How to Watch H.264 Videos on TiVo

If you have a TiVo box, you may want to transfer some movie files like in H.264 to TiVo for watching on a big screen. So, the problem here is how to get TiVo to play H.264 files? What format can you convert to preserve the HD quality and still have reasonable file size? Well, in this article we will share an easy way to change H.264 to TiVo compatible format and then upload the videos to your TiVo for great enjoyment.

To stream the H.264 from the computer to TiVo, you need to convert H.264 to a TiVo format MPEG-2 first. TiVos don't have enough CPU or memory to use software codecs, they can only play the file formats that are compatible with the on board hardware decoders. To get the job done, a professional video conversion tool becomes a must. Here we highly recommend Brorsoft Video Converter, which is an all-in-one video converter tool that lets you effortlessly convert your video and audio files from one format to another at ultra-fast speed.

It supports a wide range of formats like TiVo, AVI, VOB, MXF, MTS, MPEG, WMV, MP4, FLV, 3GP, MKV, etc., and includes presets for popular devices like iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Nook Tablets, Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus 7/10, etc. With it, you can encode H.264 files for watching on TiVo with ease. What's more, the built-in editor lets you personalize your videos before the conversion. If you're using a Mac, simply turn to Brorsoft Video Converter for Mac, which allows you to convert H.264 files to TiVo on Mac OS X (including Yosemite and El Capitan). Now download the right version and follow the tips below to finish your task.

Download H.264 file converter:

How to convert H.264 to TiVo format

Step 1: Install and launch the H.264 to TiVo converter. As long as you launch it, the following main interface will pop up. Now you can click on "Add" button to import H.264 files which you want to convert into this program.

Tip: If you want to join all the h.264 files you loaded as a single file, you can tick checkbox "Merge into one file".

Step 2: Hit the drop-down list of "Format" to choose "Common Video -> MPEG-2 Video(*.mpg) as the best format.

Tip: If necessary, you can click Settings icon to adjust video and audio parameters like codec, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, etc., in that way, you can take charge of the size and quality of the output files.

Step 3: As soon as all the above settings are completed, you can press "Convert" button to start H.264 to MPEG-2 conversion for transferring to TiVo box. Once the conversion is done, simply click "Completed" to back to main interface, and click "Open" button to locate the generated output videos.

Step 4: Now it's time to transfer the output videos from your PC to TiVo.

To transfer home videos from your PC on your home network to your TiVo media device, you must have purchased the Home Networking Package, and downloaded and installed the TiVo Desktop 2.8 software (which comes as part of the Home Networking Package).

1. On your PC, open My Documents > My TiVo Recordings.
2. Copy the videos you wish to transfer to your TiVo into the My TiVo Recordings folder.
3. These will now display in your TiVo Desktop's Now Playing List.
4. On your TiVo, navigate to TiVo Central > Now Playing List.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and select your "Now Playing on [YOUR PC]".
6. Select the video you wish to transfer and follow the screen prompts to begin the transfer.
7. While the video is transferring, a blue light will be lit on your TiVo media device.
8. Once the blue light turns off, the video has finished transferring. You can find the transferred video in your TiVo Now Playing List.
9. Enjoy.