing a hack on your PC.:smilingimp:


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## Wil

Dan203 said:


> You caught me! The past 15 years I've spent on this site were just to butter you up so I could trick you into installing a hack on your PC.:smilingimp:


A perfect execution of the long con!


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## dlfl

Dan203 said:


> You caught me! The past 15 years I've spent on this site were just to butter you up so I could trick you into installing a hack on your PC.:smilingimp:


Yes the old super-moderator-is-a-hacker ploy.


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## bradleys

It worked really well... For the novice it might be confusing because there is no installation notification. No obvious way to determine the next step - you have to go to the tray, find the pytivo icon and right click on it for options.

It would be nice if the dialog to choose a file directory were presented to the user immediately following install.

That said: It was quick and sweet... I didn't have to install and configure, I didn't have to setup pytivo as a service....

Really nice job!


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## eherberg

The shares must be stored somewhere else, correct? I uninstalled the first version after looking at it (already have pyTivo up and running). When I installed the updated version to look at it - my video share, mak, etc were already populated. I checked app data folder under local, roaming, etc but didn't see it there.


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## Dan203

On Vista+ Windows puts the conf file in a virtual directory because it does not allow writing directly to the install directory. I considered moving it to !y Documents or AppData but I didn't want to make it too Windows specific.


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## Dan203

bradleys said:


> It worked really well... For the novice it might be confusing because there is no installation notification. No obvious way to determine the next step - you have to go to the tray, find the pytivo icon and right click on it for options.
> 
> It would be nice if the dialog to choose a file directory were presented to the user immediately following install.
> 
> That said: It was quick and sweet... I didn't have to install and configure, I didn't have to setup pytivo as a service....
> 
> Really nice job!


I'll see if I can add a CLI flag to the code that will launch the settings UI so I can launch with that from the installer.


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## krkaufman

Dan203 said:


> I'll see if I can add a CLI flag to the code that will launch the settings UI so I can launch with that from the installer.


One hiccup I've found with installers since Windows 7 (never used Vista) is that they typically run as an Administrator, and the offer/option to launch the program immediately after installation completes always launches the program under the associated Administrator account, rather than the user's actual account.


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## tivoknucklehead

ok so it was easy enough to install. where can I find out how to use it? is it comparable to Tivo desktop 2.8.3?

windows 10 home PC
the pytivo icon is in my systray with a red x that says "stopped". clicking start only starts it for a few seconds then the red x again. clicking edit shares does nothing. a reboot changed nothing, nor did changing security to full control for x386/pytivo folder
all I want to do is auto transfer my podcasts to my tivo each day.


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## Dan203

krkaufman said:


> One hiccup I've found with installers since Windows 7 (never used Vista) is that they typically run as an Administrator, and the offer/option to launch the program immediately after installation completes always launches the program under the associated Administrator account, rather than the user's actual account.


There is a checkbox in Inno Setup that I set that says "launch as original user" so hopefully that gets around that issue.


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## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> ok so it was easy enough to install. where can I find out how to use it? is it comparable to Tivo desktop 2.8.3?
> 
> windows 10 home PC
> the pytivo icon is in my systray with a red x that says "stopped". clicking start only starts it for a few seconds then the red x again. clicking edit shares does nothing. a reboot changed nothing, nor did changing security to full control for x386/pytivo folder
> all I want to do is auto transfer my podcasts to my tivo each day.


Hmmm... sounds like something has gone wrong. I haven't seen anything like that in my testing. Try temporarily disabling your antivirus and see if that allows it to run. If it does then add an exception to the AV program for the install folder.


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## DevdogAZ

I used to use pyTiVo on an almost daily basis, but haven't touched it in many months since installing Plex on an Apple TV 4. I do love the idea of an installer that doesn't require reading lots of detailed websites to figure out what to do. I'm sure that will be very helpful for those that still have a use for that kind of software. Good job, Dan.


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Hmmm... sounds like something has gone wrong. I haven't seen anything like that in my testing. Try temporarily disabling your antivirus and see if that allows it to run. If it does then add an exception to the AV program for the install folder.


No luck. I disabled norton. Even uninstalled then reinstalled with norton disabled. Can't get it to start for more than 2 seconds. Maybe someone else will have thoughts.


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## Dan203

Sorry, not sure what would cause that. Are you running on a limited user account? I didn't really test that scenario. 

What OS are you running?


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## tivoknucklehead

Windows 10, my home pc . I'm the only user. Installed fine


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## Dan203

That's odd. Do you have python installed? Maybe there is some sort of conflict if you do.


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## tivoknucklehead

All I ever installed was Tivo desktop which is still working
No biggie

I do have Plex not sure if that uses python


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## webminster

You mention the conf is stored in a "virtual folder", is there some place to find that? And does the service log anywhere? Haven't gotten it to work yet, not seeing share. Assume I've configured wrong.


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## Dan203

Search your drive for pytivo.conf

You may need to manually open the firewall. In my tests it always popped up a firewall thing in Windows to open it up automatically, but if you're using a 3rd party firewall that may not happen


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## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> All I ever installed was Tivo desktop which is still working
> No biggie
> 
> I do have Plex not sure if that uses python


I really don't know why it wouldn't work. The fact that it wont even show the shares UI seems really strange. It's just a dialog. You don't have a second monitor do you? One thing I noticed on my machine is the dialogs always display on the second monitor for some reason.


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## Dan203

One thing you can do...

1) Open explorer and go to PyTivo install directory
2) Shift+right click the pyTivo.exe and pick copy path
3) Open a command prompt
4) Right click in cmd window to paste the path of pyTivo.exe
5) Press enter

That will show the command output of the main pyTivo program and may give you a clue why it's not running


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## Steve

Dan203 said:


> I've created an easier to use/install version of pyTivo. It's compiled into a standard Windows exe and does NOT require you to install python on your PC to work. It also includes a simple UI for setting up and managing shares. Some of the advanced features still have to be setup using the web UI or by editing the config file by hand, but this should be a lot easier for people to get going if all you want to do is transfer videos from your PC to your TiVo or use Music/Photos.


FWIW, working like a charm under Win 10 here. Thanks, Dan!


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## tivoknucklehead

sorry Dan, I appreciate your help but I was looking for a simple tivo desktop replacement. I'll make do with 2.8.3


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## Sparky1234

Hi Dan,

Does an older version of pytivo and python need to be uninstalled first. Old version works fine for my purposes but I'm interested in this new and improved version. Can you summarize the improvements?

Thanks,
S


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## Steve

I do have one question, Dan. Is it normal to see 2 instances running?


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## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> sorry Dan, I appreciate your help but I was looking for a simple tivo desktop replacement. I'll make do with 2.8.3


I understand. The whole point was to make it easy. I'm sorry it wasn't. If you can please run that console window test I mentioned above and then screen shot the output and post it here for me. I'd like to see why it's failing to see if maybe it's something I can fix.


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## Dan203

Sparky1234 said:


> Hi Dan,
> 
> Does an older version of pytivo and python need to be uninstalled first. Old version works fine for my purposes but I'm interested in this new and improved version. Can you summarize the improvements?
> 
> Thanks,
> S


There are no improvements other then the UI and installer. The purpose was to make it easier to install and use. If you've got the old version running there is really no reason to upgrade.


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## Dan203

Steve said:


> I do have one question, Dan. Is it normal to see 2 instances running?
> 
> View attachment 27906


Yeah that seems to be something to do with the way the pyinstaller thing works. One of them is the part that decompresses the package and the other is the one that runs. There is an option to not package everything into a single exe, and instead create a folder with a bunch of files, and it doesn't do this. But I liked the cleanliness of having a single exe better.


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> One thing you can do...
> 
> 1) Open explorer and go to PyTivo install directory
> 2) Shift+right click the pyTivo.exe and pick copy path
> 3) Open a command prompt
> 4) Right click in cmd window to paste the path of pyTivo.exe
> 5) Press enter
> 
> That will show the command output of the main pyTivo program and may give you a clue why it's not running


ok here you go

imagehost


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## Dan203

Hmm... looks like it's a problem with the config file. You've never had pyTiVo before right? Can you do a search on your pc for "pytivo.conf" and let me know if it actualy finds one anywhere? (I appreciate your help)


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Hmm... looks like it's a problem with the config file. You've never had pyTiVo before right? Can you do a search on your pc for "pytivo.conf" and let me know if it actualy finds one anywhere? (I appreciate your help)


Windows 10 machine, this thread is the first time I ever installed pyTivo but I have uninstalled and reinstalled your .exe file several times now

searching my C drive for pytivo.conf brings up 2 results

c:\program files (x86)\pytivo

and c:users\myname\app data\local\virtual store\program files (x86)\pytivo


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## Dan203

It may have gotten corrupted somehow. Try deleting those two files.


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> It may have gotten corrupted somehow. Try deleting those two files.


ok deleted those files and my shares were gone, but pytivo started. so I stopped pytivo, went in and added a few shares, tried to start pytivo and again it would stop after two seconds like before


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## Dan203

Are you adding shares via the interface? If so what are the names/paths to the shares. Maybe there is some parsing error in my UI when trying to parse the names or path names. (thanks again for the help)


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Are you adding shares via the interface? If so what are the names/paths to the shares. Maybe there is some parsing error in my UI when trying to parse the names or path names. (thanks again for the help)


I have no experience with pytivo. pytivo starts after installation. In the systray icon I *clicked "edit shares"*, then , video, then add, then browsed to folders containing video clips on my PC, then Ok, ok
*clicking "edit shares" kills pytivo. pytivo stops every time I go in to add shares and never restarts*
an example of one of my shares c:\music\itunes\itunes music\podcasts\All CNET Video podcasts
again, I drilling down using browse, not typing in a command line

should I be using another interface? if so, where is it?

edit:
ok, I just discovered "show web UI". I guess that is how I should be adding shares???


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## tivoknucklehead

are there instructions on how to use pytivo?


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## Dan203

Are you entering a share name? Or just picking a folder?


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## Dan203

You need to enter something in that top share name box. (I should add some error checking for that)


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Are you entering a share name? Or just picking a folder?


I used the web UI to add a section called "Myname Video Files"
In this section, I manually entered the path to my podcasts c:\music\itunes\itunes music\podcasts\All CNET Video podcasts ( a pain by the way, a browse would be much easier)"

edit, never mind, i just discovered "copy path" that works fine

that is a folder that will contain .mp4 podcasts as CNET populates my itunes podcasts

should this work? at least the server stays on, and I see "myname video files" in my Tivo so I am making nice progress 
is there a way to push these podcasts to my tivo automatically like tivo desktop used to do?


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## tivoknucklehead

a few issues: after I add a section using the web UI and copied the path to the folder that contains the .mp4 files I notice when I go back into the web ui the path is blank, even though the new section is still listed.
I added two video sections, same issue on both.
and even though my tivo "sees" my two pytivo sections, my first added section called "CNET podcasts"when clicked on the tivo says
"the CNET podcasts PCs now playing list could not be displayed because it is unavailable. press left to return to the my shows list"

same thing with the other section


I will try PC and Tivo reboots

reboots did not solve


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## Dan203

Is the server running?


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Is the server running?


yes, it stays on as long as I don't click "edit shares" in systray


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## Dan203

Could be a firewall issue. Are you using the Windows firewall? When you launched the program the first time it should have prompted you to allow pyTivo to connect to the network. Did you accept that?


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Could be a firewall issue. Are you using the Windows firewall? When you launched the program the first time it should have prompted you to allow pyTivo to connect to the network. Did you accept that?


I got a firewall message when I rebooted earlier and clicked "allow". is there a particular item that needs to be allowed access? my firewall is controlled through Norton security and pytivo is still set to allow in it

should those "paths" in the new sections be blank?

I added my MAK to global settings but that did not fix. does anything else need added to global settings?


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## Dan203

MAK only matters for the download form TiVo to PC part, which you can only do via the web UI for now.

Can you post the full text of your config file so I can see what it looks like. Maybe that will give me a clue as to what's going on.


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## wmcbrine

tivoknucklehead said:


> all I want to do is auto transfer my podcasts to my tivo each day.


Auto-transfer is not possible in this, the post-push era. The TiVo mind server no longer takes requests, and without that, there's no way (at least, not that we've discovered) to tell the TiVo to download anything.


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## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> hosting images


There are no paths in those shares. You need to point it to a folder. Should look like this...

[TV Shows]
path = E:\TV Shows
type = video

I'm working on a change now that will ensure you can't create improper shares like this. As well as some other basic error handling stuff.


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> There are no paths in those shares. You need to point it to a folder. Should look like this...
> 
> [TV Shows]
> path = E:\TV Shows
> type = video
> 
> I'm working on a change now that will ensure you can't create improper shares like this. As well as some other basic error handling stuff.


as I have said in earlier posts fter I copy a path to the section and it save when I go back in to settings the path disappears

I will recreate without using "copy shortcut", i think that is the problem


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## Dan203

Are you copying with quotes? 

I don't think it wants quotes, and windows will put quotes around any path with a space in it automatically. 

That's another error condition I should look for.


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Are you copying with quotes?
> 
> I don't think it wants quotes, and windows will put quotes around any path with a space in it automatically.
> 
> That's another error condition I should look for.


horray, I fixed the paths and they saved. I did a poor copy/paste job. anyway, my sections are now visible. My only question now is how to I automatically push vidoes from my "podcast" section?


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## DevdogAZ

tivoknucklehead said:


> horray, I fixed the paths and they saved. I did a poor copy/paste job. anyway, my sections are now visible. My only question now is how to I automatically push vidoes from my "podcast" section?


As stated before, no program currently exists that can automatically "push" content to the TiVo. You have to use the TiVo to "pull" it from server, which is where pyTiVo comes in.


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## tivoknucklehead

DevdogAZ said:


> As stated before, no program currently exists that can automatically "push" content to the TiVo.


ugh, I must have missed that. old tivo desktop easily did it, hopefully pytivo or something else will do it in the future


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## GriffithStrife

When I click the link it say the file was deleted any help with what I am doing wrong?


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## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> ugh, I must have missed that. old tivo desktop easily did it, hopefully pytivo or something else will do it in the future


Even old TiVo Desktop can't do it any more. TiVo removed the server functionality that was used to make that feature worK. So nothing can do that now.


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## Dan203

GriffithStrife said:


> When I click the link it say the file was deleted any help with what I am doing wrong?


My computer crashed yesterday and I had to restore an old image. It might have uploaded a different copy of the file because of that. I'll post new links in a few minutes.


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Even old TiVo Desktop can't do it any more. TiVo removed the server functionality that was used to make that feature worK. So nothing can do that now.


oh well, at least I learned how to use pytivo. thanks for your help, but I'm not sure this gives me any more features than 2.8.3 for my simple needs


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## Dan203

The biggest advantage to pyTivo over TiVo Desktop is it's transcoding and file format capabilities. TD supports a very limited number of formats/codecs for source files. Even if you have Plus. pyTivo supports way more formats and allows you to transfer almost anything to the TiVo.


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## GriffithStrife

I can't download I must be missing something, any help?


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## Mikeguy

GriffithStrife said:


> I can't download I must be missing something, any help?


Rather than having people guess at what you are doing, perhaps you can tell people.


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## Dan203

GriffithStrife said:


> I can't download I must be missing something, any help?


There is no UI for downloading yet. You have to use the web interface.

My main purpose here was to create an easier to install pyTivo to do what I use it for.... a pull server. I didn't realize people were so desperate for a TiVo Desktop replacement.


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## jim8650

Dan203 said:


> I've created an easier to use/install version of pyTivo. It's compiled into a standard Windows exe and does NOT require you to install python on your PC to work. It also includes a simple UI for setting up and managing shares. Some of the advanced features still have to be setup using the web UI or by editing the config file by hand, but this should be a lot easier for people to get going if all you want to do is transfer videos from your PC to your TiVo or use Music/Photos.
> 
> pyTivo_setup.exe
> 
> pyTivo_setup.zip (alternative for those getting antivirus warnings with exe)
> 
> In a future release I plan to add a UI for some of the advanced settings and maybe the TTG portion too.
> 
> I'm also going to try creating Mac and Linux versions too when I have some more time.


no idea why, but when I click on either the exe or the zip, while it takes me to a OneDrive page, it says:

*This item might not exist or is no longer available*


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## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> The biggest advantage to pyTivo over TiVo Desktop is it's transcoding and file format capabilities. TD supports a very limited number of formats/codecs for source files. Even if you have Plus. pyTivo supports way more formats and allows you to transfer almost anything to the TiVo.


ok,that is good to know. 
i just tested an .mkv file and it transferred, something tivo desktop never could do. this makes pytivo useful to me, thanks !


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## Dan203

jim8650 said:


> no idea why, but when I click on either the exe or the zip, while it takes me to a OneDrive page, it says:
> 
> *This item might not exist or is no longer available*


I just fixed the links


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## slowbiscuit

Dan203 said:


> The biggest advantage to pyTivo over TiVo Desktop is it's transcoding and file format capabilities. TD supports a very limited number of formats/codecs for source files. Even if you have Plus. pyTivo supports way more formats and allows you to transfer almost anything to the TiVo.


Yep, I've even gotten HEVC h.265 mkv's to work. If ffmpeg supports the format for transcoding you can watch it on a Tivo, generally speaking.


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## jim8650

Dan203 said:


> I just fixed the links


grabbed them both, thanks Dan


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## GriffithStrife

Just got it and wow after 3 months of pure crap trying to get bolt and pytivo to work together consistently you app does instantly. Thank you man great job. Really great job.


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## Dan203

Just uploaded a new version with a built in settings dialog. Not all settings are exposed yet, but most of them are. I also added some better error checking to the shares dialog so that you can't accidentally create a bad share. And I moved the pytivo.conf file to the AppData folder on Windows so that we wont have the weird permissions issues trying to keep it in the install folder. (existing installs will copy it automatically)


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## krkaufman

(Just as an aside, how flexible is a pyTivo install in terms of running on a laptop that could be transported between homes using different TiVo accounts?)


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## JoeKustra

Dan203 said:


> Just uploaded a new version with a built in settings dialog. Not all settings are exposed yet, but most of them are. I also added some better error checking to the shares dialog so that you can't accidentally create a bad share. And I moved the pytivo.conf file to the AppData folder on Windows so that we wont have the weird permissions issues trying to keep it in the install folder. (existing installs will copy it automatically)


Since I have Win 8.1 and One Drive disabled, would that cause a download failure like was posted?


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## Dan203

It shouldn't. I just tried it not logged in to my account and it worked fine. 

I should probably find a better place to host the file. Any suggestions?


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## JoeKustra

Dan203 said:


> It shouldn't. I just tried it not logged in to my account and it worked fine.
> 
> I should probably find a better place to host the file. Any suggestions?


I went to the other pyTivo thread and used that link. No problems downloading the zip file. Now to find time to enjoy all your work. It's great timing since in two weeks I get free premium channels. Something to save for the long hot summer.


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## Dan203

krkaufman said:


> (Just as an aside, how flexible is a pyTivo install in terms of running on a laptop that could be transported between homes using different TiVo accounts?)


It should work fine. Nothing about it really depends on anything account or location specific. You may have to restart it once you join the new network so that it announces the shares again though.


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## eherberg

You'd need to change the mak for TTG, right?


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## Dan203

eherberg said:


> You'd need to change the mak for TTG, right?


That would only matter if you were using it for downloads. There is no UI for that yet, only the web page, so I doubt that would get much use.


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## Mikeguy

JoeKustra said:


> It's great timing since in two weeks I get free premium channels. Something to save for the long hot summer.


A**h*** (says a jealous soul).


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## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> And I moved the pytivo.conf file to the AppData folder on Windows so that we wont have the weird permissions issues trying to keep it in the install folder. (existing installs will copy it automatically)


Thanks for that move. Makes it easier and more transparent, in the end.


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## wizwor

I found this thread looking for information about downloading files from a TiVo Roamio/OTA to a PC to be played 1) via Plex, and 2) on a computer. Dan203, can you help me understand how PyTiVo and KTTMG relate to one another? Are they complimentary or competitive?


----------



## Dan203

There is some overlap, but kmttg is mainly used to download shows from your TiVo and manage some of the other aspects like the mobile app. Pytivo is mainly used as a server to transfer video from your PC to your TiVo. Pytivo can also download from TiVo but it doesn't have any of the automation stuff kmttg does.


----------



## wizwor

Dan203 said:


> There is some overlap, but kmttg is mainly used to download shows from your TiVo and manage some of the other aspects like the mobile app. Pytivo is mainly used as a server to transfer video from your PC to your TiVo. Pytivo can also download from TiVo but it doesn't have any of the automation stuff kmttg does.


So, they are complimentary and I should install and learn about both. Thank you!


----------



## Dan203

Yes. They both have unique features that are worth using.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

one thing I noticed is just about every day I have to stop and restart the pytivo server for my Tivo Roamio to see it. fine after that. minor annoyance

Windows 10


----------



## Dan203

Is your computer's IP changing? Or are you rebooting your router? If the IPs of the computer or the TiVos change it could cause that.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Is your computer's IP changing? Or are you rebooting your router? If the IPs of the computer or the TiVos change it could cause that.


no, cable modem with same IP. haven't rebooted router in weeks. Tivo is on ethernet so IP is not changing, as far as I know. To be fair tivo desktop used to do this too, but not daily. and the weird thing is only one of my three sections keeps disappearing. maybe I'll remove and add again


----------



## Dan203

Could be firewall. Could also be the router. Depends on how long of a lease it hands out for the IP addresses and how it handles renewals.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> Could be firewall. Could also be the router. Depends on how long of a lease it hands out for the IP addresses and how it handles renewals.


I recreated the section and so far so good. Will monitor

22 hours later and still good. looks like re-creating the section fixed it


----------



## jrtroo

I love me some pyTiVo. It's just too bad the original authors did not create this tool years ago. 

I've successfully installed pyTiVo at least four times, and each included a bunch of research and preparation to make sure I got it right. This was ultimately simple and much much easier with less stress and frustration while saving tons and tons of time.

Thanks Dan!


----------



## thenightfly42

Thanks for doing this, I'm standing by looking forward to the Mac version you mentioned as a possibility.


----------



## Dan203

I haven't been able to get this working on the Mac yet. I'm not a Mac guy so I'm running into stupid permissions errors and other things when trying to set up the build environment. I need to try again when I have more time to hunt down the issues.


----------



## thenightfly42

Not trying to rush you, just letting you know that someone is interested.


----------



## bgc

Why do shows transferred to pc and then back with pytivo not sort by the date the show was originally recorded (with the newest at the top of the list)?


----------



## Dan203

When you transfer a show to a PC not all of the data TiVo uses to group/sort shows is transferred with it, so when you move them back they aren't always grouped, sorted properly, or have skip data like they should.


----------



## Nak

Dan, this is absolutely amazing! Thanks so much for your work. I'm setting up a new media server and saw this thread... SO much easier than last time I installed pytivo. Running on W10 perfectly. 

One thing... The default install is in program files. I accepted the default, and I was unable to save settings from the web interface. I uninstalled, and re-installed in C:\pytivo. I was then able to save settings from the web page. Your settings editor in the tray was unaffected and worked great in both cases. It's nice though to have the settings description and examples in the web page. I'm not sure why I had a problem with the default location, I know you moved the pytivo.conf file? Anyways, it's working great now. I'm running W10 and Chrome.

Thanks again!!!


----------



## Dan203

It's probably a permissions issue. By default pyTivo loads the config file from the same folder as the script, which in this case is the install folder which Windows locks down. In the last release I added the ability to move the config file to the AppData folder instead, which should be writable, but I didn't test it exhaustively so it's possible there is still some sort of permissions error with certain configurations. I'm working on a completely new UI right now that I'm hoping will work as a more full featured TiVo Desktop replacement, including a download UI. While I'm at it I'll make sure to play with the config stuff a bit more to ensure it's all working the way it should under various permissions schemes. I'm a bit busy with work right now, so it's probably going to be at least a few more weeks before I can finish up the new UI.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

Dan , just want you to know no issues at all the past couple weeks since I recreated my sections. thanks again for setting me straight


----------



## Dan203

I glad you got it working.

FYI everyone.... I've been working on the Mac version. I got my build environment working, but there is some issue with the way I'm doing the tray icon on the Mac. It shows but it has a spinning circle when you hover over it and just goes away as soon as pyTivo exits. I'm not 100% sure how to handle this on the Mac. I'll need to do some more research and figure it out. The main pyTivo executable does work though, so it's just a UI issue at this point.


----------



## UCLABB

My isp virus protection just took out at least parts of the program. Didn't even give me an option. I'll have to look into what exactly was deleted. Spectrum, F Secure.


----------



## Dan203

There are only 5 files...

pyTivoTray.exe
pyTivo.exe

bin/ffmpeg.exe
bin/tdcat.exe
bin/tivodecode.exe

Depending on when you installed you might also have a pytivo.conf file in there.


----------



## waterchange

After uninstalling python and my previous pytivo to give this a shot, I see a "My Video (box)" option on my Roamio which is grayed out along with a number of TiVo's that I don't have online along with my second TiVo Premiere that is not grayed out. However, I can actually select it and see my PC shares.

Using the same previous web interface URL that was working for my old pytivo install (port 9032), the only option I see on the main page is the "Settings" link.

Is this normal? Odd? Thanks.


----------



## Dan203

You need to set up the shares. Right click the icon and select "Edit Shares" from the menu. Once you set up the shares there then they should show up on your TiVo.


----------



## lynnalexandra

Hi Dan,

I'm happy to see this thread. I am completely unsavvy about tech - especially pyTivo, NAS, servers (don't know what that is), creating shares. In November I finally switched from my old XP computer to a new Windows 10 computer. I waited because on my old computer, a college grad (computer major, loved tivo's), set up pyTivo on my XP desktop - and it pointed to shares on my NAS. He's graduated and moved across country. I have no idea what he did and he can't recall and guide me from long distance. I looked for local computer technicians in DC to help, asked through forums like this if anybody was in this area. Nobody I've hired or inquired of was able or willing to help me set up pyTivo.

I have several tivo premiers, 2TB, full of programs I want to keep. I was transferring them to my desktop with Tivo desktop plus and using VideoRedo to edit. Then storing on my NAS. (Once those shared showed up on my Tivo and I could transfer back anything I wanted to watch). The reason I use tivo desktop instead of pyTivo is because I very much want that meta data. I want to be able to see the name of the show, season and episode number, date etc, so I can know which I want to watch next. Can your new pyTivo do that? Keep that information so I can view it from my now playing list on my tivo's? Or do I need to stick with tivo desktop for that?

Even if I have to use tivo desktop, I found pyTivo useful - although I ran into snags I couldn't fix about 2 years ago, so I'm not clear how I used it. I think I quickly moved tivo shows (leaving tivo format so I could keep the metadata about episode name, season, episode number, etc) from desktop to my NAS. What else can I use it for?

Somebody else asked if there are instructions for this newest version. Is there?

The last computer technician I hired yesterday downloaded the following but I don't know if I need them. Should I uninstall these and just work with your link in this thread? He did not know what pyTivo was and I have no idea where he downloaded from. At first, he insisted it was a Mac program - took him a while to find the Windows version - so I have no confidence that he downloaded and installed anything I need. He may have installed, but didn't run program and set anything up (like shares).

Sorry this post may be unorganized. I really want to be able to transfer and edit my tivo recorded shows now on the Windows 10 computer I got in November. I've missed it. Also need to redownload VideoRedo.

Thank you.
Lynn.


----------



## Dan203

I'm currently working on a new UI for it which includes the transfer from TiVo part. The current version only allows that via the web interface which isn't 100% functional due to a TiVo bug that causes it's pagination to fail is you have a lot of streaming One Passes. 

The current version is most useful for sharing stuff from your PC to you TiVo. The next version will include the interface for transferring from the TiVo to the PC.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> I'm currently working on a new UI for it which includes the transfer from TiVo part. The current version only allows that via the web interface which isn't 100% functional due to a TiVo bug that causes it's pagination to fail is you have a lot of streaming One Passes.
> 
> The current version is most useful for sharing stuff from your PC to you TiVo. The next version will include the interface for transferring from the TiVo to the PC.


I've exercised restraint asking about the status, Dan, as you had said that work was busy . . . .  But, looking forward--


----------



## Dan203

I just finished up my new UI this evening. I want to do a few more minor tweaks to the pyTivo base code and the installer, but I'm hoping to have a new release published by this weekend.


----------



## Dan203

I just posted a new version which includes my new UI with TTG support. Please give it a try and let me know if you have any issues.

The code I used for the UI is also cross platform so as soon as I have some free time I'm going to finally get this ported over to Mac as well.


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> as soon as I have some free time I'm going to finally get this ported over to Mac as well.


You can't see this because I have black tape over my laptop camera lens and you're probably not CIA anyway, but I'm throwing you a kiss. There, one of my kids is also.

EDITED TO ADD: Well, that spoils the moment. He's asking about VideoReDo. Ingrate. I would never personally do that! I gladly keep Parallels clogging up my laptop for the SOLE PURPOSE of running VideoReDo. No problem. It's an honor to do that.


----------



## Dan203

Sorry to disapoint. VideoReDo is waaaay to ingrained with Windows code for me to port it Mac in a day.


----------



## osu1991

It doesn't seem to want to let me uncheck (transfer using MPEG-TS format) and check (Decrypt with tivodecode), when I select save, it is automatically rechecking (transfer using MPEG-TS format) and causing tivodecode to crash


----------



## Dan203

osu1991 said:


> It doesn't seem to want to let me uncheck (transfer using MPEG-TS format) and check (Decrypt with tivodecode), when I select save, it is automatically rechecking (transfer using MPEG-TS format) and causing tivodecode to crash


I see the error in the UI, but it's just a display error. If you uncheck TS and save then it does save to the conf file so it shouldn't cause a crash. If it's crashing there may be something else wrong. I'm going to fix the display error right now though.


----------



## Dan203

OK I've uploads a minor bug fix. It fixes the UI issue with the TS option, it also fixes an issue where the conf file would fail to save if the default folder didn't exist. It will now create the folder if it doesn't exist before saving the conf file.

Edit: I also tested the decrypt option on my end and it does seem to work. Although since TS doesn't work with decrypt unless you have a special version of tivodecode I should probably either include that version with the package, or disable the decrypt option if TS is checked. I'll have to think about which one of those I want to do.


----------



## osu1991

Thanks
Just tried it and it works perfect now.
Setting up a new laptop today so it was very good timing as I needed pytivo on it, to take stuff with me when traveling.


----------



## billpiper

Having trouble setting up. Pytivo searches for brings up the settings menu, I enter my MAK and recordings folder. When I save I get Error saving settings. ?it looks like it does not find my Tivo.


----------



## DBrunetti

I had a similar issue. After restarting my laptop it found my Tivo. But now after selecting a video it will not start to transfer.


----------



## Dan203

billpiper said:


> Having trouble setting up. Pytivo searches for brings up the settings menu, I enter my MAK and recordings folder. When I save I get Error saving settings. ?it looks like it does not find my Tivo.


Did you download the 1.5.1 version I just posted? That had a fix specifically for this issue.


----------



## DBrunetti

Yes. Same problem as the 1.5 version.


----------



## billpiper

Dan203 said:


> Did you download the 1.5.1 version I just posted? That had a fix specifically for this issue.


Yes downloaded the update. No longer getting error on saving the settings, but still not finding the Tivo

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203

DBrunetti said:


> I had a similar issue. After restarting my laptop it found my Tivo. But now after selecting a video it will not start to transfer.


Are you clear on how the UI works? You have to click the little download icon next to the show to start the download. After that it's added to the queue, which appears as an icon in the upper right. If you want to monitor the status of the download, or cancel something you've added to the queue, you click that icon and a dialog appears with the queue list and current progress.

One thing of note is that pyTivo has a separate queue for each TiVo, so if you start transfers from multiple TiVos they will be transferred simultaneously. Depending on your network setup this could be a good or a bad thing. I didn't want to change the core pyTivo functionality so I left that intact.


----------



## DBrunetti

Also would it be possible to include the version number in the UI?


----------



## Dan203

billpiper said:


> Yes downloaded the update. No longer getting error on saving the settings, but still not finding the Tivo
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Try stopping pyTivo from the tray icon and then restarting. It seems that sometimes the zeroncof feature in pyTivo doesn't always work, and doing a soft restart doesn't always fix it. Doing a hard stop/start usually does though.


----------



## DBrunetti

The video is listed in the queue but the progression bar shows no activity.


----------



## Dan203

DBrunetti said:


> Also would it be possible to include the version number in the UI?


For the next release I'll add an About dialog. I had intended to do that, but forgot.


----------



## Dan203

DBrunetti said:


> The video is listed in the queue but the progression bar shows no activity.


Not sure what would cause that. I can only assume pyTivo crashed. Try doing a hard stop/start like suggested above.


----------



## DBrunetti

Stopped and restarted as you instructed. After restart I had to add the queue was empty so I had to restart the download. Still doesn't work.


----------



## Dan203

DBrunetti said:


> Stopped and restarted as you instructed. After restart I had to add the queue was empty so I had to restart the download. Still doesn't work.


Hmmm... not sure what would cause that. Do me a favor... open a browser and go to http://localhost:9032. This will bring up pyTivo's built in web interface. Try using it to download the same show. Does it work?


----------



## Dan203

Well crap now I'm able to reproduce the issue here. I'm going to have to open the debugger and see what's going on. It was working OK earlier.


----------



## DBrunetti

When I open that page and go to the same folder it says "initating transfer please wait" on the video in the queue.


----------



## Dan203

DBrunetti said:


> When I open that page and go to the same folder it says "initating transfer please wait" on the video in the queue.


So it sounds like pyTivo is having trouble downloading the file. Are you trying to save to a folder that requires permissions? Could your firewall be blocking pyTivo for some reason? Windows built in firewall should ask for permission the first time pyTivo launches. But if you're using another firewall, like Norton, then you may need to open it up manually.


----------



## Dan203

Are you using the decrypt or save txt options? If so open the task manager and look for tivodecode or tdcat running. If they are kill them. They might be holding on to the file and preventing pyTivo from working.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah I'm able to reproduce this only when I have the decrypt option enabled. Seems that the part of pyTivo that launches tivodecode is having an issue. I'll look at it and see if I can figure out why. Only happens sometimes though, so that's strange.


----------



## DBrunetti

Just transfered the same video to the folder using kmttg so I don't think it's a permission issue. Also I'm using Windows 10 firewall. Tivodecode and tdcat are not running. Although I have Tivo Desktop server paused there are files associated with it still running such as tivo transfer. Could there be a conflict with TiVo Desktop?


----------



## Dan203

DBrunetti said:


> Just transfered the same video to the folder using kmttg so I don't think it's a permission issue. Also I'm using Windows 10 firewall. Tivodecode and tdcat are not running. Although I have Tivo Desktop server paused there are files associated with it still running such as tivo transfer. Could there be a conflict with TiVo Desktop?


Are you using the decrypt or save as txt options?


----------



## DBrunetti

Okay unchecked all three boxes on the TiVoToGo tab and the video started transferring.


----------



## Dan203

So you had all 3 boxes checked? That's the problem. The version of tivodecode I include with the package doesn't work with TS files. So you can't have both the TS option and the decrypt options checked at the same time. 

In the next release I'm going to update the version of tivodecode I include in the package so this isn't an issue. Although from what I understand the version of tivodecode that supports ts is not 100% and can introduce some corruption into the file, so it's probably still not something that should be used. But at least it wont crash.


----------



## DBrunetti

Got it. Thanks for your help.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> So you had all 3 boxes checked? That's the problem. The version of tivodecode I include with the package doesn't work with TS files. So you can't have both the TS option and the decrypt options checked at the same time.
> 
> In the next release I'm going to update the version of tivodecode I include in the package so this isn't an issue. Although from what I understand the version of tivodecode that supports ts is not 100% and can introduce some corruption into the file, so it's probably still not something that should be used. But at least it wont crash.


I haven't installed yet, but for some of us who are TS-understanding challenged, it might make sense to put some warning, etc. there, if not there already.


----------



## Dan203

I'm packaging up another version right now. (running some tests before I post) In this one I've added a warning that these two options are not recommended to be used together. I've also added an error that will prevent you from using them together unless you manually set the tivodecode path to a version that is compatible with TS files. I did some reading and tivodecode with TS support does not work very well so I don't want people to use this combination unless they really, really, want to and know the consequences. 

I've also made a few minor fixes to the main pyTivo code to prevent certain errors from crashing the server. 

I've also added an about dialog to the menu so people can see the version number. (and my name )


----------



## Dan203

OK new build posted. Sorry for the rapid fire updates, but I think I've got all the bugs squashed that were mentioned here. Let me know if you guys find anything else.


----------



## billpiper

Dan203 said:


> Try stopping pyTivo from the tray icon and then restarting. It seems that sometimes the zeroncof feature in pyTivo doesn't always work, and doing a soft restart doesn't always fix it. Doing a hard stop/start usually does though.


Still not finding the Tivo. Shutdown the computer and restarted. On version 1.5.2


----------



## ADG

Am I correct that pushing is still not an option (disabled by the folks at Tivo)?


----------



## Dan203

billpiper said:


> Still not finding the Tivo. Shutdown the computer and restarted. On version 1.5.2


That's most likely a firewall problem. Just as a quick test try temporarily disabling your firewall and see if finds the TiVos with it pff. If it does you'll need to go into the firewall settings and add exceptions for the pytivo.exe file in the install directory so it can get through.


----------



## billpiper

Dan203 said:


> That's most likely a firewall problem. Just as a quick test try temporarily disabling your firewall and see if finds the TiVos with it pff. If it does you'll need to go into the firewall settings and add exceptions for the pytivo.exe file in the install directory so it can get through.


Windows firewall turned off. Still cannot find Tivo. Kmttg is working fine.


----------



## Dan203

That's odd. Did you ever have pyTiVo installed before this? Double check the settings and make sure the zeroconf setting is set to Auto. If it is try both of the other options and see if they help at all. 

Kmttg isn't running at the same time is it? I'm not sure if they cause any sort of conflict with eachother.


----------



## bantar

I just downloaded this, secretly hoping for a push resolution. I really only push from the PC (but now pull from Tivo). All seems well though. I did notice one behavioral difference in that with regular pytivo, you can drill down on a mounted share whereas this one does not allow it. But, I can add multiple shares with this one. (Just reporting what I see, not asking for anything).

In the download, your files are on OneDrive. The pyTivo_setup_1.5.2.exe file is set to anyone Can Edit. I might have uploaded my favorite virus. (I didn't). Everything else is Can View.


----------



## Dan203

bantar said:


> I just downloaded this, secretly hoping for a push resolution. I really only push from the PC (but now pull from Tivo). All seems well though. I did notice one behavioral difference in that with regular pytivo, you can drill down on a mounted share whereas this one does not allow it. But, I can add multiple shares with this one. (Just reporting what I see, not asking for anything).


What exactly do you mean by "drill down on a mounted share"? This is basically just a UI to pyTivo, so anything it supports this should support, just not all the options are exposed mainly for simplicity. If you want you can still manually edit the options using the pyTivo web interface by going to http://localhost:9032 in a browser. (you'd need to change the port if you changed it in the options)



bantar said:


> In the download, your files are on OneDrive. The pyTivo_setup_1.5.2.exe file is set to anyone Can Edit. I might have uploaded my favorite virus. (I didn't). Everything else is Can View.


Thanks for pointing that out. I've modified the permissions. I'm planning on creating a real website for this so I can ditch OneDrive. My Dad has a business account where he gets unlimited websites, so he said he could host it. I just have to buy a domain. (which I'm looking at right now)


----------



## bantar

Dan203 said:


> What exactly do you mean by "drill down on a mounted share"? This is basically just a UI to pyTivo, so anything it supports this should support, just not all the options are exposed mainly for simplicity. If you want you can still manually edit the options using the pyTivo web interface by going to http://localhost:9032 in a browser. (you'd need to change the port if you changed it in the options)


On my PC, I have a folder called "Tivo Movies", then in that directory, I have a folder called "Shows". I used to have just one directory, but with the clunky pull interface, I pull shows from the Shows directory up one level to act as a quick access directory. (In other words, top level directory has 50ish files while next level down has >600). With pyTivo I see "shows" show up when I open the Tivo Movies share. I can select from the quick list, or drill down to the directory shows and find everything.

After retesting, I found the discrepancy. The difference is that the sort order changed. With pyTivo classic, the directory was at the top of the list and the shows were alphabetically sorted. With new pyTivo, the directory is there, but mingled in the show listing and shows up alphabetically. I looked for this before reporting, but missed it in my haste.


----------



## billpiper

Dan203 said:


> That's odd. Did you ever have pyTiVo installed before this? Double check the settings and make sure the zeroconf setting is set to Auto. If it is try both of the other options and see if they help at all.
> 
> Kmttg isn't running at the same time is it? I'm not sure if they cause any sort of conflict with eachother.


Set Zeroconf to On and it sees the TIVO... Kmttg does not seem to interfere... Thanks


----------



## Dan203

bantar said:


> On my PC, I have a folder called "Tivo Movies", then in that directory, I have a folder called "Shows". I used to have just one directory, but with the clunky pull interface, I pull shows from the Shows directory up one level to act as a quick access directory. (In other words, top level directory has 50ish files while next level down has >600). With pyTivo I see "shows" show up when I open the Tivo Movies share. I can select from the quick list, or drill down to the directory shows and find everything.
> 
> After retesting, I found the discrepancy. The difference is that the sort order changed. With pyTivo classic, the directory was at the top of the list and the shows were alphabetically sorted. With new pyTivo, the directory is there, but mingled in the show listing and shows up alphabetically. I looked for this before reporting, but missed it in my haste.


If you click on a share in the UI you can change the sort to alphabetical. Maybe that's how you had the old option set? Like I said this is just a UI to pyTivo so the behavior should be the same.


----------



## bantar

Dan203 said:


> If you click on a share in the UI you can change the sort to alphabetical. Maybe that's how you had the old option set? Like I said this is just a UI to pyTivo so the behavior should be the same.


Just retested. Both pyTivos report sorted by name, but they do have different sort orders in the display of the files. The sort orders are only Alphabetical or Recording Date. (However, I don't need this to be changed - just sharing what I noticed).


----------



## Dan203

I threw together a quick website for downloading. Should be easier then OneDrive.

pyTivo Desktop


----------



## eherberg

Dan203 said:


> I threw together a quick website for downloading. Should be easier then OneDrive.
> 
> pyTivo Desktop


Have you thought about just putting it on Sourceforge with the other versions? You could simply have a fork up there right along with lucasnz's fork of wmcbrine's version. All versions of pytivo -- all together.


----------



## Dan203

I could. But I've never used sourceforge before, so I'm not famaliar with the process. I've offered all my changes to wmcbrine so he could integrate them into his source, but he hasn't been around much lately so I'm not sure if he's interested or not. 

The UI part I'm not sure I want to open source. It's all written in Angular and tyscript, so it's kind of complex to setup and build and I don't want to go through the process of writing the docs needed to explain it. But if anyone wants my changes to pyTivo I will gladly provide them under the terms of the open source license.


----------



## bareyb

I'm looking forward to the Mac Version! :thumbsup:


----------



## ADG

ADG said:


> Am I correct that pushing is still not an option (disabled by the folks at Tivo)?


Polite bump


----------



## Dan203

ADG said:


> Polite bump


Yeah TiVo disabled that on their end.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> Yeah TiVo disabled that on their end.


And so, why is that a problem, Dan? Certainly you can deal with it.  And, there's this thing going on in the Middle East . . . .


----------



## ADG

Dan203 said:


> Yeah TiVo disabled that on their end.


thanks


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> And so, why is that a problem, Dan? Certainly you can deal with it.  And, there's this thing going on in the Middle East . . . .


I wish there was another way. With the loss of push there is no longer any way to mass move shows from a PC to a TiVo.


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> I wish there was another way. With the loss of push there is no longer any way to mass move shows from a PC to a TiVo.


I've been giving some thought recently to a very kludgey way of initiating a PC-TiVo transfer from the PC using the network remote capability.


----------



## RAM5

Looks really sweet! Anxiously awaiting the OS X version!


----------



## Dan203

New update just posted. I've replaced tivodecode with tivolibre so that TS decrypting works now. Because tivolibre doesn't support pipe input like tivodecode the decryption process is now two stages. The file will be dowloaded as a .tmp first, then decrypted once it completes. This requires twice as much space to hold the files and a little more time, so keep that in mind.

Also tivolibre requires Java to be installed on your machine. If you do not have java installed decryption will fail.


----------



## eherberg

I assume the java has to be 32 bit? I transferred a file to test with and decryption failed. I downloaded the file again (without enabling decryption) and brought up the command line to run my copy of TivoDecoder.jar. That decryption worked fine. As only 64-bit Java is installed on my machine, I assume that is the reason the decryption failed in the first instance?


----------



## Dan203

Hmm... not sure. It works on my 64bit machine, but I'm not sure which version of java I have. The command line it runs is just....

java -jar "path" 

So it seems like it should work with any version of java. The pyTivo exe is 32 bit though, so maybe that's somehow constraining it to 32 bit? 

I found a program that can compile a JAR into an exe with the JRE included, so that the user doesn't have to have java installed at all for it to work. I'm going to see if I can get that to work and use it for tivolibre so we wont have this problem in the future.


----------



## krkaufman

Dan203 said:


> java -jar "path"


Issue could also be if the java executable location isn't in the executable search path?


----------



## lpwcomp

eherberg said:


> I assume the java has to be 32 bit? I transferred a file to test with and decryption failed. I downloaded the file again (without enabling decryption) and brought up the command line to run my copy of TivoDecoder.jar. That decryption worked fine. As only 64-bit Java is installed on my machine, I assume that is the reason the decryption failed in the first instance?


You might try running tivolibre from a command prompt and see what happens.


----------



## Dan203

krkaufman said:


> Issue could also be if the java executable location isn't in the executable search path?


That's probably it. I just bought the program that can convert a jar to an exe and bundle the JRE. I'll include that in the next update so this wont be an issue.


----------



## eherberg

krkaufman said:


> Issue could also be if the java executable location isn't in the executable search path?





lpwcomp said:


> You might try running tivolibre from a command prompt and see what happens.


I am using the TivoDecoder from the Tivolibre release from the command line. Per their notes - if using standalone, the TivoDecoder jar should be used. If the jar is to be used as part of another program, then Tivolibre.jar should be used. Tivolibre.jar itself can't be run straight from the command line - however the decoder from libre can be.

I don't think I have a path issue - as I have script calls to java from other locations just fine. I have one script that uses command-line java calls for rss adds to a seedbox. Another script I have pulls things from the seedbox using a java utility, while a 3rd uses a command-line call to Filebot, another java app. All 3 are from separate locations with no problems calling java.


----------



## Dan203

The jar I included is actually TivoDecoder.jar, I just renamed it because I didn't want to cause any confusion with tivodecode. 

I'm packaging up a new version now that uses the exe method instead. Will have it posted in a few minutes.


----------



## wmcbrine

Dan203 said:


> Although from what I understand the version of tivodecode that supports ts is not 100% and can introduce some corruption into the file


To be clear, AFAIK, there is never a situation in which tivodecode-ng is worse than tivodecode 2.4, and it's 100% on program streams, just not on transport streams.


----------



## Dan203

New version posted


----------



## Dan203

wmcbrine said:


> To be clear, AFAIK, there is never a situation in which tivodecode-ng is worse than tivodecode 2.4, and it's 100% on program streams, just not on transport streams.


I meant with TS streams. According to Kevin, developer of kmttg, tivolibre is much more reliable when decrypting ts files. Although it still has some issues, so this option should still be used with caution.


----------



## Dan203

eherberg said:


> I am using the TivoDecoder from the Tivolibre release from the command line. Per their notes - if using standalone, the TivoDecoder jar should be used. If the jar is to be used as part of another program, then Tivolibre.jar should be used. Tivolibre.jar itself can't be run straight from the command line - however the decoder from libre can be.
> 
> I don't think I have a path issue - as I have script calls to java from other locations just fine. I have one script that uses command-line java calls for rss adds to a seedbox. Another script I have pulls things from the seedbox using a java utility, while a 3rd uses a command-line call to Filebot, another java app. All 3 are from separate locations with no problems calling java.


Can you try the new build I posted and let me know if it fixes the issue for you?


----------



## webminster

Does this write a log anywhere? Tried the new version and saw a .tmp file download, but all disappeared... assume the conversion went bad but not sure if there's a log.

And just a favor... would you entertain naming the .exe download something other than setup.exe, more like pytivodesktop_setup.exe or something (maybe with version) so it's named sanely in a download?

EDIT: Turned on TS download, then the decrypt worked.
EDIT2: Maybe I do need the log. Tried a second download of a 5+ GB ABC recording and it disappeared during decrypt. Tried both TS and non-TS download option.


----------



## bradleys

Works great, looks great!


----------



## Dan203

webminster said:


> Does this write a log anywhere? Tried the new version and saw a .tmp file download, but all disappeared... assume the conversion went bad but not sure if there's a log.
> 
> And just a favor... would you entertain naming the .exe download something other than setup.exe, more like pytivodesktop_setup.exe or something (maybe with version) so it's named sanely in a download?
> 
> EDIT: Turned on TS download, then the decrypt worked.
> EDIT2: Maybe I do need the log. Tried a second download of a 5+ GB ABC recording and it disappeared during decrypt. Tried both TS and non-TS download option.


Hmm... if the decrypt fails it deletes the downloaded tmp file, which is a .tivo file really. Maybe instead of deleting it I should rename it to .tivo so that you at least don't have to download it again.

As for a log... as far as I can tell tivolibre doesn't output any information when it fails, it just stops. So all I could write to the log is "decryption failed".

I wonder what's causing the intermittent failure on your files? Do you have enough space?


----------



## eherberg

Dan203 said:


> Can you try the new build I posted and let me know if it fixes the issue for you?


For me --- nothing changed. Tried both TS and PS download. It downloads the temp file, but then fails on decrypt. If I'm looking at the download queue, I can see a failed message briefly before it vanishes - otherwise no indicator of success. Located the conf file and deleted - and then re-entered my info, but no change.

If I try the same files using the same output location with kmttg - everything is a success. File is downloaded and then decrypted. And, of course, if I just download and do a manual decryption from the command-line - that also works.

kmttg leaves the decrypted file with the .ts extension -- tivodecode from the tivolibre library leaves the decrypted file as a .mpeg extension.

No worries if this isn't much help to you -- and if it works great for others, no need to spend too much time on it as i have the manual method of decrypting that works fine, and kmttg as well. Not sure what the difference is on my system (or why the other methods succeed).


----------



## Dan203

eherberg said:


> For me --- nothing changed. Tried both TS and PS download. It downloads the temp file, but then fails on decrypt. If I'm looking at the download queue, I can see a failed message briefly before it vanishes - otherwise no indicator of success. Located the conf file and deleted - and then re-entered my info, but no change.
> 
> If I try the same files using the same output location with kmttg - everything is a success. File is downloaded and then decrypted. And, of course, if I just download and do a manual decryption from the command-line - that also works.
> 
> kmttg leaves the decrypted file with the .ts extension -- tivodecode from the tivolibre library leaves the decrypted file as a .mpeg extension.
> 
> No worries if this isn't much help to you -- and if it works great for others, no need to spend too much time on it as i have the manual method of decrypting that works fine, and kmttg as well. Not sure what the difference is on my system (or why the other methods succeed).


Can you try running the tivolibre.exe in the pyTivo install folder just to see if that works correctly for you. The commandline options are identical to TivoDecoder.jar, you just don't need the extra java bits.* I just want yo make sure that is not the culprit. Also can you copy the complete path of both the pyTivo install directory and the path of the location you're saving the files too. I want to see if maybe there are some special characters or anything in the path that might be causing a string issue in python.

* So something like this...

tivolibre.exe -i "path to tivo file" -o "path to output file" -m MAK


----------



## eherberg

Confirmed that running tivolibre from the bin folder via command-line works.

Install folder is the default: C:\Program Files (x86)\pyTivo
Path to input file: "C:\Users\eherb_000\Videos\File Name 12345 (TS).Tivo"
Path to output file: "C:\Users\eherb_000\Videos\New File Name"


----------



## Dan203

None of that should be an issue. Are you low on space on C?


----------



## lpwcomp

Windows can get very picky when it comes to access to the system drive.


----------



## eherberg

Dan203 said:


> None of that should be an issue. Are you low on space on C?


Nope -- over 100 GB free.

I'll try later today again. It fails immediately on transfer (where other methods work fine) like it has problems even starting it. Maybe it does have something to do with only having 64-bit java. I only have 64-bit because I have 64-bit versions of mediainfo and filebot. My seed utilities are pretty garden-basic java, though - and they work fine when I call them.

I'm not too worried about it, though. Maybe it's something weird with Windows 10 -- who knows? As long as kmttg is working and/or the command-line tivodecode/tivolibre is working, it's not too big a deal.


----------



## Dan203

The exe version uses the java version I included in the jre folder with the install. It doesn't require java to be installed on your machine at all, nor does it care which version is installed if you do. And the fact that the exe version works from the command line also proves that because it does require 32bit java and if you only have 64bit on your system the only way it would work at all is if were picking up the jre from that folder. 

I also use Windows 10 and only have 64bit java installed at the system level and it still works for me, so I know that's not the issue either.

It could be some sort of permissions issue I guess. Are you running an admin account or a limited user account?


----------



## eherberg

It's running on an admin account.


----------



## krkaufman

Dan203 said:


> It could be some sort of permissions issue I guess. Are you running an admin account or a limited user account?


Compare installation folder locations?


----------



## ADG

lpwcomp said:


> Windows can get very picky when it comes to access to the system drive.


No it doesn't. Windows doesn't differentiate among drives when it comes to allowing access - only certain locations (folders) on those drives.


----------



## Dan203

eherberg said:


> It's running on an admin account.


Hmmm... I wonder if there is some conflict in the options file. I know you've gone through a few versions with me, maybe there is some incompatibility with some option I used in an older version.

Do you know how to enable hidden folders? If so go to C:\Users\<YouName>\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo and open the pytivo.conf file and copy/paste the data here. (you can replace your MAK with Xs)


----------



## eherberg

I thought the same thing. So yesterday (and again today) I went into that location and deleted the file so the program prompted for my info on next startup. Current contents of the file are below. It's pretty basic. Note that the togo_ts_format current setting of 'false' is simply because my last change was unchecking transport stream. There was no difference with it checked or not.

I also tried manually putting the path for tivolibre in the options and checked that it was written in the conf file also.

Contents:

[Server]
togo_ts_format = false
togo_path = C:\Users\eherb_000\Videos
togo_decode = true
togo_save_txt = true
tivo_mak = 1234567890

[_tivo_SD]

[_tivo_HD]

[_tivo_4K]


----------



## Dan203

Well then that's not the issue. Only two other potential issues I can think of...

1) There is a slight issue with the naming that could cause it to try to overwrite an existing file during the decryption phase. tivolibre doesn't allow that so if the output file name passed in already exists then it simply fails. Could that be an issue here?

2) Could your antivirus software be blocking this somehow? I'm using the built in Windows 10 AV on my machine. Are you using something else? If so try adding an exception to it for the whole pyTivo install directory and see if that helps. 

Other then that I'm stumped. I've tried it on every machine I have and it always works, so I'm not sure why it's not for you. Even more perplexing is why that one time it did. If it were a constant failure that would be one thing, but intermittent failure is even harder to diagnose.


----------



## Dan203

FYI I've just modified the pyTivo server code to fix the naming issue I mentioned. I also changed it so if the decryption fails it will rename the .tmp file to .tivo so you at least don't have to download the file again. I'll release a new version later today.


----------



## eherberg

Dan203 said:


> Well then that's not the issue. Only two other potential issues I can think of...
> 
> 1) There is a slight issue with the naming that could cause it to try to overwrite an existing file during the decryption phase. tivolibre doesn't allow that so if the output file name passed in already exists then it simply fails. Could that be an issue here?
> 
> 2) Could your antivirus software be blocking this somehow? I'm using the built in Windows 10 AV on my machine. Are you using something else? If so try adding an exception to it for the whole pyTivo install directory and see if that helps.
> 
> Other then that I'm stumped. I've tried it on every machine I have and it always works, so I'm not sure why it's not for you. Even more perplexing is why that one time it did. If it were a constant failure that would be one thing, but intermittent failure is even harder to diagnose.


I don't think it could be the naming. The tmp file gets deleted. I looked at the file name from the time I manually was testing successful decryptions. I was testing with one of my wife's daily chat shows. The file name for yesterday's, for example, is "Rachael Ray - 82224 (TS).TiVo'.

For AV - I'm using the same as you -- stock windows 10 AV.

Yeah -- I don't have an idea either. Don't know what else to test. However, I wouldn't sweat it. Command-line decrypt and kmttg still work -- and kmttg's file naming of the TiVo file is a lot more involved than the above. I think I recall seeing the entire episode name in there - and this particular daytime show of my wife's tries to fit the whole description in their episode title.


----------



## Dan203

eherberg said:


> I don't think it could be the naming. The tmp file gets deleted. I looked at the file name from the time I manually was testing successful decryptions. I was testing with one of my wife's daily chat shows. The file name for yesterday's, for example, is "Rachael Ray - 82224 (TS).TiVo'.
> 
> For AV - I'm using the same as you -- stock windows 10 AV.
> 
> Yeah -- I don't have an idea either. Don't know what else to test. However, I wouldn't sweat it. Command-line decrypt and kmttg still work -- and kmttg's file naming of the TiVo file is a lot more involved than the above. I think I recall seeing the entire episode name in there - and this particular daytime show of my wife's tries to fit the whole description in their episode title.


One more thing I thought of.... are these shows you're testing with from a channel that is H.264? One thing I didn't account for is that H.264 channels always have to be TS, even if the TS option is off. So if these are from an H.264 channel they could be being downloaded using the wrong format and the resulting file could be corrupt. (not sure what happens if you attempt to download a H.264 file using PS container)


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> (not sure what happens if you attempt to download a H.264 file using PS container)


You end up with a much smaller, audio only file.


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> You end up with a much smaller, audio only file.


According to Kevin (kmttg) this audio only file will also fail to decrypt using tivolibre, so this is my best theory so far.

I've also been informed that there is currently no way to detect the video format ahead of time, so there is no way to force a TS for H.264 files even if the option is unchecked. So I'm just going to add a warning to my UI so that when you uncheck the TS option it tells you that downloading an H.264 file will result in an unusable file.


----------



## eherberg

No -- this is OTA mpeg2 channel. I was cord-cuttin' before cord-cuttin' was cool. 

I just deleted both the pytivo and pytivo-desktop folders from the roaming profile. Just noticed those remained even after uninstalling. Later tonight after my wife goes to bed, I'm going to re-install so those are created fresh and then try again. But for right now - she wants to actually watch some TV instead of watching me play with trying to decode it.


----------



## NowPlaying

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for this wonderful program. I've been using pyTivo for many years. I just build a new computer and was gathering the pieces to install pyTivo when I came across your program. Wow, so easy! Love it!

Question on your updates. Do I just install them over my current installation?


----------



## eherberg

I've run out of ideas. Just did a fresh install. Changed the output folder a couple of times just to check. But no change. One thing I've noticed when monitoring the output folder is that I'm not seeing the temp file grow at the same rate as the transfer queue progress bar. I'll see the temp file have an initial size and then later change to another, but it never shows a size that is current with the transfer queue GUI. Does the transfer queue use something internal? Does it write to disk in chunks? Just curious, as when I use kmttg, I can see the file size being written to disk at the same rate as the progress window in kmttg is showing download.


----------



## Dan203

I don't see it grow in the size column in explorer either. But if I keep right clicking and picking properties then the size there keeps growing. 

I just uploaded one more build. This one fixes the naming issue I mentioned above and if decrypting fails it renames the .tmp to .tivo so you don't have to download it again. Maybe if you try that you can see if the .tivo file it downloads is valid.


----------



## lpwcomp

Any chance it's a problem with the file name of the target decrypted file?


----------



## krkaufman

lpwcomp said:


> Any chance it's a problem with the file name of the target decrypted file?


Anything's possible... Some program I used to use choked on files if parentheses were anywhere in the full path of the file.


----------



## eherberg

Well -- I've hit a wall regarding ideas for this version of pyTivo. Everything I've tried results in a fail on the decrypt. Interestingly, I just went back and put the original pyTivo (wmcbrine version) on my machine -- what the kids would call 'OG pyTivo'. 

Tried download and decrypt using that pyTivo -- and 100% success.

Try download and decrypt using kmttg -- 100% success.

Decrypt using the command-line tivodecode or tivolibre.exe -- 100% success.

Only this version of pyTivo gives me a failure.

These are all using the same parameters between all of the various tests -- parameters like output path, etc.

So, I don't have any idea what the issue with this particular implementation is, but it's not like I'm left in the cold here or anything. I mean -- I certainly have other options for decode, if needed. In reality - I probably wouldn't need it much anyway. The only thing that is really recorded on the TiVo anymore is the wife's daily news and chat shows. Everything else has pretty much been moved to Plex due to easier whole-home / out-of-home functionality.

Maybe if somebody else reports similar symptoms, something might shake loose that's common in setup or software between the systems that could explain it - but I'm afraid I just have no idea anymore what could cause the issue only with this version of TTG, where all of the others have success.


----------



## Dan203

With the new version did it leave behind a .tivo file when the decrypt failed? It should have. If so is the file playable? Can you decrypt it manually? That will tell us if the issue is with the download or the decrypt.


----------



## eherberg

Yeah -- the .tivo file is written to the disk, although not playable. It is easily decrypted manually.


----------



## Dan203

So the .tivo file that pyTivo downloads is OK? And can be decrypted manually using the tivolibre.exe supplied with install? That makes no sense at all. 

If there were some issue with how I'm launching the process then pyTivo wouldn't work at all because pyTivo.exe is launched from pyTivoTray.exe using the exact same code I use to launch tivolibre.exe for the decryption. 

I wonder if it's some sort of timing issue. Maybe tivolibre is being launched before the main pyTivo process has let go of the file and there is some sort of access error. That could explain the one time it did work. Maybe I should throw a sleep in there to give it a couple seconds before launching the decrypt process. 

Another thing you could try, if you're willing.... exit out of pyTivo completely. Go to the install folder. Double click on pytivo.exe. That should open a command window with the pytivo output being printed to the window. Now go into the desktop folder and double click pytivodesktop.exe. That will launch the UI. Now try again and when it gets to the end of the download watch the command window with pyTivo running. If there is some sort of error it will be printed there. If you can grab the text of the error and post it here so I can see what's going on.


----------



## lpwcomp

Does tivolibre use the directshow.dll? Is it possible that the way it is being launched from within pytivo creates an access problem?


----------



## Dan203

No it doesn't. It does all it's decrypting internally.


----------



## eherberg

Dan203 said:


> So the .tivo file that pyTivo downloads is OK? And can be decrypted manually using the tivolibre.exe supplied with install? That makes no sense at all.
> 
> If there were some issue with how I'm launching the process then pyTivo wouldn't work at all because pyTivo.exe is launched from pyTivoTray.exe using the exact same code I use to launch tivolibre.exe for the decryption.
> 
> I wonder if it's some sort of timing issue. Maybe tivolibre is being launched before the main pyTivo process has let go of the file and there is some sort of access error. That could explain the one time it did work. Maybe I should throw a sleep in there to give it a couple seconds before launching the decrypt process.
> 
> Another thing you could try, if you're willing.... exit out of pyTivo completely. Go to the install folder. Double click on pytivo.exe. That should open a command window with the pytivo output being printed to the window. Now go into the desktop folder and double click pytivodesktop.exe. That will launch the UI. Now try again and when it gets to the end of the download watch the command window with pyTivo running. If there is some sort of error it will be printed there. If you can grab the text of the error and post it here so I can see what's going on.


Below is the relevant output from the command console. I've only pasted from where the console window showed success in the transfer to the error point in the console window.

_INFOyTivo.togo:[09/Apr/2017 21:54:20] Done getting "C:\Video\Rachael Ray - 82120.tmp" from LivingRoom, 3201235432 bytes, 24.50 Mb/s
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [09/Apr/2017 21:54:20] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.18%3A80%2Fdownload%2FRachael%2520Ray.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D82120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [09/Apr/2017 21:54:21] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.18%3A80%2Fdownload%2FRachael%2520Ray.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D82120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [09/Apr/2017 21:54:22] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.18%3A80%2Fdownload%2FRachael%2520Ray.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D82120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [09/Apr/2017 21:54:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.18%3A80%2Fdownload%2FRachael%2520Ray.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D82120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [09/Apr/2017 21:54:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.18 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [09/Apr/2017 21:54:24] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [09/Apr/2017 21:54:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.18%3A80%2Fdownload%2FRachael%2520Ray.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D82120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
Input file C:\Video\Rachael Ray - 82120.tmp not found: C:\Video\Rachael Ray - 82120.tmp (The system cannot find the file specified)_​


----------



## Dan203

That's weird. That error seems to be coming from tivolibre, and obviously the file is there becuase python is able to rename it to .tivo after it fails.

I'm leaning toward a timing issue. The writing thread may not have completely released the file when tivolibre is called which is causing it to get denied access. I'm going to try throwing a sleep in there for the next release and see if that helps. 

I really appreciate you running all these tests for me.


----------



## eherberg

No problem. One question: Does your version change the timing that was done from pyTivo itself? Just curious - as wmcbrine's pyTivo (using the tivodecode @moyekj patched for windows) has no problems. If that works with no timing issues, did the timing of the call change in this version of pyTivo?


----------



## Dan203

Mine changes the way the decryption is done. The original uses a pipe to feeds the data directly into tivodecode, so it's actually decoded as the data is downloaded. tivolibre doesn't support that method of input so I had to make it a two step process where the data is written to disk first, then that's fed into tivolibre as a file after it completes. My theory here is that python uses an asyncronous close call after the file completes. Which means that the code after the call to close is executed immediately, even if the file hasn't actually been released yet. This can lead to weird timing issues where if tivolibre tries to open it before it's ready it will be denied access, which it apparenly treats as if the file isn't there at all.

If the sleep doesn't work then I'm going to add an option to enable the old tivodecode method and allow the user to choose. I added the tivolibre one because tivodecode does not work with TS files and tivolibre does, but if tivolibre is causing issues then I don't want to force people to use it. I can add another option so the user can choose which one to use.


----------



## moyekj

Dan, not sure what gave you the impression tivolibre doesn't support stdin/stdout. 
From the the web page:
GitHub - fflewddur/tivolibre: Java app and library for decoding TiVo files to standard MPEG files.


> You can use TivoLibre as a stand-alone command-line app. By default, it will read from standard input and write to standard output. You can specify input and output files with the -i and -o command-line parameters, respectively.


----------



## lpwcomp

Any chance that the rename (formally delete) step is being executed before tivolibre actually starts?


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> Any chance that the rename (formally delete) step is being executed before tivolibre actually starts?


The rename only gets called if there is an exception


----------



## Dan203

moyekj said:


> Dan, not sure what gave you the impression tivolibre doesn't support stdin/stdout.
> From the the web page:
> GitHub - fflewddur/tivolibre: Java app and library for decoding TiVo files to standard MPEG files.


You're right, it does work! :up: When me and wmcbrine were discussing this via PM he said he didn't think tivolibre worked that way and I just assumed he was correct. But I just ran some tests and it works fine using the pipe method. I'm going to switch the code over to using that method for the next release.


----------



## Dan203

A new build has been posted. This one removes the two step decryption process and reverts to the old decrypt as it downloads option it had before, but using tivolibre instead of tivodecode.


----------



## Dan203

I thinking about possible feature enhancements going forward and I'm wondering if there is anything you guys wish this did that it doesn't do now?

One idea I had was automatic downloads. So you could set up a series to automatically download new episodes to your PC when they completed. Not sure how useful that would be to people, but I think it would be relatively easy to do.

Any other ideas you guys have?


----------



## eherberg

Dan203 said:


> A new build has been posted. This one removes the two step decryption process and reverts to the old decrypt as it downloads option it had before, but using tivolibre instead of tivodecode.


And .... (pause for dramatic impact) ... Success!

All transfer tests I've tried have been successful. Tried using Transport Stream and a successful decoded .ts file left in it's place. Tried using Program Stream and a successful decoded .mpg file left in it's place.

That seems to have solved whatever was going on with my machine. 

Thanks for all of the work on it!


----------



## Dan203

No problem. Thanks for sticking with it and going through my half dozen updates in as many days.


----------



## krkaufman

Dan203 said:


> I thinking about possible feature enhancements going forward and I'm wondering if there is anything you guys wish this did that it doesn't do now?


I haven't yet started using pieTivo (easy-as-pie pyTivo ), but one thing I would find handy, as a laptop user jumping between houses and TiVo accounts, is the ability to quickly switch the account-specific settings. Being able to automatically recognize which network I'm on would be nice, but just being able to select a different configuration and restart would be handy.

As I said, I haven't used the product, so what I'm requesting may make zero sense, or already exist.


----------



## krkaufman

One thought I've had is if pyTivo is always running in the background, I was wondering if there was some way it could detect rebooted DVRs and send out an alert -- with an added bonus if the alert could identify any recordings that were disrupted and likely truncated.


----------



## aaronwt

I'll need to try out this new version sometime.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> I thinking about possible feature enhancements going forward and I'm wondering if there is anything you guys wish this did that it doesn't do now?
> 
> One idea I had was automatic downloads. So you could set up a series to automatically download new episodes to your PC when they completed. Not sure how useful that would be to people, but I think it would be relatively easy to do.


And so, that would be the equivalent of an auto-archive, which could be handy for shows that you know you want to archive. Would be handy. 
Another: automatic commercial edit?


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan203, thank you very much for making this! I'm new to pyTivo, but with your version from a few days ago, 1.5.5, I was able to get it installed, and working, without fuss or incident. Both on a Win7 laptop, and a Win10 laptop. 

I don't know if this is the right place to ask questions, please tell me if I should ask somewhere else. I just ordered a Bolt to replace my pair of Series 2s. 

Before it arrives, I'm trying to copy my recorded shows off the Series 2s, so that I can transfer them to the new Bolt. I have 2 different units, both with upgraded storage, so there are several hundred recordings total. 

I have successfully copied some shows to my computer so far. I want to start getting them pulled off the old machines, which will be deactivated 10 days after setting up the Bolt. I have two basic pyTivo questions, I'm hoping someone can help: 
- Is it possible to select the recordings in-bulk, to queue them for transferring? I can go folder-by-folder, file-by-file, but if there's a good way to select groups of files all at once, that would be great. Even if I had to pull them using other software, perhaps (TiVo Desktop?). 
- Can pyTiVo push them from my computer to the new Bolt, in bulk? I don't currently see any Push options, I can only share a folder using pyTivo. Then I'd have to individually select each one to be pulled, using the TiVo, which would be quite cumbersome. Will I see a Push option in pyTivo when the Bolt is available on my network? I don't know if maybe the Series 2s don't support Push, perhaps. 

Please forgive the basic questions. Like I said, I'm brand new to pyTivo, which seems like a very cool program. Thank you.


----------



## lpwcomp

Push hasn't worked at all for any model for about 8 months.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah sorry, neither of those are currently possible. As lpwcomp pointed out push no longer works in any software. It required a function on TiVo's server to work and they disabled that function a while back. Bulk download wasn't something I really considered for my UI. But it's something I'll add to the list. However I wont be able to do it for at least a few days, so probably not going to do you any good. I think kmttg has the ability to do bulk transfers so perhaps you should look at using that instead.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Thank you guys for the replies. That's unfortunate about not being able to push things to a TiVo any more. 

Shame on me if I don't at least ask the question: is there any good way to transfer lots of recordings to the new Bolt? Maybe the current TiVo UI, with faster hardware, makes it practical to select a LOT of shows to pull from a computer. But with my Series 2s, at least, that would be a pretty painful process to get started for all the recordings. 

My Bolt hasn't shipped yet, there is apparently a big rush of similar orders from other people who used this Bolt promotion. So I may not even get it for a week or so, I'm not sure. If it was practical to add group-selecting to the pyTivo UI, that would be awesome. And I will try to take a look at kmttg, thanks.


----------



## Dan203

Not really. In fact since you're going to have to pull them one by one anyway you might be better off just waiting for the new TiVo to arrive and doing a direct TiVo to TiVo transfer instead. Those transfers are a bit faster because they don't require the same encryption to be applied as when transferring to a PC. They also retain more of the original metadata then going to the PC first.


----------



## sar840t2

Just be aware that sometimes queued-up copies from one TiVo to another fail without any notification (speaking from experience).

When I did my most recent bulk copying from one TiVo to another, I did them in batches of about 10 recordings at a time, and then used kmttg pointed at each TiVo to compare the file size and duration of each recording on the source and destination TiVo.


----------



## Dan203

sar840t2 said:


> Just be aware that sometimes queued-up copies from one TiVo to another fail without any notification (speaking from experience).
> 
> When I did my most recent bulk copying from one TiVo to another, I did them in batches of about 10 recordings at a time, and then used kmttg pointed at each TiVo to compare the file size and duration of each recording on the source and destination TiVo.


That seems to be less of an issue with newer TiVos. I just transferred hundreds of recordings from my Roamio Pro to my Bolt+ using the feature on online.tivo.com and all of them came through just fine.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan203 said:


> Not really. In fact since you're going to have to pull them one by one anyway you might be better off just waiting for the new TiVo to arrive and doing a direct TiVo to TiVo transfer instead. Those transfers are a bit faster because they don't require the same encryption to be applied as when transferring to a PC. They also retain more of the original metadata then going to the PC first.


Interesting, thanks. I was thinking to transfer the recordings before the Bolt arrives, because the process might take quite a long time. With USB->Ethernet adapters, my slower Series2 transfers to the PC at around 3Mbps, the faster one is roughly 5Mbps, it seems. And the unit will remain active for 10 days after setting up the Bolt, so I have something of a time limit to work within.

So I figured I'd get started now, to at least have the recordings available on the PC, then later I could work out transferring them to the Bolt.


----------



## Dan203

That's probably a good idea. I forgot that those S2 units were so slow. 

How many recordings do you have on the S2? Are you sure they're all things you want to keep? Once you switch over to HD you may find it hard to watch those old SD recordings. Once you get the Bolt you may want to look for alternate airings of these shows rather then transferring the old SD versions from your S2.

One more possibility... the Bolt supports Plex. If you decrypt the transfers from your TiVo then you could organize them into Plex folders and simply stream them from the PC as needed, rather then transferring them back over.


----------



## aaronwt

hmm... I'm running into issues. Transfers form the TiVo seem to work fine, but I set up a folder for TiVo recordings, music, and pictures but nothing is showing up on any f my boxes. With the old pyTiVo, I start it and a few seconds later I can see the folders on my TiVos. Does it take some time to show up or something?


----------



## aaronwt

I restarted it a third time and this time the video folder showed up.

EDIT: But I can't transfer it to the TiVo. I see the folder and the shows on the TiVo., And it says it will transfer after whatever, but I don;t see where it's transferring.

It's working great using the PC and transferring from the TiVo to the PC.

EDIT: I see a show eventually transferred but it was several minutes after I initiated it.


----------



## lpwcomp

aaronwt said:


> I restarted it a third time and this time the video folder showed up.
> 
> EDIT: But I can't transfer it to teh TiVo. I see the folder and the show son teh TiVo., And it says it will transfer after whatever, but I don;t see where it's transferring.
> 
> It's working great using the PC and transferring from the TiVo to the PC.


Do you have ffmpeg.exe, either in the pytivo\bin folder or have pointed pyTivo to it?


----------



## aaronwt

It did eventually transfer content to the TiVo. But it was inconsistent when it did. And sometimes delayed for some reason. I shut off my PC that was running it last night and will try again tonight.

Assuming I don't have any more FiOS Cable Card issues tonight. The tech on the phone last night screwed up my cable card and I have to pick up a new one today. The previous night I had a tech that knew what they were doing, so the first cable card transferred without any major issues.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan203 said:


> That's probably a good idea. I forgot that those S2 units were so slow.
> 
> How many recordings do you have on the S2? Are you sure they're all things you want to keep? Once you switch over to HD you may find it hard to watch those old SD recordings. Once you get the Bolt you may want to look for alternate airings of these shows rather then transferring the old SD versions from your S2.
> 
> One more possibility... the Bolt supports Plex. If you decrypt the transfers from your TiVo then you could organize them into Plex folders and simply stream them from the PC as needed, rather then transferring them back over.


There are 300+ recordings saved to keep until I delete. Are they all needed? No, probably not, but many are shows my wife watches, so I don't get to simply decide what gets deleted, there is a committee involved  Transferring them is the simplest approach to a smooth transition, at least for now.

Good info on Plex, thank you. And even without that, it seems like maybe I could share them from the PC, allowing streaming them that way. My preference would be to just copy them to the Bolt, so I don't have to keep a share running, but that's definitely an option, and it's also simpler to manage at the moment.

I have started trying kmttg, it appeared to easily allow selecting a bunch of recordings to queue for transfer to the PC, which is a useful place to start.


----------



## elm222

Redoctobyr said:


> There are 300+ recordings saved to keep until I delete. Are they all needed? No, probably not, but many are shows my wife watches, so I don't get to simply decide what gets deleted, there is a committee involved  Transferring them is the simplest approach to a smooth transition, at least for now.
> 
> Good info on Plex, thank you. And even without that, it seems like maybe I could share them from the PC, allowing streaming them that way. My preference would be to just copy them to the Bolt, so I don't have to keep a share running, but that's definitely an option, and it's also simpler to manage at the moment.
> 
> I have started trying kmttg, it appeared to easily allow selecting a bunch of recordings to queue for transfer to the PC, which is a useful place to start.


Something else I saw someone (don't remember who or what thread) suggest in a similar situation was to set the old S2's ( or whatever DVR's) on whichever TV that would be convenient on a different video input leaving all the programs archived on them, plug in power ( if you don't want to leave on all the time) and switch inputs whenever she wants to watch something.


----------



## wmcbrine

Dan203 said:


> TiVo to TiVo ... transfers ... retain more of the original metadata then going to the PC first.


That would make sense, but in fact, the opposite is true, in my experience.


----------



## Dan203

wmcbrine said:


> That would make sense, but in fact, the opposite is true, in my experience.


Really? It's been a long time since I tested this, so things may have changed, but I remember there was a time when TTG transfers lost certain data like the episode numbers, actors, guest stars, etc... while MRV transfers retained them.


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## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> Really? It's been a long time since I tested this, so things may have changed, but I remember there was a time when TTG transfers lost certain data like the episode numbers, actors, guest stars, etc... while MRV transfers retained them.


It was true for pushes, but even that was mostly fixed, at least in the HDUI, especially if you added [<programId>] to the beginning of the description.

It was never really true for pulls when using the SDUI and fixed for the HDUI after programId was added to the _*pyTivo*_ metadata.


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## DevdogAZ

Redoctobyr said:


> There are 300+ recordings saved to keep until I delete. Are they all needed? No, probably not, but many are shows my wife watches, so I don't get to simply decide what gets deleted, there is a committee involved  Transferring them is the simplest approach to a smooth transition, at least for now.
> 
> Good info on Plex, thank you. And even without that, it seems like maybe I could share them from the PC, allowing streaming them that way. My preference would be to just copy them to the Bolt, so I don't have to keep a share running, but that's definitely an option, and it's also simpler to manage at the moment.
> 
> I have started trying kmttg, it appeared to easily allow selecting a bunch of recordings to queue for transfer to the PC, which is a useful place to start.


Another benefit of just keeping the shows on the PC and allowing them to be streamed via Plex or pulled via pyTiVo/kmttg whenever someone wants to watch is you don't need to have nearly as much storage space on the TiVo itself. You mentioned that you have upgraded storage in your current S2s and 300+ programs saved as KUID. That space can be recovered by simply keeping that stuff on the PC.


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## Mikeguy

Well, but you still need the storage _somewhere_. But a central repository can be a good thing (however, it's then an extra step).


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## lpwcomp

Mikeguy said:


> Well, but you still need the storage _somewhere_. But a central repository can be a good thing (however, it's then an extra step).


It's a whole lot easier to add space to a computer.


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## Dan203

300+ SD recordings don't require much space. IIRC the max size for a Best quality recording on a S2 was like 2.5GB/hour. So worst case those recordings would take up about 1/4 of the space on a Bolt+.


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## krkaufman

lpwcomp said:


> It's a whole lot easier to add space to a computer.


And to backup such storage.


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## lpwcomp

krkaufman said:


> And to backup such storage.


I don't backup but I'll only have a problem if I lose more than one disk at a time in my RAID.


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## Dan203

I have layers, upon layers, of backup. I use an offsite backup for all my important files. I also back up the same file to a local NAS. I then do a complete image of my main drive every night which is stored on a secondary drive which is actually a RAID array. I also back up the images once a week to the NAS. Storage is cheap. Losing files can be devastating and even if they're replaceable the amount of time spent restoring them can cost more then the drives.


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## Dan203

FYI I've uploaded all my pyTivo changes to github...

GitHub - Dan203/pytivo: This is a custom fork of pyTivo that is used for pyTivo Desktop.

The majority of them have to do with "freezing" the app into an exe, but there are other minor changes and some enhancements to the settings and togo plugins that I needed for my UI. I also included my little tray app and the spec files I use to compile the python code into the exe using pyinstaller. I did not upload the UI portion of the app yet though. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do that. The way it's done is sort of complex. It's using a framework called Angular which compiles into a nice set of html/js files, but the actual project itself is made up of hundreds of html, json, css and typscript files along with dependencies on 3rd party modules I downloaded via npm. I'm not even sure which portions of that I would upload or how to explain to someone how to build it.


----------



## Dan203

I've just uploaded a new build that includes two new features....

1) The ability to toggle groups on/off, in case you want to see all of your shows as one big list
2) The ability to download all shows in a group, or all shows from an entire TiVo is grouping is turned off

@Redoctobyr I know you're already using kmttg but if you have any trouble with it this new version should do what you needed.


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## Redoctobyr

Wow, very cool, thank you Dan! I will install the new version. Thank you for adding this feature.

I am trying kmttg at the moment, but it's great to have options. As pyTivo can also handle the sharing, it may be better for me to simply use pyTivo for both functions. 

I hope this isn't a dumb question. But I'm currently running pyTivo on my laptop, since it's easier to manage on that, vs my desktop PC that's hooked up to the TV (it doesn't have a separate monitor, so it's tougher to use while we're watching TV). Is it possible to use a network mapped drive letter, or network folder, as the TiVo Recordings Folder? That could give more flexibility for what computer runs the software, vs where the big files are stored. I only seem to see my local drives as an option.


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## Dan203

Mapped drive will definitely work. Not sure about shares. I'd have to look at the code to see if it handles the slash slash syntax for SMB shares.


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## jsbellin

Is there a way to automatically transfer files to a Tivo, like Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting. 
Thank you,
John


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## Dan203

Unfortunately no. That feature required a call into an API on TiVos servers and TiVo disabled that API last year. No software can do push now.


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## Mikeguy

Dan, any idea how reliable the pulling of large groups of shows is? That so often seemed to be an issue with transfers, earlier. Thanks--


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## Dan203

Pulling to PC or to TiVo? 

I just did hundreds of TiVo to TiVo transfers from my Roamio Pro to my new Bolt+ and it never glitched once. 

I haven't done any bulk transfers to or from a PC though, so I can't comment on how reliable that is. Although I just added that download all feature, maybe I'll queue up a bunch and let them run overnight to see how they fare.


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## Mikeguy

A nice start. I'd be interested to hear the PC situation.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan203 said:


> Mapped drive will definitely work. Not sure about shares. I'd have to look at the code to see if it handles the slash slash syntax for SMB shares.


Thank you. When using 1.5.5, selecting my storage location in Win7, I clicked on the "..." button, and the only drives that appeared in the list on the left were my local drives. I couldn't select a mapped network drive. But when I went back to the "Tivo recordings folder" page of the settings, I discovered that I can copy/paste a mapped drive location into the "Tivo recordings folder" field. I now have it using a network drive, which is very helpful.

I will try to install the new version tonight, to try group transfers.


----------



## Rowan

All I did was map a network driver and then in the settings I just put in the drive letter and path and it worked correctly. The directory selector only shows local drives.


----------



## aaronwt

I just tried transferring half a dozen shows in a group. And it had no issues transferring from the TiVo Bolt to the PC.

EDIT: Transfer rates seem to be decent. Around 300Mb/s.


----------



## aaronwt

I'll need to try some transfers with the Bolt in Standby with no tuners buffering. To see what the top transfer rate is. Bolt to Bolt topped out around 500Mb/s.

EIDT: I just did a quick test while in standby with no tuners buffering and it increased the transfer speed by 10% to 330Mb/s.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Rowan said:


> All I did was map a network driver and then in the settings I just put in the drive letter and path and it worked correctly. The directory selector only shows local drives.


Nice. I hadn't realized originally that the selector only showed certain items, but that you could also enter other paths yourself, at the first screen. That's really nice.



aaronwt said:


> I just tried transferring half a dozen shows in a group. And it had no issues transferring from the TiVo Bolt to the PC.
> 
> EDIT: Transfer rates seem to be decent. Around 300Mb/s.


I guess that's the difference that 12-14 years of hardware makes! Getting a transfer rate of 300-500Mbps and calling it decent, vs you blowing my mind with that kind of speed  I'm getting roughly 3Mbs and 5-6Mbps from my different Series 2s. So things have come a LONG way, apparently! That's amazing. Some of my home network is gigabit, but some is still 100Mbit. If that started to limit me, I could upgrade another switch to bring more of it up to gigabit speed.


----------



## George Cifranci

I have pyTiVo working and it can see my new Bolt. If I hook up my old TiVo Series 2 (that the account is closed on and I am not paying for serivce on) should it be able to see it and transfer shows from it to my PC? The reason I ask is that I just hooked it up but pyTiVo doesn't see it.


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE

What's the current version? and how does one see/load updates?


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

I am a total newbie to this software but I got it up and running and added a video share, saved it, and rebooted pyTiVo--where would I see the share on my TiVo Roamio? Was looking around in various places but can't seem to find the folder anywhere.


----------



## lpwcomp

PSU_Sudzi said:


> I am a total newbie to this software but I got it up and running and added a video share, saved it, and rebooted pyTiVo--where would I see the share on my TiVo Roamio? Was looking around in various places but can't seem to find the folder anywhere.


Should be at the bottom "My Shows".


----------



## George Cifranci

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> What's the current version? and how does one see/load updates?


*Version: 1.5.7*

I don't believe there is a way inside pyTiVo to download updates, I just went to pyTivo Desktop and installed the latest version.


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

lpwcomp said:


> Should be at the bottom "My Shows".


Thanks, no luck seeing it there, will try it out again tomorrow.


----------



## wmcbrine

George Cifranci said:


> If I hook up my old TiVo Series 2 (that the account is closed on and I am not paying for serivce on) should it be able to see it and transfer shows from it to my PC?


No, unsubscribed TiVos have no network capabilities. Pretty much all you can do with them is play back existing recordings, or (in some cases) buffer live TV.

If you want to transfer shows off a TiVo, do it before you drop the subscription.


----------



## George Cifranci

wmcbrine said:


> No, unsubscribed TiVos have no network capabilities. Pretty much all you can do with them is play back existing recordings, or (in some cases) buffer live TV.
> 
> If you want to transfer shows off a TiVo, do it before you drop the subscription.


Bummer, I was afraid of that. I had dropped service from my Series 2 a few years ago. I just fired her up to see what recordings I had on it and there are a few hard to find shows I was hoping to transfer to my PC or my new Bolt. I know TiVo isn't reactivating Series 2 DVR's so I couldn't even subscribe for a month and get them transferred I guess. Oh well.


----------



## Mikeguy

Just a word of thanks (and a few questions) for this wonderful install!  Download the program file, install it in a minute or 2, and there it just is. Kudos!

A few questions with respect to the downloading of shows to one's PC, as I get my feet wet:

If the tivo-libre decrypt option is checked on, does the program retain both the original .tivo file and the decrypted version, or is the .tivo file deleted? Could be handy having an option for both--one for transferring to a TiVo box later and the other for easy PC use. (Of course, if the .tivo file is deleted, one instead simply could run the program without decrypting and decrypt later, as desired.) Also, if one has queued up a number of shows for download, does having the decrypt option turned on delay downloading, or does the decrypting process occur simultaneously with the downloading of the next show? And is the decrypting a lengthy process (I haven't used that option yet)?

When the save metadata to text file option is checked on, where is the text file created (or am I misunderstanding this option)? And does this otherwise affect the downloaded file, such as stripping out metadata (I assume not)?


----------



## Mikeguy

Redoctobyr said:


> I guess that's the difference that 12-14 years of hardware makes! Getting a transfer rate of 300-500Mbps and calling it decent, vs you blowing my mind with that kind of speed  I'm getting roughly 3Mbs and 5-6Mbps from my different Series 2s.


I feel your pain, with similar over wireless.  I swear, my router just wants a nice, slow, good life . . . .


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Just a word of thanks (and a few questions) for this wonderful install!  Download the program file, install it in a minute or 2, and there it just is. Kudos!
> 
> A few questions with respect to the downloading of shows to one's PC, as I get my feet wet:
> 
> If the tivo-libre decrypt option is checked on, does the program retain both the original .tivo file and the decrypted version, or is the .tivo file deleted? Could be handy having an option for both--one for transferring to a TiVo box later and the other for easy PC use. (Of course, if the .tivo file is deleted, one instead simply could run the program without decrypting and decrypt later, as desired.) Also, if one has queued up a number of shows for download, does having the decrypt option turned on delay downloading, or does the decrypting process occur simultaneously with the downloading of the next show? And is the decrypting a lengthy process (I haven't used that option yet)?
> 
> When the save metadata to text file option is checked on, where is the text file created (or am I misunderstanding this option)? And does this otherwise affect the downloaded file, such as stripping out metadata (I assume not)?


The decryption happens on the fly now, so there is no .tivo file to save.

Yes it creates a .txt file with the metadata in the format that pyTivo uses for return. So if you check this option and the decrypt option you'll still have all the info you need to return the file back to your TiVo.


----------



## Dan203

Redoctobyr said:


> Thank you. When using 1.5.5, selecting my storage location in Win7, I clicked on the "..." button, and the only drives that appeared in the list on the left were my local drives. I couldn't select a mapped network drive.


I'll have to look at that. Because the program is basically a webpage I do not have access to the actual file system. So I'm actually feeding the file system data from the pyTivo server over to the desktop UI app. The way I'm parsing the drives in the python code must not be picking up the mapped drives. I'll have to check into that.


----------



## Dan203

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> What's the current version? and how does one see/load updates?


The current version (just uploaded) is 1.5.8. I don't currently have any sort of auto update feature in place. I should probably look into doing that though. I didn't originally expect to be updating this so frequently.


----------



## Dan203

I just uploaded a new version. This one includes two main changes...

1) I've included the TiVo DirectShow filter in the package along with a small app that allows me to set the MAK in the registry so that it functions. This makes pyTivo Desktop a complete replacement for TiVo Desktop. (as long as TiVo doesn't sue me for distributing their filter )

2) I've added a section to the installer so you can set your MAK and recordings folder in the installer instead of setting them the first time Desktop runs.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan, I installed 1.5.7 last night. Thank you for the transfer-folder and transfer-all buttons, those make bulk transfers much easier to start! 

I don't have much history with 1.5.5 to compare with, but I recall the 1.5.5 transfer queue showing things correctly. Last night I uninstalled 1.5.5 and installed 1.5.7. 

With 1.5.7, I told it to transfer a folder of 5 shows. The queue number in the corner originally showed "5". Then when I clicked on it to view the list, it showed nothing, or maybe 1 item. Tried again, showed nothing. Tried again, then it showed 1 item, and the queue # in the corner changed from 5 to 1 at one point. Then back to 5, but the actual list wasn't showing 5 items. 

I let it run overnight, I'm pretty sure I didn't manually try to cancel any transfers. But this morning there were 3 shows in the folder, not 5. I have it running again at the moment, transferring those 5 again, to see how it does this time, I'll check tonight when I get home. 

This may just be something with my computer, but it seemed worth mentioning.


----------



## wmcbrine

George Cifranci said:


> I know TiVo isn't reactivating Series 2 DVR's so I couldn't even subscribe for a month and get them transferred I guess. Oh well.


You could perhaps use a video capture device.


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

I was able to get this working, thanks so much Dan203, this is awesome!!

I tried adding metadata to the files I sent to my TiVo by adding a *.txt file with the same name as the movie in the same folder and details included but nothing came over. Does this version of pyTiVo not work with metadata? And is there a place where we users can search for metadata to match up movies we have?


----------



## lpwcomp

PSU_Sudzi said:


> I was able to get this working, thanks so much Dan203, this is awesome!!
> 
> I tried adding metadata to the files I sent to my TiVo by adding a *.txt file with the same name as the movie in the same folder and details included but nothing came over. Does this version of pyTiVo not work with metadata? And is there a place where we users can search for metadata to match up movies we have?


The metadata file name needs to include the extension of the video file. For example, if the video is "Some Movie.mpg", the metadata file name needs to be "Some Movie.mpg.txt".

Edit: You might consider using Metagenerator 3


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

lpwcomp said:


> The metadata file name needs to include the extension of the video file. For example, if the video is "Some Movie.mpg", the metadata file name needs to be "Some Movie.mpg.txt".


Thanks! Now how do I get images embedded in the files?


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## lpwcomp

PSU_Sudzi said:


> Thanks! Now how do I get images embedded in the files?


You can't, but see metagenerator 3.


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

lpwcomp said:


> You can't, but see metagenerator 3.


Thanks again for the tip, I just have been using it but what I noticed is that the programID is blank for everything I look up. And if I understand how this works properly, embedding that programID in the *.txt file is what will make the TiVo pull in the image when browsing through movies correct?


----------



## lpwcomp

PSU_Sudzi said:


> Thanks again for the tip, I just have been using it but what I noticed is that the programID is blank for everything I look up. And if I understand how this works properly, embedding that programID in the *.txt file is what will make the TiVo pull in the image when browsing through movies correct?


Yes. Do you have an example of something you are looking up?


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

lpwcomp said:


> Yes. Do you have an example of something you are looking up?


Any movie so far. I get all of the details of actors, director, summary, year, etc. but the programID is blank. After looking through some notes in the MG3 install folder, it seems to be that I need python installed and then enter in my TiVo user name and password for MG3 to make a call to TiVo to get the programID as this info is not available to MG3 otherwise. Have you set this up before? I've seen mention of Python on this forum before but not sure what I need to do to get it running.


----------



## DBrunetti

Dan, the download link on the pyTivo Desktop page doesn't appear to be working. I'm trying to download the latest version. Also thanks to you for a great job!


----------



## idksmy

The Windows Download link at the pytivodesktop website isn't active?


----------



## Mikeguy

idksmy said:


> The Windows Download link at the pytivodesktop website isn't active?


Confirmed, not active at present.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> The decryption happens on the fly now, so there is no .tivo file to save.
> 
> Yes it creates a .txt file with the metadata in the format that pyTivo uses for return. So if you check this option and the decrypt option you'll still have all the info you need to return the file back to your TiVo.


Thanks, Dan. For some reason, in my first use of the program on a folder of 4 shows, only 1 metadata file was created. This may have been a result of my laptop having gone to sleep in the course of the downloads (I'm now using a small utility to keep the laptop live, when using the program) and my re-queueing the shows for download--the downloading of a separate folder without interruption has gone smoothly, with all the metadata files being created.

A question about decrypting (which I've done but am not very familiar with): does the process affect the quality of the underlying video, such that it would be better to transfer back to a TiVo box a .tivo file rather than a decrypted file + metadata file? Any other differences between the 2 alternatives?


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Thanks, Dan. For some reason, in my first use of the program on a folder of 4 shows, only 1 metadata file was created. This may have been a result of my laptop having gone to sleep in the course of the downloads (I'm now using a small utility to keep the laptop live, when using the program) and my re-queueing the shows for download--the downloading of a separate folder without interruption has gone smoothly, with all the metadata files being created.
> 
> A question about decrypting (which I've done but am not very familiar with): does the process affect the quality of the underlying video, such that it would be better to transfer back to a TiVo box a .tivo file rather than a decrypted file + metadata file? Any other differences between the 2 alternatives?


There are reports that the decryption process can introduce small glitches into the video that are not there when playing the original .tivo file. But I'm not sure how frequent they are. I personally always just download as .tio and then edit in VideoReDo, which uses a different method for decryption and doesn't seem to cause the same glitches.


----------



## Dan203

DBrunetti said:


> Dan, the download link on the pyTivo Desktop page doesn't appear to be working. I'm trying to download the latest version. Also thanks to you for a great job!





idksmy said:


> The Windows Download link at the pytivodesktop website isn't active?





Mikeguy said:


> Confirmed, not active at present.


Sorry guys. I disabled it for a few minutes to make some changes and forgot to turn it back on. That's what I get for doing it at 2am


----------



## Dan203

Redoctobyr said:


> Dan, I installed 1.5.7 last night. Thank you for the transfer-folder and transfer-all buttons, those make bulk transfers much easier to start!
> 
> I don't have much history with 1.5.5 to compare with, but I recall the 1.5.5 transfer queue showing things correctly. Last night I uninstalled 1.5.5 and installed 1.5.7.
> 
> With 1.5.7, I told it to transfer a folder of 5 shows. The queue number in the corner originally showed "5". Then when I clicked on it to view the list, it showed nothing, or maybe 1 item. Tried again, showed nothing. Tried again, then it showed 1 item, and the queue # in the corner changed from 5 to 1 at one point. Then back to 5, but the actual list wasn't showing 5 items.
> 
> I let it run overnight, I'm pretty sure I didn't manually try to cancel any transfers. But this morning there were 3 shows in the folder, not 5. I have it running again at the moment, transferring those 5 again, to see how it does this time, I'll check tonight when I get home.
> 
> This may just be something with my computer, but it seemed worth mentioning.


Hmmm... Not sure what could have happened there. If you can reporduce it let me know and I'll investigate. If not I'll chalk it up to a one time fluke.


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> There are reports that the decryption process can introduce small glitches into the video that are not there when playing the original .tivo file. But I'm not sure how frequent they are. I personally always just download as .tio and then edit in VideoReDo, which uses a different method for decryption and doesn't seem to cause the same glitches.


The glitches, if any, are there on the .tivo file if you download in TS mode. They're almost certainly created by the TiVo when it transmits the file and is possibly some kind of weird timing issue as the glitch usually moves if you redo the download. VRD handles them better than tivolibre, at least IMHO.


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> The glitches, if any, are there on the .tivo file if you download in TS mode. They're almost certainly created by the TiVo when it transmits the file and is possibly some kind of weird timing issue as the glitch usually moves if you redo the download. VRD handles them better than tivolibre, at least IMHO.


That must be why I don't notice them. I've always used VRD to decrypt/edit.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> There are reports that the decryption process can introduce small glitches into the video that are not there when playing the original .tivo file. But I'm not sure how frequent they are. I personally always just download as .tio and then edit in VideoReDo, which uses a different method for decryption and doesn't seem to cause the same glitches.


Thanks, Dan, that's helpful. And so decrypting is more than just an "unlock" of the file.

I guess, then, if one principally is looking to download shows from a TiVo box for later transfer to another and/or for archiving purposes, the best practice would be not to decrypt (and then decrypt a copy from the download later if one wants enhanced access to the recording on a PC).

One question just occurred to me, as I'm experimenting some: can the program be used to both download and upload simultaneously, or can multiple instances of the program be run to do so? (I'd try it right now, but have a long queue of shows being downloaded and don't want to do something to mess with that.)


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> That must be why I don't notice them. I've always used VRD to decrypt/edit.


I use VRD for most everything except the download and the glitches are still there. When I first encountered the problem, I tried tivolibre for decryption and it was worse.

Edit: I also used VRD to directly edit the .tivo file and the glitch(es) were there.


----------



## Mikeguy

lpwcomp said:


> The glitches, if any, are there on the .tivo file if you download in TS mode. They're almost certainly created by the TiVo when it transmits the file and is possibly some kind of weird timing issue as the glitch usually moves if you redo the download. VRD handles them better than tivolibre, at least IMHO.


Ah, and so the plot thickens, lol.

And so, does this mean that it would be (better), if possible, to download in PS mode, to avoid possible glitches? Or do PS mode's own issues just "balance things out"? Detriments I've read here of PS mode: downloads take longer than with TS mode (is it appreciable?) and lesser resiliency than TS mode if there are download issues.

I know (if I have this right) that PS mode can't be used with MPEG-4 shows. Do I recall correctly that all OTA shows are MPEG-2, so that there would not be an issue with PS mode and OTA? And so that this may be the way to go with downloading OTA shows--unless detriments of PS mode counsel against it? (And my apologies if I've gotten some of this wrong--lots of balls in the air, and possible memory issues here for someone lesser familiar with these technologies.)


----------



## aaronwt

Dan203 said:


> That must be why I don't notice them. I've always used VRD to decrypt/edit.


I use VRD and sometimes see the glitches. But that is with the old PyTivo version and kmttg. I had an issue with one recently. I tried the transfers from the TiVo several times with kmttg and used VRD on it with the same glitches. At least with VRD I could still watch it. While if I transferred it back with the .tivo file it would stop transferring midway.

With the one title and using the PyTivo desktop, I didn't have the same issue. And was able to transfer back as a .tivo file. No idea if this is normal, but at least in this one instance PyTivo desktop worked better than the old PyTivo I was using. I am switching now to using PyTivo Desktop full time.

Thanks a million for all your work.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Thanks, Dan, that's helpful. And so decrypting is more than just an "unlock" of the file.
> 
> I guess, then, if one principally is looking to download shows from a TiVo box for later transfer to another and/or for archiving purposes, the best practice would be not to decrypt (and then decrypt a copy from the download later if one wants enhanced access to the recording on a PC).
> 
> One question just occurred to me, as I'm experimenting some: can the program be used to both download and upload simultaneously, or can multiple instances of the program be run to do so? (I'd try it right now, but have a long queue of shows being downloaded and don't want to do something to mess with that.)


The downloads are threaded so you can download and upload simultaneously. However the more network traffic you have the slower it's all going to be, so keep that in mind.

As for decrypting... if you're just archiving for laster upload to a TiVo there is really no reason to decrypt. And if you do need decrypted files later you can always run tivolibre manually.


----------



## lpwcomp

The main reason I use TS even for MPEG2 is because PS tends to garble the CC. If I didn't care about CC, I'd uhh... "acquire" them by other means.

While I would be watching archived stuff by transferring back to a TiVo, I still need to decrypt as I am editing them and, in the case of MPEG2 recordings, encoding them to H.264 in mkv container.


----------



## DevdogAZ

lpwcomp said:


> The main reason I use TS even for MPEG2 is because PS tends to garble the CC. If I didn't care about CC, I'd uhh... "acquire" them by other means.


You can "acquire" content by other means and then add the CC file manually. There are many sites out there with the CC files and adding them to the video file is pretty simple in Handbrake.


----------



## lpwcomp

DevdogAZ said:


> You can "acquire" content by other means and then add the CC file manually. There are many sites out there with the CC files and adding them to the video file is pretty simple in Handbrake.


You cannot actually add CC manually, at least not by any viable method I know about and I have looked. You can take an srt file and "burn" the captions onto the video, but that is not the same thing, and is a major PITA. There is also a way to have ffmpeg do it during the pyTivo transfer but that has some problems also.


----------



## DevdogAZ

lpwcomp said:


> You cannot actually add CC manually, at least not by any viable method I know about and I have looked. You can take an srt file and "burn" the captions onto the video, but that is not the same thing, and is a major PITA. There is also a way to have ffmpeg do it during the pyTivo transfer but that has some problems also.


You don't "burn" the captions onto the video. You simply embed them into the video file and they can be turned on or off using the CC function of the player software. It works great for me via Plex. I can't speak to whether it works when you embed the captions into a .tivo file and then transfer that back to the TiVo via pyTiVo or kmttg.


----------



## lpwcomp

DevdogAZ said:


> You don't "burn" the captions onto the video. You simply embed them into the video file and they can be turned on or off using the CC function of the player software. It works great for me via Plex. I can't speak to whether it works when you embed the captions into a .tivo file and then transfer that back to the TiVo via pyTiVo or kmttg.


I'm willing to bet that those are subtitles which are manifestly not the same as CC and it is Plex that is handling them. The TiVo has no support for subtitles, only CC.

kmttg cannot not transfer back to the TiVo.


----------



## Mikeguy

Ah, I had forgotten about the CC issue with PS. Adding that to the list of PS/TS pro's and con's, if one wants to keep matters simple, it's going back to sounding like TS downloading is the way to go, absent (hopefully) glitches as an issue.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> The downloads are threaded so you can download and upload simultaneously. However the more network traffic you have the slower it's all going to be, so keep that in mind.
> 
> As for decrypting... if you're just archiving for laster upload to a TiVo there is really no reason to decrypt. And if you do need decrypted files later you can always run tivolibre manually.


Thanks, Dan, and for the reminder of the network traffic consideration--my networking speed is so sucky that best not multi-thread.

And to report, the program just continues chugging along through a list of queued shows to be downloaded to my PC, well-behavedly.  I had queued up a manageable amount of 18 shows originally, just to see how that would be handled.


----------



## DevdogAZ

lpwcomp said:


> I'm willing to bet that those are subtitles which are manifestly not the same as CC and it is Plex that is handling them. The TiVo has no support for subtitles, only CC.
> 
> kmttg cannot not transfer back to the TiVo.


Yes, they are subtitles rather than CC, but you can get .srt files that have just the dialogue or .srt files that have all the CC for hearing impaired info. And it's not a Plex thing, because if I embed the .srt file into the video file, then you can view them with other players such as VLC and turn the subtitles on/off.

As I said, I've never tried transferring a video file with embedded .srt info to a TiVo because with Plex, there is no need to do that. But if the TiVo doesn't handle it properly, that's an issue with the TiVo software, not with the video file.


----------



## lpwcomp

DevdogAZ said:


> Yes, they are subtitles rather than CC, but you can get .srt files that have just the dialogue or .srt files that have all the CC for hearing impaired info. And it's not a Plex thing, because if I embed the .srt file into the video file, then you can view them with other players such as VLC and turn the subtitles on/off.
> 
> As I said, I've never tried transferring a video file with embedded .srt info to a TiVo because with Plex, there is no need to do that. But if the TiVo doesn't handle it properly, that's an issue with the TiVo software, not with the video file.


Subtitles are not and never have been supported by TiVo and I wouldn't expect them to be. Both broadcast TV and cable use CC, not subtitles. Remember what a TiVo's primary function is.

Subtitles are on separate tracks while CC are embedded in the video track. When you transfer a recording to a TiVo, those tracks aren't even included.

And it _*is*_ "a Plex thing" as far as viewing subtitles through a TiVo is concerned. The fact that other players also support subtitles is irrelevant.


----------



## Dan203

SRT files are text based and should be capable of being converted back to 608 captions.


----------



## DevdogAZ

lpwcomp said:


> Subtitles are not and never have been supported by TiVo and I wouldn't expect them to be. Both broadcast TV and cable use CC, not subtitles. Remember what a TiVo's primary function is.
> 
> Subtitles are on separate tracks while CC are embedded in the video track. When you transfer a recording to a TiVo, those tracks aren't even included.
> 
> And it _*is*_ "a Plex thing" as far as viewing subtitles through a TiVo is concerned. The fact that other players also support subtitles is irrelevant.


It's not a Plex thing. It's simply a standard that video players (including Plex and VLC) have a setting to turn subtitles/CC on or off, and if the .srt file is properly embedded in the video file, then the player has the ability to turn the "words" on and off. As I said, I have no experience trying to play such files on a TiVo, whether through Plex or otherwise. I'm simply stating that you can embed the CC or subtitle information into the video file and you can turn it on or off if you use the proper player app/software. If TiVo doesn't have the proper software, that doesn't mean the CC/subtitle info isn't accessible when the content is "acquired" through other means.


----------



## Dan203

DevdogAZ said:


> It's not a Plex thing. It's simply a standard that video players (including Plex and VLC) have a setting to turn subtitles/CC on or off, and if the .srt file is properly embedded in the video file, then the player has the ability to turn the "words" on and off. As I said, I have no experience trying to play such files on a TiVo, whether through Plex or otherwise. I'm simply stating that you can embed the CC or subtitle information into the video file and you can turn it on or off if you use the proper player app/software. If TiVo doesn't have the proper software, that doesn't mean the CC/subtitle info isn't accessible when the content is "acquired" through other means.


SRT captions embedded in an MKV file is not something every player supports. It's pretty ambiguous, but not 100%. 608/708 captions stored in the video stream are used in the broadcasting industry and is supported by everything. So if you can find a program that can convert SRT to 608 and store them in the video stream you'd have much broader compatibility, including the ability to transfer them to a TiVo and have the captions work.


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> SRT files are text based and should be capable of being converted back to 608 captions.


And how do you embed them into the video track?


----------



## wmcbrine

FFmpeg seems like it's working towards being able to encode closed captions, but AFAIK it's not there yet.


----------



## Dan203

The only software I know of that can do it is high end stuff meant for the broadcast industry that costs a lot of money. But there is probably is some open source program out there somewhere that does it. It's on my list of things to add to VRD, but haven't gotten around to it yet.


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> SRT captions embedded in an MKV file is not something every player supports. It's pretty ambiguous, but not 100%. 608/708 captions stored in the video stream are used in the broadcasting industry and is supported by everything. So if you can find a program that can convert SRT to 608 and store them in the video stream you'd have much broader compatibility, including the ability to transfer them to a TiVo and have the captions work.


The only s/w I've found that is capable of doing that is very expensive.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah all the ones I know of are thousands of dollars because they're intended for the broadcast industry. Seems like the kind of thing the open source community would have latched on to a long time ago. Surprised there isn't something out there that can do it. It's not that complicated to do. There are plenty of programs that can convert SRT to SCC files. You just need to find one that can recombine the SCC with the video stream.


----------



## osu1991

I've used mkvtoolnix to mux an srt file with h264 and h265 video in an mkv container. Usually it's English for foreign bits in tv shows. I set the flag to forced on the srt. However I use Plex to play these, never tried to make one to send directly to the TiVo.


----------



## Dan203

osu1991 said:


> I've used mkvtoolnix to mux an srt file with h264 and h265 video in an mkv container. Usually it's English for foreign bits in tv shows. I set the flag to forced on the srt. However I use Plex to play these, never tried to make one to send directly to the TiVo.


Those wont work sent directly to the TiVo. TiVo only supports 608/708 captions that are muxed into the user data of the video stream.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan, with your program updated versions: any need to uninstall the earlier version first, or ok just to install over the earlier? Thanks--


----------



## Dan203

It should be OK to just overwrite it. But you'll need to completely exit out of tray app first.


----------



## aaronwt

This windows version is also working great with my pictures and music!!

EDIT: And this metadata text file option when using the decode option is sweet. I just did several test transfers and all the info showed up on the TiVo.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> It should be OK to just overwrite it. But you'll need to completely exit out of tray app first.


Cool--and thanks for the reminder--


----------



## JonC24

This is the first time I have used pyTivo. I want to pull videos on my Tivo from my PC, that I previously downloaded to my PC from the same Tivo. My computer running pyTivo is not showing up in device list on my Tivo. How can I get the Tivo to see my computer? Do I need to install Apple Bonjour? I do not have Tivo Desktop installed, but I have been using kmttg to download videos.


----------



## Dan203

You need to add a share. The download folder is not added automatically. Go to the shares tab and add a video share pointed to the folder where your .tivo files are stored. After ypu've added it click Save. It can take a minute or two for the shares to show up on the TiVo. If they still don't right click the tray icon and stop pytivo. Give it a few seconds, then start it back up. That should get it going.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan203 said:


> Hmmm... Not sure what could have happened there. If you can reporduce it let me know and I'll investigate. If not I'll chalk it up to a one time fluke.


Thanks Dan. I checked last night, and this time it only transferred 1 of the 5 shows, vs the 3 it had transferred the first time. Now, the computer hosting the mapped network drive was running slowly, maybe it caused some trouble.

I tried setting it to save to my laptop's local drive, vs the network, to simplify the setup. It said "restarting pyTivo". But when I told it to transfer the 5 shows again, I discovered they were still being saved to the mapped network drive, though the Settings page *did* show that it should be saving to my local drive.

I set the path to the local location again, manually closed pyTivo completely, ran it again, and this time it correctly transferred the 5 shows, saving them to my local drive. Soon I should be able to try transferring a large quantity of shows, to see how that goes.

Is there a log or something that can tell me if any transfers failed? If I tell it to transfer 100 items, and only 98 make it, I'm trying to figure out the best way to detect that. Just telling it to transfer them all again, to be safe, won't work, since it seems to create duplicates called "(2)". I have "Debugging log" enabled, but I'm not sure where that file is stored, or what it contains.


----------



## JonC24

Dan203 said:


> You need to add a share. The download folder is not added automatically. Go to the shares tab and add a video share pointed to the folder where your .tivo files are stored. After ypu've added it click Save. It can take a minute or two for the shares to show up on the TiVo. If they still don't right click the tray icon and stop pytivo. Give it a few seconds, then start it back up. That should get it going.


Sorry, I should have said that I did add a share. I also turned off the firewall on my computer. Also, pyTivo can't find either of my Tivos, under the "Transfer Recordings" tab it says "No Tivos found!". When I click on the Refresh button there is no change. When I use kmttg I enter the IP address of the Tivos. How does pyTivo and my Tivo find each other if I don't enter the IP addresses for them? I though that's what Bonjour was for (which I don't have installed). I'm going to try installing Bonjour and see if that helps.


----------



## Redoctobyr

For what it's worth, I don't think I have Bonjour installed, and pyTivo found both of my TiVos without any hassle, as I recall. I don't have Apple products, or iTunes installed, and I don't see Bonjour listed in Add/Remove Programs.


----------



## Dan203

JonC24 said:


> Sorry, I should have said that I did add a share. I also turned off the firewall on my computer. Also, pyTivo can't find either of my Tivos, under the "Transfer Recordings" tab it says "No Tivos found!". When I click on the Refresh button there is no change. When I use kmttg I enter the IP address of the Tivos. How does pyTivo and my Tivo find each other if I don't enter the IP addresses for them? I though that's what Bonjour was for (which I don't have installed). I'm going to try installing Bonjour and see if that helps.


pyTivo uses an internal Bonjour so it doesn't need to be installed on the system.

Try going to the settings and setting the zeroconf setting to On and see if that helps. If it doesn't try Off too just to see.


----------



## Dan203

Redoctobyr said:


> Thanks Dan. I checked last night, and this time it only transferred 1 of the 5 shows, vs the 3 it had transferred the first time. Now, the computer hosting the mapped network drive was running slowly, maybe it caused some trouble.
> 
> I tried setting it to save to my laptop's local drive, vs the network, to simplify the setup. It said "restarting pyTivo". But when I told it to transfer the 5 shows again, I discovered they were still being saved to the mapped network drive, though the Settings page *did* show that it should be saving to my local drive.
> 
> I set the path to the local location again, manually closed pyTivo completely, ran it again, and this time it correctly transferred the 5 shows, saving them to my local drive. Soon I should be able to try transferring a large quantity of shows, to see how that goes.
> 
> Is there a log or something that can tell me if any transfers failed? If I tell it to transfer 100 items, and only 98 make it, I'm trying to figure out the best way to detect that. Just telling it to transfer them all again, to be safe, won't work, since it seems to create duplicates called "(2)". I have "Debugging log" enabled, but I'm not sure where that file is stored, or what it contains.


I've found that pyTivo's restart command can be sort of hit and miss. Sometimes you need to use the "stop" feature and then restart it. That usually fixes it. Although on rare occasions I've seen pyTivo lock up and I have to kill it from the task manager and then restart it. The package I'm distributing has 3 exes. pyTivo, pyTivo Tray and pyTivo Desktop. pyTivo is the server part that controls the transfering. That's the only one you should need to kill. The tray app should realize it's stopped and allow you to restart it.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan, to report an error message during the installation of v1.5.8 today (did not happen with v1.5.7 previously):


> tivomak.exe - System Error
> 
> The program can't start because mfc140.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.


Was accompanied by a blank DOS box, captioned: C:\Program Files (x86)\pyTivo\dshow\tivomak.exe.

Occurred both during an install over the prior version as well as a fresh install.

I simply ignored it, closed the windows, and finished the install. The program version seems to be working as the last version had.

Any issue here/anything I should be doing?

On a Windows 10 system.


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Dan, to report an error message during the installation of v1.5.8 today (did not happen with v1.5.7 previously):
> 
> Was accompanied by a blank DOS box, captioned: C:\Program Files (x86)\pyTivo\dshow\tivomak.exe.
> 
> Occurred both during an install over the prior version as well as a fresh install.
> 
> I simply ignored it, closed the windows, and finished the install. The program version seems to be working as the last version had.
> 
> Any issue here/anything I should be doing?
> 
> On a Windows 10 system.


Ahh crap. Ok I know what that is. I thought I linked to MFC statically so that wouldn't happen, but I must have forgot to change the setting for the release build. I'll fix it and upload a new build tomorrow or monday.

That program only effects the DirectShow filter, not the rest of the program, so it's safe to keep using.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> Ahh crap. Ok I know what that is. I thought I linked to MFC statically so that wouldn't happen, but I must have forgot to change the setting for the release build. I'll fix it and upload a new build tomorrow or monday.
> 
> That program only effects the DirectShow filter, not the rest of the program, so it's safe to keep using.


Always good when it's a simple thing, isn't it?


----------



## Redoctobyr

Thanks, Mikeguy. I got the same thing last night, installing 1.5.8 on a Win10 laptop that I don't use often. But I figured it's probably something with the computer. I realized after installing that the machine in question doesn't even have Java yet. I installed Java (so that I could use kmttg), and the next time I started pyTivo, I didn't get the error. I thought maybe it was Java-related, but I hadn't dug into it yet, or tried it again.


----------



## aaronwt

Is there any way to run this pyTiVo as a service? Like I do with KMTTG. That way I don't need to log in to the PC to run it. So then I can just hit the power button on my TiVo PC when I want to access the video, music, and picture folders. Without having to remotely connect to it and log in.(I run the system headless)


----------



## JonC24

Dan203 said:


> pyTivo uses an internal Bonjour so it doesn't need to be installed on the system.
> 
> Try going to the settings and setting the zeroconf setting to On and see if that helps. If it doesn't try Off too just to see.


This didn't make any difference. Still can't see my Tivos in pyTivo, and I can't see the shared folder on my Tivo. Something may be blocking this on my computer. I'm going to try another computer, and also check my network configuration.


----------



## Dan203

aaronwt said:


> Is there any way to run this pyTiVo as a service? Like I do with KMTTG. That way I don't need to log in to the PC to run it. So then I can just hit the power button on my TiVo PC when I want to access the video, music, and picture folders. Without having to remotely connect to it and log in.(I run the system headless)


No, sorry. I tried to package the service as an exe like I do the main pyTivo and it didn't work. I could never figure out why. It would run, but wouldn't announce the shares.

Maybe this would help?

Configure a User Account to Log On Automatically on Windows 7


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Dan, to report an error message during the installation of v1.5.8 today (did not happen with v1.5.7 previously):
> 
> Was accompanied by a blank DOS box, captioned: C:\Program Files (x86)\pyTivo\dshow\tivomak.exe.
> 
> Occurred both during an install over the prior version as well as a fresh install.
> 
> I simply ignored it, closed the windows, and finished the install. The program version seems to be working as the last version had.
> 
> Any issue here/anything I should be doing?
> 
> On a Windows 10 system.





Redoctobyr said:


> Thanks, Mikeguy. I got the same thing last night, installing 1.5.8 on a Win10 laptop that I don't use often. But I figured it's probably something with the computer. I realized after installing that the machine in question doesn't even have Java yet. I installed Java (so that I could use kmttg), and the next time I started pyTivo, I didn't get the error. I thought maybe it was Java-related, but I hadn't dug into it yet, or tried it again.


OK I've uploaded a build that should fix this issue. Please give it a try and let me know if it works OK.


----------



## ClearToLand

Mikeguy said:


> Ah, and so the plot thickens, lol.
> 
> And so, *does this mean that it would be (better), if possible, to download in PS mode, to avoid possible glitches? Or do PS mode's own issues just "balance things out"?* Detriments I've read here of PS mode: downloads take longer than with TS mode (is it appreciable?) and lesser resiliency than TS mode if there are download issues.
> 
> I know (if I have this right) that PS mode can't be used with MPEG-4 shows. Do I recall correctly that all OTA shows are MPEG-2, so that there would not be an issue with PS mode and OTA? And so that this may be the way to go with downloading OTA shows--unless detriments of PS mode counsel against it? (And my apologies if I've gotten some of this wrong--lots of balls in the air, and possible memory issues here for someone lesser familiar with these technologies.)


When I first installed kmttg and pyTiVo on my HTPC laptop (Windows shows the directories were created on 02/17/16), I went crazy recording extra movies and shows, knowing that I could now offload them for future viewing. I followed as much advice as I could find and used TS (faster, more reliable). Well, months later when I went to view those movies / shows, *over 50% (maybe 66%) had glitches* and wouldn't complete a pyTiVo download back to the Roamio for viewing. Pissed me off. I switched to PS.

Well, now I have ~2TB+ of PS offloads (via kmttg and HTTPS://TiVo IP) - I don't remember any errors, but I didn't used to use CC but use it almost 100% of the time now. I also just installed Streambaby (WoW! So much easier than pyTiVo to install and get configured; failed to 'automatically' download the tools, just like kmttg did, but that was easily remedied; Thanks again Kevin! :clapping: :handok: :thumbsup.

*Tangent: *Back in early 2016 when this was all new to me (I was coming from a decade of ReplayTV 5XXX, DVArchive, WiRNS, *Poopli *- boy I wish there was a TiVo* Poopli raying:*), I experimented with kmttg, pyTiVo *AND* TiVo Desktop. IIRC, @kelson over on AVS Forum once stated that, compared to my Hauppauge PVR-1212 connected between my FiOS Motorola 7100 STB and my HTPC laptop, TiVo didn't do anything before recording the program streams directly on its HDD (while the PVR-1212 encoded / compressed / transformed / wrapped etc... the data first). That led me to believe that multiple downloads of the SAME show using the same FORMAT (PS vs TS), regardless of the 'tool' (kmttg vs TiVo Desktop vs HTTPS://TiVo IP) would result in INDENTICAL files - NOT TRUE! :disappointed:

Recently I downloaded "Sherlock on Masterpiece_s4e3_The Final Problem" three times using HTTPS://TiVo IP to three different HDDs and then performed a few combinations of "*FC /B*" on them (A-to-B, A-to-C, B-to-C) - no matches. Why is that? What did I misunderstand?


----------



## ClearToLand

aaronwt said:


> I use VRD and sometimes see the glitches. But that is with the old PyTivo version and kmttg. *I had an issue with one recently*. I tried the transfers from the TiVo several times with kmttg and used VRD on it with the same glitches. At least with VRD I could still watch it. While *if I transferred it back with the .tivo file it would stop transferring midway*.
> 
> *With the one title and using the PyTivo desktop, I didn't have the same issue. And was able to transfer back as a .tivo file. No idea if this is normal, but at least in this one instance PyTivo desktop worked better than the old PyTivo I was using.* I am switching now to using PyTivo Desktop full time.
> 
> Thanks a million for all your work.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


@aaronwt,

This sounds almost *EXACTLY* like what happened to me, except I had over 25 failed files and they failed before reaching midway. 

@Dan203,

Is there something different going on in your PyTiVo Desktop such that I could CONFIDENTLY switch back to the "faster, more reliable, better CCs" TS method of transfer?

[Although it's too much for my (fallback) "PassMark 1201 - Intel Pentium E2200 @ 2.20GHz Vista 32-bit 3GB RAM" desktop to handle Streambaby, I may soon be giving up the 'download-back-to-TiVo-before-viewing' scene and switching over to real-time streaming. On the topic of streaming, today I enabled the kmttg web server and attempted to stream a 0:29:56 3.16GB CBS HD comedy to my Lenovo Android tablet. Although (hate to use the same word again so soon in a paragraph  ) Notwithstanding the almost immediate error generated ("Segment file not being created, assuming ffmpeg error"), kmttg continued for the next 70 minutes and created 178 ~2-3MB TS files (each runs for 10 seconds); I selected 'Transcode & Play' - next time I'll just select 'Transcode' and I'll try to 'Play from cache' _later_...]

P.S. What is PyTiVo Desktop (93,306KB) written in / with that causes its size to be so much greater than kmttg (4,131KB) or pyTiVo (361KB)?


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> *The downloads are threaded so you can download and upload simultaneously.* However the more network traffic you have the slower it's all going to be, so keep that in mind.
> 
> As for decrypting... if you're just archiving for laster upload to a TiVo there is really no reason to decrypt. And if you do need decrypted files later you can always run tivolibre manually.


A technical question:

I have Windows Resource Monitor (along with Task Manager, Process Explorer and NetPerSec) open 24x7 with the CPU and DISK drop-downs expanded. I just used an old program called FileSync to transfer a few thousand small files from my HDD to a flash drive. The time I checked RM, there were 8 different files being transferred simultaneously under one PID. I'm assuming this means (at least) 8 threads were in use. When multiple files are being written to a target simultaneously, does the OS allocate / lock sufficient contiguous sectors beforehand to accommodate the entire file without fragmentation?

Regarding network traffic when uploading and downloading simultaneously, I just discovered "NIC Teaming". Since both my motherboard NIC and a few Rosewill (from Newegg) Gigabit NICs in my 'spares box' have Realtek chips, I'm going to see if I can team two of them and dedicate one to uploads, the other to downloads (saw this in a post somewhere). I know that my current CPU is maxed out with interrupts just doing 'ordinary' stuff, but I do have a "PassMark 7220 - Intel Core i5-4590 @ 3.30GHz - Win7 Pro 64-bit 16GB RAM" desktop that I'm assembling...

Regarding 'delayed' decrypting, for any Newbies reading this, you can also use kmttg FILES and point to a series of .tivo files onto which you can perform a multitude of processes (same checkboxes at top used when offloading from TiVo-to-PC).


----------



## ClearToLand

lpwcomp said:


> The main reason I use TS even for MPEG2 is because PS tends to garble the CC. *If I didn't care about CC, I'd uhh... "acquire" them by other means*.
> 
> While I would be watching archived stuff by transferring back to a TiVo, I still need to decrypt as I am editing them and, in the case of MPEG2 recordings, encoding them to H.264 in mkv container.


Were you ever a "ReplayTV / *Poopli*" user?


----------



## ClearToLand

DevdogAZ said:


> *You don't "burn" the captions onto the video. You simply embed them into the video file and they can be turned on or off using the CC function of the player software. It works great for me via Plex*. I can't speak to whether it works when you embed the captions into a .tivo file and then transfer that back to the TiVo via pyTiVo or kmttg.


A Plex Server is on my (HUGE) "To Do / Round Tuit" list.

Please provide more details or terms I can GOOGLE to narrow down my SEARCH on how what you're describing works ('selectable' CCs). Thanks! 

@epstewart, in *Post #6771* described his effort IN DETAIL back in May 2014 trying to get 'selectable CCs' on his iPad but the resulting file caused his bandwidth requirements to skyrocket.


----------



## ClearToLand

Mikeguy said:


> Thanks, Dan, and for the reminder of the network traffic consideration--*my networking speed is so sucky that best not multi-thread*.
> 
> And to report, the program just continues chugging along through a list of queued shows to be downloaded to my PC, well-behavedly.  I had queued up a manageable amount of 18 shows originally, just to see how that would be handled.


You *DO* realize that we're talking 'in-house' LAN traffic, i.e. doesn't involve the router, your ISP or the internet one bit...

If, indeed, your 'in-house' LAN networking speed is 'sucky', please describe your layout so that we can fix it.


----------



## Dan203

Sorry for the rapid fire updates again, but I've just uploaded a new version. This new version includes a few enhancements, the biggest of which is that there is now a version check feature. From now on your installations will tell you automatically when there is an update available. I also updated the website to include a release notes page so I can maintain links to old versions in case there are problems with an update.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> Is there something different going on in your PyTiVo Desktop such that I could CONFIDENTLY switch back to the "faster, more reliable, better CCs" TS method of transfer?


Have you had this problem with pyTivo in the past? Or only TiVo Desktop? If you've had this problem with pyTivo then nothing I've done is likely to change that. My changed to the download portion of the code are minor and unlikely to effect something like this. If you've never tried pyTivo before then I'd recommend you give it a try. It might produce different results then TiVo Desktop since they are very different products.


----------



## lpwcomp

ClearToLand said:


> Were you ever a "ReplayTV / *Poopli*" user?


No.


----------



## leiff

Is this the software I used a long time ago to copy my thumbs up thumbs down ratings between my TiVos the last time I upgraded to my roamio? I use the thumb ratings to let me know if I've seen something already before which I find to be very useful and I will want to do this again with my new Bolt.


----------



## bradleys

leiff said:


> Is this the software I used a long time ago to copy my thumbs up thumbs down ratings between my TiVos the last time I upgraded to my roamio? I use the thumb ratings to let me know if I've seen something already before which I find to be very useful and I will want to do this again with my new Bolt.


That was likely Kmttg - I do not think PyTiVo ever had that functionality, although I could be mistaken


----------



## Dan203

leiff said:


> Is this the software I used a long time ago to copy my thumbs up thumbs down ratings between my TiVos the last time I upgraded to my roamio? I use the thumb ratings to let me know if I've seen something already before which I find to be very useful and I will want to do this again with my new Bolt.


No. Kmttg is the only software can do that.


----------



## DevdogAZ

ClearToLand said:


> A Plex Server is on my (HUGE) "To Do / Round Tuit" list.
> 
> Please provide more details or terms I can GOOGLE to narrow down my SEARCH on how what you're describing works ('selectable' CCs). Thanks!
> 
> @epstewart, in *Post #6771* described his effort IN DETAIL back in May 2014 trying to get 'selectable CCs' on his iPad but the resulting file caused his bandwidth requirements to skyrocket.


I procrastinated setting up a Plex server for a very long time, thinking it would be pretty involved and take a lot of time. But when I actually got around to it, it was incredibly simple and only took a few minutes. I'd highly recommend it.

As for inserting subtitles that can be turned on or off via Plex/VLC/other player software, I simply download the .srt file from one of the many subtitle websites, such as subscene, and then I use Handbrake to embed the subtitles into the file. I don't have Handbrake on my work computer so I can't detail the specifics, but it's a very simple process to simply point Handbrake to the .srt file and then choose whether the subtitles are burned in or not.


----------



## osu1991

DevdogAZ said:


> I procrastinated setting up a Plex server for a very long time, thinking it would be pretty involved and take a lot of time. But when I actually got around to it, it was incredibly simple and only took a few minutes. I'd highly recommend it.
> 
> As for inserting subtitles that can be turned on or off via Plex/VLC/other player software, I simply download the .srt file from one of the many subtitle websites, such as subscene, and then I use Handbrake to embed the subtitles into the file. I don't have Handbrake on my work computer so I can't detail the specifics, but it's a very simple process to simply point Handbrake to the .srt file and then choose whether the subtitles are burned in or not.


For Plex, VLC you can just name the srt file exactly the same as the video file and put it in the same folder. It will then be selectable in the video player.

ABCD.mp4
ABCD.srt


----------



## windracer

It's been a long time since I last used pyTivo but wanted to check this out. Really nice work!



Dan203 said:


> I've just uploaded a new build that includes two new features....
> 
> 1) The ability to toggle groups on/off, in case you want to see all of your shows as one big list
> 2) The ability to download all shows in a group, or all shows from an entire TiVo is grouping is turned off


Is there a way to keep Suggestions in their own group? Right now it looks like they just sort out as individual recordings so it really clutters up the list.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> *Have you had this problem with pyTivo in the past?* Or only TiVo Desktop? If you've had this problem with pyTivo then nothing I've done is likely to change that. My changed to the download portion of the code are minor and unlikely to effect something like this. If you've never tried pyTivo before then I'd recommend you give it a try. It might produce different results then TiVo Desktop since they are very different products.


I was strictly using kmttg (TiVo-to-PC) and pyTiVo (PC-to-TiVo).

I installed TiVo Desktop to 'experiment' and see if the transfer times / file sizes were different - it was all new to me at that time and I didn't fully understand the process. A TS file is a TS file, a PS file is a PS file - regardless of the 'Tool' used to create it.

Now, why 3 separate d/l's of the same show to three different HDDs using the same 'Tool' (HTTPS://TiVo IP PS Format) don't match when compared with *FC /B* is a question that I'm still seeking the answer to...:disappointed:


----------



## Dan203

TiVo does the encryption/muxing on the fly, and the way TS works there is a timing element to it. So you could download the same show 3 times using the same tool and they could be different.


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> ...Now, why 3 separate d/l's of the same show to three different HDDs using the same 'Tool' (HTTPS://TiVo IP *PS Format*) don't match when compared with *FC /B* is a question that I'm still seeking the answer to...:disappointed:





Dan203 said:


> TiVo does the encryption/muxing on the fly, and *the way TS works* there is a timing element to it. So you could download the same show 3 times using the same tool and they could be different.


Does PS also having a timing element?


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> Does PS also having a timing element?


No. Program streams are intended for file based content, so they are muxed very differently. Transport streams are intended for broadcast and as such are written in such a way that timing matters, even for file based output. Given the limited hardware capabilities of a TiVo it makes sense that they could have some buffer issues when muxing a TS.


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> ...
> Now, why 3 separate d/l's of the same show to three different HDDs using the same 'Tool' (HTTPS://TiVo IP *PS Format*) don't match when compared with *FC /B* is a question that I'm still seeking the answer to...:disappointed:





Dan203 said:


> *No. Program streams are intended for file based content, so they are muxed very differently.* Transport streams are intended for broadcast and as such are written in such a way that timing matters, even for file based output. Given the limited hardware capabilities of a TiVo it makes sense that they could have some buffer issues when muxing a TS.


So then my original question regarding three PS files not matching in a binary compare still stands...


----------



## Dan203

windracer said:


> Is there a way to keep Suggestions in their own group? Right now it looks like they just sort out as individual recordings so it really clutters up the list.


Good suggestion (pun intended) :up:

I don't have suggestions turned on on any of my TiVos so I didn't notice this. But I will add some filtering to the next update that will put them into a folder.



ClearToLand said:


> So then my original question regarding three PS files not matching in a binary compare still stands...


Yeah that's odd if they are PS. Can you compare them in detail and see what changed? Maybe there is a transfer time in the header or something?


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> ...Yeah that's odd if they are PS. *Can you compare them in detail and see what changed?* Maybe there is a transfer time in the header or something?


Could you suggest a good freeware hex display utility?

Back in '_my day_' on WFWG 3.11, I believe I used either Debug or Xtree Gold to view files in hex format.

These files are HUGE, so '_old time_' utilities, like Notepad for example, that try to buffer the entire file into memory consequently fail.


----------



## Dan203

I think WinMerge can compare two binary files. BeyondCompare has a pretty good compare display for hex files. It's not free but it has a free trial.


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> Transport streams ... could have some buffer issues.


So downloading ts has the advantage of handling captioning better, and is the ONLY choice with mpeg4 channels, but otherwise we are better off downloading ps for multi-use (back to Tivo and also for other players) archiving. Is that a fair statement?


----------



## Dan203

TS also is better able to get pass transmission errors. In some cases when there is an error in the recording and you try to download as PS the transfer will just stop when it hits the error. TS can usually get past the error and transfer the whole show.


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> TS also is better able to get pass transmission errors. In some cases when there is an error in the recording and you try to download as PS the transfer will just stop when it hits the error. TS can usually get past the error and transfer the whole show.


I _knew_ it was going to be more complicated than that.

My experience (which apparently is not typical) is _exactly_ the opposite, and that's another reason I was leaning towards shifting to ps, but I had read that theoretically what you just said was true and I hoped that was wrong.


----------



## Dan203

New update just posted. Contains two enhancements...

1) Changes download naming convention to be like TiVo Desktop. i.e. "showname - "episode title" (recorded date, channel).tivo"
2) Groups Suggestions into their own folder and adds a green thumbs up before the show name so they are easy to distinguish from regular recordings.


----------



## Dan203

Wil said:


> I _knew_ it was going to be more complicated than that.
> 
> My experience (which apparently is not typical) is _exactly_ the opposite, and that's another reason I was leaning towards shifting to ps, but I had read that theoretically what you just said was true and I hoped that was wrong.


I've run into recordings that go both ways. Ones that wont transfer as PS and ones that wont transfer as TS. In every case the other option always worked.


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> I've run into recordings that go both ways. Ones that wont transfer as PS and ones that wont transfer as TS. In every case the other option always worked.


So you're not dissuading me from going to ps in _all_ non-mpeg4 cases where I'm willing to forgo best odds at good captions, since if there's download failure due to transmission error I can simply re-download as ts (whereas if there's buffer-induced glitches via ts the download is "successful" and I simply don't know until years later when I play back).


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> TS also is better able to get pass transmission errors. *In some cases when there is an error in the recording and you try to download as PS the transfer will just stop when it hits the error.* TS can usually get past the error and transfer the whole show.


Personally, if I understand this correctly, if the transfer from TiVo-to-PC via PS stops when there is an error, I still have the original file on the TiVo unit.

When TS does one of its silent "*Aw crap!*" transfers, the original file is LONG GONE and I don't discover the problem until weeks / months later.

*PS wins!*:thumbsup:


----------



## Dan203

You guys are correct. If TS fails it could be in the form of a glitch that you don't notice until you play the file. If PS fails it's immediate.


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> You guys are correct. If TS fails it could be in the form of a glitch that you don't notice until you play the file. If PS fails it's immediate.


This has been useful. Thanks. You're inside here; maybe these digressive messages should be moved to an appropriate thread (if it exists, I don't remember such a productive discussion) or a new thread created "transport streams vs. program streams" or something, to get them out of the way of your remarkable pyTivo _magnum opus_.


----------



## V7Goose

Wow Dan, I finally decided to give your new pyTiVo package a try, and I am really impressed so far. Super simple installation, and it was working instantly. I transferred a couple of recordings right off the bat without problems. I have always been satisfied with the basic TiVo Desktop, but it does kind of irritate me when it wigs out while transferring large numbers of programs at once - that and the fact that TiVo and Bad Rovi have disowned it pushed me into trying something different. Glad I did.

Really do appreciate all you do around here! THANX!


----------



## windracer

Dan203 said:


> 2) Groups Suggestions into their own folder and adds a green thumbs up before the show name so they are easy to distinguish from regular recordings.


Perfect, thanks! :thumbsup:


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan, thank you again for all the work you've put into pyTivo. It's very cool, and extremely accessible. Installation was a breeze, which makes it more practical for people to use. 

I haven't gotten to try any of the new versions for a few days, however. I'm trying to transfer everything off my S2s, and am currently using kmttg for that, as giant transfers of everything. It will take about a week for one S2 and two weeks for the other. I'm trying to avoid "rocking the boat" during that time, so I'm not currently swapping my TiVo software around, or asking the S2s to start other transfers. 

But I will try to check out the new version once one machine finishes, to see if the DLL error went away, etc. Thank you for being so responsive to issues that people encounter, and to be open to adding new features, like bulk transfers, or putting Suggestions in a folder.


----------



## V7Goose

Well, my happiness with pyTiVo was pretty short lived! I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, but the two shows I transferred from Bolt1 this morning cannot be transferred down to Bolt2 - when I access the computer from Bolt2 and start the transfer, all seems normal, and the transfer light comes on, but that is the end of that. It stays in that state for way too long, and then the program just goes away. Checking the network transfer history shows normal stats for "Videos Transferred from Remote Device" [298.00 Mb/s], but when I go to the Manage Recordings History screen, it says the program was Not Transferred because the download rate was too slow!

When I installed pyTiVo this morning, TiVo Desktop server was already installed and running - I did nothing with it. I told pyTiVo to use the same file folder that TiVo Desktop uses, and the new transferred shows are in there, right along with all the older programs that were originally copied with TiVo Desktop. And Bolt2 can transfer any of those older shows just fine, but it still cannot copy those two new shows from this morning.

I tried pausing the TiVo Server, and that just made the computer totally disappear from the Bolt menu. Stopping and restarting pyTiVo.exe did NOT bring it back.

Oh, one more thing that looked strange - when PyTivo is running, Task Manager shows TWO active instances of pyTiVo.exe. At one point, after I tried just restarting pyTiVo with th e menu option, I had FOUR pyTiVo.exe instances running at one time.

Can you point me to some instructions to help me figure out what I am doing wrong? Am I supposed to be running TiVo Server at the same time I run pyTiVo?

UPDATE: I stopped the TiVo Server from starting automatically and rebooted the computer. Then I added a video share in pyTiVo, which eventually showed up on the Bolt menus. Testing downloads now to see if the problems have been solved. I will update again as soon as I have more results.


----------



## Dan203

I've had that happen before, usually you have to reboot the TiVo you're transferring to to get it to work.


----------



## V7Goose

OK, here is an update on the problems I am seeing with ver 1.5.10 (after making sure TiVo Server is not running, setting up pyTiVo video share, and rebooting everything):

Problem1:
If I transfer a show from Bolt1 using PS, I can then download it from the computer to Bolt2 with no problems. BUT, if I transfer it from Bolt1 as TS, it does not download to Bolt2. At first, the history on Bolt2 said it "was Not Transferred because the download rate was too slow", but the most recent error (using a brand new copy from Bolt1) said it "was not transferred because it exceeded the expected size".

I will note here that I have not tried this exact test with a different computer using only TiVo Desktop, but I will.

Problem2:
When I access the video share from Bolt2, at first the list of programs on the computer looks totally normal - in particular, programs of the same name with different episode titles all show both the program name and episode name like this: _Tour of Duty-"Angel of Mercy", _but as soon as I select one of those programs (just simply selecting it, not even starting a transfer), the episode name is REMOVED from the display and STAYS GONE. In the example above, any _Tour of Duty_ program that I ever selected is now shown simply as _Tour of Duty_. Even backing totally out of the device menu on Bolt2, going to watch live TV, then later re-opening the pyTiVo video share from the Bolt does not bring back the missing episode name!

And a strange observation (not necessarily a problem):
The Task Manager shows no pyTiVo app running, but there are always at least TWO background processes each running for both pyTiVo.exe and pyTiVoTray.exe. I also see an app called "Electron" running that also has two background process of the same name, and "Electron" shows the same icon as the other processes from pyTiVo. What the heck is that, and why is it called Electron?


----------



## Dan203

For problem 1.... are you decrypting the file? Or just downloading as .tivo and then uploading as .tivo?

For problem 2... that sounds like a TiVo UI issue. pyTivo simply supplies a list with the data, TiVo is in charge of displaying it. Maybe your new Bolt is running an older software version that has a bug. It can take a while for a new TiVo to get updated to the newest software.

For the observations.... that's completely normal. The pyTivo.exe and pyTivoTray.exe programs are compiled using a program called pyinstaller, which is what allows them to run without needing python installed on your machine. The way it works is using a bootstrap process where it extracts the python interpreter and code to a hidden directory and then runs it from there. So one process is the bootstrap code and the other is the actual app. The Electron one is normal too. That's the desktop UI. The desktop app is actually a web page, written using a technology called Angular. When it's compiled down it's basically just an html file, a javascript file and some css files. To make it run as an app I use a program called Electron which basically bundles the web page into it's own window using the Chromium rendering engine. I could have served it up directly from pyTivo like the existing web UI instead, which I was originally going to do, but the Angular code only works in the newest browsers and I was worried about compatibility so I decided to do it this way instead.


----------



## lpwcomp

Problem #2 *is* a limitation of the UI when dealing with .tivo files. What you see at first is the file name. As soon as you select it, it changes to displaying the title. It's always like this.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan, what is the pyTivo Desktop default Network/Beacon setting--selected/checked? (I thought the default was unchecked, but after installing the pyTivo 1.5.10 version just now, I found Beacon checked; but I may have done that earlier.) What's the difference/practical effect between the 2 routes, and any advantage/disadvantage/recommendation between the 2? 

Also, just to report, no install issue with the new version (as there had been with the .8 version earlier).


----------



## Dan203

You mean the listen check box? That should be unchecked by default.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> You mean the listen check box? That should be unchecked by default.


Thanks--no doubt my big fingers . . . . Might I ask, the difference?

Btw, the persistencies between versions and sessions (window size, MAK, etc.) are nice and convenient. Thanks--


----------



## Dan203

To be honest I'm not quite sure what the listen option is used for. The help in the main UI doesn't explain it very well. Although I'm pretty sure the whole beacon option is unnecessary when zeroconf is turned on. I'm pretty sure it only pertains to the old style TiVo beacon protocol.


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## V7Goose

Dan203 said:


> For problem 1.... are you decrypting the file? Or just downloading as .tivo and then uploading as .tivo?


Thanx for the reply Dan. For these tests, I am not decrypting anything - just used pyTiVo to access the recent recordings from one Bolt, then used the other Bolt to access the video share and try to copy the same programs down.

That is not something I would ordinarily be doing, since the boxes can just transfer directly between them. But it would be important if I ever decided to temporarily hold programs on one of the computers because of limited storage space on the Bolt. I may never want to do that, but I sure do need to know it works before I ever do decide to try it. Right now the TS copy mode sure seems to be a problem here. I'll have to do some more testing and compare pyTiVo with TiVo Desktop on a different machine.


----------



## Dan203

Try downloading the file via the web interface and see if that produces the same result. That will at least tell us if it's a pyTivo problem or not.

To use the web UI what you do is it open a web browser and go to ....

https://<TiVo IP>/nowplaying/index.html

You will first get some sort certificate expired error. Ignore it or add an exception. (depends on browser) Then you will be prompted for a user name and password. The user name is tivo (lowerecase) and the password is your MAK.


----------



## V7Goose

lpwcomp said:


> Problem #2 *is* a limitation of the UI when dealing with .tivo files. What you see at first is the file name. As soon as you select it, it changes to displaying the title. It's always like this.


Interesting - been using the TiVo Desktop for over 10 years and never noticed that before. But then again, I usually just copy up to a computer then edit/archive them there - rarely ever have a need to copy a TiVo file back off the computer onto a TiVo box.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> To be honest I'm not quite sure what the listen option is used for. The help in the main UI doesn't explain it very well. Although I'm pretty sure the whole beacon option is unnecessary when zeroconf is turned on. I'm pretty sure it only pertains to the old style TiVo beacon protocol.


Thanks, and for making me feel more competent (or, rather, less incompetent).


----------



## DevdogAZ

Dan203 said:


> New update just posted. Contains two enhancements...
> 
> 1) Changes download naming convention to be like TiVo Desktop. i.e. "showname - "episode title" (recorded date, channel).tivo"
> 2) Groups Suggestions into their own folder and adds a green thumbs up before the show name so they are easy to distinguish from regular recordings.


I think it's great that you're responding to requests and added the suggestions thing. But in what scenario are people wanting to transfer suggestions from the TiVo to a PC, let alone from the PC back to a TiVo? Do people actually care about the shows that are recorded as suggestions?


----------



## Dan203

DevdogAZ said:


> I think it's great that you're responding to requests and added the suggestions thing. But in what scenario are people wanting to transfer suggestions from the TiVo to a PC, let alone from the PC back to a TiVo? Do people actually care about the shows that are recorded as suggestions?


Before this they were lumped in with other recordings with no way to distinguish them. With this change they are grouped into their own folder, and when they are in another folder, because you have a suggestion that is the same show as one of your real recordings, they have a special icon now so you can distinguish the suggestions from the real recordings. So basically this change makes it easier to ignore the suggestions, because as you said most people aren't going to want to download them to their PC.


----------



## omahajs

I upgraded to latest version and can't get anything to transfer to PC now, it worked fine in earlier versions. Rebooted PC and Tivo and reinstalled pyTivo and transfers just sit in queue at 0% with no error messages. Any ideas?


----------



## Dan203

omahajs said:


> I upgraded to latest version and can't get anything to transfer to PC now, it worked fine in earlier versions. Rebooted PC and Tivo and reinstalled pyTivo and transfers just sit in queue at 0% with no error messages. Any ideas?


Exit out of the whole thing, and check the task manager to make sure all processes are gone. Then go to the install folder and launch the pytivo.exe manually. That will show a console window. Now go into the desktop folder and launch pyTivoDesktop.exe. Make sure you can see the console window and then try to queue a transfer. Does it print an error of any kind? If so can you copy/paste it here so I can see what it is?


