tivo 2 go for mac

[konakahuna]

i'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but for more than a year i've waited for TIVO to keep the promise it made to mac users when it delivered tivo 2 go software for windows...and we're still waiting.

c'mon TIVO. get the software out of alpha and out the door!

[j2w2]

TiVo, BRING IT! We are tired of waiting, and while you're at it, hurry up with what will hopefully be the Series 3 Software for the Comcast HD DVRs WITH Mac support as well. Come out swinging and make the same impact you did when you first released. I've been nice enough to pay for your service while I 'wait' for you to come out with decent HD and 5.1 support even though I haven't touched my TiVo(s) in about a year. Don't let all those like myself down.

"DO IT"

[dubious]

I quite agree. Its been too long. I'm ready to jump ship!

[rockhome]

from Tivo News #77 :

"(Confidential to my Mac buddies: I know, I know. But this announcement, while still PC-specific, bodes very well. Hang in there—we are targeting mid-2006 for Mac support for TivoToGo™!)"

[homertime]

I'll beat the dead horse too...


WE PAY THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY PER MONTH THEN PC USERS DO!!! We don't deserve to be penalized for having different (but superior) operating systems. If a feature is available for personal computing, it should be available concurrently for ALL COMMON operating systems, or not available at all.


With that said, please be sure that development occurs on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. We know there's alpha development out there somewhere... please get on the ball and get this too us quickly!

Just think of all the publicity Tivo can get for having amazing compatibility with not just macs but IPODS!!!!! With that in mind, it would have seemed that Tivo would have worked more diligently with Apple.



I also find it amusing that almost every picture that Tivo has of a "laptop" is a Powerbook... again very amusing given the circumstances.

Again we appreciate your effort, but are disappointed about waiting.

[megazone]

WE PAY THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY PER MONTH THEN PC USERS DO!!! We don't deserve to be penalized for having different (but superior) operating systems. If a feature is available for personal computing, it should be available concurrently for ALL COMMON operating systems, or not available at all.Big deal. You pay the same as Windows users - and Linux users, and FreeBSD users, etc. That means nothing. The fact is that resources are finite and TiVo has far more Windows users as customers than Mac users. And apparently Microsoft has made it easy, while Apple hasn't been helpful. So it makes sense that Windows is addressed first.

With that in mind, it would have seemed that Tivo would have worked more diligently with Apple.All reports are that TiVo tried for months to work with Apple, and it is Apple that cold-shouldered them. Which makes sense - Apple is all about being a closed system. They sell videos via iTunes, they won't license FairPlay to allow iTunes content to be used on other devices, or for purchased content to be played through devices like TiVo. Apple doesn't seem interested in helping anyone else supply content for the iPod. That's competition - and the iPod is certainly selling well enough without needing help from other content sources like TiVo.

[konakahuna]

the only thing is...mac is the #2 desktop OS. it's hardly like we're asking for an amiga version, or an IRIX version.....

there are more windows users than mac users so tivo put windows users first. i understand that and it isn't the problem. the problem is that we're more than a year past the initial rollout date and they haven't made good on a promise they themselves made to deliver a mac version of the software.

personally, i don't believe this delay has anything to do with difficulty. i don't believe that microsoft made the process of creative tivo2go software easier. if anything, the enormous variety of 3rd party hardware and software should make compatibility harder than with the mac that only uses a single type of hardware. i believe it's simply a matter of priority. mac users aren't a driving priority, so we're left to eat static.

i guarantee you that if windows users, who are used to getting priority in matters of software, were left in limbo this long there would be just as much frustration and gnashing of teeth.

[megazone]

TiVo has posted in the past explaining some of the difficulty, as have other programmers who have worked with both platforms. I've had conversations with some folks from TiVo myself.

There are known problems with Apple's MPEG2 support which cause problems for TiVo recording playback. It appears that TiVo tried to work with Apple but eventually gave up and started going it alone. At CES the alpha software appeard to be using VLC for playback instead of Apple's software, possibly to avoid the problems.

As for the platforms - that's a red herring. The TiVo application is high level. The differences in hardware don't matter, they aren't writing device drivers or OS level code. It is all high level code that uses existing interfaces. Playback on Windows just uses Windows Media Player. The only vital piece from TiVo is the filter DLL that does the decryption, which makes it very simple.

[homertime]

Mega - you've got some great responses and I respect them greatly... but here's my problem:

I don't see it as an Apple not working with Tivo type deal... There are SO MANY independent developers that have written programs far superior to things like Tivo to Go, that I find it humorous that they can't complete their Tivo Desktop for Mac.

