Hack 72. Emulating the TiVo Remote

   

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Hack 72 Emulating the TiVo Remote

TiVoWeb sports a working image map of a TiVo remote control that you can actually use to control your TiVo .

Cat got your remote? If so, for all but the latest models (the Series 2 DirecTiVo features a rudimentary control panel on the box itself) you're TiVo-less for the foreseeable future. Sure, you can purchase another at the TiVo Store (http://store.tivo.com/Search.bok?category=Accessories), but what will you do in the meantime?

While at first blush it may seem rather asinine, TiVoWeb's Web Remote (choose Web Remote from the main screen or toolbar) might just save primetime. Web Remote is fully functional, clickable, image-mapped picture of your TiVo remote control (see Figure 5-21). And that's your own remote control, mind you, not just a generic model; TiVoWeb actually goes to the trouble of choosing the right image for the right TiVo model.

If you click one of the buttons on this page, your TiVo will react precisely as it would have if you'd hit the respective remote control button. If you click the picture of the TiVo button while you're watching a television show, your TiVo will whisk you away to TiVo Central. Press the Power button (for those TiVos that have it) to turn off your PVR.

Those with an aversion to mousing around with this faux remote can control their TiVo from the comfort of their very own computer keyboard. Through the magic of JavaScript, the Web Remote page captures keystrokes and translates them into remote control button presses. Table 5-1 summarizes the supported keystrokes and their associated remote control buttons.

Table 5-1. The TiVoWeb keystrokes and their associated remote control buttons

Keystroke	TiVo remote control button
Up arrow or Enter
Right arrow or ]
Left arrow or [
Spacebar or P
Down arrow or A
/ or ackspace

At the time of this writing, this hack works only with certain browsersInternet Explorer and Mozilla.

Figure 5-21. The TiVoWeb Web Remote on a Sony SVR-2000

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