|
- Hacking the Tivo
-
A popular project for somewhat technically savy Tivo owners is to
modify or "hack" their Tivo. Tivo hacking is not about getting
something for free, rather it is about modifying their Tivo and
customizing it to their needs. A Tivo hard drive upgrade is just
one example of tivo hacking.
There are a great abundance of hacking tools and
utilities that you can use to add new functionality to your Tivo,
including allowing it to download programming information via
your high speed Internet connection instead of tying up your
phone line and much more.
Setting aside all of its bells and whistles, a Tivo is
essentially a computer running a modified Linux operating system.
All programs and user options are stored on a standard computer
hard drive. Some Tivo hacks can be done with just a
little knowledge of the Linux operating system. some other
modifications however require a better understanding.
Some of the more popular utilities are outlined as
follows;
2.5Xtreme Hack
2.5Xtreme is one of the more popular hacks for the Directv with Tivo.
It is a modified version of the original Directv with Tivo 2.5 software
revision. 2.5Xtreme was developed by an individual known as
Surgeon in 2001. It adds a number of features including enabling
Directv with Tivo dual tuner support, upgrading the size of your
Directv with Tivo hard drives, installation of bash utilities and more.
Installation of 2.5Xtreme is fairly straight forward, it comes in
an ISO image format which you burn to a CD as an image and then
boot your computer from the CD and follow the prompts. You can
use 2.5Xtreme on your existing hard drives or write it to a new
larger hard drive with additional storage capacity. 2.5Xtreme
will also allow you to add a second hard drive to your Directv with Tivo
without the need to use seperate utilities.
Superzaps 2.5.2/3.1 Tivo Hack
One of the drawbacks of the original 2.5Xtreme software
revision is that it no longer allows local channels to be viewed
on the Directv with Tivo. However once you have 2.5Xtreme installed on
your Directv with Tivo and have it working, you can then proceed to
upgrade it to 2.5.2 or 3.1 which will enable your local channels
in addition to installing an additional number of utilities to
help you get the most out of your Directv with Tivo. Superzaps 2.5.2/3.1
upgrade is also an ISO image that is burned to a CD and then
booted to. Unlike 2.5Xtreme, Superzaps upgrade is not a complete
operating system, so you need to have Tivo version 2.0, 2.5 or
2.5Xtreme already installed before you can proceed to upgrade to
either 2.5.2 or 3.1. The Superzap utility package built into the
2.5.2/3.1 upgrade is called XPlusz. It installs many of the more
popular add-ons and utilities and allows your to turn the
individual utilities on/off using your Directv with Tivo remote
control.
Kraven 2.5 Upgrade/3.1 Tivolater Hack
The Kraven upgrade is another modified Directv with Tivo software
revision with added utilities. It is similar to the Superzap
upgrade, but it incorporates different utilities and uses a
different method to activate them. There are two seperate
releases, one will upgrade your 2.5Xtreme with the added Kraven
utilities and the other will upgrade you to software revision
3.1.
Turbonet Hack
Turbonet is a special add-on Tivo Ethernet card that allows
your Tivo to utilize a high speed Internet connection instead of
a tying up your phone line for the calls to Tivo. Driver for the
Turbonet card are included in Superzaps 2.5.2/3.1 upgrade or 3.1
Tivolater
Tivoweb Hack
Tivoweb is an add-on module for your Tivo that allows you to
communicate with the via a Internet browser. With Tivoweb you can
program and operate your Tivo remotely over the Internet and
more.
Tytool & Tystudio Hack
Tytool and Tystudio are utilities designed to extract programs
from your Tivo and save them to your computer.
Bash Prompt Hack
Bash Utilities are installed with 2.5Xtreme. A bash prompt
allows you to communicate with your Tivo, it is a Linux prompt
similar to a Windows DOS prompt. A bash prompt will allow you to
transfer files and make internal changes to your Tivo.
TivoFTP Hack
The Tivo FTP utilities will allow you to easily transfer files
to and from your Tivo. This is very handy when installing add-ons
and various modules.
|
08/04/2008 11:20 AM
In order to give the website a better focus, we are phasing out the less popular areas of the site, including the high definition and digital video recorder areas and forums. This will leave the site focused on digital satellite television and satellite radio.
|
 |
 |
Cycling
VERSUS
9:30 am ET
When viewers tune in today to the opening of the 96th Tour de France in Monaco, they'll see at least one familiar face. Lance Armstrong, the seven-time champ, will return to compete on the nearly 2,200-mile route for the first time since 2005. This year, a particularly difficult mountain stage has been added at the end of the 21-stage race, which runs until July 26.
A Capitol Fourth
PBS
8:00 pm ET
Jimmy Smits hosts the Independence Day concert at the U.S. Capitol, welcoming a slate of performers that includes Barry Manilow, Aretha Franklin, the cast of "Jersey Boys," Michael Feinstein and classical pianist Andrew von Oeyen. Erich Kunzel returns as conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra. Also: fireworks!
Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular
NBC
9:00 pm ET
Natalie Morales and Tiki Barber of "Today" host this broadcast of the annual gala fireworks display from New York, featuring such A-list musical acts as country superstar Kenny Chesney, Katharine McPhee and Jordin Sparks.
2009 Hot Dog Eating Contest
ESPN
12:00 pm ET
Nathan's Famous' yearly salute to acid reflux comes live today from Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y., where American Joey "Jaws" Chestnut will defend his title in the 94th annual event. Last year, the 24-year-old Californian downed 55 franks and buns in 10 minutes, tying six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi of Japan, whom he then defeated him in a five-dog "eat-off." Those two men return today to compete in an international field of "eaters."
Apollo 13
MAX
7:30 pm ET
Tom Hanks stars as Cmdr. Jim Lovell in director Ron Howard's 1995 theatrical hit about the near-disastrous 1970 Apollo 13 mission. Headed for the moon, Lovell and his crew, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert (Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon), experience an on-board explosion. On the ground, their colleagues scramble for a solution while the world holds its breath. Gary Sinise and Ed Harris also star. Jim Lovell appears in a cameo role as captain of the USS Iwo Jima.
Burn After Reading
HBOE
8:00 pm ET
The star quality certainly is present in the latest film from Joel and Ethan Coen, the Oscar-winning makers of "Fargo" and "No Country for Old Men," but the story gets too frantic for its own good. John Malkovich plays a newly resigned CIA agent whose secrets are swiped by his divorce-seeking wife (Tilda Swinton) and ultimately land in the hands of gym workers (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand, alias Mrs. Joel Coen). George Clooney also appears.
Far From Home
MNT
8:00 pm ET
And far from good, this movie marked young Drew Barrymore's attempt to transition from kiddie fare into more adult roles. She plays a teenager on a tour of national parks with her dad (Matt Frewer). The pair gets stranded without gasoline at a trailer park in a remote area where a serial killer is picking off people. Unfortuntely, this poorly written film runs out of gas just as quickly. Richard Masur and Karen Austin also star.
Kings
NBC
8:00 pm ET
King Silas (Ian McShane) sends David (Chris Egan) on a mission to recover a national treasure, the Charter of Gilboa, but David learns shocking news about his father's death while carrying out the assignment; Jack and Katrina's (Sebastian Stan, guest star Leslie Bibb) engagement gets attention and decidedly mixed reactions from Queen Rose (Susanna Thompson) and the king. Dylan Baker also stars in "Chapter One."
NASCAR Racing
TNT
8:00 pm ET
NASCAR action continues tonight in Daytona Beach, Fla., where top Sprint Cup drivers square off in the traditional Fourth of July weekend race, the Coke Zero 400. Last year, Kyle Busch benefited from a last-lap wreck that brought out the race's 11th caution and gave him a narrow victory over Carl Edwards in a green-white-checkered finish. He'll return to defend his title against the likes of Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart, among others.
Rocky
TCM
8:00 pm ET
Sylvester Stallone rose to superstardom with this 1976 blockbuster about a small-time boxer who reclaims his self-respect by taking on the world heavyweight champion (Carl Weathers) in a well-hyped title bout. Taking his long shot seriously, the challenger prepares with the help of a wise old trainer (Burgess Meredith). Talia Shire and Burt Young also star in the film, which inspired four sequels.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
NBC
10:00 pm ET
While hearing a harassment case involving a woman (guest star Sprague Grayden, "Jericho") and her ex-boyfriend, Judge Koehler (guest star Alan Dale, "Ugly Betty") asks Benson and Stabler (Mariska Hargitay, Chrisopher Meloni) to question a convicted serial killer about the location of his son's body. Richard Belzer and Stephanie March also star in "Liberties."
The Keeper
TMC
10:30 pm ET
Dennis Hopper is so good at playing psycho he can phone it in. And that's what he does in this formulaic 2004 thriller. His character, a cop who's a few doughnuts short of a dozen, takes it upon himself to "rehabilitate" a stripper (Asia Argento) ... by locking her up in his basement. Even more ludicrous is the subplot involving the TV producer (Helen Shaver) who's crazy -- and we mean that literally -- about Hopper's copper.
|
 |
|
|
