Saving programs that are on a DVR

[DoYouKubuntu]

Has anyone here successfully copied shows from a DVR to DVD? I want to do that, but am not sure about...anything. First of all, let me explain WHY I want to do this: the DVRs I have, which are provided by DirecTV, seem to have a lifespan of only ~2 years. After that, they go belly up, just like that, with no warning, just one day they're dead. And every time that happens I lose all the programs I had saved...and I saved them because I WANTED them. DirecTV always tells me there's nothing they can do, there's no way to transfer recordings from one DVR to another, etc., and I always say, "nonsense! they're just files stored on a hard drive!" But that's where it ends, with all my programs lost. So I want to back up some programs on DVD, for the next time the inevitable happens and I lose everything on one of the DVRs. I'm not going to sell bootleg DVDs or anything like that; I just want backups I can use later.

With all that said, here's the very first article I've looked at regarding how to accomplish this. Can anyone confirm that its instructions actually work, or should work? I don't want to invest in a DVD recorder, cables, etc., if it's not even going to work, you know? (BTW, I'd rather use an existing recorder, i.e., the DVD drives in my laptops, but they don't have the ports referred to in the article, at least not where I can see them.)

PS I've been having work done around the house and have been preoccupied with that lately. I've had the house painted a beautiful, cheerful color, plus I had awnings removed and that made a dramatic difference in its appearance; I realized they had given the house a very dated look, so off they went!

[vinnywright]

that looks like it should work ,,,,,I do not have DVR eq. so I cant say for sure ,,,but sounds rite.

you should read the owners manual for the DVR ,,,I think some of them do have a way to transfer recorded content to a flash drive or external media ,,,,,,but then just something I think I remember hearing .

VINNY

[DoYouKubuntu]

Thanks, Vinny. Unfortunately, the only "owner's manuals" I have for the DVRs are the DirecTV manuals on how to use them.

I remember poking around on one of them a while back, and saw what appeared to be a USB port. I wonder what would happen if I connected it to one of my laptops? Since most DVRs are running Linux, I'd expect to see a Linux filesystem staring back at me, right?

[sithlord48]

i would find the model and look for the real manual .
if you can't copy from it over the usb I would expect it to have a harddrive so you can pull that and copy that way.

[SecretCode]

Unfortunately some DVRs have their USB ports (carefully put in by the hardware manufacturer) hobbled by media company for murky rights management reasons.

Fortunately that might not apply to yours ...

[DoYouKubuntu]

i would find the model and look for the real manual .

I'll try to find them.

if you can't copy from it over the usb I would expect it to have a harddrive so you can pull that and copy that way.

The last time I took one of them apart--six years ago--its hard drive was HUGE, and it wouldn't have fit into any of my desktops, laptops or external enclosures.

[SecretCode]

The last time I took one of them apart--six years ago--its hard drive was HUGE, and it wouldn't have fit into any of my desktops, laptops or external enclosures.

[DoYouKubuntu]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6392[/ATTACH]

[lcorken]

You may have an ESATA port on the back of the unit. I haven't tried to hook one up so can't say how or if it would work. Try google "direct tv esata".

Ken.

[DoYouKubuntu]

You may have an ESATA port on the back of the unit. I haven't tried to hook one up so can't say how or if it would work. Try google "direct tv esata".

Thanks, Ken, I'll check. By the way, I'm assuming you mean to Google "DirecTV esata" since I have DirecTV.

[dibl]

Has anyone here successfully copied shows from a DVR to DVD?

Yes. I didn't do it exactly like your article, but if you substitute "your computer with a PVR card" for "your DVD recorder", that's what I did. I had an old Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 card which is no longer supported by the Linux driver software, so I had to put it in a Windows 7 computer and use the Windows driver. I saved the shows to a hard drive, then converted those files to ISO images and burned the DVDs.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Yes. I didn't do it exactly like your article, but if you substitute "your computer with a PVR card" for "your DVD recorder", that's what I did. I had an old Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 card which is no longer supported by the Linux driver software, so I had to put it in a Windows 7 computer and use the Windows driver. I saved the shows to a hard drive, then converted those files to ISO images and burned the DVDs.

Excellent. Thanks for sharing.

Since I don't have a PVR card, and think the hassle of going that route would be too much, I think I'll go with buying a DVD recorder, plus appropriate cables, and try it that way. It's funny, but one of my DVRs kind of hiccuped yesterday--it stuttered when I was watching something I'd recorded--and I thought, OH NO! better hurry up and do this project!

[oshunluvr]

Those USB ports are usually either only for service (file uploads) or on more modern units, the Tivos might play videos file from the USB.

If your Tivo has the red-white-yellow or s-video connectors, a DVD recorder should work. Of course, the recordings would be at 480p and basic stereo audio.

Just so you're aware, technically what you're trying to do is against your licensing agreement with DirectTV and Tivo and probably - make that likely - illegal under copyright laws. That's why it's so hard to do. You can buy a DirectTV Tivo from WeaKnees and then at least have legal access to the hardware. Even then, I'm willing to bet the recordings are encrypted or in a proprietary format and this includes those on any esata drives.

I went through this years ago (like more than a decade) and never really got anywhere. I eventually cut the cord and went to broadcast TV anyway and bought an OTA DVR that recorded in mpeg2.

Your only other real option is to get an HDMI capture card for a PC, get an HDMI splitter/processor that removes HDCP from HDFury, and re-record your shows onto your PC. Since you're breaking the law anyway, have you looked into downloading the shows you're archiving? Although, 2+ year-old shows will probably be hard to find unless they were wildly popular or had a cult following.

[DoYouKubuntu]

I definitely DO NOT want to do anything illegal. I actually hadn't even thought about any agreement with DirecTV in terms of not being able to make backup copies of shows I've recorded. If that's true--and I suspect it is--then scratch this project. I'll just wait for the next DVR to die, lose everything I'd saved on it, and carry on...again. (I still don't understand why DirecTV can't/won't transfer the contents of one DVR to another. Seems like a no-brainer to me.)

[oshunluvr]

Blame the legality issues on the MPAA and TV studios. They don't want you viewing content they own unless they're controlling when and how. You can also blame congress for allowing all the restrictions they've allowed to be put in place like DRM and HDCP - which effectively render any TV or recording device older than just a few years useless.

For example, I have an old (12 years) but perfectly functioning plasma monitor with a single HDMI port. I cannot watch Netflix using my Roku box on the monitor even though I legally own all the devices and am paying for legal access through Netflix. This is not technical progress, it's lockdown of content to the point of it being unviewable unless you constantly buy new devices. It's rather like unreasonable search-and-seizure. I am pre-convicted of being a pirate of content (if I CAN record a show, I must be doing it and then distributing it illegally) just because I don't want to replace an otherwise functional monitor. The content providers are conspiring with the device makers to force you to spend more money. In my case, I chose to buy a device that allows my HDMI connection to work with HDCP so I can continue to use my monitor.

There have been occasional successful push backs against this sort of thing, but rarely - like cell phone manufacturers are no longer allowed to claim it's illegal for you to modify the software on your phone like they once did. Your only real choices are to comply with their restrictions, find alternatives, or break the law. None of which are optimal. Until congress sees consumers the people as who they should be protecting instead of corporations this is how it will be.