# Networked Tivo - can I download Tivo recordings to my PC



## purplesuzie (Apr 10, 2005)

I have ploughed through lots of pages on the forum and couldn't see anything that helped but I apologise in advance if I missed something.

I have a UK series 1 TiVo which has been upgraded to 120MB and has a TurboNet Network Card installed. I didn't do either of these, I purchased like this. I have successfully connected to my TiVo unit from my laptop and can see the TiVoWeb screens, use the online remote, etc etc. 

I've been told (or read) that it is possible to download content from my lovely TiVo to my laptop and then burn to DVD. I have searched high and low for more information but to no avail.

I am pretty PC literate but the Linux side is something of a mystery to be so if this is possible can replies be moderately untechie.

Thanks in advance for any assistance and sorry if this is answered elsewhere (just point me towards the right thread)

Cheers,
Sue


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## Trinitron (Jan 20, 2003)

One of the forum rules is that video extraction is not a topic for discussion.

There is however a lot elsewhere on the interweb. If you googled 'Deals, Freebies, and TiVo & DirecTivo Hacking', for example, you may find some interesting information .


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## swarrans (Jan 7, 2003)

But (IMHO) even when you do find it it is so involved and cumbersome (unless things have changed significantly since I last did it years ago) you will probably decide not to bother!...

Simon


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## Automan (Oct 29, 2000)

swarrans said:


> But (IMHO) even when you do find it it is so involved and cumbersome (unless things have changed significantly since I last did it years ago) you will probably decide not to bother!...
> 
> Simon


Indeed, I got it to work but 4:3 recordings all had a green bar down the side which required even more processing to remove.

Check http://www.tivocentral.co.uk/ and perhaps the links on the right side of their front page.

Automan.


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## Ian_m (Jan 9, 2001)

Automan said:


> Indeed, I got it to work but 4:3 recordings all had a green bar down the side which required even more processing to remove.


I (oh I mean a friend of mine) used DVDPatcher to set aspect ratio flag to 16:9 then put on DVD using Ulead DVD Movie Factory to provide menus. Works well.

All rather "old hat" now DVD's, I (oh I mean my friend) has a Popcorn Hour.


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## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

Hi Purplesuzie,

I wouldn't let these 'slightly' negative answers put you off I have used Tytools for about 6 or 7 years & transfer loads of films across, on average one or two a day. it works for me because I have digitised my entire film collection so transferring across in digital format is an ideal solution. The transfer rate over wireless isn't excellent but it is done overnight usually so speed isn't an issue (A 2 hour film usually takes 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours).

The file sizes are very large though (on average about 7 gb), so lots of hard drive space is necessary. Once it is transferred I run it through DivX converter, clipping the start & end, & it pops out at about 1gb after processing. Hey presto a film of manageable size ready to filed in the appropriate place.

Finally, I do not understand the continuing restriction on discussing this in the forum. Modern TiVo's all have this capability built in & as S1 owners we have been sadly neglected over the years by TiVo Inc. In fact I would go so far as to add that the enduring popularity of these boxes is in a large part due to the extra uses that people find for them as much as the admittedly great software. I don't think anywhere near as many people would still be using TiVo in these days of flat panel displays without Mode0 enabled for example.

If you want to find out more, & I would encourage you to find out yourself by trying it you can search 'tytools 10r4' on google or go to www.de*ld*t*b*se.com (add the correct letters where appropriate) where there used to be a healthy discussion of this & other matters & where the info still available to peruse. One word of warning. That site is nowhere near as friendly as this one & a thorough search is advised before posting, whereas here just feel free to fire away. Feel free to pm me if you wish to discuss this further.

Martin


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

We're not really allowed to talk about extraction, but nothing wrong with mentioning streaming  is there? 

www.tivocentral.co.uk/stream.php


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## purplesuzie (Apr 10, 2005)

A big thanks to everyone who answered. I hadn't realised that the topic was off limits so my aplolgies for that. I'll certainly be looking up so of the suggestions. :up:

Martin - watch out I may well PM for more info if I get stuck 

Cheers all


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## purplesuzie (Apr 10, 2005)

Hiya Martin,
Thanks so much for your reply and I have made god progress.



martink0646 said:


> The file sizes are very large though (on average about 7 gb), so lots of hard drive space is necessary. Once it is transferred I run it through DivX converter, clipping the start & end, & it pops out at about 1gb after processing. Hey presto a film of manageable size ready to filed in the appropriate place.
> Martin


I just wanted to check what output format you used. I assume a VOB file so you can use with the IFO files etc. Can you just yay or neigh or that one? I have downloaded DivX converter and trialling DivX Plus but want to make sure that I am going on the right [ath before I get carried away and commit myself.

