TiVo Video Extraction with Mac OS X 59
Arf4 writes "I recently published an article that describes extracting video from a TiVo Series 1 digital video recorder. I have been searching the boards for info on a Mac OS X solution, but came up blank. After experimenting with my iBook I figured out a way to do it. Using nothing more than a TiVo and Mac OS X (plus a few other free goodies), you can start backing up the latest Alias or Simpsons." Well, and a network card.
Cool trick, wish I could use it (Score:2)
I wonder if the newly announced broadband service for Series 2 will be a foot in the door towards doing this sort of operation there, too?
TiVo is dying (Score:1)
Re:TiVo is dying (Score:1)
Re:TiVo is dying (Score:1)
Broadcast, 31st January 2003
that's my source, doesn't mean it's true though!
Re:TiVo is dying (Score:2, Informative)
The digital video recorder company will no longer manufacture new devices for the UK, but will continue to support existing customers.
Series 2? (Score:2)
Re:Series 2? (Score:5, Informative)
This will not work because you cannot install any hacker tools on the S2. All the files are digitally signed, and the TiVo will blow away anything on root that doesn't check out (either modified or not supposed to be there) on boot up.
On the other hand, you can still yank the drive from the TiVo, mount it in Linux, and run some extraction tools from there...but that wouldn't go in the "Apple" section.
Jeff
Tivo 2 has Rendezvous (Score:1, Informative)
?TiVo?s upcoming premium service package will use Rendezvous technology to automatically discover Macintosh computers within the home network and determine which services they provide, allowing customers to listen to their shared music or view their shared photos on their TV,? said Jim Barton, Co-founder and CTO for TiVo. ?We are excited about working with Apple on other ways Rendezvous can help TiVo Series2 DVRs connect to a Mac to deliver future services.?
Re:Tivo 2 has Rendezvous (Score:3, Informative)
You may still be able to use your Mac... (Score:1)
Build your own (Score:5, Interesting)
Think different, oh thou geekish ones!
Re:Build your own (Score:3, Insightful)
And without the monthly service, which is what makes Tivo worthwhile in the first place for many people.
Re:Build your own (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Build your own (Score:5, Insightful)
I keep hearing this from different people. I do a lot of replacing stuff with alternatives. For example, I don't have Windows, I have FreeBSD w/ OpenOffice, etc. But as a TiVo user, I don't think that I could switch to a computer-based solution.
There's just something about sitting down at the TV with a remote that can't be replaced. Also, there's something about the TiVo user interface that I think would become a lot more difficult in the translation to a computer.
It's not just about recording shows. It's about changing the way you watch TV.
Re:Build your own (Score:2)
Re:Build your own (Score:1)
The nice thing about an Open solution, is that the commercially-motivated bad things (e.g. my Tivo always has an ad on the main menu nowdays) won't be copied. Keep in mind: Slashdot ran this story because, deep down, there is something unfriendly about the Tivo. Slashdot isn't going to run a story that some clever elite hacker used the cp command or dragged an icon, to extract video from their homebrew PVR.
Re:Build your own (Score:1)
The iMac came out a few years after I was out of college, but I couldn't help but notice that, with a TV tuner, it would have been the ultimate dorm room computer, because it could pretty much do the work of every single electronic device in my old dorm (and there were a lot of them) while taking up a tiny fraction of the space.
You know, the "Generation Y" kids have it pretty damned good. They missed the Cold War, they had iMacs and broadband available in college, and they don't need to take the heat from all the Baby Boomers for failing to continue their precious little social revolution, because we Xers took care of that for them. :)
Nice. (Score:1)
There's a reason for this... (Score:5, Insightful)
But the reason why they have been hesitant to support the reading (and backup) of the recorded video is that they are concerned with implications of distribution. The first and most obvious reason is that if someone can distribute commercial free recordings of TV shows recorded directly from a TiVo it could be argued that it is helping to facilitate piracy. The other reason would be that it would hurt sales...if you can get new episodes from your TiVo owning friend, why buy a TiVo???
As such, most respectable members of the hacking community will not encourage this hack...which is really a testament to the advantages of a company working with the hacking community.
Re:There's a reason for this... (Score:3, Informative)
I must disagree. Just as ripping a CD to a bunch of OGG files doesn't mean you're putting them up on Kazaa, ripping your saved shows onto a computer doesn't mean you're putting them up on Kazaa.
I understand TiVo not wanting anything to do with it, which is why discussion about it is banned on the TiVo forums. But that doesn't make the practice bad, or hurtful to TiVo if we do it ourselves.
