I have used kmttg to extract the meta data .txt file and have experimented with it and using the push feature of PyTivo. What have worked is the title, seriesTitle, episodeTitle (or at least some of it, without looking at the .txt file), I managed to create a folder for a series and each episode titled the way I liked, onto the TiVo. Although I don't see the .txt but it affected the way videos sent to the Tivo playlist.
PyTivo and MetaData Useage w/Tivo Box
I am new to these forums, and frankly a bit confused about the use of PyTivo. The pyTivo site states that the a .txt file is created with the metadata from the raw .tivo file. Is PyTivo used to move content from a PC to a Tivo box? If so, what program takes a native MPEG-2 file, and combines it with the .txt file to create a new .tivo file.
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I am missing something here. Sorry that this is such a basic question, but I saw a few forum posts that seemed to imply that the program content (series number, title, etc.) lies resident on the tivo box and not the .tivo file itself. And, what is the value of PyTivo in light of kmttg and its associated programs?
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I am missing something here. Sorry that this is such a basic question, but I saw a few forum posts that seemed to imply that the program content (series number, title, etc.) lies resident on the tivo box and not the .tivo file itself. And, what is the value of PyTivo in light of kmttg and its associated programs?
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Yes, pyTivo's primary function is to transfer files from PC to TiVo. It can transfer not only .mpg files but many other formats. If the file on the PC is a .tivo file then the .txt metadata file isn't needed. Otherwise (if you want metadata on the tivo) the video file (call it video.ext) must have an accompanying file named video.ext.txt that contains the metadata. This is a simplified description -- there are some additional variations.
By the "pytivo site", do you mean the pyTivo wiki? Google "pytivo". On the opening page, click on the metadata link under "Features" for detailed info about metadata and how to generate the text files.
By the "pytivo site", do you mean the pyTivo wiki? Google "pytivo". On the opening page, click on the metadata link under "Features" for detailed info about metadata and how to generate the text files.
Yes. It can go the other way, too.Is PyTivo used to move content from a PC to a Tivo box?
It is not necessary to do so. The TiVo takes MPEG-2 directly, and pyTivo takes the .txt metadata and presents it to the TiVo in the required XML format. pyTivo will also transcode other video formats to MPEG-2 on the fly, if necessary.If so, what program takes a native MPEG-2 file, and combines it with the .txt file to create a new .tivo file.
(I have experimentally got pyTivo to generate fake .TiVo files -- existing only in the transfer, not on disk -- for reasons which I won't go into here. But the normal usage of pyTivo doesn't need them at all.)
That is incorrect. The data is in the .TiVo file.I saw a few forum posts that seemed to imply that the program content (series number, title, etc.) lies resident on the tivo box and not the .tivo file itself.
Now, the way recordings are stored on the TiVo is another matter... not something you need to worry about, though.
So, what files are actually transmitted to the Tivo box in order to get the box to recognize a new video with metadata? It seems what you are saying is that the PyTivo merges this text file with the mpg file and then places the new info in the header of the .tivo file. You only transfer one file, right?
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When you say the Tivo takes mpeg-2 directly, do you mean it has to be renamed as .tivo? If it has no metadata (raw mpeg-2), how does it actually display on the Tivo Play list?
. Let's say you just wanted to modify the metadata on a long .tivo file. Isn't there just a way of making a small modification to this file, without going through the eloborate process of downloading the .tivo file, modifying it, and them re-uploading it through TivotoGo? Downloading a 2 hour movie file, can take 50 minutes - if I want to rename the title, it seems like there has to be a better way.
Sorry, that this post is covering more than one topic, but I'm trying to understand this a bit better. Promise to break up these questions, next time.
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When you say the Tivo takes mpeg-2 directly, do you mean it has to be renamed as .tivo? If it has no metadata (raw mpeg-2), how does it actually display on the Tivo Play list?
. Let's say you just wanted to modify the metadata on a long .tivo file. Isn't there just a way of making a small modification to this file, without going through the eloborate process of downloading the .tivo file, modifying it, and them re-uploading it through TivotoGo? Downloading a 2 hour movie file, can take 50 minutes - if I want to rename the title, it seems like there has to be a better way.
