Newbie - can I transfer to an external hard drive?

[noodlehead]

Hello.
I am very new to TiVo. I was given a Toshiba RS TX20 with Basic TiVo service. I've since purchased a TiVO USB Wireless adaptor andan IR doodad. It's all great. And I'm about ready to go for Tivo plus and ditch my local DVR box. However, one thing I cannot do with either machine and that I want to be able to do is transfer recorded shows to my laptop or a external harddrive. I can do it now but only in real time - I have to play the entire show while recording in my Mac software (yes, I'm a Mac user). My thinking is that since the DVR and the Toshiba both save to a hardrive, I should be able to access files and "drag and drop" them to another hard drive. Right? Or am I expecting too much?
Also, if this is allowed here, does anyone have advice on what new hardware I might get. A new TiVo box?
Thanks for any help.
noodlehead

[Turtleboy]

http://www.tivo.com/4.9.4.1-2_mac.asp

[rambler]

You will have to be subscribed to transfer files via Tivo Desktop to the Mac.

Or you could burn dvd's with your unit, just use them as a storage method. Or decrypt those dvd's onto your hard drive......

[Justin Thyme]

No decryption is necessary.

Burn onto dvd, copy the VOB(s) over to Mac, and any Mac tool that undersands MPEG will be able to read/play them. Some mac head may be able to comment /recomend an inexpensive/ free Mac video tool that allows playing and manipulating MPEG files / ripping unprotected DVDs.

Although this is a little bit faster than TTG, ttg allows automatic transfers. This among other things makes the $8.95 per month worth it. A few weeks ago I saw a promotion for basic users to get a month trial for free. It showed up on my Toshiba machine I keep in reserve when I attached it to the net. May still be on. Check your main menu- last item.

[Burt Spielman]

No decryption is necessary.

Burn onto dvd, copy the VOB(s) over to Mac, and any Mac tool that undersands MPEG will be able to read/play them. Some mac head may be able to comment /recomend an inexpensive/ free Mac video tool that allows playing and manipulating MPEG files / ripping unprotected DVDs.You can use MPEG Streamclip to open and edit VOB files. It works very satisfactorily. Download it here (http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html).

There's a version for some Windoze heads, too.

[noodlehead]

Great help. Thanks all.
I’m savy on the Mac end of things - I cn handle VOB’s and I do have MPEG Streamclip as well as other apps to deal with the files once transferred. It’s the task of transferring them that’s got me stumped.
Rambler: what did you mean when you said “ have to be subscribed to transfer files via Tivo Desktop?”
Justin: Yup. I can burn to DVD right now. But that’s still a slow and two-step process. I want to be able to grab a finished file (the show or movie file) and drag it onto a connected hard drive. Just as you would with any file on your PC if you were copying it or backing it up.
No? Not possible?
Turtleboy: I followed the link. I have read up on this before. It “looks like” it may be my answer. I have Toast. I guess I need to call the Tivo folks and get a definitive answer.
Thanks again.
*Any recommendations for hardware?

[rambler]

You can't transfer via Tivo Desktop w/ Tivo Basic. You have to have a full subscription.

Once you do that, it still is a time consuming process - no dragging and dropping. It's roughly 40 - 80 minutes to transfer a 1 hour show to your computer depending on a lot of things....

[Dan203]

Unfortunately the RSTX20 is the slowest TiVo made with regards to TiVoToGo transfers. Even with a wired USB2.0 adapter mine can take more then double realtime to transfer a Best quality recording. So the OP might be better off just using an RW disk to burn the shows, then move them over to the PC that way.

Dan

[noodlehead]

Rambler; Dan...Again thanks for replying.
I hear what you're saying. What I'm saying is I am ready willing and able to buy a new machine and bump up to whatever level of Tivo service I need. This RSTX20 was free and it gave me a taste.
I see on the Buy Tivo page, a 180-hr TiVo® Series2™ DT DVR. I will get that unless I hear of something better. And I'll go for a "full subscription," (not exactly sure what that means yet.) But not if I am still going to be unable to do what I want to do - transfer recording as files to an external hard drive or a laptop.
So. Comments? Feedback? Thanks

[Justin Thyme]

Yeah you will be able to do exactly that. Look on tivo.com for notes on TivoToGo. With a Tivo subscription, you will be able to download shows to your Mac and play them off your hard drive and on your laptop.

