TiVo Desktop: Shows Go Mobile

If you have a TiVo—and who doesn't these days—then you may be interested in the upgrade for TiVo Desktop 2.3, which allows you to automatically convert your TiVo ToGo transfers into formats you can playback on your iPod, Treo, PSP or other devices that support MPEG-4.

The full version of TiVo Desktop 2.3 for Windows if a free download, but there is a one-time fee of $24.95 for this new upgrade due to a license key that unlocks the conversion features on the desktop application.

TiVo Desktop is great if you want to transfer your recorded shows to your computer. The upgrade just happens to convert those transferred shows into a format that you can load on to your portable devices. Not a bad deal if you don't have time to watch your favorite show at any other time except during your lunch break or while working out at the gym.

I've downloaded TiVo Desktop and the new upgrade, and my only gripe is that it takes a long time for the shows to download from your TiVo to your PC. We are talking hours here. It's definitely not like iTunes, where shows download to your iPod in a matter of minutes.

The auto-transfer feature is the way to go if you don't have the patience to wait for shows to transfer at crawling speeds. I'll post a review in the next few days to let you know more about this upgrade.

TiVo Blog suggests other free video conversion programs such as AutoPilot, Videora or VEMode if you dont' want to pay the $24.95 fee.

In the meantime, if you've already downloaded this upgrade and are already transferring your TiVo shows to your iPods, let me know your impressions in the comments below.