Editing a show directly on the TiVo DVR

[dddiam]

A while back, I remember a wishlist poll for future TiVo features. One of the items in the poll was the ability to edit shows directly on the TiVo DVR. Uses would be to save only a portion of the show, or perhaps to remove commercials.

Is that wish still alive? Any news about it as a future potential?

- David

[restart88]

I promise you there's NO WAY Tivo will ever allow you to remove commercials directly on the DVR. Be thankful we even have the 30 sec skip, which you have to input using a code to use it at that.

No how, no way the media companies would allow the commercials to be removed. If you want the commercials out just rent the download.

[bkdtv]

As alluded to above, it is highly unlikely that TiVo would add editing.

That said, it is easy enough to transfer [non copy-protected] programs to your computer, automatically remove the commercials, and then transfer the commercial-free version back to the TiVo. In fact, you can do this all automatically without any user intervention -- many members on this forum do just that.

With TiVo Desktop, you can automatically transfer programs and new episodes of your favorite series to your computer as they are recorded.

http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivodesktoptransfer.png

After downloading a recording, you can use VideoRedo TVSuite (http://www.videoredo.com/en/ProductTVS.htm) to remove commercials, or burn to DVD.

http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/videoredo/videoredo3.png
In VideoRedo, select "Start Ad-Detective Scan" (as seen in screenshot above) to mark all commercials, "Cut selection" to remove them. Click "Save As.." to save the file as a MPG without commercials, or "Create DVD" to create a DVD with the commercial free program.

There is a free add-on for VideoRedo called VideoRedo AutoProcessor (http://www.videoredo.net/msgBoard/showthread.php?t=4712) that automates this process. Basically, this program monitors a folder on your PC for recordings that are transferred with TiVo desktop, and then it processes each recording with VideoRedo to remove the commercials.

Using TiVo Desktop, you can have those commercial-free programs automatically transferred back to your TiVo:

http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/tivodesktop26_video.png

Recordings from your PC are transferred back to your TV and stored in a folder with a name of your choice, as illustrated below:

http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/nowplaying10_large.jpg

[wmcbrine]

If you have two TiVos, you can edit (a bit crudely) without a computer. To cut something off the beginning, play up to the point where you want to start, exit the recording, and then go to the other TiVo, and select "Transfer from paused point". Delete the original recording, then (if desired) copy back the truncated recording. (Besides getting it back onto the original TiVo, this last step fixes up the timeline.) The limitation of this method is that you can't set the paused point to within the last five minutes -- exiting from that point makes the TiVo prompt to delete, and reset its bookmark for the show (either way).

To cut off the end, just stop the transfer when it reaches the desired point. (And again, transfer it back to fix up the timeline.) Through repeated applications of these two techniques, you can cut out multiple sections from a single recording. However, there's no way to join them up again.

So, it's not really suitable for commercial skipping; but I sometimes do it when I want to save, for example, a single musical guest's performance from The Tonight Show.

[dddiam]

If you have two TiVos, you can edit (a bit crudely) without a computer...
Interesting approach. I didn't know that you could copy across multiple TiVos. It wouldn't work for me, though. I have an S1, an S2 and an HD XL. And the shows that I care about are HD.

And, like you, my main application is pulling out and cataloging individual dances from Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. Commercial stripping is just an artifact of the process.

I do use Sonic My DVD, which supports .tivo files, but it does not support HD. I may need to spring for VideoReDo TV Suite.

- David

[Resist]

I know this thread is a bit old but I am interested in a way to edit Tivo recordings as well. It seems that the VideoRedo TVSuite costs $75 and more than I want to pay. Is there something less expensive?

[wmcbrine]

Since this thread has been necro'd...

The limitation of this method is that you can't set the paused point to within the last five minutes -- exiting from that point makes the TiVo prompt to delete, and reset its bookmark for the show (either way).It turns out that all you have to do to get around this is to actually hit the pause button at the desired point before exiting.