Can I use my Mac to watch programs from my TiVo or other outside source?

[bigbowood]

I thought there used to be a section specifically for Mac users but I couldn't find it so I apologize if that has been covered elsewhere.

I just bought a new Mac and love the picture quality. To save space I'm thinking about getting rid of my bedroom TV and just running all my video thru the new Mac for viewing. I know there are tuners that one can buy to watch/record TV on a Mac. My question is, though, are there any simple adapters that I can use to simply watch video from an outside source (via S-video cable or RCA cables) on my Mac. Since my TiVo is using DirecTV to tune into the channels, it seems pointless for me to buy a tuner when all I really need is a way of inputting video into the Mac. Does such a thing exist, or do I need to buy the tuner? If so, which ones are a good value for the price.

[ForrestB]

Here's a OSX compatable video to USB2 converter for $99 XLR8video (http://daystar-store.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=656)

Note you'll need to run a composite/svideo/audio cables from your DirecTivo to the adapter to your Mac

If you have a series 2 DirecTivo with USB ports on the back, you can hack the Tivo with the Tivo Zipper, add a USB to Ethernet adapter ($20) and a 802.11g wireless ethernet bridge ($20) and watch movies wirelessly using TivoTool (http://www.tivotool.com)

I think you'll find using your Mac laptop for an everyday video display isn't the best solution - they tend to run quite warm while displaying video and this a small LCD TV is a better choice.

[bigbowood]

thx for the info, i appreciate it!

[maxplanar]

Check versiontracker.com or macupdate.com and download the software. Works great, you can watch telly on your laptop no problem. Just remember you must use either VLC or MPlayer to watch the movies - for some reason, Quicktime Player doesn't work.

[gastrof]

When did the OP say the Mac was a laptop?

Why is nobody recommending the Mac version of TiVoToGo?

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=335310

[bigbowood]

the mac is a laptop...
i actually first posted this before roxio released tivo to go for mac... and i am also amongst those that don't want to pay $100 for the sofware as i don't need burning capabilities (as both my tivos have burners)
thx

[shelbel]

Go to the thread "Mac Users Lack Tivo togo support" in the Home Media Option block. Go back to the December postings and read up on Tivodecode manager and tivodecoder.

Free; donations encouraged.

Downside? Transfer of files over a wireless network takes a long, long time. My experience has been about one-to-one, i.e., a one-hour program takes me about one hour to transfer. YMMV.