Any way to record off DVR

[pdtricn]

I have been looking into ways to archive my HDTV material on DVR. I know the HDresolution will be lost going to DVD no matter what input, but since my DVR only outputs component video, I thought if a DVD recorder would accept that it would possibly give a good image, better than RF or video cable. Well it looks like that type of input doesn't exist yet on DVD recorders, at least the ones I looked at. Making this more important is the fact that my DVR will not output ordinary video. My main reasons to do this (record from DVR) are:
1. To free up space on DVR.
2. To be able to watch programming on a different source,i.e. portable TV when working in garage.
3. To "back-up" DVR, perhaps get a more "permanent copy" of favorire shows or episodes.

Well as a subscriber to Sound And Vision I got this very thick catalog from a video-pro audio store in NY, and they had listed D-VHS recorders stating they record in HD-TV already! I always liked the tape mode, after all, isn't super VHS superior to most DVD modes except the one hour mode? Well anyway, this is digital tape so supposedly a lossless image, much better obviously than super-VHS. The question is, does this record  through HDMI, and I'll have to see if my DVR (Scientific Atlanta Explorer HD 8000 ) has HDMI output, and that it works. I am not even sure what it HDMI would look like. My unit appears to have DVI in back, not sure if that is input or output....or if it sends a signal for recording through that.

Anyone have any comments, experience with this format? The model listed is a JVC D-VHS HM-DT100.

[Gregg Lengling]

DVI is the predecessor to HDMI and is compatible.  DVI is Digital Video Interface and HDMI is High Definition Multimedia Interface.   Both carry digital Video however HDMI also carries Digital Audio.  With the SA8000 you can send the recordings out the Composite Video port for archiving on tape or DVD (the 8300 also does this but the 8300's output is always on whereas the 8000's must be turned on to do this and only outputs on that port when doing so).

D-VHS recorders do record HD and some have a choice of Component or DVI/HDMI inputs.  Beware though the idea for HDMI is to provide copy protection to certain content.  I've not heard of it being done yet, but the possibility is there for a network to turn on the copy protection flag to stop you from recording to permanent media.

Good luck.

[tekdredger]

D-VHS would be your best route for archiving DVR content, fidelity wise.  Too bad you can't do that with the current state of hardware/firmware offerings from TWC.   Typically D-VHS recorders are connected via IEEE-1394 (firewire) connections, something your SA 8000HD doesn't have.  By the way, the DVI port on the 8000 is not enabled either.  If you upgrade your set-top box to the SA 8300HD you may or may not have firewire ports.  Some boxes have them and others don't.  Unfortunately, at this point in time it doesn't really matter since the Pioneer Passport Echo operating system that TWC Milwaukee uses doesn't support the firewire connection even if the hardware is there. :bang:    Cable companies in some other market areas use ScientificAtlanta's own operating system (SARA) which does support firewire.  Pioneer has been long on promises with upgrades but the wait is frustrating.

So where does this leave you (us)?  At least for right now, I don't know of any reasonable way to archive the HD content residing on the DVR.  You can, however, record downconverted content via the S-video or composite jacks to a standard VCR or DVD recorder.  For the SA 8000HD you need to get the box into "SD" mode first to enable these outputs.  Incidentally, I prefer the "SD" outputs of the 8000 vs the 8300 (I've had several samples of both units).  The 8300 outputs, while more convenient since they are always active, look softer and less detailed and there is some pretty severe overscan.  There was one other trick available but I'm not sure if it applied to the 8000 or not, but it would be easy to test, I've never tried it...When turning on the PIP function, whatever is displayed in the PIP window is also available at the VCR outputs.  It's not HD, but it's about all we can do at this point.

[Doug Mohr]

I've never used a set top DVR so this is just an outside opinion, but has anyone tried to take the drive out of the DVR and look at using a disk editor?

My hunch is that it is simply some sort of UNIX format. I'm thinking, if you put the drive into a removable carrier you can take it out of the DVR and put stuff on your computer.

Like I said, just outside thoughts.

Doug

[tekdredger]

Data on the disk is encrypted.

Another upgrade on the horizon is to simply increase the DVR storage capacity with an external SATA disk.  Again, some SARA versions of the 8300hd have this capability but alas, not the Pioneer Passport Echo we have here in Milwaukee.

[The Law]

but has anyone tried to take the drive out of the DVR and look at using a disk editor?

Starting to stray off-topic...but...could you remove the DVR hard drive, ghost it to a larger, say 120gig, drive, extend the partition and plug install that back into the DVR.

Note:  I'm just askin'.  This is Time Warner's equipment and is not to be tampered with.  But...I wonder if it could be done....

[TPK]

Starting to stray off-topic...but...could you remove the DVR hard drive, ghost it to a larger, say 120gig, drive, extend the partition and plug install that back into the DVR.

Note:  I'm just askin'.  This is Time Warner's equipment and is not to be tampered with.  But...I wonder if it could be done....

I haven't heard anything about anyone successfully hacking a cable DVR box...  Dish boxes running the TiVo software is another matter entirely ...

