Interactive Tivo Upgrade Guide (over 44 Models)

tivo

this is _the_ resource for upgrading your tivo. choose your model (over 44 available), choose the type of upgrade (add a drive, replace a drive, add two drives, or restore). set the options, then get the detailed instructions. nicely done.

20 thoughts on “Interactive Tivo Upgrade Guide (over 44 Models)

  1. Getting TiVo for free is theft. Pure and simple thievery.

    TiVo has been remarkably lenient– even supportive– of the TiVo hacking community. If thievery becomes rampant, we will all– including those of us that recognize that thievery is bad– be punished by TiVo closing their device and destroying our ability to upgrade the unit way beyond the initial or marketable feature set.

  2. WRONG! Errrrrr! Denied! Rejected! Psyche!

    Hacking/modifying/upgrading/or otherwise changing ANY consumer product that a person purchases is most assuredly LEGAL! The manufacturer’s may not like it, and you will obviously void you own warranty, but there isn’t a thing that they can do about it! You bought it, you own it. Period. And as such are free to do whatever you wish to it, including hacking it to bits with an axe or strapping a grenade to it. What you may NOT do is to reverse engineer it and market your own version of the same product, which would obviously fall under copyright infringement law.

    The only problem here seems to be your guilty conscience.

  3. Did you actually read what I wrote? TiVo has been supportive of the hacking community — has not invested time or money into closing the box any more than they need to to please the various content owners.

    What the original comment wanted was to steal the TiVo subscription service. Doing so is not legal. You can certainly hack your TiVo such that it could get the service for free, but actually connecting the TiVo to a phone line or network such that it *does* get the service for free is theft of service, plain and simple.

  4. Considering that a Tivo is a digital device, I think that hacking it could be considered a violation of DMCA. So that, would male it illegal and a punishable crime. Its a good thing that Tivo is pretty open to hacking.

    just so you know where i stand of this. my tivo is completely hacked and I create my own guide data. i also think that DCMA completely sucks and violates the Constitution.

  5. It is sad that we live in a world where theft is condoned and supported by the masses. Let’s steal music because we’re too cheap to pay for it and justify it by saying the RIAA is crooked. Let’s rip off TiVo and justify it by saying we’re starving students. If you cannot afford it, don’t buy a TiVo.

  6. People that work for Tivo responded to your question unfortuntely. Redirecting Tivo’s guide to use another source should not be illegal. You purchased your Tivo hardware and have the right to modify it. Unfortunately, DCMA has been abused by corporations to take your rights away. DCMA has many components that are simply un-american and should be changed. Those that oppose DCMA should find ways to subvert its intent.

    I challenge the community to post ways to enhance Tivo to use free guide data available on the internet.

  7. Several points.

    1. Tivo hardware is cheap and does not engender a great deal of respect for the company. I have spent over $300 on Tivo so far and I have to keep the case open for it to work.

    2. Tivo software has not been enhanced in ~5 years, again not very impressive.

    3. Tivo subscription service is a brain-dead business model that is rapidly destroying their company.

    4. Stealing their (shitty) service is theft.

    5. Redirecting Tivo to another program source is *not* theft. In fact it would create competition which is at the core of American ideals.

    6. The DMCA is unconstitutional because it contradicts ordinary notions of property ownership, freedom of speech, privacy, religion (thought), and the right to bear arms (technology).

    7. If you support the pacification of the American public then you are a traitor and you will be hanged.

  8. Hacking Tivo is not illegal. If I purchased a diamond ring for $2000 and decided to sell it for $200, the person buying the ring is not committing a crime.

    Tivo sells their hardware at cheap prices, hoping people will pay for the service – unless bound by contract to use the service, it is legal to buy a tivo and not use the service.

    I’m considering buying one and reprogramming it to do something like nate suggested earlier in this discussion – rather than using Tivo’s service, input my own service data – if anyone knows how, please contact me at M41888@gmail.com.

    The DMCA protects intellectual property – so hosting a Tivo hard drive image is illegal. Telling how to modify the Tivo or releasing a “patch” is not.

    If you want to use their service, you can – but no law can bind a citizen to any service unless they sign a contract stating they will use that service – this is why many new Tivos are now requiring a 1 year service when you buy it.

    It’s good that Tivo is not narrow-sighted when it comes to hackers – and hackers have kept the secret pretty well on how to hack a tivo to steal service. Just realize that modification of the hardware is perfectly legal and we all have a right to do so.

