Tivo Desktop Plus iPod Transfers

[kdustin]

Hello,
I purchased Tivo Desktop Plus so that I could transfer my recorded programs automatically from Tivo to the iPod. The problem I have now is Tivo Desktop Plus seems to choose the folder it puts the converted videos in. In other words TDP selects D:\My Documents\My TiVo Recordings for Portables\AVC H.264 and that does not seem to be changeable.

I would like to select a location that is part of my iTunes library so the videos will automatically transfer to my iPod.

Anyone know how this might be accomplished? Registry entry somewhere maybe?

Thanks in advance for you assistance,
Kenny

[dmk1974]

I just upgraded to the Plus version as well and was going to post the same exact question. It is very annoying to then have to copy and paste the files to the folder that I want to.

Anyone out there know the answer to kdustin's question (registry hack, ini change, etc.)?

Thanks!

[Stu_Bee]

Not the solution you were looking for.....

but if you are willing to look at something other than Tivo's Desktop app...TVHarmony (currently free) allows you to
- Download (or quickpick) videos for conversion..either immediately or scheduled via rules.
- Convert files to various video formats...including ipod
- Place each video type in specific folders you specify.

It's still in beta, so the initial setup wizard is a little funky at first. but check it out:
http://www.tvharmony.com/

PLUS: It now has a HME option. select shows for conversion from your Tivo! pretty cool.

[lafos]

You can simply add the folder to iTunes (best to NOT use the option of moving files to the iTunes folder). Unfortunately, on the PC, iTunes does not seem to update its library automatically, so you have to add the folder each time to update. I find this same issue if I use another program to rip music into the iTunes folder. The program does not seem to keep track of updates it doesn't do itself.

[kdustin]

I still haven't found a way to AUTOMATICALLY have the converted files added to iTunes. Anyone else?
KD

[windracer]

To my knowledge, there is no automatic way to do this currently. You have to manually add the converted videos to iTunes.

[lafos]

I still haven't found a way to AUTOMATICALLY have the converted files added to iTunes. Anyone else?
KD

The only files iTunes adds automatically are those that it puts into the library. This includes music files ripped with another program such as Nero. The only exception I found for this was Audible. They supplied a plug-in that invoked iTunes whenever you downloaded content from their web site.

[kdustin]

Here's the best thing I could find for a work around.

1. I downloaded a tool from Microsoft called SyncToy. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/thankyou.aspx?familyId=E0FC1154-C975-4814-9649-CCE41AF06EB7&displayLang=en&oRef=&Hash=WBRRLSF

2. Created a Folder Pair between D:\My Documents\My TiVo Recordings for Portables and d:\iTunes

3. Then used the procedure below to automate a nightly Sync.

It still sucks that I can't just select the proper directory in the first place and not have to do this. And if anyone knows a registry hack or something that would work better let me know.

I hope this helps someone until they release a patch. The following procedure comes right out of SyncToy's help file;



To schedule a task using the operating system:

From the Start menu, select All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Scheduled Tasks.
Select Add scheduled task to start the Scheduled Task Wizard. You will see a list of possible programs to run.
SyncToy may appear as an option in the list. If SyncToy does not appear in the list, click Browse and go find it.
The wizard will next prompt you to enter how often you want to run the scheduled SyncToy (for example, daily, weekly, et cetera). Select a frequency.
The next page asks when to start the task. Select a start time.
The next page asks for the user name and password to run the program under. Enter your user name and password.
The final page contains an option to open the properties dialog when the wizard ends. Select this checkbox.
Modify the Run textbox to include the –R command line option. –R all by itself will run all folder pairs that are active for run all. If you want to run just a single folder pair, add –R“My Pair” to the end of the command line. Note: there is a space before the hyphen but not one after the R. If the folder pair name contains a space, surround it with quotation marks, as the example above shows. For another example, assume that SyncToy is in the folder named C:\My Folder and that you want to run a folder pair named "My folder pair." Enter the command line as follows, including the quotation marks: "C:\My Folder\SyncToy.exe" -R"My folder pair." Note that there are two sets of quotation marks in this case: one is around the path to the SyncToy program file and the other surrounds the folder pair name.

[highgrovemanor]

So how long does it take for the file-conversion to take place? A night or two of me surfing around and reading up makes it sound like it takes awhile, even on fast computers.


Thanks!

[kdustin]

I am guessing that they throttle the conversion process so that it doesn't bog down slower machines. I would be interested in knowing exact numbers on the file conversion as well. There is a log viewing tool in the Tivo directory maybe it logs start and finish times for the conversions.

Does anyone have any insight into conversion times?