----------



## Mikeguy

omahajs said:


> I upgraded to latest version and can't get anything to transfer to PC now, it worked fine in earlier versions.





Dan203 said:


> Exit out of the whole thing, and check the task manager to make sure all processes are gone.


Just as a data-point: installed the latest version over one of the recent, earlier versions yesterday, and generally have had no issue in downloading from TiVo to PC yesterday/today, PS mode. The only glitch: one or two metadata files were not produced (I have the metadata file option switched on)--but this occasionally occurred with earlier versions as well.

edit/update: After 11 shows downloaded, a stall between shows--downloading wouldn't start no matter what I did, and so re-started PC and pyTivo from scratch, and now the same situation as omahajs points out above: when I select a show for download, it shows up in the queue but sits there showing 0 bytes downloaded. Dan, did as you recommended and no error message appears in the DOS window.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan, a suggestion: right now, if an entire folder is marked to be download to one's PC, pyTivo doesn't seem to do the folder's files in any specific date order. Would be handy if it would proceed earliest-to-latest, for tracking and reference purposes. (This can be accomplished manually, by clicking the downloads one-by-one.)

Nothing major, needless-to-say--just a thought.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah it pulls them from an unsorted list, so it doesn't have any specific order. I could sort the list before queuing them.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> Exit out of the whole thing, and check the task manager to make sure all processes are gone. Then go to the install folder and launch the pytivo.exe manually. That will show a console window. Now go into the desktop folder and launch pyTivoDesktop.exe. Make sure you can see the console window and then try to queue a transfer. Does it print an error of any kind? If so can you copy/paste it here so I can see what it is?


Dan, don't know if you saw my update to Post 401--my attempts to initiate new downloads also sit queued and stall at 0 bytes. I did further searching in the DOS status window and found the following error message further up (after the download was initiated by me):


> Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
> INFO: pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [21/Apr/2017 20:28:28] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> ERROR: pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 623, in process_queue
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 522, in get_tivo_file
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 436, in get_out_file
> KeyError: 'episodeTitle'


Hope this helps and that this is the info. you wanted. All was fine earlier today with a queued list, until a stall well into the list.


----------



## Dan203

That does help, thank you. I know exactly what that is. I'll fix it and upload a new update shortly.


----------



## Mikeguy

Cool, glad I can help in my ignorance. 

I'm sure you'll know the reason why, but odd that pyTivo worked fine on my queue of shows throughout the day and only crudded out as it got towards the end of the list in the late afternoon.


----------



## Dan203

That error basically means I'm trying to attach an episode title to the file even when the show doesn't have an episode title, like a movie or some news programs. I just need to add a check for the episode title and skip that part if it doesn't exist. It's a stupid mistake and a simple fix. Luckily I have a few other minor enhancements I was working on anyway, so that wont be the only change in the next update. (posting in a few minutes)


----------



## Mikeguy

Got it, and that makes sense: in my queue, the hang-up occurred with the first show in my list that wasn't a series episode--it was a one-off TV special. And when I tried to troubleshoot the issue, I went to the next show in my list, which was a movie. 

Aren't consistency and logic great?


----------



## Dan203

New version posted with fix for episode title bug. Also includes some minor enhancements to the file/folder dialog, including the ability to find mapped network drives, and a new installer feature that allows you to automatically publish your downloads folder as a video share.


----------



## Mikeguy

Cool, Dan; confirmed that it's working well. 

And a nice idea to have the video share set up (optionally) as part of the installation process--one less thing for users to have to be concerned with, especially those new to the pyTivo world who might ask, "Just what the heck is this thing called a 'video share'?"


----------



## idksmy

Hi Dan, Any progress on the OSX version? Need any beta testers?


----------



## Dan203

idksmy said:


> Hi Dan, Any progress on the OSX version? Need any beta testers?


I haven't quite got it working yet.


----------



## omahajs

Dan203 said:


> Exit out of the whole thing, and check the task manager to make sure all processes are gone. Then go to the install folder and launch the pytivo.exe manually. That will show a console window. Now go into the desktop folder and launch pyTivoDesktop.exe. Make sure you can see the console window and then try to queue a transfer. Does it print an error of any kind? If so can you copy/paste it here so I can see what it is?


Thanks for the help Dan, I did get one other show to transfer fine but this one is 3hrs, 11.06GB so I don't know if that matters. Here's a partial of what console showed, it just kept repeating every second. Hope it helps.

http://10.0.1.20:80/download/Snowpiercer.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=17492
Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:11:52] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
ERRORyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 623, in process_queue
File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 522, in get_tivo_file
File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 436, in get_out_file
KeyError: 'episodeTitle'
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:11:52] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.1.20 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:11:52] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.1.20 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:11:52] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F10.0.1.20%3A80%2Fdownload%2FSnowpiercer.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D17492 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:01] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F10.0.1.20%3A80%2Fdownload%2FSnowpiercer.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D17492 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F10.0.1.20%3A80%2Fdownload%2FSnowpiercer.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D17492 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.1.20 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:02] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 -


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## omahajs

Installed new version and seems to be working fine now. Thanks!


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan, possible suggestion: if possible/easy enough to do, addition to pyTivo Desktop of a "do not let PC go to sleep" option during downloads/uploads.

With my PC, I've found that if I'm not actively using it while pyTivo is doing a queue of downloads, the PC can go to sleep, stalling the downloading. I avoid this generally (with pyTivo and other programs) by running a small utility in the background to keep the PC from sleeping (I use Caffeine), but sometimes will forget to start it.


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Dan, possible suggestion: if possible/easy enough to do, addition to pyTivo Desktop of a "do not let PC go to sleep" option during downloads/uploads.


It looks like this is pretty easy to do for downloads. Not sure about uploads though. I found an old discussion about this on the pyTivo forum and they said it wasn't possible because pyTivo doesn't know when an upload finishes. I'll have to look at the code and see if that's still true.


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Dan, a suggestion: right now, if an entire folder is marked to be download to one's PC, pyTivo doesn't seem to do the folder's files in any specific date order. Would be handy if it would proceed earliest-to-latest, for tracking and reference purposes.





Mikeguy said:


> Dan, possible suggestion: if possible/easy enough to do, addition to pyTivo Desktop of a "do not let PC go to sleep" option during downloads/uploads.


These were both relatively easy to add, so they will be in the next update. They don't seem worthy of an update of their own so I'll hold off until I have some more features to add.


----------



## ClearToLand

omahajs said:


> Thanks for the help Dan, I did get one other show to transfer fine but this one is 3hrs, 11.06GB so I don't know if that matters. Here's a partial of what console showed, it just kept repeating every second. Hope it helps.
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> [URL='http://10.0.1.20:80/download/Snowpiercer.TiVo?Container=%2FNowPlaying&id=17492']http://10.0.1.20:80/download/Snowpiercer.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=17492
> Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:11:52] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 623, in process_queue
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 522, in get_tivo_file
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 436, in get_out_file
> KeyError: 'episodeTitle'
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:11:52] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.1.20 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:11:52] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.1.20 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:11:52] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F10.0.1.20%3A80%2Fdownload%2FSnowpiercer.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D17492 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:01] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F10.0.1.20%3A80%2Fdownload%2FSnowpiercer.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D17492 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F10.0.1.20%3A80%2Fdownload%2FSnowpiercer.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D17492 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.1.20 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [22/Apr/2017 08:12:02] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 -


Hi @omahajs,

Although the forum still labels you as a 'New Member', I see that you joined over a decade ago.

A tip, when posting things like log files, to prevent the forum software from interpreting certain character sequences as smilies is to bracket the log data in {code} tags (using brackets instead of braces - see your original QUOTE above)


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> These were both relatively easy to add, so they will be in the next update. They don't seem worthy of an update of their own so I'll hold off until I have some more features to add.


Cool, sounds great--perhaps these features will be of assistance to others.


----------



## Dan203

I finally got the Mac version working. Have a few minor bugs I have to work out, but it's running on my development machine. Once I get the bugs ironed out and an installer built for it I'll upload it to the website.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> I finally got the Mac version working. Have a few minor bugs I have to work out, but it's running on my development machine. Once I get the bugs ironed out and an installer built for it I'll upload it to the website.


Congratulations!


----------



## Dan203

There is one nagging issue I don't like. The pyinstaller thing I use to build the python scripts into a self contained exe has a bug that causes it to always display an icon in the dock for the little tray app. Someone posted a patch for it to the project, but it's not included in the build yet and that portion is a C app and I'm not quite sure how to build it. I'm going to look into it tomorrow and see if I can figure it out, but not sure what to do if I can't get it working. It's minor in the scheme of things, but my nerosis wont let me release it until I've got it fixed.


----------



## gonzotek

Dan203 said:


> I finally got the Mac version working. Have a few minor bugs I have to work out, but it's running on my development machine. Once I get the bugs ironed out and an installer built for it I'll upload it to the website.


I'm game for testing potentially broken builds and reporting any issues. Running MacOS 10.12 on a MacBook Air.


----------



## Riblet2000

Minor data point but something to consider: Installed the latest version and it works fine locally. Sees all four of my local Tivos (an S2, two S3s and a new Bolt) when on the same network but does not see the Bolt on a remote network while dialed in on a VPN. The computer has an IP address from the remote network and I can ping the Bolt but pyTivo can't seem to find it.


----------



## Dan203

gonzotek said:


> I'm game for testing potentially broken builds and reporting any issues. Running MacOS 10.12 on a MacBook Air.


The Mac version has been posted. Please try it out and let me know if you have any trouble.


----------



## Dan203

Riblet2000 said:


> Minor data point but something to consider: Installed the latest version and it works fine locally. Sees all four of my local Tivos (an S2, two S3s and a new Bolt) when on the same network but does not see the Bolt on a remote network while dialed in on a VPN. The computer has an IP address from the remote network and I can ping the Bolt but pyTivo can't seem to find it.


I don't think bonjur works over VPN. I'm pretty sure TiVo Desktop and the TiVos themselves have the same issue.


----------



## gonzotek

Dan203 said:


> The Mac version has been posted. Please try it out and let me know if you have any trouble.


Mac version is up and running here. Two notes (both relatively minor):

1) Icon still shows in dock all the time (ie when the window is closed but the tray icon is still running); assuming that's just something you haven't dealt with yet, and no big deal for me.

2) I didn't realize the disk image contained the installer, from the naming I thought I was supposed to drag the pyTivo_1.5.11.app file to the Applications folder; perhaps explicitly naming it something like 'pyTivo_installer_v1.5.11.app' would be helpful here. Once I realized I had to run that and it would drop the actual app into the Applications folder (along with doing the other setup tasks), it was smooth sailing.

I'll do uploads and downloads a bit today, but so far things look really good.


----------



## gonzotek

gonzotek said:


> ) Icon still shows in dock all the time (ie when the window is closed but the tray icon is still running); assuming that's just something you haven't dealt with yet, and no big deal for me.


Little more detail: Actually, the dock icon will disappear if I use the pyTivoDesktop menu or Command-Q to quit the window. If I merely click the red x icon on the window, the dock icon remains. If possible, I'd prefer the x to handle things the same way as using the menu or key combo(would probably be good to change the wording to 'Close' vs. 'Quit', again, only if possible).


----------



## idksmy

I am also running the OSX version and echo gonzotek's comments, although I just doubleclicked on the .dmg file after it was done downloading. I had to change my security settings to allow running an installation program from an unknown author. I started downloading 2 shows from my Roamio Basic before I left fo work.


----------



## gonzotek

idksmy said:


> I am also running the OSX version and echo gonzotek's comments, although I just doubleclicked on the .dmg file after it was done downloading. I had to change my security settings to allow running an installation program from an unknown author. I started downloading 2 shows from my Roamio Basic before I left fo work.


Yes, I had to override my default security setting as well(I understand why and all, just noting it here for reference).


----------



## Mikeguy

idksmy said:


> I had to change my security settings to allow running an installation program from an unknown author. I started downloading 2 shows from my Roamio Basic before I left fo work.


Simply as a data point, this appears to be similar to the precautions in the Win10 installation process--an installation warning box pops up and one needs to click on a very de-emphasized "More info" link to get to an option to run the program.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah I ran into the security thing too. It's worse then Windows because you have to actually go in and change the setting to make it run. Unfornately getting a developer license to sign my code with costs $100/year and I'm not sure I want to do that. I might though, still considering it.

The window thing with the red X seems to be typical of most Mac programs. It seems that in most apps closing the Window doesn't exit the app, you have to use Quit to actually exit. I don't use my Mac that often though. Do you guys have other programs that exit when you close the window?

Good point about the dmg/installer. Again I'm not an avid Mac user, so I'm not famaliar with what's typical. Maybe I'll change the name of the installer inside the dmg to "Double click to install" so that it's clear how it works.


----------



## idksmy

I do not have any other programs that Exit when you close the window.

I like using OSX, but I find this behavior really annoying. If I wanted the program to continue running, I'd minimize it, not click on the X.


----------



## Dan203

idksmy said:


> I do not have any other programs that Exit when you close the window.
> 
> I like using OSX, but I find this behavior really annoying. If I wanted the program to continue running, I'd minimize it, not click on the X.


Yeah it is annoying. Looking at the code I think I could make it close on X but that seems to break the normal Mac paradigm, so I'm not sure if I should.


----------



## lpwcomp

Just another example of Apple doing things their own way and to heck with what makes sense.


----------



## Dan203

I signed up for the Apple developer program so that I could get the certificate needed to sign the installer. The way it works now you essentially have to turn GateKeeper off just to install and it doesn't give you instructions on how to do that, so I worry that will deter people from using the app. I still need to figure out how to sign it though. So I'll try to get a new installer posted in the next couple days that is signed.


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> The way it works now you essentially have to turn GateKeeper off just to install and it doesn't give you instructions on how to do that, so I worry that will deter people from using the app.


Do what you want, but from a user pov it's pretty trivial. Lots of developers don't want to sign up with Apple so any Mac user who's likely to be interested in this kind of software pretty much does the install on mental autopilot.


----------



## Dan203

I'm not a Mac user so for me it seemed cumbersome. If it turns out to be a bust I just wont renew next year.

I was also thinking about writing an (unrelated) iPhone app, so I'd need the developer account for that anyway.


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> I'm not a Mac user so for me it seemed cumbersome.


I think I'm missing something? You hold down the control key.


----------



## Dan203

Wil said:


> I think I'm missing something? You hold down the control key.


Really? I had to go to system & preferences and turn off the gatekeeper completely. There was a little button that said something like "we blocked pyTivo" with a "run anyway" button, but that button didn't work. I didn't know about the control key trick.


----------



## Stilgar1973

I just installed your version of Pytivo today. Love it. I have something going on I need a hand with.

It is reporting 'An Update is available, A new version of Pytivo Desktop is available, Current Version 1.5.11 Current Version 1.5.12 What would you like to do?'

I press yes and I end up at the 1.5.11 version (which is installed) no causes the box to disapear - then immediatly reaper.

HALPS!


----------



## Redoctobyr

I was about to post about this too. I have 1.5.11 installed, it's asking about 1.5.12. I hit "No", since I don't want to update at the moment, and the box keeps popping up again, prompting me to update. I've hit No a bunch of times, just to see if it would stop asking after a few, and it keeps coming back. Hopefully it can be tweaked to wait a day, etc, before asking again.


----------



## Mikeguy

Redoctobyr said:


> I was about to post about this too. I have 1.5.11 installed, it's asking about 1.5.12. I hit "No", since I don't want to update at the moment, and the box keeps popping up again, prompting me to update. I've hit No a bunch of times, just to see if it would stop asking after a few, and it keeps coming back. Hopefully it can be tweaked to wait a day, etc, before asking again.


Or, perhaps better, it will only ask once and then leave the user alone absent a new version coming out--pushy program.


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## steinbch

This looks like a great start, Dan! Thanks for your hard work. A couple of UI questions for you...

1) Can you look at doing a hi-dpi menu bar icon? It is very blurry on a retina screen. See attached image.
2) Any chance you can tweak the app icon to fit better with the "unofficial" application icon shapes? See this post for info about them: Inspecting Yosemite's Icons
3) Is there any chance that something like this would be able to run on a Raspberry Pi with a remote web interface? I don't know if the Pi is powerful enough, but it would make a great low-cost media archiver/server.


----------



## Dan203

Stilgar1973 said:


> I just installed your version of Pytivo today. Love it. I have something going on I need a hand with.
> 
> It is reporting 'An Update is available, A new version of Pytivo Desktop is available, Current Version 1.5.11 Current Version 1.5.12 What would you like to do?'
> 
> I press yes and I end up at the 1.5.11 version (which is installed) no causes the box to disapear - then immediatly reaper.
> 
> HALPS!


1.5.12 is available on the website.

That being said it shouldn't keep bugging you like that. I set the timer to check every 24 hours. Not sure why it wouldn't go away. I'll have to look into that.

I'll look into making the interval configurable and adding a "don't ask again" option.


----------



## Dan203

There may have been a slight lag between when I uploaded the new exe and uploaded the website, so maybe you guys caught it in that window? I should probably do it in the reverse order next time.


----------



## idksmy

Wil said:


> I think I'm missing something? You hold down the control key.


Just to be certain...Are you saying if hold down the Control key and double click the dmg file, OSX will let me install software from an unknown author without changing my security settings?


----------



## gonzotek

Dan203 said:


> Yeah it is annoying. Looking at the code I think I could make it close on X but that seems to break the normal Mac paradigm, so I'm not sure if I should.


I know the tray icon is *technically* a separate process from the window UI, and thus closing the window shouldn't quit the UI app(if we're doing things the 'Mac' way); but for the end user, they're effectively both parts of the single pyTivo Desktop app.

So the way I see it, closing the window isn't me saying "I want to quit pyTivo", it's me saying I'm done with the UI part and just want the server running in the background with no dock icon(but still with easy access to the main UI again via the tray icon). Just my 2 cents, I'm ultimately good however you want it to work.


----------



## Dan203

Oh ok, I see your point. So closing the desktop window is essentially minimizing it back to the tray icon. I think I can do this. I'll try it out and if it works I'll include it in the next update.


----------



## mwecksell

Apple's Photos application and its predecessor iPhoto both quit the application when the last window is closed. So do Apple's Reminders and Notes applications. Almost every other MacOS app keeps the application open (and in the dock) when the last window is closed. Go figure.


----------



## Dan203

I figured out how to exit the app when the window is closed, so that will be in the next update.


----------



## Dan203

Just put up a new Mac version. Contains all the fixes from last Windows update as well as it will now exit when you close the Window, contains a higher resolution tray icon that will hopefully look less pixelated on high DPI displays (I can't test this) and now has all the executables, including the installer and dmg, signed by my Apple ID so that you shouldn't need to bypass GateKeeper. (let me know if you have any trouble with this)


----------



## Dan203

There is definitely something wrong with the auto update feature. I just ran into the same issue with it just popping up the dialog over and over and not allowing me to dismiss it. 

I need to figure out a good way to test it without annoying you guys though.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> There is definitely something wrong with the auto update feature. I just ran into the same issue with it just popping up the dialog over and over and not allowing me to dismiss it.
> 
> I need to figure out a good way to test it without annoying you guys though.


The good news, though, in the interim: while the box may be there, pyTivo Desktop still is useable and other windows will go over the message box.


----------



## Dan203

I figured out the issue. It was a stupid type conversion error. It was reading the value as a string instead of an int. 

While I was at it I added a setting to the Desktop app to change how frequently it checks for updates, including the ability to disable it completely. Although it will still check for an update automatically each time the tray app is started from scratch. (I have no easy way to keep track of the last time it checked unless I clutter up the config file, which I don't want to do)

Since this is a minor update I'll hold it back for now until I get a few more changes in there.


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE

I was getting the persistant pop-up to install update also, so I just ended the program, and went to website to update, hasn't nagged since.

Question: this isn't a request or anything, but just wondering how it picks to display your tivo's on the top window.
I have 4 Tivos that it can see, and the only one I would download from is always 3rd in the list. 
Just wondering, no biggie....

thanks


----------



## Dan203

I sort that list alphabetically.


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE

Ok, thanks, Must be by reverse, cuz my tivo's are showing up as
Pub ( my office) Master Bedroom, Living Room, Guest room.


----------



## Dan203

You're right I do have that backwards. Oops! I'll fix in next release.


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE

No worries, all's good


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> You're right I do have that backwards. Oops! I'll fix in next release.


Well, do keep _some_ character in the program.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan, a question: does the pyTivo tray app/background process consume any real amount of resources when pyTivo is not actively downloading/uploading? The reason I ask is, after years of programs "graciously" loading themselves into the background and clogging my PC's, I've gotten into the habit of stopping them from background-loading unless I'm actively using them, with an exception for some utilities that need a "watchful" state.


----------



## sar840t2

If I transfer a recording from TiVo A to the PC using pyTivo, and then transfer that recording to TiVo B, where both TiVos have the same MAK, do I need to decrypt?

I ask because, on the second transfer, I get the blue circle showing on the TiVo for about a minute, then it goes away. The transfer fails with something like "the show was not downloaded ... because it exceeded the expected size".

If decryption is *not* needed on the initial transfer via pyTivo, can you suggest what might be going on? TiVo A is a Premier XL4, TiVo B is a Roamio Pro. Both are on MoCA, and the PC is on ethernet, running Windows 10.

This is a very promising looking program, thanks for doing this!

Mike

Edit: PS - file size is "roughly" 2GB, but it's an NTFS filesystem, so I don't think that's the culprit.


----------



## jtso

Thanks for creating this program. I have been happily using KMTTG and pyTiVo on my Mac for years. I've been experimenting with the new Mac version 1.5.12 and want to report some weirdness. I'm using multiple shares spread out over several hard drives. When I fire up the new pyTiVo, I see the shares on the "My Shows" list on all three TiVos on my network. It all works - pulling shows from the shares to the TiVo, or downloading shows back to the computer.

The problem happens when I try to shut down the new pyTiVo. I'm not talking about the GUI interface pyTiVoDesktop, but pyTiVo itself. Sometimes I see a little pyTiVo icon on my top menu bar on the right that is a dropdown menu that allows me properly shut pyTiVo down. However, usually I don't see the icon. I can kind of get it to quit if I close the terminal window.

But this creates more weirdness. After quitting pyTiVo, the shares listed on My Shows are still listed even though pyTiVo is not running. The shares have no shows in them. This is true for all three TiVos on my network. The shares will stay listed for hours, even if I turn my computer off.

I found that the way to get rid of the share listing is to launch the old pyTiVo, then shut down from its web interface. Another way to get rid of the shares is to restart the TiVo itself.

As you can see, I'm not a technical guy, but I thought I should report this. I'm using a MacBook Pro, with Sierra 10.12.4.


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Dan, a question: does the pyTivo tray app/background process consume any real amount of resources when pyTivo is not actively downloading/uploading? The reason I ask is, after years of programs "graciously" loading themselves into the background and clogging my PC's, I've gotten into the habit of stopping them from background-loading unless I'm actively using them, with an exception for some utilities that need a "watchful" state.


The tray app is pretty simple, so if you stop pyTivo but leave the tray app running the resource usage should be minimal. I'm not 100% sure how much it would consume if you left pyTivo running. I can't imagine it would be very much, but I haven't measured it.


----------



## Dan203

sar840t2 said:


> If I transfer a recording from TiVo A to the PC using pyTivo, and then transfer that recording to TiVo B, where both TiVos have the same MAK, do I need to decrypt?
> 
> I ask because, on the second transfer, I get the blue circle showing on the TiVo for about a minute, then it goes away. The transfer fails with something like "the show was not downloaded ... because it exceeded the expected size".
> 
> If decryption is *not* needed on the initial transfer via pyTivo, can you suggest what might be going on? TiVo A is a Premier XL4, TiVo B is a Roamio Pro. Both are on MoCA, and the PC is on ethernet, running Windows 10.
> 
> This is a very promising looking program, thanks for doing this!
> 
> Mike
> 
> Edit: PS - file size is "roughly" 2GB, but it's an NTFS filesystem, so I don't think that's the culprit.


No it doesn't need to be decrypted. I'm not sure why you'd have that issue. I've seen people post about getting that error from TiVo Desktop before, but not pyTivo. Are you still running TiVo Desktop? Maybe it's conflicting in some way?


----------



## Dan203

jtso said:


> Thanks for creating this program. I have been happily using KMTTG and pyTiVo on my Mac for years. I've been experimenting with the new Mac version 1.5.12 and want to report some weirdness. I'm using multiple shares spread out over several hard drives. When I fire up the new pyTiVo, I see the shares on the "My Shows" list on all three TiVos on my network. It all works - pulling shows from the shares to the TiVo, or downloading shows back to the computer.
> 
> The problem happens when I try to shut down the new pyTiVo. I'm not talking about the GUI interface pyTiVoDesktop, but pyTiVo itself. Sometimes I see a little pyTiVo icon on my top menu bar on the right that is a dropdown menu that allows me properly shut pyTiVo down. However, usually I don't see the icon. I can kind of get it to quit if I close the terminal window.
> 
> But this creates more weirdness. After quitting pyTiVo, the shares listed on My Shows are still listed even though pyTiVo is not running. The shares have no shows in them. This is true for all three TiVos on my network. The shares will stay listed for hours, even if I turn my computer off.
> 
> I found that the way to get rid of the share listing is to launch the old pyTiVo, then shut down from its web interface. Another way to get rid of the shares is to restart the TiVo itself.
> 
> As you can see, I'm not a technical guy, but I thought I should report this. I'm using a MacBook Pro, with Sierra 10.12.4.


You shouldn't have a terminal window. Are you manually launching pyTivo? You shouldn't. You should run pyTivoTray, that will launch a hidden version of pyTivo.

Maybe I should bundle the app different for the Mac. I could hide the pyTivo executable inside the pyTivoTray app. I did it the way it is now because that's how it is on the PC, but on the PC the exes are a bit more obscured from the user.


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> No it doesn't need to be decrypted. I'm not sure why you'd have that issue. I've seen people post about getting that error from TiVo Desktop before, but not pyTivo. Are you still running TiVo Desktop? Maybe it's conflicting in some way?


I thought I had only seen that posted in the pyTivo thread regarding the size issue on uploads.

Scott


----------



## jtso

Dan203 said:


> You shouldn't have a terminal window. Are you manually launching pyTivo? You shouldn't. You should run pyTivoTray, that will launch a hidden version of pyTivo.
> 
> Maybe I should bundle the app different for the Mac. I could hide the pyTivo executable inside the pyTivoTray app. I did it the way it is now because that's how it is on the PC, but on the PC the exes are a bit more obscured from the user.


Dan, thanks. That was the missing piece of info. If I launch the via Tray, the weirdness goes away. I agree that you should probably hide the pyTiVo executable inside the pyTiVoTray so nobody does what I did.


----------



## V7Goose

sar840t2 said:


> If I transfer a recording from TiVo A to the PC using pyTivo, and then transfer that recording to TiVo B, where both TiVos have the same MAK, do I need to decrypt?
> 
> I ask because, on the second transfer, I get the blue circle showing on the TiVo for about a minute, then it goes away. The transfer fails with something like "the show was not downloaded ... because it exceeded the expected size".
> 
> If decryption is *not* needed on the initial transfer via pyTivo, can you suggest what might be going on? TiVo A is a Premier XL4, TiVo B is a Roamio Pro. Both are on MoCA, and the PC is on ethernet, running Windows 10.
> 
> This is a very promising looking program, thanks for doing this!
> 
> Mike
> 
> Edit: PS - file size is "roughly" 2GB, but it's an NTFS filesystem, so I don't think that's the culprit.


This is the exact error I reported in this thread a few days ago (see post #384 & 386). As far as i could tell with my initial testing, the problem is specifically caused by using the TS format for transfers. When I turned that off, I quit getting the errors when I did the second transfer to bring a program down to "TiVoB". All of my testing was done between two Bolts, with pyTiVo running on W10.


----------



## Mikeguy

Am new to understanding TS and PS modes. In copying some shows over from my Series 2 with pyTivo, it appears that they are copied over as PS regardless of how the TS/PS setting is set under pyTivo Desktop--setting to TS, the shows still transfer as PS. Are Series 2 recordings only available as PS? (And, I'm just curious, why, if that's the case?) Thanks--


----------



## lpwcomp

V7Goose said:


> This is the exact error I reported in this thread a few days ago (see post #384 & 386). As far as i could tell with my initial testing, the problem is specifically caused by using the TS format for transfers. When I turned that off, I quit getting the errors when I did the second transfer to bring a program down to "TiVoB". All of my testing was done between two Bolts, with pyTiVo running on W10.


I just did some limited testing and I had the same error when trying to pull a TS .tivo _*MPEG2*_ recording to a Roamio. An H.264 recording worked fine. This is with pyTivo TOP(the original program). I hadn't noticed before because I decrpyt, edit and convert everything to H.264 in either mkv(if source is MPEG2) or mp4(if source is H.264).


----------



## V7Goose

Mikeguy said:


> Am new to understanding TS and PS modes. In copying some shows over from my Series 2 with pyTivo, it appears that they are copied over as PS regardless of how the TS/PS setting is set under pyTivo Desktop--setting to TS, the shows still transfer as PS. Are Series 2 recordings only available as PS? (And, I'm just curious, why, if that's the case?) Thanks--


I believe (not sure, but Dan will correct misinformation if I am wrong) that the TS transfer method is only supported in series 4 and higher TiVos. In the TiVo Desktop software, they do not even call it TS, but there is a setting that you can select to use the fastest transport mode, and that is for TS. Another point of interest is that the TiVo Desktop software does not seem to indicate on the uploaded files what mode was used (no TS or PS in the file name), so that is a really nice feature of this pyTiVo. Now, if only the TS mode didn't screw everything up!


----------



## V7Goose

lpwcomp said:


> I hadn't noticed before because I decrpyt, edit and convert everything to H.264 in either mkv(if source is MPEG2) or mp4(if source is H.264).


Like you, I virtually never just copy an original un-edited TiVo file back down from my computer to a TiVo box - they are all edited with VideoReDo or TME and archived to either HDDs or burned to AVCHD/Blu-ray discs.

But I was thinking about doing some "temporary" archiving of some programs I eventually wanted to watch, but not really save for long-term, and I thought that maybe using an external drive with pyTiVo might make that easy. But if I can't trust being able to copy them back down for eventual watching, there is absolutely no point to even trying it.


----------



## lpwcomp

Yes, TS is only available on S4 or later. Which is why you cannot transfer an H.264 recording directly from a THD to a computer. It probably at least part of the reason why the TD option is "Use the fastest method available when transferring files from my TiVo DVR".


----------



## Dan203

Hmm... I'll have to look into that error. You shouldn't have any trouble with TS files going back to a TiVo.


----------



## ClearToLand

Mikeguy said:


> Dan, a question: *does the pyTivo tray app/background process consume any real amount of resources when pyTivo is not actively downloading/uploading?* The reason I ask is, after years of programs "graciously" loading themselves into the background and clogging my PC's, I've gotten into the habit of stopping them from background-loading unless I'm actively using them, with an exception for some utilities that need a "watchful" state.


This is where Windows tools like Task Manager, Resource Monitor, MSConfig come in handy.

When I installed my Brother AIO Inkjet printer, a LOT of extra BS got installed. Coming up the ranks all the way from Epson Dot Matrix (well, to be honest, my *FIRST* printer was an old 150+ lb teletype machine; 300 baud RS-232, rubber ink wheel, spinning print wheel w/ CAPS ONLY, connected to my Netronics Super Elf II Computer Kit w/ RCA COSMAC 1802 processor, 256 BYTES of static RAM, hex keypad for input, Red 7-segment LEDs for Address and Data Bus) to my first AIO, I figured that I'd just let it install everything to get a 'feel' for what it could do. Well, it installed many 'accessories' that I never even touched, so when the print driver somehow failed and I needed to uninstall / re-install, I attempted to restore just what I used. Something called Nuance PaperPort I didn't want, *BUT* every so often it appears in my Task Manager as running - no tray icon, no shortcut, no program sub-directory anymore, *BUT* it's still randomly running. Task Manager gave me a program name (which I re-named) and I think that I've solved it. It was a PITA.

Besides MSConfig, the Registry also has an area for starting up programs (I can only remember RunOnce now; it's next to that...); and then there's also Task Scheduler.

*BOTTOM LINE:* Do a CNTL-ALT-DEL, start Task Manager and keep an eye on things for a while...


----------



## ClearToLand

sar840t2 said:


> If I transfer a recording from TiVo A to the PC using pyTivo, and then transfer that recording to TiVo B, where both TiVos have the same MAK, *do I need to decrypt*?
> 
> I ask because, on the second transfer, *I get the blue circle showing on the TiVo for about a minute, then it goes away. The transfer fails with something like "the show was not downloaded ... because it exceeded the expected size"*.
> 
> If decryption is *not* needed on the initial transfer via pyTivo, can you suggest what might be going on? TiVo A is a Premier XL4, TiVo B is a Roamio Pro. Both are on MoCA, and the PC is on ethernet, running Windows 10.
> 
> This is a very promising looking program, thanks for doing this!
> 
> Mike
> 
> Edit: PS - file size is "roughly" 2GB, but it's an NTFS filesystem, so I don't think that's the culprit.



Decrypt: No
.
Are you using TS format to transfer from TiVo-to-PC?
- if yes, that's one of the 'gifts' / surprises with TS; it don't display an error when it's transferring the file, like PS does so you can re-do the transfer while you still have the original show on your TiVo. NO, it waits days / weeks / months / YEARS later when you try to transfer the program back to view it to give you the old error. Try switching to PS for your future transfers.
P.S. You'll find *LOTS* of discussion on this "TS vs PS" topic...


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> No it doesn't need to be decrypted. I'm not sure why you'd have that issue. *I've seen people post about getting that error from TiVo Desktop before, but not pyTivo. Are you still running TiVo Desktop?* Maybe it's conflicting in some way?


It's not the tool used (kmttg vs TiVo Desktop vs HTTPS://TiVo IP), it's the transfer method selected: TS (faster but 'hidden' errors) vs PS (slower but 'immediate' errors).


----------



## Dan203

I just want to ensure it's not something pyTivo is doing wrong. If it is then I'd like to fix it.


----------



## lpwcomp

Additional info on MPEG2 TS .tivo transfer problem:

TiVo reports size of original recording as 4.31GB. Duration is 1h4m.

File explorer details view reports size of .tivo file as 4.43GB but properties has it as 4.22GB.

Decrypted .ts file is 4.44GB and 4.23GB.

pyTivo has .tivo as 4.51GB.

If I check the size on the TiVo while the transfer is in progress before it fails, TiVo reports it as 4.8GB.

If I start playing it during transfer, the TiVo will end up with a 12min, 0.96GB recording.

I transferred it twice and the second time I checked the size before I got to the end of the recording and the TiVo reported it as 4.76GB. When I skipped to the end, this changed to 0.96.


----------



## Dan203

Do you have VideoReDo? If so open the original .tivo file in VRD and look around the 12 minute mark. Is there anything weird there? Corruption? Perhaps a resolution change during a transition to a commercial break? Some sort of PID shift?


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> Do you have VideoReDo? If so open the original .tivo file in VRD and look around the 12 minute mark. Is there anything weird there? Corruption? Perhaps a resolution change during a transition to a commercial break? Some sort of PID shift?


I was in the middle of editing my prior post when you made this one. I was going to add the following:

I used VRD to look at the .tivo file and there is a serious "glitch" in the recording at the 12:34 mark. It put VRD into a split-second playback loop, but the time keeps advancing. If I leave it in this loop, eventually VRD stops responding.


----------



## Dan203

Try running the file through QSF and transfer the fixed version. Does that complete?


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> Try running the file through QSF and transfer the fixed version. Does that complete?


This conversation is getting very TZish. While I haven't' tried to xfer it, I did use VRD to look at the VRD decrypted file and while there is no obvious "glitch", there are obvious missing frames as it "jumps" a split second.

Based on prior experience, I'm fairly certain that this file will xfer with no problems.


----------



## Wil

ClearToLand said:


> ...my *FIRST* printer was an old 150+ lb teletype machine; 300 baud RS-232...


At least you had RS232. My original-run Apple II did not and I had to rig a brute force connection for my first salvaged teletype. Plus write my own ascii-to-baudot code. The good old days.


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> This conversation is getting very TZish. While I haven't' tried to xfer it, I did use VRD to look at the VRD decrypted file and while there is no obvious "glitch", there are obvious missing frames as it "jumps" a split second.
> 
> Based on prior experience, I'm fairly certain that this file will xfer with no problems.


So this error has nothing to do with pyTivo then. It's a glitch in the recording that's causing it to fail to transfer back. Not much I can do about that.


----------



## sar840t2

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post (463) about "the show was not downloaded ... because it exceeded the expected size". This conversation is moving too fast for me to keep up with all the replies.

I had TS vs. PS in the back of my mind as a possible culprit, and knew that one had been recommended over the other, but I couldn't remember which and a search for "ts" or "ps" even just in this thread produced so many results I didn't have the patience to wade through them.

Yes, I was using TS (I'm an "accept the defaults" kind of guy) 
No, I don't have TiVo Desktop running
I have now turned off decryption since it's not the culprit

I was going to disable TS format, but got a warning "_If you attempt to download a show from an MPEG-4 channel with the MPEG-TS option unchecked the resulting file will be unusable_". I don't think there's a way in pyTivo Desktop to identify whether a given recording is MPEG-4 or MPEG2, so I don't think I'm going to be able to just "set it and forget it".

Anyway, I just wanted to respond (since I hate it when I give someone useful information and they don;t respond).


----------



## Dan203

sar840t2 said:


> Thanks to everyone who responded to my post (463) about "the show was not downloaded ... because it exceeded the expected size". This conversation is moving too fast for me to keep up with all the replies.
> 
> I had TS vs. PS in the back of my mind as a possible culprit, and knew that one had been recommended over the other, but I couldn't remember which and a search for "ts" or "ps" even just in this thread produced so many results I didn't have the patience to wade through them.
> 
> Yes, I was using TS (I'm an "accept the defaults" kind of guy)
> No, I don't have TiVo Desktop running
> I have now turned off decryption since it's not the culprit
> 
> I was going to disable TS format, but got a warning "_If you attempt to download a show from an MPEG-4 channel with the MPEG-TS option unchecked the resulting file will be unusable_". I don't think there's a way in pyTivo Desktop to identify whether a given recording is MPEG-4 or MPEG2, so I don't think I'm going to be able to just "set it and forget it".
> 
> Anyway, I just wanted to respond (since I hate it when I give someone useful information and they don;t respond).


I've looked at every possible angle and there is nothing in the TiVo XML or even the TiVo header that identifies the codec used in the file. I might be able to wait for a bit of the program to download and then check the video portion of the file to determine the codec, and then automatically kill the download and restart it as a TS if it's MPEG-4. Not sure how practical that is in python though. I'm not experienced enough with the language to know if it can do the bit level reading needed to determine that. It would be so much easier if TiVo just put a flag in the XML that listed the codec.


----------



## lpwcomp

I just completed a test where I used tivolibre to decrypt the .tivo file. The decrypted file downloads fully to the TiVo. Size is reported as 4.19GB and length as 1h3m. There is a visible glitch at the 12:34 mark, but it doesn't cause a real problem. There may be other glitches but I don't actually watch the show so I will most likely will never know.

In conclusion, this is not a pyTivo problem and there is nothing that can be done. But you do not have to discard all of those recordings that you previously d/l'd in TS format.


----------



## Dan203

That's good to know that it works after being decrypted.


----------



## KDragon

Rookie question 1: I want to transfer protected shows from my old Series 3 to my new Bolt. Is pyTivo the right tool? Will it handle copyright files? I installed pyTivo the old way, and am able to see my Series 3 via the web interface. However, many of my recordings are marked with the red slash circle, I assume these are copyright. How can I move them from the Series 3 to my new Bolt?

Q2: I later downloaded and installed the new pyTivo desktop app (Win 10). I gave it the MAK and Tivo recordings folder path, but left everything else defaults. It can't find any tivos. Any ideas why?

Thanks!


----------



## lpwcomp

KDragon said:


> Rookie question 1: I want to transfer protected shows from my old Series 3 to my new Bolt. Is pyTivo the right tool? Will it handle copyright files? I installed pyTivo the old way, and am able to see my Series 3 via the web interface. However, many of my recordings are marked with the red slash circle, I assume these are copyright. How can I move them from the Series 3 to my new Bolt?


You can't. Copy protected recordings can't be copied. BTW, copyright is not the same. Pretty much everything you record is copyrighted. A copyright is issued by the government. Copy protection is controlled by your cable company.


----------



## aaronwt

If the shows are copy protected then transfers are prohibited.


----------



## Mikeguy

lpwcomp said:


> BTW, copyright is not the same. Pretty much everything you record is copyrighted. A copyright is issued by the government.


In the U.S., the government issues a copyright _registration_, upon an application and proper entitlement. Copyright itself exists, assuming the entitlement, when the work first is expressed in a tangible means.


----------



## lpwcomp

Mikeguy said:


> In the U.S., the government issues a copyright _registration_, upon an application and proper entitlement. Copyright itself exists, assuming the entitlement, when the work first is expressed in a tangible means.


Doesn't alter my point. Also, it's much more difficult to prove copyright infringement if said infringement occurs prior to registration.


----------



## Mikeguy

lpwcomp said:


> Doesn't alter my point. Also, it's much more difficult to prove copyright infringement if said infringement occurs prior to registration.


Was just correcting as to the nature of copyright, which is important to note: one needn't do anything to have legal rights under copyright, although one gets enhanced benefits--such as the right to sue for damages, a powerful thing--with a copyright registration.

And with or without a registration, one still needs to prove infringement--the same proof requirement is still there.


----------



## lpwcomp

Mikeguy said:


> Was just correcting as to the nature of copyright, which is important to note: one needn't do anything to have legal rights under copyright, although one gets enhanced benefits--such as the right to sue for damages, a powerful thing--with a copyright registration.
> 
> And with or without a registration, one still needs to prove infringement--the same proof requirement is still there.


Yes, but it's more difficult to prove that *you *created it first.


----------



## Mikeguy

lpwcomp said:


> Yes, but it's more difficult to prove that *you *created it first.


That's a good point and another good reason to seek a copyright registration, which perhaps you were getting at: with your copyright registration, there is a legal presumption of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the copyright registration certificate--including the date of the creation of the registered work--_if_ the registration was within 5 years of the first publication of the work. This could be very valuable, in a trial. But even so, if the dates of creation become an issue, expect a battle--this is only a presumption, not irrefutable proof.

Not to digress here (sorry, folks), but it can be a fascinating field, and lead to fascinating lawsuits and trials.  And now, back to our regularly-scheduled programming . . . .


----------



## Dan203

KDragon said:


> Q2: I later downloaded and installed the new pyTivo desktop app (Win 10). I gave it the MAK and Tivo recordings folder path, but left everything else defaults. It can't find any tivos. Any ideas why?


Did you still have the old pyTivo running? They can't be running at the same time, they will conflict.


----------



## foghorn2

Dan203 said:


> I have just completed a new version which now includes a full feature UI called "pyTivo Desktop" which includes TiVoToGo support. I hope it works well for everyone. Please let me know if you have any trouble with it...
> 
> New website...
> 
> pyTivo Desktop
> 
> Last Updated - Windows: 4/24/17 4:55pm - v1.5.12
> Last Updated - Mac: 4/25/17 6:15pm - v1.5.12
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Original Post
> 
> 
> 
> I've created an easier to use/install version of pyTivo. It's compiled into a standard Windows exe and does NOT require you to install python on your PC to work. It also includes a simple UI for setting up and managing shares. Some of the advanced features still have to be setup using the web UI or by editing the config file by hand, but this should be a lot easier for people to get going if all you want to do is transfer videos from your PC to your TiVo or use Music/Photos.
> 
> pyTivo_setup.exe
> 
> pyTivo_setup.zip (alternative for those getting antivirus warnings with exe)
> 
> In a future release I plan to add a UI for some of the advanced settings and maybe the TTG portion too.
> 
> I'm also going to try creating Mac and Linux versions too when I have some more time.
> 
> Edit: 4/2/17 Updated version with settings dialog


Your site's TiVo man looks like a mascot for a digestive disorder pills (ask your crok doctor) commercial


----------



## Dan203

I noticed that too.  

For the record I didn't actually make up that logo. It was used by the old pyTivo. I just recreated it to make it higher resolution.


----------



## KDragon

lpwcomp said:


> Pretty much everything you record is copyrighted. A copyright is issued by the government. Copy protection is controlled by your cable company.


Right! Copy protection is quite different than copyright. My bad.



aaronwt said:


> If the shows are copy protected then transfers are prohibited.


Bummer! I was hoping to find a way.



Dan203 said:


> Did you still have the old pyTivo running? They can't be running at the same time, they will conflict.


Nope. Double checked just now to make sure. But if it can't help me with copy protected shows, it doesn't matter anyway. Thanks everyone!


----------



## windracer

foghorn2 said:


> Your site's TiVo man looks like a mascot for a digestive disorder pills (ask your crok doctor) commercial


That's the logo for Python, but yeah, the way it's inside TiVo Guy does make it look like intestines.


----------



## lpwcomp

Looks more like worm sex to me.


----------



## Dan203

New version just posted. Contains a few bug fixes as well as some UI enhancements. Biggest being that the list of shows now scrolls independent of the rest of the UI, so the TiVo name tabs and queue button are always in view, and there is now a button that allows you to completely disable suggestions so that they are excluded from the main list and individual folders and are ignored by the download all button. 

Mac version will be posted shortly.


----------



## innocentfreak

I will need to go through the thread in case there is a fix. 

I just downloaded for the first time and happened to grab the updated version. I installed and picked a folder on the network since it couldn't see my mapped network drives. Everything started fine, but then gave me an error couldn't find PyTiVo. The tray icon also had the red X. I tried closing it out and restarting it, but same issue.


----------



## Dan203

innocentfreak said:


> I will need to go through the thread in case there is a fix.
> 
> I just downloaded for the first time and happened to grab the updated version. I installed and picked a folder on the network since it couldn't see my mapped network drives. Everything started fine, but then gave me an error couldn't find PyTiVo. The tray icon also had the red X. I tried closing it out and restarting it, but same issue.


That means that pyTivo crashed. You'll need to kill pyTivo.exe from the task manager and then restart it from the tray app.

Most likely reason for that is an invalid path. You said you entered a network path. Just to be clear pyTivo does not support SMB paths, so you can't use \\Sever\Folder type paths. They have to be mapped/mounted and used like a drive. (Z:\Folder)


----------



## innocentfreak

I figured it was something like that, but none of the network drives showed up.


----------



## Dan203

You can enter the path manually, not using the little finder dialog. It just has to be a mapped drive and not an SMB path.


----------



## Redoctobyr

I had a chance to finally try 1.5.12. I used it to share some of the files I downloaded using kmttg. 

When browsing the share, using my Series 2, I realized that the dates listed for the shows seem to be the dates that the files were saved to my PC, rather than the date of the actual recording itself. 

I tried transferring one to the Series 2, and then it appeared to show the date of the actual recording, which is good. I only got to try one file so far. 

I could leave the recordings on the PC, and transfer/stream them on-demand to my upcoming Bolt. But if I did that, finding the episode that I want to transfer could be tricky, since they'd basically all show some random date. 

If I've correctly interpreted the behavior, is there a way to make shared recordings show the dates that they were recorded, vs when they were saved to the PC? Thank you.


----------



## Dan203

From what I've read that's a bug in the way the TiVo itself not on pyTivo's end. So unfortunately there isn't anything I can do to fix it. And the chances of TiVo fixing it are probably pretty slim, since they've abandoned their own Desktop software. Your best bet is probably just to transfer all the shows to the new TiVo and then you can sort by episode number rather then date.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Thanks Dan, that's too bad. I see the file I downloaded using pyTiVo has the date in the filename. My kmttg files do as well, albeit in a different format. 

My pyTivo-downloaded file has this at the end: 
(Recorded Mar 30, 2015, WBIN) (PS).tivo

My kmttg-downloaded files have this at the end: 
(04_09_2017).TiVo

I believe I've seen utilities that can change the dates of files. If I was extremely clever, and/or sufficiently motivated, I could try using something like that to automatically pull from the file names, and adjust the Created or Modified dates (whichever is appropriate) based on that. 

But first I need to try transferring shows to the Bolt (once it arrives), to see how labor-intensive that is, for a lot of files. If the Bolt is responsive enough, maybe it won't be too bad.


----------



## foghorn2

Dan you are a great programmer, I got Cyberlink's MediaExpresso and its supposed to open .tivo files, but it wont. Any specials on VRedo for TFMembers?


----------



## Dan203

Redoctobyr said:


> Thanks Dan, that's too bad. I see the file I downloaded using pyTiVo has the date in the filename. My kmttg files do as well, albeit in a different format.
> 
> My pyTivo-downloaded file has this at the end:
> (Recorded Mar 30, 2015, WBIN) (PS).tivo
> 
> My kmttg-downloaded files have this at the end:
> (04_09_2017).TiVo
> 
> I believe I've seen utilities that can change the dates of files. If I was extremely clever, and/or sufficiently motivated, I could try using something like that to automatically pull from the file names, and adjust the Created or Modified dates (whichever is appropriate) based on that.
> 
> But first I need to try transferring shows to the Bolt (once it arrives), to see how labor-intensive that is, for a lot of files. If the Bolt is responsive enough, maybe it won't be too bad.


You want the date in the file name? Try the new sortable name option on the ToGo tab in settings. That will make the filename look like this...

ShowName - 2017-04-30 - "Episode title" (CHANNEL) (TS).tivo


----------



## Dan203

foghorn2 said:


> Dan you are a great programmer, I got Cyberlink's MediaExpresso and its supposed to open .tivo files, but it wont. Any specials on VRedo for TFMembers?


Thanks.

Unfortunately there are not currently any deals for TCF users on VideoReDo. I'm not in charge of pricing there, so I don't really have any say in those sorts of things.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan203 said:


> You want the date in the file name? Try the new sortable name option on the ToGo tab in settings. That will make the filename look like this...
> 
> ShowName - 2017-04-30 - "Episode title" (CHANNEL) (TS).tivo


Cool, thanks, I wasn't sure what that check-box did.

But what I had in mind was slightly different. I was thinking about trying to find a way to have some sort of utility software alter the file Creation or Modification dates of the PC files, based on the date text that's in the file name.

Something that would let TiVo display/sort the shared files on the PC using their recorded dates, rather than using the dates when they were saved to the PC. Since, from what I could see, when viewing the Share contents, TiVo was displaying the dates of the files themselves, rather than the dates when they were recorded, and was sorting them that way. So the order in which you are viewing the list of shared recordings is rather arbitratry, and is not chronological.


----------



## Mikeguy

Redoctobyr said:


> I had a chance to finally try 1.5.12. I used it to share some of the files I downloaded using kmttg.
> 
> When browsing the share, using my Series 2, I realized that the dates listed for the shows seem to be the dates that the files were saved to my PC, rather than the date of the actual recording itself.
> 
> I tried transferring one to the Series 2, and then it appeared to show the date of the actual recording, which is good. I only got to try one file so far.
> 
> I could leave the recordings on the PC, and transfer/stream them on-demand to my upcoming Bolt. But if I did that, finding the episode that I want to transfer could be tricky, since they'd basically all show some random date.
> 
> If I've correctly interpreted the behavior, is there a way to make shared recordings show the dates that they were recorded, vs when they were saved to the PC? Thank you.





Dan203 said:


> From what I've read that's a bug in the way the TiVo itself not on pyTivo's end. So unfortunately there isn't anything I can do to fix it. And the chances of TiVo fixing it are probably pretty slim, since they've abandoned their own Desktop software. Your best bet is probably just to transfer all the shows to the new TiVo and then you can sort by episode number rather then date.


A user also might want to consider downloading a show's metadata file along with the show to a PC--easy to consult, as to the show's particulars.


----------



## Redoctobyr

I am downloading the metadata as well. From my very-brief testing, it seems that once I download the show from the PC, over to my other TiVo, the metadata is included. 

But if I'm using the TiVo to browse the contents of my pyTivo share (consisting of kmttg-transferred files, stored on my PC), the list seems to be: 
- not grouped (despite groups being enabled for this list on my Series 2).
- sorted by the date that the file was transferred. So things show a date from a few days ago, when I copied them over, rather than from several months ago, when they were recorded. 

This isn't intended as complaining about pyTivo. It *is* an observation, so I can at least learn if I'm doing something wrong, etc, or also learn if this is simply how it works. 

Interestingly, I just checked a file that I transferred using pyTiVo, rather than kmttg. This is saved into a different share folder, so that I can keep them clear. This (singular) file *did* show its recorded date in the list, when browsing from the TiVo. It did not show the date that I transferred it, like the kmttg files. 

FWIW, I used kmttg to transfer the files largely for one reason. Dan, you added the ability to bulk-transfers with 1 click, which is awesome, thank you! But I realized that kmttg gives the option to skip existing files, by specifying to not over-write them. So if I had to start a big transfer again (like when my laptop rebooted itself), I could just tell kmttg to transfer everything, again. Files that were already downloaded would simply be skipped. I didn't have to go through the list looking for what had already copied, or spend time downloading duplicates (my Series 2s transfer very slowly). 

If pyTivo had the ability to look for existing file names, and skip those, that could be a big help. Downloading a folder could act more as a "get new recordings" function, rather than making duplicates of existing recordings. 

(Edit- sorry, originally my message was shown here twice. I deleted the accidental dupicate copy.)


----------



## HerronScott

Redoctobyr said:


> But if I'm using the TiVo to browse the contents of my pyTivo share (consisting of kmttg-transferred files, stored on my PC), the list seems to be:
> - not grouped (despite groups being enabled for this list on my Series 2).


When browsing our PC or another SD TiVo like my S3's, I often find you have to re-enable grouping in the view (hit Enter and you can turn grouping on).

Scott


----------



## HerronScott

Redoctobyr said:


> Interestingly, I just checked a file that I transferred using pyTiVo, rather than kmttg. This is saved into a different share folder, so that I can keep them clear. This (singular) file *did* show its recorded date in the list, when browsing from the TiVo. It did not show the date that I transferred it, like the kmttg files.


Are you doing anything in kmttg when you download the file (such as decrypting it) and was the pyTivo downloaded file just a normal encrypted .TiVo file?

Scott


----------



## Redoctobyr

So far as I can tell, I'm not doing anything besides downloading the files, in either software. I'm not decrypting them, or re-encoding them to a different video format in kmttg, etc. I do have each one set to save the metadata as a text file. The files that pyTivo downloads have PS in the file name, and in kmttg, "Download files using Transport Stream format" is un-checked. And I think I read that Series 2s don't support TS format anyhow.


----------



## ClearToLand

Redoctobyr said:


> I had a chance to finally try 1.5.12. I used it to share some of the files I downloaded using kmttg.
> 
> *When browsing the share, using my Series 2, I realized that the dates listed for the shows seem to be the dates that the files were saved to my PC, rather than the date of the actual recording itself. *
> 
> I tried transferring one to the Series 2, and then it appeared to show the date of the actual recording, which is good. I only got to try one file so far.
> 
> I could leave the recordings on the PC, and transfer/stream them on-demand to my upcoming Bolt. But if I did that, finding the episode that I want to transfer could be tricky, since *they'd basically all show some random date*.
> 
> If I've correctly interpreted the behavior, *is there a way to make shared recordings show the dates that they were recorded, vs when they were saved to the PC?* Thank you.





Dan203 said:


> *From what I've read that's a bug in the way the TiVo itself not on pyTivo's end*. So unfortunately there isn't anything I can do to fix it. And the chances of TiVo fixing it are probably pretty slim, since they've abandoned their own Desktop software. Your best bet is probably just to transfer all the shows to the new TiVo and then you can sort by episode number rather then date.





Redoctobyr said:


> Thanks Dan, that's too bad. I see the file I downloaded using pyTiVo has the date in the filename. My kmttg files do as well, albeit in a different format.
> 
> My pyTivo-downloaded file has this at the end:
> (Recorded Mar 30, 2015, WBIN) (PS).tivo
> 
> My kmttg-downloaded files have this at the end:
> (04_09_2017).TiVo
> 
> I believe I've seen utilities that can change the dates of files. If I was extremely clever, and/or sufficiently motivated, I could try using something like that to automatically pull from the file names, and adjust the Created or Modified dates (whichever is appropriate) based on that.
> 
> But first I need to try transferring shows to the Bolt (once it arrives), to see how labor-intensive that is, for a lot of files. If the Bolt is responsive enough, maybe it won't be too bad.


@Redoctobyr,

Quite a few replies have already been posted on this topic (I was going to just reply, but I decided to check the rest of the thread first - unusual for me!  ), so, instead of QUOTE'ng *EVERYBODY*, I'm just going to "_Speak my piece_":

My initial response, to your question QUOTE'd in Red above, is "*No*", which depending on your initiative becomes "*Sure*".
TiVo appears to store 2 dates in its metadata:
Original Air Date
Recorded Date / Time
.
While Original Air Date remains 'fixed', Recorded Date / Time changes when you 'Transfer' a file from *Recorded* Date / Time to *Transferred* Date / Time.
While I'm sure that anyone with enough initiative could utilize a HEX Editor to change this info back to what they want, my K.I.S.S. solution is just to transfer shows in Recorded Date / Time order, such that the Groups (usually) display them in Series / Episode order. i.e. I have transferred a show originally transferred from my Roamio Basic to my Roamio OTA *BACK* to my Roamio Basic so that I could RE-transfer it back to my Roamio OTA in chronological order. *MUCH* simpler, IMHO, that using a HEX Editor.
This is the TiVo 'data' available to *ALL* programmers - what they do with that data is up to them...

HTH


----------



## Mikeguy

Redoctobyr said:


> I am downloading the metadata as well. From my very-brief testing, it seems that once I download the show from the PC, over to my other TiVo, the metadata is included.
> 
> But if I'm using the TiVo to browse the contents of my pyTivo share (consisting of kmttg-transferred files, stored on my PC), the list seems to be:
> - not grouped (despite groups being enabled for this list on my Series 2).
> - sorted by the date that the file was transferred. So things show a date from a few days ago, when I copied them over, rather than from several months ago, when they were recorded.
> 
> This isn't intended as complaining about pyTivo. It *is* an observation, so I can at least learn if I'm doing something wrong, etc, or also learn if this is simply how it works.
> 
> Interestingly, I just checked a file that I transferred using pyTiVo, rather than kmttg. This is saved into a different share folder, so that I can keep them clear. This (singular) file *did* show its recorded date in the list, when browsing from the TiVo. It did not show the date that I transferred it, like the kmttg files.
> 
> FWIW, I used kmttg to transfer the files largely for one reason. Dan, you added the ability to bulk-transfers with 1 click, which is awesome, thank you! But I realized that kmttg gives the option to skip existing files, by specifying to not over-write them. So if I had to start a big transfer again (like when my laptop rebooted itself), I could just tell kmttg to transfer everything, again. Files that were already downloaded would simply be skipped. I didn't have to go through the list looking for what had already copied, or spend time downloading duplicates (my Series 2s transfer very slowly).
> 
> If pyTivo had the ability to look for existing file names, and skip those, that could be a big help. Downloading a folder could act more as a "get new recordings" function, rather than making duplicates of existing recordings.
> I am downloading the metadata as well. From my very-brief testing, it seems that once I download the show from the PC, over to my other TiVo, the metadata is included.
> 
> But if I'm using the TiVo to browse the contents of my pyTivo share (consisting of kmttg-transferred files, stored on my PC), the list seems to be:
> - not grouped (despite groups being enabled for this list on my Series 2).
> - sorted by the date that the file was transferred. So things show a date from a few days ago, when I copied them over, rather than from several months ago, when they were recorded.
> 
> This isn't intended as complaining about pyTivo. It *is* an observation, so I can at least learn if I'm doing something wrong, etc, or also learn if this is simply how it works.
> 
> Interestingly, I just checked a file that I transferred using pyTiVo, rather than kmttg. This is saved into a different share folder, so that I can keep them clear. This (singular) file *did* show its recorded date in the list, when browsing from the TiVo. It did not show the date that I transferred it, like the kmttg files.
> 
> FWIW, I used kmttg to transfer the files largely for one reason. Dan, you added the ability to bulk-transfers with 1 click, which is awesome, thank you! But I realized that kmttg gives the option to skip existing files, by specifying to not over-write them. So if I had to start a big transfer again (like when my laptop rebooted itself), I could just tell kmttg to transfer everything, again. Files that were already downloaded would simply be skipped. I didn't have to go through the list looking for what had already copied, or spend time downloading duplicates (my Series 2s transfer very slowly).
> 
> If pyTivo had the ability to look for existing file names, and skip those, that could be a big help. Downloading a folder could act more as a "get new recordings" function, rather than making duplicates of existing recordings.


Understood. I'm just using the metadata file, on my PC, to understand what the related .tivo file is, if I have a question.


----------



## Dan203

Crap there is a bug in the release I just put out. 

Gonna have to do another update in a few minutes. Sorry guys.


----------



## foghorn2

Dan203 said:


> Crap there is a bug in the release I just put out.
> 
> Gonna have to do another update in a few minutes. Sorry guys.


What, are you rich or what? Working on updating free software on a weekend!


----------



## Dan203

foghorn2 said:


> What, are you rich or what? Working on updating free software on a weekend!


I enjoy it. I was working on the Mac version and discovered a bug that effects both versions.


----------



## ClearToLand

foghorn2 said:


> *What, are you rich or what?* Working on updating free software on a weekend!


In *MY* experience, it's an addiction.

"_Way-back-when / in-a-time-LONG-LONG-ago_", *BEFORE* Windows, and the IBM-style of PCs, there was CP/M. And, *BEFORE* the "_INTERNET_", folks had MODEMs and to connect with other folks, you needed to know the PHONE NUMBERs of BBSs (Wild huh? But, bear with me...).

"_Back then_", *MANY* folks wrote, and then GAVE AWAY their software - this was known as 'Public Domain'. I was one of those folks.

After '_graduating_' from my Netronics Super Elf II Kit w/ RCA COSMAC 1802 Processor, 256 *BYTES* of Static RAM, HEX Keypad, Red 7-segment LEDs for Adddress Bus and Data (it eventually progressed to Tiny Basic, 4K RAM, IIRC, and Serial Data Storage to a cassette recorder), I moved onto a Digital Research BigBoard Kit w/ Z-80 Processor, 64K of Dynamic RAM, ASCII keyboard, Shugart 8" 241K SSSD floppies (The DR BigBoard was essentially the same as the '_already-assembled_' Xerox 820, sold as a direct competitor to the IBM PC).

There were several RCP/M BBSs available at that time, some written in MBasic, others in Z-80 ASM. I chose one written in Z-80 ASM, and proceeded to '_fork off_' a version that THREADED messages (unheard of at that time). Of course, I made it Public Domain, and I supported it with '_every-waking-minute_' of my free time (certainly pissed my wife off). When the Xerox warehouse started clearing out unsold 820-I's and II's, I bought '_too many_'. The II was available with an optional Shugart 8" 10MB HDD, so I disassembled the BIOS, re-wrote it to accept Quantum 8" 20MB and 40MB HDDs (available inexpensively at the time), bought an EEPROM burner to burn new EEPROMs, and sold a few EEPROMs to cover the cost of the burner. Otherwise, everything else was FREE.

Thus, I completely understand what @Dan203 is doing / feeling...  :thumbsup:


----------



## lpwcomp

HerronScott said:


> When browsing our PC or another SD TiVo like my S3's, I often find you have to re-enable grouping in the view (hit Enter and you can turn grouping on).
> 
> Scott


No need to go through a dialog. Just hit "2".


----------



## Dan203

OK new version uploaded for both Windows and Mac. Sorry if you upgraded to 1.5.14 for Windows only to have to upgrade again. I found two serious bugs that needed to be fixed. I discovered the bugs before I uploaded the new Mac version so I saved them the trouble.

I also developed a new automated build process for Mac so releases should be simultaneous from here on out. (hopefully that's a good thing )


----------



## Dan203

I added a tiny feature to the Mac installer that I just uploaded. It wasn't worthy of upgrading the version number though. I made it so the installer would delete the old, no longer used, pyTivo binary and pyTivoTray.app bundle. The pyTivo binary has been moved inside the bundle and the bundle has been renamed to just pyTivo.app to limit user confusion. I also added a feature which will set a custom folder icon on the pyTivo install folder. This is just because I'm a perfectionist and this is what all the big guys do when they have an app that requires a folder and not just a single bundle.


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE

I'm having issues installing the new update ( windows).
I usually stop pytivo, then exit it, before I install update, and did so this time, but it's coming up saying following applications are using files that need to be updated by setup.
the files are (2 of them) PyTivoTray.exe.
I've already stopped and exited out of it, nothing is running. So message says it's recommended that you allow setup to close them, so I reboot, pytivo running in tray, try update, get same message, click ignore and get
Error occurred while trying to replace existing file.
DeletedFile Failed; Code 5.
Access denied.


----------



## Dan203

That's caused by one of the bugs I fixed in the new update. There was a bug that prevented the tray app from exiting correctly. To get around it you have to open the task manager and force quit pyTivoTray.exe and pyTivo.exe (there will be two of each) then run the installer. Sorry for the inconvenience.


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE

No problem Dan, killed em, and updated completed.
thanks


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE

I'm having issues, My tivo sees my shows from PC. I start transfering, and they do transfer at a pretty good speed, I can watch immed. after they start, but then I go back to now showing a bit later, and none are in now playing, and history shows Not Transferred. The file type is (TS).tivo
Am I doing something wrong?


----------



## ClearToLand

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> I'm having issues, My tivo sees my shows from PC. *I start transfering, and they do transfer at a pretty good speed, I can watch immed. after they start, but then I go back to now showing a bit later, and none are in now playing, and history shows Not Transferred. The file type is (TS).tivo
> Am I doing something wrong?*


*TS vs PS*​
This is a discussion, that I, although a TiVo user from Series 1, have been absent from until recently, since I bought a pair of Roamios (Basic and OTA, both Lifetime).

TS transfers have the 'hidden' benefit of NOT displaying any error during the TiVo-to-PC transfer. But, then they FAIL days / weeks / months later during the PC-to-TiVo transfer.

Folks like @moyekj say "Just buy VRD for $100" and be done with it. (Boy, I've *REALLY* done it now!)
Folks like me say "Why?"
SEARCH TCF using my UserID for *MANY* recent posts discussing TS vs PS transfers.

As a "Newbie" to posting, but NOT a "Newbie" re: LURKing, reading, etc..., I'm surprised at the number of 'Old-Timers' that don't understand the ramifications between TS vs PS TiVo-to-PC transfers. You can also SEARCH for UserID @wuzznuubi for his thoughts on this '_Age-Old-But-Hidden_' problem.

Sorry Kevin, I do *LOVE* (and appreciate) your programs!


----------



## Dan203

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> I'm having issues, My tivo sees my shows from PC. I start transfering, and they do transfer at a pretty good speed, I can watch immed. after they start, but then I go back to now showing a bit later, and none are in now playing, and history shows Not Transferred. The file type is (TS).tivo
> Am I doing something wrong?


Seems to be a common issue. Apparently if there is even a minor glitch in the video it'll stop transferring and just self delete. Other users have said that if you decrypt then it works ok.

My suggestion.... if you live in an area that has H.264 channels then enable the decrypt and txt options. If you don't then just disable the ts option.


----------



## Sparky1234

I used the older version of pytivo but had to try the new GUI based SW. Tried version 12 and had connection continuity issues. Version 15 has fixed that and seems to be very stable. pytivo server appears on all 3 Premiers and 1 Roamio pulling video without a problem. Leaving the older version of pytivo installed but off on my computer / server has no affect on version 15. 

When pytivo or my computer / server is off the pytivo server icon remains on the TiVos. When I select that pytivo server icon on the TiVo (and the computer / serve is off) TiVo looks for but can't find the pytivo server as expected... 

Is there a way to delete the pytivo server icon on the TiVos besides forced update or cycling TiVo power?


----------



## Dan203

I can't figure out what's cuasing that. I'm using the appropriate pyTivo stop command and it prints "unregistering shares" to the console, but sometimes, not always, they linger on the TiVo. I'm going to have to look at the code and see if there is anything I can do there to make it work better.


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE

Dan203 said:


> Seems to be a common issue. Apparently if there is even a minor glitch in the video it'll stop transferring and just self delete. Other users have said that if you decrypt then it works ok.
> 
> My suggestion.... if you live in an area that has H.264 channels then enable the decrypt and txt options. If you don't then just disable the ts option.


thanks, that worked all 3 downloaded and uploaded correctly


----------



## webminster

Dan203 said:


> My suggestion.... if you live in an area that has H.264 channels then enable the decrypt and txt options. If you don't then just disable the ts option.


Wish it were that simple... Comcast has both MPEG2 and MPEG4. If I have TS option set, I often get a blank video downloading from an MPEG2 recording (like ABC programming). I find myself having to constantly change pyTivo mode back and forth, depending on which mode works.


----------



## Dan203

webminster said:


> Wish it were that simple... Comcast has both MPEG2 and MPEG4. If I have TS option set, I often get a blank video downloading from an MPEG2 recording (like ABC programming). I find myself having to constantly change pyTivo mode back and forth, depending on which mode works.


That shouldn't happen. TS works for both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. You will get blank recordings if you have the TS option unchecked and try to down an MPEG-4 show though.


----------



## webminster

Dan203 said:


> That shouldn't happen. TS works for both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. You will get blank recordings if you have the TS option unchecked and try to down an MPEG-4 show though.


Does for me, even so... for kmttg as well. The kmttg author once told me that there were bugs in TS support in TiVo side and sometimes PS is required*... Tried downloading "Agents of Shield" from my Bolt+ a couple of times in TS mode (MPEG2), both times blank. Switching modes is only way I can make it work, but the fact it's a global option makes it more difficult to swap back and forth.

New program for 1 step TTG downloads, decryption, encoding - kmttg


----------



## Dan203

Hmmm... I hadn't considered that scenario. Maybe I could add an option that would cause the download button to display a menu with the option to choose PS/TS for each show. It would be an extra click though, so I'd only want to do that if the user set an option.


----------



## JoeKustra

Maybe I'm cursed. Here's my experience. Downloaded today's copy of pyTiVo Desktop. Installed on laptop after removing old Desktop.

It found my two basic Roamio units. I downloaded my Sunday's copy of Elementary. It's padded by one hour so it was an 11MB file. Note: old Desktop said this was a one hour program. New program indicated two hours.

Setup share and the folder appeared on my other Roamio. This Roamio and laptop are on the same floor. Easy to watch.

Started transfer from PC to Roamio. It failed at 3 minutes. Error in History: "Download Problem. This show was not downloaded onto this TiVo because it exceeded the expected size".

Went to laptop and downloaded last night's Late Night (no padding) and NCIS (no padding).

Started transfer of Late Night. Same failure at 7 minutes, 14 seconds.

Started transfer of NCIS. No error. 5.63GB and transfer time of 8 min 25 seconds. All times and speeds are from the TiVo's network diagnostics. No other network, TiVo or PC activity during this time.

What next?


----------



## Dan203

That error indicates there is a glitch in the download and your TiVo is choking on it when you reupload. The fix is to either decrypt the file or run it through VideoReDo QuickStream Fix. This is a TiVo error, not a pyTivo issue. They seem to have serious issues with their TS format.


----------



## ClearToLand

JoeKustra said:


> Maybe I'm cursed. Here's my experience. Downloaded today's copy of pyTiVo Desktop. Installed on laptop after removing old Desktop.
> 
> It found my two basic Roamio units. I downloaded my Sunday's copy of Elementary. It's padded by one hour so it was an 11MB file. Note: old Desktop said this was a one hour program. New program indicated two hours.
> 
> Setup share and the folder appeared on my other Roamio. This Roamio and laptop are on the same floor. Easy to watch.
> 
> Started transfer from PC to Roamio. It failed at 3 minutes. Error in History: "Download Problem. This show was not downloaded onto this TiVo because it exceeded the expected size".
> 
> Went to laptop and *downloaded last night's Late Night* (no padding) and NCIS (no padding).
> 
> *Started transfer of Late Night. Same failure at* 7 minutes, 14 seconds.
> 
> *Started transfer of NCIS. No error.* 5.63GB and transfer time of 8 min 25 seconds. All times and speeds are from the TiVo's network diagnostics. No other network, TiVo or PC activity during this time.
> 
> *What next?*


I'm sorry Joe, but for someone as detail-oriented as you when describing entries in the TiVo logs, you're really lacking here on the file transfers troubleshooting.  No, you're not cursed, just caught up in a loop.

I'm not even going to talk about anything you've done previous - just from this point forward:
*STOP* using TS / "Fast" TiVo-to-PC file transfers!
- I only know kmttg settings so you'll have to get the PS / "Slow" setting from Dan.
Forget about padding vs no padding - doesn't matter. Only TS vs PS matters.
Transfer a show from TiVo-to-PC, using pyTiVo Desktop, using PS / "Slow" transfer format
Transfer that show from PC-to-TiVo, using pyTiVo Deskop
If it succeeds, you now have a solution / work flow that works.
If it fails, you have bigger problems that we will need to continue to troubleshoot.

IMO, *ALL* of your PC-to-TiVo errors are due to your initial TiVo-to-PC transfer(s) being in TS / "Fast" format, regardless of the tool you used...


----------



## JoeKustra

ClearToLand said:


> I'm sorry Joe, but for someone as detail-oriented as you when describing entries in the TiVo logs, you're really lacking here on the file transfers troubleshooting.  No, you're not cursed, just caught up in a loop.
> I'm not even going to talk about anything you've done previous - just from this point forward:
> 
> *STOP* using TS / "Fast" TiVo-to-PC file transfers!
> - I only know kmttg settings so you'll have to get the PS / "Slow" setting from Dan.
> 
> IMO, *ALL* of your PC-to-TiVo errors are due to your initial TiVo-to-PC transfer(s) being in TS / "Fast" format, regardless of the tool you used...


Ok, color me confused. Like I posted, I installed pyTiVo Desktop as requested. I ran the program. I was presented with My Shows on one Roamio. I saw no location or option to change the TS or PS option. I really wanted it to work, and guess I need to read this entire thread to find the option. No problem. It's not that big. With the old Desktop it was an easy option to find, but I feel it's no longer working unless slow means 90Mbps and fast means 92Mbps. Perhaps that's a clue to my problem? My network isn't perfect, but it's not bad either. I'm open to any pointers. My ego died years ago.


----------



## ClearToLand

JoeKustra said:


> Ok, color me confused. Like I posted, I installed pyTiVo Desktop as requested. I ran the program. I was presented with My Shows on one Roamio. I saw no location or option to change the TS or PS option. I really wanted it to work, and guess I need to read this entire thread to find the option. No problem. It's not that big. With the old Desktop it was an easy option to find, but I feel it's no longer working *unless slow means 90Mbps and fast means 92Mbps. Perhaps that's a clue to my problem? My network isn't perfect, but it's not bad either*. I'm open to any pointers. My ego died years ago.


Nope, fast or slow has nothing to do with your network (contrary to what you posted earlier, it was my, (possibly incorrect memory), understanding that PS transfers were larger files; maybe it was that it took the TiVo CPU longer to create each packet; whatever the reason, PS transfers (supposedly) take more wall clock time than TS transfers) - everything will continue to transfer at the previous ~93Mbps (the max we all see, allowing for some overhead on a 100Mbps wired connection).

@Dan203, where's your Wiki page listing all of the optional settings for pyTiVo Desktop?

@Mikeguy, you're running it - do you know how to specify PS instead of TS transfers? I haven't had a chance to install it yet...

Thanks! 

You'll be making successful PS transfers back-and-forth in no time Joe.


----------



## Mikeguy

ing


JoeKustra said:


> Ok, color me confused. Like I posted, I installed pyTiVo Desktop as requested. I ran the program. I was presented with My Shows on one Roamio. I saw no location or option to change the TS or PS option. I really wanted it to work, and guess I need to read this entire thread to find the option. No problem. It's not that big. With the old Desktop it was an easy option to find, but I feel it's no longer working unless slow means 90Mbps and fast means 92Mbps. Perhaps that's a clue to my problem? My network isn't perfect, but it's not bad either. I'm open to any pointers. My ego died years ago.





ClearToLand said:


> @Mikeguy, you're running it - do you know how to specify PS instead of TS transfers? I haven't had a chance to install it yet...


TS currently is set/unset under Settings, via the gear symbol at the upper right of the main screen; it's a "global" setting for all transfers and, once checked (for TS mode) or unchecked (for PS mode) and then settings saved (bottom right), pyTivo shuts off and then starts up again (automatically). There were a few posts here recently about perhaps making TS/PS selectable per show (as Joe was looking to do).

Also, even if TS mode is selected, if only a PS transfer is possible (such as, with an earlier TiVo box--my Series 2, for example), PS mode will be defaulted to.


----------



## Dan203

JoeKustra said:


> Ok, color me confused. Like I posted, I installed pyTiVo Desktop as requested. I ran the program. I was presented with My Shows on one Roamio. I saw no location or option to change the TS or PS option. I really wanted it to work, and guess I need to read this entire thread to find the option. No problem. It's not that big. With the old Desktop it was an easy option to find, but I feel it's no longer working unless slow means 90Mbps and fast means 92Mbps. Perhaps that's a clue to my problem? My network isn't perfect, but it's not bad either. I'm open to any pointers. My ego died years ago.


Upper right hand corner is a gear icon. That's where the settings are. Just uncheck the TS option and it'll use PS instead, which works better for most, but not all, MPEG-2 files. But doesn't work with MPEG-4 at all, so beware of that.

FYI in the next version there will be a new option that will give you two download links for each show one for TS and one for PS. That way you can decide which one you want to use on a per-recording basis.


----------



## Dan203

webminster said:


> Does for me, even so... for kmttg as well. The kmttg author once told me that there were bugs in TS support in TiVo side and sometimes PS is required*... Tried downloading "Agents of Shield" from my Bolt+ a couple of times in TS mode (MPEG2), both times blank. Switching modes is only way I can make it work, but the fact it's a global option makes it more difficult to swap back and forth.
> 
> New program for 1 step TTG downloads, decryption, encoding - kmttg


FYI I just added a new feature that will help you out. I switched the TS option from a checkbox to a drop down with 3 options... TS, PS and Let me choose. When you select the 3rd option you'll get two download buttons next to each recording, one for TS and one for PS. That way you can dynamically choose which one to use without having to change the global option back and forth.


----------



## Dan203

I might have figured out a way to fix this TS issue. I was playing with a file that throws the error in the debugger and I noticed that when the TiVo hits one of these bad spots the connection dies, then it sends another request for a partial download with an offset equal to the last bytes it received. There was an error in the pyTivo code that prevented that from working, which I fixed. But even then the TiVo would still get stuck in a loop where it would rerequest the same bytes over and over. However I found that if I scanned forward to the next sequence header then started outputting bytes the download would resume. I still need to figure out exactly how I'm going to put this together, but I think I might be able to fix this issue and you'll only get a minor blip in the recording where the error was.


----------



## JoeKustra

Update. I found the two places that control TS, and downloaded three programs, including the two hour Elementary. Then copied them to the other Roamio. All three worked. But the transfer from the PC to the Roamio was 36Mbps. But it worked. Thanks for the help.


----------



## ClearToLand

JoeKustra said:


> Update. I found the two places that control TS, and downloaded three programs, including the two hour Elementary. Then copied them to the other Roamio. *All three worked. But the transfer from the PC to the Roamio was 36Mbps*. But it worked. Thanks for the help.



What's the Make & Model of your PC? (i.e. what CPU does it have? What Passmark score?)
.
While transferring PC-to-TiVo (or even TiVo-to-PC), check CPU Utilization in Task Manager - 100%?
- the best I can do to-and-from my old backup PC is ~75Mbps average; Pentium E2200 CPU, Passmark 1201.
I'm so glad things are finally working for you! See, you were never cursed. 

(I'm just waking up, but, weren't you getting 93Mbps TiVo-to-PC? via power line adapters? 36Mbps sounds like 802.11n.)


----------



## Dan203

I made a change last night that seemed to speed up PC to TiVo transfers. Still working out how to handle these TS glitches though. Trying to figure out if I can detect them before I send the bad data to the TiVo rather then waiting for it to fail and then rerequest. 

One potential idea, if I can't figure out how to detect the errors on my own, is to insert livolibre into the send side so it decrypts all .tivo files as they're being sent since it seems to be able to more gracefully deal with the errors then TiVo can.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> I made a change last night that seemed to speed up PC to TiVo transfers. Still working out how to handle these TS glitches though. Trying to figure out if I can detect them before I send the bad data to the TiVo rather then waiting for it to fail and then rerequest.
> 
> *One potential idea, if I can't figure out how to detect the errors on my own, is to insert livolibre into the send side so it decrypts all .tivo files as they're being sent since it seems to be able to more gracefully deal with the errors then TiVo can.*


What's the end result presented to the '_unknowing / don't-wanna-know-just-want-it-to-work_' user going to look like on the TiVo re: metadata?

I haven't played around with pyTiVo in months, (and haven't yet installed pyTiVo Desktop) but decrypting to a .TS file separates the mpeg from the metadata. You mentioned the tivolibre '-p' option to create metadata, IIRC. Does anything need to be set in pyTiVo, pyTiVo Desktop to use that metadata '_transparently_' as if it was all still coming back wrapped in a .TIVO file?


----------



## JoeKustra

ClearToLand said:


> What's the Make & Model of your PC? (i.e. what CPU does it have? What Passmark score?)
> .
> While transferring PC-to-TiVo (or even TiVo-to-PC), check CPU Utilization in Task Manager - 100%?
> - the best I can do to-and-from my old backup PC is ~75Mbps average; Pentium E2200 CPU, Passmark 1201.
> I'm so glad things are finally working for you! See, you were never cursed.
> 
> (I'm just waking up, but, weren't you getting 93Mbps TiVo-to-PC? via power line adapters? 36Mbps sounds like 802.11n.)


Thanks for asking. Yesterday, when it failed, my speed on the TiVo was just over 90Mbps on both units. This is a Dell I5-4460S 2.9GHz laptop 1Gb Ethernet to a basic Roamio. Both are on the same router. Speed when getting the programs from the other Roamio was 93Mbps. It uses a EX7000 configured as a wireless bridge. That Roamio is also the host for my Mini, but it's usually in Standby except for an hour in the morning. I see a small difference in the speed reported by Taskmgr and the pyTiVo Desktop, but I'll stick with quoting the speeds from TiVo's network diagnostics (transfer history).


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> What's the end result presented to the '_unknowing / don't-wanna-know-just-want-it-to-work_' user going to look like on the TiVo re: metadata?
> 
> I haven't played around with pyTiVo in months, (and haven't yet installed pyTiVo Desktop) but decrypting to a .TS file separates the mpeg from the metadata. You mentioned the tivolibre '-p' option to create metadata, IIRC. Does anything need to be set in pyTiVo, pyTiVo Desktop to use that metadata '_transparently_' as if it was all still coming back wrapped in a .TIVO file?


I could still send the original .tivo header so all the metadata would stay intact. No need to use the -p option or anything like that. I can just send through the header bytes from the original .tivo file, then start sending the decrypted video portion of the file. As far as the TiVo is concerned it would be a .tivo file.


----------



## ClearToLand

JoeKustra said:


> Thanks for asking. Yesterday, when it failed, *my speed on the TiVo was just over 90Mbps* on both units. This is a Dell *I5-4460S 2.9GHz* laptop 1Gb Ethernet to a basic Roamio. Both are on the same router. Speed when getting the programs from the other Roamio was 93Mbps. It uses a EX7000 configured as a wireless bridge. That Roamio is also the host for my Mini, but it's usually in Standby except for an hour in the morning. *I see a small difference in the speed reported by Taskmgr and the pyTiVo Desktop, but I'll stick with quoting the speeds from TiVo's network diagnostics* (transfer history).


But, I didn't ask you about your Network Performance in Task Manager - I asked about your CPU Utilization DURING transfers. 

*PassMark 6548 - Intel Core i5-4460S @ 2.90GHz - Price performance comparison*​
That's pretty respectable for our purposes.

pyTiVo failed to re-install onto this old desktop a couple of weeks ago and I haven't looked into the problem yet but I do have Streambaby installed, so as soon as my Roamio Basic to Roamio OTA transfers finish, I'll Streambaby a file and check the TiVo Transfer History (my S-P-S-9-S is gone, so my TiVo re-booted overnight and thus the old history is gone). I don't know if I'm just '_dreaming_' about getting ~90Mbps PC-to-TiVo so I'll have to check. Putting a second pot of coffee on now.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> I could still send the original .tivo header so all the metadata would stay intact. No need to use the -p option or anything like that. I can just send through the header bytes from the original .tivo file, then start sending the decrypted video portion of the file. *As far as the TiVo is concerned it would be a .tivo file*.


Dan,

Your unquestioned willingness to customize pyTiVo Desktop is just so... beyond words.. appreciated doesn't cover it, but maybe a search of a thesaurus will help me. 

Thank you. :clapping:

Re: 'plain-vanilla' @wmcbrine pyTiVo, once I decrypt a file with tivolibre into a .TS file, I lose the metadata unless I used kmttg to create a separate .TXT file, no? Is that what the '-p' option does? My memory on this is unclear. If / when I get pyTiVo running again on this old desktop, what do I need to do to get the metadata to appear on my TiVo? (i.e. put the .TXT file in the same sub-directory as the .TS file; and / or set something in the pyTiVo config file; or...)


----------



## Dan203

TiVo files are really simple. They're a header attached to an encrypted TS or PS stream. If you take the same header and attach it to an unencrypted stream the file still works. So what I can do is I can send through the header bytes from the original file, then start sending the bytes from tivolibre from that point forward. So the TiVo would get the metadata from the header and the video data from the decrypted tivolibre output.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> TiVo files are really simple. They're a header attached to an encrypted TS or PS stream. If you take the same header and attach it to an unencrypted stream the file still works.
> 
> 
> ClearToLand said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dan,
> 
> Your unquestioned willingness to customize pyTiVo Desktop is just so... beyond words.. appreciated doesn't cover it, but maybe a search of a thesaurus will help me.
> 
> Thank you. :clapping:
> 
> *Re: 'plain-vanilla' @wmcbrine pyTiVo*, once I decrypt a file with tivolibre into a .TS file, I lose the metadata unless I used kmttg to create a separate .TXT file, no? Is that what the '-p' option does? My memory on this is unclear. If / when I get pyTiVo running again on this old desktop, what do I need to do to get the metadata to appear on my TiVo? (i.e. put the .TXT file in the same sub-directory as the .TS file; and / or set something in the pyTiVo config file; or...)
Click to expand...

Yes, but if someone had OLD .TIVO TS / 'Fast' format transferred files (from a time when they weren't aware of the TS Bug) stored on an external HDD, where the original was LONG DELETED from the TiVo unit and then, subsequently one discovered a 'glitch', one could now tivolibre the old .TIVO file to get a (hopefully) 'glitch-free' .TS file but without metadata.

So, I'm asking, if I, (err.. I mean someone), use the '-p' switch, will it generate a separate .TXT file, like kmttg IIRC, and do I have to put that .TXT file in the same directory as the .TS file for 'plain-vanilla' pyTiVo to present the metadata 'transparently' to me on my TiVo? Or do I have to enter something in pyTiVo config? Or...

Thanks!

P.S. It's a 'plain-vanilla' @wmcbrine pyTiVo question, but deep inside, don't both programs work similarly?


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> What's the Make & Model of your PC? (i.e. what CPU does it have? What Passmark score?)
> .
> While transferring PC-to-TiVo (or even TiVo-to-PC), check CPU Utilization in Task Manager - 100%?
> - the best I can do to-and-from my old backup PC is ~75Mbps average; Pentium E2200 CPU, Passmark 1201.
> I'm so glad things are finally working for you! See, you were never cursed.
> 
> (I'm just waking up, but, weren't you getting 93Mbps TiVo-to-PC? via power line adapters? *36Mbps sounds like 802.11n*.)





ClearToLand said:


> But, I didn't ask you about your Network Performance in Task Manager - I asked about your CPU Utilization DURING transfers.
> 
> *PassMark 6548 - Intel Core i5-4460S @ 2.90GHz - Price performance comparison*​
> That's pretty respectable for our purposes.
> 
> pyTiVo failed to re-install onto this old desktop a couple of weeks ago and I haven't looked into the problem yet but I do have Streambaby installed, so as soon as my Roamio Basic to Roamio OTA transfers finish, I'll Streambaby a file and check the TiVo Transfer History (my S-P-S-9-S is gone, so my TiVo re-booted overnight and thus the old history is gone). *I don't know if I'm just 'dreaming' about getting ~90Mbps PC-to-TiVo so I'll have to check*. Putting a second pot of coffee on now.



~93Mbps TiVo-to-TiVo, either direction
~75Mbps TiVo-to-PC (limited for now by my CPU)
~30Mbps PC-to-TiVo - 1 hour SD program via Streambaby, Quality: 3301 kb/s
~38Mbps PC-to-TiVo - 1 hour HD program via Streambaby, Quality: 13478 kb/s


----------



## JoeKustra

ClearToLand said:


> ~93Mbps TiVo-to-TiVo, either direction
> ~75Mbps TiVo-to-PC (limited for now by my CPU)
> ~30Mbps PC-to-TiVo - 1 hour SD program via Streambaby, Quality: 3301 kb/s
> ~38Mbps PC-to-TiVo - 1 hour HD program via Streambaby, Quality: 13478 kb/s


Nice. If you are doing benchmarks, try using the internal wireless between two TiVo units. I get that 93Mbps between my basic Roamio boxes. One uses a wireless bridge and one is Ethernet. Internal wireless never gets above 45Mbps.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> Yes, but if someone had OLD .TIVO TS / 'Fast' format transferred files (from a time when they weren't aware of the TS Bug) stored on an external HDD, where the original was LONG DELETED from the TiVo unit and then, subsequently one discovered a 'glitch', one could now tivolibre the old .TIVO file to get a (hopefully) 'glitch-free' .TS file but without metadata.
> 
> So, I'm asking, if I, (err.. I mean someone), use the '-p' switch, will it generate a separate .TXT file, like kmttg IIRC, and do I have to put that .TXT file in the same directory as the .TS file for 'plain-vanilla' pyTiVo to present the metadata 'transparently' to me on my TiVo? Or do I have to enter something in pyTiVo config? Or...
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> P.S. It's a 'plain-vanilla' @wmcbrine pyTiVo question, but deep inside, don't both programs work similarly?


Yes. But if you use my new version you wont even need to do that. You can instead transfer the .tivo files back to your TiVo directly and it will use tivolibre to decrypt as it sends, so you'll end up with the same results as decrypting manually but without any extra steps.


----------



## Dan203

Oh in case it wasn't clear from my above message. IT WORKS! I can now transfer my messed up TS files back to my TiVo with only a minor glitch at the point where the file failed before.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> Yes. But if you use my new version you wont even need to do that. *You can instead transfer the .tivo files back to your TiVo directly and it will use tivolibre to decrypt as it sends, so you'll end up with the same results as decrypting manually but without any extra steps*.


On-the-fly decrypting of even OLD corrupt .TIVO TS / 'Fast' Transfer files?!? 

*Sold!* 

Aren't you glad now that I've been such a nag / PITA about TS / 'Fast' Transfer 'glitches'?  
Well, maybe not...

I guess that I'll just have to postpone other tasks and get the latest version of pyTiVo Desktop installed asap (hopefully tonight - I'm assembling chrome shelving for storage right now - rougher than I thought on the old ticker; puff, puff, puff...  )


----------



## George Cifranci

I purchased TiVo Desktop Plus some years ago, is there any point in me keeping it? Does PyTiVo Desktop do everything that TiVO Desktop did?  I currently just use a Bolt series TiVo.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> On-the-fly decrypting of even OLD corrupt .TIVO TS / 'Fast' Transfer files?!?
> 
> *Sold!*
> 
> Aren't you glad now that I've been such a nag / PITA about TS / 'Fast' Transfer 'glitches'?
> Well, maybe not...
> 
> I guess that I'll just have to postpone other tasks and get the latest version of pyTiVo Desktop installed asap (hopefully tonight - I'm assembling chrome shelving for storage right now - rougher than I thought on the old ticker; puff, puff, puff...  )


I'm still working on the version with this change, so you should wait until I release my new build


----------



## Dan203

George Cifranci said:


> I purchased TiVo Desktop Plus some years ago, is there any point in me keeping it? Does PyTiVo Desktop do everything that TiVO Desktop did? I currently just use a Bolt series TiVo.


It doesn't do the transcoding on downloads for portable devices like TiVo Desktop Plus did. It also does not contain the MainConcept DirectShow codecs that TD+ did. Otherwise it does basically the same thing, and more.


----------



## Redoctobyr

ClearToLand said:


> Dan,
> 
> Your unquestioned willingness to customize pyTiVo Desktop is just so... beyond words.. appreciated doesn't cover it, but maybe a search of a thesaurus will help me.
> 
> Thank you. :clapping:


Well said! And agreed 100%, thank you Dan, for incorporating feedback, and continuing to develop and improve software that you're kind enough to distribute for free. That is awesome.

I'd transferred all my shows using kmttg. I'm currently transferring them again using pyTivo, in the hopes of making the share easier to browse from the TiVo (it seems like they show up sorted by recording date, vs the file-transferred date for my kmttg files).

Unfortunately, I had to reboot my router last night, which interrupted the pyTivo laptop that's on WiFi. Its transfers stopped, and would not resume again on their own. Cancelling just the show that was stuck didn't help it pick up with the next show, either.

I had to fully shut down and restart pyTivo to get it working again. Figuring out where the transfers had stopped wasn't bad, since it apparently started with the oldest recording, and was working its way up (that really helped me out!). So once I found the interrupted transfer, I knew I needed everything above it, in the list.

Two questions: 
- Could pyTivo figure out if a file in the transfer queue already exists on the PC? A setting to let us skip existing files would let you grab new recordings easily, by just saying transfer everything. The last time I tried this, it started making a second copy of existing recordings, which wastes time and disk space. 
- The interface may not lend itself to this, but would it be possible to allow selecting "from this file to that one", in the list? Like, in Explorer, when you click a file, then shift+click another one, to select everything in-between? Being able to shift-select, and control-select, would make it easier to select a batch of things to transfer. This would be simpler than individually selecting the 70 remaining files that I needed to set for transferring last night.

Thank you.


----------



## Dan203

Interesting suggestions. I'll consider them for a future update.


----------



## bradleys

Dan203 said:


> It doesn't do the transcoding on downloads for portable devices like TiVo Desktop Plus did. It also does not contain the MainConcept DirectShow codecs that TD+ did. Otherwise it does basically the same thing, and more.


True, however, there are much better services for that functionality than the old desktop. Frankly, the IOS / Android apps have that functionality built.


----------



## Dan203

I was thinking about adding auto download and transcoding capabilities in a future build. That's a big project though, so probably a little ways off.


----------



## Hcour

I've been using the previous version of pyTivo to copy programs from my computer to my Tivo. Does this new version do that? Thanks!


----------



## Mikeguy

Hcour said:


> I've been using the previous version of pyTivo to copy programs from my computer to my Tivo. Does this new version do that? Thanks!


Yes.


----------



## Dan203

New version just posted. Contains my fixes to pyTivo which make transferring TS files back to your TiVo easier. Also contains an overhaul to the UI which makes it a little cleaner and more TiVo like. To get info for a show now you simply click it, and it will expand to show all the details, rather then that hover thing I was using before. It also contains the date inline with every recording/folder for easy reference.

I will post the Mac version shortly. I upgraded a bunch of the build tools, so I have to collect those on my Mac before I can build.


----------



## Dan203

Mac version is now live


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> New version just posted. Contains my fixes to pyTivo which make transferring TS files back to your TiVo easier. Also contains an overhaul to the UI which makes it a little cleaner and more TiVo like. To get info for a show now you simply click it, and it will expand to show all the details, rather then that hover thing I was using before. It also contains the date inline with every recording/folder for easy reference.


New version removed from website? It was there earlier today, gone now (the most recent Win version is v1.5.15)--

edit: Tried the website again, most recent Win version is v1.5.15; refreshed the webpage, and now Wín v1.6.0 is there . . . .


----------



## Dan203

Must of been a cache issue.

I'll look at adding some no-cache tags to my download pages to prevent that in the future.


----------



## Mikeguy

Downloaded without issue, looking forward to checking out the enhancements. Thanks, as always!


----------



## Dan203

Crap, just found a bug! There was a typo in one of the functions and it makes it so the PS download doesn't work if you have the "let me choose" option enabled. Not sure if it's worth releasing a new build for. But if any of you want to get an update for it let me know and I'll send you a link.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> Crap, just found a bug! There was a typo in one of the functions and it makes it so the PS download doesn't work if you have the "let me choose" option enabled. *Not sure if it's worth releasing a new build for*. But if any of you want to get an update for it let me know and I'll send you a link.


Unless you have a new build scheduled to come out in a day or so, I think it best that you do up the build minor number and release a version without the typo.

You can't count on everyone interested in '_the latest and greatest_' pyTiVo Desktop finding this one post...


----------



## Dan203

OK new build posted for both PC and Mac. I also found an issue with the Mac build that prevented tivolibre from working, which is critical since it's now used for the come back feature. There was some weird conflict between the jar2exe program I use to convert it to an executable and code signing, so for now that's the one executable in the package that is not signed. Hopefully that doesn't cause issues for users. But it's better then not working at all.


----------



## Sparky1234

Great improvements!

Is there a way to download shows/movies from PC to TiVo into one folder on TiVo?


----------



## Steve

Hi Dan. I've got a Bolt+ and 3 MoCa-connected minis. 1.5.xx was working fine for me. After I installed 1.6.1, however, pyTiVo Desktop can see the Bolt+ playlist, and the minis can see the shared PC folder, but the Bolt+ can't. I've tried soft and hard restarts of pyTiVo, with the same results. Any suggestions? I'm trying to avoid rebooting the Bolt+, if possible.


----------



## Dan203

Steve said:


> Hi Dan. I've got a Bolt+ and 3 MoCa-connected minis. 1.5.xx was working fine for me. After I installed 1.6.1, however, pyTiVo Desktop can see the Bolt+ playlist, and the minis can see the shared PC folder, but the Bolt+ can't. I've tried soft and hard restarts of pyTiVo, with the same results. Any suggestions? I'm trying to avoid rebooting the Bolt+, if possible.


I had a similar problem with my Bolt. Unfortunately rebooting it was the only thing that fixed it. On the plus side the Bolts boot up relatively fast.


----------



## Steve

Dan203 said:


> I had a similar problem with my Bolt. Unfortunately rebooting it was the only thing that fixed it. On the plus side the Bolts boot up relatively fast.


Thanks. That means I'll have to run KMTTG to re-enable "quick clear" of the progress bar. Not a big deal, except I have to re-install Java first to run that. LOL!


----------



## Dan203

Sparky1234 said:


> Great improvements!
> 
> Is there a way to download shows/movies from PC to TiVo into one folder on TiVo?


I think you can if you use the pyTivo metadata format. I believe you just assign a series ID of TS00000000 where the 0s are whatever you want, but the same for all shows, and they will group in My Shows.


----------



## Dan203

aaronwt said:


> Is there any way to run this pyTiVo as a service? Like I do with KMTTG. That way I don't need to log in to the PC to run it. So then I can just hit the power button on my TiVo PC when I want to access the video, music, and picture folders. Without having to remotely connect to it and log in.(I run the system headless)


FYI I got the service working last night. I'm going to include it as an option with my next update and allow th tray app to detect it and start/stop it rather then launching a hidden version of pyTivo like it does now.


----------



## ClearToLand

Steve said:


> Thanks. That means I'll have to run KMTTG to re-enable "quick clear" of the progress bar. *Not a big deal, except I have to re-install Java first* to run that. LOL!


S-P-S-P-S *STILL* works from a TiVo Remote, so you could enable it 'Caveman Style'.


----------



## Steve

ClearToLand said:


> S-P-S-P-S *STILL* works from a TiVo Remote, so you could enable it 'Caveman Style'.


It used to, but now S-P-S toggles 'quick play' on my Bolt +.


----------



## ClearToLand

Steve said:


> It used to, but now S-P-S toggles 'quick play' on my Bolt +.


Yeah, it's a PITA like that on my Roamios too - you just have to get the timing right. Play a recorded show, count aloud "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, ..." - you need to find YOUR TiVo's '_rhythm_'.

Keep trying - it DOES work.


----------



## Dan203

I've got it down to a tee. My wife is always turning on that clock in the upper right corner and I hate it so I'm always turning it off. I've got the timing perfect to where it works every time.


----------



## Dan203

Dan203 said:


> FYI I got the service working last night. I'm going to include it as an option with my next update and allow th tray app to detect it and start/stop it rather then launching a hidden version of pyTivo like it does now.


There is a little bit of a hiccup with the service. I've discovered that for an app to interact with a service it has to be run as admin. Not sure if that's acceptable or not to people. TiVo Desktop calls it's server a "service" but in reality it's starting a background process just like I'm doing, which is why it doesn't require admin rights.


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> But, I didn't ask you about your Network Performance in Task Manager - I asked about your CPU Utilization DURING transfers.
> 
> *PassMark 6548 - Intel Core i5-4460S @ 2.90GHz - Price performance comparison*​
> That's pretty respectable for our purposes.
> 
> *pyTiVo failed to re-install onto this old desktop a couple of weeks ago and I haven't looked into the problem yet* but I do have Streambaby installed, so as soon as my Roamio Basic to Roamio OTA transfers finish, I'll Streambaby a file and check the TiVo Transfer History (my S-P-S-9-S is gone, so my TiVo re-booted overnight and thus the old history is gone). I don't know if I'm just '_dreaming_' about getting ~90Mbps PC-to-TiVo so I'll have to check. Putting a second pot of coffee on now.


I wanted to reply to this statement while the breadcrumbs were still visible (i.e. Tabs still open in Chrome). I had the time to troubleshoot, and fix, this problem yesterday, but not the time to post.

With over 2TB now of .TIVO PS / 'Slow' Format transferred files on my Canvio 3TB External HDD, I wanted to TEST to see if I actually had VIEWABLE programs. I went through the 'growing pains' of figuring out the installation of both kmttg and pyTiVo back in February 2016, both still reside on my half-dead laptop, so I already used a Linux Boot CD to get kmttg over my LAN, why not grab pyTiVo too. Well, Python couldn't just be copied, it needs to be installed to make entries in the Windows Registry, so I figured, why not grab the latest 2.7 version, 2.7.13 x86. *D/l'd it, right-CLICKd, and nothing!*  Check the byte count - matched; too lazy to check hashes and / or checksums, so I just grabbed the copy of 2.7.11 x86 from the half-dead laptop. It installed almost 100% (according to the progress bar) and then flashed an error and ROLLED BACK OUT!?!  WTH! This is the same file that installed PERFECTLY on my laptop back in February 2016. So, I called up my good friend GOOGLE:


Vista 32-bit said:


> There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. A program required for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor.


*StackOverflow: Fail to install Python 2.7.9 on a Windows google compute engine instance*​
So, whatever '*Pip*' does in Python, I'm currently running @wmcbrine pyTiVo 20170427 successfully without it.

Since I thought that this was an unusual problem with a unique solution, I thought that I'd post it here on TCF for others to possibly benefit from during future SEARCHes.


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> But, I didn't ask you about your Network Performance in Task Manager - *I asked about your CPU Utilization DURING transfers*.
> 
> *PassMark 6548 - Intel Core i5-4460S @ 2.90GHz - Price performance comparison*​
> That's pretty respectable for our purposes...


@JoeKustra,

Did you ever check your CPU Utilization during TiVo-to-PC and PC-to-TiVo PS / 'Slow' Format file transfers?

Is your 'Black Cloud of Gloom & Doom' gone for good?


----------



## JoeKustra

ClearToLand said:


> @JoeKustra,
> Did you ever check your CPU Utilization during TiVo-to-PC and PC-to-TiVo PS / 'Slow' Format file transfers?


Nope. Only network speed. But, while it may not matter, I have nothing active in the background. My idle process is always 99% unless something is working. My CPU speed frequently varies, but not without my noticing. I even have Flash disabled, Adobe updates disabled and Windows Updates disabled. I use Taskmgr a lot.


----------



## ClearToLand

How about that 'Black Cloud' - gone?


----------



## JoeKustra

ClearToLand said:


> How about that 'Black Cloud' - gone?


?


----------



## ClearToLand

JoeKustra said:


> *I found no difference between TS vs PS when it comes to failure*. I could try one of the alternatives, but *I have no incentive*...
> 
> ...*I have spent too much time on this*, sorry. I need to get my one Roamio working right or I will have to call support after changing the drive. I wanted to be sure that my experience with using Desktop to be a tool when swapping drives was still true...





JoeKustra said:


> *Maybe I'm cursed*. Here's my experience...





JoeKustra said:


> Ok, *color me confused*. Like I posted, I installed pyTiVo Desktop as requested. I ran the program. I was presented with My Shows on one Roamio. I saw no location or option to change the TS or PS option. *I really wanted it to work*, and guess I need to read this entire thread to find the option. No problem. It's not that big. With the old Desktop it was an easy option to find, but I feel it's no longer working unless slow means 90Mbps and fast means 92Mbps. Perhaps that's a clue to my problem? My network isn't perfect, but it's not bad either. I'm open to any pointers. My ego died years ago.





ClearToLand said:


> How about that 'Black Cloud' - gone?





JoeKustra said:


> *?*


The TiVo Desktop "TS vs PS" one... 

Are you currently able to successfully transfer shows TiVo-to-PC via pyTiVo Desktop PS / 'Slow' Format transfer and then view them with either pyTiVo, pyTiVo Desktop or Streambaby?


----------



## Steve

I rebooted the Bolt+ and still couldn't see the PC share. Then I remembered I had been playing with a VPN client on my desktop, and forgot it was turned on. I turned it off, and "voila". The share showed up on the Bolt+.

What's confusing me, tho, is why the Moca-connected minis can see the share folder and the Bolt+ can't. That a TiVo network thing, I wonder? May not be apples to apples, but if I run a vpn client on my iPhone or iPad, the TiVo iOS app still communicates with the Bolt+ via the LAN address, not the VPN address.

Dan, in case it matters, is there a way to insure pyTiVo broadcasts the share over the LAN adapter, so the Bolt+ can always see it?


----------



## Dan203

You can force the beacon to broadcast over a specific address by typing it into the beacon box. The zeroconf (aka Bonjour) should work across all addresses, but I'm not 100% up on how the networking stuff in pyTivo works so it may pick the subnet from a specific adapater.


----------



## Steve

Dan203 said:


> You can force the beacon to broadcast over a specific address by typing it into the beacon box. The zeroconf (aka Bonjour) should work across all addresses, but I'm not 100% up on how the networking stuff in pyTivo works so it may pick the subnet from a specific adapater.


I'm thinking it's a TiVo thing, not a pyTiVo thing. Looks like the Beacon frames are passing through the Bolt+ to the moca-connected Minis. Minis see them, Bolt+ doesn't. Weird.


----------



## ClearToLand

*Suggestion:* Please add dates to the revision / release history page.

Thanks!


----------



## Dan203

Not sure if I have that. Maybe I can use the build date on the install files. I've been keeping all the old install files for posterity.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> Not sure if I have that. Maybe I can use the build date on the install files. *I've been keeping all the old install files for posterity*.


I do (did) the same. :thumbsup:

I was pretty limited in naming back in my CP/M Z-80 ASM coding days with 8.3 filenames and 15 fixed subdirectories (IIRC), but with WFWG 3.11 forward, I append the date in YYYYMMDD (and sometimes YYYYMMDDHHMM) format to the filename and have things stored on floppies, zip drives, tape drives, jaz drives, old desktops and laptops, etc...

My wife asks me why I'm keeping all this old 'crap' if it won't run todays software and I tell her I have my '_stuff_' on it and as soon as I get a 'Round Tuit', I'll move it to a... (floppy-to-zip-to-jaz-to-flash-to-external HDD-to-NAS) '_real soon now_'... 

I've been looking for that 'Round Tuit' for over a decade now...


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan, I just tried installing 1.6.1 on a Win10 laptop. The Setup program remembered the existing path where I've been saving the files, but it refused to accept it, saying I needed to specify a valid path. 

This is a mapped network drive letter, with a folder path after that. It's accessible, and I've been saving things to it with 1.5.15. I noticed that if I did Browse at this page of the 1.6.1 Setup, my mapped network drives did not appear in that list. The computer had just been restarted. I booted it up, then plugged in the Ethernet cable, changing over from (and disabling) WiFi. But Windows shows my mapped network drives. 

I did not think to try installing it while specifying a path my C: drive, and then changing it back to the mapped network drive after pyTivo was actually running normally. I had to leave it running my current 1.5.15, to keep things working while I try to finish transferring shows off my Series 2s, before they get deactivated.


----------



## Dan203

That's part of the installer. It pulls the path from the conf file, but then before it lets you hit next it checks to make sure it's a valid path. Was the Z drive (or whatever letter it was mapped to) accessible at that point?


----------



## Redoctobyr

Yes, I double-checked that. The mapped drive was available in Windows at the time.


----------



## Dan203

Weird. I think I can disable the check. Maybe I will do that.


----------



## Dan203

According to the installer documentation the installer does not have access to mapped drives because it elevates to admin and mapped drives are user specific. 

I'll just disable the verification check


----------



## Sparky1234

Is there a way using pytivo to pull shows/movies from PC to TiVo (from the TiVo) into one folder onto the TiVo?


----------



## Dan203

Yes. You create a pyTivo metadata file and give all the episodes a seriesId of TS00000000 where those last 8 digits are whatever you want, but all the same across the episodes you want to group.


----------



## amyf

Dan,
I, for one, really appreciate this version of pyTivo. I like having software that tells me when it needs to be updated, instead of me trying to remember to check for updates. I installed the latest version on my Mac and once a day it pops up the window to tell me that:

A new version of pyTivo Desktop is available
Current version: 1.6.0
Current version: 1.6.1

Would you like to download it now?

Aside from the confusion of having 2 current versions and no new version in the messages, nothing happens if I click on the Yes button. I end up having to open a tab in Safari and go to the web site to download the latest version.


----------



## Dan203

Thanks for the bug report. I will look into that and figure out what's going on


----------



## Dan203

I found the issue. Apparently there is some weird bug on OSX where if you display a dialog in a worker thread it doesn't return the proper value relating to the button that was pushed. So instead of telling my code that you pressed Yes, it always returned No. I have to rearrage the code a bit to show the dialog in the main thread so I can get the proper result. Sorry. I only ever tested this on Windows, and it worked there, so I assumed it would work on Mac too. 

Edit: OK working now, will be fixed in next up date


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> I only ever tested this on Windows, and it worked there, so I assumed it would work on Mac too.


Thanks for one of my biggest chuckles of the day.  I think you meant to say, it worked on Windows, and so you assumed that you would need to change it in some special way to work on a Mac.


----------



## Redoctobyr

Dan203 said:


> According to the installer documentation the installer does not have access to mapped drives because it elevates to admin and mapped drives are user specific.
> 
> I'll just disable the verification check


Cool, thank you! I have had 1.5.15 stop transferring a few times in the last several days, so I tried again to install 1.6.1. I set the path to something on my C: drive during the install, then set it back to the mapped drive again after installing.

I don't know what caused the stopped transfers. This Win10 machine was on WiFi, so I changed it over to Ethernet. But by the next night, it had stopped again. So last night I installed 1.6.1, still on Ethernet, and a day later it's still transferring. Sadly, I don't know anything more about what may have caused it.


----------



## tpir72

Hi Dan,
I really enjoy your version of PYTIVO. Just installed it last night.
It worked great downloading from the TIVO but when I go into My Shows on the TIVO I don't see PYTIVO to move files from the PC to the TIVO.

Is your version two-way? If it is, any thoughts on why I can't see it on the TIVO?

BTW - I have two Premiers now and they see TIVO Desktop 2.8.3 when it is running.

Regards,

Terry


----------



## Mikeguy

Yep, it definitely is 2-way.

Towards the bottom of your My Shows listing of shows, do you see the name of the folder that you set on pyTivo Desktop as your "video shares" folder? (And you can find and set the video shares folder under the Settings screen for pyTivo Desktop--to get there, click the small gear towards the upper right of the program.)

If the video shares folder is not there, perhaps there is a network connectivity issue between your TiVo box and your router (this sometimes has happened to me), or between your PC and your router.


----------



## Dan203

tpir72 said:


> Hi Dan,
> I really enjoy your version of PYTIVO. Just installed it last night.
> It worked great downloading from the TIVO but when I go into My Shows on the TIVO I don't see PYTIVO to move files from the PC to the TIVO.
> 
> Is your version two-way? If it is, any thoughts on why I can't see it on the TIVO?
> 
> BTW - I have two Premiers now and they see TIVO Desktop 2.8.3 when it is running.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Terry


There can be a conflict with TiVo Desktop so you need to make sure it's completely stopped and not just paused.

Another issue that a few people have run into is conflicts with additional adapters on the system. If you have extra network adapters of any kind, wifi, virtual machine adapters, VPN, then you might try disabling them and see if that helps.


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan203 said:


> Yes. You create a pyTivo metadata file and give all the episodes a seriesId of TS00000000 where those last 8 digits are whatever you want, but all the same across the episodes you want to group.


Dan,

I'm still unable to pull TV shows to the same folder with episode seriesId set exactly the same. pyTivo metadata text file adds more data to the TiVo video but will not pull to the same folder. Am I missing something?

This is a great program!!!! Thanks!

Sparky


----------



## Mikeguy

Sparky1234 said:


> Dan,
> 
> I'm still unable to pull TV shows to the same folder with episode seriesId set exactly the same. pyTivo metadata text file adds more data to the TiVo video but will not pull to the same folder. Am I missing something?
> 
> This is a great program!!!! Thanks!
> 
> Sparky


I've had this somewhat as hit-or-miss with older shows transferred to a new TiVo box, where the shows' metadata share the same seriesId: sometimes the new box puts them into a series folder, sometimes it stores them individually. I don't know that I can discern a pattern, apart from the age of the series and its not continuing on to the present time--perhaps that's it.


----------



## HerronScott

Sparky1234 said:


> Dan,
> 
> I'm still unable to pull TV shows to the same folder with episode seriesId set exactly the same. pyTivo metadata text file adds more data to the TiVo video but will not pull to the same folder. Am I missing something?


Can you post the content of the metadata text files for 2 shows that didn't go to the same folder (but you believe should based on the SeriesId) along with the names of show files and metadata files?

Scott


----------



## Dan203

What TS number are you using? I can try it here and see if it works. Grouping has always been a little wonky on TiVo so you may have to pick a different number. You can also use Meata Generator 3 to grab data and then modify it if needed.


----------



## Steve

I have a folder on my PC with a couple of dozen DVD rips, all named with unique episode titles. I'm trying to figure out the syntax to transfer them all to one playlist folder, but still retaining their episode names.

Can I create a single "default.txt" file on the PC for that folder? If so, is there a wildcard I need to use for episodeTitle? If I leave it blank, it renames all the transfers with the seriesTitle.

_seriesTitle: [show name] 
episodeTitle: []
seriesId: TS600000011 (for example)
_
Or does each episode need it's own PC folder and "default.txt" file, with the episodeTitle hard coded?

TIA for any help.


----------



## Dan203

If they're series then just use Metagenerator 3 to grab the data and they'll group just like real recordings. If they're movies I don't think you use the episode ID at all, I think you just set the series ID to a value in the TS00000000 range. Although I'm not sure how you set the name if the folder. It's been a while since I played with this.


----------



## cherry ghost

Steve said:


> I have a folder on my PC with a couple of dozen DVD rips, all named with unique episode titles. I'm trying to figure out the syntax to transfer them all to one playlist folder, but still retaining their episode names.
> 
> Can I create a single "default.txt" file on the PC for that folder? If so, is there a wildcard I need to use for episodeTitle? If I leave it blank, it renames all the transfers with the seriesTitle.
> 
> _seriesTitle: [show name]
> episodeTitle: []
> seriesId: TS600000011 (for example)
> _
> Or does each episode need it's own PC folder and "default.txt" file, with the episodeTitle hard coded?
> 
> TIA for any help.


The default.txt would have seriesTitle and seriesId. You'd still need .txt files for each episode with episodeTitle.


----------



## Marc

Dan203 said:


> I found the issue. Apparently there is some weird bug on OSX where if you display a dialog in a worker thread it doesn't return the proper value relating to the button that was pushed.
> ...
> Edit: OK working now, will be fixed in next up date


Just to check, do you mean in a post-1.6.1 update?

I downloaded 1.6.1, and I got the same dialog box that amyf mentioned (and it's odd that it says both 1.6.0 and 1.6.1 as the current version).

Additionally, pyTivo Desktop refuses to run claiming:


> *Wrong Version of pyTivo*
> The version of pyTivo that is running is not the one developed to match this version of pyTivo Desktop. This can cause unforseen errors even if the app appears to work correctly. Please close this window and ensure the proper version of pyTivo is running before relaunching pyTivoDesktop.


----------



## Dan203

That change is in a future update, probably released today sometime. 

Not sure what's causing the wrong version message. Did you make sure to kill the tray app before you updated?


----------



## Dan203

New build posted. Big features...

Windows Only
pyTivo can now run as a service
fix for bug that prevented .tivo files from playing correctly in WMP if TiVo Desktop was not also installed

Mac Only
New option to run pyTivo automatically at user logon
Installer now checks to make sure pyTivo isn't running before overwriting old version
pyTivo Desktop now has an Edit menu so that Cut, Copy, Paste and Select All work in the edit controls in the settings dialog

Both
New options that allow you to monitor TS downloads for errors and retry downloads if errors are detected
Cleaned up settings dialog for simplicity. Removed options to override ffmpeg, tdcat and tivolibre exes because the versions I'm using are very specific and changing them out could cause issues. I'll supply updated versions in the installer as needed.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> New build posted. Big features...
> 
> ...Both
> *New options that allow you to monitor TS downloads for errors and retry downloads if errors are detected*
> Cleaned up settings dialog for simplicity. Removed options to override ffmpeg, tdcat and tivolibre exes because the versions I'm using are very specific and changing them out could cause issues. I'll supply updated versions in the installer as needed.


I just d/l'd v1.6.2 and will install it later this evening after a bulk of kmttg TiVo-to-PC PS / 'Slow' Format transfers complete (before Prime Time).

Is this version using the previously discussed "0x47 every 188 bytes" logic?


----------



## Dan203

Yep. It has 3 options...

1) Ignore errors, which works just like before
2) Reject errors, which will abort the download as soon as an error is detected
3) Best file, which will keep the file with the least number of errors detected 

#2 and #3 have a user settable retry count setting which determines the number of times pyTivo will retry the download before giving up. If a clean file is downloaded before the retry count is hit then it move on to the next file in the queue automatically.


----------



## Mikeguy

When using TS error options 1 or 3, is there a report or other indicator that the copy has errors (and even where), so that one may check it out? That could be handy.


----------



## Dan203

I believe that option #1 skips the check completely, so there is no record. But with option #3 the number of affected packets is appended to the file name. It will appear like...

Show Name - ''Episode Title'' (Jan 01, 2017 KRST) (^56).tivo

The "^56" part is the number of affected packets, but it's cumulative, there is no record of exactly where the affected packets are or how many different sections are affected. I was thinking about adding an option to write that data out to a text file. I don't really have a way of reporting it as a time stamp though, only a byte offset. Although you can get a rough idea of where the error is by using the total file size and dividing it by the length of the recording.


----------



## aaronwt

Dan203 said:


> New build posted. Big features...
> 
> Windows Only
> pyTivo can now run as a service
> fix for bug that prevented .tivo files from playing correctly in WMP if TiVo Desktop was not also installed
> 
> Mac Only
> New option to run pyTivo automatically at user logon
> Installer now checks to make sure pyTivo isn't running before overwriting old version
> pyTivo Desktop now has an Edit menu so that Cut, Copy, Paste and Select All work in the edit controls in the settings dialog
> 
> Both
> New options that allow you to monitor TS downloads for errors and retry downloads if errors are detected
> Cleaned up settings dialog for simplicity. Removed options to override ffmpeg, tdcat and tivolibre exes because the versions I'm using are very specific and changing them out could cause issues. I'll supply updated versions in the installer as needed.


So if it's run as a service does that mean we can also setup shows to automatically transfer like kmttg does when run as a service?

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> I believe that option #1 skips the check completely, so there is no record. But with option #3 the number of affected packets is appended to the file name. It will appear like...
> 
> Show Name - ''Episode Title'' (Jan 01, 2017 KRST) (^56).tivo
> 
> The "^56" part is the number of affected packets, but it's cumulative, there is no record of exactly where the affected packets are or how many different sections are affected. *I was thinking about adding an option to write that data out to a text file.* I don't really have a way of reporting it as a time stamp though, only a byte offset. Although you can get a rough idea of where the error is by using the total file size and dividing it by the length of the recording.


That might be helpful, so that one can check it out and then maybe even consider re-doing the download as a PS, depending on the nature of the glitch.


----------



## tpir72

Thank you very much for the help with Dan's Pytivo.
You were correct that TIVO desktop was running in task manager.
As soon as I killed all four processes PYtivo's video was seen on both Premiers!

Where can I download the most current version of MetaGenerator?

I can't seem to find a working link under MetaGenerator...


----------



## eherberg

It's in the first post on the pyTivo forum: pyTivo Discussion Forum :: View topic - MetaGenerator Version 3


----------



## Dan203

aaronwt said:


> So if it's run as a service does that mean we can also setup shows to automatically transfer like kmttg does when run as a service?
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk


Not yet. That's on my short list though. I'm just trying to decide if I want to impliment the RPC/mind protocol that kmttg uses, so you can setup auto transfers of any show. Or if I'm going to stick with the TTG XML which would only allow you to setup auto transfers for shows you have recorded.


----------



## tpir72

eherberg said:


> It's in the first post on the pyTivo forum: pyTivo Discussion Forum :: View topic - MetaGenerator Version 3


Ok, got all three, thank you very much!

I'm feeling a little dumb, is there a guide to Metageneratior?


----------



## Marc

Dan203 said:


> That change is in a future update, probably released today sometime.


Great! Thanks! I've now installed 1.6.2. The "tray" icon (in the menu bar), when asking it to check for updates, now confirms I'm on the latest version.

For some reason, though, it still fails on my Mac. The menu bar icon has a red X. If I try to "Start pyTivo", it tries to start, but then it fails immediately. Opening pyTivo Desktop reports the same "Wrong Version of pyTivo" message I described above.

I just discovered the problem. In /Applications/pyTivo/log.txt, I found this:


Code:


ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "pyTivo.py", line 88, in <module>
  File "pyTivo.py", line 82, in mainloop
  File "pyTivo.py", line 53, in setup
  File "httpserver.py", line 61, in __init__
  File "SocketServer.py", line 417, in __init__
  File "BaseHTTPServer.py", line 108, in server_bind
  File "SocketServer.py", line 431, in server_bind
  File "socket.py", line 228, in meth
error: [Errno 48] Address already in use
Failed to execute script pyTivo

Looking further, I found that /Applications/pyTivo/pyTivo.py was still running on my system since March 29 from the previous pyTivo app. Since killing that process, it's working great!


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> I just d/l'd v1.6.2 and will install it later this evening after a bulk of kmttg TiVo-to-PC PS / 'Slow' Format transfers complete (before Prime Time).
> 
> Is this version using the previously discussed "0x47 every 188 bytes" logic?





Dan203 said:


> Yep. It has 3 options...
> 
> 1) Ignore errors, which works just like before
> 2) Reject errors, which will abort the download as soon as an error is detected
> *3) Best file, which will keep the file with the least number of errors detected *
> 
> #2 and #3 have a user settable retry count setting which determines the number of times pyTivo will retry the download before giving up. If a clean file is downloaded before the retry count is hit then it move on to the next file in the queue automatically.


Hi @Dan203 :handwaving:,

Since I'm now an '_official _' PyTiVo Desktop v1.6.2 Beta Tester , here's my first report (during initial install):
*
Electron has stopped working*


Code:


Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:    APPCRASH
  Application Name:    pyTivoDesktop.exe
  Application Version:    1.6.2.0
  Application Timestamp:    5907b470
  Fault Module Name:    dxgi.dll!CreateDXGIFactory1
  Fault Module Version:    6.0.6002.18005
  Fault Module Timestamp:    49e03821
  Exception Code:    c0000139
  Exception Offset:    00009eed
  OS Version:    6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
  Locale ID:    1033
  Additional Information 1:    9d13
  Additional Information 2:    1abee00edb3fc1158f9ad6f44f0f6be8
  Additional Information 3:    9d13
  Additional Information 4:    1abee00edb3fc1158f9ad6f44f0f6be8

Read our privacy statement:
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=50163&clcid=0x0409

*OS:* Vista 32-bit SP2 w/ 3GB RAM

BTW, your timing in releasing "*0x47 every 188 bytes*" was PERFECT since, just this morning, I tried to offload 'Hap & Leonard' from the Sundance channel to my external 3TB HDD and it failed in kmttg as a PS / 'Slow' Format transfer because, I'll assume, it's MPEG-4 (or whatever the '_Problem Child _' format is that MANDATES TS / 'Fast' Format transfers). I'm going to continue with this install and see what happens, but I just wanted to 'Cut-N-Paste' the first error message ASAP instead of having to dig it out of my Event Log.

TTYS...


----------



## ClearToLand

I have the little 'TiVo Guy' icon in my System Tray, hovering over it says "pyTivo (running)", I RIGHT-CLICK on "Open pyTivo Desktop" and *BOOM!*


Code:


Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:    APPCRASH
  Application Name:    pyTivoDesktop.exe
  Application Version:    1.6.2.0
  Application Timestamp:    5907b470
  Fault Module Name:    dxgi.dll!CreateDXGIFactory1
  Fault Module Version:    6.0.6002.18005
  Fault Module Timestamp:    49e03821
  Exception Code:    c0000139
  Exception Offset:    00009eed
  OS Version:    6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
  Locale ID:    1033
  Additional Information 1:    9d13
  Additional Information 2:    1abee00edb3fc1158f9ad6f44f0f6be8
  Additional Information 3:    9d13
  Additional Information 4:    1abee00edb3fc1158f9ad6f44f0f6be8

Read our privacy statement:
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=50163&clcid=0x0409

I guess that I'm '_Dead-in-the-Water _' until I hear back from you...

P.S. What's "*Electron*" ?


----------



## ClearToLand

Attempting to run PyTiVoDesktop from the Start Menu:


----------



## ClearToLand

FOUND IT: *Wikipedia: Electron (software framework)*


----------



## ClearToLand

I've been devoting the remainder of my evening (since my initial post) to this (PyTiVoDesktop v1.6.2), so I've been on GOOGLE since my last post and have just d/l'd DirectX 11 for Vista 32-bit (per dxdiag.exe, I'm currently on DirectX 10); we'll see if CreateDXGIFactory1 is in there - I now have to reboot...


----------



## Dan203

I see a bug report in the electron Git repo saying that it does not work on Vista. A developer for the project replied saying they have no plans on devoting resources to support a dead OS. 

Vista just passed it's offical end of life date, 4/11/17, so it's now offically dead in the eyes of MS as well which means it's a security risk just to run. I highly recommend you consider upgrading to 7 or 10 instead.


----------



## Dan203

Marc said:


> Great! Thanks! I've now installed 1.6.2. The "tray" icon (in the menu bar), when asking it to check for updates, now confirms I'm on the latest version.
> 
> For some reason, though, it still fails on my Mac. The menu bar icon has a red X. If I try to "Start pyTivo", it tries to start, but then it fails immediately. Opening pyTivo Desktop reports the same "Wrong Version of pyTivo" message I described above.
> 
> I just discovered the problem. In /Applications/pyTivo/log.txt, I found this:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "pyTivo.py", line 88, in <module>
> File "pyTivo.py", line 82, in mainloop
> File "pyTivo.py", line 53, in setup
> File "httpserver.py", line 61, in __init__
> File "SocketServer.py", line 417, in __init__
> File "BaseHTTPServer.py", line 108, in server_bind
> File "SocketServer.py", line 431, in server_bind
> File "socket.py", line 228, in meth
> error: [Errno 48] Address already in use
> Failed to execute script pyTivo
> 
> Looking further, I found that /Applications/pyTivo/pyTivo.py was still running on my system since March 29 from the previous pyTivo app. Since killing that process, it's working great!


Glad you figured it out. I specifically added that wrong version check to catch things like this. Prior to this you would have just gotten weird errors as he old version pf pyTivo returned data that was different then what the desktop app was expecting.


----------



## Dan203

One feature I forgot to mention in my release notes...

If you go to the about menu in the Desktop app there is now a view log button that will show you the console output of the pyTivo process. This information is also written to a .txt file in the same location as your pytivo.conf file, which varies depending on version. On Mac it's in the app folder, on Windows it's in ProgramData/pyTivo if running as a service, or in User/<name>/AppData/Roaming/pyTivo if runing the normal way.


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> Dan203 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ClearToLand said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dan203 said:
> 
> 
> 
> *FYI my last release, 1.6.1, included a feature to get past these errors. You'll still have a glitch where the error is but it wont completely fail to transfer.*
> 
> 
> 
> *To be clear, the *ORIGINAL* TiVo-to-PC TS / 'Fast' Format transfer would have had to be performed with pyTiVo Desktop v1.6.1 in order for the PC-to-TiVo 'glitch-free' transfer back to occur, right?
> 
> .TIVO TS / 'Fast' Format files transferred TiVo-to-PC via kmttg from early 2016 are not going to now 'magically' transfer PC-to-TiVo 'glitch-free' with pyTiVo Desktop v1.6.1?*
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> *They will not be "glitch free", but they will not just fail like they did before.* I use tivolibre to skip over the bad parts so the file always completes the transfer. However there will be glitches where the bad parts are. How bad they are depends on how many packets were affected and what types of frames they encompassed. VideoReDo has better logic to repair these kinds of issues, so using it will produce better results, but with pyTivo Desktop 1.6.1 you can at least transfer your .tivo files without having to decrypt them first.
> 
> I should have the new version with the code to retry downloads available in a couple days.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Dan,
> 
> I trust that you already know how highly I think of you - I've applauded your efforts to (at least attempt to) solve *EVERY* 'known-to-man ' TiVo transfer problem (TiVo-to-PC and PC-to-TiVo) with pyTiVo Desktop *MANY* times via either LIKEs, posts or PMs. :clapping: (I pushed VERY hard to you @Dan203 , Kevin @moyekj , and William @wmcbrine via PMs.)
> 
> But... *you need to learn how to answer a DIRECT question with a DIRECT answer.*
> 
> As an 'Old Fart / Baby Boomer / Grandfather / yada, yada, yada ', I've learned, through MUCH experience, to avoid being vague / stating an ABSOLUTE when it could really be a MAYBE. Remember, *EVERYTHING* entered onto the internet is *FOREVER* - there are no DELETEs; no changing your answer in a future post; whatever you say RIGHT NOW is *FACT* / "Cast-in-Stone".
> 
> OK. Lightening up... pyTiVo Desktop v1.6.1. is no 'magic elixir ' - whatever shows that were previously transferred TiVo-to-PC in TS / 'Fast' Format via 'whatever ' tool other than pyTiVo Desktop v1.6.1 will *NOT* now be able to be transferred back PC-to-TiVo 'glitch-free ' with pyTiVo Desktop v1.6.1, or any other tool. (Let's use @oldradio99's grandchildren's shows as an example - sorry folks, you'll have to SEARCH for that thread on your own - too late / too tired).
> 
> IANAL, *BUT*, *IMHO you HAVE to be more explicit in your statements. Otherwise 'someone ' is most certainly going to misinterpret 'what you said from what you meant to say '.*  :kissingheart:
Click to expand...

'CLICK to expand' to see the red highlighted text (if you're interested).

4 levels of nesting QUOTEs - time to break and start another grouping...


ClearToLand said:


> Dan203 said:
> 
> 
> 
> No. There is no way to magically fix the errors that were introduced into the original download by TiVo...
> 
> ...Through all these replies have you even bothered to install pyTivo Desktop? *You might have a better understanding of what it can and cannot do if you gave it a try.*
> 
> 
> 
> I believe that, just from reading your posts, that I already possess a good understanding of what pyTiVo Desktop v1.6.1 can, and cannot, do. I was simply pointing out to you that your reply to my question was ambiguous and that someone less technical than you or I might expect pyTiVo Desktop v1.6.1 to work '_magic _' on their old, corrupt '_glitched _' TS / 'Fast' Format transferred files (i.e. I used @oldradio99's problem with his TS / 'Fast' Format transferred, '_glitched _' grandchildren's shows as an example).
> 
> Give me some credit man  , I didn't just *fall of the back of the turnip truck*!
> 
> *Geez, after all of my support, ideas and encouragement, is that how little you think of me? Sad, so sad...*  (and disappointing...) Wow...
Click to expand...




Dan203 said:


> You just seem pretty invested in offering ideas for a piece of software you haven't even tried. *You should install it. I promise it wont make your computer blow up.*





ClearToLand said:


> *I've been devoting the remainder of my evening (since my initial post) to this (PyTiVoDesktop v1.6.2)*, so I've been on GOOGLE since my last post and have just d/l'd DirectX 11 for Vista 32-bit (per dxdiag.exe, I'm currently on DirectX 10); we'll see if CreateDXGIFactory1 is in there - I now have to reboot...


Back from the reboot:

and off again to GOOGLE.

*NOTE:* I didn't just install PyTiVoDesktop v1.62, get one error and start complaining - I've been SEARCHing for *EACH* error on GOOGLE, updating DirectX, etc... all evening (well, the past 3+ hours at least). I also kept @Dan203 abreast of my errors (and progress) with posts.

*Discuss-Atom: Shell_NotifyIconGetRect SHELL32.dll error on Vista*


paulcbetts said:


> *Electron doesn't work on Vista or XP, sorry*


So much for your empty '_promise..._' Dan - SEARCH back on TCF for how many times I've posted that, due to both hardware failures over the past 4+ years and severe health problems preventing me from correcting them, I'm currently limited to *ONE* operating PC - an old HP a6528p desktop running Vista 32-bit w/ 3GB RAM.

@Mikeguy , @osu1991 , @gonzotek :

You who LIKE'd @Dan203's suggestion back on Friday 05/12 @ 4:32AM EDT to "...*install it. I promise it wont make your computer blow up".* Well, 3+ hours of MY efforts later, he tells me to upgrade my OS - Shouldn't that have been in the 'Requirements' section of PyTiVo Desktop? Oh wait, there is none...

I'm not bitter because it didn't work - I'm bitter because of the ATTITUDES projected here.

Ever since @oldradio99 's post of problems with his TS / 'Fast' Format transfer '_glitches _' in getting his grandchildren's shows viewable again - *Download rate too slow*, I've been involved in every TS vs PS discussion that I found here on TCF. '_Way-back-when _', @wuzznuubi gave it a go but got no traction - I believe it began here: *Reliable transfer of .TS files*. I PM'd @Dan203, @moyekj and @wmcbrine on 05/01 with a message that contained the idea:


> Ok, here goes:
> 
> Set incremental counter to zero
> Download a specific show in TS format; increment a sequential number on the end of the filename
> Process the show with tivolibre w/ the debug option turned on
> Check for TS Sync Loss:
> Yes. Goto #2
> No. Goto Exit; Mark transfer as 'Error-free'


and @Dan203 took the ball and ran with it so it became a 'Win-Win' situation for everyone. It '_evolved _' into a "*0x47 every 188 bytes*" algorithm that @reneg was also looking into. Maybe someday @moyekj might find it worthy to add to kmttg.

*BOTTOM LINE: *"_Folks _" should stop being so flippant and quick to dismiss other's ideas / statements / posts. Maybe if "_they _" took the extra time to READ the other person's post(s) and gave that person the same respect they expect in return, more might be accomplished in less time *WITHOUT* hurting anyone's feelings. This is a COMMUNITY, "One-for-all / All-for-one"; we're all here to help each other out, right?


Dan203 said:


> I see a bug report in the electron Git repo saying that it does not work on Vista. A developer for the project replied saying they have no plans on devoting resources to support a dead OS.
> 
> Vista just passed it's offical end of life date, 4/11/17, so it's now offically dead in the eyes of MS as well which means it's a security risk just to run. *I highly recommend you consider upgrading to 7 or 10 instead.*


@Dan203,

You haven't bothered to read (or absorb) anything I've written, have you...


----------



## Dan203

It didn't make your computer blow up did it? So my promise was valid.

That being said I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I'm just one guy, writing free software, and I don't have the time or resources to test every possible combination of hardware and OS. If there was something I could do to fix the incompatibility with Vista I would, but unfortunately one of the core technologies I'm using, Electron, does not work on Vista and it's beyond the scope of this project for me to fix that. Again I apologize that it doesn't work, but unfortunately there isn't anything I can do to fix that.


----------



## Dan203

One thing of note.... the changes I made to support the TS error checking and retries do NOT require the desktop app to function. They're in the pyTivo portion of the code. You just need to sent a couple of options in the conf file and you can use the pyTivo web UI to download shows and still get the benefits of the TS checking. 

If you're interested let me know and I'll explain what those options are so you can set them up.


----------



## saeba

I had one strange issue with 1.6.2 on Windows 10 64-bit running it as a service.... It wouldn't work with my Music directory which has multi-level folders. The main pointer is "N:\My Music\Music" and there are subfolders below that. It works fine in non-service mode so I switched back to this.

Further notes... When I tried to use browse to setup the share, it wouldn't drill down through the folders. If I did save a share pointing to the top level, I then received an error on the TiVo side when trying to access the Music share.


----------



## Mikeguy

tpir72 said:


> Ok, got all three, thank you very much!
> 
> I'm feeling a little dumb, is there a guide to Metageneratior?


It would be nice if there was (it's a great and useful program and I am _very_ thankful for it, but some aspects of it were less readily apparent to me--some playing around is helpful, for figuring aspects out), but as the first post in the Metagenerator thread states,


> There is no user guide for MG3 but a complete cumulative change log is included in each version distribution. Searching this log and/or posting questions on this forum are the two best ways to get help.


Do note that there is a very helpful pdf file in the download, on how to get programId's.


----------



## Dan203

saeba said:


> I had one strange issue with 1.6.2 on Windows 10 64-bit running it as a service.... It wouldn't work with my Music directory which has multi-level folders. The main pointer is "N:\My Music\Music" and there are subfolders below that. It works fine in non-service mode so I switched back to this.
> 
> Further notes... When I tried to use browse to setup the share, it wouldn't drill down through the folders. If I did save a share pointing to the top level, I then received an error on the TiVo side when trying to access the Music share.


Could it be a permission issue? The service doesn't run as a user so it wont have access to any user specific folders. If you want to run it as a user you can use the service manager in Windows to change it to run as a user and give it the creddentials it needs to access that users folders.


----------



## saeba

Dan203 said:


> Could it be a permission issue? The service doesn't run as a user so it wont have access to any user specific folders. If you want to run it as a user you can use the service manager in Windows to change it to run as a user and give it the creddentials it needs to access that users folders.


Wow! Great catch!!!

I setup my Music directory years ago and don't recall doing anything special with permissions.... but sure enough, it had some really odd security settings which were user specific. Sometime, in upgrading Windows versions and copying between drives, they must have gotten screwed up.

Thanks for the perfect pointer - now operating with pyTivo as a service !


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> It didn't make your computer blow up did it? So my promise was valid....


Indirectly, it did - I'm going to blame the required installation of DirectX 11 (from the first error I reported) since all of your 'stuff' was shut down. During Windows boot, on all of my PCs, I run Sysinternals PageDefrag and I have the "OS boot information" Boot option checked in MSConfig. Thus, after all these years, I have a fairly good feel for how the boot is progressing. And, after installing DirectX 11, the PC needed to be re-boot. Upon the first re-boot, it said that it was '1 of 3', but it never asked for any more. It was now 3AM EDT, I wanted to start my kmttg 'Prime Time' bulk offloads, take a shower, eat some dinner and go to bed. The first download reported that it would take *212 minutes* - not the usual 12. I checked NetPerSec and my transfer rate was maxing out @ ~3.5Mbps. I left the room. Today, only 2 shows (of 9) had transferred successfully, so I began troubleshooting. Even a Speedtest at DSLReports reported a ~3.5Mbps d/l. While most of the GOOGLE reports were '_all over the place _', I decided to re-boot. The first re-boot today was just as slow as the first re-boot after the DirectX 11 install last night / early this morning - the second (or third?), done this afternoon, was back to normal speed (time between the last system file scrolling by until a Windows logo and finally a logon screen appears). A kmttg d/l of Eye Witness News at 11PM (SD) *FLEW* across at the former ~75Mbps (limited by CPU interrupts). So, my problem appears solved.



Dan203 said:


> ...That being said I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I'm just one guy, writing free software, and I don't have the time or resources to test every possible combination of hardware and OS. If there was something I could do to fix the incompatibility with Vista I would, but unfortunately one of the core technologies I'm using, Electron, does not work on Vista and it's beyond the scope of this project for me to fix that. Again I apologize that it doesn't work, but unfortunately there isn't anything I can do to fix that.


Thank you very much for the apology - I can understand that you can't be expected to test '_every combination on every piece of hardware and OS _', but then again, you shouldn't make promises that PyTiVo Desktop will work on '_every combination of hardware and OS _' (or mine, at least).

Everything here is back in working condition and I have *Windows6.0-KB971029-x86.msu* standing by with the latest available version of SHELL32.DLL for Vista 32-bit. I'll probably do a Macrium Reflect Image Backup before I install it though...


----------



## Dan203

I've added a note to the download page for both the Windows version and the Mac version about known compatibility. Hopefully that will help future users from making the same mistake. 

Again I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I wasn't aware of the incompatibility until you reported it. I tested it myself on 7 and 10, I didn't think people were even still using Vista.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> One thing of note.... *the changes I made to support the TS error checking and retries do NOT require the desktop app to function. They're in the pyTivo portion of the code. You just need to sent a couple of options in the conf file and you can use the pyTivo web UI to download shows and still get the benefits of the TS checking.
> 
> If you're interested let me know and I'll explain what those options are so you can set them up.*


[ @Dan203 , I'm going to abbreviate here and refer to 'PyTiVo Desktop' as 'Your PyTiVo' and the @wmcbrine fork of PyTiVo as William's PyTiVo - or maybe just PyTiVo - with all the upgrades, maybe adding DESK or Desktop to the end of the 'PyTiVo.*' filenames would help differentiate between the two...]

So, here's where I stand now:

I *FINALLY* found Your PyTiVo.conf file in ...\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo after accessing the setting of Your PyTiVo with Chrome on the default port of 9032. I changed the port to 9033 and attempted to save and it errored each time - it SAVED but it also errored. I kept restarting Your PyTiVo and even checked Task Manager to see what was going on (why are there 2 instances of pyTivo.exe and 2 instances of pyTiVoTray.exe?). Unless my eyes, and Windows Explorer SEARCH, are failing me, Your PyTiVo.conf didn't exist *UNTIL* I accessed Your PyTiVo via a browser, changed a setting and saved it. Why did you pick ...\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo instead of ...\PyTiVoDesktop, like the ...\pytivo-master that William used? It was SO EASY for me to copy *EVERYTHING* related to both kmttg and PyTiVo off my 'dead' laptop over my LAN to my ancient desktop, change a few drive letters and be up-and-running in mere minutes. I don't see the point of storing 99.999% of your application in 'the USA' and putting 0.001% in 'the UK'.
.
OK, now that I have a PyTiVo.conf to work with, I opened both in Notepad and moved over the [Server] section along with one share. In the [Server] section, I remember you saying that Your versions of the utilities were '_specific _', so I pointed ffmpeg and tdcat to Your BIN directory. William's PyTiVo.conf didn't have an entry for tivolibre, so I added it. Your BIN directory didn't have tivodecode, so I deleted it (more in a sec). I was now able to start Your PyTiVo.exe and control it via Chrome. I checked back in ...\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo and there was now a LOG file - *WARNING: pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found* - so I pointed it to my existing copy of tivodecode in my kmttg install since Your install didn't include one in your BIN directory (or any directory for that matter). Is this somehow related to DirectShow?
.
Now, I immediately turned my attention to those '_problem child _' H.264 files (mandating TS / 'Fast' Format TiVo-to-PC transfers) where I could try out the new "*0x47 every 188 bytes*" logic. No matter what I did, *EVERY* file that I transferred ended in "(PS)" and thus, the H.264 files were 'Audio Only ' when played back on a TiVo unit - *CORRECTION:* on a PC; Your PyTiVo reported '_Transfer Prohibited _' IIRC.
.
Thus, I'm ready, willing, and able to add in the required PARAMETERS to Your PyTiVo.conf file to:
Switch from PS / 'Slow' Format transfers to TS / 'Fast' Format transfers
Pick 'Option 3' 
(IIRC - is there *ANY* documentation available? Even a crude Notepad TXT file would be helpful.)
Set a 'Max Retry Count'
Attempt to d/l TiVo-to-PC a H.264 show

Thanks!


----------



## Dan203

Let me test it out and make sure it works as expected. I'll get back to you and let you know what to set.

Oh FYI, my version doesn't actually use tivodecode. The warning is coming from code that checks for it that I haven't removed yet. But it's not needed at all


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> Let me test it out and make sure it works as expected. *I'll get back to you* and let you know what to set...


Should I stay up and wait, or go watch TV and work on this tomorrow?


Dan203 said:


> ...Oh FYI, my version doesn't actually use tivodecode. *The warning is coming from code that checks for it that I haven't removed yet.* But it's not needed at all


Just reporting what I saw. How many other PyTiVo Desktop users are giving you the kind of immediate feedback that I am?

Wouldn't it be a '_hoot _' if the SHELL32.DLL in *Windows6.0-KB971029-x86.msu* had the Shell_NotifyIconGetRect entry point? I don't know how to do a 'Text Search' inside a 4K .MSU file...


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> Dan203 said:
> 
> 
> 
> *Let me test it out and make sure it works as expected. I'll get back to you and let you know what to set.*
> 
> Oh FYI, my version doesn't actually use tivodecode. The warning is coming from code that checks for it that I haven't removed yet. But it's not needed at all
> 
> 
> 
> *Should I stay up and wait, or go watch TV and work on this tomorrow?*
> Just reporting what I saw. How many other PyTiVo Desktop users are giving you the kind of immediate feedback that I am?
> 
> Wouldn't it be a '_hoot _' if the SHELL32.DLL in *Windows6.0-KB971029-x86.msu* had the Shell_NotifyIconGetRect entry point? I don't know how to do a 'Text Search' inside a 4K .MSU file...
Click to expand...

One hour of waiting for Dan down (biting my nails to the quick)...
I don't mind helping you out with the testing - just share the PARAMETERs (*WITHOUT* documentation) and I'll gladly '_give-it-a-shot _'.
The '_suspense _' is killing me (and you *KNOW* that I have a heart condition!) - "*0x47 every 188 bytes*"...
*UPDATE:* *GREAT* - you were just here 3 minutes ago! I'll keep watching (and waiting)...


----------



## bradleys

ClearToLand said:


> One hour of waiting for Dan down (biting my nails to the quick)...
> I don't mind helping you out with the testing - just share the PARAMETERs (*WITHOUT* documentation) and I'll gladly '_give-it-a-shot _'.
> The '_suspense _' is killing me (and you *KNOW* that I have a heart condition!) - "*0x47 every 188 bytes*"...
> *UPDATE:* *GREAT* - you were just here 3 minutes ago! I'll keep watching (and waiting)...


Damn good thing I am not writing this software!


----------



## ClearToLand

bradleys said:


> *Damn good thing I am not writing this software!*


Sarcasm and negativity are *ALWAYS* appreciated. :handok:
Look 4 smilies over and use your imagination.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> One hour of waiting for Dan down (biting my nails to the quick)...
> I don't mind helping you out with the testing - just share the PARAMETERs (*WITHOUT* documentation) and I'll gladly '_give-it-a-shot _'.
> The '_suspense _' is killing me (and you *KNOW* that I have a heart condition!) - "*0x47 every 188 bytes*"...
> *UPDATE:* *GREAT* - you were just here 3 minutes ago! I'll keep watching (and waiting)...


