How to get Hulu.com episodes, Youtube, etc burned to my PC and available to Tivo

[lynnalexandra]

I have Tivo Desktop Plus and VideoRedo (just in case either of them help with this). I hate watching video on my computer and would love to be able to capture Youtube videos, episodes from Hulu.com, and other sites that show previously aired television shows. Is there a way I can save these videos to my PC? Is there a way to take them from there and send them to my Tivo. I'm a newbie, so I really need to it spelled out for me. Phrases like "capturing", "pushing", "loading" etc aren't always as clear to me as you'd think.

Thanks.
Lynn.

[johnny99]

You can watch Hulu on your TV via Xbox, or even Wii. I don't think Tivo will help you.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/165362/article.html

[ThAbtO]

Youtube is already on the Series 3/HD/ XL models for streaming, as well as Netflix. Series 2 cannot stream, think its due to hardware incompatibility.

[lynnalexandra]

For some reason, the first answer I received does not appear here (although I received the email). I'm going to cut and paste so that others interested in the topic have this information:

For capturing Youtube to the TV first, try visiting here: http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/

I dont' have an xbox (my daughter has a Wii in the playroom but I don't want to watch tv there or move it to the living room every time I want to watch something. There are a few musical performances (and even instruction videos like how to clean cast iron) which I'd like to have copies of - either burned to DVD or saved on my computer.

I know Tivo HD streams Youtube, but it takes FOREVER to navigate to what I want to watch - and mostly it's single song performances (like my husband discovered this young guitarist and he loves watching his videos). Doing that via the Tivo menu means spending as much time finding the video as watching it. I'd rather load some up on my pc - and then watch all at once. The other problem I've had with Tivo streamed Youtube is that it doesn't seem to find all the videos I can find on my computer. I vaguely recall reading that this was an encoding issue - and some Youtube.

So for all the above reasons, I'd rather gather all the Youtube videos together - and either burn to DVD or save as a larger collection on my PC.

I did take the advice above and go to dvdvideosoft.com. They also have a program that offers function I hadn't thought about but would love. The ability to create an MP3 from Youtube. It would make a wonderful surprise for my husband if I could make a CD of some of these young guitarists he's stumbled on.

Anyone else use the dvdvideosoft programs?

Thanks.
Lynn.

PS - might as well ask here - other than hulu.com, are there other good sources of entire tv episdodes - like In treatment, So You Think You Can Dance, etc. Fox's computer programs only include clips of the shows I'm most interested in.

[ThAbtO]

You can watch Hulu on your TV via Xbox, or even Wii. I don't think Tivo will help you.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/165362/article.html

I have tried to get Hulu on the Wii and it needs flash which is not available.

[larry99]

I use Miro to capture programs from the Internet, then acces it on my TV using Streambaby. I have Miro download to a subdirectory of MyTIVO. I have also used VideoReDo to save some programs to DVD. So I think you should be able to do the same with Hulu. I believe both Miro and Hulu save files using BitTorrent which gives a resolution a little better than SDV. Initialy I used TIVO Desktop instead of Streambaby but the current version of Desktop has too many bugs. Streambaby works fine with wired or wireless networking. I have tried both.

[lynnalexandra]

Hi, Larry. I'm a little confused. Is Miro a software program that saves video from sources like Hulu - or is it another content provider like Hulu?

Would I need to know what BitTorrent is to do any of this? I don't know what that is except that at a dinner part recently a woman (in technology) was saying that her husband goes cross-eyed if she even mentions "bittorrent" - so that just suggested to me that is may be complicated.

That's interesting that your Tivo desktop has been buggy. i have Desktop Plus and haven't noticed bugs. Do you mean when streaming from PC to Tivo - or something else? I have noticed that if I stream back my HD content (that originally came from Tivo and then I uploaded to my PC) - it might all stream and play in real time - or it might halt too often - I've had work at times, and not at others. I assumed it was a function of the HD content. It streams fine with SD content. Does Streambaby stream HD video better without halting?

Thanks.
Lynn.

[ThAbtO]

That's interesting that your Tivo desktop has been buggy. i have Desktop Plus and haven't noticed bugs.

The current version of Tivo Desktop V 2.7 and many have said they had various problems and some have re-installed the previous version 2.62 and it worked again.

Personally, I have kept using version 2.52 and that is working fine.

[solutionsetc]

IF you have Safari it is a simple process to download the FLV file directly from HULU using the Activity window. You can then stream this to TiVo using StreamBaby or PyTivoX.

