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High-definition DVR file transfers now a reality! - Page 2

post #31 of 51
10/31/07 at 11:45am
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post #32 of 51
10/31/07 at 12:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by avdesignshouston View Post

If I transfer recorded programs from my TiVoHD to my HP Media Center and store them in my My Videos folder I am supposed to be able to play these programs with no problem while in MCE.

You can play them in Media Center.

I don't know whether they can be played from a Media Center Extender. That's a good question, though.
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post #33 of 51
10/31/07 at 12:46pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bicker1 View Post

There is no such thing as common sense. Let's talk about the "percentage of hard disk free" feature. Clearly what a lot of customers think is "common" sense is really just "consumer" sense, or more properly the sense of those specific customers.

It is "common sense" that the only way TiVo can support MRV with CCI 0x02 content is by moving it. That's what the current version of CableLabs' DFAST licensing agreement says.

Do you really believe that TiVo does not want to support MRV with CCI 0x02 content?
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post #34 of 51
10/31/07 at 1:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

You can play them in Media Center.

I don't know whether they can be played from a Media Center Extender. That's a good question, though.

If I get a chance, I will try it tonight. I have a feeling that the 360 will not like the file format.
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post #35 of 51
10/31/07 at 1:49pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by avdesignshouston View Post

If I get a chance, I will try it tonight. I have a feeling that the 360 will not like the file format.

Thanks, let us know how it works out. If it turns out that you can't stream .Tivo files directly to the Xbox360, there is a workaround.
  • Tivo Decoder GUI will take a .Tivo file and remove the wrapper, giving you the original MPG.

  • The AutoProcessor add-on for VideoRedo looks for .Tivo files in a folder you select and will automatically remove the Tivo wrapper and save the recording as a .MPG or .TS to any folder you choose. It can also be set to automatically remove commercials from the MPG and delete the original .Tivo file.
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post #36 of 51
10/31/07 at 3:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

Thanks, let us know how it works out. If it turns out that you can't stream .Tivo files directly to the Xbox360, there is a workaround.
  • Tivo Decoder GUI will take a .Tivo file and remove the wrapper, giving you the original MPG.

  • The AutoProcessor add-on for VideoRedo looks for .Tivo files in a folder you select and will automatically remove the Tivo wrapper and save the recording as a .MPG or .TS to any folder you choose. It can also be set to automatically remove commercials from the MPG and delete the original .Tivo file.

Guess I was too subtle with my last post.
You can also extract your recordings in .ts directly with s3tots if you've hacked your box.
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post #37 of 51
10/31/07 at 4:58pm
Okay, I'm really listening now. It's getting really old to be paying for two Comcast DVRs and having to record many shows on both of them for not knowing what room we're going to be in when we watch them. At least with TTG it looks like I'll be able to get full use out of both DVRs I'm paying for.

Also, it seems like this new software will be much more versatile than relying on firewire "capturing" from the Comcast box.

What are the downsides to this? Perhaps MRV won't work with CCI=0x02 flagged programs?
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post #38 of 51
11/1/07 at 3:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

It is "common sense" that the only way TiVo can support MRV with CCI 0x02 content is by moving it.

I believe you and I share that bit of logic, so it is common between us. What is not common sense is the implication that TiVo will provide that capability, anytime soon, if ever.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

Do you really believe that TiVo does not want to support MRV with CCI 0x02 content?

I believe they have already addressed CCI 0x02 content the way they intended to.
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post #39 of 51
11/1/07 at 4:30am
AIUI Cablecard recordings made in Media Center CAN be streamed to a Media Center Extender, but not played on other PCs? Not sure if this will apply to Tivo recordings but it might if the same logic is followed.

I think that the Media Center Extender (like the 360 and the new models coming to market) is deemed more secure - as it is a "sealed box" rather than a PC?
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post #40 of 51
11/1/07 at 7:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfdtv View Post

...The only way to display CCI=0x02 content on anything except the source device is to move it. The CableLabs' DFAST licensing agreement doesn't permit anything else, so there are no alternatives.

Well, technically "moving" also involves making a copy. The caveat is that the copy of CCI=0x02 content can only go to a device that honors and preserves its limitations, such as a DVHS recorder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bicker1 View Post

I believe you and I share that bit of logic, so it is common between us. What is not common sense is the implication that TiVo will provide that capability, anytime soon, if ever.

I believe they have already addressed CCI 0x02 content the way they intended to.

