Hacking TiVo: The Expansion, Enhancement and Development Starter Kit (ExtremeTech)

By Jeff Keegan

Book Overview

Written by an avid TiVo hacker, and active TiVo community member, "Hacking TiVo appeals to both experienced tweakers and curious observers alike by walking them through the steps needed to do everything from increasing the storage capacity of their TiVos to connecting them to the internet. After completing this book, readers will enjoy being able to say that they have enhanced their TiVo, that they have larger TiVos than can be purchased, and that they have features that don' t exist for others. They will also know where to look for the latest developments, and know enough to start some serious tinkering on their own.Topics covered include: Secret TiVo backdoor codesIncreasing recording time with larger hard drivesGetting access to the TiVo operating systemTransferring files to and from your PCControlling your Tivo from the InternetAdding sports scores, stocks and weather featuresDisplaying your own photos and graphi cs on your TVHooking AOL Instant Messenger into your TiVoSeeing who is calling you on your TV screenReceiving your email from your TiVoDistributing TiVo video throughout your entire house

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764543369
• ISBN13: 9780764543364
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 1.2" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

This is a great book, for any series

The Series 1 is still very much alive. It is the most hackable tivo and has the most extra features/programs you can add to it (like Tivo Control Station). And, since they are VERY reliable, you can find many of them cheap on Ebay. I just bought another one off Ebay to handle recording conflicts.The Tivo user community has developed most of the hacks that any of these books use (i.e., Von Hagen's book). Jeff Keegan has been an active participant in the community and gives credit to the people responsible for the hacks. I know Von Hagen has not been an active participant and I am not sure in his book whether he gives proper credit or not. I understand some community members reviewed the book though prior to it being published.Jeff knows his stuff. His publisher threw out the Series 2 hack due to litigation concerns. Von Hagen was able to include it. It doesn't make Von Hagen's book better. And, the hack that was thrown out can be found on the web as well as a full step-by-step install document.So here are my thoughts:If you have a series 1: Buy this book. If you have a series 2 and want to explore all that is available for it and learn to hack on your own: Buy this book and find the cross-compiler and main hack information on the web. Or buy the Von Hagen book for the extra Series 2 information and this book for the extra programming and hack information.If you have a series 2 and just want to upgrade your hard drive: This book is fine for that. I used the web for my upgrade instructions and I found that this book actually covered some things I didn't know that may save someone from damaging their hard drive.This is a great book. The CD is very well put together with its own install script for EITHER series 1 or 2. There is a wealth of information for any Tivo user or programmer/hacker or tinkerer/enthusiast. For Series 1 it is a no-brainer. For Series 2, either get Von Hagen's book in addition to this one or find the few pieces of missing information on the Tivo community forums.

Series 2 Owners - These hacks WILL work!

Now just to set the record straight once and for all - these hacks WILL work on Series 2. But, you Series 2 owners will have to do a little extra work to access your device. If you are serious about doing that, you will find it - its out there. Once you do that, most of the hacks work on Series 2. To be very specific, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 are all useful to Series 2 users (with 1,2,3,14 useful right away, and 6,7,11,12,13,15 useful after you do the little extra work for Series 2. And if you happen to be one of us who have a Series 1 TiVo this book is going to blow your mind!Heck, the chapters on upgrading your hard disk space (which works with either Series 1 or 2 WITHOUT any extra work) is worth the price of the book alone, not to mention the CD ROM which contains the tools you need INCLUDING several Series 2 binaries. You can easily spend $10 on a much lesser CD on the web.

To say I learned something is an amazing understatement

TiVo: You love it or you haven't met it. For those who have it (or are thinking of getting one), this book is about all the different ways to modify, increase capacity, or even program TiVos. Whether you want to just add a little capacity to your TiVo's drives or turn it into a full-blown home entertainment center hooked into your home LAN, Jeff Keegan has written a massive and all-encompassing book on this rewarding art.When I tell you that this book will take your TiVo to the next level, I hope you get as excited as I was after reading the dozens of tricks, programs, and hacks this book lists. The opening chapter describes, in succinct but energetic fashion, why every person with a TV should have a TiVo. Keegan's description may fall towards the evangelical side of things, but he goes out of his way to explain why his feelings are so strong. In fact, this book has an interesting side-effect: converting those who don't own a TiVo. Just a quick browse through the first few chapters will have someone who's heard of TiVo but never used one chomping at the bit to get down to the store. To the TiVo army, this is a powerful munition indeed. From there, it's a powerful spiral into chapter after chapter of modifications, starting with back doors in the code and moving into opening the TiVo's case (explained with lots of clear pictures), adding storage, and even working with the TiVo's OS (a variation of Linux) to turn it into a web-accessible site or to improve performance. One inspiring chapter describes the author's experience at a baseball game, having his father go to get refreshments and missing some great plays, and the author pulling out his Palm Pilot with cellular modem to tell his TiVo over the web to record the game's highlights on the news. With that tantalizing trick presented, Keegan goes into the whole involved deal, everything from modifying the TiVo to creating the external server to feed the TiVo information. As I said, the tricks come fast and furious: TiVo as a way to browse photo galleries. TiVo pulling down the current weather and presenting the radar maps. TiVo printing Caller ID information on the screen when someone calls. By the time you're done with the book, you'll be wondering what there is that you can't do with it. And that, to me, is the sign of a truly great instructional book. A warning: If you want a neutral voice in the author, this isn't the book for you. Keegan's enthusiasm drips from many pages, written in the tone of the guy down the street with the new toy who simply has take you to the den and show you how cool it is, describing in greater and greater detail all the cool stuff he's discovered tinkering with it. The author's wife, newborn daughter, mother and father make appearances all throughout the book, including a particularly touching description of having his father design an assembly language program to manipulate an LED display. No, really, it's touching. Honestly, I'm speechless. The man has achieved w

Best TiVo book available

I have been looking into this TiVo hacking thing for some time - browsing the Internet, reading the newsgroups, but everything I saw seemed to be a bit intimidating, and I certainly didnt want to open a $300.00 PVR and screw it up.I have been waiting for this book for 2 weeks, and finally got it last week. Having read, and not liked, 2 other books on the subject, I can tell you that this one was worth the wait.This book is not simply a collection of tips and tricks, nor is it an essay on the various things you can do if you want to go and download this or that software. It is a very easy to understand, hand-on guide that actually walks you through this stuff step by step.The CD that comes with it is a beautiful thing - something that was lacking in some of the other books. It has the hacks on it, and all you do it put it in your PC and restart, and it boots into Linux. Then you just follow along with the book.This weekend, I was able to install a second hard drive, and added 140 hours of recording time. But most importantly - I didnt ruin my TiVo.Now, I am not a complete techno-newbie, I have upgraded a video card and installed a CD burner here and there, but I am completely new to this hacking thing. This book made it less imtimidating to try, and it went a lot smoother than I thought. Even though I am just getting started, I am hooked already.If you have any interest in this hacking TiVo thing at all, get this book.