Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 1
®
William von Hagen
Warning: Doing almost any of the procedures discussed in this book requires opening your TiVo, which instantly voids your TiVo warranty forever.Also,you can get a serious electrical shock if you’re not careful while poking around inside your TiVo, just as you can with any electrical device. Never work on your TiVo while it’s plugged in. Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 2
© 2003 by Premier Press, a division of Course Technology. All rights SVP,Retail Strategic Market reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form Group: or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, record- Andy Shafran ing, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written per- Publisher: mission from Premier Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Stacy L. Hiquet
The Premier Press logo and related trade dress are trademarks of Senior Marketing Manager: Premier Press and may not be used without written permission. Sarah O’Donnell
Important: Premier Press cannot provide software support. Please Marketing Manager: contact the appropriate software manufacturer’s technical support Heather Hurley line or Web site for assistance. Manager of Editorial Services: Premier Press and the author have attempted throughout this book to dis- Heather Talbot tinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the cap- Senior Acquisitions Editor: italization style used by the manufacturer. Kevin Harreld Information contained in this book has been obtained by Premier Press from Associate Marketing Manager: sources believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human Kristin Eisenzopf or mechanical error by our sources, Premier Press, or others, the Publisher does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any informa- Book Packager: tion and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained Justak Literary Services, Inc. from use of such information. Readers should be particularly aware of the Technical Reviewer: fact that the Internet is an ever-changing entity. Some facts may have changed since this book went to press. Mike Baker (aka embeem)
ISBN: 1-59200-111-4 Retail Market Coordinator: Sarah Dubois Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2003105364 Copy Editor: Printed in the United States of America Karen Whitehouse 03 04 05 06 07 BH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Interior Layout: Premier Press, a division of Course Technology Bill Hartman 25 Thomson Place Cover Designer: Boston, MA 02210 Mike Tanamachi
CD-ROM Producer: Cycle
Indexer: Sharon Hilgenberg
Proofreader: Marta Justak Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 3
Trademarks
Apple, Macintosh, and Mac OS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. BlessTiVo © 2000 Mike Hill bootpage.c © 2002 Steve White. All rights reserved. elseed © Greg Gardner
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my wife for putting up with my TiVo obsession and for never car- rying out any of her threats. Four TiVos in a two-person house seems just about right to me. And you thought that the Lisp Machines in the dining room were bad! I’d like to thank embeem (aka Mike Baker) for making this book far better than it would have been without his help. Thanks to embeem and lightn (aka Josha Foust) for substantial contributions to the MFS information in Chapter 9. I’d also like to thank the TiVo hacking community in general, which has freely and selflessly contributed ideas, hacks, and time towards making the TiVo a fun machine. Special thanks to Andrew Tridgell, Dylan, ElectricLegs, embeem, Ingi- neer, JohnnyDeath, Kazymyr, lightn, MuscleNerd, Otto, Tyger, and countless others. Like everyone, I’d like to thank Linus Torvalds and the Open Source com- munity for Linux. I’d also like to thank the folks at TiVo for making a great prod- uct and actively supporting the TiVo hacking community. (What’s up with that hashing stuff, guys?) I would also like to thank the folks at Premier Press for letting me do this book. Special thanks and a big sigh of relief to my agent and book packager, Marta Justak, for not killing me, regardless of how tempting that must have been. Thanks, too, to Karen Whitehouse for the excellent improvements to the text, to Sharon Hilgenberg for her impressive work making it possible to find things in this book, to Kurt Wall for helping and always being a friend, and to Bill Hart- man for making this book look great while working within a time warp. Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 5
