Want to play nearly ANY audio file on your TiVo? (New Version 10/22/07)

Dan203 · 04-14-2006, 01:14 PM

Well now you can! With my new TiVo Desktop Universal Audio Plug-in....

http://www.3wdesigns.net/TDUAP/Setup.exe

Out of the box this plug-in supports iTunes AAC files (unencrypted), WMA files (unencrypted) and OGG Vorbis files. However it also contains an interface for adding support for your own audio formats.* (I've personally tried it with APE, FLAC and WAV and all work perfectly) It also supports tags for all the built in formats, as well as a a few others via a universal tag library. For everything else it will simply use the file name as the song title.

Note: If you were previously using my AAC plug-in, or the pzand WMA plug-in, you will need to uninstall them before installing this one.

Dan

* The file must be capable of being played via DirectShow for it to work. There are DirectShow filters available for the majority of formats if you Google for them. The only exception is encrypted formats such as music purchased from services such as iTunes Music Store, Napster, etc...

Note
If you would like to use playlists fom iTunes which contain files other then MP3, you now can. The author of TiViTunes has just released a new version of his software which actually works with my plug-in and automatically recognizes all the formats you have enabled and automatically allows them to be added to the TiVo compatible playlists as well.

Edit
On 10/19/07 I made a small change which should fix the compatibility problem with the 9.1 software. Apparently there was a small bug in the logic I used to allocate the buffer size on the TiVo which didn't bother previous versions but caused 9.1 to only play 20-30 seconds of the file before bombing out. To install the new version you will need to exit out of TiVo Desktop and TiVo Server. (to exit TiVo Server right click the TiVo icon in the tray and select TiVo Server Properties, then click the Exit button in the dialog that pops up)

Edit
On 10/22/07 I made another small change to address the lockup when seeking from one MP4 to the next. It still happens on occasion, with frantic switching, but I've verified everything I'm doing on my end is correct, so either the API changed and TiVo hasn't released a new version or something in the TiVo software is causing a glitch in the server itself. In any case this should fix it for most normal usage patterns.

morac · 04-14-2006, 08:10 PM

Works great so far, thanks.

You should probably also remove pzand's WMA plugin if it's installed since with this plug-in it's not needed.

BTW don't bother trying .mid files. I tried them and it will let you add them, but they won't play on the TiVo.

cbono · 04-15-2006, 01:29 AM

So, I have to ask...

What *would* it take to support music store-purchased music? I know that Apple keeps their DRM to themselves, but WMA support is all over the place. And not just in MP3 players... WinAMP (which is free) can play all of my purchased MSN Music files.

Is it just a matter of licensing?

Dan203 · 04-15-2006, 10:56 AM

The problem is that TiVos only really support MP3. This plug-in works by transcoding various formats to MP3. The licensing agreement for playing encrypted WMA files specifically prevents transcoding the files. So there is really no way for me to legally support encrypted files.

That being said there are ways to strip the encryption from both iTunes and WMA files. If you do that first then you'll be able to play either one using this plug-in.

Dan

buddhawood · 04-16-2006, 01:57 AM

Downloaded and I listened to my WMA files for the first time in the bedroom! Don't forget that this is offered free but if you use it How about sending a donation for Dan's effort!(There is a link on the plug-in screen) I sent one tonight and Dan thanked me and told me I was his first one!? First one??? I was surprised, How many of us are using this? More than myself I would assume.
Thanks again!

Dan203 · 04-17-2006, 02:22 PM

Thanks again buddhawood!

No one should feel obligated to donate anything. While donations are greatly appreciated I did this project for the good of the community, not to make money. If you want to throw a couple bucks my way I'll certainly thank you, but if you don't feel free to enjoy the software anyway.

Dan

HOPTOAD · 04-27-2006, 09:09 AM

I just downloaded the plug in and when I try to playback music thru Tivo it says the folder doesnt contain any playable music. Any suggestions?
Thanks
HOPTOAD

Edit

The files i am trying to play are all ripped into itunes off of cd's into ACC format.

Dan203 · 04-27-2006, 01:23 PM

What kind of music are you trying to play? If it's anything other then AAC, WMA or OGG you have to manually add the format to the plug-in's interface. Also keep in mind that the AAC and WMA portions can NOT play encrypted music. So if you're trying to play music downloaded from a pay service like iTMS or Napster it will not work.

