TiVo has gone ahead and released an update for TiVo Desktop. Along with Windows 7 support, version 2.8 also includes a number of new features and capabilities. Here’s a complete list of the new features taken directly from the update’s readme file:
TiVo Desktop has the following improvements:
- The folders on your PC can now display when viewed from your TiVo DVR.
- You can choose the discovery protocol TiVo Desktop & DVRs use to locate each other on your home network. To change the setting, select “TiVo Server Properties” from the Services menu; click “Network” and then select either “Bonjour for Windows” (default) or “TiVo Beacon”.
TiVo Desktop Plus has the following improvements:
- The video quality for PlayStation Portables has been improved.
- TiVo Desktop Plus can create videos for playback on additional popular portable media players, such as the Apple iPhone, Apple iPod Touch, and several models of Blackberry phones.
- The user can now choose to auto-transfer all the contents of a folder
- TiVo Desktop recognizes additional video types based on other software installed on your system. As part of this new function, TiVo Desktop Plus software expects the user to install software appropriate for the file type. The Haali Media Splitter is no longer installed by TiVo Desktop.
- Apple® QuickTime is no longer a prerequisite for TiVo Desktop Plus
I have yet to completely try out this update however, I wanted to get this post out in case there’s somebody out there who may have missed the news. Let me know what you think of TiVo Desktop 2.8. I plan on working with this update a little more once the Yankees win the World Series 
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Spotted on tivodesign’s Twitter feed.
I also find that the playing of the media is working too in this mode, even through the network to the other computer it is now playing the recordings from the Tivo were it wouldn’t just installing the Tivo Desktop standard install. This is a strange one I haven’t worked out why?? It just seams to be linked to the transfer errors and the playing in Windows Media Player?? Hope this info gets back to Tivo Support because I can’t get any emails to get through to them they keep getting returned from their server with some message about mailbox full??
Stephen,
Could you expand on how you are reinstalling the MAC code after the initial install. You lost me on that one.
Thanks
I found that the windows 7 computer just asked me for that code that links it to the Tivo when I tried to transfer a recording. On the Tivo Desktop Go to file/set media access key that you get with the Home Network Package to access the Tivo Hardware, and then re-type your code. Hope that helps !!
MAK- Duh.
Thanks- This seemed to work for me. Full functionality has been restored.
-Full uninstall useing Tivo removal tool. Reinstall with administrator privileges and disabled anti virus during the install process. Re-input the Media Access Key. Set all of these “TiVoDesktop.exe”, “TiVoNotify.exe”, “TiVoServer.exe”, and “TiVoTransfer.exe” to Run as Administrator. Start the Tivo Server manually
Stephen thanks for the info. I am going to try your instructions and see what happens with my Windows 7 on a Dell Inspiron 530. I am successful now in transferring to pc from tivo by going to processes, tivo transfer and right clicking and then checking the virtualization box. If I restart computer I have to go back again and repeat the procedure as the box becomes unchecked.
I am also having troubles with Roxio Creator 2010. It will not recognize that there are Tivo recordings in the My Tivo Recordings folder under My documents. Anybody have problems similar and found a solution?
I have tried many editing programs and only found one video editing program that seams to recognize the .tivo files?? VideoReDo TV Suite. It seams OK and you can try it free for a limited time to see if it does what you want it to do.
Everett I am not sure why you are having to re enter after the restart?? Are you right clicking on the tivo server icon in the toolbar then clicking restart the tivo server. That is what I meant by manually restarting the Tivo Desktop etc.
Sorry Everett, I just realized I was using that VideoReDo TV Suite with the Vista computer and just tried installing it on the Windows 7??? It doesn’t work on it?? It tells me that I need to check the MAK code. That code is correct because I can still connect to TiVo and transfer the files. I have more researching to do. I hope Microsoft are happy with this trouble they have caused?? I will post again if I get an answer from the company.
I just tried that VideoReDo TV Suite again on Windows 7 computer. I uninstalled it and then did the right click on the set up file and ran as administrator, and now it is working?? Strange computers hey??
Stephen: Thanks for sharing your information. I am going to try the Tivo installation as soon as I have some free time. Will the Video redo actually burn the Tivo shows that you transfer to your pc from the Tivo? My Roxio 2010 will not even recognize the tivo files are present.Thanks!
Hi Everette, Maybe you can try re-installing the Roxio like I did with the VideoReDo…In administrator mode. As for VideoReDo is has a burn to DVD button on it and it seams to do the burning thing…I have only tried it once and the movie was too big for the only disk i had. So just download the trial and try it. If you have no luck with Roxio in Administrator mode. I will try burning a smaller DVD soon when I am no do busy
Stephen: I tried the Video Redo trial version today and and a test burn went ok. I have kicked out the Roxio 2010 and will buy the Video Redo if it continues to work. Any idea how I can keep the virtulization block checked in the Tivo transfer processes? Each time I restart computer I have to go back and check it again in order to transfer from Tivo to pc. I have a Dell Inspiron 530 which is 22 months old and it of course has Windows 7 as the OS. I wish I could find a way for that block to remain checked to keep from trying to uninstall 2.8, run the cleaner, look for hidden files, go into registry, reinstall etc. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Everett
Glad VideoReDo is working for you!! Not sure what you mean by “virtulization block checked in the Tivo transfer processes” If you mean the server starting?? That is what I mean by starting it manually. Just right click the icon for TiVo in the toolbar when Tivo desktop has started, that icon appears with a red cross on it. If you right click on it it will give an option to start the server. Just click start then all seams to work ok for me. Or it may be a difference in our hardware’s?? Hope that helps..
