StreamVideo

From NZTivo

Stream Tivo’d Programs to you PC

So you’re sitting at your PC, and feel like viewing a little Tivo… well, it’s easier than you think. I now through Juice or J2 on in the background (sorta live, but I'll get to that).
First I will assume you are running the latest OzTivo image – If you are, then you can skip this paragraph, if not you may need to also install “vserver� – download from SourceForge - in this archive you will find quite a few files. Look for a file called vserver-ppc-s1-exec. Move and rename the file to /var/hack/bin/vserver on your TiVo. Then run vserver:

bash-2.02# ./vserver
waiting for connections on port 8074

If you get “Listen Failed� (or similar) them most likely vserver is already running.

Assuming you are using the OzTivo image or vserver is already running somehow, then download [1] and install on your Windows PC.

This will create a directory, most likely c:\Program Files\mplayer-tivo and place several files on your machine.

Find this directory and edit the file named mplayerlist.bat
As standard this has a single line:

cmd /K mplayer tivo://tivo/list

Replace the //tivo/ with //yourIPaddress/ - eg, if your IP address is 192.168.1.3, then the line would read:

cmd /K mplayer tivo://192.168.1.3/list

Close and save the file.

Now doubleclick the mplayerlist.bat file. You should see a dos box open with something that looks a little like this:


C:\Program Files\mplayer-tivo>cmd /K mplayer tivo://192.168.1.3/list
Using GNU internationalization
Original domain: messages
Original dirname: /usr/share/locale
Current domain: mplayer
Current dirname: /usr/local/share/locale


MPlayer 0.90rc4-3.2 (C) 2000-2003 Arpad Gereoffy (see DOCS)

etc etc - then a list like the following:

Playing tivo://192.168.1.3/list
[ 740637][ 8][Live ][(null) ]
[ 731460][ 4][Arrested Development][ ]
[ 731319][ 3][Click Online ][ ]
[ 426076][ 6][Coke In Concert: Pin][(null) ]
[ 564705][ 4][Cops ][ ]
[ 710764][ 4][The Daily Show: Jon ][(null) ]
[ 710760][ 2][Gamer TV ][ ]
[ 720141][ 5][Mythbusters ][Poppy Seed Drug Test ]
[ 731316][ 6][One News ][ ]
[ 731483][ 4][Waking The Dead Thin][(null) ]
[ 720129][ 2][Will And Grace ][ ]
ty_streaming_start failed
Unable to open URL: tivo://192.168.1.3/list


Exiting... (End of file)



The only really important part (feel free to disagree with this) is the number on the left of the playing lists program – eg 731319 on the line

[ 731319][ 3][Click Online ][ ]

This is Tivo’s filesystem ID (FSID) – Tivo’s way of identifying the recordings. This is the number you use to select the program to view. For example, to watch that episode of “Click Online� you would type the following at dos prompt:

C:\Program Files\mplayer> mplayer tivo://192.168.1.3/731319

And hey presto, your video begins playing.


A manual for mPlayer is available if you want to experiment with its features – view this here.

And to stop it ? Just close the video box, or hit CTRL-C in the dos box.

You can even watch 'live' TV - sort of. Note that at the top of the list is a line similar to:
[ 740637][ 8][Live ][(null) ]
This is the current live buffer. It will start at the begining of the 'live' buffer so unless you have recently changed channels may be some way behind, but a quick channel change (using TivoWeb - why get up...) will bring you pretty close to current.
Interestingly, if Tivo begins recording a show, the old live buffer remains as it last was, with the new program appearing as a new FSID.

Neil B
4 February 2005