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Transferring video from a PC to a TiVo DVR

07-09-09Search Reference Number
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If you have a Series 2, Series 3, or TiVo HD DVR with a broadband connection, you can transfer video files from your Windows PC to your DVR. If your PC is running Windows Vista, we recommend using TiVo Desktop 2.5.1 or later.  

WARNING: Videos that are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM) are not supported.

 
 

To transfer web video files to your TiVo DVR using TiVo Desktop 2.4 or later and a TiVo Desktop PLUS Key, you need:

  • Your Windows PC and Series 2, Series 3, or TiVo HD DVR connected to your home network.
  • TiVo Desktop 2.4  or later, with a valid TiVo Desktop PLUS Key, installed on the Windows PCs from which you want to transfer video. Visit www.tivo.com/desktop to purchase an upgrade key if you don't have one already.
  • Quicktime 7.1.3 or later. Click here if you need to update your version of Quicktime.
 

TiVo Desktop 2.4 or later, with a PLUS Key, allows you to transfer the following types of video files to your TiVo DVR:

  • Windows Media Video (.wmv)
  • QuickTime Movie (.mov)
  • MPEG-4/H.264 (.mp4, .m4v, .mp4v)
  • MPEG-2 (.mpg, .mpeg, .mpe, .mp2, .mp2v, .mpv2)


TiVo Desktop 2.5, or later, with a PLUS Key, adds support for the following file types:

  • DivX and Xvid: (.avi, .divx)
 

On your PC:

Save video files to the TiVo Recordings folder on your PC (generally in My Documents > My TiVo Recordings).  If you have video files or podcasts that automatically download to different folders, just create shortcuts to those folders inside the My TiVo recordings folder.

 

On your DVR:

1.  From TiVo Central, select Now Playing. You’ll see your PC listed at the bottom of the Now Playing screen.

2.  Select it to browse the PC’s TiVo Recordings folder

3.  Highlight any title in the list and press SELECT.

4.  Choose Watch on this TV to start the transfer.

5.  When the transfer starts, you have the option of watching the video immediately, or choosing additional videos to transfer.

 
 To Transfer videos to your DVR using Web Season Pass and TiVo Desktop Plus:


On your PC:

1.  Install TiVo Desktop 2.6.

2.  Purchase and register a TiVo Desktop Plus key.

3.  Link your PC to your TiVo MMA (Manage My Account) account.


On your DVR:

1.  From your DVR, select Find Programs & Downloads, then Download TV, Movies & Web Video. Browse for content marked with the TiVo Desktop Plus icon.

2.  Choose a program to download, either as a single episode or as a Season Pass.

3.  Once a single download or Season Pass has been selected, TiVo Desktop will download the program and transcode it for the DVR. The DVR will then download the program from the PC. If a Season Pass is requested, the PC will regularly check for new programming to download to the DVR.



To transfer videos to your DVR using TiVo Desktop Plus Watch Folders:


On your PC:

1.  Install and launch TiVo Desktop 2.6.

2.  Purchase and register a TiVo Desktop Plus key.

3.  Link your PC to your TiVo MMA (Manage My Account) account.

4.  Select Share Music, Photos & Videos, then the Video tab.

5.  Click the Add Video button and navigate to the video folder you want to publish.

6.  Choose the folder properties (Automatic transfer, Keep at most, select target DVRs).

7.  Video content placed in the published video folder will download to the DVR automatically (if that folder is set up for automatic transfers), or will be displayed in the PC's Now Playing List when viewed from one of the target DVRs.



How to prepare MPEG-2 video files for a TiVo DVR
 
  • Use a standard personal editing tool such as Sonic MyDVD, Adobe Premiere, or Nero to prepare a final cut of your video
  • Use the export/save as feature and choose MPEG-2 format. This is the standard format used by DVD players
  • Find the MPEG-2 encoding options and set them to the following parameters to ensure proper transfer and playback on TiVo DVRs:
 
Resolution720 x 480, 704 x 480 (D1), 544 x 480 (3/4 D1), 480 x 480 (2/3 D1), and 352 x 480 (1/2 D1). The higher the resolution, the better the video quality and the larger the resulting file, which means longer transfer time and more disk usage on your PC and DVR.
Bit Rate1 – 8 Mbps. The higher the bit rate, the better the video quality and the larger the resulting file. 4 Mbps is recommended for high-quality video.
Frame Rate29.97 (standard NTSC). Do not try any different frame rates.
Aspect Ratio4:3 (recommended) or 16:9
AudioMPEG-1 Layer 2 for TiVo DVRs without DVD; AC/3 (Dolby) for TiVo DVRs with DVD.

 

To transfer MPEG-2 video files to your DVR using TiVo Desktop 2.3 or later, you need:

  • Your Windows PC and Series2, Series3, or TiVo HD DVR to be connected to a home network.
  • TiVo Desktop 2.3 or later.
  • MPEG-2 video files that conform to the specifications outlined above.

 

On your PC:

You can save videos as MPEG-2 files (with an .mpg extension) on your PC with many DVD authoring/editing applications. Save video files to the TiVo Recordings folder on your PC (usually located at My Documents > My TiVo Recordings). If you have video files that automatically download to different folders, just create shortcuts to those folders inside the My TiVo Recordings folder.

 

On your DVR:

1.  From TiVo Central, select Now Playing. You'll see your PC listed at the bottom of the Now Playing screen.

2.  Select your PC to browse its TiVo Recordings folder.

3.  Highlight any title in the list and press SELECT.

4.  Choose Watch on this TV to start the transfer.

5.  When the transfer starts, you will have the option to watch the video immediately or to choose additional videos to transfer.