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TiVo to Support Video Transfer to iPod

AidenShaw said:
Agreed....

But this whole article is about watching TV on an iPod - and my phone has a larger QVGA screen than the iPod.

i730mid.gif
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I'm sure we can agree that this is as much about watching TV on portable devices as it is about being able to transport your TV shows to whatever computer or TV you want to watch it on.
 
I guess it's pretty cool, but since the tivo doesn't work with OS X (and since I don't have a video iPod) it's not gonna change my life.

At home we have a cable company DVR, and it may not be as great an interface but it gets the job done for practically free. The expensive subscription (sure, 14 bucks doesn't seem like much but when barely have enough money to pay rent it's a huge luxury) just isn't worth it, and if I had the money I would definitely buy an eyeTV instead.
 
Coming to Mac in Mid to Late 2006

According to Mac Observer, who apparently contacted TiVo when this story was released:

http://www.macobserver.com/article/2005/11/21.8.shtml

TiVo announced a new version of its TiVoToGo service on Monday, but it won't support the Mac. The Mac Observer contacted representatives at TiVo who confirmed the information. TiVo plans on adding Mac support in mid to late 2006.

The new TiVoToGo service will roll out some time in early 2006, and will let Windows users download programs recorded on their TiVo to an iPod or Sony PSP. A trial run with select TiVo users is scheduled to begin shortly.

TiVo has claimed that it is working on a Mac version of the TiVoToGo service for some time, and this would be a perfect time to introduce it. Unfortunately, Mac users will have to continue to wait until later in the year.​
 
radiskull said:
Actually, you can use a network connection for the initial setup. You have to put in a special prefix before the phone number. I've needed to do it and it worked.
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I called TiVo and they told me that the drivers needed for network connections did not come with the software version that came with the TiVo. I use a code now to force the TiVo to use the LAN connection.
 
greenstork said:
To me, the pay per episode model seems shabby compared to the TiVo model and if an Apple fanatic like me think there are better tools out there than the iTVS for getting my favorite television, then Apple is in trouble. For success, Apple needs all of its fanboys and more with the competition it will soon face.
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What you say is mostly true:

1) ITVS @ $1.99 per show (no commercials, fast(er) download)

vs

2) Tivo2Go @ $0 per show (commercials slow(er) download).

assuming... assuming... that the same content is available from both sources.

And, there's the difference:

Tivo2Go will, likely, always have the advantage of currently available content (this week/month/year's TV Programs and Reruns).

But there is a pile of content that is not currently being televised!

What if someone wants to buy/show, on demand: Ally McBeal, Milton Berle, SNL with Chevy Chase, SuperBowl III, the Hitchcock "Leg of Lamb" episode, Jean Shepherd's tribute to "Beer"... yadda, yadda, yadda.

This stuff exists!

Some people (me included) want to buy this stuff!

I don't think the current business model for TV programming can justify broadcasting these: 1) to make money; and 2) satisfy a the (relatively) small demand.

But, take this content, convert it to digital (when necessary) and offer it for sale/download/streaming on the web... all it takes is some server space & bandwidth!

This is where I think the iTVS will succeed: by offering something, that you just can't get anywhere else, at any price!

Dick
 
greenstork said:
According to Mac Observer, who apparently contacted TiVo when this story was released:

http://www.macobserver.com/article/2005/11/21.8.shtml

TiVo plans on adding Mac support in mid to late 2006.​
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is it really that hard to create a frontend for your tivo for os x? i think tivo is stalling until apple makes a play towards "something" whether it be a small step like opening up some source/SDK, etc or a bigger play like making an investment. when apple shells out $1.25B for flash memory, i question why they haven't made a stronger move on another hardware entity.
 
Hmmm.. it came down from above in TiVo a while back that they had dropped plans on bringing TiVoToGo to the Mac.

From the dailypensylvanian.com

However, the overlap of users of Apple and TiVo has not been enough to strike any chemistry between the companies.

"We haven't committed to any plans [for integration] to it because of the cost," Courtney said.

He added that being able to watch media on Apple computers using TiVo seems unlikely "unless we find a way to record it under the current platform, and I don't think that will happen in the next few years."
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I guess not commiting to finish the product and dropping plans are different things. But this still seems like a kick in the pants to me. Even if it is from April 05. And things change, I guess.
 
This is awesome because we just switched to DirecTV and they use TiVo for the DVR capabilities. So I guess that's what the USB ports on the back of the unit are used for? Or can a keyboard also be connected?

Either way, this will be pretty sweet. Let's just hope the transfer rate isn't painfully slow.
 
p0intblank said:
Either way, this will be pretty sweet. Let's just hope the transfer rate isn't painfully slow.
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The current hardware on a TiVo only supports USB 1.1, AFAIK. You won't be transfering to your viPod from there. You'll be transfering it to your PC and then to your viPod.
 
I'm not a sue happy person, but I genuinely feel duped by TiVo. I'd definitely sign on to a class-action. I was an early adopter of the TiVo and, based on their support for Macintosh, an early purchaser of the Home Media option. Shortly after I bought the latter, they basically abandoned Mac (it appears to be working in Tiger these days but I'm not sure how or why it wasn't working originally - and I still can't play my AAC files so 1/3 of my music collection is inaccessible).