[larry99]

You don't have to know what BitTorrent is. It works behind the scenes of Hulu and Miro. Miro is very similiar to Hulu. They both attempt to organize video content on the web and allow it to be downloaded automatically. Hulu has some unique content because it is associated with the Fox network. That is the main difference.

I have had no problem transferring content from the TIVO to the PC with Deskto 2.7. Its going the other way, from PC to TIVO where the probelms occur. You can find these problems described in prior threads, but if it is working for you you can certainly use it to transfer shows to the Now Playing List on TIVO.

The halting is more related to your transfer speed. The two big problems with Desktop 2.7 are intermittently not transferring files at all and locking up your processor by using %100 of its time. Transfer speed is less important for Desktop because it transfers the show completely. Streambaby allows you to watch the show as it is streaming from your PC. That is why I mentioned that I have not had any problems with it.

Safari and IE 8, allow you to save some content while its being streamed to your PC. But that is maiinly for low resolution stuff as as far as I know.

[FairTax]

Yes I agree. I had a lot of problem with 2.7 so I reinstalled 2.62 and everything works again just fine. I do have one problem that I can't fix. I have multiple listings for the same show. When I'm looking at the TV using my Tivo and want to transfer shows from the computer back to the Tivo it lists the same show 3 or more times but there is only one copy on the computer. Is there I way to correct this????

The current version of Tivo Desktop V 2.7 and many have said they had various problems and some have re-installed the previous version 2.62 and it worked again.

Personally, I have kept using version 2.52 and that is working fine.

[lynnalexandra]

I just noticed the same problem within the past week. Multiple copies are listed for a single show. Not only on my computer. My Tivo2 - which I just upgraded last week to 500GB hard drive. I believe I tried to transfer back some of my daughter's shows from my pc to this Tivo. The Tivo now has 37 copies of one iCarly episode. I haven't gone through all 37 bc. I just discovered it last night. I went through about 10 of them - and they were identical. I'd open it - see it was identical- close it - delete it - and that brought the count down by one. I got to about 27 and decided it was time to stop and go to sleep.

It seems that the TivoDesktop plus transferred this show 37 times.

I know this has gotten off the original topic. On the original topic, I tried Miro - and it offers some content - still not the shows I hope to get - like In Treatment, American Idol. And now when I look on my computer at my recorded shows, there is an "M" symbol (the Miro symbol) in front of some of the episodes I had recorded on Tivo and transferred to my PC. I don't understand that since I had not retrieved these shows via Miro. Can anyone tell me what this means that some shows have the Miro symbol in front of the file name - and seem to be in their own folder?

Thanks
Lynn.

[orangeboy]

IF you have Safari it is a simple process to download the FLV file directly from HULU using the Activity window. You can then stream this to TiVo using StreamBaby or PyTivoX.

I don't see the .flv files, or any large files with Hulu. The Onion (videos), YouTube, Veoh - no problems. Are you sure this method works with Hulu?

[larry99]

to: lynnalexandra

The point I was trying to make is that Hulu should work fine. I wasn't recommending that you change to Miro.

[solutionsetc]

I don't see the .flv files, or any large files with Hulu. The Onion (videos), YouTube, Veoh - no problems. Are you sure this method works with Hulu?

That's because there are no .flv files. Sorry I just assumed Hulu was the same as YouTube. It is not. It looks like they are using the RTMP protocol to stream this. This means the file is not streamed to the browser's cache but to a very small buffer in the Flash Player itself.

What OS are you on?

[orangeboy]

Xp Sp3.

[solutionsetc]

Xp Sp3.

Well I can't really help you step by step then, but if you really want to record Hulu streams there does seem to be some binaries out there that can do it (although Adobe is pursuing them with DMCA threats).

Most of this is command line stuff so you really need to want to do this. :)

If you google "rtmpdump windows" you should be able to find a compiled binary somewhere on the web, but the original SourceForge project has been terminated. There may also be some sites Adobe hasn't got to yet that may still have the source. The new tool, flvstreamer, is a replacement for rtmpdump except that it has no support for RTMPE.

Best o' luck.

[orangeboy]

I'm a z/OS systems programmer. Command line stuff is ok with me.

[Phantom Gremlin]

I'm a z/OS systems programmer. Command line stuff is ok with me.

Do you create those command lines using an IBM 029 Key Punch machine? :)

[orangeboy]

Thank goodness I'm past all that! Or is it thank goodness IBM got past all that? ;)

[lynnalexandra]

Larry - I know you weren't recommending Miro over Hulu - just an alternative. I was interested in checking it out. But I am confused about why some of my Tivo files (that may have been opened in VideoRedo - are now marked with the Miro "M" before their file name. Does Miro act on any open video files in my computer once it's installed?

