With all the talk about the AppleTV 2.0, I thought it worth commenting on my recent Tivo experience.
I'm a new Tivo owner, with a Series 2 Dual Tuner that
I got for free. To my surprise, Tivo's "media center" features, when combined with some clever hacks, are a decent fit with OS X.
Foremost, the Tivo has changed how I listen to music. Using
Tivo's Desktop Software, MP3 player LAME, and
a little hack applied to LAME, my Tivo plays my iTunes library! Previously, I'd plug my iPod into my stereo via a minijack-to-RCA cable. But no more; it's so much easier now with via the Tivo, controlled by a good
universal remote control. I'm listening to more music on the main stereo now, because it's so easy to access my iTunes library. I've got remote control. And I don't have to worry about iPod battery life for music on the stereo. This is super!
Unfortunately -- and for no good reason -- Tivo software must be hacked as shown in the link to work with the iTunes AAC files. If Tivo would fix this simple problem, it would be a trivial system to use. And while it's no AppleTV with cover art and super-simple menus, it works well and I'm completely pleased with it.
Next, Tivo's desktop software lets you download video to your computer. Out of lunacy I guess, Tivo expects you to buy a $70+ copy of Toast to access the videos. Thankfully, someone has created a nice
Dashboard Widget that will access and download Tivo videos.
I've done a basic test of this I was able to download an episode my Tivo and watch it in VLC. The video quality was a bit odd: I had to force VLC to use 4:3 mode and there was a fuzzy line at the top of the video (overscan issue?). But it worked and quality was adequare. I generally have no need or interest in watching TV on my computer. But if I have some business travel, I'd take some TV along for the flight.
Finally, in another AppleTV like move: Tivo has direct access to
Amazon's Unbox. My wife has used it to get a few episodes of the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I've used it to get free vodcasts of CNet. Yes, it's limited to S-Video. But it's integrated, it's free, and it gives me an AppleTV like experience, without having to buy an AppleTV. Again, downloading TV shows is not a big deal to me, but it's handy when you need and it works well.
So, if you've got a Tivo, get it connected to your Mac if you haven't yet.
If you want an AppleTV, except you wish it had DVR functionality, consider a Tivo.
