TiVo ToGo but Not for Me
Posted November 21st, 2005 @ 09:57am by Erik J. Barzeski
Look, TiVo ToGo is going to offer "TiVo-to-iPod" conversion from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4. It's too bad that my DirecTiVo:
- has disabled USB ports, meaning I can't network it or connect it to a computer.
- doesn't really work with Macs
- can't handle HDTV, not that DirecTV is all that great for HDTV anyway.
I suppose I could say that I'm living the dream… I'm alive, and all of the above is still a dream.
The best I can do - and I've done this in the past - is play my TiVo directly into my DV camera. I record it and then import it onto my Mac. I've done that a few times, like when I was making my own West Wing DVDs…
Donate Life
Posted 21 Nov 2005 at 10:36am #
Not to mention that there's no Mac support. Yet another side of the "dream" aspect of it.
I recently got a series 2 TiVo, and I'd love to be able to grab shows off of it... but so far no luck on the Mac. 🙁 Maybe TiVo Tool would help, but since my "supported" network adapter isn't so much supported with TiVo system 7.2 (apparently lots of people are having that problem - just search the TiVo forums), I can't even try that either.
Posted 21 Nov 2005 at 10:41am #
Just curious... Why is DirecTV not good for HDTV? I'm thinking about getting an HDTV service sometime in the near future and was wondering what problems you had with it.
Posted 21 Nov 2005 at 10:41am #
I remember reading a hint in MacWorld about how to skip the recording part and go directly through the camera to the Mac. I can dig it up if you're interested.
Posted 21 Nov 2005 at 10:43am #
Olivier, not necessary. Most or all DV cams can do "pass-through" and iMovie can record directly. I did that with a few West Wing episodes, but I don't do that anymore because my TiVo is downstairs and my G5 tower is upstairs.
Richard, look it up if you'd like: tivocommunity.com. Basically, no hi-def channels and the hi-def TiVo units run about $1k. Their current "local channels in hi-def" solution is to ask that you get an over-the-air (OTA) antenna, most of which suck pretty badly at picking up any sort of signal more than two miles from the station.
Posted 21 Nov 2005 at 6:20pm #
hahah i did the same thing.
and hey! no DRM!
and it's too bad that DirecTV sucks at high def. the LAST thing i want is to use Adelphia, which is the only other alternative. (and they're truly horrible in so many ways. they even suck at the simple stuff.)
Posted 22 Nov 2005 at 9:59am #
I record programs from my DirecTiVo with my Mac Mini & an EyeTV Wonder USB 2.0. I use the "save to VCR" function and start recording in EyeTV. I can then export to quicktime movies which I can watch on my powerbook via QTSS or burn to DVD.
Posted 22 Nov 2005 at 11:59pm #
I have DirecTV and the HD TiVo, and I was planning on taking exception to your comment about DirecTV being bad for HD. Then I realized that A) You have to connect it to a phone line (no USB as you mentioned, so no high speed connection); B) The TiVo software it has is out of date (you can't group your playlist into folders -- it is one big list); C) I live in area where I can't get local HD channels via antenna, and only FOX & NBC gave me a waiver to get the LA HD feed. I actually ended up getting local channels on cable so I can at least watch Monday Night Football. But it isn't connected to the TiVo, so I have to watch in real time (the horror!).
So why do I keep it? One reason -- NFL Sunday Ticket. I live in a market 3000 miles from the NFL team I want to watch. Before I got DirecTV, I took my wife and toddler to sports bars on Sunday mornings -- this is a much better solution.
Besides, they're supposed to be updating the TiVo software and adding new HD channels in 2006...
Posted 23 Nov 2005 at 8:34am #
Indeed, Jason, the drawbacks are numerous. According to DirecTV my dish is located in Pittsburgh, so I don't know if I could get their HD channels anyway…
I had NFL Sunday ticket as a Steelers fan in Florida, but now that I'm back here I didn't need it. I've seen every game except Jacksonville, and I missed that one because I was at the Newport Cup.
And yeah, supposedly they're throwing some satellites up there, and the price on the HDTV TiVos is bound to come down. The DirecTV (non-TiVo) PVRs still lack some key features too, so I may upgrade when a) they get more HDTV channels up there, b) the DirecTV PVR is good, and c) DV PVRs are cheaper.
Posted 23 Nov 2005 at 11:25am #
Wow, that's terrible. Who wants to get an antenna when they already have a freaking satellite?