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Thanks for the info on the TiVO GPLed code, maroberts C'est rien.

Sounds like the device has the bits and pieces to do everything required. The TiVo (again IIRC) uses a mere 50MHz PowerPC chip [being RISC, this probably delivers similar performance to a 200MHz Pentium, but a lot of TiVo reverse engineers believe the Tivo gets very near to its processing limits at times] with a number of support chips.
If you're really interested in the TiVo, see the ongoing discussions in the TiVo AVS forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/ubbcgitivo/Ultimate.cgi
Also Andrew Tridgell (of Samba fame) has done some engineering to get the TivO to take a network cardand other goodies. See
http://www.samba.org
for more details.

A guy named Keith Irwin published a high level process for attacking HDCP a few weeks back and it sounds much the same (i.e. number of required devices, etc.)

See the links below for his whitepaper as well as a previous discussion regarding this on a popular HDTV forum...

http://www.angelfire.com/realm/keithirwin/HDCPAtta cks.html
http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/015261.ht ml

Something like this was discussed in the AVS TiVo Forum not to long ago. The idea was that you could have your normal TiVo set of disk(s), and then you could have a second instance of TiVo that you use for programs you want to store long term.

For those who don't know about it, I'll expand a little bit: DScaler and a TV capture card takes input from a regular NTSC video source (cable TV, VCR, TiVo, DirecTV receiver, whatever) and applies a bunch of video processing algorithms to remove the visible artifacts caused by the fact that NTSC is an interlaced video standard. It uses your PC's video card to scale the image up to whatever resolution you like. It'll even do fancy tricks like displaying film material at an even frame rate if your refresh rate is a multiple of 24Hz (the frame rate used for most film material), or automatically detecting letterboxed movies and expanding them to fill a widescreen display. Lots of people are using it in place of expensive standalone video scalers to display analog TV on their HDTV sets. If you have a clean source signal you can get a picture that looks nearly as good as standard-definition digital TV. Not HD by any stretch, but it still looks quite good.

Best of all, it's GPLed.

The main place where it's discussed, and where all the developers hang out (and a great place to discuss using PCs for watching TV and movies) is AVS Forum's Home Theater Computers message board.

For those who don't know about it, I'll expand a little bit: DScaler and a TV capture card takes input from a regular NTSC video source (cable TV, VCR, TiVo, DirecTV receiver, whatever) and applies a bunch of video processing algorithms to remove the visible artifacts caused by the fact that NTSC is an interlaced video standard. It uses your PC's video card to scale the image up to whatever resolution you like. It'll even do fancy tricks like displaying film material at an even frame rate if your refresh rate is a multiple of 24Hz (the frame rate used for most film material), or automatically detecting letterboxed movies and expanding them to fill a widescreen display. Lots of people are using it in place of expensive standalone video scalers to display analog TV on their HDTV sets. If you have a clean source signal you can get a picture that looks nearly as good as standard-definition digital TV. Not HD by any stretch, but it still looks quite good.

Best of all, it's GPLed.

The main place where it's discussed, and where all the developers hang out (and a great place to discuss using PCs for watching TV and movies) is AVS Forum's Home Theater Computers message board.

The problem is, that it takes a LOT more technical skill and "bravery" to modify these devices that it does to upgrade your video card. How many people own a Torx screwdriver set?

Dell/Gateway/etc would love to be able to sell you a brand new computer every 2 years. They can profit just as much off $1000 computer as they can off $2500 ones.

About the closest you can get to your criterion is to buy an old TiVo that still has a version 1.3.X system (or reinstate it with a backup). TiVo originally offered the option of purchasing the unit for use without guide data (they now cripple this severely), with pause/rewind functions and manual recording of time/channel allowed. The 2.0.1 upgrade was supposed to grandfather in old units, but now includes a vast array of reminders that make it pretty painful (see the recent slashdot story). A fix is promised with 2.5 sometime in the fall (or much later, judging by 2.0 delays).

Contrary to some other poster's comments, you don't have to call in to TiVo and download software if you aren't using guide data (the only thing you need is the date). You can make a test call only to sync up the date/time or set the date via bash prompt by hooking up a linux box to the serial port for a terminal session. A full call will upgrade you to 2.0.1 and introduce the subscription reminder advertising spam.

