Problem downloading recordings to laptop

[reh]

I have three 1hr recordings that I'd like to download to my (Windows 8.1) laptop. I've never tried this before, but various posts make it sound like it should be straightforward via the ty or tmf links shown alongside the recordings in TiVoWebPlus (v2.1.b3). I tried first on a 5min test recording, and was able to download the ty file for that OK. But I can't successfully download the longer recordings. I've tried both ty and tmf on a couple of the recordings and, after about 30mins of downloading, it gets to '2.6/2.6GB 0 secs left', then immediately reverts to '0.0/2.6GB 30 mins left' (repeatedly). Any ideas why this might be happening or how I can fix it?

I'm happy to just have it to play on my laptop, so I figured I didn't need anything like TyTool on my laptop. But I wondered if it might manage the downloads better, so I have also tried downloading and running TyTool (TiVo Client Alpha # 10 rel 4). But when I try to start tserver, it connects to the IP address but then pops up with the error message "TyTool tserver error | Starting the server failed. Never received the telnet prompt. Please check your settings and try again". If this route might help, any idea how to fix this error?

Thanks in advance, Ruth

[Pegasus]

after about 30mins of downloading, it gets to '2.6/2.6GB 0 secs left', then immediately reverts to '0.0/2.6GB 30 mins left' (repeatedly).

I've noticed some browsers do that when downloading files from some sites (not just TiVo - it's a more general thing). It's like the browser is expecting some sort of "I'm done" message, which it is not getting, so it starts again! Trying a different browser (if you have one) might help.

pops up with the error message "TyTool tserver error | Starting the server failed. Never received the telnet prompt.

Do you get the pop-up window showing the connection to TiVo when you "start tserver" - called "TServer Output Window"?

It should say:

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Telneting to the TIVO...
Connecting to '192.168.x.x'         <- your TiVo's net address
Connected...

TyTool needs to work out when Telnet has started on TiVo. It does this by looking for a string of characters in this TServer window.

On my Tivo this is as follows, but you can look at the TServer window on your laptop to see if yours is different to mine.

Set it in:
TyTool Options -> Preferences -> Server -> Server Shell Prompt String

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/var/hack]

[reh]

Hi Pegasus,

Thanks for the suggestions. I was using Chrome, so have now tried Firefox and IE as well. But those two also fail at 100% download. Firefox just restarted the download. IE gave the error message "This download was interrupted", but when I clicked on Resume, it then also just restarted the download.

With TyTool, yes, i am seeing the TServer Output Window pop up, which shows the following:
Telneting to the TiVo
Connecting to 10.0.1.200
Connected …
but after about 20s the error message "TyTool tserver error | Starting the server failed. Never received the telnet prompt. Please check your settings and try again" pops up in a separate window.

Under [TyTool | Options | Preferences | Server}, I had
[Server Execute String] = /var/hack/tserver and [Server Shell Prompt String] was blank
I tried setting the latter to /var/hack] and also to /var/hack (in case that “]” suffix was a typo), but I still got the same 'never received the telnet prompt' error.

Is it relevant that I have to add a port number when I connect to TiVoWeb in my browser? I did try adding that port number to the TiVo IP address in TyTool, but running 'start tserver' in that case just shows 'FAILED to connect' in the TServer Output Window. Perhaps I need to input it somewhere else in the settings instead?

Any further suggestions/thoughts gratefully received!

Ruth

[Pegasus]

Ok good, so TyTool is connecting to your TiVo ok.

So, the problem is your "Server Shell Prompt String" setting.

You could try just /var That might work. (Or possibly /etc )

To find the correct string you need to connect to your TiVo via Telnet. You can do this either from a "command" window (Start -> Search -> "command" in Windows - assuming it has been enabled on your lappie). Then run

Code: Select all

telnet  10.0.1.200

Or if you have a program called PuTTY (or similar) which connects via telnet, you can use that.

Once telnet connects you should see a prompt displayed when your TiVo is ready to accept commands. It is that string (or part of it) which needs to be put in Server Shell Prompt String.

[cerihp]

Is it relevant that I have to add a port number when I connect to TiVoWeb in my browser?

It shouldn't be. Different applications use different ports, so the computer knows where to direct inbound traffic without having to know what it is. Web browsers assume that http is on port 80, so you need to tell the browser if you are using a different one. I think telnet is something like 23(?) and your TivoWeb configuration won't have affected this.

[cerihp]

My first thought, before I finished reading the original post, was that the ftp server might not be running. However, the fact that you can get short programs off the TiVo nixes that! It might be worth trying with your anti-virus disabled; ty and ty+ are custom formats which the AV might be mis-handling, causing memory overflow or timeouts on the bigger files.

Have you managed to play the files you have downloaded? I have vague recollections of having to download a video codec off the internet before media player would play TiVo files last time I did this.

[reh]

Success! (After just a few more hurdles)

My telnet prompt is:
[TiVo [p0] ~]#
That still didn't connect successfully. But I then realised that I had a more basic issue. I found some TyTool instructions (at weethet.nl) which suggested that I could alternatively start tserver manually, via the telnet window. But I just got a ''command not found" message and, indeed, although there are things like TiVoWeb, endpad and sortnp in /var/hack, there was no tserver . I had just assumed that whoever kindly created this HDD for me had installed the TiVo-side TyTool stuff too. The same page showed me how to copy the tserver file to /var/hack and, after a TiVo reboot, I was able to start tserver via TyTool and view my 'Now Playing' list.

BUT, when I tried to [Get] any of them, it showed the error "Data socket connect failed!" in the GUI window and, in the pop-up window:
SERVER: We got a message! buf = 'TYSTRM2 10.0.1.38 55831 3894053/3894054/3894056/3894057/3894058/3894059'
ERROR: Could not connect the socket!
ERROR: Could not connect to client to send data!

The only 'socket' reference I could find was under Options | Network, where it had Socket Mode = Single or Double, with Double selected. I tried selecting Single instead (no idea what that means), and it worked! I could then download my files, and have managed to convert the first one to a viewable .MPG file.

Thanks again for your help, Pegasus. And thanks, Ceri, for the explanation re the port number - that makes sense now.

Cheers, Ruth

[reh]

Sorry Ceri - I hadn’t seen your second post before I replied earlier. I had wondered whether my AV was getting in the way of the simple browser downloads, but (if it was that) TyTool seems to have got around it.
I wasn’t able to play the downloaded .ty files as-is. Windows Media Player didn’t like them at all. Elsewhere I read that VideoLAN VLC media player could play them, so I tried that. It played the sound OK, but the video was a garbled, blocky mess. I assumed there might be some settings that needed changing to make it smooth. But I tried the TyTool converson to .mpg instead, and that plays OK.