Brought my Tivo home, what next?

[petestrash]

Is there any way I can get away using the Tivo without TV Guide and/or no calls for guide, updates, etc.?

Yes, you can use it without any network connections once it has been setup.

But you do not seem to have much Linux experience, so you will not be able to setup the basics without making at least two calls to TiVo or an overseas emulator.

Can I just use the Tivo as it is right now since when I switch my satellite reciever to NTSC and since the TV automatically detects NTSC, I can watch it with no problems.

Yes.

However, when I reset the Tivo, I cannot pass the setup process as it has to dial for guide, etc.

You should not have reset the TiVo! you are now stuck in Guided Setup until you connect to TiVo. I don't know a way around not doing guided setup once it has been started on a non-hacked box.

You now need to connect to TiVo to complete the setup using US details. If you want to use NTSC.

I used to have a ReplayTV which I loved and it had also network card in it. But it was NTSC. I asked at the time and was told that there is no way I could use the unit in a country that has PAL. So, was that wrong information? If it was, I will die because I loved that unit so much

Channels air in PAL. Satellite receiver can switch to all TV systems. TV can show all systems, PAL, NTSC, etc. Would I be able to record and watch with Replay TV then?

This is not the right group to be asking these questions as we do not use Replay TV. Personally I don't know of any PAL hack for Replay TV and I do not know if ReplayTV can be used as a digital recorder without paying for thier service.

Peter

[celo]

Thank you!

You should not have reset the TiVo! you are now stuck in Guided Setup until you connect to TiVo. I don't know a way around not doing guided setup once it has been started on a non-hacked box.

You now need to connect to TiVo to complete the setup using US details. If you want to use NTSC.Peter

Well, I have two of them. One I did reset one I did not. However, I still cannot make the non-reset one work. Tivo does not detect any signal and I don't know how to make it work.

[petestrash]

Well, I have two of them. One I did reset one I did not. However, I still cannot make the non-reset one work. Tivo does not detect any signal and I don't know how to make it work.

If it's a US TiVo, then the input must be NTSC.

You may also need to change the selected input. Use the recorder & phone setup menu to adjust which input is used. Most 2nd hand TiVos tend to be setup for RF input which won't help you if you are using S-Video or the RCA's.

Peter

[celo]

Okay! The damn thing (sorry for my language) did not work yesterday! Well, let's say stupid me could not make it work! Well, now it works! However, since I did reset one of the Tivos, I cannot pass the calling process. I hope there is a way to bypass it because I am sure it will cost me a lot of money to call US from Tivo not to mention disconnects! Well, if not then I will use it as doorstopper!

Thank you so much petestrash! I REALLY appreciate your replies.

[Darren King]

Making daily calls to the USA is not required or recommended, and because you are not a resident of the USA I doubt it would work given your TiVo is not in their serviced area any more. Also be mindful that given (as far as I know) there is no hobbyists and therefore no local TiVo server in Turkey you will only at best have a TiVo you can manually set to record programs as there will be no guide data available.

Oztivo runs a server that takes care of the basic PAL setup that and you are quite welcome to use it to make the necessary setup steps to get your TiVo operational in PAL mode. Given this server is accessed over the internet it will be only at most a local call, however to use it you must either use one of three ways to access the data:

1. (easiest): If you have a broadband internet connection and also have a network card in the TiVo you simply connect the TiVo up to your router and away it goes. If you do not have a network card these can be purchased locally from either Petestrash or myself, or there are people in the USA who sell them too.

2. (intermediate): You can use a serial cable and your computer to either manually load up the data, or alternatively set it up for what is called "PPP over serial". If you do not have the serial cable I sell them. Information on how to set the TiVo up for this mode is available here: http://minnie.tuhs.org/twiki/bin/vie...erialPPPWithXP

3. (hardest): If you only have dialup modem type internet you can use the internal modem in the TiVo however most internet providers this does not work properly. More information here: http://minnie.tuhs.org/twiki/bin/vie...thBuiltinModem

Above all else, please remember that TiVo outside of the USA and UK is a totally experimental hobby device. They are in no way simply a "plug and play" item so therefore some work is required on the owner's part (that means you) to get one operational. Many people do it with a little patience and it does sound like you are not far off getting yours going too.

