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TiVoToGo for Portables Updated

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the more-like-sopranos-to-go dept.

fistfullast33l writes "In a followup to previous stories on Slashdot, IGN is reporting that TiVo has released a new version of TiVoToGo that now allows subscribers to transfer shows to portables such as the iPod, PSP, and Treo without the need for third-party software such as Videora. The upgrade costs $25 for current subscribers and includes the ability to transfer to desktop PCs as well. To recap, you can now transfer your TiVo shows to your laptop, desktop, and portable, as well as burn them to DVD. Time for me to subscribe to HBO."

7 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Live television on cell phones and wifi devices by totallygeek · · Score: 3, Informative

    FYI, there is a great service which can be used to view live television, called MobiTV.

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    Click here or here.
  2. Or I could do the whole thing for free... by demongeek · · Score: 3, Informative

    OR I could do the whole shebang for free

  3. Before you bitch about the fee... by Controlio · · Score: 4, Informative
    I know that I was a little disappointed at paying the additional money for this feature... but it boils down to codec licensing. Quoth the TiVoPony:

    The upgrade? While TiVo Desktop 2.3 is free (as always), and the automatic transferring of programs to the PC is also free, the ability to convert those recording for portables has a small cost. It's $24.95 to unlock that ability (there's stuff in there that we have to license, and we can't give that away to everyone for free). But it's a one time fee...you pay once, and you can convert your recordings for playback on your portable automatically, every time they're transfered.
  4. Resolution low + Tivo still allows broadcast flag by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Informative
    People are joking that they should alert the MPAA on this one. But, seriously, TivotoGo portable transfer seriously lowers the resolution of your recordings (you didn't expect to get that nice Mpeg-2 quality directly out of the Tivo did you?). And, of course, Tivo still allows networks to set the broadcast flag on shows to keep them from being transferred or burned to DVD at all (so far, mercifully, not many are apparently using this "feature").

    So TivotoGo is hardly everything it's cracked up to be (if you want true freedom, you'll still have to set up MythTV or a similar app). Adding portable support is a step in the right direction. And it is nice to be able to transfer recordings to DVD (but only using Tivo's special codec on the encrypted transferred files).

    -Eric

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    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  5. Re:ultimately a disappointment... by mark0 · · Score: 2, Informative

    All TiVos, except those with service numbers that begin with "1" have USB2.0 hardware. The bottleneck is the CPU. Additionally, the complaint in the grandparent post about not being able to convert on demand is crap. You can run the conversion utility on demand... you just have to take the time to look.

  6. Re:TiVO/Motorola == Apple/Microsoft by cryfreedomlove · · Score: 2, Informative

    Tivo is no where close to being the Apple of the set top industry. They are in danger of ceasing to exist because their annual revenue is still short of $200 million per year and they continue to burn their available cash on hand. They just do not have the capital needed to create the next great leap of innovation.

  7. Re:Tracking by Buran · · Score: 2, Informative

    restrictive DRM that forces me to used Windows or any particular device

    Considering the tool only runs on Windows, they've already managed to accomplish that.

    I'm a TiVo user (have lifetime sub on my box, actually, and 160GBx2 of drive space, and might get a Series 3; we'll see) but I'm also a Mac user, and every time there's a new update, it still doesn't have a Mac counterpart.

    Simply inexcusable.

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    i am a soviet space shuttle