How to download videos from your PC or Mac to your TiVo box

Watching videos from your PC on your TiVo box with TiVo Desktop

With TiVo Desktop software, you can access videos stored in the "My TiVo Recordings" folder on your PC and transfer them to your TiVo box for viewing.

Show the steps

1. On your PC, verify that TiVo Desktop is installed and operational. If you have not yet installed TiVo Desktop, download and install the latest version before continuing.
2. Locate the videos on your PC that you’d like to view on your TiVo box. These can be home movies, videos downloaded from the web, or any other video files, as long as they are either MPEG-2 or .tivo files. Other file formats require TiVo Desktop Plus (see below).
3. Copy these videos into the "My TiVo Recordings" folder inside the My Documents folder on your PC.
4. Launch TiVo Desktop. The videos you copied into the "My TiVo Recordings" folder should appear in TiVo Desktop’s "Now Playing List."See it
5. On your TiVo box, select the "Now Playing" or "My Shows" list from TiVo Central.
6. Select your PC. It is marked with the computer icon. See it
7. Select any title.See it
8. Choose "Transfer this recording" to start the transfer. When the transfer
   starts, you have the option of watching the video immediately, or
   choosing additional videos to transfer.
9. If you did not begin watching the video in Step 8, you can watch at any time from your "Now Playing" or "My Shows" list.

Watching videos from your PC on your TiVo box with TiVo Desktop Plus

With TiVo Desktop Plus, you don’t have to store your videos in "My TiVo Recordings" to access them from your TiVo box. Instead, you can access videos in any folder (like Podcast or music video folders) and watch them on your TiVo box. And, if you have video files or podcasts that automatically download to your PC, you can use TiVo Desktop Plus to deliver these videos directly to your TiVo box's "Now Playing" or "My Shows" list –automatically.

Show the steps

1. On your PC, verify that TiVo Desktop Plus version 2.6 or later is installed and operational. You can do this by selecting "About TiVo Desktop" from the Help menu. If you are using an earlier version of TiVo Desktop Plus, or if you have not yet upgraded, download and install the latest version before continuing.
   
   If you are using TiVo Desktop and want to upgrade to TiVo Desktop Plus, purchase a license key.
2. Launch TiVo Desktop Plus.
3. Select the "Share Music, Photos, & Videos" icon.
4. Click the "Video" tab, then click "Add Video".See it
5. Select the folder containing the videos you want to add. These can be home
   movies, videos downloaded from the web, or any other video files, as long
   as they are one of the following formats:
   • Windows Media Video (.wmv)
   • QuickTime Movie (.mov)
   • MPEG-4 / H.264 (.mp4, .m4v, .mp4v)
   • MPEG-2
   • DivX or Xvid (.avi, .divx, encoded with the DivX codec, version 4 or higher, or with the Xvid codec. No other video formats are supported within .AVI files.)
   • .tivo files.
6. Click "Add."
7. Note: You cannot select individual files within a folder.
8. On the "Video Folder Properties" popup window, set the folder properties, including:
   • Whether to auto-transfer videos from this folder to your TiVo box
   • How many videos from this folder to keep on the TiVo box (if auto-transferring)
   • Which TiVo box(es) will get videos from this folder (if auto-transferring)
   See it
9. Click "OK."
10. To watch videos, go to your TiVo box's "Now Playing" or "My Shows" list, and do one of the following:
    • For videos contained in folders that are set to auto-transfer:
      1. Select the folder you set up to auto-transfer.
      2. Select any title to watch the video.
    • For videos contain in folders that are NOT set to auto-transfer:
      1. Select your PC. It is marked with the computer icon.See it
      2. Select any title.See it
      3. Choose "Transfer this recording" to start the transfer. When the transfer starts, you have the option of watching the video immediately, or choosing additional videos to transfer.
      4. If you did not begin watching when you started the transfer, you can watch at any time from your "Now Playing" or "My Shows" list.

Watching videos from your Mac on your TiVo box

With Toast 11 Titanium you can transfer web videos and your own recordings from your Mac back to your TiVo box for viewing.

Visit www.roxio.com/mactivotogo for more information or to purchase Roxio Toast Titanium software.

Show the steps

1. Launch the Mac2TiVo application located in the same folder as Roxio Toast 11 Titanium.
2. Click the "Add" button, and select a folder that contains the video files that you want to view on your TiVo box. Then, click "Open."See it
   
   Note: You can also drag folders directly from Finder to the Mac2TiVo window.
3. Click "Start Server."
4. On your TiVo box, select your "Now Playing" or "My Shows" list from TiVo Central.
5. Select your computer. It is marked with the computer icon. See it
6. Select any title.See it
7. Choose "Transfer this recording" to start the transfer. When the transfer starts, you have the option of watching the video immediately, or choosing additional videos to transfer.
8. If you did not begin watching the video in Step 7, you can watch at any time from your "Now Playing" or "My Shows" list.

Help topics: Visit www.roxio.com/mactivotogo