About the Authors
William von Hagen is a senior product manager at TimeSys Corporation. He has been a UNIX® devotee for over twenty years and a Linux fanatic since the early 1990s. He has worked as a system administrator, writer, developer, systems programmer, drummer, and content manager. He has written books on such top- ics as Linux® Filesystems, SGML, Mac OS X, and Red Hat® Linux, and has written for publications including Linux Magazine, Mac Tech, Linux Format, and Mac Home. An avid computer collector specializing in workstations, he owns more than 200 computer systems. You can reach Bill at [email protected]. Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 6
For my wife and best friend— I love you, Dorothy, and I always will. Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 7
Contents at a Glance
Introduction ...... xix
1 Know Your TiVo ...... 1
2 TiVo Tips and Tricks ...... 21
3 Exploring Your TiVo Hardware ...... 61
4 The Hacker’s Tool Chest of TiVo Tools . . . 107
5 Backing Up and Restoring TiVo Data . . . . 143
6 Expanding Your TiVo’s Storage Capacity...... 185
7 Connecting the Universe to Your TiVo . . . 207
8 Working with Your TiVo from Windows and Macintosh Systems ...... 257
9 Linux and the TiVo ...... 299
10 Getting and Installing New Software for Your TiVo...... 343
11 Other TiVo Hacking Resources ...... 363
Index ...... 383 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 8
Contents
Introduction ...... xix
Chapter 1 Know Your TiVo ...... 1
Why TiVo? ...... 2 What’s This TiVo Service I Keep Hearing About? ...... 3 TiVo Service Fees ...... 4 Identifying Your TiVo ...... 4 TiVos and Your Viewing Habits ...... 5 A Short Course in TiVo History ...... 6 TiVo Business Partners and Integrators ...... 9 Partnering with the Networks ...... 9 Showcasing Upcoming Broadcasts ...... 10 Introducing TiVo’s Home Media Option ...... 10 TiVo Hardware Models and Features ...... 12 Identifying Your TiVo Software Version ...... 15 TiVo and the Competition ...... 16 ReplayTV ...... 16 UltimateTV ...... 18 Future Trends ...... 18
Chapter 2 TiVo Tips and Tricks ...... 21
Using the TiVo Remote Control ...... 22 TiVo Remote Control Shortcuts ...... 23 Resolving Remote Control Problems ...... 24 Secret TiVo Commands and Modes ...... 25 Activating Backdoor Mode ...... 28 Using Clear-Clear-Enter-Enter Codes ...... 36 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 9
Contents 9
Using Clear-Enter-Clear Codes ...... 37 Using Enter-Enter Codes ...... 41 Using Select-Play-Select Codes ...... 43 Using Thumb-Thumb-Thumb Codes ...... 45 The Irritating AutoTest Mode ...... 48 Sorting the Now Playing List in V. 3.0 TiVos ...... 48 Automating Backdoor Mode and Other Codes ...... 50 Legendary TiVo Monitor and Diagnostic Commands ...... 53 TiVo Scheduling Tips and Tricks ...... 56 Using TiVo Wishlists ...... 58 Activating and Using Advanced Wishlists ...... 59
Chapter 3 Exploring Your TiVo Hardware ...... 61
Attaching a Terminal Emulator or Serial Console ...... 62 Opening the TiVo ...... 65 Working with TiVo Disk Drives ...... 66 Removing TiVo Disk Drives ...... 66 Attaching TiVo Disk Drives to Your PC ...... 70 Adding Disk Drives to Your TiVo ...... 73 Power Considerations in TiVo Series 2 TiVos ...... 75 Dealing with Modems ...... 76 Networking Your TiVo ...... 82 Using a PDA as a Remote Control ...... 102 TiVo Hardware Supplies on the Net ...... 103 9thTee.com ...... 103 Hinsdale ...... 103 PTVupgrade.COM ...... 104 TiVo Store ...... 104 Weaknees.com ...... 105 TiVo Sites Outside the United States ...... 105 Other Sources for TiVo Hardware ...... 105 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 10
10 Contents
Chapter 4 The Hacker’s Tool Chest of TiVo Tools . . . . . 107
TiVo Tools Overview ...... 109 TiVoMad Utilities ...... 109 BlessTiVo ...... 113 Bootpage ...... 117 MFS Tools ...... 119 Useful Linux Tools Outside Most Tools Disks ...... 131 Boot Disks ...... 133 BATBD—Bill’s Accumulated TiVo Boot Disk ...... 136 Dylan’s Boot Floppy ...... 139 Johnny Death’s Boot CD ...... 139 Kazamyr’s Boot CD ...... 140 Knoppix Linux ...... 141