  9. We’re talking about two separate things here. 1) Is the TiVo hardware and 2) Is the TiVo service.

    So yes if you buy the TiVo hardware you are not stealing by hacking/modifying/upgrading or destroying with a sledgehammer that hardware that you have legally purchased.

    The TiVo service on the other hand has not been paid for and modifying the system to obtain that service without paying for it (as the first poster suggests) is flat out theft.

    If your talking about getting an alternative service from a source that is free then that is another story. But the people that were getting jumped on for using the words “theft” and “stealing” are obviously talking about the suggestion of getting the TiVo service from tivo without paying for it.

  10. Is it possible nowdays to redirect tivo to another data source other than the tivo service? I already pay shit lots of money for cable… I dont want another bill! If this is possible I might get Tivo if not… I will wait. Also, where can I find info on how to create my own data source… that is an option I am willing to consider as well.

  11. I recently picked up a Series 2 Tivo. I do NOT want to pay Tivo for their service, I’d just like to use it as a DVR. Is this possible? I know someone mentioned “stealing” their service. I do NOT want to steal anything, I just want to use the Tivo as a DVR.
    Is this possible, as in someones done it and there’s instructions somewhere?
    Or is possible that it can be done with some serious hacking, but no one’s done it & posted instuctions on how they did it?

  12. I recently picked up a Series 2 Tivo. I do NOT want to pay Tivo for their service, I’d just like to use it as a DVR. Is this possible? I know someone mentioned “stealing” their service. I do NOT want to steal anything, I just want to use the Tivo as a DVR.
    Is this possible, as in someones done it and there’s instructions somewhere?
    Or is possible that it can be done with some serious hacking, but no one’s done it & posted instuctions on how they did it?

  13. I was wondering. We have a TIVO that is a series 2 that has 40 hours of play time. We have a lifetime subscription on it for years now. I bought a TIVO series 2 with 80 hours at a yard sale. Is it possible to put the bigger hard drive in the one that has a lifetime subscription or put the lifetime subscription on the new one without paying extra?

  14. Is there a way to use a Tivo to record programs programs from a cable without a Tivo subscription? I have an old tivo and I want to use it as a simple VCR recorder. What should I do?

    Jay

  15. I don’t think it is possible to record using the Tivo without a subscription. Wouldn’t it be nice if they told us that on the box? Anyway, I’ve been looking for a free subscription service and haven’t found one yet. I’ve had my Tivo for 6 years, and while it’s better than most other DVRs that I’ve seen, I changed credit cards and have moved, therefore, my email has changed. Needless to say, I can’t log onto the website to update my CC information. This is the second time that I’ve been through this and I’m tired of it. I’m just going to go with a different DVR. At least I won’t have to pay for a service anymore and I can still record my favorite shows. The service price is too steep anyway, in my opinion. F TIVO!!

  16. @Don: IT’s not TiVo’s fauly you changed email addresses, credit cards of physical addresses. Use the same email addy that you’ve used. It’s your own damn fault for using an email address tied to your ISP. Just saying you’re a dumbass.

  17. im reading posts that hacking tivo is thievery but paying for a service to access the internet on a separate device on top of the internet service your paying for and to just record tv from your cable provider like a vcr is what i call thievery or at least a rip off and i cant believe idiots would ever pay for the service. and before i purchased mine i looked everywhere to see if a subscription is required and i couldn’t find anything. it should be posted on the box. and if i cant find a working hack im taking the piece of junk back to the store

  18. i am blind, and I’m trying to use the box, is there anyone who has added accessibility? since this is a linux box inside, it should be posible to add text to speech so it reads the menus, or just replace the entire operating system.. i have wo of the series 2 boxes laying around,but since i can’t see th emenus, the boxes are useless. I would happily pay for service if could actually operate these boxes. some of my blind friends tell me that making a box that can’t be operated by the blind is actually illegal in Australlia, even the cable comapnies down there are required by law to provide accessibility. with more people losing their vision every day… baby boomers are getting old now… we are going to see an ever increasing blin dpopulation who are willing to spen dmoney IF their needs are acomodaed please E mail me off list about any way that I might get the dumb box to talk to me s I can actually record and play back programs… E mail me off list at kb7nla@spamfoilGmail.com real people can remove the spamfil to E mail me thank you ps just to clarify I am not her to steal service, jut make th ebox talk, and posibly use an an alternative program guide source

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