ppp extraction

[ThePith1@a...]

Hey, I am nervous about cracking open my tivo and voiding my warranty 
(especially because my DSR6000 might have a problem) So I was wondering if it 
is possible to do video extraction from a PPP (obviously a lot slower) then I 
could get a taste of it before I take the big plunge.
Also, where do I find good, clear documentation on this? I seem to find 
info on getting a bash prompted, but don't I have to create some kind of 
special cable for the connection first? 
thanks,
-Lary