Sorry I'm not at home right now (pool league) and I don't remember the exact names of the parameters off the top of my head. I probably wont be home until Midnight or so.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> *Sorry I'm not at home right now* (pool league) and I don't remember the exact names of the parameters off the top of my head. *I probably wont be home until Midnight or so*.


Thanks for the update! 

If I can stay awake (again) until ~3AM EDT / ~0AM PDT, I'll be sure to give the PARAMETERs a go.
It's already 2AM EDT, so what's one more hour - looking forward to it...


----------



## Dan203

Sorry got home late, too tired to get on PC. I'll look it up tomorrow and post.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> I tested it myself on 7 and 10, I didn't think people were even still using Vista.


Few are--most of those people are using XP. 

This does raise a point, though, Dan, especially for newer-comers to your "little experiment" and to pyTivo: it's starting to feel like it might be worthwhile to have a (brief--that's really all that's needed) Wiki page/page at the website explaining pyTivo Desktop: e.g. how to install/set it up and the options, operations features, and what some of the more not-actually-intuitive (at least, for some of us) settings are (including the defaults, for those of us who might have changed them and might be advised to go back.  ). In the end, probably not much more than the salient points here, but without all the verbiage. Even little things like clicking on a show in pyTivo Desktop's show list, to get the details about the show (a _wonderful_ feature)--so features and options don't get lost/overlooked.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> Sorry got home late, too tired to get on PC. I'll look it up tomorrow and post.


Thanks, once again, for the courtesy of the update.

I kept awake, replying to posts on other forums (killing time) so @ 4:50AM EDT, I guess I'll go grab some dinner and watch some TV...


----------



## V7Goose

Hey Dan, I want to stress how impressed I am with all the work and updates you have put into this great tool. And how grateful most of us are for all the amazing work you have done on something we get for free. In fact, I am so impressed with all the free work you have done, I am actually hesitant to "complain" about stuff that is not working! But since I suspect you would rather know about issues than jsut have us ignore them, here are my comments on the newest version:

I downloaded 1.6.2 this morning and tried installing it as a service. Although the install "generally" went smoothly, it was a minor irritant that the install dialog did not remember the MAK and video share files I had previously used. But I figured that was maybe reasonable, since this was being set up as a service now. But then after the install finished, it still did not have the MAK and share folder that it had forced me to enter again? Oh well . . .

After I had re-entered that stuff and gone through the various options, I tested a video upload from one Bolt - worked fine. But then I found that none of my Bolts showed the pc video share for me to pull stuff back down. Tried a number of things, but never did get this sorted. I finally just re-installed 1.6.2 NOT as a service, and it looks fine again.

One last note - while I was trying to use it as a service, pyTiVo never seemed to restart successfully - I always had to use the tray icon to manually start it again after it said it was doing the restart from any option changes.


----------



## NowPlaying

I had the same experience as V7Goose. I installed 1.6.2 and clicked "run as service" and had many problems. I later re-ran setup without "run as service" and all is well as has been with previous version updates.


----------



## Dan203

For most people the normal way is fine. Services have some trade offs. They run when Windows boots, before anyone logs in, so they're good for headless systems. However they have limitations when it comes to permissions which can cause issues. As for the MAK and shares.... the regular way stores your conf file in /Users/<name>/AppData/Roaming/pyTivo. The service does not have access to that directory so it stores the conf in ProgramData/pyTivo instead. The installer decides the conf file location based on whether the service option is checked or not, so the first time you set it up as the opposite system you have to reenter everything.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> Thanks, once again, for the courtesy of the update.
> 
> I kept awake, replying to posts on other forums (killing time) so @ 4:50AM EDT, I guess I'll go grab some dinner and watch some TV...


Here are the options, they go in the Server section of the conf file....

togo_ts_error_mode = ignore [best | reject]
togo_ts_max_retries = 5 [any positive number]

I have not had a chance to try it using the web UI, but it should work. I'm doing all the checking and retry stuff on the pyTivo side of the code, so it shouldn't require Desktop.


----------



## elprice7345

I recently "reset" my Windows 10 computer and had to setup pyTivo again. I found this thread and installed pyTivo Desktop and I'm very happy with the ease of installation and the UI. Thanks Dan!

I have a problem that may be user error or a bug, I'm not sure.

I can pull to my TiVos any show that pyTivo says needs to be transcoded (avi, flv, mkv, mp4, ts containers), but not shows that pyTivo says don't need to be transcoded (mpg containers).

Is there anything I should do? Is there a setting I need to change?

I was able to transfer mpg containers with my old installation of pyTivo.

I've attached the relevant portion of my log.



Code:


DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:ffmpeg output=ffmpeg version N-79000-g66edd86 Copyright (c) 2000-2016 the FFmpeg developers

  built with gcc 5.3.0 (GCC)

  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-w32threads --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei0r --enable-gnutls --enable-iconv --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libbs2b --enable-libcaca --enable-libdcadec --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgme --enable-libgsm --enable-libilbc --enable-libmodplug --enable-libmfx --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-librtmp --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libsnappy --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwavpack --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-libzimg --enable-lzma --enable-decklink --enable-zlib

  libavutil      55. 19.100 / 55. 19.100

  libavcodec     57. 28.100 / 57. 28.100

  libavformat    57. 28.100 / 57. 28.100

  libavdevice    57.  0.101 / 57.  0.101

  libavfilter     6. 39.102 /  6. 39.102

  libswscale      4.  0.100 /  4.  0.100

  libswresample   2.  0.101 /  2.  0.101

  libpostproc    54.  0.100 / 54.  0.100

Input #0, mpeg, from 'G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg':

  Duration: 00:21:11.87, start: 0.233367, bitrate: 9762 kb/s

    Stream #0:0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video (Main), yuv420p(tv), 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], Closed Captions, max. 12663 kb/s, 29.97 fps, 59.94 tbr, 90k tbn, 59.94 tbc

    Stream #0:1[0x80]: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 384 kb/s

At least one output file must be specified


DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:Bug in VideoReDo
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:aFreq=48000; aCh=6; container=mpeg; kbps=9762; mapAudio=[('0:1', '[0x80] ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 384 kb/s\r')]; vHeight=1080; vCodec=mpeg2video; Supported=True; aKbps=384; par=None; millisecs=1271870; vFps=59.94; par2=None; par1=None; mapVideo=0:0; vWidth=1920; dar1=16:9; rawmeta={}; aCodec=ac3
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.15.239 [16/May/2017 19:53:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TV%20Shows%2F30%20Rock%2FSeason%2006&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=1&AnchorItem=%2FTV%2520Shows%2F30%2520Rock%2FSeason%252006%2F30%2520Rock-S06E05-Today%2520You%2520Are%2520a%2520Man.mpg&AnchorOffset=-1&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=8490001902A8A0C HTTP/1.1" 200 -
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.15.239 [16/May/2017 19:53:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=TVBusQuery&Container=TV%20Shows&File=%2F30%20Rock%2FSeason%2006%2F30%20Rock-S06E05-Today%20You%20Are%20a%20Man.mpg&SerialNum=8490001902A8A0C HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:'utf8' codec can't decode byte 0xba in position 3: invalid start byte


----------



## Dan203

Hmmm... that looks like an ffmpeg error. Did you override the location of ffmpeg? 

If not maybe the version I'm providing has some issue. I'll try to test it out when I get home. (dart league tonight)


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan203 said:


> For most people the normal way is fine. Services have some trade offs. They run when Windows boots, before anyone logs in, so they're good for headless systems. However they have limitations when it comes to permissions which can cause issues. As for the MAK and shares.... the regular way stores your conf file in /Users/<name>/AppData/Roaming/pyTivo. The service does not have access to that directory so it stores the conf in ProgramData/pyTivo instead. The installer decides the conf file location based on whether the service option is checked or not, so the first time you set it up as the opposite system you have to reenter everything.


FYI: I updated from 1.6.1 to 1.6.2 and selected "run as service" and have the same issues as others. Server icon disappeared off TiVos. I plan to uninstall and try again without "run as service."


----------



## Dan203

I'm guessing that's either a firewall issue or a permissions issue with the folder you're pointing the share at.


----------



## saeba

I have pyTivo running as a service on Windows 10. One issue I have is that pyTivo Desktop can't restart the service. I just close it and restart it from the pyTivo task bar icon.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Hmmm... that looks like an ffmpeg error. Did you override the location of ffmpeg?
> 
> If not maybe the version I'm providing has some issue. I'll try to test it out when I get home. (dart league tonight)


In a previous version of pyTivo desktop, I had overridden the ffmpeg version. You removed that option in 1.6.2, but didn't remove any previous user overrides from the pyTivo.conf file. You should probably check that as part of your install routine.

I removed the ffmpeg override from my pyTivo.conf file, rebooted and still got the same result.


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> [ @Dan203 , I'm going to abbreviate here and refer to 'PyTiVo Desktop' as 'Your PyTiVo' and the @wmcbrine fork of PyTiVo as William's PyTiVo - or maybe just PyTiVo - with all the upgrades, maybe adding DESK or Desktop to the end of the 'PyTiVo.*' filenames would help differentiate between the two...]
> 
> So, here's where I stand now:
> 
> I *FINALLY* found Your PyTiVo.conf file in ...\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo after accessing the setting of Your PyTiVo with Chrome on the default port of 9032. I changed the port to 9033 and attempted to save and it errored each time - it SAVED but it also errored. I kept restarting Your PyTiVo and even checked Task Manager to see what was going on (why are there 2 instances of pyTivo.exe and 2 instances of pyTiVoTray.exe?). Unless my eyes, and Windows Explorer SEARCH, are failing me, Your PyTiVo.conf didn't exist *UNTIL* I accessed Your PyTiVo via a browser, changed a setting and saved it. *Why did you pick ...\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo instead of ...\PyTiVoDesktop, like the ...\pytivo-master that William used?* It was SO EASY for me to copy *EVERYTHING* related to both kmttg and PyTiVo off my 'dead' laptop over my LAN to my ancient desktop, change a few drive letters and be up-and-running in mere minutes. I don't see the point of storing 99.999% of your application in 'the USA' and putting 0.001% in 'the UK'.
> .
> OK, now that I have a PyTiVo.conf to work with, I opened both in Notepad and moved over the [Server] section along with one share. In the [Server] section, I remember you saying that Your versions of the utilities were '_specific _', so I pointed ffmpeg and tdcat to Your BIN directory. William's PyTiVo.conf didn't have an entry for tivolibre, so I added it. Your BIN directory didn't have tivodecode, so I deleted it (more in a sec). I was now able to start Your PyTiVo.exe and control it via Chrome. I checked back in ...\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo and there was now a LOG file - *WARNING: pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found* - so I pointed it to my existing copy of tivodecode in my kmttg install since Your install didn't include one in your BIN directory (or any directory for that matter). Is this somehow related to DirectShow?
> .
> Now, I immediately turned my attention to those '_problem child _' H.264 files (mandating TS / 'Fast' Format TiVo-to-PC transfers) where I could try out the new "*0x47 every 188 bytes*" logic. *No matter what I did, *EVERY* file that I transferred ended in "(PS)" and thus, the H.264 files were 'Audio Only ' when played back on a TiVo unit - CORRECTION: on a PC; Your PyTiVo reported 'Transfer Prohibited ' IIRC.*
> .
> Thus, I'm ready, willing, and able to add in the required PARAMETERS to Your PyTiVo.conf file to:
> *Switch from PS / 'Slow' Format transfers to TS / 'Fast' Format transfers*
> Pick 'Option 3'
> (IIRC - is there *ANY* documentation available? Even a crude Notepad TXT file would be helpful.)
> Set a 'Max Retry Count'
> Attempt to d/l TiVo-to-PC a H.264 show
> 
> Thanks!





Dan203 said:


> Here are the options, they go in the Server section of the conf file....
> 
> togo_ts_error_mode = ignore [best | reject]
> togo_ts_max_retries = 5 [any positive number]
> 
> I have not had a chance to try it using the web UI, but it should work. I'm doing all the checking and retry stuff on the pyTivo side of the code, so it shouldn't require Desktop.


[CLICK to Expand - a couple of unanswered questions from my previous post highlighted.]

Thanks.

I set:
togo_ts_error_mode = best
togo_ts_max_retries = 5
and I'm still getting an 'Audio Only' file with the filename ending in (PS).

I believe that I need one more new PARAMETER for PyTiVo.conf (i.e. d/l TiVo-to-PC via TS / 'Fast' Format transfers), since "ts = on" is just for PC-to-TiVo transfers, IIRC.


----------



## Dan203

If you're using the web UI you need to check the box at the bottom that says "Transfer as mpeg-ts". The global option only applies to my Desktop app.


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan203 said:


> I'm guessing that's either a firewall issue or a permissions issue with the folder you're pointing the share at.


FYI: Checked for firewall and other potential share blocks, finding nothing I reinstalled 162 and did not select "run as service". Works great again. I did not uninstall first, I reinstalled 162 over 162 without the "run as service" option selected.

I'm getting some shows pulled into the same series folders but its sporadic with no known causes. Note that same episodes that fail to pull to same folder fails all the time on several different TiVos. Still researching to see if there is a common thread to the failed series episode and same folder issue.

Terrific program thanks again for your time!!!


----------



## Dan203

Can you check the services tab on the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and make sure the pyTivo service was uninstalled. I think I setup the installer to remove the service if you change your mind and switch to the regular version. But I'd like to know if that actually works beyond my tets. 

If you check the task manager and don't see pyTivo listed on the service tab at all, then you're golden. If you do see it what does the startup mode say? If it's manual then you're still ok. If it's auto or run, then you're going to get a conflict every time you reboot.


----------



## Steve

Dan203 said:


> Can you check the services tab on the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and make sure the pyTivo service was uninstalled. I think I setup the installer to remove the service if you change your mind and switch to the regular version. But I'd like to know if that actually works beyond my tets.
> 
> If you check the task manager and don't see pyTivo listed on the service tab at all, then you're golden. If you do see it what does the startup mode say? If it's manual then you're still ok. If it's auto or run, then you're going to get a conflict every time you reboot.


Dan. Win 10 pro here. I uninstalled yesterday and it removed the service completely. Re-installed without services and it's running fine now.


----------



## mlippert

Hi Dan,
I just pulled your changes to pyTivo (from your github repo) and tried to run it. I'm getting an error:



Code:


File "C:\pyTivo_dan203\zeroconf.py", line 26, in <module>
    import enum
ImportError: No module named enum

I'm running Win7 and just updated my version of python (just in case) to 2.7.13 64-bit.

Any ideas?


----------



## Dan203

That's a python module you need to get from pip. Just go to a command line and run...

pip install enum32

There might be a couple others like that I'm using. Maybe I should throw them into the source so they don't have to be installed on the users system.


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> That's a python module you need to get from pip. Just go to a command line and run...
> 
> pip install enum32
> 
> There might be a couple others like that I'm using. Maybe I should throw them into the source so they don't have to be installed on the users system.


Just listing what they are and how to get them in the README should be fine.

I installed python (latest 64-bit was 2.7.13) from Python Releases for Windows

pip doesn't seem to be installed, although Installing Packages - Python Packaging User Guide documentation says it should be but trying to run: 


Code:


C:\Program Files\Python27>python -m pip install -U pip setuptools
C:\Program Files\Python27\python.exe: No module named pip

So something isn't quite right.


----------



## mlippert

mlippert said:


> pip doesn't seem to be installed, although Installing Packages - Python Packaging User Guide documentation says it should be but trying to run:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> C:\Program Files\Python27>python -m pip install -U pip setuptools
> C:\Program Files\Python27\python.exe: No module named pip
> 
> So something isn't quite right.


For those who manage to run into this issue. I've solved it. I prefer to keep installed programs in \Program Files, so I installed to \Program Files\Python27. However the installer obviously didn't like that and didn't install the Scripts subfolder which is where pip.exe is supposed to be installed. I uninstalled and re-installed in c:\Python27 which created the Scripts subfolder with pip.exe in it.


----------



## mlippert

Well now that I can run pip here's what I've installed:



Code:


C:\Python27>pip install enum34
Collecting enum34
  Downloading enum34-1.1.6-py2-none-any.whl
Installing collected packages: enum34
Successfully installed enum34-1.1.6

C:\pyTivo_dan203>pip install netifaces
Collecting netifaces
  Downloading netifaces-0.10.5-cp27-cp27m-win_amd64.whl
Installing collected packages: netifaces
Successfully installed netifaces-0.10.5

So I've got 3 TiVos on my LAN 1 Roamio and 2 Bolt+
But running pytivo gives the following:


Code:


C:\pyTivo_dan203>pyTivo.py
WARNING: pyTivo.conf does not exist.
Assuming default values.
INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Thu May 18 19:01:59 2017
INFO:pyTivo:Python: 2.7.13
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-7-6.1.7601-SP1
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
WARNING:pyTivo.beacon:No TiVos found!
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.100.139 [18/May/2017 20:53:28] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Unregistering:

C:\pyTivo_dan203>dir pytivo.*
 Volume in drive C is Win7Pro
 Volume Serial Number is 82A8-482C

 Directory of C:\pyTivo_dan203

05/16/2017  10:25 PM             1,311 pyTivo.conf
04/13/2016  09:39 AM             2,667 pyTivo.conf.dist
05/18/2017  07:01 PM             2,254 pyTivo.py
               3 File(s)          6,232 bytes
               0 Dir(s)  27,513,876,480 bytes free

Note it says it doesn't find the pyTivo.conf, and it says at first it doesn't find any TiVos but then it seems to find one of them the Roamio.


----------



## Dan203

Hmm... I may have broke that part. Its suppose to look in AppData first then revert to the script directory, but I might have screwed that up. I haven't tested running the script raw on a clean system.

Is there a reason you're trying to run the script standalone rather then using the exe version?


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> mlippert said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Dan,
> I just pulled your changes to pyTivo (from your github repo) and tried to run it. I'm getting an error:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> File "C:\pyTivo_dan203\zeroconf.py", line 26, in <module>
> import enum
> ImportError: No module named enum
> 
> I'm running Win7 and just updated my version of python (just in case) to 2.7.13 64-bit.
> 
> Any ideas?
> 
> 
> 
> *That's a python module you need to get from pip.* Just go to a command line and run...
> 
> pip install enum32
> 
> There might be a couple others like that I'm using. Maybe I should throw them into the source so they don't have to be installed on the users system.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... no one cared about pip when I mentioned MY problem with it a couple of weeks ago:


ClearToLand said:


> I wanted to reply to this statement while the breadcrumbs were still visible (i.e. Tabs still open in Chrome). I had the time to troubleshoot, and fix, this problem yesterday, but not the time to post.
> 
> With over 2TB now of .TIVO PS / 'Slow' Format transferred files on my Canvio 3TB External HDD, I wanted to TEST to see if I actually had VIEWABLE programs. I went through the 'growing pains' of figuring out the installation of both kmttg and pyTiVo back in February 2016, both still reside on my half-dead laptop, so I already used a Linux Boot CD to get kmttg over my LAN, why not grab pyTiVo too. Well, Python couldn't just be copied, it needs to be installed to make entries in the Windows Registry, so I figured, why not grab the latest 2.7 version, 2.7.13 x86. *D/l'd it, right-CLICKd, and nothing!*  Check the byte count - matched; too lazy to check hashes and / or checksums, so I just grabbed the copy of 2.7.11 x86 from the half-dead laptop. It installed almost 100% (according to the progress bar) and then flashed an error and ROLLED BACK OUT!?!  WTH! This is the same file that installed PERFECTLY on my laptop back in February 2016. So, I called up my good friend GOOGLE:
> 
> *StackOverflow: Fail to install Python 2.7.9 on a Windows google compute engine instance*​
> So, whatever '*Pip*' does in Python, I'm currently running @wmcbrine pyTiVo 20170427 successfully without it.
> 
> Since I thought that this was an unusual problem with a unique solution, I thought that I'd post it here on TCF for others to possibly benefit from during future SEARCHes.





mlippert said:


> Just listing what they are and how to get them in the README should be fine.
> 
> I installed python (latest 64-bit was 2.7.13) from Python Releases for Windows
> 
> pip doesn't seem to be installed, although Installing Packages - Python Packaging User Guide documentation says it should be but trying to run:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> C:\Program Files\Python27>python -m pip install -U pip setuptools
> C:\Program Files\Python27\python.exe: No module named pip
> 
> So something isn't quite right.


Vista 32-bit SP2 won't even acknowledge the existence of the python x86 2.7.13 install program, but it saw x86 2.7.11 (except for the inability to install pip - detailed above in my QUOTE). It appears that this problem, existing since at least 2.7.9, depends SOLELY on the target directory. Thanks for figuring it out @mlippert ! :thumbsup:


mlippert said:


> For those who manage to run into this issue. I've solved it. I prefer to keep installed programs in \Program Files, so I installed to \Program Files\Python27. However the installer obviously didn't like that and didn't install the Scripts subfolder which is where pip.exe is supposed to be installed. I uninstalled and re-installed in c:\Python27 which created the Scripts subfolder with pip.exe in it.


 :handok:

If I ever need pip, I'll be sure to give this a try - hopefully, I'll have several PCs running Windows 7 BEFORE then...


----------



## V7Goose

Dan203 said:


> Can you check the services tab on the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and make sure the pyTivo service was uninstalled. I think I setup the installer to remove the service if you change your mind and switch to the regular version. But I'd like to know if that actually works beyond my tets.
> 
> If you check the task manager and don't see pyTivo listed on the service tab at all, then you're golden. If you do see it what does the startup mode say? If it's manual then you're still ok. If it's auto or run, then you're going to get a conflict every time you reboot.


After I first tried to set it up as a service and had issues, I just re-installed without doing an uninstall first. The pyTiVo service is not shown on my system now.


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> Is there a reason you're trying to run the script standalone rather then using the exe version?


I guess a couple of reasons. But the major reason is that it felt like the most minimal thing I could do as I've been running the wmcbrine pytivo for years. I've been following the conversation here w/ ClearToLand and you had told him you expected your pytivo changes to work and those new download options to be available, and that's what I really wanted to test right this minute.

I expect I will eventually try the exe version. But on that note, I didn't see a github repo for the Desktop pyTivo code on your github. Are you planning on putting it up there? I wanted to see it, both to learn from what you're doing and possibly to help. Following that thought, I'd wish that your pyTivo commit messages were a little more informative as to the purpose of the commit.

One other reason I wanted to have a working standalone pytivo is that I've been planning on moving my main system to linux and it will work there as will kmttg. I expect I'll still have to keep Windows in a VM because VideoReDo is important to me (unless it can work w/ wine), but I think that's the only thing running on Windows I really need.

Regardless of what else you do Dan, I really appreciate your help and all the work you've put into this.


----------



## Dan203

I do not plan to open source the Desktop app. It's my thing and I don't really want collaboration on it.

I'll look at that the conf file issue. That should be working.

Sorry about the descriptions on the comits. I'm not really a big git user so I'm not sure how to change those. I comit all my changes once per version then I push. I couldn't find a way to set the text per file or edit them on GitHub once they're pushed.


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> I do not plan to open source the Desktop app. It's my thing and I don't really want collaboration on it.


Ah, fair enough, although sorry to hear it.



Dan203 said:


> I'll look at that the conf file issue. That should be working.


Thanks.



Dan203 said:


> Sorry about the descriptions on the comits. I'm not really a big git user so I'm not sure how to change those. I comit all my changes once per version then I push. I couldn't find a way to set the text per file or edit them on GitHub once they're pushed.


Gotcha, yeah took me a while to really learn git. I like GUIs, and ended up picking SmartGit which I've been very happy with, it really lets me see what's going on in the repository, and it runs on linux, windows and the mac.

There is no good way to change commit messages once they're pushed, and I mentioned it mostly in hopes that I might influence your messages going forward.

At least w/ SmartGit it is really easy to make all your changes, but then check them in in multiple commits if you want (ie this set of changed files is commit 1 which was for X, and that set of changed files is commit 2 which was for Y, ...).


----------



## idksmy

Dan203 said:


> I do not plan to open source the Desktop app. It's my thing and I don't really want collaboration on it.


Good for you.


----------



## ozMP3

I love the interface. I can run the app and browse and download the saved shows on my TiVo Roamio to my PC, but I don't see the Devices section listed on my TiVo in order to pull shows from my PC. When I run my old configuration from pyTivo.py, the Devices section appears. Any ideas?


----------



## Dan203

Could the pytivo.exe be being blocked by your firewall?


----------



## Dan203

@ClearToLand FYI I came up with a way to get around the Desktop app not working on Vista. I've added a special plugin to my build of pyTivo that will serve the Desktop app as a webpage. So all you'll have to do is go to....

http://localhost:9032/Desktop

and you'll get the same UI as you get in the Desktop app. Disclaimer... this UI will only works in the most recent, most modern, browsers. I tried it in the most recent versions of FireFox, Chrome and Opera and it seemed to work OK. I also tried Edge and it was really slow and seemed to hang every time I clicked a button. It did not work at all in IE. I can not guarantee this will work 100% even in the browsers I tried. For maximum compatibility use Chrome as that's basically what Electron is using for the Desktop app. (it's using the Chromium engine)

Edit: Also tried on Mac in Safari and it seems to work fine there as well.


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> Note it says it doesn't find the pyTivo.conf, and it says at first it doesn't find any TiVos but then it seems to find one of them the Roamio.


I made some changes when I added the service stuff and now it's only looking in AppData for the conf file. I'll fix this for the next release. For now you can put the conf file in /Users/<name>/AppData/Roaming/pyTivo and it should work.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> @ClearToLand FYI I came up with a way to get around the Desktop app not working on Vista. *I've added a special plugin to my build of pyTivo that will serve the Desktop app as a webpage.* So all you'll have to do is go to....
> 
> http://localhost:9032/Desktop
> 
> and you'll get the same UI as you get in the Desktop app. Disclaimer... this UI will only works in the most recent, most modern, browsers. I tried it in the most recent versions of FireFox, Chrome and Opera and it seemed to work OK. I also tried Edge and it was really slow and seemed to hang every time I clicked a button. It did not work at all in IE. I can not guarantee this will work 100% even in the browsers I tried. For maximum compatibility use Chrome as that's basically what Electron is using for the Desktop app. (it's using the Chromium engine)
> 
> Edit: Also tried on Mac in Safari and it seems to work fine there as well.


First I checked your d/l page to see if there was a new version - no. Then I d/l'ed v1.6.2 again to see if it changed since last week - no (112,626,546 bytes). Then I entered the line in your QUOTE above into *Chrome Version 49.0.2623.112 m*, the last version available for Vista and got:


Code:


ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE

Is this new *special plugin* somehow already in my copy, or do I need to d/l something from you directly (plugin?) in order to test this possible solution out?

Thanks Dan!


----------



## Dan203

Sorry I wasn't clear. I haven't released this version yet. I'm still working on a couple other things. Probably release it this weekend sometime. I just got that feature I mentioned above working tonight so I thought I'd share the news with you.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> Sorry I wasn't clear. *I haven't released this version yet.* I'm still working on a couple other things. Probably release it this weekend sometime. I just got that feature I mentioned above working tonight so I thought I'd share the news with you.


Ready, willing and able to test it out when it's ready. :handok:

Thanks!


----------



## elprice7345

elprice7345 said:


> I recently "reset" my Windows 10 computer and had to setup pyTivo again. I found this thread and installed pyTivo Desktop and I'm very happy with the ease of installation and the UI. Thanks Dan!
> 
> I have a problem that may be user error or a bug, I'm not sure.
> 
> I can pull to my TiVos any show that pyTivo says needs to be transcoded (avi, flv, mkv, mp4, ts containers), but not shows that pyTivo says don't need to be transcoded (mpg containers).
> 
> Is there anything I should do? Is there a setting I need to change?
> 
> I was able to transfer mpg containers with my old installation of pyTivo.
> 
> I've attached the relevant portion of my log.
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:ffmpeg output=ffmpeg version N-79000-g66edd86 Copyright (c) 2000-2016 the FFmpeg developers
> 
> built with gcc 5.3.0 (GCC)
> 
> configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-w32threads --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei0r --enable-gnutls --enable-iconv --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libbs2b --enable-libcaca --enable-libdcadec --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgme --enable-libgsm --enable-libilbc --enable-libmodplug --enable-libmfx --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-librtmp --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libsnappy --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwavpack --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-libzimg --enable-lzma --enable-decklink --enable-zlib
> 
> libavutil      55. 19.100 / 55. 19.100
> 
> libavcodec     57. 28.100 / 57. 28.100
> 
> libavformat    57. 28.100 / 57. 28.100
> 
> libavdevice    57.  0.101 / 57.  0.101
> 
> libavfilter     6. 39.102 /  6. 39.102
> 
> libswscale      4.  0.100 /  4.  0.100
> 
> libswresample   2.  0.101 /  2.  0.101
> 
> libpostproc    54.  0.100 / 54.  0.100
> 
> Input #0, mpeg, from 'G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg':
> 
> Duration: 00:21:11.87, start: 0.233367, bitrate: 9762 kb/s
> 
> Stream #0:0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video (Main), yuv420p(tv), 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], Closed Captions, max. 12663 kb/s, 29.97 fps, 59.94 tbr, 90k tbn, 59.94 tbc
> 
> Stream #0:1[0x80]: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 384 kb/s
> 
> At least one output file must be specified
> 
> 
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:Bug in VideoReDo
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:aFreq=48000; aCh=6; container=mpeg; kbps=9762; mapAudio=[('0:1', '[0x80] ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 384 kb/s\r')]; vHeight=1080; vCodec=mpeg2video; Supported=True; aKbps=384; par=None; millisecs=1271870; vFps=59.94; par2=None; par1=None; mapVideo=0:0; vWidth=1920; dar1=16:9; rawmeta={}; aCodec=ac3
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.15.239 [16/May/2017 19:53:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TV%20Shows%2F30%20Rock%2FSeason%2006&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=1&AnchorItem=%2FTV%2520Shows%2F30%2520Rock%2FSeason%252006%2F30%2520Rock-S06E05-Today%2520You%2520Are%2520a%2520Man.mpg&AnchorOffset=-1&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=8490001902A8A0C HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:CACHE HIT! G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, G:\Video\TV Shows\30 Rock\Season 06\30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.15.239 [16/May/2017 19:53:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=TVBusQuery&Container=TV%20Shows&File=%2F30%20Rock%2FSeason%2006%2F30%20Rock-S06E05-Today%20You%20Are%20a%20Man.mpg&SerialNum=8490001902A8A0C HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:'utf8' codec can't decode byte 0xba in position 3: invalid start byte


Dan - any thoughts on my issue? 
Is there something I can do on my end?
Is anyone else having this issue?


----------



## gweempose

I installed the program last night and it worked fine. This morning, it can't find any of my TiVos. I did not change any of the settings. Any suggestions?


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> Dan - any thoughts on my issue?
> Is there something I can do on my end?
> Is anyone else having this issue?


I tried transferring an mpg file on my end and didn't have any issues. It looks to me like this is an ffmpeg issue. Did you override the ffmpeg location? Or replace the ffmpeg exe in the install folder?

Is this PC or Mac?


----------



## Dan203

gweempose said:


> I installed the program last night and it worked fine. This morning, it can't find any of my TiVos. I did not change any of the settings. Any suggestions?


Did you shut it down and restart it this morning? Or was it on all night and just forgot your TiVos?


----------



## gweempose

Dan203 said:


> Did you shut it down and restart it this morning? Or was it on all night and just forgot your TiVos?


I shut it down and restarted it.


----------



## Dan203

Do you still have regular TiVo Desktop installed? If so make sure it is completely shut down. 

You may also simply try stopping pyTivo and restarting it. Sometimes it gets confused and doesn't find TiVos when it starts up, but will in a second try.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> I tried transferring an mpg file on my end and didn't have any issues. It looks to me like this is an ffmpeg issue. Did you override the ffmpeg location? Or replace the ffmpeg exe in the install folder?
> 
> Is this PC or Mac?


I'm on a Windows 10 x64 PC and using the pyTivo Desktop delivered ffmpeg version 66edd86. I haven't changed anything from your install routine.

The error returned is:


> 'utf8' codec can't decode byte 0xba in position 3: invalid start byte


Googling that error turns up a lot of Python programming discussions, which I'm not knowledgeable enough to make sense of. Do they make sense to you?

I never had this error with the old version of pyTivo. Is there something missing from my system? I'll be happy to test things on my system if you have any ideas.


----------



## Dan203

Perhaps it's a file name issue. Does the file in question have any unicode characters in it's name?


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Perhaps it's a file name issue. Does the file in question have any unicode characters in it's name?


All my files are named "Series Title"-S##E##-"Episode Title".***, for example, 30 Rock-S06E05-Today You Are a Man.mpg.

I've tried it with several different files and all .mpg files give me the same error, while any other file extension is processed by pyTivo.


----------



## Dan203

Try going into the settings and disabling the TS option on the upload tab.

Also check the install folder and make sure tivolibre.exe is in the bin directory. Another user posted that his got deleted by his antivirus program.


----------



## gweempose

Dan203 said:


> Do you still have regular TiVo Desktop installed? If so make sure it is completely shut down.
> 
> You may also simply try stopping pyTivo and restarting it. Sometimes it gets confused and doesn't find TiVos when it starts up, but will in a second try.


I've never had TiVo Desktop installed on this machine. I rebooted the computer and it is working again now, so I'm not sure what happened.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

the last week or so some or all of my shares disappear from my "my shows". I stop-start pytivo to fix it, but its getting annoying. windows 10


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan203 said:


> Can you check the services tab on the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and make sure the pyTivo service was uninstalled. I think I setup the installer to remove the service if you change your mind and switch to the regular version. But I'd like to know if that actually works beyond my tets.
> 
> If you check the task manager and don't see pyTivo listed on the service tab at all, then you're golden. If you do see it what does the startup mode say? If it's manual then you're still ok. If it's auto or run, then you're going to get a conflict every time you reboot.


Checked and pyTivo service was uninstalled with a reinstall without uninstall first.


----------



## Mikeguy

Simply a user report re TS downloads to the PC: 

Just completed one, with options set to repeat up to 3 times if there were errors. A clean (no errors) TS copy came through on the 3rd or 4th attempt. And so, seems to be working.

The only question I guess I have is, when packet errors are reported, how much of an error is there? On one copy, there were 30 errors, on another around 400. Is there any idea of how much quality is impacted (i.e., is 30 errors just a blip, and so perhaps live-able) or is it all context-dependent?


----------



## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> the last week or so some or all of my shares disappear from my "my shows". I stop-start pytivo to fix it, but its getting annoying. windows 10


That sounds like a network issue. I've had it running for days on my machine and my shares are still visible and working. I'm on a wired network and my PC never sleeps.


----------



## Dan203

Sparky1234 said:


> Checked and pyTivo service was uninstalled with a reinstall without uninstall first.


OK good. I just wanted to make sure the installer was covering all scenarios.


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Simply a user report re TS downloads to the PC:
> 
> Just completed one, with options set to repeat up to 3 times if there were errors. A clean (no errors) TS copy came through on the 3rd or 4th attempt. And so, seems to be working.
> 
> The only question I guess I have is, when packet errors are reported, how much of an error is there? On one copy, there were 30 errors, on another around 400. Is there any idea of how much quality is impacted (i.e., is 30 errors just a blip, and so perhaps live-able) or is it all context-dependent?


I don't dive deep enough into the packets to really know. Obviously the higher the number the worse it will be, but that also depends on the frame rate of the video, the encoding, and whether the packets effected are audio or video packets. It would require VideoReDo level analysis of the stream to determine that. I don't plan to add that level of detail. Although I may add an option for a map file with byte offsets to each error, so you can check it out and see how bad they are yourself.


----------



## sar840t2

Dan203 said:


> Can you check the services tab on the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and make sure the pyTivo service was uninstalled. I think I setup the installer to remove the service if you change your mind and switch to the regular version. But I'd like to know if that actually works beyond my tets...


It took me a while to wade through this topic after being away for a couple of weeks, but I don't think anyone else answered this.

I can confirm that re-running the 1.6.2 installer and not selecting "run as a service" does indeed make the pyTivo service disappear from the task manager (and also from "Services" in Computer Management).


----------



## Sparky1234

sar840t2 said:


> It took me a while to wade through this topic after being away for a couple of weeks, but I don't think anyone else answered this.
> 
> I can confirm that re-running the 1.6.2 installer and not selecting "run as a service" does indeed make the pyTivo service disappear from the task manager (and also from "Services" in Computer Management).


Post #722 of 724 confirmed the same.


----------



## HerronScott

tivoknucklehead said:


> the last week or so some or all of my shares disappear from my "my shows". I stop-start pytivo to fix it, but its getting annoying. windows 10


Do you have your PC set to go to sleep?

Scott


----------



## ozMP3

Dan203 said:


> Could the pytivo.exe be being blocked by your firewall?


I don't think so. I turned off Windows firewall completely and restarted pyTivo, but Devices still doesn't show up.


----------



## Dan203

ozMP3 said:


> I don't think so. I turned off Windows firewall completely and restarted pyTivo, but Devices still doesn't show up.


Can you post your pyTivo.conf file. Should be in ...

C:\Users\<name>\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo


----------



## ozMP3

[Server]
tivo_mak = **********
togo_path = P:\Download

[Download]
path = P:\Download
type = video

To compare, here's my pyTivo.conf from my original installation running on this same PC from C:\pytivo

[Server]
togo_path = P:\Download
tivodecode = C:\pytivo\bin\tivodecode.exe
tivo_password = ****
tivo_mak = **********
tivo_username = *@yahoo.com
ffmpeg = C:\pytivo\bin\ffmpeg.exe
ffmpeg_pram = -threads 4

[_tivo_SD]

[_tivo_HD]

[MyMovies]
path = P:\Download
type = video


----------



## Dan203

It should be fine. 

There could be some sort of conflict between the two versions. Are you sure the original pyTivo is stopped? 

You're not running my version as a service are you?


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Try going into the settings and disabling the TS option on the upload tab.
> 
> Also check the install folder and make sure tivolibre.exe is in the bin directory. Another user posted that his got deleted by his antivirus program.


TS option is off and tivolibre.exe is in the bin directory.

I did some testing using ffmpeg to change the container of one of my .mpg files using:


Code:


 ffmpeg.exe -y -i "mpeg-file.mpg" -c copy "mpeg-file.mkv"

pyTivo balks at the mpg container, but transfers the mkv container with no problems (although transcoding).

pyTivo also transcodes ts containers. Shouldn't pyTivo transfer mpg and ts containers without transcoding (assuming they're properly encoded)?

As part of my Windows 10 reset, did I not reinstall a necessary component?


----------



## ClearToLand

*SUGGESTION:*

I started a transfer and forgot to CLICK the "Transfer as mpeg-ts" box so I CLICK'd "Stop Transfer". The web server version of pytivo.exe now shows "Transfer Complete" when, in fact, it should show "Transfer Cancelled by User".


----------



## ClearToLand

*SUGGESTION:*

I *FINALLY* have a h.264 show w/ ERRORS! 

As I patiently watch this show d/l, I see that it completed its FIRST attempt with:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^176)*​In the log, it recorded:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:14:27] Done getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS).tivo" from Roamio A, 8552209080 bytes, 58.36 Mb/s
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:14:34] Start getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS).tivo" from Roamio A

It then completed its SECOND attempt with:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46)*​In the log, it recorded:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:34:17] Done getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS).tivo" from Roamio A, 8552209080 bytes, 55.14 Mb/s
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:34:24] Start getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS).tivo" from Roamio A

...so, if I wasn't here watching, I would never know about the FIRST 176 ERRORs.

Since you know the # of errors when you create the filename, how about putting it in the log as:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:14:27] Done getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^176_1).tivo" from Roamio A, 8552209080 bytes, 58.36 Mb/s

The next 'failure' would be:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:34:17] Done getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46_2).tivo" from Roamio A, 8552209080 bytes, 55.14 Mb/s

You could also then use the same format when creating the filename; thus, instead of seeing:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^176)*​I'd see:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^176_1)*​
Instead of:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46)*​I'd see:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46_2)*​
This would help me, the user, in determining what to set "*togo_ts_max_retries = ?*" to.

For example:

If I initially set it to 25 (crazy, I know) and my shows never need more than 10 retries, I could lower it.
If I initially set it to 5 and my shows still have errors, I can raise it.
Eventually, I'm hoping that I'll get a '_feel _' for how this unreliable TS / 'Fast' Format transfer method is working on *MY* equipment and be able to adjust accordingly.

Thanks! 

NOTE: While I have "*togo_ts_max_retries = 5*", there are 6 instances of


Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:34:24] Start getting...

in my log.

P.S. During the time I spent composing and proofreading this post, the transfer finished with:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^3)*​Thus I'll be increasing the max retry to 10 and we'll see what happens (after I go to bed and check on it later)...


----------



## tivoknucklehead

HerronScott said:


> Do you have your PC set to go to sleep?
> 
> Scott


no ,it is on 24/7


----------



## garetjax

I seem to be having problems copying back to my Roamio after upgrading to 1.6.2. I had copied about 60 recordings from PC to Roamio no problem, but now it bombs out trying to copy one or two recordings.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> TS option is off and tivolibre.exe is in the bin directory.
> 
> I did some testing using ffmpeg to change the container of one of my .mpg files using:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> ffmpeg.exe -y -i "mpeg-file.mpg" -c copy "mpeg-file.mkv"
> 
> pyTivo balks at the mpg container, but transfers the mkv container with no problems (although transcoding).
> 
> pyTivo also transcodes ts containers. Shouldn't pyTivo transfer mpg and ts containers without transcoding (assuming they're properly encoded)?
> 
> As part of my Windows 10 reset, did I not reinstall a necessary component?


I'll have to play with this when I have more time. I did change some of the logic here, so I might have messed something up.


----------



## ozMP3

Dan203 said:


> It should be fine.
> 
> There could be some sort of conflict between the two versions. Are you sure the original pyTivo is stopped?
> 
> You're not running my version as a service are you?


I might have been running it as a service. I uninstalled and then reinstalled into a new directory and now it's working. Thanks!


----------



## gweempose

How do I add a mapped network drive as a video share? When I attempt to do so, all I can see as an option is my local disc "C"


----------



## leiff

I have TiVo shows I've stored on my NaS. TiVo desktop software does not recognize networked devices. I was going to move them off onto a different drive before transferring the shows back to my TiVo. Instead, can i move/copy my TiVo shows directly from my network hard drive onto my TiVo over my network with this software?


----------



## mlippert

leiff said:


> I have TiVo shows I've stored on my NaS. TiVo desktop software does not recognize networked devices. I was going to move them off onto a different drive before transferring the shows back to my TiVo. Instead, can i move/copy my TiVo shows directly from my network hard drive onto my TiVo over my network with this software?


pyTivo does recognize networked drives. It's possible Dan's new pyTivo Desktop interface doesn't recognize them yet, but for pyTivo I have a share section like this which works:


Code:


[TV Shows-Current]
type = video
path = \\marcie\media\Videos\TV Shows-Current


----------



## 2004raptor

I would like to try this because pytivo has been very unreliable for a year or more. Do I need to uninstall it to try this version? Or can I just disable it? I admittedly haven't read all the pages so the answer may be within. I'd just like to have something better if this is it.


----------



## Dan203

As long as the old version is completely disabled you should be fine


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> As long as the old version is completely disabled you should be fine


Sorry to ask but how do I disable it?


----------



## Dan203

As long as it's not running you're good. If it's installed as a service then you need to disable it in the service manager.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> As long as the old version is completely disabled you should be fine


I run pyTiVo Desktop AND @wmcbrine pyTiVo simultaneously without problems; just make sure that they're using different ports.

Initially, since pyTiVo was using 9032 (default), I set pyTiVo Desktop to 9033 but then the browser pyTiVo Desktop desktop command 'setport' couldn't find it so I had to swap them.


----------



## 2004raptor

OK. I disabled pytivo from my original install.

Installed this new version and it seemed to go well but I get this:



> *Error connecting to pyTivo!*
> 
> Verify pyTivo is running and retry


Wouldn't the install have made it run?


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> As long as it's not running you're good. If it's installed as a service then you need to disable it in the service manager.


I haven't tried out the service yet (one thing at a time), but I have both pyTiVo Desktop and @wmcbrine pyTiVo running (on different ports) with no problems.


----------



## ClearToLand

2004raptor said:


> OK. I disabled pytivo from my original install.
> 
> Installed this new version and it seemed to go well but I get this:
> 
> Wouldn't the install have made it run?


What port are you using for pyTiVo Desktop?

AFAICT, currently it will only communicate with the Desktop on the default port of 9032, so move @wmcbrine pyTiVo to 9033.


----------



## ClearToLand

2004raptor said:


> I would like to try this because *pytivo has been very unreliable for a year or more.* Do I need to uninstall it to try this version? Or can I just disable it? I admittedly haven't read all the pages so the answer may be within. I'd just like to have something better if this is it.


Please expand on '*unreliable*'.

Move @wmcbrine pyTiVo to port 9033 (or anything besides 9032).


----------



## Dan203

2004raptor said:


> OK. I disabled pytivo from my original install.
> 
> Installed this new version and it seemed to go well but I get this:
> 
> Wouldn't the install have made it run?


Double check the tray icon and make sure it's running. If you installed as a service, and you previously had pyTivo running as a service, they can conflict so you'd need to completely remove the old service before the new one will work.


----------



## gweempose

gweempose said:


> How do I add a mapped network drive as a video share? When I attempt to do so, all I can see as an option is my local disc "C"


Never mind. I figured it out. I just had to enter the path to the mapped drive manually.


----------



## gweempose

Incidentally, isn't this thread in the wrong sub-forum? I would think it belongs in "TiVo Home Media Features & TiVoToGo".


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> Double check the tray icon and make sure it's running. If you installed as a service, and you previously had pyTivo running as a service, they can conflict so you'd need to completely remove the old service before the new one will work.


OK. So I go back to my PC today and I can now see my tivo "MyShows". Not sure what changed. 
BUt, to answer an earlier question I have not opened/forwarded any ports on the old pytivo nor this new version. Was that something I should have (or need to ) do?

Kids are on the main tivo now so I'll have to look but is the means of tranferring the same as the old version? Does it just show up at the bottom of the main list of shows I have recorded?


----------



## Dan203

Yes it works just like the regular pyTivo when pulling shows to your TiVo.


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> Yes it works just like the regular pyTivo when pulling shows to your TiVo.


Darn. Nothing is there when I go to the bottom of the list. 

I did restart the tivo by pulling the plug. Anything else I can try?


----------



## Dan203

Are you sure the firewall is unblocked for pyTivo.exe?

Try temporarily disabling it completely and see if that helps.


----------



## 2004raptor

Windows firewall? It's disabled. 

Or do you mean I need forward the port in my router?


----------



## Dan203

No, inside your network only the Windows firewall should matter. 

Go into the settings and try all 3 options for zeroconf and see if any of them make a difference.


----------



## 2004raptor

I changed the setting but then it tries to restart pytivo and I get the



> *Error connecting to pyTivo!*
> Verify pyTivo is running and retry


ughhhh


----------



## 2004raptor

BUt it still shows the list of shows on my tivo.


----------



## 2004raptor

BUt then I exit out and then open pytivo up. It says it's running the tray. It does pull up the list of recorded shows that are on my tivo.
Still doesn't show any of my files on my tivo though.


----------



## 2004raptor

Also, it let me transfer a show from my tivo to my PC. No idea how to play it but that's for another day.


----------



## ClearToLand

2004raptor said:


> I changed the setting but then it tries to restart pytivo and I get the
> 
> 
> 
> *Error connecting to pyTivo!*
> Verify pyTivo is running and retry
> 
> 
> 
> ughhhh
Click to expand...

I tried to help you multiple times but you keep ignoring my questions. 

Since I'm running pyTiVo Desktop SUCCESSFULLY on a Vista 32-bit PC, I've seen that exact error multiple times.

Best of luck to you in your troubleshooting...


----------



## 2004raptor

ClearToLand said:


> I tried to help you multiple times but you keep ignoring my questions.
> 
> Since I'm running pyTiVo Desktop SUCCESSFULLY on a Vista 32-bit PC, I've seen that exact error multiple times.
> 
> Best of luck to you in your troubleshooting...


When I first saw your posts they were quoting Dan so I didn't think it was meant for my issue.

Looking back you ask what ports I am using for pytivo desktop. I mentioned today I am not forwarding any ports but, unless I am reading it wrong, I don't need to??? Isn't that just windows firewall ports????? I am not running windows firewall or any other software firewall.

And the old pytivo was unreliable in the sense that it was sometimes there and sometimes not. No rhyme nor reason. I had it installed as a service and this PC stays up 24/7.

Anyway, if anyone cares to give me any other solutions I would appreciate it.


----------



## Dan203

The error connecting thing seems to be a bug. It'll have to look into what's going on there.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> The error connecting thing seems to be a bug. It'll have to look into what's going on there.


I saw that exact same popup when I had pyTiVo Desktop configured to use port 9033 (since @wmcbrine 's pyTiVo was already on port 9032), and I tried to access the Desktop via the browser using the 'setport' command. When I swapped ports, the Desktop came right up and I've been enjoying it ever since. :thumbsup:

So, yes, I believe that there is a BUG in the 'setport' command, but using the default appears to have bypassed it.


----------



## ClearToLand

SUGGESTION:

Please consider adding '*SeriesEpNumber*' (and the required two hyphens) to the file names in pyTiVo Desktop to make the output (of .TS files) Plex-compatible:

*kmttg 'File Naming' Template for Plex*​
Thanks!


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> SUGGESTION:
> 
> Please consider adding '*SeriesEpNumber*' (and the required two hyphens) to the file names in pyTiVo Desktop to make the output (of .TS files) Plex-compatible:
> 
> *kmttg 'File Naming' Template for Plex*​
> Thanks!


I don't have access to the episode number in the data I'm using. I'd need to add support for a whole different API.


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> The error connecting thing seems to be a bug. It'll have to look into what's going on there.


Thanks. Any other ideas on what I am doing wrong? As I said, it's obviously running. It says so in the tray. I don't have it set to run as a service and I have the old service disabled. So, i'm guessing there shouldn't be a conflict there???

Anything I need to do on the tivo side? I have restarted it twice during all of this but see no menu option for my movies.


----------



## davidblackledge

Just a bit of data for you. I just finally updated from some old version that had no desktop to speak of (it just had a shares UI and a way to launch the web interface). I uninstalled that one, installed the latest (with everything checked).
1) The MAK and folder I provided on install weren't present in the desktop app when I restarted, so I had to set them again.
2) "Misc" tab, "Enable debug loggging" with 3 (well, 4) g's. ;]
3) So far each time I save, it couldn't connect after restarting... apparently it just never starts and I have to do it manually. First time I clicked a few tabs and got the same error, clicked Retry and it just sat there greyed out so I eventually closed the window.

Also, I don't keep up with this stuff so I don't know what all the options are. Some sort of tooltips or something might help. And maybe a link to ffmpeg options documentation?

In any case, I immediately turned on all the first tab's options - it seems to me they should all be on by default, especially if TS transfers is the default which I assume is not what TiVo Desktop did (but I don't know).
I don't have a clue what, if anything, to do with the Beacon and Listen settings, so I'm leaving them off.

However...it doesn't see my TiVos... so I tried turning on Listen, but it didn't help.
I'm not certain the previous version saw them, though. I was using it just for shares.

Regardless... good enough for me so far, thanks.


----------



## bmgoodman

I tinkered a bit with pyTivo a few years back but have just come back to it again. I'm finding the TS downloads have moments where I can see what looks like "interlace lines". The PS downloads look better, but they won't play on my Win 10 PC. On my WDTV, I get video but no audio. On my cell phone with VLC, they play fine.

I think for quality's sake, I'd like to go with PS, but I'm at a loss for what I might need to change to view the files on my WDTV. Is there an audio format option that I'm missing?


----------



## Dan203

The quality of the PS and TS is identical. Whatever difference you're seeing must be the player you're using.


----------



## bmgoodman

Dan203 said:


> The quality of the PS and TS is identical. Whatever difference you're seeing must be the player you're using.


But doesn't the TS drop packets where the PS doesn't? Could dropped packets manifest as "interlace lines"?


----------



## Dan203

bmgoodman said:


> But doesn't the TS drop packets where the PS doesn't? Could dropped packets manifest as "interlace lines"?


No. Dropped packets would present as skipps in the video and massive decoding errors like green frames.


----------



## bmgoodman

Dan203 said:


> No. Dropped packets would present as skipps in the video and massive decoding errors like green frames.


Definitely not that, then. Thanks for the explanation!


----------



## alleybj

Since I downloaded the updated pyTivo, I'm unable to transfer mp4 files back to the Tivo. .TS files transfer just fine. Anything I can do about that? thanks


----------



## garetjax

alleybj said:


> Since I downloaded the updated pyTivo, I'm unable to transfer mp4 files back to the Tivo. .TS files transfer just fine. Anything I can do about that? thanks


Same here. I upgraded my Roamio to 8TB and I have 3-4TB of videos I transferred to my pc that I now want to tranfer back. I did maybe 60 shows, and upgraded pydesktop, and now I can't transfer a single show. Uninstalled it and reinstalled - not running it as a service, but still no luck

tivo and pc on same switch, no firewall


----------



## Dan203

I just tried an MP4 file here and it works fine. Are you sure your AV software isn't blocking/deleting the ffmpeg.exe installed with pyTivo? That's required for MP4 files.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> I'm on a Windows 10 x64 PC and using the pyTivo Desktop delivered ffmpeg version 66edd86. I haven't changed anything from your install routine.
> 
> The error returned is:
> 
> Googling that error turns up a lot of Python programming discussions, which I'm not knowledgeable enough to make sense of. Do they make sense to you?
> 
> I never had this error with the old version of pyTivo. Is there something missing from my system? I'll be happy to test things on my system if you have any ideas.


FYI I'm seeing this issue here too. Not sure what's causing it. Have to play with the code and figure out what's going on.


----------



## Dan203

I see the issue, and it might be causing both problems. I'll release an update in a few minutes with the fix


----------



## 2004raptor

My TiVo finally sees my shared folder and all of the contents. I can initiate a transfer and it says the file will be transferred but nothing ever does. I've tried files that I know I've transferred in the past also. 

I'm thinking there could be a conflict of the "old" version because it still shows that folder name in the TiVo menu. No idea how or why it's still there since I have disabled the service.???


----------



## Dan203

That's the bug I just posted about. I'm uploading a new build right now. Will be ready in a few minutes.


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> That's the bug I just posted about. I'm uploading a new build right now. Will be ready in a few minutes.


Thanks. I haven't received any thread updates in my email. Finally had a chance to test and wanted to post my findings.


----------



## Dan203

New version is uploaded. It has two bug fixes. One fixes the issue with files being returned to the TiVo and the other fixes an issue with the sortable file name option not working correctly. The only new feature is one that allows you to access the Desktop "app" via a web browser. This is mainly intended for users on older OSes that the packaged Desktop app will not run on, but it will work on any OS. However it requires a very modern browser to function. I've tested it in the latest versions of Chrome, FireFox, Safari and Opera and it works fine. It also works in Edge in the Creators update, but not in previous versions. And even in the Creators update version it's really slow and laggy, so I wouldn't recommend it. It doesn't work right in IE at all.

Edit: FYI I skipped 1.6.3 because I used that version number for a beta build I sent out privately to a few users.


----------



## 2004raptor

Thanks Dan. Mine still says it's adding it to the list to transfer but it never does.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> New version is uploaded. It has two bug fixes. One fixes the issue with files being returned to the TiVo and the other fixes an issue with the sortable file name option not working correctly. The only new feature is one that allows you to access the Desktop "app" via a web browser. This is mainly intended for users on older OSes that the packaged Desktop app will not run on, but it will work on any OS. However it requires a very modern browser to function. I've tested it in the latest versions of Chrome, FireFox, Safari and Opera and it works fine. It also works in Edge in the Creators update, but not in previous versions. And even in the Creators update version it's really slow and laggy, so I wouldn't recommend it. It doesn't work right in IE at all.
> 
> Edit: FYI I skipped 1.6.3 because I used that version number for a beta build I sent out privately to a few users.


Tested and fixed. MPG containers are transferring again. Thanks Dan!


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> I just tried an MP4 file here and it works fine. Are you sure your AV software isn't blocking/deleting the ffmpeg.exe installed with pyTivo? That's required for MP4 files.


Hi, how would I check that? TiVo Desktop will transfer mp4s


----------



## elprice7345

I've been playing some with which containers and codecs transfer without transcoding. The best reference I can find is here: streambaby / Wiki / video_compatibility

Is this still accurate?

Can anyone point me to more up-to-date/accurate spec's? If not, this would be a great add to your web site Dan!

From my testing, it seems that pyTivo will remux (if necessary, depending on the container) and transfer h264, h265, and mpeg2 video codecs without transcoding. It will transcode mpeg4 and vc-1 video codecs.

When I remux a video (not originally recorded on my TiVo) in an mkv container with an h264 codec to a ts container and pull it with pyTivo, the video pulls fine and plays well, but the duration is always longer on the TiVo than the original file. If I pull a file in a ts container encoded in h264 that was originally recorded on my TiVo the resulting duration on the TiVo is correct.

If I turn TS to off, pyTivo transcodes everything to mpeg2 and the durations match.

Is there anything I can do to get the durations to match without transcoding everything?

Why does the duration of TS file recorded on the TiVo match, but the non-TiVo files doesn't?


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> Hi, how would I check that? TiVo Desktop will transfer mp4s


Try the new version. The bug I found could potentially effect all file types, but not every file, which could explain the inconsistent results.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> From my testing, it seems that pyTivo will remux (if necessary, depending on the container) and transfer h264, *h265*, and mpeg2 video codecs without transcoding. It will transcode mpeg4 and vc-1 video codecs.


H.265 only works on the Bolt. All other TiVos will do a transcode of H.265 content.



elprice7345 said:


> When I remux a video (not originally recorded on my TiVo) in an mkv container with an h264 codec to a ts container and pull it with pyTivo, the video pulls fine and plays well, but the duration is always longer on the TiVo than the original file. If I pull a file in a ts container encoded in h264 that was originally recorded on my TiVo the resulting duration on the TiVo is correct.
> 
> If I turn TS to off, pyTivo transcodes everything to mpeg2 and the durations match.
> 
> Is there anything I can do to get the durations to match without transcoding everything?
> 
> Why does the duration of TS file recorded on the TiVo match, but the non-TiVo files doesn't?


I'm not sure about this. I'm not sure if this is a pyTivo problem or a problem with the way the TiVo software itself calculates the duration of a TS file. Does the video appear to play at the proper speed? Does the green bar appear to cut off at the right duration?


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> I'm not sure about this. I'm not sure if this is a pyTivo problem or a problem with the way the TiVo software itself calculates the duration of a TS file. Does the video appear to play at the proper speed? Does the green bar appear to cut off at the right duration?


The videos play properly, the stated duration (as seen on the TiVo, kmttg and pyTivo Desktop) and the green bar reflect the longer duration.

What would be different about a TiVo recorded TS file vs. a TS file from another source?


----------



## Dan203

Not 100% sure there either. If you convert to TS ahead of time, and the duration is correct on the PC, there shouldn't be any difference. If you let pyTivo convert then I guess it's possible the ffmpeg muxer is doing something weird to change the duration.

How much of a difference are we talking about? Seconds, minutes, hours?


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> Try the new version. The bug I found could potentially effect all file types, but not every file, which could explain the inconsistent results.


Hi, I downloaded the new version, but still no mp4 transers. They start to transfer but the picture is black and nothing actually transfers. once the transfer is finished, if you try to play the fle, it immediately asks you if you want to delete it. Again, .TS files transfer just fine. Exact opposite of Tivo Desktop, which will transfer mp4s but does not even see, much less transfer, .TS files. Any other thoughts? thanks


----------



## Dan203

Can you post the log? Open the Desktop app, click the gear icon, select about. In that dialog is a button to show the log. In the log dialog is a button to copy the log to the clipboard. Paste that here inside a spoiler or quote tag.


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan

Sorry to be trouble but can you offer any explanations on why I can transfer tivo files to my computer, I can see my files on my computer on the tivo menu; it says it will transfer the files, but nothing ever happens?


----------



## Dan203

You're trying to transfer from TiVo to PC or from PC to TiVo?


----------



## 2004raptor

PC to tivo. 

I transferred a tivo file to my PC the other day with no issue.


----------



## Dan203

Are you using the latest build? If so can you post the log using the instructions I posted above so I can see if there is anything that might be causing an error.

If there is no error you may need to reboot your TiVo. Sometimes they can get stuck in some sort of loop that prevents them from transferring files until you reboot.


----------



## 2004raptor

Thanks. Yes, using the latest build. I'll try to mess with it again tonight.


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> Can you post the log? Open the Desktop app, click the gear icon, select about. In that dialog is a button to show the log. In the log dialog is a button to copy the log to the clipboard. Paste that here inside a spoiler or quote tag.


Here's the relevant portion. Thanks



Code:


INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:15:24] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:15:24] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:15:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:15:43] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:15:53] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:15:54] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:15:54] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:16:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:16:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:16:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:16:24] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:16:24] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:16:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:16:43] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:16:53] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:16:54] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:16:54] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:17:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:17:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:17:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:17:24] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:17:24] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:17:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:17:43] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:17:53] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:17:54] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:17:54] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:18:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:18:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:18:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:18:24] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:18:24] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:18:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:18:43] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:18:53] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:18:54] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:18:54] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:19:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:19:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:19:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.1.39 [06/Jun/2017 18:19:24] "GET /Movies6/1965%20The%20Sleeping%20Car%20Murders1_1.mp4?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO:pyTivo.video.video:[06/Jun/2017 18:19:24] Start sending "H:\Movies6\1965 The Sleeping Car Murders1_1.mp4" to Roamio Pro
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [06/Jun/2017 18:19:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -


----------



## Dan203

I'm not sure what that "handle is invalid" error means. I've never seen that before. Is H a local drive? Or a mapped network drive?


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> I'm not sure what that "handle is invalid" error means. I've never seen that before. Is H a local drive? Or a mapped network drive?


USB connected portable hard drive. That's where all the .ts files that do transfer are located as well


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> I'm not sure what that "handle is invalid" error means. I've never seen that before. Is H a local drive? Or a mapped network drive?


Seems to be a Windows system error?

System Error Codes (0-499) (Windows)

Scott


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> USB connected portable hard drive. That's where all the .ts files that do transfer are located as well


Can you try transferring one from the local hard drive just to see if the USB drive is the issue?


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> Are you using the latest build? If so can you post the log using the instructions I posted above so I can see if there is anything that might be causing an error.
> 
> If there is no error you may need to reboot your TiVo. Sometimes they can get stuck in some sort of loop that prevents them from transferring files until you reboot.


I'll get the logs tomorrow. I went ahead and rebooted the TiVo also. I transferred another file from the TiVo to my shared drive with no issues. So, I tried to transfer a file from the shared drive to the TiVo. It all looked like it was working but there was no blue light on the TiVo like normal transfer looks. About 10 minutes later I was in the Now Playing menu and at the top of the list was the show I was transferring. I forget what it said but I think it said it was currently being transferred. 
About an hour later I went back to see if I could play it and it wasn't even there.


----------



## Dan203

Hmmm... so you're having an issue with a network share and alleybj is having an issue with a USB drive. I wonder if there is some connection?


----------



## 2004raptor

MAybe so. It's just odd that I can transfer from the tivo to the drive with no issue. 

But I am also in a situation to where I am confused as to what I need to do to completely disable the servcie from the old pytivo install. Because now, both of the network shares are showing up on my tivo. It's just been so long so I don't know how to completely disable it.


----------



## Dan203

Go into the service manager, right click the old service to stop it. Then right click again and select properties. In there set the startup type to manual. That will prevent it from starting up automatically when you reboot.


----------



## 2004raptor

Thanks Dan. I think i did that but maybe I set it to "disabled". I'll try your suggestion though.

BTW would I still want to restart the tivo after I do this?


----------



## Dan203

You might need to. Once it gets stuck it can stay that way until you reboot.

But I would try transferring a file from a local drive, rather then the network share, and see if that works. That will tell us if it's the file or the network share causing the issue.


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> Can you try transferring one from the local hard drive just to see if the USB drive is the issue?


Same result-- no transfer. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


----------



## Dan203

Could you upload one of these files for me? I've tried several MP4 files on my end and they work fine, so I'm wondering if there is something specific about your files. If you can please use this link...

Upload Files to VideoReDo


----------



## lpwcomp

alleybj said:


> Same result-- no transfer. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


How did you create the files?


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> Could you upload one of these files for me? I've tried several MP4 files on my end and they work fine, so I'm wondering if there is something specific about your files. If you can please use this link...
> 
> Upload Files to VideoReDo


pytivomp4 is uploaded. thanks


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Not 100% sure there either. If you convert to TS ahead of time, and the duration is correct on the PC, there shouldn't be any difference. If you let pyTivo convert then I guess it's possible the ffmpeg muxer is doing something weird to change the duration.
> 
> How much of a difference are we talking about? Seconds, minutes, hours?


The durations on my TiVo are either identical or longer. When they're longer, its 1.2-1.3x.

Shows originating from TiVo in a TS container encoded in h.264 transfer with the correct duration (they've been processed by QSF).

Shows not originating from TiVo in a TS container encoded in h.264 transfer with a longer duration. If I run QSF on these files, they transfer with the correct duration. What is QSF doing to correct the problem?

If pyTivo has to transcode the audio, the duration is too long, unless the audio codec is "truehd". For some reason, that audio codec transfers with the correct duration.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> The durations on my TiVo are either identical or longer. When they're longer, its 1.2-1.3x.
> 
> Shows originating from TiVo in a TS container encoded in h.264 transfer with the correct duration (they've been processed by QSF).
> 
> Shows not originating from TiVo in a TS container encoded in h.264 transfer with a longer duration. If I run QSF on these files, they transfer with the correct duration. What is QSF doing to correct the problem?
> 
> If pyTivo has to transcode the audio, the duration is too long, unless the audio codec is "truehd". For some reason, that audio codec transfers with the correct duration.


If QSF fixes the duration then that means the timestamps are wrong in the source. What program are you using to encode them?


----------



## Dan203

I just added an interesting feature. I created a way for the browser thing from the last version to work remotely. So you can actually access the Desktop UI using a device other then the PC that pyTivo is running on. The UI gets a little wonky on my phone because the screen is so small, but it works fine on my iPad. I'm going to play with this a bit more and see if I can't figure out how to make it work a little better before releasing it, but I think it could be kind of cool.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> If QSF fixes the duration then that means the timestamps are wrong in the source. What program are you using to encode them?


Various programs, but most often ripping Blu-rays using MakeMKV.

Why would pyTivo transcode the audio for a file that is already encoded in AC3?



Code:


From FFMPEG:
Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 1k tbn, 47.95 tbc
Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 640 kb/s (default)

The FFMPEG command generated by pyTivo:
-bufsize 8192k -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -c:a ac3 -copyts -b:a 448k -ar 48000 -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -f mpegts -


----------



## Dan203

If you're using MakeMKV then how are you converting them to TS?

The TiVo can only accept AC3 up to 448Kbps. I think some BDs have AC3 encoded at 640Kbps.


----------



## lpwcomp

You do know you can access the regular version via

<host IP address>:<port>

?

Of course you have to be on the same LAN.


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan 

Mine does the same as before. It lists the name of the file being transferred in the My Shows menu but then when I go back there later, nothing. This was with a file that I had on my hard dive rather than my shared network drive. And it's a file that I had previously transferred fine using the old pytivo.


----------



## lpwcomp

Versions of ffmpeg more recent than 2014 have a tendency to muck up the timestamps.


----------



## elprice7345

I guess my main question is why would the durations be different on TiVo when ffmpeg/pyTivo has to transcode the audio?

Also, is there a web page that lists the TiVo accepted video and audio formats more up to date than this: streambaby / Wiki / video_compatibility


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> You do know you can access the regular version via
> 
> <host IP address>:<port>
> 
> ?
> 
> Of course you have to be on the same LAN.


Not the Desktop UI though. It's hard coded to assume that pyTivo is running on localhost. So while you can load the URL it will throw up th error connecting to pyTivo dialog immediately. I added a special URL that causes the Desktop code to parse the IP and port from the URL bar and use those for connecting to pyTivo instead.

Although playing with it some more I'm not sure how well it's going to work. It runs like crap on my iPad. Really slow and laggy, and there are some UI issue. It runs OK on my Galaxy Tab using the Chrome browser though.


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> Versions of ffmpeg more recent than 2014 have a tendency to muck up the timestamps.


I borrowed the build of ffmpeg I'm using from the kmttg repo. I'm not 100% sure which build he's using.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> I guess my main question is why would the durations be different on TiVo when ffmpeg/pyTivo has to transcode the audio?
> 
> Also, is there a web page that lists the TiVo accepted video and audio formats more up to date than this: streambaby / Wiki / video_compatibility


When nothing is recoded the TS file is just passed directly to the TiVo as-is. When the audio/video are recoded then ffmpeg has to remux them. So if there is an issue with ffmpeg like lpwcomp suggests then that would explain why you only have an issue when something is recoded.


----------



## eherberg

Dan203 said:


> When nothing is recoded the TS file is just passed directly to the TiVo as-is. When the audio/video are recoded then ffmpeg has to remux them. So if there is an issue with ffmpeg like lpwcomp suggests then that would explain why you only have an issue when something is recoded.


Yeah - @lpwcomp is correct. You can see this by simply swapping out an old version of ffmpeg with the new one. Since the TiVo still plays the file fine, I never really paid it much attention since it boils down to simply a progress-bar display glitch.

Interestingly - when push was still around, if you took the same h.264 mp4 file and pushed it to the TiVo, you had correct time indicators. Only while pulling the file and transcoding the mp4 file did it manifest.


----------



## lpwcomp

It affects a bit more than just the progress bar. Navigation is also messed up.

Yeah, an mp4 could be pushed w/o modification while it has to be re-muxed for a pull.


----------



## eherberg

That's right. I remember some people having problems with FF/REW - although I never had that issue on the files I transferred (even though they exhibited the 'extended time').


----------



## elprice7345

Is there a spec or reference someone can point me to regarding which video files can be pulled without transcoding?

If I set the TS switch to off, almost everything pulled gets transcoded and the durations match.

If the file is h.264 and truehd, the audio is transcoded, but the durations match.

I have had issues with FF & RW when the durations are mismatched.

Is there anything that can be done with pyTivo to improve the situation?


----------



## Dan203

Can you try an older build of ffmpeg and see if that helps? lpwcomp says he's using a build form Aug 2014 and it works better.

If that works I'll look into including an older version, or perhaps a hybrid version, in my next release.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan - you and @moyekj are distributing 66edd86.

The ffmpeg windows distribution site Index of /builds/win64/static/ only goes back to 2017/01/30.

@lpwcomp Is there a link to a version I should try?


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> pytivomp4 is uploaded. thanks


Whatever this is must be specific to your TiVo or your PC. I got your file and transferred it to my Bolt and it worked fine.

What kind of TiVo do you have? What OS are you running on your PC?


----------



## lpwcomp

elprice7345 said:


> @lpwcomp Is there a link to a version I should try?


Try this one.


----------



## mlippert

elprice7345 said:


> Dan - you and @moyekj are distributing 66edd86.


The latest release version of ffmpeg seems to be 3.3.2 although the latest release version built for windows seems to be 3.3.1.


> 3.3.2 was released on 2017-06-07. It is the latest stable FFmpeg release from the 3.3 release branch, which was cut from master on 2017-04-02.


The 66edd86 build Dan and kmttg are distributing is a nightly (that is a git hash ID for a commit in the ffmpeg repository made on 3/8/2016



lpwcomp said:


> Versions of ffmpeg more recent than 2014 have a tendency to muck up the timestamps.


Is there an open issue with ffmpeg for this @lpwcomp ?

What were the 2 ffmpeg versions you tried @eherberg ? (ffmpeg -version) And have you tried with the very latest version (see link above).

Edit: FYI as far as I can tell the last release of ffmpeg in 2014 was 2.4.5


----------



## Dan203

I borrowed my build from kmttg's repo because I assumed those worked OK with TiVo files. But I could easily switch to the official builds if those work better.

I could build myself, since I have a build environment for VideoReDo, but I'd rather not. The only reason I use a custom build for VRD is because we can only use LGPL code. Since pyTivo is open source I can use the full build for it. (we need that for x264 encoding anyway)


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> I borrowed my build from kmttg's repo because I assumed those worked OK with TiVo files. But I could easily switch to the official builds if those work better.
> 
> I could build myself, since I have a build environment for VideoReDo, but I'd rather not. The only reason I use a custom build for VRD is because we can only use LGPL code. Since pyTivo is open source I can use the full build for it. (we need that for x264 encoding anyway)


I had sort of figured you took the kmttg build for that reason and because it was an easy way to get going. I hadn't realized you had a build environment (I once looked into that and it was going to be a pain) which is cool but I can't think of any reason to have to make a custom build for Tivo Desktop.

I know that I used to have an old ffmpeg for pytivo which I replaced several months ago because the old version didn't support h.265 and I had some videos w/ that encoding I wanted to pull to my TiVo. So if it really requires an old build to not have timestamp issues, there may be conflicting user requirements.


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> I had sort of figured you took the kmttg build for that reason and because it was an easy way to get going. I hadn't realized you had a build environment (I once looked into that and it was going to be a pain) which is cool but I can't think of any reason to have to make a custom build for Tivo Desktop.
> 
> I know that I used to have an old ffmpeg for pytivo which I replaced several months ago because the old version didn't support h.265 and I had some videos w/ that encoding I wanted to pull to my TiVo. So if it really requires an old build to not have timestamp issues, there may be conflicting user requirements.


Yeah that's what I'm worried about. I could compare the old source to the new source and see what changed in the TS muxer, but if the changes are extensive that could be more effort then it's worth. Plus if I do that I'll have to do a custom build, which I really don't want to do.


----------



## Dan203

For now I think I'm going to update to the latest build in my next release and just stick with that. I may also reinstate the option in the UI to select a custom build of ffmpeg if the user wants. (it's still there just hidden anyway)


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> Whatever this is must be specific to your TiVo or your PC. I got your file and transferred it to my Bolt and it worked fine.
> 
> What kind of TiVo do you have? What OS are you running on your PC?


I have a premiere, an elite, a Roamio pro and a bolt. I'm running windows 10. It won't transfer to any. Are there any settings in pytivo.conf that i should check? Thanks


----------



## Dan203

I'm running on Windows 10 and have tried your file on both a Bolt and a Roamio and it works fine. 

Can you post the complete contents of your pytivo.conf file so I can see if there is anything there that might cause issues?


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> For now I think I'm going to update to the latest build in my next release and just stick with that. I may also reinstate the option in the UI to select a custom build of ffmpeg if the user wants. (it's still there just hidden anyway)


I support that, both actions.

I had just read your 1st response and was going to say I don't think it's worth going down the custom build rabbit hole, and why not just restore the option to select a particular build of ffmpeg, and here you are suggesting it also.


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> I have a premiere, an elite, a Roamio pro and a bolt. I'm running windows 10. It won't transfer to any. Are there any settings in pytivo.conf that i should check? Thanks


One more thing... what resolutions do you have checked on your TiVo? Do you have it set to output a static resolution or do you have it set to output native? Your file is a bit odd in that it is using a NTSC frame rate but a PAL resolution, so if you have your TiVo set to use native resolution it could potentially screw up your TV and cause it to display nothing. I have all my TiVos set to output 1080p only. (+24fps passthrough)


----------



## eherberg

mlippert said:


> The latest release version of ffmpeg seems to be 3.3.2 although the latest release version built for windows seems to be 3.3.1.
> 
> The 66edd86 build Dan and kmttg are distributing is a nightly (that is a git hash ID for a commit in the ffmpeg repository made on 3/8/2016
> 
> Is there an open issue with ffmpeg for this @lpwcomp ?
> 
> What were the 2 ffmpeg versions you tried @eherberg ? (ffmpeg -version) And have you tried with the very latest version (see link above).
> 
> Edit: FYI as far as I can tell the last release of ffmpeg in 2014 was 2.4.5


Looking at trac, I don't think a bug was ever filed - but not 100% sure. As it only happened with h.264 files pulled to the TiVo (while ffmpeg still worked fine for all other items that used it, as far as I know) - it may have been mentioned but I'm not sure if the investment to investigate it was deemed worth it.

To be honest, I haven't tried a new version since the last time I installed original pyTivo (or 'OG pyTivo', as the kids would call it). 

I didn't have any navigation problems with files and wasn't bothered by the time bar saying 55 minutes instead of 43 minutes for a program - so I never really thought about it after finding out what was causing it. I remember trying an old version of ffmpeg recommended by @lpwcomp at the time .. confirmed that it seemed to fix the time problem ... but later during an install on my current laptop, I just took the latest static build.

I can certainly try a more recent one, if it helps. To be honest, outside of testing versions of pyTivo Desktop, I haven't really used pyTivo much for moving files to the TiVo recently. Due to growing dissatisfaction with TiVo in general when compared to alternatives, I've been slowly giving away or selling my TiVo equipment over the last 6 months. I'm down to a single Roamio now which I may part with by end-of-summer or fall, depending on a couple of factors. Only my wife's daily chat shows are being recorded on the TiVo anymore - and those are pulled off using either kmttg or pyTivo Desktop. I haven't transferred anything back to the TiVo for about 4 months, I think, since beginning the transition to alternatives. It would be easy enough to check, if it is helpful, with just dropping a new version into pyTivo Desktop or OG pyTivo and firing up a pull for ol' time's sake.


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> I'm running on Windows 10 and have tried your file on both a Bolt and a Roamio and it works fine.
> 
> Can you post the complete contents of your pytivo.conf file so I can see if there is anything there that might cause issues?


Here it is: thanks

*














*


Dan203 said:


> I'm running on Windows 10 and have tried your file on both a Bolt and a Roamio and it works fine.
> 
> Can you post the complete contents of your pytivo.conf file so I can see if there is anything there that might cause issues?


Here it is. thanks


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> One more thing... what resolutions do you have checked on your TiVo? Do you have it set to output a static resolution or do you have it set to output native? Your file is a bit odd in that it is using a NTSC frame rate but a PAL resolution, so if you have your TiVo set to use native resolution it could potentially screw up your TV and cause it to display nothing. I have all my TiVos set to output 1080p only. (+24fps passthrough)


I have them all checked. When you say I have a PAL resolution, what exactly do you mean? thanks


----------



## alleybj

alleybj said:


> I have them all checked. When you say I have a PAL resolution, what exactly do you mean? thanks


Oh, I get it now. That actually was a PAL file originally, but I have many others that are NTSC and I have the same problem. Thanks


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> I have them all checked. When you say I have a PAL resolution, what exactly do you mean? thanks


Just as a test try unchecking all but the one that matches the resolution of your TV.


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> Just as a test try unchecking all but the one that matches the resolution of your TV.


No change. thanks


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> No change. thanks


I'm not sure what's going on then. As I said the file you sent uploaded and played fine on both my Roamio and Bolt using 1.6.4

Maybe your antivirus is blocking ffmpeg from working correctly.


----------



## ClearToLand

Any chance of this (# of Errors_Retry #) in both the log and the final filename making it into the next release? 


ClearToLand said:


> *SUGGESTION:*
> 
> I *FINALLY* have a h.264 show w/ ERRORS!
> 
> As I patiently watch this show d/l, I see that it completed its FIRST attempt with:
> *The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^176)*​In the log, it recorded:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:14:27] Done getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS).tivo" from Roamio A, 8552209080 bytes, 58.36 Mb/s
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:14:34] Start getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS).tivo" from Roamio A
> 
> It then completed its SECOND attempt with:
> *The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46)*​In the log, it recorded:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:34:17] Done getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS).tivo" from Roamio A, 8552209080 bytes, 55.14 Mb/s
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:34:24] Start getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS).tivo" from Roamio A
> 
> ...so, if I wasn't here watching, I would never know about the FIRST 176 ERRORs.
> 
> Since you know the # of errors when you create the filename, how about putting it in the log as:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:14:27] Done getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^176_1).tivo" from Roamio A, 8552209080 bytes, 58.36 Mb/s
> 
> The next 'failure' would be:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:34:17] Done getting "L:\TiVo\PyTiVoDesktop\Videos\The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46_2).tivo" from Roamio A, 8552209080 bytes, 55.14 Mb/s
> 
> You could also then use the same format when creating the filename; thus, instead of seeing:
> *The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^176)*​I'd see:
> *The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^176_1)*​
> Instead of:
> *The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46)*​I'd see:
> *The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46_2)*​
> This would help me, the user, in determining what to set "*togo_ts_max_retries = ?*" to.
> 
> For example:
> 
> If I initially set it to 25 (crazy, I know) and my shows never need more than 10 retries, I could lower it.
> If I initially set it to 5 and my shows still have errors, I can raise it.
> Eventually, I'm hoping that I'll get a '_feel _' for how this unreliable TS / 'Fast' Format transfer method is working on *MY* equipment and be able to adjust accordingly.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> NOTE: While I have "*togo_ts_max_retries = 5*", there are 6 instances of
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[25/May/2017 05:34:24] Start getting...
> 
> in my log.
> 
> P.S. During the time I spent composing and proofreading this post, the transfer finished with:
> *The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^3)*​Thus I'll be increasing the max retry to 10 and we'll see what happens (after I go to bed and check on it later)...


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> Any chance of this (# of Errors_Retry #) in both the log and the final filename making it into the next release?


I don't want to dirty up the file name any more, but I did add some additional logging. It will log the specific location of the sync error(s) in bytes, so you can look for them in the final output, and it will add a logging statement when it starts a retry.

I also cleaned up the logging a bit so it wont be so cluttered with the status checks from the Desktop app.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> *I don't want to dirty up the file name any more*, but I did add some additional logging. It will log the specific location of the sync error(s) in bytes, so you can look for them in the final output, and it will add a logging statement when it starts a retry.
> 
> I also cleaned up the logging a bit so it wont be so cluttered with the status checks from the Desktop app.


Instead of:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46)*​I'd see:
*The Shakiest Gun in the West (Recorded May 21, 2017, SUNHD-E) (TS) (^46_2)*​
It would be 2 or 3 characters, an underscore plus a number, either "_9" or "_99" - could it be be made an option in pytivo.conf? Please...

While I was attempting to get a 'glitch-free' copy of "Shakiest...", I started with Retries = 5 and had to increment it, by 5's, eventually reaching 20 before it finally succeeded at 19. But, I had to count the retries in the log file to know that.

Having that crucial information readily available, both in the log and in the final filename, would be immensely valuable to me; maybe others will chime in.  You remember how excited I got about "*0x47 every 188*" - fantastic feature! :thumbsup:

Knowing how much extra '_work _' I had to put my TiVo / PC through to get there might tell me whether or not I should just "*forgetaboutit *". Please hold off, at least a few days, on the next release until I create a poll and we can gauge TCF member interest. I would appreciate it very much. raying:

Thanks! 

P.S. Will knowing the specific location of the sync error(s) in bytes be useful to anyone NOT using VideoReDo? i.e. I'm imagining that a VRD user could 'jump' to that point in the VRD editor, similar to the way that kmttg can invoke AdCut via .EDL files created from AutoSkip.

*UPDATE:* *PyTiVo Desktop / "0x47 every 188" / TS Sync Errors: Do You Use It?*


----------



## aaronwt

Did something change with the new version of pyTiVo Desktop? I just installed it and first, all my shares had to be re-entered again. But also the shares aren't showing up on my TiVos like they did before.

before They would show up almost right away. I guess I'll give it some more time. I've rebooted a couple of times so far but still the same thing.


----------



## aaronwt

I don't know what happened. I just uninstalled an re-installed it, then the new video shares I had created were gone. And the previous ones were there populated. But at least the video, music and picture shares are showing up on the TiVos again.


----------



## Dan203

New version posted. Contains a few bug fixes, new ffmpeg build, and now you can easily access the Desktop "app" from a web browser even remotely.

To do that just go to http://<your PC IP>:9032/Desktop

You also no longer need to manually go to #/setport to get it working if you're using a port other then 9032. It will automatically detect the port in the URL and parse it from that instead.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Can you try an older build of ffmpeg and see if that helps? lpwcomp says he's using a build form Aug 2014 and it works better.
> 
> If that works I'll look into including an older version, or perhaps a hybrid version, in my next release.


I tried @lpwcomp's version built 2014/08/22, v7444cf9 and got the same results.

Is there another version I should try?

Another bit of information - the ffmpeg results written to the pyTivo log, show the correct duration at the end of transfer:


Code:


frame=39554 fps=820 q=-1.0 Lsize= 1053763kB time=00:26:22.20 bitrate=5456.0kbits/s

original file duration: 00:26:22
TiVo duration: 00:33:29

Based on the ffmpeg output, is ffmpeg working correctly and the issue is with TiVo or is there another ffmpeg data element that TiVo is using?


----------



## Dan203

I just uploaded a new pyTivo build with the newest official ffmpeg release. Give that a shot. Maybe they've fixed the issue in newer builds.


----------



## elprice7345

Tested with similar results:
Original duration: 0:25:30
Transferred duration: 0:32:20
Last line from the pyTivo log:


Code:


frame=38250 fps=1002 q=-1.0 Lsize= 1017228kB time=00:25:30.04 bitrate=5446.3kbits/s speed=40.1x

ffmpeg file info:


Code:


DEBUG:pyTivo.video.transcode:C:\Program Files (x86)\pyTivo\bin\ffmpeg.exe -i G:\Video\Ed\Fleabag\Season 01\Fleabag-S01E03-Episode 3.mkv -bufsize 8192k -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -c:a ac3 -copyts -b:a 448k -ar 48000 -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -f mpegts -
ffmpeg version 3.3.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2017 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 6.3.0 (GCC)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-cuda --enable-cuvid --enable-d3d11va --enable-dxva2 --enable-libmfx --enable-nvenc --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei0r --enable-gnutls --enable-iconv --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libbs2b --enable-libcaca --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgme --enable-libgsm --enable-libilbc --enable-libmodplug --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenh264 --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-librtmp --enable-libsnappy --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwavpack --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-libzimg --enable-lzma --enable-zlib
  libavutil      55. 58.100 / 55. 58.100
  libavcodec     57. 89.100 / 57. 89.100
  libavformat    57. 71.100 / 57. 71.100
  libavdevice    57.  6.100 / 57.  6.100
  libavfilter     6. 82.100 /  6. 82.100
  libswscale      4.  6.100 /  4.  6.100
  libswresample   2.  7.100 /  2.  7.100
  libpostproc    54.  5.100 / 54.  5.100
Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'G:\Video\Ed\Fleabag\Season 01\Fleabag-S01E03-Episode 3.mkv':
  Metadata:
    encoder         : libebml v1.3.4 + libmatroska v1.4.5
    creation_time   : 2016-08-05T06:59:51.000000Z
  Duration: 00:25:30.05, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 4728 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High), yuv420p(tv, bt709, progressive), 1912x800 [SAR 1:1 DAR 239:100], 25 fps, 25 tbr, 1k tbn, 2k tbc (default)
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp (default)
    Stream #0:2: Video: mjpeg, yuvj444p(pc, bt470bg/unknown/unknown), 120x176, 90k tbr, 90k tbn, 90k tbc
    Metadata:
      filename        : small_cover.jpg
      mimetype        : image/jpeg
    Stream #0:3: Video: mjpeg, yuvj444p(pc, bt470bg/unknown/unknown), 600x882, 90k tbr, 90k tbn, 90k tbc
    Metadata:
      filename        : cover.jpg
      mimetype        : image/jpeg
    Stream #0:4: Video: mjpeg, yuvj444p(pc, bt470bg/unknown/unknown), 1067x600, 90k tbr, 90k tbn, 90k tbc
    Metadata:
      filename        : cover_land.jpg
      mimetype        : image/jpeg
    Stream #0:5: Video: mjpeg, yuvj444p(pc, bt470bg/unknown/unknown), 213x120, 90k tbr, 90k tbn, 90k tbc
    Metadata:
      filename        : small_cover_land.jpg
      mimetype        : image/jpeg
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (copy)
  Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (aac (native) -> ac3 (native))
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
Output #0, mpegts, to 'pipe:':
  Metadata:
    encoder         : Lavf57.71.100
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High), yuv420p(tv, bt709, progressive), 1912x800 [SAR 1:1 DAR 239:100], q=2-31, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 90k tbn, 1k tbc (default)
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 448 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      encoder         : Lavc57.89.100 ac3


----------



## Dan203

I wonder if it's because the video is 25fps? That's a PAL frame rate so maybe TiVo doesn't calculate the duration right on 25fps. US NTSC video should be either 29.97fps or 59.94fps.


----------



## elprice7345

For now, I’ve switched TS to off.

With TS=Auto, I got faster transfers overall and fewer videos were transcoded, but many of them had longer durations after transferring to my TiVo. The videos with longer durations had navigation issues. For example, clicking the replay button should go back 10 seconds, but in some instances it went back many more seconds or even minutes. Sometimes after clicking replay the sound would disappear until the video got back to the point before I clicked replay. FF & RW were sketchy also.

With TS=Off, the transfers are slower, in general, and more video gets transcoded, but the watching experience is much better.

I would love to figure out what the issue is so I could use the TS=Auto feature, but for now, it’s better for me to leave it off.

I guess my main question remains: Is there something that can be done on the user side with FFMPEG, pyTivo, etc. to fix the problem or is this a TiVo side issue and we’re stuck?

I will be happy to try anything else and/or help with further testing if anyone has suggestions.


----------



## Dan203

You said that if you simply remux the file with VideoReDo the duration is correct right? Which means that there is something weird with the timestamps in the original file. FFmpeg apparently doesn't do the same sort of timestamp correction VideoReDo does. Which means there is really nothing you can do to fix this short of QSFing every file with VideoReDo first.


----------



## steinbch

Running the latest version of PyTivo Desktop (1.6.6) on a Mac (10.12.5) and for some reason my queue does not move past the first file in the list. Is there something I might be missing?

From the logs:
INFO: pyTivo.togo:[16/Jun/2017 09:08:17] Done getting "/Users/user/Movies/Taboo - ''Episode 1'' (Recorded Jan 11, 2017, FXHD-E) (2).ts" from Living Room, 2249211996 bytes, 134.05 Mb/s
Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
ERROR: pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "plugins/togo/togo.py", line 826, in process_queue
File "plugins/togo/togo.py", line 763, in get_tivo_file
TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
INFO: pyTivo:192.168.1.14 [16/Jun/2017 09:08:26] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
INFO: pyTivo:192.168.1.14 [16/Jun/2017 09:08:26] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)


----------



## Dan203

Sh*t. I threw that change in at the last minute and didn't test it. I'll fix it and release a new version in a few hours.


----------



## Dan203

OK new version posted with fix. Sorry about that.


----------



## steinbch

Dan203 said:


> OK new version posted with fix. Sorry about that.


Thanks for the quick attention.


----------



## amyf

Hey Dan. I downloaded the newest version and the icon on my Mac status menu has a red x over it. It seems to indicate that the service is stopped, even though I was able to download a program to the Mac. I also have an issue when I open pyTivo Desktop - it opens up the settings window automatically. I think this is because I have an old TiVo with no recordings on it (waiting/hoping for another upgrade offer). If I close the settings window and switch to a different TiVo and then back to the series 3 box, the settings window opens up again. But all in all, I like what you've done and thanks for your work.

Thanks,
Amy


----------



## Dan203

Those are two different issues. If pyTivo really wasn't running then Desktop would popup the "error connecting" dialog immediately. 

My guess is that there is a rogue version of pyTivo still running in the background. Click the icon and select quit. Then open the activity monitor and look for pyTivo in the list. If you see it do a force stop on it. Now relaunch pyTivo and see if it works.


----------



## amyf

Dan, good catch on the extra pyTivo process still running. I guess that it was left over from before I installed the new release. I should have been more clear that there were 2 separate issues. I think that the second issue is definitely due to the Series 3 having no programs on it. I can always record a few minutes of nothing (no cable cards in the unit & no OTA here) to see if that changes things.

Thanks,
Amy


----------



## Dan203

It pops up the settings dialog when pyTivo finds not TiVos on your network. It does that becuase it assumes that if it can't find TiVos it's because the MAK is incorrect.


----------



## mlippert

@amyf If you've got another tivo on the same network as the series 3, the series 3 should be able to see it and transfer a show from it, so you don't have to try to record nothing.


----------



## amyf

I ended up transferring a show to the S3 and the settings menu no longer pops up when starting the desktop, nor when switching to the S3. 

BTW, transferring a show took a whole lot longer than recording a few minutes of nothing.

Thanks,
Amy


----------



## Dan203

Hmm... I'll take a look at the code and see if there is an easy way for me to distinguish an empty TiVo.


----------



## alexb

just installed for the first time, whats the difference between stream mode and program mode?
Also do i need to worry about things like "_TS errors detected! 211 packets affected_"


----------



## HerronScott

alexb said:


> just installed for the first time, whats the difference between stream mode and program mode?
> Also do i need to worry about things like "_TS errors detected! 211 packets affected_"


I assume you mean transport stream and program stream? As long as your shows are still in MPEG2, I'd probably stick with program stream, but if you are with Comcast and most of your channels have been moved to MPEG4 then you'll have to use transport stream for the MPEG4 channels which users have reported getting errors in the downloaded show. Dan's program can detect and report on those errors (and retry the download to see if you can get a cleaner version).

I'll let Dan pass on more information on the difference between them but Wikipedia has the following.

MPEG transport stream - Wikipedia

"Transport stream specifies a container format encapsulating packetized elementary streams, with error correction and stream synchronization features for maintaining transmission integrity when the signal is degraded.

Transport streams differ from the similarly named MPEG program stream in several important ways: program streams are designed for reasonably reliable media, such as discs (like DVDs), while transport streams are designed for less reliable transmission, namely terrestrial or satellite broadcast. Further, a transport stream may carry multiple programs."

Scott


----------



## Mikeguy

From the ignorant-user standpoint (i.e., me), as I understand it, TS transfers can be faster than via PS, and can sometimes work when a PS transfer doesn't. But then, TS transfers can have glitches even when successful, whereas a PS transfer just will fail (and then you can try again). Also, if I recall correctly, PS transferring sometimes can have corrupted closed captions; TS, less so.


----------



## Dan203

FYI I have not abandoned this, I've just been busy with work. I have a new feature in the works though that will tie my real job in with pyTivo Desktop. I'm adding a feature that will allow you to post process your downloads with VideoReDo. This will allow you to QuickStream Fix, Ad Scan or even transcode your downloads automatically. (obviously Windows only)

I also have a few other features, for both platforms, that I will be including in the next update as well.


----------



## Test

Great app, nice and clean (and functional). Thanks Dan203

Request: white menu bar icon for those that have dark mode enabled on their mac


----------



## Dan203

Test said:


> Great app, nice and clean (and functional). Thanks Dan203
> 
> Request: white menu bar icon for those that have dark mode enabled on their mac


I'll have to see if there is some way for me to detect the dark theme on Mac.


----------



## bgc

I installed 1.6.7 on my desktop and laptop, with the only changes being setting up a share. I then downloaded the same podcast from twit.tv to both, the file size is identical. The desktop, connected to the linksys 802.11n router via ethernet cable, took about 5 min. to transfer the 1hr 29min file. The laptop took about 1.5 min over wifi. The file from the desktop shows the correct length on the roamio, while the file from the laptop shows the length 8 min. longer at 1hr 37min. When you fast forward the longer file from the laptop, it skips ahead many times faster than normal, then slows down but is jerky. The file from the desktop has normal navigation. Any ideas what is causing this?

Thanks
BGC


----------



## Dan203

bgc said:


> I installed 1.6.7 on my desktop and laptop, with the only changes being setting up a share. I then downloaded the same podcast from twit.tv to both, the file size is identical. The desktop, connected to the linksys 802.11n router via ethernet cable, took about 5 min. to transfer the 1hr 29min file. The laptop took about 1.5 min over wifi. The file from the desktop shows the correct length on the roamio, while the file from the laptop shows the length 8 min. longer at 1hr 37min. When you fast forward the longer file from the laptop, it skips ahead many times faster than normal, then slows down but is jerky. The file from the desktop has normal navigation. Any ideas what is causing this?
> 
> Thanks
> BGC


Did you ever have a previous version on either system?


----------



## bgc

Dan203 said:


> Did you ever have a previous version on either system?


 I did on the Desktop, I don't recall making any changes to any settings though. As I said the files transferred from the Desktop show the proper length and the navigation (FF) works as expected. I did previously have Tivo Desktop installed on the desktop system as well, but no longer. I also have Kmttg installed that I used to transfer Season passes when I upgraded the drive in the Roamio a while back. I'll compare the settings to see if anything is different between the two systems.

Forgot to say before that the Roamio is connected to the router via ethernet cable like the desktop system is.


----------



## Dan203

My guess.... on the desktop you disabled the TS option in the upload tab. That would force a recode on the desktop that would fix the length issue. Check the settings and see if I'm right.


----------



## Dan203

I just noticed something weird. All the days on my recordings are off by one day. The dates are right, but the day is wrong. For example it says Fri 7/6 next to all my recordings from last night. Not sure what that's about. Anyone else seeing this? Not sure if it's a bug in the software or something weird with my machine.


----------



## Dan203

Looks like it's a bug. I'm surprised I didn't notice before, or that someone else didn't.


----------



## bgc

Dan203 said:


> My guess.... on the desktop you disabled the TS option in the upload tab. That would force a recode on the desktop that would fix the length issue. Check the settings and see if I'm right.


It appears you were right, desktop upload TS was off, laptop was auto. After changing laptop to off all appears well. I'm not sure when or why it was set to off since I'm really not sure what TS vs no TS does exactly.

Thanks for the help,
BGC


----------



## Dan203

With TS upload set to "auto" or "on" pyTivo will send H.264 files as-is by simply remuxing them as a TS. With it off it has to recode the video to MPEG-2. The recoding process fixes any errors or issues with the original file that may not be compatible with TiVo.


----------



## osu1991

Dan203 said:


> I just noticed something weird. All the days on my recordings are off by one day. The dates are right, but the day is wrong. For example it says Fri 7/6 next to all my recordings from last night. Not sure what that's about. Anyone else seeing this? Not sure if it's a bug in the software or something weird with my machine.


Never paid attention to the days, but I see it now that you mentioned it. Just recorded a couple of things in the last hour and they are listed as Saturday 7/7 instead of Friday 7/7


----------



## bgc

All of my recordings today (Fri) show Fri 7/7


----------



## V7Goose

Dan203 said:


> I just noticed something weird. All the days on my recordings are off by one day. The dates are right, but the day is wrong. For example it says Fri 7/6 next to all my recordings from last night. Not sure what that's about. Anyone else seeing this? Not sure if it's a bug in the software or something weird with my machine.


Interesting catch - and it is off on my systems too. Just started the pyTiVo Desktop, and all of the recordings on both of my Bolts also show this (everything recorded on 7/7 shows "Sat", 7/8 recordings show "Sun", etc.).


----------



## Dan203

It was a stupid bug. I had the array for the day names starting at Monday when javascript starts them at Sunday. It'll be fixed in the next update.


----------



## V7Goose

New Problem encountered:
First time I have tried to actually use pyTiVo since initial testing of this new product. I have two Bolts on my network. This morning I started the pyTiVo Desktop and began transferring some shows from Bolt1. I queued up 19 1/2 hour programs and started the xfer. 11 seem to have completed just fine, then it just stopped - no sign of any error message I can see. 8 shows still in the queue. I closed the transfer window and tried to refresh the My Shows list, and it just clocks forever with no results. But if I select the Bolt2 box, those My Shows come right up.

So the problem seems to only be in trying to access the Bolt1 where the programs are queued for transfer (and none are showing as currently in progress). That Bolt is still working just fine, and it has no problem seeing the pyTiVo video share program list, so the network connection is still there for both the Bolt and the computer. Any ideas?

Update:
I did a restart of pyTiVo from within the Desktop app - nothing changed at all. I tried to display the Log, and it only shows a blank window. I then used the tray app to exit pyTiVo - that worked, and I did get a warning that there were still 8 programs transferring, but I confirmed I wanted to exit and it shut down. I then restarted pyTiVo, and with the exception of no longer showing the icon saying there are 8 programs in the transfer queue, is is still doing the exact same thing (Bolt1 My Shows never get displayed, but Bolt2 comes up just fine).

I have not yet tried to restart either the Bolt or the computer, but the computer has a pending restart for Windoze 10 update in several hours. I'll report back what happens after that completes.

One more thing - after I exited and then restarted pyTiVo, I can now see the log - here is subset of the log after the restart:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Fri Jun 16 12:09:56 2017
INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.13
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.14393
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Bolt Living Room - 192.168.254.8
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Bolt - 1TB - 192.168.254.242
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: TiVo MRV-Acer
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.254.9 [16/Jul/2017 08:39:32] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.254.9 [16/Jul/2017 08:39:32] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.254.242 [16/Jul/2017 08:39:32] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVo%20MRV-Acer&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=84920019032480F HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.254.8 [16/Jul/2017 08:39:32] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVo%20MRV-Acer&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8490001903DC030 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:39:58] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:39:58] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:39:58] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:40:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.254.8 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:40:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.254.8 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:40:40] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.254.8 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:40:40] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.254.8 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:41:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:42:20] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.254.8 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Jul/2017 08:42:20] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.254.8 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable

(after this point, almost all entries are the same "not iterable" lines, and they keep getting added every few seconds).
I have no idea why that stupid pink face is showing up everywhere in that copied text!


----------



## Dan203

Hmm... I'll have to add a catch for that error, but that just means your TiVo isn't responding properly. Reboot the TiVo and I bet it works again.


----------



## minimeh

V7Goose said:


> I have no idea why that stupid pink face is showing up everywhere in that copied text!


If you hover the mouse cursor over the stupid pink face, you'll see the pop up tip "Stick out tongue :p". The BBS sees the ":p" combination as a shorthand for a smiley and substitutes the smiley graphic for it in your post. Whenever including things like log messages in a post, it is best to surround the pasted text with code tags like this:
[codeblock_4555e14576769ea3a2a25d7e7a8429c4]​Then the text will appear without the smiley reinterpretation.


----------



## Gone2MauiNow

Software installs OK, and I can download to PC no problem. I want to watch videos stored on my PC, but when I try to "Add an App" on the Tivo I get an Unexpected Error that references MSG_V310_ID. The steps they describe don't solve my issue.


----------



## HerronScott

Gone2MauiNow said:


> Software installs OK, and I can download to PC no problem. I want to watch videos stored on my PC, but when I try to "Add an App" on the Tivo I get an Unexpected Error that references MSG_V310_ID. The steps they describe don't solve my issue.


You don't Add an App on the TiVo side. If everything is setup up and working correctly, just browse to the bottom of your My Shows list and you should see your PC just like you would see other TiVo's if you had more than one and you can then browse the shows on it and select which ones you want to transfer.

Scott


----------



## Gone2MauiNow

HerronScott said:


> You don't Add an App on the TiVo side. If everything is setup up and working correctly, just browse to the bottom of your My Shows list and you should see your PC just like you would see other TiVo's if you had more than one and you can then browse the shows on it and select which ones you want to transfer.
> 
> Scott


Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I don't see my PC.
Would I have more luck installing Tivo Desktop first?
Any other ideas?


----------



## HerronScott

Gone2MauiNow said:


> Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I don't see my PC.
> Would I have more luck installing Tivo Desktop first?
> Any other ideas?


Shouldn't be needed. You have pyTivo Desktop running when you are checking on the TiVo? It does have to be running in order to pull shows from the PC to the TiVo.

Scott


----------



## osu1991

Did you set a default location for all your videos in Pytivo Desktop? It has to know where your videos are located on your computer before you can pull them to the Tivo. Once it know where the videos are , just double click the tivo button and scroll all the way to the bottom of the list to see the folder on the computer.


----------



## Gone2MauiNow

osu1991 said:


> Did you set a default location for all your videos in Pytivo Desktop? It has to know where your videos are located on your computer before you can pull them to the Tivo. Once it know where the videos are , just double click the tivo button and scroll all the way to the bottom of the list to see the folder on the computer.


The pyTivo service is running. I mapped a couple different folders to be sure it wasn't content related, but neither show up.


----------



## V7Goose

Dan203 said:


> Hmm... I'll have to add a catch for that error, but that just means your TiVo isn't responding properly. Reboot the TiVo and I bet it works again.


You were right on, Dan (as usual!). I tried to stream a program from Bolt1 to Bolt2 later in the day, and TiVo gave me a message that it could not do that and to check the network connections, etc. I restarted Bolt1, and everything is back to normal.


----------



## Dan203

New version going up now. This includes the VideoReDo post-processing feature. It also includes a new feature that allows you to remove TiVos, or rearrange their order, on the transfer page. And the small fix for the day issue we discovered up thread.


----------



## UCLABB

Dan, I hope you don't think I'm a lazy bastard for not searching through 46 pages of posts, but I can't get the program to run. I just reset Windows 10 on my PC and figured I'd install PyTiVo Desktop. I had the old version and it appears parts are still around on the PC. Install went fine, but when I click to start, I get error message "error connecting to Pytivo".


----------



## Johnwashere

I reformated my pc and installed pytivo... I have a folder with lots of videos (mkv, avi, etc) that used to always work great with pytivo. Now I have it running and my tivos dont ever see it. I have tried restarting my pc and updating but its never worked for the past few months ever since I reformated. Is there anything special I need to do for a new install ? I put my media key in and I can see both of my tivos on my computer with pytivo and download tivo files. I just cant get my tivos to see the pytivo server to pull my movies from it.

Edit- Looks like it does not like my network drive. If I put a file on my local hard drive it seems to find it. I tried transferring a file now... been waiting a few minutes and it hasnt started transferring it. Hopefully it starts up soon


----------



## Drano32

I am having the same "error connecting to PyTivo" as UCLABB, but if I click retry it seems to connect to both my Tivos just fine. The "error connecting to PyTivo" message seems to appear no matter what, even if PyTivo is already running.


----------



## billpiper

I see the VideoRedo feature in the settings but dont see how to enable. I also getting cannot connect to Tivo message whenever I attempt to download change settings, but the download works even with cannot connect to TIVO message. Thanks in advance


Code:


INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Tue Jul 18 13:55:08 2017
INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.13
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.15063
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\_MEI26~1\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\windows\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivoService-27'
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Roamio - 192.168.1.151
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: Finished
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: Movies
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: TV
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:28:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:28:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:28:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.151 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:28:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.151 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:28:21] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:28:37] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:28:37] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.151 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.151 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:[Error -2146959355] Server execution failed
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.151 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:23] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.151 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[19/Jul/2017 05:39:26] Queued "[URL]http://192.168.1.151:80/download/Remember[/URL] Me.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=40207" for transfer to C:\Users\billp\Desktop\Finished
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:26] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:pC sleep has been disabled
[URL='http://192.168.1.151:80/download/Remember%20Me.TiVo?Container=%2FNowPlaying&id=40207']http://192.168.1.151:80/download/Remember Me.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=40207[/URL]
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:26] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.151 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[19/Jul/2017 05:39:26] Start getting "C:\Users\billp\Desktop\Finished\Remember Me - ''Episode 1'' (Recorded Jul 17, 2017, WCVEDT) (TS).tivo" from Roamio
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:39:30] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.151%3A80%2Fdownload%2FRemember%2520Me.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D40207 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:40:42] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:40:42] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:42:16] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [19/Jul/2017 05:42:42] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


----------



## V7Goose

Dan203 said:


> New version going up now. This includes the VideoReDo post-processing feature. It also includes a new feature that allows you to remove TiVos, or rearrange their order, on the transfer page. And the small fix for the day issue we discovered up thread.


I just got the notification from pyTiVo that a new version was available, but the web site is only offering 1.6.7, which is what I already have (since June 17)?


----------



## atmuscarella

V7Goose said:


> I just got the notification from pyTiVo that a new version was available, but the web site is only offering 1.6.7, which is what I already have (since June 17)?


I just checked and 1.6.9 for both Windows and Mac was the current version, that could be downloaded.


----------



## V7Goose

Interesting - I had gone in twice to check for downloads immediately before my post 12 minutes ago - both times I only was offered 1.6.7. I just now refreshed that same screen, and now I do see 1.6.9. Thanx


----------



## Dan203

The error connecting is a bug. If you click retry it will work. I'll fix that in the next release. Sorry


----------



## Dan203

billpiper said:


> I see the VideoRedo feature in the settings but dont see how to enable.


Do you have VideoReDo v5? If so start it up and then click Tools->Start batch manager. You should be prompted to register VideoReDo with COM. Click yes and allow it to do it's thing. After that the options should be visible.


----------



## Dan203

Johnwashere said:


> Edit- Looks like it does not like my network drive. If I put a file on my local hard drive it seems to find it. I tried transferring a file now... been waiting a few minutes and it hasnt started transferring it. Hopefully it starts up soon


You may need to reboot your TiVo. Sometimes after a failed attempt at transferring the TiVo will get stuck and not be able to transfer anything new. Also check your ToDo List and delete any transfers listed in there.


----------



## UCLABB

Dan203 said:


> The error connecting is a bug. If you click retry it will work. I'll fix that in the next release. Sorry


No dice on pytivo desktop. Get same message when I hit retry. When I try to open Pytivo, there's a quick blink and then nothing. I've unblocked firewalls and still no dice.

In task manager it show two pytivo.exe running and two pytivo tray running.

In the pytivo dialog it shows it found my two boxes.


----------



## Dan203

There is some sort of issue here. I've got the same report from a few other people. I'm going to have to look into it. 

I think it has something to do with the VRD options check I added, but I'm not sure what exactly is happening.


----------



## Dan203

I think I need to set up some sort of beta system so I can catch these bugs before I unleash them on the public. Maybe I'll add an option so people can opt-in to getting notifications of beta releases.

Edit: For now if anyone is interested in being a beta tester for the next build please send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you a link to the next build before I post it publicly.


----------



## Dan203

I see the issue. I forgot to put a try block around the code that tries to create the VideoReDo object. So if you don't have VRD then it crashes. I'll release a new build with a fix shortly.


----------



## Dan203

New build posted. Sorry about that guys.


----------



## billpiper

Dan203 said:


> Do you have VideoReDo v5? If so start it up and then click Tools->Start batch manager. You should be prompted to register VideoReDo with COM. Click yes and allow it to do it's thing. After that the options should be visible.


Have had ViodeoReDo v5 for a couple of years and use daily w/kmttg so I believe when I open batch manager it is no longer registering w/COM. Anything else I can do?


----------



## Dan203

Try the new build and see if that works.

Also might not work if you're running pyTivo as a service. Are you running as a service?


----------



## UCLABB

Dan203 said:


> New build posted. Sorry about that guys.


Up and running! Was a bit of a glitch on the download; I forget the exact message, but it sounded like failure. Nevertheless, I started Pytivo, then Pytivo desktop and voila. Transferred a couple of recordings back and forth and everything looks good.

This is particularly timely for me since I lost desktop Plus in the reset of windows.

Now if I could only figure out how to download iTunes to my reset pc.

Thanks a million, Dan.


----------



## billpiper

Dan203 said:


> Try the new build and see if that works.
> 
> Also might not work if you're running pyTivo as a service. Are you running as a service?


Believe it is running as a service, how do I stop the service?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203

You'd have to reinstall and select the non-service option.


----------



## billpiper

Dan203 said:


> You'd have to reinstall and select the non-service option.


That did it, thanks


----------



## Dan203

Anyone want to try a new beta build of pyTivo?

Beta download for Windows

3 new features....

1) Option to prompt for VRD post process settings for each download

2) Free space indicator in Settings dialog under output folder and new check that will alert you if you attempt to download and there isn't enough space.

3) Beta option on Misc tab that will check for beta versions before they are put out as general releases

From now on I will be updating the beta version first, maybe accumulating several new builds before combining them into a single general purpose release. I hope this will help me avoid the big bugs I've had in the last two releases. So if you want to always have the latest and greatest go to the Misc tab in the options dialog and check the Get notified of beta builds option. If you don't then it defaults to off and you can ignore it.


----------



## Dan203

Mac beta also available...

Beta downloads for Mac

This one contains a fix for the error connecting issue when you first launch desktop. I'd like to get this one posted as an official release ASAP so if there are any Mac users out there willing to test and report back please download.


----------



## gonzotek

Just installed the Mac beta, no error on launch.  I'll play with it a bit and let you know if I come across anything.


----------



## larryhitz

gonzotek said:


> Just installed the Mac beta, no error on launch.  I'll play with it a bit and let you know if I come across anything.


I get the error when trying to download with the Beta on Mac


----------



## Test

Dan203 said:


> I'll have to see if there is some way for me to detect the dark theme on Mac.


Maybe you can use something like this








It has the black body for the regular theme and a white outline for the dark theme


----------



## Dan203

larryhitz said:


> I get the error when trying to download with the Beta on Mac


What kind of error?


----------



## UCLABB

Downloads work, now they don't. Queue just sits there. Reloaded a few times, but no joy. Obviously sees my boxes and loads programs, but doesn't do anything on transfer.


----------



## Dan203

UCLABB said:


> Downloads work, now they don't. Queue just sits there. Reloaded a few times, but no joy. Obviously sees my boxes and loads programs, but doesn't do anything on transfer.


That's usually a problem on the TiVo side. Try rebooting the TiVo.


----------



## Gcrackr

Could use some help for installation. Installed on Win 7 64 bit close to new machine. Version 1.6.10. Selected all three options available on installation. No errors or problems on the install. On first run of desktop got a window “Error connecting to pyTivo! Verify pyTivo is running and try again”

Notification tray says pyTiVo is running. Two items related to pyTiVo appear in Task Manager-Services. Restarted system—no change in results. The PC does NOT appear on TiVo Roamio. Stopped pyTiVo Service from the notification tray and restarted—same results on startup of pyTiVo Desktop.

TiVo Desktop Plus was previously on this machine (not working consistently, thus trying pyTiVo) but was uninstalled (also used the TiVo Desktop Cleaner) prior to install of pyTiVoDesktop. Only other thing I can find of note: at the time of startup of the system, Windows Event viewer reports a Warning: Event #7039 Service Control Manager. A service process other than the one launched by the Service Control Manager connected when starting the pyTiVo service. The Service Control Manager launched process 4380 and process 6084 connected instead. Note that if this service is configured to start under a debugger, this behavior is expected”. The process numbers change on each startup of the system but the warning is persistent on each startup of the system.

What to try next?? (Computer novice here so be somewhat specific with your response please).


----------



## ClearToLand

Gcrackr said:


> Could use some help for installation. Installed on Win 7 64 bit close to new machine. *Version 1.6.10.* *Selected all three options available on installation.* No errors or problems on the install. On first run of desktop got a window "Error connecting to pyTivo! Verify pyTivo is running and try again"
> 
> Notification tray says pyTiVo is running. *Two items related to pyTiVo appear in Task Manager-Services.*..
> ---SNIP---
> ...Only other thing I can find of note: at the time of startup of the system, *Windows Event viewer reports a Warning: Event #7039 Service Control Manager. A service process other than the one launched by the Service Control Manager connected when starting the pyTiVo service. The Service Control Manager launched process 4380 and process 6084 connected instead. Note that if this service is configured to start under a debugger, this behavior is expected".*..


A few ideas until @Dan203 can reply (referring to RED QUOTEs above):
I'm running on Vista so PyTiVo Desktop doesn't work the same for me as others and now I just run things sort of manually via IDLE. I don't remember what the "three options" were, but I'd begin troubleshooting by uninstalling v1.6.10 and then re-installing without the service and see if that works. 
Refresh my memory - what are the "three options"?
.
If that doesn't work, I'd uninstall v1.6.10 and install v1.6.4 (I'm using v1.6.2 so I know how that works, but that's not CLICKable). Installing and uninstalling PyTiVo Desktop is a piece of cake so selecting fewer options and / or an earlier version will be a quick way to see what works for you. When troubleshooting, I like to call it "Divide and Conquer" - pick a place halfway between the beginning and where you are now and start there. If that doesn't work, go back 25% more. If it does work, go forward 25% more.
Good Luck!


----------



## Dan203

Gcrackr said:


> Could use some help for installation. Installed on Win 7 64 bit close to new machine. Version 1.6.10. Selected all three options available on installation. No errors or problems on the install. On first run of desktop got a window "Error connecting to pyTivo! Verify pyTivo is running and try again"
> 
> Notification tray says pyTiVo is running. Two items related to pyTiVo appear in Task Manager-Services. Restarted system-no change in results. The PC does NOT appear on TiVo Roamio. Stopped pyTiVo Service from the notification tray and restarted-same results on startup of pyTiVo Desktop.
> 
> TiVo Desktop Plus was previously on this machine (not working consistently, thus trying pyTiVo) but was uninstalled (also used the TiVo Desktop Cleaner) prior to install of pyTiVoDesktop. Only other thing I can find of note: at the time of startup of the system, Windows Event viewer reports a Warning: Event #7039 Service Control Manager. A service process other than the one launched by the Service Control Manager connected when starting the pyTiVo service. The Service Control Manager launched process 4380 and process 6084 connected instead. Note that if this service is configured to start under a debugger, this behavior is expected". The process numbers change on each startup of the system but the warning is persistent on each startup of the system.
> 
> What to try next?? (Computer novice here so be somewhat specific with your response please).


Sounds like your system has some issue with the service. Could be a permissions thing. Just as a test try reinstalling, but uncheck the service option.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> ClearToLand said:
> 
> 
> 
> A few ideas until @Dan203 can reply (referring to RED QUOTEs above):
> 
> I'm running on Vista so PyTiVo Desktop doesn't work the same for me as others and now I just run things sort of manually via IDLE. I don't remember what the "three options" were, but *I'd begin troubleshooting by uninstalling v1.6.10 and then re-installing without the service and see if that works*.
> Refresh my memory - what are the "three options"?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds like your system has some issue with the service. Could be a permissions thing. Just as a test try reinstalling, but uncheck the service option.
Click to expand...

Didn't I say the same thing a few hours earlier?


----------



## ClearToLand

@Dan203 ,

I have a request, when you get a chance:

*Do you know if PyTiVo Desktop will preserve the contents of "contentId" in a roundtrip TiVo-to-PC-to-TiVo transfer?*​
I recently discovered that AutoSkip / 'Skip' is NOT available when one transfers a file TiVo-to-PC via PS / 'Slow' Format transfer (I'm assuming TS / 'Fast' Format transfers too) via kmttg and then returns it PC-to-TiVo, either via pyTiVo or PyTiVo Desktop. @moyekj replied (in his main kmttg thread) that .tivo files DO NOT save "*contentId*" and told me to decrypt it to .mpg and also save the .mpg.txt file. That worked.

If not currently, might it be possible for PyTiVo Desktop to preserve "*contentId*" in a .tivo file so that the transfer back can properly access the TiVo servers for the commercial skip points? Up until this point, I had always believed that a .tivo file was a mirror image of what was originally on the TiVo unit. Imagine my surprise - ~3TB of off loaded shows WITHOUT 'Skip'! 

Thanks!


----------



## Nickipedia

Gcrackr said:


> Could use some help for installation. Installed on Win 7 64 bit close to new machine. Version 1.6.10. Selected all three options available on installation. No errors or problems on the install. On first run of desktop got a window "Error connecting to pyTivo! Verify pyTivo is running and try again"
> 
> Notification tray says pyTiVo is running. Two items related to pyTiVo appear in Task Manager-Services. Restarted system-no change in results. The PC does NOT appear on TiVo Roamio. Stopped pyTiVo Service from the notification tray and restarted-same results on startup of pyTiVo Desktop.


I have this problem too on the PCs. Both on a Win7x64 and a Win10x64 machine. The error will just keep popping up until I quit the app.


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan-

Your pytivo improvements have greatly enhanced my TiVo viewing habits.

Wish TV episodes would consistently load to the same folder - it's a TiVo server issue. SeriesId/ProgramId issues. Would like to put all movies in one folder too...


----------



## eherberg

Sparky1234 said:


> Dan-
> 
> Your pytivo improvements have greatly enhanced my TiVo viewing habits.
> 
> Wish TV episodes would consistently load to the same folder - it's a TiVo server issue. SeriesId/ProgramId issues. Would like to put all movies in one folder too...


Metagenerator would appear to help you in that regard.


----------



## mlippert

ClearToLand said:


> @Dan203 ,
> 
> I have a request, when you get a chance:
> 
> *Do you know if PyTiVo Desktop will preserve the contents of "contentId" in a roundtrip TiVo-to-PC-to-TiVo transfer?*​
> I recently discovered that AutoSkip / 'Skip' is NOT available when one transfers a file TiVo-to-PC via PS / 'Slow' Format transfer (I'm assuming TS / 'Fast' Format transfers too) via kmttg and then returns it PC-to-TiVo, either via pyTiVo or PyTiVo Desktop. @moyekj replied (in his main kmttg thread) that .tivo files DO NOT save "*contentId*" and told me to decrypt it to .mpg and also save the .mpg.txt file. That worked.
> 
> If not currently, might it be possible for PyTiVo Desktop to preserve "*contentId*" in a .tivo file so that the transfer back can properly access the TiVo servers for the commercial skip points? Up until this point, I had always believed that a .tivo file was a mirror image of what was originally on the TiVo unit. Imagine my surprise - ~3TB of off loaded shows WITHOUT 'Skip'!
> 
> Thanks!


What/where is this contentId? I've been digging into pyTivo (I've converted it to Python 3, and integrated many of Dan's improvements, and I'm working on a few of my own). I haven't seen anything with that name being served up by the TiVo. Nor do I see it saved in the .txt metadata file that kmttg creates when it downloads a recording.


----------



## Dan203

Nickipedia said:


> I have this problem too on the PCs. Both on a Win7x64 and a Win10x64 machine. The error will just keep popping up until I quit the app.


Are you also running as a service?


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> @Dan203 ,
> 
> I have a request, when you get a chance:
> 
> *Do you know if PyTiVo Desktop will preserve the contents of "contentId" in a roundtrip TiVo-to-PC-to-TiVo transfer?*​


Unfortunately the data TiVo uses for skip mode is not in the XML that is stored with .tivo files. AFAIK there is no way to get it to even read that data when doing a TTG transfer, so even if I could get it some other way I don't think there is any way to apply it to the PC to TiVo transfers.


----------



## UCLABB

Dan203 said:


> That's usually a problem on the TiVo side. Try rebooting the TiVo.


Nothing worked until I reinstalled PyTiVo. Not sure what the issue was. I did change the destination folder.


----------



## Dan203

Perhaps the destination folder was the issue. If you're running as a service you need to make sure the destination folder is public, and not a user specific folder that would need permissions. Or you have to go into the service options and set it to have user credentials.


----------



## UCLABB

Dan203 said:


> Perhaps the destination folder was the issue. If you're running as a service you need to make sure the destination folder is public, and not a user specific folder that would need permissions. Or you have to go into the service options and set it to have user credentials.


It was cool that on the reinstall it kept my TSN and destination folder. I figured I'd have to input them again.


----------



## elprice7345

Minor improvement request: Could pyTivo Desktop remember the setting to not have my TiVo recordings folder be a pyTivo share?

I don't use my download folder as a pyTivo share and I have to remember to uncheck this with each new version.


----------



## Dan203

I'll see what I can do.


----------



## Bluesplinter

Dan203 said:


> Mac beta also available...
> 
> Beta downloads for Mac
> 
> This one contains a fix for the error connecting issue when you first launch desktop. I'd like to get this one posted as an official release ASAP so if there are any Mac users out there willing to test and report back please download.


This version (1.6.11-beta) fixed the "error connecting to pytivo" issue I also had with 1.6.9. I'm on macOS Sierra, 32gb RAM. If you want more details, just yell.

FWIW, THANK YOU for this! I had finally decided to try pyTivo, as I was tired of Plex always transcoding files I had originally downloaded from my Roamio, when I stumbled upon pyTivo Desktop. Perfect solution! If you ever decide to try making a version for Synology NAS, I'll be happy to test that, too.


----------



## Gcrackr

Sorry to report Dan, still no go. Uninstalled via the menu shortcut (note: got a window some elements not removed...can remove manually. I would, if I knew what they might be). Also noted two errors in Windows Event viewer: #242 & #3. Not sure if they came from the uninstall or the shutdown right afterwards. Restarted system. Re-installed without the "run as a service" option. Started pyTiVo. This time, got a Windows Firewall alert about some elements being blocked. It gave me options to allow on private network and public networks. Selected both (Public was checked by default). Got pyTiVo reporting as running in the notification tray but pyTiVo desktop still won't run. Get the same "verify....." Restarted one more time for good luck but got none. 
Next??


----------



## Dan203

So the error you're getting is that the versions of pyTivo and Desktop don't match?


----------



## Dan203

I've just released the two beta builds as official releases. Try the new build and see if it fixes your issue.


----------



## Nickipedia

1.6.11 Is working on my Windows machines. But now when I click the download button next to the show I get the error again.










I am not running as a service.


----------



## Dan203

Are there any errors in the log? Click gear, about, view log.


----------



## Sparky1234

eherberg said:


> Metagenerator would appear to help you in that regard.


I have tried MG over several months with zero success . Usually comes up with no returns.


----------



## jgrub

Same problem as others... get the "Retry" error

My log has errors:

ERROR: pyTivo:My Photos - sequence item 1: expected string, list found
ERROR: pyTivo:My Share Videos - sequence item 1: expected string, list found
ERROR: pyTivo:TiVo Recordings - sequence item 1: expected string, list found


----------



## dlfl

Sparky1234 said:


> I have tried MG over several months with zero success . Usually comes up with no returns.


If you post specific details in the MG3 thread of the pyTiVo forum (link in signature) I will attempt to resolve your issue. Or start a new thread in this forum. (Don't want to clutter this thread with off-topic talk.)


----------



## aspexil

Nickipedia said:


> 1.6.11 Is working on my Windows machines. But now when I click the download button next to the show I get the error again.
> 
> View attachment 29764
> 
> 
> I am not running as a service.


I'm getting the same dialog on the Mac when I click the download link. First time user here. No errors in the logs only INFO statements


----------



## Dan203

I think I might know what the error is. I'll test it and post a fix in a few hours


----------



## Dan203

Windows version posted.

I'm still working on Mac version, it'll be posted in about 15 minutes


----------



## Dan203

Mac version posted


----------



## jgrub

Hey Dan ! Thanks a lot. Working for me on Mac Pro (2009), Mac OS 10.11.6

BTW: I meant to say this previously (previous working editions of pyTivo)... I cannot get over how fast the transfers are compared to, say, TiVo Transfer... really a great piece of work!


----------



## aspexil

That fixed it for me too. Now what do we use to watch what we downloaded? I'm on Mac OS X Sierra.


----------



## Dan203

aspexil said:


> That fixed it for me too. Now what do we use to watch what we downloaded? I'm on Mac OS X Sierra.


Use the decrypt option. Then you can just use VLC to watch the recordings.


----------



## aspexil

aspexil said:


> That fixed it for me too. Now what do we use to watch what we downloaded? I'm on Mac OS X Sierra.


Ah, decrypt with tivolibre, I see. Thanks!


----------



## bgc

Is it necessary to uninstall before installing the next version?


----------



## elprice7345

bgc said:


> Is it necessary to uninstall before installing the next version?


No


----------



## Sparky1234

dlfl said:


> If you post specific details in the MG3 thread of the pyTiVo forum (link in signature) I will attempt to resolve your issue. Or start a new thread in this forum. (Don't want to clutter this thread with off-topic talk.)


will do.


----------



## elprice7345

Issue with "odd" characters:

I tried pulling a file to my Bolt and pyTivo/TiVo wouldn't let me select it.

The file was named "Hannibal-S02E11-Kō No Mono.mpg"

I was able to pull the file after replacing the "ō" (Unicode U+014D) character with an"o".

I believe @moyekj has kmttg replace "odd" characters in the kmttg download process to prevent this from happening. The issue arises when renaming episodes as they are named in theTVDB. A TVDB user could potentially use any unicode character when naming an episode.

I'm sure there are other odd characters that would prevent pulling shows.

Is there some way for pyTivo Desktop to compensate for this?


----------



## Dan203

You're having issues pulling from PC to TiVo?


----------



## bob61

Dan203 said:


> I have just completed a new version which now includes a full feature UI called "pyTivo Desktop" which includes TiVoToGo support. I hope it works well for everyone. Please let me know if you have any trouble with it...
> 
> pyTivo Desktop
> 
> Release builds
> Last Updated - Windows: 7/25/17 1:05pm - v1.6.12


I just stumbled into finding your great program Dan. Everything is installed and looks good. I have a couple questions that I was hoping you could help with.

1. I left the set-up as defaulted, I am able to transfer files (.tivo) to my network drive. I was then wanting to decode the Tivo files to MPEG's. I copied the tivo-libre-0.7.4.jar file into the bin directory (I also copied TivoDecoder.jar). Under the "TiVoToGo" tab I then clicked on "Decrypt with tivo-libre" and saved. When I go to download I get a message that the download is added to queue. I see "1" in the download queue counter. However the download never start. I click to view progress and it just sits at 0 bytes. Is there something I've done wrong in the set-up or any suggestions why the download isn't starting?

2. When I save off the configuration changes the pyTivo Desktop restarts pyTivo. I then get an error message "Error connecting to pyTivo! Verify pyTivo is running and retry". I click on the tray and see the pyTivo with red X. I click on Restart and then after a couple of seconds I click on "Open pyTivo Desktop". This is a work around but shouldn't the program automatically restart pyTivo?


----------



## Dan203

1) You don't need to put tivolibre.jar into the bin folder. A copy is already included as an exe. Putting that there could actually be causing a problem.

2) This could be related to #1

Try deleting the tivolibre.jar file you put in the bin directory and see if that works. If not you can look at the log by opening the About dialog, and clicking show log. It sounds like it's crashing somehow so there should be some sort of error listed.


----------



## bob61

Dan203 said:


> 1) You don't need to put tivolibre.jar into the bin folder. A copy is already included as an exe. Putting that there could actually be causing a problem.
> 
> 2) This could be related to #1
> 
> Try deleting the tivolibre.jar file you put in the bin directory and see if that works. If not you can look at the log by opening the About dialog, and clicking show log. It sounds like it's crashing somehow so there should be some sort of error listed.


I had tried the copy/decode initially without the tivo-libre.jar file, but since it didn't decode/copy I put the file into the bin directory. I've removed the file once again, restart pyTivo and it still will not process. Here's the log file:



> INFOyTivo:Last modified: Tue Jul 25 12:48:32 2017
> INFOyTivoython: 2.7.13
> INFOyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.15063
> INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\_MEI11~1\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
> INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\windows\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivoService-27'
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Roamio - 192.168.1.24
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Registering: My Video
> INFOyTivoyTivo is ready.
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:34] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:34] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\Tivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:34] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:34] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:37] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.24 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:37] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.24 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo.togo:[05/Aug/2017 13:13:44] Queued "http://192.168.1.24:80/download/Impractical Jokers.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=268944" for transfer to E:\Tivo
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:44] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo.togoC sleep has been disabled
> http://192.168.1.24:80/download/Impractical Jokers.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=268944
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.24 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\Tivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo.togo:[05/Aug/2017 13:13:45] Start getting "E:\Tivo\Impractical Jokers - ''Mime and Punishment'' (Recorded Jul 21, 2017, truTVHD-E).ts" from Roamio
> WARNINGyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
> WARNINGyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
> Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
> ERRORyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 897, in process_queue
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 659, in get_tivo_file
> File "subprocess.py", line 382, in __init__
> File "subprocess.py", line 522, in _get_handles
> WindowsError: [Error 6] The handle is invalid
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:13:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.24%3A80%2Fdownload%2FImpractical%2520Jokers.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D268944 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:14:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


I see there's a warning that tivodecode not found, is that the problem and do I need to get that file from another source?

Thanks


----------



## Dan203

Nothing to do with libre or decode. Looks like pyTivo is having trouble accessing your output drive or folder. Does the folder exist? Is the drive awake and accessible? (external drives can fall asleep)


----------



## bob61

Yeah, I know the external can fall asleep. But external drive is awake, I just viewed photos, loaded Excel file and copied files to the drive. Drive didn't even have to spin up so already awake and alert.


----------



## Dan203

Just as a test try setting the output folder to an internal drive and see if it works.


----------



## bob61

I just did that, same problem. It won't start to decode/copy.



Code:


INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Tue Jul 25 12:48:32 2017
INFO:pyTivo:Python: 2.7.13
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.15063
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\_MEI61~1\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\windows\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivoService-27'
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Roamio - 192.168.1.24
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: My Video
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Temp HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:53] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.24 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:53] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.24 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[05/Aug/2017 13:38:58] Queued "http://192.168.1.24:80/download/Impractical Jokers.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=268944" for transfer to C:\Temp
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:58] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:PC sleep has been disabled
http://192.168.1.24:80/download/Impractical%20Jokers.TiVo?Container=%2FNowPlaying&id=268944
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:58] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.24 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:38:58] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Temp HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[05/Aug/2017 13:39:00] Start getting "C:\Temp\Impractical Jokers - ''Mime and Punishment'' (Recorded Jul 21, 2017, truTVHD-E).ts" from Roamio
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 897, in process_queue
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 659, in get_tivo_file
  File "subprocess.py", line 382, in __init__
  File "subprocess.py", line 522, in _get_handles
WindowsError: [Error 6] The handle is invalid
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:39:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.24%3A80%2Fdownload%2FImpractical%2520Jokers.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D268944 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [05/Aug/2017 13:39:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


----------



## bob61

Any other suggestions Dan?


----------



## murgatroyd

I set up a Music share with pyTiVoDesktop. My Roamio Basic can see all the video shares but not the new music share. I've rebooted my computer and the Roamio a couple of times. Any ideas? The Roamio is currently on 20.7.1.RC2-USA-6-846.


----------



## Dan203

bob61 said:


> Any other suggestions Dan?


Looking at the code. That exact error means it's having trouble opening tivolibre for decoding.

In the pyTivo install folder, under bin, do you see tivolibre.exe?

Could your antivirus software be blocking it for some reason?


----------



## Dan203

murgatroyd said:


> I set up a Music share with pyTiVoDesktop. My Roamio Basic can see all the video shares but not the new music share. I've rebooted my computer and the Roamio a couple of times. Any ideas? The Roamio is currently on 20.7.1.RC2-USA-6-846.


You do have music in the folder it's pointed at right?

Try temporarily disabling your firewall. Then stop and restart pyTivo and see if that helps.


----------



## bob61

Dan203 said:


> Looking at the code. That exact error means it's having trouble opening tivolibre for decoding.
> 
> In the pyTivo install folder, under bin, do you see tivolibre.exe?
> 
> Could your antivirus software be blocking it for some reason?


Yes, I see tivolibre.exe (version 0.7.4.0) in the BIN folder. I'm running Windows Defender, no other antivirus software.


----------



## bob61

Is there any reason tivolibre.exe would have trouble opening? Is there anyway to manually verify (cmd?) if tivolibre.exe is executing correctly?


----------



## murgatroyd

Dan203 said:


> You do have music in the folder it's pointed at right?
> 
> Try temporarily disabling your firewall. Then stop and restart pyTivo and see if that helps.


I shared my Music folder (the Library folder under my user folder, C:\Users\Jan\Music\ ). Most of the contents of the directory are album folders, but there is one album whose tracks got dumped in the main directory).

When I look at Devices on the Roamio, there are entries in the list for all the video shares, but not the music share. I did screw up once by forgetting to tell pyTiVoDesktop to save the new share, but I fixed that.

Disabling the firewall, then stopping and restarting pyTiVo didn't work. For a moment, I only saw the TiVoHD under Devices, then all the video shares reappeared, but not the music share.


----------



## Dan203

bob61 said:


> Is there any reason tivolibre.exe would have trouble opening? Is there anyway to manually verify (cmd?) if tivolibre.exe is executing correctly?


Yeah you can run tivolibre.exe from the commandline just like tivolibre.jar


----------



## Dan203

murgatroyd said:


> I shared my Music folder (the Library folder under my user folder, C:\Users\Jan\Music\ ). Most of the contents of the directory are album folders, but there is one album whose tracks got dumped in the main directory).
> 
> When I look at Devices on the Roamio, there are entries in the list for all the video shares, but not the music share. I did screw up once by forgetting to tell pyTiVoDesktop to save the new share, but I fixed that.
> 
> Disabling the firewall, then stopping and restarting pyTiVo didn't work. For a moment, I only saw the TiVoHD under Devices, then all the video shares reappeared, but not the music share.


Music shares don't show up under devices. They show under Music & Photos on the main menu.


----------



## murgatroyd

Dan203 said:


> Music shares don't show up under devices. They show under Music & Photos on the main menu.


D'oh!


----------



## bob61

Dan - I have resolved whatever issue there was by first uninstalling, rebooting and then re-installing. Not sure why it didn't work the first time as I changed nothing, but it's working fine now. Thanks for your support.


----------



## Dan203

I'm glad you got it working. Something must have got corrupted the first time.


----------



## justen_m

I installed pyTivo_1.6.12 (on C: (SSD), entered MAK, and D:\Videos (HDD where I have my videos) for the directory) on my Win10 (ver 1703 bld 15063.502) box.

I just get a window that pops up saying "Error connecting to pyTiVo! Verify pyTiVo is running and retry". It appears to be running based on the icon in my notification area, and the fact I can connect my browser to localhost:9032. I click Retry. A window flashes in the background, immediately disappears and the error window pops up again. Rinse, wash, repeat. I tried rebooting and launching both pyTiVo (server) and pyTiVo Desktop with admin privileges. Same problem.

I did a search and in this thread others have posted having the same problem... July 24th time frame. It sounds like it was supposed to be fixed in 1.6.12. Well, not for me.

The only anti-virus software I am running is Windows Defender. I am also running Windows firewall. pyTiVo is installed in a different directory than old pyTivo, old pyTivo isn't running, etc. 1.6.12 is the only version of pyTiVo Desktop I've ever installed. I am not running it as a service, or automatically starting it with Windows. I launch it manually. I am unable to click on the gear to open that menu to check the log (as you recommended in a prior post in this thread). The error window blocks everything. I looked in the pyTivo directory, but don't see anything that looks like a log file. What is the fullpath and filename for the log, if I installed to C:\Program Files (x86)\pyTivo\

[edit] Uninstalled, rebooted, installed again. Same error.
[edit2] Rebooted, tried again, fired up pyTivo then Desktop... got the same error a few times... then it stopped popping up, and it appears to be working Maybe I just need to wait longer to launch pyTivo Desktop after starting the pyTivo server, even on a moderately fast, otherwise idle system (M2 SSD, i3-7100U, DDR4).
[edit3] Is this error from the log relevant?


Code:


INFO:pyTivo:[Errno 10053] An established connection was aborted by the software in your host machine

and shouldn't that be ERROR instead of INFO?


----------



## Dan203

That's not relevant. It's coming from the server portion of the code because the javascript part of Desktop is aborting. 

Hmmm.... maybe I should add a longer timeout on that.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> You're having issues pulling from PC to TiVo?


Yes, when accessing my pyTivo shares from my TiVo, I select the file named "Hannibal-S02E11-Kō No Mono.mpg" and pyTivo does nothing. It doesn't open the next screen where I would select the episode to be transferred.

As I mentioned in my post, Easier to use pyTivo , I believe @moyekj has kmttg replace "odd" characters in the kmttg download process to prevent this from happening.

The problem arises when users rename their files to match the TVDB name or any other name with characters not accepted by pyTivo/TiVo.

I use MG3 to rename all my shows to match the TVDB name and so I found the issue.

Perhaps the best place to address this, in my particular workflow, is with MG3 and have it replace the offending characters, but what if other users are using different applications to rename files and have a similar problem?

Should the change be made to MG3 or to pyTivo?

@dlfl & @Dan203 - Thoughts?


----------



## dlfl

elprice7345 said:


> Yes, when accessing my pyTivo shares from my TiVo, I select the file named "Hannibal-S02E11-Kō No Mono.mpg" and pyTivo does nothing. It doesn't open the next screen where I would select the episode to be transferred.
> 
> As I mentioned in my post, Easier to use pyTivo , I believe @moyekj has kmttg replace "odd" characters in the kmttg download process to prevent this from happening.
> 
> The problem arises when users rename their files to match the TVDB name or any other name with characters not accepted by pyTivo/TiVo.
> 
> I use MG3 to rename all my shows to match the TVDB name and so I found the issue.
> 
> Perhaps the best place to address this, in my particular workflow, is with MG3 and have it replace the offending characters, but what if other users are using different applications to rename files and have a similar problem?
> 
> Should the change be made to MG3 or to pyTivo?
> 
> @dlfl & @Dan203 - Thoughts?


If there is a general (algorithmic or functional) way to handle such substitutions in code, I would like to know of it. Otherwise you have to handle each such case individually, e.g., substitute 'o' for 'ō'. And there appear to be hundreds of such possibilities if you look at the unicode tables, so the only practical way to do it is for users to call attention to specific cases and suggest the desired substitute character. I have no problem doing that in MG3.


----------



## minimeh

dlfl said:


> If there is a general (algorithmic or functional) way to handle such substitutions in code, I would like to know of it. Otherwise you have to handle each such case individually, e.g., substitute 'o' for 'ō'. And there appear to be hundreds of such possibilities if you look at the unicode tables, so the only practical way to do it is for users to call attention to specific cases and suggest the desired substitute character. I have no problem doing that in MG3.


I have no idea what language MG3 is written, but the problem of converting unicode to UTF-8 has been solved in most if not all. In python, there is a nice discussion and solution here: Converting Unicode Strings to 8-bit Strings

Other solutions in Java, C#, C++, etc. abound. It's a wheel you need not invent.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> Yes, when accessing my pyTivo shares from my TiVo, I select the file named "Hannibal-S02E11-Kō No Mono.mpg" and pyTivo does nothing. It doesn't open the next screen where I would select the episode to be transferred.
> 
> As I mentioned in my post, Easier to use pyTivo , I believe @moyekj has kmttg replace "odd" characters in the kmttg download process to prevent this from happening.
> 
> The problem arises when users rename their files to match the TVDB name or any other name with characters not accepted by pyTivo/TiVo.
> 
> I use MG3 to rename all my shows to match the TVDB name and so I found the issue.
> 
> Perhaps the best place to address this, in my particular workflow, is with MG3 and have it replace the offending characters, but what if other users are using different applications to rename files and have a similar problem?
> 
> Should the change be made to MG3 or to pyTivo?
> 
> @dlfl & @Dan203 - Thoughts?


Is it caused by the Unicode characters in the metadata? Or in the file name? Can you try deleting the .txt file for one of these files and see if you still have the issue? That will tell me which part of the code the problem is in.


----------



## JACKASTOR

Dan, firstly thanks for such a kick ass piece of software.. here's the problem I am having. I have the same pytivo error that others have reported.. I installed tivo desktop (current version and last one.). This allowed me to get around the error but I notice when you make changes pytivo server does not restart. It sits in limbo and I have to restart it manually. Ok at one point I set up video shares, the one single directory worked files transferred from desktop to tivo. Went back to software added more shares from my system. Shares vanished. I can see all my TiVo's, can pull from them but cannot now see the shared folders any longer.. can you advise.. is there a tutorial or guide we can use? Everything is installed and proper permissions granted. Tried disabling virus and firewalls no change.


----------



## dlfl

Upon refreshing my memory, the only problem MG3 has with "odd" characters is when it calls Atomic Parsley to embed metadata in output .mp4 files. That program (which is old, and which I don't maintain) chokes on file names including those characters. I built a work-around into mg3 in which the file being processed is temporarily renamed and then again renamed to the original name after the embedding process completes, so MG3 provides an output file name that includes the odd chars. In other words, MG3 has no problem with the odd characters as long as a table of substitute characters is pre-defined -- or if you're not configuring it to embed metadata in output .mp4 file. There may be a simpler (algorithmic) way to generate the temp file name by just detecting non-ASCII chars and subbing a dummy char (e.g., 'z'), or maybe just removing them -- it's just a temporary file name anyway.

But the above discussion and MG3 treatment doesn't address the problem @elprice7345 has defined.


----------



## Dan203

JACKASTOR said:


> Dan, firstly thanks for such a kick ass piece of software.. here's the problem I am having. I have the same pytivo error that others have reported.. I installed tivo desktop (current version and last one.). This allowed me to get around the error but I notice when you make changes pytivo server does not restart. It sits in limbo and I have to restart it manually. Ok at one point I set up video shares, the one single directory worked files transferred from desktop to tivo. Went back to software added more shares from my system. Shares vanished. I can see all my TiVo's, can pull from them but cannot now see the shared folders any longer.. can you advise.. is there a tutorial or guide we can use? Everything is installed and proper permissions granted. Tried disabling virus and firewalls no change.


The internal pyTivo reboot doesn't seem to work that well. It's something that was added before me so I'm not 100% sure what it even does. Only reason I force a reboot after changing the setting or adding a share is because it forces pyTivo to reread the conf file.

Stopping pyTivo and restarting it seems to work better. I may add something that does that instead.


----------



## Dan203

dlfl said:


> Upon refreshing my memory, the only problem MG3 has with "odd" characters is when it calls Atomic Parsley to embed metadata in output .mp4 files. That program (which is old, and which I don't maintain) chokes on file names including those characters. I built a work-around into mg3 in which the file being processed is temporarily renamed and then again renamed to the original name after the embedding process completes, so MG3 provides an output file name that includes the odd chars. In other words, MG3 has no problem with the odd characters as long as a table of substitute characters is pre-defined -- or if you're not configuring it to embed metadata in output .mp4 file. There may be a simpler (algorithmic) way to generate the temp file name by just detecting non-ASCII chars and subbing a dummy char (e.g., 'z'), or maybe just removing them -- it's just a temporary file name anyway.
> 
> But the above discussion and MG3 treatment doesn't address the problem @elprice7345 has defined.


It could be on the TiVo side. It may not support unicode characters. If it's just the metadata that has issues I can probably fix that. But if it's the actual file name then the only way I can fix that is by using the DOS name. But that will only work on Windows, so I'm not sure how I would do that on Mac.


----------



## Dan203

I'm going to have to investigate this a little more. I don't know exactly how pyTivo presents files to the TiVo. It may not actually matter if filename has unicode characters if pyTivo is just feeding data. It could be as simple as normalizing the string pyTivo sends to the TiVo as the "title" for a given file.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Is it caused by the Unicode characters in the metadata? Or in the file name? Can you try deleting the .txt file for one of these files and see if you still have the issue? That will tell me which part of the code the problem is in.


It is caused by the unicode character in the file name.

I renamed the file, substituting an "o" instead of the "ō" and the file pulled properly. I didn't touch the metadata file.


----------



## Dan203

So it displays the file in the list OK it just fails when you attempt to pull it?


----------



## JACKASTOR

Hmmm.. I know some files display with tivo desktop and they don't get pulled because they are in incompatible video formats when they were encoded. I wonder if this is more the issue here rather than pytivo choking.


----------



## JACKASTOR

@Dan203

So I wiped it all out reinstalled it all removed firewall refs and stopped pytivo running as a windows service. All my file shares are working and oddly no more of that error...that said it couldn't find pytivo retry... so I wonder if that's all that any need to do. At any rate all my file shares show up and things are running nifty.. My computer is a gigabyte brix system (GB-BSI3H-6100-ZA-IWUS (rev. 1.0) | Mini-PC System (BRIX) | GIGABYTE) with 240gb ssd hdd and 120GB M.2 SSD. 8gb ram running windows 10pro 64bit. Boot time 17 secs to usable. Small system the size of my palm. Running things perfectly now! My shares are attached network storage btw and transfer seems fine albeit not as fast as I would like as the system is connected wirelessly


----------



## Dan203

Glad you got it working. Not sure why it didn't work the first time.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> So it displays the file in the list OK it just fails when you attempt to pull it?


Correct, pyTivo displays the show, although with a rectangle in place of the odd character, but when I try to select it, nothing happens.

@Dan203 - Test it on your system. Include the odd character in a file name, try to pull and see what happens.


JACKASTOR said:


> Hmmm.. I know some files display with tivo desktop and they don't get pulled because they are in incompatible video formats when they were encoded. I wonder if this is more the issue here rather than pytivo choking.


Nope, file pulled correctly after renaming.


----------



## Dan203

The TiVo in my office is not currently working so it makes it hard to test these things. I have to make code changes, then run down stairs to start a pull, then run back up stairs to check results. Really annoying. Trying to figure out an alternative I can use for development until I get it back up and running.


