Hacking the TiVo, 2nd Edition

Rating:
Summary: Not applicable for newer Tivos
Review: I didn't give this book 2 stars because it's a bad book; overall this is a well-written book that has a lot of good information for earlier Series1 and Series2 Tivos -- specifically those that have software versions 3.0 and lower. There is some info. for software versions 3.1 and 4.0, but the newest Series2 boxes (as of fall of '04) are already up to s/w version 5.3 and no one has figured out how to really hack into those without unsoldering the PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory) chip, reprogramming it and resoldering it onto the motherboard. (Just look at the hacking forums on tivocommunity.com or dealdatabase.com and search for 5.3 or Series2.5) To see what version of software your Tivo has, just go to the Settings & Messages -> System Information screen.
This book does have a good list of the hidden codes that can be entered via the remote control and they work for almost all versions. But if you're looking to really get into the box and have direct access to the hard-drive, etc., that info. is not yet available for the newest Tivos.