There seems to be so many ways to download TV shows that people become totally confused with how to do it. Many a times, folks miss an episode or two or wanted to catch a popular TV series but never got the chance to. This is where it makes sense then to download the shows so that they can watch them anytime. There are the video streaming sites, torrent networks, TiVO, P2P and paid download services that make these options available to you and me.



Here are a few steps for you to download TV shows through TiVO. First, you need to go to the menu of TiVO and utilize Messages and Settings. Go to the Media Access Key and look at the number once you have pressed the right arrow key. Log-in TiVO and download TiVO Desktop 2.3 and install the said application. The number you got from step one is actually your Media Access Key.

From TiVO, proceed to Manage My Account and find the menu button where you can choose and set your DVR preferences. Check the box for "Allow Transfers Once". Upon completion of the installation, launch the desktop and click on "Pick Recordings To Transfer".

From the list that is shown, pick the program and initiate the transfer using the "Start Transfer" option. It can take a few hours before the download is complete. By closing other programs that are running on your computer, you can increase the download speeds. Once the download is complete, you can play the show using the "Now Playing" icon.

Sounds easy to download TV shows? Well, this is only one method. There are other methods to do so as well. On the internet, there are many websites that offer these in several media file formats with the most common ones as MOV, AVI, DIVX.

Always make sure you choose the site carefully. One important reason is that some are not authorized. Other than TiVO, you can use LimeWire and P2P file sharing programs. The files are accessed with permission from the network users.

As always, it is best advised to avoid downloading from dubious sources. Be sure to look and scrutinize each website carefully. When using P2P, the only security you can depend on is your own computer's security settings and the PC protection you have installed. Many sites are out to send viruses, adware and spyware to your computer to either spam you with advertisement popups or to spy on your surfing behavior. So, the golden rule is, do not download TV shows if the site is not a reputable one.

The safest option is still to download TV shows from reliable sources like the membership movie download sites. All it takes is to pay a membership fee and you can easily access their frequently updated collection. No hassle, no malware or viruses and no copyright issues.