----------



## JACKASTOR

Dan203 said:


> Glad you got it working. Not sure why it didn't work the first time.


Not sure why either. I think it might be because of running pytivo as a service.. however every computer is different from each other via hardware or software specifics.. I'll settle for that it's working. Now if there was away to clone my cable companies hdd from their tivo life would be great..


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> Correct, pyTivo displays the show, although with a rectangle in place of the odd character, but when I try to select it, nothing happens.
> 
> @Dan203 - Test it on your system. Include the odd character in a file name, try to pull and see what happens.
> 
> Nope, file pulled correctly after renaming.


Well I see a couple of problems here... first off, on windows, ffmpeg refuses to even open a file with that name so it's failing at that point. On Mac it seems to get past that part, but the TiVo only supports ascii characters so it's failing to call the proper URL.

The second issue I could fix because the URL we're sending to TiVo is fake anyway. I could use a mapping of some sort of map a compatible URL to the actual file rather then trying to embed the entire path into the URL like they're doing now.

However the first problem I'm not sure how to fix. I've tried various ways to encode the file path for ffmpeg but I can't get it to open with unicode characters in the name. I'm going to try a few more things, but if ffmpeg can't open the file then it's impossible to get working.


----------



## Dan203

I'm looking around online and I don't think this is fixable. It seems that the function used to call ffmpeg, subprocess.Popen, does not support unicode characters on Windows in python 2.7. There is a conversion routine that can convert some, but not all, unicode characters to a format it does support but on this particular file that conversion is failing. 

Short of converting the entire pyTivo project over to python 3.0, which would be a MAJOR project, there isn't anything I can do here.


----------



## JACKASTOR

Dan203 said:


> I'm looking around online and I don't think this is fixable. It seems that the function used to call ffmpeg, subprocess.Popen, does not support unicode characters on Windows in python 2.7. There is a conversion routine that can convert some, but not all, unicode characters to a format it does support but on this particular file that conversion is failing.
> 
> Short of converting the entire pyTivo project over to python 3.0, which would be a MAJOR project, there isn't anything I can do here.


At some point it's gonna have to be converted.. for those characters seems to me it's not a major problem to manually change the characters. So I don't think it's a major urgency.


----------



## Dan203

I was considering physically renaming the file but there is another potential issue. If the folders the file is in also contain unicode characters then that would also be a problem. I can't start renaming folders too.

What I can do.... I can add better error handling so that the file doesn't even appear in the list and some sort of error is printed to the log explaining why.


----------



## dlfl

minimeh said:


> I have no idea what language MG3 is written, but the problem of converting unicode to UTF-8 has been solved in most if not all. In python, there is a nice discussion and solution here: Converting Unicode Strings to 8-bit Strings
> ............





Dan203 said:


> .......... There is a conversion routine that can convert some, but not all, unicode characters to a format it does support but on this particular file that conversion is failing.
> ..............


Dan,
I'm curious which function in Python 2.7 you are talking about, and what the "format it does support" is?

I played with the encode() function in 2.7 after reading the link posted by @minimeh, and if you are encoding to ASCII your choices are:
1. Remove the non-ascii characters.
or
2. Replace them by '?'
or
3. Throw an exception

Which function does a reasonable replacement for at least some characters, as you describe?


----------



## Dan203

PyTivo has a line that does encode with "cp1252". From what I read that's a superset of ascii and includes some unicode characters.


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> Short of converting the entire pyTivo project over to python 3.0, which would be a MAJOR project, there isn't anything I can do here.


Dan I've been holding off saying anything because it's not 100% done and I've only tested on linux, but I've converted pytivo to Python 3 in my github fork of pytivo.

I'm a little laid up right now (tore my quad tendon and am recuperating from surgery) or I'd give it a quick try in windows (I don't do Mac so can't test there at all).

You can see everything I've done (I tried to make my git commit messages relevent to the changes therein). My master branch now requires Python 3 (>=3.5 actually I think).

github.com/mlippert/pytivo

I am considering changing the repo name to py3tivo in the future, but thought I'd just let people know it's there for now.

The readme contains all the old readme info so is probably a little out of date, although it also does have new info about what I was doing with python 3 and what's needed to get it running such as installing needed packages using:


Code:


pip install -r requirements.txt

[/QUOTE]


----------



## Dan203

Interesting. I have a lot of custom changes in my build that I'm not 100% sure are python 3 compatible. Especially the tray app. Not sure I'd want to do this even with all your extra work applied.


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> Interesting. I have a lot of custom changes in my build that I'm not 100% sure are python 3 compatible. Especially the tray app. Not sure I'd want to do this even with all your extra work applied.


Yeah, I understand and that makes sense. I just wanted to let you know that the old pytivo and some of your changes had been converted to Python 3. I also did some work making some of the multi-threaded download code more threadsafe, although there are still some places at risk.

While I have converted over some of your changes, I didn't bother with the tray app parts because I was focused first on getting it running on linux, and also I didn't have the other half of the code the tray app parts communicate with.

So you are correct that getting all of your pytivo code converted to Python 3 (even merging into what I've got) would still be a large task. I would expect everything to be able to be made to work in Python 3 though. If you are thinking you want to try this and would like my help, just let me know.

I decided to learn Python by digging into pytivo and felt that Python 3 was at this point in time better to learn than Python 2, so converting pytivo was my first task.


----------



## Dan203

The only python I've ever done is pyTivo, so I'm not even sure what's different about python 3. I just know that the original pyTivo doesn't work with it. Maybe it wouldn't be a big task to convert. I'd have to try.


----------



## Patrick2050

After installing pyTivo Desktop I received the following message:

"Error connecting to pyTivo!
Verify pyTivo is running and retry"

After reading messages, I opened pyTivo.exe in a command window.

the first line is: "WARNING: pyTivo.conf does not exist."

Any ideas on what to try next?


----------



## Dan203

Seen a few people report this. Not sure why it's happening but in every case an uninstall and reinstall fixed it.


----------



## Patrick2050

Uninstalling, reboot and reinstalling was the first thing I tried, so let this be the first case that reinstalling did not fix it.


----------



## Dan203

Are you installing as a service?


----------



## Patrick2050

No.


----------



## Dan203

What version of Windows are you running?


----------



## Patrick2050

8.1 Pro


----------



## Dan203

Hmmm.... the installer should have created the conf file.

Try this...

Start pyTivo from the tray app
Go to a web browser and go to...

http://localhost:9032

Does the page load?

If it does click settings, put a check next to debug logging, and save.

Now try launching Desktop again.


----------



## Patrick2050

The page did load.
I was able to put the check next to debug logging, and click save.

NOTE: After clicking save, "The connection was reset"

I went back and refreshed, and the box remained checked.

I launched Desktop, with the same result.


----------



## Patrick2050

With search, I located one pyTivo.conf file created about the time I saved the settings:
-------
[Server]
debug = on

[_tivo_SD]

[_tivo_HD]

[_tivo_4K]


----------



## Dan203

Use that same page to set your TiVo MAK and your output folder. They should have been set by the installer, but apparently weren't.


----------



## Patrick2050

I set the TiVo MAK and output folder, and now I'm able to open pyTivo Desktop without any error. This is my first time using this type of application, so I'm going to explore.


----------



## Dan203

Patrick2050 said:


> I set the TiVo MAK and output folder, and now I'm able to open pyTivo Desktop without any error. This is my first time using this type of application, so I'm going to explore.


Sorry it was so hard to get going. The installer should have created that file for you.


----------



## Patrick2050

Your assistance has been terrific, and I thank you for that!

In a day or two after some exploration, I'll provide some feedback.


----------



## Dan203

New version uploaded with some critical fixes. 

1) The error connecting dialog would display when the MAK was set incorrectly (or not set) which in turn would prevent the settings dialog from even opening to fix it. 
2) Downloads would fail if there was a TS sync error in the file and the output path contained a period. (I was using the period to detect the extension without parsing the path out first)
3) The Windows installer was not creating the conf file like it should so new users were getting the connection error dialog with no way to resolve. (this has been a long time error, but exasperated by #1)


----------



## sharkster

Dan203 said:


> New version uploaded with some critical fixes.
> 
> 1) The error connecting dialog would display when the MAK was set incorrectly (or not set) which in turn would prevent the settings dialog from even opening to fix it.
> 2) Downloads would fail if there was a TS sync error in the file and the output path contained a period. (I was using the period to detect the extension without parsing the path out first)
> 3) The Windows installer was not creating the conf file like it should so new users were getting the connection error dialog with no way to resolve. (this has been a long time error, but exasperated by #1)


Since I only installed this yesterday - is this something newer than that, so I need to re-install the program? TIA

Never mind. I'm an idiot. I just did 'check for updates' and it worked this time. D'oh!


----------



## sharkster

Ok, this is weird - Windows precluded me from updating. It didn't even give me a choice to accept or deny. (Win8.1 on this one)

Tried again and tried to push it through, but not Avast is stuck. Strange! I wonder why the OS thinks this is something that will cause damage. I trust you. But it won't even let me push it through, anyway.


----------



## Dan203

sharkster said:


> Ok, this is weird - Windows precluded me from updating. It didn't even give me a choice to accept or deny. (Win8.1 on this one)


The update thing just takes you to a web page where you download the new version. I don't have a true update feature.

Did you download the new version? Did you run it? If so what exactly is the error you get when you run it?


----------



## Patrick2050

I was able to install the update using Win 8.1 Pro without uninstalling, and it seems to work.

Update on overall experience:
After fixing the config file (Thank you Dan203!), this does what I sought--I am able to download from my network of TiVos and I am able to download videos using the TiVo.

Again Dan203, I thank you.


----------



## Dan203

Thanks for helping me find the error. The reports from you and a couple others helped me discover the installer issue. That's a bad experience for new users and could have been scaring people off of the program.


----------



## sharkster

Dan203 said:


> The update thing just takes you to a web page where you download the new version. I don't have a true update feature.
> 
> Did you download the new version? Did you run it? If so what exactly is the error you get when you run it?


That's what I did - well, tried (twice). It gave me an error that I should have written down. I'll try again to get the error info. Was in the middle of a few things so I neglected to pay adequate attention.


----------



## Dan203

sharkster said:


> That's what I did - well, tried (twice). It gave me an error that I should have written down. I'll try again to get the error info. Was in the middle of a few things so I neglected to pay adequate attention.


It might be giving you an error that pyTivo is already running. You have to go to the tray app, right click, and pick exit to close pyTivo before installing a new version.


----------



## sharkster

Dan203 said:


> It might be giving you an error that pyTivo is already running. You have to go to the tray app, right click, and pick exit to close pyTivo before installing a new version.


It was stupid Windows. I kept getting a msg - 'Windows smartscreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk'.

So I hit 'more info' and punched through to run anyway. Then - anyway, to make a long story short, after a few more gyrations with Windows, I got it through. Then it had some sort of fatal error screen that went away before I could write down what it said and I just went to 're-start pyTivo' and got it to start up again. Yikes, right? hehe - Wonder what will happen if I try to install it on the Windows10 computer. Damn thing will probably explode, what with that Win10 tries to take away as much control from the user as possible (but next time I'm on it, I'm going to try it anyway. heh).

Thanks for all your help and I'm sure I will find it useful. I do like that you can load shows, etc, onto the computer for portable use. I don't really take my laptops anywhere anymore but you never know! 

If I could just get stupid Tivo to work right at my house (probs since one got updated with recognizing the other) I'd really be happy.

Always something, eh?


----------



## justen_m

I tried 1.6.12 (first version I ever installed) but I couldn't run the program without getting the unable to connect error. So I nuked it.

I downloaded 1.6.15, and when I install it on my Win10 Home machine I get a "Windows protected your PC" Windows Defender SmartScreen error pop up and says I'm not allowed. So I click More info and run it anyway, and then it gets blocked by MalwareFox. Gotta love it. Bypassing that, it installed, and runs fine now. On my Win10 Pro machine, I just get the UAC pop up, and then I allow it, and works. MalwareFox doesn't complain on my Win10 Pro machine. <shrug>

Thanks!


----------



## Dan203

sharkster said:


> Wonder what will happen if I try to install it on the Windows10 computer. Damn thing will probably explode, what with that Win10 tries to take away as much control from the user as possible (but next time I'm on it, I'm going to try it anyway. heh).


Win10 is actually better. They listened to all the complaints about 8 and fixed most of the annoying stuff.

I was considering getting a Windows certificate to prevent that sort of install error, but they're expensive and this is a free program.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Well I see a couple of problems here... first off, on windows, ffmpeg refuses to even open a file with that name so it's failing at that point. On Mac it seems to get past that part, but the TiVo only supports ascii characters so it's failing to call the proper URL.
> 
> The second issue I could fix because the URL we're sending to TiVo is fake anyway. I could use a mapping of some sort of map a compatible URL to the actual file rather then trying to embed the entire path into the URL like they're doing now.
> 
> However the first problem I'm not sure how to fix. I've tried various ways to encode the file path for ffmpeg but I can't get it to open with unicode characters in the name. I'm going to try a few more things, but if ffmpeg can't open the file then it's impossible to get working.


@Dan203 - @dlfl has modified MG3 to replace the "odd" characters, so this fixes my specific problem.
pyTivo Discussion Forum :: View topic - MetaGenerator Version 3

I played with ffmpeg a bit and I'm not sure I understand your 1st comment above?

Using Windows 10 command line, ffmpeg worked with the following command:


Code:


ffmpeg.exe -y -i G:\Video\Ed\1\Hannibal-S02E05-Mukōzuke.mpg -vcodec copy -acodec copy G:\Video\Ed\Hannibal-S02E05-Mukōzuke.mp4

Did I miss something?


----------



## Dan203

I was wrong about my original diagnosis. It wasn't ffmpeg, it was the way pyTivo calls ffmpeg. The function subprocess.Popen has an issue on Windows that it only supports a character set called cp1252, which seems to be a superset of ascii, but not full unicode. So it supports some, but not all, unicode characters.


----------



## dlfl

Dan203 said:


> I was wrong about my original diagnosis. It wasn't ffmpeg, it was the way pyTivo calls ffmpeg. The function subprocess.Popen has an issue on Windows that it only supports a character set called cp1252, which seems to be a superset of ascii, but not full unicode. So it supports some, but not all, unicode characters.


My unaccenting solution for MG3 was done in C#. However I was curious about how to do it in Python and found there is at least one way to do it using unidecode.unidecode. This requires installing the unidecode package and importing unidecode in the code. I'm not sure what complications this may involve for your desktop distribution. Also, for this to solve the ffmpeg issue, you would have to construct the unaccented file name, temporarily rename the video file to the unaccented version, and pass that file name to ffmpeg via popen. Then rename the file to the original (accented) version after ffmpeg terminates.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah I considered that solution. But it seems risky. FFmpeg is used just to get the details of the file, even before it's transferred. If one file happens to be in use when that's called then it could cause other issues. 

Considering this issue has existed in pyTivo since it's inception, and it hasn't been a big issue in the past, I'm not sure it's worth really doing anything about. From what I can tell cp1252 covers most common unicode characters, so only the really obscure ones are going to cause an issue. In this particular case it was the o with the line over it that didn't convert.


----------



## oscarfish

Just a minor FYI aside. Most of the time before I install a program I've downloaded I run it though VirusTotal first. I just had it scan pyTivo_1.6.15.exe (not because I distrust the author, just general policy). The result is all green/cleans with 12 analyzers not reporting result. I'm sure it happens, but I can't remember the last time I saw all green, even on programs I trust. The only caveat are the 12 analyzers not reporting.


----------



## Dan203

Good to know.

I'm considering getting a code signing certificate to get rid of the warning when you run the installer. However it's kind of expensive and I'm not sure if it's really worth the effort. (lots of hoops to jump through to get the certificate)


----------



## JACKASTOR

The windows screen that pops up is for those of us who are click happy idiots who click ok all the time every time.. you guys know who they are, they are the ones who call us to say the computer is acting weird.... it's there to protect themselves from themselves!


----------



## JACKASTOR

Dan, things seem to be way smoother now. I am happy with the program and can't wait to see more in the future..


----------



## MacBrian

Dan:
I've installed PyTivoDesktop on two of my Macs. I just got a notice to update to 1.6.15 and did so on one of my Macs (OS 10.11.6). My TiVo Premiere and Roamio can see the shared music files and navigate the folders but it won't play any music file shared from either Mac. The play bar shows up, but TiVo won't play it. The music files are MP3s. Any ideas what I'm missing?


----------



## justen_m

MacBrian said:


> Dan:
> I've installed PyTivoDesktop on two of my Macs. I just got a notice to update to 1.6.15 and did so on one of my Macs (OS 10.11.6). My TiVo Premiere and Roamio can see the shared music files and navigate the folders but it won't play any music file shared from either Mac. The play bar shows up, but TiVo won't play it. The music files are MP3s. Any ideas what I'm missing?


Sounds like your TiVos got the 20.7.2.rc22 update? TiVo broke music again. Looks like it hasn't been fixed in rc24 either. It worked again in 20.7.1.rc2, after being broken in 20.6.something. Doesn't sound like a pyTiVo problem, I can play Music fine with 1.6.15, but my TiVos are still on 20.7.1.rc2


----------



## MacBrian

The Premiere is on 20.7.1.RC2 and music won't play. The Roamio is on 20.7.2.RC22 and trying to play a music file brings up a TiVo server-related error trouble trying to connect...but obviously I AM connected or I wouldn't be able to move through the folders to the music file, and I can view photos without connection troubles -- so that's a misleading error. Well darn...it's apparently a TiVo-related issue and out of our control so your fine work with pyTivo Desktop can't be used.  <<Sigh>> But thank you for pyTivo Desktop anyway!:clapping:


----------



## justen_m

Sorry, I forgot, I don't think the Music problem ever affected the Premiere or Bolt? Might have just been the Roamio? I remember when my Roamio Music broke, I could still play Music on my TiVoHD. I have no idea why your Premiere won't play Music. I don't have a Premiere, so can't check it out. On your Premiere, have you tried using the SD menus instead of HD? I faintly recall that may have been a workaround available on the Premiere for some reason.


----------



## Dan203

MacBrian said:


> The Premiere is on 20.7.1.RC2 and music won't play. The Roamio is on 20.7.2.RC22 and trying to play a music file brings up a TiVo server-related error trouble trying to connect...but obviously I AM connected or I wouldn't be able to move through the folders to the music file, and I can view photos without connection troubles -- so that's a misleading error. Well darn...it's apparently a TiVo-related issue and out of our control so your fine work with pyTivo Desktop can't be used.  <<Sigh>> But thank you for pyTivo Desktop anyway!:clapping:


Post the log just so I can make sure there isn't an error I can fix


----------



## GriffithStrife

Hey guys I can't seem to get this new version to work. The pc can see and download from the tivo but the tivo can't see the pc the pull from. Any help is greatly appreciated.


----------



## Dan203

Did you allow the firewall exception when it ran the first time?


----------



## GriffithStrife

Dan203 said:


> Did you allow the firewall exception when it ran the first time?


Yes I did, just double checked all set to allow. anything else?


----------



## Dan203

You can try rebooting the TiVo sometimes it just loses track and stops listening for the shares. 

Also if you have TiVo Desktop installed it can cause a conflict, so you may want to try uninstalling that.


----------



## 2004raptor

GriffithStrife said:


> Hey guys I can't seem to get this new version to work. The pc can see and download from the tivo but the tivo can't see the pc the pull from. Any help is greatly appreciated.


Same problem I had. If you get it to work can you drop me a PM? I tried going back to the other version and now it doesn't work so I'm out of luck.


----------



## Dan203

Nothing changed in this version that would cause this. TiVo can be a bit fickle when it comes to PC shares. Try stopping pyTiVo, reboot the TiVo, wait for it to become completely booted and then restart pyTivo. That always works for me.


----------



## GriffithStrife

Dan203 said:


> Nothing changed in this version that would cause this. TiVo can be a bit fickle when it comes to PC shares. Try stopping pyTiVo, reboot the TiVo, wait for it to become completely booted and then restart pyTivo. That always works for me.


Ok that worked but now nothing will transfer. It looks like its working but the actual file doesn't move after a while it just disappears.


----------



## Dan203

GriffithStrife said:


> Ok that worked but now nothing will transfer. It looks like its working but the actual file doesn't move after a while it just disappears.


Can you post the log so I can see if there is an error


----------



## GriffithStrife

I am terribly sorry but can you tell me how to do that.


----------



## Dan203

GriffithStrife said:


> I am terribly sorry but can you tell me how to do that.


Click the gear, then About, then there is a button in the about dialog that shows the log.


----------



## tvlandfanJG

Pardon if I'm missing an answer already posted here. My shares are located on a NAS drive Z. When I attempt to add a share, the only location options are drives C and D on my laptop.

Thanks for your help.


----------



## Dan203

You can type the path manually. The little faux file dialog doesn't recognize mapped network drives.


----------



## GriffithStrife

Sorry for the delays was out of town only to come home and prep for the hurricane here is the log thank you.


----------



## Dan203

GriffithStrife said:


> Sorry for the delays was out of town only to come home and prep for the hurricane here is the log thank you.


Ok you can't just type Z as the path. You have to use Z:\


----------



## GriffithStrife

Dan203 said:


> Ok you can't just type Z as the path. You have to use Z:\


I don't have a Z drive, how can I fix this


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> Ok you can't just type Z as the path. You have to use Z:\





GriffithStrife said:


> I don't have a Z drive, how can I fix this


The only "Z" I saw was in the name of the TiVo. The drive was "E:\"

Appears to me that there is something about the recording that ffmpeg does not like.


----------



## mlippert

lpwcomp said:


> The only "Z" I saw was in the name of the TiVo. The drive was "E:\"
> 
> Appears to me that there is something about the recording that ffmpeg does not like.


I was seeing the following after each attempt to transcode:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid

but I'm not sure where that line is being logged. I'm not sure it was ffmpeg failing.


----------



## GriffithStrife

mlippert said:


> I was seeing the following after each attempt to transcode:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
> 
> but I'm not sure where that line is being logged. I'm not sure it was ffmpeg failing.


Every single recording is failing though even stuff pulled from the tivo.


----------



## lpwcomp

mlippert said:


> I was seeing the following after each attempt to transcode:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo:[Error 6] The handle is invalid
> 
> but I'm not sure where that line is being logged. I'm not sure it was ffmpeg failing.


I think it is probable that the failure of the transcode made the file handle invalid.


----------



## Dan203

GriffithStrife said:


> I don't have a Z drive, how can I fix this


You're right I was looking at it wrong.

Are you running as a service? If so that could be the issue. I've had other users report similar invalid handle errors when running as a service. I think it's some sort of permissions issue in Windows. Try running the regular way and see if that helps.

Edit: If you are running as a service I *think* that if you go into the service and set it to have desktop permissions it'll work. To be honest I haven't done a lot of testing on the service so it could be broken and not work at all. I don't think I ever tried transferring something that required a recode. I just assumed it worked because everything else appeared to.


----------



## GriffithStrife

Dan203 said:


> You're right I was looking at it wrong.
> 
> Are you running as a service? If so that could be the issue. I've had other users report similar invalid handle errors when running as a service. I think it's some sort of permissions issue in Windows. Try running the regular way and see if that helps.
> 
> Edit: If you are running as a service I *think* that if you go into the service and set it to have desktop permissions it'll work. To be honest I haven't done a lot of testing on the service so it could be broken and not work at all. I don't think I ever tried transferring something that required a recode. I just assumed it worked because everything else appeared to.


How would I not run it as a service, or even check to see if I am?


----------



## Dan203

It was an option in the installer. I can tell from the log you are. To fix rerun the installer and don't check the service option.


----------



## jackstoker

Dan203 said:


> It was an option in the installer. I can tell from the log you are. To fix rerun the installer and don't check the service option.


I'll be! I installed 1.6.15 a couple of days ago, in Win10 Home x64, and couldn't get it to copy recordings. Found this thread, and reinstalled 1.5.15, unchecking "Start automatically when Windows starts" and "Install pyTivo as a service (this requires admin rights)", and now file copying to the PC is working. Thanks!

Edit:

I changed the settings to decrypt with tivo-libre, and Avast! blocked it as a threat. I filed a False Positive report with Avast! and have to see what they say. Screenshots attached.


----------



## GriffithStrife

Dan203 said:


> It was an option in the installer. I can tell from the log you are. To fix rerun the installer and don't check the service option.


Wow something so tiny, caused such a headache thank you so much. Thank you everyone I really appreciate it.


----------



## Dan203

When I have some free time I'm going to look into this and see if there is anything I can do to give the service the proper permissions at install so this won't be an issue.


----------



## elprice7345

@Dan203 and company - Is there any reason to run your version of pyTivo Desktop as a service?

I used to run the old version as a service, but since I switched to this version, I never installed as a service and have had many fewer problems.

Since many of the errors reported by users in his thread are regarding the service installation, maybe the best thing to do is to remove that option or at least bury it much deeper in the program options.


----------



## Dan203

That may be what I do. The service has been a source of headaches for me.

The reason I added it as an option is because there are a few people who requested it because they run pyTivo on a headless server and a service will start up without needing to log in.


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> The reason I added it as an option is because there are a few people who requested it because they run pyTivo on a headless server and a service will start up without needing to log in.


That would be my interest on our headless Home Server.

Scott


----------



## ClearToLand

elprice7345 said:


> @Dan203 and company - *Is there any reason to run your version of pyTivo Desktop as a service?*
> 
> I used to run the old version as a service, but since I switched to this version, *I never installed as a service and have had many fewer problems*.
> 
> Since many of the errors reported by users in his thread are regarding the service installation, *maybe the best thing to do is to remove that option or at least bury it much deeper in the program options*.





Dan203 said:


> *That may be what I do*. The service has been a source of headaches for me.
> 
> The reason I added it as an option is because there are a few people who requested it because they run pyTivo on a headless server and a service will start up without needing to log in.


Is it possible to handle "it" (i.e. running as a service) like kmttg does, with several .BAT files (...\kmttg\service\win32) to install / uninstall / start / stop / etc...?

Announce somewhere that the code is 'Under development - use at your own risk', remove the option / question from the initial installation so that newbies don't see (and choose) it and then complain / ask millions of questions, but allow it to be accessed by someone willing to do their own 'legwork' to run, and troubleshoot, it.


----------



## Dan203

Actually that's really how it's done anyway. There are two bat files in the install directory that install and uninstall the service. The tray app is smart enough to know when the service is installed and will either control it or the standard exe as needed.


----------



## jackstoker

jackstoker said:


> ...
> 
> I changed the settings to decrypt with tivo-libre, and Avast! blocked it as a threat. I filed a False Positive report with Avast! and have to see what they say. Screenshots attached.


Avast! acknowledged the false positive, and restored tivo-libre. All is well again.


----------



## murgatroyd

So if I'm reading the thread on 20.7.2 correctly -- if you're on 20.7.2.RC24 and you have a Roamio, Music is broken? It's an issue with 20.7.2.RC24, and not pyTiVoDesktop?

I can see my music on the TiVo, and I can navigate to any of the albums, but once I select the music I want to play, the TiVo gives me an error that the server is unavailable or busy. 

After rebooting both the computer and the TiVo, I can see that pyTiVoDesktop is running.


----------



## atmuscarella

murgatroyd said:


> So if I'm reading the thread on 20.7.2 correctly -- if you're on 20.7.2.RC24 and you have a Roamio, Music is broken? It's an issue with 20.7.2.RC24, and not pyTiVoDesktop? ...


That is my take on it. I have a dual tuner Premiere, base Roamio, and a Bolt, they are all on 20.7.2 RC24. I use TiVoDesktop on a older Win 10 PC, the Premiere and Bolt can play music from the PC via TiVoDesktop and the Roamio can not.


----------



## HerronScott

murgatroyd said:


> So if I'm reading the thread on 20.7.2 correctly -- if you're on 20.7.2.RC24 and you have a Roamio, Music is broken? It's an issue with 20.7.2.RC24, and not pyTiVoDesktop?
> 
> I can see my music on the TiVo, and I can navigate to any of the albums, but once I select the music I want to play, the TiVo gives me an error that the server is unavailable or busy.
> 
> After rebooting both the computer and the TiVo, I can see that pyTiVoDesktop is running.


Correct. Please open a ticket on it with TiVo!

Scott


----------



## murgatroyd

HerronScott said:


> Correct. Please open a ticket on it with TiVo!


Thanks, Scott. Will do.


----------



## 2004raptor

I just did a fresh install of Windows 10 on a brand new ssd. Trying to set this up and have some issues right off the bat.
During install it asks for the media key and a folder for movies. I did that. But then when I open up the program it asks for the same info again under a TivotoGo tab. Isn't that a separate progam???. I entered it but it never saves it. Just goes to a white blank screen????? Then when I close and open the program again, it goes to the same tab.


----------



## Dan203

Which version did you use? There was an error in the installer of older versions that could cause this problem. The newest build, 1.6.15, has a fix for this.


----------



## 2004raptor

I downloaded it from the link in the first post here just minutes ago.


----------



## Dan203

Did you install as a service?


----------



## 2004raptor

yes. I clicked the box indicating that anyway. It says "running" down in the tray.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah there is an issue with that option. It's best to reinstall and not check the service option. 

I'm probably going to remove that option from the installer in the next release as it's causing more trouble then it's worth.


----------



## gonzotek

Dan203 said:


> Yeah there is an issue with that option. It's best to reinstall and not check the service option.
> 
> I'm probably going to remove that option from the installer in the next release as it's causing more trouble then it's worth.


The way I see it, running as a service implies a desire for a headless operation anyway, in most cases. Your (very nice) custom desktop UI is kinda pointless in that case. I vote for removing the service option so there's less for you to maintain/support  On the other hand, there are a couple reasons someone might still want your version - the installer and pytivo-specific code changes.


----------



## 2004raptor

I unistalled it, rebooted and reinstalled without checking the service option. 

Still just goes to a white screen when I enter in the media key and path on the tivotogo tab. Am I supposed to enter that there also?


----------



## jackstoker

2004raptor said:


> I unistalled it, rebooted and reinstalled without checking the service option.
> 
> Still just goes to a white screen when I enter in the media key and path on the tivotogo tab. Am I supposed to enter that there also?


Can you scroll down and click the Save button?


----------



## 2004raptor

jackstoker said:


> Can you scroll down and click the Save button?


Yes, That's when the pyTivo screen just goes white. I've left it up for at least 5 minutes and it's just white.


----------



## Riblet2000

I had the same problem last night and did not have the service option checked. The installer had defaulted to 'program files (x86)' which often causes issues with installers not running as admin. I reinstalled using a separate directory ("C:\PyTivo") and it worked fine.


----------



## 2004raptor

I'll try that tomorrow. Thanks


----------



## 2004raptor

Riblet - That seemed to solve the blank screen issue. I'll have to try to see if transfers work later tonight.

thanks


----------



## Dan203

The installer should prompt you to run as admin and exit if you don't. How are you even installing without admin privileges?


----------



## Dan203

gonzotek said:


> The way I see it, running as a service implies a desire for a headless operation anyway, in most cases.  Your (very nice) custom desktop UI is kinda pointless in that case. I vote for removing the service option so there's less for you to maintain/support  On the other hand, there are a couple reasons someone might still want your version - the installer and pytivo-specific code changes.


I think what I'm going to do is remove the service option from the installer but leave the .bat files that allow the user to install as a service. That way if someone wants to manually run as a service they still can.


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> The installer should prompt you to run as admin and exit if you don't. How are you even installing without admin privileges?


I don't remember it prompting me. Or if it did I said yes. Either way, installing it to its own directory worked.


----------



## Dan203

That's weird. It doesn't write anything to the install folder after it's installed, so there is no reason Program Files (x86) shouldn't have worked. Especially on a fresh install of Windows. Unless you had some antivirus or malware software that was interfering with the install.


----------



## jackstoker

Dan203 said:


> The installer should prompt you to run as admin and exit if you don't. How are you even installing without admin privileges?


The 1.6.15 does not prompt about "Administrator" rights. That said, my account is a "local account" with administrator rights, at least to the extent given if not logged in as the real administrator. Just check "User Accounts" to see if the logged-in account is an administrator account.



Dan203 said:


> That's weird. It doesn't write anything to the install folder after it's installed, so there is no reason Program Files (x86) shouldn't have worked. Especially on a fresh install of Windows. Unless you had some antivirus or malware software that was interfering with the install.


My pyTivo Desktop is installed in "C:\Program Files (x86)\..." and I don't have a problem. My problems were TiVo Desktop being installed, and pyTivo Desktop running as a service. After uninstalling TiVo Desktop, and reinstalling pyTivo Desktop without the service, all is well.


----------



## Dan203

Hmmm... yeah the prompt is that thing about "unknown publisher" not admin. It doesn't actually need admin rights. Shouldn't have any trouble being installed in Program Files (x86) even under non-admin account.


----------



## lpwcomp

Isn't the config file written to the install folder?


----------



## ClearToLand

lpwcomp said:


> Isn't the config file written to the install folder?


In pyTiVo Desktop, the config file is written to the USER folder. In pyTiVo, it's written to the base pyTiVo directory.


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> Isn't the config file written to the install folder?


For my version it's written to User/AppData/Roaming for the regular version and ProgramData for the service.

You're not allowed to update/modify files in the install folder without admin permissions, so that's how it has to work.


----------



## dadrepus

Tried to install on a Mac. Not the primary drive but a secondary SSD drive I have set up. Dragged the dmg into the drive from download. Opened and did install by pointing to that volume and it fails. It says Pytivo does not exist on that volume. Is this written so it can only be installed on the primary volume? I see the icons for both Pytivo and Pytivo Desktop in that volume but Pytivo will not launch Desktop does. Any ideas?

The reason I want to use the SSD is speed of the volume to process the files. My main drive besides being crowded as hell is infinitely slower.


----------



## Dan203

dadrepus said:


> Tried to install on a Mac. Not the primary drive but a secondary SSD drive I have set up. Dragged the dmg into the drive from download. Opened and did install by pointing to that volume and it fails. It says Pytivo does not exist on that volume. Is this written so it can only be installed on the primary volume? I see the icons for both Pytivo and Pytivo Desktop in that volume but Pytivo will not launch Desktop does. Any ideas?
> 
> The reason I want to use the SSD is speed of the volume to process the files. My main drive besides being crowded as hell is infinitely slower.


I'm not really a Mac guy, so I don't know if there are any limitations with secondary drives.

You did run thw installer right? It uses a whole install wizard thing, like a Windows program, you don't just drag the one executible from the DMG. I believe the installer offers an install location so you can change the location from there. That should repoint all the links that need to be repointed.


----------



## dadrepus

yep, tried the installer. First from the desktop then from the secondary volume, assigned the drive, completed install and when it asked me to open the program I got the error message. I will try restarting my Mac as soon as Archivo finishes doing it's thing. Trying that out as well, I've really only used Kmttg with any frequency.


----------



## osu1991

Just to add to this. I'm in the middle of setting up a completely new system this morning. I had the original pytivo on my old desktop and Dan's version on my laptop both working fine. 

After I setup pytivo desktop on this new system, I was getting the white screen and it kept asking me to reenter the media key and it didn't see either of my tivo's. I'm not running it as service. I opened localhost:9032 in the browser and entered everything there and saved it and pytivo desktop started working immediately, seeing my tivo's and I just transferred a file from one of them. I know enough to get myself in trouble, if it helps, that's how I just fixed the little bump in the road of my morning.


----------



## dadrepus

So, I opened package content and looked for "pytivo" and opened it in terminal and got this:
-bash: /Users/Alex/.profile: No such file or directory

/Volumes/Drive\ Genius\ BootWell/Applications/pyTivo.app/Contents/MacOS/pyTivo ; exit;

Alexs-Mac-mini:~ Alex$ /Volumes/Drive\ Genius\ BootWell/Applications/pyTivo.app/Contents/MacOS/pyTivo ; exit;

INFOyTivo:Last modified: Mon Aug 14 15:58:18 2017

INFOyTivoython: 2.7.13

INFOyTivo:System: Darwin-15.6.0-x86_64-i386-64bit

INFOyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...

INFOyTivo.beacon:Master Br - 192.168.86.111

INFOyTivo.beacon:Basement - 192.168.86.114

INFOyTivo.beacon:Family Room - 192.168.86.106

INFOyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...

INFOyTivo.beacon:Registering: TiVo Recordings

INFOyTivoyTivo is ready.

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.106 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.114 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.111 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.106 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVo%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=74600119024F64E HTTP/1.1" 200 -

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.114 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVo%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=74600119043D2CF HTTP/1.1" 200 -

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.114 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.111 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVo%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=74600119047CB8C HTTP/1.1" 200 -

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.106 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -

INFOyTivo:192.168.86.111 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
So, something seems to be working.
And this is what I get with Pytivo tray:
Last login: Sat Sep 9 14:01:07 on ttys000

-bash: /Users/Alex/.profile: No such file or directory

Alexs-Mac-mini:~ Alex$ /Volumes/Drive\ Genius\ BootWell/Applications/pyTivo.app/Contents/MacOS/pyTivoTray ; exit;

So here is a thought. Since this other drive is also a recovery boot drive could Pytivo be installing onto that System folder instead the the primary one. I will try trashing all the files and beginning over into primary drive, then move the programs over to the drive I want them to run from. Maybe that is the key?


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

Dan203 said:


> That's weird. It doesn't write anything to the install folder after it's installed, so there is no reason Program Files (x86) shouldn't have worked. Especially on a fresh install of Windows. Unless you had some antivirus or malware software that was interfering with the install.


FWIW, his was not a unique experience. I tried installing the latest version last night and got the exact same thing he described. After two attempts to re-install, and another today (after a clean reboot of my Win10 system), still the same behavior. That is, it never prompts for admin rights, never saves my media key or folder location, and goes to a blank white screen when I try to save settings.

I'm going to go try again and attempt to move the install to another location.
-------------------------------------------------------

*UPDATE: * Moving the installation away from \Programs (x86) changed some of the settings options I saw upon installing....this time it included VRD processing options, for example....but still the exact same result when I hit the "Save" button. Just goes to a white screen. This is now about six different installation attempts....some with the "pyTiVo as service" option, some without, some in the Programs (x86) folder, some not. Pretty frustrating.

*UPDATE2:* Uninstalled...again...and then used "Run as administrator" on the Windows installer. Seems to have done the trick. Not a difficult thing to do at all, of course, but would've saved a lot of time & trouble if the download website had simply suggested that.


----------



## ClearToLand

dadrepus said:


> Tried to install on a Mac. Not the primary drive but a secondary SSD drive I have set up... ...*The reason I want to use the SSD is speed of the volume to process the files*. My main drive besides being crowded as hell is infinitely slower.


What 'processes' are you referring to? 

I'm currently setting up several old and new desktops and I'm moving ALL of the OSes & Apps to SSD while re-directing "My Documents" (i.e. Windows) to a spinner. For the PCs that are going to do video encoding, I'm installing WD Black secondary HDDs. For the others, WD Red, Blue, Green - whatever I have handy and how 'important' the data is going to be.

I also have this 'plan' to not let the SSDs go above 50% used space to allow for 'Wear Leveling'. This is my first time using SSDs and I'm looking forward to seeing the improvement.

I'm curious as to what 'processes' you feel would be 'held back' by storing their files on a spinner...


----------



## Worf

Wear levelling is inherent in the drive. There is no need to keep it below 50%. There may be longevity to be gained by using 80% of the drive in "over provisioning" mode, but that can be done using partitioning software or the software your SSD provides.

In fact, in normal use, I don't even bother anymore - even my work PC's SSD (which has been a few years old now) is still is around 98% lifes left - I only wore it out 2%.

Even my regular use PCs which I use an SSD since the beginning and are several years old now have lots of life left. I doubt the SSD will wear out by the time I replace the PC which is still years away.

I do, however, use good quality SSDs - pretty much exclusively Samsung.

As for the Mac problem.... I'm wondering if it's because there's a space in the path? That can screw things up horribly if not taken to account. The reason is the primary (root) disk is root, so Applications is /Applications on the filesystem. But the secondary drive is always under "/Volumes/Disk Name"...


----------



## dlfl

b-ball-fanatic said:


> .........
> *UPDATE2:* Uninstalled...again...and then used "Run as administrator" on the Windows installer. Seems to have done the trick. Not a difficult thing to do at all, of course, but would've saved a lot of time & trouble if the download website had simply suggested that.


Does your normal logon account have admin privileges? I suspect most forum readers run that way. If you don't, that might explain the need for "run as administrator".

These account privilege features are a PITA for windows users, most of whom don't really understand the details. I understand they are trying to protect us from ourselves but it just seems there must be a better way.


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

I do understand the details, and my normal account IS the admin account. So it already had the privileges. This is clearly a glitch in the installer.


----------



## Microman66

Wow, I was happy to find this thread and the work done on install app. I just installed on my MacBook Pro, and all worked flawlessly. The reason I was encouraged, was that my grandson was using my old Black MacBook, with the old Pytivo and Tivo Desktop, and I saw the music available on my Tivo Bolt. So I asked around and found this install, and I have music streaming to my Tivo Bolt. Question however, I have it directed to iTunes media music, and when it shows up on the Tivo Bolt, it is by folders and those folders are artists in Alphabetical order, as iTunes stores the music. Is there a way to have it show the PLAYLISTS as it does on my Black MacBook ..... There it is nice to just play a set of music and not deal with the names of one artist that may or may not have more than one song in the folder.

Thanks, for your hardworking


----------



## Dan203

dadrepus said:


> So, I opened package content and looked for "pytivo" and opened it in terminal and got this:
> -bash: /Users/Alex/.profile: No such file or directory
> 
> /Volumes/Drive\ Genius\ BootWell/Applications/pyTivo.app/Contents/MacOS/pyTivo ; exit;
> 
> Alexs-Mac-mini:~ Alex$ /Volumes/Drive\ Genius\ BootWell/Applications/pyTivo.app/Contents/MacOS/pyTivo ; exit;
> 
> INFOyTivo:Last modified: Mon Aug 14 15:58:18 2017
> 
> INFOyTivoython: 2.7.13
> 
> INFOyTivo:System: Darwin-15.6.0-x86_64-i386-64bit
> 
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
> 
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Master Br - 192.168.86.111
> 
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Basement - 192.168.86.114
> 
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Family Room - 192.168.86.106
> 
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
> 
> INFOyTivo.beacon:Registering: TiVo Recordings
> 
> INFOyTivoyTivo is ready.
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.106 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.114 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.111 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.106 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVo%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=74600119024F64E HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.114 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVo%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=74600119043D2CF HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.114 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.111 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVo%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=74600119047CB8C HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.106 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.86.111 [09/Sep/2017 14:01:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> So, something seems to be working.
> And this is what I get with Pytivo tray:
> Last login: Sat Sep 9 14:01:07 on ttys000
> 
> -bash: /Users/Alex/.profile: No such file or directory
> 
> Alexs-Mac-mini:~ Alex$ /Volumes/Drive\ Genius\ BootWell/Applications/pyTivo.app/Contents/MacOS/pyTivoTray ; exit;
> 
> So here is a thought. Since this other drive is also a recovery boot drive could Pytivo be installing onto that System folder instead the the primary one. I will try trashing all the files and beginning over into primary drive, then move the programs over to the drive I want them to run from. Maybe that is the key?


What version of Mac OS are you running? This only works on Sierra or newer.


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

*Any disadvantage?*

I'm having a lot of trouble getting clean TS downloads lately, even though Comcast hasn't yet switched me over to H624. This prompted me to try pyTiVoDesktop, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have helped much, so now I'm going back to PS downloads. When downloading as PS, I seem to get clean, intact video. Then with VRD, I can usually do a clean conversion to TS....occasionally a handful of added video frames, but nothing like the issues I get trying to directly download in TS.

So, my question: Is there any drawback to this, downloading as PS and then converting to TS, aside from slower downloads? (I really don't care about download speed so long as I get a clean copy.) Since I don't change the audio or video encoding, VRD uses Fast Frame Copy and I presume I'm getting identical video quality to the original download. So as I understand it, this means that the TiVo box is doing a TS-to-PS conversion on-the-fly as I download, then I'm doing a PS-to-TS conversion in VRD.

Until Comcast changes over and I'm forced to revisit the headaches of TS downloads, is their any reason _not_ to do it this way? Is it reasonable to assume that the TiVo's TS-to-PS conversion is sound, such that if I then run a good PS-to-TS conversion, I can safely assume that I have a TS video that's virtually identical to the original recording sitting on my TiVo?


----------



## Dan203

From what I've read some people have issues with the captions in PS files. But I think VidroReDo can fix those up for you too, so if you're converting to TS using VideoReDo then it's probably fine.


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

Thanks for the quick reply, Dan. I'll just keep doing it this way as long as I can, then. Even though the steps look a little tedious, I'm finding it's much faster than dealing with glitchy, unsynced TS files.

BTW, I really like pyTiVoDesktop for these downloads. I still need kmttg for certain things, having both programs has streamlined some of my tasks. Thanks for all your work on it.


----------



## Dan203

FYI the newest version of pyTivo Desktop has built in VideoReDo integration. So you can set it up to to convert your downloads to TS automatically if you want. (requires TVSuite v5)


----------



## Richard959

Just installed pyTivo Desktop on my windows 10 pro. Instantly saw files on my Tivo Roamio and was able to download files right away. I set up a share on my PC (D:\xx) but I don't see it showing up anywhere on my Tivo. I do see the Tivo Desktop share on my pc link in the Tivo "Shows" and I can upload to the Tivo using that for compatible files - but no pyTivo based share is showing up on the Tivo side so I can't pull anything over using pyTivo Desktop shares. 

Any idea what I should try next? Should the files in the upload folder on my PC list in the "Share" field within the pyTivo Desktop app or is that just to input share addresses?

Thanks


----------



## Dan203

TiVo Desktop will conflict. You need to completely kill TiVo Desktop. You may also need to reboot your TiVo.


----------



## Richard959

Dan203 said:


> TiVo Desktop will conflict. You need to completely kill TiVo Desktop. You may also need to reboot your TiVo.


Will the pyTivo share show up in place of the Tivo Desktop share via the pc link in "Shows" on the Tivo or some place else on the Tivo?
Thanks


----------



## Dan203

yes


----------



## Richard959

Dan203 said:


> yes


Does this mean that Tivo Desktop needs to be uninstalled - or is there some configuration that can permanently stop it from conflicting with pyTivo Desktop with every reboot of the PC ie. while still allowing TivoDesktop to be installed - but not automatically be restarted and running?

Thanks


----------



## V7Goose

Richard959 said:


> Does this mean that Tivo Desktop needs to be uninstalled - or is there some configuration that can permanently stop it from conflicting with pyTivo Desktop with every reboot of the PC ie. while still allowing TivoDesktop to be installed - but not automatically be restarted and running?
> 
> Thanks


I did not have to uninstall it on my W10 box - just changed the statup option to not start automatically. current PyTiVo works just fine for me like this.


----------



## Richard959

When I disable Tivo Desktop my Roamio stops being able to see my PC. I saw that tivo beacon was still running in services and disabled that but no change. Also, I am not seeing the shared folder I created for the pyTivo Desktop app listing the files I put in it. It seems like the folder isn't really being shared or broadcasting its location to the Tivo. Yet I can still download files fine.

Within the pyTivo Desktop app in the settings "upload" menu all I see is "Send files as Transport Streams", Additional FFmpeg commands" and "Use Tivolibre to bypass..".

Within the pyTivo Desktop app in the settings "Network" menu all I see is "Port" with a grey 9032, "Zeroconf on auto", "Beacon = empty" and "Listen = unchecked". I tried the pc and tivo IPs in the Beacon field and rebooted the tivo which did't work and I have tried checking the Listen box which didn't work.

What can I try next?

Thanks


----------



## Richard959

Success in pulling to Tivo via pyTivo Desktop. Needed to allow pyTivo to communicate through windows firewall for all instances to private and public networks (control panel_windows firewall_allowed apps). 

Is the pyTivo Desktop app supposed to list the shared files in the defined "Shared Folder" under the Video Tab\Share Videos, Muisc and Photos?

Thanks


----------



## Dan203

No. It only lists the folders. You can have multiple shares, which is why it's a list.


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan

You may have addressed this so sorry for asking but I can't get the program to see my network shares. It sees them if I change the directory to my PC but not my shared drive. When I used the old pytivo it would see the share. 

The path is \\WDTVLIVE\Elements\Movies . I can see the Movies folder on the tivo but nothing is there. 
Is it something I am doing wrong?

thanks


----------



## lpwcomp

2004raptor said:


> Dan
> 
> You may have addressed this so sorry for asking but I can't get the program to see my network shares. It sees them if I change the directory to my PC but not my shared drive. When I used the old pytivo it would see the share.
> 
> The path is \\WDTVLIVE\Elements\Movies . I can see the Movies folder on the tivo but nothing is there.
> Is it something I am doing wrong?
> 
> thanks


What I ended up doing was assigning a drive letter to my NAS.


----------



## 2004raptor

thanks. I'll try it when I get home.


----------



## taynt3d

Got sick of Tivo Desktop being wonky, and decided to try this out. Thanks for this nice app!

A few comments on my install and a question....

I uninstalled Tivo Desktop, installed PyTivoDesktop as administrator to the root level of C:/, poked some firewall holes, and rebooted my PC and my Tivo. I then ran into the WHITE SCREEN issue on trying to save settings for first time. I could not fix that. Ended up trying the trick mentioned earlier to set setting via localhost:9032. That worked, and everything running fine now, much better than Tivo Desktop.

HOWEVER, I guess I have the dreaded MP3's wont stream Roamio version issue because videos work both ways, photos play fine, and I can see all of my audio files and folders, browse them, but get an error upon trying to play them. That's unfortunate because that was my main use case I was trying to solve that hasn't worked on Tivo Desktop for me in forever. I have a MASSIVE MP3 collection, and I like the simplicity of just being able to browse the folder structures and play (vs. say having to ingest everything into an iTunes library and use my Apple TV, or using Plex which I kind of hate and it build some massive database, etc.). Any idea on when that'll be fixed? Is there anything I can do to help (e.g., open a service ticket? How do I refer to the issue when I do that?).

Thanks again for the app!


----------



## 2004raptor

lpwcomp said:


> What I ended up doing was assigning a drive letter to my NAS.


Didn't work. I even rebooted the tivo. Ughhhh.

Any other ideas?????

I do have a router with a usb port I've never used. I wonder if the tivo could read from that?

Frustrating.


----------



## lpwcomp

2004raptor said:


> Didn't work. I even rebooted the tivo. Ughhhh.
> 
> Any other ideas?????
> 
> I do have a router with a usb port I've never used. I wonder if the tivo could read from that?
> 
> Frustrating.


Did you modify the share path to use the drive letter rather than the network path?

The TiVo isn't the problem. It doesn't directly access any drive except its own. For some reason, pyTivo can't access the drive.


----------



## 2004raptor

Yes. I mapped the drive to W: . Then I browsed the folder in the desktop pytivo program and picked W: .


----------



## lpwcomp

2004raptor said:


> Yes. I mapped the drive to W: . Then I browsed the folder in the desktop pytivo program and picked W: .


Try adding a backslash.


----------



## 2004raptor

lpwcomp said:


> Try adding a backslash.


Sorry. I did on the tivo, just didn't in my post because I thought it might turn in to some kind of smilie face.


----------



## lpwcomp

Can you access the W drive on your PC? Can you access the share from pyTivo?

Did you restart pyTivo after making the change? Have you tried rebooting your PC?


----------



## Dan203

taynt3d said:


> Got sick of Tivo Desktop being wonky, and decided to try this out. Thanks for this nice app!
> 
> A few comments on my install and a question....
> 
> I uninstalled Tivo Desktop, installed PyTivoDesktop as administrator to the root level of C:/, poked some firewall holes, and rebooted my PC and my Tivo. I then ran into the WHITE SCREEN issue on trying to save settings for first time. I could not fix that. Ended up trying the trick mentioned earlier to set setting via localhost:9032. That worked, and everything running fine now, much better than Tivo Desktop.
> 
> HOWEVER, I guess I have the dreaded MP3's wont stream Roamio version issue because videos work both ways, photos play fine, and I can see all of my audio files and folders, browse them, but get an error upon trying to play them. That's unfortunate because that was my main use case I was trying to solve that hasn't worked on Tivo Desktop for me in forever. I have a MASSIVE MP3 collection, and I like the simplicity of just being able to browse the folder structures and play (vs. say having to ingest everything into an iTunes library and use my Apple TV, or using Plex which I kind of hate and it build some massive database, etc.). Any idea on when that'll be fixed? Is there anything I can do to help (e.g., open a service ticket? How do I refer to the issue when I do that?).
> 
> Thanks again for the app!


TiVo broke music on their end. All we can do is hope they fix it.


----------



## 2004raptor

lpwcomp

Pytivo restarted and I restarted my PC as well. I definitely access the W drive from my PC and copy files to it all the time. I can see all the files on the tivo from pytivo desktop on my PC.


----------



## Dan203

2004raptor said:


> lpwcomp
> 
> Pytivo restarted and I restarted my PC as well. I definitely access the W drive from my PC and copy files to it all the time. I can see all the files on the tivo from pytivo desktop on my PC.


Is the share not showing on the TiVo? Or is it showing but now showing any files?


----------



## Dan203

OK I just tested the latest version on a clean install of Windows and got the same white screen settings issue. Not sure what's happening there. I thought I fixed the installer to create the conf file, but apparently not. And I have no idea why the screen is just going white when you save the options. I'm going to have to double check all the code and make sure something didn't get screwed up. (should have done it sooner, but I've been busy with a real work project)


----------



## Dan203

I see the issue with the installer. I added code to create the conf file but it was failing because the directory didn't exist. I've fixed that. Now I need to see if I can figure out if that also fixes the white screen issue.


----------



## Dan203

OK found that too. I'll upload a new build shortly. This only effect Windows so there will only be a new Windows build


----------



## Dan203

OK update posted. Doesn't really effect existing users, so no real need to upgrade, but it's going to bug you because I have no mechanism for releasing a new version without triggering the upgrade check. Sorry.


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> Is the share not showing on the TiVo? Or is it showing but now showing any files?


The "Movie" folder shows on my tivo. But when I select it, it says there is nothing in the directory. I forget the exact verbiage but if you need it I can get it.

EDIT - And I can transfer files from my tivo to my PC (using pytivo desktop, no problems).


----------



## Dan203

Check the log right after you attempt to view the share. (gear icon)->About->Show Log

It's possible there is a video in your share that's crashing pyTivo. (I had one in mine that was 0 bytes and it caused a similar issue)


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> Check the log right after you attempt to view the share. (gear icon)->About->Show Log
> 
> It's possible there is a video in your share that's crashing pyTivo. (I had one in mine that was 0 bytes and it caused a similar issue)


OK. It might be tomorrow before I get a chance. 
That would be bad because I have tons and tons of movies on that drive.


----------



## HerronScott

taynt3d said:


> HOWEVER, I guess I have the dreaded MP3's wont stream Roamio version issue because videos work both ways, photos play fine, and I can see all of my audio files and folders, browse them, but get an error upon trying to play them. That's unfortunate because that was my main use case I was trying to solve that hasn't worked on Tivo Desktop for me in forever. I have a MASSIVE MP3 collection, and I like the simplicity of just being able to browse the folder structures and play (vs. say having to ingest everything into an iTunes library and use my Apple TV, or using Plex which I kind of hate and it build some massive database, etc.). Any idea on when that'll be fixed? Is there anything I can do to help (e.g., open a service ticket? How do I refer to the issue when I do that?).


Please submit a ticket to TiVo on the issue? The last 20.7.2 update broke this again for Roamios.

Scott


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> Check the log right after you attempt to view the share. (gear icon)->About->Show Log
> 
> It's possible there is a video in your share that's crashing pyTivo. (I had one in mine that was 0 bytes and it caused a similar issue)


Not sure if I'm doing this right??



Code:


INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 05:58:30] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 05:58:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 06:07:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 06:31:05] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:24:32] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:24:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:06] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 2] The system cannot find the file specified: u'H:\\Movies'
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:32] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 2] The system cannot find the file specified: u'H:\\Movies'
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:36] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:38] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 12:02:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 12:03:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 12:04:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=H:\W10%20Movies HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.123.4 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.123.4 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:15] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


----------



## Dan203

2004raptor said:


> Not sure if I'm doing this right??
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 05:58:30] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 05:58:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 06:07:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 06:31:05] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:24:32] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:24:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:06] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:[Error 2] The system cannot find the file specified: u'H:\\Movies'
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:16] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:32] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:[Error 2] The system cannot find the file specified: u'H:\\Movies'
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:36] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:38] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.4 [16/Sep/2017 09:29:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 12:02:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 12:03:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.123.6 [16/Sep/2017 12:04:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=H:\W10%20Movies HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.123.4 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.123.4 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [16/Sep/2017 12:07:15] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


pyTivo can't access H:\\Movies

I thought you said you mapped the drive to W? Is H right?


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan203 said:


> pyTivo can't access H:\\Movies
> 
> I thought you said you mapped the drive to W? Is H right?


Darn. Yes, you're right. I forgot I switched it back to a partition on my hard drive to test that. Weird thing is I have it pointed to *H:\W10 Movies . *added the "W10" just so I knew it was definitely a different folder. And I only put 2 movie files in there just in case the earlier problem you mentioned was the cause.

Sorry for the confusion. I can change it back to W: and try again but either way, it's not seeing anything in the folder.


----------



## Dan203

2004raptor said:


> Darn. Yes, you're right. I forgot I switched it back to a partition on my hard drive to test that. Weird thing is I have it pointed to *H:\W10 Movies . *added the "W10" just so I knew it was definitely a different folder. And I only put 2 movie files in there just in case the earlier problem you mentioned was the cause.
> 
> Sorry for the confusion. I can change it back to W: and try again but either way, it's not seeing anything in the folder.


According to the log it's trying to access H:\Movies. Does that folder exist?


----------



## 2004raptor

No, no such folder. Here is what I have entered in the settings. And I have rebooted the PC and tivo.


----------



## Dan203

The share comes from the share tab. It's not dynamically linked to the TiVo recordings folder.


----------



## 2004raptor

THanks Dan. Apparently I don't know the difference????? Can you elaborate?

I appreciate the help.


Edit - Wait, I think I know what you mean. Let me test.

thanks


----------



## 2004raptor

OK. SO, now I see my Movies on my network drive. But when I go to transfer a movie it says it's been added to the list and will transfer it after previously scheduled files have been transferred. But I haven't scheduled a program in several months (when I used the original pytive). 

So, some progress has been made but still a bit stuck.


----------



## Dan203

That means your TiVo is confused. Look at the To Do list and clear any transfers at the top. Then reboot it. It should work after that.


----------



## 2004raptor

The only thing at the top of the To Do List is.some shows tomorrow. Not the one I tried to transfer today. 

Now, in the History section I see the show listed. Clicking on Info it says it was not transferred because the connection to the TiVo box was broken or never established. ?!?!!


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> pyTivo can't access H:\\Movies


I was also wondering about the double \\. Does pyTivo have to escape the \ character?

Scott


----------



## lpwcomp

HerronScott said:


> I was also wondering about the double \\. Does pyTivo have to escape the \ character?
> 
> Scott


Not that I can see. Example from my pyTivo:



> Done sending "Z:\Movies\A\Ace of Aces(1933).mp4" to JLS Roamio


"Z" is my NAS.

Dan,

Can he access and post his pyTivo.conf?


----------



## 2004raptor

Just to clarify I went into the Share Videos, Music, and Photos earlier. That was where I set the path to W:\. Now the tivo shows all of my movies when I click on Movies in the Now PLaying list.

But as I said it says it's been added to the list and will transfer it after previously scheduled files have been transferred.
So I went back into the log and I see this:



Code:


WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:[Error 3] The system cannot find the path specified: u'H:\\Movies\\Pearl Jam 04-16-2016 Greenville, SC Full Show Multi-cam SBD Vs. show.mp4'




Code:


WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found

There was other stuff but this stood out. Why is it still looking in H:\???


----------



## Dan203

The TiVo Decode error can be ignored.

The other one seems to be a path or permissions error. I'm not sure why you're getting that. 

You're not running as a service are you?


----------



## 2004raptor

When I installed it I did not check the box to runs as a service so unless there is some other way, no.


----------



## Dan203

Does the PC that pyTivo is running on have permissions to access that file?


----------



## 2004raptor

Dan

I'm not sure. How would I check? Since I copy movies to that network drive From my PC i am guessing it does.

For the heck of it I made a new share that goes to the H: drive which is a partition on my PC. Threw the same file in there and went to the TiVo. That share shows fine and the video transfers fine.


----------



## Dan203

If it works from the local share but not the NAS it's some sort of permissions issue. Unfortunately I'm not an expert on Windows permissions so I can't say for sure how to fix it. When you transfer stuff too/from the drive using Explorer does it promp you for a username and password? If so that could be an issue, since pyTivo doesn't support any sort of authentication. You'd need to make he share completely public for pyTivo to work correctly.


----------



## 2004raptor

Nope, never prompts me for a password. 

I'll look into it on some other forums but it's just weird because it worked with the original pytivo. 
I guess I could plug the drive into my PC and see if the WDLive can access it on the network. That would most likely fix things. But I'll keep researching. 

Thank you for your time.


----------



## 2004raptor

Welp. Dan, you were right. I poked around in the properties of the network drive and saw the permissions settings. I checked everything and gave full control. It now works.

I really appreciate it.


----------



## Dan203

Glad to hear you got it working.

Sometimes with shares they're seamless if you give them the same user/password as your Windows account. So it's not obvious when using Explorer that it's actually sending credentials.


----------



## OKCRandy

when I try to run this I get an error that I am running the wrong version of pyTiVo what version is this compatible with?


----------



## Dan203

Do you have an old version of pyTivo installed? 

The desktop app will complain if the version of pyTivo that's running isn't the same one it was installed with.


----------



## OKCRandy

Finally got it after reboot and reinstalled pytivo desktop.
Thanks


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

Quick question (I'm sure it's been discussed but my search didn't find a definitive answer):

When pulling .tivo files back to the TiVo box, what format(s) transfer as is, without any kind of transcoding? Just TS? Both PS and TS?


----------



## Dan203

.tivo files always pull as-is unless you're pulling to a TiVo that doesn't support the resolution or codec of the .tivo file. Like an HD file to a S2 or an H.264 file to a S3


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

Dan203 said:


> .tivo files always pull as-is unless you're pulling to a TiVo that doesn't support the resolution or codec of the .tivo file. Like an HD file to a S2 or an H.264 file to a S3


Thanks Dan. I just wasn't sure if TiVo converts PS to TS, making TS the preferable format.

I have edited some .tivo TS files. My TiVo boxes can see my pyTiVo share, and the files, but when I click on transfer, it says it's adding them to the ToDo list and will transfer after current transfers are done. Problem is, nothing is being transferred and the request doesn't, in fact, get added to the ToDo list (which is empty). Any thoughts on what's going on?

(Note: To be clear, all my TiVo boxes are Roamio era.)


----------



## Dan203

Internally the TiVo doesn't use PS or TS, they use a special file system where the audio and video streams are stored separately. So no matter which for at you use for transfer the TiVo has yo demuch and convert to it's own internal format.


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

Dan203 said:


> Internally the TiVo doesn't use PS or TS, they use a special file system where the audio and video streams are stored separately. So no matter which for at you use for transfer the TiVo has yo demuch and convert to it's own internal format.


Oh interesting....I didn't realize that. Any idea why my TiVo sees the pyTiVo share, accepts the transfer command, but doesn't actually do anything?


----------



## Dan203

b-ball-fanatic said:


> Oh interesting....I didn't realize that. Any idea why my TiVo sees the pyTiVo share, accepts the transfer command, but doesn't actually do anything?


Check the log in pyTivo Desktop. Something could be crashing. gear->About->Show Log


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

I don't see anything "untoward" in the log. But I tried my old pyTiVo installation and that seems to be working, so I'm okay just using that.


----------



## Dan203

Was your old one still running? They can conflict with eachother


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

Dan203 said:


> Was your old one still running? They can conflict with eachother


No, I had shut it down back when I installed pyTiVo Desktop.


----------



## Dan203

Are you running as a service? There seems to be an issue with the service accessing ffmpeg unless you manually go into the service settings and give it desktop access. 

Or you can just reinstall not as a service and it works fine.


----------



## Dan203

I just tested here. In service mode it only works if it's set to log on as an actual user who has access to the ffmpeg.exe in the install folder. Simply giving it desktop access is not enough.


----------



## ClearToLand

@Dan203,

What was your logic behind moving your pyTiVo CONFIG file from the pyTiVo INSTALL directory (ala @wmcbrine 's version) to a USER directory (or was it an APPSDATA directory)?

I'm asking because I just started using Remote Desktop on Windows 7, had a problem with Chrome (it was open on the Win7 laptop locally but wouldn't open remotely from my Vista desktop) and discovered the Chrome Team's solution involved storing the same USER / different INSTANCE files separately via adding this parameter "*--user-data-dir=%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\%USERNAME%*" to the Chrome Shortcut on the Win7 laptop.

I had the same problem with kmttg (already open locally so wouldn't open again remotely) and I'm currently researching possible solutions. I haven't tried running either pyTiVo or pyTiVo Desktop both locally AND remotely yet...


----------



## ClearToLand

@Dan203 and @mlippert ,

If there's no need to remux / transcode / _whatever_ (i.e. involve ffmpeg), how much '_horsepower_' would you estimate is needed to send a kmttg decrypted .MPG w/ .TXT file back to a TiVo unit from a NAS?

Due to the recent *SALES* posted on SD ($35 down to $28), I've purchased a 'few' Raspberry Pi 3 Model B's. Initially, I bought just one, with the goal of turning it into a Plex Client (since the Roamio Basic / OTA Plex Client is a POS; while my 5+ year old Seagate FAT+ and Patriot PBO & Core media streamers have *NO* problems with the decrypted .MPG files from kmttg, the Roamios '_peak out_' @ 720p & 4Mbps before a Plex Server transcode is required.  ). I've been viewing *MANY* YouTube videos on the Raspberry Pi 'family' of SBCs over the past week or so and today I spotted a Python3 shortcut on a Raspbian desktop. Remembering that @mlippert has been working on converting @wmcbrine 's latest fork of pyTiVo from Python2 to Python3, along with my positive experience (two solid days this past June) of '_slightly_' modifying @Dan203 's version (20170610) to display the '_TS Retry Info_' that I so desperately wanted to see, I'm curious if a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B can '_serve_' files back to a TiVo (Roamio Basic / OTA) unit.

Sure, the Plex Server / Plex Client combination is *GREAT* (especially when installing the Plex Server on a 2-4 bay Celeron w/2GB RAM NAS consuming minimal power). >>>*BUT*<<< before I was aware of Plex, the combination of *kmttg* and *pyTiVo* fulfilled my needs nicely (Well, *EXCEPT* for those times when pyTiVo INCORRECTLY estimated the amount of space required to transfer a file PC-to-TiVo and DELETED *ALL* of my non-KUID shows to make room!  ). I'm putting WD Red 3TB HDDs into two Roamios, hopefully this weekend; my original Roamio Basic via *MFS Tools* to preserve the shows that kmttg wasn't '_allowed_' to copy off to an external HDD, and my Roamio OTA via *MFS Reformatter* (that I've just about cleared of all shows, either deleted or copied onto my newest Roamio OTA 1TB) to 'align' the sectors on the new HDD to see if there's any difference in performance.

AFAICT, if the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B can run Kodi with the '*Official Plex Client Plug-In*' (Yeah, I know all about the *OTHER* Kodi Plug-Ins) and NOT need to transcode 1080i @ 8Mbps files, I see no reason why it can't also run pyTiVO to serve / NOT transcode similar files to a TiVo unit.

Comments / Personal Experience?


----------



## ClearToLand

b-ball-fanatic said:


> *Quick question* (I'm sure it's been discussed but my search didn't find a definitive answer):
> 
> *When pulling .tivo files back to the TiVo box*, what format(s) transfer as is, without any kind of transcoding? Just TS? Both PS and TS?


Not an answer to your question, but a WARNING (to anyone reading this) in general:

Files transferred TiVo-to-PC via TS / 'Fast' Format Transfer *OR* PS / 'Slow' Format Transfer are NOT, when transferred PC-to-TiVo, (*GUARANTEED* to be) IDENTICAL to what you started out with!  [This became blatantly evident to me when I transferred previous 'Auto-Skip' enabled files back. ]

*TS / 'Fast' Format Transfer* files will most likely (~50% in my experience; your's may vary) have '*Sync Errors*' and *NOT* transfer back unless you use either *VideoReDo* ($$$) to 'clean up' the file or *pyTiVo Desktop* to keep 'Retrying' until it gets NO ERRORs during the TiVo-to-PC transfer (and these 'Sync Errors' are indeed *RANDOM! *i.e. they move around  ).
.
*PS / 'Slow' Format Transfer* files usually transfer correctly *BUT* have the possibility of corrupting the Closed Captions. 
- Also *H.264* Source *CANNOT* be transferred via PS so... (see #1)
.
AFAICT, using:
*kmttg* to transfer TiVo-to-PC via PS / 'Slow' Format Transfer
*kmttg* to decrypt to .MPG and .TXT files
*pyTivo* (either version) to transfer the decrypted .MPG and .TXT files PC-to-TiVo
results in the *CLOSEST* approximation to the data that ORIGINALLY existed on the TiVo unit.
Experiment FIRST (and DO NOT blindly forge ahead as I unfortunately did initially  ). Do not delete any IMPORTANT files from your TiVo unit(s) *UNTIL* you have verified that the 'transfer back' is satisfactory for your needs. 


Spoiler



If it bothers you, try to overlook the over-formatting. As a Senior Citizen, I have to keep re-reading my posts to proofread and confirm that what my brain said actually was typed by my fingers. It's SHOCKING (to me!), but true, that my fingers often type correctly spelled words, but NOT the word I intended to type. So, I have to CAREFULLY review my posts (especially the LONG ones). My over-formatting is intended to create certain emphasis MISSING from 'flat text' that one usually infers from vocal conversations. My son (40+) says that my E-Mails to him (with the over-formatting) actually sound like me 'in person' so it DOES work if you let it... 


Edit: Typo! Change .JPG to .MPG  Yet another 'Brain-to-fingers' disconnect.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> @Dan203,
> 
> What was your logic behind moving your pyTiVo CONFIG file from the pyTiVo INSTALL directory (ala @wmcbrine 's version) to a USER directory (or was it an APPSDATA directory)?
> 
> I'm asking because I just started using Remote Desktop on Windows 7, had a problem with Chrome (it was open on the Win7 laptop locally but wouldn't open remotely from my Vista desktop) and discovered the Chrome Team's solution involved storing the same USER / different INSTANCE files separately via adding this parameter "*--user-data-dir=%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\%USERNAME%*" to the Chrome Shortcut on the Win7 laptop.
> 
> I had the same problem with kmttg (already open locally so wouldn't open again remotely) and I'm currently researching possible solutions. I haven't tried running either pyTiVo or pyTiVo Desktop both locally AND remotely yet...


It's a permissions issue. You can't write to the "Program Files" folder unless the app is running as admin, which most apps aren't. The preferred behavior for Windows apps is to write to the appdata directory or to the documents directory.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> *It's a permissions issue*. You can't write to the "Program Files" folder unless the app is running as admin, which most apps aren't...


So, if you allowed folks to INSTALL to a "x:\pyTiVo_Desktop" directory, the CONFIG file could have been created there like in @wmcbrine 's pyTiVo.


Dan203 said:


> ...*The preferred behavior for Windows apps is* to write to the appdata directory or to the documents directory.


So, you decided to follow the '_preferred Windows behavior_' while @wmcbrine and @moyekj didn't...

IIRC, I once read that kmttg CAN run multiple instances simultaneously *IF* installed in different folders. I wonder if there's a way to '_point_' multiple CONFIG files (in different folders) to different folders (like Chrome's solution), while still executing from one folder.

Realistically, all I wanted to do was to check the status of a Handbrake encode job, initiated from the Vista desktop (in the den) remotely, on the Win7 laptop (in the LR) locally. The best I could do was to monitor its progress via Resource Monitor. I couldn't get Intel QuickSync enabled on this laptop (i3-2350M), but I have 3 Win7 desktops (i5s: 3rd, 4th, 6th generations) yet to try...


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> So, if you allowed folks to INSTALL to a "x:\pyTiVo_Desktop" directory, the CONFIG file could have been created there like in @wmcbrine 's pyTiVo.
> So, you decided to follow the '_preferred Windows behavior_' while @wmcbrine and @moyekj didn't...
> 
> IIRC, I once read that kmttg CAN run multiple instances simultaneously *IF* installed in different folders. I wonder if there's a way to '_point_' multiple CONFIG files (in different folders) to different folders (like Chrome's solution), while still executing from one folder.
> 
> Realistically, all I wanted to do was to check the status of a Handbrake encode job, initiated from the Vista desktop (in the den) remotely, on the Win7 laptop (in the LR) locally. The best I could do was to monitor its progress via Resource Monitor. I couldn't get Intel QuickSync enabled on this laptop (i3-2350M), but I have 3 Win7 desktops (i5s: 3rd, 4th, 6th generations) yet to try...


Neither the original pyTivo nor kmttg are really Windows programs. The original pyTivo was written in pure python and required you to install python on your PC for it to even run. It is capable of running on any PC where a python interpreter is available. kmttg is a Java program which is also capable of running on any system where a Java VM is available.

My program is packaged and installed as a native Windows or Mac app, and as such I adhered to the native app rules and behaviors for those operating systems.

If you'd rather run pyTivo the old fashion way I offer a complete repository of the code on GitHub. You can run it just like you would wmcbrine's version. However the Desktop app is not available as source, so the only way to use that part is by using my installed version.


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

ClearToLand said:


> AFAICT, using:
> *kmttg* to transfer TiVo-to-PC via PS / 'Slow' Format Transfer
> *kmttg* to decrypt to .MPG and .TXT files
> *pyTivo* (either version) to transfer the decrypted .JPG and .TXT files PC-to-TiVo
> results in the *CLOSEST* approximation to the data that ORIGINALLY existed on the TiVo unit.
> Experiment FIRST (and DO NOT blindly forge ahead as I unfortunately did initially  ). Do not delete any IMPORTANT files from your TiVo unit(s) *UNTIL* you have verified that the 'transfer back' is satisfactory for your needs.


It's my experience as well that PS transfers tend to be more successful, at least of late. For years, I routinely transferred TS files from TiVo-to-PC without issue, but that has changed over the past year or so. Now I just do PS. In terms of transferring back, I get consistently good results just leaving the files encrypted. I.e., I edit the native .tivo files as needed and then pull them back to a TiVo box. While I've also had good results with decrypted .mpg and .mp4 files, I find there's really no point. I'm not trying to shrink file sizes, beyond removing commercials, and leaving the tivo wrapper leaves the original metadata intact..._so _much easier than trying to get the TiVo to play nice with metadata files.


----------



## Dan203

b-ball-fanatic said:


> It's my experience as well that PS transfers tend to be more successful, at least of late. For years, I routinely transferred TS files from TiVo-to-PC without issue, but that has changed over the past year or so. Now I just do PS. In terms of transferring back, I get consistently good results just leaving the files encrypted. I.e., I edit the native .tivo files as needed and then pull them back to a TiVo box. While I've also had good results with decrypted .mpg and .mp4 files, I find there's really no point. I'm not trying to shrink file sizes, beyond removing commercials, and leaving the tivo wrapper leaves the original metadata intact..._so _much easier than trying to get the TiVo to play nice with metadata files.


FYI if you did want to reduce the file size you could save to the H.264 TiVo profile in VideoReDo and it would still retain the .tivo wrapper and metadata.


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

Dan203 said:


> FYI if you did want to reduce the file size you could save to the H.264 TiVo profile in VideoReDo and it would still retain the .tivo wrapper and metadata.


That's a good option to have, for space-restricted situations. Unfortunately, the image quality of highly-compressed broadcast video has now deteriorated to the point that I'm loathe to apply _any _further processing or compression. In fact, I've set up a Roamio OTA just for the "mission critical" broadcasts that I collect, because some of the cable versions have gotten so bad.


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> FYI if you did want to reduce the file size you could save to the H.264 TiVo profile in VideoReDo and it would still retain the .tivo wrapper and metadata.


I didn't know that! Thanks for the tip Dan.

Scott


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

Why are uploads, from PC-to-TiVo, so much faster and more reliable than downloads in the other direction?


----------



## lpwcomp

b-ball-fanatic said:


> Why are uploads, from PC-to-TiVo, so much faster and more reliable than downloads in the other direction?


 Because with PC-TiVo, the PC is doing the hard part.


----------



## b-ball-fanatic

lpwcomp said:


> Because with PC-TiVo, the PC is doing the hard part.


Well yes....I deduced that asymmetry on my own.  Since file transfers over a network are not difficult, there's obviously more going on....what exactly is "the hard part?"


----------



## Dan203

b-ball-fanatic said:


> Well yes....I deduced that asymmetry on my own.  Since file transfers over a network are not difficult, there's obviously more going on....what exactly is "the hard part?"


Muxing and encrypting.


----------



## tim_m

For some reason i can't get anything to download to my pc. It adds to the queue but it doesn't download.


----------



## ThAbtO

tim_m said:


> For some reason i can't get anything to download to my pc. It adds to the queue but it doesn't download.


Pull that plug and Reboot that Tivo.


----------



## lpwcomp

ThAbtO said:


> Pull that plug and Reboot that Tivo.


If it is still responding to remote commands, a soft boot should work fine. No need to "Pull that plug".


----------



## ThAbtO

lpwcomp said:


> If it is still responding to remote commands, a soft boot should work fine. No need to "Pull that plug".


Not always, if there are issues that a soft reboot will not clear.


----------



## tim_m

I'll give that a try later. Don't want to interrupt my recordings for premiere night. I even thought it might be a port issue. So i opened up port 9032 for the laptop i want to download to. Maybe i need to open it up for the ip of the Tivo? In the my shows list i see the device and the folder i want to save the recordings too.


----------



## ThAbtO

Port 9032 is just for PyTivo.


----------



## tim_m

Oh ok, i wasn't sure. i'll try rebooting later then. i just wanted to transfer a few to the pc to have some more space with fall tv starting tonight and don't want to delete the recordings.


----------



## ClearToLand

ThAbtO said:


> *Pull that plug* and Reboot that Tivo.


With my current Roamios, and my previous decade with ReplayTVs, I would *NEVER* just "Pull the plug" to Cold Boot! 

Put the unit into Standby to stop all NON-SCHEDULED (Check what *YOUR* tuners are CURRENTLY doing first!) writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so...


----------



## Jaguarandine

Any chance for a Linux version or one compatible with Wine?


----------



## Dan203

I looked in to doing a Linux version. The biggest problem I had is that in Ubuntu they don't allow you to put apps in the tray anymore. So there was no easy way to run pyTivo headless and manage it via the UI. I started looking in to alternatives, like using the icon in the left bar thing but it would have required a lot of custom code I didn't want to manage.


----------



## Sparky1234

ClearToLand said:


> With my current Roamios, and my previous decade with ReplayTVs, I would *NEVER* just "Pull the plug" to Cold Boot!
> 
> Put the unit into Standby to stop all writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so...


I have always just pulled the plug going back 14 years now on TiVos and never had a problem. BUT I think your advice is sound. HDDs hate power interruptions while writing data.


----------



## Dan203

The TiVo file system was designed to be able to recover from a sudden loss of power. But that doesn't account for any hardware stress it may cause.


----------



## jackstoker

ClearToLand said:


> With my current Roamios, and my previous decade with ReplayTVs, I would *NEVER* just "Pull the plug" to Cold Boot!
> 
> Put the unit into Standby to stop all writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so...


Putting the TiVo into Standby does not stop any recordings already in progress, or any that might have started after put into standby, so Standby does not avoid potential issues of pulling the plug while recording. At least this is the case with a Roamio OTA.

Putting the TiVo into Standby stops the Live Buffers, but does not stop any recordings already in progress, or any that might have started after put into Standby, so Standby alone does not avoid potential issues of pulling the plug while recording. At least this is the case with a Roamio OTA.

The best you can do is stop any recordings in progress, and check the TDL to make sure nothing is scheduled to start in the next minute or two, then put the TiVo into Standby and pull the plug once there.


----------



## Sparky1234

jackstoker said:


> Putting the TiVo into Standby does not stop any recordings already in progress, or any that might have started after put into standby, so Standby does not avoid potential issues of pulling the plug while recording. At least this is the case with a Roamio OTA.
> 
> The best you can do is stop any recordings in progress, and check the TDL to make sure nothing is scheduled to start in the next minute or two, then put the TiVo into Standby and pull the plug once there.


Wow. Too hard. I'm back to just pulling the plug when I have to.


----------



## HerronScott

Sparky1234 said:


> Wow. Too hard. I'm back to just pulling the plug when I have to.


Why not just restart it through the menu option?

Scott


----------



## ClearToLand

ThAbtO said:


> tim_m said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...*So i opened up port 9032 for the laptop i want to download to*. Maybe i need to open it up for the ip of the Tivo?
> 
> 
> 
> *Port 9032 is just for PyTivo*.
Click to expand...

Port 9032 is just the DEFAULT port for both pyTiVo (@wmcbrine) and pyTiVo Desktop (@Dan203). To run both simultaneously, I moved pyTiVo (@wmcbrine) to 9033 since, at the time I was experimenting, pyTiVo Desktop didn't appear 'receptive' to changes...


----------



## ClearToLand

jackstoker said:


> ClearToLand said:
> 
> 
> 
> With my current Roamios, and my previous decade with ReplayTVs, I would *NEVER* just "Pull the plug" to Cold Boot!
> 
> Put the unit into Standby to stop all writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so...
> 
> 
> 
> *Putting the TiVo into Standby does not stop any recordings already in progress, or any that might have started after put into standby, so Standby does not avoid potential issues of pulling the plug while recording*. At least this is the case with a Roamio OTA.
> 
> The best you can do is stop any recordings in progress, and check the TDL to make sure nothing is scheduled to start in the next minute or two, then put the TiVo into Standby and pull the plug once there.
Click to expand...

I '_thought_' THAT (Red highlight) was fairly obvious (thus, no need to mention it).  

The GOAL is *NOT* to "Pull the plug" during a HDD Write, so putting the TiVo unit into Standby *WHILE* four tuners are recording isn't going to accomplish much - common sense is also needed...


----------



## jackstoker

ClearToLand said:


> I '_thought_' THAT (Red highlight) was fairly obvious (thus, no need to mention it).
> 
> The GOAL is *NOT* to "Pull the plug" during a HDD Write, so putting the TiVo unit into Standby *WHILE* four tuners are recording isn't going to accomplish much - common sense is also needed...


Uh, no, you said "Put the unit into Standby to stop all writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so".


----------



## ClearToLand

b-ball-fanatic said:


> It's my experience as well that PS transfers tend to be more successful, at least of late. For years, I routinely transferred TS files from TiVo-to-PC without issue, but that has changed over the past year or so. Now I just do PS. In terms of transferring back, I get consistently good results just leaving the files encrypted. I.e., I edit the native .tivo files as needed and then pull them back to a TiVo box. *While I've also had good results with decrypted .mpg and .mp4 files, I find there's really no point*. I'm not trying to shrink file sizes, beyond removing commercials, and *leaving the tivo wrapper leaves the original metadata intact*..._so _much easier than trying to get the TiVo to play nice with metadata files.


*BUT*, the metadata sent BACK to a TiVo unit in a .tivo file is *NOT* the same as the metadata originally sent to the PC! 

Two examples:
*Original Air Date* is changed to *Transfer Date* when you send it back PC-to-TiVo.
*ContentID* is *NOT* sent back, so previous '*AutoSkip*' shows can no longer find their corresponding skip points online.
- *NOTE:* *ContentID* *IS* sent back in the .mpg.txt file (after the hyphen in *programID*, IIRC), along with the DECRYPTED .mpg file
Try an experiment yourself and tell me what you find...


----------



## ClearToLand

Sparky1234 said:


> *Wow. Too hard.* I'm back to just pulling the plug when I have to.


Do you wear a seat belt when in an automobile?


----------



## lpwcomp

A hard boot/power cycle should rarely be the first choice.


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> With my current Roamios, and my previous decade with ReplayTVs, I would *NEVER* just "Pull the plug" to Cold Boot!
> 
> Put the unit into Standby to stop all *NON-SCHEDULED (Check what *YOUR* tuners are CURRENTLY doing first!)* writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so...





jackstoker said:


> *Uh, no, you said* "Put the unit into Standby to stop all writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so".


Ok.  Just like "_Never say never_..." can sometimes bite you in the a$$, I'll concede that '_all_' was too inclusive (although even @JoeKustra gave me a LIKE for it! :thumbsup: ) so I just edited my original post. Apparently, I wasn't thinking sufficiently '_low level_' as you pointed out. 

Thanks!


----------



## jackstoker

ClearToLand said:


> With my current Roamios, and my previous decade with ReplayTVs, I would *NEVER* just "Pull the plug" to Cold Boot!
> 
> Put the unit into Standby to stop all NON-SCHEDULED (Check what *YOUR* tuners are CURRENTLY doing first!) writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so...





ClearToLand said:


> Ok.  Just like "_Never say never_..." can sometimes bite you in the a$$, I'll concede that '_all_' was too inclusive (although even @JoeKustra gave me a LIKE for it! :thumbsup: ) so I just edited my original post. Apparently, I wasn't thinking sufficiently '_low level_' as you pointed out.
> 
> Thanks!


Uh... Unless I'm mis-understanding, no! Putting the TiVo into Standby does NOT stop recordings that are in progress, be they scheduled, upcoming schedules, or manually started. Try it. Go to the guide and start a recording, then put the TiVo into Standby for a few minutes, then wake the TiVo and the recording is still active, with nothing lost. Putting the TiVo into Standby stops the Live Buffers, but does NOT stop Scheduled or Manual recordings that are in progress, be they scheduled, upcoming schedules, or manually started.


----------



## ClearToLand

jackstoker said:


> *Uh... Unless I'm mis-understanding, no! Putting the TiVo into Standby does NOT stop recordings that are in progress, be they scheduled, upcoming schedules, or manually started*. Try it. Go to the guide and start a recording, then put the TiVo into Standby for a few minutes, then wake the TiVo and the recording is still active, with nothing lost.


Ok now! How DUMB are you expecting TiVo folks to be?!? 

A Cold Boot (usually) takes LT 5 minutes, IME.

You're stating the OBVIOUS, which I covered in my edited post:


ClearToLand said:


> With my current Roamios, and my previous decade with ReplayTVs, I would *NEVER* just "Pull the plug" to Cold Boot!
> 
> Put the unit into Standby to stop all NON-SCHEDULED (*Check what *YOUR* tuners are CURRENTLY doing first!*) writing to the HDD and THEN "Pull the plug" for 10 seconds or so...


I already conceded that '_all_' (like "_Never say never_") was a poor choice of words - what more do you want? 

Let's allow for a of modicum of common sense here...


----------



## jackstoker

ClearToLand said:


> Ok now! How DUMB are you expecting TiVo folks to be?!?
> 
> A Cold Boot (usually) takes LT 5 minutes, IME.
> 
> You're stating the OBVIOUS, which I covered in my edited post:
> I already conceded that '_all_' (like "_Never say never_") was a poor choice of words - what more do you want?
> 
> Let's allow for a of modicum of common sense here...


I never said, or meant any of what you just said (quoted above). I am NOT disputing your statement "Check what *YOUR* tuners are CURRENTLY doing first!" That's precisely what I've said.

What I am disputing is your "corrected" statement "Put the unit into Standby to stop all NON-SCHEDULED...". The problem with that statement is that it's NOT true. Standby does NOT stop any form of recording. The problem with that statement is that a Manual Recording is a Non-Scheduled recording, and Standby does not stop them. However, as lpwcomp states, it does stop the Live Buffers. Your statement should be something like the following:

After waiting for all scheduled and manual recordings to stop, or manually stopping them, and verifying there are no scheduled recordings about to start, put the TiVo into Standby which will cause the Live Buffers to stop recording to the HDD.​


----------



## lpwcomp

ClearToLand said:


> *BUT*, the metadata sent BACK to a TiVo unit in a .tivo file is *NOT* the same as the metadata originally sent to the PC!
> 
> Two examples:
> 
> *Original Air Date* is changed to *Transfer Date* when you send it back PC-to-TiVo.
> *ContentID* is *NOT* sent back, so previous '*AutoSkip*' shows can no longer find their corresponding skip points online.
> - *NOTE:* *ContentID* *IS* sent back in the .mpg.txt file (after the hyphen in *programID*, IIRC), along with the DECRYPTED .mpg file
> Try an experiment yourself and tell me what you find...


1. While I suppose anything is possible, I think it more likely that you are misinterpreting what you are seeing. OAD and Record Time are two separate metadata fields. OAD is only a date while record time full date and time.

2. More likely something in the process is garbling the closed captions resulting in an inability to sync the SM data. BTW, the metadata text file is not sent "along with the DECRYPTED .mpg file". it is used to build the metadata xml that is then embedded in the file sent to the TiVo.


jackstoker said:


> I never said, or meant any of what you just said (quoted above). I am NOT disputing your statement "Check what *YOUR* tuners are CURRENTLY doing first!" That's precisely what I've said.
> 
> What I am disputing is your "corrected" statement "Put the unit into Standby to stop all NON-SCHEDULED...". The problem with that statement is that it's NOT true. Standby does NOT stop any form of recording.


Standby on an S4 or later stops recording of the live buffers.


----------



## ClearToLand

lpwcomp said:


> ClearToLand said:
> 
> 
> 
> *BUT*, the metadata sent BACK to a TiVo unit in a .tivo file is *NOT* the same as the metadata originally sent to the PC!
> 
> Two examples:
> 
> *Original Air Date* is changed to *Transfer Date* when you send it back PC-to-TiVo.
> *ContentID* is *NOT* sent back, so previous '*AutoSkip*' shows can no longer find their corresponding skip points online.
> - *NOTE:* *ContentID* *IS* sent back in the .mpg.txt file (after the hyphen in *programID*, IIRC), along with the DECRYPTED .mpg file
> Try an experiment yourself and tell me what you find...
> 
> 
> 
> 1. While I suppose anything is possible, I think it more likely that you are misinterpreting what you are seeing. OAD and Record Time are two separate metadata fields. OAD is only a date while record time full date and time.
> 
> 2. More likely something in the process is garbling the closed captions resulting in an inability to sync the SM data. BTW, the metadata text file is not sent "along with the DECRYPTED .mpg file". it is used to build the metadata xml that is then embedded in the file sent to the TiVo...
Click to expand...


Send a .tivo file PC-to-TiVo and tell me what date pyTiVo displays on-screen.

RE: 'garbling the closed captions' - 
RE: ContentID / AutoSkip -
Send only the .tivo file back to a TiVo unit and see if the 'AutoSkip' icon appears.
Send both the .mpg and the .mpg.txt back to a TiVo unit and see if the 'AutoSkip' icon appears.
- I verified the ContentID problem (a couple of months ago) w/ @moyekj in the main kmttg thread.


----------



## lpwcomp

Transferred the .tivo file of the 8/2 episode of "Salvation"

In "My Shows" it has "Wed 8/2" as the date.

on screen info during playback second line has:

1 hr 4 min (Wed 8/2 10PM)

Next to last line on the right reads:

First aired: 8/2/17

"ContentID" is *not* one of the fields sent back by pyTivo.

There are at least 2 fields stored in the .txt metadata file and sent back in the xml by pyTivo that are *not* in the .tivo file:

displayMajorNumber & callsign


----------



## ThAbtO

lpwcomp said:


> displayMajorNumber & callsign


I change those to either VIDEO or DVD and channel 1 in the meta file.


----------



## jackstoker

lpwcomp said:


> ...
> Standby on an S4 or later stops recording of the live buffers.


Thank you! I definitely wasn't thinking of Live Buffers. I will amend my statements to take this into account. If that's what ClearToLand meant, his statements should also be corrected as well.


----------



## tim_m

Well rebooting the Tivo did not work. It still will not download any recording to my PC. It shows up in the queue but nothing happens. I am however able to transfer something from my PC to the Tivo. Any suggestions?


----------



## ThAbtO

tim_m said:


> Well rebooting the Tivo did not work. It still will not download any recording to my PC. It shows up in the queue but nothing happens. I am however able to transfer something from my PC to the Tivo. Any suggestions?


Ok, Check something for me. Under System Information (if you have v20.7.2, its under Help), what does the line there for "TivoToGo:" say?


----------



## tim_m

ThAbtO said:


> Ok, Check something for me. Under System Information (if you have v20.7.2, its under Help), what does the line there for "TivoToGo:" say?


it says a, a, a, a


----------



## ThAbtO

tim_m said:


> it says a, a, a, a


That usually means transfers/sharing is enabled. So there may be something wrong with your unit.


----------



## Dan203

tim_m said:


> Well rebooting the Tivo did not work. It still will not download any recording to my PC. It shows up in the queue but nothing happens. I am however able to transfer something from my PC to the Tivo. Any suggestions?


Can you post the pyTivo log? Gear->About->Show Log


----------



## tim_m

Code:


WARNING:zeroconf:Exception occurred:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "zeroconf.py", line 2018, in send
error: [Errno 10065] A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:20] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=Restart&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Unregistering: My TiVo Recordings
INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Fri Sep 15 16:04:38 2017
INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.13
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.16299
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Bedroom Tivo - 192.168.0.7
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: My TiVo Recordings
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
Unhandled exception in thread started by <function server at 0x0597F0B0>
ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "beacon.py", line 219, in server
  File "socket.py", line 228, in meth
error: [Errno 10048] Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:29] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=My%20TiVo%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8480001902A99FE HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:42] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:42] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=My%20TiVo%20Recordings&Recurse=Yes&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=8&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=8480001902A99FE HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:47] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:47] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=My%20TiVo%20Recordings&Recurse=Yes&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=8&AnchorItem=%2FTiVoConnect%3FCommand%3DQueryContainer%26Container%3DMy%2520TiVo%2520Recordings%2FGuns%2520N%2527%2520Roses%2520-%25202017-09-23%2520-%2520Rock%2520in%2520Rio%252C%2520Rio%2520de%2520Janeiro%252C%2520Brazil%2520-%2520TV%2520Broadcast%25201080p&AnchorOffset=-5&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=8480001902A99FE HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[01/Oct/2017 21:58:57] Queued "[URL]http://192.168.0.7:80/download/Family[/URL] Guy.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=23529" for transfer to E:\
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:57] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:59:01] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.0.7%3A80%2Fdownload%2FFamily%2520Guy.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D23529 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[01/Oct/2017 21:59:13] Removed "[URL]http://192.168.0.7:80/download/Family[/URL] Guy.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=23529" from queue
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:59:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=Unqueue&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.0.7%3A80%2Fdownload%2FFamily%2520Guy.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D23529 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:59:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:59:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:21] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:21] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:31] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:07:18] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:07:18] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:11:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:12:56] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
WARNING:zeroconf:Exception occurred:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "zeroconf.py", line 2018, in send
error: [Errno 10065] A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host


----------



## Dan203

tim_m said:


> Code:
> 
> 
> WARNING:zeroconf:Exception occurred:
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "zeroconf.py", line 2018, in send
> error: [Errno 10065] A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:20] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=Restart&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Unregistering: My TiVo Recordings
> INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Fri Sep 15 16:04:38 2017
> INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.13
> INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.16299
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Bedroom Tivo - 192.168.0.7
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: My TiVo Recordings
> INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
> Unhandled exception in thread started by <function server at 0x0597F0B0>
> ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "beacon.py", line 219, in server
> File "socket.py", line 228, in meth
> error: [Errno 10048] Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:29] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=My%20TiVo%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8480001902A99FE HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:39] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:42] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:42] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=My%20TiVo%20Recordings&Recurse=Yes&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=8&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=8480001902A99FE HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:47] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:47] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=My%20TiVo%20Recordings&Recurse=Yes&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=8&AnchorItem=%2FTiVoConnect%3FCommand%3DQueryContainer%26Container%3DMy%2520TiVo%2520Recordings%2FGuns%2520N%2527%2520Roses%2520-%25202017-09-23%2520-%2520Rock%2520in%2520Rio%252C%2520Rio%2520de%2520Janeiro%252C%2520Brazil%2520-%2520TV%2520Broadcast%25201080p&AnchorOffset=-5&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=8480001902A99FE HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[01/Oct/2017 21:58:57] Queued "[URL]http://192.168.0.7:80/download/Family[/URL] Guy.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=23529" for transfer to E:\
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:57] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:58:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:59:01] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.0.7%3A80%2Fdownload%2FFamily%2520Guy.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D23529 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[01/Oct/2017 21:59:13] Removed "[URL]http://192.168.0.7:80/download/Family[/URL] Guy.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=23529" from queue
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:59:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=Unqueue&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.0.7%3A80%2Fdownload%2FFamily%2520Guy.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D23529 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:59:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [01/Oct/2017 21:59:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:21] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:21] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:04:31] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:07:18] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:07:18] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:11:44] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 01:12:56] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
> WARNING:zeroconf:Exception occurred:
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "zeroconf.py", line 2018, in send
> error: [Errno 10065] A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host


That means there is a port conflict. Do you have another version of pyTivo running? Ot TiVo Desktop?


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

Hopefully the issue I'm having is an easy fix.

I just installed the latest version of this software from the link on the initial post to this discussion board. I was able to access recordings on my TiVo Roamio OTA on my PC using this software, but was unable to see a folder on my TiVo that let me transfer recordings back to my actual TiVo from my PC.

After doing that I uninstalled my original version of TiVo Desktop software, thinking that might be the culprit. I had the same result.

I'm just wondering if there's something simple I'm missing so that I can transfer files back to my TiVo from my PC.

Thanks for the help. (I do plan on testing and purchasing VideoReDo Suite if all goes well, mainly for being able to convert my sports recordings for archiving.)


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> Hopefully the issue I'm having is an easy fix.
> 
> I just installed the latest version of this software from the link on the initial post to this discussion board. I was able to access recordings on my TiVo Roamio OTA on my PC using this software, but was unable to see a folder on my TiVo that let me transfer recordings back to my actual TiVo from my PC.
> 
> After doing that I uninstalled my original version of TiVo Desktop software, thinking that might be the culprit. I had the same result.
> 
> I'm just wondering if there's something simple I'm missing so that I can transfer files back to my TiVo from my PC.
> 
> Thanks for the help. (I do plan on testing and purchasing VideoReDo Suite if all goes well, mainly for being able to convert my sports recordings for archiving.)


Ignore the last part. I was able to fix that issue by uninstalling a previous (forgotten) installation of Python, and then manually creating firewall rules to allow the use of the port used by the application.

Here's the next issue. I try to transfer a file back to my TiVo and it doesn't seem to be converting/transferring the file even though its showing up in the tivos list of recordings (stuck on mcm 0 and reading as a partial recording, if that means anything).

Any guidance at all on this one? Im so new to this that I'm certain it's me doing something wrong here. But I'm loving the idea of this app so far.

Thanks in advance!

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## mlippert

ClearToLand said:


> @Dan203 and @mlippert ,
> 
> If there's no need to remux / transcode / _whatever_ (i.e. involve ffmpeg), how much '_horsepower_' would you estimate is needed to send a kmttg decrypted .MPG w/ .TXT file back to a TiVo unit from a NAS?


Hi and sorry, I wasn't getting notifications about messages here for about a month and am just now catching up on this thread.

I'd have to dig back into the code (it's been a little while) but it does seem like something that would be worth trying. From memory, I'm pretty sure you still want ffmpeg available even if not transcoding because pytivo uses it to get info about the various streams in the file it's sending.

My Python 3 fork of pytivo has been running pretty well on linux, and I've gotten it to run on Win 7 as well (although that took some effort getting dependencies installed).

If you've gotten other answers later in this thread, sorry, I haven't gotten to them yet.


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> Ignore the last part. I was able to fix that issue by uninstalling a previous (forgotten) installation of Python, and then manually creating firewall rules to allow the use of the port used by the application.
> 
> Here's the next issue. I try to transfer a file back to my TiVo and it doesn't seem to be converting/transferring the file even though its showing up in the tivos list of recordings (stuck on mcm 0 and reading as a partial recording, if that means anything).
> 
> Any guidance at all on this one? Im so new to this that I'm certain it's me doing something wrong here. But I'm loving the idea of this app so far.
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


Update: I've been able to get the videos to transfer. It seems the issue was that I had initially installed as a service. Undid it and it works fine now.

I'd like to be able to install it as a service though, and if possible can anyone tell me if they've been able to use it to access an alternate nas drive? I have all of my movies stored in one and it would be a convenient feature if possible.

Thanks in advance.

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## tim_m

Dan203 said:


> That means there is a port conflict. Do you have another version of pyTivo running? Ot TiVo Desktop?


I did have tivo desktop but i removed it.


----------



## tim_m

Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:[02/Oct/2017 19:50:59] Queued "[URL]http://192.168.0.7:80/download/Renaissance[/URL] Man.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=21631" for transfer to E:\
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 19:50:59] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 19:50:59] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 19:50:59] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 19:51:05] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.0.7%3A80%2Fdownload%2FRenaissance%2520Man.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D21631 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[02/Oct/2017 19:51:07] Removed "[URL]http://192.168.0.7:80/download/Renaissance[/URL] Man.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=21631" from queue
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 19:51:07] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=Unqueue&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.0.7%3A80%2Fdownload%2FRenaissance%2520Man.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D21631 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 19:51:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.0.7 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 19:51:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [02/Oct/2017 19:51:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


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## tim_m

Just wanted to report i got it working. Turns out a second instance of pytivo was running. Not sure how that happened.


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## tim_m

One question. I understand the ones that are green are downloadable but what are the ones with the yellow icon?


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## ThAbtO

The color icons are just indicators, 
Blue= recently recorded, 
Yellow = may be deleted when space is needed. (includes ones marked with !, may show deletion date - just ignore)*
Green = Keep Until I Delete

Shows that cannot be downloaded (copy-protected) will have a Red circle and slash.

*Tivo will not delete shows until the Recently Deleted Folder is empty, followed by suggestions (if enabled.)


----------



## tim_m

I'm getting a lot of errors while downloading. Is there anything that can be done about this?


----------



## HerronScott

tim_m said:


> I'm getting a lot of errors while downloading. Is there anything that can be done about this?


What kind of errors? Are you on Comcast and downloading shows in TS format as they are MPEG4?

Scott


----------



## tim_m

HerronScott said:


> What kind of errors? Are you on Comcast and downloading shows in TS format as they are MPEG4?
> 
> Scott


Spectrum and i was trying in .ts but switched to program and the errors stopped but they're not playable in that format on my computer. Which is ok. I only wanted to download them to free up space on the tivo. They were transport errors affecting packets.


----------



## lpwcomp

tim_m said:


> Spectrum and i was trying in .ts but switched to program and the errors stopped but they're not playable in that format on my computer. Which is ok. I only wanted to download them to free up space on the tivo. They were transport errors affecting packets.


If they are H.264 recordings rather than MPEG2, then they *must* be downloaded in Transport Stream format. If you download H.264 in Program Stream, you end up with a file with audio only.


----------



## elprice7345

@Dan203 - There seem to be quite a few issues around having multiple instances of pyTivo running.

How easy would it be to add a check to see if other instances of pyTivo are running and/or installed during your pyTivo Desktop install process?


----------



## lpwcomp

elprice7345 said:


> @Dan203 - There seem to be quite a few issues around having multiple instances of pyTivo running.
> 
> How easy would it be to add a check to see if other instances of pyTivo are running and/or installed during your pyTivo Desktop install process?


The problem isn't really multiple instances, it's multiple apps using the same port.


----------



## elprice7345

lpwcomp said:


> The problem isn't really multiple instances, it's multiple apps using the same port.


So, is that something @Dan203 could check for when installing?


----------



## tim_m

I realized why they weren't playing on my pc. I had decrypt unchecked. Whoops.


----------



## ThAbtO

tim_m said:


> I did have tivo desktop but i removed it.


You can have Tivo Desktop and 1 copy of PyTivo running on a single PC at the same time.


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## ClearToLand

ThAbtO said:


> *You can have* Tivo Desktop and *1 copy of PyTivo running on a single PC at the same time*.


AFAICT, you can run as many copies of @wmcbrine pyTiVo and / or @Dan203 pyTiVo Desktop as you desire SIMULTANEOUSLY as long as you install each copy in their own directory, pointing to their own CONFIG file and manually configure them to use a different port (from the default of 9032).

When I was running both @wmcbrine pyTiVo and @Dan203 pyTiVo (manually, since I'm running Vista and v12 didn't like Vista), I had to move @wmcbrine pyTiVo to 9033 since @Dan203 pyTiVo Desktop (again, running manually under Vista) didn't like me moving its pyTiVo companion.


----------



## Dan203

I'll look into adding something to the installer to check for port conflicts. Maybe I can add an option to change the port in the installer too. But that wont completely prevent them if the program causing the conflict isn't running when you install.

I'm also going to remove the service option. It just causes too many problems and people seem to select it even when they don't understand what a service really is. I'll leave the bat files in the install directory so those that really want to run as a service can, but they'll have to manually set the permissions so that it actually works.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> *I'll look into adding something to the installer to check for port conflicts*. Maybe I can add an option to change the port in the installer too. *But that wont completely prevent them if the program causing the conflict isn't running when you install*.
> 
> I'm also going to remove the service option. It just causes too many problems and people seem to select it even when they don't understand what a service really is. *I'll leave the bat files in the install directory so those that really want to run as a service can*, but they'll have to manually set the permissions so that it actually works.


Personally, I think that being aware of the ports in use on one's computer is a USER responsibility and adding this code to pyTiVo Desktop is a waste of your time since, as you stated, what's to prevent a non-technical user from adding a conflicting port AFTER installing pyTiVo Desktop (or simply not having the conflicting-port program running  ) and then *STILL* coming here to complain. 

Good decision on the service option. :thumbsup:


----------



## idksmy

ClearToLand said:


> Personally, I think that being aware of the ports in use on one's computer is a USER responsibility and adding this code to pyTiVo Desktop is a waste of your time since, as you stated, what's to prevent a non-technical user from adding a conflicting port AFTER installing pyTiVo Desktop (or simply not having the conflicting-port program running  ) and then *STILL* coming here to complain.


While I agree, adding code to eliminate the opportunity for people to do something stupid is alway a great idea. It is also a waste of Dan's time to keep dealing with the same user error over and over again.


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## lpwcomp

idksmy said:


> While I agree, adding code to eliminate the opportunity for people to do something stupid is alway a great idea. It is also a waste of Dan's time to keep dealing with the same user error over and over again.


If you make a program idiot proof, the world will build a "better" idiot.

As Dan pointed out, an install time check will only work if the conflicting program is running. And a run time check is timing dependent.

Dan: Have you considered changing pyTivo Desktop's default port?


----------



## JACKASTOR

lpwcomp said:


> If you make a program idiot proof, the world will build a "better" idiot


I agree, a better idiot will evolve to take the place of the old one!


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## tim_m

I would say leave it the way it is and don't mess with ports. Once you suggested there was another instance running it was an easy fix for me. Of course someone less tech savvy then i am might not know how to check if that's the problem.


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## Dan203

tim_m said:


> I would say leave it the way it is and don't mess with ports. Once you suggested there was another instance running it was an easy fix for me. Of course someone less tech savvy then i am might not know how to check if that's the problem.


Was your issue another instance of my pyTivo running? Or an instance of an older version running directly via python?


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## tim_m

Dan203 said:


> Was your issue another instance of my pyTivo running? Or an instance of an older version running directly via python?


I'm not sure how i would tell. All i know is there was another pytivo.exe in my task manager. I ended the process of one of them and bingo i was able to offload enough recordings to lower the used space to 52%.


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## Dan203

tim_m said:


> I'm not sure how i would tell. All i know is there was another pytivo.exe in my task manager. I ended the process of one of them and bingo i was able to offload enough recordings to lower the used space to 52%.


Ok that's what I meant. I could probably add a better check to prevent that.


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## Bobbo Bakkins

Still wondering if there's a way to add a network hard drive as the drive that is accessed for a share. Anyone have any info about whether that's possibly, and if not why?

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


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## idksmy

It’s not because the TiVo operating system doesn’t support network drives.


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## Dan203

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> Still wondering if there's a way to add a network hard drive as the drive that is accessed for a share. Anyone have any info about whether that's possibly, and if not why?
> 
> Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


It actually does work if you manually enter the \\ path to the drive. You can also map the drive to a drive letter and it'll work that way too.



idksmy said:


> It's not because the TiVo operating system doesn't support network drives.


The TiVo doesn't access the file system at all. It uses HTTP data sent by pyTivo. So as long as pyTivo can read the drive then the TiVo can access it.


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## idksmy

Dan203 said:


> The TiVo doesn't access the file system at all. It uses HTTP data sent by pyTivo. So as long as pyTivo can read the drive then the TiVo can access it.


My error. Bobbo's post was not clear whether it was referring to the Tivo box itself accessing a network share to get more storage space, instead of replacing the internal hard drive, or whether he was referring to pyTivo accessing a network share. Of course pyTivo can access a network share, that's one of its major features. I have pyTivo pointing to my Buffalo NAS.


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

idksmy said:


> My error. Bobbo's post was not clear whether it was referring to the Tivo box itself accessing a network share to get more storage space, instead of replacing the internal hard drive, or whether he was referring to pyTivo accessing a network share. Of course pyTivo can access a network share, that's one of its major features. I have pyTivo pointing to my Buffalo NAS.


How were you able to set up your bad as a shared drive using pytivo? (Thanks for the help btw)

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


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## idksmy

I will doublecheck when I get home but, as I recall;

1. Logged into the Buffalo NAS admin console and defined a share.
2. Confirmed all the devices (MacBook Air, Mac Mini, Windows laptops) could access it.
3. Pointed pyTivo to this share.


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## Bobbo Bakkins

idksmy said:


> I will doublecheck when I get home but, as I recall;
> 
> 1. Logged into the Buffalo NAS admin console and defined a share.
> 2. Confirmed all the devices (MacBook Air, Mac Mini, Windows laptops) could access it.
> 3. Pointed pyTivo to this share.


Thanks so much. I've got the day off so ill see if I can get any further into it.

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


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## lpwcomp

I mapped my NAS to a drive letter and use it like any other drive. The only weird thing is that VideoReDo can't access the drive.


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## Bobbo Bakkins

lpwcomp said:


> I mapped my NAS to a drive letter and use it like any other drive. The only weird thing is that VideoReDo can't access the drive.


I have my bad drive mapped on my PC but it doesn't show up when trying to set up the share on pytivo. I tried mapping the drive by manually typing the mapped drive info, but the new share didn't show up on my TiVo when I did it.

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> I have my bad drive mapped on my PC but it doesn't show up when trying to set up the share on pytivo. I tried mapping the drive by manually typing the mapped drive info, but the new share didn't show up on my TiVo when I did it.
> 
> Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


Sorry nas (not bad)

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> I have my bad drive mapped on my PC but it doesn't show up when trying to set up the share on pytivo. I tried mapping the drive by manually typing the mapped drive info, but the new share didn't show up on my TiVo when I did it.


The little faux file browser in pyTivo Desktop doesn't work with network shares. You have to type in the full path to the share folder manually.

Also just to be clear the path in the settings dialog does NOT automatically update the share path. That's a download path. You have to go to the shares section in the main UI and edit the share there. The option in the installer to link them is not dynamic. It's basically just the installer creating a share for the download path you enter into the installer. After that they're separate and have to be changed separately.


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

Dan203 said:


> The little faux file browser in pyTivo Desktop doesn't work with network shares. You have to type in the full path to the share folder manually.
> 
> Also just to be clear the path in the settings dialog does NOT automatically update the share path. That's a download path. You have to go to the shares section in the main UI and edit the share there. The option in the installer to link them is not dynamic. It's basically just the installer creating a share for the download path you enter into the installer. After that they're separate and have to be changed separately.


Ok. So far I used your advice to create the share and to get the share to show up on the tivo, but when I choose that share none of my videos are showing.

The other shares I've created using the drive in my desktop all show the test videos I've put in them without issue. The only one not showing files is the network drive that I actually have my video files stored in.

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203

Are you sure the share points to a folder with at least one video file in it? I'm pretty sure there has to be at least one video file in the root of the folder for pyTivo to pick it up. It can't just be a bunch of other folders with videos in them.


----------



## lpwcomp

Windows treats NAS very oddly when dealing with media files. You need to create a folder and make sure the videos are in that folder, then point the share to that folder.


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

Dan203 said:


> Are you sure the share points to a folder with at least one video file in it? I'm pretty sure there has to be at least one video file in the root of the folder for pyTivo to pick it up. It can't just be a bunch of other folders with videos in them.


I just tried this and it did not work for me. TiVo is now seeing the share but did not see the videos placed at the root of the folder noe did it see other folders contained within it.

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

lpwcomp said:


> Windows treats NAS very oddly when dealing with media files. You need to create a folder and make sure the videos are in that folder, then point the share to that folder.


I've done that. So far no luck. One thing I noticed is that after creating the share, I can find the share in pytivo desktops interface. When I click on it, it seems as if it. Redirects my original n://itunes/movies to c://itunes/movies (which doesn't exist on my pc).

Any idea why that redirect is happening instead of pointing to my network drive like I assigned?

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## lpwcomp

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> I've done that. So far no luck. One thing I noticed is that after creating the share, I can find the share in pytivo desktops interface. When I click on it, it seems as if it. Redirects my original n://itunes/movies to c://itunes/movies (which doesn't exist on my pc).
> 
> Any idea why that redirect is happening instead of pointing to my network drive like I assigned?
> 
> Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


Is this a Windows PC?


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

lpwcomp said:


> Is this a Windows PC?


Yes it runs on windows 7

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## lpwcomp

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> Yes it runs on windows 7
> 
> Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


Then assuming you've mapped the drive to "N" and you have a folder named "itunes" with sub-folder named "movies", the share path should be:



Code:


N:\itunes\movies

You are specifying it as a network drive rather than the mapped drive.


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

lpwcomp said:


> Then assuming you've mapped the drive to "N" and you have a folder named "itunes" with sub-folder named "movies", the share path should be:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> N:\itunes\movies
> 
> You are specifying it as a network drive rather than the mapped drive.


I am mapping the drive. The share is listed exactly as you quoted. In just not getting anything to show up in the share when I browse it on tivo. Or am i misunderstanding your suggestion?

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


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## lpwcomp

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> I am mapping the drive. The share is listed exactly as you quoted. In just not getting anything to show up in the share when I browse it on tivo. Or am i misunderstanding your suggestion?
> 
> Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


Hmm. OK, when you access N:\itunes\movies with Windows Explorer, is there anything in it?


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

Yes, it shows up with all of the files that are meant to be there. I've been using that drive for storage of media for years. This is the only time I've had any issues accessing it for anything. I just assumed pytivo didn't like network drives. Is there a setting I may need to turn on?

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


----------



## lpwcomp

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> Yes, it shows up with all of the files that are meant to be there. I've been using that drive for storage of media for years. This is the only time I've had any issues accessing it for anything. I just assumed pytivo didn't like network drives. Is there a setting I may need to turn on?
> 
> Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


There are two things that I can think of.

PyTivo has a problem with large numbers of files in a single folder, particularly on a network drive, which is why I have 27 sub-folders in my movies folder.

It might be an access problem. Check the security properties for the mapped drive.

I have to also add that I don't run PyTivo Desktop. I run a (slightly) modified "regular" pyTivo.


----------



## ThAbtO

I use PyTivo on my PC with a share to a WDMyCloudEX2 NAS drive, and I need to make sure the drive is "Woken up" before PyTivo will access it.


----------



## Dan203

Bobbo Bakkins said:


> I've done that. So far no luck. One thing I noticed is that after creating the share, I can find the share in pytivo desktops interface. When I click on it, it seems as if it. Redirects my original n://itunes/movies to c://itunes/movies (which doesn't exist on my pc).
> 
> Any idea why that redirect is happening instead of pointing to my network drive like I assigned?
> 
> Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


The little browse Window isn't 100%. It's basically faking it using python calls that aren't always accurate. If you notice the path changing to C:// instead just manually change it to N:// in the box.


----------



## mlippert

@Dan203 Could you point @Bobbo Bakkins to the pytivo conf file. I think at this point opening the conf file in notepad and pasting the relevant share section would be helpful.

There are a lot of moving parts, but when it comes down to it, what pytivo reads from the conf file is what is going to determine what it finds in the share.


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> @Dan203 Could you point @Bobbo Bakkins to the pytivo conf file. I think at this point opening the conf file in notepad and pasting the relevant share section would be helpful.
> 
> There are a lot of moving parts, but when it comes down to it, what pytivo reads from the conf file is what is going to determine what it finds in the share.


If installed regularly it's in C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo

if installed as a service it's in C:\ProgramData\pyTivo


----------



## Bobbo Bakkins

Thanks guys. Ill check this out tomorrow evening to see if I can make any progress. I appreciate the support.

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk


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## holysin

Odd problem with the current version of the desktop on windows 10: After installing, running as service, manually allowing both the service (pyTivoService) and the main executable (pytivo) through the windows firewall, and then launching the desktop I am able to see all of the files on my tivo (woot!), the tivo can't see my share (boo!), and transfers hang at 0% (boo!) I've rebooted both my pc and the tivo with no difference. I do also have the original pytivo command line python in a different folder and am not running it at the same time. When I do manually run the old version, it works fine fetching files from the tivo, and the tivo can see my share (the same share) and download any of the files there (x264, x265, etc). But I figured it was worth trying the latest and greatest. Is there anything obvious I'm missing?

(edit: as it didn't help, removed conf files)


----------



## Dan203

Reinstall without the service option. Or you need to go into the service and set it to run as the same user as you used to install it. Without user permissions the service can't access to ffmpeg.exe in the install folder, which is why the downloads stall.


----------



## holysin

Beautiful, (I swear I tried without a service first, but apparently that was a fever dream) had to uninstall, manually remove a few leftovers (which were hidden in fun locations... flipping windows), rebooted then reinstalled as admin before I got it to fully work but it's now running and talking both ways  In fact downloading is now working so well that I'm currently getting 90Mb/s from a tivo OTA so I'm a happy camper (and a little surprised as I thought it's 100Mb pipe was throttled to wireless-g speeds of 55ish). Odd question though, the old PT would sort with groups (folders) first (Capitals first because it's more of a PITA), however the new version sorts the groups just like the files (e.g. I'll see files starting with an A before I see groups that start with a B.) Is there a way to change that behavior in the conf file, or is it just part of the new system? Heck, for that matter, is it possible to convince one end or the other to ignore caps vs lowercase? As a *major* plus for your current version over the OG, the video share list is now populated *oh so much* faster (annoyingly I share an obscene amount of media to the tivo to the point where plex isn't an option as at least last time I tried, it just stalls, most users might not even notice the change?) Aside from the install issues (which are completely user/windows issues) you've created an awesome piece of software here, I reiterate the call for a tip jar that someone made in the first 10 pages for those who don't want / need editing software to be able to express their appreciation for your work on this project... It might be worth on the 1st post perhaps under the spoiler saying for windows users run the install file as admin and do NOT SELECT SERVICE as I suspect that'll drastically cut down on the posts since apparently we can't read the repeated instructions in 65+ pages of posts  Thanks again, it rocks and continues to do something that plex wouldn't do for me, now at what seems to be a higher speed in every possible way.


----------



## Dan203

I'm going to remove the service option. Too many people select it just because and then don't understand why it doesn't work. I'll leave the scripts that will allow them to enable the service option manually if they want, but I'm going to remove it from the installer.

As for the tip jar... I'm good. I make good money at my day job. This is just a hobby. If people start paying for it then it'll start feeling like work.


----------



## cpubradley

Thanks for creating this great software. One question, is it a know bug/issue with some shows up as duplicates in "My Shows" for downloading recordings? Sorry if it has been discussed before I haven't read through all 66 pages. If I download either listing, it downloads the same file. When downloading it shows 2 (or more) copies downloading even though it only really downloads one. Thoughts?


----------



## Dan203

That's a feature. It has a retry feature where it retries X number of times and always keeps the one with the least number of errors. If it gets a completely clean copy it stops. Otherwise it retries all X times and keeps the one with the least number of errors. At the end it should clean up after itself and you should end up with just one file. 

If you want to turn that off you can in the download section of the settings.


----------



## cpubradley

I didn't explain myself well  --- the listing in the app shows the same show multiple times -- attached a screenshot.


----------



## ThAbtO

The other shows (above and below) don't show dupes, so you may have parts of the show in 2 parts.


----------



## Dan203

cpubradley said:


> I didn't explain myself well  --- the listing in the app shows the same show multiple times -- attached a screenshot.


That's weird. Do you have duplicates like that on the TiVo itself?


----------



## cpubradley

Dan203 said:


> That's weird. Do you have duplicates like that on the TiVo itself?


Nope no duplicates on Tivo -- Attached is from the Tivo Now Playing togo webpage showing just one file per episode.


----------



## Dan203

cpubradley said:


> Nope no duplicates on Tivo -- Attached is from the Tivo Now Playing togo webpage showing just one file per episode.


What you're seeing is not normal. There are either duplicates in the XML I get from the TiVo or there is a parsing bug. Are you willing to run some tests for me to figure out which it is?


----------



## cpubradley

Dan203 said:


> What you're seeing is not normal. There are either duplicates in the XML I get from the TiVo or there is a parsing bug. Are you willing to run some tests for me to figure out which it is?


Sure just let me know what you want me to do.... note that sometimes it is more then one duplicate too, also it seems to happen more frequently with older recordings - with the oldest showing up 6 times and it is just a single episode (not part of a group).


----------



## Dan203

I'll need to create a special build for you with extra logging. I'll do that tomorrow and contact you via private message with a link and instructions. 

Are you Windows or Mac?


----------



## cpubradley

Dan203 said:


> I'll need to create a special build for you with extra logging. I'll do that tomorrow and contact you via private message with a link and instructions.
> 
> Are you Windows or Mac?


Windows.


----------



## Dan203

cpubradley said:


> Windows.


Sorry I had an emergency today at work that took all day so I didn't get a chance to do this. I'll try to get to it tomorrow


----------



## cpubradley

Dan203 said:


> Sorry I had an emergency today at work that took all day so I didn't get a chance to do this. I'll try to get to it tomorrow


No problem, no rush.


----------



## Skold

Dan203!

Long time lurker, first time poster here...

i've used the @wmcbrine fork of pyTiVo for years, and it was one of the reasons i stayed w/ TiVo for so long. Then Plex happened, and i didn't need it anymore. (TY wmcbrine for all of your hard work!).

Just did the $99 Bolt transfer thing, and i was dismayed to learn that TiVo Desktop does not work with Bolt. At all.

So, Dan203, this thing works great, and no need to install Python libraries and all that. Thanks!

Also, many thanks to wmcbrine for updating this in the first place! He's obviously the Batman to Dan203's Robin.


----------



## HerronScott

Skold said:


> Dan203
> Just did the $99 Bolt transfer thing, and i was dismayed to learn that TiVo Desktop does not work with Bolt. At all.


TiVo Desktop does work with the Bolt?

Scott


----------



## atmuscarella

TiVo Desktop works just fine with my Bolt


----------



## V7Goose

atmuscarella said:


> TiVo Desktop works just fine with my Bolt


Well, it "kinda" worked with my Bolts - when the Bolts could see the computer, it worked just like with any other TiVo, but my Bolts were were constantly having the computers disappear, especially after a Bolt restart. Each time that happened, the only way I found to get it back was to restart the Desktop on each computer. Just for comparison, the three computers running TiVo Desktop never disappeared from the two S3 boxes I was running at the same time, just the Bolts.


----------



## Skold

Hmmm... never had a problem with it and my Premier, but it isn't seeing my Bolt. i did not do much troubleshooting though, just read it here https://support.tivo.com/articles/Essential_Summary/TiVo-Desktop-Plus-Essentials. Maybe they are just referring to the "plus" functionality.

i'll take a look when i get home but, nonetheless, this pyTiVo version is awesome.

Edit: And... TiVo Desktop now connects to the Bolt no problem. I didn't even do any troubleshooting, so no idea what happened. Well, at least it gave me the kick in the pants to install pyTivo again!


----------



## HerronScott

Skold said:


> Edit: And... TiVo Desktop now connects to the Bolt no problem. I didn't even do any troubleshooting, so no idea what happened. Well, at least it gave me the kick in the pants to install pyTivo again!


Well Dan's version is really probably way better than TiVo Desktop anyway. 

Scott


----------



## mlippert

@newsposter I'm moving your last message to this thread because you are now using PytTivo Desktop which this thread is for, and @Dan203 is very responsive to people having problems (when he's on, and I don't know his timezone)

I'm sure Dan can help you get it working.

I know pytivo desktop can show you the log, and I suspect there are errors being reported there, but I don't know the application so you need Dan's help. It sounds like you may have multiple pytivos and tivo desktop running at the same time.



newsposter said:


> 1st page of the thread linked above to dans program
> Download for Windows
> 
> rebooted tivo and now the laptop folder wont show up and pytivo keeps saying pytivo isnt running.
> 
> was i to have other pytivo programs or just dans?
> 
> i have win 8 and i pressed the windows key and say it says pytivodesktop and also pytivo. so i hit pytivo. a tivo guy appeared my taskbar with an X. but dans program did populate with all my shows. however when i tried to transfer one. it just shows up on tivo that its starting but it never starts. and no blue ring on the tivo showing the transfer
> 
> i was able to start a transfer using pytivo from the tv to the laptop. unsure if that means anything
> 
> when i try to restart pytivo from within the program it wont start but if i use the tray icon it will restart. also been rebooting both machines and still wont upload . when it starts to upload i hit watch now and it just shows the show stopped at 0 minutes and it wont do anything. but if i cancel that show uploading it does move on to the 2nd show but then stops on 0 there too
> 
> i guess as last resort ill install all old pytivo stuff. i have many shows to upload because of being away


----------



## Dan203

Well first off you can't have multiple pyTivos running, that can cause all sorts of issues. So make sure you kill the old one before running mine. 

TiVo Desktop can also cause some issues, but mostly with network discovery stuff. Like there is a conflict/overlap in the Bonjour stuff. Never pinpointed the issue there, but it's best to disable TD when running pyTivo as well.

As for the log... you can see the log by launching the pyTivo Desktop app, clicking the gear, then about, then show log. It's also stored as a text file in the same directory as the conf file.

Also one more thing.... if you installed as a service I recommend you reinstall and don't check the service option. It has permissions issues that cause all sorts of problems. It's best to just install and run the regular way.


----------



## GriffithStrife

Well is there any chance to get this working with hydra?


----------



## lpwcomp

GriffithStrife said:


> Well is there any chance to get this working with hydra?


Are there any reports that it *doesn't* "work with Hydra"?


----------



## GriffithStrife

lpwcomp said:


> Are there any reports that it *doesn't* "work with Hydra"?


I can confirm it does not work currently I can't confirm tivo is aware they don't care but are aware.


----------



## jackstoker

lpwcomp said:


> Are there any reports that it *doesn't* "work with Hydra"?


Unfortunately, yes! Here's TiVo-Ted's most recent reply on this subject: Tivo Vox boxes launch/available October 29th.
Also see Dan203's post below.


----------



## lpwcomp

GriffithStrife said:


> I can confirm it does not work currently I can't confirm tivo is aware they don't care but are aware.


Yet another reason to avoid Hydra. Not that I needed one. May not be fixed as TiVo hasn't officially supported PC<->TiVo transfers for a while now.

That said, is there anyone who has converted a box to Hydra who also has an S2 or S3 and can you still transfer from them?

Can you transfer to PC or is it broken in both directions?


----------



## CoxInPHX

lpwcomp said:


> That said, is there anyone who has converted a box to Hydra who also has an S2 or S3 and can you still transfer from them?


Hydra does not have a Transfer option in the UI, you can only Transfer from S4 and above using TiVo Online



lpwcomp said:


> Can you transfer to PC or is it broken in both directions?


Downloads to PC's are still working w/ Hydra (for now)


----------



## lpwcomp

CoxInPHX said:


> Hydra does not have a Transfer option in the UI, you can only Transfer from S4 and above using TiVo Online.


This is actually good news as it makes it at least somewhat more likely that it is a bug and will be fixed - eventually.


----------



## Dan203

For now the download portion still works. But uploading is completely gone from Hydra and I don't expect it to return. 

I'm not sure how much more effort I want to put into this project knowing that TiVo could stop it from working at any moment. I'll still fix the outstanding bugs, but I'm unlikely to add any new features going forward.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> For now the download portion still works. *But uploading is completely gone from Hydra and I don't expect it to return.*
> 
> I'm not sure how much more effort I want to put into this project knowing that TiVo could stop it from working at any moment. I'll still fix the outstanding bugs, but I'm unlikely to add any new features going forward.


Really? I was just getting the impression that it wasn't a priority item but was still "on the to-do list." (Perhaps a misperception on my part.)


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> For now the download portion still works. But uploading is completely gone from Hydra and I don't expect it to return.
> 
> I'm not sure how much more effort I want to put into this project knowing that TiVo could stop it from working at any moment. I'll still fix the outstanding bugs, but I'm unlikely to add any new features going forward.





Mikeguy said:


> Really? I was just getting the impression that it wasn't a priority item but was still "on the to-do list." (Perhaps a misperception on my part.)


I think it very possible that this capability will be restored. Currently, the only way to do even a TiVo-TiVo transfer to a unit running Hydra is via TiVo Online. Not only is this a ridiculous requirement, you can't transfer from an S2 or S3.


----------



## Dan203

The reason I think PC to TiVo is gone for good is because even with the old HDUI it was the one bit they never bothered to update. It also uses an old protocol. Everything else TiVo does has been upgraded to use the mind/RPC protocol, but TiVoToGo still uses an old XML/http protocol that hasn't been touched in over a decade. Not to mention the only official software for transferring from PC to TiVo was discontinued like 5+ years ago. I just don't see them putting in the effort to add this back in.

Now TiVo to TiVo transfers might still happen, as that's really just a minor UI update. But I'll be shocked if PC to TiVo transfers ever return.


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan203 said:


> The reason I think PC to TiVo is gone for good is because even with the old HDUI it was the one bit they never bothered to update. It also uses an old protocol. Everything else TiVo does has been upgraded to use the mind/RPC protocol, but TiVoToGo still uses an old XML/http protocol that hasn't been touched in over a decade. Not to mention the only official software for transferring from PC to TiVo was discontinued like 5+ years ago. I just don't see them putting in the effort to add this back in.
> 
> Now TiVo to TiVo transfers might still happen, as that's really just a minor UI update. But I'll be shocked if PC to TiVo transfers ever return.


You mean I may have to go back to clunky DLNA for PC to TV video watching (music and pictures too) via blu-ray player or "smart" TV which is outside the TiVo environment.

BUT... BUT... BUT... I like pytivo way better.

Will TiVo never learn?


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> The reason I think PC to TiVo is gone for good is because even with the old HDUI it was the one bit they never bothered to update. It also uses an old protocol. Everything else TiVo does has been upgraded to use the mind/RPC protocol, but TiVoToGo still uses an old XML/http protocol that hasn't been touched in over a decade. Not to mention the only official software for transferring from PC to TiVo was discontinued like 5+ years ago. I just don't see them putting in the effort to add this back in.
> 
> Now TiVo to TiVo transfers might still happen, as that's really just a minor UI update. But I'll be shocked if PC to TiVo transfers ever return.


I wouldn't put to much significance on the fact that the display is not HDUI since it is the exact same display you get when accessing an S2 or S3.


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> I wouldn't put to much significance on the fact that the display is not HDUI since it is the exact same display you get when accessing an S2 or S3.


You can't access a S2 or S3 in Hydra either.


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> You can't access a S2 or S3 in Hydra either.


And not restoring that ability would be a major change.


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> And not restoring that ability would be a major change.


They already made it so those units can no longer be activated and have offered several offers to owners of those units to get them to upgrade. I'm guessing that's all we're going to get.

As I mentioned above TiVo has moved on to a new protocol (mind/RPC), the older S3-S2 units do not support that protocol. It's highly unlikely TiVo will add support for the older units, or pyTivo/TiVo Desktop, to Hydra. It would require a lot of work for a protocol they no longer support in any official products.


----------



## lpwcomp

The bas


Dan203 said:


> They already made it so those units can no longer be activated and have offered several offers to owners of those units to get them to upgrade. I'm guessing that's all we're going to get.
> 
> As I mentioned above TiVo has moved on to a new protocol (mind/RPC), the older S3-S2 units do not support that protocol. It's highly unlikely TiVo will add support for the older units, or pyTivo/TiVo Desktop, to Hydra. It would require a lot of work for a protocol they no longer support in any official products.


The code is still there. It's still supported on non Hydra units, including the Premiere which is still an "official product" and _*cannot run Hydra. *_Why would it "require a lot of work for a protocol they no longer support"?

BTW, I tried to take advantage of their latest S2 upgrade offer and they effed it up royally.


----------



## bradleys

I do not expect them to do it. But would there be any technical reasons why TiVo couldn't extend mind/RPC to a local share for MRS streaming?

Even if they just extended the protocol and allowed the community to build out the service?

This would be unprecedented, I am sure, but technically it would be possible I would suspect.


----------



## lpwcomp

bradleys said:


> I do not expect them to do it. But would there be any technical reasons why TiVo couldn't extend mind/RPC to a local share for MRS streaming?
> 
> Even if they just extended the protocol and allowed the community to build out the service?
> 
> This would be unprecedented, I am sure, but technically it would be possible I would suspect.


Why would they do that? They already have Plex support.


----------



## gonzotek

Dan203 said:


> For now the download portion still works. But uploading is completely gone from Hydra and I don't expect it to return.
> 
> I'm not sure how much more effort I want to put into this project knowing that TiVo could stop it from working at any moment. I'll still fix the outstanding bugs, but I'm unlikely to add any new features going forward.


Keep in mind, they do still support sending videos out; I would have expected them to kill that before the other way round. Also remember that there are a number of NAS products that support transfers to and from tivo via the traditional calypso protocols that ttg/ttcb/music/photos are based on. So not bringing that back to Hydra also breaks hardware from actual vendors(Netgear and HP, at the very least, there may also be others), rather than 'just' us enthusiast users. I'd hope TiVo is considering that in deciding if/when it's a priority to restore.


----------



## aaronwt

lpwcomp said:


> Why would they do that? They already have Plex support.


Does PLEX support the .TiVo files? If it does I never realized it and I need to start using that instead of converting them.


----------



## lpwcomp

aaronwt said:


> Does PLEX support the .TiVo files? If it does I never realized it and I need to start using that instead of converting them.


I have no idea but I don't see the relevance anyway. A .tivo file cannot be streamed directly at all. It must be decrypted, either "on the fly" or beforehand.


----------



## aaronwt

lpwcomp said:


> I have no idea but I don't see the relevance anyway. A .tivo file cannot be streamed directly at all. It must be decrypted, either "on the fly" or beforehand.


The relevance is that Plex is not really a solution unless I can dump the TiVo transfers into a folder and then stream them back to the TiVo. I've been converting the .TiVo files to .mpg and putting them in a folder for Plex. Which takes time If I'm doing dozens of shows. If Plex can handle files with the .TiVo extension, then I can just point Plex to my KMTTG folder and pyTiVo Desktop folder. Without having to go through an additional step.


----------



## lpwcomp

aaronwt said:


> The relevance is that Plex is not really a solution unless I can dump the TiVo transfers into a folder and then stream them back to the TiVo. I've been converting the .TiVo files to .mpg and putting them in a folder for Plex. Which takes time If I'm doing dozens of shows. If Plex can handle files with the .TiVo extension, then I can just point Plex to my KMTTG folder and pyTiVo Desktop folder. Without having to go through an additional step.


The reason it's not relevant is that, as I said, no matter what you use to stream, *they will have to be decrypted. *Besides, it doesn't take all that much time to queue up all of the decryptions with kmttg. It isn't even that much computer time. They don't need to be converted, just decrypted.


----------



## aaronwt

lpwcomp said:


> The reason it's not relevant is that, as I said, no matter what you use to stream, *they will have to be decrypted. *Besides, it doesn't take all that much time to queue up all of the decryptions with kmttg. It isn't even that much computer time. They don't need to be converted, just decrypted.


Why can't it do it on the fly? I know I can directly play my .TiVo files with the WIndows Media player and VLC.

EDIT: I thought my .TiVo files were converted to mpg but it looks like most of the files i have in my Plex folders are using the .ts extension.


----------



## lpwcomp

aaronwt said:


> Why can't it do it on the fly? I know I can directly play my .TiVo files with the WIndows Media player and VLC.


It could. But why would TiVo do what bradleys requested in the post that led to this discussion?


----------



## lpwcomp

What did you use to decrypt? I use* VRD QS Fix and any .tivo file that was created by a Transport Stream d/l ends up as a .ts file. Decrypted Program Stream d/ls end up as .mpg

*It's actually what kmttg does when you have it set to use VRD to decrypt.


----------



## aaronwt

I just tried KMTTG using VRD but it kept getting an error on the last thing, after cutting the ADs. I guess the re-encoding part?


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> The bas
> The code is still there. It's still supported on non Hydra units, including the Premiere which is still an "official product" and _*cannot run Hydra. *_Why would it "require a lot of work for a protocol they no longer support"?
> 
> BTW, I tried to take advantage of their latest S2 upgrade offer and they effed it up royally.


I don't think they want that ugly S2 style UI to pop up in Hydra. So my assertion that it would take a lot of work was based on them actually creating a new Hydra style UI for PC and older unit transfers.


----------



## tim_m

Anyone having issues connecting to the tivo service tonight? I'm getting problem with the connection and all the apps are missing.


----------



## jcthorne

lpwcomp said:


> Why would they do that? They already have Plex support.


2 reasons.

One, plex support has been lacking to say the least and its completely unavailable on the new mini as there is no version that runs on that hardware.

2nd, its NOT integrated into the search and shows list structure like other streaming sources. There was talk of that integration back when Plex was actually doing development for the Tivo platform but like most things plex, its been left to wither on the vine while they moved on to add yet more features that they will never actually get working completely.

I really do not think the Plex support they were planning on for the Tivo environment has ever come to fruition.

Publishing an API for interfacing with the tivo web site could easily accomplish via push what everyone is asking for and not require updates to the boxes at all.


----------



## jcthorne

Dan203 said:


> I don't think they want that ugly S2 style UI to pop up in Hydra. So my assertion that it would take a lot of work was based on them actually creating a new Hydra style UI for PC and older unit transfers.


I actually think a published API to allow the tivo website online transfer protocol to be accessed would allow the push functionality to be restored and accomplish 90% of what is being asked for without significant UI updates or changes to the software on the boxes.


----------



## Sparky1234

tim_m said:


> Anyone having issues connecting to the tivo service tonight? I'm getting problem with the connection and all the apps are missing.


yes and TiVo online too.


----------



## 2004raptor

It's been a few weeks since I have used my tivo to move a file from pytivo desktop on my PC to my roamio. In looking back through the last day or two of this thread am I correct in assuming it's broken on tivo's end? And may not come back?


----------



## atmuscarella

2004raptor said:


> It's been a few weeks since I have used my tivo to move a file from pytivo desktop on my PC to my roamio. In looking back through the last day or two of this thread am I correct in assuming it's broken on tivo's end? And may not come back?


If you have moved to the new Hydra UI then PC to TiVo does not work. Unknown if they will ever fix it or not. If you are still on the old UI it should still work.


----------



## lpwcomp

aaronwt said:


> I just tried KMTTG using VRD but it kept getting an error on the last thing, after cutting the ADs. I guess the re-encoding part?


Why are you doing all of that rather than just decrypt?


----------



## 2004raptor

atmuscarella said:


> If you have moved to the new Hydra UI then PC to TiVo does not work. Unknown if they will ever fix it or not. If you are still on the old UI it should still work.


I'm still on the old ui. I hadn't heard of hydra until today.

But my share didn't show up last night on my tivo. I'll try again today.


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> I don't think they want that ugly S2 style UI to pop up in Hydra. So my assertion that it would take a lot of work was based on them actually creating a new Hydra style UI for PC and older unit transfers.


While I wouldn't put it past them, that would be absolutely moronic reasoning. Prioritizing form over function is idiotic, but you may be right and that is the way the world works.


----------



## moyekj

Seems to me Hydra is exactly all about form over function.


----------



## lpwcomp

moyekj said:


> Seems to me Hydra is exactly all about form over function.





moyekj said:


> Seems to me Hydra is exactly all about form over function.


Yeah, I've known that since I first saw it. What a revolting development but I guess it matches the attitude of the majority, including far too many on this forum who presumably should know better.


----------



## aaronwt

lpwcomp said:


> Why are you doing all of that rather than just decrypt?


It was late and I was doing a bunch of testing to see what I need to do to set KMTTG up with PLEX. I never really used the Ad cut features before. But since I can no longer transfer content back to my TiVos, I need to start using the Ad cut feature to stream in PLEX with no commercials. Since it's more of a pain to scan past commercials in PLEX.


----------



## idksmy

lpwcomp said:


> Yeah, I've known that since I first saw it. What a revolting development but I guess it matches the attitude of the majority, including far too many on this forum who presumably should know better.


And it never hurts to insult people who disagree with you. Real classy.


----------



## lpwcomp

aaronwt said:


> It was late and I was doing a bunch of testing to see what I need to do to set KMTTG up with PLEX. I never really used the Ad cut features before. But since I can no longer transfer content back to my TiVos, I need to start using the Ad cut feature to stream in PLEX with no commercials. Since it's more of a pain to scan past commercials in PLEX.


You moved the goal posts.


----------



## lpwcomp

idksmy said:


> And it never hurts to insult people who disagree with you. Real classy.


----------



## mlippert

aaronwt said:


> I never really used the Ad cut features before.


2 things.

1st, using the ad-detect/ad-cut functions in kmttg does not require the steps that follow (captions, encoding) and re-encoding is going to be time consuming.

2nd, keep in mind that ad-detection is nowhere near close to perfect sometimes cutting very little sometimes cutting out huge swaths of the actual show. So it really needs to be reviewed and the cuts adjusted where necessary before cutting. (using the skip points to set the cuts is vastly better but if you want to be sure not to lose any of the show the cuts still need reviewing)


----------



## aaronwt

mlippert said:


> 2 things.
> 
> 1st, using the ad-detect/ad-cut functions in kmttg does not require the steps that follow (captions, encoding) and re-encoding is going to be time consuming.
> 
> 2nd, keep in mind that ad-detection is nowhere near close to perfect sometimes cutting very little sometimes cutting out huge swaths of the actual show. So it really needs to be reviewed and the cuts adjusted where necessary before cutting. (using the skip points to set the cuts is vastly better but if you want to be sure not to lose any of the show the cuts still need reviewing)


This was why I never really used it in the past. But now since PLEX will be my only option, and it's a pain to FF through commercials in PLEX, I'll need to have them cut out. But the only way I will even consider doing it is by the automatic method. I run KMTTG as as service, So I want to try and have everything done automatically.

And as far as I know pyTiVo Desktop doesn't have automatic transfers?


----------



## minimeh

aaronwt said:


> But now since PLEX will be my only option, and it's a pain to FF through commercials in PLEX, I'll need to have them cut out. But the only way I will even consider doing it is by the automatic method.


You are not going to be happy with the automatic method of cutting out ads. Both comskip and VideoRedo are just too inaccurate in identifying commercials.

For the infrequent times that I need to archive a show for Plex, I like to use the automatic method to do the gross identification of ads, and then do a visual touch up to clean up the ad cuts. It's not that labor intensive and I figure either I contribute the skipping labor while watching with crude tools (FF or skip, skip, skip, back, etc.) or contribute the labor prior to watching with a much more sophisticated tool (VideoRedo).


----------



## lpwcomp

You're going to end up with a bunch of recordings with missing and/or excess data.


----------



## aaronwt

lpwcomp said:


> You're going to end up with a bunch of recordings with missing and/or excess data.


I only looked at one show last night in it's entirety to see how it did with Ad cuts. That show only had a split second cut out. But that was only one show. I guess I can always leave the original mpg file intact. Right now I have it set to be deleted. And I've still got the original .TiVo file.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

just upgraded to Hydra. my vids that I had already transferred from my PC are in "My Shows", but all my pytivo shares are gone from "my shows". any help please would be appreciated. I heard you can't transfer from hydra to PC (which I'm ok with ) but I still want to transfer from PC to Hydra


----------



## gonzotek

tivoknucklehead said:


> just upgraded to Hydra. my vids that I had already transferred from my PC are in "My Shows", but all my pytivo shares are gone from "my shows". any help please would be appreciated. I heard you can't transfer from hydra to PC (which I'm ok with ) but I still want to transfer from PC to Hydra


Sorry, but you have it backwards. Transfers *from Tivo to PC* are working. From PC to TiVo are not working.


----------



## osu1991

tivoknucklehead said:


> just upgraded to Hydra. my vids that I had already transferred from my PC are in "My Shows", but all my pytivo shares are gone from "my shows". any help please would be appreciated. I heard you can't transfer from hydra to PC (which I'm ok with ) but I still want to transfer from PC to Hydra


You have it backwards. Tivo to PC works but PC to Tivo does NOT


----------



## lpwcomp

tivoknucklehead said:


> just upgraded to Hydra. my vids that I had already transferred from my PC are in "My Shows", but all my pytivo shares are gone from "my shows". any help please would be appreciated. I heard you can't transfer from hydra to PC (which I'm ok with ) but I still want to transfer from PC to Hydra


You have it backwards. What's broken is transfer *to* a TiVo running Hydra. Currently, the only way to do that is via TiVo Online.

Edit: WOW! Triple play.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

ok I get it


----------



## tivoknucklehead

you said "use tivo online" I don't see the way to transfer from my PC to my Roamio using tivo online, only to/from my other Tivo


----------



## osu1991

tivoknucklehead said:


> you said "use tivo online" I don't see the way to transfer from my PC to my Roamio using tivo online, only to/from my other Tivo


You can't. You can use Tivo online to transfer between different tivo dvrs on your account, but currently the only way to view from your PC on a Tivo running Hydra is via Plex


----------



## tivoknucklehead

osu1991 said:


> You can't. You can use Tivo online to transfer between different tivo dvrs on your account, but currently the only way to view from your PC on a Tivo running Hydra is via Plex


and the obvious question is will this be fixed by either the pytivo creator or Tivo?
if not its a sad day


----------



## osu1991

tivoknucklehead said:


> and the obvious question is will this be fixed by either the pytivo creator or Tivo?
> if not its a sad day


Its up to Tivo, nothing the creators of pytivo, pytivo desktop or kmttg can do about it.


----------



## Mikeguy

osu1991 said:


> Its up to Tivo, nothing the creators of pytivo, pytivo desktop or kmttg can do about it.


And my impression was that it's on the Hydra to-do list to look at, although that doesn't mean that the item ever will be reached or decided in favor of developing/enacting.


----------



## JACKASTOR

lpwcomp said:


> I have no idea but I don't see the relevance anyway. A .tivo file cannot be streamed directly at all. It must be decrypted, either "on the fly" or beforehand.


Aren't they just mp4 files really?


----------



## reneg

JACKASTOR said:


> Aren't they just mp4 files really?


No. .Tivo <> .mp4


----------



## lpwcomp

tivoknucklehead said:


> you said "use tivo online" I don't see the way to transfer from my PC to my Roamio using tivo online, only to/from my other Tivo





osu1991 said:


> You can't. You can use Tivo online to transfer between different tivo dvrs on your account, but currently the only way to view from your PC on a Tivo running Hydra is via Plex


Yes. What I was trying to say ts that you can't even do a TiVo to TiVo transfer to a unit running Hydra except via TiVo Online.


----------



## Dan203

jcthorne said:


> I actually think a published API to allow the tivo website online transfer protocol to be accessed would allow the push functionality to be restored and accomplish 90% of what is being asked for without significant UI updates or changes to the software on the boxes.


Without an official product that supports PC -> TiVo transfers I doubt they're going to put any effort into that. They have mostly looked the other way with community development, but they've never actively supported it. Hell I tried to contact them to get an official key for the mind/RPC protocol and they said there is no one left at TiVo that even deals with that.


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> Yes. What I was trying to say ts that you can't even do a TiVo to TiVo transfer to a unit running Hydra except via TiVo Online.


They will probably fix that if they get enough push back. That's basically just a simple menu change.


