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TIVOTOGO and My Creative Zen M

Discussion in 'TiVo Home Media Features & TiVoToGo' started by hamlet423, Apr 10, 2008.

  1. Apr 10, 2008 #1 of 9
    hamlet423

    hamlet423 New Member

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    Apr 10, 2008

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    I have had a beloved creative zen vision M 60 gig device that has worked fairly well for quite a while.

    Perfect? no-but its still pretty good.

    The problem? Getting it to work easily with tivotogo!

    I decided I was going to tivo the daily show and colbert, let it download overnight to my computer and then sync it to my creative zen so I could get to the gym first thing in the am.

    Turns out, despite being pretty technical I could not get a reliable and simple way to do this, no matter what settings I used for tivotogo, tivoautopilot or whatever else you can think of.

    What I Do know is this--if I record the videos in basic quality, transfer them to my computer and use tivotogo to convert to MP4, I can just drop the files into the creative zen--the video works, it just uses the wrong audio codec.

    Is there ANY way I have try to beg tivotogo to convert using a different audiocodec so that it works? Right now it seems to use MainConcept AAC Decoder--is that a function of tivotogo or whats installed on my vista computer?

    I'd just like this to work--without too much brain power--yes I tried just adding the files to the windows media library and that doesnt do anything useful--I need it to automatically convert while I sleep into SOMETHING I Can easily drop onto my creative zen! Is that too much to ask?

    Sigh--forget this I'm gettting a nano and using it to covert to ipod directly!

    And question me this--since when I paid the $25 for the tivo desktop PLUS---why can't I JUST PICK CREATIVE ZEN VISION M from the LIST? Why does IPOD to TREO continue to torture me?

    DAvid
     
  2. Apr 10, 2008 #2 of 9
    ah30k

    ah30k Well-Known Member

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    I did not use any conversion but used MediaPlayer's sync function to sync the file to the zen. There was a faq about using the zen somewhere on the TiVo site.
     
  3. Apr 10, 2008 #3 of 9
    MusicMama

    MusicMama Member

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    I use either PocketDivXEncoder or Lathe to convert for Zen VM, after having used DirectShowDump for the .tivo file. Use the batch modes for each one and it's pretty easy. Very reliable too. Lathe has a ZenVision selection, for Pocket I use the PDA settings.

    Got the advice 2+years ago right from the forum. I'm such a lazy soul that I haven't even upgraded from TiVo Desktop 2.0 - it works so why mess?
     
  4. Apr 11, 2008 #4 of 9
    CuriousMark

    CuriousMark Forum Denizen

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    That method works fine, you just don't want to give it the time it needs to convert in the morning while syncing to your ZEN and you don't want to sync the ZEN at night before going to bed. I can understand that, but it isn't a problem with TiVo Desktop, Windows Media Player, or the Zen.

    If MP4 or H.264 don't work for this, then no. The codecs are controlled by TiVo Desktop / Quicktime software installed on the computer. The TiVoToGo software (running in the TiVo, has no effect) I am not aware of any way to change to those settings.

    The ZEN is a windows media device, one of many. They all work through WMP with conversion during sync. No Windows Media device requires you to get PLUS, they all should work on the free version of TiVo Desktop. Plus buys you the codecs to transfer to iPod and Treo.

    Here is something you can look into that might be right up your alley. There is a thread here for a program that transfers shows from your TiVo, calls VideoRedo to excise commercials and then kicks off a converter of your choice on a TiVo file. The result is placed where you want it. So using it, you could get everything you want, and get it done while you sleep. I don't see why the converter couldn't be the ZEN standalone converter that you can use on MPEG-2 files. VideoRedo will have freed the file from TiVo DRM so it will work on the output of VideoRedo.
    Check it out.
     
  5. Apr 13, 2008 #5 of 9
    vasilemj

    vasilemj Member

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    Jul 2, 2002
    Chicago, IL

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    I love my Creative Zen Vision M 30GB. I merely record all programs in basic mode, convert to MPG and then transfer to my Zen using the Zen's Media Explorer to drag and drop into my Zen's Video or TV folder. Works like a charm. No need to transcode to a different video format.
     
  6. Apr 13, 2008 #6 of 9
    nogee

    nogee New Member

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    Dec 28, 2004
    So Cal
    Vasilemj,

    I've got a Createive Zen... after I upgraded Vista 32 to SP1 and TTG 2.6, files could no longer be converted with Zen Media Explorer.

    I'm still troubleshooting with the information from this forum and others. I can transfer using WMP but I cannot fast forward the file on the ZED. Duration seems to be missing.

    Have you had any problems? I understand that you have the Vision M

    Thanks in advance
     
  7. Apr 14, 2008 #7 of 9
    vasilemj

    vasilemj Member

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    Can't say I've had problems. I'm still running XP and really have never had to "convert" files...just remove the TiVo Header using VideoReDo. Sorry.
     
  8. Apr 19, 2008 #8 of 9
    hamlet423

    hamlet423 New Member

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    Apr 10, 2008
    Vasilemj

    I did the exact same thing you did, except when i drop those files directly on my creative zen m, it wont play the audio--says that the audio format is unsupported.

    i did not try videoredo for that, and maybe thats my problem, but directshow dump works..dont know why it causes the audio problems!

    sigh

    even my new ipod isnt working so great. tivo desktop 2.6.1 seems to easily forget to do the autotransfers! ugh!
     
  9. Apr 19, 2008 #9 of 9
    nogee

    nogee New Member

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    Dec 28, 2004
    So Cal
    I don't know if going back a version is the trick. I've read differing responses. Things seem to be really hosed.
     

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