transfer from PC to TIVO issues

[jiri]

No matter what I do, transfers from my PC to TIVO don't start. Actually I had one single transfer, but nothing since then...

I use the newest Tivo Desktop 2.8.1 and tried both manual as well as auto-transfer, I tried several different formats. Rebooted Tivo and my PC, turned off firewall and antivirus, I also tried to uncheck file transfer speed...

When I look at "to do list" on my TIVo,it says "this program will be transferred after previously requested programs have finished transferring"



what is kinda weird that when I was transferring that one show, I was able to stream it from my PC or let it transfers. I dont see that option anymore.

[unitron]

Originally Posted by jiri

No matter what I do, transfers from my PC to TIVO don't start. Actually I had one single transfer, but nothing since then...

I use the newest Tivo Desktop 2.8.1 and tried both manual as well as auto-transfer, I tried several different formats. Rebooted Tivo and my PC, turned off firewall and antivirus, I also tried to uncheck file transfer speed...

When I look at "to do list" on my TIVo,it says "this program will be transferred after previously requested programs have finished transferring"



what is kinda weird that when I was transferring that one show, I was able to stream it from my PC or let it transfers. I dont see that option anymore.

The latest version is 2.8.3, but that's just 2.8.2 with a little add-on for the new satellite TiVo, and you're just as well off with 2.8.2 if you have any other model.

Hard to tell from that To Do list error message if the problem is in the computer or the TiVo, but here's something you can try.

First, make sure everything on your home network that doesn't travel has a fixed IP address. Can't hurt, might help.

Then, go into the TiVo's Account & System Info menu and go to your MAK, make sure it's there and write it down on a post-it.

Then create another folder where your My TiVo Recordings folder is on the PC, and move everything out into the new folder.

Also make a note of where Desktop keeps its cache folder.

Go to TiVo.com, download 2.8.2 and the Desktop Cleaner utility they say is for older versions and put them where you can get to them.

Then I think you have to go through Control Panel, add and remove programs, to uninstall Desktop.

Uninstall it.

Then delete the now empty My TiVo Recordings folder and the cache folder.

Then run the Desktop Cleaner utility.

Then reboot the TiVo, the computer, and the router, and install 2.8.2 from where you downloaded it.

After you get it set up and working right, you can move those .tivo files back into the new My TiVo Recordings folder.



However, before you do any of that, you could, with Desktop not running, try finding Desktop's cache folder and delete all of the files in it.

Then start up Desktop.

If that's enough to fix it all by itself, go ahead with the fixed IP thing anyway.

[lillevig]

Originally Posted by jiri

No matter what I do, transfers from my PC to TIVO don't start. Actually I had one single transfer, but nothing since then...

I use the newest Tivo Desktop 2.8.1 and tried both manual as well as auto-transfer, I tried several different formats. Rebooted Tivo and my PC, turned off firewall and antivirus, I also tried to uncheck file transfer speed...

When I look at "to do list" on my TIVo,it says "this program will be transferred after previously requested programs have finished transferring"



what is kinda weird that when I was transferring that one show, I was able to stream it from my PC or let it transfers. I dont see that option anymore.

I assume that you mean Desktop Plus, the purchased version. I don't think the free version allows transfers. Try a reinstall with the new version. If you hadn't already paid for it I'd have recommended just using the free pyTivo.

[jrtroo]

Can you transfer from the Tivo to the desktop? Can you repeat the same file that did work? Or will that no longer transfer?

You don't need the Plus version to transfer. BUT, the files need to be set up very specifically for the TiVo, and the desktop software can sometimes have problems with files with irregularities.

Though, pyTiVo is vastly superior. It does take some effort to set up, but now that it is done I'll never go back. It just works, and has lots more power than desktop.

[scandia101]

Originally Posted by lillevig

I assume that you mean Desktop Plus, the purchased version. I don't think the free version allows transfers.

Transferring recordings from Tivo to pc and pc to Tivo is what the free version of Tivo Desktop is meant to do.

[scandia101]

Originally Posted by jiri

Rebooted Tivo and my PC,

When you rebooted the Tivo, did you pull the plug or restart via the menus?

[jiri]

thank you all for tips, still no luck.... :-(

1. I reinstalled the newest Tivo Desktop version (yes I use paid PLUS version)

2. I can automatically transfers shows from TIVO to PC (and convert them to iPhone format). This is pretty awesome feature and works great (with few tiny bugs here and there)

3. yes I rebooted TIVO from the menu

4. I used Streambaby last night, works pretty awesome and if I don't solve my problem, I will use it instead. I really don't watch shows like this more than few times a month

[unitron]

Originally Posted by lillevig

I assume that you mean Desktop Plus, the purchased version. I don't think the free version allows transfers. Try a reinstall with the new version. If you hadn't already paid for it I'd have recommended just using the free pyTivo.

