Tivo Hacking
Geoffrey D. Bennett
geoffrey@linuxsa.org.au

What is TiVo
- Video Recorder that uses hard disk instead of tape
- Runs Linux
- Made by Philips, Sony, and Hughes
- Available in US and UK
- Sold for about US$199 (20 hour model), $299 (30 hour model)
- UK (PAL) version more expensive
- TiVo (the company) provide a subscription service where the TiVo downloads
  (over modem) the TV guide
  - $9.95/month or $249.00
- Subscription service dials into a local POP to download TV guide information

User Features
- Pause, rewind live TV
- Record by time
- Record by name
- Season Passes
- Figures out what you like
- Easy to use
- Watch a program that's currently being recorded
- Watch a recorded program while another is being recorded

Technically
- RF, composite, or S-Video input
- RF, composite, or S-Video output
- Internal Modem
- IR and serial ports for controlling cable or satellite receivers
- Hard disk mounting
- System Diagram
- Linux
- PROM/BIOS
- Partitioning
  - kernel * 2
  - /root * 2 (mounted r/o)
  - /var (mounted r/w)
  - MFS - "Media Filesystem" (not mountable)

Hacks
- Getting into the TiVo
- Setting up PPP
- Adding a new disk
- Locked drives
- Cross-compiler

Tridge & Friends Hacks
- Ported rsync and ps
- Web server (Stephen Rothwell)
- Ethernet (Bob Edwards)
- Australian Support
  - PAL support
    - video decoder (Philips SAA7114)
    - MPEG encoder (Sony CXD1922)
    - MPEG decoder (IBM CS22)
    - 7120?
  - Guide Data
    - Slice files, encoder/decoder
    - SOFCOM/FOXTEL
    - Distribution
  - IR
    - irtest2tivo (Chris Yeoh)
  - Tuner
    - Dick Smith TV Capture card
- More RAM
- Video over LAN

- Coping with the 2.0 software upgrade
- Stereo when using the tuner