By Popular Demand...The Tivo Guy: Resurected

[AlphaWolf]

The Tivo Guy: Resurected

On 3.1 DirecTivo units, the dancing "Tivo Guy" animation was disabled for some reason. By a popular request, I have dusted off an old TCL script that I wrote during the days when we first developed video insertion, and modified it for the specific purpose of bringing back the "Tivo Guy". (note, this is only intended for 3.1 units, although it will work for previous versions)

Enjoy :D

EDIT: Updated the script to work for sony branded Tivos. Download count should be 113 plus whatever is below. :)

[fixn278]

nice.....

[General_Disarry]

Can you put this in there?? :D

http://www.sodamnfunny.com/Animation/Gif/fbf.gif

[AbMagFab]

Well, I finally got around to running this on my 3.1 DTivo, SAT-T60, and I get an error "can't read targetfsid" line 46.

Any thoughts? I'd love to download the happy Tivo guy.

[AlphaWolf]

My guess is that it couldn't find the FSID of the clip. I may have to hunt down a different filename for the sony units, not sure since I don't have one to look at to find out.

[AbMagFab]

Is there anything I can do to look it up, or help give you data to figure out what it is?

[MBQuart]

I too have been messing around with this script on my HDVR2.

Unfortunately, the Tivo Guy animation is not located anywhere on these new S2 units.

The file the script is looking for is 'LongOpen.mpv'

Would some kind soul, who has an older Tivo unit, upload this file off their Tivo somewhere that we can download it and put it on our new S2 units?

I can possibly host the file if it isn't too large (>200Meg).

Comments?

-Brian

[AlphaWolf]

Originally posted by AbMagFab
Is there anything I can do to look it up, or help give you data to figure out what it is?

Ah, didn't notice your post earlier. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do unless I can physicaly look at a sony unit, because its a matter of searching around for something that *might* be it, then trying it, etc. IIRC though, the tivo splash wasn't disabled on the sony units? You may be able to just hit the tivo button, then press the zero key.

Originally posted by MBQuart
I too have been messing around with this script on my HDVR2.

Unfortunately, the Tivo Guy animation is not located anywhere on these new S2 units.

The file the script is looking for is 'LongOpen.mpv'

Would some kind soul, who has an older Tivo unit, upload this file off their Tivo somewhere that we can download it and put it on our new S2 units?

I can possibly host the file if it isn't too large (>200Meg).

Comments?

-Brian

It could still be there. However, if you know somebody with an S1 unit that can run this script, have them go ahead and run it, and then extract the video clip with rileys mfs_ftp, as it will work just like a regular tystream, and then use mfs_ftp to also reinsert it to the tivo of your choice.

[SR712]

AlphaW- I ran this on my T60 with 2.5.2 and I get this error:

can't read "targetfsid": no such variable
while executing
"set fsid $targetfsid"
(file "./tivoguy.tcl" line 46)

[MBQuart]

Originally posted by SR712
AlphaW- I ran this on my T60 with 2.5.2 and I get this error:

can't read "targetfsid": no such variable
while executing
"set fsid $targetfsid"
(file "./tivoguy.tcl" line 46)

SR712, the 'can't read targetfsid variable' is basically saying the script didn't find the LongOpen.mpv file. The code in question looks like this:

#
# Lets identify the target FSID
#
ForeachMfsFile fsid name type "/Resource/VideoClip" "" {

RetryTransaction {
set resobject [db $db openid $fsid]
set resname [dbobj $resobject get Name]
if { $resname == "LongOpen.mpv" } {
set targetfsid [dbobj $resobject get File]
}
}
}

set fsid $targetfsid

puts "found him at FSID $fsid\!"

So basically the line 'set fsid $targetfsid' fails because the "LongOpen.mpv" file was not found therefore not setting the 'targetfsid' variable (which doesn't exist until it's 'set').

Hope this made sense.