Dan

kdm · 05-01-2006, 09:29 AM

THANKS DAN! My daughter will be so thrilled. She plays her mp3 files through the DVR when practicing her cheer and dance routines. Being able to use the fast forward and instant replay on Tivo is so much easier than on the CD player or computer. Now, she will be able to do the non-protected WMA files that I converted most of her mp3's to in order to save space on her mp3 player. You have gotten me out of the doghouse!

pjspring · 05-08-2006, 01:30 PM

Cool!

Can you make it read iTunes playlists as well?

Dan203 · 05-08-2006, 02:56 PM

I've considered that. But right now I'm working on something else and don't have time.

Although I could have sworn that there was a TD plug-in out there somewhere that could already do this. But I can't seem to find it.

Dan

pnoble · 05-17-2006, 12:32 AM

I'm not a guru with Windows Media Player and plug ins, but I've been having no luck for a few years in getting music to come out of my tv through the Home Media Option. All of my music is WMA, and Tivo obviously needs MP3. I went through what seemed to be the motions of installing your plug in tonight, but still no WMA conversions. Maybe I missed a step? I downloaded the software. All of the little boxes are checked for the various types I want to convert. I went to Windows Media Player (I have v 10) and added the plug in under Options. When I went back and clicked Add again, there were two exe files -- TDUAP and unins000. Both are dated tonight and seem to be from the plug in I installed. What am I doing wrong? The music is from CDs. Is the music all encrypted and unavailable? I'll never get past that with my limited knowledge, and I'm not sure I want to delve into that.

Dan203 · 05-17-2006, 12:36 AM

This plug-in is for TiVo Desktop not Windows Media Player. What you need to do is open TiVo Desktop (install it if you don't have it), switch to the Music & Photos tab, then publish your WMA files through there. Once you've published what you want to hear start the TiVo Server from the menu in TiVo Desktop. Now go to your TiVo and go into Music, Photos & More and find the list that says Music on pc name. You should see all the music you published and should be able to play it through the TiVo. (note this does not work for encrypted music files)

Dan

pnoble · 05-17-2006, 01:25 PM

Thanks, Dan. Working now. I appreciate the help. Pat

Dan203 · 05-17-2006, 04:24 PM

Glad to hear youo got it working. Enjoy your music!

Dan

ec13823 · 05-20-2006, 08:49 AM

Do all music files need to be kept on the computer(as a matching library) or can I dump some onto Tivo and then delete them from the computer to add new tunes to add to Tivo? I am guessing that this would incorrect and it functions like an IPOD where you need to have all music on your computer as well. The reason I as is that my computer will never hold all my music and it would be great to have Tivo as a jukebox instead of a small library that matched the one on my computer. thanks

Dan203 · 05-21-2006, 10:32 PM

TiVos do NOT store music locally. They stream them from a PC.

Dan

dwgsp · 05-25-2006, 09:18 PM

I installed the TiVo Desktop Universal Audio plug-in today, but I am having problems. Some of the flac format files on my computer can be played through my Tivo just fine, while others won't play. I have a DirectShow filter installed that allows WindowsMediaPlayer to play flac format files, and the files that won't play on the TiVo play fine through WMP.

Note that the announcement for the TiVo Desktop Universal Audio plug-in mentions that "it also contains an interface for adding support for your own audio formats" but I can't find any instructions describing how to do this. My guess is that since some flac files currently play fine my problem is elsewhere.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
/Don

Dan203 · 05-26-2006, 01:31 AM

Actually if the ones that play have the OGG extension, then that is why they work. In order to add support for files with any other extension you have to launch the interface that's included with the plug-in (should be under Start->Program Files) and add it to the user defined list. You do this by selecting Add then picking one of the files which does not currently play. Also after you're done make sure you exit the interface so that the program can restart TiVo Desktop and TiVo Server and reload the modified format list.

If that doesn't work PM me so I can hae you send me one of the files that doesn't work and I can look into why it's not working.

Dan

ptsailor · 05-28-2006, 01:39 AM

Probably overly obvious to everyone BUT me..

But...

*** Requires TiVo Desktop Ver. 2.2 (or at least greater than 2.0.0.2)

Now that I've gotten over that hurdle, I'm perfectly content while listening to my new AAC encoded John Hiatt CD on my home stereo via TiVo-HMO. Thank you very much!!

