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Getting Programming Guide Data into TiVo Series 2 Units?

Posted by Cliff on from the features-people-want dept.

An Anonymous Coward asks: "The new (Series2) TiVos have been substantially hardened from prior versions, but, it looks like it might be easier to get foreign program schedules into the TiVo than ever before. The newest units support APG, Advanced Program Guide (tm). This is a program guide being sent via the satellite broadcasts to DirectTV receivers. I'm trying to determine if this is a standard (by a different name) and the precise interactions necessary to submit this data to the TiVo. Basically, I want to emulate a satellite receiver sufficiently enough to submit new programming guide data to the TiVo. What I need to do this are sample data streams from a DirecTV satellite receiver to a TiVo, or similar device. Once this is done and working it will be possible to supply any Series 2 TiVo with program guide data for any region in the world (if such a schedule can be obtained). Note that this should not require breaking TiVo's subscription model."

3 of 19 comments (clear)

  1. APG doesn't seem to be a std by costas · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... or a format for that matter. I Googled extensively for it and it's just seems to be a TM for DirecTV's program guide. Where's the format information, if it exists?

    I am very iterested in doing this too (for Greece), with any PVR (Replay would be welcome as well). What's the friendliest PVR unit for a country hack?

  2. TiVo Community by MattCohn.com · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The TiVo Community has lots of technical people all working on everything TiVo. It was fetured on Slashdot a little while ago on the story "Distributed TiVo Code Cracking".

  3. Re:I submitted the story by topham · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Buying a product in the U.S. and importing it to Canada is perfectly legal.

    Hell, you guys tons of Canadian stuff... (oil & gas, lumber, etc, etc...)

    I won't get into the legal issues surrounding satellite reception in Canada with American equipment. I disagree with the current intepretation of the law, but I don't have a directv system and if I did I wouldn't have a problem using the Tivo, it would just 'work'. (it would get the APG guide data and it would call (a local number) to confirm the subscription to tivo.

    (Yes, the unit calls a local number, it seems they don't filter out area codes they don't support. I was amused. )