As long as what's being transferred is a .tivo file that was transferred to the computer from a TiVo in the first place the free version is all you need.

If you want to convert other video files into something you can put on a TiVo, that's a horse of a different color.

[unitron]

Originally Posted by jiri

thank you all for tips, still no luck.... :-(

1. I reinstalled the newest Tivo Desktop version (yes I use paid PLUS version)

2. I can automatically transfers shows from TIVO to PC (and convert them to iPhone format). This is pretty awesome feature and works great (with few tiny bugs here and there)

3. yes I rebooted TIVO from the menu

4. I used Streambaby last night, works pretty awesome and if I don't solve my problem, I will use it instead. I really don't watch shows like this more than few times a month

Okay, when you transfer from PC to computer you wind up with files that end in .tivo, right?

When you go into "Now Playing" on the TiVo, does the computer show up near the bottom of the list?

If you get on it and right arrow or hit select, do you get a list that matches the .tivo files in the My TiVo Recordings folder on the computer?


If you select one, does it offer you the option to transfer to the TiVo?

Do you still get the error message that indicates it's trying to complete previously scheduled transfers?

Do you have a current backup image for your TiVo?

[lillevig]

Originally Posted by scandia101

Transferring recordings from Tivo to pc and pc to Tivo is what the free version of Tivo Desktop is meant to do.

Originally Posted by unitron

As long as what's being transferred is a .tivo file that was transferred to the computer from a TiVo in the first place the free version is all you need.

If you want to convert other video files into something you can put on a TiVo, that's a horse of a different color.

When I had the free version I could transfer from the Tivo to the PC but going the other direction the option was grayed out. Never did look to see if the PC showed up in the Tivo NPL.

[unitron]

Originally Posted by lillevig

When I had the free version I could transfer from the Tivo to the PC but going the other direction the option was grayed out. Never did look to see if the PC showed up in the Tivo NPL.

As far as I know, TiVo Desktop is strictly pull, not push, so to get something from the computer back on the TiVo on onto another TiVo on the network and with the same MAK, you have to do it from the TiVo to which you want the show transferred.

And of course by transferred I really mean copy, but apparently TiVo's allergic to using that word. Scared of the content providers freaking, I guess.

[steve614]

Yep, with the free Tivo Desktop, you can 'pull' videos back and forth between the Tivo and computer.
To get a video from the Tivo to computer, you 'pull' from the computer.
To get a video from the computer to Tivo, you 'pull' from the Tivo.

With the free version of TD, videos transferred to the Tivo have to be the original (.tivo) file OR a compatible .mpg file. Such as this...

            File Name: J:\Fringe\Fringe - ''Back to Where You've Never Been''.mpg
            File Size: 4845350912 ( 4.51 GB )
     Program Duration: 00:43:02.45
            File Type: PS - MPEG2
             Encoding: MPEG2
      Video stream Id:  xE0
  Encoding Dimensions:  1280 x 720
         Display Size:  1280 x 720
         Aspect Ratio: 16:9
           Frame Rate:  59.94 FPS
             Bit Rate:  38.800 Mbps
           VBV_Buffer:  976 KB
              Profile:  Main@High
          Progressive:  Progressive Only
               Chroma:  4:2:0
         Audio Format:  5.1
      Audio Stream Id:  AC3: 0 (x80)
       Audio Bit Rate:  448 Kbps
  Audio Sampling Rate:  48000 Hz
    TS Mux Rate (bps): -1

[lillevig]

Originally Posted by steve614

Yep, with the free Tivo Desktop, you can 'pull' videos back and forth between the Tivo and computer.
To get a video from the Tivo to computer, you 'pull' from the computer.
To get a video from the computer to Tivo, you 'pull' from the Tivo.

With the free version of TD, videos transferred to the Tivo have to be the original (.tivo) file OR a compatible .mpg file. Such as this...

Oh well, can't say that I miss Desktop. Seems like it took a long time to start up and often sat there just whirling the hourglass whenever I tried to do something. Now I use kmttg to pull from my Tivos and use pyTivo to let me pull (or push) them back to my Tivos. The kmttg decode to .mpg allows me to rename stuff I've been copying from VHS tapes.

[mattack]

use kmttg to download and pytivo to upload.