With a DT Tivo, you will be able to collect lots more video than you can with a single stream Tivo.

[steve614]

No matter what Tivo you get, I think you'll have to live with slow transfer times.

I have a Series 2 single tuner with a wired adapter. It takes me roughly 1 hour to transfer a 1 hour show at medium quality.

I've heard that using the Tivo branded wireless adapter can reduce that time by about 50%.

Unfortunately, IIRC, no Tivo supports saving to an external HD. You have to transfer to a PC (MAC), and then store on an external HD connected to the computer.

I think the Tivo Series 2 Dual Tuner models have built in ethernet, so you won't have to buy an additional USB network adapter, but as stated above, I don't think it'll have the transfer times you're looking for.

Nothing in Tivo is "drag & drop", unfortunately. :(

Hope this helps with your decision. :)

[noodlehead]

OK folks. Thanks a lot and I think I have this worked out. I did speak to some Tivo people and read again all the info on line. I know what I need to do. I'll spring for the 180-hr TiVo® Series2™ DT DVR. Undecided on which plan. Then, with Tivo plus, and Tivo To Go..and since I use Mac computers, I'll have to also get Toast 8 (not a big deal since I have been a Toast user for years and have version 7 now.) The Tivo dude said I'll then be able to "see" my Now Playing List on my Mac. From there I will be able to do what it is I've been struggling with my cable provider with for over a year. (I have a DVR from them that has every port I would need but they have them blocked. So I will drop that and just have them provide a regular digital cable box. Connect new Tivo to that and whoop-de-doo! Right?

[Justin Thyme]

If you are handy with swapping disk drives, you can buy the 80 GB DT and upgrade it with hard drives to unreal capacities. If don't have access to a PC or the idea of booting from a CD and switching primary disk cables makes you a little queezy, you can have it done for you by weaknees.com

Good luck and welcome to the Tivolution.

[ZeoTiVo]

No matter what Tivo you get, I think you'll have to live with slow transfer times.

I have a Series 2 single tuner with a wired adapter. It takes me roughly 1 hour to transfer a 1 hour show at medium quality.

A DT model is much faster. Basically the Toshiba RS TX20 is a 540 - with a DVD drive - it is somewhat slower then a 540 and then the 540 is the next slowest series 2.

The DT has a faster processor and more memory and the built in ethernet avoids all the USB overhead on the TiVo box as well. I can pull 1 hour High quality recordings in about 20 -30 minutes. Once you set the TiVo desktop to do automated downloads then you will just find the shows on the PC box - no fuss, no muss.


noodlehead,
you will want to read up on galleon as well. It is a 3rd party java app that has all the features of TiVo desktop on the mac but many find it more useful. You will still need toast 8 to do the Video manipulation part so keep going down that road but comparing TiVo desktop for Mac to galleon is worth your time

[steve614]

A DT model is much faster. Basically the Toshiba RS TX20 is a 540 - with a DVD drive - it is somewhat slower then a 540 and then the 540 is the next slowest series 2.

The DT has a faster processor and more memory and the built in ethernet avoids all the USB overhead on the TiVo box as well. I can pull 1 hour High quality recordings in about 20 -30 minutes. Once you set the TiVo desktop to do automated downloads then you will just find the shows on the PC box - no fuss, no muss.

Okay, Thanks for that info. :cool:
I recieved my Tivo as a gift, and I can live with the speeds I get. I'm in no hurry. :p
Besides, if the DT doesn't work with OTA then it wouldn't do me any good. :D

[classicsat]

Well, for most Series 2s, they are sither subbed or not. There is no partial subscriptions, just differenct "plans"

"Full" or "Plus" subscriptions, are names usually reserved for the Toshiba and Pioneer DVD combo Tivos that come with TiVo Plus. Compared to other TiVos, it just means subbed. You need subbed on any Series 2 to be able to trasnfer over the network.