Chapter 5 Backing Up and Restoring TiVo Data ...... 143
Overview ...... 145 When to Back Up ...... 147 Finding Room for Backups ...... 148 Creating Image Backups Using dd ...... 152 Creating Backups Using MFS Tools ...... 155 Creating a Simple Backup Using MFS Tools ...... 156 Creating a Compressed Backup Using MFS Tools ...... 158 Backing Up an Entire TiVo Disk Using MFS Tools ...... 159 Backing Up Multiple-Disk TiVo Systems ...... 160 Advanced Backup Options ...... 161 Backing Up Selected Information from Your TiVo ...... 163 General Information about Restoring TiVo Data ...... 165 Restoring Image Backups Using dd ...... 166 Restoring Backups Created Using MFS Tools ...... 168 Restoring an MFS Tools Backup Without Adding New Space ...... 168 Restoring an MFS Tools Backup to a Larger Drive ...... 170 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 11
Contents 11
Restoring an MFS Tools Backup to a Two-Drive TiVo . . . . 171 Advanced MFS Tools Restore Options ...... 173 Verifying TiVo Disks Restored Using MFS Tools ...... 177 Connecting Backup and Restore Commands Using a Pipe . . . . 178 Changing TiVo Operating System Versions Using Backups . . . 179 Dumping TiVo Data to Videotape ...... 181 Forbidden Topics Like Video Extraction ...... 182
Chapter 6 Expanding Your TiVo’s Storage Capacity. . . . 185
Overview ...... 186 Considerations for Adding Storage ...... 187 What You’ll Need for Your TiVo Upgrade ...... 188 Replacing an Existing TiVo Disk with a Larger One ...... 189 Upgrading a Disk Without Using Backup Files ...... 192 Expanding Drives Using Disk Images ...... 194 Expanding a Drive from a Disk Image ...... 195 Using Disk Images Without Intermediate Backup Files . . . . 198 Adding a Second Drive to Your TiVo ...... 200 Using the MFS Tools Utilities to Add a Second Drive . . . . . 201 Using the BlessTiVo Utility to Add a Second Drive ...... 204
Chapter 7 Connecting the Universe to Your TiVo . . . . . 207
Getting a Command Prompt on Your TiVo ...... 208 Getting a Command Prompt on a TiVo Series 1 ...... 209 Getting a Command Prompt on a TiVo Series 2 ...... 214 Two Kernel Monte for the TiVo Series 2 ...... 221 TiVo Troubleshooting ...... 233 No Picture or Welcome Screen ...... 233 Your TiVo Is Stuck at the Welcome Screen ...... 233 Your TiVo Is Stuck at the Second Welcome Screen ...... 235 Your TiVo Displays a Green Screen ...... 236 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 12
12 Contents
Starting FTP and Telnet on Your TiVo ...... 236 Integrating Your TiVo with AOL Instant Messenger ...... 238 Caller ID and Your TiVo ...... 242 News, Sports, Weather, and Your TiVo ...... 243 Using TiVo’s Home Media Option ...... 245 Playing Music or Displaying Photos Using Your TiVo . . . . . 246 Scheduling Recordings on Your TiVo over the Internet . . . . 248 Multi-Room Viewing on Your TiVo ...... 253
Chapter 8 Working with Your TiVo from Windows and Macintosh Systems ...... 257
Communicating with Your TiVo from Windows ...... 259 Serial Communications from Windows Systems ...... 259 Transferring Files over a Serial Connection from Windows ...... 263 Networked Communications from Windows ...... 265 Creating TiVo Tools Disks Under Windows ...... 272 TiVo Disks and Windows Systems ...... 278 Exploring ext2 Disk Images Under Windows ...... 278 Accessing Windows Disks from Your TiVo ...... 280 Integrating Windows Systems with TiVo’s Home Media Option ...... 282 Installing and Using the Windows TiVo Desktop ...... 282 Playing Windows Audio Formats Other than MP3 ...... 287 TiVos and Mac OS X ...... 290 TiVo Disks and Mac OS X Systems ...... 291 Exploring ext2 Disk Images Under Mac OS X ...... 292 Blessing a Disk Under Mac OS X ...... 294 Creating TiVo Tools Disks Under Mac OS X ...... 296 Integrating Macintosh Systems with TiVo’s Home Media Option ...... 298 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 13
Contents 13
Chapter 9 Linux and the TiVo ...... 299
