want to network

[doubleduty]

This is probably a dumb question but I am gonna ask it anyway! LOL! Is it possible to install a standard run of the mill ethernet adapter card in one of my Directv tivos? I have a Phillips DSR708 and the other is a Phillips DSR6000r01. I want to upgrade one of these units preferably the older one and I would like to be able to network to it.

And most important. Could someone quide me to the simplest do it yourself instructions?

[ttodd1]

For the 708:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=265929

[tivoupgrade]

This is probably a dumb question but I am gonna ask it anyway! LOL! Is it possible to install a standard run of the mill ethernet adapter card in one of my Directv tivos? I have a Phillips DSR708 and the other is a Phillips DSR6000r01. I want to upgrade one of these units preferably the older one and I would like to be able to network to it.

And most important. Could someone quide me to the simplest do it yourself instructions?

Doubleduty,

Your DSR6000 is the older unit and you can network it a couple of ways. There are definitely some benefits to doing this, but also keep in mind that there may be some limitations, based upon your expectations and expertise.

From a hardware standpoint, you have two options.

The first one is that you can install a TurboNet card which is a specialized Ethernet device that installs directly into the unit. The drivers for this card are already native in the TiVo OS so you would not need to do any special software modifications and the TiVo could then make its daily call using your network connection, instead of the phone line. But with that said, it really doesn't add much functionality to just do that. By modifying the software, you can install some additional applications, such as telnet, ftp and TiVoWebPlus, the latter of which would give you access to the unit via your browser for scheduling and management of your content. With additional skills and expertise, you could install a number of other apps and tools (vis a vis telnet and ftp) to actually manipulate the video content, but this involves disabling encryption on the unit and is therefore not something that can be discussed on these forums).

The second option would be to install a CacheCard in your unit. The CacheCard offers some of the same functionality that the TurboNet card offers however the device drivers are NOT native to the unit. The networking interface is 2-3x faster than on the TurboNet and most importantly, when also configured with 512MB of SDRAM, the CacheCard will dramatically improve the speed of your TiVo's user-interface. All of the software information mentioned above applies to the CacheCard, as well.

You can purchase either of these cards from 9thTee (www.9thtee.com), and advertiser here, or us (http://www.dvrupgrade.com/dvr/stores/1/networking_series1.cfm), the official TiVo Upgrade Sponsors.

As for the Series2 DirecTV TiVo unit you have (the DSR704), similar functionality can be achieved in a variety of ways, depending upon how technical you are. From a hardware perspective, all it involves is a USB Ethernet adapter, but the software modifications required are non-trivial. We've developed a product called PTVnet that makes things very easy. Another forum member, rbautch, has developed and refined the zipper and enhancement scripts which achieve some additional functionality and can be used in conjunction with our products.

In addition to the functionality you can unlock with the Series1, your networked DSR704 can also be modified to use HMO and MRV, functionality that is "hidden" in the software of your unit, should you still be using version 6.2a of the software.

Here is a good starting point for networking both of your units:

Networking your TiVo DVR (http://www.dvrupgrade.com/dvr/stores/1/category.cfm?SID=1&Category_ID=3&learnmore=1)

Keep in mind that the solutions we offer are mostly turnkey and that most of these things can be accomplished by simply using the information and resources found and discussed here in the underground, its just a question of how much time you have and how technical you are.

Hope that helps,

Lou