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Need a complete hack tutorial for TIVO Series-2 device

32066 Views 30 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  Dan Lewis, 
B
I have a TIVO Series-2 device I bought at Goodwill for just $13 a while ago and just recently hooked it up to my router temporarily to upgrade the firmware. At this moment it is running firmware version 9.3.2-01-2-649 (according to the system info screen on the device). Good deal for something to just play around with. But now I need to know the easiest hacks for it. These must NOT involve having an active internet connection to my TIVO as my only network connection between it and my computer is a no-router setup using a "crossover" ethernet cable, and manually assigned IP address for my computer on its ethernet card (192.168.1.100) and a manually assigned IP address for my TIVO Series-2 device (192.168.1.101). Right now as I'm typing this I'm using a wireless internet connection to my router (on the wireless network adapter my computer's IP address is 192.168.0.196). Because my internet service is via a different network adapter (and therefore via a different subnet) than my ethernet connection to my TIVO, any attempt to connect my TIVO to the internet is IMPOSSIBLE.

So first thing to realize is that the hacks you recommend must NOT involve connecting my TIVO to the router because running into the other room and hauling my TIVO and LCD screen, and power supplies, and cables, etc with me would be a MUCH bigger hassle than I'm willing to put up with.


Now with that in mind I'm gonna need to know a few simple things hopefully you can give me tuts for. I've seen tutorials that talk about either the old TIVO Series-1 or the newes TIVO Series-3 devices. However mine is a TIVO Series-2 device and it is NOT working with any other tutorials I've read that aren't TIVO Series-2 based, and so far ZERO of the tutorials involve the TIVO Series-2. I'm hoping someone here can respond to my request and give me some hacks that work with TIVO Series-2. Next thing to remember is that not on the internet my TIVO can't connect to the internet and thus fails the "network test" every time it tries to connect to the internet server at TIVO's company. And when it fails the "network connection" test it not only disconnects from the internet but also from my LAN (the direct cable connection to my computer via crossover ethernet cable). Without a LAN connection I can't perform any telnet based hacks from my computer. So one of the first tutorials I need will be how to get it on the LAN, WITHOUT it performing a "network test".

The other hack I want a tutorial for is how do I access the console? I heard I can hyperterminal in via homebrew serial cable (normally used to control channel changing on a "cable box") between the TIVO and the PC. However this I heard from a guy who had a Philips brand TIVO device (mine is a genuine TIVO brand device), and it was a device based arround the older TIVO Series-1 hardware I believe. So I'm curious if there is anyone on here who knows how to do it with my genuine TIVO brand TIVO Series-2 device running firmware version 9.3.2-01-2-649, because that's what I'm working with.

Really any tutorials will need to be based on TIVO Series-2 running at least version 9 of the firmware (though it also may be possible to use tutorials based on older versions of the firmware as I don't know what the firmware upgrades do exactly, but I'm sure it must be a tut based on a Series-2 device).

So please help me to any hacks for my Series-2 device, preferably hacks that can be achieved via ethernet cable or serial cable only though. I'm not interested in opening up my device to remove the harddrive.
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unitron
This is not the website where you will get the answers you seek.

I'm not sure if such a website exists, because I'm not sure if the answers you seek exist.

However, there is a site, the name of which gets filtered out of anything posted on this site, where some topics not discussed, or not discussed in depth, here are more actively dealt with.

See if you can email me (click on my user name), and I'll email the name of the site back to you.

Please note that the other site is not full of people just waiting to do the work for you, but there is a lot to read there that will help you figure out how to do the work yourself.

Although if your only goal is to get that S2 to record and playback without paying for some kind of subscription, you may not find that for which you are looking there, either.
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W
unitron said:
Please note that the other site is not full of people just waiting to do the work for you
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I don't think many of the old timers are still around. But if he posts anything like this, and they are, I'm sure they'll all come out to welcome him warmly.

The archives there are rich, though the noise-to-signal is daunting.
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W
Ben321 said:
The other hack I want a tutorial for is how do I access the console?
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You're not getting a whole lot further, with the approach and the limitations, but the cable itself you've heard about is the same. While "homebrew" is accurate there are also some commercial versions of the cable.
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G
If it has an ethernet port it's the Series 2 Dual Tuner (model TCD649xxx). It's unhackable unless you open it up and replace the PROM chip with a specially modified version. Since it's a surface mounted chip and soldered directly to the motherboard it's a job for someone with a lot of experience. That, combined with the fact that the built-in software already provides the functionality most people want like the ability to transfer shows to/from the device is why there are so few hacking guides.