Any TiVo can be converted to PAL input/output and newer UK units come set up for PAL already (I'm told, I haven't tried either). Note that this conversion is also incompatible with 2.0.1. You can find more info about PAL, etc. at the AVS TiVo forums. Expect to pay about $150-200 for one on ebay or the TiVo community garage sale, but you'll need to look around carefully to find one that still has the 1.3 system (general upgrades went out to connected recievers in April or so).

Regards, RJS

About the closest you can get to your criterion is to buy an old TiVo that still has a version 1.3.X system (or reinstate it with a backup). TiVo originally offered the option of purchasing the unit for use without guide data (they now cripple this severely), with pause/rewind functions and manual recording of time/channel allowed. The 2.0.1 upgrade was supposed to grandfather in old units, but now includes a vast array of reminders that make it pretty painful (see the recent slashdot story). A fix is promised with 2.5 sometime in the fall (or much later, judging by 2.0 delays).

Contrary to some other poster's comments, you don't have to call in to TiVo and download software if you aren't using guide data (the only thing you need is the date). You can make a test call only to sync up the date/time or set the date via bash prompt by hooking up a linux box to the serial port for a terminal session. A full call will upgrade you to 2.0.1 and introduce the subscription reminder advertising spam.

Any TiVo can be converted to PAL input/output and newer UK units come set up for PAL already (I'm told, I haven't tried either). Note that this conversion is also incompatible with 2.0.1. You can find more info about PAL, etc. at the AVS TiVo forums. Expect to pay about $150-200 for one on ebay or the TiVo community garage sale, but you'll need to look around carefully to find one that still has the 1.3 system (general upgrades went out to connected recievers in April or so).

Regards, RJS

About the closest you can get to your criterion is to buy an old TiVo that still has a version 1.3.X system (or reinstate it with a backup). TiVo originally offered the option of purchasing the unit for use without guide data (they now cripple this severely), with pause/rewind functions and manual recording of time/channel allowed. The 2.0.1 upgrade was supposed to grandfather in old units, but now includes a vast array of reminders that make it pretty painful (see the recent slashdot story). A fix is promised with 2.5 sometime in the fall (or much later, judging by 2.0 delays).

Contrary to some other poster's comments, you don't have to call in to TiVo and download software if you aren't using guide data (the only thing you need is the date). You can make a test call only to sync up the date/time or set the date via bash prompt by hooking up a linux box to the serial port for a terminal session. A full call will upgrade you to 2.0.1 and introduce the subscription reminder advertising spam.

Any TiVo can be converted to PAL input/output and newer UK units come set up for PAL already (I'm told, I haven't tried either). Note that this conversion is also incompatible with 2.0.1. You can find more info about PAL, etc. at the AVS TiVo forums. Expect to pay about $150-200 for one on ebay or the TiVo community garage sale, but you'll need to look around carefully to find one that still has the 1.3 system (general upgrades went out to connected recievers in April or so).

Regards, RJS

The things TiVo downloads are no secret. They have never been hidden from people who have been curious enough to look for them. Some of the download info is even available from the GUI without even hacking a bash prompt on TiVo, by merely enabling backdoors and using the "view TiVo logs" backdoor.

Regardless, on the initial call, TiVo doesn't download new software. It has been stated several times that the initial call and the software update call are fundamentally different, and it is impossible to get a software update on the initial call. Any other calls you force can lead to software updates, and 2.0.1 has an "unplanned feature" that cripples your PVR beyond what TiVo intended. This will be fixed in a future upgrade that is still a few months off.

Regardless, the inital call sets the internal clock, and does the initial population of the guide data. After that call, you can yank the phone cord and never plug it in again. And if you don't plan to have the service and don't want the software upgrade, yanking the phone cord is highly recommended.

