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TiVo Video Extraction with Mac OS X
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.
http://dvarchive.sf.net Only for the newer models with built in ethernet. 2.0 should be released soon (next week) which will add some new features.
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?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.?
They mean a network card on the TiVo, not the Mac.
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It is possible. VersionTracker has a freeware utility for formatting and blessing a Tivo drive on Mac OS X, if you want to upgrade your Tivo drive(s). Also almost all tutorials for doing such things on LINUX will work for OS X as well, as they use the"dd" utility.
Also check out TiVoFerkey, an interesting remote Tivo interface for controlling Tivo from your Mac.
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My friend, Joe, kindly posted a mirror for this site in case it becomes unreachable...
Formac has a device that will turn your Mac into a TiVo-equivalent. It's pricey, $399. Here's the product description from their website:
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).
and OSX (or windows or linux) I suggest getting the command line program replayPC.
/Video directory, and is named by the timestamp (though doing an 'ls' via httpfs lets you view the date in human readable form, so u can guess which show is which.
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?)
"I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
I have upgraded my Series 1 with MacTivo (http://www.weaknees.com/mactivo.html). Unbelieveably easy. Plugged the HD into the G4, ran MacTivo(30sec.), put the HD in the Tivo, all done!
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2129912,00. html
The digital video recorder company will no longer manufacture new devices for the UK, but will continue to support existing customers.
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