Hi Stephen! Thanks so much for your help with this Windows 7 and Tivo and Roxio mess. I hope you don’t mind me writing you direct. On the Tivo processes: When I open the task manager on windows 7 and click the processes tab I have 4 Tivo processes running. I believe one is Transfer, one is Server, the 3rd is Notify, and the 4th is Desktop. If I right click each of these, all have the virtualization square checked except for the Transfer. If I click it I can then transfer recorded Tivo programs from the Tivo to the pc. If I shut the pc down and restart the next day the Transfer virtualization square is unchecked and I get the message “cannot find the file specified”. Do you have 4 tivo processes running? Maybe one is left over from an old version of the desktop and the cleaner missed it. If I cannot solve this I will try to download the programs from the Tivo where you type the address of the tivo in the url address, use the MAK key, select what you want to transfer, and then download and I guess save to downloads under my documents. Then I will see if Video Redo will find it and burn it.
One other thing I have thought of and that is how do you tell Video redo that you would like at least 2 programs on one dvd? Thanks again for all your help. I would really like to keep Windows 7 but Tivo desktop and some way to burn the shows has to work.
Everett
Hi Everette, That’s OK. I have checked mine in the processes and mine have
UAC virtualization but they are all greyed out?? Generally that means then are functioning on this system. I have noticed in the past with different brand computers side by side I have had differences even on the same webpages?? So it may be the way your brand computer is handling the Tivo stuff.
I believe that the UAC is something to do with the users way of accessing the computer in the users account control in the control panel. I don’t have any password to start my computer so might be something in your settings if you do start with password when you sign on?? Sorry I haven’t joined any clips with VideoReDo yet so you may have to try the forum on that software’s site.
Stephen
JUST noticed a typo, it should have said that the UAC virtualization are greyed out so they aren’t working on my system?? Sorry about that?? I can’t type.
Stephen: Thanks for all your tips and suggestions. I am impressed with the Video Redo software as it is much better than Roxio 2009 or 2010. I will most likely bite the bullet and purchase it as I don’t relish the thought of reverting back to Vista with all the time needed for reinstalling programs, drivers, etc. As for Tivo Desktop I will leave it alone and wait for Tivo to get off their duffs and fix the software. I will use the download method where you type https://IP address of your Tivo in the url and then enter a user id and your MAK and then download the program you would like to save and store it in My documents,downloads. I have tried this 3 times and it works super. The Video Redo finds it and off you go. I have spent too much time on the phone with Microsoft to no avail and spent too much time with e-mails to Roxio and neither one knows what to do. They just point their fingers at each other and have no solution at all and it is their products which will not work as advertised.
Everett
Sorry Everette that you can’t get the TiVo software to work even with all the info i have tried to explain?? Maybe I haven’t explained it well enough. I have it working well just have to start the server manually after I start the TiVo software?? I can even get the auto-transfer to work as long as I start the server down in the right-hand toolbar with the right click then start TiVo server ??
I just got a new computer for Xmas with Windows 7. Was running XP before. I can transfer video and play them using the
Windows Media Player but I can not burn a DVD. It hangs up at 87% everytime and won’t cancel either.
I have to turn computer on and off to get it working again. Have most current version of TIVO desktop
2.8. Any help out there?
Mary
Mary: What burning software are you using? Roxio Creator 2010 is supposed to work with the Tivo files but will not with my Windows 7 but does with my neighbors. I have switched to Video Redo TV Suite which Stephen told me about and I am really enjoying it. The only negative is the cost if I decide to buy after the 15 day trial. I also have no luck with tivo desktop 2.8 unless I go into the task manager and change some things in the processes and this must be done every time pc is rebooted, therefore I have switched to downloading the Tivo shows from tivo to my pc and that also is working great. If Tivo ever fixes 2.8 I will go back to it. I really suggest you look at the Video Redo software and try the 15 day free trial to see if it is what you want.
Everett
Gentleman, I have found a solution to my problem. By converting a TIVO file directly to a DVD it was hanging up in Windows 7 and Roxio 2010. Since I have a brand new computer with Windows 7 originally installed I know this wasn’t my problem. I could do it on my 6 year old computer, XP, Roxio 2009.
To get around the problem, in Roxio Video Copy and Convert specify output as video. This converts and saves the file as a MPEG-2. They burn that file using Windows DVD maker which comes with Windows 7 on units that have DVD burners. Works everytime. I get the feeling Roxio realeases products way before they are tested.
Just installed 2.8 on Win7. First time I tried transferring a file Tivo Desktop said it couldn’t find any programs on the DVR. Restarted Tivo and Tivo Desktop was able to see the DVR. YMMV.
I now have Tivo desktop 2.8 working perfectly with Windows 7. I did a clean Install of Vista and installed all the windows updates, then did the Windows 7 Upgrade kit and installed all the Windows 7 updates from Microsoft, before installing any of my other software. The first software after wiping all of the Hard drive was TiVo Desktop 2.8, the only thing I did with that is the Right Click on the set up file and installed as Administrator. Now It even auto starts on its own. Must have been some old Software I had running or some corrupt files from Vista that didn’t like the upgrade to Windows 7…….I only did all this because my sound system started making very horrible noised through the speakers??? WOW was a great bonus to fix this problem too.
I just did the clean install on my laptop with windows 7 and TiVo desktop 2.8, I spent all day doing this and it did not work at all with what I said on the last post. I have gone back to a previous post that worked?? Strange one this?? Must be some sort of a hardware clash with different brand computers?? Oh well back to the drawing board.