TiVo hackers finally figure out how to get MPEG-2 video files off the device. And burn them to CDs, and distribute them over the Internet, and all that. Some TiVo hacker forums explicitly discouraged work towards this goal, lest TiVo, under pressure from the media industry, be forced to crack down on all forms of TiVo hacking. Still, it's always fun to get reassurance that things that seem technologically possible almost always are, and with as little effort as a community of hobbiests can muster. The ExtractStream Yahoo Group is open to discussion of the subject.

Meanwhile, TiVo is suspected of disabling features for non-subscribers. The TiVo device was always meant to have some recording functionality without having to subscribe to their dial-up service, but there is discussion of the version 2.0 software having a nag screen for those not paying a monthly fee.