If you want functionality beyond that, people have devised ways to set the internal clock, modify the channel lineup, prevent software updates, and even populate the guide data from public sources. The hacks all exist, but have been created by and for people who have special circumstances that don't allow them to use the service as listed. Don't expect help from places like the AVS TiVo forum if you're merely trying to bypass the service fee... and even if you have good intent, you're going to have to look elsewhere for hacks that bypass the need for the service. People frown heavilly on bypassing TiVo's service fee if service can be obtained by legitimate means. The reasons for this are many, but mainly because TiVo's business model involves selling the units for less than cost, and making up the money in subscription fees. Thus, bypassing the service fee is a major blow to TiVo, and could put them out of business easily.

Also, why not look into buying a TiVoNET ethernet adapter for daily calls? It's a hack that puts an ethernet jack on your TiVo, and scripts to redirect the daily call from the modem to an ethernet connection. Or, if you're stuck with a slow 'net connection, PPP-over-serial hacks are available as well, that make the call use a PPP connection over the DSS port as opposed to dialing. Both of the above hacks still help TiVo out by using their service, just merely using your own 'net connection as opposed to a UUNet phone number.

Do searches in the AVS TiVo Underground Forum, the TiVo Hack FAQ, and 9th Tee for all of the information I've stated above. Take some time to look around, all the info I've talked about and more is out there.

For my money, the combination of my TiVo and their subscription is the best entertainment purchase I've ever made. I find myself using TiVo combined with my premium channels more than I use even my DVD player. But that, of course, is just my opinion.

TiVo comes with a small IR controller on a wire which you place in front of the set top box or it can 'blast' the signal from the front of the TiVo and it'll bounce back to the set top box (if your room is not too big, etc.) Pop along to here if you're interested in discussing TiVo in the UK.

they are busy putting the genie back in the bottle

As AVS forum has banned the topic entirely from their site, I have set up a tempoary Yahoo Group for technical issues relating to video and audio extraction.

Nah, you can still read the text from the article here:
http://www.avsforum.com/ubbcgitivo/postings.cgi?ac tion=reply&forum=TiVo+Underground&number=6&topic=0 05438.cgi&TopicSubject=Otto+Re:+Nag+Screens

Recently, TivoMad's come out with a dual drive upgrade utility. 2x80's (200 hour) is the latest bragging-right.

It only works from a stock (or restored stock) system, so I think I'll just live with my 92 hour unit. Not that I can catch up on the 22 hours of best quality recording I have...

This is a reposting of cworley/s comment on the TIVO discussion board.

***

Here's the scenario:

The code is released, TiVoNets/TiVo's sell like mad.

DirectTV gets wind, and tells TiVo to "shut them down".

TiVo complies: nightly dialin's delete files that aren't supposed to be there, add software that changes the MFS, add encryption to the MFS data (making any hacking illegal).

This drives the hackers underground. The honeymoon is over. TiVo treats its hackes like DirectTV treats DSS hackers.

The TiVo hackers subvert and make the program guide free.

TiVo looses it's revenue stream.

Everybody looses.

***

Until we find away to make information "free", without removing all incentives to make the content in the first place, these technologies will continue to be surpressed in the legal system. Simply saying "screw 'em" achieves nothing except to make the guy saying it feel all cool and defiant.

From reading this, it seems that he just bought the thing. (Sort of... it's not entirely clear.)

If it was still within the n-days return period, I say take it back, complain it doesn't work as advertised. Then buy another one if you still feel like it.

THEN (now that you've learned your lesson), do some of the hacks described, and don't plug it into the evil phone line.

Personally, my view of Tivo, Inc. just went WAY down. They just scored a major win with the award of their patents, they're inches away from smacking Microsoft & Ultimate TV with an ugly stick... and they still feel they need to do this to their customers?

Bad Tivo. (Whack!) No stock options for you! Go sit in the corner until you learn to play nice!

(Still, just to be fair... didn't UltimateTV do some silliness like inserting ads while you're fast-forwarding? This was a change from out-of-box functionality... but not nearly as invasive as what Tivo has done!)

The home theater PC crowd has done a lot of tweaking in the quest for a quiet PC. If your PC is sitting in a dedicated theater room acting as your DVD player you don't want fan noise distracting people from the movie. We also do a lot of stuff with remote control of PCs, useful when the box is in a different room or an enclosure.