Hope you can help on this last point.

TIA,
Sue


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## SPR (Nov 28, 2001)

I use MFS_FTP; for streaming obviously as that is ok to discuss 
Couldn't possibly comment on other options it might present...


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## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

purplesuzie said:


> Hiya Martin,
> Thanks so much for your reply and I have made god progress.
> 
> I just wanted to check what output format you used. I assume a VOB file so you can use with the IFO files etc. Can you just yay or neigh or that one? I have downloaded DivX converter and trialling DivX Plus but want to make sure that I am going on the right [ath before I get carried away and commit myself.
> ...


Hi Sue,

What are you trying to achieve? Digital archiving? DvD creation for a collection? Portability? My need is for digital archiving on to HDD's to serve to my TV through a PC.

I use DivX converter to convert straight to a .divx file (the default output, on my version anyway) then click on the file (as if renaming it) & change the identifier to .avi & play it using GOM Player (imho the best media player) or VLC. It can still be played using WMP but I hate that peice of s/ware. GOM & VLC play anything & are free. I have also used GOM Encoder but that has a cost & the quality is much lower than DivX Converter.

I don't mess around with VOB & .ifo/.iso files because I am not burning onto dvd, just playing it from xLobby (media center s/ware). If I wanted to create a dvd I would just burn the .avi files on to a dvd as most dvd players play them as do most new tv's & pvr's if you use a memory stick. I used to burn dvd's from TiVo using a hacked dvd recorder with macrovision disabled & I also used to burn dvd's from my pc but I would need to root around my PC for the program name as I have forgotten by now.

Let me know what you want to achieve & I can hopefully suggest some methods to get to that end.

Regards,

Martin


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## purplesuzie (Apr 10, 2005)

Hiya Martin,

Sorry I would PM you but I haven't made enough posts to allow it. :-(

I want to create DVDs. Just the odd one here and there so I don't want to have to buy loads of software etc. The TyTool was pretty effective but as you say, the output .ty file is a whopper at 1.5GB for a test half hour prog. 

Cheers in advance
Sue


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## johala_reewi (Oct 30, 2002)

purplesuzie said:


> Hiya Martin,
> I want to create DVDs. Just the odd one here and there so I don't want to have to buy loads of software etc. The TyTool was pretty effective but as you say, the output .ty file is a whopper at 1.5GB for a test half hour prog.
> 
> Cheers in advance
> Sue


1 hour of normal DVD quality stuff is usually around 4GB so 1.5GB for half an hour isn't bad. You have to get used to huge files when doing video.

The TY file is just the start (it is the raw data from Tivo) you then need to use the rest of TyTool to produce the DVD (or intermediate stages). TyTool does a reasonable job of getting the data to DVD in a rough and ready way. Usually though, you need to fix the aspect ratio for 16:9 material (DVDpatcher) and create a decent menu (or no menu).

There is a user manual for TyTool at http://fletchergeek.com
Is was written for TyTool9 but is still handy for TyTool10


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

TiVos encoder isn't exactly state of the art, so people typically set it to huge bit rates to attempt to preserve quality - typically file sizes are twice the size of the original Freeview/satellite digital stream, but at reduced quality!

To give you an idea of how inefficient, a 44 minute 720p *high def* programme encoded in a more modern codec is 1.1 - 1.5 GB.


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

mikerr said:


> We're not really allowed to talk about extraction, but nothing wrong with mentioning streaming  is there?
> 
> www.tivocentral.co.uk/stream.php


Mike I sent you a PM and possibly an Email about streaming and the problem with one of my Win 7 Pc's not playing. Did you get either of the messages and can you help.


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## beastman (May 26, 2002)

speaking of streaming (done the extraction before but I agree its a bit of a slow faff) has anyone sussed out a way to stream to something like an android based phone?


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## hokkers999 (Jan 5, 2006)

mikerr said:


> We're not really allowed to talk about extraction, but nothing wrong with mentioning streaming  is there?
> 
> www.tivocentral.co.uk/stream.php


Except that the "server" used to stream the stuff off the Tivo dies after about 3 minutes of streaming....

More interesting would be how to UPLOAD stuff to the Tivo


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

hokkers999 said:


> More interesting would be how to UPLOAD stuff to the Tivo


That is possible have a look here http://tivoza.nanfo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=423


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## Mark Bennett (Sep 17, 2001)

First hack the Tivo to record in Mode 1 - this gives a pretty good 720 lines of resolution - and gives you better source data.
I use tytool to extract in the mpg format (not .ty )
Then use dvdpatcher to correct to 16x9 if needed (not needed on 4x3 sources)
Then I just use the mpg files in Pinnacle and create a normal DVD with chapters, menus, graphics etc.


