What use old TiVO hardware?

buss_error writes: "I have old TiVO hardware that I'd like to reuse — however, I find in searching that the most frequent reply is "Don't cheat TiVO!"
I don't want to cheat TiVO — In fact, I'd like to nuke the drive with a completely open source distro with no TiVO drivers at all.
Some uses I'd find interesting:

A PVR for security cams
A PVR for a drive cam
A unit for weather reporting
FAX/Telephone
Power monitor for the home
Other home automation

Again — I would prefer a completely TiVO free install — this is because I have major issues with TiVO and don't want the slightest
taint if their intellectual property. But since I paid for the hardware, I'd like to wring some use of it rather than simply put it in the landfill.
I won't give it away for some other person to experience my issues with TiVO — I'll throw it away before I'd do that."