Introduction to Linux and Open Source Software ...... 300 Overview of the Linux Boot Process ...... 301 Linux Filesystems and Initial RAM Disks ...... 302 Obtaining the Source Code for TiVo’s Linux ...... 304 Overview of the TiVo Application Environment ...... 305 The TiVo Startup Process ...... 305 TCL and iTCL ...... 306 TiVo’s TiVoSH (tivosh) Application ...... 307 TiVo Disk Information ...... 308 TiVo Disk and Partition Map ...... 309 MFS—TiVo’s Media File System ...... 312 Exploring MFS ...... 312 Using Serial Communications Under Linux ...... 320 Using minicom for Serial Communications ...... 320 Transferring Files Using minicom ...... 323 Using a Linux Shell ...... 324 Job Control in the Bash Shell ...... 325 Running Commands in the Background ...... 326 Managing Commands in the Bash Shell ...... 327 Popular Linux Software for the TiVo ...... 329 Busybox ...... 329 Emacs ...... 330 FTP ...... 331 GCC ...... 333 NFS ...... 333 Telnet ...... 335 Burning CDs on Linux Systems ...... 336 Working with TiVo’s Home Media Option from Linux ...... 338 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 14
14 Contents
Chapter 10 Getting and Installing New Software for Your TiVo ...... 343
Installing Software on Your TiVo ...... 344 Identifying Binary File Formats ...... 344 Uncompressing ZIP and GZ Files ...... 345 Extracting Files from TAR and TGZ Archives ...... 347 Safe Locations for Storing Your TiVo Hacks ...... 350 Installing Cross-Compilers for TiVo Development ...... 351 Selecting and Installing a Cross-Compiler for the TiVo Series 1 ...... 351 Selecting and Installing the Cross-Compiler for the TiVo Series 2 ...... 353 Stand-alone TiVo Tools and Development Projects ...... 354 An Alternate UI in the TiVo Web Project ...... 354 The TiVo Enhancement Development Team ...... 361 The Personal TiVo Home Media Option ...... 361 Closed Captioning Support Using TiVoVBI ...... 361 TiVo Utilities Home Page ...... 362
Chapter 11 Other TiVo Hacking Resources ...... 363
A Byte of Fun—TiVo Advocacy Articles ...... 365 Online Forums for TiVo Information and Discussion ...... 366 The AVS Forum ...... 368 The DealDatabase Forums ...... 371 The TiVo Community Forums ...... 373 TiVo Hardware Web Sites ...... 377 Various TiVo FAQs and Help Sites ...... 378 Hacking the TiVo FAQ ...... 378 The Hinsdale FAQs ...... 379 Seth’s TiVo FAQ ...... 379 TiVo Forum FAQ ...... 380 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 15
Contents 15
TiVo Network Hack How-To Guide ...... 380 TiVoHelp.com ...... 380 TiVoStuff.com ...... 381 DirecTiVo Sites and Information ...... 381 TiVo Software Download Sites ...... 381
Index ...... 383 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 16 Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 17
Introduction
What exactly is TiVo (pronounced tee-vo), and where did it come from? A TiVo system records cable and satellite television instantly on a hard drive rather than on a videotape, thereby enabling you to store and record an endless number of tele- vision programs in one place. But that’s not all it does. TiVo also offers a host of other features that makes it a truly useful, timesaving device rather than simply a replacement for your aging VCR. In fact, TiVo represents the most exciting revo- lution in personal entertainment technology since the VCR or the television itself. Some of the many advantages of TiVo over a VCR include: More durable recording capabilities than videotape Far easier to use than a VCR More storage than a videotape Automatically locates and records your favorite programs, regardless of when or where they were broadcast Optionally selects programs to record, based on your previous viewing habits TiVo, Inc. has been in business for a few years now, and they have several TiVo models available. At the time of this book’s writing, these models fell into two general classes, known as TiVo Series 1 and TiVo Series 2. (More details about these in Chapter 1, “Know Your TiVo.”) Both of these classes can be hacked, er, “upgraded.” TiVo, Inc. is continually updating its operating system and its capa- bilities, while it matures as a company. The former is a win for TiVo customers, while the latter can present impediments to aspiring TiVo hackers. For example, Series 2 models are faster and sexier than Series 1 models, but it is more difficult to get command-line access to Linux on the Series 2 models. Version 4.0, the most recent version of TiVo’s software and customized Linux for the Series 2, makes it downright challenging to get command-line access. Luckily, many of the features that “needed” to be added to the Series 1 class and which required com- mand-line access now are provided automatically by Series 2 models. As I’ll explain later, however, there are ways around almost everything. This book does not attempt to replace your TiVo documentation. It doesn’t explain how to set up or configure your new TiVo; nor does this book explain all of the features of the TiVo and how to use them. The documentation that comes Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 18
