# Tivo Desktop 2.3a Plus -- files won't play



## Thataboy (Aug 29, 2006)

I am running Tivo Desktop 2.3a Plus (i bought the license code to transfer to my iPod) in WinXP Home SP2 via Parallels. WMP11. Quicktime 7 installed.

I can transfer shows to my Tivo Desktop, but i cannot play the unconverted OR the converted MP4/H264 files. The movie files are either black, or they are green/flashing. Presumably the files aren't being decrypted properly? 

But why would that be? Doesn't Tivo Desktop take care of decryption, or did I miss a step?

Thanks.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Hmmm... That's odd. Have you double checked to make sure you entered your Media Access Key correctly?

Dan


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## Thataboy (Aug 29, 2006)

Yes -- my media access key is correct. After half an hour on hold for a TiVo tech support rep, the genius solution was "um, I dunno, reinstall TiVo Desktop." Gee, thanks.

I uninstalled TiVo Desktop, and deleted all files on the computer that I found with a search for "tivo". However, when I reinstalled, the software already had my media access key and Plus license code, so those codes must be in some pref file that I can't find. 

The thing I find weird is the size of the files in TiVo Desktop. I'll have one half hour show that is 82MB and an hour show that is 164MB. Then some files are ten times that size (around 820MB for a half hour and 1640MB for an hour). I record everything in High Quality, so why the variation in file sizes? I asked the TiVo Rep, and he wrote it off.

TiVo Desktop is 100% of the reason I got TiVo in the first place... without it, I'd just as soon deal with a far cheaper cable company DVR!


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## strategy (Sep 8, 2006)

So you are running parallels emulation on OSX to run Windows to run the software?

Since you mention the file size differences, I wonder out of curiosity if you 
1) transfered a file
2) go into your tivo save folder and rename the .tivo file you just transferred to a new name
3) transfer the file again.
Are the copy and the new transfer the same size?
Have you ever had ANY file play in tivo-to-go after transferring a file?
Do you have bootcamp? If so, does it work when you boot directly into Windows via bootcamp?
Did you search to see if anyone else has successfully run the tivo software under Parallels?

-s


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## strategy (Sep 8, 2006)

Reading another message I was surprised to find out the windows program VideoRedo will play .tivo files and it has a free trial. 
Try the free trial 
this forum wont let me post a website url for some reason so go on google and search for VideoRedo
and open the .tivo file (in the open box it defaults to look for .mpg files so you'll need to change it to ALL FILES to be able to see your .tivo file. 
Does it play in there?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Thataboy said:


> The thing I find weird is the size of the files in TiVo Desktop. I'll have one half hour show that is 82MB and an hour show that is 164MB. Then some files are ten times that size (around 820MB for a half hour and 1640MB for an hour). I record everything in High Quality, so why the variation in file sizes? I asked the TiVo Rep, and he wrote it off.


That's a big clue. Have you tried actually playing these recordings on the TiVo itself? Because it sounds to me like your cable may have been out when they were recorded and that's why all you go was black or green flashes.

I had this happen the other night on Prison Break. It was completely black for the first 15 minutes, then all the sudden the video came back to life.

Dan


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## strategy (Sep 8, 2006)

I just searched the forums and there is a thread where lots of people are running it fine under parallels. They had to make sure they had an mpeg codec first though! Do you have the right codec installed?


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## Thataboy (Aug 29, 2006)

Doesn't the TiVo Desktop Plus come with the appropriate MPEG2 codec? I have Desktop Plus.

I would like to try uninstalling everything again, but I need to know where the media access key and Plus license files are... I want to delete those and reinstall everything. Does anyone know where they are?

I haven't tried Boot Camp yet, maybe I will -- though how many windows partitions do I have to have on my iMac just to bloody get a TiVo transfer to work!


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## onetun (Oct 29, 2004)

I have a similar problem - I can download shows, but they fail to convert to MPEG-4 or H.264 files. Everytime, I get an error - "Destop conversion problem" at the bottom-right icon when it tries to convert.

I've tried searching the thread for a while now. I've tried re-installing Desktop 2.3a several times, including uninstalling and re-installing. It still recognizes that I have already upgraded to 2.3+.

Should I give up and use VideoRedo or the Converison sticky wrapper or use TVHarmony? And give up the $25 that I paid for the 2.3+.

Thanks in advance.


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