TiVo-To-Go Questions
 

JoeA, or whoever knows about TiVo-To-Go, I'm setting it up on my laptop and have some questions:

1) Why is it taking so long to transfer programs? I selected 5 programs. The first, a 1 hour program recorded in Basic, is supposed to take 1:40 hour.

2) What codec should I use? The laptop didn't come with a codec. The TiVo site recommends five alternative codecs, all $15. Which one's best?

And another

3) Why won't any tranfer finish? I keep getting "interrupted" and "target machine active refused connection". I have checked that Windows Firewall allows the Tivo Server, and have opened the ports that Tivo uses. Still, every transfer stops after 10 minutes, after which my laptop can no longer access the Internet, until I reboot.

I am getting the feeling that TiVo-To-Go may not be ready for prime time.

John,

I took 2 weeks to get my system up and talking with the Tivo, but found out later that part of the problem might have been that my WiFi adapter on the Tivo box is getting hot and shutting down.

The transfer rate depends on your signal strength. Go to the menu and find the info area for the WiFi on the Tivo. It should show the adapter, which network you are on (should be yours!) and your signal strength.

Transfering a program also depends on the size of the program. I Tivo'ed the Steve McQueen program "The essence of Cool" and found out that just because its two hours, it took almost 5 to transfer because I recorded it in best quality and that means a larger file.

My direct email is: joeaksaATattglobal.net (replace the AT with you know what) and if you get frustrated let me know.

I bet part of your problem is that your signal is not very good and its dropping off. Also could be a WiFi adapter dropping out (signal strength would show that as well) and stopping the transfer. As well, select only one program at a time until your system is working ok. I now do it right before I hit the sack and let it download all night long.

Good luck but its worth the work!

Joe A

Of the questions I asked, 1) and 2) seems less important. I've done some reading on tivocommunity.com and it seems long transfer times are par for the course unless the TiVo and PC are connected via wired rather than wireless.

3) is what's puzzling me. I have good to excellent signal strength at both TiVo and laptop. I'll keep noodling at it.

John,

Just burned my first DVD tonight (copies of the above program) and quality was excellent, so its worth the effort. Sure is a lot better than keeping stacks of video tapes when wanting to save old programs.

Let me know if I can help,

Joe A

John,

Found this old thread and wanted to pop in. I threw the wireless adapter in the trash after I found that it was getting overheated and slowing down the transfer rate.

Bought two of the wired adapters that you plug into a 110v socket and they network with each other. Speed is VERY fast and works great. No more slow transfers and I can watch NetFlix movies off of the net right away.

Give it a try!

Joe A