TivoWebPlus for Series 2 DirecTiVos

TivoWebPlus for Series 2 DirecTiVos. I think it works for other S2 TiVos, too, but I thought I'd point it out since I was looking for this exact package many times and just now found it, and it's like a month old.

I believe the compatability is greater than that, according to this link

Compatibility:
-- Series 1 and 2
-- TiVo and DirecTiVo
-- USA and UK
-- All software versions

By the way, I haven't kept up with the Series 2 hacking progress. How easy is it to get extraction working on a Series 2? I'm considering getting a new recorder, and don't want to give up the hacking I had to do on my old one...

Actually, it's not all that new, either. It's just that the most recent version came out a month ago. This is the first real hack I'll make to my S2 DirecTiVo (I did upgrade the storage) as it's the first thing I've had a great desire to do. But I'll give extraction a go and let you know, if I can remember.

Definitely let us know. I've been itching to do this for way too long, but haven't gathered a large enough time chunk to read through all of the threads on it.

If anyone needs me to point them in the right direction, let me know. I just recently hacked my Series 2 Directivo and the video extraction was easy.

Wow. Wonder if this will work with the new HD TiVo...?

- Jon

If anyone needs me to point them in the right direction, let me know. I just recently hacked my Series 2 Directivo and the video extraction was easy.

I'm curious about this but not sure if I want to go to the trouble or not. I thought that the Series 2 DirecTivos couldn't use the ethernet connection, they say the "home media option" is not available. So what's the story on the ethernet connection, how does that work on one of these units?

Which guide did you use? I'd be interested in at least looking through the steps. The Dealdatabase forums are a little hard to wade through sometimes.

They just didn't include the ethernet drivers for the DirecTiVos, AFACF, since all the data is coming over the satellite connection anyway. They're pretty easy to initialize.

The Home Media Option is not available because TiVo doesn't control the software distribution for DirecTiVos, DirecTV does, and they apparently don't want to have it. We've also lost out on a lot of other random features that SA TiVos have. Sorting the Now Playing list is at the top of my list of things I really want. Anyway, point being that that's not a technical issue.

However, the secret to video extraction is apparently a module that prevents the recorings from being scrambled, appropriately called "noscramble". However, that apparently prevents scrambled recordings from working. So I probably won't be getting on that real soon. There's also some implication that even TivoWeb requires noscramble, so I may not be doing it at all for a while.

It is worth the trouble to me, because I wanted to expand the unit's storage capacity anyway. And the extra effort involved in installing hacks is minimal when you've already opened up the unit to get to the hard drive. Look in the dealdatabase forums for the sleeper ISO. It takes care of backing up your drive, restoring the image and expanding it on a larger drive, and installing the most common hacks. (FTP, telnet, video extraction, TiVoWeb, etc.)

You use a usb/ethernet adapter and the appropriate hacks to enable the ethernet connection. It is of course unsupported, as is the video extraction of course. I initially set it up with a compatible USB 1.1 adapter, but I would recommend going with a USB 2.0 adapter for the higher speed capabilities.

Are you saying that I can keep my current recordings?

Well, the answer to keeping your recordings is yes and no. If you were simply expanding the drive, it would be possible.

If you were interested in the hacks for video extraction, then it wouldn't be a possibility. An important part of the hack is turning the scrambling off, and once you do that, the tivo won't be able to make sense of recordings previously saved when the scrambling was on. (It looks like the ability to watch scrambled shows isn't impossible, but it looks a little complicated.)

(not directed at you treadlove, but..) What a pain in the ass. It's amazing what you can do with these things, but it's all pretty complicated to do and that stinks. I've got 5 shows on my Tivo that are over a year old. I'm saving them just for the time that I may one day be able to extract them and burn them for my wife. Oh well. HMO would be nice too.

edit: This is sweet: Conflict Resolve with Two TiVos
Shows unresolved conflicts, then discovers if a second networked TiVo is available to record them.
Author: sanderton
URL: http://www.beaconhill.plus.com/TiVo/tivohacks.htm

Agreed. What a pita. It's enough to make me want a MythTV instead. If that wasn't such a pain to build a decent remote, it'd be worth it. I, too, want to enable bash, ftp, tivoweb, and extraction on my Standalone Series 2, but my wife would KILL me if I screwed something up and she lost her recordings. Keep in mind that we're WAY past the watching live TV thing anymore, so there's always 40-50 or so hours worth on it. Not to mention that there seems to be no simple source of information on the little things that could ruin your day. Take the sleeper iso monte, for instance. Looks cool, but it states that a software upgrade could trash your drives. Great.

Just one more thing that makes the empeg SOOOOO much cooler. The methodology is different. The empeg guys WANT people to be able to hack their units. It makes them more marketable. The tivo people make it as hard as possible, they just don't complain when people finally succeed. I mean, Adding tivoweb functionality seems to me like something Tivo would WANT users to be able to do. They should offer the guy $50,000 for the code and include it in their next update. There are hacks for using the modem line for OSD of caller ID info. I know a few people that would buy one JUST FOR THAT.

I guess I just don't understand the mentality. I mean, people are willing to write code for free, just to make their device do more than it was intended. Why not take advantage of that? I fail to understand how this would affect the bottom line of Tivo in ANY way other than positively. I mean, come on. There's even a hack to allow two SA Tivo's to check with each other to see if they can resolve a recording conflict. Sounds like a kiler app to me.

Too bad I'm too chicken to try out anything cool for fear of calling down the wrath of the wife.

On the other hand, there are very very few pieces of electronics in my house that if they broke I would be on the way to buy another. The Tivo is near the top of that list. Empeg is right there with it, It just may take longer.

On the other hand, there are very very few pieces of electronics in my house that if they broke I would be on the way to buy another. The Tivo is near the top of that list. Empeg is right there with it, It just may take longer.



Agreed.

I I came home one night and found my house ablaze from cellar to attic, it would be a hard choice which to call first -- the fire department or the electronics store.

tanstaafl.

My solution was having 2 directivo's. That way I can play with one until I "get it right", and not have to suffer any repurcussions!

Actually, when buying them, a decent part of the purchase decision was the $5 fee for as many Directivo's as I desire. Nice!

Well, the answer to keeping your recordings is yes and no. If you were simply expanding the drive, it would be possible.

If you were interested in the hacks for video extraction, then it wouldn't be a possibility.

I've already expanded the storage capacity, but I purchased a complete upgrade rather than do it myself. It was just easier to pay and additional $30 or so to have to do nothing beyond plug the drive in.

However, what if I just wanted TivoWeb for its other features besides video extraction? Would installing it by itself, without extraction capability, require making current recordings unusable?

I keep hearing this and the same goes for me too.... the wrath of the wife would be too much to bear if I jacked up the Tivo trying to do something she would consider "unnecessary". It's not that she would be pissed about the shows being gone, it's the inconvience of being down for a few days or more. However, when they come up with a hack to reliably add HMO to DTivos, I'm there!!! Right now I have recording redundancy all throughout my house just so I can watch what I want, when I want and where I want. Yeah, most of the time I'll watch Leno in the bedroom, but sometimes I'd prefer to be on the couch downstairs. I think HMO is a no brainer for people who have more than one DTivo. Actually, for me, it would replace the need for video extraction too.

bodybag, I'm with you on that one. Video extraction would be "nice" but turning 2 DTivos into a single 4-tuner DTivo (my sharing shows and resolving conflicts by using the second unit) would be wonderful!

So can we do this without hosing our saved shows? I also did my storage upgrade the "plug and play way", is there an option like this?