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HP have announced a brand new add-in which allows you to store, view and manage TV Shows recorded with TiVo on the HP MediaSmart Server.
The add-in, HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo®, is a free download available today for owners of HP’s latest generation of home servers – the EX490 Series and X510 Data Vault. Those of you who have upgraded your previous generation MediaSmart Servers to HP’s v3.0 software should also be able to use the add-in, but HP tell us they have not tested this scenario and it’s therefore unsupported.
HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo® allows users to perform similar tasks with TiVo that Microsoft enabled in Windows Media Center following the release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 (which I find essential on a daily basis), including:
- transferring shows from TiVo to a HP MediaSmart Server and back to TiVo
- viewing TiVo recordings stored on a HP MediaSmart Server
- watching TiVo recordings that are stored on the HP MediaSmart Server on any PC in the home using Windows Media Player
To watch TiVo content stored on the MediaSmart Server on other computers in the home you’ll need TiVo Desktop for PC/Mac to sort out any DRM issues or alternatively Roxio Toast 10 for the Mac.
“The HP MediaSmart Server is the ideal companion to TiVo. With the HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo, consumers don’t have to worry about running out of high-definition storage space since they can save their movies and shows on the HP MediaSmart Server and watch them on any computer in the home,” said Jason Zajac, vice president of Attach, HP Personal Systems Group. “Plus, consumers will benefit from all of the additional features the HP MediaSmart Server provides, such as backing up all Windows and Mac computers.”
The add-in is compatible with TiVo DVR Series II, Series III, TiVo Premiere and TiVo desktop software.
Once again, it’s great to HP continue to develop new add-ins for the MediaSmart Server to keep the product right at the heart of the digital home. HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo® is a must have add-in for TiVo users in the US and Australasia, and let’s hope the add-in works in the UK with Virgin Media’s forthcoming TiVo Service too.
At this point, the add-in unfortunately does not allow other content (music, photos etc) to be played from the MediaSmart Server on the TiVo. This is something that HP see as an obvious feature for the add-in but would not comment on whether it will be enabled in the future.
To download the add-in, head over to HP’s Add Software site where you’ll be able to get hold of the application. To find out more about HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo®, make sure you check out our visual walkthrough of the add-ins’s features.
10. March 2010 at 5:24 am
This is nice, but to me its far more important that I be able to go the other way – to watch movies I have stored on the HP MSS on the TiVo (and in HD if available). TiVo needs a software update to support DLNA.
12. March 2010 at 7:03 pm
You may already know this, but with Tivo Desktop Plus ($25), you can play H.264 videos from the MSS. It's a little convoluted, but I've made it work… it's the price of being in a hyprid Tivo/WMC7 environment. Put the H.264 videos on your MSS, create a shortcut to each, and then drop the shortcut in the My Tivo Recordings folder on the PC running Tivo Desktop Plus. I know, it's not pretty… and it's somewhat manual, but it works. Good luck.
10. March 2010 at 2:33 pm
If this works with Virgin Media that would be all my recording problems solved and may just push me to get V+ (Tivo flavour) when it releases.
10. March 2010 at 4:10 pm
I just tried to install the add-in for the Tivo integration and was a little disappointed in HP by finding out that, according to them, the plug-in is only supported on the EX490/EX495 Mediasmart models. WTF?!?!?! Seriously? I hope what they meant was that it requires the 3.0 software. I'm still on 2.5 and have already ordered my 3.0 CD, but if they do really mean you need the newer H/W as well I think my next WHS will be something other than an HP server.
I'll try to install it again when I get my 3.0 upgrade later this week. If it works my faith in HP will be fully restored. If it still doesn't work I'll be shopping for an Acer WHS. I can't be bothered to do business with any company that has the mentality of leaving earlier customers out high and dry just to sell another box.
10. March 2010 at 4:28 pm
it requires the 3.0 software only – it will run on any model that has been updated.
10. March 2010 at 5:17 pm
An alternative for users of legacy products such as the EX470, is to run TiVo Desktop Plus on your server. I’ve been using this since 2008 and it works great! I am currently running the latest 2.8 version which allows me to store HD content recorded on my TiVo, playback my own .mpg home movie and also play my .mp3 through the TiVo
10. March 2010 at 4:36 pm
Hi kadeuce,
I tried installing Tivo Desktop version 2.8 on my WHS (on my EX470) and could never get it to install. Do you have to do something special to get it installed and working?
10. March 2010 at 11:57 pm
You need to Remote Desktop Connection into the server and from Start/Run browse for the .exe and execute.
12. March 2010 at 7:49 pm
Kadeuce, what versions of Tivos do you have? I ask because I have 4 hacked Directivos running 6.2 software with MRV enabled. Would this work for my units?
10. March 2010 at 10:10 pm
What about the other HP servers? I have the LX 195. HP has just forgot about it apparently.