June 3, 2005 10:54 AM

Enhanced InstantCake Support

The PTVnet CD configuration tool is expected to be used in conjunction with a one or two drive set configured with 6.2 of the operating environment. For those using InstantCake, or those with their own 6.2 backup, the CD boot scripts will give the user the option to supply one or two blank drives, and execute a support script (an enhanced version of the standard InstantCake software) to restore the image to the new drive set.

In addition to this giving the end-user the opportunity to create a drive set utilizing the full capacity of the supplied drives, additional support options are also embedded into the build script -- user may choose to not expand their drive image, and/or not increase the default size of swap space. This can be useful if restoring to an original-sized TiVo drive is required; a current "shortcoming" of the standard InstantCake build scripts.

Advanced Features

Other advanced features of the PTVnet CD and the configuration scripts allow for the enabling / disabling of ptv_flags read by system startup files at TiVo boot time. The full structure and syntax of ptv_flags and the supporting flag_swap script will be documented and supported in a separate thread at a later date. Flags configurable by the PTVnet CD installation include automatic enable/disable of TELNET, FTP, DHCP (static may be configured via remote access with additional instructions to follow), FIRSTIME boot (InstantCake or 3rd party image builds alleviates requirement for clear and delete everything), AUTOMATIC upgrade of software (allows prevention of auto upgrade to preserve existing hacks until future OS releases are supported), and other potential 'aftermarket' hacks TBD.

Sources of Material

For the most part, the PTVnet software CD contains freely and publically available components found at popular enthusiasts' sites such as DDB and TCF. Some of the technology is exclusively licensed for commercial redistribution, but is also freely and publically available for end-users. Much of the CD's value contains hand-coded scripts designed to seamlessly integrate and implement components of the application, as such work is no longer considered to be trivial by all but those with advanced technical capabilities, and extreme patience.

Supported Models

The EXCLUSIVE list of supported models is as follows:

Series2 SD DirecTV DVR systems:

[list]
[*]Hughes HDVR2
[*]Hughes SD-DVR40, SD-DVR80, SD-DVR120
[*]Philips DSR7000
[*]Philips DSR704, DSR708
[*]RCA DVR39
[*]RCA DVR40, DVR80, DVR120
[*]Samsung SIR-S4040R, SIR-S4080R, SIR-S4120R
[/list]

Other models may be supported in the future. If its not on the list, its not supported.

Screen Shots

Screen shots of the PTVnet Software CD (311e) in operation are viewable here. Note that most, but not all, aspects of operation are depicted; these screen shots are provided to give you an overview of how the product operates and are not intended to be comprehensive support resources. Note that 6.2 screenshots are currently unavailable, but that the operation and content for 6.2 is almost the same.

Ordering Information

The PTVnet Software Utility CD is currently available for 3.1.1e systems and 6.2 systems. It is only distributed as a standard ISO which must be burned to a CD as an image. It can be purchased and downloaded from here.

Online Support

PTVupgrade offers free support resources vis-a-vis our community forums. We do our best to provide good examples and documentation of usage, as well as respond to queries to unique or not-often-repeated questions. We do not offer private (individual) support for any reason or at any price for any DIY utilities. We do offer professional installation services and pre-configured kits for those without the time, patience, or skills to use DIY utilities.

Disclaimer

We have done an extraordinary amount of testing of this product internally. It has been tested on single drive, and dual drive units, and on a range of drive capacities, brands, etc, and we are very comfortable that the product is safe for use in your TiVo. However, with that said, we can make no assurance of your success or the stability of your TiVo once the tools have been installed and are running. We highly recommend that you have a good backup, and the skills/resources to use it should you need to do a full restore of your system. The PTVnet Utility CD has been developed, with the notion that it might be used on previously upgraded systems, and we have tested it in that fashion, but once again we cannot guarantee your recordings and settings will remain intact (if the product is used properly, it should); so PLEASE make sure you have a backup.

For answers to commonly asked questions, please refer to the
InstantCake Instructions and Release Notes,
Official InstantCake Discussion Thread, and the
Official PTVnet Discussion Thread