Until recently, my iTunes media has been trapped on my PC without any easy path to my television. Apple offers some great solutions, using an AppleTV or connecting a Mac Mini to my big screen would provide a great viewing experience. However, we already have a Tivo and rely on this for just about everything – so it seems like this would be a good place to start.
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We recently upgraded from a Philips Tivo Series 1 to a new HD model with networking and the ability to record HDTV. Using iTivo on my Mac it was pretty straightforward to take some TV shows off the new Tivo and copy them to an iPhone for viewing on-the-go. Going in the other direction, however, it was going to be easier for me to setup my Linux server to host the videos as this has plenty of storage and is always available.
It is an FCC requirement for cable companies to support CableCARD. The idea behind this is a consumer can purchase their own set-top box (TiVo or Windows Media Center) and use it interchangeably with different cable providers simply by plugging in a CableCARD adapter. In other words, it frees the consumer from a limited selection of hardware the cable companies have traditionally offered and allows you to purchase your own home media center and record anything you want.