TiVo hacking - the next great Aussie sport
The TiVo has the ability to stream content from your computer, but this feature won't be unlocked until next year and you'll need to pay extra for it. But there's a loophole, says Adam Turner.
As I said in my TiVo First Look, I'm very impressed with the TiVo sitting in my lounge room but it's certainly not perfect. With Australia's proud history of TiVo hacking, thanks to pioneers such as Tridge, it won't be long before my fellow Aussies get their hands dirty in the code and fix some of the TiVo's shortcomings.
The initial goal will certainly be to upgrade the disappointingly small 160GB hard drive, but the holy grail will obviously be to unlock the 30 second ad-skipping feature. Personally I think there's too much emphasis on the lack of ad-skipping. It's a luxury but not an essential, I place more importance on the scheduling and storage management features - which is where the TiVo excels. Still, since switching from my Vista-based media centre to the TiVo this week I've missed the ability to skip ads, there is certainly a period of adjustment. The TiVo's "over run" feature - which jumps back a few seconds when you hit play after fast forwarding the ads - is fantastic and it certainly takes the sting out of losing ad-skipping.
Aussies obviously don't like to be told they can't have features that are available in other countries. The TiVo's lack of ad-skipping is even more annoying considering there are other PVRs in Australia with the ability to skip ads. Unfortunately the networks will only license their EPG data to PVRs with ad-skipping disabled. Then they drag other EPG providers, such as IceTV, through the courts. Yes, Australians get screwed by the networks, but that doesn't change the fact that the Seven-backed TiVo is actually a very good PVR.
Perhaps the greatest hurdle to TiVo hacking is that the box is in constant communication with TiVo headquarters and I believe they can force software upgrades onto the device. Imagine the difficulty in iPhone hacking if Apple could force over-the-air upgrades onto phones. For all we know TiVo's masters may be able to detect firmware changes but, from what I've seen online of US TiVo hacking, I don't think this is likely. Still, if a loophole is found to enable ad-skipping, I'd expect to see a cat and mouse game of hacks and counter-hacks. Such battles are fun to watch, as the hackers are always one step ahead.
What I'd like Australian TiVo hackers to focus on is opening up the media player features. Even if I switch to using a TiVo as my PVR today, I'll need to keep my Vista box in the lounge room to play AV files. The TiVo has the ability to stream content from your computer, but this feature won't be unlocked until next year and you'll need to pay extra for it. It seems anyone can download the TiVo Desktop software for streaming content from a PC or Mac, but to use it you need to know your TiVo's 10 digit Media Access Key. On a US TiVo you can find it in the menus, but it's not there on the Australian TiVos. If there was a way to extract the Media Access Key from an Australian TiVo you might be able to get the streaming working today. It would make an interesting experiment.
When TiVo's masters unlock the streaming features next year, hopefully local hackers will still look to expand the features of TiVo Desktop Plus. Along with playing MP3s and DivXs, I want to play DVDs ripped using AnyDVD - so I can always have the kids' movies at hand without needing to find the discs.
TiVo has a lot of potential, but there's work to be done. The iconic PVR is hoping to win gold during the Beijing Olympics, but I'll personally pin a medal on the chest of the hacker who gives TiVo a performance enhancing boost today.
Other Blog Entries written by Adam Turner:
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Comments: 4
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j3d11
Jul 11, 2008 1:12 PM
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TiVo is still born. Without a DVD library capacity HDD for PVR and no streaming off a local network capability, what is the point of this device. And as mentioned many other Media centers/PVRs already offer many features that are not on the TiVo.
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Ib
Jul 11, 2008 3:36 PM
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I agree with Adam Turner and would like to see capabilitites to store ripped DVDs onto TiVo...but then that will almost certainly relegate you to the spare room to watch the footy on the old Tube, because Junior wants to watch the Wiggles on the big screen. This may be a case of careful what you wish for. |
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Al
Jul 17, 2008 4:54 PM
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That's why everyone should go out and buy a PS3 and get PlayTV when released later this year. Then it will be able to do everything TiVo does without the associated problems.
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Adam Turner
Jul 19, 2008 4:34 PM
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@Al - I've got my eye on the PS3 & PlayTV, but as it's trying to be all things to all men I'll be surprised if it's as a good a PVR as TiVo |