Bought TivoHD, getting rid of DirecTV. Can I MRV my SD-DVR40?

[KelleyCook]

I'm good at hacking, but never saw a need to hack my DirecTivo (SD-DVR40 upgraded to 120GB which was upgraded to 6.4a along the way).

Instead of getting the mediocre DirectTV HD DVR or waiting who knows how long for a new DirecTV Tivo, I just bought a now I have a brand new Tivo HD (which will be soon upgraded to 1TB) and am dumping DirecTV for WideOpenWest (besides my DirectTV bill has annoyingly gone from $42 to $75 over the past few years, WoW is $99 non-introductory for TV/phone/8Mbs internet)

I have now come to the sad conclusion that since I didn't hack the old Tivo, there is no way to transfer the (encrypted) old recordings short of an analog transfer to VHS / DVD-recorder. This is a much less preferred solution that will obviously take weeks to complete.

So the question is can I hack my old Tivo with PTVnet/Zipper/whatever to a) watch any newly recorded movies from the Tivo HD upstairs on the old analog set in the basement or vice-versa (ie MRV) and b) Retain the kids movies I've recorded over the years to watch on the old set or c) even better, also the new one upstairs too.

Or am I kidding myself and I would just be better off getting another Series 2 standalone Tivo off ebay.

I am an expert in computers and Linux, so the hacking part doesn't bother me.

[lew]

1) You can watch any show on your NPL, even after you cancel your service. Just press the DVR/TIVO/DirecTV button when you see the searching for satellite message.
2) 6.4a can't be hacked for MRV. You can't MRV between a subscribed TivoHD and DTivo (with older MRV capable software installed).
3) You can use TivoDesktop (and other programs) to transfer shows from your TivoHD to your PC.
4) You'll have to find other sites (google is your friend) if you want to hack your DTivo so you can transfer shows from your PC to your DTivo. You'll not only have to hack your unit but you'll need to purchase a network adapter.

[BTUx9]

So the question is can I hack my old Tivo with PTVnet/Zipper/whatever to a) watch any newly recorded movies from the Tivo HD upstairs on the old analog set in the basement or vice-versa (ie MRV) and b) Retain the kids movies I've recorded over the years to watch on the old set or c) even better, also the new one upstairs too.b) is definitely doable.
With downgrading to 6.2 and the addition of tivoserver, you can even add d) serve up downloaded content from a PC, but retaining the recordings requires more effort.

MRV with the THD is problematic. They don't speak the same protocol, and AFAIK, there hasn't been much/any success providing a bridge. And direct xfers (a la movieloader) would involve a prom mod on the THD (no s/w-only hack currently available) and even then, I believe the S3s (like THD) have a slightly incompatible ty format (although I believe there has been progress made on that front).

[lew]

And direct xfers (a la movieloader) would involve a prom mod on the THD (no s/w-only hack currently available) and even then, I believe the S3s (like THD) have a slightly incompatible ty format (although I believe there has been progress made on that front).


You use tivodesktop (or tivoplaylist) to transfer the program from your TivoHD to your PC. (Obviously this won't work with shows that are copy protected). Those files can be converted to a format that can be played in a DTivo. You can even use VideoRedo, a commercial program, to convert a HD program into a mpg file that can be (converted) to a format that will play on a SDRV 40.