Yes this is a project that I am working on right now. Once I get it all set up, I should be able to get it working with a just a web browser. I have bash running and telnet works, but I havent been able to get it to update over broadband yet. Has anyone here done this?

Sean

I didn't see whether this would allow you to dump your previously extracted streams back onto the tivo for viewing, is this possible as well?

Greg

I seem to remember that you could get it back on there. It might require that you copy off the original data instead of the converted data. But I'm not really sure. You could always save the recorded data to a VCD to keep it. Then you could just play it back on your DVD player.

To be honest, I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to attempt this hack right now. It seems very cool, but I don't feel like possibly tossing my TiVo down the drain if I screw it up.

Hi Gadget-Freaks,

My wife and I use a similar system to Doug's. Three accounts: mine, hers, our common.

Everything on budget including food, household etc. goes out of the common account.

Clothes, shoes(!), personal stuff etc. comes from our own account.

So when I want something, I don't have to ask. I just buy it with my own money. Mind you, that doesn't free me from occasional disapproving looks from her, but that's OK.

Things we agree on, we both chip in on, as best we can.

As I earn far more than her, it's usually "I buy it" for larger investments (furniture and similar things), which is fair enough to me. This also get's me more freedom (read: less disapproving looks) when I buy useless Techno-Junk/gadgets.

Works fine for us.

Lying is out of the question, because she says I get this "giggly look" on my face when I've purchased new toys. I don't even have to tell her, sometimes we just sit there watching TV or something, and suddenly she asks "WHAT did you get?" :-)

Also, I must admit, I couldn't resist the electric helicopter. I did do lots of research, but had to fall for the temptation. But damned if I can fly the thing!

"Also, I must admit, I couldn't resist the electric helicopter. I did do lots of research, but had to fall for the temptation. But damned if I can fly the thing! "

which one did you get ? I have been looking at those but have held off because I would have the same problem of not being able to fly it.

Hm, it seems there's quite a lot of electric helicopter junkies or wannabes here. I was looking at ECO-8 with directional gyro. I guess I would better buy training landing gear and power cord for those first several hundred hover attempts .

How difficult are those things to fly, actually? Any pointers to other models? PErhaps we should start another thread for this...

Mine was pretty difficult until I figured out that the Raptor's built in pitch guage and instructions were faulty. After adjusting that, (and wasting a gallon of fuel before figuring that out), it's much easier to control.

Still hovering, no forward flight yet, but I'm getting there.

Greg

I used to irk my girlfriend to no small degree with my purchases until we had to get separate living arrangements, she gave up after that point about my wast... er, spending money on toys.

Flying an RC Helicopter is no easy task. Imagine this. Hold a pane of glass in both hands and hold it level. Have someone place a marble in the center. Now try to keep the marble in the center by tilting the glass. That's pretty much what it's like to fly an RC Helicopter.

Beofre I purchased mine I purchased Realflight G2 flight simulator. It has a bunch of helicopters for you to learn on and comes with a joystick that is actually a futaba radio controller converted to a serial joystick. Once I was proficiant at the simulator I purchased my real heli. From day one I was able to hover and slowly fly it around. After a couple weekends I was flying fast forward flight without a problem. I highly recommend a simulator unless you are willing to crash your real heli numerous times. Check out http://www.realflight.com.

I have the ECO-8 and I love it. Mine is tricked out with nearly every mod known to man. Aluminum and Carbon Fiber everything, not to mention the must have brushless motor setup. Electric heli's have come along way and can easily stand up to most gas helicopters. Best part is they are quiet, clean and easy to maintain. I even fly mine in my front yard.

Oh, and this goes without saying.. BE CAREFUL AND FLY SMART. RC Helicopters can quickly become a deadly weapon. Imagine a carbon fiber blade traveling at over 300 MPH. OUCH!

I believe starting this month Directv will have both UPN and the WB.

I've been telling myself for two years that I was keeping my basic cable, quietly waiting for just exactly this to occur. Now it has. Sh!t.

