Steve Garfield has posted several new pictures of his Comcast TiVo DVR that he received yesterday.

Based on what I’ve seen from Steve, the Comcast TiVo DVR appears to be a big hit. I especially like how it allows you to access VOD (video on demand) content directly from within the TiVo interface. That’s something I wish my Series 3 could do….

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As a side note, I would like to thank Jason for putting me down as his TiVo rewards referrer. If you’d like to put me down as your referrer, all you need to do is enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo. Thanks Jason. It really is appreciated!

A recent comment turned me onto a OS X Dashboard widget which allows you to transfer shows from your TiVo using TiVoToGo.

Configuring this widget is extremely easy. Basically all I had to do was enter my TiVo’s IP address and my media access key which I was able to get from here.

One of the nice features of this widget is that you can configure it to connect to multiple TiVos. In my case, I have it configured for both my Series 2 & Series 3 TiVos.

Here’s a screenshot of the widget connected to my Series 2 DT TiVo. As you can see, my S2DT is pretty much my son’s TiVo :).

Now the widget is displaying everything that is stored on my Series 3.

The best thing about this widget is that it can transfer shows off of your TiVo using TiVoToGo. To transfer a show, all you have to do is click on the program and then click on the download link.

Transfer speeds were pretty good however, I haven’t compared it to TDM or Roxio’s TiVo Transfer to see if there is a difference. Transferred shows are automatically converted into a MPEG using the TiVo File Decoder.

For some reason, I wasn’t able to play any of the shows that I transferred using QuickTime. Instead, I ended up using VLC.

Overall, I am really impressed with this widget. It definitely is nice to be able to browser your TiVo and ultimately transfer a show via a “simple” Dashboard widget. That being said, I honestly don’t think this widget will replace Popcorn as my main TiVoToGo client. For some reason, I like having a “thick” TiVoToGo client like Popcorn or TDM. In any case, if you don’t want to pay for Popcorn or if you aren’t happy with TDM, you might want to download this widget.

Update (12/10/07): I’m republishing this post because I originally published it too early in the holiday season. Let me know if you think I should add an item to the list.

Do you have a TiVo addict on your Holiday shopping list? If yes, here’s a list of items that any TiVo geek would love to receive as a gift.

Hardware:

• Series 3 TiVo ($368.03 after $200 rebate) OR TiVo HD ($254.49): The Series 3 has a couple of features that set it apart from the TiVo HD. Purchase the Series 3 if you care about these added features. Otherwise, go ahead and pickup a TiVo HD. Both DVRs will allow your TiVo addict to record high definition content from their cable TV provider.
• Western Digital 500 GB My DVR Expander (TiVo HD or Series 3 only) ($199.99): This drive is a great option if your TiVo geek would like to expand the storage on their Series 3 or TiVo HD DVR. The drive is easy to install and it will add approximately 65 hrs worth of HD recording capacity to a TiVo HD or Series 3 DVR.
• Series 2 Dual Tuner TiVo ($211.78): The Series 2 DT TiVo is a great option if your TiVo geek doesn’t care about recording high definition. Out of the box, the DVR is capable of recording up to 80 hrs. worth of standard definition content. One of the great things about the S2DT is that it offers dual-tuners so your TiVo addict will be able to record two shows at once.
• TiVo Wireless Adapter ($39.99): The TiVo wireless adapter will allow your TiVo addict to connect their TiVo to their network (802.11g or 802.11b). I’ve used this adapter before and I’ve got to say that it works great. The Series 2 DT, TiVo HD & Series 3 allow provide a hard wired Ethernet connection so you are going to want to check with your TiVo addict to make sure that they actually need this adapter.
• Slingbox ($109.72): A Slingbox will allow your TiVo geek to watch their TiVo from anywhere that they have an internet connection. The device is a great option if your TiVo addict travels a lot. I use my Slingbox while on the road as well as when I’m sitting on my deck and I want to watch something that is on my Series 3 in the living room.
• TiVo Upgrade Drive (~$249 - ~$549): An upgrade drive will allow your TiVo geek to increase the storage on their TiVo. Unlike the expander drive mentioned above, an upgrade drive must be installed inside in the TiVo DVR. I upgraded my Series 3 TiVo back in August and the process was extremely easy.
• Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control ($290.12): A Harmony remote is a great gift especially if your TiVo addict would like to be able to control all of their AV devices with one remote control.
• External USB Drive: If your TiVo addict transfers a lot of content off of their TiVo using TiVoToGo, they are definitely going to need some additional storage on their PC or Mac. An external USB hard drive is a great way to add external storage.

Software:

• TiVo Desktop Plus (Windows only) ($24.95): TiVo desktop plus is one of my most favorite pieces of software. Desktop plus will allow your TiVo geek to automatically convert TiVoToGo transfers for playback on a compatible portable device. This software add-on will also allow your TiVo addict to transfer videos downloaded on their PC to their TiVo box and watch them on their TV.
• Roxio Toast 8 (Mac only) ($54.99 after $20 rebate) OR Roxio Popcorn 3 (Mac only) ($42.99): Toast & Popcorn are the only officially supported TiVoToGo client for the Mac. I use Popcorn and I have been extremely happy with the software. Both Popcorn and Toast will allow your TiVo geek to transfer shows from their TiVo and burn them to a DVD. Along with being able to burn TiVoToGo content to a DVD, both Toast and Popcorn will also allow your TiVo geek to convert their TiVoToGo content into a format that is compatible with many portable devices. Toast provides additional features which are geared more towards authoring DVDs whereas Popcorn is centered more around converting digital content into different formats.
• Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite 10 (Windows only) ($59.99 after $20 rebate): Roxio Creator will allow your TiVo addict to burn their TiVo recordings to a DVD. Just like Toast (mentioned above), Creator also provides a number of other features that aren’t centered around TiVo.
• VisualHub ($23.32) (Mac only): VisualHub is a great application that will allow your TiVo addict to convert video content into a format that their TiVo can then playback. The software is great if your TiVo addict wants to be able to easily convert video files into a bunch of different formats.