Go to the AVS Home Theater Forum. Read there, search there, and you'll find both do-it-yourself suggestions (such as rubber grommets on hard drive screws) and places to go buy "quiet" power supplies, fans, and so forth.

The PVR (both TiVo and ReplayTV) hacking community is really quite a large and active...

Here are some exceptionally helpful resources:

• TiVo Underground Forum
• TiVoFAQ.com
• ReplayTV FAQ
• ReplayTV Underground Forum

Have fun...

The PVR (both TiVo and ReplayTV) hacking community is really quite a large and active...

Here are some exceptionally helpful resources:

• TiVo Underground Forum
• TiVoFAQ.com
• ReplayTV FAQ
• ReplayTV Underground Forum

Have fun...

This is not TiVO's fault. It is the cable company's fault. Isn't there supposed to be some sort of standard that would allow us to get whatever cable box we wanted and have it work with our cable system? Then companies like TiVO could have 'drop-in' tuners or reprogrammable ones for the box that would obviate the need of the cablebox itself. DirecTiVO is a TiVO and a dual tuner DSS box in one.

--Mike

For more info go to the AVS TiVO forum located here.

The Dynamat is a good idea, and so is the hooded vent at the back, but they hardly make a PC completely silent, which Home Theatre PC users and college audiophiles demand (I never turn my comp off, and most other ppl don't either.)

If you want some more good hints and tips, head over to AVS Forum and the Home Theatre Computer Section, and do a search on the word "quiet." Lotta people talking about all sorts of various solutions.

Fred von Lohmann wrote a White Paper for the EEF concerning avoidance of "contributory and vicarious copyright infringement" (being liable for writing software that promotes "fair use", but can be used for copyright infringement).

In that, he states guidelines for developers. One of the guidelines is: "Be open source".

I would think Open Source would set you up for liability in such matters: anybody who modified your code, making it able to infringe on copyrights, would make you vicariously liable for opening the code in the first place.

Or, take for example, TiVo. Their systems are open source, they've posted their kernel and tool modifications on their web site (as per the GPL). Now they're worried that someone could use that to easily create code that will allow MPEG extraction from the unit (and widespread distribution of copyrighted materials).

I'm not sure how being open source can protect a software developer from such litigation.

Can you explain this?

De-Interlacers are somewhat expensive devices that could probably be reasonably implemented as part of the playback. I'm sure it wouldn't be as top notch as a dedicated processor or high end progressive DVD Player, but it seems like this could be done nicely, and then we could pull one more component out of the chain.

See the perfectly functional DTV over at SourceForge. I've dumped my DVDO iScan in favor of this free program. The folks at AVS Forum are very interested in this area and have been hacking the Tivo. It's a great site.

This subject has been kicked around quite a bit at the AVS PC convergence forum.

The best place I've found for information on the current state of this "Borg PC" is the AVSForum HTPC board. Some of the forum members have customized their PCs to a degree that comes pretty close. They aren't an every user, dumb down PC, but some come pretty close at being user friendly... The problem remains being the cost. The Gateway Destination came pretty close to bringing it all togheter, but it was underpowered, and very few people would pay for it (so it was discontinued)...

Some manufacturers are starting to come around and to provide automation features, that enable some customization (like ATI, which now has an API for remotes). Girder seems to be a great hub for programmability features, where several Open Source projects converge in controlling the HTPC.

A few general comments: * 560 GB of storage is almost affordable for personal use. Just use 8 80 GB HD with a RAID 5 controller (like the 3Ware 6800). It'd cost ~$2300, which isn't cheap, but you'd have plenty of storage, and you even get some redundancy...

* UltimateTV and the XBox are going this way. The XBox will be HDTV compatible, and future generations might include a HDTV tuner. And then using USB you might get additional funcitonality. A merging of UTB and XBox might also be possible. Probably the biggest objection would be that this is a MS solution...

* There at at least 3 HDTV PC Tuner cards available (Telemann HiPix, Hauppage WinTV-HD, and AccessDTV). All the manufacturers are working into building digital PVR functions into their products, which will make HDTV tuners a Tivo alternative (at least for OTA broadcasts).

