[mythtv-users] Migrate old TiVo recordings to new MythTV box

Byron Poland wpoland at gmail.com
Wed Nov 18 20:13:35 UTC 2009


On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 2:59 PM, Patrick Doyle <wpdster at gmail.com> wrote:
> Here's an oddball question... has anybody ever had to migrate old TiVo
> recordings to a MythTV box?
>
> I know the basic theory of what needs to be done:
>
> 1) Transfer the files off the TiVo, either via the secret web
> interface or by pluggin the disk into my TiVo box
> 2) Decrypt the files
> 3) Somehow make MythTV aware of these MPEG files
>
> I can research these steps and publish them, but, like all my ideas
> (the crazy ones and the great ones), somebody else on the internet has
> already had the same idea and beat me to it.  So I figured I'd start
> by asking.
>
> (Searching for "convert TiVo recordings to MythTV" gave me a bunch of
> links comparing and contrasting TiVo to MythTV).
>
> --wpd


I've done it occasionally from my tivo series3 which I use for the HD
content I can't get on myth through clear qam...  anyway:

Get the shows off your tivo and converted to mpg.

to import them into mythtv, use the
myth.rebuilddatabase.pl command with the --dir flag pointing to your
recording directory with the newly added mpgs like this:

myth.rebuilddatabase.pl --host backend-ip --debhost backend-ip --dir
/recordings/

follow the prompts to add titles, description.  this will change the
filename into a channid-starttime (which you have to enter) standard
to myth.

Create a seek table with the mythtranscode like:
mythtranscode --mpeg2 --buildindex --allkeys --showprogress --infile
/recordings/6103_20090612210000.mpg

you can also now run the commflag job on them.

I haven't done this for a few months, but I got a few episodes of burn
notice and the closer off my tivo and into myth (so I could view on
other tv's in my house) without problem.

Hope it helps.


More information about the mythtv-users mailing list