Section 6.2. Limitations

   

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6.2 Limitations

There are a couple of constraints on video extraction, the first of which may stop you in your tracks, while the latter two are just a matter of a little hackery, sufficient bandwidth, and storage space.

Series 1 only

Unfortunately, while video is kept "in the clear" on Series 1 TiVo units and is eminently extractable, the newer Series 2s scramble the video, keeping only encrypted versions on the hard drive. This means that Series 2 users are out of luck when it comes to video extraction.

Bandwidth

Don't bother trying the hacks in this chapter if you don't have a high-speed network connection running to your TiVo [Hack #49]. The files that we're talking about here are monstrous, and getting them out ”even via a 115-kilobaud connection to your serial port [Hack #47] ”is just not an option. If you were even contemplating sending one hour of television over the serial port to your PC, that's about one day's transfer time. Note that we're not talking about your network connection to the outside world; it's the connection between your TiVo and PC (and, indeed, other TiVos in your home) that matters.

Storage space

Video takes an inordinate amount of storage space on your hard drive or removable media like a writeable DVD. The rule of thumb is that one hour on your TiVo takes about one gigabyte of storage on your hard drive.

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