Okay, here's the dilemma. I've played with these DirecTiVo boxes before. They rock. But... I have a VCR with built-in "Commercial Advance". It's not perfect, but it's amazingly good. The same sort of technology is in the ReplayTV 4000, and I'd love to have it again. But, I find the idea of saving the raw satellite digital bits far more attractive. But, on the other hand, the ReplayTV 4000 has all these other whizzy features that would be particularly whizzy if I had friends who also had ReplayTV 4000's...

On the other other hand, the DirecTiVo is pretty damn cheap.

On the other^3 hand, my new TV is HDTV-ready (a snazzy 43" Hitachi), and it would be nice to have hi-def input, which the DirecTiVo can't output.


Help!

I think you have too many hands there

Keep in mind that most of the satelite channels are not HDTV quality yet anyhow. With hard drives advancing the way they are, it shouldn't be too hard soon to throw togther a Tivo HDTV version. It's probably still at least two years away though, soypu might as well get something now that works. I personally would advise getting a satelite integrated PVR unit. The commercial skipping feature is nice on the ReplayTV, but on your setup, you want the best quality possible. Being able to save the raw satelite feed will be well worth it.

Hopefully with the merger, SonicBlue can relesae a "Satelite PVR" one day.

Hi,

I got the ECO Ikarus Piccolo (indoor model). And it SURE is small. Batteries are 1/3 of the total weight.

I'm sure it can be flown, but I think this model is rather difficult to fly because it has fixed rotor pitch. So vertial positioning is not done by not by rotor pitch, but solely by rotor speed.

Also the model is so light, that its own turbulence makes takeoffs hard, as you have to tell it that you mean it when you do a takeoff. Slowly bringing the helicopter into the air makes it wobble all over the place.

Practice, practice, practice ...

I have looked at a piccolo it is remarkably tiny. I have also read it is hard to fly and not recommend for beginners also I don't have an indoor area large enough to fly one of those.

I have been looking at the lite machines corona
http://www.litemachines.com/ anyone heard anything bad about this one besides the recall on the spedo.

I think I want an electric one just to make it easier I know those glow engines can be hard to get tuned (at least they are on the cars)

I haven't had any problems with tuning my glow engine ... i got the raptor with the engine pre-installed. If it's hot outside and it won't start, it probably isn't rich enough, click it a couple of times. If it's cold outside and it's not wanting to start, it's too rich, make it thinner by clicking it back a couple of times.

It's not as precise as cars. Cars have to be just right or they overheat or run crappy ... helis have a big huge built in fan circulating air all around it, overheating isn't a real problem.

The downside is that you can't fly it in the house ... but as big as this thing is, it barely fits in the house anyway.

I highly recommend the Raptor ... cheap and so far so good with learning to fly and operate.

Greg

Hi,

I have two Kyosho Inferno off-road buggies with Novarossi engines. They're a pain in the a... to tune, until you get the feel of it.

Nitro engines aren't really that hard to operate, when you finally realise that they are simple by design. I've seen people holding a starter to a car for over a minute. If it doesn't start within 5-10 seconds, it doesn't start. So troubleshoot - it's either the fuel line, clogged up filter, bad glow plug or wrong adjustments.

But electric engines seem more reliable (I only have nitro car experience), and I prefer electrical helicopter over nitro helicopter for that reason.

Also I do not like the idea of 10 kilograms of rotating blades coming straight at me if something goes wrong. :-)

Know anyone who's got one and is willing to demonstrate it to your wife?

I got my dad one of those a year and a half ago for his birthday. He took it out of the wrapping and declared it crap in his cranky old man way. (I wanted to wring his neck, as I paid what was at the time on my burger waitress salary, a HUGE sum of money for the unit and the lifetime service).

I hooked it up about a week later ande showed him how to work it. The next day, he was on the phone with his friends like an over excited 8 year old with a new toy. They had to come over and see this thing. Almost all of them gt a tivo from their wives for christmas that year (some of them have yet to get a hold of that remote since).

She's gotta see one in action. Like an empeg.

My wife complains at each gadget I get and then wants to use it all the time. (Well, not the powertools but certainly the PC's, Empeg and music stuff)

I haven't figured out how to explain the Dinan Stage II supercharger in my car. So I don't. I figure I'll jump off that bridge when I get there. I can just see it, "Well honey, it gets me home faster from work so I can spend more time with you and the kids". SLAP!! #%$#@! bollocks up side the head.