----------



## Dan203

aaronwt said:


> And as far as I know pyTiVo Desktop doesn't have automatic transfers?


No it doesn't. I actually started working on it, but I got side tracked with real work and never got very far. After learning about Hydra's lack of pyTivo support (I've known for a while) I've been kind of discouraged about doing any more pyTivo development.


----------



## moyekj

Dan203 said:


> Hell I tried to contact them to get an official key for the mind/RPC protocol and they said there is no one left at TiVo that even deals with that.


 Which is BS, because they need a certificate + password for iOS and Android apps, unless they plan on discontinuing those as well come April of next year when those certificates expire.


----------



## Dan203

moyekj said:


> Which is BS, because they need a certificate + password for iOS and Android apps, unless they plan on discontinuing those as well come April of next year when those certificates expire.


I assume whoever maintains the iOS/Android apps will have a way to get a new certificate, but after talking to multiple people at TiVo they couldn't find anyone who could/would issue a certificate to a 3rd party developer. There was someone, at one point, because there was an app in the Windows Phone store that had an official certificate.


----------



## moyekj

Yes, but it's TiVo that owns and issues the certificates, so someone in TiVo world knows how to do it. Actually back before TiVo cut me off for further MindRPC development I seem to recall there's actually an RPC function to generate certificate + password (which I don't/didn't have permissions to run).


----------



## Dan203

moyekj said:


> Yes, but it's TiVo that owns and issues the certificates, so someone in TiVo world knows how to do it. Actually back before TiVo cut me off for further MindRPC development I seem to recall there's actually an RPC function to generate certificate + password (which I don't/didn't have permissions to run).


Did they eliminate the function you use to use to discover new functions? Or did they just increase the credentials needed to access it so the iOS certificate doesn't have permissions?


----------



## moyekj

Discovery function is still there, I just don't have permissions to use it anymore, so basically shut down any further discovery. I'd say probably about 90% of RPC functions I got a list of at some point I don't have permissions to run.


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

I was using pyTivo to copy a couple of shows I backed up via kmttg to my Roamio (in .tivo format) and the transfers aborted a couple of times due to an error of exceeding expected file size. Is this something anyone has seen before?


----------



## Dan203

PSU_Sudzi said:


> I was using pyTivo to copy a couple of shows I backed up via kmttg to my Roamio (in .tivo format) and the transfers aborted a couple of times due to an error of exceeding expected file size. Is this something anyone has seen before?


I've seen that before somewhere. Check the pyTivo thread in the Home Media forum, I thnk there may be a discussion about it there.


----------



## aaronwt

mlippert said:


> 2 things.
> 
> 1st, using the ad-detect/ad-cut functions in kmttg does not require the steps that follow (captions, encoding) and re-encoding is going to be time consuming.
> 
> 2nd, keep in mind that ad-detection is nowhere near close to perfect sometimes cutting very little sometimes cutting out huge swaths of the actual show. So it really needs to be reviewed and the cuts adjusted where necessary before cutting. (using the skip points to set the cuts is vastly better but if you want to be sure not to lose any of the show the cuts still need reviewing)


 Wow!! You weren't kidding about ad detection. I tested out KMTTG service automatically transferring my shows and using ad cut(with VRD) with my recordings last night. EVery hour long show showed up as being between 11 minutes and 30 minutes after supposedly removing ads. The couple of half hour shows seemed to work right with around a 22 minute length. But based on that, I had to disable the ad cut. Since it's pretty much worth less to do automatically like that if it's not going to be anywhere close to removing the ad properly.


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

Dan203 said:


> I've seen that before somewhere. Check the pyTivo thread in the Home Media forum, I thnk there may be a discussion about it there.


Did a search and it seems to be an issue in how the files were saved to the PC first time around, thanks for your help.


----------



## reneg

aaronwt said:


> Wow!! You weren't kidding about ad detection. I tested out KMTTG service automatically transferring my shows and using ad cut(with VRD) with my recordings last night. EVery hour long show showed up as being between 11 minutes and 30 minutes after supposedly removing ads. The couple of half hour shows seemed to work right with around a 22 minute length. But based on that, I had to disable the ad cut. Since it's pretty much worth less to do automatically like that if it's not going to be anywhere close to removing the ad properly.


I know of no solution that allows reliable and full automation of commercial cuts. If your shows are skipmode enabled, you might want to look at Autoskip from Skipmode in kmttg combined with Export AutoSkip cuts in kmttg. While not perfect, you generally get a very close set of commercial cuts that can be easily reviewed and quickly adjusted.


----------



## moyekj

Except he's using Hydra where kmttg AutoSkip from SkipMode does not work (as you found out yourself). However looks like with help of another forum member I may have a fix for that in next kmttg release.


----------



## Dan203

aaronwt said:


> Wow!! You weren't kidding about ad detection. I tested out KMTTG service automatically transferring my shows and using ad cut(with VRD) with my recordings last night. EVery hour long show showed up as being between 11 minutes and 30 minutes after supposedly removing ads. The couple of half hour shows seemed to work right with around a 22 minute length. But based on that, I had to disable the ad cut. Since it's pretty much worth less to do automatically like that if it's not going to be anywhere close to removing the ad properly.


Ad detection in VideoReDo just uses black frames and known ad block sizes. So for example if there is a few black frames every 30-40 seconds for 3 minutes then we assume that's an ad block. Shows that have a lot of black/dark frames can trip up this logic and result in cuts that are not ads. And channels that do a cross fade between show and commercial, rather then black frames, can also trip it up and cause an ad block to not get cut.

In v5 there is a new adscan mode that looks for additional markers like audio changes and resolution changes as additional indicators of the start/end of an ad block and is a little more accurate, but it's still not good enough to be completely automated.


----------



## reneg

moyekj said:


> Except he's using Hydra where kmttg AutoSkip from SkipMode does not work (as you found out yourself). However looks like with help of another forum member I may have a fix for that in next kmttg release.


Doh. Didn't remember he was running Hydra


----------



## lpwcomp

aaronwt said:


> Wow!! You weren't kidding about ad detection. I tested out KMTTG service automatically transferring my shows and using ad cut(with VRD) with my recordings last night. EVery hour long show showed up as being between 11 minutes and 30 minutes after supposedly removing ads. The couple of half hour shows seemed to work right with around a 22 minute length. But based on that, I had to disable the ad cut. Since it's pretty much worth less to do automatically like that if it's not going to be anywhere close to removing the ad properly.


You might want to check out the length of the decrypted files before ad deletion to make sure there is nothing missing.


----------



## Nak

I'll stick with the old UI as long as I can to keep PC-->Tivo transfers. I'm curious: I still Have a Premiere with lifetime service, I wonder If they might restore Premiere to Hydra transfers... I could keep the premiere to serve all the videos I have. If I stuck an 8TB HDD in it I'd be good on storage capacity. Thoughts? One thing that would suck is the transfer speed.

@Dan203 , Thanks so much for all of your efforts with PyTivo Desktop. Seriously, it's been a huge help. It's a damn shame that Tivo is pissing on it's biggest fans.


----------



## lew

Dan203 said:


> Ad detection in VideoReDo just uses black frames and known ad block sizes. So for example if there is a few black frames every 30-40 seconds for 3 minutes then we assume that's an ad block. Shows that have a lot of black/dark frames can trip up this logic and result in cuts that are not ads. And channels that do a cross fade between show and commercial, rather then black frames, can also trip it up and cause an ad block to not get cut.
> 
> In v5 there is a new adscan mode that looks for additional markers like audio changes and resolution changes as additional indicators of the start/end of an ad block and is a little more accurate, but it's still not good enough to be completely automated.


Most tv shows include a network logo during the program but not during commercials. Is it that hard to use that to mark commercials?


----------



## Dan203

lew said:


> Most tv shows include a network logo during the program but not during commercials. Is it that hard to use that to mark commercials?


That's something that's on our list of things we want to add. But it's not that easy to do.


----------



## das335

I started having a problem today (11/11/2017) downloading shows. I managed to find an error after I manually started the pytivo.exe in a comand prompt window.

ERRORyTivo.togo:HTTP Error 401: digest auth failed

I can get the list of shows to download but it seems to fail trying to download. I restarted my PC several times without any improvement.

Any hints ? I have an older copy of pytivo in a different directory but I have been running your version with great success until today.

Thanks

Update. Once I get this error, attempting to select ANY TiVo (I have 3) from the Download recording tab causes the settings dialog window to popup.

I updated my Media Access key (copied from TiVo site) just to make sure it was correct but I am still seeing this error:

ERRORyTivo.togo:HTTP Error 401: digest auth failed
ERRORyTivo.togo:Unable to open TiVo
INFOyTivo.togo:Check your Media Access Key
INFOyTivo:argument of type 'int' is not iterable

Update:
I was able to download from my Roamio and Bolt after a restart of the PyTivo and PyTiVo Desktop but it was still failing with my Premiere. I verieid the Media Access key (on TiVo and in config) and then restarted my Premiere.
Still had problems so I again restarted Pytivo.exe (using command prompt method) and then PyTivo desktop. It appears to be working now.


----------



## Dan203

Glad you got it working


----------



## rick123

Nak said:


> I'll stick with the old UI as long as I can to keep PC-->Tivo transfers.


I imagine it is stated clearly in one of the 1400+ posts here; Is the final working version of Hydra going to include a PC-to-TiVo transfer process? Also did I read correctly in this thread that the PYTiVo PC-to-TiVo is no longer working?

I'm planning to stay with the old UI until this thread goes away, it will probably be safe then!

Thanks!


----------



## idksmy

rick123 said:


> I imagine it is stated clearly in one of the 1400+ posts here; Is the final working version of Hydra going to include a PC-to-TiVo transfer process? Also did I read correctly in this thread that the PYTiVo PC-to-TiVo is no longer working?
> 
> I'm planning to stay with the old UI until this thread goes away, it will probably be safe then!


TiVo has not committed to supporting a PC-to-TiVo transfer in Hydra. If I have interpreted Dan203's posts correctly, TiVo probably never will. These transfers still work in the previous TiVo software.

Odds are, regardless of your current age, you won't live long enough to see this thread go away.


----------



## rick123

Thanks for the info!


----------



## reneg

What do the TS error numbers in parentheses mean in the filename?


Code:


11/17/2017  10:54 AM     5,821,517,008 SWAT - ''Pamilya'' (Recorded Nov 17, 2017, KHOUDT) (TS) (^12_25) (QSF).ts
11/17/2017  08:04 AM     5,822,123,872 SWAT - ''Pamilya'' (Recorded Nov 17, 2017, KHOUDT) (TS) (^80_10) (QSF).ts

These two files are the best results after 40 attempts each. Having a hard time getting a TS error free download on this one and was curious about what the numbers mean?
Unrelated question, are the periods in "S.W.A.T." supposed to get stripped out between download and QSF?


----------



## JoeKustra

reneg said:


> Unrelated question, are the periods in "S.W.A.T." supposed to get stripped out between download and QSF?


TiVo has issues with punctuation in a program name. Last week Three Amigos would not display right because of the leading inverted exclamation point. Try Search: no punctuation allowed or needed.

It was also removed from all on-line guides.


----------



## ClearToLand

reneg said:


> What do the TS error numbers in parentheses mean in the filename?
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 11/17/2017  10:54 AM     5,821,517,008 SWAT - ''Pamilya'' (Recorded Nov 17, 2017, KHOUDT) (TS) (^12_25) (QSF).ts
> 11/17/2017  08:04 AM     5,822,123,872 SWAT - ''Pamilya'' (Recorded Nov 17, 2017, KHOUDT) (TS) (^80_10) (QSF).ts
> 
> These two files are the best results after 40 attempts each. Having a hard time getting a TS error free download on this one and was curious about what the numbers mean?
> Unrelated question, are the periods in "S.W.A.T." supposed to get stripped out between download and QSF?


^xx used to be the number of packet affected. You could check the source of togo.py to read the variable names used.

Is your TiVo unit in Standby and not recording anything while you're attempting this TS 'Fast' Format Transfer?


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> What do the TS error numbers in parentheses mean in the filename?
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 11/17/2017  10:54 AM     5,821,517,008 SWAT - ''Pamilya'' (Recorded Nov 17, 2017, KHOUDT) (TS) (^12_25) (QSF).ts
> 11/17/2017  08:04 AM     5,822,123,872 SWAT - ''Pamilya'' (Recorded Nov 17, 2017, KHOUDT) (TS) (^80_10) (QSF).ts
> 
> These two files are the best results after 40 attempts each. Having a hard time getting a TS error free download on this one and was curious about what the numbers mean?
> Unrelated question, are the periods in "S.W.A.T." supposed to get stripped out between download and QSF?


The first number is the number of TS packets effected. The second number is the best try. (0 based) So that mean that there are 12 effected packets and the best try was #26. I added the second number at the request of a user. I should probably make it an option.


----------



## shaywood

Sorry for my ignorance. I installed pyTivo and transfered a show. Now, how do I convert it so Plex will see the file format?


----------



## osu1991

shaywood said:


> Sorry for my ignorance. I installed pyTivo and transfered a show. Now, how do I convert it so Plex will see the file format?


Assuming you have installed and setup Plex server on your computer, just move it to the media folder that you have Plex server looking at and Plex should add it to the library. Make sure have named the file correctly for Plex to pull the info from thetvdb or themoviedb.


----------



## shaywood

osu1991 said:


> Assuming you have installed and setup Plex server on your computer, just move it to the media folder that you have Plex server looking at and Plex should add it to the library. Make sure have named the file correctly for Plex to pull the info from thetvdb or themoviedb.


I set pyTivo to decryt the TiVo files and saved to a folder setup as a Plex library. I can watch the video in a media player, but Plex is not seeing the file. It is saved as a MPEG2-TS file.


----------



## ClearToLand

shaywood said:


> I set pyTivo to decryt the TiVo files and saved to a folder setup as a Plex library. I can watch the video in a media player, but *Plex is not seeing the file. It is saved as a MPEG2-TS file*.



Is this your first experience with Plex?
Please Cut-n-Paste the complete directory structure (from the root) and filename for this recording.
Plex is a real fuss pot over those '_details_'. Have you read the requirements on the Plex site?
What are you using for a Plex Client?


----------



## shaywood

I'm using pyTivo to transfer and decrypt TiVo shows onto my network server. I then use Freemake video converter to convert to .mp4 format for viewing on Plex. Unfortunately, the sound doesn't lineup with the video. Any ideas?


----------



## das335

shaywood said:


> I'm using pyTivo to transfer and decrypt TiVo shows onto my network server. I then use Freemake video converter to convert to .mp4 format for viewing on Plex. Unfortunately, the sound doesn't lineup with the video. Any ideas?


I strongly recommend the VideoReDo software VideoReDo MPEG Video Editor
I purchased it recently and it works great with the pyTiVo software. I know they have a trial period so you can give it a try.

Also, try to transfer your shows when you are not doing much on your network. You can also put your TiVo in standby to help before you start the transfer.


----------



## powrcow

shaywood said:


> I'm using pyTivo to transfer and decrypt TiVo shows onto my network server. I then use Freemake video converter to convert to .mp4 format for viewing on Plex. Unfortunately, the sound doesn't lineup with the video. Any ideas?


If you're comfortable with the command line, I use ffmpeg. But before converting I would view the decrypted video and verify there is sound alignment.


----------



## mlippert

shaywood said:


> I'm using pyTivo to transfer and decrypt TiVo shows onto my network server. I then use Freemake video converter to convert to .mp4 format for viewing on Plex. Unfortunately, the sound doesn't lineup with the video. Any ideas?


What OS are you using?

Is the sound out of sync for the entire video or does it go out of sync part way through?

Is the sound out of sync when you play the .ts file before converting to .mp4? How about when you play the .tivo file (pytivo doesn't save the .tivo file if it is decrypting so you may have to download again)?

Was your download error free?

I had sound syncing problems (starting partway into the video) after converting with VideoRedo this past spring. It was due to some unexpected bad data in the original .ts. I reported it and the VRD team figured out a way to detect and skip that bad data (I suspect they might describe the problem and solution slightly differently), so that the version of VRD I'm using now doesn't have that problem.


----------



## lpwcomp

shaywood said:


> I'm using pyTivo to transfer and decrypt TiVo shows onto my network server. I then use Freemake video converter to convert to .mp4 format for viewing on Plex. Unfortunately, the sound doesn't lineup with the video. Any ideas?


Running QSFix on them might help.


----------



## aaronwt

shaywood said:


> I'm using pyTivo to transfer and decrypt TiVo shows onto my network server. I then use Freemake video converter to convert to .mp4 format for viewing on Plex. Unfortunately, the sound doesn't lineup with the video. Any ideas?


maybe don't convert it to the mp4 format? All I need to do is decrypt the .TiVo files. And plex works with the resulting format.


----------



## shaywood

Thanks. The videos are on a HP home server and don't stream smoothly in the TiVo format. The MP4 format streams fine but voices lag video.


----------



## aaronwt

shaywood said:


> Thanks. The videos are on a HP home server and don't stream smoothly in the TiVo format. The MP4 format streams fine but voices lag video.


After my .TiVo files are decrypted, they are in the TS format. Which I can play in Plex without any audio or video issues.


----------



## shaywood

Figured out why my .TiVo files weren't streaming right. In Plex, I had changed setting to automatically convert videos, rather than just use original. Once I changed to use original, files stream fine. Thanks for the help.


----------



## Test

Issue with aspect ratio; not sure if it's this pytivo or the bolt as I switched to them around the same time. I use handbrake to rip and store as mp4. When I transfer to the bolt and the bolt is set to "full" it fills the screen, but the people are kind of narrow and when I change it to "panel" I get huge letterboxes and they become a little fatter. When using handbrake I've tried a couple of the preset options; Fast 1080p30, Fast 720p30, Fast 480p30...all the same. 

Anyone else with this issue and a bolt?


----------



## Dan203

Test said:


> Issue with aspect ratio; not sure if it's this pytivo or the bolt as I switched to them around the same time. I use handbrake to rip and store as mp4. When I transfer to the bolt and the bolt is set to "full" it fills the screen, but the people are kind of narrow and when I change it to "panel" I get huge letterboxes and they become a little fatter. When using handbrake I've tried a couple of the preset options; Fast 1080p30, Fast 720p30, Fast 480p30...all the same.
> 
> Anyone else with this issue and a bolt?


1080p and 720p should always be full screen and the adjustment option on the TiVo shouldn't even work. The other one is SD and will need to be set to "full" to work.

Also for NTSC video the proper frame rate is 29.97 or 59.94*, don't use 30 or 60. I'm not sure how the Bolt handles those and at the very least it will have to adjust them during playback which can cause jitter.

* Might be listed as 30/1001 and 60/1001 instead of 29.97 and 59.94.


----------



## wmcbrine

Dan203 said:


> 1080p and 720p should always be full screen and the adjustment option on the TiVo shouldn't even work.


From the description, I think he's looking at 2.35:1 widescreen video, encoded without letterboxing. In which case, "Panel" is the correct setting, and he should expect/accept letterboxing by the TiVo. On the other hand, if he chooses "Zoom", it should have the correct aspect ratio AND fill the screen... but the sides will be cut off.


----------



## mlippert

wmcbrine said:


> From the description, I think he's looking at 2.35:1 widescreen video, encoded without letterboxing. In which case, "Panel" is the correct setting, and he should expect/accept letterboxing by the TiVo. On the other hand, if he chooses "Zoom", it should have the correct aspect ratio AND fill the screen... but the sides will be cut off.


Hmm, so the TV stations the TiVo records are going to be either SD (480i or 480p vertical resolution I think) with a 3x4 aspect ratio, or HD (720p or 1080i vertical resolution) with a 9x16 aspect ratio.

The TiVo's Panel/Zoom/Full control only works for SD recordings.

So what you're telling us @wmcbrine is that other aspect ratio recordings transferred to the TiVo via PyTivo are treated by the TiVo as SD recordings?

I wonder if pytivo transcoded @Test's video and if so what the ffmpeg command was. If the debug setting is on, that should be written to the log file.


----------



## wmcbrine

mlippert said:


> The TiVo's Panel/Zoom/Full control only works for SD recordings.


Incorrect. The controls work for anything that doesn't match the display's aspect ratio. This is easiest to see with 4:3 recordings (or live TV) on a 16:9 set -- _or_ with 16:9 recordings on a 4:3 set. But it applies just as well to 2.35:1 recordings on a 16:9 (1.77:1) set.



> _So what you're telling us @wmcbrine is that other aspect ratio recordings transferred to the TiVo via PyTivo are treated by the TiVo as SD recordings?_


No, not at all.


----------



## wmcbrine

P.S.:



mlippert said:


> Hmm, so the TV stations the TiVo records are going to be either SD (480i or 480p vertical resolution I think) with a 3x4 aspect ratio, or HD (720p or 1080i vertical resolution) with a 9x16 aspect ratio.


16:9 SD is also a possibility, increasingly common nowadays (e.g. on broadcast subchannels). 16:9 DVD rips sent to the TiVo are also SD. Note that these all respond (or fail to respond, depending on the aspect ratio the TiVo thinks that the TV has) to Zoom/Panel/Full in the same way as 16:9 HD recordings.

It would be better not to think of resolution and aspect ratio as being coupled, because they really aren't.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah I over simplified because I thought you were encoding TV shows from the TiVo itself. If you're getting videos from the internet then all bets are off, the aspect can be all over the board.


----------



## wmcbrine

Dan203 said:


> Yeah I over simplified because I thought you were encoding TV shows from the TiVo itself. If you're getting videos from the internet then all bets are off, the aspect can be all over the board.


Neither, he's ripping DVDs and/or Blu-Rays.


----------



## mlippert

wmcbrine said:


> Incorrect. The controls work for anything that doesn't match the display's aspect ratio. This is easiest to see with 4:3 recordings (or live TV) on a 16:9 set -- _or_ with 16:9 recordings on a 4:3 set. But it applies just as well to 2.35:1 recordings on a 16:9 (1.77:1) set.


Thanks for the correction, I learned something new. It makes sense.

So I think this means the modes work like:
*Panel* - Scale to fit entire video in the display maintaining the aspect ratio (centered) w/ letterboxing on the left/right or top/bottom as needed
*Zoom* - Scale to fill the display maintaining the aspect ratio (centered) w/ clipping of the left/right or top/bottom of the video as needed.
*Full* - Scale as for Panel, then stretch the video as needed to fill any letterboxed area (does not maintain aspect ratio, perfect for anamorphic dvd encoding)

So for a 1:2.35 encoded video (aspect ratio of some movies); On a 16:9 display; Panel will show the entire video in the correct aspect ratio (with letterboxing top/bottom; Zoom will fill the display with the video clipped on the left/right in the correct aspect ratio; Full will fill the display with the entire video but will vertically stretch it making things look tall and skinny.


----------



## mlippert

wmcbrine said:


> It would be better not to think of resolution and aspect ratio as being coupled, because they really aren't.


That is a really good point. I usually don't but I must have been thinking the TiVo ONLY deals with TV and it makes that assumption. And that was bad on my part, it doesn't deal with ONLY TV and it doesn't make that assumption.



wmcbrine said:


> 16:9 DVD rips sent to the TiVo are also SD.


I'm not sure about this but it may be that we have differing definitions of SD? When I rip an anamorphic DVD the resulting video aspect ratio is 9:16 not 3:4. I've been thinking of SD as 3:4 video at either 480i or 480p. If the defininition of SD is video at 480i or 480p any aspect ratio, then yep that's what you'll get off of a DVD, and I agree with you.


----------



## jth tv

Never-Hydra Roamio Basic
Win 10 PC
Just installed PyTivo

1. Roamio Can get a jpg
2. Roamio can Not get a mp3
3. Roamio can Not get a .tivo

All are in c:\TestAtRoot\
Don't see any differences in permissions between the files, but there is a big difference in sizes, KB vs MB vs GB.

The basic goal is to backup the Roamio. And occasionally restore a show to the Roamio when there is nothing else to watch.

jpg appears on the screen okay.
mp3 A problem occurred while accessing the server. This may be a temporary problem....

My Shows has a orange ! point
Select brings up PC : My Videos Root
Then Red X
X NBC Nightly News with Lester... Thur 12/7
Selecting that brings up further details. Again with a red X.
X This recording will be kept until you delete it. 

Is it possible to restore a .tivo file ?

Any suggestions ?


----------



## Test

wmcbrine is right in I can press zoom on an HD channel and get, zoom/panel/full. 

I'll have to mess around with the bolt setup when I get home, because I streamed the same ripped DVD program from the bolt to a mini last night and it looked fine.


----------



## aaronwt

mlippert said:


> Hmm, so the TV stations the TiVo records are going to be either SD (480i or 480p vertical resolution I think) with a 3x4 aspect ratio, or HD (720p or 1080i vertical resolution) with a 9x16 aspect ratio.
> 
> The TiVo's Panel/Zoom/Full control only works for SD recordings.
> 
> So what you're telling us @wmcbrine is that other aspect ratio recordings transferred to the TiVo via PyTivo are treated by the TiVo as SD recordings?
> 
> I wonder if pytivo transcoded @Test's video and if so what the ffmpeg command was. If the debug setting is on, that should be written to the log file.


There are several sub-channels in my area that broadcast at 480P and at a 16x9 aspect ratio. And The zoom button does nothing to change the aspect ratio with them. They stay full screen in the 16x9 aspect ratio even though they are only 480P.


----------



## mlippert

aaronwt said:


> There are several sub-channels in my area that broadcast at 480P and at a 16x9 aspect ratio. And The zoom button does nothing to change the aspect ratio with them. They stay full screen in the 16x9 aspect ratio even though they are only 480P.


Yep, my understanding of how that control on the TiVo worked was incorrect. @wmcbrine enlightened me.


----------



## mlippert

Test said:


> wmcbrine is right in I can press zoom on an HD channel and get, zoom/panel/full.
> 
> I'll have to mess around with the bolt setup when I get home, because I streamed the same ripped DVD program from the bolt to a mini last night and it looked fine.


That's interesting actually. Your TV is 16:9 I assume, but the Panel/Zoom/Full changes what is displayed for an HD channel?

If that's true it makes me think perhaps your TiVo doesn't know your TV is 16:9 and thinks it is 4:3, check the settings.


----------



## aaronwt

mlippert said:


> Yep, my understanding of how that control on the TiVo worked was incorrect. @wmcbrine enlightened me.


That is how it's supposed to work. On an HDTV/UHDTV with an SD channel the zoom function works. On an SDTV with an HD channel the zoom function works.

Most of the 480P sub-channels work with the zoom but these 480P sub-channels are different. For some reason you are unable to use the zoom function with them.


----------



## mlippert

aaronwt said:


> Most of the 480P sub-channels work with the zoom but these 480P sub-channels are different. For some reason you are unable to use the zoom function with them.


Look at my previous post responding to wmcbrine where I specify my new understanding of what Panel/Zoom/Full do.
If you've got a 16:9 TV and a 16:9 show you'll see that the result of all three zoom modes will result in exactly the same picture (also true for a 4:3 TV and 4:3 show). As @wmcbrine points out SD vs HD isn't really relevant, just the video aspect ratio and the display aspect ratio.


----------



## HerronScott

jth tv said:


> mp3 A problem occurred while accessing the server. This may be a temporary problem....


This has been broken for Roamio's (again) as of a couple updates ago (20.7.2?).

Scott


----------



## JoeKustra

HerronScott said:


> This has been broken for Roamio's (again) as of a couple updates ago (20.7.2?).
> Scott


Doesn't work in Hydra either.


----------



## aaronwt

mlippert said:


> Look at my previous post responding to wmcbrine where I specify my new understanding of what Panel/Zoom/Full do.
> If you've got a 16:9 TV and a 16:9 show you'll see that the result of all three zoom modes will result in exactly the same picture (also true for a 4:3 TV and 4:3 show). As @wmcbrine points out SD vs HD isn't really relevant, just the video aspect ratio and the display aspect ratio.


But that's just it, it doesn't necessarily work that way for me. With other 480P subchannels I've still seen shows that allow me to zoom, even though they are 16:9. The ones that don't allow you to zoom have been that way for years now. But didn't used to be that way.


----------



## mlippert

aaronwt said:


> But that's just it, it doesn't necessarily work that way for me. With other 480P subchannels I've still seen shows that allow me to zoom, even though they are 16:9. The ones that don't allow you to zoom have been that way for years now. But didn't used to be that way.


Ah, that's interesting. So how sure are you that the shows on the channels that do allow you to zoom are really 16:9? What do they look like in each of the 3 modes, particularly Panel?
Also have you by any chance downloaded (and decrypted) any of those shows to your computer? MediaInfo would give a lot of information about the format including the resolution and aspect ratio.

I'm just curious if we can come up with an explanation of why those channels act like they do.


----------



## JoeKustra

mlippert said:


> I'm just curious if we can come up with an explanation of why those channels act like they do.


Sometimes information is missing, so you get unpredictable results -> Active Format Description - Wikipedia

It's really noticeable on commercials that are 4x3 sometimes and 16x9 other times.


----------



## jth tv

jth tv said:


> Never-Hydra Roamio Basic


This morning restores started working. No orange ! and no red x's.


----------



## reneg

1) Occasionally running into an issue with a permanent stall in post-processing when downloading from multiple Tivos. Not sure what triggers it, but it only seems to happen when I'm downloading from two or three Tivos concurrently. 
Screenshot of the stall:


----------



## Dan203

Hmmm... I’ll have to look into this. Not sure if the post processing code is properly threaded for multiple TiVo downloads.


----------



## J_Palmer_Cass

First post here.

I have had few problems downloading TiVo files from the TiVo to the PC in the PS format. The movie files were cable mpeg-2 files. Slow but consistent results.

Now that mpeg-4 has taken over many cable channels, we are stuck with TS transfers from TiVo to PC. I have never had one single clean mpeg-4 transfer from the TiVo to my PC.

TiVo desktop will not run on my 64-bit Windows 10 Fall Creators desktop PC. TiVo desktop works on my 32-bit Windows 10 tablet. KMTTG works fine. The new PyTivo works fine.

I had one recent TiVo download via PyTivo that reported as zero after 5 tries saving the best download. It turns out that there are three glitches in the file.

Just wondering what others do to analyze the TS file for errors without having to watch the entire movie downloaded from the TiVo?

I also note that most individual TS TiVo downloads of the same file have errors in different places. At this point I am not sure what to do with my 8 months worth of TS TiVo files.


----------



## mlippert

J_Palmer_Cass said:


> First post here.
> 
> I have had few problems downloading TiVo files from the TiVo to the PC in the PS format. The movie files were cable mpeg-2 files. Slow but consistent results.
> 
> Now that mpeg-4 has taken over many cable channels, we are stuck with TS transfers from TiVo to PC. I have never had one single clean mpeg-4 transfer from the TiVo to my PC.
> 
> TiVo desktop will not run on my 64-bit Windows 10 Fall Creators desktop PC. TiVo desktop works on my 32-bit Windows 10 tablet. KMTTG works fine. The new PyTivo works fine.
> 
> I had one recent TiVo download via PyTivo that reported as zero after 5 tries saving the best download. It turns out that there are three glitches in the file.
> 
> Just wondering what others do to analyze the TS file for errors without having to watch the entire movie downloaded from the TiVo?
> 
> I also note that most individual TS TiVo downloads of the same file have errors in different places. At this point I am not sure what to do with my 8 months worth of TS TiVo files.


I'm a little confused, you say you've never had a clean mpeg-4 (by which I think you mean h.264 ts) download from the TiVo, but then say you got one after 5 tries. I'm guessing that's because you saw 3 glitches when you watched it?

My 1st question is did you re-watch those same 3 spots on the video still on the TiVo? Because I've encountered glitches in the show as broadcast and played back on the TiVo, which will obviously remain in a perfect copy downloaded to my PC.


----------



## mlippert

J_Palmer_Cass said:


> I also note that most individual TS TiVo downloads of the same file have errors in different places. At this point I am not sure what to do with my 8 months worth of TS TiVo files.


It's interesting that you say this because I was just about to ask here if people were still seeing the sync errors with TS downloads (as reported by pyTivo).

In the last couple of weeks I've downloaded maybe 10 shows (from my Roamio TiVo), all of which had 0 sync errors on the 1st try. It's not really a large sample yet, so I may just have been lucky.

You have 8 months worth of .tivo files. I know people do that I've just never understood why people using kmttg or pytivo save the .tivo instead of immediately decrypting it and saving the .mpg or .ts (or .ts as an .mp4 which is what I do).

For me as long as the glitches are quite small (a couple of frames) the video is still watchable. If you can accept that what I'd do is:

Get VideoReDo TV Suite 5 if you don't already own it (it's under $100) well worth the investment if you're regularly archiving from your TiVo.
Use kmttg to process all of your .tivo files (doing a decode and qsfix) with VRD (This may require figuring out how to get the piece of Tivo Desktop installed that VRD needs to do the decode, @Dan203 can probably help)
This will result in you having .mpg or .ts files that you can play anywhere, including sending back to your tivo via pytivo.

The reason I suggest buying VRD rather than just using the available open source tools, is that VRD does a better job, and they've been very responsive fixing issues (in my case usually related to odd corruptions caused by the TV station, the cable company or the TiVo) so that I end up with a playable file on my PC.

You can certainly do what I suggested using tivolibre to decode (I'm not sure about qsfix), but I'm less sure about how tivolibre handles the corrupted packets in the .tivo file.

As a side note I install K-Lite Codec Pack (standard) on Windows and use Media Player Classic to play all videos


----------



## mlippert

mlippert said:


> It's interesting that you say this because I was just about to ask here if people were still seeing the sync errors with TS downloads (as reported by pyTivo).
> 
> In the last couple of weeks I've downloaded maybe 10 shows (from my Roamio TiVo), all of which had 0 sync errors on the 1st try. It's not really a large sample yet, so I may just have been lucky.


And it looks like I spoke too soon and had just been lucky. 

I just started a download (w/ pytivo) and see sync errors being reported.

So I was thinking about enhancing pytivo to using good packets from previous downloads, except that I did a comparison of 2 downloads and they're different. I believe the encryption for each download has a different salt value, which I think means I'd have to decrypt both downloads before I could combine them (and I'm not even sure that would work).


----------



## Dan203

In my tests the errors are almost always in the same spot so combining them isn’t really an option


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> In my tests the errors are almost always in the same spot so combining them isn't really an option


Yeah, I've actually seen several times where combining them would be useful.

On the other hand, I've got it set to make 4 attempts and I usually get under 300 error packets, which really isn't that much (under 60KB), so I figure after VRD strips it out I barely notice it.

I think I'm going to modify my pytivo to save a better log file associated w/ each download (extension .syncerr.log) that will look something like:


Code:


{
    fileName: "Andi Mack - ''Hey, Who Wants Pizza.'' (Recorded Oct 27, 2017, DISNEYHD-E) (TS).tivo",
    fileSize: 2368497224,
    downloadStarted: "2018-01-02T18:13:35Z",
    attemptSaved: 3,
    totalErrorPackets: 126,
    downloadAttempts:
    [
        {
            attemptNumber: 1,
            status: "sync_errors_saved",
            errorPackets:
            [
                { count:    154, start:   903047376, end:   903076328 },
                { count:     11, start:  1804901612, end:  1804903680 },
                { count:     14, start:  2256356164, end:  2256358796 }
            ]
        },
        {
            attemptNumber: 2,
            status: "sync_errors_aborted",
            errorPackets:
            [
                { count:    130, start:   451416668, end:   451441108 },
                { count:     28, start:   451441296, end:   451446560 },
                { count:      2, start:   451446748, end:   451447124 },
                { count:    154, start:   903047376, end:   903076328 }
            ]
        },
        {
            attemptNumber: 3,
            status: "sync_errors_saved",
            errorPackets:
            [
                { count:    112, start:  1353414160, end:  1353435216 },
                { count:     14, start:  2256356164, end:  2256358796 }
            ]
        },
        {
            attemptNumber: 4,
            status: "sync_errors_aborted",
            errorPackets:
            [
                { count:    162, start:   451416668, end:   451447124 }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Looking at log files like this should make it easier to decide if combining download attempts is worth it. Although as I said above, that's going to be trickier than I hoped.


----------



## J_Palmer_Cass

Dan203 said:


> In my tests the errors are almost always in the same spot so combining them isn't really an option


I might try saving 5 downloads of the same TiVo TS movie and take a look at that issue. I think that 2 retries for each file will be enough.

I have compared 2 downloaded files of one movie, and only one problem area repeats near the same time stamp. The other problems are not close to each other in time.

I am playing around with a program called TS Doctor. I am in the 30 day evaluation period. That program picks out TS errors by time stamp. That way I don't have to watch an entire video to find out how bad the problems are in real time. The problem areas tend to flash with a green screen.

I suppose I could copy the video file in real time via HDMI capture if I really want the video in question. Kind of a pain to do that.


----------



## J_Palmer_Cass

mlippert said:


> Yeah, I've actually seen several times where combining them would be useful.
> 
> On the other hand, I've got it set to make 4 attempts and I usually get under 300 error packets, which really isn't that much (under 60KB), so I figure after VRD strips it out I barely notice it.
> 
> I think I'm going to modify my pytivo to save a better log file associated w/ each download (extension .syncerr.log) that will look something like:
> 
> Looking at log files like this should make it easier to decide if combining download attempts is worth it. Although as I said above, that's going to be trickier than I hoped.


Try TS Doctor to look at bad areas of the TiVo file. The 30 day trial is enough time to see if the TS Doctor works for you.


----------



## mlippert

J_Palmer_Cass said:


> Try TS Doctor to look at bad areas of the TiVo file. The 30 day trial is enough time to see if the TS Doctor works for you.


Hmm, well it lists these intriguing functions:

Verify (show errors in streams)

Clean (remove unnecessary data)

Repair

Merge
But overall I own VideoReDo and I think for saving my videos I've downloaded from my TiVo, it does what I need. (some of those functions would be nice to see (like verify), but I don't think it would improve my end result video file. And VRD does much more that TS Doctor seems to. (supporting other video encodings, video editing, decoding, etc).

Still it's good to hear about other tools out there.


----------



## J_Palmer_Cass

mlippert said:


> Hmm, well it lists these intriguing functions:
> 
> Verify (show errors in streams)
> 
> Clean (remove unnecessary data)
> 
> Repair
> 
> Merge
> But overall I own VideoReDo and I think for saving my videos I've downloaded from my TiVo, it does what I need. (some of those functions would be nice to see (like verify), but I don't think it would improve my end result video file. And VRD does much more that TS Doctor seems to. (supporting other video encodings, video editing, decoding, etc).
> 
> Still it's good to hear about other tools out there.


VideoRedo is a different type of program than TS Doctor. I use PowerDirector Ultra for my video work. I may give VRD a trial in the future if I can get some decent TiVo TS downloads.

This TS file issue is a big deal to me. I am only on day 2 of my TS Doctor trial. Primarily I use TS Doctor to find bad areas of the TS file(s). It is easy to miss bad areas of the file by any other method that I can find. If I buy the program, I may use it to cut the beginning and end of the TS file to minimize file size and save a cleaned TS file.

All you have to do is take your final VRD adjusted TS file and run the "check only" function. If there are any bad areas the errors and warnings will be listed by time stamp by picture and sound stream. You view the picture of the problem areas right on the program to evaluate how much of a problem the error is in reality.

You have to try the program to see how good your final processed TS files are. If you have a lot of completed TS files, you can check them out quickly. Try the program for a month, then delete it at the end of the trial.


----------



## cp2k

I just started using pyTivo, and I love the fact that it works more efficiently than my old TiVo Desktop but I've noticed one unusual symptom/glitch.

Typically I archive recordings from my TiVo with TiVo Desktop, edit them in VideoReDo, and then save them as .mkv files. I import those into TMPGEnc Authoring Works and burn Blu-Rays (sometimes, not every time) from the recordings. Typically TMPGEnc will recognize 720p files fine and "Smart Render" them to Blu-Ray without re-encoding, but 1080i files are usually listed as "Full Render". I discovered years ago that if I used a profile in VideoReDo that changed the GOP to "30" on all 1080i recordings on save they would import and "Smart Render" in TMPGEnc Authoring works.

Today I tried copying a few programs over using pyTivo (I've tried both Transport Stream and Program Stream modes) with pyTivo doing the decoding using tivo-libre. I was surprised to find that the raw TS/PS files created by pyTiVo would import into TMPGEnc Authoring Works as "Smart Render". After I edit them in VideoReDo their properties are changed however, and they now require full rendering- even if I use my previous GOP change profile.

If I upload the same program using TiVo Desktop, edit it in VideoReDo, and save it with the profile it works fine like it always does, however.

Any idea what could be happening in VideoReDo to change the properties of the file to the degree that TMPGEnc won't accept it, and why does it only affect the pyTiVo files?

Attached are screenshots of the properties of the same clip. The first is the raw PS stream from the TiVo using pyTivo, the second is the .mkv saved after editing in VideoReDo.


----------



## cp2k

Just a follow-up/edit to my previous post. I've now found some instances where the pyTiVo generated .ts files don't show up as "smart render" capable, yet are smart render friendly after processing in VideoReDo the way I've done it in the past. So it isn't consistent either way. 

I'd be curious to know what rhyme/reason determines the "max number of GOP fields" a file pulled from the TiVo has, since that seems to be the sticking point in Blu-Ray compatibility. 

I'm dealing with strictly MPEG2 .TS files here too. Our cable company doesn't have any MPEG4 channels... yet.


----------



## Dan203

The TiVo records the stream as-is, so the GOP length is determined by the encoder at your cable company. 60 fields means that it will allow a maximum of 30 frames in a GOP. (since this is interlaced) Apparently some of your files have GOPs longer then 30 frames. There isn't any way to fix that other then processing the file with VideoReDo. All VideoReDo is doing when you set a max GOP length is it's scanning each GOP and if it exceeds the set value then it recodes a frame and inserts an I frame so that the GOP no longer exceeds the set value. If every GOP in the file exceeds 30 then it will end up recoding a lot of frames. But if only a few do then it'll be fast. If most/all of the frames exceed the value you might actually be better off just recoding the whole file, because the way VideoReDo shortens GOPs isn't the most efficient when it has to do every GOP in the file.


----------



## cp2k

Dan203 said:


> The TiVo records the stream as-is, so the GOP length is determined by the encoder at your cable company. 60 fields means that it will allow a maximum of 30 frames in a GOP. (since this is interlaced) Apparently some of your files have GOPs longer then 30 frames. There isn't any way to fix that other then processing the file with VideoReDo. All VideoReDo is doing when you set a max GOP length is it's scanning each GOP and if it exceeds the set value then it recodes a frame and inserts an I frame so that the GOP no longer exceeds the set value. If every GOP in the file exceeds 30 then it will end up recoding a lot of frames. But if only a few do then it'll be fast. If most/all of the frames exceed the value you might actually be better off just recoding the whole file, because the way VideoReDo shortens GOPs isn't the most efficient when it has to do every GOP in the file.


Thanks for the explanation. It is crazy though in that I recorded two movies back to back off the same channel. The first was compliant until I processed it with VideoReDo, then the GOP changed even though I didn't tell it to change anything when saving.

The second file recorded right after the first wasn't compliant when pulled off the TiVo, but was after processing with VRD. I wonder why the encoders are so inconsistent?

I wish there was a better option to create Blu-Ray discs, but the VRD/TMPG is the only consistent method I've found that doesn't result in out of sync audio/video


----------



## Dan203

cp2k said:


> Thanks for the explanation. It is crazy though in that I recorded two movies back to back off the same channel. The first was compliant until I processed it with VideoReDo, then the GOP changed even though I didn't tell it to change anything when saving.
> 
> The second file recorded right after the first wasn't compliant when pulled off the TiVo, but was after processing with VRD. I wonder why the encoders are so inconsistent?
> 
> I wish there was a better option to create Blu-Ray discs, but the VRD/TMPG is the only consistent method I've found that doesn't result in out of sync audio/video


Did you trim anything from the file? What could be happening is that the program you're using is only checking the first GOP and assuming all the rest are the same. So when you make a cut you happen to line it up with a longer one and that triggers the program to recode. GOPs can be variable length so that's a poor assumption on their part, but unless they were to scan the entire file, which could take several minutes, they wouldn't be able to confirm that every GOP in the file was compliant.


----------



## johnr2000

Hi Dan203 & wmcbrine,

My "My Tivo Recordings" share is no longer showing up under Devices on my Tivo.

I have 2 Tivo's, a Roamio Plus and a Premier and have been using pyTivo for years and it's loaded as a service on my Windows 10 computer. In the past I would put movies in my "My Tivo Recordings" folder on my computer and then on my Tivo go to My Shows | Devices and select "My Tivo Recordings" to pull the movie into my Tivo. I'm sure this was working a few months ago.

I haven't tried to import any shows into Tivo for a while until a few days ago. Now, my Roamio doesn't have "My Tivo Recordings" listed under Devices. Recently the Roamio's UI was updated (I'm not really liking the new UI!)

When I ran pyTivo on my computer (localhost:9032) it didn't show "My Tivo Recordings" so I thought maybe it was broken. I uninstalled pyTivo (and related) completely and followed Dan203's instructions to install pyTivo Desktop. Still my Tivo doesn't show "My Tivo Recordings" under Devices. The pyTivo Desktop shows "My Tivo Recordings" but it doesn't show a listing of what's in it. I verified that I still have 9032 and another port open in Windows Firewall and have the correct MAK address and Tivo user ID and password.

How do I get my Tivo to see "My Tivo Recordings" again?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## osu1991

johnr2000 said:


> Hi Dan203 & wmcbrine,
> 
> My "My Tivo Recordings" share is no longer showing up under Devices on my Tivo.
> 
> I have 2 Tivo's, a Roamio Plus and a Premier and have been using pyTivo for years and it's loaded as a service on my Windows 10 computer. In the past I would put movies in my "My Tivo Recordings" folder on my computer and then on my Tivo go to My Shows | Devices and select "My Tivo Recordings" to pull the movie into my Tivo. I'm sure this was working a few months ago.
> 
> I haven't tried to import any shows into Tivo for a while until a few days ago. Now, my Roamio doesn't have "My Tivo Recordings" listed under Devices. Recently the Roamio's UI was updated (I'm not really liking the new UI!)
> 
> When I ran pyTivo on my computer (localhost:9032) it didn't show "My Tivo Recordings" so I thought maybe it was broken. I uninstalled pyTivo (and related) completely and followed Dan203's instructions to install pyTivo Desktop. Still my Tivo doesn't show "My Tivo Recordings" under Devices. The pyTivo Desktop shows "My Tivo Recordings" but it doesn't show a listing of what's in it. I verified that I still have 9032 and another port open in Windows Firewall and have the correct MAK address and Tivo user ID and password.
> 
> How do I get my Tivo to see "My Tivo Recordings" again?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


PC to TiVo transfers is no longer available using the new Hydra UI. If you need that functionality look at using Plex or revert your TiVo's to the old UI which will result in the loss of all your dvr recordings in the process.

TiVo to PC transfers still work with Hydra at the moment, so you can save any non copy protected content before reverting to the old UI.


----------



## johnr2000

osu1991 said:


> PC to TiVo transfers is no longer available using the new Hydra UI. If you need that functionality look at using Plex or revert your TiVo's to the old UI which will result in the loss of all your dvr recordings in the process.
> 
> TiVo to PC transfers still work with Hydra at the moment, so you can save any non copy protected content before reverting to the old UI.


Ok, I filed a complaint on the Tivo support site and I also talked to them on the phone and gave them a piece of my mind.


----------



## J_Palmer_Cass

I have played around a bit more with problem TS TiVo files.

I use the new pyTivo Desktop to download the TiVo files to my PC. I save about three TS TiVo files using the save with the least errors with retries set to 5.

Then I use KMTTG to decode and QSfix to clean up the TS file.

I then used TS Doctor check function to locate where the errors are in the decoded TS files.

After review of the TS Doctor check log, I can look at the exact time stamp of the problem areas of the TS files. 

I have looked at three movie downloads, and it appears that all three movies can be patched together to make an error free TS file.

The only question that I have is as follows. Is this worth the time to do this to get an error free copy? A cable broadcast error can not be corrected unless you have two different TiVo recordings of the same program.


----------



## mlippert

J_Palmer_Cass said:


> I have played around a bit more with problem TS TiVo files.
> 
> I use the new pyTivo Desktop to download the TiVo files to my PC. I save about three TS TiVo files using the save with the least errors with retries set to 5.
> 
> Then I use KMTTG to decode and QSfix to clean up the TS file.
> 
> I then used TS Doctor check function to locate where the errors are in the decoded TS files.
> 
> After review of the TS Doctor check log, I can look at the exact time stamp of the problem areas of the TS files.
> 
> I have looked at three movie downloads, and it appears that all three movies can be patched together to make an error free TS file.
> 
> The only question that I have is as follows. Is this worth the time to do this to get an error free copy? A cable broadcast error can not be corrected unless you have two different TiVo recordings of the same program.


That is a really good question. I've modified pytivo so it produces a log of the sync errors when downloading that looks like:


Code:


%YAML 1.2
---
fileName            : "The Shannara Chronicles - ''Druid'' (Recorded Oct 11, 2017, SPIKEHD-E) (TS).tivo"
fileSize            : 1926773824
downloadStarted     : 2018-01-10T21:35:58Z
attemptSaved        : 4
totalErrorPackets   : 96
downloadAttempts:
    - attemptNumber : 1
      status        : sync_errors_saved
      errorPackets:
          - { count:     36, start:   317642908, end:   317649676 }
          - { count:     10, start:   317649864, end:   317651744 }
          - { count:    109, start:   317651744, end:   317672236 }
          - { count:     93, start:   979883624, end:   979901108 }
          - { count:     23, start:  1297272556, end:  1297276880 }
          - { count:     15, start:  1297276880, end:  1297279700 }
          - { count:     27, start:  1939468524, end:  1939473600 }
    - attemptNumber : 2
      status        : sync_errors_saved
      errorPackets:
          - { count:     47, start:   317642908, end:   317651744 }
          - { count:    109, start:   317651744, end:   317672236 }
    - attemptNumber : 3
      status        : sync_errors_aborted
      errorPackets:
          - { count:     58, start:   643060944, end:   643071848 }
          - { count:     93, start:   979883624, end:   979901108 }
          - { count:     23, start:  1297272556, end:  1297276880 }
    - attemptNumber : 4
      status        : sync_errors_saved
      errorPackets:
          - { count:     58, start:   643060944, end:   643071848 }
          - { count:     23, start:  1297272556, end:  1297276880 }
          - { count:     15, start:  1297276880, end:  1297279700 }
...

Even though it is still aborting any download w/ more sync errors than the previous best, you can still see that by merging some of these downloads I could get an error free copy, and this is frequently (although not always) the case.
Because of the encryption it's not as simple as replacing the bad packets in one download with good packets from another.

In the example above there are 109 packets in the biggest contiguous bad section. That's 20492 bytes and some of those are overhead.

So (with no real knowledge) I don't think that a video frame is encoded in less that 20K, so that bad section affects 1 or 2 frames. However it could affect a reference frame which I'm guessing could cascade up to a GOP (group of pictures). If there are 30 frames per GOP and 30 frames per second, each bad section could cause a 1 sec glitch.

A couple of 1 second glitches (probably shorter) seems unlikely to significantly compromise my enjoyment watching the video and so I haven't spent the time to figure out how to merge downloads.

I am curious if my analysis is reasonable though.

If you've identified the bad sections with TS Doctor, how long were they?


----------



## garyprud

Thanks. Just d/l and hope to set up before the weekend is over. First-timer!


----------



## Sparky1234

Does pytivo have a 25 show upload to the same folder limit? Running into an issue where 25 shows upload to same folder but 26+ loads individually to My Shows. dlfl with MetaGenerator suggested it might be a TiVo or pytivo limit.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

haven't been in thread for months. does Hydra still not work with pytivo?


----------



## lpwcomp

Sparky1234 said:


> Does pytivo have a 25 show upload to the same folder limit? Running into an issue where 25 shows upload to same folder but 26+ loads individually to My Shows. dlfl with MetaGenerator suggested it might be a TiVo or pytivo limit.


If such a limit exists (and I've never seen it myself), it would have to be something on the TiVo as grouping is based on the seriesId, not some explicit "put it in this group" command.


----------



## lpwcomp

tivoknucklehead said:


> haven't been in thread for months. does Hydra still not work with pytivo?


It's not just pyTivo, the only way to transfer something to a Hydrated TiVo is via the website, thus there is no way to transfer from an S2 or S3. Little chance that it is coming back as TiVo has decided that this capability is "obsolete".


----------



## tivoknucklehead

lpwcomp said:


> It's not just pyTivo, the only way to transfer something to a Hydrated TiVo is via the website, thus there is no way to transfer from an S2 or S3. Little chance that it is coming back as TiVo has decided that this capability is "obsolete".


thats what I thought. Having to transfer from PC to my old quad elite tivo and then to my Roamio online. such a a hassle and waste of time


----------



## jhhyde

lpwcomp said:


> It's not just pyTivo, the only way to transfer something to a Hydrated TiVo is via the website, thus there is no way to transfer from an S2 or S3. Little chance that it is coming back as TiVo has decided that this capability is "obsolete".


and TiVo will soon be obsolete in my life if they keep taking away features and not fixing previous features that they have broken along the way. really believing this company is going down the sh*th*le.


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## lpwcomp

tivoknucklehead said:


> thats what I thought. Having to transfer from PC to my old quad elite tivo and then to my Roamio online. such a a hassle and waste of time


I'm certainly glad I was never even tempted to "upgrade" to Hydra.

My fear is they will completely disable transfers for all models and/or force Hydra on all models capable of running it and EOL any that aren't, which would include Premieres.


----------



## wmcbrine

Sparky1234 said:


> Does pytivo have a 25 show upload to the same folder limit?


No.



> _Running into an issue where 25 shows upload to same folder but 26+ loads individually to My Shows._


I doubt that you're diagnosing this correctly. There's probably some other differing factor besides the number of shows.


----------



## Sparky1234

lpwcomp said:


> If such a limit exists (and I've never seen it myself), it would have to be something on the TiVo as grouping is based on the seriesId, not some explicit "put it in this group" command.


I thought seriesId might be the culprit so I "made up" a different seriesId last night and different show title. Same result 26+ added to My Shows separately. They should have been added to a new folder under the different show title. Then tried several video / audio conversions to compatible mpg2, mp4, mkv, etc., and again same result. Original videos are exactly the same as the first 25 that loaded to the same folder. Perplexing, TiVo is playing tricks on me. LOL.


----------



## Sparky1234

wmcbrine said:


> No.
> 
> I doubt that you're diagnosing this correctly. There's probably some other differing factor besides the number of shows.


Thanks. See my last post for additional details.


----------



## lew

I used KMTTG to download an old star trek (BBCAmerica in HD), edited out the commercials and encoded to h.264 mp4 using stock VRD profile. Video is fine on PC playing with VLC. When I use pytivo to transfer encoded file back to my Roamio the time is wrong, shows the original program length. Plays fine, no commercials. Not the end of the world, but it's annoying. The ad detect in VRD is spot on.


----------



## lpwcomp

Try adding this line to the server section of pyTivo.conf:


ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0


----------



## Dan203

lpwcomp said:


> Try adding this line to the server section of pyTivo.conf:
> 
> ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0


You can do that in the Desktop App. Settings, Uploads tab, Additional FFmpeg Commands


----------



## lpwcomp

Dan203 said:


> You can do that in the Desktop App. Settings, Uploads tab, Additional FFmpeg Commands


Forgot where I was. Sorry.


----------



## ThAbtO

lew said:


> I used KMTTG to download an old star trek (BBCAmerica in HD), edited out the commercials and encoded to h.264 mp4 using stock VRD profile. Video is fine on PC playing with VLC. When I use pytivo to transfer encoded file back to my Roamio the time is wrong, shows the original program length. Plays fine, no commercials. Not the end of the world, but it's annoying. The ad detect in VRD is spot on.


You can skip the encode to h.264/MP4 if you are just going to send it back to the Tivo, to save time.


----------



## lpwcomp

ThAbtO said:


> You can skip the encode to h.264/MP4 if you are just going to send it back to the Tivo, to save time.


Takes up more space on the PC if he is archiving and takes longer to transfer back. Not to mention the fact that there is a high probability that the source recording is already h.264.


----------



## mlippert

lpwcomp said:


> Try adding this line to the server section of pyTivo.conf:
> ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0


Can you explain what the muxdelay setting does? I've tried googling, but while I found this pretty useless (to me documentation)


> -muxdelay seconds (_input_)
> Set the maximum demux-decode delay.


I haven't found a description which explains why setting a muxdelay of 0 fixes the problem of the tivo reporting the wrong program length.
Thanks


----------



## lpwcomp

mlippert said:


> Can you explain what the muxdelay setting does? I've tried googling, but while I found this pretty useless (to me documentation)
> 
> I haven't found a description which explains why setting a muxdelay of 0 fixes the problem of the tivo reporting the wrong program length.
> Thanks


I have no idea why it works. Someone else came up with it.

Another possibility is if you used something other than VRD to decrypt and thus didn't run qsfix.


----------



## mlippert

lpwcomp said:


> I have no idea why it works. Someone else came up with it.


Ah, well thanks for replying, and having the solution is useful.

Meanwhile maybe someone else can explain that setting and why it fixes this issue?


lpwcomp said:


> Another possibility is if you used something other than VRD to decrypt and thus didn't run qsfix.


Ah, interesting hypothesis.


----------



## lpwcomp

mlippert said:


> Meanwhile maybe someone else can explain that setting and why it fixes this issue?


I actually do have a SWAG. It prevents ffmpeg from futzing with the timecodes.


----------



## cp2k

So I'd been running pyTiVo and it has worked wonderfully since I installed it... until my PC restarted recently. Once that happened now I get Error connecting to pyTiVo! Verify pyTivo is running and retry every time I try to use it. I finally figured out that I could open up the pyTiVo "Console" and as long as it was running the programs would transfer and I could see all the information going back and forth. That isn't very user friendly though, so I decided to use the service. I installed it using the included "Install Service" batch file and restarted. The service was there, but was "stopped". I started it, but when I ran pyTivo it had lost its memory. I had to re-enter my Media Access Key, it had to re-find all my boxes, etc. If I restart the service "stops" and it loses its memory again. 

I know I'm likely missing something simple, but how do I fix this so it will work fine every time without having to manually open the "console" and keep it running? I'm going from my Windows 7 desktop to a Windows 10 laptop. I have TiVo Desktop running on it fine, but I'd prefer to use pyTiVo.


----------



## lpwcomp

I suspect it's having a problem updating the config file.

On a side note, I've never understood the preference people have for running pyTivo as a service. How exactly is it more "user friendly"?


----------



## Dan203

The service doesn't work right. You should uninstall and reinstall without the service option.


----------



## cp2k

Dan203 said:


> The service doesn't work right. You should uninstall and reinstall without the service option.


So the only way to use this version is to go to start the pyTivo console, leave it running, and then start the GUI? Or, is there a way I'm missing to keep the console running in the background? The first time I used it the console window never appeared and it worked fine- until my computer restarted.


----------



## lew

I'm working with a roamio. Encoded with VRD h.264, supplied profile. Pytivo is encoding when I request transfer via share listed on my shows. I thought pytivo can pull h.264 files without encoding back to mpeg. The message about encoding is added to my metadata and displays as part of the description.


----------



## lpwcomp

lew said:


> I'm working with a roamio. Encoded with VRD h.264, supplied profile. Pytivo is encoding when I request transfer via share listed on my shows. I thought pytivo can pull h.264 files without encoding back to mpeg. The message about encoding is added to my metadata and displays as part of the description.


What container? Are you certain that it is transcoding and not just re-muxing?

I take it you have debug on.


----------



## lew

lpwcomp said:


> What container? Are you certain that it is transcoding and not just re-muxing?
> 
> I take it you have debug on.


I turned on debug when I was trying to figure out what was happening with time codes.
Message is
*DEBUGyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=YES, vCodec h264 not compatible

INFOyTivo:192.168.1.19 [15/Feb/2018 16:18:15] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 200 -
frame= 2869 fps=797 q=-1.0 size= 65366kB time=00:01:35.66 bitrate=5597.6kbits/s speed=26.6x 
frame= 3358 fps=819 q=-1.0 size= 76344kB time=00:01:51.97 bitrate=5585.1kbits/s speed=27.3x .....
*
It says h264 isn't compatible. I have a new computer. I have no idea if the fast speed means it's only remuxing or if is in indication of the speed of my computer.

Thanks.


----------



## lpwcomp

lew said:


> I turned on debug when I was trying to figure out what was happening with time codes.
> Message is
> *DEBUGyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=YES, vCodec h264 not compatible
> 
> INFOyTivo:192.168.1.19 [15/Feb/2018 16:18:15] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> frame= 2869 fps=797 q=-1.0 size= 65366kB time=00:01:35.66 bitrate=5597.6kbits/s speed=26.6x
> frame= 3358 fps=819 q=-1.0 size= 76344kB time=00:01:51.97 bitrate=5585.1kbits/s speed=27.3x .....
> *
> It says h264 isn't compatible. I have a new computer. I have no idea if the fast speed means it's only remuxing or if is in indication of the speed of my computer.
> 
> Thanks.


I get the same message with debug on when I pull an h.264 in an mp4 and I assure you it is _*not*_ being transcoded, merely muxed into a TS.

Compare the size on the TiVo with the file size on the PC. They're probably pretty close.


----------



## Dan203

cp2k said:


> So the only way to use this version is to go to start the pyTivo console, leave it running, and then start the GUI? Or, is there a way I'm missing to keep the console running in the background? The first time I used it the console window never appeared and it worked fine- until my computer restarted.


There is a little icon in the tray. You can use that to start/stop a hidden version of the pyTivo console app.


----------



## cp2k

Dan203 said:


> There is a little icon in the tray. You can use that to start/stop a hidden version of the pyTivo console app.


Thanks, for some reason it isn't appearing. Hopefully all will be well on the laptop when I install it on there.


----------



## Dan203

cp2k said:


> Thanks, for some reason it isn't appearing. Hopefully all will be well on the laptop when I install it on there.


Hmmm.... there is a separate app for that in the install folder called pyTivoTray. Try running that.


----------



## ThAbtO

All I do to access PyTivo is:

http://localhost:9032


----------



## lew

lpwcomp said:


> I get the same message with debug on when I pull an h.264 in an mp4 and I assure you it is _*not*_ being transcoded, merely muxed into a TS.
> 
> Compare the size on the TiVo with the file size on the PC. They're probably pretty close.


 Thanks for the insight. The file on the tivo was a little bigger.


----------



## igirl

I had not looked at PyTivo in a very long time... Installed the new OSX version (first time) and it seemed to be OK... It found the Roamio and I set up a folder and thought I started a group transfer. Then I went and looked at some prefs/settings to maybe see if there was some status or something since I couldn't tell if it was working or not. (there was no "start transfer" button - and no progress bar) - when I tried to go back to the program list - it just froze looking for the Roamio again. I thought maybe it had clogged up ny network and I restarted the Mac and program and got this error - "Error connecting to the PyTivo!" - I couldn't figure it out so I just uninstalled. Oh well. :-/
OSX 10.11.6 FWIW

By scanning over this thread it seems it's maybe not as simple as just running the program?


----------



## lpwcomp

lew said:


> Thanks for the insight. The file on the tivo was a little bigger.


If it had actually been transcoded to MPEG2, it would be a *lot* bigger.


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> All I do to access PyTivo is:
> 
> http://localhost:9032


That's the old web ui. My DesktopApp can be accessed by going to http://localhost:9032/Desktop


----------



## Dan203

igirl said:


> I had not looked at PyTivo in a very long time... Installed the new OSX version (first time) and it seemed to be OK... It found the Roamio and I set up a folder and thought I started a group transfer. Then I went and looked at some prefs/settings to maybe see if there was some status or something since I couldn't tell if it was working or not. (there was no "start transfer" button - and no progress bar) - when I tried to go back to the program list - it just froze looking for the Roamio again. I thought maybe it had clogged up ny network and I restarted the Mac and program and got this error - "Error connecting to the PyTivo!" - I couldn't figure it out so I just uninstalled. Oh well. :-/
> OSX 10.11.6 FWIW
> 
> By scanning over this thread it seems it's maybe not as simple as just running the program?


It should be that simple. When you say you started a transfer were you transferring from TiVo to PC or from PC to TiVo.

If you were going from TiVo to PC then the progress would be in the queue. You access the queue by clicking the button in the upper right with the number on it. If you don't see that button check the log (gear-About-Show log).

One issue I ran into recently with another user is that he had a rented TiVo from his cable company and they had disabled TiVoToGo transfers on that unit. It would show the list but when he attempted to transfer something it would fail with a 405 error in the log because access to downloads was disabled.

Another potential issue is antivirus software. It can sometimes delete or corrupt some of the files pyTivo uses. If this is the case you'd need to disable AV, reinstall pyTivo Desktop, then before reenabling AV go into it's settings and add an exception/ignore for the pyTivo install folder.

If you were transferring from PC to TiVo there is no progress. You can see the transfers queued up in the To Do List, but that's it.


----------



## igirl

Dan203 said:


> It should be that simple. When you say you started a transfer were you transferring from TiVo to PC or from PC to TiVo.
> 
> If you were going from TiVo to PC then the progress would be in the queue. You access the queue by clicking the button in the upper right with the number on it. If you don't see that button check the log (gear-About-Show log).
> 
> One issue I ran into recently with another user is that he had a rented TiVo from his cable company and they had disabled TiVoToGo transfers on that unit. It would show the list but when he attempted to transfer something it would fail with a 405 error in the log because access to downloads was disabled.
> 
> Another potential issue is antivirus software. It can sometimes delete or corrupt some of the files pyTivo uses. If this is the case you'd need to disable AV, reinstall pyTivo Desktop, then before reenabling AV go into it's settings and add an exception/ignore for the pyTivo install folder.
> 
> If you were transferring from PC to TiVo there is no progress. You can see the transfers queued up in the To Do List, but that's it.


Thanks Dan, In this case I was attempting to just transfer from Tivo to an OSX desktop/external drive destination. I uninstalled and just tried again with similar results. Once I set a "download all" and then try to navigate around the program to see the queue or settings it just freezes up with a spinning blue ball - the Tivo shows up and all I see is a blank white area with "loading show list". I can restart/quit all I like but that status never goes away after that. The only way to get out of it is uninstall, then reinstall. :-/

Being OSX there is no antivirus software running. This is our own lifetime Roamio - not rented and not customized in any way. I'd probably guess some conflict with another software perhaps. I might wait to try again until the day I decide to jump to 10.13 and clean install a new system.


----------



## Mgalin

Anyone seen an issue when brining back H.264 content, the skip 30 or fast forward, actually goes back and the fast forwarding is wonky in general?


----------



## lpwcomp

Mgalin said:


> Anyone seen an issue when brining back H.264 content, the skip 30 or fast forward, actually goes back and the fast forwarding is wonky in general?


Probably ffmpeg mucking up the timecodes. See this post for a possible solution.


----------



## elprice7345

Mgalin said:


> Anyone seen an issue when brining back H.264 content, the skip 30 or fast forward, actually goes back and the fast forwarding is wonky in general?


TiVo/pyTivo/ffmpeg have an issue with transferring high bit-rate content like Blu-ray rips if TS=On. In Dan's version this is "Send files as transport stream". Mine is set to "Off". More shows are transcoded, but I don't have FF & duration issues.

The symptoms are similar: wonky FF & skip. I also noticed the duration of the file after transfer to my TiVo was different than the source

See this thread: https://pytivo.sourceforge.io/forum...t-exceeded-the-expected-size-t2891.html#17543


----------



## lpwcomp

elprice7345 said:


> TiVo/pyTivo/ffmpeg have an issue with transferring high bit-rate content like Blu-ray rips if TS=On. In Dan's version this is "Send files as transport stream". Mine is set to "Off". More shows are transcoded, but I don't have FF & duration issues.
> 
> The symptoms are similar: wonky FF & skip. I also noticed the duration of the file after transfer to my TiVo was different than the source
> 
> See this thread: https://pytivo.sourceforge.io/forum...t-exceeded-the-expected-size-t2891.html#17543


I had both of the above problems until I added "-muxdelay 0" to the ffmpeg parameters.


----------



## elprice7345

lpwcomp said:


> I had both of the above problems until I added "-muxdelay 0" to the ffmpeg parameters.


@lpwcomp Do you have TS=Auto and have you tried transferring Blu-ray quality files? >22k?


----------



## lpwcomp

elprice7345 said:


> @lpwcomp Do you have TS=Auto and have you tried transferring Blu-ray quality files? >22k?


Actually, I have ts = on. As far as the second part of the question, I'm going to put it back on you - have you tried transferring high quality video with ts=on and -muxdelay 0?


----------



## Dan203

igirl said:


> Thanks Dan, In this case I was attempting to just transfer from Tivo to an OSX desktop/external drive destination. I uninstalled and just tried again with similar results. Once I set a "download all" and then try to navigate around the program to see the queue or settings it just freezes up with a spinning blue ball - the Tivo shows up and all I see is a blank white area with "loading show list". I can restart/quit all I like but that status never goes away after that. The only way to get out of it is uninstall, then reinstall. :-/
> 
> Being OSX there is no antivirus software running. This is our own lifetime Roamio - not rented and not customized in any way. I'd probably guess some conflict with another software perhaps. I might wait to try again until the day I decide to jump to 10.13 and clean install a new system.


Try downloading just one file and see if that works. Download all is basically just a macro that's clicking the download button of every file. It can take a while to complete since it has to send a command to the pyTivo server for every file. Depending on how many files there are it could take several minutes and would likely appear frozen until it finished. (might be something I could do about that in the next release)

How many files are we talking about here?


----------



## elprice7345

lpwcomp said:


> Actually, I have ts = on. As far as the second part of the question, I'm going to put it back on you - have you tried transferring high quality video with ts=on and -muxdelay 0?


Reporting back that setting TS=Auto and adding "-muxdelay 0" did not fix my particular issue with pulling high bitrate Blu-ray rips.

PyTivo remuxes the video with the following command:


Code:


ffmpeg.exe -i Sample1.mkv -bufsize 8192k -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -c:a ac3 -copyts -b:a 448k -ar 48000 -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -muxdelay 0 -f mpegts -

Sample 1:
Original file duration: 47m:33s
TiVo reported duration: 44m:05s

Sample 2:
Original file duration: 21m:29s
TiVo reported duration: 22m:23s

I'm going back to my original settings with TS=Off

I'd rather transcode and have no FF & rewind issues and the correct duration than have a faster transfer time without transcoding.

I've attached MediaInfo dumps for both files.

If anyone with more ffmpeg experience has any suggestions, I'll be happy to try them.


----------



## jcthorne

Its the trueHD audio track as the first audio that is mucking up the direct transfer. Also mkv is getting remuxed on the fly. Put the video track and the single AC3 audio track into an IMSA compliant streamable MP4 file and it will transfer to tivo as is and play just fine.

In the second file there is no tivo compatible audio and its being transcoded on the fly. Again, one video track, one ac3 audio track in streamable mp4 file and both of these should transfer direct and play just fine.


----------



## elprice7345

jcthorne said:


> Its the trueHD audio track as the first audio that is mucking up the direct transfer. Also mkv is getting remuxed on the fly. Put the video track and the single AC3 audio track into an IMSA compliant streamable MP4 file and it will transfer to tivo as is and play just fine.
> 
> In the second file there is no tivo compatible audio and its being transcoded on the fly. Again, one video track, one ac3 audio track in streamable mp4 file and both of these should transfer direct and play just fine.


@jcthorne - Thanks for the info!

For my money, pyTivo's value is being able to transfer "almost" any video to my TiVo.

I can achieve this by having pyTivo apply logic to transcode any file incompatible with the TiVo with TS=Off. This works very well for me now.

I guess what I'm asking is can the pyTivo logic be improved to apply the standards you mention above to other video files. Can pyTivo do more to avoid transcoding video and audio and still have the video transfer correctly?

For example, could pyTivo recognize the 1st sample as having to remux the container, not transcode the video, and transcode only the audio and have the durations match after transfer?

Are there other ffmpeg parameters that would fix the duration issue or is this an issue on the TiVo side that pyTivo/ffmpeg can't address?


----------



## kbmb

Dan203 said:


> I have just completed a new version which now includes a full feature UI called "pyTivo Desktop" which includes TiVoToGo support. I hope it works well for everyone. Please let me know if you have any trouble with it...


@Dan203 Just wanted to say thanks for this. Did the Hydra downgrade and this was crucial in saving and restoring programs. Appreciate all the effort!


----------



## 19972000muskrat

lpwcomp said:


> I had both of the above problems until I added "-muxdelay 0" to the ffmpeg parameters.


Newbie here. How do I go about adding parameters to ffmpeg when using pyTivo Desktop.


----------



## 19972000muskrat

19972000muskrat said:


> Newbie here. How do I go about adding parameters to ffmpeg when using pyTivo Desktop.


Never mind I guess this is the answer: Easier to use pyTivo

Do I add the line "ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0" or just
"-muxdelay 0" in the Additional FFmpeg Commands box?


----------



## lpwcomp

19972000muskrat said:


> Never mind I guess this is the answer: Easier to use pyTivo
> 
> Do I add the line "ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0" or just
> "-muxdelay 0" in the Additional FFmpeg Commands box?


Probably the latter, but I use pyTivo TOS(The Original Software) rather that pyTivo Desktop.


----------



## 19972000muskrat

lpwcomp said:


> Probably the latter, but I use pyTivo TOS(The Original Software) rather that pyTivo Desktop.


The latter ""-muxdelay 0" in the Additional FFmpeg Commands box" worked for me and fixed the issue I was having with my Playon recordings. Thanks.


----------



## gbenrus25

Whenever I try to download a show using the Program mode, it seems to start and after a period, it just hangs there and does nothing. Not sure why it keeps occurring but has happened every time I've tried to download and decode with tivo libre. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Thanks


----------



## gbenrus25

BTW, this is what the log looks like:

*pyTivo Log*
INFOyTivo:192.168.1.152 [20/Mar/2018 03:40:56] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVO%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8490001904835B0 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:10] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:10] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:10] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO%20Recordings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=2250" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFOyTivo.togoC sleep has been disabled
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=2744" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=2629" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=2873" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=3120" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO%20Recordings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:51] Start getting "C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings\Counting On - ''In Love in Switzerland'' (Recorded Feb 27, 2018, TLCHD-E).mpg" from Family Room
WARNINGyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
WARNINGyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2744 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2629 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2873 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D3120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:06:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2744 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2629 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2873 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D3120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/styles.489965f5840fa55e4bcc.bundle.css HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/polyfills.1b075761fbd1a3d1d833.bundle.js HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/inline.be517bcc3bd615c6fe79.bundle.js HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/main.16a81d91d4e8451d2817.bundle.js HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /Desktop/assets/pytivo.png HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /Desktop/glyphicons-halflings-regular.448c34a56d699c29117a.woff2 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:25] "GET /Desktop/favicon.ico HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:25] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:26] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO%20Recordings HTTP/1.1" 200


----------



## bradleys

More readable



Code:


INFO:pyTivo:192.168.1.152 [20/Mar/2018 03:40:56] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=TiVO%20Recordings&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8490001904835B0 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:10] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:10] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:10] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO%20Recordings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:41:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=2250" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFO:pyTivo.togo:pC sleep has been disabled
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=2744" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=2629" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=2873" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] Queued "http://192.168.1.152:80/download/Counting On.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=3120" for transfer to C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.152 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO%20Recordings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[20/Mar/2018 03:42:51] Start getting "C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO Recordings\Counting On - ''In Love in Switzerland'' (Recorded Feb 27, 2018, TLCHD-E).mpg" from Family Room
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2744 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2629 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2873 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 03:42:54] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D3120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:06:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2744 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2629 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D2873 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:07:08] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.152%3A80%2Fdownload%2FCounting%2520On.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D3120 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/styles.489965f5840fa55e4bcc.bundle.css HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/polyfills.1b075761fbd1a3d1d833.bundle.js HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/inline.be517bcc3bd615c6fe79.bundle.js HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:23] "GET /Desktop/main.16a81d91d4e8451d2817.bundle.js HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /Desktop/assets/pytivo.png HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:24] "GET /Desktop/glyphicons-halflings-regular.448c34a56d699c29117a.woff2 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:25] "GET /Desktop/favicon.ico HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:25] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [20/Mar/2018 04:10:26] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\gbenr\OneDrive\Videos\TiVO%20Recordings HTTP/1.1" 200


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## Dan203

Are you downloading from PC to TiVo or TiVo to PC?


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## lpwcomp

The messages indicate you are trying to transfer a .tivo file from the PC to the TiVo. It wants to decrypt it and cannot find tivodecode.


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## wmcbrine

lpwcomp said:


> The messages indicate you are trying to transfer a .tivo file from the PC to the TiVo.


Nope, other way.


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## lpwcomp

wmcbrine said:


> Nope, other way.


You are of course correct.


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## lpwcomp

Is TLC possibly H.264 on your cable system? If it is, then it* must* be downloaded in TS as PS doesn't support H.264.


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## gbenrus25

Thanks for the responses. I'm downloading from TiVo to PC. I'm on Hydra so no option of the other way.

I don't believe TLC is MPEG4/H.264 on FiOS but I'm not 100% sure. It's not one of the listed channels on MPEG4 in a master list (link below) and I also get the same issue on other local channels that should be MPEG2 (ABC and FOX). I was able to download the shows in TS format though.

List of MPEG-4 Channels - Verizon FiOS TV | DSLReports Forums (Page 5)

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## mlippert

gbenrus25 said:


> I don't believe TLC is MPEG4/H.264 on FiOS but I'm not 100% sure. It's not one of the listed channels on MPEG4 in a master list (link below) and I also get the same issue on other local channels that should be MPEG2 (ABC and FOX). I was able to download the shows in TS format though.


You should always be able to download in TS format, then you can examine the decrpyted file to see if it is mpeg2 or h.264. I don't think there are any channels which are sometimes one and sometimes the other and I haven't heard of any h.264 channels ever going back to being mpeg2.

So you can find out which channels are mpeg2, and use PS to download from them until it fails because it has been switched to h.264. All other channels you'll have to keep using TS to download.


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## gbenrus25

lpwcomp said:


> The messages indicate you are trying to transfer a .tivo file from the PC to the TiVo. It wants to decrypt it and cannot find tivodecode.


Thanks... The TiVo Desktop actually uses tivo-libre. You think that might be the issue?


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## lpwcomp

gbenrus25 said:


> Thanks for the responses. I'm downloading from TiVo to PC. I'm on Hydra so no option of the other way.
> 
> I don't believe TLC is MPEG4/H.264 on FiOS but I'm not 100% sure. It's not one of the listed channels on MPEG4 in a master list (link below) and I also get the same issue on other local channels that should be MPEG2 (ABC and FOX). I was able to download the shows in TS format though.
> 
> List of MPEG-4 Channels - Verizon FiOS TV | DSLReports Forums (Page 5)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


The Video PID, which is on the "DVR Diagnostics" page will tell you whether a given tuner is on an MPEG2 or H.264 channel.

The fact that you are having problems with locals, which *should* still be MPEG2, indicates it is probably a different problem. It's entirely possible that TiVo has changed something in Hydra that has screwed things up for PS transfers.

You might try downloading w/o decrypting, just to see what happens.


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## gbenrus25

I just tried another episode (a shorter episode) with decrypting (and without decrypting) with TiVo libre and that works fine. I'm now wondering if it's because of the size of the episode (was about 11GB)

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## ThAbtO

gbenrus25 said:


> Thanks... The TiVo Desktop actually uses tivo-libre. You think that might be the issue?


This is incorrect. Tivo Desktop does not decrypt at all. Its all kept in .TiVo file format.


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## Dan203

Yeah the tivodecode message means nothing. My version doesn't even use tivodecode. But there are a few places in the code I didn't touch that still look for it.

My version uses tivolibre.


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## gbenrus25

Hmmm, are you sure about that? When I select "decrypt with TiVo-Libre", I end up with a .mpg file but when I don't have it selected, I end up with a .TiVo file. I think it does decrypt using TiVo-Libre.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## gbenrus25

I'm now thinking it might be because my TiVo has a sleep timeout. Maybe when the TiVo goes to sleep while a download is occurring, it messes up the download. I might have just been noticing it wth the big files because they take longer to download. Would you guys expect that to be the case?

Thanks

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## ThAbtO

gbenrus25 said:


> Hmmm, are you sure about that? When I select "decrypt with TiVo-Libre", I end up with a .mpg file but when I don't have it selected, I end up with a .TiVo file. I think it does decrypt using TiVo-Libre.


Are we referring to "Tivo Desktop", "PyTivo Desktop", or simply "PyTivo"?


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## ulinepro

I've just installed this (Windows 10) and pyTivo Desktop finds my Tivo on the first install, but when I add shares and it restarts the service, I keep getting stuck with an *Error Connecting to pyTivo!* message. I have to manually run "pyTivoTray.exe" (as administrator) to get it to restart the service.

Additionally: Any way to make this automatically launch at Windows startup, AND to get the pyTivoTray.exe to auto-launch as well? There's not an option for that in the pyTivo Desktop settings.


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## gbenrus25

ThAbtO said:


> Are we referring to "Tivo Desktop", "PyTivo Desktop", or simply "PyTivo"?


PyTivo Desktop

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## ThAbtO

gbenrus25 said:


> Thanks... The TiVo Desktop actually uses tivo-libre. You think that might be the issue?





ThAbtO said:


> Are we referring to "Tivo Desktop", "PyTivo Desktop", or simply "PyTivo"?





gbenrus25 said:


> PyTivo Desktop


Thanks for clarifying, because in the earlier post you said Tivo Desktop and that does not decrypt/decode at all.


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## gbenrus25

Dan, thanks for this app.

Unfortunately, I still keep getting the errors when trying to download shows. I'm trying to download about 40 episodes from various shows before changing my hard drive but after 3-5 episodes, the download just hangs in the middle of downloading an episode. I have to kill the pytivo process and pytivo desktop to get it to begin downloading from the beginnning. This time around, I'm using TS with decrypt on and the same issues persist. I'm wondering if my best bet is to download without decrypt and then, find a way to decrypt afterwards. If that works, any recommendation for how to decrypt the file?

Thanks


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## mlippert

gbenrus25 said:


> I'm wondering if my best bet is to download without decrypt and then, find a way to decrypt afterwards. If that works, any recommendation for how to decrypt the file?


That seems worthwhile trying. You should be able to decrypt from the commandline if you're comfortable doing that using the tivolibre that pyTivo Desktop installs, although Dan will have to tell you where it is installed.

What OS are you running?

Also another option would be to get kmttg installed and use it to run decrypt jobs on your downloaded .tivo files via its File tab. (I do that, using pytivo to get fewer/no sync errors in my downloaded TS .tivo files, and then using kmttg on those files to decrypt and ad scan, and then ad cut and extract captions.)


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## gbenrus25

I'm running Windows 10. 

I actually tried the VideoReDo to decrypt but I'm comfortable with commandline so could use either kmttg or tivo-libre (if I know where it's installed).

Unfortunately, I still get the hang-ups even when downloading the encrypted file. At this point, I'm thinking it might be best to try kmttg to download or maybe command line pytivo. What do you think?


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## mlippert

gbenrus25 said:


> I'm running Windows 10.
> 
> I actually tried the VideoReDo to decrypt but I'm comfortable with commandline so could use either kmttg or tivo-libre (if I know where it's installed).
> 
> Unfortunately, I still get the hang-ups even when downloading the encrypted file. At this point, I'm thinking it might be best to try kmttg to download or maybe command line pytivo. What do you think?


My suggestion is to try kmttg to do the downloads (there's a thread here for help getting it going if you have issues) and continue to use VideoReDo (kmttg supports it) for the decrypting AND qsfix as I think that is the best option. You may want to have kmttg leave the .tivo file even after decrypting until you double check that all has gone well if you've got the space.


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## gbenrus25

I just tried kmttg and wow, seems to be much faster at downloading the tivo file and error free so far. I'm also decrypting and doing qqfix (says fffix though, but not sure what the difference is) after the download using tivolibre and it seems to be working fine. Any reason why you think decrypting and qsfix with VideoReDo is better?

Thanks


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## Dan203

gbenrus25 said:


> Hmmm, are you sure about that? When I select "decrypt with TiVo-Libre", I end up with a .mpg file but when I don't have it selected, I end up with a .TiVo file. I think it does decrypt using TiVo-Libre.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Tivolibre and tivodecode are two different things. My version uses tivolibre, which is an open source java app that I compile into an exe so it doesn't require java to be installed on the users sustem. Tivodecode is an open source C program. Tivolibre is newer and does a better job decrypting TS files which is why I use it.


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## mlippert

gbenrus25 said:


> I just tried kmttg and wow, seems to be much faster at downloading the tivo file and error free so far. I'm also decrypting and doing qqfix (says fffix though, but not sure what the difference is) after the download using tivolibre and it seems to be working fine. Any reason why you think decrypting and qsfix with VideoReDo is better?


I've pretty much always used VideoReDo ever since I've been using kmttg to download from my TiVo.

It's my understanding from comments from people I believe that VideoReDo's qsfix does a better job than the alternatives, and that since VideoReDo uses the TivoDesktop's decoder it handles cases that trip up the reverse engineered TivoLibre (although that is supposed to work really well). I believe VideoReDo is also able to compensate better for glitches (such as those caused by sync errors) so the resultant file is more likely to play w/o problems.


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## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> pyTivo Desktop


Dan, just to thank you again for this marvelous tool. I hadn't used it for quite some time and then thought to update it from a much earlier version I had installed. It updated like a champ and I was downloading from my TiVo box a few minutes later, no issue whatsoever.

Tech. is so nice when it works and works so well.  _Greatly_ appreciated--


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## ADG

Hi. Tivo Desktop stopped working properly yesterday so at the suggestion of another member I installed pyTivo Desktop. Everything seemed to go as it should - the app installed (I chose to run pyTivo as a service), connects to the Tivo and seems to be fine. I placed a show I want to transfer from my pc to the tivo in the correct folder and on the Tivo found the folder, chose the show, and began the transfer process. In Now Playing, the show appears at the top of the list with a blue circle next to it, but the blue transfer light on the Tivo does not come on and the show is not actually transferring. I tried a second computer with exactly the same result.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## Mikeguy

ADG said:


> Hi. Tivo Desktop stopped working properly yesterday so at the suggestion of another member I installed pyTivo Desktop. Everything seemed to go as it should - the app installed (I chose to run pyTivo as a service), connects to the Tivo and seems to be fine. I placed a show I want to transfer from my pc to the tivo in the correct folder and on the Tivo found the folder, chose the show, and began the transfer process. In Now Playing, the show appears at the top of the list with a blue circle next to it, but the blue transfer light on the Tivo does not come on and the show is not actually transferring. I tried a second computer with exactly the same result.
> 
> Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


No idea if this might be related, but I seem to recall a while back that some people had an issue when running pyTivo Desktop as a service. You might try uninstalling and starting anew, without that option.


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## ADG

I'll give it a shot, thanks. Back shortly.

EDIT: That seems to have done it. Thank you VERY much Mike.

EDIT 2: And WOW. Transfers with TiVo Desktop took anywhere from 5-15 minutes for a 1 hour show. I just transferred three 1 hour shows in less than 5 minutes. 

Thank you again!!


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## JoeKustra

ADG said:


> I'll give it a shot, thanks. Back shortly.
> EDIT: That seems to have done it. Thank you VERY much Mike.
> EDIT 2: And WOW. Transfers with TiVo Desktop took anywhere from 5-15 minutes for a 1 hour show. I just transferred three 1 hour shows in less than 5 minutes.
> Thank you again!!


That's really quick. Did you check the files sizes?

See my post in your thread about transfer speed.


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## Mikeguy

Note, also, that TS protocol transfers _sometimes_ can have glitches or have caused some issues for some people. The PS protocol, if available, can avoid that, although is slower.


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## Dan203

Yeah sorry. The service option doesn't work right unless you set up special permissions and even then it's not 100%. I plan to remove the option eventually, but I've been so caught up in other projects I haven't done anything with pyTivo is a while.


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## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> Yeah sorry. The service option doesn't work right unless you set up special permissions and even then it's not 100%. I plan to remove the option eventually, but I've been so caught up in other projects I haven't done anything with pyTivo is a while.


I thought that there had been something along those lines a while back, and was a bit surprised that there was a service option when I updated pyTivo Desktop over the weekend.


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## JoeKustra

Hi Dan. I just reinstalled the program on my Win 10 and Win 8.1 computers. It went without any drama. Last time I had some permission problems, but things are fine now. When I copy a program back, should I lose SM? I tried it on two different programs and TiVo boxes, but no SM. Normal?


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## Dan203

Yeah. Skipmode data is not transferred with TiVo To Go downloads, so it doesn't even exist when you reupload.

Skipmode works by using a hash table of every caption in the file. The hash table is created as the program records. The only way to get it back for a TTG transfer would be to either include it in the .tivo metadata or recalculate the hashes as the program is uploaded. Since TiVo seems to be abandoning TTG, I doubt they will bother adding either. Heck it's been years and they still haven't bothered fixing the TS glitch issue. (It use to work without glitches, so the broke it and never bothered to fix it)


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## ADG

JoeKustra said:


> That's really quick. Did you check the files sizes?
> 
> See my post in your thread about transfer speed.


They all seem to be smaller than other files I transfer via Tivo Desktop, but they are all close to the original size prior to transfer. In the past, If I transferred a 450 MB file via Tivo Desktop, it might be well over 1gig after transfer. These seem to have stayed the same. The recording lengths appear correct.

*Show 1*
4/9 1:05:56
480 MB Download MPEG-PS
Download MPEG-TS

*Show 2*
4/9 1:14:36
1000 MB Download MPEG-PS
Download MPEG-TS

*Show 3*
4/9 1:04:22
440 MB Download MPEG-PS
Download MPEG-TS


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## ThAbtO

Looks like MPEG4/h.264 to me.


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## ADG

I just opened the Now Playing page in kmttg and it looks like all 3 shows transferred within 2 minutes of one another total, but the transfer speed didn't seem to be high (all less than 2Mbs). Not sure how that works, but so be it.

And sorry guys - I ended up with similar posts in two threads


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## PeaDiddy

HELLO
I just found this software pyTiVo and it saved my life. Something odd had happened with the TiVo Desktop software overnight - the PC could find the TiVo, the Tivo could find the PC but only for music and pictures -- the Video folder was just unable to be found by the TiVo. Tried EVERYTHING. pyTiVo - works like a dream.
I use the TiVo primarily to upload videos FROM my PC to the TiVo player. I perfer that interface to just having a drive plugged into my TV. 
The TiVo Desktop software used to allow automatic transfers from PC to TiVo -- just drop a video file in a linked folder on my PC and it would transfer automatically. 
Is there such a feature on pvTiVo?


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## jcthorne

Is there a way to see the progress of shows currently transferring to the tivo?


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## ADG

Highlight the show in Now Playing (on the Tivo) and press the PLAY button. The green progress bar will show how much has been recorded.


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## jcthorne

Thanks. I was hoping there was some sort of status screen in Pytivo Desktop to replace the text logging the original pytivo provided. I do not even see an indication of what is being transferred or in what format. I am just now converting from the wmcbrine version as I was installing on a new (repurposed) laptop.


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## ADG

In my case (so far, at least), the transfers occur so quickly that I don't need any sort of progress indicator. Less than a minute per show.


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## PeaDiddy

The TiVo Desktop software used to allow automatic transfers from PC to TiVo -- just drop a video file in a linked folder on my PC and it would transfer automatically.
Is there such a feature on pvTiVo?


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## jcthorne

PeaDiddy said:


> The TiVo Desktop software used to allow automatic transfers from PC to TiVo -- just drop a video file in a linked folder on my PC and it would transfer automatically.
> Is there such a feature on pvTiVo?


Tivo removed the infrastructure that supported push of video. The feature is no longer available in pytivo or tivo desktop.


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## Dan203

I uploaded a new Windows installer today with the service option removed. There are no other changes so I didn't update the version. I've been getting a lot of support emails recently from people who installed as a service.

If anyone really needs to run as a service, and knows how to set the permissions to make it work, the exe is still there and there is an install batch file in the install directory.


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## Mikeguy

How very un-TiVo-like of you: shouldn't you have given this version an_ earlier_ version number instead?


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## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> If anyone really needs to run as a service, and knows how to set the permissions to make it work, the exe is still there and there is an install batch file in the install directory.


Thanks for leaving the service possibility there. 

Scott


----------



## Dan203

FYI the whole thing is dynmaic. The tray app can tell when pyTivo is running as a service. So if you want to try it you can exit the tray app completely, run the install.bat, then restart the tray app and it'll launch in service mode. (with admin prompt) If you want to turn off the service exit the tray app again, run the uninstall.bat, then restart the tray app.

The issue with the service is that it does not have access to the exes in the bin folder. You can fix this by either giving the service proper permissions or copying the bin folder to a neutral location and using the pytivo.conf file to override where it's looking for them.


----------



## jlb

jcthorne said:


> Tivo removed the infrastructure that supported push of video. The feature is no longer available in pytivo or tivo desktop.


So I am just getting back to the idea of offloading shows (better computer, TiVo, Network these days).

So if you cannot PUSH from pyTiVo, I assume you can still "See" the files from the TiVo and then stream them? How do you get files back if not after offloading? I am looking to install a new HD soon and there are a handful of recordings I don't want to lose......

Thanks ahead of time!

ETA: Just figured it out. Went to my Bolt and it now shows the pyTiVo/Computer icon in the My Shows list. I can then go into that, select a show on the PC, and transfer. At least it says its transferring.....

BTW, the installation and basic use of pyTiVo was super straight forward and easy!


----------



## jlb

Mikeguy said:


> Note, also, that TS protocol transfers _sometimes_ can have glitches or have caused some issues for some people. The PS protocol, if available, can avoid that, although is slower.


If I use TS for the higher "speed" rather than using PS, what would be the best option to set for Transport Stream Error Detection? Ignore, Reject and Retry, or Keep With Least # of Errors?

And one dumb question.... Is "upload" and "download" from the context of the TiVo? I.e., is it upload to the TiVo and Download from the TiVo? Or is the context the PC?


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## Mikeguy

jlb said:


> If I use TS for the higher "speed" rather than using PS, what would be the best option to set for Transport Stream Error Detection? Ignore, Reject and Retry, or Keep With Least # of Errors?
> 
> And one dumb question.... Is "upload" and "download" from the context of the TiVo? I.e., is it upload to the TiVo and Download from the TiVo? Or is the context the PC?


Certainly others will know better, but: I've set Transport Stream error detection to Keep with least number of errors, and have set the number of attempts at 3. That way, at least a best copy will make its way through, and 3 attempts seems "fair" to me. Having said that, I almost always use the Program Stream protocol, as I am more concerned about a successful, error-free transfer than the extra speed I might get with TS mode.

And download/upload is as in, download from the TiVo box to the PC, and upload from the PC to the TiVo box. (Those terms always can be confusing, along with push and pull.  )


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## Mikeguy

In looking today, I noticed that pyTivo Desktop's settings for uploads has options for the protocol used (Send files as transport streams): off, on, auto. For me, it is set to off--I don't recall having set this setting, perhaps this is the default?

I'm curious: what setting are others using, and what does the auto setting do? Thanks--


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## Dan203

jlb said:


> So I am just getting back to the idea of offloading shows (better computer, TiVo, Network these days).
> 
> So if you cannot PUSH from pyTiVo, I assume you can still "See" the files from the TiVo and then stream them? How do you get files back if not after offloading? I am looking to install a new HD soon and there are a handful of recordings I don't want to lose......
> 
> Thanks ahead of time!
> 
> ETA: Just figured it out. Went to my Bolt and it now shows the pyTiVo/Computer icon in the My Shows list. I can then go into that, select a show on the PC, and transfer. At least it says its transferring.....
> 
> BTW, the installation and basic use of pyTiVo was super straight forward and easy!


You can pull them from the PC to the tiVo using the UI on the TiVo itself. Although this part of the UI was removed in the new Hydra UI so you can't even do that. The only option in Hydra is to stream using Plex.


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> In looking today, I noticed that pyTivo Desktop's settings for uploads has options for the protocol used (Send files as transport streams): off, on, auto. For me, it is set to off--I don't recall having set this setting, perhaps this is the default?
> 
> I'm curious: what setting are others using, and what does the auto setting do? Thanks--


If you have thos setting set to off it forces a recode on all H.264 files as TiVo only accepts H.264 video as TS. Auto, I believe, automatically determines whether to use TS or PS based on the source file and which works best with your particular TiVo. Although think that really only applied to older TiVos. I think newer ones work fine with TS for everything. Not exactly sure how all the logic works. (I didn't write pyTivo, just the UI part)


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> If you have thos setting set to off it forces a recode on all H.264 files as TiVo only accepts H.264 video as TS. Auto, I believe, automatically determines whether to use TS or PS based on the source file and which works best with your particular TiVo. Although think that really only applied to older TiVos. I think newer ones work fine with TS for everything. Not exactly sure how all the logic works. (I didn't write pyTivo, just the UI part)


Thanks, Dan--will do some thinking on all this. As I said, my setting is set to off and I don't recall having ever changed it, and so I may leave well enough alone. (My files almost all are OTA show files that have been transferred from a TiVo box, and I've noticed that TS transfers sometimes have had some limited errors.)


----------



## jlb

Dan203 said:


> If you have thos setting set to off it forces a recode on all H.264 files as TiVo only accepts H.264 video as TS. Auto, I believe, automatically determines whether to use TS or PS based on the source file and which works best with your particular TiVo. Although think that really only applied to older TiVos. I think newer ones work fine with TS for everything. Not exactly sure how all the logic works. (I didn't write pyTivo, just the UI part)





Mikeguy said:


> Thanks, Dan--will do some thinking on all this. As I said, my setting is set to off and I don't recall having ever changed it, and so I may leave well enough alone. (My files almost all are OTA show files that have been transferred from a TiVo box, and I've noticed that TS transfers sometimes have had some limited errors.)


I just wanted to thank both *Dan203* and *Mikeguy*. Over the *YEARS* you both have been very helpful (As well as too many other forum members to list herein. It is always greatly appreciated!!!


----------



## jlb

I could successfully download from the Bolt but upload seemed like it wasn’t working. I went to my account online and made sure I added the check mark next to downloads. I’ll have to try again when I get home his evening....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dan203

Did you install as a service? If so uninstall and reinstall without it. That option doesn't work. (I've removed it from the latest installer)


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## jlb

Dan203 said:


> Did you install as a service? If so uninstall and reinstall without it. That option doesn't work. (I've removed it from the latest installer)


I did do as a service, I think. In addition, though I wasn't sure it was connected/necessary for this function, but I actually couldn't get tivo.com to save my attempt at checking the "enable video downloads" box. Prob a browser issue. I had to chat with tivo support and they enabled that for me.


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## jlb

I'm guessing I didn't install as a service as when I reinstalled I saw no option to install as a service. And this all looked the same as the other night when I first tried to install. The only options I had when I ran the install were to "publish recordings as a video share" (I chose not to) and "start pytivo when windows starts" (I chose not to). I'll see what happens. Thanks Dan!


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## jlb

It’s weird. I successfully downloaded a program FROM the TiVo. But when I try to go back the other way and upload TO the TiVo, it says “added to the to do list and will upload after other transfers are finished”. But then I go to the TDL and see no evidence of the transfer at all 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ThAbtO

jlb said:


> It's weird. I successfully downloaded a program FROM the TiVo. But when I try to go back the other way and upload TO the TiVo, it says "added to the to do list and will upload after other transfers are finished". But then I go to the TDL and see no evidence of the transfer at all
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is a sign of a "phantom" transfer, and you need to reboot the Tivo.


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## jlb

Ahhhhhh let me try that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jlb

That didn’t seem to do it. I’ve reinstalled pytivo and restarted my Bolt and nothing. Weird. Not the end of the world as it would only be for saving a few movies when I upgrade the hard drive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ThAbtO

jlb said:


> That didn't seem to do it. I've reinstalled pytivo and restarted my Bolt and nothing. Weird. Not the end of the world as it would only be for saving a few movies when I upgrade the hard drive.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sometimes it helps to remove that "phantom" download from the TDL, reboot, then try the transfer anew.


----------



## jlb

ThAbtO said:


> Sometimes it helps to remove that "phantom" download from the TDL, reboot, then try the transfer anew.


There has been nothing added to the TDL.....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ThAbtO

jlb said:


> There has been nothing added to the TDL.....


Are you sure? Everything from recording shows, wishlist recordings, and download get listed in TDL.

The reboot will clear the "Phantom" download, but then you need to Connect to Tivo service and it will re-enable the transfer action.


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## jlb

Trying a new connection right now....

I’m also wondering, I’m using my work laptop. It’s totally possible that whatever port would be used to upload back to the TiVo is blocked..... 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jlb

Nope. Uploads just won’t seem to start


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ThAbtO

jlb said:


> the TiVo is blocked.....


Only by the firewall.


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## ThAbtO

jlb said:


> Nope. Uploads just won't seem to start


Perhaps there is no transfer to start?


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## jlb

ThAbtO said:


> Only by the firewall.


If it is blocked then I might be out of luck but it's not the end of the world

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jlb

ThAbtO said:


> Perhaps there is no transfer to start?


I have one program I downloaded to my pc last night. It's there and my TiVo can see the folder/file just fine. I can select it and it says added to the TDL but then there's nothing there

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dan203

Can you check the pyTivo log and see if there are any weird errors? Gear->About->Show Log


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## jlb

Dan203 said:


> Can you check the pyTivo log and see if there are any weird errors? Gear->About->Show Log


Dan, I looked and there is really almost nothing in there. Is it possible that I need to check "Save metadata to text file" in order to log?


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## Dan203

jlb said:


> Dan, I looked and there is really almost nothing in there. Is it possible that I need to check "Save metadata to text file" in order to log?


No. That saves the metadata from the .tivo file to a text file that pytivo can use on upload. It has nothing to do with logging.

Try this....

Uninstall
Reboot PC
Disable antivirus
Reinstall
Go into antivirus and add exception for pyTivo install directory
Reenable antivirus

It's possible the antivirus is blocking ffmpeg which is needed for uploading.

If that doesn't work then I'm stumped. Usually people have issues getting their shares to even show up on the TiVo not with the actual transfer.


----------



## jlb

Dan,

I just tried again and it does look like there may be some pertinent info in the log. I've added Bold text to thing that caught my eye.....

INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\jbamberger\Desktop\Tivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.8 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.1.8 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:10:24] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:11:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:11:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\jbamberger\Desktop\Tivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:11:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:11:52] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:11:52] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=C:\Users\jbamberger\Desktop\Tivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:11:52] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:13:11] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:13:11] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
INFOyTivo:192.168.1.8 [04/May/2018 14:14:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:192.168.1.8 [04/May/2018 14:14:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=Tivo&Recurse=Yes&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=8&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=84900219031A69B HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:192.168.1.8 [04/May/2018 14:14:49] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
Encryption by QUALCOMM 

INFOyTivo:192.168.1.8 [04/May/2018 14:14:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=Tivo&Recurse=Yes&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=1&AnchorItem=%2FTivo%2FSpeechless%2520-%2520%2527%2527N-O%25E2%2580%2594NOMINEE%2527%2527%2520%2528Recorded%2520Mar%252022%252C%25202018%252C%2520WCVBDT%2529%2520%2528TS%2529%2520%2528%255E161_0%2529.tivo&AnchorOffset=-1&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=84900219031A69B HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:192.168.1.8 [04/May/2018 14:14:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=TVBusQuery&Container=Tivo&File=%2FSpeechless%20-%20''N-O%E2%80%94NOMINEE''%20(Recorded%20Mar%2022,%202018,%20WCVBDT)%20(TS)%20(%5E161_0).tivo&SerialNum=84900219031A69B HTTP/1.1" 200 -
*INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:14:52] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
WARNINGyTivo.config:tivodecode not found*
INFOyTivo:192.168.1.8 [04/May/2018 14:14:53] "GET /Tivo/Speechless%20-%20''N-O%E2%80%94NOMINEE''%20(Recorded%20Mar%2022,%202018,%20WCVBDT)%20(TS)%20(%5E161_0).tivo?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFOyTivo.video.video:[04/May/2018 14:14:53] Start sending "C:\Users\jbamberger\Desktop\Tivo\Speechless - ''N-O-NOMINEE'' (Recorded Mar 22, 2018, WCVBDT) (TS) (^161_0).tivo" to Family Room Bolt
*WARNINGyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFOyTivo:argument of type 'NoneType' is not iterable*
INFOyTivo:192.168.1.8 [04/May/2018 14:15:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryFormats&SourceFormat=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:192.168.1.8 [04/May/2018 14:15:09] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=Tivo&Recurse=Yes&SortOrder=!CaptureDate&ItemCount=8&AnchorItem=%2FTivo%2FSpeechless%2520-%2520%2527%2527N-O%25E2%2580%2594NOMINEE%2527%2527%2520%2528Recorded%2520Mar%252022%252C%25202018%252C%2520WCVBDT%2529%2520%2528TS%2529%2520%2528%255E161_0%2529.tivo&AnchorOffset=-3&Filter=x-tivo-container%2Ftivo-videos,x-tivo-container%2Ffolder,video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg,video%2F*&SerialNum=84900219031A69B HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFOyTivo:127.0.0.1 [04/May/2018 14:15:50] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


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## jlb

Yeah, apparently the forum software changed the Pytivo characters a bit. Those faces were NOT in the log.

I may be out of luck. This is a work laptop and I don't believe I have control over the firewall. I'd have to wait until our techie dude who controls that comes down to my house at some point to help me install some new access points. Once he's here I can run that by him.

So for now, it is what it is. Thanks again for all of your help!!!!


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## Dan203

The first part about tivodecode missing is no big deal. The second part about none not being itterable is a fatal error and likely why it's not working.

Just as a test try renaming the file and see if that has any effect. The metadata is in the .tivo anyway so it doesn't matter what the file name is it'll still show properly on the tivo. So just rename is a.tivo just to be safe.


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## Dan203

jlb said:


> Yeah, apparently the forum software changed the Pytivo characters a bit. Those faces were NOT in the log.
> 
> I may be out of luck. This is a work laptop and I don't believe I have control over the firewall. I'd have to wait until our techie dude who controls that comes down to my house at some point to help me install some new access points. Once he's here I can run that by him.
> 
> So for now, it is what it is. Thanks again for all of your help!!!!


Forget about that part. I was suggesting that when there was no error in the log.


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## jlb

Dan203 said:


> The first part about tivodecode missing is no big deal. The second part about none not being itterable is a fatal error and likely why it's not working.
> 
> Just as a test try renaming the file and see if that has any effect. The metadata is in the .tivo anyway so it doesn't matter what the file name is it'll still show properly on the tivo. So just rename is a.tivo just to be safe.


Dan H, you are a Rockstar!!!

That did it! I changed the file name, went to the TiVo, selected and this time it went right to Transfer started. And is playable and all. You rock!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you. Please come to Vermont so I can take you for a beer!


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## Dan203

I'll have to look at the code and figure out why that file name caused an issue.


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## jlb

Dan203 said:


> I'll have to look at the code and figure out why that file name caused an issue.


As an FYI, I did nothing at all with editing the file name or anything in the download process to my PC. But maybe it's a file path length problem?


----------



## jlb

But I am stoked I got it working! As I noted somewhere above, this is mostly just to save a few....um....ahem....of the Hallmark movies we have in the event I want to upgrade the HD on the Bolt before we watch them.


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## Dan203

jlb said:


> As an FYI, I did nothing at all with editing the file name or anything in the download process to my PC. But maybe it's a file path length problem?


It's been a while since I looked at the code. I'm guessing one of the characters in the name, perhaps the double --, is tripping up the parsing in some way.


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## mlippert

jlb said:


> Yeah, apparently the forum software changed the Pytivo characters a bit. Those faces were NOT in the log.


For future reference, yeah *:* followed by *p* gets converted in the body of a message. You can put log messages in a CODE block (see the + on the toolbar), it will look like:


Code:


WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'NoneType' is not iterable


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## jlb

mlippert said:


> For future reference, yeah *:* followed by *p* gets converted in the body of a message. You can put log messages in a CODE block (see the + on the toolbar), it will look like:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
> INFO:pyTivo:argument of type 'NoneType' is not iterable


Thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## cubdukat

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was able to use PyTivo Desktop to transfer programs to my PC and use VideoReDo to clean up the streams. But for the past couple of weeks, I have been able to do neither thing, and I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling it to get it to work, but nothing.

Also, I have noticed that it seems to believe that VideoReDo is not installed anymore, although it is.

This is what the logs are telling me:



Code:


INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Fri Sep 15 16:04:38 2017
INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.13
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.17134
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\Users\stock\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI30~1\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Creating writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\users\stock\appdata\local\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivo-27'
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\users\stock\appdata\local\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivo-27'
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:My Other Bolt - 10.0.0.19
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: 022518
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: 042218
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: 042918
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: 050618
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:No section: '022518'
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\Tivo%20Import\050618 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:00] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.0.19 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.0.19 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:54:42] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:56:35] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:56:35] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\Tivo%20Import\050618 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:56:35] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:00] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:00] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:28] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
The system cannot find the path specified.
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:28] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=Restart&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Unregistering: 022518 042218 042918 050618
INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Fri Sep 15 16:04:38 2017
INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.13
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.17134
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:My Other Bolt - 10.0.0.19
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: 022518
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: 042218
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: 042918
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: 050618
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
Unhandled exception in thread started by <function server at 0x03E474F0>
ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "beacon.py", line 219, in server
  File "socket.py", line 228, in meth
error: [Errno 10048] Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.0.19 [10/May/2018 21:57:40] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=042218&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8490011902311D2 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.0.19 [10/May/2018 21:57:40] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=022518&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8490011902311D2 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.0.19 [10/May/2018 21:57:40] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=050618&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8490011902311D2 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:10.0.0.19 [10/May/2018 21:57:40] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=042918&ItemCount=0&SerialNum=8490011902311D2 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:43] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:43] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\Tivo%20Import\050618 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:43] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.0.19 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:57:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.0.19 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [10/May/2018 21:59:41] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -

I would like to be able to use this because for some reason Archivo no longer works, and both kmttg and Tivo Desktop seem to screw up my programs even more now that Comcast has switched both ABC and NBC to MPEG-4 AVC.


----------



## Dan203

Looks like there is already a version running. Try going to the task manager and killing everything with pyTivo in the name, then go to Start and restart the pyTivo Tray app.


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> Looks like there is already a version running. Try going to the task manager and killing everything with pyTivo in the name, then go to Start and restart the pyTivo Tray app.


Tried it, but it didn't work. Every time I try to click on a program to download, nothing happens. Strangely enough, the "Download All" button does work. I found that out the hard way.


----------



## Dan203

I don't see any download calls in the log. The list of shows loads?


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> I don't see any download calls in the log. The list of shows loads?


It does, and when I hit the "Download All" button, everything downloads. The individual shows themselves won't, though. That really doesn't make sense. Would this might have something to do with removing the service function? I don't think it would, because this is the service-less version, and it was actually working until a couple weeks back.


----------



## Dan203

cubdukat said:


> It does, and when I hit the "Download All" button, everything downloads. The individual shows themselves won't, though. That really doesn't make sense. Would this might have something to do with removing the service function? I don't think it would, because this is the service-less version, and it was actually working until a couple weeks back.


No it shouldn't be an issue. And the fact that download all works is weird since it's essentially just a macro that clicks the download button for all items in the list.

I wonder if there is a javascript error of some sort. Are you technical at all? If so open up the Chrome we browser, go to http://localhost:9032/Desktop. You should see the same UI as the desktop app. Now hit F12, that'll bring up the developer console. Now click one of the download buttons. Do you see any sort of javascript error in the console?


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> No it shouldn't be an issue. And the fact that download all works is weird since it's essentially just a macro that clicks the download button for all items in the list.
> 
> I wonder if there is a javascript error of some sort. Are you technical at all? If so open up the Chrome we browser, go to http://localhost:9032/Desktop. You should see the same UI as the desktop app. Now hit F12, that'll bring up the developer console. Now click one of the download buttons. Do you see any sort of javascript error in the console?


It looks like there was an error message:

vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:197 ERROR TypeError: Cannot read property 'name' of undefined
at l.showDialog (main.16a81d91d4e8451d2817.bundle.js:1)
at l.addTransfer (main.16a81d91d4e8451d2817.bundle.js:1)
at Object.handleEvent (main.16a81d91d4e8451d2817.bundle.js:1)
at Object._ [as handleEvent] (vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:309)
at Object.handleEvent (vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:309)
at Jt (vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:260)
at vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:281
at e.object.o [as _next] (vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:365)
at e.__tryOrUnsub (vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:746)
at e.next (vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:746)
_ @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:197
t.handleError @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:351
next @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:365
e.object.o @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:365
e.__tryOrUnsub @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:746
e.next @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:746
e._next @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:746
e.next @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:746
e.next @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:449
e.emit @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:365
t.triggerError @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:365
onHandleError @ vendor.6ce440862ef308f02175.bundle.js:365
t.handleError @ polyfills.1b075761fbd1a3d1d833.bundle.js:36
r.runTask @ polyfills.1b075761fbd1a3d1d833.bundle.js:36
invoke @ polyfills.1b075761fbd1a3d1d833.bundle.js:36


----------



## Dan203

Hmm seems like maybe there is a show in your list that’s tripping up the Jason data. Do you have any shows with weird names? Something with a foreign character in it maybe?


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> Hmm seems like maybe there is a show in your list that's tripping up the Jason data. Do you have any shows with weird names? Something with a foreign character in it maybe?


The only program in my list that would come close to that would be "Mujer, casos de la vida real," but that doesn't have any of the Spanish special characters. Otherwise the list is pretty ordinary.


----------



## Dan203

Turn off groups and sort by date. Does the whole list load? Or does it stall somwhere? That might give us a clue about the problem recording.


----------



## ThAbtO

A screenshot would help.


----------



## cubdukat

This is a shot of everything ungrouped. The entire list is loaded up; I didn't see any problems with that. I also included a shot of the error message when I select something, as well as the Chrome settings for PyTivo


----------



## Dan203

In your browser go to....

http://localhost:9032/TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.0.19

That should dump a TON of JSON data to the screen. Copy and paste it into a text file and attach that to a post. If it's too big send me an email at the email address at the bottom of pyTivoDesktop.com.


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> In your browser go to....
> 
> http://localhost:9032/TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=10.0.0.19
> 
> That should dump a TON of JSON data to the screen. Copy and paste it into a text file and attach that to a post. If it's too big send me an email at the email address at the bottom of pyTivoDesktop.com.


Here goes...


----------



## Dan203

I'll have to look at the code later and figure out where this "name" property is being used and causing the error. I have to head out to brunch with my Mom though, so it wont be until later today.


----------



## writemom

Are there step by step instructions somewhere for moving data from TiVo bolt to iMac and back?

Also, does this back up recordings only or does it back of preferences also?


----------



## Mikeguy

writemom said:


> Are there step by step instructions somewhere for moving data from TiVo bolt to iMac and back?
> 
> Also, does this back up recordings only or does it back of preferences also?


The following post may assist in setting up and running pyTivo Desktop. It really is pretty easy, and a joy to use. 

How can I download/transfer recordings?

When you run pyTivo Desktop and open up the user interface, the shows on your TiVo box will be listed there. Select the ones you want to transfer and start away. To get them back to your TiVo box, run pyTivo Desktop and then look under your TiVo box's My Shows listing, and your PC's TiVo shows folder and its contents should be listed there--select away again. Yes, it's that easy. 

Do note: you can't transfer from your PC to a TiVo box running the latest TiVo user interface, Hydra.  Also, no, pyTivo Desktop does not back up preferences. However, another available freeware, kmttg, will do so as to some. New program for 1 step TTG downloads, decryption, encoding - kmttg


----------



## saberman

>pyTivo_setup.exe
Installation documentation?


----------



## Mikeguy

saberman said:


> >pyTivo_setup.exe
> Installation documentation?


See the post above. And, run the setup file.


----------



## saberman

Mikeguy said:


> See the post above. And, run the setup file.


Which post above? The old pyTivo I have running on another machine required the installation of a couple of other packages (i.e. ffmpeg, python). Is that still the case?


----------



## Dan203

No. This is self contained. You run the installer and it installs a package on your Mac that sits in the tray and runs automatically.

Although, to be honest, if you want automatic backups and settings backups you might want to check out kmttg instead.


----------



## saberman

Dan203 said:


> No. This is self contained. You run the installer and it installs a package on your Mac that sits in the tray and runs automatically.


I assume this is the case for the Windows installer as well.


----------



## Dan203

saberman said:


> I assume this is the case for the Windows installer as well.


Yes. This whole project started as a simpler way to install pyTivo without needing all the extra steps that the official package required. I added the Desktop UI later when I was learning a technology called Angular as sort of a practice project.


----------



## writemom

Mikeguy said:


> The following post may assist in setting up and running pyTivo Desktop. It really is pretty easy, and a joy to use.
> 
> How can I download/transfer recordings?
> 
> When you run pyTivo Desktop and open up the user interface, the shows on your TiVo box will be listed there. Select the ones you want to transfer and start away. To get them back to your TiVo box, run pyTivo Desktop and then look under your TiVo box's My Shows listing, and your PC's TiVo shows folder and its contents should be listed there--select away again. Yes, it's that easy.
> 
> Do note: you can't transfer from your PC to a TiVo box running the latest TiVo user interface, Hydra.  Also, no, pyTivo Desktop does not back up preferences. However, another available freeware, kmttg, will do so as to some. New program for 1 step TTG downloads, decryption, encoding - kmttg


I have 113 recordings. Of those 71 have a download link in pyTivo. When I try to download anything, I get a nice progress bar for a while, but eventually I get this message... "Error: Transport stream error detected". The most progress any of the recordings have gotten to is about 70%. Unless there is something I should be doing that I'm not, it looks like I'm SOL.


----------



## Dan203

writemom said:


> I have 113 recordings. Of those 71 have a download link in pyTivo. When I try to download anything, I get a nice progress bar for a while, but eventually I get this message... "Error: Transport stream error detected". The most progress any of the recordings have gotten to is about 70%. Unless there is something I should be doing that I'm not, it looks like I'm SOL.


There is a setting for how TS errors are handled. You must have yours set to abort. Set it to one of the other options and you'll at least get a file. It may have corruption, but in most cases the corruption only effects a few seconds of the recording, possibly in a commercial where you'll never even see it.


----------



## Mikeguy

writemom said:


> I have 113 recordings. Of those 71 have a download link in pyTivo. When I try to download anything, I get a nice progress bar for a while, but eventually I get this message... "Error: Transport stream error detected". The most progress any of the recordings have gotten to is about 70%. Unless there is something I should be doing that I'm not, it looks like I'm SOL.


Or, in the alternative and as I mentioned in the earlier post, use the PS (program stream) setting/protocol when transferring shows, which can be set under pyTivo Desktop's settings. It may go slower, but I've had good/reliable luck with it, rarely having a show transfer glitch.


----------



## HerronScott

Mikeguy said:


> Or, in the alternative and as I mentioned in the earlier post, use the PS (program stream) setting/protocol when transferring shows, which can be set under pyTivo Desktop's settings. It may go slower, but I've had good/reliable luck with it, rarely having a show transfer glitch


You do have to use TS if your content is MPEG4 (ie primarily Comcast and most of the cable channels).

Scott


----------



## Mikeguy

HerronScott said:


> You do have to use TS if your content is MPEG4 (ie primarily Comcast and most of the cable channels).


Ah, true, thanks for that condition--I always forget it, as I'm a lowly OTA guy here, so there's no restriction there.


----------



## Dan203

cubdukat said:


> Here goes...


I looked at this and I don't see any reason for that error. The only place I use the propert "name" is for the name of the TiVo.

I see in the log the one TiVo it finds is called "My Other Bolt", does that mean you have two Bolts? What's the name of the other one? Does it show up as a tab in the UI?


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> I looked at this and I don't see any reason for that error. The only place I use the propert "name" is for the name of the TiVo.
> 
> I see in the log the one TiVo it finds is called "My Other Bolt", does that mean you have two Bolts? What's the name of the other one? Does it show up as a tab in the UI?


The other was "My Bolt." The HDMI port went bad on it, so I sent it back to Tivo. The replacement got named "My Other Bolt."

I notice that your title also lists you as a developer for VideoReDo. The other part of my problem is that pyTivo Desktop no longer acts as if VRD is installed. Could that be because the version I have installed right now is a beta as opposed to an official release?

Also, since you're not finding anything on your end, is it possible that it's something in Windows that could be causing the problem?


----------



## Dan203

cubdukat said:


> I notice that your title also lists you as a developer for VideoReDo. The other part of my problem is that pyTivo Desktop no longer acts as if VRD is installed. Could that be because the version I have installed right now is a beta as opposed to an official release?


It's looking for the COM interface of VRD. Start the batch manager in VRD. If it can't find the COM interface it'll offer to install it for you.



cubdukat said:


> Also, since you're not finding anything on your end, is it possible that it's something in Windows that could be causing the problem?


Maybe. From what I can see in the error it looks like it's having an issue with the function that checks to make sure you have enough disk space to download a file. Perhaps the function that does that check is having the issue and returning a weird value.


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> It's looking for the COM interface of VRD. Start the batch manager in VRD. If it can't find the COM interface it'll offer to install it for you.
> 
> Maybe. From what I can see in the error it looks like it's having an issue with the function that checks to make sure you have enough disk space to download a file. Perhaps the function that does that check is having the issue and returning a weird value.


Is there any way to disable that? I have 300GB on the receiving drive, way more than enough for the couple of programs I download and then delete after conversion.


----------



## Dan203

cubdukat said:


> Is there any way to disable that? I have 300GB on the receiving drive, way more than enough for the couple of programs I download and then delete after conversion.


No. But I should add one. I've heard a couple other complaints about iypt throwing a warning when there is plenty of space. So something isn't always working.

Although your specific issue with the javscript error is unique


----------



## cubdukat

BTW, just saw something to suggest that there may be a Javascript bug in the Windows 10 April Update. Mozilla had to update Firefox to deal with the problem.


----------



## Dan203

cubdukat said:


> BTW, just saw something to suggest that there may be a Javascript bug in the Windows 10 April Update. Mozilla had to update Firefox to deal with the problem.


Hmm... I used Electron to build the Desktop app, which at it's core uses Chromium which is an embedable version of Chrome. Not sure if it has the same issue or not. My personal PC is updated to the latest version of Windows and I have not experienced any issues with pyTivo Desktop.


----------



## Mikeguy

Updated with Win10 1803 (the Spring Creators edition) here and no issue using pyTivo Desktop earlier today to offload from my TiVo box to PC.


----------



## alyssa

thx dan203-
this is easy to use and it just works- it gets me out of a tricky situation - I need to put my tivo in to storage etc all

/once i got the codec to play .tivo files LOL/
Download K-Lite Codec Pack Mega

you need a 'buy a beer' link


----------



## mlippert

alyssa said:


> thx dan203-
> this is easy to use and it just works- it gets me out of a tricky situation - I need to put my tivo in to storage etc all
> 
> /once i got the codec to play .tivo files LOL/
> Download K-Lite Codec Pack Mega
> 
> you need a 'buy a beer' link


I really would suggest that you decrypt the .tivo files after downloading them, and save the decrypted files. You are much more likely to catch any errors that would prevent them being played at a later date. The files are only going to be MPEG2 or H.264 encoded.

If you want to also back up your season passes, you can do that with kmttg.

(ps the K-Lite codec pack is great to have installed, and I only use MPC (Media Player Classic) which comes with it to play videos on my Windows box.)


----------



## mysteryclock

So for the purposes of backing up a TiVo before getting all Captain America on it and purging Hydra, should I leave most of the defaults (TS, no decrypt, etc.) as-is, do a Download All, reset, then upload? Is this the current thinking, so to speak, or if not what are the best practice settings?

Let me ask a (probably dumb) follow-up question: Is the Metadata associated with the shows preserved enough that, when re-uploaded, they'll be recognized as shows & series, and not as a set of long filename videos, so to speak?

I'm planning on using KMTTG to backup Season Passes and other settings prior to all this.


----------



## Dan203

The metadata isn't 100%, so some things may not group. Also there is the TS corruption issue that you'll have to contend with.

If you have another TiVo you're better off transferring what you want to it before purging Hydra. It'll retain the metadata better and doesn't have any corruption issues.


----------



## mysteryclock

Unfortunately I don't have another transfer-capable TiVo handy. Do you think it'd be better / more reliable to do the big download with KMTTG or cTiVo, then use your software for the reload? Would that help mitigate the transport stream issues, which I'm assuming are buried somewhere deep in the pyTiVo code which is outside your purview?


----------



## mlippert

mysteryclock said:


> Let me ask a (probably dumb) follow-up question: Is the Metadata associated with the shows preserved enough that, when re-uploaded, they'll be recognized as shows & series, and not as a set of long filename videos, so to speak?


The metadata .txt file created by kmttg is more complete than the one created by pytivo. pytivo only gets metadata from your TiVo, while kmttg is able to retrieve additional metadata from the TiVo mind servers.

I'm sure you're also aware that the TiVo flags some shows as protected and won't allow those to be downloaded, hopefully you don't have any of those you want to preserve.

Lastly keep in mind that to get everything back on your TiVo, you will have to pull it from the pytivo share manually from your TiVo, you can't bulk send it all back, I think that capability used to exist, but was removed by TiVo.


----------



## mysteryclock

Yeah, I figured it'd be a bit tedious going back. I don't think I have much (any?) CP content, and if I do I'm sure it'll roll around again on HBO/Starz one of these years.

Is there any downside to using KMTTG for the bulk download? Any special settings I need to be aware of (decrypt / no-decrypt) to make the reload work better, or at all?


----------



## mlippert

mysteryclock said:


> Is there any downside to using KMTTG for the bulk download? Any special settings I need to be aware of (decrypt / no-decrypt) to make the reload work better, or at all?


I'm assuming at least some of your channels are now h264, so you can't just use PS downloads for everything. The biggest downside to using KMTTG for the bulk download in TS mode is that you have no clue about any TS errors which pytivo can at least report and try again, since they're variable.

Personally I'd recommend decrypting, because if there are problems, you will probably find out during the decrypt pass, you can play the decrypted file many other ways and it transfers back to the TiVo just fine (I've never even bothered trying to transfer a .tivo back).
You may want this setting in pytivo when transferring back


Code:


ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0

I haven't been able to find out exactly what it does, but it seems to help duration issues on the TiVo.


----------



## Dan203

mysteryclock said:


> Unfortunately I don't have another transfer-capable TiVo handy. Do you think it'd be better / more reliable to do the big download with KMTTG or cTiVo, then use your software for the reload? Would that help mitigate the transport stream issues, which I'm assuming are buried somewhere deep in the pyTiVo code which is outside your purview?


Nope. All of those programs use the exact same method for downloading and are subject to the same issues. The issue is on TiVo's side so there is nothing any of us can do to prevent it. pyTivo Desktop does have a retry option. If you retry the same download enough times sometimes you can get a clean copy. But it can be a slow process and some shows just never download clean. In pyTivo Desktop you can set it to retry as many times as you're willing to tolerate and it'll keep the best copy it can achieve. (if it gets a clean copy it keeps that and stops retrying)


----------



## ClearToLand

mysteryclock said:


> So for the purposes of backing up a TiVo before getting all Captain America on it and purging Hydra, should I leave most of the defaults (TS, no decrypt, etc.) as-is, do a Download All, reset, then upload?


AFAIK, the *ONLY* way to get an EXACT copy backup of the recordings on TiVo Unit A is to copy them to TiVo Unit B. Copying them to a PC introduces UNAVOIDABLE errors: *Post #47: TiVo-to-PC File Corrpution*

Your choice:

*TiVo-to-TiVo:* Exact copy (and only method that preserves SkipMode)
.
*TiVo-to-PC via TS 'Fast' File Format*: TS Sync Errors, perfect Closed Captions
- Required for H.264 source
.
*TiVo-to-PC via PS 'Slow' File Format*: Perfect video, corrupt Closed Captions
If possible, consider leaving the recordings on a NAS (or PC HDD) and then streaming them back to your TiVo via Streambaby or Plex. The only way to verify that a TiVo-to-PC transfer is 'good' (before you delete the original on your TiVo) is to view it.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> The only way to verify that a TiVo-to-PC transfer is 'good' (before you delete the original on your TiVo) is to view it.


pyTivo Desktop will tell you if it's "good". If it has something appended to the end of the file like (^32_2) then it's got bad spots. If it doesn't then it's clean. The notation for that extra info is (^<# of bad packets>_<retry attempt>). The number of bad packets doesn't really tell you how badly the file is corrupt though. It could be one block of bad packets in the middle of a commercial, or it could be 5 blocks of bad packets spread across the show. I don't really have a way of reporting any more detail then a total. Although I think there is a version of pyTivo out there that is forked from mine that prints out a more detailed report. But you'd have to run that manually, which requires the installation of python and some command line knowledge.


----------



## jackpollack

Is pyTivo Desktop compatible with Windows XP?

When I try it I am getting an pytivodesktop.exe is not a valid Win32 application?

Does it require .net or some other dependencies?


----------



## Mikeguy

jackpollack said:


> Is pyTivo Desktop compatible with Windows XP?
> 
> When I try it I am getting an pytivodesktop.exe is not a valid Win32 application?
> 
> Does it require .net or some other dependencies?


Double-post--see the answer here: pytivo Desktop & Windows XP.



Dan203 said:


> Something is corrupting the download. It's a valid exe even on XP. However the Desktop portion of the app wont run on XP. It requires Win7 or newer. However, since it's just a javascript/html5 app, you can try using a browser instead. Once pyTivo is running in the try open up Chrome (needs to be as recent a version as you can get) and go to *http://localhost:9032/Desktop*


​


----------



## wjbatlanta

Thanks everyone for your input. Dan203 - great job on your utility.

I spent a long time on the phone w/TIVO support and they were really no help. They insisted that nothing has changed.
I asked if they could escalate the problem. The guy on the phone told me that it would be next to impossible for me to speak with tier2 support.

I want to share something I learned (from my grandfather) after college when I bought my first new car and had problems.
Go buy a share of stock and contact the shareholder's services dept.......watch the attention you get when you complain. It's worked for me several other times since.


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> I'll have to look at the code later and figure out where this "name" property is being used and causing the error. I have to head out to brunch with my Mom though, so it wont be until later today.


As it turns out, I found the solution. Something in the configuration had been corrupted, so after I uninstalled it, I also deleted the corresponding directories in AppData/Roaming, so that it would act as if it was installing on a machine that had never had pyTivo Desktop installed on it before. Strangely enough, the VideoReDo option still acts like it's not installed on there...

I'm using it to download a couple of those corrupted files I sent you for VRD. I have it set up for multiple tries, and on the "Blindspot" one I sent you, I'm getting an average of 347 packet errors.


----------



## Dan203

Depends in where they are whether that's bad. It's not that much total video, so if they're clumped together in a few chunks it won’t be too bad. If they're spread out over the file it could be more of a problem. 

Try the decrypt option to and see if the resulting file opens in VRD or even plays in VLC.


----------



## cubdukat

The files do play back, but audio-only, and if there is any video, it's like a single glitched frame. 

I have a possible theory. Comcast has two HD channels for each of the three networks that essentially have the same content, but one is on a higher channel number than the other. All of the corrupted recordings were made on the higher channel numbers. I'm going to try recording the same show on both channels to see if they're both corrupted, or whether the lower numbered channel is good. 

The other thing I noticed was that the corrupted files seemed to experience the TS errors towards the middle of the file, which show up as sync loss errors in the log file, and while those sync errors mostly seem to start in the same places, sometimes they don't and their durations change per retry. Unfortunately, because they're TS files, I can't do a "Resume Download" option to get around the glitch.


----------



## Dan203

Do these recordings play on the TiVo itself?


----------



## cubdukat

Dan203 said:


> Do these recordings play on the TiVo itself?


They do. Somewhere between the Tivo and my computer they're getting corrupted, or maybe they're corrupted but the Tivo can handle them while the outside world can't. I haven't talked to Comcast yet because the minute I mention that I'm pulling this stuff off of the Tivo and it's becoming corrupted, they're automatically going to say it's the Tivo's fault, not anything they screwed up when they transitioned to MPEG-4.


----------



## Dan203

cubdukat said:


> They do. Somewhere between the Tivo and my computer they're getting corrupted, or maybe they're corrupted but the Tivo can handle them while the outside world can't. I haven't talked to Comcast yet because *the minute I mention that I'm pulling this stuff off of the Tivo and it's becoming corrupted, they're automatically going to say it's the Tivo's fault*, not anything they screwed up when they transitioned to MPEG-4.


You're right, they will


----------



## ClearToLand

lpwcomp said:


> Try adding this line to the server section of pyTivo.conf:
> 
> *ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0*





mlippert said:


> *Can you explain what the muxdelay setting does?* I've tried googling, but while I found this pretty useless (to me documentation)
> 
> I haven't found a description which explains why setting a muxdelay of 0 fixes the problem of the tivo reporting the wrong program length.
> Thanks


@mlippert ,

Since there's currently a new thread discussing this problem:

*pyTivo Transfers - Brief Observations*​
...when I came across this post from you, I decided to research it further (on my tablet earlier; I just can't 'type' on a tablet so I had to come to my desktop and re-lookup the link to reply) since I've already been re-reading last year's 'pyTiVo Desktop development stage' posts. Things are so much easier to understand the second time around. 

*StackOverflow: ffmpeg copyts to preserve timestamp*​
So, is it 0.7 (or 1.4) seconds added to EACH packet of 188 bytes and cumulatively that lengthens the file by minutes? 5GB divided by 188 is a LOT of packets! If that were true, then why would an older version of ffmpeg work better than a new verson (per @lpwcomp IIRC) ?  It's also important that pyTiVo add "-muxdelay 0' AFTER the "-i" in the ffmpeg cmdline. [ @wmcbrine mentioned a new version of his pyTiVo in regard to this topic but the tab with the details is 'somewhere' on my tablet.]

I've seen many references to PTS (Presentation Time Stamp) during discussions of TS Sync Errors and the accompanying necessary 'QS Fix' via ffmpeg or VideoReDo recommendation. Considering the results returned to you, me and @reneg when performing TS 'Fast' Format File transfers, I cannot understand why there isn't (and hasn't been) much more discussion on the topic. Where I once believed that VRD fixed 100% of the TS Sync Errors, I've now come to understand that it does its best and some packets have to be discarded. Eliminating them from ever occurring seems to be the best solution for me. 

There's a big fan club for @Dan203 's pyTiVo Desktop and rightly so because of the much simplified installation but there are a LOT of functions in kmttg that pyTivo Desktop (and the original pyTiVo) just doesn't have (the Desktop VRD post processing was added after I grabbed the source I used to hack my debug display info into from the repo). I'm starting to think that the majority of pyTiVo fans are happy with PS 'Slow' Format File transfers and not interested in closed captions, AutoSkip via .EDL files, transcoding to other formats, etc... I never see any warnings posted when someone recommends offloading all of a Hydra unit's shows to a PC via pyTiVo Desktop before downgrading to Encore (which deletes them from the TiVo unit) - "_...just transfer them to your PC, downgrade, and then copy them back..._" - if only it worked that way. 

*video_br=128K* is also a recommended solution for files that grow when transferred back (i.e. the run-time remains the same but the space occupied increases and trick play gets wonky).

For me, Streambaby and Plex solve any potential problems, especially now that I get perfect closed captions via TS transfers. Thanks @Dan203! :thumbsup: "*0x47 every 188*" :clapping:

P.S. Next on my ToDo List is to add a TS Packet Counter to togo.py. 

[And I also started researching YAML (and VirtualBox).  Python 2 is hard enough to understand before I attempt to tackle Python 3.  It's a big leap for an old (retired) 'Structured' programmer to learn 'Object Oriented' stuff.  This JSON stuff is extra confusing.]


----------



## BilliJoe

ffmpeg muxdelay
phoboslab/jsmpeg
"To keep everything in sync (and latency low), audio data should be interleaved between video frames very frequently (-muxdelay in ffmpeg)."

ffmpeg adds 1.4 secs to each packets PTS value
ffmpeg copyts to preserve timestamp


----------



## jcthorne

Ever since Tivo pushed version 20.7.4.RC42 to my Bolt, I have had no end of trouble with pytivo desktop. Its gotten to the point that I have to reboot the tivo and the machine running pytivo multiple times every time I want to transfer some files. Then the next time, tivo again does not see pytivo. Pytivo desktop has no trouble seeing the tivo and downloading the now playing list but I cannot transfer files and the share folder does not appear in the now playing list. Multiple reboots of both ends and I can eventually get them to see each other again, for a short while, never more than a few hours. The pc that pytivo desktop is running on is win7 and runs 24/7 and is stable as can be, it never needs rebooting unless I force it to for this. I used this combo for years now until the latest tivo update...and now its next to useless. i sure hope there exists a solution or I suppose my transition to full time plex user may come sooner than later.

Help? Have others had this trouble recently? Most of what I seen in this thread is for folks down loading shows off the tivo, I still use kmttg / videoredo for that but less and less. Does no one transfer video TO the tivo any more?

In a last ditch effort, I reinstalled the old WMBrine python based pytivo and launched it. The bolt found the share immediately. I will run this old version for a while as it seems to work a bit better. Will post up if its any more stable.


----------



## elprice7345

@jcthorne When my pyTivo shares disappear from my Bolts, I pull the ethernet cable for 5 seconds and plug it back in. That works every time for me.


----------



## Dan203

The auto discovery protocol used for TiVo shares is finicky. Always has been. You could try disabling zeroconf and see if that helps. That forces TiVo to use the old style beacon protocol for discovery.


----------



## jcthorne

elprice7345 said:


> @jcthorne When my pyTivo shares disappear from my Bolts, I pull the ethernet cable for 5 seconds and plug it back in. That work every time for me.


Thanks, worth a shot....


----------



## jcthorne

Dan203 said:


> The auto discovery protocol used for TiVo shares is finicky. Always has been. You could try disabling zeroconf and see if that helps. That forces TiVo to use the old style beacon protocol for discovery.


Have not used that in years but worth a try.


----------



## Mikeguy

jcthorne said:


> Ever since Tivo pushed version 20.7.4.RC42 to my Bolt, I have had no end of trouble with pytivo desktop. Its gotten to the point that I have to reboot the tivo and the machine running pytivo multiple times every time I want to transfer some files. Then the next time, tivo again does not see pytivo. Pytivo desktop has no trouble seeing the tivo and downloading the now playing list but I cannot transfer files and the share folder does not appear in the now playing list. Multiple reboots of both ends and I can eventually get them to see each other again, for a short while, never more than a few hours. The pc that pytivo desktop is running on is win7 and runs 24/7 and is stable as can be, it never needs rebooting unless I force it to for this. I used this combo for years now until the latest tivo update...and now its next to useless. i sure hope there exists a solution or I suppose my transition to full time plex user may come sooner than later.
> 
> Help? Have others had this trouble recently? Most of what I seen in this thread is for folks down loading shows off the tivo, I still use kmttg / videoredo for that but less and less. Does no one transfer video TO the tivo any more?
> 
> In a last ditch effort, I reinstalled the old WMBrine python based pytivo and launched it. The bolt found the share immediately. I will run this old version for a while as it seems to work a bit better. Will post up if its any more stable.


Just a data point: no issue with pyTivo Desktop and the latest Bolt software; on a Win10 laptop.


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## J_Palmer_Cass

ClearToLand said:


> The only way to verify that a TiVo-to-PC transfer is 'good' (before you delete the original on your TiVo) is to view it.


The only practical way to find defects in a TiVo TS file is to use a program called TS Doctor.

After the TiVo file is decrypted and the QSFix is applied, you use TS Doctor to find all TS file defects along with the exact time stamp of the location of each defect. Under 2 minutes of time expended to find all problem locations.

TS Doctor only evaluates TS files.

I always transfer 2 copies of my TiVo files. That way I can usually edit the files to make a file with no glitches at all.

A cable transmission error will show up on all copies, so that error can never be corrected.

It is totally impractical to watch full TiVo files to find defects. Note that TiVo files can have defective areas even when PyTiVo says there are no packet errors.


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## Dan203

J_Palmer_Cass said:


> Note that TiVo files can have defective areas even when PyTiVo says there are no packet errors.


There is a difference between a packet error and a defect. All pyTivo does is check that every 188 bytes there is a TS packet start code (0x47). If there is a defect in one of the streams that will not be detected as it would require much more indepth code.

VideoReDo QSF will detect more corrupt audio/video frames, but even it only checks headers, so if the frame is corrupt at a lower level it'll still make it through.


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## jmyshral

I am a novice on PyTivo or PyTivo desktop. I have my tivos on a 192.168.1.x subnet and my PCs on a 192.168.2.x subnet. When I run PyTivo Desktop, it says no Tivos found - presumably because it doesn't know where to look on the other subnet. Is there a setting I can make to either have it look on the other subnet or hardcode the IPs of my Tivos into a config file?


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## Dan203

The auto discovery protocol TiVo uses. (Bonjour) Doesn't work across subnets. There is a setting in the network section of pyTivo Desktop where you can hard code TiVo IP addresses to look at, but I'm not even sure if that works across subnets.

Why do you have your PCs and TiVos on different subnets in the first place? (just curious)


----------



## FluteMusic88

I've been using PyTivo successfully for years now, primarily to transfer video files to the Tivo from my PC. I just discovered PyTivo Desktop, and I LOVE it. It's brilliant and easy. I found that the tray icon and starting/stopping was much easier to manage than installing as a service was. Seriously, this is massively impressive work and very cool!  Thank you for all the hard work this must have taken to do! I can't even imagine... 

Unfortunately, I've hit a bit of a snag... The files transfer but the time is padded, which means any attempt to skip back or ahead makes everything really screwed up. On the PyTivo forum, there is a thread about it, where it is posted that it was fixed in the May 2018 update of PyTivo, but it seems like the newer changes aren't in the streamlined install version. Any idea how to fix the issue or implement the newest updates somehow? I'd rather not uninstall PyTivo Desktop and go back to the old way, but I keep forgetting, hitting skip/back, and completely losing my place.


----------



## mlippert

FluteMusic88 said:


> Unfortunately, I've hit a bit of a snag... The files transfer but the time is padded, which means any attempt to skip back or ahead makes everything really screwed up. On the PyTivo forum, there is a thread about it, where it is posted that it was fixed in the May 2018 update of PyTivo, but it seems like the newer changes aren't in the streamlined install version. Any idea how to fix the issue or implement the newest updates somehow? I'd rather not uninstall PyTivo Desktop and go back to the old way, but I keep forgetting, hitting skip/back, and completely losing my place.


Try putting this ffmpeg_pram entry in the pytivo.conf file (I don't remember exactly how to do it for pytivo desktop, I think there's an interface, it was mentioned a while ago in this forum)


Code:


# parameter recommended by @lwcomp on tivocommunity that "fixes" the incorrect duration of the uploaded video
ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0


----------



## FluteMusic88

mlippert said:


> Try putting this ffmpeg_pram entry in the pytivo.conf file (I don't remember exactly how to do it for pytivo desktop, I think there's an interface, it was mentioned a while ago in this forum)
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> # parameter recommended by @lwcomp on tivocommunity that "fixes" the incorrect duration of the uploaded video
> ffmpeg_pram = -muxdelay 0


YES!!! It worked. Thank you SO MUCH! I saw the PyTivo community post about the change being -muxdelay 0, (and I initially didn't see the dash LOL) but I didn't know where to put it. I thought it was buried in code somewhere! I was able to apply it though the web browser editing. (localhost:9032) And you can add it to the PyTivo desktop settings under uploads and additional FFMPEG commands. Thank you for taking the time to reply and providing that missing information. You really helped me out.  Many thanks! Not all heroes wear capes.


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## ZobVA

Dan203 said:


> I have just completed a new version which now includes a full feature UI called "pyTivo Desktop" which includes TiVoToGo support. I hope it works well for everyone. Please let me know if you have any trouble with it...
> 
> New website...
> 
> pyTivo Desktop
> 
> Release builds
> Last Updated - Windows: 9/15/17 4:20pm - v1.6.16
> Last Updated - Mac: 8/14/17 1:05pm - v1.6.15
> 
> Thanks so much for this, I'm a long-time user of both Tivo and Tivo Desktop (with Tivo 2 Go) and lately have been frustrated because the Tivo2Go simply stopped working after I "upgraded" to Hydra on my Bolt and then rolled it back to the standard Bolt interface because Hydra was so horrible. Anyway, for months now have been unable to upload videos to Tivo from my PC desktop; the Bolt won't even see the Desktop software after trying everything. I had tried pyTivo once before but it was wayyy too complicated for my tired Senior Citizen brain. When i saw this thread I gave your new pyTivo Desktop a shot and voilà! It worked like a charm and was extremely easy to install and set up! Wow! My Tivo Bolt can see my PC's Tivo Recordings again, and I can upload to the Tivo again! Like magic! Thank you so much!


----------



## jmyshral

Dan203 said:


> The auto discovery protocol TiVo uses. (Bonjour) Doesn't work across subnets. There is a setting in the network section of pyTivo Desktop where you can hard code TiVo IP addresses to look at, but I'm not even sure if that works across subnets.
> 
> Why do you have your PCs and TiVos on different subnets in the first place? (just curious)


I have Fios and am using the Fios Actiontec router with MoCa for all of my tivos (192.168.1.x) and then have a Netgear wifi router hanging off that with my PCs and other devices in the house (192.168.2.x). I can ping the tivos from the PC network and also surf to them through a browser, but cannot get PyTivo to find them or connect to them.

As a workaround I can disconnect my desktop from the Netgear and connect it directly to the Actiontec but that involves cable swapping and I'd rather just try to go through the routers if possible.


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## Dan203

The TiVo and PC have to be on the same subnet, it doesn't matter about the physical cabling. If you want the PC to see the TiVos you can just assign it a static IP in the same subnet as the TiVos. (even just temporarily) Windows 10 allows these kinds of changes without a reboot. Earlier versions I don't believe did. 

Another option is to install a second Ethernet card in the PC and connect it to the router the TiVos are connected to. Then selectively enable/disable the network device you want to use. Even a USB Ethernet adapter would work.


----------



## reneg

jmyshral said:


> I have Fios and am using the Fios Actiontec router with MoCa for all of my tivos (192.168.1.x) and then have a Netgear wifi router hanging off that with my PCs and other devices in the house (192.168.2.x). I can ping the tivos from the PC network and also surf to them through a browser, but cannot get PyTivo to find them or connect to them.
> 
> As a workaround I can disconnect my desktop from the Netgear and connect it directly to the Actiontec but that involves cable swapping and I'd rather just try to go through the routers if possible.


Just wondering if you can configure your Netgear router as a gateway (or switch, or access point) so that all the devices are on the same subnet?


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## mlippert

@jmyshral ,
Zeroconf (aka bonjour) service discovery is how TiVos (and pytivo) discover each other. It relies on link-local addressing (see *Bonjour/ZeroConf/Rendezvous/mDNS across multiple subnets*/) so the broadcasts won't ever be able to cross subnets.

I think it would be possible (with some code changes) to put a TiVo's IP address into the config and pull shows from that TiVo, but I don't think you'd be able to get shows back to that TiVo.

Since you don't really need (or want) isolated networks you should be able to setup the Netgear router to be only a network switch and access point, and not a gateway (to another network).

You'd do this by disabling the DHCP functionality of the Netgear router, and connecting it to the Fios actiontec router using a LAN port not the WAN port of the Netgear router. This will let all devices connecting to the Netgear and requesting an IP address via DHCP get it from the Fios router's dhcp server. At least that's how I think it should work (partly based on *Can I connect an internet router to another one so I can have WI-FI in other rooms?*)


----------



## Dougmeister

Hey everyone. Thanks for making this thread.

I switched to pyTivo a few months back and it works great... most of the time.

The problem is that the "Tivo" folder on my Tivo Roamio Pro disappears. I can't quite nail it down, but it pretty much happens within a day or two of me installing pyTivo.

I can get it to re-appear by stopping pyTivo and re-installing it, but that's not really a good solution.

I am willing to provide any additional information here that I need to. Can anyone help? Thanks.


