# Install tivodecode with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix Convert .tivo to .mpeg. Version 0.2pre4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:tivodecode ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install tivodecode ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install tivodecode ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: multimedia/tivodecode/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#tivodecode ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ti/tivodecode/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:tivodecode - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.2pre4 - **Source summary:** Convert .tivo to .mpeg - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause AND LicenseRef-Homebrew-cannot-represent - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - tdcat (cli) - tivodecode (cli) - tdcat (alias) - tivodecode (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.2pre4 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://tivodecode.sourceforge.net/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage tivodecode is a portable command-line decoder for TiVoToGo recordings. Its official project page describes it as converting a .TiVo file into a normal MPEG file when given the Media Access Key for the TiVo that recorded it. ### Project history The project grew out of the TiVoToGo era, when TiVo provided Windows-oriented access paths but users on Unix-like systems wanted a file-and-pipe friendly tool. The official site positions tivodecode as providing the same kind of access as TiVo's DirectShow-based Windows path, but in portable C and on the command line. SourceForge lists the project as registered on 2006-11-30 and categorized as a video converter written in C. The project remained small and specialized, but its 0.1.4 release added support for reading the MAK from ~/.tivodecode_mak, matching its common batch-conversion usage. ### Adoption history Adoption was concentrated among TiVo hobbyists, Linux and Mac users, and people building personal DVR export workflows. The official site points users to related TiVo tools such as Galleon for downloading recordings and to third-party tools or GUIs built around tivodecode. The supplied package-manager facts show the tool packaged by Homebrew, MacPorts, and Nix, which fits its long-tail role as a niche media utility kept available for users with old .TiVo archives or TiVoToGo workflows. ### How it is used The typical use case is decoding a downloaded .TiVo program stream to MPEG after obtaining the file from the TiVo's built-in web server or another TiVo transfer tool. The official documentation notes that the valid MAK is still required and that the tool is not intended to bypass TiVo protection. For package users, tivodecode is mostly a scriptable terminal utility: it can run on files or pipes, can read the MAK from ~/.tivodecode_mak, and is useful when a GUI media stack is too heavy for a conversion job. ### Why package nerds care tivodecode matters to package collectors because it is a classic example of a small, legally constrained interoperability utility that survived through package managers long after its original consumer-device moment passed. Its appeal is not broad media conversion, but preserving access to a particular proprietary container in reproducible Unix workflows. ### Timeline - 2006-11-30: SourceForge project registered. - 0.1.4: Current release documented on the official site, adding ~/.tivodecode_mak support. - 2017-11-16: SourceForge project page lists the last update date. ### Related projects - TiVoToGo is the TiVo feature that produced the .TiVo files tivodecode targets. - Galleon is recommended by the official tivodecode site as an open-source SourceForge tool for downloading recordings on non-Windows platforms. - DirectShowDump and TiVo's DirectShow DLL are cited by the official site as the Windows-oriented functional counterpart. ### Sources - - - source_facts.package-manager for Homebrew, MacPorts, and Nix packaging ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: ~/.tivodecode_mak ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.tivodecode_mak ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** tivodecode - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - tivodecode: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ti/tivodecode/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - MacPorts - tivodecode: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: multimedia/tivodecode/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Media and graphics packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/media-graphics-tools/) - Matched media, image, audio, video, or graphics metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [gifify](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gifify/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, conversion, media, video. - [mjpegtools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mjpegtools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, media, mpeg, video. - [mkvtomp4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mkvtomp4/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, conversion, media, video. - [mpegdemux](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mpegdemux/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, media, mpeg, video. - [mpgtx](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mpgtx/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, media, mpeg, video. - [smpeg](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/smpeg/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, media, mpeg, video. - [smpeg2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/smpeg2/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, media, mpeg, video. - [bento4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bento4/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, media, video. - [libquicktime](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libquicktime/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: cli, media, video. - [fig2dev](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fig2dev/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, conversion, media. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/tivodecode.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/tivodecode.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph