Mac OSX, Virtual PC and TivoToGo

TiVo_Rod · Nov 21, 2005

Mac Tivo Users,

I am thinking of buying Virtual PC for my iMac (OS X 10.4.3) and loading the Windows TivoToGo program to convert the .tivo file to something that my Mac (and eventually new iPod) and handle.

Are any of you going this route to over come the missing Mac piece of our puzzle? I am more than willing to experiment and play but am refraining from spending money on Virtual PC (I do have a licensed copy of XP that I no longer use) if someone knows right off the bat that this will not work.

Thanks,
Rod

DaveD · Nov 21, 2005

I got this to work, but apparently can't say exactly how.

Dave

Jared52 · Nov 21, 2005

I tired this but with Windows 2000 wasn't able to get a usable MPEG2 file

ionblue · Nov 21, 2005

I could never get it work and gave up.

abobrow · Nov 21, 2005

I got it to work, but it required so many steps that I've decided it's not worth it. You get the .tivo file off your tivo in VPC using Tivo Desktop for Windows. You can "free" the .tivo file while still in VPC (hunt around the net for this, we don't discuss it here). Then you end up with an mpeg2 file you can drag to your mac desktop and view in VLC or some other mpeg2 player.

But then to do anything with it (i.e. remove commercials, burn to dvd or transcode to another format), you end up losing audio sync or losing picture quality and fiddling around with so many different Unix-based utilities that you start to realize it's just not worth it. At least that was my experience. It would actually be easier to dump to tape and then re-import to the mac using imovie or final cut.

TheSlyBear · Nov 21, 2005

abobrow said:
It would actually be easier to dump to tape and then re-import to the mac using imovie or final cut.

This is precisely what I do. Well sort of -- my camera allows pass-through so I usually dump it right onto my Mac using Final Cut for the capture. I don't actually write to tape as an intermediary unless I also want the original video archived for whatever reason.

Jared52 · Nov 22, 2005

I could never "free" the .tivo file. I'm just gonna resort to the camera dump, but I am wanting to save a football game and it's 3 hours long so it's a little more complicated.

TiVo_Rod · Nov 22, 2005

So I tried this without Virtual PC, and got this to work. What I've done is:

Installed Galleon on my Mac
Installed VLC on my Mac
Used Galleon to download program from my Tivo to the Mac
Loaded Tivo Desktop on my wife's XP computer
Loaded DirectShow Dump on the XP box
Moved the downloaded file to the XP box
Played the show, to confirm the Galleon download worked, in Tivo Desktop (on XP)
Used DirectShow Dump to free the tivo file
Moved the resulting mpeg2 file to my Mac
Played the freed show in VLC viewer on my Mac, to test this worked
Used Roxio Toast Titanium to burn a DVD of the mpeg2 file

All of this worked, now my next step is to try all of the XP specific steps in Virtual PC running on my Mac. I'll report back my results if any one cares!

-Rod

echo · Nov 22, 2005

Mac TiVoToGo support coming in 2006, as early as first quarter.
http://appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1382

e30mpower · Nov 23, 2005

Install Virtual PC (2000 or XP)
Download the TiVo file on the Mac side using the Web interface. (Not a must, but it temoparily delays having to start up VPC.)
Download Direct Show Dump and TiVo Desktop 2.0 (later versions may work, but I haven't tried them.)
Open the TiVo file in Direct Show Dump
Less than 5 minutes later (on a 1.5GHz G4 at least), you have a friendly MPEG2 file
QuickTime cannot read it, so don't try... VLC and Toast can, however.

EDIT:
I should note that I had some problems when I tried downloading the TiVo file to the Mac's startup drive (this may just be me). But when I download it to an external HD, everything seems to work.

Gunnyman · Nov 23, 2005

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
Hack your tivos and use tivotool.

rodlebod · Jan 21, 2006

I just installed Virtual PC and Tivo To Go on my Powerbook. Windows Media Player is wanting me to buy a $15 codec to watch a tivo transfer (mpeg2?) Do I need to do this? I don't want to waste my money for it not to work on Virtual PC. If so, what would be the best choice?

echo · Jan 21, 2006

Windows Media Player for Mac is no more (a relief) + even MS themselves are recommending the 3rd party Flip4Mac WMV Windows Media Components for QuickTime, which plays Windows Media files in QuickTime Player and views Windows Media content in a browser plugin. Works great.

At any rate, can you dump that file over to play on the Mac OS in Quicktime?

Mr. Laser Beam · Jan 22, 2006

echo said:
Mac TiVoToGo support coming in 2006, as early as first quarter.

Anybody seriously believe that? I don't. (Why should I?)

gonzotek · Jan 22, 2006

Mr. Laser Beam said:
Anybody seriously believe that? I don't. (Why should I?)

According to several TiVo employees, and documented on the TiVo blog, it's mid-2006, not "early 2006".

Mr. Laser Beam · Jan 22, 2006

gonzotek said:
According to several TiVo employees, and documented on the TiVo blog, it's mid-2006, not "early 2006".

Given how long it's already taken, I would be extremely surprised if it comes in 2006 *at all*.

I'm sorry, I just don't believe a word of it. It has been far too long already. Why should I believe any different now?

gonzotek · Jan 22, 2006

I understand the caution, but for 10+ months they refused to commit to any date whatsoever. I firmly believe that they would still be totally stonewalling if they thought they wouldn't have anything at all in 06.

Mr. Laser Beam · Jan 22, 2006

gonzotek said:
I understand the caution, but for 10+ months they refused to commit to any date whatsoever. I firmly believe that they would still be totally stonewalling if they thought they wouldn't have anything at all in 06.

Nebulous promises like "first quarter" or "first half" - that is still stonewalling.

In any case, they could always make up excuses after the fact, can't they?

Oh well. The constant delays for a Mac TTG *are* annoying, true, but only mildly so. At least I have my camcorder (to get recordings off of my DVR and into the computer), iMovie to edit them, and iDVD to burn them to DVD. What could TivoToGo possibly do for me that these cannot?

Okeemike · Jan 22, 2006

TiVo_Rod said:
So I tried this without Virtual PC, and got this to work. What I've done is:

Installed Galleon on my Mac
Installed VLC on my Mac
Used Galleon to download program from my Tivo to the Mac
Loaded Tivo Desktop on my wife's XP computer
Loaded DirectShow Dump on the XP box
Moved the downloaded file to the XP box
Played the show, to confirm the Galleon download worked, in Tivo Desktop (on XP)
Used DirectShow Dump to free the tivo file
Moved the resulting mpeg2 file to my Mac
Played the freed show in VLC viewer on my Mac, to test this worked
Used Roxio Toast Titanium to burn a DVD of the mpeg2 file

All of this worked, now my next step is to try all of the XP specific steps in Virtual PC running on my Mac. I'll report back my results if any one cares!

-Rod

<<deleted post>>
Oops...mistake. I'm an idiot...shouldn't be in the forums at 5am.

rodlebod · Jan 22, 2006

Evidently, you can't watch a DVD or a Tivo file WITHIN Virtual PC.

Mac OSX, Virtual PC and TivoToGo

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