I feel duped and want my $200 back. I'll put it towards a Mac Mini so I can dedicate a machine to recording and be done with it.
 
Some Cable boxes already allow this

With the program iRecord and a firewire cable hooked up to your Cable box you should be able to record your own shows and do with them what you want. Of course your results will vary depending on the type of Cable box you have, but it will cost nothing to find out if yours works since iRecord is free.
 
Just the other day i was thinking of getting tivo but i want the functionality to put it ony computer? is their a way to do it on a mac?

i think its funny that the ipod is made from apple yet we can't use this new service...
 
Software problem!!

Tivo doesn't support Mac and I am willing to bet that this will PISS off the motion picture companies/and TV guys that Apple will have a much more difficult time dealing with them for a "iMovie Store" and perhaps not at all. Especially if online downloading starts. Perhaps Apple will then come back with some firmware update that kills the files. Who knows...But I read this as bad news for any future Apple service.

Also you can bet the software WON'T run on OS X.

:mad:
 
grapes911 said:
I called TiVo and they told me that the drivers needed for network connections did not come with the software version that came with the TiVo. I use a code now to force the TiVo to use the LAN connection.
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OK, if we are talking about the same thing, the dialing prefix ,#401 plus a phone number will allow you to go through the initial setup using a LAN.
 
BornAgainMac said:
Tivo requires a initial connection using a phone line.
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Not anymore!!! No more prefixes needed. The latest software asks (during setup) if you want to use telephone or broadband connection to the TiVo service.
 
p0intblank said:
This is awesome because we just switched to DirecTV and they use TiVo for the DVR capabilities. So I guess that's what the USB ports on the back of the unit are used for? Or can a keyboard also be connected?

Either way, this will be pretty sweet. Let's just hope the transfer rate isn't painfully slow.
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Not quite. The DirecTV units do not and will not support video extraction. Hack it, hack it, hack it! Hacked DirecTV receivers ROCK :)
 
LordJohnWhorfin said:
Not quite. The DirecTV units do not and will not support video extraction. Hack it, hack it, hack it! Hacked DirecTV receivers ROCK :)
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Oh well... at least Bit Torrent will never let me down. :D
 
bigjohn said:
is it really that hard to create a frontend for your tivo for os x?
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The problem is simple: TiVo used a DRM scheme that only has Windows support for playback. It looks like they've given up on trying to implement a Mac solution for decrypting the shows (after "working hard" on it for nearly a year, according to the TiVo web site FAQ), and are now going to use this "watermark" scheme instead.
 
yellow said:
The current hardware on a TiVo only supports USB 1.1, AFAIK.
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The hardware is 2.0-capable, and has been for years. However, the supplied drivers only use the 1.1 abilities. (There are hacks which install a USB 2.0 driver.)
 
People please do not forget the most important issue here - You need a Tivo AND a 5G ipod!...My guess is not too many people have both. First off, Tivo is terrible (I know because I ((had)) one). You can only record one show at a time, it's slow changing channels, and cost 13$ bucks a month!!!

DVRs are cheaper (mine were free with Dish Network) and can record 2 items at once.

The question is not how well will this service work, but how does Tivo plan on staying in business? What they should do is stop making hardware and license out their software (minus the annoying blleeeeppp sound).
 
joemama said:
People please do not forget the most important issue here - You need a Tivo AND a 5G ipod!...My guess is not too many people have both. First off, Tivo is terrible (I know because I ((had)) one). You can only record one show at a time, it's slow changing channels, and cost 13$ bucks a month!!!

DVRs are cheaper (mine were free with Dish Network) and can record 2 items at once.

The question is not how well will this service work, but how does Tivo plan on staying in business? What they should do is stop making hardware and license out their software (minus the annoying blleeeeppp sound).
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Not all TiVo set-top boxes are created equal, there are probably 100 different kinds, or more.

Your example is analogous to saying that all DVDs suck because your DVD player sucked.

I have a 250GB TiVo unit that records two things at once and has great quality and I only pay $6 per month for the service. The season pass feature is excellent and I've never considered the program guide to be slow. I have however, had a crappy TiVo box so I do know where you are coming from, but with my current setup, it's just great.
 
greenstork said:
Not all TiVo set-top boxes are created equal, there are probably 100 different kinds, or more.

Your example is analogous to saying that all DVDs suck because your DVD player sucked.

I have a 250GB TiVo unit that records two things at once and has great quality and I only pay $6 per month for the service. The season pass feature is excellent and I've never considered the program guide to be slow. I have however, had a crappy TiVo box so I do know where you are coming from, but with my current setup, it's just great.
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Were both 'TiVo' brand? On tivo's website they only show 3 models.
And tivo only has one monthly fee , for $12.95 a month (or a one time fee of $299).

Sounds like your new TiVo box isn't really a TiVo.
 
AidenShaw said:
You could buy a PC Mini for about $500 - this would be a good way to see if you want to switch without risking a big investment
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Switch from a Mac to a PeeCee? :eek: :mad:
 
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