tivonet, is it worth it?

[ThePith1@a...]

Hi,
My DIRECTV tivo unit should arrive next week and I am trying to decide if 
this whole tivonet (or turbo net) is worth it. 
My reason for wanting tivonet in the first place is video extraction to 
video CD archive. I am very familiar with video CD and conversion so that 
isn't an issue.
I have a fast PC running windows XP with lots of harddrive space, and I 
consider myself pretty confident with poking around the inside of my 
computer.
I do not know LINUX and hear that video extraction isn't very reliable. 
i.e.- most video extraction end up with artifacts, or messed up audio and 
only after trying to sandwich two extracted streams from your tivo unit.
I am looking for something that might be a little complicated at first but 
once it is established I could just simply call up my tivo unit and pull some 
videos. Is this realistic or not?
And if it is, where do I find the most current, clear, and concise 
information on how-to?
Thank you,
-Lary