TiVo MAK/Home Network Kit confusion

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CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#96974 8-Feb-2012 14:50

I'm loving my new TiVo, it's a really great product. I'm a little bit confused on the home networking side of TiVo though. From what I can gather, you need the Home networking kit and the Media Access Key to be able to get any networking functions working. What's the difference between the Home Networking Kit and the Media Access Key? The home networking kit is being sold for $90 AUS which just seems a ridiculous price, and there's no way I'm paying that before even being able to see how well it works.
Do you need the home networking kit to access/unlock the MAK? Or can you get the MAK seperately from the TiVo itself? It's my understnading you can use 3rd party software for transferring etc but you have to have the MAK to unlock the functionality on the TiVo. I may have that wrong.

Is there anyway of accessing some of the networking capability without having to buy the Home Networking Kit?

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29740 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#578716 8-Feb-2012 15:03

The Home Networking Tivo software is a free download, the HNK is just the MAK key.

The wireless adaptor is standard, although I think MF commented that its an extra now? Unsure on that as for some time the adaptor has been part of the standard Tivo packaging

foamfollower

152 posts

Master Geek

#578723 8-Feb-2012 15:14

I am loving my Tivo as well. What a great machine - I have the T-Box, and was looking around for less frustrating alternatives before my contract on the T-Box is up and I can escape.

As far as I have found out, Home Network Kit is required to achieve any networking.

I bought the Tivo second hand from Trademe for an embarrassingly low price, and it included the magic MAK (Media Access Key). However I have subsequently found out that the Media Access Key and Home Network Kit is associated with the account - not the machine. So when the previous owner deactivated his account, that Home Network Kit died as well, and I have to buy my own Home Network Kit. In my case I probably will as I paid so little for the box, and I think I can justify the AUD 90.

There are more informed people who can help on other than official software - I am on Linux, and heard good things about Vuze and kmttg.

Kiwi1971

696 posts

Ultimate Geek

#578728 8-Feb-2012 15:20

Can you not just reactivate the Key or did he keep it for another TiVo unit?

foamfollower

152 posts

Master Geek

#578736 8-Feb-2012 15:34

Apparently not.

Just got this email from Hybrid in Australia (directed there by Telecom):

"Thank you for your enquiry about the Home Networking Package.

Unfortunately the Home Networking Package is a per account accessory purchase, this is because the Media Access Key (required to share multimedia content between your TiVo and computer) is unique to each MyTiVo account, so to you will need to purchase your own copy of the Home Networking Package and activate it to your account to take advantage of all the features. The previous owner was probably not aware of this account restriction.

Before you will have access to your Media Access Key to unlock the full potential of your TiVo Media Device you will need to purchase the Home Networking Package (HNP), this can be purchased online from: https://shop.mytivo.com.au/online/nz

Once you have purchased and activated HNP you will have access to a multitude of features"

alienwithin

136 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#578743 8-Feb-2012 15:44

the privous owner likely kept his MAK for another tivo. to access, even with other software you need the MAK, so either way you will have to purchase it. personally I just use their software, i find it good enough.

minimoke

750 posts

Ultimate Geek

#579739 10-Feb-2012 13:34

I use Galleon to stream MP3 filess from my PC through the Tivo and into the stereo. No good for video files though. There are also a few HME (?) apps out there but found they didn't add much to the Tivo experience.

Kiwi1971

696 posts

Ultimate Geek

#579751 10-Feb-2012 13:47

minimoke: I use Galleon to stream MP3 filess from my PC through the Tivo and into the stereo. No good for video files though. There are also a few HME (?) apps out there but found they didn't add much to the Tivo experience.

I played around with my MAK and HNK when I got mine but gave up on it pretty quickly, the transfer was painfully slow, the files were massive and the number of video programs that can even use the tivo files was pretty low. Transferring downloaded TV shows to the unit from my PC through Vuze was OK but still slow and often the sound was awful.

I haven't looked any of that for over a year now.

D

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CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#579805 10-Feb-2012 14:49

Kiwi1971:
minimoke: I use Galleon to stream MP3 filess from my PC through the Tivo and into the stereo. No good for video files though. There are also a few HME (?) apps out there but found they didn't add much to the Tivo experience.

I played around with my MAK and HNK when I got mine but gave up on it pretty quickly, the transfer was painfully slow, the files were massive and the number of video programs that can even use the tivo files was pretty low. Transferring downloaded TV shows to the unit from my PC through Vuze was OK but still slow and often the sound was awful.

I haven't looked any of that for over a year now.

D

Yeah that is what puts me off having to pay $90 AUD for it, if it was 5 or 10 maybe worth a crack but not for that much.

mattwnz

20141 posts

Uber Geek

#579812 10-Feb-2012 15:20

Kiwi1971:
minimoke: I use Galleon to stream MP3 filess from my PC through the Tivo and into the stereo. No good for video files though. There are also a few HME (?) apps out there but found they didn't add much to the Tivo experience.

