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Will New Apps Keep TiVo Afloat?

Posted by timothy on from the what-else-floats-in-water dept.

Dave Zatz writes "Tivo, struggling to keep customers and inch towards profitability as execs step down, has continued to shift focus from pure PVR functionality towards digital convergence. Tivo's recently released Home Media Engine SDK extends Tivo's capabilities as developers churn early Java apps out, including the eBay-developed BuyItNow and the independent Airport Express AirTunes remote control. The recently released Tivo To Go allows PC users to transfer shows to their computers for viewing, editing, and burning shows. Mac users aren't entirely forgotten - a hidden feature in the OSX Tivo Desktop 1.9 provides AAC music playback through the television."

3 of 240 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Tivo To Go brings more harm? by snuf23 · · Score: 4, Informative

    There are methods you can use to strip out the DRM from the .tivo files:

    TiVo To Go MPEG2 Decrypting

    This is one method, there are a few others.

    --
    Sometimes my arms bend back.
  2. Re:Tivo To Go brings more harm? by topham · · Score: 4, Informative

    Right now Tivo is restricted to 10baseT speeds because it maxes out the USB 1.1.
    (WiFi takes a hit too, even though it theoretically is faster than 10baseT).

    Many of the Series2 Tivo's have a USB 2.0 capable chipset, I understand the drivers aren't there yet, but they have supposedly added some of the capability into the latest version of the OS, over the next while I expect they will be providing driver updates to support USB 2.0 based ethernet.

    This should improve the transfer rates, hopefully they throttled them because of issues with USB 1.1. (or they maxed it out).

  3. Don't tell me the bus already left... by teknikl · · Score: 4, Informative

    I just bought this damn box. I put a Linksys 10/100TX usb adapter on it - the files (900 MB for 30mins) come to my machine at 400 KB/sec. (yeah thats bytes) We have a 250 gig hard drive in there for good measure. At the moment I've got 49 spongebob episodes and a crapload of other stuff.

    TIVO 2 GO works great if you dont use the software - or if you do even. Want to do it by hand? Go to:

    https://[youttivoipaddr]/
    username:tivo
    passwo rd:yourmediaaccesskey

    DL all the files you want from your 'now playing list'. As for DRM - well... tmpeg makes a nice VDC of it - and virtualdub has no problem manhandling the files either.

    And sorry but I'd disagree with the statement 'everyone has one already'. I know LOTS of folks who just don't - you do too if you'd look outside your geek bubble.

    Could I have hacked this together myself? You bet. Am I too damn lazy? Well now ...