I feel like a tool. Last month Slingbox, and this month, TiVo.
I mentioned awhile ago that when TiVoToGo went HD, I would get one… Windows Media Center’s lack of placeshifting with CableCARD is downright unacceptable. QAM solutions like HDHomeRun barely work… and wind up with four cable drops going to a single PC.
Plus without Comcast hinderings, eSATA can take the place of FireWire.
So folks, I know the TiVo options, but tell me your favorite tools. The first thing I’ll want to do is tear apart an HD-encoded TiVo file, of course. That actually is one of my main concerns, despite a good hour or two of research, I haven’t found any talk of .tivo extraction with a TiVo HD.
Update: TiVo HD is ordered and on its way. I opted for the $199 refurbished unit on a monthly plan, versus a lifetime subscription unit. While the lifetime unit is a better deal (even taking into account the future value of that money in a savings account, and that TiVo units upgrade an average of four years)… you are taking the risk that TiVo will be around in four years, at the same pricing structure.
With sites placing TiVo on a deathwatch within the past two years, and TiVo’s reducing fees, it doesn’t make sense to take the risk on lifetime service right now. Oh, and they won’t let you add lifetime to a refurbished unit, artificially adding $100 to the cost of the service.
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TiVoToGo works with HD shows – UNLESS they’ve been flagged for do not copy. And, if that’s the case, I don’t know of any cracks to get around that other than the analog hole.
But for those that aren’t blocked they’re just like any other TiVoToGo file. Tools like TiVo Decode or DirectShow Dump will free them of their TiVoGuard DRM and then you’re off to the races with whatever video tools you like.
I got a HD Homerun recently. I already had a Hauppauge Tuner Card (PVR-150) set up as an S-Video connection from my cable box, but I could only record one thing at a time, and I knew once the writer’s strike ended, we’d have Lost, the Office, and Ugly Betty all on at the same time.
I haven’t finished setting up the HD Homerun yet (I need my wife to go out for a couple of hours to figure out the channel selection/renaming process through BeyondTV) but I did wire it up.
I will report back once finished. Chris, your points are valid – using the HDHomerun, I can’t record TBSHD, RUSHD (a personal favorite) and other non-network-tv-channels in HD.
[...] I’ve covered in-depth on my blog, again and again, it made absolutely zero sense that TiVo HD is allowed to placeshift content all around [...]