This would be my take as well. I believe the better way to resolve the problem with CCI 0x02 flagged content is at the root - where it's embedded in the first place - rather than trying to circumvent it via software. The software route spells "lawsuit" in capital letters.
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post #41 of 51
11/1/07 at 9:40am
I transferred some recorded programs to my Media Center PC and tried to play them last night through Media Center and everytime I clicked on the program, it crashed Media Center.
I have had a few problems lately with my Media Center PC. The DVD drive and tuner dont work as of late and HP's solution is to reload Windows. I'm going to try that this weekend and hopefully test everything.
Having the TiVo, Media Center PC and a XBOX360 should create a nicely networked system in 3 rooms of my house. I will have the TiVo running to my bedroom system via HDMI and to my baby's room via component. The Media Center is also distributed to both rooms. My living room has the XBOX360 where I can access Media Center (as an extender) and transferred (commercial edited) TiVo programs.
Sorry, I know I'm rambling, and no one really cares about my system, but...
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post #42 of 51
11/22/07 at 8:15pm
Just got the S3 and love it!
I tried TiVoDecodeManager and some (apparently the non-protected) shows come up. At first it would download an episode, but couldn't be opened by QuickTime - only VLC Player, which doesn't do any good. After awhile, it would go to 0:06 of the download and keep crapping out. Episodes lack the details on the right sidebar. Tried it on another clean account and it's the same.
I tried using https:IPaddress, then "tivo" for user and the Media Access key for password. I can see a good list of the recordings, but when I download, I get a .TiVo file of 7+ GB, which can't be played by anything, including VLC, which keeps returning different error messages. Tried changing the extension to mp4 to no avail.
So, to make transfers work on a Mac, am I stuck with Toast 8? If so, will it produce an mpeg file I can edit?
Thanks.
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post #43 of 51
11/22/07 at 11:21pm
Thread Starter 
dtruett,

MP4 is the extension used for MPEG-4 files. Broadcasters and cable providers use the MPEG-2 (MPG) format. Apple does not include MPEG-2 support with OSX because that would cost them an extra 50 cents per copy in licensing fees.

Quicktime can play MPEG-2 files with an add-on. Apple charges $20 extra for that -- it's called the Apple Quicktime MPEG-2 Playback Component. Just be aware that Quicktime still won't decode DD5.1 audio (even with that add-on).

A quick search on TivoCommunity shows that VLC isn't the most reliable software for viewing TiVo recordings on a Mac. Roxio Toast Titanium v8.03 and Popcorn v3.02 seem to be the best means of playing TiVo files on the Mac. Those programs allow you to create DVDs and convert the files for use with your portable video player, but neither allows you to edit the video.

So how do you edit the video? From the MRV/TTG/TTCB FAQ:

Quote:


How do I remove commercials from my TiVo recordings?

On the Mac, no applications exist to automatically remove commercials from a recording. However, if you already have the Apple Quicktime MPEG-2 Playback Component ($20) installed, you can use MPEG Streamclip for OSX (free) to manually remove commercials on recordings you've downloaded with TiVo Decode Manager. Once you've marked the commercials for removal as explained in the Streamclip Guide (Help menu), set the Audio Mode to "Surround", and click "Save As" to save the edited file in MPEG format. Credit for this bit goes to member hearncl.

On Windows, several different programs exist to automatically remove commercials from a recording. By far the easiest and most popular program for this task is VideoRedo (14-day trial, $50 to buy). With VideoRedo, you open the TiVo recording, select "Start Ad-Detective Scan" to automatically detect and mark the commercials for deletion, and then click "save" to save the recording with commercials removed (screenshot).

[snip]

If you just want to convert videos for your portable video player, you might want to try VisualHub. Many prefer that to Roxio Popcorn. VisualHub will also convert files to MP4 so they can be edited with iMovie, etc, although be aware that MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion can be quite time-consuming. VisualHub does let you queue up as many conversions as you want, so it will continue working while you are asleep / at work.

