[Drbuzzo]

Yes yes, I know that it's horrible to go ask simple questions on a forum without first looking. But I did look at I looked at the Tivo series 3 thread, which I might point out is over 100 pages long.


I'm so tired of the bs from comcast I've decided to ditch their equipment and go buy a Tivo series 3. But there are a few questions I have (this being my first Tivo) and want to make sure I understand. I have found conflicting answers and some which I think might not apply to the series3.


1. If I get a second tivo in the futute, could I put them together and "slave" one to the other effectively producing a four-tuner tivo?


2. Can recordings be transfered to a PC and then easily transcoded and such into standard divx avi or other formats like could be done with the series 2? And if so, can this be done with HD?


3. If you can transfer files to the computer what are the DRM restrictions and is there a way around them? I mean, hypothetically, if I got the written permission of the network and the equipment manufactures and had all 9 suppreme court justices say it was okay, then could it hypothetically be sidestepped?




Yeah I know, simple questions, but finding the answer is a hell of a lot harder than you might think. I've found a lot of threads/posts/topics here and elsewhere with conflicting answers or answers which don't give hypothetical hacks or whatever.


If someone would be so kind as to help out here I'd so greatly appreciate it!

 

[bfdtv]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Drbuzzo /forum/post/12930484


1. If I get a second tivo in the futute, could I put them together and "slave" one to the other effectively producing a four-tuner tivo?

TiVo does not support "cooperative scheduling." However, you can view SD and HD recordings stored on another TiVo. You can also pause a HD recording in one room and resume it in another.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drbuzzo /forum/post/12930484


2. Can recordings be transfered to a PC and then easily transcoded and such into standard divx avi or other formats like could be done with the series 2? And if so, can this be done with HD?

Recordings can be downloaded to a PC so long as they are not copy-protected with the CCI=x02 bit. Federal law does not allow cable providers to copy-protect local channels. Copy-protection on cable channels varies by provider; some providers like Verizon FiOS copy-protect nothing, some like Comcast typically protect just the premiums (like HBO, SHO, etc), and some providers like Cox often protect every cable channel.


There are two other forms of copy protection typically used to restrict Firewire output on Motorola and Scientific Atlanta boxes, but TiVo ignores those. For example, TiVo ignores the broadcast flag.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drbuzzo /forum/post/12930484


3. If you can transfer files to the computer what are the DRM restrictions and is there a way around them? I mean, hypothetically, if I got the written permission of the network and the equipment manufactures and had all 9 suppreme court justices say it was okay, then could it hypothetically be sidestepped?

The SD and HD MPGs downloaded from the TiVo reside within in an encrypted TiVo wrapper. Several video editing and DVD applications also directly support these .Tivo files. There are several free utilities to remove the wrapper and give you the original .MPG.

Creating DVDs with TiVoToGo: Three Easy Steps

1. Automatically download recordings to PC in MPEG2 format with Dolby Digital 5.1.
   
   
   Alternatively, you can use a web browser as seen here .
   
   
2. Automatically remove commercials using VideoRedo TVSuite.
   
   
   Red areas are deleted commercials. Note the "Create DVD" button at the bottom right.
   
   
3. Burn commercial-free to DVD with Dolby Digital 5.1.
   
   

I like this approach because quality is 100% identical to the original broadcast on SD recordings, and much better on HD recordings. You also preserve the original Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack.


You can also click "Save As.." (see second picture) to save the commercial-free HDTV recording as a MPG file.