Re: xAP and Tivo..

[Kevin Hawkins <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Stuart wrote:

>
>I've new to xAP and thus prob have missed somethig obvious here.
>
>
Welcome..

>I've seen lots of referances to xAP messages and Tivo, they often
>talk about 'If you don't have a native xAP listener running on your
>networked TiVo' My question is, What is the native xAP listener for
>Tivo and how will it display messages on screen?
>
>
Basically there are three ways to display messages on a Tivo. All really
require the TivoNet card to be installed in your Tivo so you have access
to the Tivo over Ethernet.

1) You run TivoWeb on your Tivo - this application allows messages
to be displayed on the Tivo by posting a message via the http API that
TivoWeb provides. Basically you form the message within data in the URL
and Tivo will display it. This requires no xAP modifications to Tivo,
however it requires a xAP helper application running on a PC to form the
data correctly as a URL  to send to TivoWeb. This application watches
out for 'OSD / display' messages on xAP and converts them for Tivo. I am
not aware of such a xAP application though.

1) You run 'YAC listener'  on your Tivo - this native application allows
messages to be displayed on the Tivo by posting a message via a special
display protocol that it implements. Basically you form the message in
network packet and Tivo will display it. This requires no xAP
modifications to Tivo, however it requires a xAP helper application
running on a PC to form the data correctly as aYAC message  to send to
the YAC listener running on the Tivo. This PC application watches out
for 'OSD / display' messages on xAP and converts them for YAC on
Tivo.Stuart has a xAP application for this hosted on
http://www.xapframework.net

3) A Tivo 'native' application is an application that actually runs
directly on the Tivo box, you have to install it and set it running. xAP
on a Tivo requires two Tivo applications, a xAP hub and the caller ID
/OSD application. If you install these then the Tivo itself watches out
for xAP OSD /display messages and will display them onscreen. It doesn't
need a PC based helper application to be running. I believe Patrick has
a Tivo application and hub at http://patrick.lidstone.net.to do
this.

Once you have one of these solutions installed then you just send a xAP
message using a display / OSD / callerID schema and it will appear on
your Tivo.

Kevin

>Many thanks as always..
>
>Stuart.
>
>
>