Sorry for the newbie question, but how do you save a Miro program to a Tivo subdirectory? Would the same work for Hulu?

Thanks.
Lynn.

[larry99]

I haven't had any of my files with the Miro sysmbol so I am not sure what is going on with that issue....On the matter of directories there are several ways to get Desktop or Streambaby and Miro or Hulu to point to the same directories.

With Streambaby, you can set it up to point to any directories you like by using -the initialization file.- In that case, you could let Hulu or Miro use its default directory.

If you use Desktop, you can create subdirectories to MyTIVO using Windows and have Hulu or Miro point to those using menu options (which is what I did.) Another way to do it with Desktop, is to include shortcuts under myTIVO that point the Miro or Hulu default directories.

[lynnalexandra]

Thanks, Larry. I think I like the idea of using windows to create subdirectories to MyTivo - and have Hulu or Miro point to those. I assume you mean if I'm in hulu or miro and try to save a file, I can save it in the MyTivo subdirectory.

Lynn.

[larry99]

Yes, that is correct. With Miro, it automatically saves files you set it up to subscribe to. I haven't used Hulu in a while so I am not sure if it works the same way.

[David Platt]

Yes, that is correct. With Miro, it automatically saves files you set it up to subscribe to. I haven't used Hulu in a while so I am not sure if it works the same way.

From reading your posts in this thread, I think you may have a misunderstanding of what Hulu actually is and it might be causing some confusion. It's not a way to download programs. It's a way to watch programs from several different providers legitimately via Hulu's website. It's not a method for getting files to your computer.

[larry99]

David is correct. There more differences between Miro and Hulu than I realized. There may be ways to save files using special features in some browsers or using streaming capture programs. These methods have the disadvantage of requiring playing the file in real-time. Perhaps someone who uses Hulu more than me can provide more information. I pretty much stick to Miro.

[johnny99]

I took a quick look at Miro. They seem to have "feeds" and "sites". The "feeds" are downloadable podcasts, mostly the same as what you can download for free from iTunes and copy to your Tivo with the Tivo Desktop.

The "sites" are full length TV shows, like what you can find on Hulu. Can the Miro sites be easily recorded and replayed on my Tivo?

[lynnalexandra]

A few months later - and I'm trying it again. The only place I could find the second episode of Modern Family (which aired Sept. 30) is on Hulu. I don't want to watch it on my computer - my whole family would like to see it together on tv. In re-reading this thread, it doesn't sound like there were any solutions to capturing the video my computer plays from Hulu. Is that right? This show isn't on Miro.

David - I know Hulu isn't a way to download video - I was hoping there was a way to capture that video that Hulu streams to my computer. Thought I'd check back in case I missed an answer or somebody has figured out a way since June.

I have also just learned a wonderful, simple method for capturing youtube video. When the video is loaded in youtube, go to the url - insert the cursor just before the word "youtube" in the url. Insert abc just before youtube. Hit enter - and it takes you to a site that can download the video in many formats. Scroll underneath the screen of the video and you can select to download the video in mp4,mp3, flv or 3gp format. I chose mp4 format, then chose to save to the folder of My Tivo Recordings. From there it's easy to watch from my tivo and select those youtube recordings to be transferred down to the tivo. Hope that's helpful to someone.

Thanks.

[noseph]

I have implemented a non-TiVo solutions to Hulu. a $349 HTPC (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856158007). I am able to use either Boxee or my web browser to go Hulu or any othter site to view video full screen on my wide screen TV.

[dlfl]

You can capture any video that plays on your PC with "video capture" programs:

http://www.innoheim.com/litecam.php ($19)

http://www.applian.com/replay-video-capture/ ($40)

However these provide far from seamless operation. They require substantial operator setup and there is a tradeoff of achievable video quality vs. the power of your PC.

Nevertheless, I have Litecam and it provides usable (not HD) videos on my rather slow PC (3 GHz, single core) that will transfer via pyTiVo.

I believe both products can be free-trialed, so judge for yourself.

These programs capture the video going to your PC video. This means two things:

1. You have to play the video at 1X speed over it's entire length during the capture process.

2. There can be processor workload issues if you try to use the PC for other things during the capture. Also you have to prevent another window from overlaying the video window.

I view Litecam as a "last resort" way to capture a video (e.g., on Hulu) that I just have to have -- which isn't very often. I don't like the concept of Bit Torrent so I don't use that.