[petestrash]

Making daily calls to the USA is not required or recommended, and because you are not a resident of the USA I doubt it would work given your TiVo is not in their serviced area any more.

We are not talking about daily calls, just the 2 calls to get his tivo back out of GS and let him use an NTSC source. Last time I tried, you can happily complete GS using an unsubscribed TiVo. This would let him use the TiVo as a dumb VCR like the other one he is currently using.


As I mentioned before, since your box has not been hacked and there is no telnet available, I am unaware of any simple method to bypass the guided setup once it has been started.

Unfortunately some of the options Darren has suggested are unavailable with the unhacked US software. There is no easy way of changing the IP the box calls to point towards the Australian Emulator and you cannot use option 2 for calling via ppp over serial as it is not installed. Even option 3 to use the Modem is not an option as it will not dial the correct numbers for your local ISP.

Most of these issues can be resolved by removing the drive and installing it into a linux machine. But the process is complicated and I am not able to point you towards any step by step instuctions.

Option 1 is possible, but you will need to buy a network card and require you to remove the drive and install the driver for it.

If you do decide to set it up for PAL then install the OzTiVo image and use option 2. This is the easiest any doesn't cost you any extra money.

Peter.

[celo]

Guys thanks very much!

You know what I made the call and it succeded with the unit I did reset! I thought this call would be too long but no (Replay TV would be longer) I was wrong. I picked the option having satellite only and it made the phone call, it imported, etc. and both my Tivos work! I am using NTSC but it works so why bother with something that is working. I doubt the picture quality will be noticable with PAL!

I am so upset that I sold me Replay TV (lifetime activated) because I was told it would not work here. Now, seeing Tivo does without any hacks, Replay would too (only needed voltage converter). It was a great unit with network but oh well, this is good for now!

One thing though, I cannot get the Tivo work with S-video only composite. For some reason the Panny plasma and the Sony TV will show it in black & white. Composite works fine though.

Thanks again guys!

P.S. I know this is only for Tivo but Replay 5040 (what I had) is an awesome unit too. I would recommend you to try it guessing it would work in NTSC like Tivo.

[celo]

Not that I am too concerned but it would be nice to do. I have this unknown brand satellite receiver (Next & Next Star) and of course it is not in the list of the Tivo for IR codes. Is there anyway I can put these into Tivo IF I learn what the codes are for the receiver?

[petestrash]

All the methods we use to capture IR codes require you to upload and download files from your TiVo and access your box via Telnet. You do not have the files required to do this with an unhacked box.

If you do want to pull the drive out and add these files, check on www.tivocommunity.com or www.dealdatabase.com for details on how to install these applications.

Peter.

[Darren King]

All the methods we use to capture IR codes require you to upload and download files from your TiVo and access your box via Telnet. You do not have the files required to do this with an unhacked box.

That's pretty much the reason why I suggested that maybe the OzTiVo image would be a good solution as it has a lot of "features" not on the original TiVo image - and works in PAL

But on the other hand to use the OzTiVo image means no more standard modem dialup to the USA for setting the TiVo up - even if it is only ever going to make two initial setup calls and then nothing else.

There are two other options:

1. Celo is more than welcome to send across a hard disk to someone who can load it with the OzTiVo image and set it up for just a generic A/V input (I'm willing to do this if required)

2. There are some old documents laying around that explain how to use the pre-emulator images and set them up for generic A/V input without the need for making any setup calls (I still have a TiVo running with this exact configuration) which can either be used on one of the older images or adapted to work with a later image.