I played around with my MAK and HNK when I got mine but gave up on it pretty quickly, the transfer was painfully slow, the files were massive and the number of video programs that can even use the tivo files was pretty low.? Transferring downloaded TV shows to the unit from my PC through Vuze was OK but still slow and?often the sound was awful.

I haven't looked any of that for over a year now.?

D

It is only a G connection. It maybe faster if you use the ethernet port. It is not bad if you do it overnight when you aren't using it. ALso non HD programs transfer pretty quickly I have found. 30 minutes for a half hour program.
I find downloading from one tivo to another faster, and it does it at faster than streaming speed.

Kiwi1971

696 posts

Ultimate Geek

#579814 10-Feb-2012 15:22

mattwnz: It is only a G connection. It maybe faster if you use the ethernet port. It is not bad if you do it overnight when you aren't using it. ALso non HD programs transfer pretty quickly I have found. 30 minutes for a half hour program.
I find downloading from one tivo to another faster, and it does it at faster than streaming speed.

I only ever used the ethernet connection, it was still taking an age even to copy a half hour programme.

D

mattwnz

20141 posts

Uber Geek

#579823 10-Feb-2012 15:35

Kiwi1971:
mattwnz: It is only a G connection. It maybe faster if you use the ethernet port. It is not bad if you do it overnight when you aren't using it. ALso non HD programs transfer pretty quickly I have found. 30 minutes for a half hour program.
I find downloading from one tivo to another faster, and it does it at faster than streaming speed.

I only ever used the ethernet connection, it was still taking an age even to copy a half hour programme.

D

Really, like how long, and how large was the program? Sounds like something could be wrong with your setup, as over a wireless mine only takes about 30 min for an SD TV 4 30 minute program. I use the HNP all the time. It can take about 3-4 hours for movie in HD.
Are you sure it isn't also doing some sort of conversion. Also what software are you using, I use kmttg

Kiwi1971

696 posts

Ultimate Geek

#579828 10-Feb-2012 15:43

mattwnz:

Really, like how long, and how large was the program? Sounds like something could be wrong with your setup, as over a wireless mine only takes about 30 min for an SD TV 4 30 minute program. I use the HNP all the time. It can take about 3-4 hours for movie in HD.
Are you sure it isn't also doing some sort of conversion. Also what software are you using, I use kmttg

Actually 30 minutes for a 30 minute programme is what I was calling too long
Sounds like the speeds I was getting are the same as yours, I guess for me that was unacceptably long and I didn't care enough about the shows to spend that kind of time copying them.

I have a media player to play ripped from disc and downloaded content, so using the TiVo in that manner wasn't necessary.

D

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#580010 10-Feb-2012 22:25

Interesting thread, and has pretty much put me off getting the HNP package. 3-4 hours to transfer an HD movie over wired ethernet is lunatic. Assuming it's a 2 hour film @ 6 GB an hour (which doesn't seem a bad assumption) it should comfortably take around 3-4 minutes over a gigabit connection. 3+ hours is inexcusable, and there is obviously something odd that Tivo does for file transfer?

mattwnz

20141 posts

Uber Geek

#580018 10-Feb-2012 22:31

JimmyH: Interesting thread, and has pretty much put me off getting the HNP package. 3-4 hours to transfer an HD movie over wired ethernet is lunatic. Assuming it's a 2 hour film @ 6 GB an hour (which doesn't seem a bad assumption) it should comfortably take around 3-4 minutes over a gigabit connection. 3+ hours is inexcusable, and there is obviously something odd that Tivo does for file transfer?

3-4 hours over wifi G. But for some reason I can stream it from one tivo to another in HD over wifi without lag live, so it must be transferring faster than that, so it must be about the same time that it take s to play it. To be honest I haven't specifically timed it, but the time has never been an issue, as I just leave it going overnight when I am not using the network.
But there is a difference between downloading it, and downloading it and converting it on the fly which take longer.

EDIT: Just tried downloading diehard 4 which is in HD, and it says 120 minutes to download, which isn't too bad. If it is a SD 30 minute program, I would estimate it would be closer to 10 -15 minutes.

Skolink

1081 posts

Uber Geek

#580075 11-Feb-2012 09:13

mattwnz: 3-4 hours over wifi G. But for some reason I can stream it from one tivo to another in HD over wifi without lag live, so it must be transferring faster than that, so it must be about the same time that it take s to play it. To be honest I haven't specifically timed it, but the time has never been an issue, as I just leave it going overnight when I am not using the network.
But there is a difference between downloading it, and downloading it and converting it on the fly which take longer.

EDIT: Just tried downloading diehard 4 which is in HD, and it says 120 minutes to download, which isn't too bad. If it is a SD 30 minute program, I would estimate it would be closer to 10 -15 minutes.

Yes, as you have eluded PC-TiVo is being transcoded, whereas TiVo-TiVo no transcoding so much faster.

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