ok, i'm not sure if this is off topic, or if i shouldn't be asking this or not. (maybe this is the wrong thread?)

what i'd like to do, if possible is use oztivo in the us and run my own local service emulator. i don't know if this is possible or not, and i also wasn't sure if anyone would be willing to give me any help or maybe point me in the right direction. basically, i purchased a tivo off of ebay, because i was told by salespeople while looking at tivos in stores, that i don't need the service, and can just use it as a normal pvr. well, i've come to find out that this isn't the case. i don't want to steal tivo service or any of that, i just want to be able to record my shows, and being a student, i can't really justify paying a subscription fee for things i don't really need. any help any of you can give me would be greatly appreciated, and if i shouldn't have asked this or posted here, i apologize and please don't flame. a simple "we can't help you" or hopefully "this is what you need to do" will be sufficient. thanks you in advance.