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

Mark Bennett said:


> First hack the Tivo to record in Mode 1 - this gives a pretty good 720 lines of resolution - and gives you better source data.
> I use tytool to extract in the mpg format (not .ty )
> Then use dvdpatcher to correct to 16x9 if needed (not needed on 4x3 sources)
> Then I just use the mpg files in Pinnacle and create a normal DVD with chapters, menus, graphics etc.


did you mean to say Mode 0

Mode	Resolution	Used by TiVo Modes
1	352 x 576	Basic and Medium
2	480 x 576	High
4	544 x 576	Best
0	720 x 576	(not used) UNLESS USING MODE 0 HACK.


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## Mark Bennett (Sep 17, 2001)

RichardJH said:


> did you mean to say Mode 0
> 
> Mode	Resolution	Used by TiVo Modes
> 1	352 x 576	Basic and Medium
> ...


eeep - yes I did!

It's ages since I did it...


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## baward (Dec 16, 2002)

Sorry to hitch a ride on your thread Sue, but I don't suppose anyone can advise me on how to use Tivotool on a Mac (OSX 10.6)?

As far as getting stuff off the Tivo itself, I just physically move the Tivo to where I have my computer (not a laptop obviously) and using a DV camcorder as a bridge, record the output of the Tivo in real time through the Scart. Primitive, but it works!


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

I'm not a Mac user but there were discussions on this thread http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=371716


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## baward (Dec 16, 2002)

RichardJH said:


> I'm not a Mac user but there were discussions on this thread http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=371716


Thanks Richard, I will have a look.

Ben


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## hokkers999 (Jan 5, 2006)

RichardJH said:


> That is possible have a look here http://tivoza.nanfo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=423


Once I got mfs_ftp up and running it works great. Doesn't play well with the firewall though, so shut it down for the transfer.


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## dd_ (May 13, 2006)

martink0646 said:


> I wouldn't let these 'slightly' negative answers put you off I have used Tytools for about 6 or 7 years & transfer loads of films across ...
> 
> If you want to find out more, & I would encourage you to find out yourself by trying it you can search 'tytools 10r4' on google or go to ...
> 
> Martin


Many thanks for this really helpful info, all of you. Once I've replaced an ailing HD (Mike, order coming your way), I'm hoping my cachecard will work again and I can start doing some hacking and *cough* streaming. Although, I have to say that my 'new' £20 DVD recorder works quite well. Just have to find a program now that will cut/edit them down to the size I want.

Merry Tivoing to all and here's to many more months of free guide data!

dd


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## speedyrite (May 18, 2002)

baward said:


> Sorry to hitch a ride on your thread Sue, but I don't suppose anyone can advise me on how to use Tivotool on a Mac (OSX 10.6)?
> 
> As far as getting stuff off the Tivo itself, I just physically move the Tivo to where I have my computer (not a laptop obviously) and using a DV camcorder as a bridge, record the output of the Tivo in real time through the Scart. Primitive, but it works!


Sadly TivoTool does not work under Mac OS X from 10.6 (Leopard) onwards. It still works on 10,5 (Tiger) though...


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## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

dd_ said:


> Many thanks for this really helpful info, all of you. Once I've replaced an ailing HD (Mike, order coming your way), I'm hoping my cachecard will work again and I can start doing some hacking and *cough* streaming. Although, I have to say that my 'new' £20 DVD recorder works quite well. Just have to find a program now that will cut/edit them down to the size I want.
> 
> Merry Tivoing to all and here's to many more months of free guide data!
> 
> dd


I use DivX Author. I used to use tmpgenc but that was pretty complicated compared to DivX Author. Transfer in .mpg rather than .ty & DA will find it. There is a 2 or 3 stage process (2 stage if you don't want to create menus), the first is editing where I simply snip off the front & back (before the start & end of the film) & chop out the adverts. The final stageis naming & deciding the file output size. I genrally set it to around 1 gb as that seems to give a good trade off of size against quality. It is quite processor intensive (as is most video editing so I cue up about 4 at a time & run them as I leave to go to work. They are done by the time I get home.

DA is available on trial but after 30 days it costs. Check it out & see whether it will work for you. If you want anymore info PM me.

Martin


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## dd_ (May 13, 2006)

Thanks for the suggestion. I may take a look, although as a poor adult learner (ie pocket money grant) I probably couldn't afford it. Have just downloaded Avidemux, free, so will try that first.
Lordy. PC to fix, HD/networking to try on the Tivo, car to service, stereo to install.... so much to play with, but essays to write and so little holiday. 

Always grateful for advice though, so thanks again for that.


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