TiVo Network Remote Control Evolution

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In less than two weeks, we’ve gone from a manual keyboard kludge to a more polished method of TiVo network remote control (Ubuntu above, iPhone below). By using the Crestron hooks TiVo incorporated into the Fall 2007 Update, folks are beginning to design graphical apps. However, I still believe there’s more powerful and practical uses for this “hack”… TiVo could and should assist by documenting and expanding interface options – both via this port (31339) and the existing HTTPS/XML entrance.

9 thoughts on “TiVo Network Remote Control Evolution”

  2. I’d really like to see either a hack or a fully documented feature that would allow more flexibility in folder creation/management. With 800 GB of capacity, it would make the device much more useful.

  3. …some n00bie questions

    Can you do all the same stuff shown in the video with a iPod Touch?

    If I can access and watch stuff on my TiVo remotely through a browser, doesn’t that cut into what Sling does? Should TiVo owners worry their Tivo boxes can be hacked and remotely accessed?

    I notice that the TiVo interface is in 16:9 ( nice too! ) but the content being watched/recorded is 4:3 – I thought broadcast had all already switch to 16:9 digital ( but not necessarily HD )?

  5. What you see in the video is pretty basic remote control of the TiVo unit. Any device that you can drop a simple network app on should be able to handle it, including the iPod Touch.

    This backdoor access doesn’t allow you to watch shows on your handheld, though the web server access does provide a method to download. If a front-end plus TiVoDecode (strips TiVo’s DRM) were dropped onto the iPhone – it would be a tedious process to transfer shows and then strip that TiVo DRM, leaving you with an MPEG-2 file that the iPhone can’t handle (and wasting a good deal of your limited storage).

    Can’t speak for the Giz video, but here Comcast broadcasts channels in both SD and HD (ie: ESPN SD is 42 and ESPN HD is 252), and often 4:3 SD content on HD channels (like the local news). And sometimes things are just screwy – the other night most of 30 Rock was in HD, but a few portions were in SD and some had no audio.

  6. I did think of one reason why they may be recording in SD… if they’re using TTG to take content onto a portable device, the SD shows are much smaller – transfer and transcode is more efficient.

  7. I installed this on my iPhone, and the most surprising thing for me was the response time for the TiVo. I didn’t realize the TiVo could move so fast through the menus. Maybe I’m just too impatient with the IR remote or something.

    Very cool though.

  8. This hack sounds like a great idea, but for the life of me I can’t think of a practical use for it. What are people using it for?

    (This is an honest request….no trolling)

  9. Unfortunately, my iphone was stolen last week so I can’t play with this. (And I certainly can’t justify a new iphone if the 3G version is weeks ago.)

    The one time I may want to use this is to initiate a transfer from the “other” tivo without having to get up and turn on another television.

  10. Does anyone know where I can download this app? Is there a .deb somewhere I can install for Ubuntu?

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