AlphaW, you wouldn't happen to have the 'LongOpen.xxx" file that you might share with us would you? :rolleyes: :confused: :D

I just got my first Tivo and it's a HDVR2 so I have never seen the Tivo Guy! :(

[AlphaWolf]

Originally posted by SR712
AlphaW- I ran this on my T60 with 2.5.2 and I get this error:

can't read "targetfsid": no such variable
while executing
"set fsid $targetfsid"
(file "./tivoguy.tcl" line 46)

2.5.2 units do it too? Hmm...ok, more than likely its only a different filename for sony units. Do this, open http://tivo/mfs/Resource/VideoClip (tivoweb) and you'll notice a list of names, followed by database indexing numbers. Open one, look at the "File" attribute (this is the stream FSID), then use: "mfs_export <FSID> /dev/mpeg0v". Whatever is on your screen will be covered by whatever content that video clip has (albeit very garbled), and if you can recognize the tivo guy clip, thats your target filename, if not, try another one, and keep trying til you find it.

MBQuart: try this same proceedure with your S2 unit, it may very well have it on there.

[SR712]

Thanks AlphaWolf and MBQuart. Ya learn something new every day, eh? I didn't think about looking with the TiVoWeb module. The file is called S_LongOpen.mpv on my T60 with 2.5.2. I am assuming the "S" stands for Sony. There are a bunch of files labeled with the S prefix in there. Anyway, it is 6MB. Do you still want this, MBQuart?

BTW, I really wouldn't call it "dancing"... haha... more like sliding around in some virtual roller coaster thing. hehe. :D I guess dancing is a polite way of describing it.

[AlphaWolf]

Originally posted by SR712
Anyway, it is 6MB. Do you still want this, MBQuart?

It may still end up being on S2 units, MBQuart should try the same thing and see if it is there.

[MBQuart]

Originally posted by SR712
Thanks AlphaWolf and MBQuart. Ya learn something new every day, eh? I didn't think about looking with the TiVoWeb module. The file is called S_LongOpen.mpv on my T60 with 2.5.2. I am assuming the "S" stands for Sony. There are a bunch of files labeled with the S prefix in there. Anyway, it is 6MB. Do you still want this, MBQuart?

BTW, I really wouldn't call it "dancing"... haha... more like sliding around in some virtual roller coaster thing. hehe. :D I guess dancing is a polite way of describing it.

I tried what AlphaWolf said and here are a list of files I have in Video/Resources:
DIRECTV_Blue.mpv
DIRECTV_BluePlusTiVo.mpv
DIRECTV_BluePlusTiVoWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_BlueWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_Blue_w_NoBrand.mpv
DIRECTV_Blue_w_NoBrandWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_FindByName.mpv
DIRECTV_Green.mpv
DIRECTV_GreenPlusTiVo.mpv
DIRECTV_GreenPlusTiVoWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_GreenWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_Green_w_NoBrand.mpv
DIRECTV_Green_w_NoBrandWriteOn.mpv
HNS_WatchTV0.mpv

The largest file listed is DIRECTV_Green_w_NoBrandWriteOn.mpv and it is only 224 (kbytes?). So it looks like the dancing Tivo Guy is not on my S2 HDVR2 :(

SR712, I would like a copy of your S_LongOpen file if you wouldn't mind? PM me and let me know. Thanks.

-Brian

[AlphaWolf]

Originally posted by MBQuart
I tried what AlphaWolf said and here are a list of files I have in Video/Resources:
DIRECTV_Blue.mpv
DIRECTV_BluePlusTiVo.mpv
DIRECTV_BluePlusTiVoWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_BlueWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_Blue_w_NoBrand.mpv
DIRECTV_Blue_w_NoBrandWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_FindByName.mpv
DIRECTV_Green.mpv
DIRECTV_GreenPlusTiVo.mpv
DIRECTV_GreenPlusTiVoWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_GreenWriteOn.mpv
DIRECTV_Green_w_NoBrand.mpv
DIRECTV_Green_w_NoBrandWriteOn.mpv
HNS_WatchTV0.mpv

The largest file listed is DIRECTV_Green_w_NoBrandWriteOn.mpv and it is only 224 (kbytes?). So it looks like the dancing Tivo Guy is not on my S2 HDVR2 :(

SR712, I would like a copy of your S_LongOpen file if you wouldn't mind? PM me and let me know. Thanks.

-Brian

Thats not the size of the stream, that is the size of the database object, which is just a file that contains the indexing information and stream attributes. None of those streams should be any smaller than 1 meg (most should be 4 megs). Just try playing them back as I described earlier, it may be on there.

