Transferring HD video from TiVo to Mac

koolstrike · 04-30-2012, 10:37 AM

I ave a series 3 TiVo unit. I have a Mac OSX with Lion, TiVo transfer software has been installed and I can see the Series 3 TiVo unit on the transfer software on the Mac.

I have a number of HD programs on the TiVo that I would like to move over to my Mac. TiVo transfer interface has red cycles in front of all the HD programs indicating I cannot download the program over to my computer.

I want to transfer those HD programs from the TiVo over to the Mac, how do I do this?

I have spent plenty of time searching this forum and google and I cannot find an answer to this problem.

In addition if I am able to download the HD program can I use the Aunsoft software to convert the TiVo HD video over to H264? I have found the Aunsoft program to be very good on program conversion over to h264 for non HD programs.

ThAbtO · 04-30-2012, 03:09 PM

There is no way to transfer copy protected programs once that flag was activated. You can blame your cable card for that.

lrhorer · 04-30-2012, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThAbtO

There is no way to transfer copy protected programs once that flag was activated.

That is not quite true. He says he has a Series III Tivo, in which case there are options.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThAbtO

You can blame your cable card for that.

Well, not quite. It is the software on the TiVo that actually prevents the transfer, not the CableCard. It is true TiVo has to implement software that honors the CCI byte value in order to be certified by CableLabs to support a CableCard, but that is not quite the same thing. If one modifies the TiVo software, the videos can be transferred. The CableCard itself has nothing to do with the video once it is saved to the hard drive.

lrhorer · 04-30-2012, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koolstrike

I have a number of HD programs on the TiVo that I would like to move over to my Mac. TiVo transfer interface has red cycles in front of all the HD programs indicating I cannot download the program over to my computer.

I want to transfer those HD programs from the TiVo over to the Mac, how do I do this?

It cannot be done on an un-modified TiVo. For information about hacking your TiVo, visit the "other" TiVo forum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by koolstrike

I have spent plenty of time searching this forum and google and I cannot find an answer to this problem.

Um, yeah, maybe not so much, at that. Googling for "tivo cci byte hack" brings up a number of pertinent discussions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by koolstrike

In addition if I am able to download the HD program can I use the Aunsoft software to convert the TiVo HD video over to H264? I have found the Aunsoft program to be very good on program conversion over to h264 for non HD programs.

That I cannot say. I have no experience with the program. Certainly it is possible to do so.

mattack · 04-30-2012, 09:41 PM

I have no idea what Aunsoft is, but for *nonprotected* programs (not your situation), kmttg is the best software I've used for downloading from a TiVo. It's Java, so it has sort of a lowest common denominator UI.. but it still works and is better than iTiVo, which is what I used before. kmttg is free

koolstrike · 05-01-2012, 12:34 AM

Aunsoft is a video converter program that converts .tivo files over to h.264 (or many other video files) so I can then edit the files on iMovie.

aunsoft.com program is $30, the trial version works very well but it puts a water mark on the video. Full version is $30. I am trying to find a free download to convert .tivo over h.264.

I downloaded the kttmg program and I have searched the "tiro cci byte hack" and i am looking up the hack. Kind of an obtuse search for a newbie to find but I appreciate the response, it gave me some direction. Looks like my cable cards from Cox are preventing the transfers. Plenty of reading to do. I think I might have found the "other" tivo forum.

mattack · 05-01-2012, 09:23 PM

You don't need to convert .tivo files. You just need to download with kmttg (or any other program), that will then "convert" them into MPEG-2 files. They're already MPEG-2 files, simply encoded, when they're .tivo files. (You do not lose any quality when decoding from .Tivo to mpeg 2 files)

Then use one of the GAZILLION video converters to convert from MPEG-2 to whatever other format you want (of course you lose data).

You don't have to convert them to do editing IN MOST CASES. MPEG Streamclip is a free program that works with MOST mpeg 2 video files from Tivos. The ones that it doesn't end up with a white screen -- but you can still use MPEG streamclip to do simple in/out editing, if you find the times you want to edit with another player like mplayer or VLC.

Sounds like a lot of work, and it is... but I'd rather do it this way for now than the time consuming AND LOSSY conversion process. (I would convert to view on an iPad for example.)

wmcbrine · 05-01-2012, 09:33 PM

Note that it's not because the programs are HD that they're blocked. The flags are typically imposed on a channel-by-channel basis by your cable company. Some don't flag anything, some only flag premium channels, and some flag everything except the OTA channels (they're legally not allowed to flag those).

The CCI flag only applies to digital channels, so if your system still carries a lot of analog channels, and you record SD mostly from analog, that could be why you're seeing this an HD/SD thing. But digital SD channels can be flagged just as well as HD channels.