The other taboo subject, replacing TiVo's program guide with one from a free source, falls squarely into the catagory of things respectable members of the hacking community should avoid. That takes money directly from TiVo's pocket, from a company that's been very good to us.
Doug
Re:There's a reason for this... (Score:2)
Re:There's a reason for this... (Score:2)
http://tivo.samba.org
Re:There's a reason for this... (Score:1)
If I could borrow a cooking pot from my mother, why would I buy my own?
If I could borrow a CD why would I buy my own (although lots of people do...)
If I could borrow a vhs tape of my friends taping of Altons Browns latest diatribe on protiens and salt, why would I watch the show? But I would watch the show and I would buy the DVD if it was good programming!!
Re:There's a reason for this... (Score:2)
Huh??? This is physical...I'm not talking about borrowing...I'm talking about distributing...if your mom gives you her cooking pot, she can't use it...but if you copy a video of a show, you can both watch it...
If I could borrow a CD why would I buy my own (although lots of people do...)
Yea, of course noone listens to MP3s ripped from this CD do they?
If I could borrow a vhs tape of my friends taping of Altons Browns latest diatribe on protiens and salt, why would I watch the show? But I would watch the show and I would buy the DVD if it was good programming!!
Well, there is some advantage to watching new shows...because if it's very popular, everyone's gonna be talking about it tommorrow...
But I think the widespread distribution of ripped DVDs and Telecined/Telesynced first-run movies tells you this answer...
And why would you buy DVDs? Well, extra features, higher quality, and no commercials for a start...
I also have the ethernet card... (Score:1)
-- joshua
-- http://www.joshua.com
ReplayTV has a java based program for extracting.. (Score:5, Informative)
How about upgrading TiVo with a Mac? (Score:1)
Re:How about upgrading TiVo with a Mac? (Score:1)
Re:How about upgrading TiVo with a Mac? (Score:5, Informative)
Also check out TiVoFerkey, [versiontracker.com] an interesting remote Tivo interface for controlling Tivo from your Mac.
Re:How about upgrading TiVo with a Mac? (Score:2, Informative)
um... (Score:2)
I might be misinterpreting this, but isn't it pretty unlikely to be running OS X on a system without an ethernet card built-in?
Triv
Re:um... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:um... (Score:1)
Firewire (Score:2)
No different... (Score:5, Interesting)
This is no different from how I've been doing it for a goodly while now on my Linux box. They've just compiled the tools for OS X, that's all.
I'm working on a version of the tools that will show you the listing in your console, let you select a show, and will stream the .ty, translate to .mpeg on the fly, and then either save that stream or use something (mplayer, perhaps) to recode to another codec (DivX, anyone?).
And it's written entirely in Perl, so it should run anywhere Perl does. If anybody's interested in looking at it, pop me an email; I'd be especially interested in hearing from people with knowledge of the MPEG2 format.
Doug
Mirror! (Score:2, Informative)
Formac StudioDV/TV (Score:4, Informative)
Formac studio dv/tv turns your Mac into a fully functional TV and a high-quality digital VCR. Watch up to 125 channels in a scalable window or full-screen. The studio tvr software* allows you to record your favorite TV shows at any time and day, even if you are not at home (via remote scheduling). Use TitanTV's website to receive an up-to-date online program guide for your region, and use the one-step scheduling feature to record your favorite shows. Movies can also be recorded from and to any video device with RCA or S-VHS connectors, such as a standard VCR, Camcorder or DVD player. All movies are captured in high quality digital video (DV).
Re:Formac StudioDV/TV (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Formac StudioDV/TV (Score:2)
Re:Formac StudioDV/TV (Score:1)
who is more viable: Tivo or Replay (Score:1)
Primary concern: no stupid telephone callouts, so Tivo S2 would be easy.
Secondary: can I extract at some point if I want to?
So, Replaytv would possible do it all-- but are they viable enough?
if anyone has a replayTV (Score:5, Informative)
Basically, ReplayTV has its own little web server, and you can browse the contents of the drive with correct arsg to the httpfs cgi
All the video is stored in the
The only downside I've found in limited experimenting: after recording an episode of MST3K (2 hours) at lowest ('Standard') quality, it was a 2 GB xfer over the network. You'll have to reencode these movies yourself, to divx or whatever.
Something else i noticed: replay TV will report it's IP with prepended zeros, eg. 123.234.120.012 rathaer than 123.234.120.012, and that seems to make a difference in whether or not I can connect to it (explanations anyone?)
Far more complicated than necessary (Score:3, Interesting)
Who's TiVO? (Score:2)
I think that guy figured out how to hook up to MY PVR!
I wanna see.. (Score:1)