[AbMagFab]

Okay, I modified the script, and added an "S_" in front, and it worked!

But, I can't download the file (using TyTool). Is it scrambled? I have autoscramble working just fine.

[AlphaWolf]

Originally posted by AbMagFab
Okay, I modified the script, and added an "S_" in front, and it worked!

But, I can't download the file (using TyTool). Is it scrambled? I have autoscramble working just fine.

It should be downloadable as a regular tystream...converting to mpeg on the other hand would be a problem since the stream probably doesn't have the 10 chunk minimum needed by the current conversion algorithm developed by tridge.

[AbMagFab]

I was able to get a .ty file, but even creating the mva and mv2 and key file failed (well, it worked but they were all 0 bytes).

Is there any way to make it an AVI or MPG?

[AlphaWolf]

Well, its definitely possible to do so, but that all depends on how much R&D you are willing to do to create an algorithm that can convert tystreams under 10 128k chunks into working mpeg video, as well as writing the code to do so.

[newbie]

Pretty sure the Tivo guy animation was never removed from Sony T-60.

[SR712]

Yes, it is on the T60, ver 2.5.2. It extracts just like any other ty.

[AlphaWolf]

Forgot to do this earlier, but I updated the script in the first post to work with sony units.

[AbMagFab]

Okay, so what happens if I delete it, or it expires from the now playing list? Will it still work with Tivo-0 (since that works for me now)?

[AlphaWolf]

Originally posted by AbMagFab
Okay, so what happens if I delete it, or it expires from the now playing list? Will it still work with Tivo-0 (since that works for me now)?

Nothing happens. Basically, you can think of the NowShowing entry it creates as being like a hyperlink on a webpage. The script just creates a nowshowing entry that anchors this specific streams FSID. Deleting the NowShowing entry simply deletes the anchor, not the stream, much like deleting a link in a website you create doesn't delete website that you linked to :)

[AbMagFab]

I understand the concept, but most times when you delete something on Now Showing, it deletes the link and the file. Why doesn't it delete the file in this case?

[AlphaWolf]

Originally posted by AbMagFab
I understand the concept, but most times when you delete something on Now Showing, it deletes the link and the file. Why doesn't it delete the file in this case?

Well, when you delete a normal recording from the NowShowing, all it does is delete the anchor to the recording, much in the same way as what I just described, however, there is one difference in this case.

Periodicaly, the tivo runs a garbage collection algorithm which finds files in the media portion of MFS that don't have any objects pointing to them, and deletes them. The "tivoguy" tystream always has the object in /Resource/VideoClip pointing to it, so it will never be nailed by the garbage collection. However, normal recordings don't have this, all they have is their one NowShowing entry pointed to them, so once that gets nuked, the tystream eventualy gets nuked later.

This is why its possible to undelete recordings btw, all we do is restore the NowShowing entry before the garbage collection ever gets a chance to nuke it.

[TRILIGHT]

I really appreciate your understanding of MFS and your willingness to help the rest of us out with it, AlphaWolf!! I tried using this script to create an entry for the background that plays on the "Now Playing List" screen. I want to try to extract it and edit the video so that it's blue instead of green. When I tried running it, the script found the item but crashed when it tried to create the "recording". Do you have any idea why this might have happened? Have you ever been able to extract the backgrounds somehow? Thanks Alpha!

[AlphaWolf]

Hmm...depends on what modifications that you did to the script that caused it to crash. So far as I know, all you should have to do is replace the "LongOpen.mpv" with "Central0.mpv" (you may have to add an S_ before it if its a sony unit...don't know for sure)

[TRILIGHT]

Yeah, that's all I did was make it look for the background name. When it ran, it did find the proper FSID but when it got to the next part where it was supposed to create the "recording" entry, it crashed. I wish I had the exact error. I'm kind of scared to run it again, lest I hose the whole database again like I did last week trying to insert a logo.

By the way, the background I was wanting to get is the one in Now Playing. I replaced the filename with "S_Showing0.mpv". It found it at the correct FSID and then crashed right after.

[AlphaWolf]

Without the exact error message, I can only guess what would happen. My only guess at this point is that maybe at some point or another the tivo attempted to stat the tystream in the recording object, and it didn't like the size or something causing tivoapp to freak out and reboot....I highly doubt this is the case though.