Even if you get telnet working it won't get you much. The Crestron TCP remote control protocol you asked about in the other thread isn't supported on S2 models.
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unitron
Wil said:
I don't think many of the old timers are still around. But if he posts anything like this, and they are, I'm sure they'll all come out to welcome him warmly.

The archives there are rich, though the noise-to-signal is daunting.
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Once I got him into an email conversation I was hoping to indicate to him how not to get a "warm" welcome at DDB while still obtaining informative responses, and perhaps even get him to reconsider the virtues of a subbed machine, or at least get him to understand the way TiVo licensing works and that it's not a conspiracy aimed directly at him.
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mr.unnatural
You might want to let him know that he won't be finding the types of tutorials there that he's looking for.;)
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unitron
mr.unnatural said:
You might want to let him know that he won't be finding the types of tutorials there that he's looking for.;)
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I was hoping to be able to break it to him gently, but so far no response.
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mr.unnatural
Considering that he's asking for a complete guide to hacking a Tivo that he only paid $13 for I doubt he's going to be willing to put in the time and effort required for any learning curve on the subject. I'm getting the impression that he just wants to hack his Tivo to get around paying for the Tivo service, which simply isn't going to happen.
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mr.unnatural said:
I'm getting the impression that he just wants to hack his Tivo to get around paying for the Tivo service, which simply isn't going to happen.
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I'm not sure about his intent, but maybe.

In any case you are correct about the lack of help on that score: hardly anybody over there was ever (as far as I can remember) into helping people cheat Tivo, just adding flexibility to what, originally, was a somewhat open platform. There was much regard for Tivo as a company and actually some communication back and forth for the benefit of all. Even now that Tivo has gone innovatively belly up and the good guys are long gone, nobody is going to help him steal service.
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mr.unnatural said:
Considering that he's asking for a complete guide to hacking a Tivo that he only paid $13 for I doubt he's going to be willing to put in the time and effort required for any learning curve on the subject. I'm getting the impression that he just wants to hack his Tivo to get around paying for the Tivo service, which simply isn't going to happen.
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Hardly! I don't want to get free subscriptions!
I want to do the following 2 things:

1. I bought it used so it already has recordings on it from the previous owner. I can play them back fine on the TIVO (one of the few things I CAN do without a subscription), but I want to transfer them to my computer. This requires something called an MAK (media access key) which is the password I need to use with TIVOtogo software to transfer the files, but I find that it doesn't display the MAK on the settings screen (cause I don't have an active subscription). I want a way to transfer the recordings off of the TIVO onto my harddrive WITHOUT having to get a subscription.

2. I don't want to pay for the basic feature of recording. This is a feature that should exist even without a subscription. Subscription should only add TV guide and automatically activated recordings and other "extra" features. TIVO should even without a subscription be able to act as the digital equivalent of a VCR and record digitally to a harddrive what a VCR would record analog to a tape. This means I should be able to plug in a camcorder, security camera, PC with composite-video output on the video card, or even Nintendo Wii to the composite-video input port on the TIVO and record whatever signal is coming in. This should be a basic NON-PAYED NON-SUBSCRIPTION feature that would exist in all TIVO devices. Sadly the company has NOT enabled this basic recording feature when running it without a subscription. Well I hope there is a hack to enable this. I hope to be able to do a simple hack that would let me do basic (manually started and manually stopped) recording.
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unitron
Ben321 said:
Hardly! I don't want to get free subscriptions!
I want to do the following 2 things:

1. I bought it used so it already has recordings on it from the previous owner. I can play them back fine on the TIVO (one of the few things I CAN do without a subscription), but I want to transfer them to my computer. This requires something called an MAK (media access key) which is the password I need to use with TIVOtogo software to transfer the files, but I find that it doesn't display the MAK on the settings screen (cause I don't have an active subscription). I want a way to transfer the recordings off of the TIVO onto my harddrive WITHOUT having to get a subscription.

2. I don't want to pay for the basic feature of recording. This is a feature that should exist even without a subscription. Subscription should only add TV guide and automatically activated recordings and other "extra" features. TIVO should even without a subscription be able to act as the digital equivalent of a VCR and record digitally to a harddrive what a VCR would record analog to a tape. This means I should be able to plug in a camcorder, security camera, PC with composite-video output on the video card, or even Nintendo Wii to the composite-video input port on the TIVO and record whatever signal is coming in. This should be a basic NON-PAYED NON-SUBSCRIPTION feature that would exist in all TIVO devices. Sadly the company has NOT enabled this basic recording feature when running it without a subscription. Well I hope there is a hack to enable this. I hope to be able to do a simple hack that would let me do basic (manually started and manually stopped) recording.
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There is how things "should" be, and there is how things actually are.

Often, these differ.

