Here’s a list of Windows 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. I hope to put together a similar list for both OS X and Linux sometime in the near future. 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….
- TiVo Desktop
: Automatically transfer shows from your TiVo DVR to a Windows PC or laptop. Browse and listen to your computer’s MP3 library from your TiVo box. Watch full-screen slide shows of your computer’s digital photo collection on your TV. Now with higher resolution for Series3 HD. Use Windows Media Player to watch TiVoToGo transfers on a Windows Mobile or Portable Media Center device. - pyTiVo: pyTivo lets you stream most videos from your PC to your unhacked TiVo. It uses the HMO server protocol, so no hacking of the TiVo is required. It will guess if your video is 4:3 or 16:9 and pad your video if it thinks it is needed (looked good on my tests). It will not transcode an mpeg that is supported by your TiVo. It will stream TiVo recordings (.tivo).
- Galleon : Galleon is a free open source media server for the TiVo DVR which allows you to enjoy many kinds of content and interactive applications right on your TV. The server runs on your home computer and organizes your media collection so that they can be viewed on your home network. Galleon also brings Internet content and applications to your TV.
- Roxio Creator: Transfer your favorite recorded TV shows or movies to your desktop or laptop using TiVo Desktop software. After they are transferred, the TiVo Desktop software will encode them for your portable device. Roxio’s Creator 9 software allows you to burn them to disc for viewing on your laptop, or the long ride to Yellowstone in the mini that came with a built in DVD player or for archiving and creating your own library.
- AutoPilot : TVHarmony AutoPilot makes the process of downloading and converting video a snap. Through a simple user interface, you can tell AutoPilot what shows or internet videos you are interested in, and AutoPilot will do the heavy lifting during the night of downloading and converting it into the right format for your video viewing device (e.g. Apple iPod®, PSP). AutoPilot is the perfect companion to TiVo and TiVoToGo.
- Videora TiVo Converter: Videora TiVo Converter is a free video conversion application developed by the creators of Videora. It allows you to convert your regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into the proper video format that your TiVo understands.
- TiVo HME Applications: There are too many TiVo HME applications to list hear. Check out this post if you are interested in TiVo HME applications.
- Picasa: Picasa is a free software download from Google that helps you: Locate and organize all the photos on your computer. Edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks. Share your photos with others through email, prints, and on the web. Export your photos so that they can be viewed on your TiVo.
- VideoReDo: VideoReDo™ the MPEG editor that lets you edit TV Shows, Movies, and Home Videos in minutes… rather than hours with traditional video editing software. If you use a PVR or DVR, no matter what your expertise, beginner or video expert, you can easily create custom videos, TV shows and movies.
- J. River Media Center: Music, photos and video YOUR way — all from a single software program! Connect your PC to your home entertainment hardware and control it all with a remote! Load your music on your iPod while you watch TV! All with one easy-to-use program. TiVo support identified here.
- WinMFS: WinMFS is the next generation Tivo upgrading software designed for ease of use. If you are familiar with Mfstools, you are well aware of the complexity when it comes to command options. With WinMFS, many options required to upgrade your Tivo drives are hidden under the hood so you don’t have to think about them. It runs on MS Windows so chances are, you have access to one of these machines. Most operation can be done using USB ports and click of few mouse buttons.
- TiVo Publisher for WHS: The TiVo Publisher Add-In for Windows Home Server (TiVo/WHS) is an implementation of the TiVo HMO “Calypso” protocol for Windows Home Server. The add-in installs as a service, which makes your WHS music, photos, and videos shares browsable from any TiVo that supports home networking.
- TiVo Desktop Universal Audio Plug-in: Out of the box this plug-in supports iTunes AAC files (unencrypted), WMA files (unencrypted) and OGG Vorbis files. However it also contains an interface for adding support for your own audio formats.* (I’ve personally tried it with APE, FLAC and WAV and all work perfectly) It also supports tags for all the built in formats, as well as a a few others via a universal tag library. For everything else it will simply use the file name as the song title.
- YAC (Yet Another Caller ID Program) : YAC is a Caller ID system that uses the modem in your Windows-based computer to monitor incoming phone calls. When a phone call is received, YAC displays the Caller ID info on your TiVo.
- VEMoDE :VEMoDe is a free program that gives you a quick and easy way to turn your videos and movies into portable videos. It will convert from many formats and includes settings for several mobile devices.
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