In reality, with all the copyright mumbo jumbo, we all know how easy it is to convert any file to whatever format we want, so getting stuck with MPEG2 isn't an excuse I tend to accept.

At least if they're not going to get on the ball with Tivo Desktop for Mac, they should at least have some sort of Tivo to iPod - After all there are 2 USB ports in the back.

I understand as a Mac user that programs don't come out as fast as they do with PC's... and I'm ok with that. My issue is that I'm paying Tivo for a service, and one of the many services I'm paying for isn't compatible with my computer, which just isn't fair. I am an XM subscriber and XM supports live streaming of their audio across platforms, there's no reason why other subscription services that offer computing solutions shouldn't as well.


At least if I can't have access to it via a "tivo desktop" I should be able to have access to the hard drive some other way for manual uploading to any computer. It's not having a solution for just Mac, it's having a Better Overall solution. Other then a feature lockout, there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to access the files on my Tivo Hard Drive via my home wireless network - and that's something that would work across platforms.

Again, I understand what you have to say, but there's a way around Apple, and I just don't like hearing excuses that Apple isn't a willing participant... because in essence they don't need to be.

[megazone]

I don't see it as an Apple not working with Tivo type deal... There are SO MANY independent developers that have written programs far superior to things like Tivo to Go, that I find it humorous that they can't complete their Tivo Desktop for Mac.From old reports it sounded like the intent was to integrate the TiVo features into existing Mac software - like iPhoto can show photos on a TiVo, etc. Perhaps into iTunes. They never fully disclosed the plans, just bits that came out in statements here and there. That seemed to fizzle out, then you saw job postings on TiVo's site for full time Mac developers with media experience.

From the bits I've seen over time, my feeling is that they were originally working with Apple but Apple was dragging their feet. It would've been the ideal solution, so TiVo stuck with it. But eventually it became apparent that it wasn't going to work out, so TiVo had to go back to square one and start from scratch. That was a major delay, and it meant fitting the developing into the engineering roadmap, and I doubt they have people idle.

In reality, with all the copyright mumbo jumbo, we all know how easy it is to convert any file to whatever format we want, so getting stuck with MPEG2 isn't an excuse I tend to accept.TiVo recordings are MPEG2. You need to support MPEG2 to play them back, there is no way around that. Even to transcode them you need to have support for MPEG2. While there are free packages out there, technically they aren't legal. MPEG is patent encumbered, and to use it in a product you need to pay a license fee. Note that TiVo has not distributed codecs with their desktop software, even on Windows. The user needs to supply their own MPEG2 codec. (Most Windows boxes have one already for DVD, or other playback software.)

The planned 2.3 desktop with transcoding for iPod and PSP looks like it will have an additional fee for the codecs to support that, based on reports so far.

At least if they're not going to get on the ball with Tivo Desktop for Mac, they should at least have some sort of Tivo to iPod - After all there are 2 USB ports in the back.That can't be done. As I said above, TiVo recordings are MPEG2, the iPod doesn't support that - only H.264/MPEG4. The TiVo doesn't have MPEG4 encoding hardware, and there isn't even close to enough CPU and RAM to transcode in software. So you won't be connecting an iPod directly to a TiVo any time soon - or ever. (Even the Series3, based on what we know, won't have onboard transcoding.)

I understand as a Mac user that programs don't come out as fast as they do with PC's... and I'm ok with that. My issue is that I'm paying Tivo for a service, and one of the many services I'm paying for isn't compatible with my computer, which just isn't fair.Well, like I said, there are many operating systems. Personally I'd probably be exclusively Linux except for two things - TiVo and iTunes. If TiVo Desktop and Apple iTunes were available for Linux, pretty much everything else I use on Windows already is (SSH, SFTP, Firefox, OpenOffice, GAIM, etc.), so I could switch. As it is, my laptop is Windows, my other boxes are Linux. I also used to game a bit, but honestly I haven't played a PC game in over 2 years, and if I got back into it I'd probably build a game rig for that.

So I understand the frustration. I've even considered switching to Mac to have a UNIXish system, but I can't bring myself to pay the prices on Mac HW.

