How-to: Stream music through your TiVo

TiVos rumored HD model seems almost as good as vaporware these days, so its a good thingyour existing Series 2 still has a few tricks left up its sleeve. For example, your PC can broadcast audio from theSirius web site and then stream it to your TiVo. The beauty of this hack is that you can actually transmitany audio playing on or through your PC, such as those DRM-encumbered tunes provided by Yahoo!, Napster, orother PlaysForSure services.

Youll need a few pieces of software to pull this off. Winamp will monitor yoursound card and pass the audio to SHOUTcast server software. The SHOUTcast server then rebroadcasts the audio fromyour PC to TiVo. In theory, TiVos Desktop software can stream MP3 broadcasts to your TiVo. In reality, TiVosrecorder isnt very fault tolerant and your TiVo server software may crash while attempting to pass networkedstreams. Therefore, youll use Galleons proxy to serve audio to the TiVo. Click to read the rest of this weeksHow-To!

THE SETUP

Install SHOUTcast Server

1. Download SHOUTcast server
2. Install SHOUTcast serverusing default options

Install Winamp

1. Download Winamp Lite
2. Install Winamp Lite using default options
   (You may not want to associate music files with Winamp and you may want to indefinitely skipregistration...)
3. Close Winamp

Install DSP Plug-in

1. DownloadSHOUTcast DSP plug-in
2. Install plug-in using default options
3. Launch Winamp
4. Click Ctrl-P
5. ClickDSP/Effect in left pane
6. Click Nullsoft SHOUTcast Source DSP in right pane

7. Click on the Input tab
8. Select Soundcard Input from the Input Device drop-down menu
9. Select 44100Hz, Stereo from the Input Settings drop-down menu
10. Click the Open Mixerbutton
11. If Stereo Mix isnt available on the audio Recording Control panel
    Click Options >Properties
    Check Stereo Mix
12. Under Stereo Mix check the Select box and raise the volume at leasthalf way
13. Close Mixer windows
14. Click on the Encoder Tab
15. Select 128kbps,44,100khz, Stereo from the drop-down menu

16. Click on the Outputtab
17. Check Connect at Startup
18. Type the default password, changeme, in the Passwordbox
19. Click on the Yellowpages button
20. Clear out the text boxes and uncheck Make this serverpublic
21. Close Winamp

Create m3u file

1. Create a textfile
2. Add these lines, substituting your PCs IP address but keeping the default SHOUTcast port of8000:
   #EXTM3U
   #EXTINF:-1,01 - Sirius
   http://192.168.1.104:8000
3. If you dontknow your IP,
   Go to Start > Run
   Type cmd and click OK
   Typeipconfig
4. Save your file as Sirius.m3u

Install Galleon

1. Download and install the TiVo Desktop if youre not already runningit

2. Download Galleon
3. Install Galleon using default options
4. Check Launch configurator and click OK
5. Click File > New App
6. Select Playlists from Typedrop-down menu
7. Click OK

8. Type Sirius Stream inName field
9. Click the ellipse button and browse to sirius.m3u
10. Click Add
11. ClickApply
12. Close Galleon configuration utility

THE PAYOFF

1. BothGalleon and TiVo services should automatically start

2. LaunchSHOUTcast DNAS
3. Launch Winamp
4. Log on to Sirius and choose your station
5. On TiVoCentral, select Music, Photos, & More
6. Select Playlists

7. SelectSirius Stream > Sirius > Play

Notes

If you run into problems, make sureyour SHOUTcast and Galleon ports are available through any PCfirewall software you may be running. Additionally, you may have to futz with the options in your sound cardsRecording applet to pass the audio. If use the Voume Control applet to lower the sound on your PC, youll alsolower the volume on your TiVo. Therefore, you should lower the volume on your external speakers only. Eventually youmay want to modify various SHOUTcast DNAS settings (C:\Program Files\SHOUTcast\sc_serv.ini), such as password andport, using the guide found here.

Thesoftware referenced in this tutorial is also available for OSX, so in theory it will work on your Mac... though wewouldnt count on it. We havent forgotten the DirecTV TiVo owners in the house – if youve hacked your box,JavaHMO will stream audio in lieu of Galleon.

Those of you withXM subscriptions may want to check out XM Portal, aTiVo HME app under development for recording, playback, and channel control.