Sorry, that this post is covering more than one topic, but I'm trying to understand this a bit better. Promise to break up these questions, next time.
Yes. It can go the other way, too.
It is not necessary to do so. The TiVo takes MPEG-2 directly, and pyTivo takes the .txt metadata and presents it to the TiVo in the required XML format. pyTivo will also transcode other video formats to MPEG-2 on the fly, if necessary.
(I have experimentally got pyTivo to generate fake .TiVo files -- existing only in the transfer, not on disk -- for reasons which I won't go into here. But the normal usage of pyTivo doesn't need them at all.)
That is incorrect. The data is in the .TiVo file.
Now, the way recordings are stored on the TiVo is another matter... not something you need to worry about, though.
This is the results of my experiment with a metadata file on a video sent to Tivo.
The video is a single file which I called "SIGN OFF.mpg", the only difference was the episode title.
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Contents of "Sign Off.mpg.txt"
The .mpg was pushed by PyTivo.
It seems to have used seriesTitle and episodeTitle and ignored title.
The video is a single file which I called "SIGN OFF.mpg", the only difference was the episode title.
Contents of "Sign Off.mpg.txt"
Code:
title: Sign Off - 2/12
seriesTitle: Sign Off
episodeTitle: Episode 7It seems to have used seriesTitle and episodeTitle and ignored title.
Attachments
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60 KB Views: 75
It's wrong to think in terms of files. There are multiple http transactions involved, most or all of which (depending on what you're transferring) don't correspond to any real files on disk.So, what files are actually transmitted to the Tivo box in order to get the box to recognize a new video with metadata? It seems what you are saying is that the PyTivo merges this text file with the mpg file and then places the new info in the header of the .tivo file. You only transfer one file, right?
No, not at all.When you say the Tivo takes mpeg-2 directly, do you mean it has to be renamed as .tivo?
pyTivo will take the filename, strip the extension, and set that as the title in the XML.If it has no metadata (raw mpeg-2), how does it actually display on the Tivo Play list?
Not without a hacked TiVo, no.Let's say you just wanted to modify the metadata on a long .tivo file. Isn't there just a way of making a small modification to this file, without going through the eloborate process of downloading the .tivo file, modifying it, and them re-uploading it through TivotoGo?
BTW, I want to reiterate: The TiVo itself does not store recordings as .TiVo files. It builds those on the fly when you request them.
Thanks, Wmcbrine. I am slowly beginning to understand. Who developed pyTivo, and is it the best tool out there for changing metadata and uploading it to the Tivo Box? What are other tools that allow the user to change this metadata?
And, thanks again for the detailed explanation -- I like to know how a tool is used, so I can better determine if it is my best solution. I will play with PyTivo a bit. I assume there are no issues with the older Series 2 and Premiere XL.
And, thanks again for the detailed explanation -- I like to know how a tool is used, so I can better determine if it is my best solution. I will play with PyTivo a bit. I assume there are no issues with the older Series 2 and Premiere XL.
Yes. It can go the other way, too.
It is not necessary to do so. The TiVo takes MPEG-2 directly, and pyTivo takes the .txt metadata and presents it to the TiVo in the required XML format. pyTivo will also transcode other video formats to MPEG-2 on the fly, if necessary.
(I have experimentally got pyTivo to generate fake .TiVo files -- existing only in the transfer, not on disk -- for reasons which I won't go into here. But the normal usage of pyTivo doesn't need them at all.)
That is incorrect. The data is in the .TiVo file.
Now, the way recordings are stored on the TiVo is another matter... not something you need to worry about, though.
It's wrong to think in terms of files. There are multiple http transactions involved, most or all of which (depending on what you're transferring) don't correspond to any real files on disk.
No, not at all.
pyTivo will take the filename, strip the extension, and set that as the title in the XML.
Not without a hacked TiVo, no.
BTW, I want to reiterate: The TiVo itself does not store recordings as .TiVo files. It builds those on the fly when you request them.
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