18 Introduction
with your TiVo does a good job of all of that. You will find that I may explain how to use certain features after you’ve hacked them or extended their capabilities through various TiVo backdoors (think “cheat codes,” which are available in dif- ferent versions of the TiVo software). Think of this book as a companion volume to your TiVo documentation. In this book, I’ll explain how you can hack your TiVo—that is, how you can extend its capacity and capabilities beyond those that are provided out of the box. Although you can find some of this information on the Internet, this book is designed to make your life easier by culling the resources and presenting them in one place, and then tailoring the hacking instructions so almost anyone can do it. This book isn’t necessarily a TiVo cheerleading session. Where appropriate, I’ll point out the caveats, downsides, and costs of owning and using TiVo. However, like most TiVo owners, I feel that the benefits of owning and using TiVo far out- weigh the disadvantages. Your mileage may vary.
How To Use This Book This book is intended for anyone with some computer experience and curiosity about what’s inside their TiVo. The book starts by explaining how to activate secret commands and modes of operation that help you get more out of your TiVo without even opening the box. It then explains how to inexpensively add disk space to your TiVo, increasing the amount and quality of recordings that you can store. I’ll also explain how to install and run many freely-available, open source applications on your TiVo, so that you can schedule recordings over the Web, get news, sports, and weather displayed on your TiVo screen, and even check your portfolio while not missing an instant of your favorite television broadcast. I’ll explain how Linux, Macintosh, and Windows users can all work on and get the most out of their TiVos. The software for each platform is organized into sys- tem-specific sections, and much of it is provided on the CD that comes with the book. If you’ve never experimented much with hardware, it isn’t “hard,” and this book will show you how to do it. Later chapters of the book explain how to install and run different versions of the TiVo operating system and software on your TiVo, so that you can take advantage of specific, new (or old) features. Your TiVo is a full-fledged computer system— why not make the most of it? To get started using this book, take a quick tour of TiVo history in Chapter 1 or look at Chapter 2 to see how to get the most out of the TiVo’s user interface. Next, Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 19
Introduction 19
read Chapters 5 and 6 to learn how to use the included CD to back up your TiVo and add a bigger disk yourself—for far less than what others might charge. Finally, look at some of the programs described in Chapters 4 and 7, to see what you might find useful to have running on your TiVo—and put it there. Your TiVo is a home entertainment device, a home computer, and this book will help you do almost anything that you want with it. Have a good time!
Let’s Have Some Fun Like any smart appliance (and even most video games), there are plenty of tips and tricks that can help you get more out of your TiVo, even if you decide that you don’t ever want to open the box. To make it easier to find hot tips or usability suggestions, this book identifies this kind of information with a special “TiVo Guide” icons to differentiate it from the standard text of the book. This sections look like the following example:
TIVO GUIDE TITLE
Did you know that your TiVo has many special commands built into its remote control, providing shortcuts to your favorite TiVo commands and even to some hidden menus? To activate these...