----------



## mlippert

Dougmeister said:


> Hey everyone. Thanks for making this thread.
> 
> I switched to pyTivo a few months back and it works great... most of the time.
> 
> The problem is that the "Tivo" folder on my Tivo Roamio Pro disappears. I can't quite nail it down, but it pretty much happens within a day or two of me installing pyTivo.
> 
> I can get it to re-appear by stopping pyTivo and re-installing it, but that's not really a good solution.
> 
> I am willing to provide any additional information here that I need to. Can anyone help? Thanks.


Switched to pyTivo from what? I'm trying to understand what you are using pytivo for, copying shows from your TiVo to your computer; copying videos from your computer to the TiVo? Both?

What OS is pytivo installed on?

I'm guessing that the "Tivo" folder you're talking about is a share name defined in pytivo so that you can pull shows from your desktop onto your Roamio Pro, is that correct?

I'd like to confirm that pyTivo Desktop is not installed as a service because I've seen many cases reported here where that was an issue.

I don't have any ideas, but Dan might, I think the answers to the above questions might help.


----------



## Mikeguy

Rather than stopping and re-installing, can you stop (being sure to exit both pyTivo Desktop and pyTivo) and then just re-starting, forcing the connections again?


----------



## Dougmeister

mlippert said:


> Switched to pyTivo from what?


From Tivo Desktop.



> I'm trying to understand what you are using pytivo for, copying shows from your TiVo to your computer; copying videos from your computer to the TiVo? Both?


Both.



> What OS is pytivo installed on?


Windows 7.



> I'm guessing that the "Tivo" folder you're talking about is a share name defined in pytivo so that you can pull shows from your desktop onto your Roamio Pro, is that correct?


Correct.



> I'd like to confirm that pyTivo Desktop is not installed as a service because I've seen many cases reported here where that was an issue.


Again, correct. Not installed as a service.



Mikeguy said:


> Rather than stopping and re-installing, can you stop (being sure to exit both pyTivo Desktop and pyTivo) and then just re-starting, forcing the connections again?


I'll try it the next time it dies and let you know.


----------



## avaddict

ClearToLand said:


> [And I also started researching YAML (and VirtualBox).  Python 2 is hard enough to understand before I attempt to tackle Python 3.  It's a big leap for an old (retired) 'Structured' programmer to learn 'Object Oriented' stuff.  This JSON stuff is extra confusing.]


Give me a shout and I can help you through grokking the abstractions in Python 2/3, as well as accomplishing things with YAML and JSON.


----------



## ppeewang

Hi all, sorry to do this, I can't find the answer. I have two tivo's a Romio with the new interface and an old premiere. Premiere sees pytivo and is able to transfer files over. In roamio I cannot see any of the shares any where, is it supposed to be under "my shows" I can't seem to figure it out. Thanks

EDIT: IT looks like its because in Hydra this feature is no longer there. This is thoroughly disappointing to no end.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah it sucks. It's the main reason I've basically stopped developing pyTivo Desktop. I had plans for more features but with TiVo moving in this direction with Hydra I worry it'll just be a waste of time.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> Yeah it sucks. It's the main reason I've basically stopped developing pyTivo Desktop. I had plans for more features but with TiVo moving in this direction with Hydra I worry it'll just be a waste of time.


Except that, some of us (perhaps those more using pyTivo Desktop?) ain't goin' nowhere. 

But thanks for what you've done.


----------



## HerronScott

ppeewang said:


> EDIT: IT looks like its because in Hydra this feature is no longer there. This is thoroughly disappointing to no end.


Did you upgrade to Hydra on purpose on your Roamio (to get voice or you prefer the new UI)? If not, you can revert to the gen 3 UI but would lose all your recordings (you could transfer them to your other TiVo or a PC and transfer them back if they are not copy protected).

Scott


----------



## ppeewang

HerronScott said:


> Did you upgrade to Hydra on purpose on your Roamio (to get voice or you prefer the new UI)? If not, you can revert to the gen 3 UI but would lose all your recordings (you could transfer them to your other TiVo or a PC and transfer them back if they are not copy protected).
> 
> Scott


I didn't do it for any features, I just rolled with it, thinking newer is better. I would love to revert back, is that an easy process ? I am good with transfering whatever I want to keep.


----------



## JoeKustra

ppeewang said:


> I didn't do it for any features, I just rolled with it, thinking newer is better. I would love to revert back, is that an easy process ? I am good with transfering whatever I want to keep.


How to Rollback Hydra from Roamio and Mini's v1

Sometimes putting the remote into IR mode helps. TiVo + "C"


----------



## ppeewang

so I looked at Plex, but the app requires me to sign in? what the hell ? I want it to be standalone. I want to rip my godamn whiskers out!!


----------



## ppeewang

JoeKustra said:


> How to Rollback Hydra from Roamio and Mini's v1
> 
> Sometimes putting the remote into IR mode helps. TiVo + "C"


Thanks for this !


----------



## mlippert

ppeewang said:


> so I looked at Plex, but the app requires me to sign in? what the hell ? I want it to be standalone. I want to rip my godamn whiskers out!!


Yeah, I think it is still possible to use plex w/o an account, but they made it less obvious (annoying I know). There is useful functionality to having an account, but you shouldn't *need* one!

Anyway, this might help: Do I need a Plex account to stream locally? - Plex Support


----------



## ppeewang

mlippert said:


> Yeah, I think it is still possible to use plex w/o an account, but they made it less obvious (annoying I know). There is useful functionality to having an account, but you shouldn't *need* one!
> 
> Anyway, this might help: Do I need a Plex account to stream locally? - Plex Support


thanks looks like on Tivo there is no way around it. I used a disposable email address and was able to set it up that way.


----------



## mlippert

ppeewang said:


> thanks looks like on Tivo there is no way around it. I used a disposable email address and was able to set it up that way.


Ah, I was thinking you were setting up the plex server. Yeah, that was one of the obstacles I saw to using plex on the TiVo. Also the plex app was ungodly slow on my Roamio, I think it only became usable on the Bolt, but I don't bother, I've got a Roku for streaming (netflix, amazon and plex).

Of course watching a video that is on the TiVo is still better than streaming (when you can get it there w/ pytivo) because the rewind/fast forward are so much more responsive.

Glad you got it working. And good luck rolling back the Hydra interface.


----------



## nrnoble

Dan, I have not read all 86 pages, but did read the last 10 and didn't see an answer to my question.

*To use Tivo-Libre to decrypt, do I need to download\install it from fflewddur/tivolibre *

When I have "Tivo-Libre" checked in the UI, it blocks the downloading from my Tivo Bolt (Hyrda) and Premeire. I am assuming pyTivo is attempting to decrypt and can not (MAK is in pytivo Desktop UI).

I also have a licensed copy of VideoReDo4. Would it just be simpler\better to configure pyTivo Desktop to decrypt the files using VRD4?
I probably will be upgrading to VRD5; i just discovered there was a new version.


----------



## daveh88

I installed this yesterday and get no tivos found. The mak key is correct. Am I missing something in trying to set this up?


----------



## Dan203

nrnoble said:


> Dan, I have not read all 86 pages, but did read the last 10 and didn't see an answer to my question.
> 
> *To use Tivo-Libre to decrypt, do I need to download\install it from fflewddur/tivolibre *
> 
> When I have "Tivo-Libre" checked in the UI, it blocks the downloading from my Tivo Bolt (Hyrda) and Premeire. I am assuming pyTivo is attempting to decrypt and can not (MAK is in pytivo Desktop UI).
> 
> I also have a licensed copy of VideoReDo4. Would it just be simpler\better to configure pyTivo Desktop to decrypt the files using VRD4?
> I probably will be upgrading to VRD5; i just discovered there was a new version.


Tivolibre is included as a bundled executable file. (does not require java to be installed)

The VideoReDo support in pyTivo Desktop only works with v5. You could use that to decrypt instead if you wanted.


----------



## Dan203

daveh88 said:


> I installed this yesterday and get no tivos found. The mak key is correct. Am I missing something in trying to set this up?


Do you have TiVo Desktop or another version of pyTivo installed? If you do you need to remove them as the can conflict. (or at least make sure they are completely shut down)

If not it's likely a network or firewall issue.


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> Tivolibre is included as a bundled executable file. (does not require java to be installed)
> 
> The VideoReDo support in pyTivo Desktop only works with v5. You could use that to decrypt instead if you wanted.


Dan, is it possible to set video redo to only remove the TiVo wrapper and not clean up errors in the TS file? Currently, it does clean up errors, so TS Doctor can't find the bad spots. Thanks


----------



## daveh88

Dan203 said:


> Do you have TiVo Desktop or another version of pyTivo installed? If you do you need to remove them as the can conflict. (or at least make sure they are completely shut down)
> 
> If not it's likely a network or firewall issue.


No this is the first time I have tried this.


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> Dan, is it possible to set video redo to only remove the TiVo wrapper and not clean up errors in the TS file? Currently, it does clean up errors, so TS Doctor can't find the bad spots. Thanks


No. VideoReDo always remuxes the files so it will always skip/repair the errors. If you want decryption without that you have to use tivolibre.


----------



## BilliJoe

I found that by bandwidth limiting downloads from my TiVo Roamio to PC, it results in consistent, clean TS file downloads (no TS Sync Errors) on the first try from my TiVo Roamio (TCD846500).
Link to thread

P.S. That's the only TiVo I have left for testing, so not sure if it applies to Premiers, Roamio OTA, Roamio Plus, Roamio Pro or the Bolt's.


----------



## Dan203

Maybe I should look into adding artificial throttling to the pyTivo code. I wonder if simply adding a short sleep to the code between reads would make a difference?


----------



## PaulS

Dan203 said:


> Maybe I should look into adding artificial throttling to the pyTivo code. I wonder if simply adding a short sleep to the code between reads would make a difference?


That would slow all transfers across the board, including those with slow links (wifi?). Perhaps you could put a throughput/time based limiter on there. Something along the lines of "If more than XXX bytes were transferred within the last second, sleep for a bit".


----------



## JoeKustra

Dan203 said:


> Maybe I should look into adding artificial throttling to the pyTivo code. I wonder if simply adding a short sleep to the code between reads would make a difference?


Please don't or at least make it optional. You're trying to fix a problem that is not your fault. My PC is using WiFi. My basic Roamio is using a wireless bridge. I like having 100Mbps transfers.

This reminds of way back when I had to put code into programs to flush the pre-fetch cache.


----------



## gonzotek

JoeKustra said:


> Please don't or at least make it optional. You're trying to fix a problem that is not your fault. My PC is using WiFi. My basic Roamio is using a wireless bridge. I like having 100Mbps transfers.
> 
> This reminds of way back when I had to put code into programs to flush the pre-fetch cache.


IMO, Dan should take a crack at it if he wants to, but it should absolutely be an optional feature. It might not be his fault, but you do what you gotta do to workaround things when it's a closed system, as TiVo transfers are.

Some people will want the fastest transfers possible, and will be perfectly ok with occasional glitches(or perhaps don't suffer much from glitching even with fast transfers). Some will want 'perfect', glitch-free transfers(and perhaps can't even achieve watchable transfers without the intentional slowing). And some might want to switch between both modes, depending on the specific content (e.g. just some repeat episodes of some tv series I want to bring on vacation vs. a live special that is unlikely ever to be aired again).


----------



## reneg

I prefer using an external tool to limit bandwidth. It's a Tivo problem. Tivos behave differently over generations and models of Tivos.


----------



## Dan203

If I were to do it it would absolutely be an option, off by default, so don't worry.

One thing I thought about is having an automatic option tied to the retry option. Have it slow the transfer more and more until it gets a clean copy.


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> Maybe I should look into adding artificial throttling to the pyTivo code. I wonder if simply adding a short sleep to the code between reads would make a difference?


That would be awesome if we could get TS transfers with no errors


----------



## daveh88

Dan203 said:


> Do you have TiVo Desktop or another version of pyTivo installed? If you do you need to remove them as the can conflict. (or at least make sure they are completely shut down)
> 
> If not it's likely a network or firewall issue.


Any ideas what I should try? My setup is a Roamio OTA and two minis all wired directly to my Netgear R6250 router. No idea why I get no tivos found. Thanks.


----------



## Dan203

daveh88 said:


> Any ideas what I should try? My setup is a Roamio OTA and two minis all wired directly to my Netgear R6250 router. No idea why I get no tivos found. Thanks.


First thing I would try is go to settings, turn off Zeroconf, then close desktop, exit pytivo and reboot the PC. If that doesn't work try temporarily disabling the firewall. Then exit pyTivo completely and restart it. If that still doesn't work then I'm stumped. You don't have any weird network settings do you? Like the PC is on a different subnet then the TiVos?


----------



## BilliJoe

Dan203 said:


> If I were to do it it would absolutely be an option, off by default, so don't worry.
> 
> One thing I thought about is having an automatic option tied to the retry option. Have it slow the transfer more and more until it gets a clean copy.


Not sure if pyTivo Desktop uses curl or wget, but there are command line options for both to limit speed.

curl curl - How To Use
--limit-rate <speed>
Specify the maximum transfer rate you want curl to use - for both downloads and uploads. This feature is useful if you have a limited pipe and you'd like your transfer not to use your entire bandwidth. To make it slower than it otherwise would be. The given speed is measured in bytes/second, unless a suffix is appended. Appending 'k' or 'K' will count the number as kilobytes, 'm' or 'M' makes it megabytes, while 'g' or 'G' makes it gigabytes. Examples: 200K, 3m and 1G. If this option is used several times, the last one will be used.

wget - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation
--limit-rate=amount
Limit the download speed to amount bytes per second. Amount maybe expressed in bytes, kilobytes with the k suffix, or megabytes with the m suffix. For example, --limit-rate=20k will limit the retrieval rate to 20KB/s. This is useful when, for whatever reason, you don't want Wget to consume the entire available bandwidth. This option allows the use of decimal numbers, usually in conjunction with power suffixes; for example, --limit-rate=2.5k is a legal value. Note that Wget implements the limiting by sleeping the appropriate amount of time after a network read that took less time than specified by the rate. Eventually this strategy causes the TCP transfer to slow down to approximately the specified rate. However, it may take some time for this balance to be achieved, so don't be surprised if limiting the rate doesn't work well with very small files.


----------



## daveh88

Dan203 said:


> First thing I would try is go to settings, turn off Zeroconf, then close desktop, exit pytivo and reboot the PC. If that doesn't work try temporarily disabling the firewall. Then exit pyTivo completely and restart it. If that still doesn't work then I'm stumped. You don't have any weird network settings do you? Like the PC is on a different subnet then the TiVos?


I think it was the firewall. Seems to be working now. Thanks for the help.


----------



## Dougmeister

Mikeguy said:


> Rather than stopping and re-installing, can you stop (being sure to exit both pyTivo Desktop and pyTivo) and then just re-starting, forcing the connections again?





Dougmeister said:


> I'll try it the next time it dies and let you know.


I exited pyTivo Desktop and pyTivo, then restarted and the icon does not re-appear.


----------



## Dan203

Dougmeister said:


> I exited pyTivo Desktop and pyTivo, then restarted and the icon does not re-appear.


You have to exit the tray app.

I know the cause of this, but fixing it is a bit difficult. Basically the program I use to "compile" the python code into an exe extracts the python code, and all it's assets (like the icons), into the temp folder. After a while if you haven't stopped/started the server Windows thinks the icon files aren't being used and auto-deletes them.

There are two potential fixes...

1) Do something in the code to access the icons periodically so Windows doesn't delete them.

2) Update the packager app as the new version has a feature to use a folder other then temp for the file so Windows wont see them as deleteable. (this is harder then it sounds because my whole build process is automated)


----------



## Dougmeister

Dougmeister said:


> I exited pyTivo Desktop and pyTivo, then restarted and the icon does not re-appear.


I hope I didn't confuse things. When I said "the icon does not re-appear", I should have said "the Tivo folder icon does not re-appear under "My Shows" on my Tivo Roamio."


----------



## Dougmeister

Dan203 said:


> You have to exit the tray app.
> 
> I know the cause of this, but fixing it is a bit difficult. Basically the program I use to "compile" the python code into an exe extracts the python code, and all it's assets (like the icons), into the temp folder. After a while if you haven't stopped/started the server Windows thinks the icon files aren't being used and auto-deletes them.
> 
> There are two potential fixes...
> 
> 1) Do something in the code to access the icons periodically so Windows doesn't delete them.
> 
> 2) Update the packager app as the new version has a feature to use a folder other then temp for the file so Windows wont see them as deleteable. (this is harder then it sounds because my whole build process is automated)


So you understood my issue and there is no fix for the "Tivo" icon/folder disappearing from the Tivo itself every now and then?


----------



## Dan203

The share disapearing from the TiVo is common. The way TiVo detects shares is not that reliable. Restarting pytivo will sometimes work, but others you may have to reboot the TiVo itself.


----------



## Dougmeister

Dan203 said:


> The share disapearing from the TiVo is common. The way TiVo detects shares is not that reliable. Restarting pytivo will sometimes work, but others you may have to reboot the TiVo itself.


Ok. Sorry to beat a dead horse ;-)

Thanks for clarifying your answer!


----------



## BilliJoe

BilliJoe said:


> I found that by bandwidth limiting downloads from my TiVo Roamio to PC, it results in consistent, clean TS file downloads (no TS Sync Errors) on the first try from my TiVo Roamio (TCD846500).
> Link to thread
> 
> P.S. That's the only TiVo I have left for testing, so not sure if it applies to Premiers, Roamio OTA, Roamio Plus, Roamio Pro or the Bolt's.


Same results with a Bolt VOX here


----------



## Dougmeister

How do I rename the folder/icon under "My Shows" that displays files from my computer?


----------



## HerronScott

Dougmeister said:


> How do I rename the folder/icon under "My Shows" that displays files from my computer?


I believe this name was a configuration option in pyTivo in the pytivo.conf file. I haven't installed pyTiVo Desktop yet so not sure of the best way to configure it this with Dan's version.

[Now Playing on HERRONWHS]
type=video
path=D:\shares\Videos

FYI, regarding your disappearing issue. I haven't had that issue here with TiVo Desktop and Windows 10 using Bonjour except when the PC is configured for sleep mode (I disabled that for my laptop when plugged into AC power).

Scott


----------



## Dougmeister

HerronScott said:


> I believe this name was a configuration option in pyTivo in the pytivo.conf file. I haven't installed pyTiVo Desktop yet so not sure of the best way to configure it with this with Dan's version.
> 
> [Now Playing on HERRONWHS]
> type=video
> path=D:\shares\Videos
> 
> FYI, regarding your disappearing issue. I haven't had that issue here with TiVo Desktop and Windows 10 using Bonjour except when the PC is configured for sleep mode (I disabled that for my laptop when plugged into AC power).
> 
> Scott


Thanks, Scott. FWIW, I'm running Windows 7 on a desktop and do not have sleep mode enabled. Everyone uses Bonjour, right?


----------



## HerronScott

Dougmeister said:


> Thanks, Scott. FWIW, I'm running Windows 7 on a desktop and do not have sleep mode enabled. Everyone uses Bonjour, right?


The older method is TiVo Beacon. I know kmttg gives you an option to use that versus Bonjour but I'm not sure about pyTivo or Dan's pyTivo Desktop.

pyTivo has this information on Beacon configuration.

Configure pyTivo - pyTivo - Wiki

I haven't had any issue with the original pyTivo on our WHS server (Windows Server 2003 so older OS) and our network so never had to mess with this.

Scott


----------



## Dan203

HerronScott said:


> I believe this name was a configuration option in pyTivo in the pytivo.conf file. I haven't installed pyTiVo Desktop yet so not sure of the best way to configure it this with Dan's version.
> 
> [Now Playing on HERRONWHS]
> type=video
> path=D:\shares\Videos
> 
> FYI, regarding your disappearing issue. I haven't had that issue here with TiVo Desktop and Windows 10 using Bonjour except when the PC is configured for sleep mode (I disabled that for my laptop when plugged into AC power).
> 
> Scott


In Desktop you setup shares. The name displayed on the TiVo is the name of the share.


----------



## ThAbtO

Dan203 said:


> In Desktop


There is confusion here between Tivo Desktop and PyTivo Desktop.

Perhaps we should nickname it PyDesktop.


----------



## Dan203

TiVo Desktop is basically trash. I wouldn't use it for anything other then the filter needed to decrypt .tivo files.


----------



## Ipecactus

OK I feel really dumb. I've recently "upgraded" to a Bolt from a Premiere and because of transferring shows and having issues with the new interface when I started digging around for answers I found pyTivo Desktop. I was able to download a file from my Bolt but for the life of me I can't figure out how to upload a file to the Bolt. Can someone point me to instructions for uploading from my PC to the Bolt?

I've been a Tivo user since 1999 and haven't played around with transferring videos since the series 2 days. Things have come a long way since then.

I'm using win 10 Pro and the latest version of pyTivo Desktop. Everything is on the same subnet, Tivos can see each other.


----------



## Wil

One of the wonderful new features Rivo is offering is that you can't do that anymore.

At least for now it is possible to say "no thanks" and revert to a previous system with the simultaneous advantage of destroying all your old programs! You can find that by searching Hydra sucks, or probably better on Hydra downgrade.


----------



## Ipecactus

Seriously? The reason I went down this path to begin with was the removal of a specific feature(of many), namely playing all the videos in a folder. This new interface is so horrible I'm seriously considering ditching Tivo altogether. It's bizarre. They've been getting better and better over the years and now they suddenly want to look like Netflix, Roku or some crappy cable DVR. It's a giant leap backwards.

How on earth did this crap get approved?


----------



## Dan203

Ipecactus said:


> Seriously? The reason I went down this path to begin with was the removal of a specific feature(of many), namely playing all the videos in a folder. This new interface is so horrible I'm seriously considering ditching Tivo altogether. It's bizarre. They've been getting better and better over the years and now they suddenly want to look like Netflix, Roku or *some crappy cable DVR*. It's a giant leap backwards.
> 
> How on earth did this crap get approved?


This is the key. The retail market is dying, due to technical limitations and lack of government intervention. So their only hope of surviving is getting in with MSOs and becoming a cable DVR. I think Hydra is 100% a response to that plan. In fact the first video we ever saw of Hydra was a demo that appeared to be intended for MSO partners, not retail consumers.


----------



## Wil

Ipecactus said:


> It's a giant leap backwards. How on earth did this crap get approved?


It's to our advantage as users and we should be grateful. By degrading the user experience towards the awful norm, Rivo has made using one of those other devices less painful. With those other devices getting better and better (by a little) and Rivo getting worse (by a lot) we're moving towards a wonderful user universe of choices all about the same: much simpler world.


----------



## HerronScott

Ipecactus said:


> Seriously? The reason I went down this path to begin with was the removal of a specific feature(of many), namely playing all the videos in a folder. This new interface is so horrible I'm seriously considering ditching Tivo altogether. It's bizarre. They've been getting better and better over the years and now they suddenly want to look like Netflix, Roku or some crappy cable DVR. It's a giant leap backwards.


If you downgrade to the gen3 UI, you can upload shows back from your PC to the TiVo (browse on the TiVo to the PC sharing the shows with pyTivo or pyTivo Desktop). If you want to stay with Hydra, then you can use Plex to stream shows to your TiVo.

Scott


----------



## Ipecactus

OK, I have a few questions. After downgrading the UI do the new RF remotes still work? How about the "back" button?


Regardless of whether I downgrade or not:

If I cancel the subscription on my premiere, will I still be able to use it to watch videos stored on the Bolt?

If I cancel the sub on my premiere will I still be able to upload video to it from pyTivo Desktop?

I discovered last night that I could transfer to the premiere and then transfer to the bolt, which is an OK work around for now. 

Thanks.


----------



## aaronwt

Ipecactus said:


> Seriously? The reason I went down this path to begin with was the removal of a specific feature(of many), namely playing all the videos in a folder. This new interface is so horrible I'm seriously considering ditching Tivo altogether. It's bizarre. They've been getting better and better over the years and now they suddenly want to look like Netflix, Roku or some crappy cable DVR. It's a giant leap backwards.
> 
> How on earth did this crap get approved?


Everyone doesn't think that way. I've been using Hydra since launch last year. I'll take it any day or the HDUI. In most ways it's easily better.

For the transfer back to TiVo issue, I just started using plex instead. Which opened up playback of my TiVo recordings to a wide range of devices. And with kmttg my transfers are automatic and they automatically get named in a format that plex can use. And now I'm getting ready to setup a second plex machine, strictly for my UHD BD rips.


----------



## ThAbtO

Ipecactus said:


> OK, I have a few questions. After downgrading the UI do the new RF remotes still work? How about the "back" button?


Yes.



Ipecactus said:


> If I cancel the subscription on my premiere, will I still be able to use it to watch videos stored on the Bolt?
> 
> If I cancel the sub on my premiere will I still be able to upload video to it from pyTivo Desktop?


No, its part of the Tivo subscription.


----------



## bellbm

I installed pytivo desktop. Works great, except when I transfer Mp4 files, like something downloaded from youtube, I get choppy audio (video is fine). I had this same problem with the old pytivo, and was hoping the new version would fix it. Any ideas on what I can do to fix it?


----------



## Dan203

Can you open one of the MP4 files that has issue in MediaInfo and post details here?


----------



## bellbm

Dan203 said:


> Can you open one of the MP4 files that has issue in MediaInfo and post details here?


Sure - does this give you what you need?

eneral
Complete name : L:\Final Videos L Drive\Random Videos\Before the Parade Passes By - HELLO DOLLY Broadway 2017 (Donna Murphy OBC).mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (isom/mp42)
File size : 42.2 MiB
Duration : 6 min 55 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 853 kb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
Tagged date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
gsst : 0
gstd : 415242

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : [email protected]
Format settings : CABAC / 3 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, RefFrames : 3 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 6 min 55 s
Bit rate : 724 kb/s
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.026
Stream size : 35.8 MiB (85%)
Title : ISO Media file produced by Google Inc. Created on: 08/15/2018.
Encoded date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
Tagged date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709
Codec configuration box : avcC

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : mp4a-40-2
Duration : 6 min 55 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 126 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 44.1 kHz
Frame rate : 43.066 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 6.22 MiB (15%)
Title : ISO Media file produced by Google Inc. Created on: 08/15/2018.
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
Tagged date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58


----------



## bellbm

I should add, mpeg2 videos transfer and play fine.


----------



## mlippert

bellbm said:


> I should add, mpeg2 videos transfer and play fine.


I wonder if the issue is the media player or the codecs installed on your machine. On Windows I've been installing the K-Lite Codec Pack (Standard) now at version 14.4.0, and using MPC (Media Player Classic) to play videos for years.


----------



## Dan203

bellbm said:


> Sure - does this give you what you need?
> 
> eneral
> Complete name : L:\Final Videos L Drive\Random Videos\Before the Parade Passes By - HELLO DOLLY Broadway 2017 (Donna Murphy OBC).mp4
> Format : MPEG-4
> Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
> Codec ID : mp42 (isom/mp42)
> File size : 42.2 MiB
> Duration : 6 min 55 s
> Overall bit rate mode : Variable
> Overall bit rate : 853 kb/s
> Encoded date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
> Tagged date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
> gsst : 0
> gstd : 415242
> 
> Video
> ID : 1
> Format : AVC
> Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
> Format profile : [email protected]
> Format settings : CABAC / 3 Ref Frames
> Format settings, CABAC : Yes
> Format settings, RefFrames : 3 frames
> Codec ID : avc1
> Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
> Duration : 6 min 55 s
> Bit rate : 724 kb/s
> Width : 1 280 pixels
> Height : 720 pixels
> Display aspect ratio : 16:9
> Frame rate mode : Constant
> Frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
> Color space : YUV
> Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
> Bit depth : 8 bits
> Scan type : Progressive
> Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.026
> Stream size : 35.8 MiB (85%)
> Title : ISO Media file produced by Google Inc. Created on: 08/15/2018.
> Encoded date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
> Tagged date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
> Color range : Limited
> Color primaries : BT.709
> Transfer characteristics : BT.709
> Matrix coefficients : BT.709
> Codec configuration box : avcC
> 
> Audio
> ID : 2
> Format : AAC LC
> Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
> Codec ID : mp4a-40-2
> Duration : 6 min 55 s
> Bit rate mode : Variable
> Bit rate : 126 kb/s
> Channel(s) : 2 channels
> Channel layout : L R
> Sampling rate : 44.1 kHz
> Frame rate : 43.066 FPS (1024 SPF)
> Compression mode : Lossy
> Stream size : 6.22 MiB (15%)
> Title : ISO Media file produced by Google Inc. Created on: 08/15/2018.
> Language : English
> Encoded date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58
> Tagged date : UTC 2018-08-15 23:34:58


My guess is the 44.1 kHz audio. I bet TiVo doesn't support 44.1 audio and pyTivo isn't setup to catch that and recode the audio. Do you have anything you can use to recode the audio before you transfer it?


----------



## mlippert

mlippert said:


> I wonder if the issue is the media player or the codecs installed on your machine. On Windows I've been installing the K-Lite Codec Pack (Standard) now at version 14.4.0, and using MPC (Media Player Classic) to play videos for years.


I misread and thought the issue was on files transferred from the TiVo not to the TiVo. Sorry for the unhelpful post.


----------



## bellbm

Dan203 said:


> My guess is the 44.1 kHz audio. I bet TiVo doesn't support 44.1 audio and pyTivo isn't setup to catch that and recode the audio. Do you have anything you can use to recode the audio before you transfer it?


No, I don't think so.

Looking around on some other forums, is there anything with ffmpeg that might be causing this?


----------



## Dan203

bellbm said:


> No, I don't think so.
> 
> Looking around on some other forums, is there anything with ffmpeg that might be causing this?


One simple test you could try... go to the settings in Desktop and set the "Send files as transport streams" to Off. That'll force the video to be recoded and will likely also convert the audio.


----------



## bellbm

Dan203 said:


> One simple test you could try... go to the settings in Desktop and set the "Send files as transport streams" to Off. That'll force the video to be recoded and will likely also convert the audio.


 No, that doesn't work either.

I had the old version of pytivo installed. And it didn't bring these files over correctly either.


----------



## Dan203

bellbm said:


> No, that doesn't work either.
> 
> I had the old version of pytivo installed. And it didn't bring these files over correctly either.


Not sure what to tell you. Ffmpeg must have an issue with the audio, because without TS enabled pyTivo always recodes. (although I'm not sure if it changes the sample rate of the audio)

You really need to try recoding the audio in something and see if the file works. Try VLC or Handbrake, they're both free.


----------



## bellbm

Dan203 said:


> Not sure what to tell you. Ffmpeg must have an issue with the audio, because without TS enabled pyTivo always recodes. (although I'm not sure if it changes the sample rate of the audio)
> 
> You really need to try recoding the audio in something and see if the file works. Try VLC or Handbrake, they're both free.


Ok- I'll try that. What would I recode it to?
Is there a way to check if there's a problem with ffmleg?


----------



## Dan203

Make sure the audio is 48 kHz. I think that's the problem.


----------



## bellbm

Dan203 said:


> Make sure the audio is 48 kHz. I think that's the problem.


I ran it through handbrake - set the audio at 48Khz - and transfers now sound correct!

I started checking some of my other MP4 files, such as things I made with imovie. They are at 44Khz, and don't transfer either.
They transferred fine when I could get tivo desktop to work.

While I could certainly recode everything through handbrake to 48khz, is there a reason why something at 44khz won't transfer.

When I start pytivo, I do get a "bad ffmpeg" error. Is there a way to check if that could be a problem on my computer?


----------



## Dan203

Why do you have iMovie set to 44.1 kHz?

Like I said above I never really dove that deep into the pyTivo code itself. So my guess is that pyTivo isn't recognizing the 44.1 kHz audio as a problem and just passing it through as-is, but the TiVo itself can't handle it. There is a setting in Desktop that allows you to append additional flags to the ffmpeg CLI. I'm not all that familiar with ffmpeg CLI flags but I'm betting there is one to force the audio to 48 kHz. Try googling it and see if adding that works.

Not sure what the ffmpeg error is. Did you replace the version I include with pyTivo Desktop?


----------



## bellbm

Dan203 said:


> Why do you have iMovie set to 44.1 kHz?
> 
> Like I said above I never really dove that deep into the pyTivo code itself. So my guess is that pyTivo isn't recognizing the 44.1 kHz audio as a problem and just passing it through as-is, but the TiVo itself can't handle it. There is a setting in Desktop that allows you to append additional flags to the ffmpeg CLI. I'm not all that familiar with ffmpeg CLI flags but I'm betting there is one to force the audio to 48 kHz. Try googling it and see if adding that works.
> 
> Not sure what the ffmpeg error is. Did you replace the version I include with pyTivo Desktop?


No idea on imovie - I haven't used it in a long time. But even videos I've transferred from from my iphone are at 44khz.
When I installed pyTivo desktop I didn't uninstall the other "regular" pyTivo - maybe that has something to do with it?
I'll see what I can find. I appreciate all of the help!


----------



## BurnBaby

I hope this is the correct thread for this problem. My PyTivo Desktop suddenly stopped loading shows from my Tivo. It seems they can't connect anymore.  The main panel says "Loading show list." The media access key is still correct.

I turned off my firewall for a few minutes and restarted the program, to see if the firewall was the problem. But it didn't help. I uninstalled and reinstalled the program. No difference.

Could Comcast somehow have blocked the connection?

I really need to download shows tonight and am hoping someone here, can help.

*Edit:* I solved this problem by rebooting the router/tivo/my computer, several times. I'm new to using pyTivo. Comcast did seem to stop the download after I got it fixed, again. But exiting and restarting pyTivo Desktop fixed that second problem. Maybe this will help another new user.

Thanks for making this program. It saved me when my Tivo Desktop stopped working.


----------



## Dan203

This happens sometimes. Sometimes the TiVo itself needs to be rebooted to get it to start broadcasting it's info to the network.


----------



## dougdingle

Should the original version of pytivo be uninstalled before installing this?


----------



## Dan203

dougdingle said:


> Should the original version of pytivo be uninstalled before installing this?


Yes, they can conflict. Especially if you were running old version as a service


----------



## dougdingle

Thanks. Original was not installed as a service.

Does your version include python/ffmpg/etc., or do those components have to be downloaded and installed separately?

Think I might give it a shot today.


----------



## HerronScott

dougdingle said:


> Does your version include python/ffmpg/etc., or do those components have to be downloaded and installed separately?


it's all self-contained which is part of what makes it so easy.

Scott


----------



## mm2margaret

Does the new "graphical" pytivo (this is the one I use now) work with a Bolt running Hydra? I've read that many are having trouble transferring files between older Tivos and the Bolt running Hydra....

I also do a lot of transfers from my computer to my Tivos, and use pytivo all the time for that. But if a Bolt running Hydra doesn't work with pytivo that would be another good reason not to upgrade from Encore to Hydra.....


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

mm2margaret said:


> Does the new "graphical" pytivo (this is the one I use now) work with a Bolt running Hydra? I've read that many are having trouble transferring files between older Tivos and the Bolt running Hydra....
> 
> I also do a lot of transfers from my computer to my Tivos, and use pytivo all the time for that. But if a Bolt running Hydra doesn't work with pytivo that would be another good reason not to upgrade from Encore to Hydra.....


I don't think you can do PC to TiVo transfers on Hydra at all, regardless of what TiVo device it is.


----------



## dougdingle

PSU_Sudzi said:


> I don't think you can do PC to TiVo transfers on Hydra at all, regardless of what TiVo device it is.


I believe that's correct. Even before Hydra was official, TiVo was very clear that transfers were quickly on the way to being a discontinued feature. Shortly after that TiVo Desktop (the paid version) stopped being able to do "reach-around" pushes from computer to TiVo (the function was not actually a 'push' - it used TiVo's servers to initiate a 'pull files' command on the TiVo from the computer ). The servers stopped authenticating Desktop accounts, and the function was dead.


----------



## EdwPowers

I'm having trouble using VideoReDo Ad-Detective through pyTiVo. I upgraded VRD as pyTiVo instructed and I think it is configured
correctly. However, I don't see any affect having pyTiVo set to do the Ad-Detective.

Any suggestions on what to look for?


----------



## Dan203

When you set pyTivo to run ad-detective it will generate a project file. You have to open that project file in VideoReDo, verify the cuts, and save manually. There is no way to have it automatically cut the file. The ad-detective just isn't accurate enough to completely automate like that. (although I think kmttg offers that option if you really want to risk it)


----------



## EdwPowers

I assumed it would be project files. I previously used TiVo PlayList years ago before I upgraded to Roamio. I could just never find the project files from pyTiVo.

Anyway, not related to this, My computer has rebooted since the lat time I tried it and all seems to be working now.

Thanks


----------



## ThAbtO

I manually check the cuts via VRD and sometimes save the .VPrj file to allow KMTTG to auto-cut them out, if I have a bunch to do.


----------



## Dan203

EdwPowers said:


> I assumed it would be project files. I previously used TiVo PlayList years ago before I upgraded to Roamio. I could just never find the project files from pyTiVo.
> 
> Anyway, not related to this, My computer has rebooted since the lat time I tried it and all seems to be working now.
> 
> Thanks


Glad you got it working


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> I manually check the cuts via VRD and sometimes save the .VPrj file to allow KMTTG to auto-cut them out, if I have a bunch to do.


You can save to VRD batch manager if you want to do a bunch at once


----------



## EdwPowers

ThAbtO said:


> I manually check the cuts via VRD and sometimes save the .VPrj file to allow KMTTG to auto-cut them out, if I have a bunch to do.


I would always check the cuts. I have done many manually with VRD and am just grateful to have the project files again. While KMTTG sounds like a great program, I will stick with what I have figured out until I find something that I can't do with my current setup. For now, I don't plan on having too many to do.


----------



## EdwPowers

Dan203 said:


> You can save to VRD batch manager if you want to do a bunch at once


I think I used the VRD batch manager many years ago. Anyway, I did glance at batch manager the other day and couldn't figure it out. Granted, I didn't try long though.

With the few shows I need this with, I am happy with pyTiVo doing the ad scan for me and then using VRD to complete it.


----------



## Dan203

If you're opening the project file anyway just click Save when you're done and check the "queue to batch" option in the Save dialog. When you're ready just launch the batch manager and click the run buttn in the lower right.


----------



## ThAbtO

When I save project .VPrj, I just press Ctrl-P.


----------



## EdwPowers

Dan203 said:


> If you're opening the project file anyway just click Save when you're done and check the "queue to batch" option in the Save dialog. When you're ready just launch the batch manager and click the run buttn in the lower right.


Thanks. I got that figured out now. Easier than waiting for each one to copy.


----------



## philt56

I updated in pytivo desktop settings a new location for my recordings, but when I go to My Tivo Recordings on my Roamio, it shows the contents of the previous folder. Does the tivo have to restart in order to see the new location? I have 2 pcs with desktop installed, so there is My Tivo Recordings and ...[2]. The [2] folder is the one that won't reflect the changed location on the pc.

Tried reinstalling pytivo desktop and restarted the Roamio.

Thanks for the hint.

If this helps and might be related, I'm not seeing the Now Playing link for this pc on the Roamio either and the tivo desktop server shows as running on the pc. Everything was working until recently and then the now playing link was not showing up and I noticed that I didn't update the pytivo desktop settings when I added a larger drive.


----------



## Dan203

philt56 said:


> I updated in pytivo desktop settings a new location for my recordings, but when I go to My Tivo Recordings on my Roamio, it shows the contents of the previous folder. Does the tivo have to restart in order to see the new location? I have 2 pcs with desktop installed, so there is My Tivo Recordings and ...[2]. The [2] folder is the one that won't reflect the changed location on the pc.
> 
> Tried reinstalling pytivo desktop and restarted the Roamio.
> 
> Thanks for the hint.
> 
> If this helps and might be related, I'm not seeing the Now Playing link for this pc on the Roamio either and the tivo desktop server shows as running on the pc. Everything was working until recently and then the now playing link was not showing up and I noticed that I didn't update the pytivo desktop settings when I added a larger drive.


Changing the settings doesn't automatically update the share. You have to go to the shares tab and chnage the location there to point at the new folder.


----------



## philt56

Thanks, on the tivo when selecting My Tivo Recordings, I now get Now Playing List could not be displayed because it is unavailable.?


----------



## Dan203

philt56 said:


> Thanks, on the tivo when selecting My Tivo Recordings, I now get Now Playing List could not be displayed because it is unavailable.?


Might need to reboot pyTivo


----------



## philt56

No luck, rebooted the pc and the tivo. Also uninstalled and reinstalled pytivo desktop. I get the unavailable error immediately.

Sorry for continued questions.


----------



## Dan203

philt56 said:


> No luck, rebooted the pc and the tivo. Also uninstalled and reinstalled pytivo desktop. I get the unavailable error immediately.
> 
> Sorry for continued questions.


Are you sure it's pointing to a valid folder with at least one transferable file in it?


----------



## philt56

Yes, points to same folder that tivo desktop uses which shows everything under Now Playing on the PC


----------



## philt56

I removed the share and rebooted the pc, the My tivo Recordings is still present on the tivo. The Now Playing for the same pc goes away as soon as the pc shuts down. 

Rebooted the tivo, now the my tivo Recordings is gone. 

Added the share back and it still says not accessible. 

I do have another pc with pytivo desktop on it, so when the second pc had pytivo installed, the tivo would show My Tivo Recordings(2) for this second pc. When I deleted the share and added it back, it didn’t do the automatic listing of the second share with (2) appended. So I renamed the share on the second machine but still not accessible.


----------



## Dan203

Are you sure you don’t have another pytivo or TiVo Desktop running?


----------



## philt56

Well yes... I have tivo desktop and pytivo desktop both running on 2 different pcs. Both were running fine with both machines. I could see the files on both pcs from the Roamio selecting either Now Playing or My Tivo Recording.

It was just today that I noticed that I never updated pytivo to point to the new hard drive. My old drive was almost full so I bought a 6tb WD My Book and copied all the files from the old drive to it. So when I didn’t see newer files I had downloaded onto the new drive since I installed it, I started looking at the pytivo settings. Tivo desktop is fine. The old drive that I copied to the MyBook is still installed so I was still seeing the older files on it. 

So yes, I have 2 redundant programs running but I never saw an issue with them. In fact the other pc is still running fine and I can see the My Tivo Recordings folder on it fine using either interface on the Roamio..

So are you saying tivo desktop and pytivo desktop should not coexist on a pc? Is it possible that the only difference is that on the troubled pc is that the tivo recordings drive is now on an external usb drive? Maybe the share can’t be accessed because tivo desktop makes it looks busy?


Ok, I just went to the shares tab in pytivo desktop, changed the video share back to the old internal drive, pytivo restarted and I can see that drive on the tivo! So there is something funny with having the WD My Book as the video share drive. In Fact it’s not as simple as just being an external drive. The old drive is actually a desktop 3.5” drive but it’s mounted on an external 
Usb docking station. (The Pc is one of those mini intel NUC boxes). I don’t have security encryption enabled on the MyBookand now Playing can see it. 

Also just realized the old drive is 2tbvs the MyBook is 6tb. Any size restrictions on the shares implementation?

Don’t know how shares are implemented vs how tivo desktop accesses a pc drive. 

Well at least we know what’s happening. Sorry took all this time. If this is something you want to explore further, I’d be happy to help out. If not, not an issue. It may be worth checking just to see if any other pytivo user is keeping their files on a MyBook or just try if they have a MyBook on hand to see if they have the same problem as me.

This is the kind of stuff that makes me glad I retired from software development


----------



## Dan203

They will conflict, even on different ports. You have to completely disable TiVo Desktop.


----------



## wmcbrine

Dan203 said:


> They will conflict, even on different ports. You have to completely disable TiVo Desktop.


How do they conflict? Classic pyTivo can run alongside TD... they both announce/listen on port 5353, but that's not a problem. They only conflict if you tell pyTivo to grab port 2190 via "beacon: listen".

(There's also no _point_ to running both, really, but that's another issue.)


----------



## Dan203

wmcbrine said:


> How do they conflict? Classic pyTivo can run alongside TD... they both announce/listen on port 5353, but that's not a problem. They only conflict if you tell pyTivo to grab port 2190 via "beacon: listen".
> 
> (There's also no _point_ to running both, really, but that's another issue.)


I've seen several of reports of them conflicting and reports that issues go away when people uninstall TiVo Desktop. I haven't done anything to that portion of the pyTivo code so I'm not sure why "classic" would work and mine wouldn't. My it was just coincidence, I'm not sure. I've always just told people to uninstall or disable TiVo Desktop when these kind of issues crop up and most of the time it works.

If you have an alternative theory as to what's causing his issue feel free to suggest a fix. At it's core pyTivo Desktop is just pyTivo "classic" with a few extra plugins packaged into a fancy exe using pyinstaller. All the changes I've made to the pyTivo source are on my github fork. If you think one of them is causing this issue let me know and I'll fix it.


----------



## Sparky1234

Pytivo interesting development:

When I download from PC some videos to Bolt+ if can't be viewed on a Roamio Pro; audio is ok but video is black. Same issue if transferred from Bolt+ to Roamio Pro. If downloaded from PC to Roamio Pro is plays just fine and timecode is accurate but timecode is off on Bolt+.

It takes longer to download to Roamio Pro and appears to be converting the show and the Bolt+ does not appear to be doing any conversion.

Thoughts?


----------



## wmcbrine

Sparky1234 said:


> It takes longer to download to Roamio Pro and appears to be converting the show and the Bolt+ does not appear to be doing any conversion.
> 
> Thoughts?


For a while, I had 4K and H.265 passthrough for Bolt (only) in pyTivo, but it never actually worked. But I stopped testing it after a while, so...

Transfers to and from the Bolt are inherently much faster, if the rate isn't dominated by conversion time.

A real answer would require the logs.


----------



## Sparky1234

wmcbrine said:


> For a while, I had 4K and H.265 passthrough for Bolt (only) in pyTivo, but it never actually worked. But I stopped testing it after a while, so...
> 
> Transfers to and from the Bolt are inherently much faster, if the rate isn't dominated by conversion time.
> 
> A real answer would require the logs.


Bolt+ feels like pass through and Roamio Pro is converting video.

Doesn't explain why Roamio can't see Bolt video.


----------



## wmcbrine

Sparky1234 said:


> Doesn't explain why Roamio can't see Bolt video.


logs


----------



## Sparky1234

wmcbrine said:


> logs


I'll look at the pytivo logs and let you know.


----------



## ThAbtO

Sparky1234 said:


> I'll look at the pytivo logs and let you know.


I think he meant to post the log here.


----------



## natsilber

Please help!
I downloaded the pytivo from an earlier (April)post, but I get a window asking for the tivo media access key. I also tried the "certificate" and "Prive" fdownloads, but I can't seem to replace the existing with the new. Not sure how to do that. Any suggestions?


----------



## natsilber

Tivo desktop allows me to download recoreded shows from my Premier, and to listen to them, however I only get audio, no video. That's why I downloaded the pyTivo, but as I posted earlier, I can't open it without a "TiVo media access key", which I do not have. Any suggestions?


----------



## innocentfreak

Looks like someone got subtitles working with PyTiVo. Not sure if this is something you might be able to implement.

pyTivo Discussion Forum :: View topic - subtitles using ffmpeg


----------



## Mikeguy

natsilber said:


> Please help!
> I downloaded the pytivo from an earlier (April)post, but I get a window asking for the tivo media access key. I also tried the "certificate" and "Prive" fdownloads, but I can't seem to replace the existing with the new. Not sure how to do that. Any suggestions?


The media access key (MAK) is the key/code for your TiVo account. It is listed on your TiVo television screen under Account & System Info. (on the Bolt boxes, that's under Settings & Messages/Help). It also is available at your online account at TiVo.com.


----------



## natsilber

OK, thanks. 
I installed the "provate" and "certificate" files, and I got past the media access key. It went through the install process, but when I clicked on "finish", I got the "unable to execute file: C:\program Files (x86)\pyTivotray.exe
CreateProcess failed: code 5.
Access is denied.
Any ideas?


----------



## Mikeguy

natsilber said:


> OK, thanks.
> I installed the "provate" and "certificate" files, and I got past the media access key. It went through the install process, but when I clicked on "finish", I got the "unable to execute file: C:\program Files (x86)\pyTivotray.exe
> CreateProcess failed: code 5.
> Access is denied.
> Any ideas?


Do you have an antivirus or anti-ransomware program that might be blocking matters? I will get an error message when attempting to install new software, if I have not temporarily disabled Win10's anti-ransomeware application.


----------



## natsilber

I really appreciate your help. That helped. It finished the install (thankyouverymuch!). It shows me the list of recorded shows and seems to allow me to download a show. It did not put a pyTivo icon on the desktop, though.
Not to be a further pest, but where do they go, and how do I actually play a show?


----------



## natsilber

(sigh). I found the show I downloaded, and I still have the same problem I had with the Tivo desktop: I have the audio, but no video. Am I missing something?


----------



## cherry ghost

natsilber said:


> (sigh). I found the show I downloaded, and I still have the same problem I had with the Tivo desktop: I have the audio, but no video. Am I missing something?


Is there a setting to download in Transport Stream?


----------



## reneg

cherry ghost said:


> Is there a setting to download in Transport Stream?


Setting -> TivoToGo -> Transfer Format allows you to select Transport Stream, Program Stream, or Allow me to Select per Recording. Sounds like it's set for Program Stream, change it to Transport Stream.


----------



## jhhyde

also, don't you need an mpeg codec on your computer? i thought Windows 10 stopped providing that automatically. you may need to find a free one.


----------



## natsilber

It was, in fact, set to Transport Stream, however I did not have the codec. I do now, and I'm happy to report that not only can Inow view my recorded ptograms, but that you are a genius! I thank you so very much, both for your expertise, and especially for your patience with me.
Nat


----------



## rthurlow

First time pyTivo Desktop user here. Tivo Desktop had been working really well for ages with my Premiere, but I generally lost visibility to my PC recordings on my downgraded Bolt, and last week I lost the ability to see any recordings on the Tivo from Tivo Desktop and spent a fruitless half-day trying to fix it. Such a damned pile! kmttg 2.4j is working great for downloads, and pyTivo Desktop is letting the Tivo see things again, and both worked perfectly the first time. Thanks for this software!


----------



## Mikeguy

rthurlow said:


> First time pyTivo Desktop user here. Tivo Desktop had been working really well for ages with my Premiere, but I generally lost visibility to my PC recordings on my downgraded Bolt, and last week I lost the ability to see any recordings on the Tivo from Tivo Desktop and spent a fruitless half-day trying to fix it. Such a damned pile! kmttg 2.4j is working great for downloads, and pyTivo Desktop is letting the Tivo see things again, and both worked perfectly the first time. Thanks for this software!


pyTivo Desktop is just great. 

As to TiVo Desktop, had you updated its certificates? They had expired and TiVo hasn't updated them. A wonderful forum member here updated them and made them available to others. Here's the post, in case this is new to you and you might want them for TiVo Desktop.

"Now Playing List Not Available"


----------



## ThAbtO

rthurlow said:


> last week I lost the ability to see any recordings on the Tivo from Tivo Desktop


What may have happened is the certificates expired.


----------



## mchips

Just installed this yesterday, and definitely much easier than the old way, however, McAfee VirusScan says it contains viruses in pytivotray.exe & tivolibre.exe...??

McAfee quarantined pytivotray.exe, and tried to quarantine tivolibre.exe but got an error that it couldn't delete it.

Since I saw it was from you, Dan, I felt I could trust it, so I still ran and used it, and had no problems transferring to/from. I just have to start pyTiVo.exe manually first before starting the Desktop.

If I delete tivolibre.exe will it still work? I'm assuming not.

Do you know why TiVo thinks there's a virus in these two programs? See attached images.

Thanks!


----------



## ThAbtO

TivoLibre is used to decode shows, it can work without it, but that leaves your shows coded and not in .MPG or .MP4 format.

These files should be safe and virus programs disabled during download/install.


----------



## dlfl

Don't know about McAfee but Norton AV will flag an executable just because it has determined that not many people have downloaded it, IOW it is not "popular".


----------



## Dan203

pytivotray.exe is a python script packaged with pyinstaller. The source is available on my GitHub repo if you want to see it.

tivolibre.exe is actually just the same tivolibre.jar you can download from it's GitHub release section, just packaged as an exe using jar2exe. 

I packaged these as exes, along with the other components in the app, to eliminate all requirements to have the right version of python and java installed on the system. The runtime engines are packed into the exe as well so they can run completely independently of what is/isn't installed on the system.


----------



## rthurlow

ThAbtO said:


> What may have happened is the certificates expired.


I tried replacing the certs per that other thread. That seemed to not matter. I decided that classic Tivo Desktop sucks, anyway 

Rob T


----------



## Mikeguy

rthurlow said:


> I tried replacing the certs per that other thread. That seemed to not matter. I decided that classic Tivo Desktop sucks, anyway


And not much need for it, with pyTivo Desktop here.


----------



## ImaginaryNumber

Dan, thanks for your "easier to use pyTivo" contrib. I just upgraded from a Series 2 to a Bolt VOX and was looking for a way to rescue a modest library of about 60 recordings from the Series 2 before its subscription was dropped. 

Although I am not entirely sure of the appropriate pyTivo configuration for persisting the Series 2 recordings for viewing on the Bolt VOX, I went ahead and installed pyTivo on my Windows 2008 R2 server and configured a dedicated Tivo folder on my NAS for the old recordings. pyTivo is chugging away on the 3-recording queue I selected at a transfer rate of just over 3.5Mb/sec, a relatively low transfer rate for a 100Mb LAN which is probably constrained by the slow S2 processor. 

Reading through the forum postings here, I get the impression that the hydra API does not allow recordings to be pushed onto the Bolt VOX, so my plan is to leave the files resident on the NAS and served up by plex, pyTivo, or some other video streamer visible to the Bolt.

If you, or anyone else sees anything errant in this approach, can suggest a better alternative, or can clue me into some required pyTivo configuration parameter I may have overlooked, please let me know as I am admittedly flying pyTivo somewhat blind.

Thank again for developing and making pyTivo available.


----------



## ThAbtO

Series 2 transfer speeds are really slow due to its processor. Each Series is a little faster than the last.


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> Series 2 transfer speeds are really slow due to its processor. Each Series is a little faster than the last.


Actually not quite. The 540 series units, which were the 3rd in the S2 line, were actually the worst. Even slower than the original 140 units that only had USB 1.1 ports on them. It was kinda like the Premier units of HD, so slow it was barely usable even in the UI. I think it was probably actually worse than the Premiere units in fact. (the 540 series includes Toshiba DVD burner units and both Humax DVD units) The DT units were the first ones with really decent TTG speeds and included built in Ethernet. (no USB dongle required)


----------



## ThAbtO

I had the 540 and transfers was about 2-3mb/s using the wireless G.


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> I had the 540 and transfers was about 2-3mb/s using the wireless G.


The wireless G adapter had some special hardware in it that offloaded some of the processing from the unit. It was TiVo's attempt to fix the problem. The Wireless B adapter, and Ethernet adapters, ran much slower.


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> Actually not quite. The 540 series units, which were the 3rd in the S2 line, were actually the worst. Even slower than the original 140 units that only had USB 1.1 ports on them. It was kinda like the Premier units of HD, so slow it was barely usable even in the UI. I think it was probably actually worse than the Premiere units in fact. (the 540 series includes Toshiba DVD burner units and both Humax DVD units) The DT units were the first ones with really decent TTG speeds and included built in Ethernet. (no USB dongle required)


Between my Toshiba Series 2 TiVo box (the one with the DVD burner) and my sucky home network speeds, _days_ to transfer a drive full of shows. But, was ok--you just need the days.


----------



## seanandrsn

Dan203 said:


> The wireless G adapter had some special hardware in it that offloaded some of the processing from the unit. It was TiVo's attempt to fix the problem. The Wireless B adapter, and Ethernet adapters, ran much slower.


I have moved from a Wireless network to Ethernet over Powerline to make it a hard wired connection to my TiVo units and my router. This has made a world of difference with transferring shows between TiVo units and off loading them to my PC. On the Wireless network the playback would stutter and struggle to stay ahead of the transfer. Now on the hardwiring full 1 hour shows transfer in about a minute and a 2 hour movie is about 2 minutes.


----------



## bantar

I just reinstalled Windows on a fresh SSD and am having problems getting PyTivo Desktop working. I downloaded a fresh copy of 1.6.16 and installed it. Configured everything. Started the tray app, then desktop. It loads the list of files on the Tivo. From the Tivo, I find the Windows Share in the My Playing list. Go to it and select a file to download It accepts my selection and "appears to start downloading", but the blue light never comes on and the download stays at 0% until it finally times out.

Regular PyTivo works fine. If I manually start PyTivo desktop using File Explorer to start PyTivo.exe, then Desktop\PyTivo Desktop.exe, it also works correctly. So, ffmpeg, et. al. are launching correctly.

So, the failure occurs only when starting PyTivo from the Windows start menu which then starts the tray app and pytivo service. If this helps, after making settings changes, the PyTivo Desktop can never restart the server. It only stops it and I have to manually start it again. Any suggestions?


----------



## Dan203

seanandrsn said:


> I have moved from a Wireless network to Ethernet over Powerline to make it a hard wired connection to my TiVo units and my router. This has made a world of difference with transferring shows between TiVo units and off loading them to my PC. On the Wireless network the playback would stutter and struggle to stay ahead of the transfer. Now on the hardwiring full 1 hour shows transfer in about a minute and a 2 hour movie is about 2 minutes.


For anything newer than a S2 DT (including any DT unit) hard wired it the way to go. Much faster! But for the older units that required a USB adapter the wireless G adapter was the fastest as it included some extra hardware that took some of the load off the main CPU.


----------



## Dan203

bantar said:


> I just reinstalled Windows on a fresh SSD and am having problems getting PyTivo Desktop working. I downloaded a fresh copy of 1.6.16 and installed it. Configured everything. Started the tray app, then desktop. It loads the list of files on the Tivo. From the Tivo, I find the Windows Share in the My Playing list. Go to it and select a file to download It accepts my selection and "appears to start downloading", but the blue light never comes on and the download stays at 0% until it finally times out.
> 
> Regular PyTivo works fine. If I manually start PyTivo desktop using File Explorer to start PyTivo.exe, then Desktop\PyTivo Desktop.exe, it also works correctly. So, ffmpeg, et. al. are launching correctly.
> 
> So, the failure occurs only when starting PyTivo from the Windows start menu which then starts the tray app and pytivo service. If this helps, after making settings changes, the PyTivo Desktop can never restart the server. It only stops it and I have to manually start it again. Any suggestions?


Likely antivirus or firewall related.


----------



## innocentfreak

I remember in the other PyTiVo you could set the default audio track to English. Is there a setting to do the same thing with the desktop version?


----------



## Dan203

innocentfreak said:


> I remember in the other PyTiVo you could set the default audio track to English. Is there a setting to do the same thing with the desktop version?


The normal pyTivo web UI is still there if you need so set something not in the Desktop UI


----------



## HarleyRandom

What is the TiVo Media Access Key?


----------



## gonzotek

HarleyRandom said:


> What is the TiVo Media Access Key?


Unique 10 digit number that allows transferring content from a TiVo to a PC. You can find yours on a screen in your tivo settings (sorry, I'm unsure where exactly it's currently found on newer tivo units), or online at TiVo's website: TiVo Media Access Key


----------



## JoeKustra

HarleyRandom said:


> What is the TiVo Media Access Key?


*From TiVo.com*:

Your Media Access Key is: *xxxxxxxxxxxx*

This key allows TiVo Desktop software on your PC or TiVo Desktop software on your Mac to access the recordings on your TiVo box.

*To learn more:
*
How to transfer shows to your PC or Mac

Please DO NOT SHARE THIS KEY with anyone outside your household.

As a friendly reminder, your TiVo service agreement prohibits you from distributing copy-protected content.

Please visit www.tivo.com/policies for more information

A lot of old stuff there.


----------



## HarleyRandom

But how do I get it? I'm signing in to TiVo.com as soon as it sends me a temporary password. I haven't used it in a while so I don't even remember what my password is.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Okay, that was simple. The link showed up just as soon as I entered my password.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Uh-oh. It was unable to create file. Access denied. And the software is gone.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Also, I get a 404 error when I try to go to "*How to transfer shows to your PC or Mac*".


----------



## HarleyRandom

What I do have is a list of my three DVRs. Each one has "Video sharing" checked and I can tell from the date which one is which. I just don't know how to get shows from any of them to the PC because the logo to click on to get to the pytivo software disappeared after I got the error message.


----------



## HarleyRandom

I tried downloading and installing again and it looked like it was doing more until it couldn't do anything because files were already in use. I also kept getting "verify pytivo is running and try again." I don't know how to verify pytivo is running. It never got past that point.


----------



## HarleyRandom

I don't understand what happened. During the installation process I got an error message and I did what it said and then was told I shouldn't do that. So I didn't. Or maybe I did. Meanwhile, there's nothing to help me solve this problem.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Unable to execute file: access is denied. That's after trying to download this three times. My computer is no longer under warranty and while I've had similar things happen, I've never been able to get them corrected.


----------



## Mikeguy

HarleyRandom said:


> Unable to execute file: access is denied. That's after trying to download this three times. My computer is no longer under warranty and while I've had similar things happen, I've never been able to get them corrected.


What I might suggest (can be helpful when things go south): shut your PC down and then start it up again, and start over again. If you think that there might have been a glitch with the original pyTivo Desktop software download, download it again. And then try installing it again.​
One thing you may not have noticed with pyTivo Desktop, which may have affected you earlier when you tried to reinstall the program: it actually has 2 parts, the user interface desktop that you see with your shows on it and the settings, and the underlying engine that is represented by an icon in your system tray. The problem you had earlier with trying to reinstall the program may have been caused because while you may have closed the desktop UI, the underlying engine still is on and running--you need to close that separately, by right-clicking on the icon in the system tray and choosing exit. Only then is pyTivo Desktop closed down.

Also, your media access key (MAK): if you haven't gotten to it at your TiVo account at the TiVo website, it's also available through your TiVo boxes' settings--try on your Roamio/Bolt under TiVo Central/Settings & Messages/Help/Account & System Info/Media Access Key (you have a single MAK for all of your TiVo boxes).

Hopefully, this can help get you running here.


----------



## HarleyRandom

I got my Media Access Key as soon as I signed in to the TiVo web site, and I also saw where I could get it when I changed my settings on the Series 2.

It says the folder already exists and asks if I want to install there anyway. This time I'm not going to assume.

But if I wait for an answer I might be here a while.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Unable to execute file. CreateProcess failed; code 5. Access is denied.


----------



## ggieseke

Where are you trying to install it? All of the access denied messages make me think that you're trying to put it under the "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)" folder, which are locked down pretty hard on Windows 7 and above. Programs like pyTivo or kmttg should be installed in a folder off of the root like C:\pyTiVo to avoid those issues.


----------



## Mikeguy

HarleyRandom said:


> Unable to execute file. CreateProcess failed; code 5. Access is denied.


Are you fully out of pyTivo Desktop, as mentioned above? (Go into your system tray at the bottom right of your computer--if the pyTivo Desktop icon is there, right-click on it and choose exit. Otherwise, go into our computer's Task Manager (ctrl-shift-esc to open it), look for all instances (often, 2 or 4) of pyTivo there (under Background processes), and end those tasks.)


----------



## HarleyRandom

I don't know what any of that stuff means, but when I click on "Start' and click on "Pytivo" I get a message that the item has been changed or moved so the shortcut will not work properly. Do I want to delete the shortcut?

When I click on "Pytivo desktop" it tells me to verify pytivo is running and retry.


----------



## Mikeguy

ggieseke said:


> Where are you trying to install it? All of the access denied messages make me think that you're trying to put it under the "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)" folder, which are locked down pretty hard on Windows 7 and above. Programs like pyTivo or kmttg should be installed in a folder off of the root like C:\pyTiVo to avoid those issues.


At least on my PC, pyTivo Desktop is installed in my C:\Program Files (x86) folder without any issue.

I do have Windows 10's ransomware protection feature turned on, and I often find that I need to turn it off temporarily to install a new program (under Windows Settings/Update & Security/Windows Security/Virus & threat protection/Manage ransomware protection).


----------



## HarleyRandom

Mikeguy said:


> At least on my PC, pyTivo Desktop is installed in my C:\Program Files (x86) folder without any issue.
> 
> I do have Windows 10's ransomware protection feature turned on, and I often find that I need to turn it off temporarily to install a new program (under Windows Settings/Update & Security/Windows Security/Virus & threat protection/Manage ransomware protection).


I don't see any such option but when I clicked on something thinking I would get more information, it opened my McAfee protection.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Success! I contacted McAfee tech support and was told to disable the firewall and real time scanning, which I have now turned back on.


----------



## Mikeguy

Cool! Sometimes, virus protection software can just get in the way.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah antivirus can cause all sorts of issues with pyTivo Desktop because of the way it works. Both the main pyTivo exes and the Desktop exe use wrapper technology that has to extract files to temporary folders before they will run. If your antivirus blocks this, or deletes any of the extracted files, it can cause all sorts of erratic behavior. In most AV software there is a way to add exceptions for specific software or folders. This will force it to ignore anything that the program does, including leaving it's extracted temp files alone. 

Although even then you should restart pyTivo every few days if you can. Windows itself will try to "clean up" any temp files not being used and can sometimes delete important files pyTivo needs, but is not actively using, which will cause errors when the functions that use those files try to run. I've looked into a fix for this, but the wrapper technology I use doesn't really have one. No one envisioned it being used to run an app that just sits in the tray and runs for weeks/months at a time apparently.


----------



## JoeKustra

Hi Dan. I've been having a network problem for about a week. I can transfer programs from Roamio 1 to Roamio 2 via My Shows or Online. I can't transfer the other way. I'm still working on it, and it's been working through wireless bridges for about two years without a problem. But the best part is I can use your pyTiVo to get the program from either TiVo then get it from my PC to the other Roamio with 100% success. I'm using Win 10 on a Dell laptop. I'm not fixed, but you have lowered my BP. Thanks.


----------



## HarleyRandom

And as soon as I had to turn off my computer, we're back to where we were yesterday.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Two files were quarantined and I clicked restore, but that didn't do any good.


----------



## HarleyRandom

So the person from McAfee said the file will continue to get removed because of its "virus-like tendencies" and he is sending instructions on how to send the file to AVERT.


----------



## Mikeguy

I switched from Norton Antivirus to Windows Defender (free; built into Windows) years ago and have been very happy.


----------



## HarleyRandom

I just don't feel confident giving up McAfee. And they do have tech support.

At this point I'm getting no messages or any indication any download is taking place.

This is my last communication with this site until Friday. I did not get the email I was promised so I'm not sure what to do about letting the people know what to do about this problem.


----------



## Dan203

There should be a way to add an exception in McAfee. If you tell it to ignore the pyTivo install folder it should ignore the actions of all the files in that folder, including the extracted temp files it uses.


----------



## rie28

Will this work with Software Version: 20.7.4.RC29-USC-11-849 on a Windows 7 PC?


----------



## ThAbtO

rie28 said:


> Will this work with Software Version: 20.7.4.RC29-USC-11-849 on a Windows 7 PC?


Yes. It just does not work any more if the Tivo runs version 21.7+ or 21.8+ (aka Hydra, TE4). This is basically a downgrade as it removes the feature called TivoToGo (transfers from Tivo) and TivoComeBack (Computer-to-Tivo).

v21.7+ adds voice control and reverting to the older 20.7.4+ will remove this, but adds stability along with transfers.


----------



## Mover480

Dan203 said:


> There should be a way to add an exception in McAfee. If you tell it to ignore the pyTivo install folder it should ignore the actions of all the files in that folder, including the extracted temp files it uses.


In McAfee LiveSafe, under Real-Time Scanning, Excluded files can be added. I added pyTivoTray.exe here to get it to work.


----------



## HarleyRandom

HarleyRandom said:


> I just don't feel confident giving up McAfee. And they do have tech support.
> 
> At this point I'm getting no messages or any indication any download is taking place.
> 
> This is my last communication with this site until Friday. I did not get the email I was promised so I'm not sure what to do about letting the people know what to do about this problem.


Further communication about my situation is here.

How do I move my Yule Log?


----------



## Mikeguy

HarleyRandom said:


> Further communication about my situation is here.
> 
> How do I move my Yule Log?


Instead of further communications about what's already happened, probably better to follow the advice above and whitelist pyTivo Desktop in McAfee so that you finally can use the former program.


----------



## HarleyRandom

I don't know how to whitelist anything. I went to McAfee and tried to look for instructions.


----------



## Dan203

Mover480 said:


> In McAfee LiveSafe, under Real-Time Scanning, Excluded files can be added. I added pyTivoTray.exe here to get it to work.


Seems like it would be safer to just exclude the whole pyTivo Desktop install folder. That would ensure all the exes would run unhindered.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Mover480 said:


> In McAfee LiveSafe, under Real-Time Scanning, Excluded files can be added. I added pyTivoTray.exe here to get it to work.


Okay, I see it now. It's there already. Except with different capitalization. That must have been done by the tech support person.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Success!

The pyTivo software accessed the file. Windows Media Player made it play.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Now I have a new problem. I clicked on "download recordings" and there's no indication that it's doing anything. I had to download the Yule Log again because in the process of trying to convert the file to a more usable form, I have somehow ended up with multiple files with 0 bytes and nothing that works.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Further information: When I downloaded the file that worked but seems to have disappeared, I did not know about the TiVo Libre option that would give me a file that I could use rather than a .TiVo file that would have problems. I have that set now but don't know how to change it.


----------



## Mikeguy

HarleyRandom said:


> Now I have a new problem. I clicked on "download recordings" and there's no indication that it's doing anything. I had to download the Yule Log again because in the process of trying to convert the file to a more usable form, I have somehow ended up with multiple files with 0 bytes and nothing that works.


If it's not doing anything and you are sure that the downloads are stalled (e.g. you don't see any movement on the pyTivo Desktop downloads progress bar or any change in the download ongoing percentage statistics), it could be a connection issue or an issue with your wireless network; when that's happened to me, I exit out of pyTivo Desktop (_both_ the user interface as well as the underlying pyTivo Desktop engine that is in the Windows system tray at the lower right of the screen), and then start it up again, once again choosing the files I want to download. It happens.


HarleyRandom said:


> Further information: When I downloaded the file that worked but seems to have disappeared, I did not know about the TiVo Libre option that would give me a file that I could use rather than a .TiVo file that would have problems. I have that set now but don't know how to change it.


If you've already chosen the "Decrypt with TiVo-libre" option on the pyTivo Desktop Settings TiVoToGo tab (that is, the box already is checked), there is no need to change it; otherwise, check the box using your mouse, and click the "Save" button at the lower right (or the new setting will not be saved).


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

Mikeguy said:


> If it's not doing anything and you are sure that the downloads are stalled (e.g. you don't see any movement on the pyTivo Desktop downloads progress bar or any change in the download ongoing percentage statistics), it could be a connection issue or an issue with your wireless network; when that's happened to me, I exit out of pyTivo Desktop (_both_ the user interface as well as the underlying pyTivo Desktop engine that is in the Windows system tray at the lower right of the screen), and then start it up again, once again choosing the files I want to download. It happens.
> 
> If you've already chosen the "Decrypt with TiVo-libre" option on the pyTivo Desktop Settings TiVoToGo tab (that is, the box already is checked), there is no need to change it; otherwise, check the box using your mouse, and click the "Save" button at the lower right (or the new setting will not be saved).


The patience of Job.


----------



## Sparky1234

PSU_Sudzi said:


> The patience of Job.


LOL!!!!


----------



## HarleyRandom

Mikeguy said:


> If you've already chosen the "Decrypt with TiVo-libre" option on the pyTivo Desktop Settings TiVoToGo tab (that is, the box already is checked), there is no need to change it; otherwise, check the box using your mouse, and click the "Save" button at the lower right (or the new setting will not be saved).


The problem is that there is no save button.

I think the only thing to do at this point is try again and uninstall pyTiVo and download it again.


----------



## HarleyRandom

pyTiVo won't even run. It's time to start over.

Never mind. Certain things are running extremely slowly.

Also, for some reason scrolling down worked and there was a save button.

And it's downloading now.


----------



## HarleyRandom

I saw the progress of the download and eventually there were no shows in the queue but I don't see any new files.


----------



## Mikeguy

HarleyRandom said:


> I saw the progress of the download and eventually there were no shows in the queue but I don't see any new files.


Did you go to the folder on your PC set for them to go to? As listed and set under pyTivo Desktop/Settings/TiVoToGo tab.


----------



## wmcbrine

ThAbtO said:


> Yes. It just does not work any more if the Tivo runs version 21.7+ or 21.8+ (aka Hydra, TE4). This is basically a downgrade as it removes the feature called TivoToGo (transfers from Tivo) and TivoComeBack (Computer-to-Tivo).


As I understand it (I haven't tried the new software myself), TiVo-to-computer still works, just not the other way.


----------



## HarleyRandom

Mikeguy said:


> Did you go to the folder on your PC set for them to go to? As listed and set under pyTivo Desktop/Settings/TiVoToGo tab.


Found it, and I'll explain how in the other thread.


----------



## duhmel

I want to upload some .mp4 files to my Tivo. I have installed pyTivo and pyTivo desktop and have been able to download files from the Tivo to my PC. However I don't see how to upload files. I went to "Share Videos, Music and Photos". Now I am stuck - I do not know what to do next to get the files to upload.


----------



## ThAbtO

Go to Tivo shows list, computer should be listed on the bottom (unless you are using Hydra/V21.7+)


----------



## Mikeguy

duhmel said:


> I want to upload some .mp4 files to my Tivo. I have installed pyTivo and pyTivo desktop and have been able to download files from the Tivo to my PC. However I don't see how to upload files. I went to "Share Videos, Music and Photos". Now I am stuck - I do not know what to do next to get the files to upload.


As @ThAbtO states above. The explanation: TiVo earlier broke the ability to push transfers--transfers only can be pulled nowadays.


----------



## Dan203

duhmel said:


> I want to upload some .mp4 files to my Tivo. I have installed pyTivo and pyTivo desktop and have been able to download files from the Tivo to my PC. However I don't see how to upload files. I went to "Share Videos, Music and Photos". Now I am stuck - I do not know what to do next to get the files to upload.


Yeah you have to do this from the TiVo itself. The PC will be listed as a Device on the TiVo, from there you can select it to see a list of all videos in your share. Select the one you want and transfer it.

As others have mentioned this ability has been removed from Hydra/Exp3. So if your TiVo has that software your only option is to stream using Plex. There is no way to transfer anything from PC to TiVo in the new software.


----------



## JoeKustra

Dan203 said:


> As others have mentioned this ability has been removed from Hydra/Exp3.


Hydra is Exp4, also called Mira and TE4.


----------



## andrew1883

I was having a great time with pyTivo Desktop, running multiple passes and seeing how many (or few) errors there were. Thanks for this.

It took a while to get it seeing the TiVo properly, but now it is. The problem is that this afternoon there were 2 shows deleted from the TiVo while PTD was downloading. No surprise but there were sitting there, listed but nothing happening. I must have deleted them, or just closed the transfer status window, not sure. But now when I launch PTD, it sees the TiVo but then sits at "Loading show list..." for hours (presumably forever). I've restarted my notebook, even shut right down and started fresh, but it still does it.

What can I do to get it to see the list or recordings?

Not sure this is significant for troubleshooting, but it's a TiVo Premiere (ethernet cable to router), Windows 10 (on WiFi) at the other end.

Thanks!
=aw


----------



## ThAbtO

REboot Tivo.


----------



## andrew1883

:: smacks forehead ::

Thanks, that fixed it! 
=aw


----------



## andrew1883

ThAbtO said:


> REboot Tivo.


Is there any way to avoid this? It happened again yesterday evening and I had to wait 3 hours before I could reboot the TiVo (waited for unimportant things to be recording). Then this morning I found it happened again. These aren't even the oldest recordings being deleted, just "keep 5" or whatever where a 6th episode records. This morning I deleted all the items in the queue, but it still showed 1 in the icon. So I rebooted the TiVo, and rebooted my notebook, and now PTD is stuck on "Finding TiVos" (sometimes it says no TiVos found).

I was having the problem not finding the TiVo before, and I forget exactly how I fixed it (I know I gave PTD the IP address of the TiVo -- 192.168.0.107 -- and did something else, and it was reliable for a few days, but now it's stuck again). Is there a standard set of changes to get the TiVo seen?

Thanks!
=aw


----------



## Mikeguy

The flip way for me has been to exit pyTivo Desktop fully--both the user interfaced and the engine represented in the system tray--and then to restart it.


----------



## andrew1883

Thanks. I just tried that, exited pyTivo then launched pyTivo then launched pyTivo Desktop. PTD said Finding TiVos then opened the Settings window to the TTG tab. The MAK is correct, the recordings folder is on my C:\ drive (I move manually to external after). I have Transfer format set to "per-recording" though earlier it was working with "always TS". No TiVos listed.

I changed back to "always TS" and hit Save. pyTivo is restarting... and Settings pops up.

Where does TiVo Desktop fit into this app? I think I have to have it running (for decryption?) and I do, though if I try to get a list of recordings on TiVo it identifies how many there are but the "can't open [some] file". It's been like that all along, both when PTD was working and when it wasn't.

[added: somehow I had changed zeroconf to Off, I changed it back to Auto and I got a list of recordings from the TiVo. So now my concern is how to avoid having PTD fail so badly when a recording gets removed from the TiVo. I guess I could download 1 at a time and refresh the recordings list each time (which doesn't guarantee a recording won't be deleted but at least reduces the window). But that means no batch transfers overnight.]

=aw


----------



## ThAbtO

It usually can happen when PyTivo or other programs try accessing the Tivo too soon after a download finished. You may need to see if you can set a delay between downloads.

You should also avoid using multiple programs at the same time that access Tivo.


----------



## andrew1883

I'll see what I can do. Don't think anything else is accessing, kmttg isn't running and TiVo Desktop is just sitting. My observation is that after I reboot everything and get a list of recordings again, whatever was sitting in the queue when it was stuck, is missing from the TiVo. I assumed the recording was being deleted by the TiVo due to space requirements, or save only 5, or something.

=aw


----------



## ThAbtO

For example, KMTTG has a delay setting between downloads and if set to 0-10 seconds, the Tivo server "within" may not close out the last transfer quick enough and wait for the next, and then this server crashes when trying to start the next transfer. 

I have mine set for 30 seconds to allow for such "reset server" time.


----------



## wmcbrine

andrew1883 said:


> Where does TiVo Desktop fit into this app?


It's not relevant at all, except in that it offers parallel functionality.



> _I think I have to have it running (for decryption?)_


No.


----------



## TerpBE

I just installed PyTivo Desktop. I have a TivoHD and a (non-Hydra) Bolt.

PyTivo can see both Tivos
TivoHD can see Bolt and PyTivo share
Bolt can see TivoHD, but NOT PyTivo share

Does anybody have any idea why the Bolt can't see PyTivo? I'd like to be able to transfer files to the Bolt. (Yes, I restarted it). Thanks!


----------



## Dan203

andrew1883 said:


> Thanks. I just tried that, exited pyTivo then launched pyTivo then launched pyTivo Desktop. PTD said Finding TiVos then opened the Settings window to the TTG tab. The MAK is correct, the recordings folder is on my C:\ drive (I move manually to external after). I have Transfer format set to "per-recording" though earlier it was working with "always TS". No TiVos listed.
> 
> I changed back to "always TS" and hit Save. pyTivo is restarting... and Settings pops up.
> 
> Where does TiVo Desktop fit into this app? I think I have to have it running (for decryption?) and I do, though if I try to get a list of recordings on TiVo it identifies how many there are but the "can't open [some] file". It's been like that all along, both when PTD was working and when it wasn't.
> 
> [added: somehow I had changed zeroconf to Off, I changed it back to Auto and I got a list of recordings from the TiVo. So now my concern is how to avoid having PTD fail so badly when a recording gets removed from the TiVo. I guess I could download 1 at a time and refresh the recordings list each time (which doesn't guarantee a recording won't be deleted but at least reduces the window). But that means no batch transfers overnight.]
> 
> =aw


That settings dialog pops up when the TiVo rejects the connection pyTivo is attempting to make. It pops up the settings because it assumes the MAK is not entered or incorrect. But if you're sure the MAK is right, then the problem is on the TiVo side and the only way to fix it is to reboot it.


----------



## Dan203

TerpBE said:


> I just installed PyTivo Desktop. I have a TivoHD and a (non-Hydra) Bolt.
> 
> PyTivo can see both Tivos
> TivoHD can see Bolt and PyTivo share
> Bolt can see TivoHD, but NOT PyTivo share
> 
> Does anybody have any idea why the Bolt can't see PyTivo? I'd like to be able to transfer files to the Bolt. (Yes, I restarted it). Thanks!


Is Bolt running Hydra? If so then it'll never see the pyTivo share because TiVo omitted this functionality from the new Hydra UI.


----------



## mlippert

TerpBE said:


> I just installed PyTivo Desktop. I have a TivoHD and a (non-Hydra) Bolt.
> 
> PyTivo can see both Tivos
> TivoHD can see Bolt and PyTivo share
> Bolt can see TivoHD, but NOT PyTivo share
> 
> Does anybody have any idea why the Bolt can't see PyTivo? I'd like to be able to transfer files to the Bolt. (Yes, I restarted it). Thanks!


Well, you answered all the questions I would have asked, and I agree it seems like the Bolt should see the PyTivo share. By any chance is are some devices wired and others wireless? There can be some funkyness because discovery uses zeroconf which uses ethernet broadcast and some routers don't (or require config changes anyway) to actually forward broadcasts to all connected devices.

That's a wild guess, but all I could come up with.


----------



## TerpBE

Dan203 said:


> Is Bolt running Hydra? If so then it'll never see the pyTivo share because TiVo omitted this functionality from the new Hydra UI.


Nope, non-Hydra.


----------



## TerpBE

mlippert said:


> Well, you answered all the questions I would have asked, and I agree it seems like the Bolt should see the PyTivo share. By any chance is are some devices wired and others wireless? There can be some funkyness because discovery uses zeroconf which uses ethernet broadcast and some routers don't (or require config changes anyway) to actually forward broadcasts to all connected devices.
> 
> That's a wild guess, but all I could come up with.


Nope, all wired.


----------



## Wil

TerpBE said:


> Nope, all wired.


I toggle my Bolts between static and hdcp when this happens every once in awhile and they pop right back. I'd like to find out why but I'm always in a hurry when it happens so I just do the voodoo.

EDIT: Actions that work on the much rarer incidents with Tivo s3s, HDs and Roamios: power cycling, quitting and re-running pyTivo, etc, usually do _not_ work for me with the Bolts.


----------



## elprice7345

TerpBE said:


> Nope, all wired.


Over the years I've had similar issues with my TiVos occasionally not seeing pyTivo.

Two tricks that I've used with success:

Restart pyTivo. I think this rebroadcasts pyTivo's existence to your TiVos?
Physically unplug the Ethernet cable from the back of your TiVo for 5 seconds and plug it back in. Not sure why this works ... maybe it "reboots" the Tivo's network interface?


----------



## mlippert

TerpBE said:


> Nope, all wired.


Hmm one other thought, there used to be a setting for zerconf, I got rid of it in my modified version of pytivo, but if it still exists, maybe try playing with it's value? Configure pyTivo - pyTivo - Wiki


----------



## Sparky1234

elprice7345 said:


> Over the years I've had similar issues with my TiVos occasionally not seeing pyTivo.
> 
> Two tricks that I've used with success:
> 
> Restart pyTivo. I think this rebroadcasts pyTivo's existence to your TiVos?
> Physically unplug the Ethernet cable from the back of your TiVo for 5 seconds and plug it back in. Not sure why this works ... maybe it "reboots" the Tivo's network interface?


Restarting pyTivo at PC always works for me.


----------



## reneg

On my Tivo, to resolve network issues, I press thumbs down, thumbs up, play, play from the Tivo Home screen. It seems to reset the UI *and networking* without rebooting Tivo.


----------



## ADG

reneg said:


> On my Tivo, to resolve network issues, I press thumbs down, thumbs up, play, play from the Tivo Home screen. It seems to reset the UI *and networking* without rebooting Tivo.


When you say it resets the User Interface, exactly what do you mean?


----------



## JoeKustra

ADG said:


> When you say it resets the User Interface, exactly what do you mean?


It seems to do a "refresh" of a few internal items. I usually try it when stuff stops working. It's harmless.


----------



## ADG

Okay, thanks.


----------



## ClearToLand

reneg said:


> On my Tivo, to resolve network issues, I press thumbs down, thumbs up, play, play from the Tivo Home screen. It seems to reset the UI *and networking* without rebooting Tivo.


I learned about the "*HDGUI Reset*" [ :thumbsdown::thumbsup: PLAY PLAY ] when I was attempting to get two instances of StreamBaby running (desktop and laptop). TiVo warm boots (restart), cold boots (power cycle) and StreamBaby stop / start had no effect but the HDGUI Reset was consistently successful. I usually combine it with a warm boot just to cover more bases.


----------



## TerpBE

Thanks for the replies. PyTivo started showing up on my Bolt the other day on its own. I'm not sure exactly what fixed things, but it might have been the computer rebooting.


----------



## Dan203

Just a heads up. I'm transferring the domain to a new server. There may be a minor outage as all the DNS stuff gets updated and moved over

Edit: Transfer complete. Could still be some minor connection issues for some people as the DNS stuff propagates across the web. But most should be good to go


----------



## Dan203

Just an FYI.... I added a script to the website that will log downloads. So rather then the links being direct to the exe/dmg files they now link to a PHP which logs the download and then forwards you to the file. I just want to have an idea of how many people are downloading the software. The old server let me see stats on every file, so I could get an idea from how many times the exe/dmg files were downloaded, but the new one only shows page hit stats and only seems to monitor html pages.

I tested it pretty extensively and it seems to work, but if anyone has any trouble downloading please let me know ASAP.

Also I noticed that Chrome hangs for a long time at the end of downloading the Windows exe file. (with or without the log script) I did some research and this is because the exe is not signed so Chrome is scanning it for malware/viruses. There doesn't seem to be anything I can do to help this other then buying a certificate, which is really expensive. Sorry. FireFox and Edge don't seem to have this issue, but since Chrome is the most commonly used browser I figured I'd mention it. If you just leave it alone it'll eventually finish and release the download as safe.


----------



## Dan203

Wow this has turned out to be WAY more popular than I thought. I'm averaging 25 unique downloads a day. I didn't even realize that there were that many TiVo users left.


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan203 said:


> Wow this has turned out to be WAY more popular than I thought. I'm averaging 25 unique downloads a day. I didn't even realize that there were that many TiVo users left.


I use it everyday. Thanks for your efforts Dan!


----------



## SamD

Please someone explain how can I push downloaded to PC tivo file to Bolt.
I have two Bolts and would like to use pyTiVo for transferring some recording from one Bolt to another because
infamous Hydra breaks transferred files and they are freezing on playback.
I'd also like to keep subtitles with uploaded files.
Have no problem with downloading but cannot understand how creating share may help with uploading.
Note that both my Bolts have Hydra, this serpent-like monster...
Maybe I need to downgrade the second Bolt to TE3... but as far as I understand that means to lose all existing recordings... and I'm not sure if files on downgraded to TE3 Tivo will be playable remotely from the Hydra Bolt.


----------



## ThAbtO

Hydra broke transfer PC-to-Tivo. If you downgrade, you will lose all stored on that Tivo, unless its transferred prior to downgrade. 

TE3, v20.7+ can still do PC-to-tivo and Tivo-to-PC. 
The dreaded TE4, v21.7+ can't do PC-to-tivo.


----------



## Mikeguy

SamD said:


> Maybe I need to downgrade the second Bolt to TE3... but as far as I understand that means to lose all existing recordings... and I'm not sure if files on downgraded to TE3 Tivo will be playable remotely from the Hydra Bolt.


And so, what you would need to do is: use pyTivo Desktop (or other, such as pyTivo, kmttg, or TiVo Desktop) to copy your shows on one of your TE4 boxes to your PC; sidegrade that box to TE3 (in the course of which you'll lose the shows on the box); and then use pyTivo Desktop (or pyTivo) to copy the shows copied earlier to your PC back to the sidegraded TiVo box. You should use TS mode on pyTivo Desktop, as PS mode may not preserve your subtitles (but note that TS mode may be less reliable).

I would assume that shows on the TE3 box may be streamed to the TE4 box, but I'll leave that to someone with a TE3/TE4 hybrid system to answer.


----------



## JoeKustra

Mikeguy said:


> I would assume that shows on the TE3 box may be streamed to the TE4 box, but I'll leave that to someone with a TE3/TE4 hybrid system to answer.


That's easy and it works on my Roamio based system. You will not get auto-skip just because you are viewing on a TE4 box, but manual skip is fine.


----------



## SamD

Mikeguy said:


> and then use pyTivo Desktop (or pyTivo) to copy the shows copied earlier to your PC back to the sidegraded TiVo box.


Thank you, but would you detail the steps of this "use pyTivo Desktop (or pyTivo) to copy the shows copied earlier to your PC back to the sidegraded TiVo box"?
OK, I created a shared folder, copied tivo files to this folder.
What should I do after this with my sidegraded TiVo box? How can I upload files to it?


----------



## Mikeguy

SamD said:


> Thank you, but would you detail the steps of this "use pyTivo Desktop (or pyTivo) to copy the shows copied earlier to your PC back to the sidegraded TiVo box"?
> OK, I created a shared folder, copied tivo files to this folder.
> What should I do after this with my sidegraded TiVo box?


Now, with pyTivo Desktop/pyTivo up and running on your PC, go to your TiVo box's My Shows list and towards the bottom (or use the left-hand column Devices shortcut), you should see the folder set for sharing shows from your PC to your TiVo box (if you need to change the location, it's set in pyTivo Desktop under the "Share Videos, Music & Photos" tab--click on the folder to edit it)--select that folder and you will see the shows stored on your PC, which you then can transfer (copy) over under the menu. Voila!


----------



## SamD

Mikeguy said:


> select that folder and you will see the shows stored on your PC, which you then can transfer (copy) over under the menu


Sorry, do you mean I can initiate transfer using *TiVo menu*? This new menu will appear when I select shared folder on TV screen?
Please bear with me, I was using TiVo for years but never suspected existence of this ability. Maybe I'll need to click of the file I want to transfer?


----------



## Mikeguy

SamD said:


> Sorry, do you mean I can initiate transfer using *TiVo menu*? This new menu will appear when I select shared folder on TV screen?
> Please bear with me, I was using TiVo for years but never suspect existence of this ability.


It's a nice feature.  Dang TiVo for not having continued it with TE4 (a major reason I'm still on TE3).*

Under your TiVo box My Shows list (or through using the My Shows Devices shortcut), select the share folder (the PC folder set under pyTivo Desktop/pyTivo as the source for shows that the TiVo box should look at). You then will have a list of the shows on your PC, in that folder. Select a show. You then will have a TiVo show listing for the show, with a menu option on that screen to transfer the show from your PC to your TiVo box, which you would select.  Sorry if I confused matters by collapsing the directions at the end, earlier.

* There's a _small_ (but probably unlikely) chance it could be brought to TE4.


----------



## SamD

OK, will try it soon.


----------



## Mikeguy

SamD said:


> OK, will try it soon.


It will be pretty apparent when you do it--it's the basic way you use your TiVo box.


----------



## Dan203

Before jumping in to this there are a few considerations....

1) Transferring all the shows on your TiVo to a PC and then back is going to take a significant amount of time. You can download in bulk, but when transferring back you have to select every show, one by one, using the remote and transfer. Occasionally the TiVo will also stall when doing these types of transfers requiring you to reboot the TiVo and re-queue all the shows that didn't complete. It can be a real PITA.

2) You lose certain data when transferring to a PC. When returning the shows to the TiVo you will no longer have skip mode on any of them. Some will also fail to group, so you may end up with a bunch of shows for a single series that are ungrouped and taking up space on your My Shows list.

3) When you transfer shows to a PC there is a known bug that can introduce errors into the file. There is a feature in pyTivo Desktop that can minimize these errors but it can't always avoid them completely, so some of your shows may have glitches in them which could potentially prevent them from transferring back to your TiVo at all.

Personally I'm not sure it's really worth the effort unless you really plan to use this feature a lot. One alternative you can use is you can use Plex in the new TE4 UI to stream videos from your PC to your TiVo instead of transferring them. Plex works relatively well for most stuff once you get the hang of it.


----------



## Dan203

One more thing I forgot... some shows may not be capable of being transferred. Depending on how the copy protection bit is set certain shows are blocked from being transferred. Some cable companies, like Spectrum in old Time Warner areas, block everything. Most others block the premium channels. And a few have weird deals where the do stuff like block all Fox owned channels.


----------



## Bane7

My Roamio is not seeing my PC running pyTivo Desktop, but Desktop is seeing my tivo and is able to download shows. Weird thing si it shows the music share that I setup. Any troubleshooting suggestions? I am not on Hydra..


----------



## Dan203

First step reboot everything.

If that doesn't work try disabling zero conf in pyTivo and see if that helps. 

If that still doesn’t work it's probably the firewall on your PC. Try temporarily disabling it and see if the share shows up. If it does then you'll have to go through the process of adding exceptions for pyTivo to whatever firewall you're using. (varies by software and can be a PITA to set up)


----------



## Bane7

Dan203 said:


> First step reboot everything.
> 
> If that doesn't work try disabling zero conf in pyTivo and see if that helps.
> 
> If that still doesn't work it's probably the firewall on your PC. Try temporarily disabling it and see if the share shows up. If it does then you'll have to go through the process of adding exceptions for pyTivo to whatever firewall you're using. (varies by software and can be a PITA to set up)


I disabled zero conf, and afterward pytivo desktop says "no tivos found!". The firewall on my computer is completely disabled. I am also getting a popup when saving pytivo desktop config for cmd.exe - application error.


----------



## Dan203

Bane7 said:


> I disabled zero conf, and afterward pytivo desktop says "no tivos found!". The firewall on my computer is completely disabled. I am also getting a popup when saving pytivo desktop config for cmd.exe - application error.


ZeroConf is basically just enabling disabling Bonjour, leaving only the old TiVo discovery protocol. If it doesn't find your TiVos after you disable it then turn it back on.

Not sure about the cmd.exe error. It might be your antivirus software. You might want to try uninstalling, disable antivirus, reinstall, then before enabling antivirus add an exception so it ignores the pyTivo install directory.


----------



## Bane7

Dan203 said:


> ZeroConf is basically just enabling disabling Bonjour, leaving only the old TiVo discovery protocol. If it doesn't find your TiVos after you disable it then turn it back on.
> 
> Not sure about the cmd.exe error. It might be your antivirus software. You might want to try uninstalling, disable antivirus, reinstall, then before enabling antivirus add an exception so it ignores the pyTivo install directory.


I have been able to get pyTIvo to see my roamio again. However I am still unable to get tivo to show the share in "my shows." I can see via netstat that pytivo is listenting on the network, on my ip on port 9032 Any other ideas?


----------



## mlippert

Bane7 said:


> I have been able to get pyTIvo to see my roamio again. However I am still unable to get tivo to show the share in "my shows." I can see via netstat that pytivo is listenting on the network, on my ip on port 9032 Any other ideas?


By any chance is one device wired, and the other wireless? You might need to look into configuring multicast forwarding on your router/access point. (zeroconf uses mDNS which uses UDP multicast to announce itself)


----------



## Bane7

mlippert said:


> By any chance is one device wired, and the other wireless? You might need to look into configuring multicast forwarding on your router/access point. (zeroconf uses mDNS which uses UDP multicast to announce itself)


Both devices are wired into the same switch.


----------



## Dan203

FYI the video share will only show up if it's pointing to a folder that actually has video files in it. Check the shares tab. Is the video share pointing to the proper folder?


----------



## Dan203

One common mistake is that when you change the location of the My TiVo Recordings folder in the settings it does NOT update the folder pointed to by the share. Internally those are two different things, so the only time they're linked is during install when it automatically creates the share pointing to the same folder you picked for downloads. But once you're past install those are two separate things. I could probably fix this in the UI portion of the code, to search for a share with the old folder and automatically update it with the new folder, but I haven't really been working on this code in a while. I kinda got discouraged when Hydra came out and had removed the upload feature.


----------



## Bane7

Dan203 said:


> One common mistake is that when you change the location of the My TiVo Recordings folder in the settings it does NOT update the folder pointed to by the share. Internally those are two different things, so the only time they're linked is during install when it automatically creates the share pointing to the same folder you picked for downloads. But once you're past install those are two separate things. I could probably fix this in the UI portion of the code, to search for a share with the old folder and automatically update it with the new folder, but I haven't really been working on this code in a while. I kinda got discouraged when Hydra came out and had removed the upload feature.


Both my Recordings folder and my share are set to c:\data\tivo and I have at least 50 files in the folder.

Another oddity that I am seeing is that if I queue multiple downloads, I sometimes get an error saying there isn't enough space even though I have 2 terabytes free.


----------



## Dan203

I'm not sure then. Something on your network or your PC must be blocking it. Although the fact that it sees the Music share is weird as I'm pretty sure they both use Bonjour/ZeroConf to function.

I didn't write pyTivo, only the UI part, so I'm not completely up on how exactly that discovery part works. Maybe @wmcbrine can offer another suggestion?


----------



## V7Goose

Your Roamio IS running TE3, right? No TE4 box can see a PC share.


----------



## cp2k

Is there any way (command line) or otherwise to easily convert a large # of .TiVo recordings to .mkv files without having to open every one separately in VideoReDo and saved them individually? I primarily use pyTivo for my transfers and it does this automatically but recently I recorded several seasons of a show off MeTV that still haven't been released on DVD. pyTiVo downloaded some of them fine, but for some reason other episodes caused it to "hang", requiring me to restart both the PC and the TiVo before I could transfer again. I ended up just transferring them with the old TiVo Desktop software, but now I'm stuck with 90+ .TiVo files that I really need to get to a more workable format. Anyone have any suggestions?


----------



## reneg

cp2k said:


> Is there any way (command line) or otherwise to easily convert a large # of .TiVo recordings to .mkv files without having to open every one separately in VideoReDo and saved them individually? I primarily use pyTivo for my transfers and it does this automatically but recently I recorded several seasons of a show off MeTV that still haven't been released on DVD. pyTiVo downloaded some of them fine, but for some reason other episodes caused it to "hang", requiring me to restart both the PC and the TiVo before I could transfer again. I ended up just transferring them with the old TiVo Desktop software, but now I'm stuck with 90+ .TiVo files that I really need to get to a more workable format. Anyone have any suggestions?


Look at the Tools -> Batch Manager in VideoReDo. If that doesn't work for you, kmttg is another option.


----------



## ThAbtO

cp2k said:


> Is there any way (command line) or otherwise to easily convert a large # of .TiVo recordings to .mkv files without having to open every one separately in VideoReDo and saved them individually? I primarily use pyTivo for my transfers and it does this automatically but recently I recorded several seasons of a show off MeTV that still haven't been released on DVD. pyTiVo downloaded some of them fine, but for some reason other episodes caused it to "hang", requiring me to restart both the PC and the TiVo before I could transfer again. I ended up just transferring them with the old TiVo Desktop software, but now I'm stuck with 90+ .TiVo files that I really need to get to a more workable format. Anyone have any suggestions?


Making MPEG4 video from SD video would more than likely the filesize would be larger. Tivo works with MPEG2 and MEG4.


----------



## mlippert

@ThAbtO .mkv (matroska) containers support mpeg2 and h.264 video streams. But out of curiosity are you saying that the Tivo Desktop downloads only support ps transfers, and therefore all of his downloads must be mpeg2?

@cp2k I agree with @reneg that VideoReDo or kmttg are probably your easiest options. I looked briefly at the VideoReDo batch processor and it looks like it should do what you want. Don't forget to have it qsfix them while decrypting.


----------



## Dan203

cp2k said:


> Is there any way (command line) or otherwise to easily convert a large # of .TiVo recordings to .mkv files without having to open every one separately in VideoReDo and saved them individually? I primarily use pyTivo for my transfers and it does this automatically but recently I recorded several seasons of a show off MeTV that still haven't been released on DVD. pyTiVo downloaded some of them fine, but for some reason other episodes caused it to "hang", requiring me to restart both the PC and the TiVo before I could transfer again. I ended up just transferring them with the old TiVo Desktop software, but now I'm stuck with 90+ .TiVo files that I really need to get to a more workable format. Anyone have any suggestions?


Batch manager is best option in VodeoReDo. If you're also transcoding, and not just remuxing as MKV, it can take a very long time though. Even on a fast computer transcoding an hour long show can take 10-15 minutes. Multiply that by 90 and it can really add up.


----------



## ThAbtO

mlippert said:


> .mkv (matroska) containers support mpeg2 and h.264 video streams. But out of curiosity are you saying that the Tivo Desktop downloads only support ps transfers, and therefore all of his downloads must be mpeg2?


I was referring to the filesizes... Compare the same SD video in .MPEG2 and in MPEG4 after they were processed and you may find that the MPEG4 version is significantly larger.


----------



## Bane7

My Roamio can see the pytivodesktop box and its content. However my mini's do not see the content shared from the Pytivo desktop. Is this normal?


----------



## ThAbtO

Yes, Because the Mini doesn't have a hard drive to store the videos.


----------



## Dan203

Bane7 said:


> My Roamio can see the pytivodesktop box and its content. However my mini's do not see the content shared from the Pytivo desktop. Is this normal?


Yeah. Minis can only stream. So you either have to transfer to to the TiVo first, then stream to Mini, or use Plex to stream directly from PC.


----------



## Bane7

Dan203 said:


> Yeah. Minis can only stream. So you either have to transfer to to the TiVo first, then stream to Mini, or use Plex to stream directly from PC


I assume I need to decrypt the TS files to convert them to MP4. Since I have already downloaded about 3 TB of files from my Roamio, is there a way to decrypt the ones I already have? Also, if I decrypt them but don't convert them to MP4, can they be transferred back to the Roamio?

Thanks,


----------



## Dan203

Bane7 said:


> I assume I need to decrypt the TS files to convert them to MP4. Since I have already downloaded about 3 TB of files from my Roamio, is there a way to decrypt the ones I already have? Also, if I decrypt them but don't convert them to MP4, can they be transferred back to the Roamio?
> 
> Thanks,


You can decrypt them using the tivolibre exe included in the pyTivo install folder. But you'd have to do it one at a time or set up a script to run it as a batch.

If you're a VideoReDo user you can use the batch manager to do them all at once.

The hardest part is retaining the metadata. If you decrypt them to .ts you'll lose the metadata. PyTivo has a built in function to convert the internal metadata to an external file, but as far as I know that functionality isn't duplicated in any standalone program.


----------



## Bane7

Dan203 said:


> You can decrypt them using the tivolibre exe included in the pyTivo install folder. But you'd have to do it one at a time or set up a script to run it as a batch.
> 
> If you're a VideoReDo user you can use the batch manager to do them all at once.
> 
> The hardest part is retaining the metadata. If you decrypt them to .ts you'll lose the metadata. PyTivo has a built in function to convert the internal metadata to an external file, but as far as I know that functionality isn't duplicated in any standalone program.


So it sounds like I may need to move them back to my roamio and then transfer them back to the PC to decrypt and maintain meta data. Is there any way to send them back to the roamio as a batch?


----------



## Dan203

Unfortunately not. You have to queue them one by one from the Roamio itself. And if you queue up too many there is a good chance that it'll lock up and have to be restarted a few times.

If you're just looking to save space you can use VideoReDo. It can convert a .tivo file with MPEG-2 encoding to one with H.264 encoding while retaining the .tivo header. And the resulting file can be transferred back to your TiVo with metadata. Only reason you need MP4 is if you plan to play these files on some mobile device.


----------



## ThAbtO

Bane7 said:


> Is there any way to send them back to the roamio as a batch?


No, only one at time can they be transferred.


----------



## Bane7

Dan203 said:


> Unfortunately not. You have to queue them one by one from the Roamio itself. And if you queue up too many there is a good chance that it'll lock up and have to be restarted a few times.
> 
> If you're just looking to save space you can use VideoReDo. It can convert a .tivo file with MPEG-2 encoding to one with H.264 encoding while retaining the .tivo header. And the resulting file can be transferred back to your TiVo with metadata. Only reason you need MP4 is if you plan to play these files on some mobile device.


Which version of Video redo would I need?

Thanks,


----------



## Dan203

Bane7 said:


> Which version of Video redo would I need?
> 
> Thanks,


TVSuite v5


----------



## UCLABB

Dan, I haven’t used Pytivo for quite a while. My hdd recently died and I’m trying to transfer some saved recordings back to my TiVo. Unfortunately, on every recording I’ve tried to transfer, it stops transferring at almost exactly 16 minutes. Then after a while the recording just disappears. I can play it fine up to the 16 minute mark then I get a message that it’s getting more of the show and to wait. 

Any ideas?


----------



## Dan203

UCLABB said:


> Dan, I haven't used Pytivo for quite a while. My hdd recently died and I'm trying to transfer some saved recordings back to my TiVo. Unfortunately, on every recording I've tried to transfer, it stops transferring at almost exactly 16 minutes. Then after a while the recording just disappears. I can play it fine up to the 16 minute mark then I get a message that it's getting more of the show and to wait.
> 
> Any ideas?


If they were downloaded from another TiVo there is likely a TS error at that point. (pretty common) Unfortunately the only way to fix it is to remux. You can use ffmpeg if you're so inclined. Or if you're a VideoReDo user you could use QSF. I think tivolibre also has a way to remove the errors when it's decrypting.


----------



## ClearToLand

UCLABB said:


> ...I'm trying to transfer some saved recordings back to my TiVo. Unfortunately, on every recording I've tried to transfer, it stops transferring at almost exactly 16 minutes...


.tivo, .mpg or .ts files?

Source on original TiVo was mpeg-2 or h.264?


----------



## dadrepus

So, I'm having major problems with the current Pytivo desktop for Mac. I get the spinning beachball frequently when doing things. may not be the same thing each time. When launching pytivo desktop it opens the setting tab and asked me to restart. Whether i do or not, i get the spinning ball and no tivo info loads.


----------



## Dan203

Did you restart everything? Including the TiVos?

If that doesn’t help check your firewall. Not exactly sure how that works on Mac but I assume it has one. If you can temporarily disable it. If that helps you may need to look into poking holes for pyTivo.


----------



## elprice7345

@Dan203:

I upgraded from VRD v5 to v6
I upgraded kmttg to v2.4n
Processed a file in kmttg using both VRD QSF and Ad Detective
All worked as expected
I also use pyTivo desktop to download and QSF shows from channels that are x.264 encoded and (usually) have TS sync errors.

Out of an abundance of caution, I've left both VRD v5 and v6 installed to make sure things are working well before I uninstall v5.

My question to you: How do I know which version of VRD pyTivo desktop is using?

I would like to confirm pyTivo desktop is working with VRD v6 before I uninstall v5.


----------



## dadrepus

Dan203 said:


> Did you restart everything? Including the TiVos?
> 
> If that doesn't help check your firewall. Not exactly sure how that works on Mac but I assume it has one. If you can temporarily disable it. If that helps you may need to look into poking holes for pyTivo.


It initially showed the tivos and shows. Only after I looked at the settings and saved did it go wonky and the tivos
and shows disappeared and the spinning ball started. It would not load any info after that. I un-installed everything.


----------



## Dan203

dadrepus said:


> It initially showed the tivos and shows. Only after I looked at the settings and saved did it go wonky and the tivos
> and shows disappeared and the spinning ball started. It would not load any info after that. I un-installed everything.


It probably just needed to be restarted. pyTivo Desktop has two parts. The pyTivo part runs in the tray and the Desktop part runs in a window and communicates with the pyTivo part via http requests over localhost. Sometimes the pyTivo part can get a little confused, especially after that soft reset that exiting the settings does, so sometimes you just need to shut them both down and then restart them manually. 99% of the time that works.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> @Dan203:
> 
> I upgraded from VRD v5 to v6
> I upgraded kmttg to v2.4n
> Processed a file in kmttg using both VRD QSF and Ad Detective
> All worked as expected
> I also use pyTivo desktop to download and QSF shows from channels that are x.264 encoded and (usually) have TS sync errors.
> 
> Out of an abundance of caution, I've left both VRD v5 and v6 installed to make sure things are working well before I uninstall v5.
> 
> My question to you: How do I know which version of VRD pyTivo desktop is using?
> 
> I would like to confirm pyTivo desktop is working with VRD v6 before I uninstall v5.


I believe the code looks for 6 first and then drops down to 5 if it can't be found. I knew about 6 even back when I was writing this, and thought it was going to be released sooner, so I accounted for it. (although I do see a weird issue with it. It's not loading all the profiles like it should when you select recode. I'm only getting one.)


----------



## bobfrank

Dan203 said:


> I believe the code looks for 6 first and then drops down to 5 if it can't be found. I knew about 6 even back when I was writing this, and thought it was going to be released sooner, so I accounted for it. (although I do see a weird issue with it. It's not loading all the profiles like it should when you select recode. I'm only getting one.)


Slightly off topic, but I've been a long time VDR customer and user. I wasn't aware that version 6 was available until I read it in this thread. I've got the new version now.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> I believe the code looks for 6 first and then drops down to 5 if it can't be found. I knew about 6 even back when I was writing this, and thought it was going to be released sooner, so I accounted for it. (although I do see a weird issue with it. It's not loading all the profiles like it should when you select recode. I'm only getting one.)


So the only way to confirm it works with v6 is to uninstall v5?


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> So the only way to confirm it works with v6 is to uninstall v5?


Actually the easiest way is to set pyTivo to "Save to Profile" and look at the profile. In my case I know it's picking up v6 because the profile it's showing is "Program Stream" which doesn't exist in v5. If it shows something like "MPEG2 Program Stream" then it's v5 because in v5 all the profiles have a codec name in front of them.

If you want to do it the hard way you can unregister v5. To do that you have to open a command prompt with admin privileges then run...

"C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoReDoTVSuite5\VideoReDo5.exe" /unregister

You can confirm it's unregistered by launching v5 and attempting to start the batch manager. When the batch manager starts it checks for the COM interface and if it's not registered it offers to do it for you. Make sure you answer "No" to that prompt so that it doesn't reregister it for you.

Now restart pyTivo, wait a minute, then start the UI and check the settings > download tab. If you still see the option to run VideoReDo then you're all set. Although I had some weird issues doing this and had to reboot my PC for it to recognize correctly after I unregistered.

Edit: I think I know the issue with why it's not displaying all the profiles for v6. Unfortunately it's been so long since I did anything with pyTivo I forget how to build it all. I may try to fix it over the weekend if I have time, but no promises.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Actually the easiest way is to set pyTivo to "Save to Profile" and look at the profile. In my case I know it's picking up v6 because the profile it's showing is "Program Stream" which doesn't exist in v5. If it shows something like "MPEG2 Program Stream" then it's v5 because in v5 all the profiles have a codec name in front of them.


When I change to "Save to Profile", it shows:

H.264 Elementary Streams
H.264 M2TS
MPEG-2 Elementary Streams
etc.
I presume pyTivo Desktop is still using v5 on my system?

I didn't try unregistering v5 yet.

Can you confirm pyTivo Desktop works with v6? If so, I'll just uninstall v5 after a few days of use and cross my fingers.


----------



## Dan203

There is an issue with v6 because of a change I made to COM. I changed the name of one little function and because of that the code that loads the profile list is failing after it loads one profile. So if you use the save to profile feature then it will not work with v6.

I'm going to have to try to fix that, but it's going to take some work as I haven’t touched the code in a long time.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> Actually the easiest way is to set pyTivo to "Save to Profile" and look at the profile. In my case I know it's picking up v6 because the profile it's showing is "Program Stream" which doesn't exist in v5. If it shows something like "MPEG2 Program Stream" then it's v5 because in v5 all the profiles have a codec name in front of them.
> 
> If you want to do it the hard way you can unregister v5. To do that you have to open a command prompt with admin privileges then run...
> 
> "C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoReDoTVSuite5\VideoReDo5.exe" /unregister
> 
> You can confirm it's unregistered by launching v5 and attempting to start the batch manager. When the batch manager starts it checks for the COM interface and if it's not registered it offers to do it for you. Make sure you answer "No" to that prompt so that it doesn't reregister it for you.
> 
> Now restart pyTivo, wait a minute, then start the UI and check the settings > download tab. If you still see the option to run VideoReDo then you're all set. Although I had some weird issues doing this and had to reboot my PC for it to recognize correctly after I unregistered.
> 
> Edit: I think I know the issue with why it's not displaying all the profiles for v6. Unfortunately it's been so long since I did anything with pyTivo I forget how to build it all. I may try to fix it over the weekend if I have time, but no promises.


I followed your "unregister" procedure:

Unregistered v5
Restarted pyTivo Desktop
The option to use/run VRD was no longer available
Ran v5 as an admin
Restarted pyTivo Desktop
VRD is available in PyTivo Desktop again
I guess you'll need to update the pyTivo Desktop code to work with VRD v6 before I can uninstall v5.

If you're open to improvement suggestions while fixing the v6 issue:

Could you make the downloaded metadata file name match the video file name?
Current naming convention:
Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts
Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS).tivo.txt

Proposed naming convention:
Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts
Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts.txt​
Could you change the sorting in the "My Shows" tabs to use OAD if available? It currently sorts by record/upload date.


----------



## ThAbtO

elprice7345 said:


> Could you make the downloaded metadata file name match the video file name?


If you were using KMTTG, after decrypting, you will get those filenames.


----------



## elprice7345

ThAbtO said:


> If you were using KMTTG, after decrypting, you will get those filenames.


I'm not sure I follow ...

I use kmttg for as many of my downloads as possible, but rely on the iterative capability of pyTivo Desktop to download shows with TS sync errors.

I'm asking pyTivo Desktop to mimic what kmttg is doing where the resulting root file name is the same for the metadata and the video.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> I'm not sure I follow ...
> 
> I use kmttg for as many of my downloads as possible, but rely on the iterative capability of pyTivo Desktop to download shows with TS sync errors.
> 
> I'm asking pyTivo Desktop to mimic what kmttg is doing where the resulting root file name is the same for the metadata and the video.


Hmmm... didn't consider that. If I dive back into the code I'll look at how hard that is to do. I'm working on another project right now, so may take a little bit.


----------



## elprice7345

No worries Dan!

Everything works fine with both v5 and v6 installed. My OCD is driving me to uninstall v5, but I can leave it for now!


----------



## tivoknucklehead

tried to transfer young and the restless episode from my bolt to windows 10 PC using pytivo "transfer recording". while transferring message popped up "TS errors detected. 138 packets affected", it is a 5.1 gb file, not that big
When it completed, VLC would not play the .tivo file at all, so I converted it to .mp4 using pavtube like I've done many times in the past . The .mp4 played fine until the 34 minute mark of the 60 minute video, then garbage the rest of the way.


----------



## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> tried to transfer young and the restless episode from my bolt to windows 10 PC using pytivo "transfer recording". while transferring message popped up "TS errors detected. 138 packets affected", it is a 5.1 gb file, not that big
> When it completed, VLC would not play the .tivo file at all, so I converted it to .mp4 using pavtube like I've done many times in the past . The .mp4 played fine until the 34 minute mark of the 60 minute video, then garbage the rest of the way.


.tivo files are encrypted. You have to use the decrypt option if you want them to play in VLC. the resulting files will be .ts instead of .tivo.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> .tivo files are encrypted. You have to use the decrypt option if you want them to play in VLC. the resulting files will be .ts instead of .tivo.


please be more specific. Where is the decrypt option, in vlc, pytivo ,or elsewhere?
and can anything be done about this packet loss which really is my main problem


----------



## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> please be more specific. Where is the decrypt option, in vlc, pytivo ,or elsewhere?
> and can anything be done about this packet loss which really is my main problem


In pyTivo. On the first settings page.

The packet loss is coming from the TiVo the only thing you can do is set up pyTivo to keep retrying. Sometimes if you retry enough times you'll get a clean copy. But it's not guaranteed. Although if you try enough times you should at least get a copy that has the least number of errors possible.


----------



## tivoknucklehead

Dan203 said:


> In pyTivo. On the first settings page.
> 
> The packet loss is coming from the TiVo the only thing you can do is set up pyTivo to keep retrying. Sometimes if you retry enough times you'll get a clean copy. But it's not guaranteed. Although if you try enough times you should at least get a copy that has the least number of errors possible.


thanks for the reply, i'll give it another shot with decrypt checked and saved

edit: tried again with decrypt checked and even though it showed some packet loss the whole show transferred and played fine !


----------



## Dan203

tivoknucklehead said:


> thanks for the reply, i'll give it another shot with decrypt checked and saved
> 
> edit: tried again with decrypt checked and even though it showed some packet loss the whole show transferred and played fine !


Good, glad it's working


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> I followed your "unregister" procedure:
> 
> Unregistered v5
> Restarted pyTivo Desktop
> The option to use/run VRD was no longer available
> Ran v5 as an admin
> Restarted pyTivo Desktop
> VRD is available in PyTivo Desktop again
> I guess you'll need to update the pyTivo Desktop code to work with VRD v6 before I can uninstall v5.
> 
> If you're open to improvement suggestions while fixing the v6 issue:
> 
> Could you make the downloaded metadata file name match the video file name?
> Current naming convention:
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS).tivo.txt
> 
> Proposed naming convention:
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts.txt​
> Could you change the sorting in the "My Shows" tabs to use OAD if available? It currently sorts by record/upload date.


I looked into your enhancements. Unfortunately neither is possible without significant code changes. They seem simple from the outside but they're more complicated than that under the hood.

I have fixed the VideoReDo v6 issue though and will be adding a display in the dialog to tell you which version is being used so you can rest assured you're using the right version. That's all I plan to do for now.


----------



## tommage1

Due to possible removal of ability to roll back TE4 to TE3 plus the new pre-roll ads I am going to roll back my TE4 Bolt to TE3. I want to save my recordings if possible, was going to transfer to a Premiere. Tivo to Tivo too slow, have to do each individually. Tried Tivo online but "transfer all" does not work, maybe because 1600 recordings/2TB. So I think I will try pyTivo. Some questions.

1. First of all the recordings are all OTA. So should I select video stream for the downloads? How about for the upload back (once I roll back the Bolt to TE3 I will probably transfer back). Transport stream needed for MPEG4 I guess but OTA is MPEG2. And I know the transport stream can have errors, not so with video stream?

2. Do these transfers use any internet? Seeing as my cap is 150GB and I'll be transferring 2TB if it uses internet I'd probably get a bill big enough to buy a few lifetime Tivos


----------



## ThAbtO

You can only transfer shows one at a time, even though you may select several shows, they only transfer one at a time. They do not impact on your internet data usage, unless its for the Tivo service in the authorization of the transfer (if it exists.)


----------



## tommage1

ThAbtO said:


> You can only transfer shows one at a time, even though you may select several shows, they only transfer one at a time. They do not impact on your internet data usage, unless its for the Tivo service in the authorization of the transfer (if it exists.)


Ok thanks, had to make sure about the internet. Yeah one at a time but I can select more than one at a time then let it do it's thing (too bad can't select an entire folder) Unfortunately Tivo Online does not work for this, just click "all" and let it go, then I could do Tivo to Tivo. Think I can do "all" with pyTivo too. Or can go into folders and click each one individually. Direct Tivo to Tivo a real pain with 1600 recordings.........


----------



## ThAbtO

You would have to pull them from the shows list. Push does not work any more.


----------



## Mikeguy

I've transferred a significant number of shows (although well below your number of shows) between TiVo boxes and a PC using both pyTiVo Desktop and TE3's built-in show transfer function (done 1-by-one, from the show menu) and, while it takes time to complete, you get into a rhythm with it--I would queue up a number of shows at a time, let the software do its thing, and come back a few hours later to do a quick qc and to queue up the next batch. It just takes time. 

Good luck!


----------



## tommage1

Mikeguy said:


> I've transferred a significant number of shows (although well below your number of shows) between TiVo boxes and a PC using both pyTiVo Desktop and TE3's built-in show transfer function (done 1-by-one, from the show menu) and, while it takes time to complete, you get into a rhythm with it--I would queue up a number of shows at a time, let the software do its thing, and come back a few hours later to do a quick qc and to queue up the next batch. It just takes time.
> 
> Good luck!


Thanks, yeah I've been doing some transfers (the "critical" stuff) from the shows menu. About 280 done, a bit over 1300 to go  I think I will transfer the critical recordings from the shows menu to the Premiere, the rest using pyTivo to the computer.

Anyone have opinion about using video stream vs transfer stream since my box is OTA, all MPEG2. Probably slower but I don't care, quality over speed.


----------



## Mikeguy

tommage1 said:


> Thanks, yeah I've been doing some transfers (the "critical" stuff) from the shows menu. About 280 done, a bit over 1300 to go  I think I will transfer the critical recordings from the shows menu to the Premiere, the rest using pyTivo to the computer.
> 
> Anyone have opinion about using video stream vs transfer stream since my box is OTA, all MPEG2. Probably slower but I don't care, quality over speed.


On my OTA boxes, I used video stream--I didn't notice any speed difference (or it was negligible), and it seemed more glitch-free. I believe that, from what I've read and if I'm recalling correctly, you lose subtitle captioning with video stream and perhaps some show metadata, but to me, the show integrity was more important.


----------



## dougdingle

tommage1 said:


> Thanks, yeah I've been doing some transfers (the "critical" stuff) from the shows menu. About 280 done, a bit over 1300 to go  I think I will transfer the critical recordings from the shows menu to the Premiere, the rest using pyTivo to the computer.


My experience transferring a LOT of shows from one machine to another has been that if I queue up too many all at once, the process would eventually bog down and then crash. So I would do no more than a dozen or so, then another dozen, etc.


----------



## tommage1

dougdingle said:


> My experience transferring a LOT of shows from one machine to another has been that if I queue up too many all at once, the process would eventually bog down and then crash. So I would do no more than a dozen or so, then another dozen, etc.


So no "all" on pyTivo with 1600 recordings?  With my direct Tivo to Tivo from the shows menu I've been doing 10-20 at a time, no glitches yet. Thanks.


----------



## Dan203

If you have another TiVo then TiVo to TiVo is faster, will retain skip data, and will not have the TS packet losses. Plus even though you can’t "transfer all" via online, you can still bulk transfer. With pyTivo getting the shows from PC to TiVo will have to be done one by one using the TiVo UI. 

Point is.... TiVo to TiVo is preferable for this kind of transfer if it's an option.


----------



## dougdingle

tommage1 said:


> So no "all" on pyTivo with 1600 recordings?  With my direct Tivo to Tivo from the shows menu I've been doing 10-20 at a time, no glitches yet. Thanks.


I was using TiVo to TiVo, transferring from the Series 3 THX to a new Roamio. If I cued up more than about 15 or so, the process would stall and die.


----------



## tommage1

dougdingle said:


> I was using TiVo to TiVo, transferring from the Series 3 THX to a new Roamio. If I cued up more than about 15 or so, the process would stall and die.


I'll stick with that then, 2 screens at a time pretty much.


----------



## Dan203

Yah if you queue up too many it can stall. This is true of TiVo to PC transfers with pyTivo as well. Something is off with the TiVo queue system in general.


----------



## Mikeguy

dougdingle said:


> My experience transferring a LOT of shows from one machine to another has been that if I queue up too many all at once, the process would eventually bog down and then crash. So I would do no more than a dozen or so, then another dozen, etc.


My experience as well, although my magic, safe number was 15-20.


----------



## ThAbtO

I use PyTivo, although not desktop, and have shows stored off on a NAS, which goes to sleep after a short time idle. I have a share in PyTivo to that drive. When I try to access it from the Roamio, it does not wake up to give the shows. Later, I found out that the Series 3 I still use, does wake it up. If I am doing any changes to the files/folder (such as renaming,) Tivo would complain that it cannot access it (or something like that.) So, after each change, I can quickly update the shows in the list by pressing 2 (toggle folder/groups) and that updates things quickly.


----------



## oscarfish

I have several programs that I transferred (via tivo.com) from a TE3 cable Roamio to a TE4 OTA Roamio that will not play past 10 minutes or so. The playback just hangs/stops. Frozen picture. I've tried jumping over the spot, No help. However, the same programs uploaded to my PC via pyTivo Desktop play just fine in VLC player. I've been meaning to try and stream the same programs from the PC to the TE4 box, but just haven't gotten around to it.


----------



## Dan203

Having a bear of a time making a new build of this. It's been so long and this web technology moves so fast. I used Angular 4 to do all this, they're now up to Angular 8. Ugh.


----------



## minimeh

Better hurry--9 is coming in November! 

How about just staying at 4? Seems like the path of least resistance...


----------



## ThAbtO

minimeh said:


> Seems like the path of least resistance...


Resistance is futile.


----------



## Mikeguy

oscarfish said:


> I have *several programs that I transferred (via tivo.com) from a TE3 cable Roamio to a TE4 OTA Roamio that will not play past 10 minutes or so*. The playback just hangs/stops. Frozen picture. I've tried jumping over the spot, No help. However, the same programs uploaded to my PC via pyTivo Desktop play just fine in VLC player. I've been meaning to try and stream the same programs from the PC to the TE4 box, but just haven't gotten around to it.


That's been a known problem with transfers via tivo.com.  I don't recall if it's the involvement of TE4 or a more general issue with tivo.com in transfers.


----------



## Dan203

minimeh said:


> Better hurry--9 is coming in November!
> 
> How about just staying at 4? Seems like the path of least resistance...


I tried that, but since I had upgraded some bits for another project it wouldn't build. So I tried to just update everything and just made it all worse.


----------



## JoeKustra

oscarfish said:


> I have several programs that I transferred (via tivo.com) from a TE3 cable Roamio to a TE4 OTA Roamio that will not play past 10 minutes or so. The playback just hangs/stops. Frozen picture. I've tried jumping over the spot, No help. However, the same programs uploaded to my PC via pyTivo Desktop play just fine in VLC player. I've been meaning to try and stream the same programs from the PC to the TE4 box, but just haven't gotten around to it.


I have had that happen but only with programs using SkipMode. The screen will freeze when the first commercial should start. If I hit page up or "D" the position marker will move. Like you said, recorded on TE3 and transferred to TE4.


----------



## tpir72

Hey Dan,
Can you save multiple episodes in a sub folder of the folder that PYtivo is pointing to so it it displays as a show name folder in My Shows?

Regards,

Terry


----------



## saberman

tpir72 said:


> Hey Dan,
> Can you save multiple episodes in a sub folder of the folder that PYtivo is pointing to so it it displays as a show name folder in My Shows?


If you are talking about the PC side simply create a sub folder and copy the episodes and their corresponding text files to the sub folder.
If you are talking about the TiVo side turn grouping on and the episodes will appear to be in a sub folder.


----------



## tpir72

What corresponding text file? I have movies and TV shows in mp4 format that I want to transfer into my tivo server running PYTIVO but there aren't any text files with them. What needs to be in the text file? Do you have an example?


----------



## PSU_Sudzi

tpir72 said:


> What corresponding text file? I have movies and TV shows in mp4 format that I want to transfer into my tivo server running PYTIVO but there aren't any text files with them. What needs to be in the text file? Do you have an example?


Its a text file with the metadata for the show/movie you want to send to your TiVo. I'm not sure if pytivo creates a text file when you copy a show from TiVo to PC as I haven't done that in some time. But I do create text files for movies I sent to my TiVo from PC.


----------



## Wil

PSU_Sudzi said:


> I'm not sure if pytivo creates a text file when you copy a show from TiVo to PC


pyTivo Desktop has a setting to create a metadata text file automatically.


----------



## Joe3

Anybody have and idea as to why when I am using pytivo and MetaGenerator 3e that I get duplicates of the icon computer on my Tivos. It dose this when both programs are being used and I have to reboot the Tivos and shut down the Metagenerator to rid of all the duplicates. ???


----------



## ThAbtO

Joe3 said:


> Anybody have and idea as to why when I am using pytivo and MetaGenerator 3e that I get duplicates of the icon computer on my Tivos. It dose this when both programs are being used and I have to reboot the Tivos and shut down the Metagenerator to rid of all the duplicates. ???


You must have the path set to the desktop folder on your computer ie: C:/USER/joe3/desktop


----------



## tpir72

OK, didn't need the text file, I uploaded the shows to my PYTIVO shared folder and it was recognized in the TIVO Premiere 4XL as saved folders by show name.


----------



## Joe3

ThAbtO said:


> You must have the path set to the desktop folder on your computer ie: C:/USER/joe3/desktop


Thank you for helping me. It solved the problem behavior.


----------



## jakryk

Dan203 said:


> I have just completed a new version which now includes a full feature UI called "pyTivo Desktop" which includes TiVoToGo support. I hope it works well for everyone. Please let me know if you have any trouble with it...
> 
> New website...
> 
> pyTivo Desktop
> 
> Release builds
> Last Updated - Windows: 9/15/17 4:20pm - v1.6.16
> Last Updated - Mac: 8/14/17 1:05pm - v1.6.15
> 
> Beta builds
> Last Updated - Windows: None
> Last Updated - Mac: None
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Original Post
> 
> 
> 
> I've created an easier to use/install version of pyTivo. It's compiled into a standard Windows exe and does NOT require you to install python on your PC to work. It also includes a simple UI for setting up and managing shares. Some of the advanced features still have to be setup using the web UI or by editing the config file by hand, but this should be a lot easier for people to get going if all you want to do is transfer videos from your PC to your TiVo or use Music/Photos.
> 
> pyTivo_setup.exe
> 
> pyTivo_setup.zip (alternative for those getting antivirus warnings with exe)
> 
> In a future release I plan to add a UI for some of the advanced settings and maybe the TTG portion too.
> 
> I'm also going to try creating Mac and Linux versions too when I have some more time.
> 
> Edit: 4/2/17 Updated version with settings dialog


Is there a user manual? I installed the Desktop and it does recognize my TiVo and shows my media key, but it always opens the Settingspage and I'm not sure what it wants me to do. The 'Loading Show List' screens just endlessly shows the loading icon but it never loads the show lists.


----------



## Tim2009

I have been using pyTivo (not the desktop) to transfer shows with no problem. When I try the Desktop app (v1.6.16), once it launch I get the message "Error connecting to pyTivo Verify pyTivo is running and retry". I check the Task Manger and there are 2 pyTivo running on the list. I closed out all the app and the background pyTivo. I click on PyTivo in the install folder and get the following:
INFOyTivo:Last modified: Fri Sep 15 16:04:38 2017
INFOyTivoython: 2.7.13
INFOyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.18362
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI11~3\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\users\admin\appdata\local\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivo-27'
INFOyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
INFOyTivo.beacon:Bedroom - 192.168.1.48
INFOyTivo.beacon:Theater - 192.168.1.49
INFOyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFOyTivo.beacon:Registering: 2019
INFOyTivo.beacon:Registering: kmttg
INFOyTivoyTivo is ready.

Then I start the PyTivo tray program and start the desktop app from the tray. I get the same message Error connecting to pyTivo. There is no message from the console.
What am I doing wrong? Is there something I am missing? Please help. Thanks.


----------



## Wil

Is it OK to just brute force fresh install pyTivo Desktop on a Mac by copying the entire pyTivo Application folder from a working Mac and copying the startup file to the System library? Does the installer really do anything else I need to be concerned about?

I did that and all seems well. I've exercised it pretty thoroughly. Obviously I changed the shares to match the new environment, some file paths, housekeeping. Just want to make sure I'm not open to issues moving forward by not doing a righteous Install.

I had tried to install pyTivo Desktop on a Mac with Catalina OS and the installer failed, most likely because I fool around with my OSs and probably as a byproduct made something incompatible. So I copied pyTivo Desktop over from a working Majave setup.


----------



## ThAbtO

I think the reason you are having problems is Catalina is 64 bit system vs a 32 bit system.


----------



## Wil

ThAbtO said:


> I think the reason you are having problems is Catalina is 64 bit system vs a 32 bit system.


The brute force copying from a working Mojave continues to work fine, I just have this nagging fear I overlooked something that could bite me someday.

EDIT: After a couple of weeks I'm having all kinds of minor issues. Really trivial, almost nothing. Slight delays, lags, blank list screens that have to be refreshed. Tivos temporarily disappearing every few days instead of every few months as before. Of course my switchover to Catalina and resetting some system settings may be the underlying cause. But my non-standard install of pyTivo is on my mind.

Nobody else here migrated a pyTivo server to Catalina?


----------



## jjberger2134

I installed pyTivo on my Windows PC desktop, and can see both my Bolt and TiVoHD on the pyTiVo. I can transfer shows to the PC from either TiVo. On the TiVoHD, I can see "My Computer" and the transferred shows as well as initiate a transfer to the TiVoHD. I can't do any of this on the Bolt. * Is there a reason why the Bolt doesn't work with pytivo (desktop to bolt)? *Am I missing a setting somewhere?


----------



## ThAbtO

jjberger2134 said:


> I can't do any of this on the Bolt.


You can't do it anymore while its running v21/Hydra.


----------



## jjberger2134

ThAbtO said:


> You can't do it anymore while its running v21/Hydra.


Ugh! So if I offload all my content, then downgrade to TE3, I'll be able to upload those recordings back to the TiVo?


----------



## ThAbtO

jjberger2134 said:


> Ugh! So if I offload all my content, then downgrade to TE3, I'll be able to upload those recordings back to the TiVo?


Yes.


----------



## teasip

PyTiVo not functional with OS X Catalina upgrade on my MBP.


----------



## Dan203

Unfortunately I don’t have a machine capable of running Catalina to test with.

I also tired building pyTivo recently with the newer Node/NPM and the upgraded versions of all the libs and it completely failed.

This stuff changes too fast and every lib is introducing breaking changes, and I just don’t have the time, or motivation, to fix it. And even if I did my Mac will only go up to High Sierra, so that's the best I could ever test on. (no intentions on getting another Mac anytime soon)


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> I just don't have the time, or motivation, to fix it. And even if I did my Mac will only go up to High Sierra


Works on Catalina for me, as I previously noted. I am having very minor issues but I think they are coincidental and not caused by Catalina itself.

The *Installer* does not work for me, again as I noted; my Catalina version of pyTivo is simply a brute force copy over from my previous working version and I'd suggest that to anyone else having *install* failure. I'm hoping the installer doesn't do anything else subtle.


----------



## Dan203

I know most Mac programs are just a single file, but because of the way the python packager I use for pytivo, the java packaged I use for tivolibre and the electron packager I use for the UI part all work it was basically impossible cram them all into a single file, so the installer just made more sense.

At this point I think I'm done with updating pyTivo Desktop. I "might" figure out how to get it to build on Windows again so I can fix a small bug that prevents it from working with VideoReDo v6, but only if I can muster the motivation. The Mac build is likely stuck where it's at for good. 

With the Edge not supporting TiVoToGo at all, and PC to TiVo transfers having been Removed from hydra, the writing is on the wall. TiVo doesn’t want to support this functionality any more and I don’t want to waste time on something they could kill off at any moment.


----------



## Wil

Dan203 said:


> it was basically impossible cram them all into a single file, so the installer just made more sense.


Understood.

Hence my original question, in the absence of an Installer that works any more: Is it OK to just brute force fresh install pyTivo Desktop on a Mac by copying the entire pyTivo Application *folder* from a working Mac and copying the *startup *to the System library? Does the Installer really do anything else I need to be concerned about?

(obviously I needed to update paths and such to match the new environment)

As I said before, this is working for me in Catalina. The issues I'm having I'm 90%+ certain are from other causes and I can track them down eventually but I'd love the reassurance that there aren't some other subtleties in the Installer I need to pursue.


----------



## elprice7345

@Dan203 Would love for you to update the windows version to be compatible with VRD6!


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> At this point I think I'm done with updating pyTivo Desktop.


Dan, I know you didn't want to open source PyTivo Desktop when you created it, but perhaps you feel differently now, in case someone else would like to try updating it?

That probably won't be me because I'm pretty happy w/ the Python 3 version of the original pytivo I've built, so I'm not asking for myself, but others here are developers and maybe they'd want to take a crack at it.

I understand if you don't want to open source it and push the repo to github, but thought it was worth asking.


----------



## omelet1978

Wil said:


> Works on Catalina for me, as I previously noted. I am having very minor issues but I think they are coincidental and not caused by Catalina itself.
> 
> The *Installer* does not work for me, again as I noted; my Catalina version of pyTivo is simply a brute force copy over from my previous working version and I'd suggest that to anyone else having *install* failure. I'm hoping the installer doesn't do anything else subtle.


I have Mac Catalina and also Paralels with Windows 10 and am having no luck with either on in regards to PyTivo. Is there any where to get the files in order to do a "brute force copy". I'm actually moving to a place where they do not have Xfinity access so I'm going to have to sell my Tivo boxes but I'm hoping to pull all the videos off of them first.


----------



## ThAbtO

omelet1978 said:


> I'm actually moving to a place where they do not have Xfinity access so I'm going to have to sell my Tivo boxes


Why do you think it wouldn't work at your new location? What would be your Cable service there?

About the only services that won't work is DirecTV, Satellite and IPTV.


----------



## Wil

omelet1978 said:


> I have Mac Catalina and also Paralels with Windows 10 and am having no luck with either on in regards to PyTivo. Is there any where to get the files in order to do a "brute force copy". I'm actually moving to a place where they do not have Xfinity access so I'm going to have to sell my Tivo boxes but I'm hoping to pull all the videos off of them first.


No one here answered my question about the brute force copying. It seems to work for me. I'm running with Catalina by just copying the whole Desktop pyTivo folder in the Applications folder from a working Mojave system over to Catalina and reconfiguring paths to match the new environment. I think the option to autostart was available only during the original installation, I don't see an option to add that after the fact, so I set that up manually also. Seems to work alright.

Outside of Desktop pyTivo itself, a standalone pyTivo has always run fine on other Catalina computers for me, it's only the *Installer* of the pyTivo Desktop version that's not worked.


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> Dan, I know you didn't want to open source PyTivo Desktop when you created it, but perhaps you feel differently now, in case someone else would like to try updating it?
> 
> That probably won't be me because I'm pretty happy w/ the Python 3 version of the original pytivo I've built, so I'm not asking for myself, but others here are developers and maybe they'd want to take a crack at it.
> 
> I understand if you don't want to open source it and push the repo to github, but thought it was worth asking.


I thought about it a few issues...

The Desktop part is written in Angular 4 which is pretty out of date. I tried upgrading it myself and got a million build errors. So it would take quite a bit of work to get it up to 8 (the current version). That's actually the part that's tripping me up on releasing a new Windows build.

The second part is that the installer I use for Mac and the program I use to convert tivolibre to a single executable are paid licenses. Also the Mac build is actually signed with my paid yearly Apple Developer subscription. So releasing the entire project as-is wouldn't be possible. I could release the Angular code and build scripts I used, but some of it simply couldn't be recreated open source.


----------



## Dan203

Wil said:


> No one here answered my question about the brute force copying. It seems to work for me. I'm running with Catalina by just copying the whole Desktop pyTivo folder in the Applications folder from a working Mojave system over to Catalina and reconfiguring paths to match the new environment. I think the option to autostart was available only during the original installation, I don't see an option to add that after the fact, so I set that up manually also. Seems to work alright.
> 
> Outside of Desktop pyTivo itself, a standalone pyTivo has always run fine on other Catalina computers for me, it's only the *Installer* of the pyTivo Desktop version that's not worked.


I'm not really a Mac guy. I have a Mac VM I use to build pyTivo and I think it's stuck on High Sierra. I can't remember off the top of my head if it puts any files anywhere else. I think that maybe it does for the feature that launches it at startup and maybe one file to get it to appear in the app launcher, but otherwise I think it's pretty self contained


----------



## omelet1978

Wil said:


> No one here answered my question about the brute force copying. It seems to work for me. I'm running with Catalina by just copying the whole Desktop pyTivo folder in the Applications folder from a working Mojave system over to Catalina and reconfiguring paths to match the new environment. I think the option to autostart was available only during the original installation, I don't see an option to add that after the fact, so I set that up manually also. Seems to work alright.
> 
> Outside of Desktop pyTivo itself, a standalone pyTivo has always run fine on other Catalina computers for me, it's only the *Installer* of the pyTivo Desktop version that's not worked.


So I do not have a working Mojave system unfortunately. I just have my MacBook Air that is upgraded to Catalina. Is there a desktop pyTivo folder that can be posted online or something like that so guys like me with Catalina can download it and use pyTivo.

The installer is what is holding me up. The pyTivo icon appears in the doc and then disappears and I cannot install pyTivo as a result.

Thanks


----------



## Wil

omelet1978 said:


> desktop pyTivo folder that can be posted online or something like that so guys like me with Catalina can download it and use pyTivo? The installer is what is holding me up


That could only be done with the permission of the developer and because he's using products with restrictions from other developers he might be reluctant. But you could ask.

What you are trying to do, just get your files off a Tivo, can be done just as well with kmttg. That is still the most widely used method for that purpose and it still works fine under Catalina, though I actually prefer remotely running it from my Mac on a Windows box, via Microsoft Remote Desktop, so I can use it with the wonderful VideoReDo.

Generally though, when I install such a draconian, sea change of an OS like Catalina, I keep my old OS running on a throwaway external drive I can boot into to handle issues. There are always issues. You could do that, then install Desktop pyTivo through its Installer, if you really want this version. Then just copy the pyTivo folder from the Applications folder from one drive to the other. If you want auto-startup (as far as I can tell, the only thing you lose) there are several ways of accomplishing that and if you get that far ask about it and I'll describe a couple of the simpler ways.


----------



## omelet1978

Wil said:


> What you are trying to do, just get your files off a Tivo, can be done just as well with kmttg. That is still the most widely used method for that purpose and it still works fine under Catalina, .


I went to Kmttg's website and followed their directions in regards to command prompts from the terminal in the utilities folder as well as installing java, etc...still no luck with my MacBook Air. Any suggestions on how to make that work too?


----------



## Wil

omelet1978 said:


> no luck with [kmttg on] my MacBook Air


Kmttg works fine on my PowerBook under Catalina. It's been years since I set it up but my advice in general would be don't rush, even though there are only a few steps. It helps if you understand what you're doing but when I don't (which can be quite often with this kind of thing) I just go painfully slow and double/triple check everything as I go.


----------



## Sparky1234

Wil said:


> Kmttg works fine on my PowerBook under Catalina. It's been years since I set it up but my advice in general would be don't rush, even though there are only a few steps. It helps if you understand what you're doing but when I don't (which can be quite often with this kind of thing) I just go painfully slow and double/triple check everything as I go.


Otherwise known as patience.


----------



## jcliff

omelet1978 said:


> I went to Kmttg's website and followed their directions in regards to command prompts from the terminal in the utilities folder as well as installing java, etc...still no luck with my MacBook Air. Any suggestions on how to make that work too?


When you say no luck, which step seems to be broken? And which specific steps did you complete?


----------



## bobfrank

Dan203 said:


> I know most Mac programs are just a single file, but because of the way the python packager I use for pytivo, the java packaged I use for tivolibre and the electron packager I use for the UI part all work it was basically impossible cram them all into a single file, so the installer just made more sense.
> 
> At this point I think I'm done with updating pyTivo Desktop. I "might" figure out how to get it to build on Windows again so I can fix a *small bug that prevents it from working with VideoReDo v6,* but only if I can muster the motivation. The Mac build is likely stuck where it's at for good.
> 
> With the Edge not supporting TiVoToGo at all, and PC to TiVo transfers having been Removed from hydra, the writing is on the wall. TiVo doesn't want to support this functionality any more and I don't want to waste time on something they could kill off at any moment.


What is the problem that pyTivo Desktop has with VRD 6? I upgraded to VRD 6 recently, but haven't done anything with it recently. Can files downloaded with pyTivo Desktop be edited and saved with VRD 6?


----------



## Dan203

bobfrank said:


> What is the problem that pyTivo Desktop has with VRD 6? I upgraded to VRD 6 recently, but haven't done anything with it recently. Can files downloaded with pyTivo Desktop be edited and saved with VRD 6?


I wrote v6 support into pyTivo a long time ago, because we were actively developing v6 at the time and I was trying to have some forsite. However sometime after the last pyTivo release I changed the name of one of the COM functions in v6 that deals with the profiles. pyTivo still tries to use the old name which causes the COM interface to crash and it wont load the profile list. The actual code needed to fix this, and a couple other minor bugs I wanted to fix, are like 6 lines. The problem is my build environment is f*cked! I've upgraded NodeJS, Angular CLI, and Electron for other projects and they all have breaking changes compared to what I need to build pyTivo. Especially in the case of the Angular code in the main UI. They made MAJOR changes to where if I try to build with Angular 8.x I get hundreds of errors. And some of the changes are structural, not just code. They've moved around some of the JSON files, changed the directory structure, etc... There is a whole guide on Google's website about what needs to change to upgrade from v4 to v8 and it's is pretty massive. I started to do it once and then gave up because it was just too much and I didn't have time.

If I could figure out a way to just reinstate my old build environment so I could just make the change and do the build I would, but I can't even remember which versions of everything I was using. (that's the problem with these NPM open source things, they're constantly changing)

So my only real option is bite the bullet and upgrade all the code to the newest versions, but I'm lacking in time and motivation for that. And the fact that pyTivo doesn't even work on the Edge, and may never be fixed, kills my motivation even more. Who's to say TiVo won't push that same broken release to everyone with older units and just kill pyTivo completely? Makes it hard to invest hours of my time figuring this all out when that could happen at any moment.


----------



## bobfrank

Dan203 said:


> I wrote v6 support into pyTivo a long time ago, because we were actively developing v6 at the time and I was trying to have some forsite. However sometime after the last pyTivo release I changed the name of one of the COM functions in v6 that deals with the profiles. pyTivo still tries to use the old name which causes the COM interface to crash and it wont load the profile list. The actual code needed to fix this, and a couple other minor bugs I wanted to fix, are like 6 lines. The problem is my build environment is f*cked! I've upgraded NodeJS, Angular CLI, and Electron for other projects and they all have breaking changes compared to what I need to build pyTivo. Especially in the case of the Angular code in the main UI. They made MAJOR changes to where if I try to build with Angular 8.x I get hundreds of errors. And some of the changes are structural, not just code. They've moved around some of the JSON files, changed the directory structure, etc... There is a whole guide on Google's website about what needs to change to upgrade from v4 to v8 and it's is pretty massive. I started to do it once and then gave up because it was just too much and I didn't have time.
> 
> If I could figure out a way to just reinstate my old build environment so I could just make the change and do the build I would, but I can't even remember which versions of everything I was using. (that's the problem with these NPM open source things, they're constantly changing)
> 
> So my only real option is bite the bullet and upgrade all the code to the newest versions, but I'm lacking in time and motivation for that. And the fact that pyTivo doesn't even work on the Edge, and may never be fixed, kills my motivation even more. Who's to say TiVo won't push that same broken release to everyone with older units and just kill pyTivo completely? Makes it hard to invest hours of my time figuring this all out when that could happen at any moment.


I understand and appreciate the reasons you aren't interested in fixing that bug. Especially with Tivo seemingly moving away from supporting or even allowing transfers to and from the Tivo.

However, as an end user I still would like to know what is the problem that pyTivo Desktop has with VRD 6? How does sit affect me as a user. Can files downloaded with pyTivo Desktop be edited and saved with VRD 6 or should I drop back to VRD 5 for editing files downloaded with your pyTivo version?


----------



## Dan203

bobfrank said:


> I understand and appreciate the reasons you aren't interested in fixing that bug. Especially with Tivo seemingly moving away from supporting or even allowing transfers to and from the Tivo.
> 
> However, as an end user I still would like to know what is the problem that pyTivo Desktop has with VRD 6? How does sit affect me as a user. Can files downloaded with pyTivo Desktop be edited and saved with VRD 6 or should I drop back to VRD 5 for editing files downloaded with your pyTivo version?


It only affects the direct integration in pyTivo. It has nothing to do with v6s ability to open and edit downloaded files.

If you don't use the VRD post processing built right into pyTivo this wont affect you at all. In fact it only affects loading of the profile list so it only affects the option the save to a specific profile. The other two VRD post processing options still work as expected.


----------



## bobfrank

Dan203 said:


> It only affects the direct integration in pyTivo. It has nothing to do with v6s ability to open and edit downloaded files.
> 
> If you don't use the VRD post processing built right into pyTivo this wont affect you at all. In fact it only affects loading of the profile list so it only affects the option the save to a specific profile. The other two VRD post processing options still work as expected.