If you're looking for free software to convert the MPEG-2 recordings to MPEG-4, then take a look at Handbrake for OSX. It's more complicated than VisualHub, but it is free.
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post #44 of 51
11/24/07 at 10:28am
Thank you for your reply. Interestingly enough, I read it in Mail.app and didn't scroll down to the bottom part about editing. I ended up at the same place on my own.
I've used Handbrake and VisualHub for some time. When I downloaded shows using the IP interface, neither would convert the .TiVo file, although VH gave it a good try.
The workflow I found that works is to use TiVoDecodeManager to download the MPEG-2 file (it just won't use either of the two options below to save as MPEG-4). When I take that mp2 file and drag it into VH, I get a nice conversion. Yes the conversion takes a while, but I can download from TDM while I'm at work and convert to MPEG-4 when I'm asleep. At least I can get to the result I need. Thanks for taking the time to answer me.
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post #45 of 51
11/26/07 at 8:35am
I hope I don't upset anyone by asking these questions... I stumbled into this thread and was amazed at what I think I am reading....

Am I reading that TiVo has a DVR that allows you to move recorded HD shows/movies from their DVR to the PC so I can watch them from my media extenders and more importantly not loose them should the DVR HD go bad or I upgrade?

Will this work with DirecTV? Sorry to sound newbieish but I honestly didn't know this was possible.

Viro
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post #46 of 51
11/26/07 at 9:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Viro View Post

I hope I don't upset anyone by asking these questions... I stumbled into this thread and was amazed at what I think I am reading....

Am I reading that TiVo has a DVR that allows you to move recorded HD shows/movies from their DVR to the PC so I can watch them from my media extenders and more importantly not loose them should the DVR HD go bad or I upgrade?

Can't answer the above questions perfectly - but :

Tivo have HD DVRs with two OTA and two Cable tuners (with cablecard support). The Series 3 requires a cablecard per tuner, whilst the Tivo HD will also allow a single multistream cablecard to be used I believe.

Tivos can be networked and transfer recordings between each other and a PC or Mac I believe. Not clear whether the recordings will play on a Media Center Extender, but they do play within Media Center AIUI.

Quote:



Will this work with DirecTV? Sorry to sound newbieish but I honestly didn't know this was possible.

Viro

AIUI the Tivo Series 3 and Tivo HD units are really aimed at HD Cable or OTA viewing. The DirecTivo, no longer supplied, doesn't support networking and multiroom AIUI.

So I think the answer is no to DirecTV and multi-room TV in HD - though a Series 2 Tivo could presumably be connected to an SD output from a DirecTV receiver and control it via IR blaster...
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post #47 of 51
11/26/07 at 9:30am
Thanks for the info. and the fast reply.

Viro
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post #48 of 51
11/28/07 at 10:35am
How hard would it be to transfer my recorded shows to my iPod? I'm guessing based on everything stated above, that its definitely possible...but the real question I'm asking is, will it take a ridiculous amount of steps and extra software programs? Or for example, is it conceivable, that I can have show record on my dvr, automatically be copied to my mac or pc, and then the files queued up and automatically converted as necessary so I can just import them into iTunes and download to my iPod for later viewing?
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post #49 of 51
11/28/07 at 10:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by belsokar View Post

How hard would it be to transfer my recorded shows to my iPod? I'm guessing based on everything stated above, that its definitely possible...but the real question I'm asking is, will it take a ridiculous amount of steps and extra software programs? Or for example, is it conceivable, that I can have show record on my dvr, automatically be copied to my mac or pc, and then the files queued up and automatically converted as necessary so I can just import them into iTunes and download to my iPod for later viewing?

TiVo Desktop Plus for Windows ($25) will automatically convert the recordings for the iPod as they are downloaded.


TiVo Desktop Preferences

TiVo Desktop is the same program pictured in the second and third screenshots on the previous page. The standard version of TiVo Desktop to download recordings is free, but you need the $25 Plus version (same program with a license key) to enable the automatic conversion for the iPod and other portable video players.

If you have Mac, you will need Roxio Popcorn3 (which also converts files for your iPod as the recordings download) or a program like VisualHub.
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post #50 of 51
11/28/07 at 10:59am
that is great to know! very exciting stuff...I'm a Directv user right now, hopefully tivo comes back to Directv in the future...if not, I have Fios, so I can always get the TVHD with fios...

one follow-up question, if I have all files converted for use with my iPod...do I still retain the original copy, in case I want to transfer it back to one of my tivo boxes for viewing on a tv?
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post #51 of 51
11/30/07 at 9:46am
Do these files expire, or are limited after a certain amount of time in any way? This all seems like too good of a feature. I would use this a ton. Outside of the copy-protected limitation, I must be missing something, or else I'm buying a TivoHD tomorrow.
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