BufferHack (longer record buffer)

The bufferhack application has recently been updated to include support for v3.0 which is the version used on the oztivo image. By comparing a disassembly of the v3.0 tivoapp against the v2.5.5 tivoapp I have been able to update this application to support UK TiVo's running their standard 2.5.5 image. I have posted the changes under the Development Thread (using my DD/john1980 account) so they should be rolled into the next official release. [UPDATE: The owner of bufferhack has rolled the changes into his code, so I have replaced my patched code with his v3.0a release].

If you are keen to increase your "live buffer" from the standard 30 minutes then you may like to give this application a shot. Under the OZTiVo image you will need to remove the symbolic links before running the application otherwise you will get "Text file busy" error messages as it will be making copies of the symbolic links, rather than the actual binary file.

WARNING: Your TiVo will not boot if it is missing, or has a corrupt, /tvbin/tivoapp binary. There are a couple of ways to fix this, the simplest being reimaging the harddrive.

Do not "rm tivoapp" if it is not a symbolic link, otherwise the system will not be able to load after a reboot. The best way to see if you need to perform the following steps is to have a look at the outcome of the "du -sk /tvbin/tivoapp" command. If it returns "0 tivoapp" then it is a symbolic link, if it returns "6449 tivoapp" then it is a real file and the following extra steps do not need to be performed.

Put the file system in "read-write" mode:

Code:

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[/tvbin]# rw

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Check if "tivoapp" is a symbolic link by running the following?

Code:

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[/tvbin]# cd /tvbin
[/tvbin]# du -sk tivoapp
0      tivoapp

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If it responds with a size of 0 (as seen above) rather than 6449 then you will need to issue the following commands which will remove the symbolic link and create a copy of the binary. Firstly you need to make sure that tivoapp is a symbolic link, and that you have a tivoapp.orig binary on your system.

Code:

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[/tvbin] ls -l tivoapp
[/tvbin] ls -l tivoapp.orig

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Once you are sure of the above, then you can issue the following commands, making sure that last command does return a size of 6449 otherwise something has gone wrong, and you should not reboot the tivo until it has been fixed.

Code:

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[/tvbin]# rm tivoapp
[/tvbin]# rm tivoapp.backup
[/tvbin]# rm tivoapp.tmp

[/tvbin]# cp tivoapp.orig tivoapp
[/tvbin]# du -sk tivoapp
6449    tivoapp

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Now you can set the buffer to 60 minutes. The following commands assume that you have placed the bufferhack script in the /var/hack/bin directory (it also includes commands to ensure that the file is in Unix format and is executable):

Code:

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[/tvbin]# cd /var/hack/bin/
[/var/hack/bin]# rw
[/var/hack/bin]# dos2unix bufferhack30a.tcl
[/var/hack/bin]# chmod 755 bufferhack30a.tcl
[/var/hack/bin]# ./bufferhack30a.tcl 60
[/var/hack/bin]# ro

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If everything has gone smoothly then you can reboot the system so that the patch can take effect:

Code:

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[/var/hack/bin]# reboot

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Hey Thomson,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thomson

...By comparing a disassembly of the v3.0 tivoapp against the v2.5.5 tivoapp I have been able to...

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You are a freak. Do you recite Pi to help you get to sleep?

Anyway...

After following your instructions the bufferhack now works great on my US TiVo - I did have a problem with the symbolic link as you described.

Thanks,

Sean OffShotgun

Tahnsk so much for fixing bufferhack, and all the other modules - you are a top asset to this community.

All slobbering praise aside, I'd love to know how you have your tivo set up, what its running hack, tips etc.

Cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hh75

I'd love to know how you have your tivo set up, what its running hack, tips etc.

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My main system is a UK TiVo purchased from Ebay running the standard v2.5.5 image. Actually, I have not even replaced the harddisks yet (it has a 30GB primary and 15GB secondary)... I do not actually record that much and am happy with the lower quality recordings.

I have manually added the patches I required (UKChan, TivoWebPlus, AutoSpace, DailyMail, ChannelMap, Cron, ManualRecord, TivoTitle, BufferHack, ClearHistory). I have a cross-compiler on my workstation as well as a native compiler on the TiVo. I have loaded and played with many other patches, such as EditTitle, HDefRecording, LCD module, Logos, MADPlay, MPlayer, OHM, SlideShow, TCS, TivoVBI.

I basically give every module (that I can get my hands on) a go. I also have a US TiVo running the OZTivo v3.0 software so that is why I have also been getting the applications that I use under v2.5.5 working under v3.0 and vice-versa.

Neither of my systems use the emulator... I sometimes manually load EPG slices, but use the TivoWeb ManRec module to perform the majority of my recordings.

Currently I am toying with the idea of getting Teletext going (using a modified TivoVBI), but the motivation to both learn and code the system is holding me back, so unless I get really, really, bored you will probably not see it for quite a while :)