Thanks. That's what I needed to know. I never used the VRD post processing built into pyTivo. Never knew it existed. Probably would have liked it, but won't bother now.

Thank you for your work with pyTivo and especially with VRD.


----------



## elprice7345

Dan203 said:


> It only affects the direct integration in pyTivo. It has nothing to do with v6s ability to open and edit downloaded files.
> 
> If you don't use the VRD post processing built right into pyTivo this wont affect you at all. In fact it only affects loading of the profile list so it only affects the option the save to a specific profile. The other two VRD post processing options still work as expected.


To clarify @Dan203's post: If you use pyTivo with VRD, you will have to leave VRD5 installed until he can make pyTivo work with VRD6.

See this post:


elprice7345 said:


> I followed your "unregister" procedure:
> 
> Unregistered v5
> Restarted pyTivo Desktop
> The option to use/run VRD was no longer available
> Ran v5 as an admin
> Restarted pyTivo Desktop
> VRD is available in PyTivo Desktop again
> I guess you'll need to update the pyTivo Desktop code to work with VRD v6 before I can uninstall v5.
> 
> If you're open to improvement suggestions while fixing the v6 issue:
> 
> Could you make the downloaded metadata file name match the video file name?
> Current naming convention:
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS).tivo.txt
> 
> Proposed naming convention:
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts.txt​
> Could you change the sorting in the "My Shows" tabs to use OAD if available? It currently sorts by record/upload date.


----------



## azmp1

Folks, can anyone tell me why the pyTivo settings keeps popping up? I save it, it goes to restart pyTivo and then the settings window pops up again, no matter what i change and do it keeps on happening...


----------



## Dan203

It does that when it can’t find any TiVos on your network and it thinks your MAK is wrong. I should have done that a bit differently.


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan203 said:


> It does that when it can't find any TiVos on your network and it thinks your MAK is wrong. I should have done that a bit differently.


How about changing the pop up to say check MAK?


----------



## Dan203

Sparky1234 said:


> How about changing the pop up to say check MAK?


As stated above I can't really make any changes any more.


----------



## Sparky1234

Dan203 said:


> As stated above I can't really make any changes any more.


Oh, sorry, missed that.


----------



## Dan203

If I can find the time to fix my build environment I'll release one more build with some fixes. I'll try to add something for this if I can


----------



## azmp1

Dan203 said:


> It does that when it can't find any TiVos on your network and it thinks your MAK is wrong. I should have done that a bit differently.


I see... that's strange tho. I have two TiVos up and running and the MAK is right. It was working as I downloaded bunch of shows before replacing the hard drive in one of the TiVo's. But now it's not.

Btw, I don't see an option for where I can upload the shows back up... where would that be?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203

You can’t send shows from the PC to the TiVo. You have to create a share, point it at a directory with files, then on the TiVo the PC will show up in the Devices section.

However be warned that feature only works in the old UI. In the new UI they removed the ability to see PC shares.


----------



## azmp1

Dan203 said:


> You can't send shows from the PC to the TiVo. You have to create a share, point it at a directory with files, then on the TiVo the PC will show up in the Devices section.
> 
> However be warned that feature only works in the old UI. In the new UI they removed the ability to see PC shares.


oh the old school way... yeah i can see them this way. I was under the impression i could mass upload them instead of having to click on each one on the tivo side and do transfer recording... oh well.


----------



## Dan203

azmp1 said:


> oh the old school way... yeah i can see them this way. I was under the impression i could mass upload them instead of having to click on each one on the tivo side and do transfer recording... oh well.


TiVo use to offer a way to push recordings like that, but it required a function on their server and they disabled that function a few years ago. So pulling is the only option now


----------



## Dan203

I got it to build!

I'm going to push a build for Windows that fixes VideoReDo. If you have any other minor feature requests ask now and I'll try to get to them this weekend. After that, I'm pretty sure I'm done with this project.

I'll also look at fixing the Mac installer, but I'm not sure how much of an issue that will be so no promises there.


----------



## Dan203

OK got Mac version to build so I'm uploading an update now. The only change, other than the installer, is a very minor change to the settings dialog that would prevent a crash in the rare case your MAK was set incorrectly.

I also set up a (currently private) repo on GitHub for the Desktop portion. I'll consider making it public and releasing my build scripts for everything if someone is really interested in working on it.

However to get it to build I had to use a Node Version Manager to install node 8.1.x and then old versions of Angular, Electron and Electron Builder. So it's not an easy process to get it building, and updating the Angular portion to be v8+ would be a major overhaul as they've made major breaking changes to the libs and even the structure of Angular projects.


----------



## elprice7345

If you're open to other improvement suggestions, here are 2 of mine from earlier in this thread:


elprice7345 said:


> If you're open to improvement suggestions while fixing the v6 issue:
> 
> Could you make the downloaded metadata file name match the video file name?
> Current naming convention:
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS).tivo.txt
> 
> Proposed naming convention:
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts
> Hogan's Heroes - 2019-08-27 - ''The Swing Shift'' (KTVDDT2) (TS) (QSF).ts.txt​
> Could you change the sorting in the "My Shows" tabs to use OAD if available? It currently sorts by record/upload date.


----------



## elprice7345

One more request ...

After selecting the first few shows to download, pyTivo Desktop tells me there may not be enough space to save the shows. The hard drive I'm using has more than a terabyte of free space.

Can you fix it to use a more accurate free space estimate, so I don't get this error as much?


----------



## robin50

elprice7345 said:


> One more request ...
> 
> After selecting the first few shows to download, pyTivo Desktop tells me there may not be enough space to save the shows. The hard drive I'm using has more than a terabyte of free space.
> 
> Can you fix it to use a more accurate free space estimate, so I don't get this error as much?


Yes Yes Yes! I would pay to have this fixed! Thank you for bringing this up.


----------



## robin50

And of course thanks to Dan for all of the work he has done on this project!


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> If you're open to other improvement suggestions, here are 2 of mine from earlier in this thread:


I looked into this the first time you requested it and unfortunately it's not really possible. The part of the code that creates the text file is completely disconnected from the part that creates the main file, and the text file is created first. Before the extra info is tacked on to the video file name. I looked at possibly renaming the text file at the end, but the part that creates the video file doesn't even know the text file exists and passing it that info is harder than it should be because of the way the code is segmented up.

I'll take one more look, but no promises.



elprice7345 said:


> One more request ...
> 
> After selecting the first few shows to download, pyTivo Desktop tells me there may not be enough space to save the shows. The hard drive I'm using has more than a terabyte of free space.
> 
> Can you fix it to use a more accurate free space estimate, so I don't get this error as much?


I've heard this complaint once before, but I'm not sure why it happens. I use a python filesystem lib to get the free space from the drive and then send it to the UI via JSON. When you look at the free space listed in the options dialog is is correct? Is the size listed for the TiVo file correct?

I'll double check the code for a calculation error, but only a few people have complained about this to me so it seems like it would affect more people if it were something like that.


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> I got it to build!
> 
> I'm going to push a build for Windows that fixes VideoReDo. If you have any other minor feature requests ask now and I'll try to get to them this weekend. After that, I'm pretty sure I'm done with this project.
> 
> I'll also look at fixing the Mac installer, but I'm not sure how much of an issue that will be so no promises there.


Thanks for the new build. I am running into a post processing hang every time after a file transfer completes. I have VideoRedo 5 installed. Here is the error message from the log.



Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:[12/Dec/2019 05:43:23] Done getting "G:\Video\Jeopardy. - ''12-11-2019'' (Recorded Dec 11, 2019, KTRKDT) (TS).tivo" from Living Room, 1938031596 bytes, 80.05 Mb/s
DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 918, in process_queue
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 834, in get_tivo_file
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 888, in post_process_file
KeyError: 'state'
DEBUG:comtypes:CoUninitialize()


----------



## Snacko

I am new to this and am transfering Northern Exposure series to my Tivo Premiere. It's working fine, except it will not *group* the episodes all into the same folder. I have a default.txt with the seriesId and also a txt for each episode. They transfer fine, but just won't group. The only place that I could find the SeriesID was on Tvdb.com. It said it was 71383. But I read in the pytivo wiki that the SeriesID should be 6-8 chars long, and begin with SH. I also tried it with SH71383 and SH071383 and 071383 but it still won't group into folders. Any help is appreciated.. Thx.


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> Thanks for the new build. I am running into a post processing hang every time after a file transfer completes. I have VideoRedo 5 installed. Here is the error message from the log.
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[12/Dec/2019 05:43:23] Done getting "G:\Video\Jeopardy. - ''12-11-2019'' (Recorded Dec 11, 2019, KTRKDT) (TS).tivo" from Living Room, 1938031596 bytes, 80.05 Mb/s
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
> Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
> ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 918, in process_queue
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 834, in get_tivo_file
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 888, in post_process_file
> KeyError: 'state'
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoUninitialize()


I will investigate, thanks for the log


----------



## Dan203

Snacko said:


> I am new to this and am transfering Northern Exposure series to my Tivo Premiere. It's working fine, except it will not *group* the episodes all into the same folder. I have a default.txt with the seriesId and also a txt for each episode. They transfer fine, but just won't group. The only place that I could find the SeriesID was on Tvdb.com. It said it was 71383. But I read in the pytivo wiki that the SeriesID should be 6-8 chars long, and begin with SH. I also tried it with SH71383 and SH071383 and 071383 but it still won't group into folders. Any help is appreciated.. Thx.


You mean when you transfer them back to the TiVo?


----------



## Snacko

Dan203 said:


> You mean when you transfer them back to the TiVo?


Yes, when I transfer from my pc where I ripped them to the Tivo. I have been testing with just two episodes to see if they will go into a folder but it doesn't work. I have tried it using just a default.txt with the seriesId and also with a .txt for each episode (also with the seriesId), and other combinations..

The title, episode name, episode number, episode description all come through to the tivo, but it won't group them.
I have tried several seriesID formats as stated above. (SH71383 and SH071383 and 071383)
Here's my default.txt:
seriesTitle : Northern Exposure
seriesId : 71383
isEpisode : true
tvRating : G
vProgramGenre : Comedy
vProgramGenre : Drama
vExecProducer : Brand|Joshua
vSeriesGenre : Drama
vSeriesGenre : Comedy

And here's the first epispode's txt file: NE_S01_E01 Pilot.mkv.txt
seriesTitle : Northern Exposure
seriesId : 71383
episodeTitle : Pilot
episodeNumber : 1
description : Dr. Joel Fleischman arrives in Alaska and is informed that instead of working in a modern hospital in Anchorage, he will be the sole doctor in the remote village of Cicely. He tries frantically to get out of the assignment. Many of the main characters are introduced.


----------



## Dan203

The grouping works based on the data in the TiVo itself as well. Just as a test try transferring the original, unencrypted, .tivo files back to the TiVo instead. Do those group? If not then it's never going to work.


----------



## Snacko

I ripped these from dvds that I bought years ago for the entire season. They are not .tivo formats. Or are you saying I should tranfer the episodes that I already sent from the pc to the tivo, back to the pc again? And then send them back again as .tivo format?

I cut the cable on my Tivo last week. It still has an internet connection though. I would assume it gets it's data from the internet?


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> Thanks for the new build. I am running into a post processing hang every time after a file transfer completes. I have VideoRedo 5 installed. Here is the error message from the log.
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[12/Dec/2019 05:43:23] Done getting "G:\Video\Jeopardy. - ''12-11-2019'' (Recorded Dec 11, 2019, KTRKDT) (TS).tivo" from Living Room, 1938031596 bytes, 80.05 Mb/s
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
> Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
> ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 918, in process_queue
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 834, in get_tivo_file
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 888, in post_process_file
> KeyError: 'state'
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoUninitialize()


OK I looked at the code and this just means that VRD is not being initialized. Typically this would be because it's not properly registered with COM. Try opening VRD and launching the batch manager. It has a function built into it that will detect this and offer to register with COM for you. I will however add better error checking so that this gets detected and fails gracefully rather than essentially crashing like it's doing now.


----------



## Dan203

Snacko said:


> I ripped these from dvds that I bought years ago for the entire season. They are not .tivo formats. Or are you saying I should tranfer the episodes that I already sent from the pc to the tivo, back to the pc again? And then send them back again as .tivo format?
> 
> I cut the cable on my Tivo last week. It still has an internet connection though. I would assume it gets it's data from the internet?


No I assumed they were .tivo files you had decrypted.

Have you tried metagenerator?

Metagenerator 3 -- Support & Downloads

It can create the text file for you using TiVo's own database so it should have the right series ID.


----------



## cp2k

Dan203 said:


> I've heard this complaint once before, but I'm not sure why it happens. I use a python filesystem lib to get the free space from the drive and then send it to the UI via JSON. When you look at the free space listed in the options dialog is is correct? Is the size listed for the TiVo file correct?
> 
> I'll double check the code for a calculation error, but only a few people have complained about this to me so it seems like it would affect more people if it were something like that.


Dan I have this issue as well. My drive has 700GB free, but even after copying a few small files I get this message before every one. Would it be possible to add an option to "disable" the space check all together? Thank you for your continued work on this. I'm fortunate to live in an area where our Cable Company hasn't gone overboard on copy protection. Only the major "Premium" channels are copy protected, so I record & transfer extensively from my TiVo. I'm sitting on two Roamios with the old interface just to ensure I don't lose this capability.

EDIT: To answer your questions about the space issue.. the file sizes for the files being transferred does show correctly, as does the "Free Space" on the settings screen.


----------



## Mikeguy

So here's a suggestion, Dan, for a tweak*: would it be possible to enlarge or otherwise make more prominent the icon used for pyTivo Desktop? On my Win10 taskbar, the pyTivo Desktop icon is significantly smaller and less-noticeable than all of its neighbors. By now I have it/its location memorized, but otherwise it could be a bug smashed on a windshield.  

* Yes, I know that this is going to sound ridiculous, but here goes, anyway.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> One more request ...
> 
> After selecting the first few shows to download, pyTivo Desktop tells me there may not be enough space to save the shows. The hard drive I'm using has more than a terabyte of free space.
> 
> Can you fix it to use a more accurate free space estimate, so I don't get this error as much?


Can you try the update and tell me if it fixed this issue? It looks like I had already made a change for this but never released it, so it's possible that yesterday's update already has a fix for this.


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> So here's a suggestion, Dan, for a tweak*: would it be possible to enlarge or otherwise make more prominent the icon used for pyTivo Desktop? On my Win10 taskbar, the pyTivo Desktop icon is significantly smaller and less-noticeable than all of its neighbors. By now I have it/its location memorized, but otherwise it could be a bug smashed on a windshield.
> 
> * Yes, I know that this is going to sound ridiculous, but here goes, anyway.


Looks normal size to me...


----------



## Snacko

I did download Metagenerator 3 this morning but couldn't figure it out. So I just took another look and was able to figure it out..

I did a title search for Northern Exposure and it found the series and episodes. When I viewed the episodes the seriesID was blank. So I just entered SH71383 and saved it with a folder.jpg image button. It added all of the actors and other data, and changed my seriesId to SH0000071383. I did that for both episodes and then transferred them over to the tivo. All of the new data (actors/directors/etc..) came over. They did not group into a folder and the folder.jpg was not used.

I would at least like to verify the correct seriesID before I give up. The pyTivo wiki says the seriesID should be 6-8 digits, but the only one I could find (on TVDB.com and TVTime.com) is 5 digits long. And Metagenerator 3 makes it 10 digits long?


> *seriesId*
> Usually starts with "SH" and followed by *6-8 digits*. TiVo uses this to allow for grouping once a program is transferred to a TiVo, provided the TiVo is set to grouping in the NPL (Now Playing List). Leaving this field blank or omitting doesn't seem to cause any problems, except when it comes time to group when transferring to TiVo. Will not group without a series ID.
> 
> SH is for general TV shows.
> MV is for movies (e.g. Amazon Unbox).
> SP is for sports.
> TS is for Tivocast content.
> SeriesId can be located at zap2it.com for a show. These values will all start with EP and must be changed to SH before using.


And a search on Zap2it.com for Northern Exposure finds nothing?


----------



## Mikeguy

Dan203 said:


> Looks normal size to me...
> 
> View attachment 45095


Perhaps it's the space for both the feet and the antennae, as well as the dark colors in the icon that tend to blend into the background, but for me, it just comes across as smaller by impression and quick glance, and less-readily recognizable. (And now that you say this, I seem to recall that I had tried to make the icon larger earlier, but came across the barrier you mention.)


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> Perhaps it's the space for both the feet and the antennae, as well as the dark colors in the icon that tend to blend into the background, but for me, it just comes across as smaller by impression and quick glance, and less-readily recognizable. (And now that you say this, I seem to recall that I had tried to make the icon larger earlier, but came across the barrier you mention.)


You get one icon that is used for the program everywhere. So while it may be hard to see that blue background and border on the taskbar, it's easy to see on the desktop and start menu. So I really don't want to change it. Sorry.


----------



## Dan203

Snacko said:


> I did download Metagenerator 3 this morning but couldn't figure it out. So I just took another look and was able to figure it out..
> 
> I did a title search for Northern Exposure and it found the series and episodes. When I viewed the episodes the seriesID was blank. So I just entered SH71383 and saved it with a folder.jpg image button. It added all of the actors and other data, and changed my seriesId to SH0000071383. I did that for both episodes and then transferred them over to the tivo. All of the new data (actors/directors/etc..) came over. They did not group into a folder and the folder.jpg was not used.
> 
> I would at least like to verify the correct seriesID before I give up. The pyTivo wiki says the seriesID should be 6-8 digits, but the only one I could find (on TVDB.com and TVTime.com) is 5 digits long. And Metagenerator 3 makes it 10 digits long?
> 
> And a search on Zap2it.com for Northern Exposure finds nothing?


The series ID stuff got all messed up when they switched to using Rovi data a few years ago. So someo of the information you're finding might be out of date or incorrect. Even TiVos themselves had issues with the transition and TiVo had to create a huge database of ID changovers that didn't all work. I say if you can get them to group at all then just leave it and move along.

The custom jpg file for the folder hasn't worked since the old, old, UI used on the Series 2 systems, so that's too be expected. Just be lucky this works at all. On the new Edge TiVoToGo transfers both TiVo to PC and PC to TiVo are broken and presumed never to be fixed. So this could be the end of the line for this feature anyway.


----------



## Snacko

Dan203 said:


> ... I say if you can get them to group at all then just leave it and move along.


Well, thanks for your help anyway Dan. I cannot get them to group at all. And I'm not going to dump 100 episodes in the root of My Shows. So I guess I'm done. This is my first time with this stuff, and it would be sweet if I could group them.

Northern Exposure was NEVER released in reruns. It was a very popular show, but they didn't want to pay royalties to all the music. Which may be why I can't get it to work... IDK.


----------



## Dan203

cp2k said:


> Dan I have this issue as well. My drive has 700GB free, but even after copying a few small files I get this message before every one. Would it be possible to add an option to "disable" the space check all together? Thank you for your continued work on this. I'm fortunate to live in an area where our Cable Company hasn't gone overboard on copy protection. Only the major "Premium" channels are copy protected, so I record & transfer extensively from my TiVo. I'm sitting on two Roamios with the old interface just to ensure I don't lose this capability.
> 
> EDIT: To answer your questions about the space issue.. the file sizes for the files being transferred does show correctly, as does the "Free Space" on the settings screen.


I'm not sure what would cause this. Basically every time you add a new file to the queue, or one completes, the desktop app sends a request to the pyTivo server asking for info on the disk. It then adds up the size of all the files in the queue, subtracts them from the free space reported by pyTivo, and then stores that value as the free space. When you try to add a new file it compares the size of the file you're trying to add to the calculated free space and prompts you if there is less space than needed to hold the file.

The change I made that I mentioned above is that I changed the default values for the free space and total space in the python code to really large numbers. That way if the actual python check fails for some reason then those huge numbers will be returned instead 0 and should make it appear as if you have plenty of space.

Other than that I'm not sure what I can do. I originally didn't have the warning and I got complaints from people saying they added stuff to the queue and then it would fail because the drive ran out of space. I added this prompt as a warning against that.


----------



## Dan203

Snacko said:


> Well, thanks for your help anyway Dan. I cannot get them to group at all. And I'm not going to dump 100 episodes in the root of My Shows. So I guess I'm done. This is my first time with this stuff, and it would be sweet if I could group them.
> 
> Northern Exposure was NEVER released in reruns. It was a very popular show, but they didn't want to pay royalties to all the music. Which may be why I can't get it to work... IDK.


It's possible this show is simply not in TiVos database. If Metagenerator 3 isn't adding a Series ID that's likely the case. Unfortunately the way TiVo's grouping works you can only ever group a show if it can match the series ID to something in it's database. There use to be a generic one you could use to group misc stuff, but that went away with the Rovi changeover.

Have you considered just using Plex?


----------



## Snacko

Dan203 said:


> It's possible this show is simply not in TiVos database. If Metagenerator 3 isn't adding a Series ID that's likely the case. Unfortunately the way TiVo's grouping works you can only ever group a show if it can match the series ID to something in it's database. There use to be a generic one you could use to group misc stuff, but that went away with the Rovi changeover.
> 
> Have you considered just using Plex?


I tried searching MG3 for Gunsmoke, Longmire, Friends, and Seinfield, and none of them returned a SeriesID. After I disconnected from Spectrum and cut the cable I just wanted to use my Tivo to store my videos. So I ran a Tivo Reset to clear out the todo list and channel listings. I wonder if that deleted this database. I don't even have a cablecard anymore. I can stream Northern Exposure from my PC to the Roku, but I thought it would be nice to have on my Tivo with all of the episode descriptions and it would keep track of the episode I was on. I have not used Plex, but I will give that a look.


----------



## elprice7345

Thanks for the fix!

Testing with 1.6.19:

pyTivo Desktop shows VRD version matching my installed version

Deregistered v5 and pyTivo still works with QSF

Uninstalled VRD5, rebooted, and pyTivo works with QSF
Still has the same free space issue. The free space shown in pyTivo Desktop settings matches what I see in Windows Explorer. Almost 1.5TB free.
FWIW, pyTivo Desktop doesn't generally give the free space error when I click the download all shows in a folder button the first time. Even if I have 10 shows in a folder, I don't get the free space warning. However, when I click the next folder or show I get the error.

BTW, thanks for looking into my other suggestions. Not nagging, just wanted them on your radar if they're doable.

You said changing the filenames would be difficult, but you didn't respond to the OAD sorting. Any chance of this happening?


----------



## elprice7345

@Snacko - This discussion is more appropriate over in the MG3 thread. I've responded here:
Metagenerator 3 -- Support & Downloads


----------



## mlippert

Snacko said:


> Northern Exposure was NEVER released in reruns. It was a very popular show, but they didn't want to pay royalties to all the music. Which may be why I can't get it to work... IDK.


Northern Exposure was great. I really should rip my DVDs at some point!

I swear I'd been able to make up a reasonable seriesId at some point and get things I pulled from pyTivo to group, but that was long ago.

I've mostly been just using my Plex server and my Roku Plex client. It's not as nice an interface for watching stuff (no ff or rew, or slow motion, and no instantaneous skip back 8 seconds, skip forward 30) but then I don't have to spend the time to transfer the shows. I just transfer shows from the Tivo to the NAS my Plex server looks at.

Since you build the .txt files by hand I thought maybe some piece is missing. Here's an example of the .txt file created by kmttg for an episode of Supergirl


Code:


title : Supergirl
seriesTitle : Supergirl
description : Supergirl tries to find out who is behind the recent attacks from a new villain who is under arrest at the DEO. Meanwhile, Andrea and Lena think back on their tumultuous past.
time : 2019-11-11T02:00:00Z
isEpisode : true
iso_duration : PT1H1M59S
originalAirDate : 2019-11-09T00:00:00Z
episodeTitle : Confidence Women
isEpisodic : true
showingBits : 135169
tvRating : x4
episodeNumber : 506
displayMajorNumber : 611
callsign : WLVIDT
seriesId : SH0331260538
programId : EP0331260538-0414508746
vActor : Benoist|Melissa
vActor : Brooks|Mehcad
vActor : Leigh|Chyler
vActor : Jordan|Jeremy
vActor : Flockhart|Calista
vActor : Harewood|David
vActor : Wood|Chris
vActor : Lima|Floriana
vActor : McGrath|Katie
vActor : Gonzalo|Julie
vActor : Nair|Staz
vExecProducer : Berlanti|Greg
vExecProducer : Kreisberg|Andrew
vExecProducer : Adler|Ali
vExecProducer : Rovner|Robert
vExecProducer : Schechter|Sarah
vAdvisory : VIOLENCE

Obviously you don't need any of the v* properties, but I wonder if you need both title and seriesTitle and if you need some programId.


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> OK I looked at the code and this just means that VRD is not being initialized. Typically this would be because it's not properly registered with COM. Try opening VRD and launching the batch manager. It has a function built into it that will detect this and offer to register with COM for you. I will however add better error checking so that this gets detected and fails gracefully rather than essentially crashing like it's doing now.


Tried starting the VRD batch manager and it made no difference. Also, tried reinstalling VRD 5 and it made no difference. When I go back to version v1.6.16, everything works fine.



elprice7345 said:


> Testing with 1.6.19:
> 
> pyTivo Desktop shows VRD version matching my installed version


Where does this show up? I think my install of v1.6.19 does not show this. Would it be displayed here?









In the past, I have installed v6 of VRD, but uninstalled it due to issues with the early releases of VRD 6 and went back to VRD 5. I don't understand why v1.6.16 works fine, but not v1.6.19.


----------



## jakryk

I still can't get pyTiVo to work. I downloaded the update and hoped that would fix things, but I still have the same problem. When I try to open the desktop it looks like it is loading and then the Settings window opens. Everything looks fine: it recognized my TiVo box and has the correct amount of space used. If I click Save, it says pyTivo is opening and then the Setting window opens again. If I just close the Settings page it says it is downloading the show list, but nothing ever downloads. Like, I leave it running overnight and when I go back the My Shows page is still blank and the cursor just shows it is still loading. Any suggestions would be welcomed


----------



## minimeh

On Download for Windows I see the download link for Version 1.6.19 as https://pytivodesktop.com/win32/pyTivo_1.6.16.exe. And sure enough, the file is identical with pyTivo_1.6.16.exe and installs Version 1.6.16.


----------



## reneg

minimeh said:


> On Download for Windows I see the download link for Version 1.6.19 as https://pytivodesktop.com/win32/pyTivo_1.6.16.exe. And sure enough, the file is identical with pyTivo_1.6.16.exe and installs Version 1.6.16.


If you click on Download Now, it downloads v1.6.19, but the download link icon is as you state.


----------



## Dan203

minimeh said:


> On Download for Windows I see the download link for Version 1.6.19 as https://pytivodesktop.com/win32/pyTivo_1.6.16.exe. And sure enough, the file is identical with pyTivo_1.6.16.exe and installs Version 1.6.16.


It's just the little button. Which sucks because I pointed all the links, except that one, to a PHP script a while back just to get an idea of how many downloads I get. That button wasn't logging them. It'll be fixed in a few minutes.


----------



## minimeh

reneg said:


> If you click on Download Now, it downloads v1.6.19, but the download link icon is as you state.





Dan203 said:


> It's just the little button. Which sucks because I pointed all the links, except that one, to a PHP script a while back just to get an idea of how many downloads I get. That button wasn't logging them. It'll be fixed in a few minutes.


Oy, my eye was drawn to the little download link icon and not the 24 pt Download Now link.

Thanks, and glad you got the development environment worked out, Dan!


----------



## Dan203

OK I'm about to release another build. (sorry, two update alerts back to back) This one will include the ability to rename the metadata file after a VRD post process. (not as hard as I thought) And will include an option to disable that not enough space warning so those of you having trouble with it can just turn it off. (nothing I could find to fix the logic, so it must be some sort of timing issue)

I also added a donation button to the site and to the menu in the Desktop app. I've had several people ask me about making donations and I've always refused, but between the server, domain, SSL certificate and Apple Developer Account this project costs me a few hundred dollars a year and I wouldn't mind help with that. Not looking to make money, just enough to cover expenses for the hosting. And if that doesn't happen then oh well. Don't feel any obligation to donate. And neither the site, nor the program, will nag you about it. It's just there in case you want to contribute.


----------



## Dan203

OK new version pushed. Feature requests are officially closed. If you find a show stopper bug let me know, but otherwise I think this will likely be the last update to this project for a while.


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> OK new version pushed. Feature requests are officially closed. If you find a show stopper bug let me know, but otherwise I think this will likely be the last update to this project for a while.


Not that I expected it to, but v1.6.20 doesn't resolve the issue I have with 19 & 20 not finding my VRD 5 installation. Guess, I'm stuck on v1.6.16.


----------



## powrcow

Snacko said:


> I did download Metagenerator 3 this morning but couldn't figure it out. So I just took another look and was able to figure it out..
> 
> I did a title search for Northern Exposure and it found the series and episodes. When I viewed the episodes the seriesID was blank. So I just entered SH71383 and saved it with a folder.jpg image button. It added all of the actors and other data, and changed my seriesId to SH0000071383. I did that for both episodes and then transferred them over to the tivo. All of the new data (actors/directors/etc..) came over. They did not group into a folder and the folder.jpg was not used.
> 
> I would at least like to verify the correct seriesID before I give up. The pyTivo wiki says the seriesID should be 6-8 digits, but the only one I could find (on TVDB.com and TVTime.com) is 5 digits long. And Metagenerator 3 makes it 10 digits long?
> 
> And a search on Zap2it.com for Northern Exposure finds nothing?


I thought it was 10 digits total for the seriesId.

For the Pilot episode, try:
seriesTitle : Northern Exposure
episodeNumber : 101
seriesId : SH0000014579
programId : EP0000014579-0000245206
isEpisode : true
episodeTitle : Pilot Episode

and the second episode:
seriesTitle : Northern Exposure
episodeNumber : 102
seriesId : SH0000014579
programId : EP0000014579-0000245977
isEpisode : true
episodeTitle : Brains, Know-How and Native Intelligence


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> Not that I expected it to, but v1.6.20 doesn't resolve the issue I have with 19 & 20 not finding my VRD 5 installation. Guess, I'm stuck on v1.6.16.


Is there anything in the log? In 20 I added a couple of log calls to say when VRD can't be initiated.


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> Is there anything in the log? In 20 I added a couple of log calls to say when VRD can't be initiated.


Here is the error from the beginning of the log when starting the UI. The
d:\temp\_MEI38~2\comtypes subdirectory does not exist on my system.


Code:


INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Thu Dec 12 16:30:44 2019
INFO:pyTivo:Python: 2.7.16
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.18362
DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'd:\temp\_MEI38~2\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
DEBUG:comtypes.client._code_cache:Path is unwriteable: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'd:\\temp\\_MEI38~2\\comtypes\\gen\\tmpu1nioj'
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'd:\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivo-27'
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...

Under the Video Post Processing, I get this message:


Code:


This feature requires VideoReDo TVSuite v5. If you would like to try these options you can get a free trial of VideoReDo TVSuite v5 at http://www.videoredo.com


----------



## Dan203

That's not an error. The way this all works is I package the python code along with the interpreter into an exe so it can run like a program. They way that works is it basically "unzips" all that stuff into a temp directory while it's running and then deletes it as soon as you close it.

Can you send me the full log? Just send it to the email address in the about dialog

Actually what I need you to do is open the settings dialog, and switch to the downloads tab, right before you send the log. The settings dialog and the actual post processing are the only parts that actually use this code, so I need to see it attempt to access the COM interface


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> That's not an error. The way this all works is I package the python code along with the interpreter into an exe so it can run like a program. They way that works is it basically "unzips" all that stuff into a temp directory while it's running and then deletes it as soon as you close it.
> 
> Can you send me the full log? Just send it to the email address in the about dialog
> 
> Actually what I need you to do is open the settings dialog, and switch to the downloads tab, right before you send the log. The settings dialog and the actual post processing are the only parts that actually use this code, so I need to see it attempt to access the COM interface


Full log sent via email


----------



## elprice7345

Tested v1.6.20 and all works as advertised. 

Thanks for the improvements Dan! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Donation sent!


----------



## Dan203

I'm going to need to release one more update for Windows. There was a bug in the VideoReDo post processing portion of the code, and that's really the main reason I jumped back into this project. 

I'll likely post it late tonight


----------



## Dan203

OK new release going up now. Mainly just fixes VideoReDo issues but I also updated the installer to add all the registry keys needed to play .tivo files in Windows Media Player, so this is now a complete replacement for TiVo Desktop.


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> OK new release going up now. Mainly just fixes VideoReDo issues but I also updated the installer to add all the registry keys needed to play .tivo files in Windows Media Player, so this is now a complete replacement for TiVo Desktop.


v1.6.21 fixed the issue I was seeing with VRD 5 post-processing. Thanks Dan


----------



## dadrepus

So what is the oldest version of OSX this will work with? So many of my favorite programs I loved just stopped being available for older OS's. I'm on 10.11.6 and can go no further unless I buy a new Mac and I won't until this one breaks, which may be never.


----------



## alleybj

Thanks for this. Am I ok not upgrading? When I try to upgrade, I keep getting the message that PyTivo is running and has to be closed before it can install. I’ve closed all PyTivo processes, but no luck. I’ve been very happy with the prior build.


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> Thanks for this. Am I ok not upgrading? When I try to upgrade, I keep getting the message that PyTivo is running and has to be closed before it can install. I've closed all PyTivo processes, but no luck. I've been very happy with the prior build.


if what you has works then keep it, but I'm not sure if I buillt enpugh logic into the upgrade detection for you to ignore it. I hope I did.been a while since I looked at that part


----------



## Joe3

I received a prompt to upgrade pyTivo and did. Now I can not use pyTivo and have this message, "Error Connecting to Pytivo!"

It was working great before the upgrade on my Romeo Pro, TE3, and Windows 10. Same set up as before and after the upgrade.

Tried:
Removing and Reinstalling
Re entering TiVo Mak
Rechecked Firewall
Read through as much of this thread and Googled the problem as much as I could.

No luck.

I am sure the message, "Error Connecting to Pytivo!" means what it says, but I need help in fixing what was working great and now with this latest prompted update being updated, it's now not working.
Please, help me fix this, please.
Thanks


----------



## Dan203

Did you try simply rebooting?

The way it works is pretty simple. PyTivo itself runs as a simple HTTP server on your network. The tray app simply runs that server without you having to do it manually. And the UI is basically a fancy webpage that connects to that server over localhost.

Two things can cause the error you're getting. Either the main pyTivo part isn't running or your firewall is preventing the UI webpage from talking to it.

Easiest way to test.... open a browser and go to...

http://localhost:9032

if you get a webpage for pyTivo then it's running fine and it's likely your firewall. If you go to....

http://localhost:9032/Desktop

you'll actually get the same UI as the app running in your browser. (only guaranteed to work it Chrome)

If the main pyTivo isn't running then it's likely also a firewall issue, or potentially an antivirus issue. PyTivo is running as a server, and attempting to host that server on port 9032 (by default). If your firewall or antivirus prevent it from grabbing that port it will fail to open and just stop running.


----------



## Joe3

Dan203 said:


> Did you try simply rebooting?
> 
> The way it works is pretty simple. PyTivo itself runs as a simple HTTP server on your network. The tray app simply runs that server without you having to do it manually. And the UI is basically a fancy webpage that connects to that server over localhost.
> 
> Two things can cause the error you're getting. Either the main pyTivo part isn't running or your firewall is preventing the UI webpage from talking to it.
> 
> Easiest way to test.... open a browser and go to...
> 
> http://localhost:9032
> 
> if you get a webpage for pyTivo then it's running fine and it's likely your firewall. If you go to....
> 
> http://localhost:9032/Desktop
> 
> you'll actually get the same UI as the app running in your browser. (only guaranteed to work it Chrome)
> 
> If the main pyTivo isn't running then it's likely also a firewall issue, or potentially an antivirus issue. PyTivo is running as a server, and attempting to host that server on port 9032 (by default). If your firewall or antivirus prevent it from grabbing that port it will fail to open and just stop running.


Double checked the firewall. It is still giving pyTivo the same access as it did before the latest upgrade when it worked.

However, Port 9032 could not be accessed

X over pyTivo icon after a few seconds


----------



## Dan203

Joe3 said:


> Double checked the firewall. It is still giving pyTivo the same access as it did before the latest upgrade when it worked.
> 
> However, Port 9032 could not be accessed
> 
> X over pyTivo icon after a few seconds


The log file is stored in appdata/pytivo. It might have a cluewhy it won't start


----------



## HerronScott

Snacko said:


> I tried searching MG3 for Gunsmoke, Longmire, Friends, and Seinfield, and none of them returned a SeriesID. After I disconnected from Spectrum and cut the cable I just wanted to use my Tivo to store my videos. So I ran a Tivo Reset to clear out the todo list and channel listings. I wonder if that deleted this database. I don't even have a cablecard anymore. I can stream Northern Exposure from my PC to the Roku, but I thought it would be nice to have on my Tivo with all of the episode descriptions and it would keep track of the episode I was on. I have not used Plex, but I will give that a look.


After selecting a show, you need to select *Get RPC PID's* and then *Do seriesId RPC search. *Highlight the correct show if more than one shows up and select *Accept*. Then it should populate the Series ID and Program ID although there were a few episodes that it didn't find that information (including the pilot).


----------



## ADG

Dan203 said:


> I also added a donation button to the site and to the menu in the Desktop app. I've had several people ask me about making donations and I've always refused, but between the server, domain, SSL certificate and Apple Developer Account this project costs me a few hundred dollars a year and I wouldn't mind help with that. Not looking to make money, just enough to cover expenses for the hosting. And if that doesn't happen then oh well. Don't feel any obligation to donate. And neither the site, nor the program, will nag you about it. It's just there in case you want to contribute.


Thank you for all of your work on this Dan. I found and used the donate link.


----------



## Joe3

Dan203 said:


> The log file is stored in appdata/pytivo. It might have a cluewhy it won't start


Here is the log. Please advise. I am running Windows 10.
Thanks


----------



## Snacko

HerronScott said:


> After selecting a show, you need to select *Get RPC PID's* and then *Do seriesId RPC search. *Highlight the correct show if more than one shows up and select *Accept*. Then it should populate the Series ID and Program ID although there were a few episodes that it didn't find that information (including the pilot).
> 
> View attachment 45165


Yea sorry, I'm a noob at this. Thanks for your help..

I read about the select Get RPC PIDs and Do series RPC search in the pdf when I first started, but I couldn't figure it out. I have the rpcSearch128.exe in the MG folder and setup the 'Mind RPC' button in the settings. But when I right-click on an Episode and click the 'Get programid' menu item, it pops up a message saying *"First you need to do a programid search fro this series. (Click the 'Get programids' button)"*. But I don't see any 'button'. I tried right-clicking on the series name 'Northern Exposure' at the top of the left list and the right list but there is *no menu item or button* for 'Get programids'.

*EDIT:*
It looks like I don't need to figure that out to do this now. I used the seriesId that powrcow posted (SH0000014579) and just test-transfered the first two episodes over to my Tivo. It grouped them in a group called Northern Exposure WITH the DVD box set picture. I can make the metadata .txt files with MG3 and use that seriesid. I currently have no plans to send over any other videos. Thanks again everyone!


----------



## Dan203

Joe3 said:


> Here is the log. Please advise. I am running Windows 10.
> Thanks


So the error in the log did show me an error in the code (which I did not write) but it's not the cause of your problem. The error is being thrown because you're pyTivo is hitting a portion of the code that only gets hit when there is an error in the config file. So basically ignore the log.

I think the real error is that there a duplicate Share name in your config file. Check the config file in the same directory as the log. Is there more than one share with the same name? If so you'll either need to delete one or rename it.


----------



## Joe3

Dan203 said:


> So the error in the log did show me an error in the code (which I did not write) but it's not the cause of your problem. The error is being thrown because you're pyTivo is hitting a portion of the code that only gets hit when there is an error in the config file. So basically ignore the log.
> 
> I think the real error is that there a duplicate Share name in your config file. Check the config file in the same directory as the log. Is there more than one share with the same name? If so you'll either need to delete one or rename it.


I look at the config file and see no duplicate Share name, but I may be missing it because I am may not know enough technically.
Let me know what you think. I have enclosed the config file text for you to take a look.
Thanks

[Server]
tivolibre_upload = true
togo_ts_format = true
togo_path =C:\Users\joep3\Desktop
tivo_mak =**********
togo_ts_error_mode = ignore

[_tivo_SD]

[_tivo_HD]

[_tivo_4K]

[Groucho]
force_ffmpeg = false
path = E:\
type = video

[Harpo]
force_ffmpeg = false
type = video
path = D:\

[Chico]
path = F:\
type = video
force_ffmpeg = false

[Desktop]
type=video
path=C:\Users\joep3\Desktop


----------



## Dan203

Joe3 said:


> I look at the config file and see no duplicate Share name, but I may be missing it because I am may not know enough technically.
> Let me know what you think. I have enclosed the config file text for you to take a look.
> Thanks
> 
> [Server]
> tivolibre_upload = true
> togo_ts_format = true
> togo_path =C:\Users\joep3\Desktop
> tivo_mak =**********
> togo_ts_error_mode = ignore
> 
> [_tivo_SD]
> 
> [_tivo_HD]
> 
> [_tivo_4K]
> 
> [Groucho]
> force_ffmpeg = false
> path = E:\
> type = video
> 
> [Harpo]
> force_ffmpeg = false
> type = video
> path = D:\
> 
> [Chico]
> path = F:\
> type = video
> force_ffmpeg = false
> 
> [Desktop]
> type=video
> path=C:\Users\joep3\Desktop


I played with your conf file and it doesn't like the name [Desktop]. It must be used internally somewhere. Change that one to anything else and it should work.

Edit: I see why. I added a feature a few versions back where you can go to....

localhost:9032/Desktop

and get the main UI in your browsers. However that's kind of a hack and it see its as a share, so you can't have a share named desktop without a conflict.

Edit2: Actually there are a few of these hard coded "shares" that can't be used. "Settings", "ToGo", "VRD" and "Desktop".


----------



## Joe3

Dan203 said:


> I played with your conf file and it doesn't like the name [Desktop]. It must be used internally somewhere. Change that one to anything else and it should work.
> 
> Edit: I see why. I added a feature a few versions back where you can go to....
> 
> localhost:9032/Desktop
> 
> and get the main UI in your browsers. However that's kind of a hack and it see its as a share, so you can't have a share named desktop without a conflict.
> 
> Edit2: Actually there are a few of these hard coded "shares" that can't be used. "Settings", "ToGo", "VRD" and "Desktop".


I new I should have never left out Zeppo. I corrected it and now all the Marx Brother are together. PyTivo is working for me, again.

Dan, it goes without saying, how much you and your good work is appreciated by so many of us here.. You've help me more than once. I left a little something in the Donate Button.
Thanks, again.


----------



## Dan203

No problem, glad you got it working. And thanks for your support


----------



## HerronScott

Snacko said:


> I read about the select Get RPC PIDs and Do series RPC search in the pdf when I first started, but I couldn't figure it out. I have the rpcSearch128.exe in the MG folder and setup the 'Mind RPC' button in the settings. But when I right-click on an Episode and click the 'Get programid' menu item, it pops up a message saying *"First you need to do a programid search fro this series. (Click the 'Get programids' button)"*. But I don't see any 'button'. I tried right-clicking on the series name 'Northern Exposure' at the top of the left list and the right list but there is *no menu item or button* for 'Get programids'.


Looks like you skipped some of my steps above and went a different route (I didn't mention *Get program id*).

Follow the bolded items from my post above. The Get RPC Id's is on this page after you select the show.


----------



## GBL

Got this warning after downloading version 1.6.21 this morning and installing it (and running it). Did the download site get corrupted? Or something else going on?


----------



## Snacko

HerronScott said:


> Looks like you skipped some of my steps above and went a different route (I didn't mention *Get program id*).
> 
> Follow the bolded items from my post above. The Get RPC Id's is on this page after you select the show.
> 
> View attachment 45183


Thanks.. This is very strange. I never had any red text when I used MG3 the past 3 days. Never once!! And the only buttons at the bottom were 'Select Show' and 'Select Ep'. Now, after looking at your screenshot, I see those buttons. So, I just tried it again and now the tree on the left is red for the FIRST TIME ever! And I have those extra buttons at the bottom!! That is probably why I was having so much problem following the pdf instructions and some posts here.

Why would that have changed all of the sudden?? 
I'm going to try this again today.
I was also having errors transferring episodes with pyTivo.. Error #86 on some files. And for some reason, my Tivo showed the pyTivo folders in the Devices even when pyTivo was stopped or not even running on my pc. So, I need to figure that out too..


----------



## Snacko

I was able to load several episodes (8) to my Tivo just fine, then got an *Error #86 *on a certain episode. Then some others would transfer fine. and then more would get the error.

I noticed that the Tivo saw the pyTivo server folders from my pc EVEN when pyTivo was NOT running on my pc. I had stopped it, and also exited it. But my Tivo still showed it in Devices and I could browse through the episodes. But I get an error #86 on all transfers(which makes sense). But why does my Tivo see pyTivo when it's not running? Does Tivo cache the data? I rebooted my tivo and it was still there.

Then I looked in the Task Manager and saw it running still.. See attached pic.. 
*Why are there multiple copies running* of the Systray app and the pyTivo.exe server??


----------



## Dan203

GBL said:


> View attachment 45184
> 
> Got this warning after downloading version 1.6.21 this morning and installing it (and running it). Did the download site get corrupted? Or something else going on?


False positive. All the source is on GitHub you can see it has no virus


----------



## foghorn2

Snacko said:


> ..
> *Why are there multiple copies running* of the Systray app and the pyTivo.exe server??
> 
> View attachment 45187


Its secretly uploading all your data to Vladmir.

<this is a joke if in case the novice is paranoid>


----------



## ThAbtO

HerronScott said:


> Looks like you skipped some of my steps above and went a different route (I didn't mention *Get program id*).
> 
> Follow the bolded items from my post above. The Get RPC Id's is on this page after you select the show.
> 
> View attachment 45183


I recently gotten MG3 and do not see the buttons at the bottom except the Select Show/EP. Shows info screen only shows blank for SeriesID and ProgramID.


----------



## Snacko

ThAbtO said:


> I recently gotten MG3 and do not see the buttons at the bottom except the Select Show/EP. Shows info screen only shows blank for SeriesID and ProgramID.


I had this same problem. I think you need to have pyTivo running in the SysTray so it can talk to your Tivo. And I also think you need to go into the Settings and click on the Mind RPC button. This was not documented in the MG3 pdf. To set up the Mind RPC window you need to enter your Tivo.com username(your email address), Password, and the 15 character Tivo TSN found on your Tivo's Settings/System Info page. I think I also had to check the checkbox to the top to get it to work.


----------



## HerronScott

ThAbtO said:


> I recently gotten MG3 and do not see the buttons at the bottom except the Select Show/EP. Shows info screen only shows blank for SeriesID and ProgramID.


You need select a show first and then the other options show up on the main screen.

*After selecting a show, *you need to select *Get RPC PID's* and then *Do seriesId RPC search. *Highlight the correct show if more than one shows up and select *Accept*. Then it should populate the Series ID and Program ID although there were a few episodes that it didn't find that information (including the pilot).


Enter TV show and select *Search*
Highlight show desired and select *Select Show* 
Select *Get RPC PIDs *which is now visible after prior step along with episode information above
Select *Do seriesId RPC search*
If more than one option is listed, highlight the correct one and select *Accept*
If Metagenerator, can't find information for any of the episodes, it will display a popup. There are other options on the RPC search page besides the default Episode Titles. You can also do Season/Episode Numbers which might find more if the titles don't match.

Note that I'm not an expert. 

Scott


----------



## elprice7345

I believe the MG3 replies are better suited in the MG3 thread and have responded there: Metagenerator 3 -- Support & Downloads


----------



## Dan203

I've used the money I've received for donations to purchase a Windows signing certificate. I'm hoping that this will help remove the weird warning you get now when you download and some of the false positives people have gotten from their Antivirus software. But the validation process (Comodo) is quite involved so it could be a few weeks before I can update the installer again with the signed binaries.


----------



## Dan203

Just uploaded a new build with the code signing certificate. Also linked to Microsoft Partner Program so that it knows I'm a valid developer and should recognize the certificate and hopefully stop the "Windows has protected you" message you get when you attempt to install it. Although it says it can take a while to build up a "reputation" and get that to go away.

I also made a very minor change to how "check for updates" works. It's now using a PHP script to determine if you have latest version rather than a text file I have to update manually every time I upload a new build. I will push this same change to the Mac soon as well, but since there are no other changes I don't want to bother them with an update just for this. So whenever I have a new build for them I'll add it.


----------



## HerronScott

Thanks Dan! Just FYI, still got this but it knows you are the publisher!










Scott


----------



## ClearToLand

HerronScott said:


> Thanks Dan! Just FYI, still got this but it knows you are the publisher!
> 
> View attachment 45340
> 
> 
> Scott


Robert?


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> Robert?


Yeah that's my legal name. For some reason my parents named me after my Dad and then decided yo call me by my middle name my entire life.

I tried to get the certificate people to use Dan Haddix as the "company" name but they're super strict and wouldn't allow that


----------



## KevTech

HerronScott said:


> Thanks Dan! Just FYI, still got this but it knows you are the publisher!


What I do after I download an executable file and I know the file is OK I right click the file > properties > unblock > apply.

This will stop SmartScreen from blocking the file.


----------



## Dan203

KevTech said:


> What I do after I download an executable file and I know the file is OK I right click the file > properties > unblock > apply.
> 
> This will stop SmartScreen from blocking the file.
> 
> View attachment 45357


I think that kind of data is sent to MS and increases my "reputation" so this will stop automatically in the future. Or at least it should.


----------



## ADG

The latest release is creating two folders in c: drive that were never there before with any earlier versions. They only appear when the app is running. Is this by design?


----------



## KevTech

ADG said:


> The latest release is creating two folders in c: drive that were never there before with any earlier versions. They only appear when the app is running. Is this by design?


I noticed this as well.

Prior versions the files were created in Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp and this version they are created in the root of the drive.


----------



## Dan203

Is that actually working! I didn’t think it did and actually complained to the pyinstaller people.

So it's intentional. The reason is the tray app. The way the python code works is I use a program called pyinstaller which converts all the python code and the python runtime into an exe that can just be launched like any normal program. It does this by temporarily extracting these to the temp folder and running from there. Problem is the tray app can sometimes run for a long time. And Windows will "clean up" any files in the Temp folder that haven’t been touched in a while. This means some of the python files, and the logos/graphics, that are mainly only touched when the program first launches are considered stale and deleted by Windows. Which creates erratic behavior.

In one of the newer versions of pyinstaller they added a flag that supposed to allow you to move the temp files to a different location. It's not well documented so I played with it for a bit and couldn’t seem to get it to work, so I gave up on it. But because it didn’t seem to actually do anything I just left the line of code in there. Apparently I was wrong and it's doing something on some systems. I need to figure out what exactly it's doing and how I can get consistent results so I can make this a predictable change.

So fair warning, there may be yet another update incoming in the next few days. Sorry.


----------



## ken_man

I updated to the latest version and downloads are just hanging in the download queue. I noticed the below in the log file. Is this what's causing the downloads to get stuck in the queue? Any idea how to fix?



Code:


WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
The exe can not be modified after it generated.
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[Errno 22] Invalid argument
Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 935, in process_queue
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 759, in get_tivo_file
IOError: [Errno 22] Invalid argument


----------



## Dan203

Are you using a standard user account? I think the mistake mentioned above that's extracting the code to just C might be causing access errors for people with standard user accounts. I'm going to have to move it back to temp.


----------



## ADG

Dan203 said:


> I'm going to have to move it back to temp.


That would be great.

Also, when there is a new release to your program there is a persistent nag every day until I update it. I'd like the option to pass on an update if everything is working the way I want it to. I can always change my mind later.

Thanks again for all your work!!!


----------



## ken_man

Dan203 said:


> Are you using a standard user account? I think the mistake mentioned above that's extracting the code to just C might be causing access errors for people with standard user accounts. I'm going to have to move it back to temp.


No, I'm using an administrator account. I am seeing two folders being created on the C drive.


----------



## Dan203

ken_man said:


> No, I'm using an administrator account. I am seeing two folders being created on the C drive.


Could be antivirus or something blocking the download. Although not sure why they wouldn't show in the queue. The queue is internal to pyTivo and I haven't touched that code in any of the recent updates.


----------



## ken_man

Dan203 said:


> Could be antivirus or something blocking the download. Although not sure why they wouldn't show in the queue. The queue is internal to pyTivo and I haven't touched that code in any of the recent updates.


I'll do some digging later tonight. They are showing in the queue but they just sit there, nothing happens. I did try some setting changes and was able to get a couple shows downloaded but they saved as .tivo files, in the past they've saved as .ts files.


----------



## ThAbtO

ken_man said:


> but they saved as .tivo files, in the past they've saved as .ts files.


All Tivo downloads are .TiVo files, its when they are decrypted that become either .MPG (PS download) or .TS (TS download).


----------



## Dan203

ken_man said:


> I'll do some digging later tonight. They are showing in the queue but they just sit there, nothing happens. I did try some setting changes and was able to get a couple shows downloaded but they saved as .tivo files, in the past they've saved as .ts files.


OK that could be the decrypting. I'm signing all the exes in the new build, maybe the tivolibre one doesn't like being signed.


----------



## Dan203

Dan203 said:


> OK that could be the decrypting. I'm signing all the exes in the new build, maybe the tivolibre one doesn't like being signed.


Confirmed. The program I used to generate the EXE from the java tivolibre does not allow you to alter the file in any way after it's created, including signing it. And it doesn't have it's own built in signing feature, so I'll just have to revert to not signing that one.


----------



## Dan203

OK another update uploaded. This fixes the issue with the temp files being extracted to C, fixes the issue with tivolibre being signed and not working, and adds a new button to the upgrade prompt that will allow you to ignore the update. 

The new ignore update option will just ignore this specific version. If there is another update in the future you'll still get prompted for that.

I *might* release a Mac update just to add that feature and make the minor version check change I made in 1.6.21 for Windows. But not sure if that's enough to bother Mac users with.


----------



## UCLABB

My apology for being lazy as I imagine the answer is already somewhere here. When I go to upgrade it says I must close the program, I do that, but still no dice. I also closed a couple of processes, but still no go.


----------



## Dan203

There is an icon in the tray. You have to right click it and select exit pytivo


----------



## ken_man

Thanks so much Dan! Everything is working great.


----------



## ADG

Dan203 said:


> The new ignore update option will just ignore this specific version. If there is another update in the future you'll still get prompted for that.


Thanks very much


----------



## Sparky1234

Thanks Dan!


----------



## andrew1883

When I launch pyTivo Desktop I get an error "Verify pyTivo is running and retry" but I can't find any way to get pyTivo running. I'm sure this is an incredibly rookie question but I haven't done this for almost a year and I don't recall. I did reboot (Windows 10) hoping that would cause something to start up, but it didn't work. How do I get pyTivo running?

This must have happened recently because I do have a recent downloaded .ts file, dated Dec 22/19 I have "A Charlie Brown Christmas ... (^258_0).ts" so it must have been working on Dec 22. As I recall, this means 258 errors on pass 0? Last year I bought NetLimiter to throttle the transfer and reduce errors, as I recall the issue was likely the TiVo Premiere not being able to keep up and not being able to slow the transfer. This year I have a new TiVo BOLT VOX+ instead, and anticipated it would be faster and able to keep up. Do I in fact need to use NL again with the newer TiVo box, or is there something else I can do? I think the TiVo is wired to the router and notebook is definitely wireless.

Thanks.
=aw


----------



## Dan203

You have to launch the pyTivo Tray. Basically it's 3 parts. The tray runs in the tray and spawns the pyTivo service. The Desktop app then talks to the pyTivo service via http like a website. (It's basically just a fancy website)


----------



## andrew1883

Thank you. But where do I find pyTivo Tray? It's not in the tray, and not in the Start menu (Windows 10). I've rebooted at least once since I started having this problem, so it presumably doesn't start on bootup. Do I need to uninstall and reinstall pyTivo? Would prefer not if I don't have to.

=aw


----------



## KevTech

Should have these in your start menu.










You want to click on the pytivo shortcut that is highlighted in the picture.
Once that is running you can open pytivo desktop.


----------



## andrew1883

KevTech said:


> Should have these in your start menu.


Thank you, I'm feeling better because that's where I was looking. But not better because here's what I've got (sorry about size). Is there some way to return the missing item to the menu? _[added: I've added a tile for pyTivo in the main Start menu, but can't find any way to edit this list]_










Thanks.
=aw


----------



## Dan203

andrew1883 said:


> Thank you, I'm feeling better because that's where I was looking. But not better because here's what I've got (sorry about size). Is there some way to return the missing item to the menu? _[added: I've added a tile for pyTivo in the main Start menu, but can't find any way to edit this list]_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks.
> =aw


Weird. I'd reinstall. Your antivirus might have blocked something


----------



## KevTech

The shortcut says Pytivo but the target is pyTivoTray.exe so create a shortcut for PyTivoTray.


----------



## andrew1883

Thank you both. I did find some info on customizing Start menu (what a mess) and I was able to add an item (though I think I have to reboot to reload Start menu and I can't because I'm actually downloading a recording! . The page that had some info on editing the "middle" Start window (not the tiles to the right and not the categories to the left) was here How to add Files and Folders to Windows 10's Start Menu

I did launch pyTivo.exe so I've got a console window open, but I'll try pyTivoTray in the morning when I can reboot to test.

Thanks again.
=aw


----------



## jgrub

Hi Dan. I'm running 2017 iMac w/MacOS 10.15.2. pyTivo crashes during use (e.g., transferring a video from the iMac to a TiVo Bolt+ the transfer stops prior to completion).

It also seems to lock up/slow down the computer randomly, including connecting to the internet. If I disable pyTivo I have my computer back to full speed... but of course I cannot transfer TiVo<->iMac.

Apple's Activity Monitor shows multiple iterations of pyTivo and pyTiVo Tray(one not running). Restarting gets repeat result.








Any ideas?
Thanks


----------



## jgrub

Update: Downloaded new copy, installed, seemed to work for a few minutes with two pyTiVo trays running, then one switched to "(Not Responding)". Transferring a movie now.


----------



## Dan203

jgrub said:


> Update: Downloaded new copy, installed, seemed to work for a few minutes with two pyTiVo trays running, then one switched to "(Not Responding)". Transferring a movie now.


There are always two listed in task manager. It's a byproduct of the way pyinstaller works. Runs once to extract and cleanup and the other one is the actual code.


----------



## jgrub

Dan203 said:


> There are always two listed in task manager. It's a byproduct of the way pyinstaller works. Runs once to extract and cleanup and the other one is the actual code.


Thanks Dan.
BTW: I queued up three .mkv movies to transfer, only the last appeared on TiVo. I'll try one at a time today.


----------



## Dan203

jgrub said:


> Thanks Dan.
> BTW: I queued up three .mkv movies to transfer, only the last appeared on TiVo. I'll try one at a time today.


There is a log in the About dialog you can look at to see why it might have failed. But it can be a lot to wade through to find what you're looking for. If you need help let me know


----------



## jakryk

So frustrated. I have a new computer. Never could get it to work on my old computer. Downloaded the latest pyTiVo. It recognizes my TiVo. It shows all the shows in My Shows. I try to download a show. As it downloads there is a message that there are ts errors and a bunch of packets are affected. The file is in the destination folder. The file size looks about rightl When I try to play it on Windows Media Player I get this message:
"Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file."

This happens every time. I am by no means a computer expert. I just want to download a few shows.


----------



## KevTech

jakryk said:


> So frustrated. I have a new computer. Never could get it to work on my old computer. Downloaded the latest pyTiVo. It recognizes my TiVo. It shows all the shows in My Shows. I try to download a show. As it downloads there is a message that there are ts errors and a bunch of packets are affected.


Try selecting PS instead of TS on transfer format.

Another option is on the TivoToGo tab if you set transfer format to "Allow me to select per-recording" you can have a choice of TS or PS on my shows tab.

Then you can select what format you want to download as.

Make sure you have "Decrypt with tivo-libre" selected on TivoToGo options.

Example:


----------



## Dan203

jakryk said:


> So frustrated. I have a new computer. Never could get it to work on my old computer. Downloaded the latest pyTiVo. It recognizes my TiVo. It shows all the shows in My Shows. I try to download a show. As it downloads there is a message that there are ts errors and a bunch of packets are affected. The file is in the destination folder. The file size looks about rightl When I try to play it on Windows Media Player I get this message:
> "Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file."
> 
> This happens every time. I am by no means a computer expert. I just want to download a few shows.


Two different issues....

1) To play in WMP you have to check the box in the installer to install the TiVo DirectShow filter. I don't actually have the legal right to distribute that file, so I'm flying on a wing and a prayer there, so I leave that box unchecked by default.

2) The TS errors are coming from the TiVo itself. There is NOTHING I can do to fix it. Some people have found that throttling the network and downloading at slower speeds help, but even that's not 100%. No one, as far as I know, has figured out the magic bullet. The reason I detect report them is so you're aware they're there. (previously you just never knew) I also have a feature built in that will retry when these errors are detected because sometimes if you keep retrying you can get a clean download, or at the very least one with less errors. I typically have mine set to retry 5 times and to keep the one with the least errors. In my experience I usually get a copy with at least less errors than the first try. But not always. And the weird thing is that the errors that do occur are almost always in the same spot.

Given that currently this functionality doesn't work at all on the new Edge and the official TiVo Desktop has been dead for like 8 years now I doubt TiVo is going to put any effort into fixing this.

if your cable company uses MPEG-2 you can use the PS option instead and it will not have this issue. However PS files have issues with closed captioning so if that's important to you then it could be a different issue. Also PS files download at about 1/2 the speed. Although that's still faster then doing 5+ retries on the TS trying to get a clean copy.


----------



## foghorn2

^ I dont think Tivo wants to fix it, if anything, I think/bet they intentionally "broke" it.

Pytivo is excellent and well coded. Really came in handy this month.


----------



## jhhyde

Also, make sure your new computer has an MPEG2 codec installed. Microsoft no longer supplies it with Windows.


----------



## Dan203

jhhyde said:


> Also, make sure your new computer has an MPEG2 codec installed. Microsoft no longer supplies it with Windows.


K-lite is popular for this.

I wonder why MS no longer supplies MPEG-2 codec? The patents expired earlier this year, as did the ones for AC3 (Dolby) and DTS, so they're free now.


----------



## KevTech

jhhyde said:


> Also, make sure your new computer has an MPEG2 codec installed. Microsoft no longer supplies it with Windows.


Can obtain from the store.

Get MPEG-2 Video Extension - Microsoft Store


----------



## foghorn2

Dan203 said:


> K-lite is popular for this.
> 
> I wonder why MS no longer supplies MPEG-2 codec? The patents expired earlier this year, as did the ones for AC3 (Dolby) and DTS, so they're free now.


I use VLC or Kodi for mpeg2.

The latest windows updated killed my spectacular 4K upscaling/deinterlacing of MPEG2 video on my HTPC with Kodi with a Radeon RX card. Man does it look good watching old stuff this way.

The update killed the communication between Kodi DXVA settings and the video card. Everything looked software rendered, which was ok, but the DXVA feature really made the video smooth and the colors pop out, no jaggedy jumpy lines either, just crisp sharp picture.

I had to reinstall 10 and turn off Windows updates to get that all back. They want you to buy digital stuff off the sites. They dont like people like me that buy dvd's for like 1-3 bucks a pop and squeeze PQ out with good hardware.


----------



## Dan203

All the gray area decoders of the past for MPEG-2, AC3 and DTS are completely legal now. MP3 as well. It still had one patent holding on to it until next year I believe but Fraunhofer released it and opened it all up to the public. So all those old formats used for DVDs and internet bootlegs are completely license free now.


----------



## UCLABB

Dan, I'm trying to put some TS recordings on a USB stick to put in my LG television. Works fine after I figured out what format to use on the stick (EXFat, no go; Fat32, files too big; NTFS, voila). However, I'm looking for a way to have CC. My TV doesn't seem to recognize any CC with the file. Area where I would have option is greyed out.


----------



## mlippert

UCLABB said:


> Dan, I'm trying to put some TS recordings on a USB stick to put in my LG television. Works fine after I figured out what format to use on the stick (EXFat, no go; Fat32, files too big; NTFS, voila). However, I'm looking for a way to have CC. My TV doesn't seem to recognize any CC with the file. Area where I would have option is greyed out.


Try using ccextractor ccextractor to extract the closed captions from the downloaded file to a .srt file. Maybe that would work. Not really sure what your LG TV supports.


----------



## UCLABB

mlippert said:


> Try using ccextractor ccextractor to extract the closed captions from the downloaded file to a .srt file. Maybe that would work. Not really sure what your LG TV supports.


Worked like a charm. Muchas gracias. Simply put the .srt file on the stick with the video file and the LG played the vid with CC. The LG had a tool/screen to sync the CC and that worked well.


----------



## Dan203

UCLABB said:


> Dan, I'm trying to put some TS recordings on a USB stick to put in my LG television. Works fine after I figured out what format to use on the stick (EXFat, no go; Fat32, files too big; NTFS, voila). However, I'm looking for a way to have CC. My TV doesn't seem to recognize any CC with the file. Area where I would have option is greyed out.


Have you tried running them through VideoReDo?

It all depends on how your TV expects the CCs to be stored. For TS they're typically stored in the video frames, but in the US there are two versions of CCs 608 and 708 and it's possible your TV only supports the older 608 captions while most modern HD broadcasts use 708 captions instead. The newer TiVos have caption rendering build into the TiVo itself, so it's doing the decoding and overlay. So there is really no way to know what formats your TV supports when using a USB stick. It may simply not support captions at all. Or it may only support the types of captions in MP4 or MKV files which are completely different formats. (MP4 uses a text track similar to 608 captions, MKV uses SRT which is just plain text with timecodes next to each line)


----------



## UCLABB

Dan203 said:


> Have you tried running them through VideoReDo?
> 
> It all depends on how your TV expects the CCs to be stored. For TS they're typically stored in the video frames, but in the US there are two versions of CCs 608 and 708 and it's possible your TV only supports the older 608 captions while most modern HD broadcasts use 708 captions instead. The newer TiVos have caption rendering build into the TiVo itself, so it's doing the decoding and overlay. So there is really no way to know what formats your TV supports when using a USB stick. It may simply not support captions at all. Or it may only support the types of captions in MP4 or MKV files which are completely different formats. (MP4 uses a text track similar to 608 captions, MKV uses SRT which is just plain text with timecodes next to each line)


I converted one file to mkv and that didn't work. I'm satisfied with extracting the CCs and putting them on the stick separately. I'm not doing a lot of this right now, but in the future I may set up an HDD connected to the USB port on the TV as program storage site.


----------



## Dan203

Why not just use Plex?


----------



## pshovest

Hello,
New user struggling to get pyTivo running on Windows 8.1 desktop.
Screen shot of log and conf files are below.
MAK is correct, Log files show correct IP address for Tivo, and Zeroconf failure.
I can see my Tivo shows via browser at http://localhost:9032/
pyTivo Destop hangs at "Finding Tivos"

Any suggestions?

[Server]
togo_ts_format = select
togo_path = E:\pyTivo
togo_ts_error_mode = ignore
togo_sortable_names = true
tivolibre_upload = true
free_space_check = true
debug = true
tivo_mak = abcdefghijk

[_tivo_SD]

[_tivo_HD]

[_tivo_4K]

[pyTivo]
path = E:\pyTivo
type = video

Log File:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Wed Jan  8 14:46:58 2020
INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.16
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-8.1-6.3.9600-SP0
DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\Users\ADMIRA~1\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI37202\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
DEBUG:comtypes.client._code_cache:path is unwriteable: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'C:\\Users\\ADMIRA~1\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\_MEI37202\\comtypes\\gen\\tmplyavjp'
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\users\admira~1\appdata\local\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivo-27'
ERROR:pyTivo.beacon:Zeroconf failure
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.1.215 [14/Feb/2020 13:37:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.1.215 [14/Feb/2020 13:37:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
DEBUG:comtypes:CoUninitialize()
DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
DEBUG:comtypes:CoUninitialize()
INFO:pyTivo:'port'
INFO:pyTivo:'port'
INFO:pyTivo:'port'
INFO:pyTivo:'port'
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:'port'
INFO:pyTivo:'port'
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\pyTivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\pyTivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:42:03] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)


----------



## Dan203

pshovest said:


> I can see my Tivo shows via browser at http://localhost:9032/
> pyTivo Destop hangs at "Finding Tivos"


This is odd, because desktop talks to pyTivo on the same port. Has to be a firewall issue.

Try going to...

http://localhost:9032/Desktop

does that work?

If so then that means your browser is getting through the firewall but pyTivo Desktop exe is not.

It depends on the firewall how to fix it. If it's windows firewall it should have prompted you the first time you launched pyTivo and that should have done it all automatically. Doing it manually can be a bit of a PITA so it might be easier to uninstall, reboot, and then reinstall to see if that re-triggers the prompt. If not then you'll have to do it manually.


----------



## Dan203

Here is a screen shot of my firewall settings pertaining to pyTivo...


----------



## Dan203

Hey I just noticed that I'm no longer getting the "protected your computer" prompt when I run a newly downloaded installer. So the reputation on my certificate must have caught up in MS so they no longer think I'm a threat. (time to add the malware!  )


----------



## pshovest

Same "Finding Tivos" thing when I browse to http://localhost:9032/Desktop
My firewall settings seem comparable. I'm on private network only, haven't allowed access on public. Do you think this matters?


----------



## Dan203

pshovest said:


> Same "Finding Tivos" thing when I browse to http://localhost:9032/Desktop
> My firewall settings seem comparable. I'm on private network only, haven't allowed access on public. Do you think this matters?
> 
> View attachment 46267
> 
> 
> View attachment 46268


Maybe. Can't hurt to try adding them and see if it helps.


----------



## pshovest

Rebooted, uninstalled, rebooted, reinstalled and the same thing.
Interesting that on reinstall pyTivo knew the MAK no without me having to provide. 
On pyTivo initial restart, screen said "No Tivos found!" On refresh, "finding Tivos" returns.










Firewall turned off with no effect.
MAK reentered with no effect.

I saw mention somewhere that Win 8.1 was an issue with pyTivo, but I can't get back to that post. Is Win 8/8.1 a known problem?


----------



## Dan203

You say if you just go to http://localhost:9032/ it shows your TiVo? But Desktop does not? That seems impossible. Can you send me a screen shot of that?


----------



## pshovest

Here's the screen shot.
I'm able to transfer .tivo file to my HD and can convert w/tivo-libre to .mp4 using the browser.


----------



## Dan203

That is really strange. You don't have multiple versions of pyTivo running do you? Like did you ever install the old python version as a service or something?

Desktop is literally just a fancier web page that pulls the exact same data as that page you screen shot. There is no reason at all I can think of that the page you posted would work and Desktop would not.


----------



## ThAbtO

pshovest said:


> pyTivo Destop hangs at "Finding Tivos"


Please remove the MAK from your post. That (and lines below) should only for your discretion only under [server].

I do not see:
tivo_username = {your tivo.com login}
tivo_password = [your tivo.com password}


----------



## pshovest

I'm not intentionally running multiple versions. 
Install didn't create any desktop icons. I created icon to run by launching "C:\Program Files (x86)\pyTivo\desktop\_*pyTivoDesktop.exe*_".
I have experimented by running "C:\Program Files (x86)\pyTivo\*pyTivo.exe*"
Which should I be running to launch pyTivo?
Likewise don't know about python. 
I installed pyTivo1.6.16 got an "new version" msg and then uninstalled 1.16 and installed 1.6.23.


----------



## ThAbtO

pshovest said:


> I'm on private network only, haven't allowed access on public. Do you think this matters?


Your network (intranet) is mostly private and no one can access your Tivos from outside (internet), unless you have set some port forwarding in your router to direct to them.


----------



## Dan203

Run pytivo.exe

That's the tray app. That will launch the actual pyTivo server in the background. You can double click the little tray icon to launch the desktop app.


----------



## pshovest

ThAbtO said:


> Please remove the MAK from your post. That (and lines below) should only for your discretion only under [server].
> 
> I do not see:
> tivo_username = {your tivo.com login}
> tivo_password = [your tivo.com password}


MAK removed.
That's the complete tivo.conf file.
Are username and PW supposed to be in .conf file?


----------



## pshovest

OK, I do get the tray icon. Not sure if this helps, but when I double click the tray icon to launch the desktop app, it immediately goes to settings. I've removed the MAK from the screen shot. Doesn't matter if I close or save, the underlying screen says "finding Tivos..." and it never find the Tivo.


----------



## Dan203

OK so when it pops up settings like that it's because it can't communicate with the TiVos it's found and thinks the MAK is incorrect. So double check your MAK, reenter it into the box and Save.


----------



## Dan203

pshovest said:


> Are username and PW supposed to be in .conf file?


No. With what we're doing user name is 'tivo' and password is your MAK, that's all it needs. Back in the old days there was a feature that allowed you to push recordings from your PC to your TiVo and that required contacting the TiVo servers and logging into your account. That did require your user/password. But TiVo discontinued that feature a few years back so that was removed from pyTivo.


----------



## pshovest

Dan203 said:


> OK so when it pops up settings like that it's because it can't communicate with the TiVos it's found and thinks the MAK is incorrect. So double check your MAK, reenter it into the box and Save.


I've done this several times with no effect. Just repeated with no effect.
Why does the browser let me read the Tivo, I don't enter the MAK when I go to localhost:9032?


----------



## ThAbtO

Dan203 said:


> No. With what we're doing user name is 'tivo' and password is your MAK, that's all it needs. Back in the old days there was a feature that allowed you to push recordings from your PC to your TiVo and that required contacting the TiVo servers and logging into your account. That did require your user/password. But TiVo discontinued that feature a few years back so that was removed from pyTivo.


I assumed it needed the Tivo login credentials, but no longer. I still have mine set in the PyTivo (Not desktop).


----------



## Dan203

pshovest said:


> I've done this several times with no effect. Just repeated with no effect.
> Why does the browser let me read the Tivo, I don't enter the MAK when I go to localhost:9032?


The browser is using the MAK from the config file.

The Desktop app literally gets it's list of TiVos from pyTivo, which is what you're seeing in the browser. So I really don't understand what's going on here. It's literally calling the same function as that browser link and just asking for the data to be returned as JSON instead of an HTML page. There is absolutely no reason it shouldn't work. It makes 0 sense that the browser is working and the Desktop app is not.

But just as a test, go to the network tab and change the port. 9033 should be fine. When it's done restarting pyTivo close the Desktop app, right click the tray icon and exit pyTivo. Reboot your PC. Now start pyTivo and try again.

If that doesn't work I'm stumped. All we could do next is call the URLs with the added param to request the JSON data and see what it's retuning. That can be a bit complicated to parse so if you don't want to go that route I completely understand. This is suppose to be easy to use, but for some odd reason, really odd reason, it's not working on your PC.


----------



## Mikeguy

@Dan203, a while back I had mentioned to you that the pyTivo Desktop icon shows up on the Windows 10 taskbar as pretty small. When I was checking something on the taskbar earlier today, I noticed that this seems to have to do with how taskbar icons are displayed: when displayed in large form, the pyTivo Desktop icon shows as a full icon image, in a square with intervening coloring; but when displayed with the taskbar small icons option selected, the pyTivo Desktop icon somehow only shows the center image, without the square and intervening coloring (the reason why it is so much smaller and harder to see). Here are screen captures. This happens with other taskbar colorings as well.

















And just for completeness, here is how the icon appears on the Start menu (in square form with intervening coloring).










I don't know if this is something that Windows does automatically with taskbar icons when the small icons option is selected (although it didn't change the neighboring Windows Update icon of any of the other icons) or if it is something in the pyTivo Desktop icon itself. Simply FYI.


----------



## pshovest

Changed port to 9033, no change. Browser w/Local host 9033 works just like 9032 does.
Don't know if this helps, but Task manager shows multiple instances of pyTivo Processes running.










If you're willing to keep trying, I'll try to follow your instructions and run any diagnostic you propose.
Thanks.


----------



## Dan203

There should be two of each, but not 3. So you have an extra version of desktop running there. The two of each is how the exe wrapper programs I use work. They run once to extract the contents to a temp folder than a second time to actually run them. 

Let me get back to you on the other stuff. It's been a while and I don’t remember the exact URL syntax to get pyTivo to spit out JSON. I need to look at the code.


----------



## Dan203

Mikeguy said:


> @Dan203, a while back I had mentioned to you that the pyTivo Desktop icon shows up on the Windows 10 taskbar as pretty small. When I was checking something on the taskbar earlier today, I noticed that this seems to have to do with how taskbar icons are displayed: when displayed in large form, the pyTivo Desktop icon shows as a full icon image, in a square with intervening coloring; but when displayed with the taskbar small icons option selected, the pyTivo Desktop icon somehow only shows the center image, without the square and intervening coloring (the reason why it is so much smaller and harder to see). Here are screen captures. This happens with other taskbar colorings as well.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And just for completeness, here is how the icon appears on the Start menu (in square form with intervening coloring).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know if this is something that Windows does automatically with taskbar icons when the small icons option is selected (although it didn't change the neighboring Windows Update icon of any of the other icons) or if it is something in the pyTivo Desktop icon itself. Simply FYI.


When you create an icon file you create 4 sizes. 256x256, 48x48, 32x32 and 16x16. In my file the first 3 have the square, the last does not. Typically windows will use either the 48x48 or 32x32 icon for desktop, start menu and taskbar icons depending on the PPI of your monitor. These days most are set to 92, rather than 72, so the 48x48 is usually used. The big one is only used in an Explorer folder when you have "large" icons turned on. The little one is typically only used for the upper left corner of the program next to the name. I had no idea it was also used when you had the taskbar set to use small icons. But with the square at that size the TiVo guy is unrecognizable with so few pixels so that's why it doesn't have a square.

In a normal Windows program the tray icon would also use this 16x16 size, but because I'm using python an wxWidgets for the UI on that it loads each icon for on/off individually from a png file. But they're basically just duplicates of the 16x16 icon from that file.

For the tile in the start menu I'm not sure how that works. I'm not at my computer right now so I'm not sure if that's normal or some setting you have. There are a couple of intermediate sizes that can be used in an icon file that I'm not using, maybe adding one of those would make that bigger, I'm not sure. Before Windows 10 those didn't exist and I don't actually use them personally so I never really paid attention to them. (could be a problem for VideoReDo too and I don't even know it)


----------



## pshovest

Dan203 said:


> There should be two of each, but not 3. So you have an extra version of desktop running there. The two of each is how the exe wrapper programs I use work. They run once to extract the contents to a temp folder than a second time to actually run them.......


On startup I get the following....










After I right click on tray icon and launch pyTivo Desktop, (3) desktop processes showup in task manager. Not sure how to fix.


----------



## Dan203

pshovest said:


> On startup I get the following....
> 
> View attachment 46290
> 
> 
> After I right click on tray icon and launch pyTivo Desktop, (3) desktop processes showup in task manager. Not sure how to fix.
> 
> View attachment 46291


I could be wrong. I updated to a newer build of Electron when I updated a few versions back so maybe it launches 3 now. I'm not at my PC so I can't check, but I seriously doubt that's the issue. If it was that browser based Desktop would work.


----------



## HerronScott

Wow, I'm having the same exact issue as pshovest. I can see the shows on our Roamio Pro hitting pyTivo directly (localhost:9032) but pyTivo Desktop doesn't report any TiVo's found. Same results changing the port to 9033 as well.

Note that it worked immediately after I installed pyTivo Desktop but stopped at some point after that. TiVo Desktop works fine on this Windows 10 laptop.

Would love to get this working as well. 

Scott


----------



## Dan203

HerronScott said:


> Wow, I'm having the same exact issue as pshovest. I can see the shows on our Roamio Pro hitting pyTivo directly (localhost:9032) but pyTivo Desktop doesn't report any TiVo's found. Same results changing the port to 9033 as well.
> 
> Note that it worked immediately after I installed pyTivo Desktop but stopped at some point after that. TiVo Desktop works fine on this Windows 10 laptop.
> 
> Would love to get this working as well.
> 
> Scott


Did you try the http://localhost:9032/Desktop trick and see if that works for you?


----------



## HerronScott

That brings up the settings page so no change in behavior.

Scott


----------



## HerronScott

Dan,

If you have the URL for the JSON data, let me know and I can provide what I get.

Scott


----------



## Dan203

This is the URL that should retrun the JSON data for the TiVos on your network

http://localhost:9032/TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo

Actually if you open that URL with Desktop in Chrome and then look at the developer console (Ctrl+Shift+J) you can see all the URLs it's calling and some errors.


----------



## Dan203

I'm looking at the python code and the code for that GetTiVoList function is literally the same loop as the one to display the TiVo list on the localhost:9032 home page. So this makes zero sense. Unless there is some oddity in the name of a TiVo or something that's messing up the JSON


----------



## HerronScott

Hi Dan,

It doesn't seem to be getting a response back from pyTivo with that URL.


----------



## Dan203

I have no idea what would cause that. The source code is on my GitHub. If you look it's a simple loop that uses the TiVo data from the global config variable. Exactly the same way as the webpage. The only difference I see if they have one more level of error checking on the web page, so I guess if your setup was hitting that error it would cause the JSON routine to throw a fault vs returning data. There is no logging attached to either so the fault wouldn’t show up in the log for either one.

Do you have any weird TiVos on your network? Ones with strange names? An Edge? Anything out of the ordinary?


----------



## pshovest

I get a similar response...


----------



## Dan203

Are you guys running an advanced copy of Windows? Like an insider build or something?


----------



## ThAbtO

Out of curiosity, can I add just the Desktop portion to my Wmcbrine PyTivo?


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> Out of curiosity, can I add just the Desktop portion to my Wmcbrine PyTivo?


No. My fork is based on Wmcbrine, but it has special URLs added, like the one in question here, that return data in JSON format which the Desktop app needs to function.


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> Do you have any weird TiVos on your network? Ones with strange names? An Edge? Anything out of the ordinary?


Hi Dan,

Just 3 TiVo's on the network for discovery (and 1 Mini). Names and models below.

TiVo Series3 - 1 S3 OLED
TiVo Series3 - 2 S3 OLED
TiVo Roamio Roamio Pro

TiVo Desktop has no issue discovering all 3 as well as listing and transferring shows.

I noticed that pyTivo (localhost:9033) is only discovering the Roamio Pro though.

I have an older version of the regular install of pyTivo running on my WHS server and it's showing all of the TiVo's as well.










And when I use that URL to get the JSON listing with it I get unsupported command but I suppose that could be due to an older version?










Scott


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> No. My fork is based on Wmcbrine, but it has special URLs added, like the one in question here, that return data in JSON format which the Desktop app needs to function.


Ah never mind my comment about the wmcbrine version and unsupported command. 

Scott


----------



## Dan203

I'm going to have to add some extra logging to figure out what's going on. I will use a special URL and post it here when I have a build for you to try.


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> I'm going to have to add some extra logging to figure out what's going on. I will use a special URL and post it here when I have a build for you to try.


Thank you Dan! Where did the other poster go that was having the same issue? Would be interesting to see if they are showing the same results.

Scott


----------



## Dan203

Well I was able to simulate an error in that function and if it fails it just dies, which produces the effect you're seeing. So I'm going to add some more error checking to the function and see if that helps. If we can catch the error then it should always return something. I'll create a build with this change and post a link in a few minutes.


----------



## Dan203

OK can you guys try this build and see if it fixes the issue...

https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.24


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> OK can you guys try this build and see if it fixes the issue...
> 
> https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.24


Dan I think you have a typo in the code. I saw it because I was curious what error checking you were adding.


Code:


                if 'port' in config.tivos[tsn]:
                    json_config[tsn]['name'] = config.tivos[tsn]['name']
                else:
                    json_config[tsn]['name'] = "Unnamed TiVo: " + tsn

if 'port' in should be if 'name' in. You check for the port further down in the new code.


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> Dan I think you have a typo in the code. I saw it because I was curious what error checking you were adding.
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> if 'port' in config.tivos[tsn]:
> json_config[tsn]['name'] = config.tivos[tsn]['name']
> else:
> json_config[tsn]['name'] = "Unnamed TiVo: " + tsn
> 
> if 'port' in should be if 'name' in. You check for the port further down in the new code.


You are correct. Good catch.


----------



## Dan203

Fixed!

I'm rebuilding and reuploading using same version number. So wait a few minutes and download again if you have already downloaded the one above.


----------



## Dan203

OK took me a couple extra minutes because the installer was being a PITA, but I got it built and uploaded so please try again.


----------



## HerronScott

Hi Dan,

All I get back is the following using the JSON URL (tsn removed).

{"<tsn>": {"tsn": "<tsn>", "port": 443, "name": "TiVo Roamio", "address": "192.168.1.129"}}

One thing to note is that TiVo Desktop does not show all of the shows. I'm not sure if that's due to streaming shows where I have OnePasses set up or something else.










Also, when I hit pyTivo directly to see the list of shows, it initially looked fine and has 2 pages but I noticed that when I went to page 2 it repeats some of the shows on the prior page.



















Scott


----------



## Dan203

That looks like proper JSON so does Desktop work?

The issue you see with the standard pyTivo web UI is a known issue and started to happen after they added OnePass. Seems to happen if you have any streaming OnePasses. I use a different method to parse the data so this wont happen in Desktop


----------



## Dan203

Also do you only have that one TiVo? Or do you have others that after listed in that JSON? Maybe the other(s) is what's causing the issue. If so I'd like to know what about it might be causing the issue.

Edit: Never mind I see in your other post you have two S3 units. I wonder why those wouldn’t be listed? You saw the code, I'm substituting for missing values. The only one I'm rejecting is if they don’t have an IP address. Which the list on the website also rejects.


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> That looks like proper JSON so does Desktop work?
> 
> The issue you see with the standard pyTivo web UI is a known issue and started to happen after they added OnePass. Seems to happen if you have any streaming OnePasses. I use a different method to parse the data so this wont happen in Desktop





Dan203 said:


> Edit: Never mind I see in your other post you have two S3 units. I wonder why those wouldn't be listed? You saw the code, I'm substituting for missing values. The only one I'm rejecting is if they don't have an IP address. Which the list on the website also rejects.


Hi Dan,

It was not working when I posted and I thought I would see all the show information in the JSON data and not just the 1 line with the TiVo listed, but I gather now that there must be an additional call to pick the TiVo for the show data.

Yes, it is working this morning at least for the Roamio! Any thoughts as to why?

I too would like to know why the 2 older S3's don't show up as well (but do in TiVo Desktop on this PC and in the older pyTiVo install on my WHS server). How would they show up in pyTiVo Desktop? Additional tabs or am I missing a method to select which one (or it doesn't present itself since it only finds one)?

Scott

Scott


----------



## Dan203

If you go to the localhost:9032 in a browser while this version is running do you see the two S3 units?


----------



## Dan203

pshovest said:


> Hello,
> New user struggling to get pyTivo running on Windows 8.1 desktop.
> Screen shot of log and conf files are below.
> MAK is correct, Log files show correct IP address for Tivo, and Zeroconf failure.
> I can see my Tivo shows via browser at http://localhost:9032/
> pyTivo Destop hangs at "Finding Tivos"
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> [Server]
> togo_ts_format = select
> togo_path = E:\pyTivo
> togo_ts_error_mode = ignore
> togo_sortable_names = true
> tivolibre_upload = true
> free_space_check = true
> debug = true
> tivo_mak = abcdefghijk
> 
> [_tivo_SD]
> 
> [_tivo_HD]
> 
> [_tivo_4K]
> 
> [pyTivo]
> path = E:\pyTivo
> type = video
> 
> Log File:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Wed Jan  8 14:46:58 2020
> INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.16
> INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-8.1-6.3.9600-SP0
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
> INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\Users\ADMIRA~1\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI37202\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
> DEBUG:comtypes.client._code_cache:path is unwriteable: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'C:\\Users\\ADMIRA~1\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\_MEI37202\\comtypes\\gen\\tmplyavjp'
> INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\users\admira~1\appdata\local\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivo-27'
> ERROR:pyTivo.beacon:Zeroconf failure
> INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.1.215 [14/Feb/2020 13:37:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.1.215 [14/Feb/2020 13:37:46] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoUninitialize()
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoInitializeEx(None, 2)
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:02] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> DEBUG:comtypes:CoUninitialize()
> INFO:pyTivo:'port'
> INFO:pyTivo:'port'
> INFO:pyTivo:'port'
> INFO:pyTivo:'port'
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:'port'
> INFO:pyTivo:'port'
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\pyTivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:03] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=E:\pyTivo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:39:18] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Feb/2020 13:42:03] Request timed out: timeout('timed out',)


Can you try this version and see if it fixes the issue?

https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.24


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> If you go to the localhost:9032 in a browser while this version is running do you see the two S3 units?


No, still just the Roamio, but as I mentioned, TiVo Desktop on this same workstation sees all 3 TiVo's and my old pyTivo install on the home server also sees all 3 as well.

Scott


----------



## Dan203

HerronScott said:


> No, still just the Roamio, but as I mentioned, TiVo Desktop on this same workstation sees all 3 TiVo's and my old pyTivo install on the home server also sees all 3 as well.
> 
> Scott


OK so that's just a discovery issue. You can try turning off zeroconf, that can sometimes help. Or sometimes just rebooting everything helps too.

Unfortunately this gets into the area of the code I did not write. This is the original pyTivo. I did play with the timing a bit to try and fix this, but I actually gave it more time to find the TiVos causing a slightly longer startup, so it should be better if anything. Other than that I tried upgrading the zeroconf library to the newest version but that made no difference. For some reason pyTivo's discovery of TiVo's AND TiVo's discovery of pyTivo shares is finicky.


----------



## HerronScott

Thanks Dan for fixing the issue for my Roamio at least (glad the earlier poster brought this up!).


Scott


----------



## mlippert

zeroconf works by sending a broadcast asking for anyone listening that performs a particular service to reply.
I tried improving that area of code also in my fork, but as Dan said it's finicky. Also depending on how the devices are connected and how your router operates those broadcasts don't always go to all addresses (in particular over wifi).
One thing I did was add config sections by TSN where I could specify the IP address of my TiVos (which meant I had to give them permanent addresses)

those config sections looked like (all numeric values are dummy values)


Code:


[_tivo_8496ABC98564F3C]
# 42 Main St
name = BedroomBolt
tivo_mak = 9876543210
#address = 192.168.1.83

There are zeroconf commandline tools you can use to see if your tivos are responding, but they aren't easy to use, and you need to know the right service to broadcast. (I can figure it out again if you really want to go down this road, but I last did it years ago and I've forgotten)


----------



## HerronScott

mlippert said:


> zeroconf works by sending a broadcast asking for anyone listening that performs a particular service to reply.
> I tried improving that area of code also in my fork, but as Dan said it's finicky. Also depending on how the devices are connected and how your router operates those broadcasts don't always go to all addresses (in particular over wifi).
> One thing I did was add config sections by TSN where I could specify the IP address of my TiVos (which meant I had to give them permanent addresses)


Is that added to the pyTivo config (but it sounds like it's only in your fork)? I do static addressing on my TiVo's through DHCP reservations.

Since TiVo Desktop on the same PC is having no issues discovering all of the TiVos, it seems a bit odd that pyTiVo Desktop/pyTivo is. I just checked TiVo Desktop's configuration and looks like I had changed it from Bonjour to TiVo Beacon at some point. Does pyTivo only use TiVo Beacon?

Scott


----------



## mlippert

HerronScott said:


> Is that added to the pyTivo config (but it sounds like it's only in your fork)? I do static addressing on my TiVo's through DHCP reservations.


Sorry if that wasn't clear, yes only on my fork. I was just saying that was one of the ways I had attempted to deal with the flakiness finding tivos. I do static addressing via DHCP reservations also.

I don't remember how the TiVo Beacon works to be honest. I believe pyTiVo attempted to support both it and zeroconf. That's why somewhere above Dan had suggested changing that config setting.


----------



## HerronScott

mlippert said:


> I don't remember how the TiVo Beacon works to be honest. I believe pyTiVo attempted to support both it and zeroconf. That's why somewhere above Dan had suggested changing that config setting.


Ah sorry I did not realize that zeroconf was the same as Bonjour.

Scott


----------



## Dan203

HerronScott said:


> Ah sorry I did not realize that zeroconf was the same as Bonjour.


Bonjour is the Apple brand name for the standard. All the open source projects call it zerconf.


----------



## HerronScott

Dan203 said:


> Bonjour is the Apple brand name for the standard. All the open source projects call it zerconf.


How is Bonjour/zeroconf supported on Windows 10 with TiVo Desktop and pyTivo? I seem to recall that TiVo Desktop installed Bonjour but I could be wrong there (I have Apple Bonjour installed on this PC around the time I would have installed TiVo Desktop). We don't use any Apple products so no other Apple applications installed.

Scott


----------



## mlippert

@HerronScott you may want to read the wikipedia article on zeroconf to understand more about it Zero-configuration networking - Wikipedia or not, it is long.
pyTivo uses a python implementation of zeroconf zeroconf and jstasiak/python-zeroconf

I also remember that _Tivo Desktop_ used Bonjour.


----------



## Dan203

HerronScott said:


> How is Bonjour/zeroconf supported on Windows 10 with TiVo Desktop and pyTivo? I seem to recall that TiVo Desktop installed Bonjour but I could be wrong there (I have Apple Bonjour installed on this PC around the time I would have installed TiVo Desktop). We don't use any Apple products so no other Apple applications installed.


The Apple Bonjour that TiVo installed was for convenience. It was just an API they used to avoid having to build it directly into the software. I talked to one of the TiVo Desktop developers once, many years ago, and he told me it was developed using Borland C++. Not a lot of 3rd party library support for that, so it was probably a choice between using the external Apple Bonjour or developing their own implementation from scratch, which would have been a PITA. Python has a HUGE community of developers and 3rd party libraries so it was easy for pyTivo to find one like zeroconf and just build it right in.

That being said the Apple Bonjour API TiVo Desktop uses, or maybe the TiVo code that interacts with it, seems to be better at discovering TiVos over a broader range of networks. I don't personally know enough about the internals of the standard to know why that might be, but pyTivo has always had more trouble finding TiVos that TiVo Desktop did.

I've considered rewriting my Desktop app to be purely Electron based and to use NodeJS for the underlying services instead of python, but it would be a huge undertaking and I just don't have time to do it right now.

I've also pitched the idea to TiVo that they should just update the website they host directly on the TiVo itself to use a PWA style page instead, using Angular or React or similar, which would eliminate the need for a desktop client at all. They could literally host something just like pyTivo Desktop on the TiVo itself and you could access it using a web browser. There is nothing facny about pyTivo Desktop. It's just an HTML5 website that takes JSON data as input and will run in any modern browser. I just packaged it into an exe, using Electron, for convenience.


----------



## JoeKustra

Hi Dan. Would it be a major project to add the year to displayed program dates?


----------



## Dan203

JoeKustra said:


> Hi Dan. Would it be a major project to add the year to displayed program dates?


I don't believe that information is available. I'm pretty sure the XML returned by the TiVo itself only has the date as displayed.

The more advanced API that kmttg uses has the year, but that's not what pyTivo is using. And converting pyTivo to using that API would in fact be a major project.


----------



## mlippert

@Dan203 I think it may still be a major task, but I reworked some of the way that the metadata is collected (and it took me a while) and I can get the following from the TiVo (the information I can't get is show season and episode numbers)
example data I got for a Hallmark channel movie:


Code:


title: Gourmet Detective Mysteries
seriesTitle: Gourmet Detective Mysteries
episodeTitle: Roux the Day: A Gourmet Detective Mystery
description: Henry and Maggie find themselves in a murder mystery where secrets hidden within a treasured recipe book have dire consequences for all who own it.
time: 2020-01-20T01:00:00Z
originalAirDate: 2020-01-19T00:00:00Z
iso_duration: PT2H47S
callsign: HMMHD-E
displayMajorNumber: 657
isEpisode: True
isEpisodic: True
tvRating: PG
seriesId: SH0392240425
programId: EP0392240425-0416190243
showingBits: 4099
vActor: Neal|Dylan
vActor: Burns|Brooke
vActor: Boxleitner|Bruce
vDirector: Jean|Mark

and example data for a TV show:


Code:


title: Marvel's Cloak and Dagger
seriesTitle: Marvel's Cloak and Dagger
episodeTitle: Alignment Chart
description: Tyrone has to make a hard decision when presented with an opportunity to clear his name from an unlikely source; and Tandy is letting her anger get the best of her as she becomes frustrated with a possible dead end to her investigation into the sex trafficking ring.
time: 2019-04-26T00:00:00Z
originalAirDate: 2019-04-25T00:00:00Z
iso_duration: PT1H1M58S
callsign: FREEFORMHD-E
displayMajorNumber: 641
isEpisode: True
isEpisodic: True
tvRating: 14
seriesId: SH0349152967
programId: EP0349152967-0405164406
showingBits: 4099
vActor: Holt|Olivia
vActor: Joseph|Aubrey
vActor: Roth|Andrea
vActor: Reuben|Gloria
vActor: Mussenden|Miles
vActor: Lundstedt|Carl
vActor: Saito|James
vActor: Evermore|J.D.
vExecProducer: Pokaski|Joe
vExecProducer: Loeb|Jeph
vExecProducer: Chory|Jim


----------



## Dan203

Yeah I think I'm wrong anyway. If you click on a show to display the full details it shows the year. So it must be there. I might have cut it off in the main UI to emulate the TiVo UI more. (it doesn't show a year)


----------



## Dan203

JoeKustra said:


> Hi Dan. Would it be a major project to add the year to displayed program dates?


Is having it in the details good enough? Or would you like it in the main display? I might be able to add it as an option if it doesn't take up too much room and cause some sort of weird reflow. (I'd have to test)


----------



## JoeKustra

Dan203 said:


> Is having it in the details good enough? Or would you like it in the main display? I might be able to add it as an option if it doesn't take up too much room and cause some sort of weird reflow. (I'd have to test)


No, I didn't know the year was in the details. I have a lot of old programs, and I know they sort including the year. My TiVo wish list is for them to show the year on their display. I'll be happy with the way it works now. Thanks.


----------



## Dan203

Yeah I just looked and the sort does account for the year, so this is only a display thing.


----------



## reneg

reneg said:


> v1.6.21 fixed the issue I was seeing with VRD 5 post-processing. Thanks Dan


I updated to v1.6.23 and I'm seeing the VRD 5 post-processing issue again that was fixed in v1.6.21. I had to reinstall v1.6.21 to get VRD 5 to play with pytivo desktop.


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> I updated to v1.6.23 and I'm seeing the VRD 5 post-processing issue again that was fixed in v1.6.21. I had to reinstall v1.6.21 to get VRD 5 to play with pytivo desktop.


I double checked the source repo and the changes I made in 1.6.21 are still there in 1.6.23. Nothing else has changed with regard to VRD since that version. I also just tried it myself and it worked fine with v5...










It does take a minute to fill in though. The way Angular works is it's all dynamic. So it loads a default screen and then it requests info from the server (pyTivo in this case) and waits for a reply. It then updates the UI to reflect the response. So it could show the "you need VideoReDo" error for 10-20 seconds while it calls on pyTivo to return the data, then it'll update to show all the options. I could do some sort of loading animation instead, but not sure it's worth the effort.


----------



## reneg

Sorry, all is working fine again. I upgraded back to v1.6.23 and now it is working fine. My PC was recently updated to Windows 10, version 1909 and I wound up updating pytivo desktop to v1.6.23. That's when my problems started. I installed/reinstalled Tivo Desktop, VideoRedo 5, & pyTivoDesktop a few times and I couldn't get pytivo Desktop to launch VRD 5 for QSF. I tried installing v1.6.21 and it worked. That's when I posted. Now everything is back to normal after installing v1.6.23. Sorry about the false alarm.


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> Sorry, all is working fine again. I upgraded back to v1.6.23 and now it is working fine. My PC was recently updated to Windows 10, version 1909 and I wound up updating pytivo desktop to v1.6.23. That's when my problems started. I installed/reinstalled Tivo Desktop, VideoRedo 5, & pyTivoDesktop a few times and I couldn't get pytivo Desktop to launch VRD 5 for QSF. I tried installing v1.6.21 and it worked. That's when I posted. Now everything is back to normal after installing v1.6.23. Sorry about the false alarm.


Like I said, it is a bit weird the way it takes a minute to fill in the options. If I'm ever working on something in the UI again I'll look at adding some sort of animated loading screen there instead and only have it show the error or options after it gets a response from pyTivo.


----------



## XBR

VRD V6 post processing: is it possible to specify QSF _and_ save as MP4 at the same time?


----------



## Dan203

XBR said:


> VRD V6 post processing: is it possible to specify QSF _and_ save as MP4 at the same time?


Not currently. Something I could potentially add. I don't usually recommend recoding while QSFing though. When we open a file in QSF mode we assume it's damaged, so we ignore the length. Which means that there is also no way to calculate the bitrate. And without knowing the bitrate we can't use our typical Quality Factor calculation to get an output bitrate. Which means it falls back on the hard coded bitrates in the profile, which are intentionally left a little high to ensure maximum quality regardless of the source. So your files may end up being bigger than necessary, maybe even bigger than the source.

One option you could use is VAP. It's a program that monitors a folder and processes all files dropped into that folder with any VideoReDo options you want. You could just point your TiVo downloads to that folder and it would basically be automatic. In fact it might be better because it would free up the pyTivo thread to start downloading another file while it's doing the processing.


----------



## XBR

Thank you sir, the workflow makes perfect sense. I’ll look into VAP.


----------



## Dan203

Dan203 said:


> Not currently. Something I could potentially add. I don't usually recommend recoding while QSFing though. When we open a file in QSF mode we assume it's damaged, so we ignore the length. Which means that there is also no way to calculate the bitrate. And without knowing the bitrate we can't use our typical Quality Factor calculation to get an output bitrate. Which means it falls back on the hard coded bitrates in the profile, which are intentionally left a little high to ensure maximum quality regardless of the source. So your files may end up being bigger than necessary, maybe even bigger than the source.
> 
> One option you could use is VAP. It's a program that monitors a folder and processes all files dropped into that folder with any VideoReDo options you want. You could just point your TiVo downloads to that folder and it would basically be automatic. In fact it might be better because it would free up the pyTivo thread to start downloading another file while it's doing the processing.


If your only reason for QSF is to get rid of TS errors in the TiVo file you don't really need to worry about that. When you're recoding we're already doing most of what QSF does, which is recalculating time stamps based on actual frames in/out of the encoder so the output should be roughly the same as a QSF. The only time it wouldn't be is if the original file is so badly damaged that it causes buffer overflows or other such issues which prevent normal processing. QSF does handle the frames a bit differently internally so it can better deal with these types of issues. (at the expense of speed, which is why we don't employ them in a normal save)


----------



## mlippert

@Dan203 what if you aren't recoding but just transmux'ing because the original .ts file's video stream is h.264 and doesn't need to be recoded to save it in an .mp4 container?


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> @Dan203 what if you aren't recoding but just transmux'ing because the original .ts file's video stream is h.264 and doesn't need to be recoded to save it in an .mp4 container?


That's a tougher choice. The way I set QSF up in pyTivo it either saves back to a .tivo file or to a .ts if you select "decrypt". (they're both actually decrypting, the only difference is if it's saving the header) So the only way to save to MP4 is to select the profile option, which will not QSF the file. If you use VideoReDo directly you can QSF the file to MP4 and there would be no repercussions to that. It would be no different than QSFing to TS. All the work is done on the frames before it gets to the final output muxer. But I didn't expose that functionality in pyTivo because I was more worried about the confusion of transcoding. Unlike inside VideoReDo pyTivo does not have a way to detect ahead of time whether the file will require a transcode, so I can't display a warning or anything about QSFing and transcoding at the same time.


----------



## pshovest

Dan203 said:


> Can you try this version and see if it fixes the issue?
> 
> https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.24


Sorry for being missing in action, but v1.6.24 works!
Thanks for working this out.


----------



## scottb

Hello all,
I have been using KMTTG for some time, and have kept it current. I wanted to try Pytivodesktop too, and it is also great. I like the error handling features of Pytivodesktop, and the auto-transfer and other advanced features of KMTTG. I have both running together just fine. I have some questions related to downloads (TiVo to PC) on both:

Here is my setup:
Comcast Cable
TiVo Roamio Plus
Latest KMTTG 2.4o
Latest Pytivodesktop 1.6.23


1. Both KMTTG and Pytivodesktop may and can encounter TS errors upon downloads from TiVo to PC. Is this what causes the pixelation of such downloads when played back on my Plex server? This happens more on certain broadcast cable TV networks than others. Is this what others using these tools also encounter and just have to put up with? I just wanted to know if I could fix this, or is it what it is? I don’t believe (it is) the fault of Pytivodesktop and/or KMTTG. I just am wondering if I can improve on the occasional pixelated download transferred show.

2. Would a “PS” download ever have any use or purpose in my environment?

3. Is the “listen” option of Pytivodesktop needing to be enabled for transfers from PC to TiVo?

Thanks,
Scott


----------



## Dan203

1) The TS errors come from the TiVo itself. There is nothing any 3rd party app can do to fix them. That's why I added the feature in pyTivo Desktop to just keep retrying. Sometimes if you try enough times you get a clean copy. If not then you at least know you got the cleanest version you could get. If you're willing to pay for it VideoReDo can clean up the errors a little. The QuickStream Fix feature can recover some of the frames from the corrupted packets which other programs might just skip over.

2) PS will only work with MPEG-2 channels. So it depends on your cable company. If you have Comcast where 99% of their channels are H.264 then you'll have to use TS. If you don't have any H.264 channels then PS will also work. It'll be a bit slower, and they can sometimes have issues with captions, but they wont have any corrupt video frames. 

3) Transfer from PC to TiVo was removed in the new Hydra UI and, according to my source at TiVo, is never coming back. If you have TE3 still then you can create shares on the share tab to serve videos to the TiVo. But sometimes you'll have to reboot everything to get those shares to show up on the TiVo. It can be a bit finicky.


----------



## scottb

Thank you, Dan. And thank you for building and supporting easy to set up Pytivodesktop. I was impressed with my just now first attempt download of a previously difficult to download particular show using your newly installed Pytivodesktop. Configuring your application for 10 attempts at download and keeping the one of 10 with the least TS transfer errors made for a near perfect downloaded copy of the show.

One last question: Was TE3 the old style partial GUI/partial non-GUI TiVo interface, and Hydra (TE4) the current full GUI interface on my Roamio Plus that shows my version as 21.9.7.v3-848-6-848? Is my understanding of the TE3/TE4 differences correct?

I’m going over now to your website to donate for your efforts.

Thanks,
Scott


----------



## Dan203

TE3 is complete now, but it’s the old blue UI with mostly vertical menus. TE4/Hydra is the newer black one with mostly horizontal menus.


----------



## scottb

Dan203 said:


> TE3 is complete now, but it's the old blue UI with mostly vertical menus. TE4/Hydra is the newer black one with mostly horizontal menus.


Thanks again for the answers. Just went over and purchased VRD TVSuite 6 also.
Scott


----------



## ThAbtO

scottb said:


> purchased VRD TVSuite 6 also


You can use it also to remove unwanted content, ie: commercials.


----------



## wendysimon

I am using a VPN currently while I am out of country and would like to access and watch my tivo recordings. I have a roamio and premier at home. I downloaded Pytivo but it's not seeing my tivo. Will this work for me while I'm away or do I need to be at home to download shows? I only found the media access key for my premier my family said they cant find it on the roamio. Any suggestions on how I can watch my shows remotely? Thanks!


----------



## Dan203

I'm don't think it'll work over a VPN. It uses an automatic discovery protocol (Bonjour) to discover the TiVos on your network and I don't think that's VPN compatible. I kind of remember people trying this early on when TTG was first released and that they were able to get it to work, but they had to do something special with the VPN to make that happen. Unfortunately I'm not a VPN expert so I can't tell you what exactly you'd need to do to make it work.


----------



## wendysimon

Dan203 said:


> I'm don't think it'll work over a VPN. It uses an automatic discovery protocol (Bonjour) to discover the TiVos on your network and I don't think that's VPN compatible. I kind of remember people trying this early on when TTG was first released and that they were able to get it to work, but they had to do something special with the VPN to make that happen. Unfortunately I'm not a VPN expert so I can't tell you what exactly you'd need to do to make it work.


Is 1.6.23 the latest version? Maybe someone else can let me know if VPNs will work then. I'm connected to a server in my home city so it seems like it should work. Does PyTivo work the same way as the old tivo desktop did?


----------



## Dan203

Actually 1.6.24 is the latest. It contains a minor fix that was affecting some people where the shows list wouldn't load...

https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.24

I never posted it on the main page because only a few people complained and I didn't want to bug my users with yet another update. (I did quite a few in the last couple months)


----------



## mlippert

wendysimon said:


> I'm connected to a server in my home city so it seems like it should work.


I'm not quite sure what you're expecting to be able to do? Run pyTiVo desktop somewhere remotely and download videos from the TiVos in your house?
That might be possible if you had vpn'd into the LAN (local area network) in your house, meaning you had a vpn server running in your house. But just being connected to a server outside of your house that is in the same city will not give you access to the TiVos in your house.

As for the MAK, if the 2 TiVos can see one another, then they very likely use the same MAK.


----------



## ThAbtO

wendysimon said:


> I am using a VPN currently while I am out of country and would like to access and watch my tivo recordings. I have a roamio and premier at home. I downloaded Pytivo but it's not seeing my tivo. Will this work for me while I'm away or do I need to be at home to download shows? I only found the media access key for my premier my family said they cant find it on the roamio. Any suggestions on how I can watch my shows remotely? Thanks!


Nothing promising, but if you were using KMTTG, and port forwarding for ports 80 (http), 443 (HTTPS), and 1413 (RPC)

This would have to be done on your home router/gateway.

for example, ports were set 200 to forward to HTTP 80 of IP of Tivo, 201 for HTTPS of 443 to IP of Tivo, 202 for 1413 RPC to that Tivo
Then using KMTTG, manually set a Tivo for these settings with the IP, WAN HTTP, HTTPS, RPC..... then you can download shows remotely.

The Media Access Key (MAK) is the same across your Tivo devices and your Tivo.com account.


----------



## wendysimon

mlippert said:


> I'm not quite sure what you're expecting to be able to do? Run pyTiVo desktop somewhere remotely and download videos from the TiVos in your house?
> That might be possible if you had vpn'd into the LAN (local area network) in your house, meaning you had a vpn server running in your house. But just being connected to a server outside of your house that is in the same city will not give you access to the TiVos in your house.
> 
> As for the MAK, if the 2 TiVos can see one another, then they very likely use the same MAK.


I was hoping to find a way to watch the shows on my tivo while I'm not at home. Would I have had to download them first before I left town? I thought maybe it would work in a way that I can access them remotely and watch.


----------



## Dan203

Have you tried the app? If you use the app you can stream from the TiVo to the mobile device (phone or tablet). 

The biggest caveat is that for it to work from outside the home you have to first set it up inside the home. So if you never set that up then you wont be able to do it remotely.


----------



## wendysimon

ThAbtO said:


> Nothing promising, but if you were using KMTTG, and port forwarding for ports 80 (http), 443 (HTTPS), and 1413 (RPC)
> for example, ports were set 200 to forward to HTTP 80 of IP of Tivo, 201 for HTTPS of 443 to IP of Tivo, 202 for 1413 RPC to that Tivo
> Then using KMTTG, manually set a Tivo for these settings with the IP, WAN HTTP, HTTPS, RPC..... then you can download shows remotely.
> 
> The Media Access Key (MAK) is the same across your Tivo devices and your Tivo.com account.


I only wish I could understand this. I was impressed with myself that I could figure out the VPN : ) Was hoping for something a bit more simple to figure out. I was lost at the begnning with KMTTG : ( Not sure what any of this means unfortunately. Just missing my american shows.


----------



## ThAbtO

wendysimon said:


> I only wish I could understand this. I was impressed with myself that I could figure out the VPN : ) Was hoping for something a bit more simple to figure out. I was lost at the begnning with KMTTG : ( Not sure what any of this means unfortunately. Just missing my american shows.


It is complicated, but a few years ago, Someone has something similar and it actually worked in the end. It depends on what make/model is your home router/gateway. Can you access it remotely? or can you/we talk someone in your residence who has access?


----------



## Dan203

kmttg is another program that can download from the TiVo. It's a bit more complex to use, but exposes a lot more features. If you're not the tech savvy type then it's probably not for you.

The type of VPN you're using is meant for a different purpose. It's meant more for hiding your identity or tricking Netflix into thinking you're in a different country. It's not the same kind of VPN you'd need to make pyTivo work from a distance. For that you'd need a VPN into your home. Even then, as I mentioned above, it would require some special settings to get the automatic discovery to work over the VPN. So again, probably beyond your technical skills. 

The app on a phone/tablet is your best bet. That's actually setup to do remote streaming/downloading. But as I said above it requires you to setup the phone/tablet while it's connected to the local network before leaving home. If you didn't do that you're SOL.


----------



## wendysimon

ThAbtO said:


> It is complicated, but a few years ago, Someone has something similar and it actually worked in the end. It depends on what make/model is your home router/gateway. Can you access it remotely? or can you/we talk someone in your residence who has access?


If I tried this at home before I left and messed it all up on my family that is now house quarantined they would change the locks and never let me back in, so its a good thing I didn't attempt this before I left for South Korea!! I'm the smartest one for routers in my house and that's not saying much : ( My husband is happy that I got them disney + and a firestick before I left. So I dont want to take a chance and mess anything up but i appreciate your help.


----------



## wendysimon

Dan203 said:


> kmttg is another program that can download from the TiVo. It's a bit more complex to use, but exposes a lot more features. If you're not the tech savvy type then it's probably not for you.
> 
> The type of VPN you're using is meant for a different purpose. It's meant more for hiding your identity or tricking Netflix into thinking you're in a different country. It's not the same kind of VPN you'd need to make pyTivo work from a distance. For that you'd need a VPN into your home. Even then, as I mentioned above, it would require some special settings to get the automatic discovery to work over the VPN. So again, probably beyond your technical skills.
> 
> The app on a phone/tablet is your best bet. That's actually setup to do remote streaming/downloading. But as I said above it requires you to setup the phone/tablet while it's connected to the local network before leaving home. If you didn't do that you're SOL.


Ok good to know for next time at least. Thanks for your help! I do have netflix and other streaming apps but ABC is a tricky to get and I miss watching good morning america. My VPN doesnt work for ABC for some reason and the other one I got does but my free trial just ended with it and I'm not crazy about buying another VPN service.


----------



## ThAbtO

On some gateways, port forward is a part of NAT/Gaming.

I have a security camera on a port forward, so I can access from outside of home. It has user/pw protection (changed from what factory set).


----------



## XBR

wendysimon said:


> I am using a VPN currently while I am out of country and would like to access and watch my tivo recordings. I have a roamio and premier at home. I downloaded Pytivo but it's not seeing my tivo. Will this work for me while I'm away or do I need to be at home to download shows? I only found the media access key for my premier my family said they cant find it on the roamio. Any suggestions on how I can watch my shows remotely? Thanks!


It is likely you will have to use a VPN client and server that supports "TAP" mode vs. "TUN" (tunnel) mode. OpenVPN is one such combo, but there are caveats; for example, they had to drop TAP mode support from iOS awhile back (Apple framework thing) and configuration can get geeky really fast.


----------



## FluteMusic88

I've run into a new problem. I've used it just fine for quite awhile. It's up and running well on my desktop, which is running Windows 7. Now, for some reason, on my laptop, which is also running Windows 7, it won't install. I've tried it with my virus scan/firewall turned off, and it's set to run as an administrator, but every time I try to run the installer, it comes up with an error: Error Setup was unable to create the directory C:/Users/Angela/AppData/Local/Temp (the specific code varies.tmp Error 5: Access is Denied. I tried going back and downloading previous versions to see if maybe it was the current update, but they all come back with the same error, or at least the three I tried. I've made sure it's a clean uninstall without any remaining traces or files with restarts in between, but nothing seems to work. Any ideas? This is the same machine as before without any recent changes made, so I'm a bit at a loss!


----------



## Dan203

The installer is just a standard Inno Setup installer. If you're having trouble installing not much I can do.

The error you posted seems to indicate that the installer does not have permission to write to the temp directory. It needs to do that to extract all the files it uses for installation. I don't know why you would have that sort of permission error, but it seems like the type of error that would affect most installers not just pyTivo. As well as a bunch of other things.


----------



## 3 Cushion John

Mikeguy said:


> As @ThAbtO states above. The explanation: TiVo earlier broke the ability to push transfers--transfers only can be pulled nowadays.


Is this still the case? You can't push/upload .ts or .mp4 via pytivo?
I have lots of .mp4 movies w/o commercials I'd lilke to upload for tivo playback.


----------



## ThAbtO

To define push vs. pull, it depends on which side the transfer initialized.

(push) PC -> Tivo (pull)

(pull) PC <- Tivo (push)

So, to get a video onto Tivo, you have to go to the Tivo and select the file and transfer. You cannot select from the PC. (Hydra, v21, disabled this feature)


----------



## scole250

wendysimon said:


> I am using a VPN currently while I am out of country and would like to access and watch my tivo recordings. I have a roamio and premier at home. I downloaded Pytivo but it's not seeing my tivo. Will this work for me while I'm away or do I need to be at home to download shows? I only found the media access key for my premier my family said they cant find it on the roamio. Any suggestions on how I can watch my shows remotely? Thanks!


Can the Tivo app be used? There's also Slingbox


----------



## Dan203

3 Cushion John said:


> Is this still the case? You can't push/upload .ts or .mp4 via pytivo?
> I have lots of .mp4 movies w/o commercials I'd lilke to upload for tivo playback.


Yes, and it's unlikely to ever come back. TiVo has no desire to support this functionality any more, which is why it doesn't even exist in Hydra.


----------



## Mikeguy

3 Cushion John said:


> Is this still the case? You can't push/upload .ts or .mp4 via pytivo?
> I have lots of .mp4 movies w/o commercials I'd lilke to upload for tivo playback.


But again, note that this does not mean that you can't transfer shows from your PC to your TiVo box (under TE3); it just means, to do so, you need to use your TiVo box to pull the shows from your PC, and not use your PC to push them to your TiVo box.


----------



## mlippert

I've mostly given up putting my videos back on the TiVo.

I do it occasionally but I've set up a Plex server in my home and usually just stream the video's I've copied from my TiVo from there to a Roku Plex client (The TiVo Plex client, at least on any TiVo older than the Bolt, isn't worth using).

This is sad, because the control you have while watching a video recorded on your TiVo is orders of magnitude better than any streaming I've ever encountered.
You have better pause, fast forward and reverse.
And these controls don't exist at all for streaming AFAIK:

slow motion
frame advance (and rewind)

instant 8 second rewind (including multiple times)
instant 30 second advance (including multiple times)
advance to the next 15 minute mark
rewind to the previous 15 minute mark
I really miss that control when watching Netflix or other streaming sites. :-(


----------



## 3 Cushion John

mlippert said:


> I've mostly given up putting my videos back on the TiVo.
> 
> I do it occasionally but I've set up a Plex server in my home and usually just stream the video's I've copied from my TiVo from there to a Roku Plex client (The TiVo Plex client, at least on any TiVo older than the Bolt, isn't worth using).
> 
> This is sad, because the control you have while watching a video recorded on your TiVo is orders of magnitude better than any streaming I've ever encountered.
> You have better pause, fast forward and reverse.
> And these controls don't exist at all for streaming AFAIK:
> 
> slow motion
> frame advance (and rewind)
> 
> instant 8 second rewind (including multiple times)
> instant 30 second advance (including multiple times)
> advance to the next 15 minute mark
> rewind to the previous 15 minute mark
> I really miss that control when watching Netflix or other streaming sites. :-(


Thanks for that info.... 
I guess I'm just stuck with playing my .mp4s from my USB ext drive plugged into my TVs. I can do "cast to device" from laptop also. But it's rather cumbersome to get going at times.
And
I've thought about setting up a streaming server and even have a ASUS honking powerful router that will do it.
Maybe I'll do that someday.
Thanks again!


----------



## bobfrank

Dan203 said:


> Yes, and it's unlikely to ever come back. TiVo has no desire to support this functionality any more, which is why it doesn't even exist in Hydra.


This is one of the major reasons I'll resist "downgrading" to TE4 from TE3 until I have absolutely not choice.


----------



## bobfrank

3 Cushion John said:


> Thanks for that info....
> I guess I'm just stuck with playing my .mp4s from my USB ext drive plugged into my TVs. I can do "cast to device" from laptop also. But it's rather cumbersome to get going at times.
> And
> I've thought about setting up a streaming server and even have a ASUS honking powerful router that will do it.
> Maybe I'll do that someday.
> Thanks again!


Why not just "upgrade" to TE3 and avoid those problems?


----------



## bobfrank

mlippert said:


> I've mostly given up putting my videos back on the TiVo.
> 
> I do it occasionally but I've set up a Plex server in my home and usually just stream the video's I've copied from my TiVo from there to a Roku Plex client (The TiVo Plex client, at least on any TiVo older than the Bolt, isn't worth using).
> 
> This is sad, because the control you have while watching a video recorded on your TiVo is orders of magnitude better than any streaming I've ever encountered.
> You have better pause, fast forward and reverse.
> And these controls don't exist at all for streaming AFAIK:
> 
> slow motion
> frame advance (and rewind)
> 
> instant 8 second rewind (including multiple times)
> instant 30 second advance (including multiple times)
> advance to the next 15 minute mark
> rewind to the previous 15 minute mark
> I really miss that control when watching Netflix or other streaming sites. :-(


So, why not move to TE3 and not lose any those features?


----------



## mlippert

bobfrank said:


> So, why not move to TE3 and not lose any those features?


I think you missed where I said I do pull shows down to my TiVo occasionally.  Meaning I am still running TE3 (I can't stand the Hydra TE4 interface).

I was mostly just pointing out the many ways that streaming (be it Netflix, Amazon whatever) is not nearly as good an experience as playing a local recording on your TiVo.


----------



## ThAbtO

mlippert said:


> I really miss that control when watching Netflix


Netflix have a different way to REW and FF, use the Left and Right arrow while playing. Then Select to continue.


----------



## mlippert

ThAbtO said:


> Netflix have a different way to REW and FF, use the Left and Right arrow while playing. Then Select to continue.


Yes, but it's not as quick to respond. And on my TiVo I use the jump back 8 seconds _a lot_ and frequently over and over as I try to catch some words or detail. and I frequently jump back 16 or 24 seconds, and it's basically instant, whereas even going back 10 seconds on Netflix makes it do a (sorta quick) reloading, and usually you can't go back as little as 8 seconds. Etc.


----------



## bobfrank

mlippert said:


> I think you missed where I said I do pull shows down to my TiVo occasionally.  Meaning I am still running TE3 (I can't stand the Hydra TE4 interface).
> 
> I was mostly just pointing out the many ways that streaming (be it Netflix, Amazon whatever) is not nearly as good an experience as playing a local recording on your TiVo.


Oops, I did miss that part of your post.


----------



## peggypwr1

Can someone please help me.
Please see my original thread to see what I've already done:
Noob: Transferring recordings and upgrading HDD

I have two TIVOS: Masterbedroom (OTA) and Man Cave (Digital Cable).

PyTIVO and KTMMG both see the two DVRs. But only the Master Bedroom shows will populate??

KTTMGsay this about my Man Cave DVR:

Refreshing encoding profiles

Configuration saved to file: D:\kmttg\config.ini

Refreshing encoding profiles

>> Getting Now Playing List via RPC from Man Cave ...

RemoteInit - (IP=172.27.35.60, port=1413): Connection timed out: connect

[java.net.DualStackPlainSocketImpl.connect0(Native Method), java.net.DualStackPlainSocketImpl.socketConnect(Unknown Source), java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.doConnect(Unknown Source), java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.connectToAddress(Unknown Source), java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source), java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source), java.net.SocksSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source), java.net.Socket.connect(Unknown Source), sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source), sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.<init>(Unknown Source), sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketFactoryImpl.createSocket(Unknown Source), com.tivo.kmttg.rpc.TiVoRPC.RemoteInit(TiVoRPC.java:265), com.tivo.kmttg.rpc.TiVoRPC.<init>(TiVoRPC.java:106), com.tivo.kmttg.rpc.Remote.<init>(Remote.java:57), com.tivo.kmttg.rpc.Remote.<init>(Remote.java:69), com.tivo.kmttg.main.config.initRemote(config.java:635), com.tivo.kmttg.task.NowPlaying$1AutoThread.run(NowPlaying.java:90), java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)]


----------



## kpeters59

That is the 3rd IP Address you've listed and that's a Public IP...

-KP


----------



## Dan203

kpeters59 said:


> That is the 3rd IP Address you've listed and that's a Public IP...
> 
> -KP


No it's not. 172.x.x.x is a private IP range.


----------



## Dan203

peggypwr1 said:


> Can someone please help me.
> Please see my original thread to see what I've already done:
> Noob: Transferring recordings and upgrading HDD
> 
> I have two TIVOS: Masterbedroom (OTA) and Man Cave (Digital Cable).
> 
> PyTIVO and KTMMG both see the two DVRs. But only the Master Bedroom shows will populate??
> 
> KTTMGsay this about my Man Cave DVR:
> 
> Refreshing encoding profiles
> 
> Configuration saved to file: D:\kmttg\config.ini
> 
> Refreshing encoding profiles
> 
> >> Getting Now Playing List via RPC from Man Cave ...
> 
> RemoteInit - (IP=172.27.35.60, port=1413): Connection timed out: connect
> 
> [java.net.DualStackPlainSocketImpl.connect0(Native Method), java.net.DualStackPlainSocketImpl.socketConnect(Unknown Source), java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.doConnect(Unknown Source), java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.connectToAddress(Unknown Source), java.net.AbstractPlainSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source), java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source), java.net.SocksSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source), java.net.Socket.connect(Unknown Source), sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source), sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.<init>(Unknown Source), sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketFactoryImpl.createSocket(Unknown Source), com.tivo.kmttg.rpc.TiVoRPC.RemoteInit(TiVoRPC.java:265), com.tivo.kmttg.rpc.TiVoRPC.<init>(TiVoRPC.java:106), com.tivo.kmttg.rpc.Remote.<init>(Remote.java:57), com.tivo.kmttg.rpc.Remote.<init>(Remote.java:69), com.tivo.kmttg.main.config.initRemote(config.java:635), com.tivo.kmttg.task.NowPlaying$1AutoThread.run(NowPlaying.java:90), java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)]


Try this version...

https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.24

it has a minor fix specifically for that non-populating issue


----------



## ThAbtO

Dan203 said:


> No it's not. 172.x.x.x is a private IP range.


You can see what your public IP is on www.whatismyip.com


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> You can see what your public IP is on www.whatismyip.com


IPv4 Private Address Space and Filtering

172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255

are private


----------



## kpeters59

Dan203 said:


> No it's not. 172.x.x.x is a private IP range.


OK...but 2 days ago it was 192.168.1.3 and yesterday it was 192.168.1.30.

KMTTG has a tendency to keep phantom units. If you try to search them, there will be errors returned.

So, my point was that she ought to pin down what her IP is for that unit.

-KP


----------



## ThAbtO

peggypwr1 said:


> I have two TIVOS: Masterbedroom (OTA) and Man Cave (Digital Cable).


Most of us would assign static IP to our devices, so they will not keep changing, every time the router restarts.


----------



## ClearToLand

mlippert said:


> I've mostly given up putting my videos back on the TiVo.
> 
> I do it occasionally but I've set up a Plex server in my home and usually just stream the video's I've copied from my TiVo from there to a Roku Plex client (*The TiVo Plex client, at least on any TiVo older than the Bolt, isn't worth using*).
> 
> *This is sad, because the control you have while watching a video recorded on your TiVo is orders of magnitude better than any streaming* I've ever encountered.
> You have better pause, fast forward and reverse.
> And these controls don't exist at all for streaming AFAIK:
> 
> slow motion
> frame advance (and *rewind*)
> 
> instant 8 second rewind (including multiple times)
> instant 30 second advance (including multiple times)
> advance to the next *15 minute mark*
> rewind to the previous 15 minute mark
> I really miss that control when watching Netflix or other streaming sites. :-(


Have you tried Streambaby?

I installed Streambaby right after @wmcbrine PyTiVo wiped out everything that wasn't "Keep Until I Delete" a second time on my Roamio Basic running TE3 (not blaming @wmcbrine though). I had ~65 shows offloaded to a USB HDD and when I tried to copy them back ~50 failed. I had used Transport Stream (TS) file format under kmttg (recommended IIRC) to offload them. Program Stream (PS) didn't seem to have a problem transferring back but after losing everything twice, I became very leery.

When TiVo added SkipMode, I discovered that @kearygriffin had added the ability of Streambaby to use .EDL files to AutoSkip *YEARS* earlier (before @moyekj took over support)!  So, you have (mostly) the same TiVo Trick Play listed in your table in Streambaby *PLUS* TE4 / kmttg AutoSkip. I can't get the frame rewind you listed to work on my Roamio TE3; frame advance yes. And "15 minute mark" does change to "30 minute mark" when shows are greater than 2 hours, IIRC.

Plex is great for organization - before Plex, with my Media Streamers, I was browsing for movies to watch with Windows File Explorer. DLNA makes it easier to drill down to the show with my Media Streamer but Plex (with Plex Pass) gives me so much info including trailers and behind-the-scenes clips.

Anyhow, give Streambaby a shot if you haven't already.


----------



## afairbairn

Havent used pytivo for a while, but just had a need to pull a recording to my bolt from pytivo. I've logged onto pytivo and it sees my bolt and I can pull shows from the tivo. But I cant seem to find pytiv on the bolt. I dont know the version of pytivo I have but its probably several years old. It looks like there is maybe a newer version out by Dan203. I'm pretty sure I'm using a wmcbrine version. So a couple of questions:
1) any tips on how to get pytivo so it shows up on the bolt?
2) Does it make sense to install the Dan203 version?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## ThAbtO

afairbairn said:


> Havent used pytivo for a while, but just had a need to pull a recording to my bolt from pytivo. I've logged onto pytivo and it sees my bolt and I can pull shows from the tivo. But I cant seem to find pytiv on the bolt. I dont know the version of pytivo I have but its probably several years old. It looks like there is maybe a newer version out by Dan203. I'm pretty sure I'm using a wmcbrine version. So a couple of questions:
> 1) any tips on how to get pytivo so it shows up on the bolt?
> 2) Does it make sense to install the Dan203 version?
> 
> Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!


Look in System Information on the Bolt for v21, or if you see a black background on the Tivo menus. This means that PC->Tivo transfers were disabled in the latest software version (v21).

Otherwise, on v20.7.4 (blue Tivo menu background), you can find the name of the PC at the bottom of the shows list (if PyTivo is running on the PC).


----------



## afairbairn

ThAbtO said:


> Look in System Information on the Bolt for v21, or if you see a black background on the Tivo menus. This means that PC->Tivo transfers were disabled in the latest software version (v21).
> 
> Otherwise, on v20.7.4 (blue Tivo menu background), you can find the name of the PC at the bottom of the shows list (if PyTivo is running on the PC).


Thanks! It looks like I'm still running v20.7.4. Just can't get the pyTivo folder to show up on the Bolt for some reason even though pytivo on the computer is seeing the Bolt. I remember this happening before and I thought I solved it by unplugging the ethernet cable and then the pytivo folder showed up, but it doesnt seem to work this time.


----------



## jth tv

Help, Restart Box. Make a Tivo Service connection.
or
Look at the Bolt's settings at TiVo.com, turn off then on the router and modem, and Restart the Bolt and make a Tivo Service connection.


----------



## Mikeguy

Or, before going nuclear, fully exit/shut down pyTivo and its Desktop, and re-start.


----------



## powrcow

afairbairn said:


> Thanks! It looks like I'm still running v20.7.4. Just can't get the pyTivo folder to show up on the Bolt for some reason even though pytivo on the computer is seeing the Bolt. I remember this happening before and I thought I solved it by unplugging the ethernet cable and then the pytivo folder showed up, but it doesnt seem to work this time.


You may have a firewall on your PC. Figure out what your PC's local IP address is and on a smartphone or tablet, go to http://thatip:9032, where thatip is your PC's IP address. If your smartphone or tablet can't get to there, you'll need to open up port 9032 on your PC's firewall.

9032 is the default pyTivo port, so it may be different if you changed it.


----------



## jth tv

I am experimenting with restoring files backed up by a Netgear RN214 ReadyDLNA using pyTivoDesktop and it works well.

TE3 Bolt transfer history says 124.43 Mb/s 3:29

DEBUG: pyTivo.video.transcode:TRANSCODE=NO, all compatible, D:\RNdownviaSMB\EMM14.TiVo
INFO: pyTivo:192.168.0.7 [24/Apr/2020 08:52:44] "GET /RNdownviaSMB/EMM14.TiVo?Format=video%2Fx-tivo-mpeg-ts HTTP/1.1" 206 -
INFO: pyTivo.video.video:[24/Apr/2020 08:52:44] Start sending "D:\RNdownviaSMB\EMM14.TiVo" to Bolt 2020-04-18
DEBUG: pyTivo.video.video:"D:\RNdownviaSMB\EMM14.TiVo" is tivo compatible
INFO: pyTivo.video.video:[24/Apr/2020 08:56:15] Done sending "D:\RNdownviaSMB\EMM14.TiVo" to Bolt 2020-04-18, 4631668 bytes, 184108073174.32 Mb/s

Win10 task manager perfomance shows the restore runs, then pauses for 8 seconds, runs, then pauses 8 seconds, over and over. When active the CPU is 30% (tivolibre 14%+, system interrupts 4%), ethernet is 200 Mb/s, the goes to near zero during the 8 second pause. That slows the effective speed to about half - 124.43 Mbps.

Any ideas of what is happening ? Something I could to have it run without 8 second pauses ?


----------



## Dan203

Try temporarily disabling antivirus and your firewall just to see if either is interfering. Also if you have any other realtime malware scanners, turn those off as well. If it helps then turn them on one by one until you find the offender.


----------



## jayteee

Just wanted to post that I was having the *exact* same issue as pshovest where pyTivo v1.6.23 was not finding my Series 3 HD in it's GUI, but was seeing it in the browser. I downloaded and installed v1.6.24 and that is working now. Thank you so much for that!

That out of the way, I tried transferring a show from the TiVo to the PC. I have FiOS and according to the latest info, the channel is MPEG-4. I set pyTivo to display both PS and TS options and they show up on the listings. However, when I download this show to the PC, it shows up as an audio only file regardless of whether I select the TS or PS link. It's only downloading 88 megs of what it reports to be a 1.28 GB file (it shows as 1.27GB on the TiVo info page). It did the same thing from TiVo Deskop, only transferred the audio. Mediainfo reports audio only in the file.

Are these files not able to be transferred? 

Please advise, thank you so much!


----------



## HerronScott

jayteee said:


> That out of the way, I tried transferring a show from the TiVo to the PC. I have FiOS and according to the latest info, the channel is MPEG-4. I set pyTivo to display both PS and TS options and they show up on the listings. However, when I download this show to the PC, it shows up as an audio only file regardless of whether I select the TS or PS link. It's only downloading 88 megs of what it reports to be a 1.28 GB file (it shows as 1.27GB on the TiVo info page). It did the same thing from TiVo Deskop, only transferred the audio. Mediainfo reports audio only in the file.


Sounds like it's only downloading in PS mode if you are only getting 88MB for an MPEG4 show. In TiVo Desktop, I think the option is called something like download in fastest method which should be checked by default.

Scott


----------



## jayteee

HerronScott said:


> Sounds like it's only downloading in PS mode if you are only getting 88MB for an MPEG4 show. In TiVo Desktop, I think the option is called something like download in fastest method which should be checked by default.
> 
> Scott


Oh, so I have to reinstall TD just to check that box? In the past, I remember having to uncheck it to get the best quality files. So you're saying I have to check it to transfer mpeg-4 files? I'll have to try that later. Thanks for the info.


----------



## Dan203

jayteee said:


> Oh, so I have to reinstall TD just check that box? I remember having to uncheck it to get the best quality files. So you're saying I have to check it to transfer mpeg-4 files? I'll have to try that later.


No. The option is in pyTivo as well. The default is actually TS, so you would have had to change it to get PS. In either case it's on that first tab of the settings. Can't remember the exact name off the top of my head, but probably something like download format.


----------



## HerronScott

jayteee said:


> Oh, so I have to reinstall TD just to check that box? In the past, I remember having to uncheck it to get the best quality files. So you're saying I have to check it to transfer mpeg-4 files? I'll have to try that later. Thanks for the info.


No you don't to reinstall TiVo Desktop to check that box as it's under Preferences if you want to use TiVo Desktop.










For pyTivo Desktop, you should just have to use the TS option to download in TS mode.

Scott


----------



## Dan203

To be clear the options do NOT overlap. PyTivo has it's options and TiVo Desktop has it's option, changing them in one does not affect the other.


----------



## jayteee

Well, as I said previously, I tried both TS and PS options in pyTivo, multiple times, and it still only transferred audio. 

I just reinstalled TD and are now trying to transfer the show (with the fastest method box checked)... I'll see what happens.

Result with fastest method box checked - still audio only.

Just so you know, I have transferred many programs in the past (before mpeg-4) with no issue in TD.

A few days ago, I transferred some older, MPEG recordings without issue using pyTivo. 

The transfer of mpeg-4 seems to be problematic from what I read.


----------



## moyekj

jayteee said:


> The transfer of mpeg-4 seems to be problematic from what I read.


 Series 3 TiVos (which is what you are using from what I gather a few posts ago by you) do not honor/support TS transfers, hence your issue. It only works for series 4 or later TiVos.


----------



## Dan203

moyekj said:


> Series 3 TiVos (which is what you are using from what I gather a few posts ago by you) do not honor/support TS transfers, hence your issue. It only works for series 4 or later TiVos.


Good to know. What about older units? Do S2 units support TS?


----------



## moyekj

Dan203 said:


> Good to know. What about older units? Do S2 units support TS?


No, only series 4 or later.


----------



## Dan203

Hmmm.... next time I work on pyTivo I may have to add a check for that.


----------



## jayteee

moyekj said:


> Series 3 TiVos (which is what you are using from what I gather a few posts ago by you) do not honor/support TS transfers, hence your issue. It only works for series 4 or later TiVos.


Are you sure about that? I have transferred hundreds of TS programs from my S3 HD in the past. They showed up as MPEG2 transport streams and only VideoReDo handled them correctly at the time. If you're saying that only S4 or later TiVos handle MPEG4 transfers correctly, that is something else entirely.


----------



## moyekj

jayteee said:


> Are you sure about that? I have transferred hundreds of TS programs from my S3 HD in the past. They showed up as MPEG2 transport streams and only VideoReDo handled them correctly at the time. If you're saying that only S4 or later TiVos handle MPEG4 transfers correctly, that is something else entirely.


Yes. H.264 in Program Stream container is not supported which is the reason that you can't download H.264 recordings from series 3 (well you can but you only get audio). You can add the URL option for TS transfers for S3 TiVos but it is just ignored and always downloads as PS container. If TS container downloads was supported then H.264 downloads would work too.


----------



## ThAbtO

jayteee said:


> Are you sure about that? I have transferred hundreds of TS programs from my S3 HD in the past.


If you use your browser and go to

https:// [your Tivo IP] / nowplaying/index.html Login is User: tivo and PW is your Media Access Key

If the Tivo supports TS, you would see "download MPEG-TS" under "download MPEG-PS"

My Roamio shows both, but S3 only shows PS.
Any TS download attempts will default to PS on the S3.


----------



## HerronScott

moyekj said:


> Series 3 TiVos (which is what you are using from what I gather a few posts ago by you) do not honor/support TS transfers, hence your issue. It only works for series 4 or later TiVos.


Oops missed that he was using an S3/HD. 

Scott


----------



## wco81

I played around with kttmg back in the day. Tivo app. ended desire to transfer recordings to laptop.

But now looking to archive some unencrypted recordings.

So what kind of codec and file containers is the .tivo files which pyTivo transfers over to your Mac?

Any suggestions for quickly transcoding to save disk space without losing too much PQ? I think a 2-hour recording looks to be about 3.6 GB.

I'm not sure how much disk space a Mac OS compressed disk image would save.


----------



## Dan203

wco81 said:


> I played around with kttmg back in the day. Tivo app. ended desire to transfer recordings to laptop.
> 
> But now looking to archive some unencrypted recordings.
> 
> So what kind of codec and file containers is the .tivo files which pyTivo transfers over to your Mac?
> 
> Any suggestions for quickly transcoding to save disk space without losing too much PQ? I think a 2-hour recording looks to be about 3.6 GB.
> 
> I'm not sure how much disk space a Mac OS compressed disk image would save.


On a Mac you don't want to download the regular .tivo file unless your only goal is to store it for transfer back to the TiVo later. There is nothing on Mac that can play a .tivo file. If you intend to use it for playback on other devices or editing then go into the settings and check the decrypt option. That will result in either a .mpg or .ts file. Either of which should open in most players or editors.

The actual codec of the video depends on your cable company. The file is whatever the native broadcast was. In most cases that's be MPEG-2 or H.264, but I think the (very few) 4K stations out there are using H.265.


----------



## wco81

OK what will decrypt .tivo files on Macs besides kmttg?

I don't think I currently have Java installed and I don't want to if I can avoid it.


----------



## ThAbtO

wco81 said:


> OK what will decrypt .tivo files on Macs besides kmttg?
> 
> I don't think I currently have Java installed and I don't want to if I can avoid it.





Dan203 said:


> If you intend to use it for playback on other devices or editing then go into the settings and check the decrypt option. That will result in either a .mpg or .ts file. Either of which should open in most players or editors.


This is for PyTivo Desktop.


----------



## wco81

Dan203 said:


> On a Mac you don't want to download the regular .tivo file unless your only goal is to store it for transfer back to the TiVo later. There is nothing on Mac that can play a .tivo file. If you intend to use it for playback on other devices or editing then go into the settings and check the decrypt option. That will result in either a .mpg or .ts file. Either of which should open in most players or editors.
> 
> The actual codec of the video depends on your cable company. The file is whatever the native broadcast was. In most cases that's be MPEG-2 or H.264, but I think the (very few) 4K stations out there are using H.265.


OK, thanks, found the setting.

Hmm, will QAM cable actually send out video files that Tivo captures in whatever codec the cable company is using?

Or is it using its own HW encoder to capture the video signal and encode it in real time?


----------



## Dan203

wco81 said:


> OK, thanks, found the setting.
> 
> Hmm, will QAM cable actually send out video files that Tivo captures in whatever codec the cable company is using?
> 
> Or is it using its own HW encoder to capture the video signal and encode it in real time?


It's literally the raw video sent by your cable company. The only restriction is that if your cable company flags a channel as protected then you wont be able to transfer any recordings from that channel. In most places that only applies to premium channels. In a few it applies to all but the locals. And in even fewer, like mine, they're all unprotected and you can transfer anything you want.


----------



## wco81

Yeah I remember with kmttg, you couldn't transfer premium channel recordings.

No matter, I can just stream those.

I wasn't sure the Roamio could decode H.264. Certainly not H.265, I'm guessing.


----------



## ThAbtO

wco81 said:


> I wasn't sure the Roamio could decode H.264. Certainly not H.265, I'm guessing.


That is the job of the cable card and tuning adapter. Tivo Roamio records from there.


----------



## wco81

I didn't even think H.265 was finalized when the Roamio came out.


----------



## Dan203

wco81 said:


> I didn't even think H.265 was finalized when the Roamio came out.


Only the Bolt and Edge support 4K


----------



## wco81

Does this have any plugins for removing commercials?

Or maybe to handoff to transcode in Handbrake?


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> That is the job of the cable card and tuning adapter. Tivo Roamio records from there.


No it's not. All the CableCard does is authorize and decrypt the incoming stream. It's up to the device itself to decode the stream.


----------



## Dan203

wco81 said:


> Does this have any plugins for removing commercials?
> 
> Or maybe to handoff to transcode in Handbrake?


The Windows version can tie into VideoReDo for commercial removal, but obviously that doesn't help a Mac user.

For recoding there is a way for the underlying pyTivo to use ffmpeg to transcode, but it's not really exposed in my UI. (maybe not at all anymore) And I'm not 100% how it would affect the download list in my UI as I never really played with it.

In case you didn't realize it... I didn't write pyTivo. I added a few features to it, created a fancy UI for it, and packaged it up for easy install but the underlying pyTivo was mostly written by other people. My original version didn't even have the fancy UI. It was just the pyTivo code packaged up in an installer with a basic dialog to set some of the more common options. The Desktop part was added about a year later when I was trying to learn Angular and needed a project to apply it to. I never really expected it to be so popular.


----------



## JoeKustra

Dan203 said:


> Only the Bolt and Edge support 4K


Don't forget the Mini VOX.


----------



## Guy Cavallo

Just downloaded pyTivo Desktop and it picks my both my Bolt + and my Bolt. When I select a program for download to my PC it enters the queue but never downloads anything. I'm running Windows 10 Home, 64 bit, version 2004, build 19041.208. While pyTivo is set as an app to go through Windows Firewall, it seems like something is blocking the download. Are there any firewall or other changes I need to make to allow for the transfers?


----------



## Dan203

Could be antivirus. Try temporarily disabling it and see if that helps.

Could also be the TiVo itself. Sometimes they get stuck in a state where nothing will transfer. Rebooting the TiVo usually fixes that.


----------



## ADG

Since upgrading to the latest version I've been getting the following error at Windows startup:
Error loading Python DLL "C:\Temp\_MEI187082\python27.dll.
LoadLibrary: The specified module could not be found.

I can "manually" restart the app and it's fine, but it will not load on its own.


----------



## Dan203

ADG said:


> Since upgrading to the latest version I've been getting the following error at Windows startup:
> Error loading Python DLL "C:\Temp\_MEI187082\python27.dll.
> LoadLibrary: The specified module could not be found.
> 
> I can "manually" restart the app and it's fine, but it will not load on its own.


Nothing I changed would cause that. Something in Windows or your antivirus must be blocking it. The way it works is the project I use to package pyTivo as an exe extracts all the code and all the python runtime to a temp folder, then runs from there. Something must be blocking, or at least delaying, the extraction of the runtime and causing that error. Maybe try uninstalling and reinstalling, which should move pyTivos load position on the list and *might* help.


----------



## ADG

Okay, thanks


----------



## fastoy

Dan203 said:


> I'm not sure what would cause this. Basically every time you add a new file to the queue, or one completes, the desktop app sends a request to the pyTivo server asking for info on the disk. It then adds up the size of all the files in the queue, subtracts them from the free space reported by pyTivo, and then stores that value as the free space. When you try to add a new file it compares the size of the file you're trying to add to the calculated free space and prompts you if there is less space than needed to hold the file.
> 
> The change I made that I mentioned above is that I changed the default values for the free space and total space in the python code to really large numbers. That way if the actual python check fails for some reason then those huge numbers will be returned instead 0 and should make it appear as if you have plenty of space.
> 
> Other than that I'm not sure what I can do. I originally didn't have the warning and I got complaints from people saying they added stuff to the queue and then it would fail because the drive ran out of space. I added this prompt as a warning against that.


I'm running 1.6.24 and am getting the same problem on transfers.


----------



## Dan203

fastoy said:


> I'm running 1.6.24 and am getting the same problem on transfers.
> View attachment 49345


I'm not sure what causes that. Only happens to some people. But there is an option to turn it off on the first tab.


----------



## fastoy

Dan203 said:


> I'm not sure what causes that. Only happens to some people. But there is an option to turn it off on the first tab.


Then you know it would happen to *me*.

Thanks for the tip.

Ben


----------



## Dan203

fastoy said:


> Then you know it would happen to *me*.
> 
> Thanks for the tip.
> 
> Ben


I can't duplicate it, so I have no way to fix it. If it happened to me then it would be fixed.


----------



## KevTech

If/when you have another update perhaps fix the spelling on *logging* as it says loggging.

Setting/Misc


----------



## philco782

Just now got around to making ptTivo Desktop work with my Edge...