This is one of those times.

The TiVo subscription pays for 3 things. Or 4 if you count the expense of just running the company.

1. It helps cover the fact that the hardware was originally sold a lot closer to cost than a normal retail markup would have been. It's sort of like King Gillette's scheme years ago of giving away razor handles or selling them cheaply and making the money selling the razor blades.

2. It covers the money TiVo has to turn around and pay to Tribune Media Services, which is where the actual guide data (what shows are on which channels when) comes from.

3. It covers what you pay them to be allowed to use the software they created to make the TiVo work.

Perhaps they could have done it a different way, but this is how they chose to do it.

You can subscribe that unit for $12.95 per month and cancel anytime (they recently dropped the one year commitment they previously required).

Why not try it for a month?

You can download the free version of TiVo Desktop and copy off the recordings and watch them on the computer, and if you ever subscribe another TiVo (series 2 or newer), you can copy them from the computer to it.

Maybe you'll decide you like it enough to keep subscribing. (Maybe you'll even decide you want to open it up and stick in a 1TB hard drive with the right SATA/IDE adapter) If not, you can cancel.
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mr.unnatural
Ben321 said:
Hardly! I don't want to get free subscriptions!
I want to do the following 2 things:

1. I bought it used so it already has recordings on it from the previous owner. I can play them back fine on the TIVO (one of the few things I CAN do without a subscription), but I want to transfer them to my computer.
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I agree with Unitron on this one. Your best bet would be to simply subscribe to the Tivo service for a month to try it out and use Tivo Desktop to transfer the recordings to your PC. There's no need to hack the Tivo for a feature that's already included. $12.95 is cheap compared to the time and effort you'll put out just to perform a few simple hacks.

2. I don't want to pay for the basic feature of recording.
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There is no way to get around this without having a paid subscription. There are other Tivos that have limited recording functionality without a paid sub, but I suspect you aren't planning to buy a different Tivo just to have it.
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M
Maybe a VCR from the good will shop would be a better investment. VHS tapes can be picked from the trash and there is a record button. There is one financial challenge in operating a VCR, you still have to pay for electricity. Now, can we call it a day.
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classicsat
The only way to get the recordings of your TiVo, as it is, is to copy them by playing them, and recording the A/V to a capture card or DVD recorder.

But yes, network transfer and even basic recording are two features that are exclusively part of the pay TiVo service (mostly a license to use the TiVo software) for that model. Availing yourself of them without paying for the privelege, is in fact stealing from TiVo. It is no different than using a hacked product key to use a copy of Windows, to avoid buying a legit product key.
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Soapm
Just curious how you knew those shows were on there when you bought it from the Goodwill for $13? Like mentioned before, if those shows are worth another $13 then get a months subscription and transfer away. You have 30 days to clear the drive.

It's unfortunate those Tivo's take a prom mod before you can do any hacking.
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mr.unnatural
Soapm said:
Just curious how you knew those shows were on there when you bought it from the Goodwill for $13? Like mentioned before, if those shows are worth another $13 then get a months subscription and transfer away. You have 30 days to clear the drive.

It's unfortunate those Tivo's take a prom mod before you can do any hacking.
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I don't believe he ever mentioned that he was aware of what was on the drive when he bought the Tivo. You can see what's on the drive without a paid subscription as well as play back whatever was previously recorded. If the model Tivo supports MRV then all he needs to do is get it subbed and then he can transfer all of the shows to his PC. There's absolutely no need to do any type of hacking. I'm pretty sure the series 2 Tivos can be hacked using killhdintrd (or the SApper script posted in this forum) without having to swap out the PROM.
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classicsat
Unless I missed something, 5xx and 6xx TiVos still need a PROM mod.
Only the 2xx and lower models can be hacked with software (HDD system) level hacks.
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Soapm
mr.unnatural said:
I don't believe he ever mentioned that he was aware of what was on the drive when he bought the Tivo. You can see what's on the drive without a paid subscription as well as play back whatever was previously recorded. If the model Tivo supports MRV then all he needs to do is get it subbed and then he can transfer all of the shows to his PC. There's absolutely no need to do any type of hacking. I'm pretty sure the series 2 Tivos can be hacked using killhdintrd (or the SApper script posted in this forum) without having to swap out the PROM.
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They did express their desire to retain the shows on the drive. Did he buy this thing, hook it up and looked at the shows on the disk and said, "wow, I have to save those shows. This was a worthwhile investment"...
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G
classicsat said:
Unless I missed something, 5xx and 6xx TiVos still need a PROM mod.
Only the 2xx and lower models can be hacked with software (HDD system) level hacks.
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You didn't. :D 649s requires a PROM mod.
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