Here’s a list of Mac software which is capable of improving your “TiVo experience”. Some of the applications on this list may no longer work but, I thought I should include them just in case they ever get updated. If you’re a Windows user you might want to check out my Windows roundup which I published back in December of ‘07. A star () next to the application name means that I’ve actually used the application before.

Please let me know if I’ve left anything off the list….

TiVoizer: Interface around FFMPEG for conversion of video files for use on a TiVo.

iTiVo: iTiVo is a Macintosh OSX front-end interface to your Series 2, Series 3, and TiVoHD device. It can be used to download shows from your tivo to your computer. You can then view those shows on your computer when away from home. Furthermore, it will convert those shows to smaller files, compatible with portable devices such as the iPhone, so that you may view your favorite shows on your iPhone.

tivobutler : TiVo Butler can be configured to watch multiple TiVos on the network and organize the shows into a readable and searchable list on your computer. Downloads can be scheduled and rules/smart groups can be configured to download programs as they appear.

TiVo Desktop : TiVo Desktop is the official Mac application from TiVo.com. The app allows you to browse and listen to your music on your TiVo. Along with this feature, TiVo Desktop also allows you to view photos and publish videos using TiVo Go Back.

Roxio Popcorn : Popcorn® 3 lets you enjoy your video anywhere you want, on the playback device of your choice. Easily make high quality copies of your DVDs and movies. Take television recordings from your Mac to the portable device of your choice for on-the-go viewing or fit 4 hours of video on a single layer-DVD. Now with batch video conversion, support for a broad range of consumer devices, and exclusive support for TiVoToGo transfers, your video will go everywhere you do. Review here.

Roxio Toast: Roxio Toast® 8 sets the standard for burning CDs, DVDs, and now Blu-ray discs on the Mac. Create superior sounding audio CDs with crossfades. Enjoy your TV shows anywhere with exclusive EyeTV burning and TiVoToGo transfers to DVD or iPod®. Copy your audio CDs, movies and DVDs. It’s your digital life, Toast It!

SeasonPassGetter (SPG) : SPG takes TiVo content and transfers it to iTunes. Its main purpose was to transfer regularly scheduled recordings (Season Pass on TiVo) for viewing on AppleTV. There was a lot of interest in content for the iPod, so when a show is transferred to iTunes, SPG will initiate an iPod sync. Wake up in the morning and your shows are ready to go. Review here.

TiVo File Decoder: Portable C program to convert a .TiVo file from TiVoToGo to a normal MPEG file given the MAK for the TiVo which generated the file. Used by several applications including TiVo DecodeManager and several other 3rd party addons.

VisualHub : VisualHub is a great application for converting video files into a number of different formats. One of the nice things about VisualHub is that it provides a TiVo “profile” which allows you to convert video files into a format that your TiVo will be able to playback using the TiVoGoBack feature. More information about this feature can be found here.

TiVo NowPlaying : OS X dashboard widget which allows you to transfer and transcode shows from your TiVo. Review here.

TiVoTool: TivoTool allows you to download, stream, or burn videos from your Series 1 or 2 Tivo or DTivo. You can also send videos to iTunes for viewing on a video enabled iPod. The command line version consists of a subset of these functions and works on Linux.

pyTiVo: pyTivo lets you stream most videos from your PC to your unhacked TiVo. pyTivo acts as a TiVo GoBack server. It loads many standard video compression codecs and outputs mpeg2 video to the TiVo. It allows you to watch videos that are stored on your computer in, say, DivX format without having to wait for the video to be transcoded first.

For some reason, TiVoGoBack isn’t enabled by default within the Mac version of TiVo Desktop . That being said, it’s not that hard to enable it so that your TiVo can playback videos that are stored on your Mac. The following set of screenshots will show you how to enable TiVoGoBack using the TiVoGoBack enabler that is included with every download of VisualHub (readme, PDF).

If you don’t already own a copy of VisualHub, I recommend that you get it. VisualHub is a great application which allows you to transcode video files into a number of different formats. If you don’t need VisualHub for it’s transcoding capability, you should at least download it so that you can enable TiVoGoBack.