You will be able to transfer to a USB2.0 or Firewire drive conencted to your computer. I am not to sure about a NAS drive through a MAC.

And yes, the DT doesn't work with antenna.

[noodlehead]

Well, just when I thought I had all the answers I needed... OK, so-

Justin: thanks. I checked them out. But I have many external firewire hard drives for storage so I don’t think larger capacity Tivo box is necessary - as long as I will be able to transfer files as I mentioned above.

ZeoTivo: thanks. I looked at galleon but it appears to be Windows only. I use Macs. I’m still searching their site though because that wasn’t real clear.
Regarding built in ethernet, what did you mean, “built in ethernet avoids all the USB overhead?”

classicsat: I think I have the whole subscription straight.

Now for something different:
Like I said, I thought I was done with decision making, then I started reading about elgato’s EyeTV. (eyeTV hybrid and eyeTV250).
Does anyone have experience with these? Keep in mind, I am using Mac computers.
Thanks again to all.

[ZeoTiVo]

ZeoTivo: thanks. I looked at galleon but it appears to be Windows only. I use Macs. I’m still searching their site though because that wasn’t real clear.
Regarding built in ethernet, what did you mean, “built in ethernet avoids all the USB overhead?”
Galleon is written in Java - it will run on any platform including linux. What you looked at most likely was just making note it was the installer for Windows. I do not use Macs so I do not have the location to hand where the install for Mac is but that info could be found in the HME/TTG forum here. For a Mac it is well worth the look.

for a regular 240 model or 540 model (the single tuner S2) you can only hook up via USB. the 240 model is fatser at transfers because it has a dedicated USB chip - still that chip has to interrupt the CPU every so often thus creating overhead and the USB process has to wait behindall the other more imortant things like working streams of media to/from the hard drive or en/decoder chips. The situation gets worse on the 540 as the dedicated USB chip was taken out to save some cost and it relies far more heavily on the CPU.
the DT model has a built in ethernet port and ethernet is very efficient and mature/stable so the CPU overhead is negligable when using the built in ethernet port on the DT model.

[noodlehead]

Oops. I accidentally posted something here that was intended for a different forum. Hopefully, I succeeded in deleting it. If not, sorry.

Here's what I intended:
ZeoTivo: thanks for the tip. Went to the other forum (see above note about my mistake). Lots there speaking to Mac issues.
One last question to you though. Do you mean I would have a wired connection using an ethernet line from box to my router? And get rid of my Tivo wireless G USB network adaptor?

[ZeoTiVo]

Oops. I accidentally posted something here that was intended for a different forum. Hopefully, I succeeded in deleting it. If not, sorry.

Here's what I intended:
ZeoTivo: thanks for the tip. Went to the other forum (see above note about my mistake). Lots there speaking to Mac issues.
One last question to you though. Do you mean I would have a wired connection using an ethernet line from box to my router? And get rid of my Tivo wireless G USB network adaptor?
ah - missed that you had a wireless adapter
The TiVo wireless adapter speeds things up significantly as well - it is tweaked to work on a TiVo and reduce overhead on the TiVo box as much as possible. I have them running upstairs on 240 boxes and they work very well.

The DT does have the two USB connections as swell as the direct wired ethernet connection. You can use the TiVo wireless adapter on the DT and it will work well. I have only used direct wired on my DT so can not give you a comparison of the two directly.
I can say that would be my two choices - either direct wired or using the TiVo wireless adapter depending on circumstances of my house. In my case my DTs are about 5 feet from my router so it was a no brainer

[noodlehead]

Just a final note - I posted my found solution at Home Media and TivoToGo forum, under a new thread: "Uh, it works! Mac access, transfer, edit files."
Thanks much for the help.