# TivoToGo is here! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 3, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838 "2005-01-03T15:07:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/1 "2005-01-03T15:07:56Z")
[http://www.tivo.com/4.9.19.asp](http://www.tivo.com/4.9.19.asp) Anybody try it out yet? I can’t wait to get home. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/2 "2005-01-03T15:10:18Z")
Arrgh! I’ve got a Direct TV unit with TiVo, so I can’t do it. Curses! ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/3 "2005-01-03T16:03:21Z")
Don’t get too excited. From [here](http://customersupport.tivo.safeharbor.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2180.htm?): Bolding mine. > [@](#): > > If you transfer programs to your PC using the TiVoToGo™ Home Media feature, you can transfer the files (they will have a .tivo extension) to other storage devices, but they will only be playable on a PC that is running TiVo Desktop 2.0 or higher and has the correct Media Access Key and Playback Password. They will not be playable on a different PC or DVD player. > > We do not recommend playing programs on your PC from the DVD, since playback will not be as smooth as playing back the video file from your PC’s hard drive. If you archive TiVo video (.tivo) files to a DVD, we suggest copying them back to your hard drive before you play back the files. > > **Note: TiVoToGo™ does not currently support burning a DVD that can be played on a DVD player. This feature may be added in a later release.** So basically, you can transfer TiVo stuff to your PC, play it on your PC, and burn DVDs for backups. But you can’t, for instance, burn a show onto a DVD and give it to a friend to watch. Better than it was, but still not all that great. ---
**Author:** ![DefyingGravity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@DefyingGravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DefyingGravity)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/4 "2005-01-03T16:25:02Z")
This is why I like my semi-new Pioneer DVD player/burner with Tivo. I can Tivo anything and then burn it right onto DVD in the same unit. I can also take stuff that’s on videotape (old home movies, movies on video), upload it to the Tivo, and burn to DVD. I like my player. I hesitated buying it because I read some people complaining about bad pixellation problems, but I haven’t really experienced them. I record everything at Medium and don’t have the problem at all. Karen ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/5 "2005-01-03T17:27:28Z")
I’m really new to the whole recordable DVD scene, having just gotten a DVD±R drive for my PC and a Humax TiVo DVD burnder for Xmas… How can you have a DVD that won’t play on a DVD player? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/6 "2005-01-03T17:31:20Z")
> [@Lips\_Obsession](#): > > How can you have a DVD that won’t play on a DVD player? It’s a matter of formatting. To play a DVD in a DVD player made for TVs (as opposed to the one in your computer), the DVD must be formatted a certain way. The TiVo formatted DVD players will play in a computer, using special software. They will not play in a DVD player attached to a TV. It’s the same thing as data-only CDs and audio CDs. You can play an audio CD in your computer, but you can’t play a video game that comes on CD in your CD player that’s attached to your stereo system. The TiVo system formats its DVDs in a way that a standard TV based DVD player doesn’t recognize. ---
**Author:** ![SilentButDeftly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@SilentButDeftly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SilentButDeftly)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/7 "2005-01-03T18:00:26Z")
> [@Bruce\_Daddy](#): > > [http://www.tivo.com/4.9.19.asp](http://www.tivo.com/4.9.19.asp) > > Anybody try it out yet? I can’t wait to get home. The word from TiVo is that they will be rolling this out to units slowly over the next few weeks. There’s a priority sign-up list, and they assure us that the people on that list will indeed get the update ahead of the general population, but it might be awhile. They are going to roll it out to random TiVo’s here and there slowly at first to gauge the amount of support this update will require… once they have that info in place, the priority sign-up people come next. As for the DVD burning, that capability won’t even be available until mid-January – it’s dependent on Sonic’s MyDVD software being released… ---
**Author:** ![jmizzou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@jmizzou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmizzou)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/8 "2005-01-03T18:36:01Z")
Sounds good to me. Even if I can never (legally) burn it to a playable DVD, and they keep it restricted it to non-PPV content, it’s still a free, useful feature. I’ve signed up to be on the priority list, but I imagine it’ll be a few months before the new software finally arrives. ---
**Author:** ![slu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@slu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slu)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivotogo-is-here/282838/9 "2005-01-03T21:49:56Z")
FYI, at this point this is PC only. It does not support Mac OS X.