Uh, it works! Mac access, transfer, edit files

[noodlehead]

Well, after a week of scouring and pestering people here and elsewhere, I succeeded in my goal - to get recordings off my Tivo playlist, on to my Mac, and to be able to edit and play them in apps other than Toast's Video Player. I now have mpg recordings.
I am very far from a wiz or technical expert. Very far. But it works.

My only remaing goal is to be able hurry up the transfer process. I want to reach my arm inside the Tive, grab the file and drag it to my desktop - but I am more than happy with what I've got right now. I'm going to see if a USB to Ethernet adaptor (eliminating my wireless connection) fares better.

Thanks to all who posted so many tips and clues. And did not chastize me for being a persistent newbie.

[Welshdog]

Give us some details!

What software did you use to convert and edit the files?

[gteague]

Well, after a week of scouring and pestering people here and elsewhere, I succeeded in my goal - to get recordings off my Tivo playlist, on to my Mac, and to be able to edit and play them in apps other than Toast's Video Player. I now have mpg recordings.
I am very far from a wiz or technical expert. Very far. But it works.

My only remaing goal is to be able hurry up the transfer process. I want to reach my arm inside the Tive, grab the file and drag it to my desktop - but I am more than happy with what I've got right now. I'm going to see if a USB to Ethernet adaptor (eliminating my wireless connection) fares better.

Thanks to all who posted so many tips and clues. And did not chastize me for being a persistent newbie.

series 3? i've been trying to follow that other thread and although i can get the webpage using the url, when i try any of the url's in the thread all i get is a message saying 'not authorized' or something like that.

if so, please give those of us with s3's and macs a kickstart so we can move shows to our macs.

thanks,

/guy

[steve614]

My only remaing goal is to be able hurry up the transfer process. I want to reach my arm inside the Tive, grab the file and drag it to my desktop - but I am more than happy with what I've got right now. I'm going to see if a USB to Ethernet adaptor (eliminating my wireless connection) fares better.
Switching to a hard-wired connection may increase your x-fer speed a little, but I don't think it's going to be as fast as you hope.
One solution is to get the Tivo branded wireless adapter (http://store.tivocommunity.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EA&Product_Code=2778&Category_Code=SPECIALS) -- I've heard it takes some of the workload off the Tivos' processor.
However, I think (as per your hopes) this will not be as fast as you would like.

ETA: Looking at the page I linked to says the Tivo wireless adapter is only for S2 Tivos. Sorry if that does not apply to you.

[steve614]

series 3? i've been trying to follow that other thread and although i can get the webpage using the url, when i try any of the url's in the thread all i get is a message saying 'not authorized' or something like that.

if so, please give those of us with s3's and macs a kickstart so we can move shows to our macs.

thanks,

/guy
This hasn't been activated on the S3's yet, AFAIK.

[noodlehead]

I hope I'm not violating any forum rules by writing this. Most of it I found here or in other Tivo forums. So, here goes.
I don't know what you have or have read about so I'll tell you what I've got, in brief.
Tivo Series 2 (actually a Toshiba box with Tivo on it)
Tivo to Go for my Mac Pro.
Roxio's Toast 8 (I hate Roxio. Everything they do is shrouded in mystery. Support and help stinks - but I digress.)
That got me access to the Tivo playlist. And I was then able to transfer (slowly) my recordings to my hard drive. It insists on creating a folder named TivoShows in my Home folder. I tried moving it but it keeps recreating it there. Oh well.
I was not happy with the transferred shows because they were in .Tivo format. (encrypted? copywrite laws? I can't say which) and the only thing that would play them is Toast's Video Player (did I mention how much Roxio stinks? For the life of me I can't find this application anywhere on my hard drive. It just pops open when I double click one of these transferred .Tivo files. If I try to open it first, I can't. It must be embedded within the Toast Tivo Transfer app or Toast itself. I don't know?)
Not happy with this I found older posts that were very helpful.

See TydalForce's post: in The official, supported, no-question-of-legality way to do it -- get Roxio Toast 8 which was just released last week http://www.roxio.com/ The unofficial, unsupported, "questionable legality" way to do it is with TiVo Decode Manager http://tdm.sourceforge.net/
Either method will allow you to pull video files from your TiVo to your computer, for watching or transferring to iPod, burning to DVD, etc.

See bedelman's post:
The Macintosh can retrieve the recordings by using the unsupported web interface (go to https:// followed by the IP address of the TiVo). The user name is "tivo" (without the quotes) and the password is your Media Access Key
You just cannot watch the recording on a Macintosh (or do much more than just store it there)

I tried Tivo Decode Manager and it worked fantastically. You have to enter your Tivo's IP address (On your Tivo, go to settings>phone and network) and your media key (go to setting>account and system information). The only problem after that was the transferred file had no sound when played in Quicktime. So I downloaded Visual Hub. You can try it out free but it will only encode 2 minutes. Buy it for $23. way worth it.
With Visual Hub you can fiddle with encoding options. It works! I now have shows I can edit in QT pro or iMovie or whatever.

As far as series 3, I can't help you with that. Everything I have read says this won't work with S-3.

[macrob]

If you want to speed up transfers, put yor tivo on standby. Don't worry it will still record anything that is scheduled, it just won't be recording live tv, freeing up the processor. It just about doubled my speed.

As for the location of Toast video player...
Find your Toast app, right click on it, open package contents.
A new window opens. Open the resource folder, and you will find it along with may other files. You will also find Slideshow, and a zipped tivo transfer file ( think I also found Tivo Transfer in here, but it's been so long ago) I don't know if you can remove them without effecting Toast, but you can make aliases of them to put wherever you want.