Shhhhh don't tell my wife.
--Andrew

I've got the MS Hornet helicopter. Great little model and flyer, and it uses a transmissioned tail rotar (as opposed to the seperate tail motor on some models). This gives it characteristics closer to flying the "big" models.

I have a .30 Hawk II Nitro heli as well. The engine wasn't much trouble to break in, and it runs as sweet as honey each and every time. One quick pop of the starter and off I go!

Also, I have a GWS Tiger Moth slow-flyer electric plane. Quiet, slow, aerobatic (with my wing mod, email me if anyone wants details/pics).

The best part of electric flying is the ability to do it anywhere with no complaints from folks about noise, etc. My Nitro chopper can be flown at the local school-yard (sans kids, of course, it's a deadly bugger), the Hornet can be flown inside the house (just watch for backwash from furniture!), and the Tiger Moth can be flown in the street out front.

Great models all, and I HIGHLY recommend the Hornet if you're looking into Helis. I've damaged it twice and it's VERY durable and easy to repair. http://www.hornet-heli.com has good info, and I ordered mine from Hobby-Lobby. They know their stuff.

BTW, the RealFlight sim is a must have for practice. Even the electrics will run into the $400US range for everything, makes every crash a potentially depressing event.

Ok, you guys may or may not believe this, but right now my wife is DYING to get a Tivo, I'm the one saying no!

Of course, I don't mind getting the latest gadgets, and she will get her wish as soon as we get the money together (I can't complain too much since I just dropped money down for my empeg), but I just don't watch much TV. I haven't finished watching the DVD's I got for Chrismas yet (maily because I've been fooling around with my Empeg).

As far as permission goes, we discuss everything and that works out real well for us (though she's going to have to wait another paycheck for her Tivo).

(My wife is standing behind me and says if you want your wifes to get a Tivo, get them hooked on a soap!)

Are the new Replay units dual tuner?

Calvin

Re: Realflight .. I've wanted to get this for some time, but it was either that or a real chopper ... that software is so damned expensive!

One day I'll get it, but not at today's prices ...

g

According to my friend, you could have bought another car for the price of that Supercharger... How the heck do you hide something like that?

This thread is just too funny. It seems like Empeg owners are a bunch of Tivo-luvving RCers.

I haven't worked out how to tell my wife I just dropped $108 on an aux in converter for my VW head unit so I can use my Empeg when it arrives. It was either that or installing a new amp in my car which would have been more costly...
I managed to convince her on the Empeg with the "1/3 of original cost" and the "I've wanted one for 4 years and it's been EOL'ed" arguments, but I'm still getting some minor grief...She keeps telling me that I have to buy her a $400 valentine gift. I keep reminding her that I paid for the Empeg, and she's welcome to spend $400 of her money on anything she likes.

Heheheh ... The wife is very happy, I just gave her a 20Gig Empeg for her birthday. She's coveted mine for a while now. Hopefully this will put off the Eclipse Trainer ($400) she wants for a month or two.

Greg

Hello fellow gadget freaks. I notice some of you like RC heli's well it was a toss up between empeg or this for me...

http://www.draganfly.com

Empeg won hands down, still keep an eye on the Draganflyer III though.

BTW I advise getting a girlfriend who llives 260 miles away like me, get all the good bits and no nagging, but not good if you have a high sex drive I can tell you.

Cris

Or, from the same site, we got one of the large RC indoor blimps for my brother. And he has an empeg! See, too much money gets you too many toys.

(thinks - hmm, I must get more money)

My wife and I got the Echostar branded TIVO with DISH network, and she is absolutely in love with it (I am to). I would recommend it to anyone who watches any amount of TV. And hey, it's pretty cool to have instant reply during the Olympics...

Ditto, We have a nook in our living area that my wife was convinced should be occupied by an armoire, but her cousin convinced her to by a projection TV that would fill it up (gotta love the in-laws...). Anyhow, its nice to have a spouse that appreciates the conveniences of modern technology. I even convinced her she needs a Empeg in her Passat, now I just have to rip&encode all her CDs...