Tivo Hacks. 100 Industrial-strength Tips Tools 2003

Hacks are generally considered quick-n-dirty, pragmatic solutions to hardware and software problems, or interesting techniques for getting a task done. TiVo, being just a shiny PC with a generalized operating system and expandable via all-but off-the-shelf parts , has proven eminently hackable .

Communities of TiVo hackers have sprung up on the Internet, the most well-know being the TiVo Forum (http://www.tivocommunity.com/). In this book, I've collected and written up some of the more useful, interesting, and cool hacks I've found. There are hardware hacks, requiring you to pop the top off your TiVo and fiddle about with the innards. There are software hacks, requiring a little less manual dexterity but no less of a sense of adventure. And, for the faint of heart, there are remote control hacks you can do from the comfort of your favorite armchair.

Don't worry, I'll guide you. Many of these hacks stand on their own, but more of them require you to do one of the other hacks first, whether it be to get you inside the box or just to enter a series of codes into a Search by Title field. If there's a prerequisite, there'll be a cross-reference to guide you to the appropriate hack. Feel free to flip around, following whatever interests you. I'll try to keep the map clear of obstacles.

But a couple of fair warnings before we continue. There are two types of hacks, explicitly, that you won't find in this book. The first are those that circumvent having to pay for TiVo. There are a few open source projects out there, like MythTV (http:// mythtv . sourceforge .net), that do the same things the TiVo does, but you don't have to pay a monthly fee or a single lifetime fee to get to use it. Instead, this service queries the Internet for those valuable tidbits of information on when and what channel your television shows are on. While people have tried ”and may of succeeded ”to use these same techniques for the TiVo, I'm not going to talk about them. In fact, most TiVo hackers, including those that you find mentioned in this book, are not going to talk about the subject. Bypassing the TiVo, Inc. service to get television programming information into your TiVo without paying the appropriate fees is one of those shunned topics. TiVo, Inc. has built a fabulous combination of hardware, software, and service. They've embraced TiVo hacking and coexist peacefully with the hacker community. But they do need to make a living, leaving it up to every TiVo hacker to reciprocate by paying their dues and helping TiVo maintain this openness and hackability.

The second type of hacks you won't see in this book involve getting to the software insides of that new and shiny Series 2 box. Most TiVo hacking has been and continues to be done on the older and more open Series 1 boxes. There are those who've managed to gain access to the internals of the Series 2 TiVo, opening it up to many of the hacks available for the Series 1. Unfortunately, the methods to do so are beyond the scope of this book, are tricky, and are of questionable legality. Series 2 owners wishing to go beyond the remote control hacks and hard drive upgrades will most likely find newer hacks for Series 2 TiVos appearing online over time.