Before I had the cable company's DVR, I had a ReplayTV...  If I didn't make the move to HD, I would probably still have a ReplayTV today...  If you are interested in moving video from a DVR to your PC (or to a DVD) you might want to look at ReplayTV...

The nice thing about ReplayTV is that it networked into your home network directly and out of the box (as opposed to TiVo units, which had to be hacked and then converted from USB to ethernet)... Then with some simple and free PC based software, you could move shows (already in Mpeg-2) from the unit to your PC...  From there you could watch the show on your PC, or even archive it off to DVD...

It was nice to have that kind of freedom to record and to watch the video from any device anywhere...  

Anyhow, I have hopes that one day the cablecard will change all that  And perhaps we may have the option of purchasing 3'rd party devices (like ReplayTV) to tune into our digital cable as easily as we can use 3'rd party devices today to tune into our analog cable...  Or PERHAPS even having the option of building OUR OWN DVR boxes with a computer and a cable-card compatible PC-card tuner (wow, will I live to see the day??)...   I think its just a matter of time (perhaps 10 years?)

Unfortunately, being locked into the cable company's DVR box, your sorta stuck using their software and living with their limitations (unless you perform some sort of hack, which again I don't think anyone has done, although I could be wrong)...

[Mark Strube]

Starting to stray off-topic...but...could you remove the DVR hard drive, ghost it to a larger, say 120gig, drive, extend the partition and plug install that back into the DVR.

Note:  I'm just askin'.  This is Time Warner's equipment and is not to be tampered with.  But...I wonder if it could be done....

The drive that comes with the 8300HD is already 160gb... but I don't see why the ghost method wouldn't work.

[waterhead]

Or PERHAPS even having the option of building OUR OWN DVR boxes with a computer and a cable-card compatible PC-card tuner (wow, will I live to see the day??)... I think its just a matter of time (perhaps 10 years?)

You must have missed this topic:

Microsoft: Cablecard for Xmas 2006

[Mark Strube]

Forget that... the current generation TiVo's are just now getting some really cool features added (photo slideshows, local weather & traffic, movie times/tickets, live365 music, podcast support)... by the time they come out with an HD box with CableCARD support... that'll be the one I buy.

(I don't like Microsoft. )

[waterhead]

You must just like paying monthly fees.

[Mark Strube]

Yeah, me and my whole family just jump with joy when the cable bill comes. In fact, we throw a big bill party every month... invite all our closest friends... and if the price went up... Well then we break out the spit, cook a pig that we slaughtered earlier that day, and do tribal dances around a 2-story high bonfire while singing pagan chants into the night.

...No. I just don't need another computer running Windows that's going to crash on me, just to avoid some monthly fee that I wouldn't have anyways because I'd buy the lifetime membership. :wave:

[waterhead]

Hit a nerve, have I?

I have several computers running Windows, and they NEVER crash on me. You must be doing something wrong.

[Mark Strube]

I have several computers running Windows, and they NEVER crash on me. You must be doing something wrong.

I did do something wrong... I bought Windows. I do a lot of work with video editing & encoding... you haven't experienced the true joys of windows until you've put it to the test, my friend. The only reason I chose windows and I'm still on windows is because believe it or not, they have more & better tools for doing video stuff... Mac has fewer but does it better.

If I was going to build my own DVR box it'd be MythTV... I'll never touch Media Center.

[TPK]

I did do something wrong... I bought Windows. I do a lot of work with video editing & encoding... you haven't experienced the true joys of windows until you've put it to the test, my friend. The only reason I chose windows and I'm still on windows is because believe it or not, they have more & better tools for doing video stuff... Mac has fewer but does it better.

If I was going to build my own DVR box it'd be MythTV... I'll never touch Media Center.

Now that this thread has officially gone off-topic, I will now make things worse with a question/suggestion...  (perhaps we can move part of this thread somewhere else?)

Have you reloaded your computer with the operating system fresh, or are you just using the system load that came with the computer when you purchased it??

I have found that in most cases the real culprit to unstable and slow computer systems is not the computer itself, or even the operating system (Windows XP for all its faults is actually quite stable I think)...   I have found that in most cases the REAL problem exists with the computer vendor (DELL, Sony, HP, etc..) and the horrendeous things they load onto the computer before they ship it out...  I think they do this on purpose, because they know that in a year your computer will be too slow to use, and you will go out and buy a new one even though you don't really need to....

The best thing you can do is backup your stuff, FORMAT your hard drive to blank, and load up the Windows operating system (along with drivers) without all that extra garbage...

Unfortunately, most people do not know how to do this....  I think that if everyone knew how to do this, the whole personal computer industry would fall to its knees because people wouldn't be purchasing new computers every year or two, instead they would be reloading the computers they have and purchasing new computers a lot less frequently....

Secondly (and going back on topic)... I have read the "microsoft to incorporate cable card technology" thread??  What does this mean??  Does this mean that they are going to develop the hardware to support digital cable with a cable card??  Or are they expecting a third party manufacturer to produce the hardware???   If the hardware is developed to make this happen, you can probably be assured that at some point someone would write a linux driver for the hardware, and thus you would be able to use that hardware under a MythTV environment...

I have high hopes that all this is down the road, there is just too great of a demand for it not to, and the demand is only going to increase....