Tivo - what can you do without service?

[BatteryCharger]

Seems like alot of people here have a Tivo. I'm thinking about getting one, but I will not be paying for service. (I couldn't even if I wanted to since I don't have a phone line)

What exactly can be done without the Tivo service? Can I pause live TV? Can I still record shows by the date/time? Is there any way for me to take recordings from the Tivo and put them on my computer, or take things from my computer and put them on my Tivo? (I've heard of people hooking tivo's up to wireless networks, not sure why)

 

[Banshee]

From a TiVo Forum:

The old series 1 model with versy old software (pre 1.3?) could be used as a standalone recorder.
There is also something called TiVo Basic included in some oft the 3rd party vendor offersings, specifically the TiVos with DVD. This offers the ability to record to the hard disk and even use the guide data. No season passes, wishlists or any other sort of intelligent recording.

The gist of the TiVo experience is the Season Pass. If you don't buy the subscription, you are not truely experiencing TiVo.

 

[bjn70]

We got one of these but it would not work with our telephone line so all we could do was pause live TV. It doesn't even have any way for you to operate it like a VCR and tell it to start recording a certain channel at a certain time. Eventually we had to return it to the store.

I don't know why they make them so limited in function. I would guess that there is a significant amount of this country where the telephone lines won't support their requirements. I know when I go visit my parents with my laptop that their telephone line won't support it, nor would the telephone line at my father's business.

An alternative if you really want to get into it is to use your computer. You can buy a video card with a tuner builtin, and that plus your hard drive and some software will enable your computer to mimic a TIVO, plus you can control it and tell it when to record what without access to the programming service.

 

[James S]

yes, they don't do much without the guide data which is what you're not getting without the service.

I know a couple of people that are now using one with once of those cellphone adaptors that let you use your regular phones over your cellphone. You can tell it to connect when you want it to and just let it fail the rest of the time.

The initial connection time is rather long though, some people take them to a friends house once a week or so to download the next block of guide data. There is no prohibition about doing this like there is with the direct tv stuff that wants to verify that you're actually using it where you have an account or something like that. It's a bit of a pain, but you can call in from anywhere once a week or so.

 

[raggie33]

make ya own tivo . use a ati card and ya will get free service to some guide type chanel thingy hey james who is that in ya sig?she kinda scares me

 

[tiktok 22]

hauppauge I've got a PVR-150 and love it. All the functions of a VCR plus online programming. Just click the link and it automatically sets it to record that show just like a TIVO. FOR FREE!!! Got my card at Circuit City for 70 bucks with a rebate.

 

[Chris_Medico]

The TiVo hardware is subsidized so they make it back on the subscription service.

The box is pretty useless without it. You can search around the internet some and find some pretty interesting hacks for it but if you aren't VERY comfortable with Linux and taking stuff apart then its just a paperweight without the service (as TiVo intended it to be).

Chris

 

[BatteryCharger]

I thought about making my own, but the price of a good video capture card is about the same price as a Tivo. Add in a reasonably fast computer, software, wireless keyboard/remote, etc, and I could just buy a Tivo with a lifetime subscription.

I have been looking for some kind of hack to increase functionality without service, and it seems people are hinting that this is possible, but it seems every forum about tivo is strongly against using them for free. I find it funny that there are dozens of forums about stealing satellite TV, but none for getting free Tivo...

 

[Chris_Medico]

Its because the people who have TiVo are very much enthusiasts like we are on flashlights. The TiVo mothership has tolerated a lot of the mods since they don't involve stealing the service. Most actually improve functionality of the boxes greatly. You can find the information you are interested out there but the general TiVo community won't be too helpful (or pleasant even). They are pretty adamant about suppressing the info that can get mothership upset.

TiVo has been on the brink of bankruptcy for a while. They are just squeaking by month to month. In fact if it wasn't for some of their contracts with the likes of DirecTV they would have most likely been gone already.

If TiVo goes under the boxes will stop working (without hacking them that is). That is a tremendous fear for the current users.

This is a good resource to start with - http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/

You can get a good understanding of how things work so you'll know exactly what to search for.

Word of warning though if you post a message asking about eliminating the need for subscribing you'll get pounced on..

 

[BatteryCharger]

[ QUOTE ]
Chris_Medico said:
Its because the people who have TiVo are very much enthusiasts like we are on flashlights. The TiVo mothership has tolerated a lot of the mods since they don't involve stealing the service. Most actually improve functionality of the boxes greatly. You can find the information you are interested out there but the general TiVo community won't be too helpful (or pleasant even). They are pretty adamant about suppressing the info that can get mothership upset.


[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I thought, but then again, there are plenty of forums about hacking xboxes to use illegal copies, getting free satellite service, illegal drugs, etc. (not that I would know about any of that stuff! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif )

If anybody has any hints about "secret tivo service" I wouldn't be against receiving a PM... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Thanks for the link Chris.

 

[ACMarina]

I went Raggie's route and put an ATI All-In-Wonder in my PC, effectively making my own Tivo. It Rawks. .

 

[gadget_lover]

There is no "secret tivo service". If you want the tivo subscription data you have to pay tivo for it. You don't need a phone if you have an in house network that's able to get to the internet.

