Topic: TiVo Support

[Maggard]

As many may know TiVo released last week the latest OS update (v.4) to their Linux-based über-TV recorder. TiVo also released their Home Media Option which enables a TiVo with v.4 and HMO to play music and display photos stored on local servers. Currently the supported servers are a Windows & a Mac package that offer up the files via Rendevous (ZeroConf) and TiVo's publically documented "Calypso" protocol. There's also a developer's package for adding this functioniality to a *nix box running Apache & Perl.

So, my question is how difficult would it be to port TiVo-server capability to SME? Apache & Perl are already present, I know some folks have already gotten Rendevous working, is anyone interested in putting this all together into an RPM and documenting the install process? It looks like it shouldn't be too difficult but them I'm no expert.

> http://www.tivo.com/developer/

Here's the text from TiVo's Developer's readme.txt:

DESCRIPTION

   TiVo.pm provides a Perl interface to the TiVo Calypso protocol,
   allowing development of custom server and CGI applications to
   act as a media source for the TiVo consumer platform.

   TiVo.pm depends on the following third-party modules for
   full functionality:

      Storable   ( enables caching )
      Digest::MD5   ( enables caching )
      IO::File   ( enables general file serving )
      MP3::Info   ( enables MP3 serving )
      Image::Magick   ( enables image serving )

   TiVo.pm defines the following classes:

      TiVo::Server
      TiVo::Request
      TiVo::Container
         TiVo::Container::Server
         TiVo::Container::Music
         TiVo::Container::Photos
      TiVo::Item
         TiVo::Item::MP3
         TiVo::Item::JPG
            TiVo::Item::GIF
            TiVo::Item::PNG

[...]

[Arkman]

I'm not exactly sure why you would want to turn a SME Server into a Home Theatre PC, as it isn't really what SME was designed to do. However, it does sound cool. I've built a few linux based HTPC's for myself and clients that have pretty much all the functionality of the Tivo. If you are interested in putting one together ExtremeTech just put toegther a mini-howto for doing just this thing (using Freevo). The article is here =>

 http://www.extremetech.com/print_article/0,3998,a=39991,00.asp

[Maggard]

Author: Arkman (noah_AT_genner.on.ca) writes:

> I'm not exactly sure why you would want to
> turn a SME Server into a Home Theatre PC,
> as it isn't really what SME was designed
> to do. However, it does sound cool.

I agree, I have no idea why anyone would want to try to do so either. Also to me it doesn't sound "cool" it sounds like using the wrong tool for the job.

In any case that has nothing to do with my posting.

What I was asking about (and I thought I was clear) was someone creating an RPM or script for applying the support TiVo has already released for serving music & picture files from a *nix box *to* a TiVo Series 2 with the HMO option. The *nix box in question could be a SME Server as most of the structures required are already included in SME 5.6 or have been ported by contributors. That just leaves collecting it all together and the TiVo-specific CGI applied then the whole thing packaged> all of this something likely easy for someone familier with porting to SME.

Nothing about having a SME Server play or show the files, just about *serving* them from a SME Server to a TiVo Series 2 with HMO using SME's Rendevous & Calypso under Apache & Perl.

Frankly for those interested in seeing SME flourish in the smaller space this appears to be a potentially high-profile application. There are a significent number of tech-literate households that have TiVos & appreciate their ease & functioniality. These are the exact same qualities SME Servers have and so would naturally appeal to the same folks. If adding TiVo support to the SME Server were easily done the combination would likely raise SME's visibility & popularity considerably, something of benefit to all of us.

[RayG]

Perhaps this would be a good request for the NetJuke team ? They already have a spectacular package for organizing, managing,  serving, and playing audio files on an SME box. Adding the option to play through a Tivo may not be that big of a mod ?

[Michael Maggard]

RayG wrote:
>
> Perhaps this would be a good request for the NetJuke team ?
> They already have a spectacular package for organizing,
> managing,  serving, and playing audio files on an SME box.
> Adding the option to play through a Tivo may not be that big
> of a mod ?

Sorta, but NetJuke is all about being the interface & the TiVo's advantage is that *it* is the interface (well, through your TV and the sound system you may have hooked up to it.) So while they're in the same genre they're not particularly complimentary, indeed somewhat at cross-purposes.

Besides which NetJuke appears to be overkill for all this. TiVo has released the code, from what I can tell all of the required components to use it are already on a a SME server or have credible reports of portings, the trick is more assembling it all into an easy-to-use package.

Rather then this being a coding project it seems to be more of an assembling one.

[Paul Miller]

Michael Maggard wrote:
>
> RayG wrote:
> >
> > Perhaps this would be a good request for the NetJuke team ?
> > They already have a spectacular package for organizing,
> > managing,  serving, and playing audio files on an SME box.
> > Adding the option to play through a Tivo may not be that big
> > of a mod ?
>
> Sorta, but NetJuke is all about being the interface & the
> TiVo's advantage is that *it* is the interface (well, through
> your TV and the sound system you may have hooked up to it.)
> So while they're in the same genre they're not particularly
> complimentary, indeed somewhat at cross-purposes.
>
> Besides which NetJuke appears to be overkill for all this.
> TiVo has released the code, from what I can tell all of the
> required components to use it are already on a a SME server
> or have credible reports of portings, the trick is more
> assembling it all into an easy-to-use package.
>
> Rather then this being a coding project it seems to be more
> of an assembling one.
I think your idea is on target for SME.  Business could certainly use TiVo
technology to distribute training.  

I am not able to help you myself but  the folks on devinfo can help package
it into an e-smith rpm.  Just give it a try and post what works on devinfo so others
can help you.



My $.02

[Michael Maggard]

Paul Miller wrote:

> I am not able to help you myself but  the folks on devinfo
> can help package
> it into an e-smith rpm.  Just give it a try and post what
> works on devinfo so others
> can help you.

That sounds innapropriate to me.

I follow devinfo but respect it is for *developers*. Just as posting requests for support is wrong there so also (IMHO) requests for a project. This forum is for that sort of thing, otherwise it would serve no purpose.

Any developers care to comment? Would actively soliciting for a project on devinfo be appropriate? As I've posted most of the parts required for TiVo support (except for the TiVo-specific Perl-under-Apache) have already been mentioned on devinfo, all that appears to be required is packaging it all together.

so, keep my request here and passively hope that someone takes an interest or actively campaign? I'm strongly inclinded to err on politeness and mind my P's & Q's when asking for effort from others, would anyone be offended by Paul's suggested course?

[guestHH]

maybe a little off-topic but the below link is nice... and I can confirm it works, using my SME 5.6 as a central streaming media server.

http://www.xboxmediaplayer.de/newweb/info_project.htm

sorry for the M$

Regards,
guestHH