* SnapStream is working to provide PVR features on your PC (there was another, but I don't have a name handy), and the company is very open to user feedback and open source development (as the IRTuner Project shows).

* Don't forget PDA's and mobile multimedia devices. As more multimedia is available, the box will make it accesible on the go, so you can take movies with you when you commute, or access music from anywhere in your house (using 802.11b) w/o requiring a PC or a full blown device, just your PDA. SnapStream recognizes the potential of PDAs, and is offering PocketPVS so you can transcode video and play it back on your PPC.

HDTV might be the catalyst that pushes the HTPC out of obscurity, and that creates the borg box. With every US household having to replace their TV in the next few years, more will start to consider cheap HDTV PC Tuners, using existing big screen displays and/or large screen Monitors (and VGA compatible TVs).

What's being described here is is known as a HTPC: Home Theater PC. People are already building these, although setup and ease of use are still major issues.

For more information on setting up this type of device, go to the AV Science Forum and check out the Home Theater Computers forum.

As mentioned, you don't need the tivoNET to do what you want. I haven't done it, but I understand that you can hack the dialup so it uses a serial connection and rSync.

You do, however, have to get a bash prompt off the TiVo, which isn't rocket science.

For more info on this and other TiVo hacks, check out the BBS at TiVo Underground.

Good reading, and it'll also let you know how to add a second hard drive to your TiVo.

ReplayTV has a presence in the AVS Forum, so post any gripes/suggestions about the ReplayTV there.
------
James Hromadka

Yup. This thread mentions the (select - play - select - 3 - 0 - select) code for 1.3 units. It turns skip-to-live into a 30 second skip.

Speaking of this, does anyone know how to:
1. Make a skip-forward-15-seconds button (the only feature of ReplayTV I envy)?

There is supposedly a code to enable 30 second skip on versions of tivo software less than 2. Details here: http://www.avsforum.com/ubbtivo/Forum1/HTML/005540 .html it replaces the functionality of the "Advance" button

2. Make it so that when you press record mid-way through a show that you've been watching it doesn't discard what you've already watched?

That functionality will be in 2.0. But no one has yet discovered the code to enable 30-second-skip in 2.0...

TiVo rocks.

The backdoor for 30 second skip, I've never heard of. Is it mentioned on the TiVo underground?

Yes it is here.

With ReplayTV, your threats only really amount to 'If you do this, I'm never going to buy a ReplayTV unit again!' Frankly, this isn't really all that much of a threat to a company who already received your money.

On the other hand, the Tivo $10/month fee is key to their profitability. If you and 1,000 of your closest tivo-using friends (see below on the tivo forums) were to threaten to leave them due to a similar complaint, you'd probably be able to raise some eyebrows.

Now, this is a pretty interesting situation. While I've always been the first to criticize subscription software (which, essentially, this is - since you can't use Tivo w/o the listings [as of version 2.0 of their software]), it seems to me that we're actually receiving some leverage here - at least when we use the software as a group.

To see an excellent example of a group of software users coming together in a community, check out the AVS Tivo Forum, where a very good number of Tivo users congregate to speak with each other, and extraordinarily, Tivo representatives. This forum is a model of how a company should interact with their customers. They even rolled out a beta version of their latest software update to a significant number of forum users - giving them the opportunity to test their code on a large scale, and giving these users a chance to be the guinea pigs they desire to be :)

For the record, the Tivo sends back two files.

The first one is a debug logfile for the software. It contains the serial number, a bunch of good identifying info, but no viewing data or remote keypresses or anything like that.

The second file contains *only* viewing info and remote keypresses. It is time-stamped, but it has no serial number.

They are both sent back to an FTP server (in 1.3) or an HTTP server (in 2.0). The command to send them back in 2.0 includes the serial in the debug file send request, but not in the anonymous viewing data request. While it would be possible to sync them via http logfiles, it's not worth the trouble.

Face it, your individual viewing data is WORTHLESS. You're just not that important of a person. Viewing data is only worthwhile as an aggregate, despite what everyone seems to think.