One question, how does the publishing mechanism 'work?' By that I mean that when I first restarted the TiVo server I had trouble finding a folder (artist) that displayed anything other than "there are no publishable files..." but as time went by I noticed more and more, as if it was taking the desktop client a while to go through the folders and determine that there were convertable files within.

Dan203 · 05-28-2006, 04:04 AM

I've actually discovered a small bug in the publishing mechanisim today which could cause problems. I've got a few other small things I need to take care of as well, so I should be posting a new version in the next couple of days.

However the way the TiVo Server works is it checks every single file against a list of supported types. So even after applying the fix if you publish folders with a large number of files in them it can slow down the performance.

Dan

nugrass · 05-28-2006, 12:10 PM

I am very excited about this program. I have about 500 gb of .shn and flac files that I would love to be able to play through the tivo. I have been having problems though. I cannot get tivo to recognize any of my files. Not even my folder of .wma files that I listened to using the pzand's WMA plugin (I did uninstall this before downloading tivo desktop universal audio...). Flac and Shorten files are listed under the "user defined files" section in the plugin and I could hear the music so I believe that I have all the directshow filters. When I use the tivo desktop I can add the files. I can see the files just fine and it seems to add them without a problem but when I go to my tv and select the files on tivo I get the "this folder does not contain any playable music" message.

What have I done wrong?
Am I missing something?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Dan203 · 05-28-2006, 01:23 PM

Like I said I found a problem with the code that can cause problems under certin circumstances. Wait for the new version, it should fix this problem for you.

Dan

nugrass · 05-28-2006, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan203

Like I said I found a problem with the code that can cause problems under certin circumstances. Wait for the new version, it should fix this problem for you.

Dan

Thanks! I'll wait patiently.

toll house · 05-28-2006, 10:27 PM

I have recently had problems loading program. Sounds similar to recent problems listed. I also look forward to the new revisions.
Just so I'm sure how to run this...
I loaded ver 2.2 first, then found and loaded this plug-in. I did not see a way to add this plug in to the TivoToGo 2.2. When I tried to publish from ripped CD files into ITunes, (.m4a), they remained as .m4a after being published. Is there a way to load the plug in that I am missing? Under FILE, there are only minimal options in 2.2. Was this easier in other versions?
Thanks for the revised program. I will look forward to it.

Dan203 · 05-28-2006, 10:32 PM

If you have .m4a files they should work fine. All you have to do is publish the iTunes directory using TiV Desktop and then start the TiVo Server. The plug-in is turned on by default and should recognize the default formats just fine. (i.e. .m4a, .m4b, .wma and .ogg) The bug pertained to additional formats which are published using the plug-in's interface.

Dan

Dan203 · 05-29-2006, 04:06 AM

OK I've uploaded a new version of the plug-in. It should fix a few incompatibility issues some users were experiencing. One of the major ones being an incompatibility with the only available SHN DirectShow filter. (I had to disable seeking with SHN because the filter does not support it properly and was causing the plug-in to fail)

Enjoy!
Dan

nugrass · 05-29-2006, 04:58 PM

I'm having a different problem now. This morning I was very excited when I saw the new release. I downloaded it, added flac and shn files, and it worked fine (actually the first music I tried to play I got a "fatal error" message on the tivo but other files worked). now I am home from work and I cannot get it to work. every time I select music using the tivo I get an "abnormal shutdown" message and the tivo server disconnects and closes. any ideas? Could it be the .shn files? that thought just came to me and it seems like that has been the culprit of some of the problems. Anyone else have similar problems?

nugrass · 05-29-2006, 05:07 PM

I'm also getting this message now when I start tivo desktop"

tivodesktop.exe- application error

the instruction at "0x7c910f2b" referenced memory at "0x00000004". this memory could not be "read"

click ok to terminate
click cancel to debug

I'm not really sure what this means?

Dan203 · 05-29-2006, 06:07 PM

I notice that you have the option to debug. Do you have a development environment installed on your PC? If so then it's probably the SHN DirectShow filter. I could not get it to work at all on my PC which has VS.NET 2003 installed, but it worked fine on my girlfriends PC which does not have VS installed.

If that's the case then there isn't much I can do. If not let me know and I'll look into it for you.

Dan