At least if I can't have access to it via a "tivo desktop" I should be able to have access to the hard drive some other way for manual uploading to any computer.You can transfer the files to a Mac, and thence back to a TiVo. So you can use a Mac as a storage server - Galleon will do this. But you can't access the videos on the Mac because of the DRM. And TiVo can't allow DRMless transfers without inviting lawsuits that would seriously damage them. Even if they didn't lose, the financial burden would be immense. See also the bills for their suit against Echostar and the suits that helped drive SonicBlue/ReplayTV into bankruptcy. TiVo has said a few times that they'd like to allow open access, but they can't do it legally. Note that the NFL and MPAA opposed TiVoToGo *at all* and tried to get it blocked before it shipped, but failed. (The NFL contested it based on blackouts and rebroadcast rights, claiming users would record a game and then transfer it to people in a blackout area, etc.)

Again, I understand what you have to say, but there's a way around Apple, and I just don't like hearing excuses that Apple isn't a willing participant... because in essence they don't need to be.No, it just makes things harder, and contributed to the delay. TiVo is already working on their own solution, and I saw it myself at CES and talked to people from TiVo who had personally been using it. It is real, and in development.

[konakahuna]

FWIW apple has a $20 MPEG2 playback component for quicktime. combining this with quicktime pro, it should then be possible to take MPEG2 and convert it directly within quicktime to a 320x240 ipod sized MPEG4 or H.264 file for transfer

[tonyf3]

Megazone,
Since you spoke to TiVo pony at CES. Do think we're talking Summer or fall for the release.

[jrutzky]

No, better not. It seems like there's plenty of hot Macheads (read: BMW drivers!) here so my diatribe doesn't need to be heard.

BUT I STILL WANT IT RIGHT NOW!!!

LOL!

P.S. Thx for takin' it easy on us poor Mac folx. You demonstrated a grace and knowledge prowess I always knew you had under the hood of your Chevy!

[megazone]

Megazone,
Since you spoke to TiVo pony at CES. Do think we're talking Summer or fall for the release.Don't attribute this to Pony, since I don't remember who/where I originally heard it, but I believe we're looking at summer, June time frame.

[megazone]

P.S. Thx for takin' it easy on us poor Mac folx. You demonstrated a grace and knowledge prowess I always knew you had under the hood of your Chevy!Actually, I drive a Dodge Charger Daytona R/T. ;-)

[dirtypacman]

Dirtypacmans magic crystal has shown green which means nothing... hope you guys get it soon, I just feel too superior.

[konakahuna]

this hot machead drives a toyota prius...

i suppose that makes me a hot green machead, or something.


d

[skanter]

i'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but for more than a year i've waited for TIVO to keep the promise it made to mac users when it delivered tivo 2 go software for windows...and we're still waiting.

c'mon TIVO. get the software out of alpha and out the door!

Stop the whining and go get a friggin' PC like the rest of us!

:p

[konakahuna]

Stop the whining and go get a friggin' PC like the rest of us!

:p


i'm not whining, i'm complaining. there's a difference... and i have a PC. a dual-processor intel PC. it simply runs OSX instead of windows...


:D

[homertime]

Stop the whining and go get a friggin' PC like the rest of us!

:p


Maybe when Microsoft produces an Operating system that... operates we'll reconsider the deal.

I've had PC's since the old 11mhz computers, and have been brainwashed into accepting that a computer deserves a major crash for no reason about once yearly.

After 11 years with PC's I finally got a mac, and with over a year of use I have not had any operating system problems similar to Windows. Yet I still have a $200 dell desktop sitting around for those very few applications (including tivo 2 go - which crashes all the time probably once per session) that mac's don't support.

I don't think that PC's are bad, just think that microsoft really needs to step it up a notch and give us an OS that doesn't make us live in fear of losing our data. I've seen enough blue error screens on XP, and enough error reporting for a few years, so I'll keep my mac until I see Microsoft bring it up a notch.

[tonyf3]

Stop the whining and go get a friggin' PC like the rest of us!

:p


"friggin PC" You're right.
Hey how's the wait for Windows Vista comin'?

[jrutzky]

Been a while...v1.9.3 came w/o fanfare..what's up now?

[megazone]

2.3 for Windows just came out today, but I haven't heard any news on the Mac software. TC Con is soon, that'll give people a chance to grill... I mean ask the TiVo people politely about the Mac software. :-)

[jrutzky]

what is TC Con? ...and I have asked nicely...this year at least!

[classicsat]

TC-Con is the primary TiVoComminity Conference in Las Vegas, where members of this board (including TiVo employees) are invited for a get together of sorts.

[megazone]

If you visit the 'meets' forum it is FULL of TC-Con threads right now.