Another way to get files off tivo is a widget called Now Playing 2.5, it works great. You will have to get a file called Tivodecoder (1.4 is most recent) to dowload and decode. There is a button built into the widget to find it.

http://www.dashboardwidgets.com/showcase/details.php?wid=281

Your sound problems are probably caused by using Tivodecoder 1.3 it was a known problem with certain Tivos.

You can also use Tivo Decoder 1.3 (Don't get them confused this one has a space and is an applescript, the other is just a file) This includes Tivodecoder 1.4 in the script. (If you want to pull the file out of the script, right click on Tivo Decoder and open package, it is in there somewhere) You can copy it and use it with Now Playing, or TivoDecode Manager, and your sound problems should go away.

http://inik.net/node/97

If you have any videos that you downloaded with tivo transfer that are copy protected, Tivo Decoder 1.3 (applescript) will just remove the protection, and leave you with an mpeg file.

Don't try to watch any mpegs that you download, in Quicktime- IT WON'T WORK !
You have to use:
Toast video player (protected and unprotected)
VLC (unprotected only)

Or you can convert the file as previously mentioned with Visual Hub, or FFmpegX or one of many others.

Sorry this is so long, but as Mac users we finally have some tools for our Tivos.

[ZeoTiVo]

If you want to speed up transfers, put yor tivo on standby. Don't worry it will still record anything that is scheduled, it just won't be recording live tv, freeing up the processor. It just about doubled my speed..
not quite accurate. Placing the TiVo in standby will still have the live 30 minute buffer being recorded. I think you get a small increase in speed as perhaps the buffer is not being read to be sent on the outputs.

Tuning your TiVo to a channel you do not get, say 111 , that puts up the blus screen with a messgae saying their is no signal on this cahnnel will stop the live buffer recording since their is nothing to record. Taking that load of manging the live buffer recording off the CPU will increase the TTG speed,

[noodlehead]

macrob
Thanks for the tips. I'll experiment with transfer options, including Zeotivo's suggestions. I Got the video player out of Toast ok. I forgot about packages and contents.

I'm trying out Now Playing. I did also get Tivodecoder but I don't know what to do with it. Somewhere in the many different sites and pages I looked at I read "install the .bin into the widget. I'm lost with that. Now Playing is working in that I have accessed my playlist, but I can't seem to do nything with it. Hence, I guess, the need for Tivodecoder. (How do I install it?)

When you wrote about Tivo Decoder 1.3 you said Tivodecoder 1.4 is in the script...you can copy it and use it with Now Playing, or TivoDecode Manager... Same question: how?

I did download Tivo Decoder 1.3. I dropped one of my already transferring Tivo recordings on to it and, yes, it transformed it into an mpg file. And yes, QT dos not like it. This is strictly for making the format change for files already transferred, right?

[macrob]

When you wrote about Tivo Decoder 1.3 you said Tivodecoder 1.4 is in the script...you can copy it and use it with Now Playing, or TivoDecode Manager... Same question: how?


O.k. I thougt this may be confusing, so I'll try to explain it better...

You downloaded Tivo Decoder 1.3, Find that...

Right click on it and select show package contents, a window opens with a folder in it called contents, open that. There are 2 files and 2 folders, open Resources and you'll find tivodecode. Right click tivodecode and select "Copy tivodecode". Don't move this file, or Tivo Decode 1.3 won't work anymore.
Close all of the windows you just opened.

Now find the TivoDecode Manager, right click and show package contents, again open contents, then resources and you should see 13 files/folders in ther including a tivodecode, but that is the old one. Right click in the window and select "Paste Item".
You will get a warning about the file already exists... click replace, and close all windows you just opened.

Next open your user folder, then library, then Widgets. Find now playing and right click, show package contents. This time you don't have to open any more folders, just paste item and tivodecode will show up. Close all windows and you will have everything updated !

And yes, QT dos not like it. This is strictly for making the format change for files already transferred, right?

Not really format change, just remove copy protection. And you could use VLC (it's Free, and a damn good app) or toast video player to watch it instead of quicktime.

Hope this explains better.

[noodlehead]

macrob
Excellent documentation. Thanks. I now have a download option in the NowPlaying widget.

On another remotely related note: I accidentally discovered that I can record tv shows I bought at the iTunes store by playing them into the Tivo.

[javabird]

Roxio's Toast 8 (I hate Roxio.

I tried Tivo Decode Manager and it worked fantastically. You have to enter your Tivo's IP address (On your Tivo, go to settings>phone and network) and your media key (go to setting>account and system information). The only problem after that was the transferred file had no sound when played in Quicktime. So I downloaded Visual Hub. You can try it out free but it will only encode 2 minutes. Buy it for $23. way worth it.
With Visual Hub you can fiddle with encoding options. It works! I now have shows I can edit in QT pro or iMovie or whatever.
.

See this thread (http://forums.support.roxio.com/index.php?showtopic=15828) (post #15) for another discussion about getting editable mpg files.

[notaclone]

Toast's Video Player ... It must be embedded within the Toast Tivo Transfer app or Toast itself.
Did you try a Control-click on the file to "show package contents"?

[macrob]

Right-click, and control-click are the same thing on a Mac.

[notaclone]

If you have that new-fangled nipple mouse! I hate that thing. I'm left handed and I have to change the settings every time I sit down in from of one of those. I'd rather use the hockey puck! I treasure my smooth clear-cased mouse.

[Timber]

I'm successful in getting files to my Mac but the volume level is VERY VERY VERY low. Any ideas? :)

-=Tim=-

[Timber]

I'm successful in getting files to my Mac but the volume level is VERY VERY VERY low. Any ideas? :)

-=Tim=-

Any ideas? Everything else is working perfectly and I'd love to start editing.

-=Tim=-