Hacking Is a Good Thing Many people are confused by the word “hacking” (most notably the media), view- ing it as an activity done by eccentric geeks with no social skills. This couldn’t be further from the truth. That hype sells newspapers, magazines, and gets viewers for the evening news, but it isn’t the way that anyone with a frontal lobe uses the word. “Hacking” can be defined as using your ingenuity to explore and improve the capabilities of application software, operating systems, or hardware. You can hack your car by adding a new carburetor, souping up the fuel injection ratio, or adding some high-performance accessory. You can hack your home cable setup by splitting the cable and running it to multiple points in your house. If you don’t like your house, you can hack it by adding a new room or moving the doors around. That’s what this book is about—expanding the capacity and capabilities of your TiVo and interacting with it in new ways. Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 20
20 Introduction
This book is not about “cracking,” which means stealing services or information and doing something illegal, unethical, or immoral with them. Those kinds of activities are the computer equivalent of shoplifting—and, they are just plain wrong. Installing a new or modified version of your operating system and application software or adding new storage devices to your TiVo are tasks that are as Ameri- can as apple pie. Roll the “America the Beautiful” soundtrack please....
This Book, Your TiVo Warranty, and a Few Warnings You do not have to be a Linux hacker or own a single Ministry or KMFDM T-shirt in order to hack your TiVo. This book provides clear, easy-to-follow instructions for a variety of enhancements that almost anyone can perform. Where relevant, each procedure described in this book also lists potential prob- lems that you may encounter and explains how to correct them. Warning: Doing almost any of the procedures discussed in this book requires opening your TiVo, which instantly voids your TiVo warranty forever.Also,you can get a serious electrical shock if you’re not careful while poking around inside your TiVo, just as you can with any electrical device. Never work on your TiVo while it’s plugged in. Think of this book as the equivalent to a book on home tele- vision or automotive repairs, both of which can be dangerous. You can be hurt if you’re not careful! Here are a few other rules to satisfy the lawyers: Caution: Never work on your TiVo while drinking hot beverages or while dri- ving. Hot beverages may be hot. Don’t drink and drive. Look both ways before you cross the street or open your TiVo. A penny saved is a penny earned. Don’t run with scissors. Caveat: Neither the publisher nor I are responsible for any damage to you or your TiVo if you attempt to follow the procedures discussed in this book. Nor are we responsible if a meteor strikes you while reading this book. This book is made of paper, and thus is flammable. We are not responsible for any resulting damage or injuries if you accidentally set this book on fire or drop it on your foot. Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 21
Introduction 21
This Book and TiVo, Inc. The folks at TiVo had nothing to do with this book. They are smart people who deserve your support. This book does not explain how to get around the TiVo ser- vice or in any way avoid paying TiVo the money that they deserve for their excel- lent service. The folks at TiVo deserve your support for pioneering an awesome device and a new way of interacting with broadcast media (although it would have been nice if they had left the Series 2 TiVo models as accessible as the Series 1 models). The TiVo folks also deserve cultural kudos for not suppressing the hun- dreds of bulletin boards and Web sites that have sprung up discussing TiVo hack- ing and tips and tricks. In many cases, the folks at TiVo go out of their way to contribute to and host community Web sites where TiVo internals are discussed. I can’t think of any other company that has been so cool about its products. If you attempt to cheat TiVo, you hurt everyone. Please don’t do that. I do not explain how to extract or edit recorded video from your TiVo’s hard drive(s), although this is possible and is discussed at hundreds of Web sites and news posts on the Internet. Nor do I explain how to do anything that the losers in the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), or the boneheads who voted for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) could construe as a way to avoid weaseling a few more pennies out of their constituencies or making you pay multiple times for something that you already received. I do not own stock in TiVo, although I’ve certainly considered it. This book is an attempt to share various experiences with TiVo, Linux, the Mac OS, and even Microsoft Windows. The goal is to help you enhance the capacity and, in most cases, the capabilities of your TiVo. You’ve paid for your TiVo, and you can do whatever you want to the physical device. If you break it... well, you’ve already bought it, and you get to keep both pieces. Buy another one. The folks at TiVo shouldn’t be too upset about that. Hacking TIVO-00Fnt 7/23/03 5:38 PM Page 22