I noticed that the configuration for PyTivo Desktop didn't detect an installation of VideoRedoTS. I had upgraded from VRTS5 to VRTS6 not too long ago, and I started prodding around, and noticed an "orphan" folder in c:\program files(x86)\VideoReDoTVSuite5 which just had a couple files in there, such as the uninstallation log.

When I deleted that orphan folder, then Pytivo Desktop detected the install of VRDTS6. Might be something to check for during the pytivo desktop installation or initialization?

p.s. It looks like pyTivo Desktop is able to pull down .ts stream type transfers without the glitches I was experiencing in kmttg. Good job!


----------



## Dan203

philco782 said:


> Just now got around to making ptTivo Desktop work with my Edge...
> 
> I noticed that the configuration for PyTivo Desktop didn't detect an installation of VideoRedoTS. I had upgraded from VRTS5 to VRTS6 not too long ago, and I started prodding around, and noticed an "orphan" folder in c:\program files(x86)\VideoReDoTVSuite5 which just had a couple files in there, such as the uninstallation log.
> 
> When I deleted that orphan folder, then Pytivo Desktop detected the install of VRDTS6. Might be something to check for during the pytivo desktop installation or initialization?
> 
> p.s. It looks like pyTivo Desktop is able to pull down .ts stream type transfers without the glitches I was experiencing in kmttg. Good job!


pyTivo doesn't look at the folder, so not sure why that would be. It uses COM to look for a specific GUID, so deleting the folder would have had zero effect. That VRD section is a little slow to fill in, so maybe you just weren't patient enough before. (I should probably add some sort of loading indicator on that)


----------



## philco782

Windows is always so darn complicated lol. Thanks for making cool software!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203

In case anyone is interested I uploaded a new project to my GitHub. It's a simple UI for the tivomak program included with pyTivo Desktop that allows you to easily change the MAK in the registry that is used by the DirectShow filter. This can be useful after a major Windows update, which typically resets the encryption and causes it not to work, or if you have multiple MAKs and need to switch between them.

Dan203/tivomakgui

Edit: This would also be useful for those that did the partial uninstall of TiVo Desktop to leave the DirectShow filter behind so they could still play .tivo files.


----------



## Dan203

I just built a new PC and immediately ran into an issue running pyTivo. Need to load up pycharm and debug, but will likely be releasing a bug fix update in the next day or two.


----------



## Dougmeister

Every time I need to reboot my computer, the "Tivo" folder disappears. The only solution I have discovered is to uninstall pyTivo and reinstall it.

The answer that I got back in 2018 (see Easier to use pyTivo) was that it was a known feature and there was no known solution.

But that was a while ago so I'm hoping that maybe it has been fixed. Thanks.

P.S. I've gotten pretty good at it now; hardly ever have to reboot the Tivo. Just uninstall/reinstall pyTivo.


----------



## Dan203

Have you tried stopping pyTiVo and restarting it, rather than uninstalling it?


----------



## Dougmeister

Dan203 said:


> Have you tried stopping pyTiVo and restarting it, rather than uninstalling it?


I will try that the next time it happens. Thanks.


----------



## BiohazrD

Hey so I'm seeing an error in the logs

"WARNING: pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found"

I'm assuming this is why I'm getting just plain .tivo files. There really doesn't seem to be a guide or anything about various options, how to set things up, etc. I do see an option to use tivo-libre for decryption but no way to set the path to the jar file, or anything like that.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.


----------



## Dan203

BiohazrD said:


> Hey so I'm seeing an error in the logs
> 
> "WARNING: pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found"
> 
> I'm assuming this is why I'm getting just plain .tivo files. There really doesn't seem to be a guide or anything about various options, how to set things up, etc. I do see an option to use tivo-libre for decryption but no way to set the path to the jar file, or anything like that.
> 
> Any help would be appreciated, thanks.


That error can be ignored. I used tivolibre for pyTivo Desktop instead of tivodecode. I just forgot to remove the error.

To get decrypted files you need to check the option on the first tab in settings. Then you'll get plain .ts or .ps files.


----------



## murgatroyd

Hi, Dan -- this is kind off-topic, so let me lead with the TL;dr: Maybe installing pyTiVo Desktop will fix my problem?

I just logged on to TCF after a long time away and saw the bad news that kmttg is being abandoned. :disrelieved:

Recap: I have a Roamio Basic and a Win 8.1 Desktop. I transfer programs from the Roamio > PC and while I am interested in keeping metadata for its own sake, I have no interest in getting programs back to the PC after that. I haven't been worried about keeping captions. All I want to do is get programs off the TiVo for post-processing with VideoReDo for archiving. I have been using kmttg (v2.4o). (I also have a TiVoHD, currently being repaired; I want to get programs from the HD > Roamio > PC > VideoReDo.) I have VRD TS6 (the latest stable version, not the beta); VRD TS5 is still installed.

In kmttg I have the boxes checked for TS downloads, to get metadata, and to decrypt. I had kmttg set up to use VRD to run QSF, but since I'm short on hard drive space, I unchecked the box so I could run QSF at a later time. Despite this, QSF has been running anyway, or trying to, and failing. When I open the .tivo files in VRD, it usually tells me that it's having trouble seeking (with a timestamp) and to run QSF. Or sometimes it won't deal with the file at all, though the most recent updates seem to have helped with VRD freezing/crashing.

I like to verify that the files are the right length, that I can hear audio, etc. in VRD before I delete them from the TiVo. So this is making me crazy. A lot of the shows involved are from the big networks and I could try getting the PS files instead, but my memory is, the last time I tried, that didn't work.

Maybe I've got something mis-configured somewhere, what should I look for? Or should I just do a fresh install of pyTiVo desktop and see if the problem goes away if I use pyTiVo desktop to transfer the files?

All suggestions on what I can do to get files transferred reasonably efficiently will be appreciated. I understand all of us are at the mercy of Rovi and the companies who make the developer's tools and there's only so much people can humanly do. Like you, I'm frustrated to have a setup that was working that other people keep breaking.

Thanks!


----------



## ThAbtO

Its not what you were doing wrong, but rather the video file has some bad timestamps and QSF would fix it.


----------



## murgatroyd

ThAbtO said:


> Its not what you were doing wrong, but rather the video file has some bad timestamps and QSF would fix it.


That screaming sound is me, yelling "Bad timestamps? WHY COMCAST WHY?" like Nancy Kerrigan. Pay it no mind.

Thanks, I'll experiment with running QSF on some of the shorter files to see if that will fix them. If all goes well, I'll try fixing the longer shows again.


----------



## Dan203

FYI PyTiVo Desktop has all of the features you say you use, even the automatic VRD post-processing. (works with both v5 and v6) I even have the option to delete the original after the QSF is done, which might help with your space issue.


----------



## murgatroyd

Dan203 said:


> FYI PyTiVo Desktop has all of the features you say you use, even the automatic VRD post-processing. (works with both v5 and v6) I even have the option to delete the original after the QSF is done, which might help with your space issue.


Thanks. Sorry to be so dense.

I can post more of the log later (about to eat dinner) but this is the error I've been seeing lately from VRD.



> 2020-10-25 20:10:13 Unable to open file: C:\kmttg\output\tivo\The Masked Singer - Special Season Four Sneak Peek_Ep#318 (09_13_2020) 2020-09-13_1659Sep.TiVo, <Unable to determine initial clock, details in the log file.>


----------



## Dan203

murgatroyd said:


> Thanks. Sorry to be so dense.
> 
> I can post more of the log later (about to eat dinner) but this is the error I've been seeing lately from VRD.


You might be able to fix that if you go into the options, go to the stream tab, and increase the value for MBytes to scan at file open. Try doubling it a few times and see if you can find a value that works.


----------



## murgatroyd

Dan203 said:


> You might be able to fix that if you go into the options, go to the stream tab, and increase the value for MBytes to scan at file open. Try doubling it a few times and see if you can find a value that works.


Thanks. Just to clarify, that file was transferred with kmttg. I'll report back tomorrow after I've had a chance to re-install pyTiVo Desktop.


----------



## saberman

Is there an installation document that walks you through installing and setting up pyTiVo Desktop?


----------



## Dan203

saberman said:


> Is there an installation document that walks you through installing and setting up pyTiVo Desktop?


It's a single installer, there shouldn't be a need for installation instructions.


----------



## krkaufman

murgatroyd said:


> I just logged on to TCF after a long time away and saw the bad news that kmttg is being abandoned.


I missed that announcement. Oof.


----------



## mlippert

murgatroyd said:


> I just logged on to TCF after a long time away and saw the bad news that kmttg is being abandoned. :disrelieved:


kmttg is abandoned in the sense that it won't be updated going forward. This is mostly because there was no one able to provide the "key" needed for much of kmttg's awesome functionality. Therefore that functionality won't work when the current key in use expires.
However, all the rest of kmttg's functionality will continue to work, in particular you should still be able to download and run the downloaded file through the same processing chain. One thing that won't work there is if you depend on naming the downloaded file with certain data such as the series number or episode number.

If you're using VRD to decrypt the downloaded file, kmttg will have VRD do the decryption and QSF in the same step, no extra file space needed. If you're running out of space it isn't the QSF step causing the problem it is probably the decryption.


----------



## dlfl

mlippert said:


> kmttg is abandoned in the sense that it won't be updated going forward. This is mostly because there was no one able to provide the "key" needed for much of kmttg's awesome functionality. Therefore that functionality won't work when the current key in use expires.
> However, all the rest of kmttg's functionality will continue to work, in particular you should still be able to download and run the downloaded file through the same processing chain. One thing that won't work there is if you depend on naming the downloaded file with certain data such as the series number or episode number.
> 
> If you're using VRD to decrypt the downloaded file, kmttg will have VRD do the decryption and QSF in the same step, no extra file space needed. If you're running out of space it isn't the QSF step causing the problem it is probably the decryption.


I author two programs (links in signature) that can automate, or semi-automate, renaming video files based on metadata and placing them in folders created and named based on metadata.

VAP6 requires VRD TV Suite 6 to be installed. It monitors a folder where you (or I assume KMTTG) would place downloaded files and then processes them with VRD, renames and relocates the output based on metadata obtained from theTVDB.com or TMDb.com. All automatic, once set up.

Metagenerator 3 (MG3) doesn't require VRD to be installed and doesn't monitor a folder or do automated processing, although it has modes that process all videos in a folder based on a button click. It can embed metadata in output .mp4 or .wtv files, but cannot recode videos like VAP6 can.

Both programs run only on Windows, using the .NET framework. Neither program has very good documentation but I monitor their threads and will respond with help when needed.


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> If you're using VRD to decrypt the downloaded file, kmttg will have VRD do the decryption and QSF in the same step, no extra file space needed. If you're running out of space it isn't the QSF step causing the problem it is probably the decryption.


No possible. VRD needs a source and an output file. So you need 2X the space to QSF a file.


----------



## Dan203

dlfl said:


> I author two programs (links in signature) that can automate, or semi-automate, renaming video files based on metadata and placing them in folders created and named based on metadata.
> 
> VAP6 requires VRD TV Suite 6 to be installed. It monitors a folder where you (or I assume KMTTG) would place downloaded files and then processes them with VRD, renames and relocates the output based on metadata obtained from theTVDB.com or TMDb.com. All automatic, once set up.
> 
> Metagenerator 3 (MG3) doesn't require VRD to be installed and doesn't monitor a folder or do automated processing, although it has modes that process all videos in a folder based on a button click. It can embed metadata in output .mp4 or .wtv files, but cannot recode videos like VAP6 can.
> 
> Both programs run only on Windows, using the .NET framework. Neither program has very good documentation but I monitor their threads and will respond with help when needed.


Doesn't Metagenerator 3 use mind/rpc? So won't it have the same issue with the certificate when it expires in December?


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> No possible. VRD needs a source and an output file. So you need 2X the space to QSF a file.


Really? Huh, I thought the source was the encoded .TiVo file and the output was the decoded *and* QSF'd file. OK good to know.


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> Really? Huh, I thought the source was the encoded .TiVo file and the output was the decoded *and* QSF'd file. OK good to know.


That is true. But at the end you still have the source .tivo file and the output QSFed file on the disk. So it requires 2x space.

By contrast pyTivo can decrypt on the fly using tivolibre. So as every little chunk of data comes in over the network it's held in memory, fed to tivolibre, and then only the decrypted data is written to the disk. You never have the encrypted .tivo sitting on the disk.


----------



## dlfl

Dan203 said:


> Doesn't Metagenerator 3 use mind/rpc? So won't it have the same issue with the certificate when it expires in December?


MG3 uses mind/rpc only to search for seriesId's and programId's so yes, those two items will no longer be available. But all the other metadata is obtained from other sources which don't depend on the certificate.


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> That is true. But at the end you still have the source .tivo file and the output QSFed file on the disk. So it requires 2x space.
> 
> By contrast pyTivo can decrypt on the fly using tivolibre. So as every little chunk of data comes in over the network it's held in memory, fed to tivolibre, and then only the decrypted data is written to the disk. You never have the encrypted .tivo sitting on the disk.


Ah, I was replying to:


murgatroyd said:


> In kmttg I have the boxes checked for TS downloads, to get metadata, and to decrypt. I had kmttg set up to use VRD to run QSF, but since I'm short on hard drive space, I unchecked the box so I could run QSF at a later time. Despite this, QSF has been running anyway, or trying to, and failing.


And I was just saying that unchecking the kmttg "QSF" box but leaving "decrypt" checked when using VRD doesn't save any space.


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> Ah, I was replying to:
> 
> And I was just saying that unchecking the kmttg "QSF" box but leaving "decrypt" checked when using VRD doesn't save any space.


Ahh, ok. I don't use kmttg so I don't know how all it's settings work


----------



## Dan203

dlfl said:


> MG3 uses mind/rpc only to search for seriesId's and programId's so yes, those two items will no longer be available. But all the other metadata is obtained from other sources which don't depend on the certificate.


So after the certificate expires you'll no longer be able to use MG3 for pyTivo uploads because it wont be able to match the data from the TVDB to the requires TiVo series and program IDs right?


----------



## dlfl

Dan203 said:


> So after the certificate expires you'll no longer be able to use MG3 for pyTivo uploads because it wont be able to match the data from the TVDB to the requires TiVo series and program IDs right?


Just to be clear, MG3 doesn't do any TiVo uploads or downloads itself. It creates <video_file_name>.txt files that pyTiVo can use to send metadata along with video files uploaded from PC to TiVo (to the degree that operation is still possible). I think you know this but other thread readers may not.

After the certificate expires those .txt files will no longer be able to include seriesId and programId items. I **think** that still will work to include metadata with files uploaded to TiVo's still running TE3, since the many other metadata items will still be in the .txt file. (Neither MG3 or VAP6 require series or program id's to look up metadata.) Functionality such as grouping probably won't work without the programId and seriesId items although these can be edited into the .txt files if one knows values that work.


----------



## Dan203

dlfl said:


> Just to be clear, MG3 doesn't do any TiVo uploads or downloads itself. It creates <video_file_name>.txt files that pyTiVo can use to send metadata along with video files uploaded from PC to TiVo (to the degree that operation is still possible). I think you know this but other thread readers may not.
> 
> After the certificate expires those .txt files will no longer be able to include seriesId and programId items. I **think** that still will work to include metadata with files uploaded to TiVo's still running TE3, since the many other metadata items will still be in the .txt file. (Neither MG3 or VAP6 require series or program id's to look up metadata.) Functionality such as grouping probably won't work without the programId and seriesId items although these can be edited into the .txt files if one knows values that work.


Yeah that's basically what I meant. After the expiration it wont be able to get the uploaded recordings to group with their recorded counterparts. That sucks. Was always a nice feature of MG3.

Does anyone know when the TiVo app itself will be updated with the new certificate? Maybe we can convince a hacker on reddit to grab the certificate, or do a little collection to pay someone to do it. (assuming it's not actually impossible now)


----------



## ThAbtO

murgatroyd said:


> That screaming sound is me, yelling "Bad timestamps? WHY COMCAST WHY?" like Nancy Kerrigan. Pay it no mind.
> 
> Thanks, I'll experiment with running QSF on some of the shorter files to see if that will fix them. If all goes well, I'll try fixing the longer shows again.


If you are short on space, you could delete the .TiVo file after you decrypted, then there should be room for the QSF file.


----------



## dlfl

Dan203 said:


> Yeah that's basically what I meant. After the expiration it wont be able to get the uploaded recordings to group with their recorded counterparts. That sucks. Was always a nice feature of MG3.
> 
> Does anyone know when the TiVo app itself will be updated with the new certificate? Maybe we can convince a hacker on reddit to grab the certificate, or do a little collection to pay someone to do it. (assuming it's not actually impossible now)


@moyekj ,the author of KMTTG, has been the source of certificates for MG3 and AFAIK he has given up on getting a new certificate. See the following post in the KMTTG thread and the next 5 or 6 posts after it:
New program for 1 step TTG downloads, decryption, encoding - kmttg


----------



## SamD

Please advise what video formats are playable on TiVo after the transfer via pyTiVo Desktop. Tried ts but got a black screen. Looks as avi is ok. Hopefully mpeg, mpeg2, and mp4 will work? But what about mkv?


----------



## ThAbtO

All those should work, but TS is transport stream and should work when properly encoded and not encrypted for Tivo.

What you download as PS will be MPEG2 format, and TS would be h.264 from the Tivo after its decrypted.


----------



## ggieseke

ThAbtO said:


> What you download as PS will be MPEG2 format, and TS would be h.264 from the Tivo after its decrypted.


TS downloads can be MPEG-2 or H.264, depending on the recording.


----------



## SamD

Thank you, but I ran into a big issue: All files transferred by pyTiVo desktop to a TE3 box are not playable at TE4 boxes. I tried avi, I tries mpeg, transferred files from TE3 Bolt to TE4 Bolt via TiVo site - same result - files are not even clickable. Pressing enter on TE4 box simply do nothing for these files.
At the same time, TE3 Bolt plays everything without issues.
I have two Bolts and two minis, all are TE4 except one TE3 Bolt that serves as backup and pyTiVo target, naturally, I need to play these files on all TE4 boxes.
Have someone any idea why they fail?

BTW, pyTiVo Desktop doesn't even see mkv files in the shared PC folder, so mkv transfer is not possible.


----------



## Dan203

Try going into the Settings, Upload and setting the "Send files as transport streams" to Off and see if that helps. 

PyTivo should see the MKV files, but I'm not 100% sure how that works. I didn't personally write pyTivo. I just packaged it up into an easy to use exe and added a nice UI. I did make some minor changes to the pyTivo code but the vast majority of the logic around which files are recognized and how they're transcoded were developed by others and not something I'm intimately familiar with. 

That being said.... the upload part of pyTivo is probably not something you should rely on. As you have discovered they removed that capability from TE4 and they've recently removed the ability to roll back from TE4 to TE3 on Bolt units. So they're actively pushing toward a future where that feature no longer exists. The issue you're seeing with transferred programs not being able to be streamed to a TE4 box might actually be an intentional change by TiVo to prevent that workaround. They really want this feature to die and it could go away at any time.


----------



## SamD

Thank you Dan, but setting the "Send files as transport streams" to Off didn't change anything. OK, at least some formats still work with TE3, that's at least some solace


----------



## jhhyde

Dan203 said:


> PyTivo should see the MKV files, but I'm not 100% sure how that works. I didn't personally write pyTivo. I just packaged it up into an easy to use exe and added a nice UI. I did make some minor changes to the pyTivo code but the vast majority of the logic around which files are recognized and how they're transcoded were developed by others and not something I'm intimately familiar with.


To add mkv extension to recognizable video files, look for the video.py file in the C:\pyTivo\plugins\video folder in the python version of pyTivo. There is an EXTENSIONS statement. Add mkv to it as I have shown in green below:

EXTENSIONS = """.tivo .mpg .avi .wmv .mov .flv .f4v .vob .mp4 .m4v .mkv .mk3d
.ts .tp .trp .3g2 .3gp .3gp2 .3gpp .amv .asf .avs .bik .bix .box .bsf
.dif .divx .dmb .dpg .dv .dvr-ms .evo .eye .flc .fli .flx .gvi .ivf
.m1v .m21 .m2t .m2ts .m2v .m2p .m4e .mjp .mjpeg .mod .moov .movie .mp21
.mpe .mpeg .mpv .mpv2 .mqv .mts .mvb .nsv .nuv .nut .ogm .qt .rm .rmvb
.rts .scm .smv .ssm .svi .vdo .vfw .vid .viv .vivo .vp6 .vp7 .vro .webm
.wm .wmd .wtv .yuv""".split()

remove the compiled version video.pyc from that folder and restart pyTivo


----------



## HerronScott

SamD said:


> Thank you, but I ran into a big issue: All files transferred by pyTiVo desktop to a TE3 box are not playable at TE4 boxes. I tried avi, I tries mpeg, transferred files from TE3 Bolt to TE4 Bolt via TiVo site - same result - files are not even clickable. Pressing enter on TE4 box simply do nothing for these files.
> At the same time, TE3 Bolt plays everything without issues.
> I have two Bolts and two minis, all are TE4 except one TE3 Bolt that serves as backup and pyTiVo target, naturally, I need to play these files on all TE4 boxes.
> Have someone any idea why they fail?


Are you supplying metadata for the uploaded files so they look like a standard recorded show?

Scott


----------



## Dan203

jhhyde said:


> To add mkv extension to recognizable video files, look for the video.py file in the C:\pyTivo\plugins\video folder in the python version of pyTivo. There is an EXTENSIONS statement. Add mkv to it as I have shown in green below:
> 
> EXTENSIONS = """.tivo .mpg .avi .wmv .mov .flv .f4v .vob .mp4 .m4v .mkv .mk3d
> .ts .tp .trp .3g2 .3gp .3gp2 .3gpp .amv .asf .avs .bik .bix .box .bsf
> .dif .divx .dmb .dpg .dv .dvr-ms .evo .eye .flc .fli .flx .gvi .ivf
> .m1v .m21 .m2t .m2ts .m2v .m2p .m4e .mjp .mjpeg .mod .moov .movie .mp21
> .mpe .mpeg .mpv .mpv2 .mqv .mts .mvb .nsv .nuv .nut .ogm .qt .rm .rmvb
> .rts .scm .smv .ssm .svi .vdo .vfw .vid .viv .vivo .vp6 .vp7 .vro .webm
> .wm .wmd .wtv .yuv""".split()
> 
> remove the compiled version video.pyc from that folder and restart pyTivo


I'd need to do that on my end. This version of pyTivo is compiled into an exe using pyInstaller so users don't have direct access to the python code.


----------



## Dan203

I'm kind of surprised there isn’t an option in the config file to add extensions. Part of the downfall of me using pyTivo for this project is that I didn’t write most of pyTivo so I don’t even know how a lot of these things work.


----------



## jhhyde

taking a closer look at that video.py file, i think you should also add the mkv extension to the following (which is right under the EXTENSIONS statement i referred to above.

LIKELYTS = """.ts .tp .trp .3g2 .3gp .3gp2 .3gpp .m2t .m2ts .mts .mp4
.m4v .flv .mkv .mov .wtv .dvr-ms .webm""".split()

the thing about these changes is that the only thing it does is add file extensions that pytivo will recognize as valid media files for inclusion in the list of files that will be displayed. it does not guarantee that they will work. if ffmpeg can handle them, there is a good chance they will work.

i'm not an expert on pyTivo but i use it every day and i have spent the last couple years teaching myself Python so that i could fix and enhance things to work the way i wanted them to work.


----------



## SamD

Dan203 said:


> I'd need to do that on my end. This version of pyTivo is compiled into an exe using pyInstaller so users don't have direct access to the python code.


Great idea! Please do this for the next version. At least we'll be able to check if pytivo works with mkv's.


----------



## elprice7345

I've been transferring .mkv files with Dan's pytivo version since he released it and they always transfer fine.


----------



## Dan203

elprice7345 said:


> I've been transferring .mkv files with Dan's pytivo version since he released it and they always transfer fine.


Hey, you're right. I just looked at the code and mkv is already on the list.


----------



## V7Goose

SamD said:


> Thank you, but I ran into a big issue: All files transferred by pyTiVo desktop to a TE3 box are not playable at TE4 boxes. I tried avi, I tries mpeg, transferred files from TE3 Bolt to TE4 Bolt via TiVo site - same result - files are not even clickable. Pressing enter on TE4 box simply do nothing for these files.
> At the same time, TE3 Bolt plays everything without issues.
> I have two Bolts and two minis, all are TE4 except one TE3 Bolt that serves as backup and pyTiVo target, naturally, I need to play these files on all TE4 boxes.
> Have someone any idea why they fail?


This is a wonderful feature of the fine and polished turd called TE4 - the company did this to us on purpose.

When I converted one Bolt to that horrible software for testing, I had a couple of non-.tivo files on there, and after I ruined the Bolt with TE4, it could not access any of those files, just like you have found. In fact, the Bolt with TE4 cannot even DELETE one of those files on its own hard drive! To remove them, I had to go to another box running the much better TE3, access the program list on the TE4 box, and delete the files with TE3. What a stinking pile of garbage they made with TE4!


----------



## murgatroyd

ggieseke said:


> TS downloads can be MPEG-2 or H.264, depending on the recording.


Isn't there a utility that can look at the file and see what kind of file it is? I thought I had one installed already, but I can't remember its name.

Edited to add: Maybe I'm thinking of GSpot. Codec/Video Identifiers Free Downloads - VideoHelp


----------



## murgatroyd

Dan203 said:


> You might be able to fix that if you go into the options, go to the stream tab, and increase the value for MBytes to scan at file open. Try doubling it a few times and see if you can find a value that works.


Hi, just wanted to quote this again so I'll remember and post an update.

On problem recordings, both versions (5 and 6) of VRD TVS are reporting "Problem while seeking to: 00:00:00.00" (and sometimes VRD crashes and closes immediately). TV Suite 6 is Version 6.61.3.821 dated Aug 27, 2020.

I haven't been able to try your suggestion yet, but I'll start there when I have brainpower for debugging. Recordings from some channels are okay, so I'm going to focus on transferring all the recordings from seemingly "good" channels to make more room on the Roamio first.

I made a fresh install of pyTiVo Desktop, so now I can transfer problem programs with that and with kmttg to see if that makes a difference (I suppose it shouldn't, but I want to rule that out).

I'll take the kmttg weirdnesses over to the kmttg thread. Thanks again for your help.


----------



## osu1991

Mediainfo


----------



## Dan203

murgatroyd said:


> Isn't there a utility that can look at the file and see what kind of file it is? I thought I had one installed already, but I can't remember its name.


MediaInfo...

MediaInfo


----------



## Dan203

murgatroyd said:


> On problem recordings, both versions (5 and 6) of VRD TVS are reporting "Problem while seeking to: 00:00:00.00" (and sometimes VRD crashes and closes immediately). TV Suite 6 is Version 6.61.3.821 dated Aug 27, 2020.


That's a different issue. To fix that you need to QuickStream Fix the file, then edit the fixed file.


----------



## murgatroyd

Dan203 said:


> That's a different issue. To fix that you need to QuickStream Fix the file, then edit the fixed file.


The one time I tried to run QSF on one of the problem files, it took hours and basically stalled out. When I try again, I'll pay more attention to what's happening and report back.


----------



## Dan203

murgatroyd said:


> The one time I tried to run QSF on one of the problem files, it took hours and basically stalled out. When I try again, I'll pay more attention to what's happening and report back.


One thing to keep in mind.... in v5 you have to pick a profile that matches the codec of the source or the file will be recoded. In v6 all of the default profiles use "match source" which means they can be used for either type of file without recoding.


----------



## jeffrylp

My Roamio hangs while trying to download a recording using TS format. The recording is more than 3 GB, but only 500 MB downloads. pyTivo Desktop does not report an error or attempt to retry. I tried kmttg and it reports that the file is too short. This has happened multiple times with different recordings.

The Roamio stops responding to the remote and then it finally reboots. The software version of the Roamio is 21.10.2.v3-848-6-848, pyTivo Desktop is 1.6.24, and kmttg is v2.4p.

Is this a known problem with the latest Roamio software? Is there a workaround? Thanks for any help.


----------



## Dan203

If the Roamio is rebooting then it's definitely the Roamio causing the issue. The HTTP server that pyTivo uses is hosted on the TiVo itself. Either the software is bad or your hard drive is failing. I haven't heard any other complaints, so I'm guessing it's the hard drive. You might want to keep an eye on it.


----------



## ldue2541

Dan203 said:


> Those are two different issues. If pyTivo really wasn't running then Desktop would popup the "error connecting" dialog immediately.
> 
> My guess is that there is a rogue version of pyTivo still running in the background. Click the icon and select quit. Then open the activity monitor and look for pyTivo in the list. If you see it do a force stop on it. Now relaunch pyTivo and see if it works.


the not seeing a tivo that is empty is common.. it just means there is nothing there.. close the window and pick another tivo.. i have 4 total...and they all show except when empty...


----------



## ldue2541

HerronScott said:


> I assume you mean transport stream and program stream? As long as your shows are still in MPEG2, I'd probably stick with program stream, but if you are with Comcast and most of your channels have been moved to MPEG4 then you'll have to use transport stream for the MPEG4 channels which users have reported getting errors in the downloaded show. Dan's program can detect and report on those errors (and retry the download to see if you can get a cleaner version).
> 
> I'll let Dan pass on more information on the difference between them but Wikipedia has the following.
> 
> MPEG transport stream - Wikipedia
> 
> "Transport stream specifies a container format encapsulating packetized elementary streams, with error correction and stream synchronization features for maintaining transmission integrity when the signal is degraded.
> 
> Transport streams differ from the similarly named MPEG program stream in several important ways: program streams are designed for reasonably reliable media, such as discs (like DVDs), while transport streams are designed for less reliable transmission, namely terrestrial or satellite broadcast. Further, a transport stream may carry multiple programs."
> 
> Scott


1. ts stream errors can be caused by mulitple things... i got rid of most by opening the tivo and putting a fan on the splitter by where the cable is connected.. it dropped my odt temp from 45-56 down to 30... by an external power supply for the fan from amazon and you can cut a hole in the plastic and drill holes to mount the fan over that area...

2. i am on antenna and constantly getting streaming errors... i have a couple old 4-10 watt rca drop amplifiers that i put in before the tivos and i have seen no errors since doing so... try a cheap signal amplifier from amazon (https://www.amazon.com/GE-Antenna-A...ntenna+signal+amplifier&qid=1608321582&sr=8-3)
when i was on cable i did not have this issue.. that means the signal the tivo recieves is very weak and when split it pixelates.. creating ts errors as the file is non existent in those spots or cannot be read....

if you have an antenna indoors or out you must check to see if you need to amplify.. if the cheap amplifier does not work try the more expensive 24 db ones... make sure they are externally powered... if not they are passive amplifiers and will most likely not work..

3. ps i do not know where to post this information, but if you can pass it on it will help others with their problems..

questions you can email me at [email protected]


----------



## Dan203

ldue2541 said:


> the not seeing a tivo that is empty is common.. it just means there is nothing there.. close the window and pick another tivo.. i have 4 total...and they all show except when empty...


I've never had an empty TiVo so I had no idea this was a thing.

I wonder if it's actually not finding it, or if it's erroring out because the list is empty?


----------



## milo99

so i'm new to this end of the thread. I'd been using Dan's PyTivo for a while now, with my Premieres running TE3. I have 2 tuner, a 4 tuner and Mini that i use w/ the 4 tuner. The one w/ 4 tuners had the tuner die on it so i can't get live TV any more so i got a Tivo Bolt vox w/ Lifetime off ebay for a great deal. Only to rudely discover all this hot mess with TE4 and not being able to copy shows using PyTivo.

So i tried to search and scan this and other threads, am i correct that there's no update/progress on this problem? I can't even see my PC's PyTivo folder share from the Bolt, wont show up in the "devices" list. And from the Bolt, i can't see the shows when i go to the Premieres. I was able to copy some shows as a test from the Premiere to the Bolt via Tivo Online. But can't watch them on the Bolt. Weird thing is, using my Tivo app on my Galaxy S8, i AM able to stream those shows and watch (both on my phone, AND on my tv) But i can't via web browsing to online.tivo.com. i can also yse a 3rd party app called DVR commander to initiate a play on the tv.

And what IS the issue? is it that pytivo transfers the files into a non .tivo format? is it something else?

Anyway, just curious if anybody knows if someone in the community is updating pytivo or if there's just nothing that can be done.


----------



## JoeKustra

Many have rolled back to TE3. You should be able to move files between TE4 and TE3 with TiVo Online.

Most popular solution: How to Rollback Hydra from Roamio and Mini's v1 works with Bolt too.


----------



## KevTech

TE4 you can transfer from Tivo to PC but not from PC to Tivo and pytivo stills works for that.
Could always put the Bolt back on TE3.


----------



## milo99

I have a Bolt vox that was built in 2019. I thought those cant be reverted?

Also, IF its possible to revert, does the streaming functionality to outside your home via tivo online go away? With slingbox going away next year, I was looking at this as a replacement.


----------



## Dan203

I don’t think you can revert on a Vox.

There is no "fix" for this. TiVo removed this functionality intentionally. I talked to them about it back when TE4 came out and they basically told me it's never coming back. They almost removed the download feature too. Thanks to me complaining and the help of TiVoJerry they added it back in to the Edge version. 

But at this point I think we’re coming to the end of the road. If TiVo ever releases a new DVR it will likely not work with pyTivo at all. Jerry left the company earlier this year and I don’t have anyone left at TiVo who I could complain too.


----------



## pl1

Dan203 said:


> I don't think you can revert on a Vox.


I think that is true for the Vox OTA. I have the black Vox 4 tuner cable or OTA and it reverts back to TE3. It came loaded with TE4.


----------



## Dan203

pl1 said:


> I think that is true for the Vox OTA. I have the black Vox 4 tuner cable or OTA and it reverts back to TE3. It came loaded with TE4.


You might be right. He should definitely check.


----------



## KevTech

Dan203 said:


> I don't think you can revert on a Vox.


I had success going back to TE3 on a vox.
I think it is only the OTA version that can not be downgraded.


----------



## milo99

KevTech said:


> I had success going back to TE3 on a vox.
> I think it is only the OTA version that can not be downgraded.


interesting. so are you able to stream outside your home via online.tivo.com w/o a separate tivo stream?

also, how would you revert back, in case things dont go well? i didn't see steps for that in the other thread


----------



## pl1

milo99 said:


> interesting. so are you able to stream outside your home via online.tivo.com w/o a separate tivo stream?
> 
> also, how would you revert back, in case things dont go well? i didn't see steps for that in the other thread


Regarding streaming outside of the house, I was never able to get it to work. Regarding reverting back to TE4, there are two ways with the Vox. One way is to hit the blue microphone button which launches the "upgrade" process. The other way is go to Settings > Apps and there is a menu item called "Get New Experience".


----------



## Dan203

I can stream from my Bolt (non-VOX) outside of home using TE3. However TiVo streaming is not super reliable. I find that downloading shows works better.


----------



## milo99

Thanks for the info folks. I'm reverting back as we speak. 

Btw, the drive upgrade process doesn't change right? I just pop in a new drive and it formats it and bada bing, good to go? Thats not dependent on which TE is running? (Got a 2tb wd20npvz coming)


----------



## JoeKustra

milo99 said:


> Thanks for the info folks. I'm reverting back as we speak.
> Btw, the drive upgrade process doesn't change right? I just pop in a new drive and it formats it and bada bing, good to go? Thats not dependent on which TE is running? (Got a 2tb wd20npvz coming)


The current TE will be installed on the new drive. When it asks you to choose a country, hit the Info button on the remote. It will display the software you are going to install.


----------



## Dan203

So I was just playing around with the code and I made an interesting discovery. If I fiddle with the http request size and add an artificial delay to the loop I can actually download a file from my Bolt, that always has errors, completely error free. 

I'm going to play with this a bit more and see if it's consistent. If it is I'll release a new build with an option to turn this on/off. (it makes transfers really slow)


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> If I *fiddle with the http request size and add an artificial delay to the loop* I can actually download a file from my Bolt, that always has errors, completely error free.
> 
> ...(it makes transfers really slow)


Would it be possible to check for an error, if found, retry. If error again, add an incremental delay, try again up until retry limit. Make retry limit and incremental delay adjustable and stored as configuration options. If no error on next (x?) transfers, remove delay until error detected again.

Thinking out loud but since you might still be in the code, maybe ideas are welcome... 

Percentage-wise, how much smaller did you have to go with the http request size from what it was?

Thanks so much for looking into it again! :thumbsup:


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> Would it be possible to check for an error, if found, retry. If error again, add an incremental delay, try again up until retry limit. Make retry limit and incremental delay adjustable and stored as configuration options. If no error on next (x?) transfers, remove delay until error detected again.
> 
> Thinking out loud but since you might still be in the code, maybe ideas are welcome...
> 
> Percentage-wise, how much smaller did you have to go with the http request size from what it was?
> 
> Thanks so much for looking into it again! :thumbsup:


I was literally in the middle of typing a reply saying that's exactly what I was going to try when I saw this pop up.  I think I'll just add a retry option where it keeps stepping down the speed until it completes a clean transfer. Currently it's super slow. I cut the request size in 1/2 and added 0.5s delay to every loop. So it's taking about an hour to transfer a show that normally takes 5m. I tried the normal request size with the same delay and still got some errors, but less than full speed. I'm going to have to play with it a bit more and try to figure out where balance point is.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> I was literally in the middle of typing a reply saying that's exactly what I was going to try when I saw this pop up.


Great! 



Dan203 said:


> I think I'll just add a retry option where it keeps stepping down the speed until it completes a clean transfer. Currently it's super slow. I cut the request size in 1/2 and added 0.5s delay to every loop. So it's taking about an hour to transfer a show that normally takes 5m. I tried the normal request size with the same delay and still got some errors, but less than full speed. I'm going to have to play with it a bit more and try to figure out where balance point is.


While you're testing, maybe you could start with a 0.1s delay and keep incrementing it by 0.1s (forever) until no error. Add a debug display to see how high it has to go. Then you would get an idea of what to set start delay, delay increment, total increment limit, etc...

Better than inserting the delays via a Managed Switch!


----------



## Dan203

Yeah I'm going to try to set up some sort of test to try out all the various combinations and figure out where the limit is. At this point I'm not sure if I even needed to change the request size. Would the old request size with a 1s delay produce the same result? I need to figure out someway to automate this so I can see what’s important.


----------



## ClearToLand

Dan203 said:


> Yeah I'm going to try to set up some sort of test to try out all the various combinations and figure out where the limit is. *At this point I'm not sure if I even needed to change the request size. Would the old request size with a 1s delay produce the same result?* I need to figure out someway to automate this so I can see what's important.


I don't d/l every day (or week or month), but when I do, I have more problems the bigger the source file gets. Many times a 1-2GB SD MPEG-2 flies through at full speed while a 15-18GB HD MPEG-2 (3 hour movie) needs me to drop the Managed Switch Rate Limiter to 8-16Mbps with 30-50 retries in PyTiVo Desktop. Sometimes I've had to clear excess space on a second TiVo (via Permanent Delete) to attempt to get sufficient contiguous space and then I hopefully get a successful transfer.

If you need someone to test (I'm guessing all the code changes are going into togo.py), I could pop that one module in my existing setup and try it out on a 3 hour movie.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> If you need someone to test (I'm guessing all the code changes are going into togo.py), I could pop that one module in my existing setup and try it out on a 3 hour movie.


I actually might take you up on that.


----------



## ThAbtO

I just downloaded PyTD on the laptop and tried to access my NAS which should be asleep by now and it accesses it with not much issue.

Except the music ran into an issue when I tried to play something.


----------



## Dan203

ClearToLand said:


> I don't d/l every day (or week or month), but when I do, I have more problems the bigger the source file gets. Many times a 1-2GB SD MPEG-2 flies through at full speed while a 15-18GB HD MPEG-2 (3 hour movie) needs me to drop the Managed Switch Rate Limiter to 8-16Mbps with 30-50 retries in PyTiVo Desktop. Sometimes I've had to clear excess space on a second TiVo (via Permanent Delete) to attempt to get sufficient contiguous space and then I hopefully get a successful transfer.
> 
> If you need someone to test (I'm guessing all the code changes are going into togo.py), I could pop that one module in my existing setup and try it out on a 3 hour movie.


So I've run some tests on my known bad file and still get sporadic results. I've had it succeed at relatively high speeds (120Mb/s) and also had it fail at a really low speed (4Mb/s), so this still isn't 100%. But it does seem more likely to succeed than just retrying over and over at full speed.


----------



## Dan203

I set my retry count to 10 and essentially halved the bandwidth on subsequent attempts. I was able to get a clean copy of every file I tried in 5 attempts or less. I think this is a viable option.

Now I just have to try to get my new computer to actually build it. It's been a really long time since I built this and I never fully setup my new PC for this build. I also just bought a new certificate, as the old one expired, so I'm not sure how that's going to effect the Windows warning when you install since it's a whole new certificate.

Lastly I am not going to be able to release this update for Mac, sorry. The Mac VM I was using to build with no longer boots on my new machine and I don’t have the time or inclination to futz with it to get it going again.


----------



## Dan203

OK I uploaded a new build. But I don't want to force it on everyone just yet. Anyone willing to test it out and make sure I didn't break anything?

Main new features...

1) Added an option to adjust your download speed
2) Added an option to automatically slow download speed on subsequent retry attempts if using the retry option
3) Fixed the calculation error that caused the space warning to always pop up even when there was plenty of space
4) Fixed an issue with the VideoReDo section saying you have the wrong version when it's actually still testing your system

https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.25

Note: I had to buy a new software signing certificate and the new one isn't registered with Microsoft yet, so you're going to get the "protected your PC" when you launch the installer. You have to click "more info" and then "run anyway" to install it.


----------



## reneg

I gave 1.6.25 a try tonight. I had good, but mixed results. I have been using NetLimiter to cap my transfers at 64Mb/s as that was my optimal download speed from my OTA Roamio. I disabled NetLimiter, and downloaded a 30 minute show. I got a clean download on the first try, and averaged somewhere between 85-90Mb/s which is great. Faster download and no retries.

Then I switched over to try a download of an hour show from my Bolt which has always been problematic to get clean downloads. After 75 attempts, I never got a clean download. It seemed to download mostly between 210-230Mb/s, but would pop up with TS errors roughly in the same place. I'm not sure if the backing off is supposed to only occur within a single download or after each attempt. It didn't seem like the download speed was backing off after every attempt. In the logs, I'd see the following after each attempt:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync losses detected, retrying download (75)
INFO:pyTivo.togo:Increasing retry delay to 0.010000

Is the retry delay increasing between download attempts or is it being reset to a default?

I haven't tried playing around with the download speed slider option yet. I've got some more shows to download tonight from the OTA Roamio. Running through 75 attempts on the Bolt is time consuming. Also, to keep things simple, I'm only downloading one show from one Tivo at a time. Typically, I Tivo to Tivo transfer shows from the Bolt to the Roamio, and then queue up downloads to run overnight from the Roamio because I get the best results there.


----------



## Dan203

The retry delay should increase with each subsequent attempt. So on the first retry is should be 0.01, then 0.02, etc... the actual effect this has on the download speed seems to be about halving on the first 3-4 steps but then starts to only reduce the bandwidth by about 10mbps after that. I could get a lot fancier with the calculations and enforce a halving on every step but I didn’t want to go to that trouble unless needed.

The manual slider basically just starts that delay value anywhere from 0.0 to 0.05, but it should still increase by 0.01 on each retry.


----------



## BilliJoe

reneg said:


> I gave 1.6.25 a try tonight.


Curious what you're using your Bolt for. (more tuners?)
Mine is on cable running TE3 as a backup recording device for my HDHR Prime w/Channels DVR.
Have only relied on it a few times in the last couple of years when I wanted to record something that only showed once or twice.

I also have a Roamio setup with OTA.

If I wanted to get something from the Bolt, I transfered it to the Roamio and used Dan's pytivo desktop to get it. Never had any luck getting error free downloads from the Bolt, even when limiting transfer speed. Curious what the retry delay does and how it affects download speed, may try it out.


----------



## Dan203

All my tests were run on a Bolt, but I'm just one person with only so many shows recorded, so it's possible this may not work 100% for everyone. But in my tests every single show I tried got a clean copy in 5 tries or less.


----------



## BilliJoe

So if I download your new version to try it out, what are the settings that work for you?
Can you show a screenshot?
I would have to actually record something to try as the only recordings I have on it are DRM'd Starz from a year ago (only things I couldn't download).


----------



## Dan203

BilliJoe said:


> So if I download your new version to try it out, what are the settings that work for you?
> Can you show a screenshot?
> I would have to actually record something to try as the only recordings I have on it are DRM'd Starz from a year ago (only things I couldn't download).


I set the retry mode to reject and the count to 10 and queued up about 20 recordings. After a few hours every one had downloaded a clean copy.

I added the manual slider last minute so didn't test that as well, just confirmed that it effected the speed as expected.


----------



## reneg

BilliJoe said:


> Curious what you're using your Bolt for. (more tuners?)


Exactly, more tuners. Padded recordings wastes tuners and I have two OTA sources for some channels which allows backup recordings sometimes. I also have a HDHomerun Quad as I booted Comcast about a year and switched to Channels DVR for recording cable channels. The HDHomerun is also connected to the Channels DVR, but I prefer recording OTA channels on Tivos because of Dan's program which allows me to get clean downloads.

Back on the new version, I downloaded three one hour shows overnight from my Roamio. First one took 13 retries over a two hour period. The second one took 7 retries over 50 minutes. The third one took 3 retries over 35 minutes. I have Transport stream error detection configured to "Keep file with the least number of errors", download speed configured to "Fast" and retries to "75" (and the check box selected to slow down)


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> Back on the new version, I downloaded three one hour shows overnight from my Roamio. First one took 13 retries over a two hour period. The second one took 7 retries over 50 minutes. The third one took 3 retries over 35 minutes. I have Transport stream error detection configured to "Keep file with the least number of errors", download speed configured to "Fast" and retries to "75" (and the check box selected to slow down)


So all 3 eventually downloaded without errors?


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> So all 3 eventually downloaded without errors?


Yes, all three downloaded cleanly from my Roamio.


----------



## reneg

On my Bolt, the show I tried to download cleanly last night was able to download cleanly today after 19 retries. I had slid the download slider to just below the mid point such that I was getting messages in the log about increasing delay to 0.04. With this setting, I was seeing a download speed around 55Mb/sec.


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> On my Bolt, the show I tried to download cleanly last night was able to download cleanly today after 19 retries. I had slid the download slider to just below the mid point such that I was getting messages in the log about increasing delay to 0.04. With this setting, I was seeing a download speed around 55Mb/sec.


So it's not dropping lower and lower on each subsequent try?

I wonder if I messed something up. I added that slider kind of last minute so I wonder if that is somehow messing up the code that is supposed to drop the speed on each retry.


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> So it's not dropping lower and lower on each subsequent try?
> 
> I wonder if I messed something up. I added that slider kind of last minute so I wonder if that is somehow messing up the code that is supposed to drop the speed on each retry.


It doesn't appear to rachet any lower after each retry. I moved the download speed up one tick to try and download the same file again from my bolt. Initially, it started downloading about 80Mb/sec. Currently, it is on retry #26, and the download speed is still at 80Mb/sec.

Also, after each retry, in the logs is a message like this


Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:Increasing retry delay to 0.030000


----------



## Dan203

Yeah I messed it up. The setting for the speed is reloading on each attempt so it's resetting the automatic ratchet value. Sorry. I'll upload a new build shortly.


----------



## Dan203

OK new version with fix uploaded...

https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.26


----------



## BilliJoe

Dan203 said:


> OK new version with fix uploaded...
> 
> https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.26


Recorded various one hour programs from different networks and tried the new version on my Bolt.
Initial observation looks promising!

I have the settings at;
Download speed: all the way to the right (Fast)
Transport stream error detection: Reject and retry
Maximum number of retries: 50 (I can probably reduce that with this version)
[X] Slow download speed on subsequent retries

First one hour recording downloaded successfully on 3rd retry (4th attempt) at 69 Mb/s.
Log shows Download delay set to 0.030000 for the good download.

Changed retries to 10, queued up the rest of the recordings and will report back.


----------



## reneg

Dan203 said:


> OK new version with fix uploaded...
> 
> https://pytivodesktop.com/php/download.php?platform=win&version=1.6.26


I am able to confirm that the download speed is ratcheting down on each retry now. I cleanly downloaded a one hour show from my Bolt tonight. It completed on the 2nd retry. The second file I'm downloading is on it's 8th retry and has not completed yet. I think I'm getting into the area of diminishing returns on download speed. Here is approximate download speeds I observe:


Code:


Bolt
Initial - .00 - 250MBb
Retry 1 - .01 - 130Mb
Retry 2 - .02 - 80Mb
Retry 3 - .03 - 58Mb
Retry 4 - .04 - 45Mb
Retry 5 - .05 - 38Mb
Retry 6 - .06 - 32Mb
Retry 7 - .07 - 28Mb
Retry 8 - .08 - 24MB

I'm not sure how slow it will be if I got to the 75th retry. It's a pretty steep drop-off for each increment. Would you consider cutting the retry increment in half? I know my Roamio which only supports 100Mb has a lower maximum transfer speed vs the Bolt.


----------



## Dan203

I don’t really have direct control over the speed change. I'm just introducing an artificial delay between each read using a sleep call on the thread. As you can see it starts having less and less effect as it goes up. I tried using higher numbers, but that resulted in bigger jumps at the start. I also tried different request sizes but in some cases that had the opposite effect and resulted in a much slower download that still had errors. This was the best balance I could achieve via trial and error.


----------



## BilliJoe

Out of 6 one hour programs I tried downloading, only 1 fails after 10 retries.
1 on 1st retry at 158 Mb/s
3 on 3rd retry at 69 Mb/s
1 on 4th retry at 53 Mb/s
1 failed on three separate attempts

I'll try the failed download tomorrow using 15 retries.
I have 3 more one hour recordings and 4 movies (2-3.5 hrs) scheduled to try again tomorrow.


----------



## reneg

My download on my bolt that I started yesterday was still running this morning. It was on it's 45th retry and download speed was 4.7Mb/sec. The source file is over 6GB so I aborted the download. I'd suggest either establishing a floor or limit the number of increments to keep the download speed within an acceptable range. 

I've been testing the new feature on my Bolt which has been no where near as reliable as my Roamio for getting clean downloads. I'm going to switch back to testing with my Roamio to collect more data there. If I have to stick with my current process of transfer shows from the Bolt to the Roamio, then so be it. I'll be interested to see if I can get better overall throughput on my Roamio than what I get through artificially capping my PC throughput through NetLimiter.


----------



## BilliJoe

Got to give you credit for trying. It's better than it was when you couldn't download anything without sync errors from a Bolt, but it's not 100%.

Stubborn recordings.
I tried again for the one recording I had that failed to download.
Upped retries to 20 and it still failed.
Copied it to my Roamio and it also failed to download with 20 retries where it was running at 10 Mb/s on the 20th retry.

I set pytivo desktop back to 10 retries and started a batch download of 4 one hour recordings, 3 that were recorded last night plus my "stubborn" recording.
2 of the 4 downloaded.
The third and my stubborn recording failed.
I now have two stubborn recordings that wont download.
Restarted the Bolt and tried again, they still fail to download.

I still have the four movies I recorded last night that I didn't try yet. Will try those this weekend.

This and the bad TiVo guide data reminded me why I switched from TiVo to a HDHR tuner and Channels DVR.


----------



## Dan203

You might want to try the least error option. The slower speed might not be able to fix everything, but it might be able to reduce the number of errors you do get. As for limiting retries.... I could but the user can decide what their limit is. If they want to set it to 100 and let it run for a week who am I to say they can't?


----------



## mlippert

Dan203 said:


> As for limiting retries.... I could but the user can decide what their limit is. If they want to set it to 100 and let it run for a week who am I to say they can't?


I think he meant limit the maximum added delay (sleep) between reads, so if retries are set to 100, it caps the sleep time at some value.

Also this is a change to the togo.py file from pytivo? Have you committed and pushed the changes to github yet? Or are you waiting until testing is done?


----------



## Dan203

mlippert said:


> I think he meant limit the maximum added delay (sleep) between reads, so if retries are set to 100, it caps the sleep time at some value.
> 
> Also this is a change to the togo.py file from pytivo? Have you committed and pushed the changes to github yet? Or are you waiting until testing is done?


I pushed.

I also just updated the website and "released" this version. I think the bugs are fixed. Any additional enhancements will need to wait as I'm busy on another project right now.


----------



## reneg

Here is some more data points from my Roamio:
Show 1 - 5 retries, 6+GB file, 47 minutes to get a clean download
Show 2 - 4 retries, 6+GB file, 44 minutes to cleanly download
Show 3 - 3 retries, 6+GB file, 40 minutes to cleanly download
Show 4 - 3 retries 6+GB file, 30 minutes to cleanly download
Show 5 - 2 retries, 3+GB file, 10 minutes to cleanly download
SHow 6 - 33 retries, 6+GB files, aborted after 6 hours, download speed at 6.5Mb/sec when I aborted.

Next, I plan to uncheck the slow download speed option, and decrease the download speed one notch on the slider.


----------



## Dan203

The slider goes from 0.0 to 0.4 on that delay timer.

You can also mix them. Start at like 0.2-0.3 and then leave the box checked so that it'll work first try on most things and then maybe only one or two retries on everything else.

You might also want to consider trying the best copy mode. Even if you can't get a completely clean copy maybe you can get one with significantly less errors?


----------



## reneg

It appears that unchecking the "Slow download speed on each subsequent rety" is not working as intended. Last night, I unchecked that option, and restarted pyTivo Desktop. Retries continued to slow the download speed on subsequent retreis. Here's an example from the logs:


Code:


INFO:pyTivo.togo:[08/Jan/2021 08:34:47] Start getting "G:\Video\Star Trek - Discovery - ''The Wolf Inside'' (Recorded Jan 08, 2021, KHOUDT) (TS).tivo" from RoamioOTA
INFO:pyTivo.togo:Download delay set to 0.020000
INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync loss detected: 1364676488 - 1364695852
INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync loss detected: 1364696040 - 1364697356
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[08/Jan/2021 08:37:57] Transfer of "G:\Video\Star Trek - Discovery - ''The Wolf Inside'' (Recorded Jan 08, 2021, KHOUDT) (TS).tivo" from RoamioOTA aborted
INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync losses detected, retrying download (1)
INFO:pyTivo.togo:Increasing download delay
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[08/Jan/2021 08:37:58] Start getting "G:\Video\Star Trek - Discovery - ''The Wolf Inside'' (Recorded Jan 08, 2021, KHOUDT) (TS).tivo" from RoamioOTA
INFO:pyTivo.togo:Download delay set to 0.030000


----------



## Dan203

reneg said:


> It appears that unchecking the "Slow download speed on each subsequent rety" is not working as intended. Last night, I unchecked that option, and restarted pyTivo Desktop. Retries continued to slow the download speed on subsequent retreis. Here's an example from the logs:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[08/Jan/2021 08:34:47] Start getting "G:\Video\Star Trek - Discovery - ''The Wolf Inside'' (Recorded Jan 08, 2021, KHOUDT) (TS).tivo" from RoamioOTA
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:Download delay set to 0.020000
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync loss detected: 1364676488 - 1364695852
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync loss detected: 1364696040 - 1364697356
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[08/Jan/2021 08:37:57] Transfer of "G:\Video\Star Trek - Discovery - ''The Wolf Inside'' (Recorded Jan 08, 2021, KHOUDT) (TS).tivo" from RoamioOTA aborted
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync losses detected, retrying download (1)
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:Increasing download delay
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[08/Jan/2021 08:37:58] Start getting "G:\Video\Star Trek - Discovery - ''The Wolf Inside'' (Recorded Jan 08, 2021, KHOUDT) (TS).tivo" from RoamioOTA
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:Download delay set to 0.030000


Crap you're right, there is a bug in the way I'm reading the option from the config file. I'll have to release another build.


----------



## reneg

I can confirm that v1.6.27 resolves the issue.


----------



## cp2k

I've been putting off upgrading my version for years, but finally gave in and upgraded to 1.6.27 the other day so I wouldn't have to keep VideoReDo 5 installed anymore. I had one of the older versions that couldn't detect it. Since my upgrade I've had issues with downloads hanging that I've never had before though. 

This morning I set multiple recordings to download. Some were to process via VideoReDo and some weren't. I had the "Queue" screen up so I could monitor the progress. All of a sudden all of my downloads disappear and I get the Nothing in the Queue message. When I close the Queue box the downloads still show on the pyTiVo window and when I click on the arrow to bring the Queue box back up all of the scheduled files are there. BUT, when it gets to the end of the one downloading it hangs. The progress bar goes away, but it doesn't move on to the next file. Even if I delete that file from the Queue, or all of the files from the Queue and restart with a different one it refuses to download anything again until I completely restart my PC. Anyone have any ideas on this one? It happens whether the program downloading has stream errors, or is error free.


----------



## Dan203

I just had another user report a similar issue with VideoReDo processing. I will look into it over the next few days


----------



## Pmack714

I'm sorry if this has been covered somewhere before. I've tried searching for it but came up short. 

I'm using v1.6.27. If I add a video share, it shows up twice on my NLP. One will have nothing in it, the other is the actual share. 

I've tried deleting the share from the PyTivo GUI, editing the pytivo.conf file, rebooting the computer, rebooting the TiVos, changing the name of the share. I can't get rid of the duplicate.

Computer: Win 10
TiVos: series 3 (wireless), (2) series 4 (wired)

Thanks in advance


----------



## Dan203

Do you have TiVo Desktop installed? That will also create a share on your PC that points specifically to "Documents/My TiVo Recordings". The extra share could be coming from that.


----------



## Pmack714

Dan203 said:


> Do you have TiVo Desktop installed? That will also create a share on your PC that points specifically to "Documents/My TiVo Recordings". The extra share could be coming from that.


I do not have Tivo Desktop installed, only PyTivo Desktop.

In settings, I have the Tivo Recordings folder set to V:\Video Archive\Tivo Transfers
I have the Share directory set as V:\Video Archive
with a name "Video_Archive"
and I have two shares in the NPL called "Video_Archive"

If I delete the share, reboot the computer and reboot the Tivo, I have no shares in the NPL. I add a new one in settings called "Temp" and I end up with two shares called "Temp". Rinse and repeat.

I'm figuring its best to just completely remove PyTivo desktop and reinstall from scratch, but I figured I'd ask if there's something I'm missing first.


----------



## Dan203

Pmack714 said:


> I do not have Tivo Desktop installed, only PyTivo Desktop.
> 
> In settings, I have the Tivo Recordings folder set to V:\Video Archive\Tivo Transfers
> I have the Share directory set as V:\Video Archive
> with a name "Video_Archive"
> and I have two shares in the NPL called "Video_Archive"
> 
> If I delete the share, reboot the computer and reboot the Tivo, I have no shares in the NPL. I add a new one in settings called "Temp" and I end up with two shares called "Temp". Rinse and repeat.
> 
> I'm figuring its best to just completely remove PyTivo desktop and reinstall from scratch, but I figured I'd ask if there's something I'm missing first.


Honestly I have no idea what would cause that. That portion of pyTivo wasn't written by me. Although I've never heard anyone else complain about it, so I'm confused as to why it would happen.

Did you ever install the service option I had in older versions? Maybe it's possible that both the service and the regular versions are both running simultaneously.


----------



## Pmack714

Dan203 said:


> Did you ever install the service option I had in older versions? Maybe it's possible that both the service and the regular versions are both running simultaneously.


It's weird, I was running your software for years on a Win 7 desktop without a problem. In November, I built a Win 2016 server and created a Virtual Machine (Win 10), where I did a fresh install of 1.6.24, and I've had the problem ever since.

Just as a test, I reconnected the Win 7 machine and didn't have duplicate shares. That one is running 1.6.16.

I'm just going to remove it and reinstall from scratch. Will report back.


----------



## Dan203

Pmack714 said:


> It's weird, I was running your software for years on a Win 7 desktop without a problem. In November, I built a Win 2016 server and created a Virtual Machine (Win 10), where I did a fresh install of 1.6.24, and I've had the problem ever since.
> 
> Just as a test, I reconnected the Win 7 machine and didn't have duplicate shares. That one is running 1.6.16.
> 
> I'm just going to remove it and reinstall from scratch. Will report back.


I bet it's the VM. Most VMs use a virtual bridge network driver to talk directly to the host. The VM could be causing pyTivo to announce the share using both the IP of the VM and the IP of the host, which is why TiVo displays it twice. The second one is empty because when the TiVo attempts to contact the host it doesn't actually have the server running so it gets no response.

Not 100% sure how to fix it, but that's my best guess as to what's happening.


----------



## Pmack714

You're correct that my VM is using a virtual bridge, and I think you nailed it. Reinstalling didn't help. It's a minor annoyance that I will live with. Thanks for your help!


----------



## Dan203

@wmcbrine knows more about this part of pyTivo than I do. Would any of the settings in pyTivo allow him to block broadcast on a specific adapter?


----------



## Tom Z

I installed pyTivo Desktop on my Windows 10 PC. It sees my Bolt just fine and I can download recordings.

I have two video shares configured. If I'm not mistaken, they should be visible on the* My Shows* screen, correct? Am I missing a configuration somewhere that makes that work?

TIA


----------



## ThAbtO

Tom Z said:


> I installed pyTivo Desktop on my Windows 10 PC. It sees my Bolt just fine and I can download recordings.
> 
> I have two video shares configured. If I'm not mistaken, they should be visible on the* My Shows* screen, correct? Am I missing a configuration somewhere that makes that work?
> 
> TIA


It would be at the bottom of the Shows/Play list.


----------



## Tom Z

ThAbtO said:


> It would be at the bottom of the Shows/Play list.


Unfortunately it is MIA.


----------



## ThAbtO

Tom Z said:


> Unfortunately it is MIA.
> 
> View attachment 58232


Its because you are on TE4, which the function was removed.


----------



## Dan203

Tom Z said:


> Unfortunately it is MIA.
> 
> View attachment 58232


Unfortunately TiVo removed the ability to transfer recordings back to TiVos on the new TE4/Hydra UI. You might be able to revert to the old UI if it's important to you, but if you do that it has to delete all your recordings so transfer them to your PC or another TiVo first.


----------



## Tom Z

Dan203 said:


> Unfortunately TiVo removed the ability to transfer recordings back to TiVos on the new TE4/Hydra UI. You might be able to revert to the old UI if it's important to you, but if you do that it has to delete all your recordings so transfer them to your PC or another TiVo first.


Thank you for the reply. Now I know. Oh well...


----------



## someperson

Is there any way to set up pyTivo to automatically transfer all recordings from a TiVo? I know kmttg can do this, but kmttg relies on a GUI interface for configuration, which makes it not particularly suitable for running in a container on a Synology NAS like I want to do, and I don't really want to set up a whole VM just for this. pyTivo seems like a better bet since it's configurable through a web interface.


----------



## ThAbtO

I think that would be PyTivo not PyTivo Desktop.


----------



## Dan203

someperson said:


> Is there any way to set up pyTivo to automatically transfer all recordings from a TiVo? I know kmttg can do this, but kmttg relies on a GUI interface for configuration, which makes it not particularly suitable for running in a container on a Synology NAS like I want to do, and I don't really want to set up a whole VM just for this. pyTivo seems like a better bet since it's configurable through a web interface.


No. This was functionality I started working on at one point, but got side tracked and never finished.


----------



## Dan203

Are you a developer? My version of pyTivo has the features you'd need to do this. It can return the entire My Shows list as JSON and you can queue a recording via an http call. You'd just need to write a script to track what you've already downloaded and queue up anything new.


----------



## AlanH220

I'm really kind of stumped. I started up pyTivo(Desktop) on my Windows 10 box for the first time in a while today. pyTivo updated me to the latest version 1.6.27, and now Desktop won't run - "Error connecting to pyTiVo! Verify pyTiVo is running and retry"
Problem is, every time I try to start pyTivo, it "flips' back into "off" status. I have TiVo Desktop installed, MAK is registered, etc. Any ideas? I have uninstalled pyTiVo and reinstalled, rebooted Windows, etc.
All because VideoReDo won't run at the end of a kmttg pull from my Bolt box...
Thanks in advance


----------



## aaronwt

Try running kmttg without using videoReDo. This is what I have been doing for awhile since I ran into issues with VideoReDo. And it has been working well.


----------



## mlippert

kmttg v2.4p is running VideoReDo v6 for me just fine. Of course I do manually select the videos to download and process which you may not, and I'm not familiar with the auto downloading functionality of kmttg. But a kmttg discussion to fix that belongs in the kmttg forum. I know Kevin is no longer maintaining it, but a couple of others have so issues might get addressed.


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## aaronwt

Yes. All my downloads are automatic.


----------



## vanclute

Hey all I just found this thread. Am I correct to believe that this "version" of PyTivo can also run Streambaby? Or would I still have to run it in the "old" PyTivo as I have been for years?

My SB install recently crapped the bed and I can't figure out what's wrong with it. Hoping that maybe this would allow it to run and also give me the bonus of being able to extract shows. I found kmttg to be a hassle to use but would definitely like to save a few shows and then just stream them when we want to watch.


----------



## Dan203

I have never tested it with stream baby, and in fact I don’t really even know how stream baby works, but if it worked with the old pyTivo it should work with this version too. This is basically just the same code packaged up into an easy to install and run file with a fancy UI.


----------



## vanclute

That's excellent, I'll give it a shot. I also just put Catalina on this mac and my old PyTivo, even copied over from the working install on Sierra, won't run at all. Does your new version work under Catalina? I may have already tested it anyway by the time you read this but we'll see =)


----------



## vanclute

Hmmm well straight away I've run into a snag...

*Problem running post-install step. Installation may not complete correctly*

* Error writing file /Users/media/Library/LaunchAgents/com.pytivo.pytivo.plist*

Any ideas on this?


----------



## vanclute

Also it's not looking immediately promising for adding StreamBaby. In the old PyTivo, the SB folder goes in /Volumes/Media Server/Applications/pyTivoX.app/Contents/Resources/but /Resources seems to be completely empty in your version whereas the old PyTivo, it's loaded with things.

Push works fine to the TiVo, but SB doesn't appear to work at all. It doesn't show up as an available app on the TiVo. Any suggestions?


----------



## Dan203

Honestly no. 

The Mac install issues are known. Unfortunately I was using a VM to build the Mac version and after a Virtualbox upgrade it stopped working. I haven’t had time to figure out how to get it going again. 

I know nothing about StreamBaby or how it works, so can't comment on that part at all.


----------



## vanclute

Gotcha... bummer. Well, if at any point you poke around and discover that SB could indeed be integrated into your PyTivo edition, it would be such a coups... SB is still the best DLNA streaming server solution I've seen. I use Plex on my Roku devices and ugh it's so bloated and slow, I loathe it and miss SB every time I have to use Plex!


----------



## vanclute

So I got SB to work on Catalina, just not from inside PyTivoDesktop. But that's fine, just wanted it to work again and it does so, I be happy!

Now, a question about PyTivoDesktop:

Is there any way to change the quality settings for extracted files? I'd like to transfer certain files to my streaming library, but by default the TiVo resolution files are massive and I don't need them at that high a bitrate at all. I'd love to be able to cut it say in half, or maybe by 2/3 and make them .mp4s. Is there any way to do this or do I have to use kmttg for post-transcoding?


----------



## ThAbtO

vanclute said:


> Is there any way to change the quality settings for extracted files? I'd like to transfer certain files to my streaming library, but by default the TiVo resolution files are massive and I don't need them at that high a bitrate at all. I'd love to be able to cut it say in half, or maybe by 2/3 and make them .mp4s. Is there any way to do this or do I have to use kmttg for post-transcoding?


Its transferred as is as when it was recorded. I use KMTTG for batch download process, decrypt to MPG, VideoReDo to remove unwanted content/commercials, then KMTTG/encode h264_Med_Rate to MP4. I get as high as about 85% compression depending on the show. 50-60% on any show (700MB.) This Old House gets me the 85% (300MB from 2GB).

The h264_high_rate results in a file thats 2-3x the size of the original.


----------



## vanclute

OK, so I take it from that, that PyTivoDesktop doesn't have any such recoding features eh? Looks like I'll have to go back to kmttg after all. Bummer! I really don't like its confusing UI but if that's the only way... then so be it. Thanks!


----------



## ThAbtO

vanclute said:


> OK, so I take it from that, that PyTivoDesktop doesn't have any such recoding features eh? Looks like I'll have to go back to kmttg after all. Bummer! I really don't like its confusing UI but if that's the only way... then so be it. Thanks!


I still use PyTivo for transferring back to Tivo. PyTivo Desktop worked better for my NAS than the original PyTivo in waking up the drive.

KMTTG is not as confusing, just select a show and make sure the checkmarks are on where you want them and hit start.


----------



## vanclute

OK, maybe kmttg has improved since I last used it a few years ago. I found it tremendously confusing to get everything right with so many options. Never did really get the comskip to work consistently/reliably enough but I'll give it another shot. Thanks again!


----------



## ThAbtO

I never used comskip, and didn't get it to work when I tried it.


----------



## vanclute

Unfortunately since there is no VideoReDo on mac, I'm pretty much stuck with comskip if anything (AFAIK). But my main goal is just to get stuff off the TiVo so I can cancel the monthly subscription, so even if it still has the commercials.... whatever I'll live with it.


----------



## aaronwt

ThAbtO said:


> Its transferred as is as when it was recorded. I use KMTTG for batch download process, decrypt to MPG, VideoReDo to remove unwanted content/commercials, then KMTTG/encode h264_Med_Rate to MP4. I get as high as about 85% compression depending on the show. 50-60% on any show (700MB.) This Old House gets me the 85% (300MB from 2GB).
> 
> The h264_high_rate results in a file thats 2-3x the size of the original.


I just keep all my transfers at the original quality. Since in my area, the DC area, OTA is crap and bitstarved anyway. And then with cable, both FiOS and comcast, they are low bitrate and bitstarved as well.

And since storage is extremely cheap, it just easier for me to keep them the original size. Not to mention all the files are relatively small since they are bitstarved. Like a few gigabytes per hour of HD.

While my OTA HD recordings from twenty years ago took up around 8 Gigabytes per hour for storage. And back in 2001 I only had around 3TB of network storage. While now I have close to two orders of magnitudes more, over 270TB of network storage.


----------



## aaronwt

ThAbtO said:


> I never used comskip, and didn't get it to work when I tried it.


Even with VideoReDo it was never accurate enough for me. So I just have the files as is. Since I can easily skip over the commercials, in a few seconds, using Plex.


----------



## ThAbtO

aaronwt said:


> Even with VideoReDo it was never accurate enough for me.


Manually it is.


----------



## aaronwt

ThAbtO said:


> Manually it is.


That is too much work. Just in the past few months I have many hundreds of hours of recordings that have been downloaded from my TiVos.


----------



## Dan203

aaronwt said:


> That is too much work. Just in the past few months I have many hundreds of hours of recordings that have been downloaded from my TiVos.


There is no automated solution that's 100%. Commercials are just too random. Some stations do hard cuts to black, some crossfade directly to commercials. Some use 2ch audio for commercials, some up convert to 5.1 to match the program. Some have a bug that goes away during the commercials, some don't.

That's why we added adscan profiles in v6. We thought people could figure out a set of options that worked well for a particular channel and then save each channel as a profile. But I'm not sure many people have been willing to put in that effort.

I've been thinking about trying to train a ML algorithm to detect commercials. Maybe with enough training it would pick up on the nuances, but ML is not something I'm currently well versed in so there would be a big learning curve. Not to mention the time required for the actual training.


----------



## Pokemon_Dad

aaronwt said:


> That is too much work. Just in the past few months I have many hundreds of hours of recordings that have been downloaded from my TiVos.





Dan203 said:


> There is no automated solution that's 100%. Commercials are just too random. Some stations do hard cuts to black, some crossfade directly to commercials. Some use 2ch audio for commercials, some up convert to 5.1 to match the program. Some have a bug that goes away during the commercials, some don't.


Channels DVR has a pretty good implementation of Comskip. I'm sure Plex and the others work well too. I've never tried it on imported shows though. Anyone have experience with that? In my regular recordings I can review and edit Channels' automated results in a visual editor in case it missed a logo or misinterpreted a cut to black or something, but usually it doesn't need attention or if it does it's for example just the last small 30-second block at the end of a daily news show and I always fix that right before we watch it. Every once in a while though Comskip gets it completely and hilariously wrong.

(Sadly, I feel the need to mention this because so many of us are using pyTivo Desktop to get shows off our TiVo boxes one last time as we move on to other platforms...)


----------



## ThAbtO

Dan203 said:


> Some stations do hard cuts to black, some crossfade directly to commercials. Some use 2ch audio for commercials, some up convert to 5.1 to match the program. Some have a bug that goes away during the commercials, some don't.


Some just switches over to the commercial without a hint/break, it would seem it was part of the show. AdDetection would only notice at the next and skip the first.


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> Some just switches over to the commercial without a hint/break, it would seem it was part of the show. AdDetection would only notice at the next and skip the first.


Yeah those are the types of things that make adscan really hard. That's why I was thinking about doing ML to see if it would work better, but that's a big undertaking.


----------



## reneg

aaronwt said:


> That is too much work. Just in the past few months I have many hundreds of hours of recordings that have been downloaded from my TiVos.


I use VideoRedo to edit through many, many recorded shows. One thing I found to speed up manual review of adscan output in VideoRedo was to set left/right arrows to move to next I-Frame. It gets you to the commercials boundaries quicker than frame advance. I also use F3, F4, F5, F6, & delete a lot. I typically review cuts for an hour show in less than a minute.


----------



## ThAbtO

I use up and down for frame by frame, and left and right for .5 seconds since Pgup/dn is 30 seconds. Since the laptop is touchscreen, there is no need for the Function keys.


----------



## Dan203

ThAbtO said:


> I use up and down for frame by frame, and left and right for .5 seconds since Pgup/dn is 30 seconds. Since the laptop is touchscreen, there is no need for the Function keys.


Setting one of the skip options to jump to I frames can be helpful. I use Shift+Left/Right, but you can do it with the buttons too.


----------



## ThAbtO

I liked VRD due to the fact that its frame based. Prior, I tried MovieMaker and that was time based, so you cannot exactly cut "Just a few frames."


----------



## ThAbtO

Dan203 said:


> Setting one of the skip options to jump to I frames can be helpful. I use Shift+Left/Right, but you can do it with the buttons too.


Mustn't forget the mouse wheel.


----------



## alleybj

Recently, I've been having a problem with PyTivo transfers. After about one to three transfers, the transfer just stops. The Download queue is still there and shows the movie being transferred, but there's no transfer activity. It just hangs there. At this point, closing out and reopening the program doesn't fix it-- no show will transfer. I computer reboot is required, and then PyTivo works for a few transfers before it repeats the cycle. This has happened to me very rarely in the past, but now it seems to be happening all the time. See above. Thoughts? Thanks


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> View attachment 61134
> Recently, I've been having a problem with PyTivo transfers. After about one to three transfers, the transfer just stops. The Download queue is still there and shows the movie being transferred, but there's no transfer activity. It just hangs there. At this point, closing out and reopening the program doesn't fix it-- no show will transfer. I computer reboot is required, and then PyTivo works for a few transfers before it repeats the cycle. This has happened to me very rarely in the past, but now it seems to be happening all the time. See above. Thoughts? Thanks


So a computer reboot fixes it?

My guess would be antivirus. It's probably scanning the files that are being downloaded and stalling the next one. As a test I would try simply disabling AV completely and see if that helps. If it does then go into your AV software and add an exception for the pyTivo install directory. That should cause it to ignore anything pyTivo does including the files it downloads.

If that's not the issue then you'll need to look at the log. (About, Show Log) If there is an error post it here and I'll tell you what it means.


----------



## alleybj

Dan203 said:


> So a computer reboot fixes it?
> 
> My guess would be antivirus. It's probably scanning the files that are being downloaded and stalling the next one. As a test I would try simply disabling AV completely and see if that helps. If it does then go into your AV software and add an exception for the pyTivo install directory. That should cause it to ignore anything pyTivo does including the files it downloads.
> 
> If that's not the issue then you'll need to look at the log. (About, Show Log) If there is an error post it here and I'll tell you what it means.


Thanks for the quick reply. The antivirus exception didn't work. Here's the error log. Thanks, again.



Code:


INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Fri Jan  8 12:51:10 2021
INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.18
INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.19041-SP0
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\Users\joeal\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI45~1\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\users\joeal\appdata\local\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivo-27'
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Roamio - 192.168.86.250
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:bolt2 - 192.168.86.41
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Elite - 192.168.86.32
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: Documents
INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.86.250 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:51] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:192.168.86.32 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:51] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:58] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=I:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:10] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetAdScanProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetAdScanProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.86.250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.86.250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[14/Jul/2021 17:59:12] Queued "[URL]http://192.168.86.250:80/download/Good[/URL] Guys and the Bad Guys.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=231501" for transfer to I:\
INFO:pyTivo.togo:pC sleep has been disabled
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:59:12] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:59:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.86.250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:59:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=I:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[14/Jul/2021 17:59:13] Start getting "I:\Good Guys and the Bad Guys (Recorded Jul 14, 2021, TCMHD).ts" from Roamio
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
INFO:pyTivo.togo:Download delay set to 0.000000
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:59:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.86.250%3A80%2Fdownload%2FGood%2520Guys%2520and%2520the%2520Bad%2520Guys.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D231501 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync loss detected: 1005324976 - 1005332684
Unexpected Table ID for PMT: 0x8f
Error processing PMT packet
INFO:pyTivo.togo:[Errno 32] Broken pipe
Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 965, in process_queue
  File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 779, in get_tivo_file
IOError: [Errno 22] Invalid argument
INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 18:03:38] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


----------



## elprice7345

I have the same issue occasionally.

What works for me: right-click on the pyTivo icon in the system tray and click Exit. Then open pyTivo again. I don't have to reboot, although that works as well.

Since it was easy enough to workaround, I've never bothered to troubleshoot.


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> Thanks for the quick reply. The antivirus exception didn't work. Here's the error log. Thanks, again.
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> INFO:pyTivo:Last modified: Fri Jan  8 12:51:10 2021
> INFO:pyTivo:python: 2.7.18
> INFO:pyTivo:System: Windows-10-10.0.19041-SP0
> INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Imported existing <module 'comtypes.gen' from 'C:\Users\joeal\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI45~1\comtypes\gen\__init__.pyc'>
> INFO:comtypes.client._code_cache:Using writeable comtypes cache directory: 'c:\users\joeal\appdata\local\temp\comtypes_cache\pyTivo-27'
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Scanning for TiVos...
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Roamio - 192.168.86.250
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:bolt2 - 192.168.86.41
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Elite - 192.168.86.32
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Announcing shares...
> INFO:pyTivo.beacon:Registering: Documents
> INFO:pyTivo:pyTivo is ready.
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.86.250 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:51] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:192.168.86.32 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:51] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=%2F&DoGenres=1 HTTP/1.0" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetOSName&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=QueryServer HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetSettings&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:57] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetTiVoList&Container=ToGo HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:57:58] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=I:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:10] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:11] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetAdScanProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetVersion&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetAdScanProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:root:6.62.5.831 - Jun  5 2021
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetProfileList&Container=VRD HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:14] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetShowsList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.86.250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:58:33] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.86.250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[14/Jul/2021 17:59:12] Queued "[URL]http://192.168.86.250:80/download/Good[/URL] Guys and the Bad Guys.TiVo?Container=/NowPlaying&id=231501" for transfer to I:\
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:pC sleep has been disabled
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:59:12] "POST /TiVoConnect HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:59:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetQueueList&Container=ToGo&TiVo=192.168.86.250 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:59:12] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetDiskUsage&Container=Settings&Path=I:\ HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[14/Jul/2021 17:59:13] Start getting "I:\Good Guys and the Bad Guys (Recorded Jul 14, 2021, TCMHD).ts" from Roamio
> WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
> WARNING:pyTivo.config:tivodecode not found
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:Download delay set to 0.000000
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 17:59:13] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetStatus&Container=ToGo&Url=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.86.250%3A80%2Fdownload%2FGood%2520Guys%2520and%2520the%2520Bad%2520Guys.TiVo%3FContainer%3D%252FNowPlaying%26id%3D231501 HTTP/1.1" 200 -
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:TS sync loss detected: 1005324976 - 1005332684
> Unexpected Table ID for PMT: 0x8f
> Error processing PMT packet
> INFO:pyTivo.togo:[Errno 32] Broken pipe
> Unhandled exception in thread started by <unbound method ToGo.process_queue>
> ERROR:pyTivo:Exception in pyTivo
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 965, in process_queue
> File "plugins\togo\togo.py", line 779, in get_tivo_file
> IOError: [Errno 22] Invalid argument
> INFO:pyTivo:127.0.0.1 [14/Jul/2021 18:03:38] "GET /TiVoConnect?Command=GetLogText&Container=Settings HTTP/1.1" 200 -


Are you decrypting?

That error looks like something coming from tivolibre.


----------



## alleybj

It is the decrypting that's causing the problem. Turning it off, the transfers work fine. Any idea how to fix it? It worked correctly for years. I really need a way to decrypt. I have Videoredo, but it always fixes the errors when it decrypts. I need a clean decryption. If there's not a fix, is there another decryption solution that won't repair the file? Thanks, again.


----------



## ThAbtO

alleybj said:


> It is the decrypting that's causing the problem. Turning it off, the transfers work fine. Any idea how to fix it? It worked correctly for years. I really need a way to decrypt. I have Videoredo, but it always fixes the errors when it decrypts. I need a clean decryption. If there's not a fix, is there another decryption solution that won't repair the file? Thanks, again.


Decryption is not a repair. It removes the security layer that Tivo places it on. It seems you lack the part (according to your log) of TivoDecode. TivoDecode only decrypts PS downloads and not TS downloads (TivoLibre does that.) You can download and install TivoDecode =OR= get KMTTG which has everything needed for Tivo downloads and processing.

I use KMTTG for downloads and processing and only use PyTivo for uploading back to TE3 Tivo capability.


----------



## ClearToLand

alleybj said:


> It is the decrypting that's causing the problem. Turning it off, the transfers work fine. Any idea how to fix it? It worked correctly for years. I really need a way to decrypt. *I have Videoredo, but it always fixes the errors when it decrypts.* I need a clean decryption. If there's not a fix, is there another decryption solution that won't repair the file? Thanks, again.


I'm confused. VideoRedo is the *best* program / method available to users for decrypting a .tivo file. The methods are (in descending efficiency order):

VideoRedo w/DirectShow
kmttg w/DirectShow
tivolibre
tivodecode
If the .tivo file has TS Sync Errors, why wouldn't you want VideoRedo to 'fix' it? Note - TS Sync Errors are never really 'fixed', the packets with errors are simply discarded. VideoRedo does the best job at discarding the fewest; tivodecode the worst.

If you transfer the file with PyTiVo Desktop with decrypt off, how many errors does the .tivo file have? Another way to look at it is how many seconds SHORTER is the file after one of the 4 methods above finishes decrypting it?

I found it very humorous back in the Spring of 2017 when @Dan203 was writing PyTiVo Desktop when folks were proudly claiming things like "_My TS transfers with kmttg have no errors._" Well, of course they had the same errors that PyTiVo Desktop found. The difference was PyTiVo Desktop is the *ONLY* program that actually CHECKS for the existence of the error(s).  My 'chant' back then while @Dan203 was still working on the code was "*0x47 every 188*".

GOOGLE: *"0x47 every 188" site:tivocommunity.com*​
It was a great time for TiVo owners - *THANKS AGAIN* @Dan203 :clapping::handok::thumbsup:


----------



## ClearToLand

ThAbtO said:


> Decryption is not a repair. It removes the security layer that Tivo places it on...


True.


ThAbtO said:


> ...It seems you lack the part (according to your log) of TivoDecode...


IIRC, that error comes from the base @wmcbrine fork of PyTiVo and displays even if you're using tivolibre correctly.


ThAbtO said:


> ...TivoDecode only decrypts PS downloads and not TS downloads (TivoLibre does that.)...


False. TiVoDecode does decrypt TS Transfers - it's just the worst / least efficient at it.


ThAbtO said:


> ...You can download and install TivoDecode =OR= get KMTTG which has everything needed for Tivo downloads and processing.
> 
> I use KMTTG for downloads and processing...


If you have a Windows PC and are able to use kmttg, you should definitely be using 'DirectShow' (you need to either do a partial install of TiVo Desktop or install it separately with a neat little utility written again by @Dan203) - the 2nd best method of decrypting a .tivo file (see my list in the previous post). If you want to spend some money, then use VideoRedo - the best method of decrpting a .tivo file. 


ThAbtO said:


> ...and only use PyTivo for uploading back to TE3 Tivo capability.


OR optionally install StreamBaby on a PC and *NEVER* have to upload files back to a TiVo unit again. Keep all your downloaded / decrypted and possibly closed-captioned files on a NAS, making them available to MANY clients via Plex, some clients via DLNA and available to many TiVo units (TE4 is tricky - but I've read that kmttg can help work around it), with (almost) ALL of the legendary 'trick' TiVo transport controls (no 1.3x QuickPlay).


----------



## alleybj

Ok. Here's the deal. I love PyTivo. It has worked perfectly for years, but it almost never gives me a "clean" copy, even after hundreds of transfers. But, no big deal. I transfer over five pretty good transfers. I run TSDoctor on them, and then I use Videoredo to create a perfect copy, with no errors. I love Videoredo, but what it won't do is just remove the Tivo wrapper without editing out the errors. When it does that, I don't know where they are, because TSDoctor doesn't see them. So, what I really want is for PyTivo to start working again with decoding, but, if I can't have that, is there a way to take the Tivo files that PyTivo brings over that aren't decoded and just remove the Tivo wrapper, so that I can take the imperfect copies and create a perfect one? Any help would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I'm not sure I'm capable of installing KMTTG again, but it will only transfer one copy at a time, and won't take the wrapper off a file that's not transferred by it (right?). Thanks, again.


----------



## ClearToLand

alleybj said:


> ...*I transfer over five pretty good transfers*. I run TSDoctor on them, and then I use Videoredo to create a perfect copy, with no errors. I love Videoredo, but what *it won't do is just remove the Tivo wrapper without editing out the errors*. When it does that, I don't know where they are, because TSDoctor doesn't see them...


Interesting workflow. What does TSDoctor do for you that VideoRedo doesn't?

Maybe you don't realize it but *EVERY* .tivo file decrypting program removes packets with TS Sync Errors. VideoReDo the least - tivodecode the most. If you were feeding TSDoctor with the output of tivolibre, you were getting the output of the 3rd best .tivo file decrypting program (see my list above). Probably a lot less cleaner than VideoRedo. I'd be curious to see what the output of kmttg w/DirectShow does as input to TSDoctor.


alleybj said:


> Ok. Here's the deal. *I love PyTivo. It has worked perfectly for years, but it almost never gives me a "clean" copy, even after hundreds of transfers*. But, no big deal...


Are you using the latest version of PyTiVo Desktop with the 'Slow Down' option? Or you could use a QoS Rate Limiter on a managed switch. Or this Rate Limiter program that @reneg uses (can't remember the name; can find it if necessary though...).

How many retries are you allowing?
How slow are you going?
Is the source mpeg-2 or h.264?



alleybj said:


> ...So, what I really want is for PyTivo to start working again with decoding, but, if I can't have that, *is there a way to take the Tivo files that PyTivo brings over that aren't decoded and just remove the Tivo wrapper*, so that I can take the imperfect copies and create a perfect one? Any help would be greatly appreciated....


No. If the problem is tivolibre 'choking' on a bad packet, @Dan203 is not going to be able to help you with that, AFAICT. The author of tivolibre is '_long gone_' and tivolibre '_is what it is_'. You'll have to find ways to work around the problem.


alleybj said:


> ...BTW, *I'm not sure I'm capable of installing KMTTG again, but it will only transfer one copy at a time, and won't take the wrapper off a file that's not transferred by it (right?).* Thanks, again.


Wrong and wrong again.  

kmttg has many more features than PyTiVo OG (@wmcbrine ) or PyTiVo Desktop (@Dan203 ). Unfortunately it DOES NOT check for TS Sync Errors.  Several (Ok, a handful ) of us use PyTiVo Desktop to initially transfer an error-free (or least number of errors possible) .tivo file and then use kmttg to generate a 'Plex-Ready' name. Then we re-name the PyTiVo Desktop .tivo file and input it into kmttg via the FILES Tab where it then resumes it's journey through decrypt / extract closed-captions / etc...

Sounds like more work than you might be willing to do...

Let me know though if you want to try it and have any questions or need more help.


----------



## ThAbtO

alleybj said:


> I'm not sure I'm capable of installing KMTTG again, but it will only transfer one copy at a time, and won't take the wrapper off a file that's not transferred by it (right?).


KMTTG just need to be unzipped into a folder, and run its kmttg.jar file with Java installed. Tivo only will transfer shows one at a time, no matter what program you use. It does take off that wrapper, which the encryption layer that Tivo applies, with the Decrypt checkboxed. The end result will be a .mpg MPEG2 file, from the .tivo file. KMTTG does more, such as QuickStreamFix (w/VideoReDo) and encoding to MPEG4.

Your download errors mey be because you are using TS downloads (Only required for h264) and not PS downloads. TS downloads creates more errors than PS.


----------



## Dan203

alleybj said:


> Ok. Here's the deal. I love PyTivo. It has worked perfectly for years, but it almost never gives me a "clean" copy, even after hundreds of transfers. But, no big deal. I transfer over five pretty good transfers. I run TSDoctor on them, and then I use Videoredo to create a perfect copy, with no errors. I love Videoredo, but what it won't do is just remove the Tivo wrapper without editing out the errors. When it does that, I don't know where they are, because TSDoctor doesn't see them. So, what I really want is for PyTivo to start working again with decoding, but, if I can't have that, is there a way to take the Tivo files that PyTivo brings over that aren't decoded and just remove the Tivo wrapper, so that I can take the imperfect copies and create a perfect one? Any help would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I'm not sure I'm capable of installing KMTTG again, but it will only transfer one copy at a time, and won't take the wrapper off a file that's not transferred by it (right?). Thanks, again.


I'm not sure why this would stop working. Nothing has changed in pyTivo Desktop in years with the exception of that feature to slow down the transfer, which has nothing to do with decrypting.

One thing you could do is download your 5 copies, or whatever, as .tivo files, then run tivolibre from the command line to decrypt them. I believe it has some command line options that tell it to ignore errors that might allow it to succeed. Another option is to find a copy of DirectShow Dump. That uses the TiVo DirectShow filter included with pyTivo Desktop (or TiVo Desktop) to just dump the unencrypted data to a file. If that doesn't work either then there is something seriously wrong with your file and nothing can be done to fix it.


----------



## KevTech

Dan203 said:


> Another option is to find a copy of DirectShow Dump.


KMTTG has a copy in the dsd folder.
Edit: Files are in the KMTTG Tools dsd folder.


----------



## aaronwt

ClearToLand said:


> I'm confused. VideoRedo is the *best* program / method available to users for decrypting a .tivo file. The methods are (in descending efficiency order):
> 
> VideoRedo w/DirectShow
> kmttg w/DirectShow
> tivolibre
> tivodecode
> If the .tivo file has TS Sync Errors, why wouldn't you want VideoRedo to 'fix' it? Note - TS Sync Errors are never really 'fixed', the packets with errors are simply discarded. VideoRedo does the best job at discarding the fewest; tivodecode the worst.
> 
> If you transfer the file with PyTiVo Desktop with decrypt off, how many errors does the .tivo file have? Another way to look at it is how many seconds SHORTER is the file after one of the 4 methods above finishes decrypting it?
> 
> I found it very humorous back in the Spring of 2017 when @Dan203 was writing PyTiVo Desktop when folks were proudly claiming things like "_My TS transfers with kmttg have no errors._" Well, of course they had the same errors that PyTiVo Desktop found. The difference was PyTiVo Desktop is the *ONLY* program that actually CHECKS for the existence of the error(s).  My 'chant' back then while @Dan203 was still working on the code was "*0x47 every 188*".
> 
> GOOGLE: *"0x47 every 188" site:tivocommunity.com*​
> It was a great time for TiVo owners - *THANKS AGAIN* @Dan203 :clapping::handok::thumbsup:


I don't think I have DirectSHow selected with kmttg. I guess I will need to try it. My MPEG2 and HEVC transfers have been fine with kmttg. But I keep having issues with the transfers of MPEG4 content. But my old PC could also be cuasing issues. I'll probably pick up a replacement when they go on sale next month and get one with a 10th gen core i3 or i5.

My kmttg machine also is my HD plex machine. And all the TiVo recordings show up in Plex for me. I have a UHD plex machine with an 8th gen core i5, but I would rather keep that separate, since I also use it for ripping my UHD BDs.


----------



## alleybj

ClearToLand said:


> Interesting workflow. What does TSDoctor do for you that VideoRedo doesn't?
> 
> Maybe you don't realize it but *EVERY* .tivo file decrypting program removes packets with TS Sync Errors. VideoReDo the least - tivodecode the most. If you were feeding TSDoctor with the output of tivolibre, you were getting the output of the 3rd best .tivo file decrypting program (see my list above). Probably a lot less cleaner than VideoRedo. I'd be curious to see what the output of kmttg w/DirectShow does as input to TSDoctor.
> Are you using the latest version of PyTiVo Desktop with the 'Slow Down' option? Or you could use a QoS Rate Limiter on a managed switch. Or this Rate Limiter program that @reneg uses (can't remember the name; can find it if necessary though...).
> 
> How many retries are you allowing?
> How slow are you going?
> Is the source mpeg-2 or h.264?
> No. If the problem is tivolibre 'choking' on a bad packet, @Dan203 is not going to be able to help you with that, AFAICT. The author of tivolibre is '_long gone_' and tivolibre '_is what it is_'. You'll have to find ways to work around the problem.
> Wrong and wrong again.
> 
> kmttg has many more features than PyTiVo OG (@wmcbrine ) or PyTiVo Desktop (@Dan203 ). Unfortunately it DOES NOT check for TS Sync Errors.  Several (Ok, a handful ) of us use PyTiVo Desktop to initially transfer an error-free (or least number of errors possible) .tivo file and then use kmttg to generate a 'Plex-Ready' name. Then we re-name the PyTiVo Desktop .tivo file and input it into kmttg via the FILES Tab where it then resumes it's journey through decrypt / extract closed-captions / etc...
> 
> Sounds like more work than you might be willing to do...
> 
> Let me know though if you want to try it and have any questions or need more help.


Ok, I managed to get Kmttg installed and working. For a time it was giving me .TS files-- which is what I want. Now, however, when I decrypt it is giving me .mpg files, which I don't want. The Tivo files themselves are encrypted TS files. Is there a setting somewhere that can get me back to .TS files? Thanks


----------



## ThAbtO

alleybj said:


> Ok, I managed to get Kmttg installed and working. For a time it was giving me .TS files-- which is what I want. Now, however, when I decrypt it is giving me .mpg files, which I don't want. The Tivo files themselves are encrypted TS files. Is there a setting somewhere that can get me back to .TS files? Thanks


The first checkbox is for TS downloads, make sure that is checked. There should be a setting in the config for TivoLibre to decrypt.


----------



## bareyb

Is this compatible with the newest TiVo Edge DVR?


----------



## ThAbtO

bareyb said:


> Is this compatible with the newest TiVo Edge DVR?


I highly doubt it since they removed the feature since the Bolt with v21.


----------



## Dan203

bareyb said:


> Is this compatible with the newest TiVo Edge DVR?


You can use it to download shows from the Edge to the PC. You can not use it to upload files form the PC to the Edge.


----------



## bareyb

Dan203 said:


> You can use it to download shows from the Edge to the PC. You can not use it to upload files form the PC to the Edge.


I was afraid of that. Thanks Dan.


----------



## Dan203

bareyb said:


> I was afraid of that. Thanks Dan.


If you have something you really want to watch on your PC you could set up a Plex server and then stream it to the TiVo.


----------



## bareyb

Dan203 said:


> If you have something you really want to watch on your PC you could set up a Plex server and then stream it to the TiVo.


Exactly. I could always just Airplay it to my AppleTV too. I just really liked using the TiVo UI for that sort of thing. It was fun while it lasted.


----------



## Dan203

bareyb said:


> Exactly. I could always just Airplay it to my AppleTV too. I just really liked using the TiVo UI for that sort of thing. It was fun while it lasted.


Only option for that is to find a Roamio or Bolt that has the old UI. They removed the ability to transfer PC -> TiVo when they introduced the new UI.


----------



## bareyb

Dan203 said:


> Only option for that is to find a Roamio or Bolt that has the old UI. They removed the ability to transfer PC -> TiVo when they introduced the new UI.


I still have a Roamio Pro and Roamio Plus in the Bedroom and Family Room, so I can always download to those and then transfer the Recording to the new TiVo Edge Box. Assuming the new Edge still allows transfers between TiVos in the same household....


----------



## Dan203

bareyb said:


> I still have a Roamio Pro and Roamio Plus in the house so I can always download to those and then transfer the Recording to the new TiVo Edge Box. Assuming the new Edge still allows transfers between TiVos in the same household....


The only way to do that is via the website. online.tivo.com. The new UI doesn't have a way to transfer TiVo to TiVo either.


----------



## bareyb

Dan203 said:


> The only way to do that is via the website. online.tivo.com. The new UI doesn't have a way to transfer TiVo to TiVo either.


WTH??? That was a cool feature. Why in heck would they get rid of that????
ETA: I do appreciate the work around though. I've used that site for transferring SP's before and it's awesome.


----------



## johnbrown44

The Edge can stream from a Roamio *IF* it was recorded with the Roamio, or other Tivo. If it is a show recorded from a TV tuner in a PC, or a ripped DVD, home video, etc., it will not play on the Edge, but it will (usually) play on the Roamio. If you transfer one of these files from Roamio to Edge via the online tool it will not play. The file will transfer, but not play. I can transfer recordings made on an S3 to the Roamio manually, (not with the online tool) then stream using the Edge.

This is based on my Roamio OTA running TE3 and an Edge w/TE4.

I just use Plex for the rare times I want to watch these types of shows. In my case, I was new to Tivo when I bought my Edge, then another the next year. I had heard about Roamios after buying the Edges, but was concerned my antenna setup would not support 4 tuners.

Ended up getting a Roamio OTA lifetime for a great price earlier this year. Love it. No issues with reception on the 4 tuners. Almost wish I had bought them originally. But Edge is faster, better app streaming, (wanted one unit for simplicity) and has gigabit network, making for faster transfers.


----------



## bareyb

johnbrown44 said:


> The Edge can stream from a Roamio *IF* it was recorded with the Roamio, or other Tivo. If it is a show recorded from a TV tuner in a PC, or a ripped DVD, home video, etc., it will not play on the Edge, but it will (usually) play on the Roamio. If you transfer one of these files from Roamio to Edge via the online tool it will not play. The file will transfer, but not play. I can transfer recordings made on an S3 to the Roamio manually, (not with the online tool) then stream using the Edge.
> 
> This is based on my Roamio OTA running TE3 and an Edge w/TE4.
> 
> I just use Plex for the rare times I want to watch these types of shows. In my case, I was new to Tivo when I bought my Edge, then another the next year. I had heard about Roamios after buying the Edges, but was concerned my antenna setup would not support 4 tuners.
> 
> Ended up getting a Roamio OTA lifetime for a great price earlier this year. Love it. No issues with reception on the 4 tuners. Almost wish I had bought them originally. But Edge is faster, better app streaming, (wanted one unit for simplicity) and has gigabit network, making for faster transfers.


I've kind of decided to just keep my Roamio Pro hooked up. I checked into my lineup and there's almost no 4k content for a 4k Edge to record (some limited sports and zero networks). 99% is in 1080i or 720P.

For the vast majority or shows I record on my TiVo it wouldn't give me any better Picture Quality than I'm getting now. Other than not having 4k (which is apparently not an option for me anyway), I like almost everything else about the Roamio better.


----------



## slowbiscuit

bareyb said:


> WTH??? That was a cool feature. Why in heck would they get rid of that????


Because Tivo in their infinite wisdom idiotically removed transfers from TE4, and you're stuck with TE4 on Edge. Another reason why Roamio was the best box they made.


----------



## Dan203

slowbiscuit said:


> Because Tivo in their infinite wisdom idiotically removed transfers from TE4, and you're stuck with TE4 on Edge. Another reason why Roamio was the best box they made.


It's a UI issue. Even in TE3 the UI for transferring from PC to TiVo drops back to the old 4:3 style UI. They didn't want any of that in TE4 and by that time TiVo Desktop was long dead so they had no incentive to redo the UI.

From my understanding TiVo Desktop died because they had some falling out with the third party developer that worked on it. They even asked me if I'd be interested in taking over the project at one point. But I was super busy at the time and couldn't take it on. Apparently they never found anyone else and just let it die instead.


----------



## Wil

So it's your fault we can't have nice things.


----------



## Dan203

Wil said:


> So it's your fault we can't have nice things.


Yeah, sorry about that. I did do pyTivo Desktop as sort of a replacement TiVo Desktop, but it was probably too little too late.


----------



## JoeKustra

Dan203 said:


> Yeah, sorry about that. I did do pyTivo Desktop as sort of a replacement TiVo Desktop, but it was probably too little too late.


Works quite well for me.


----------



## slowbiscuit

Dan203 said:


> It's a UI issue. Even in TE3 the UI for transferring from PC to TiVo drops back to the old 4:3 style UI. They didn't want any of that in TE4 and by that time TiVo Desktop was long dead so they had no incentive to redo the UI.
> 
> From my understanding TiVo Desktop died because they had some falling out with the third party developer that worked on it. They even asked me if I'd be interested in taking over the project at one point. But I was super busy at the time and couldn't take it on. Apparently they never found anyone else and just let it die instead.


The UI isn't the issue IMO, they converted everything else and could have easily done so with transfers. The problem was that they didn't want Tivo Desktop anymore and didn't care about all the users here and elsewhere that used pyTivo etc. Another Tivo fail.


----------



## Dan203

slowbiscuit said:


> The UI isn't the issue IMO, they converted everything else and could have easily done so with transfers. The problem was that they didn't want Tivo Desktop anymore and didn't care about all the users here and elsewhere that used pyTivo etc. Another Tivo fail.


That's what I meant. They didn't want to use the old 4:3 UI in the TE4 UI, like they did with TE3, but because TiVo Desktop was dead they had no motivation to port it over either. So they just removed it instead.

TiVo is dying anyway. Cable companies are dumping CableCARDs, with government approval, and they have no successor. TiVo's half hearted effort into the streaming aggregation game in the Stream 4K is so bad that they even admitted that Google TV makes it completely useless.

The only thing I see going forward for TiVo is some sort of Tablo/Channels like OTA DVR. But if they don't release something like that soon they're just going to be a footnote in history.


----------



## newbster

That sucks. I have had tivos since 1999 and don't see why they can't find a niche that would work. It seems like they go out of their way to close the doors needed to build a unique and useful product. I did not upgrade because I pull things off bit torrent and youtube onto my tivo all the time. It's important functionality I don't see anywhere else. But they shut that down and even streaming shows outside my house off tivo is mostly locked down. Again shutting down another unique avenue. I simply want something that records shows so I can watch them later and allow me to watch them when/where I want. If it can do that, keep them arranged at least as well as anyone else I'm pretty sure they will have a useful product. What is their competitor beyond possibly Kodi which is pretty choppy and is likely to remain a hobbyist product. Am I missing something?


----------



## Dan203

newbster said:


> That sucks. I have had tivos since 1999 and don't see why they can't find a niche that would work. It seems like they go out of their way to close the doors needed to build a unique and useful product. I did not upgrade because I pull things off bit torrent and youtube onto my tivo all the time. It's important functionality I don't see anywhere else. But they shut that down and even streaming shows outside my house off tivo is mostly locked down. Again shutting down another unique avenue. I simply want something that records shows so I can watch them later and allow me to watch them when/where I want. If it can do that, keep them arranged at least as well as anyone else I'm pretty sure they will have a useful product. What is their competitor beyond possibly Kodi which is pretty choppy and is likely to remain a hobbyist product. Am I missing something?


They had chances to innovate over the years and just floundered at every turn. Lots of great ideas have been purposed, even demoed, that just never made it to market, or did but were only half baked.

There were also some things they had no control over that sank them. The cluster f*ck that was CableCARD was completely out of their hands, as was the decision by the FCC to not mandate a replacement when it reach it's end of life. But there was a window when they could have pivoted and leaned hard into streaming but they didn't. They just sat back and let the product rot on the vine.

It's sad because I can think of ways right now that TiVo could have lived on in the streaming age, but they seemed to have just given up even trying.


----------



## newbster

Any idea what options I would have given my use case? I really wish tivo would turn around but the leadership does not have the capacity.


----------



## Dan203

newbster said:


> Any idea what options I would have given my use case? I really wish tivo would turn around but the leadership does not have the capacity.


Have you tried Channels? They recently added a feature where you can add personal videos to the UI. It's not quite as simple as TiVo to do, but seems to work well in my limited testing.


----------



## bbddpp

Hi all. If my main goal is to pull every file off my current Roamio with a 2 TB drive and place in a new 5 TB and push everything back, is pyTivo the right tool? I'm seeing tons of TS errors (FIOS cable card installed) on the downloads, and am worried the TS files I re-upload to the new drive will all just be garbage and this will end up being a huge waste of time. ^128,0, ^93_0, ^95_0, etc.


----------



## ClearToLand

bbddpp said:


> Hi all. *If my main goal is to pull every file off my current Roamio with a 2 TB drive and place in a new 5 TB and push everything back, is pyTivo the right tool? I'm seeing tons of TS errors* (FIOS cable card installed) on the downloads...


Hi @bbddpp and welcome to TCF! :handwaving:

I consider myself *VERY* well-versed on the topic of "_*Moving TiVo Shows*_" (SEARCH the TCF Archives for my UserID and "*TS Sync Errors*" for many discussions  ) so I'll need to ask you a few questions before we start:

Are you using TE3 or TE4? 
(Very important).
Do you have a 2nd TiVo unit available? 
(Safest method to copy files; TiVo unit to TiVo unit)
Are you comfortable with pulling the 2TB HDD out of your TiVo unit and running some "Manufacturer's (Read-Only) Diagnostics" on it?
Are you *SURE* that you need a 5TB HDD? 
TiVo units are *NOT* good Storage units - SEARCH the TCF Archives for my opinion on that topic.
Do you own a NAS?
.
Where are you downloading your TiVo Shows to?
.
Do you care about 'Closed Captions'?
.
Are all of your shows MPEG-2 :thumbsup:, or H.264 :thumbsdown: (or a mixture of both  )?



bbddpp said:


> ...and am *worried the TS files I re-upload to the new drive will all just be garbage and this will end up being a huge waste of time*. ^128,0, ^93_0, ^95_0, etc.


Could be... 

You won't know for sure until you try to upload them and then view them...


----------



## ThAbtO

ClearToLand said:


> Are all of your shows MPEG-2 :thumbsup:, or H.264 :thumbsdown:


What's wrong with h.264/MP4?

I am converting all my videos stored on a NAS to MP4. Its to save space on a 8TB NAS.


----------



## ClearToLand

ThAbtO said:


> What's wrong with h.264/MP4?


If the source is H.264, the OP *MUST* use TS (Transport Stream) to download and unfortunately he's already experiencing TS Sync Errors (could be inconsequential depending on where in the '_program material_' they are located; i.e. show main or commercial). If the OP doesn't care about 'Closed Captions' and the source material is MPEG-2, he can use PS (Program Stream) to download. 


ThAbtO said:


> ...I am converting all my videos stored on a NAS to MP4. *Its to save space on a 8TB NAS*.


I've saved SO MUCH STUFF to VHS tape and then DVD that I *NEVER* looked at again that I've forced myself to become somewhat less of a 'Pack Rat'. I put 1 WD Red 3TB HDD (EFRX) into my (2-bay) NAS back in 2017 and only just reached 95% capacity so I powered up my backup (4-bay) NAS and installed 2 WD Red 4TB HDDs (EFRX). Now that I've seen my '_usage pattern_' over a ~4 year period, I've dedicated one to TV Shows and one to Movies.

"*RAID is not BACKUP*" is a common phrase you might have seen. I saw no point in running 4x4TB HDDs in RAID4 or RAID5 just to get contiguous space. I have 'plenty' of spare WD Red 4TB HDDs (EFRX) and 5 WD Easystore 8TB External HDDs that I plan to 'shuck', two for backup duty in the 2-bay NAS (1 at a time until it's filled up) and that leaves me three for '_other backup duties_' that I haven't thought of yet.

I realize that my views don't agree with '_the majority_', but, IMNSHO, '_the majority_', *ESPECIALLY* the non-technical ones, are just wasting their money . 4x14TB in a RAID4 array is going to be *HELL* to re-silver, especially if all the HDDs are of the same age and any SECOND HDD can fail during the process and ruin your day .


----------



## bbddpp

ClearToLand said:


> Hi @bbddpp and welcome to TCF! :handwaving:
> 
> I consider myself *VERY* well-versed on the topic of "_*Moving TiVo Shows*_" (SEARCH the TCF Archives for my UserID and "*TS Sync Errors*" for many discussions  ) so I'll need to ask you a few questions before we start:
> 
> Are you using TE3 or TE4?
> (Very important).
> Do you have a 2nd TiVo unit available?
> (Safest method to copy files; TiVo unit to TiVo unit)
> Are you comfortable with pulling the 2TB HDD out of your TiVo unit and running some "Manufacturer's (Read-Only) Diagnostics" on it?
> Are you *SURE* that you need a 5TB HDD?
> TiVo units are *NOT* good Storage units - SEARCH the TCF Archives for my opinion on that topic.
> Do you own a NAS?
> .
> Where are you downloading your TiVo Shows to?
> .
> Do you care about 'Closed Captions'?
> .
> Are all of your shows MPEG-2 :thumbsup:, or H.264 :thumbsdown: (or a mixture of both  )?
> Could be...
> 
> You won't know for sure until you try to upload them and then view them...


Thanks so much, you are awesome. Basically I have a lot of stuff on a plex server but this stuff is sort of aging stuff that I occasionally will get to but nothing critical (lots of odd content that is watch when you feel like it vs. serialized stuff). That said ideally I don't lose it but the drive swap, my 2 TB is pretty full but also showing signs of issues (slow interface speed, recording issues, etc). I have a spare 5 TB doing nothing so I figured I'd drop it in.

1 - Pretty sure I am on TE4 but can check to be sure. This is the "new tivo experience" i believe. I don't care which experience I use really.

2- I sadly do not have a second tivo.

3 - I build and work with computers so no issues pulling the drives and running tests.

4 - I have the 5 TB doing nothing so it is just a matter of a better drive and less worry about it ever being full.

5 - Have a openmediavault NAS that I use for my long term storage.

6 - Have a hardwired gigabit LAN I attempted to use pyTIvo to DL to. It froze up overnight, was getting around 90 MBps but 2 TB is a lot I realize. I converted one show at random that had errors using KMTTG and the output was watchable in a quick skim, this was one that had errors according to pyTivo.

7 - Do not care.

8 - Not quite sure how to tell, I am on FIOS and everything that came down so far was in TS but unsure of how to see the codec, let me know if there is a way to check, I have to ASSUME MPEG-2 and no protection but I cannot be positive. None of the content is from premium channels.

Hope that helps.


----------



## aaronwt

There are dozens of channels on FiOS that use MPEG-4/H.264. And a few UHD channels that use HEVC. But the local ones are MPEG2.

The last time I looked, in August 2021, there were over one hundred twenty channels on FiOS using MPEG-4/h.264.

Edit: Here is the most recent list I could find. From DSL Reports Forum.
List of MPEG-4 Channels - Verizon FiOS TV | DSLReports Forums (Page 9)


> * QAM 4 (69 MHz):
> 615 Newsmax HD, 656 QVC 3 HD, 726 Revolt HD, 732 FXM HD, 810 MAV HD, 815 TVG HD, 834 MLB Strike Zone HD, 1534 Fox Deportes HD
> 
> * QAM 14 (123 MHz):
> MLB Extra Innings/NHL Center Ice HD Channels 10 to 14: 1470, 1471, 1472, 1473, 1474
> 
> * QAM 17 (141 MHz):
> NBA League Pass/MLS Direct Kick HD Channels 6 to 10: 1455, 1456, 1457, 1458, 1459
> 
> * QAM 19 (153 MHz):
> 591 Olympic Channel HD, 798 Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS) HD, 1010 Fox Soccer Plus HD, 1570 Ultra Docu HD, 1585 Ultra Lune HD, 1650 Ultra Macho HD, 1691 Ultra Film HD, 1693 Ultra Clásico HD
> 
> * QAM 30 (261 MHz):
> 584 Fox Sports 2 HD, 657 ShopHQ HD, 658 Gem Shopping Network HD, 659 Enrich HD, 771 TV One HD, 786 INSP HD, 795 LFN HD, 797 SonLife HD
> 
> * QAM 36 (297 MHz):
> MLB Extra Innings/NHL Center Ice HD Channels 1 to 5: 1461, 1462, 1463, 1464, 1465
> 
> * QAM 42 (333 MHz):
> 616 One America News HD, 635 Ride TV HD, 662 Z Living HD, 775 NBC Universo HD, 806 Willow HD, 1515 Antenna3 HD, 1759 MBC Drama USA HD, 1769 TV Japan HD
> 
> * QAM 45 (351 MHz):
> 687 Logo HD, 692 Reelz HD, 697 Vice TV HD, 738 Up HD, 765 BabyFirst HD, 772 Aspire HD, 818 Pursuit HD, 830 BTN Overflow, 1719 BabyFirst en Español HD
> 
> * QAM 50 (381 MHz):
> 844 Starz in Black HD, 846 Starz Cinema HD, 852 Starz Encore Classic HD, 856 Starz Encore Suspense HD, 858 Starz Encore Black HD, 861 Starz Encore Action HD, 862 Starz Encore Family HD, 863 Starz Encore Español HD
> 
> * QAM 54 (405 MHz):
> NBA League Pass/MLS Direct Kick HD Channels 1 to 5: 1450, 1451, 1452, 1453, 1454
> 
> * QAM 55 (411 MHz):
> 604 Yahoo Finance HD, 605 Bloomberg TV HD, 610 i24News HD, 614 Cheddar Business HD, 678 Law & Crime Network HD, 737 Hallmark Drama HD, 787 The Impact Network HD
> 
> * QAM 82 (579 MHz):
> ESPN College Extra HD Channels 1 to 8: 821, 822, 823, 824, 825, 826, 827, 828
> 
> * QAM 84 (585 MHz):
> 609 BBC World News HD, 720 BET Her HD, 755 TeenNick HD, 831 BTN Overflow, 1558 Discovery en Español HD, 1579 ¡Hola! TV HD, 1701 Discovery Familia HD
> 
> * QAM 88 (609 MHz):
> 812 Stadium College Sports Atlantic HD, 813 Stadium College Sports Central HD, 814 Stadium College Sports Pacific HD
> 
> * QAM 93 (639 MHz): or 651 MHz in areas outside VHO7
> 596 beIN HD, 1538 beIN Spanish HD
> 
> * QAM 100 (651 MHz):
> 558 ES.TV HD, 599 Cars.TV HD, 676 Recipe.TV HD, 695 Comedy.TV HD, 763 Universal Kids HD, 1539 TUDN HD
> 
> * QAM 101 (657 MHz):
> 652 Jewelry Television HD, 653 QVC 2 HD, 654 HSN 2 HD, 679 Crime + Investigation HD, 833 BTN Overflow, 848 IndiePlex HD, 849 RetroPlex HD, 854 Starz Encore Westerns HD
> 
> *QAM 104 (675 MHz):
> 773 CleoTV HD
> 
> * QAM 105 (681 MHz):
> MLB Extra Innings/NHL Center Ice HD Channels 6 to 9: 1466, 1467, 1468, 1469, 1537 ESPN Deportes HD
> 
> * QAM 108 (699 MHz):
> 571 ACC Network HD
> 
> * QAM 114 (735 MHz):
> 597 Next Level Sports HD, 624 Discovery Life HD, 625 American Heroes Channel HD, 735 Sundance HD, 793 Daystar HD
> 
> * QAM 125 (801 MHz):
> 633 Pets.TV HD, 674 MyDestination.TV HD, 688 Ovation HD, 1516 Multimedios HD, 1670 Ultra Fiesta HD, 1690 Ultra Cine HD, 1692 Ultra Mex HD, 1730 Ultra Kidz HD


----------



## ThAbtO

bbddpp said:


> I have a spare 5 TB


What is the exact model? If its SMR, 7200RPM, it cannot be used in a Tivo.


----------



## HerronScott

bbddpp said:


> Thanks so much, you are awesome. Basically I have a lot of stuff on a plex server but this stuff is sort of aging stuff that I occasionally will get to but nothing critical (lots of odd content that is watch when you feel like it vs. serialized stuff). That said ideally I don't lose it but the drive swap, my 2 TB is pretty full but also showing signs of issues (slow interface speed, recording issues, etc). I have a spare 5 TB doing nothing so I figured I'd drop it in.
> 
> 1 - Pretty sure I am on TE4 but can check to be sure. This is the "new tivo experience" i believe. I don't care which experience I use really.
> 
> Hope that helps.


If you have TE4, then you won't be able to pull the shows back to your TiVo as that feature was removed. You would have to use Plex to stream your shows back. You could clone your current drive though to a new compatible drive using MFS Tools as an alternative.

Scott


----------



## bbddpp

Thanks everyone, what a kind group you all are here. On further investigation for what I want to do, essentially just remove the 2 TB drive and replace with a 5 TB drive with the contents from the 2 TB on it (and the 3 TB available as well) it seems like I may just need to learn MFS Tools and use my PC with both the current and new drive connected and follow the steps? Just need to find that tutorial and of course make sure I don't need to revert back to TE3 first. If there's an easy way to do that on my Roamio OTA I totally will, I do use 2 Minis as well and am not sure if they also need to downgrade if I downgrade the main unit, though I would not miss TE4 either. But, first things first, just need to learn MFS Tools and get this drive cloned and resized. Drive is a seagate ST5000DM000 by the way since someone had asked.


----------



## JoeKustra

bbddpp said:


> I do use 2 Minis as well and am not sure if they also need to downgrade if I downgrade the main unit, though I would not miss TE4 either.


A Mini must have the same s/w as its host. When you connect to a different version, the Mini will ask you to change one or the other.


----------



## pl1

bbddpp said:


> Thanks everyone, what a kind group you all are here. On further investigation for what I want to do, essentially just remove the 2 TB drive and replace with a 5 TB drive with the contents from the 2 TB on it (and the 3 TB available as well) it seems like I may just need to learn MFS Tools and use my PC with both the current and new drive connected and follow the steps? Just need to find that tutorial and of course make sure I don't need to revert back to TE3 first. If there's an easy way to do that on my Roamio OTA I totally will, I do use 2 Minis as well and am not sure if they also need to downgrade if I downgrade the main unit, though I would not miss TE4 either. But, first things first, just need to learn MFS Tools and get this drive cloned and resized. Drive is a seagate ST5000DM000 by the way since someone had asked.


One thing, you lose all of your recordings if you are downgrading from TE4 to TE3. So, the only reason you would need MFS Tools is to copy the cableCARD settings if you have a cableCARD, and to increase the size from 3TB to 5TB. The Roamio will automatically format itself up to 3TB, but it will lose the cableCARD settings. Also, be sure you get a hard drive that is known to work (CMR), most recommend either a WD Red Plus or a WD Purple. That Seagate drive is an SMR drive. So, you can try it, but you might be disappointed.


----------



## ClearToLand

ClearToLand said:


> Hi @bbddpp and welcome to TCF! :handwaving:
> ...
> 3.) Are you comfortable with pulling the 2TB HDD out of your TiVo unit and *running some "Manufacturer's (Read-Only) Diagnostics"* on it?
> 4.) Are you *SURE* that you need a 5TB HDD?
> *TiVo units are *NOT* good Storage units* - SEARCH the TCF Archives for my opinion on that topic.





bbddpp said:


> Thanks so much, you are awesome...
> 
> 3 - *I build and work with computers* so no issues pulling the drives and running tests.
> 
> 4 - *I have the 5 TB doing nothing so it is just a matter of a better drive* and less worry about it ever being full.





ThAbtO said:


> What is the exact model? *If its SMR, 7200RPM, it cannot be used in a Tivo.*





bbddpp said:


> Thanks everyone, what a kind group you all are here. On further investigation for *what I want to do, essentially just remove the 2 TB drive and replace with a 5 TB drive* with the contents from the 2 TB on it (and the 3 TB available as well)...
> ...*Drive is a seagate ST5000DM000* by the way since someone had asked.





pl1 said:


> ...Also, *be sure you get a hard drive that is known to work (CMR), most recommend either a WD Red Plus or a WD Purple*. That Seagate drive is an SMR drive. So, you can try it, but *you might be disappointed*.





bbddpp said:


> I decided to be super patient and let it finish errors and all. 24 hours later, booted up my Roamio with my 5 TB drive and it is showing all my content, plus *diagnostics indicates 42% free now and 4827 SD and 701 HD hours*...
> 
> ...I just need to see if 701 HD = full 5TB capacity and if the drive will actually use it without the fix commands.


So much good advice that was ignored...  

I (and @pl1 I'm sure  ) wish you the best with your possibly '_doomed to fail_' SMR HDD in a TiVo Unit.

Personally, since you '_build and work with computers_', I find it hard to believe that you didn't heed the warnings about using a SMR HDD in a TiVo Unit. Also, since your 2TB HDD was already experiencing problems, I don't understand why you didn't run "Manufacturer's Diagnostics" on it before doing anything else. Finally, if I knew that the 'Source' HDD had errors, I would have begun with a 'clone' copy utility using a linux program like ddrescue or dd_rescue to recover as much data as possible off the 2TB HDD.

Well, what's done is done and you're now the 'Guinea Pig' for the rest of us to watch and see how long a SMR HDD running TE4 lasts in a TiVo Unit. 

Good Luck! 

P.S. Oh yeah, since 500GB -> ~75 HD hours and 1TB -> ~150 HD hours, I'd say that you're '_close enuf_' with 701 (vs ~750) HD hours. Someone else will have to research the EXACT number; maybe @jmbach knows it off the top of his head.


----------



## ThAbtO

https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-ST5000DM000-3-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B00KIVMRWU

Looks like the drive is a bit old and may be pre-CMR/SMR.


----------



## ClearToLand

aaronwt said:


> There are dozens of channels on FiOS that use MPEG-4/H.264. And a few UHD channels that use HEVC. But the local ones are MPEG2.
> 
> The last time I looked, in August 2021, there were over one hundred twenty channels on FiOS using MPEG-4/h.264.
> 
> Edit: Here is the most recent list I could find. From DSL Reports Forum.
> List of MPEG-4 Channels - Verizon FiOS TV | DSLReports Forums (Page 9)


Rather than depend on what could possibly be an out-dated list, I would just tune each tuner to up to 4 (or 6) of the channels that I suspect are AVC / H.264 (MPEG-4 is too general a wording; one must specify *MPEG-4 Part 10*. Too many folks use / confuse MPEG-4 (Part 10) - the *codec* with mp4 - the *container*) and go into Tuner Diagnostics, IIRC, and read the result(s) right off their TV screen.


----------



## ClearToLand

ThAbtO said:


> https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-ST5000DM000-3-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B00KIVMRWU
> 
> Looks like the drive is a bit old and may be pre-CMR/SMR.


The GOOGLE research that I did when he first posted the model had a majority of posts reporting that it was a Seagate 5TB External USB HDD (bought for ~$129.99) that was '_shucked_' and resold by several parties (i.e. eBay, NOT Amazon, Best Buy or Newegg) for $159.99.

Also, IIRC, ST5000DM000 was not found as a '_standalone_' HDD - it was only sold INSIDE an External USB enclosure.


----------



## ThAbtO

Depends on how you searched, I only put in the model number.


----------



## pl1

ClearToLand said:


> The GOOGLE research that I did when he first posted the model had a majority of posts reporting that it was a Seagate 5TB External USB HDD (bought for ~$129.99) that was '_shucked_' and resold by several parties (i.e. eBay, NOT Amazon, Best Buy or Newegg) for $159.99.
> 
> Also, IIRC, ST5000DM000 was not found as a '_standalone_' HDD - it was only sold INSIDE an External USB enclosure.


That is what I read as well.


----------



## jkd_ba

I'm a 1st user of Dan Haddix's "pyTivo Desktop v1.627".

Wondered if someone could clarify for me why my new installation of pyTivo Desktop v1.6.27 connecting to a Premiere XL is half-functioning. By that I mean, I can upload content from my PC to my Tivo without issue. It's the downloading of content from my Tivo to my PC whereby I have an issue.

My pyTivo Desktop application accurately lists all the content as shown in "My Shows". It's that each program title is preceded by a "circled red X" with no obvious way to initiate a download of the Tivos content to my PC.

Can anyone shed some light on what might be happening here? It would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## ThAbtO

jkd_ba said:


> "circled red X"


This means its copy-protected.


----------



## jkd_ba

ThAbtO said:


> This means its copy-protected.


@ThAbtO, I appreciate the rapid response.

Well then, that makes things very interesting because my Premiere XL only has content recorded from my cable provider (Spectrum). It's capacity is nearly full and I was intending to offload some of that content onto my PC to allow more recording.

Would you have any insight as to whether it's my cable provider or my Premiere XL itself that's the cause of copy-protecting Tivo recorded shows.


----------



## ThAbtO

The cableCo can make all, some or none of the channels copy-protected. Some just on the premium channels.


----------



## Pokemon_Dad

jkd_ba said:


> Well then, that makes things very interesting because my Premiere XL only has content recorded from my cable provider (Spectrum). It's capacity is nearly full and I was intending to offload some of that content onto my PC to allow more recording.
> 
> Would you have any insight as to whether it's my cable provider or my Premiere XL itself that's the cause of copy-protecting Tivo recorded shows.


It's your cable provider. Spectrum is notorious for copy-protecting everything in some of their markets.


----------



## jkd_ba

@ThAbtO, @Pokemon_Dad, I just pay for a "Basic" cable lineup. I guess when you stop to think about it, they would consider it their intellectual property and they would have full say in it's usage.

Appreciate your assistance!


----------



## ThAbtO

Its guaranteed that OTA is never copy protected.


----------



## Dan203

FYI it,s actually illegal for them to copy protect the local channels. So if any of these recordings are from local channels (CBS, NBC, ABC & FOX) then it's either a glitch or you should report them to the FCC.


----------



## ClearToLand

@Dan203 ,

Please consider making the PyTiVo Desktop Download Queue window either adjustable, like the main PyTiVo Desktop window behind it, or larger to display 4 complete TiVo Units (whereas it currently displays ~2¼). I regularly queue up downloads on 4 TiVos (TS Sync w/ retries) that run for days and I can only easily see ~2¼ without scrolling.

Automatic download speed reduction is working very nicely and I no longer need to manually lower it on my Smart Switches (via QoS Bandwidth Control). There are still a few stubborn cases but maybe a replacement HDD (500GB-to-3TB) will cure it (fragmentation, weak sectors, etc...).

Thanks!


----------



## Dan203

Unfortunately that's not possible. The UI is using a technology called Bootstrap. The queue window is just a Bootstrap dialog. They do not provide any support for resizable dialogs in Bootstrap. There are like 3 sizes, depending on the size of the screen, that it adjusts to.

If I were starting over today I would do this very differently, but when I wrote this I was just learning Angular, Bootstrap and Electron so it's not as app like as it could be. It's more like a fancy webpage.

I do not have the time or inclination to start over though, so it is what it is.


----------



## Jetspeedz

Any way to get PyTivo or even a simple web interface to work on Android? It would be so much easier if I can just copy the videos to my Tivo without have to transfer them off the phone to the PC? I'm going to guess no but figure can't hurt to ask.


----------



## andrew1883

Using my TiVo for the first time in 2 years, I had forgotten how much nicer it is than anything I've seen from the cable companies. I think it's a Bolt VOX (?), can't check right now. Has a Comcast Cablecard in it.

Thought I would take a shot at downloading recordings using pyTivo, which I also haven't done in a couple of years. Updated pyTivo and pyTivo Desktop and it seemed to be working. Listed a whole bunch of shows that looked correct, I started one (1hr show, 1.83 GB) and it was downloading at about 6Mb/s. Hit 305.00 MB and dropped to 0.01 Mb/s but in fact I do't think the 305.00 MB has changed in 10 minutes. 

Is there something I'm overlooking? Is this just a fault of the TiVo? Should I kill the transfer and try again? I paid no attention to settings other than to update the apps and run them.

Thanks.


----------



## lesrhorer

I really love pyTivo. I have been using it for many, many years running under Debian Linux. I know it is a little archaic, but it suits my needs fairly well. Two things, however:

1. The code is written in Python 2, which is no longer supported. I know there have been a couple of attempts at converting to Python 3, but I haven't been able to find any information on which is the most comprehensive, if there is such a thing. Can anyone comment on which is the "best" Python 3 port of pyTivo? Dan? Have you, or could you port to Python 3?

2. The Music app is broken on my Premiere units. It works fine on my Series III units. Does anyone have a fix for this? Can anyone provide any guidance for how it might be fixed? I am somewhat familiar with Python. If someone could possibly point me in the right direction, I might be willing to take a go at it. The share shows up, and I can browse the contents, but when I try to play a song, I get an error.


----------



## sparkyhotm

FYI - pyTivo will become more important than ever soon. I was informed by Tivo Support that they will no longer support watching recorded programs using Tivo-Online. I had to install pyTivo to download the programs to my Win 10 machine (with decoding enabled) and watch using VLC player. Programs wouldn't play well with Media Player, or Windows Movie & TV Player. Either very choppy, or audio was out of sync. Only VLC would play it correctly.

Tivo Support said "they're taking playback away from their online site due to issues". I believe it's due to new ownership. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see this forum disappear as well.

Remember - there's the wayback site...it will let you still see the forum content, even if they take the site down: Wayback Machine


----------



## pl1

sparkyhotm said:


> Tivo Support said "they're taking playback away from their online site due to issues". I believe it's due to new ownership. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see this forum disappear as well.


This site is not owned by TiVo. TiVo already dropped their own forum.


----------



## ThAbtO

VideoReDo can fix the out of sync issue.


----------



## sparkyhotm

ThAbtO said:


> VideoReDo can fix the out of sync issue.


VLC played fine. I'm not really looking to store recorded content for long - watch and delete. I've already recorded 4TB of movies I don't watch...not much point. Between TIVO and Youtube TV, I'm 98% covered. 2%=Disney (wife) + NetFlix (daughter) + Amazon (because it's included). I don't have cable into my Bolt, nor will I ever simply because they charge way to much. OTA all the way. 1GB Fiber Internet @$59/month plays it all on every device with no lag (city of Longmont CO fiber Internet). TIVO just deals with the OTA so I have something if the Internet goes down from a Russian cyber attack that takes the Internet down for days.


----------



## Pokemon_Dad

sparkyhotm said:


> FYI - pyTivo will become more important than ever soon. I was informed by Tivo Support that they will no longer support watching recorded programs using Tivo-Online.


That is really sad. And yet another reason to switch to Channels DVR, Plex, Emby, etc. I use Channels DVR with HD HomeRun tuners for cable and OTA. All recordings are MP4 files for me to watch and copy as I wish.



sparkyhotm said:


> I believe it's due to new ownership. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see this forum disappear as well.
> 
> Remember - there's the wayback site...it will let you still see the forum content, even if they take the site down: Wayback Machine


Thanks for the Wayback reminder, but as already noted you needn't worry about this forum. In fact it has new ownership that recently upgraded the site ...which is certainly not what the current owners of TiVo have been doing with their DVR business.


----------



## ulinepro

No matter what I do, the pyTivo desktop software (and pyTivo service) cannot find my Tivo anymore.

It is on the network, there are no issues -- my PC suddenly just "lost" the TV after months and months of working without issue. I toggle between all the zeroconfig options and restart the service, restart the PC, restart the Tivo, restart my router -- completely uninstall pyTivo desktop and reinstall, restart everything again..... nothing works without any rhyme or reason I can dientify.

Any ideas?


----------



## slowbiscuit

Windows Firewall permissions?


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## dlfl

Windows 11 ? (Protecting you from yourself!)


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## Dan203

ulinepro said:


> No matter what I do, the pyTivo desktop software (and pyTivo service) cannot find my Tivo anymore.
> 
> It is on the network, there are no issues -- my PC suddenly just "lost" the TV after months and months of working without issue. I toggle between all the zeroconfig options and restart the service, restart the PC, restart the Tivo, restart my router -- completely uninstall pyTivo desktop and reinstall, restart everything again..... nothing works without any rhyme or reason I can dientify.
> 
> Any ideas?


I'm not sure if you’re the same person I talked to via email, but I recently had a conversation with someone about this exact issue via email. According to them a recent software update disabled, or maybe just broke, discovery broadcasts when using the internal wifi of the TiVo.

The only TiVos I have left are old and haven’t got a software update in years, and both are hardwired anyway, so I cannot confirm this. But if you are using an Edge connected via internal wifi then it might be the cause of the problem. If that’s the case your only solution might be to switch to Moca or an external wifi bridge.


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## ulinepro

slowbiscuit said:


> Windows Firewall permissions?


No it's not a Firewall issue, I've turned on every permission I can think of. Again, no changes were made to my PC or to my Tivo, it just "stopped."



dlfl said:


> Windows 11 ? (Protecting you from yourself!)


Nope, still running Windows 10.


Dan203 said:


> I'm not sure if you’re the same person I talked to via email, but I recently had a conversation with someone about this exact issue via email. According to them a recent software update disabled, or maybe just broke, discovery broadcasts when using the internal wifi of the TiVo.
> 
> The only TiVos I have left are old and haven’t got a software update in years, and both are hardwired anyway, so I cannot confirm this. But if you are using an Edge connected via internal wifi then it might be the cause of the problem. If that’s the case your only solution might be to switch to Moca or an external wifi bridge.


I've got a Bolt connected over WiFi. Does that have the same hardware for its connective services as an Edge?


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## KevTech

I have a Bolt with software version 21.11.1.v9 and pytivo desktop works fine.
I have had the "no tivos found" when I made the mistake of clicking on the *pyTivo Desktop* shortcut instead of the *pyTivo* shortcut when starting the program.
You should have two shortcuts in your start menu and you want to click on *pyTivo* to start the program then once pyTivo is running you open *pyTivo Desktop* either with start menu shortcut or right-click on pyTivo icon in taskbar.

So make sure you are clicking on *pyTivo* when starting the program and not the *pyTivo Desktop* shortcut.


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## Dan203

ulinepro said:


> I've got a Bolt connected over WiFi. Does that have the same hardware for its connective services as an Edge?


It's possible this issue applied to the Bolt. I haven't personally verified it, just going off what a user told me.

If you have a long Ethernet cable lying around it might be worth stringing it across the room temporarily just to see if that fixes the problem.


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## KevTech

Dan203 said:


> It's possible this issue applied to the Bolt. I haven't personally verified it, just going off what a user told me.


My Bolt vox is using the built in wifi without any issues with pytivo desktop.


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## sparkyhotm

sparkyhotm said:


> FYI - pyTivo will become more important than ever soon. I was informed by Tivo Support that they will no longer support watching recorded programs using Tivo-Online.


Today was the day - I tried to stream a program to my PC on Chrome, and got a box that says "As of May 2022, you will no longer be able to stream from your box on Chrome"

I have a Bolt with lifetime support. I wonder if they'll refund my support fees...my wife works at a law firm...maybe I should ask her to ask them if I'm entitled to a refund...or if they want to pursue a juicy class-action against Tivo...PITA. I'll just download and watch from the PC. It's not like they didn't have time to produce a PC-based product, or better yet, dump that dumb online thing, and move it all to the local TIVO...it would support it.


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## krkaufman

sparkyhotm said:


> "As of May 2022, you will no longer be able to stream from your box on Chrome"


The message seems unnecessarily specific to Chrome if they’re discontinuing TiVo Online streaming. 

Have you checked other browsers? Other programs have similar restrictions owing to security//DRM concerns.


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## SteveD

Vudu now has a limitation on the stream quality depending on which browser is being used. I'm not really sure what the difference is between Chrome and Edge, though.



> Vudu supports a variety of browsers on both Mac and PC. You can watch in up to HDX on Safari and Windows Edge browsers, and SD playback on Chrome and Firefox.
> 
> Please note that Internet Explorer 11 is no longer supported. On a Windows based PC, Windows Edge will give you access up to HDX quality.


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## sparkyhotm

krkaufman said:


> The message seems unnecessarily specific to Chrome if they’re discontinuing TiVo Online streaming.
> 
> Have you checked other browsers? Other programs have similar restrictions owing to security//DRM concerns.


It has something to do with this: Private Network Access update: Introducing a deprecation trial - Chrome Developers
That means Edge is down with the same message. Based on the info, most if not all browsers will tighten up, preventing online.tivo.com from working the way it's designed. Rather than fix the problem at Tivo, which they could, they just decided to dump the PC interface for streaming.


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## KevTech

sparkyhotm said:


> It has something to do with this: Private Network Access update: Introducing a deprecation trial - Chrome Developers
> That means Edge is down with the same message. Based on the info, most if not all browsers will tighten up, preventing online.tivo.com from working the way it's designed. Rather than fix the problem at Tivo, which they could, they just decided to dump the PC interface for streaming.


You can overide this restriction.









Chrome Enterprise Policy List & Management | Documentation


Chrome Enterprise policies for businesses and organizations to manage Chrome Browser and ChromeOS.




chromeenterprise.google













Chrome Enterprise Policy List & Management | Documentation


Chrome Enterprise policies for businesses and organizations to manage Chrome Browser and ChromeOS.




chromeenterprise.google


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## Cachelady5

bradleys said:


> It worked really well... For the novice it might be confusing because there is no installation notification. No obvious way to determine the next step - you have to go to the tray, find the pytivo icon and right click on it for options.
> 
> It would be nice if the dialog to choose a file directory were presented to the user immediately following install.
> 
> That said: It was quick and sweet... I didn't have to install and configure, I didn't have to setup pytivo as a service....
> 
> Really nice job!


Hi,
I have an old Direct TV Tivo Premier, I tried to set it up but It won't work. I was told that once you take it off of the Direct TV, something happens to the hard drive and it becomes unusable? Is that true? Can I get around it? Do I have to install a new Hard Drive? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I wanted to use it to share the movies on my Tivo Premier in another room.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

Norma


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## sparkyhotm

KevTech said:


> You can overide this restriction.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Chrome Enterprise Policy List & Management | Documentation
> 
> 
> Chrome Enterprise policies for businesses and organizations to manage Chrome Browser and ChromeOS.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> chromeenterprise.google
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Chrome Enterprise Policy List & Management | Documentation
> 
> 
> Chrome Enterprise policies for businesses and organizations to manage Chrome Browser and ChromeOS.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> chromeenterprise.google


Tried this. The chrome instructions are not clear. Chrome also updated recently, maybe today. When I try to stream a show using online.tivo.com web site after adding *.tivo.com to the exceptions, instead of a permanent twirling blue circle, I get this new message after a few moments:

Problem Playing Show
We are unable to detect your TiVo streaming device from this location. If you are currently away from home, streaming video is not supported at this time.

This may, or maynot be the same problem as before, it's just timing out quicker. Also note that if I repeat the process of attempting to play a recording, sooner or later it used to playback. I haven't tried much today, but if it still plays eventually, then it's a web coding bug, not a restriction.


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## pj1983

andrew1883 said:


> Using my TiVo for the first time in 2 years, I had forgotten how much nicer it is than anything I've seen from the cable companies. I think it's a Bolt VOX (?), can't check right now. Has a Comcast Cablecard in it.
> 
> Thought I would take a shot at downloading recordings using pyTivo, which I also haven't done in a couple of years. Updated pyTivo and pyTivo Desktop and it seemed to be working. Listed a whole bunch of shows that looked correct, I started one (1hr show, 1.83 GB) and it was downloading at about 6Mb/s. Hit 305.00 MB and dropped to 0.01 Mb/s but in fact I do't think the 305.00 MB has changed in 10 minutes.
> 
> Is there something I'm overlooking? Is this just a fault of the TiVo? Should I kill the transfer and try again? I paid no attention to settings other than to update the apps and run them.
> 
> Thanks.


Did you determine the cause of this slowdown issue? Reason for inquiry: I've installed pyTivo and pyTivo desktop on a "server" (Plex) machine and am using it to pull recordings from my TiVos. The first transfer starts off OK, then slows down if there's an error. I've cut the number of retries down to 2 and unchecked the "Reduce speed on retry" box, yet I can't seem to get more than 2 or 3 successful transfers before the speed slows to 1Mb/s or less. I'd like to be able to queue up all of the recordings in one shot but that isn't working.

So far the only fix I've found is to kill and restart the pyTivo processes. I'm pretty sure that's not how it's supposed to work, yet finding the correct configuration remains elusive.

My apologies if this topic was discussed upthread. I haven't figured out how to start a search within a particular thread with the new forum software.


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## ThAbtO

pj1983 said:


> Did you determine the cause of this slowdown issue? Reason for inquiry: I've installed pyTivo and pyTivo desktop on a "server" (Plex) machine and am using it to pull recordings from my TiVos. The first transfer starts off OK, then slows down if there's an error. I've cut the number of retries down to 2 and unchecked the "Reduce speed on retry" box, yet I can't seem to get more than 2 or 3 successful transfers before the speed slows to 1Mb/s or less. I'd like to be able to queue up all of the recordings in one shot but that isn't working.
> 
> So far the only fix I've found is to kill and restart the pyTivo processes. I'm pretty sure that's not how it's supposed to work, yet finding the correct configuration remains elusive.
> 
> My apologies if this topic was discussed upthread. I haven't figured out how to start a search within a particular thread with the new forum software.


It would seem you are using TS downloads on PyTivo Desktop. That would be expected when it encounters errors and throttles down the speed until it gets to as error free as possible.You can avoid this by using PS downloads, but only if they are not MPEG4 recordings.


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## andrew1883

pj1983 said:


> Did you determine the cause of this slowdown issue?


No, I got no response, couldn't figure it out, and now I'm away from the TiVo until later in the year.


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## andrew1883

ThAbtO said:


> It would seem you are using TS downloads on PyTivo Desktop. That would be expected when it encounters errors and throttles down the speed until it gets to as error free as possible. You can avoid this by using PS downloads, but only if they are not MPEG4 recordings.


If it throttles to zero because of errors, is there some way to reduce the number of errors? Other than switching to PS, and I have no idea if they're MPEG4 recordings.


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## thechoop

Hello people that are smarter than me regarding TiVo,
Does anyone know if PyTivo will allow me to use my synology drives to create more storage for my TiVo? I am looking for the ability to access and watch shows that could not fit on my TiVo. I would want to watch them on my TV from that TiVo that would not have otherwise had the storage available. 
My setup is as follows:
TiVo Roamio 2TB
Synology with 4TB
PC windows 11
TiVo streaming device (although I think this is so I can stream while out of the house)
All equipment is hardlined on a 1GB lan.
Thank you for your inputs.


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## ThAbtO

Tivo will not use your NAS as an extension of storage. You can use it for long term storage of your shows. Have the .Tivo files decrypted in PyTivo or better yet, use KMTTG, which does more. The end file would be either a .MPG or .TS, depending on the download method (PS or TS) 4. You can also edit the shows with VideoRedo and remove commercials and any other content. KMTTG can also encode to MPEG4 to save space.

You can then transfer show back to Tivo (unless the Tivo is running TE4/Hydra, feature removed), when you want to watch.


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## juanian

Is there a way to give pyTivo/pyTivo Desktop a list of shows to download, or is the only way to have pyTivo download a show is by going through and clicking on the download button for the show? I'm hoping that there is a way to programmatically (or through a command line execution, or by a list of shows in a text file) specify a TiVo and something to identify the recording to download? I can't seem to find a list of pyTivo command line options anywhere (except for a reference to -c), or any other way to interface with pyTivo (other than clicking on a web page or dialog box interface).


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## bantar

juanian said:


> Is there a way to give pyTivo/pyTivo Desktop a list of shows to download, or is the only way to have pyTivo download a show is by going through and clicking on the download button for the show?


Tivo abandoned us, barely leaving us One at a time downloads on the older UI only. 

If you download a lot, you might want to check out this thread: https://www.tivocommunity.com/threads/channels-dvr.584214/ I recently set this up and adding shows to the DVR is as simple as copying them into a directory. I'm running ChannelsDVR in parallel with my Tivo right now, but no longer downloading to the Tivo.


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## howards

Contemplating switch from old pytivo to pytivo desktop.

Installed pytivo desktop but can't find the pytivo.conf file anywhere on my computer. I want to edit my shares like I can with the old pytivo. Where is the conf file on Win 11?


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## juanian

howards said:


> Contemplating switch from old pytivo to pytivo desktop.
> 
> Installed pytivo desktop but can't find the pytivo.conf file anywhere on my computer. I want to edit my shares like I can with the old pytivo. Where is the conf file on Win 11?


On Windows 10, I found the pyTivo.conf file at:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\pyTivo
Not sure if it is in the same location on Windows 11 - if it is not there, you should be able to search for it using these commands in a cmd window:
cd /d c:\
dir /s pyTivo.conf
(If your boot drive or the drive your user directory is on isn't C, use the drive letter it is on)
It might take a while to run (if you have lots of files on the drive), so have some patience!


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## howards

On Win10 using the old pytivo, there is a pytivo.conf in ...\appdata\roaming\pytivo, but it isn't the one that pytivo is using. The pytivo.conf being used lives in the same directory where I've installed pytivo.

On Win11 using pyTivo Desktop, it does appear in appdata. Don't know why I didn't find it before when I searched, but thanks for the reminder.


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## ThAbtO

With PyTivo Desktop, there is a "PyTivo.exe" you execute.


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## KevTech

howards said:


> I want to edit my shares like I can with the old pytivo. Where is the conf file on Win 11?


You can edit/add shares within the gui of Pytivo desktop instead of editing files.


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## TrappedLikeARat

I just installed PyTivo Desktop on a Win10 system last night and was very happy to see it picked up my TiVo Roamio (6 tuner, 3 TB) right away. The weird thing is it’s only showing my recordings for shows October 22 or newer. I can’t figure out why, and apologies, but with a 132 page thread, it was too much to sift through (gave it a valiant effort, though).

Ironically, my Tivo Desktop classic just stopped working, which is what prompted me to run PyTivo, but all I found was an empty folder in the Start menu. It’s possible I uninstalled it, but don’t remember ever having done that. That said, my Windows has been getting weirder and weirder with each update recently.

So, that’s how I discovered the PyTivo Desktop, and wow! Very nice and clean, and props to the developer. Meanwhile - I just have to get it to see recording on my TiVo newer than the last 16 days.

I’m thinking of trying Py~Desktop on my Mac, but my current share is all on my home brew Windows machine (more native storage)


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## ThAbtO

TrappedLikeARat said:


> my Tivo Desktop classic just stopped working


The security certificates had expired. Since Tivo no longer supports TD, there would be no updates.


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## TrappedLikeARat

I thought that was the case years ago, right? Mine worked anyway, up until last night. my only reason for mentioning it was that it might offer a clue to someone more knowledgeable than I about what is broken. I think you misunderstood the intent of my post, so maybe I wasn’t clear about what I was asking.

Ok - editing to say everything is moving along. After about 4 PC reboots and a TiVo reboot, the desktop is showing all of my PC’s share folder (& sub folders). The TiVo, interestingly, permanently deleted all of the shows in the Deleted Folder (about 20), and all but 4 of the shows in the suggestions folder (about 60), and storage utilization reported is 2% lower.

Meanwhile, the PC’s behavior re: PyTivo Desktop has some very tolerable anomalies. One of them is some TiVo files will play audio only in WMP most of the time. The old Windows 10 default player is gone and in its place is Windows Movies (or something like that), which only plays the MP4’s, and VLC is tentative. I'm not too concerned as I don’t sit at my desk and watch movies, but it’s a convenience factor to have another window open when I’m editing.


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## TrappedLikeARat

Edited. No longer relevant. Sorry - forum edit won’t allow me to delete the post


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