Your viewing data combined with 150,000 other people's viewing data, sorted by region (zipcode is included), might have some value to it after all. Nobody cares that you watch ER, but they might care that Everybody in your zipcode watches ER. Or that everybody in your zipcode doesn't watch ER. They might try to increase advertising in that region because it does so poorly there. Or some other such thing. This is not an invasion of your privacy.

...

One more thing, while the data was sent unencrypted in 1.3, it definitely is encrypted in 2.0. Ever notice that the lights on the front of the tivo blink a few times just before the call? That's the Tivo accessing the crypto chip to encrypt the anonymous information and the debugging log.

"When you flip back and forth between the original and our encoded HDTV signal, you can barely tell the difference"

I work at a lab that does HDTV, and if you're flipping back and forth between HDTV and NTSC and you can't tell the difference, you're doing something wrong. In this case what you're doing wrong is lossy compressing the image stream until you've degraded it to NTSC quality. So you spent time and money to give me two essentially identical copies of the data. Yippee, great work guys. If this catches on, I can spend extra money on an HDTV set but still get the crappy quality of NTSC. Really, what would this be good for anyway? If NTSC quality is all you are getting, just use NTSC. Luckily, if this article is accurate the whole thing is just bogus hype from Los Alamos' PR weenies making claims that the inventor himself never even made.

Sorry, I'm new at this. The inventor has disavowed the press release. Look down the middle of this page. This is the original press release.

The inventor has disavowed the press release. Look down the middle of this page. This is the original press release.

Damn, this is a cool idea. I really wish this were true... but it screams " HOAX!!"

Understandable, but in this case the beta units have been in the hands of several of the most respected members of the AV Sciences Forum discussion group. This is a very high signal:noise group of home theater enthusiasts. They help each other out, party at trade shows, write excellent open-source software for video and other stuff. I'd have doubts too if these folks hadn't assured me that it is real, and works.

It's a hack, and a dammed clever one. Hopefully someone else will figure out how to interface the FireWire port this will add to the DTC-100 (and potentially any other HD reciever) to a FireWire card on a PC.

Doesn't look like it is from one of the big manufacters, i.e. sony.

this I think is going to be the start of a trend, people that make devices that intrest the "hacker" comunity due to some "hackability".

With things like the DMCA our only hope is going to be the guy in the garage that can get a blueprint to a manufacter in Asia making things like this that can be quikly altered. I bet you won't see sony making a HDTV recorder that uses any open standord connector i.e firewire

So pathetically true. The worst thing to ever happen to Sony was their purchase of Columbia/CBS. The vital Disney/Universal vs. Sony "Betamax" trial would have never happened if Sony had been in the movie business before. They are comprimised now. Panasonic made their DVHS recorder with a copy protection system, but the MPAA and it's thug Jack Valente pressured Panasonic to pull it from the market with the threat that MPAA member companies (all the big studios) would no longer buy Panasonic broadcast equipment.

They keep claiming this is about "copyright", but that is a lie. The 5C system the Panasonic DVHS had covered that perfectly well. This is about their desire to control what programs you can tape, how many time you can watch the tape, preventing you from fast-forwarding through the commercials (like the compulsary crap on DVDs) and preventing your from making copies.

Also, this is probably why Lucas is not releasing the Star Wars films on DVD. He wants to release it on this new DVHS system with horrible limitations, and per-viewing charges. Screw him and his greed.

This is DIVX all over again. Hollywood will not be happy until the "play" button is a "pay" button.

It generally performs very well. I use it for DVD (only in a secondary capacity, my regular DVD player is superior and I laugh at anyone who claims their PC's DVD player does a better job than a decent component DVD player

Any particular reason you do that? The folks who hang out at the AV Sciences Forum web site can easily afford stand-alone DVD players, and choose to build home theater PCs. I consult with a high-end audio-video dealership, I go to all the trade shows like CES and CEDIA and I can assure you - a good software DVD player in a well-assembled PC delivers a better picture than any stand-alone player currently on the market (there are some pieces in prototype form that may change that when they are released).

Use software player, like WinDVD 2000 or PowerDVD, through a GeForce2 MX video card & PowerStrip scaling the picture up to the "sweet spot" of a front projector. Run it at 72 or 96 or even 120 hz to multiply the 24 fps of a film-based DVD to avoid 3:2 pull-down artifacts.

Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I wouldn't use a stand-alone DVD player if you paid me.

"Poor bastards, they still measure in inches" - Sgt. Nick Penis

Visit the AV Sciences Forum, home for those of us who measure our monitors in feet!

For the most part you can't make a community, especially if youre a big company trying to build a fan community around yourself. Creating a forum usually gives your critics a high podium to shout from, without much of an interest in actual discourse.

There are notable exceptions (TiVo comes to mind), but a lot of companies (and other organizations) get the idea that if they build a room, it'll become a community.

The truth is the web is so much vacuum that creating an empty space by no means ensures it will be filled with content. True online communities don't have one single home. Slashdot members form a community, but Slashdot itself isn't the community. Bloggers form hundreds of tight-knit communities, but Blogger isn't a community, nore were they trying to be one when they started. All three of these sites tried to provide a great service, and the community grew organically.

TiVo's web board was just a quick addition to satisfy customer requests for a common area, and now it's flourishing grandly on its own. WebTV's community center is the same way.

Communities are emergent entities. You can't build them intentionally unless you realize that and create a product, service, or theme which inspires people to want to talk to others, not specifically to 'be part of a community,' but because they want to share at the more basic level.

Kevin Fox

http://www.audiogon.com
These guys will have you buying tube equipment before long, but they know their stuff.
http://www.avsforum.com
Home Theater buffs with a tremendous amount of knowledge.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com
Similar to the above, but it's a slightly different crowd. It's hard to explain.

I've learned a wealth of information from these sites. You'll find that these guys are all talking about spending a lot more than your budget on their hardware, but they are the guys you want to ask about a $1500 system, because they're the ones critical enough to sift the wheat from the chaff, even though they might not buy the system themselves. (Obviously I'm stereotyping here. Many of the people on the forums are as strapped for cash as the next guy.) For equipment reviews, www.audioreview.com is good, and so is www.etown.com. Audioreview seems to have a good quantity of reviews and etown has good quality reviews. For buying equipment, if you are looking for used stuff, look at audioreview and audiogon before going to ebay, and you'll like what you find. I prefer dealing with people who know what they're selling when possible.

Anyway, good luck, and welcome to the "club"!

David Fay

P.S. FYI, my current setup:

Sony 1272 CRT projector (92" x 52" 16:9 home-made screen)
PC with DVD-ROM drive, SBLive! (SPDIF out), and PowerDVD 2.55
Pioneer Elite receiver (older one, no DTS)
B&W Nautilus 804 mains
Dual SVS 20-39 subwoofers with the Fidek 600W amp

I need to get surrounds and a center, but so far things are sounding and looking good! HTPC (home theater PC) is definitely the way to go if you can. There's nothing like watching a DVD in 1280x720@72Hz resolution on a projector.

I would also recommend that you check out AVS Fourum. Its a great discussion group for home theatre.

Kent

the comparison chart listed it as available in version 2.0....

this thread on the TiVo forums discuss the dates as to when 2.0 will be out. appears i mis-posted that this was an available feature, but it does appear that it is on the horizon.

my apologies for the confusion.

its already been figured out how to upgrade the ReplayTV's primary drive (i.e. replacing it w/ a bigger one). no word yet on changing a secondary drive to a different size. check out These msg boards for more specifics.

While I certainly wouldn't knock the impressive nature of hacking an ISA NIC onto a proprietary bus, there have been a few articles recently on setting up a TiVo to connect to a Linux PPP server behind a cable modem or your broadband of choice, which isn't a difficult thing to accomplish. This was discussed recently discussed in a Slashdot article, and also make sure to check out the TiVo forum here. Lastly, be sure to check out LinuxToday, as there have been a few articles recently on this same topic.

http://www.avsforum.com/ub bti vo/Forum6/HTML/000241.html

-bgaz

TiVo hosts a forum for its users, and have helpfully provided a group for the 'TiVo Underground' (read TiVo hackers)
Checkout this thread, assuming you have some sort of net connection, and a computer at your house.

http://www.avsforum.com/ ubb tivo/Forum6/HTML/000398.html

HTH