Books

• TiVo Hacks ($16.47): This is a great book if your TiVo addict is interested in “hacking” their Series 2 TiVo. I’ve read most of the book and I was able to pick up a couple of neat “hacks”.
• Beginning TiVo Programming ($26.39): I’ve never actually read this book but I have heard that it is pretty good. Purchase this book if your TiVo addict would like to write HME applications that can interact with their TiVo.

Miscellaneous

• TiVo Service Gift Card ($50 - $300): Not much to say about this one. A gift card is a great gift if your TiVo addict doesn’t already have a lifetime subscription.

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Disclaimer: Most of the links above reference my Amazon associates account. I would appreciate it if you used these links since it helps to support TiVoBlog.com. Thanks and have a Happy Holiday season!

If you have $1599 (after $200 rebate) to spend, you might to consider picking up a Series 3 TiVo with 2 Teraybtes worth of storage from WeaKnees. In case you’re wondering, two Terabytes will allow you to record up to 292 hours of high definition content or ~2778 hours worth of standard definition content at the lowest quality setting. In order to come up with two Terabytes worth of storage, the DVR utilizes both an internal and external drive.

I wonder how long it will be before we see a similar offer from my friends over at DVRupgrade.com….

Spotted on the WeakNees blog.

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As a side note, I would like to thank David for putting me down as his TiVo rewards referrer. If you’d like to put me down as your referrer, all you need to do is enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo. Thanks David. It really is appreciated!

A lot has changed since 2006 when I last posted a diagram of my network. Here’s how my network is currently setup. As you can see from the diagram, I have two TiVos (S3 & S2DT) which are directly wired into the network.

Ben Drawbaugh has posted a wonderful review of TiVoToGo and MRV (multi-room viewing) on the Series 3. Overall, the review is rather positive however, Ben did say that his transfer speeds are rather slow.

Granted, the transfers were pretty slow — in fact, they were about twice real time — and our understanding is that the hardware is the bottleneck, so upgrading to a gigabit network probably won’t help.

My transfer speeds aren’t as slow as what Ben is experiencing. For example, a 30 minute HD shows takes around 43-45 minutes to transfer. I don’t know why there is a difference between what I’m experiencing and what Ben is. At first I thought it was because both of my TiVos are wired but than I noticed that Ben’s TiVos are wired as well. Whatever the case may be, I’m happy that my transfers are faster :).

How fast are your transfer speeds? Are they more in line with what I’m reporting or are your recordings transferring at a speed similar to what Ben is reporting?

Ben Drawbaugh has posted a wonderful article in which he compares the Series 3 TiVo to the TiVo HD. You are definitely going to want to check out this post if you are thinking about getting either a Series 3 or a TiVo HD.

In my opinion, the TiVo HD is a better deal now that TiVo has enabled the eSATA port on both the Series 3($358.59, after mail-in rebate) and the TiVo HD($234.68). In the end, it all comes down to whether or not you want THX certification, a little more built-in storage, a better remote and a nifty OLED front display.

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As a side note, I would like to thank Charles for putting me down as his TiVo rewards referrer. If you’d like to put me down as your referrer, all you need to do is enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo. Thanks Charles. It really is appreciated!

bkdtv has posted a great FAQ about TiVoToGo (TTG), Multi-Room Viewing (MRV) and TiVoToComeBack (TTCB) on the Series 3 and TiVo HD. The FAQ answered several questions I had about TiVoToGo including why TTG on the Series 3 is faster than TTG on my Series 2 DT.

Check it out if you have some questions about TTG, MRV or TTCB on the Series 3 and TiVo HD.

TiVo has reduced the number of points that are required to receive a TiVo HD via the TiVo Rewards program. Now, you can get a TiVo HD for 35,000 points (7 referrals) instead of 50,000 points. The Series 3 could use a price cut since the DVR still requires 75,000 points.

If you have 35,000 reward points, you might want to consider getting the TiVo HD especially since you can now easily expand the DVR and since TiVoToGo & MRV is also available.

As always, I would appreciate it if you would enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo so that I can get the reward points.

Like a kid on Christmas, I was extremely excited yesterday when I was able to successfully transfer a high definition show from my Series 3 TiVo using the 9.2 service update. To my surprise, TiVoDesktop only took ~48 minutes to transfer a 55 minute 6GB HD program! How is possible? Why is the Series 3 better at transferring programs than my Series 2 TiVo? My Series 2 normally takes around 60 minutes to transfer a 60 minute standard definition program so how is my Series 3 able to transfer a HD program in the same amount if not less time? Does the S3 have some hardware built in which allows it to perform better when it comes to TiVoToGo or is there less conversion necessary with the HD content? Can somebody educate me?

Whatever the reason is, I’m extremely happy with being able to transfer shows off of my Series 3. I am however, having some issues with getting Roxio Popcorn to work on my Mac. Has anybody successfully transferred a show from their TiVo HD or Series 3 using Roxio’s Popcorn or Roxio Toast for that matter?