Wireless TiVo/DVR - SqueezeBox - PC - Living together happily? Almost....No.

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Bob in St. Louis

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During a search for a replacement DirecTv TiVo/DVR, I found the 80 hour dual channel TiVo units ($50 - $64 depending on where you look) have the capability of connecting to a wireless network1. "COOL", I thought. Now that I've got a wireless router2 for the SqueezeBox the 'techie' in me can't resist the allure of all things wireless. My first thought was, "I wonder if I could could run feed from Slimserver (downstairs) to the TiVo (upstairs). Wouldn't that be great. But alas, Slimservers GUI is PC based so it wouldn't work.  :(
Or would it? Anybody know know if there's any "backwards engineering" that would make this possible?

Bob


1Wireless USB Network adaptor ($35):
http://www.amazon.com/TiVo-AG0100-Wireless-Network-Adapter/dp/tech-data/B000ER5G6C/ref=de_a_smtd

2 Thanks again Mr. Woods  :wink:

ToddSTS

I would suggest a search for Tivo on the official forums.slimdevices.com forum.  Or post there too.  Also check into Tivo 'hacks' that might let you run Softsqueeze on it or something.

Todd

bpape

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That's the problem I see Bob.  The server is just going to stream wav or .flac files out over the network.  I don't think the TIVO unit has any way to receive and decode those into an analog audio signal.

Bryan

Bob in St. Louis

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I agree. I doubt there's any way to make it work, but will post there to see what happens, just for grins ya' know.
Also, even if the two components spoke the same language, I couldn't imagine what TiVo's GUI would be?

Who knows, may somebody there can give me a schematic on how to build a:
DIY-802.11g-SB3-TiVo-DAC  :o  aa

Bob

Rashiki

TiVo has their own server software. You'd need to run TiVo Desktop on the same PC on which you're running SlimServer and point the TiVo Desktop server to the folders/directories that hold your music collection. Then, bada-boom, your TiVo will have an option for listening to your music collection.

To be honest, I've got this set up, but the TiVo UI isn't great for music, so I ended up just getting another SqueezeBox.

The cool thing about TiVo Desktop is that you can copy your recorded shows from your TiVo to your computer and watch them on the computer. This isn't so cool for a desktop, but it's nice for a laptop. I'll copy a bunch of shows to my laptop before a trip and watch them on the plane/train/hotel room.


 -Rob

Rashiki

Who knows, may somebody there can give me a schematic on how to build a:
DIY-802.11g-SB3-TiVo-DAC  :o  aa

No need. The new TiVo HD has a digital optical output, so it could be used with a large variety of DACs; although I've got it fed into my home theater receiver for decoding the Dolby Digital audio that comes along with the HD digital channels. And for Wi-Fi, you can either buy the TiVo supported WiFi adapter or just get a WiFi to ethernet bridge.

Bob in St. Louis

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Thanks Rob,
This would be going on "Mamma's non-audio/videophile TV". She is in need of another TiVo-DVR unit, but she's currently watching DirecTv on an old school 4:3 53" big screen. There's currently no receiver involved, much less the need for Dolby or multi-channel stuff. She just needs something to watch 'Soaps' and cartoons for the kids during the day. No HD involved either, just SD.
My master plan though (  :icon_twisted: ) is to incorporate my library into her rig.  8)
This TV can be seen and heard from most of the houses main floor (My room is in the basement).
So, nothing fancy here. This "system" only consists of the TV, the TiVo, and a DVD player. No receivers, no DACs, no real audio system to speak of. Audio is via the TV's internal speakers (for now...) :wink:

But, from what you describe, I could install TiVo software on my PC (in the HT room), and send it wirelessly to her TiVo unit? That sounds easy enough.
As far as the UI goes, as long as it has basic server functions it should be fine.

- Is your HD unit series 2 or 3? ..... Or does it matter?
- TiVo's software can decode FLAC?

Thanks guys
Bob

Rashiki

But, from what you describe, I could install TiVo software on my PC (in the HT room), and send it wirelessly to her TiVo unit? That sounds easy enough.
As far as the UI goes, as long as it has basic server functions it should be fine.

The UI is completely controlled by the TiVo. There's no equivalent to the SlimServer web interface. There is the TiVo Desktop software, but it doesn't have a UI for controlling the TiVo like the SlimServer web interface lets you control the SqueezeBox.

- Is your HD unit series 2 or 3? ..... Or does it matter?

I have a TiVo HD, which is kind of like "Series 3 Lite". I don't think it matters for audio playback -- any Series 2, 3 or HD TiVo can play audio.

- TiVo's software can decode FLAC?

I don't know. I only store my music as MP3 and WAV, and I've only tried playing MP3 over TiVo. According to this link http://community.livejournal.com/tivolovers/tag/tivo+desktop, there is a plugin which can handle FLAC playback, but I haven't tried it.

 -Rob

Bob in St. Louis

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Good information Rob, Thank You.
The FLAC thing would be the deciding factor. I'll check your link, and see what other kind of club/forum/blogs there are.

Cool. This might just work after all.  aa

Bob

woodsyi

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Rob,

I see my TIVO on my network but it won't show up on my Network Places.  How do I access it so that I can copy the recorded program on TIVO onto a hard drive on my PC?

Rashiki

I see my TIVO on my network but it won't show up on my Network Places.  How do I access it so that I can copy the recorded program on TIVO onto a hard drive on my PC?

You need to install the TiVo Desktop software. You can get it here:

http://www.tivo.com/mytivo/domore/tivotogo/windows.html

The free version will let you copy recordings from the TiVo to a PC. The $25 version gives you better support for copying recordings to portable devices (iPod, PSP, etc.).

Once you get the TiVo Desktop software set up, you'll see a list of the recordings on your TiVo and you can then select which one(s) you want to copy. It can take a while, especially if they're high-def shows.

 -Rob


woodsyi

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I see my TIVO on my network but it won't show up on my Network Places.  How do I access it so that I can copy the recorded program on TIVO onto a hard drive on my PC?

You need to install the TiVo Desktop software. You can get it here:

http://www.tivo.com/mytivo/domore/tivotogo/windows.html

The free version will let you copy recordings from the TiVo to a PC. The $25 version gives you better support for copying recordings to portable devices (iPod, PSP, etc.).

Once you get the TiVo Desktop software set up, you'll see a list of the recordings on your TiVo and you can then select which one(s) you want to copy. It can take a while, especially if they're high-def shows.

 -Rob



Thanks a bunch.  I have been keeping a PBS special on Pete Seeger for days wondering how I was going to download it.  The DVD drive on my Tivo kept locking up and ruining the blanks.