TiVo Recording File Formats TY TY-Plus TMF
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Overview
When extracting files from a TiVo using Mfs_ftp or similar, the extracted files are stored in one of three formats: TY, TY+, or TMF. CCX is an additional format for compatibility with Xbox Media Center.
Shows are not stored as single files on the TiVo hard disk; they are stored in a database. Because of this, you can not use the standard TiVo FTP server to browse the file system and find shows. Mfs_ftp reads this database and extracts show details, which are then presented as shows that can be downloaded when you connect to MFS_FTP. After connecting, it is possible to download shows in various formats (*.tmf, *.ty+, *.ty, *.ccx).
TY
Ty files are not recommended for extraction because they have no advantage over Ty+ files; extract Ty+ files instead.
Ty files are the simplest format. They raw audio and video mpeg streams combined together into one large file.
TY+
When extracting and converting video, TY+ files are generally the best format.
Ty+ files are similary to Ty files with one addition. All of the TiVo recording information for an extracted file is stored in an XML file and appended to the end of the TY file to make it a TY+ file. This allows a file to be re-inserted back into the TiVo and maintain all of the information relating to the recording (Show title, description, etc.)
TMF
When extracting files to be inserted back into a TiVo without modification, TMF files are generally the best format.
TMF files are really TAR archives with multiple files within. TMF files contain the individual chunks of a show as it was extracted from the TiVo mfs database. The TMF files also contain an individual XML file containing show details. To convert a TMF file into a TY file, untar the TMF file and perform a binary join on each of the individual files within the archive.
CCX
CCX files can be used by Xbox Media Center to play TiVo shows on a hacked (original version) Xbox.
Converting between formats
- See Ty1to2 for details on how to convert Series 1 Ty/Ty+ files to a format that can be re-inserted and played on a Series 2.
- See this DealDatabase.com thread for info converting between formats: http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44588