The first thing you need to do is download TiVo Desktop from TiVo.com. The install is really easy. Simply open the disc image and double click on the installer….

Once TiVo Desktop is installed, you will see a new Preference Pane within System Preferences.

Clicking on the TiVo Desktop preference pane will bring up the following window. As you can see, TiVoGoBack isn’t enabled out of the box (there isn’t a “Videos” tab).

Once you start TiVo Desktop, you can listen to your music or view your photos on your TiVo.

To enable TiVoGoBack, all you have to do is open the VisualHub installer and double click on the TiVoGoBack enabler.

This small application will reconfigure TiVo Desktop so that TiVoGoBack is enabled.

Once it is enabled, the TiVo Desktop preference pane will include a Videos tab where you can configure TiVoGoBack on your Mac.

Next, you will need to transcode a video into a MPEG so that it is playable by your TiVo. VisualHub is great at transcoding videos into a TiVoGoBack friendly format. Notice the “TiVo” profile listed in the dropdown. It really doesn’t get any easier than this…

Conversion complete….

Now when I go to my TiVo’s Now Playing List, I see my Mac listed as a TiVoGoBack source.

Here’s the MPG that I just transcoded….

Thanks to VisualHub I am now able to playback my home movies using TiVoGoBack!

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As a side note, I would like to thank both James & Christian for putting me down as their 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 James & Christian. It really is appreciated!

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!

Late yesterday, I received an email from Michael Alderete letting me know that he has put together a tutorial on how to play BitTorrent content on your TiVo. Here’s a summary of the article taken from the email that Mike sent me:

The article covers installing and configuring TiVo Desktop software on your computer, downloading video from the Internet using Miro, converting it to a TiVo-compatible format with VisualHub, and transferring it to your TiVo for playback. Currently the instructions are Mac-only, but a reasonably savvy person could easily figure out how to use them on a PC, with slightly different software (pointers are given in the article).

I just checked out the article and I have to say that I am impressed with the quality of the content and the level of detail that Michael put into his article. Check it out if you are interested in being able to download BitTorrent content for playback on your TiVo.

Update (11/3 @ 6:04AM):  Roxio has posted a public beta which is supposed to fix the issue mentioned below.  Go here to download it…

Update (10/31 @ 8:24AM): Roxio has done a great job communicating with the community about the issues they’re having with TiVo’s 9.2 software update. Recently, I was given the opportunity to beta test the next version of Popcorn and to my surprise it includes a fix for the double playback issue I was experiencing. Roxio has said that this update should be released shortly so stay tuned if you are having issues with either Toast or Popcorn.

As I alluded to in a previous post, initially I was having a difficult time getting Roxio’s TiVo Transfer app to detect my Series 3 TiVo. After doing some research, I came to the conclusion that TiVo Transfer uses Apple’s Bonjour protocol to discover and list any TiVos on the network. Sure enough, when I fired up iStumbler my Series 3 wasn’t listed as a Bonjour device (DVR-893D is my S2 TiVo).

Like most computer problems (at least on Windows), I decided to reboot my Series 3 to see if that would fix the issue. As soon as the reboot was complete, my Series 3 showed up in both TiVo Transfer and iStumbler’s Bonjour listing (DVR-02A0).

Now I’m able to connect and successfully transfer a show off of my Series 3 TiVo to my Mac (that doesn’t mean everything is working…continue reading).

Unfortunately, I’m still having a problem with any show that I transfer from my Series 3 TiVo. From some reason, any transferred show that I try and watch plays back at twice the normal speed. I took a look at the settings for Roxio’s Toast Video Player however, I wasn’t able to find a setting that could be causing this problem. I’ve seen that other people are having this issue so I guess I’ll wait and see if Roxio comes out with a fix (who knows how long that will take). Until then, I could use TiVoDecodeManager to get content off of my Series 3 however, I just don’t like how TDM works and I would rather get the “official“ Mac TiVoToGo client to work especially since I’ve already paid for it. I’ll be sure to let you know if/when Roxio comes out with a fix….

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As a side note, I would like to thank Peter 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 Peter. It really is appreciated!