How To: Install and Setup

TVHarmony AutoPilot automates the process of downloading TiVo shows and converting them into formats compatible with many video devices. While typically AutoPilot requires little in the way of user interaction on a daily basis, it does take a few minutes to download and setup. This "How To" will describe the steps needed to install and setup TVHarmony AutoPilot.

Step 1: Download the current version

TVHarmony AutoPilot can be downloaded from here. By clicking on the latest version link, your web browser will ask you whether to save or open the executable file. Please select "Open" in the web browser to run the setup installer after it downloads.

Step 2: Installer

After the download is completed and the installer has started running, you will be asked some simple questions. Most people can simply accept the default values. The first screen to appear is the welcome screen. Click "Next" to continue with the installation

Next, please read the licensing agreement carefully, and if you feel comfortable with the terms and conditions, click the "I agree" button to continue.

The next dialog will let you specify the location where you want TVHarmony installed. If you want to change the location, do it now and when you are satisfied with the location, select the "Next" button.

The next dialog will let you change the start up menu folder location. When you are satisfied with your selection, click on the "Install" button to install the software.

When all the files have been installed, a dialog will appear telling you that the installer successfully installed the product. Leave the "Run TVHarmony AutoPilot" checked and hit the "Finish" button to launch AutoPilot and continue with the setup.

Step 3: Configuring AutoPilot for your TiVo

When AutoPilot is launched for the first time, it will present a Welcome dialog. Please read this dialog and select the "Next" button. NOTE: YOU MUST HAVE TIVO DESKTOP 2.1 OR HIGHER INSTALLED to operate AutoPilot so now would be a good time to install it if you haven't already. Go to http://www.tivo.com to download the free Tivo Desktop software.

Next, you'll be asked to enter your TiVo's IP address. Enter it now or select "Auto-Discover" if you want AutoPilot to try and find it on the network automatically. After entering the IP address, select the "Next" button.

The next dialog will ask you for your TiVo's Media Access Key. This can be found on your TiVo or by going to TiVo's website. It is a ten digit number without any space or hyphen characters (Don't confuse the Tivo MAK with a MAC address which is something entirely different.) When you have entered your TiVo Media Access Key, select the "Next" button.

Step 4: Download Options

AutoPilot will now ask you a couple of questions about downloading. First, it will ask you where you want to place downloaded files. We recommend this location to be on a drive with a lot of free disk space attached directly to the computer (as opposed to a network drive for instance). During the conversion process, AutoPilot can take as much as 3 times the file size which for a two hour movie can be as large as 18-20 GB of free space.

Select the location and click on the "Next" button.

Next, AutoPilot will ask you what time you want AutoPilot to download and process new shows. Select a time and click the "Next" button.

Step 5: Default Actions

AutoPilot determines what shows to download and what actions to perform on each downloaded show through the use of "actions" and "rules". These next two dialogs will ask you to setup your actions and rules.

Default Actions specify what should be done to each downloaded show by default. For instance, you may want all your shows converted to Palm format after they are downloaded. You can always override the defaults and create custom actions for each rule, but Default Actions help avoid repetitively adding the same custom rules. To create a new action, click the "New Action button.

When you do, a new entry will be added to the list. You can click on each field of that entry to change the action. For instance, if you click on the "action" field, you can change the default, "Move File" to "Convert to Palm" which will create a new file compatible with a Palm device. Clicking on the "parameter" field lets you select options. Clicking on the "file" field tells AutoPilot which file to act upon. For instance, you can create a "Copy File" action that will either move the original downloaded TiVo file, or select "Result of Action 1" to copy the Palm compatible file. When you are finished adding default actions, click the "Next" button.

Step 6: Setup Rules

Rules are what determine which shows AutoPilot should download and are at the heart of the automation process. This dialog will ask you to create rules for the shows you want to download. Start by clicking the "New" button to create a new rule

To create a rule, follow the steps in the How To: Adding a Rule which details how to create a rule in AutoPilot.

Step 7: Finished

Once you have created your rules, you can just let AutoPilot run quietly in the background. To access AutoPilot in the future, you can click on the television icon located in the system tray (usually in the bottom right corner of your screen). Click on the OK button to finish the setup wizard.