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.

Comments

ReplayTV has a java based program for extracting..

[Scyber]

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.

Re:Series 2?

[jspayne]

Will this not work with the Series 2?

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

Re:How about upgrading TiVo with a Mac?

[Battal Boy]

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.

Formac StudioDV/TV

[Anonymous Coward]

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).

if anyone has a replayTV

[zephc]

and OSX (or windows or linux) I suggest getting the command line program replayPC.

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 /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.

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?)