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Compressing Tivo files for transfer via a thumb/pen drive?

Discussion in 'TiVo Series3 HDTV DVRs' started by GregComeLately, Oct 31, 2008.

  1. Oct 31, 2008 #1 of 6
    GregComeLately

    GregComeLately Member

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    western...

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    How much or by what percentage can Tivo HD programs be compressed with a typical compression program utilized by a thumb or pen usb drive?

    The reason I ask is I am considering the purchase of a pen/thumb drive, but I'm not sure which size I need. Since a typical 1 hour hd program falls somewhere within the 3.5 to 6GB range, if I want to put two such programs on the thumb drive, I would need a 12GB thumb drive to be safe. But.. if these Tivo files are compressible, then perhaps I could get by with a smaller size drive. But how small? Simply put.. how much can the Tivo files be compressed?

    Btw, I assume I want to do this in their native format, without any type of conversion. But if it makes more sense to convert the files first, then tell me.
     
  2. Oct 31, 2008 #2 of 6
    ah30k

    ah30k Well-Known Member

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    Unlikely it would be any smaller at all. Typically when you compress a compressed file it gets bigger not smaller. The best way to make it smaller would be to convert from MPEG2 to MPEG4 but that would be more complex that just zipping the file which is what I assume you are thinking of.
     
  3. Oct 31, 2008 #3 of 6
    cableguy763

    cableguy763 New Member

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    Plus thumb drives are cheap. You can get a 16 gig for thirty bucks.
     
  4. Oct 31, 2008 #4 of 6
    windracer

    windracer joined the 10k club

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    Yeah, the only way to make them smaller would be to convert them from MPEG2 into a different format (like Divx). If you have TiVo Desktop Plus, you can have your downloads automatically converted into one of these smaller formats (like for your iPod or other mobile device).
     
  5. Oct 31, 2008 #5 of 6
    GregComeLately

    GregComeLately Member

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    western...

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    ok, thanks for all the replies. :)

    I seem to recall trying to compress one such file to go on an old 1GB thumb drive a few months ago (haven't used the Tivo Desktop transfer feature much so far) and it didn't compress it at all.

    I wasn't sure at the time if it meant I wasn't doing something correctly or if the compression software wasn't sophisticated enough to handle the Tivo file. Know I know.. just buy a big enough drive or be willing to go through an extra conversion step first. Thanks again!
     
  6. Oct 31, 2008 #6 of 6
    GregComeLately

    GregComeLately Member

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    western...
    I'm bargain-hunting crazy cheap. I'll get one that size when it falls to $15-$18, which I bet will be doable within 3 months. Heck, I could have bought an 8GB yesterday for $10 delivered (after rebate) from zipzoomfly. But I fell asleep before I could complete the order and the price jumped when I awoke.:rolleyes::D
     

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