Some of the Tivo data is actually read from a cable TV broadcast (well, it was last year, I don't know about now) but you needed to validate your system by letting it dial into Tivo servers (or connect via the internet) once a week or so.

If you were to buy a Tivo Series 1, you could hack the softwre. The series two will detect changed software and cauise you problems. If you hack the software, and find a source of TV Guide information, you can massage it yourself and download it to the database in the Tivo.

In the original Series 1 Tivos, the "Tivo Service" that the monthly payment provides is defined as the data download. In the Series 2 Tivo, the Tivo Service was redefined to be the use of the tivo features such as wich lists and scheduling. That's why I've not bought a Series 2.

I have 3 of the series 1 systems, and pay a monthy subscription on two of them. The third has never contacted the Tivo servers and does not get data from a tivo subscription. Why do I do it this way? I support Tivo by providing an ongoing revenue stream. I sincerely hope they continue to thrive. I also wanted to hedge my bets by setting up an independent box in case they suddenly go out of business like Ricochet wireless network dis.

Zap2it.com has a service that provides TV listings. If you are really good at using Linux you can set up your own zap2it to Tivo conversion and database loading program. I'm a Linux expert and it took me a while to get it right.

For most folks just getting a subscription is THE answer. It's cheap. You might find a directTV with TIVO works where a stand-alone does not.

Daniel

 

[BatteryCharger]

[ QUOTE ]
gadget_lover said:
For most folks just getting a subscription is THE answer. It's cheap. You might find a directTV with TIVO works where a stand-alone does not.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't really seen any need for the Tivo guide, since I've already got a guide on my digital cable box. Basically I just want a VCR, which I do not own, but the idea of spending any money on a machine that uses tapes in 2005 is rather silly to me. Mostly I just want to record things that are on when I can't watch. It would also be really nice to be able to take recordings off the Tivo and watch them on my laptop or burn them to DVD. I just don't want the Tivo box complaining to me that I'm not giving them enough money...

 

[gadget_lover]

The Tivo Guide is what you use to set the channels. That's the way it is designed. You really have 2 choices:

1) Buy an older Tivo and hack it so that it does what you want. You have to learn a bit about the Tivo and a bit about writing programs in C, TCL and shell. You'd also need to learn how to make and use a cross compiler. If you are lucky, you'll find most of the programs you need are already compiled for the system.

There is a simple hack that you can load that tells the Tivo that it's OK to run and that you've called in recently. I forgot what it was named. I think it was fixup.tcl It requires that you load dummy information so the normal software works.

This is a kludge, but I've heard it works t give you simple VCR like control.

2) Use the Tivo with the supplied programs as it was designed to be used. It's a complete system and the software is pretty well optomized to work with the hardware.

Of course, there's a third option, and that is to buy a more expensive unit that is designed to be a standalone unit. I have a DVD recorder that records just like a VCR. It was under $400. There are more and more choices in the digital video recorder field. If you are not interested in the Tivo interface you should look into the others.

Daniel

 

[tiktok 22]

Batterycharger,

I was in the same boat(I didn't want to pay for a Tivo service). I put a card in my P.C. for 70 bucks, and it's everything I wanted. I can watch and pause live T.V. and one touch record from an online menu. Since I have burning software(Nero 6 ultra edition) I can burn episodes to DVD. It even comes with software to remove the commercials. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Right now I watch it on a P.C. monitor, but can hook it up to my T.V. quite easily. It even comes with a remote control.

 

[BatteryCharger]

Are all the Philips units that look like this a series 1?

They are *DIRT* cheap on ebay...I like that box too, a friend of mine was an actor in the late night infomercial for it when it first came out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Lunal_Tic]

tiktok 22,

What card did you use. I've tried a couple and had mixed results at best.

TIA,
-LT

 

[bjn70]

Our Tivo wanted to communicate with its mother at 33,200 baud but out ATT phone was limited to 9600 baud which is why we could not use it. I've noticed with my laptop at my parents house or their business that it will not connect reliably at above about 19,000 baud so they couldn't use a Tivo there either. Seems that the people who manufacture something like a Tivo would understand telephone lines better. I had an acquaintance one time that designed credit card readers to be used in retail stores, etc. They engineered them to work with any form of telephone line they could find.

 

[tiktok 22]

[ QUOTE ]
Lunal_Tic said:
tiktok 22,

What card did you use. I've tried a couple and had mixed results at best.

TIA,
-LT

[/ QUOTE ]

Hauppauge PVR-150. They also make a MCE & USB versions.

 

[LitFuse]

[ QUOTE ]
bjn70 said:
Our Tivo wanted to communicate with its mother at 33,200 baud but out ATT phone was limited to 9600 baud which is why we could not use it. I've noticed with my laptop at my parents house or their business that it will not connect reliably at above about 19,000 baud so they couldn't use a Tivo there either. Seems that the people who manufacture something like a Tivo would understand telephone lines better. I had an acquaintance one time that designed credit card readers to be used in retail stores, etc. They engineered them to work with any form of telephone line they could find.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you talk to tech support about this? I can't imagine that there isn't a way to lower the boxes "expectations".

FWIW- The service/software is what makes the TiVo unique, and also what makes it the best DVR out there. It's worth paying for in my opinion, but I use the intergrated DTV/TiVo units, and only pay $5 a month for all three of 'em. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Peter