DVR to PC? (1 Viewer)

[Tommy*M]

Hello - I apologize if this has been asked already...I tried a search and was unable to find anything adressing this specifically. I am thinking about picking up the Cox DVR to save me from searching for blank media for the set top DVD recorder every time I want to record something....plus not be limited to only a few hours of recording time without changing out discs.

I have recently started playing with video on my PC, and I find it much easier to deal with video on there as far as any editing etc before burning, since my set top DVD recorder doesn't have a hard drive where I can edit out commercials etc.

The Cox site says I can record from the DVR to a VCR so I can save shows or movies I want....so I was wondering if there was a way I could record from the DVR to my PC so I can edit and record to DVD from there?

I'm thinking of picking up something like the Plextor ConvertX PX-M402U to transfer from the DVR to my computer. Is this even the sort of thing I should be looking at, or is there something out there that would be better?

Sorry for all the questions....I've only just barely gotten used to the DVD recorder, so I'm new at dealing with all of this. Any help, ideas, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Dave Gorman]

Tommy, I see nobody responded to you here. Did you find answers anywhere else? I'm wondering about the same thing.

 

[Andrew Beckmen]

Yeah, I plan on doing the same thing. Sadly, I won't have any of the hardware for a month or more.

I don't see how it would be a problem. I mean you'd need a video capture card and probably Composite/S-Video jacks for your comp, but it sounds like you are down with that.

The only problem I can see is digital copyright protection. Not sure if that would be a problem, but IMOP it's a POTENTIAL one.

Why is nobody actually answering us? Come on, this board is chalk-full of virtousoes who should know this stuff!

 

[Ronn.W]

I've got a Cox 8300 Explorer DVR (NOT HD) and it has the 'Save to VCR' option on it. I don't see why saving to a PC wouldn't work as long as you have the hardware to accept the input from the box. The box doesn't care what it's streaming out to.

I routinely record saved programs out to my DVD recorder and haven't had any problems with digital copy protection. I don't have HBO, Showtime, Starz or Cinemax though. I have all the Encore channels, IFC and Sundance, none of those have ever given me any problem.

I also have the Lifetime Movie Network, but haven't saved anything from it to comment on. LOL

 

[MichaelTa]

I have Direct TV and am using a Tivo DVR for recording of shows and movies. Hooked up to all of this is a Panasonic DMR-ES30V VHS/DVD recorder. The inputs are analog for audio and svhs for picture. It does a pretty good job of recording whatever the DVR has saved. I have run into no problems what so ever. I do have those same inputs on my pc but I have found it easier just to use the stand alone for recording. The downside is if it is a tv show then you have to sit there and edit out as it is recording and that is just like it used to be when recording vhs back in the day. The Panasonic does record to the DVD-RAM format and it will allow you to edit after the fact but the cost of the RAM discs out weighs any benefit over DVD-R or DVD+R. I have not run into any sort of copy protection but that does not mean we will not see it one day in the future.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I've used a Pinnacle Movie Box to transfer files from my TiVo to my laptop PC with excellent results. I bought the box along with Pinnalce Studio 9, which I've use to edit video for burning to DVD. (Nowadays I just transfer the digital files directly to the hard drive using TiVo's Home Network/Home Media option.)

Regards,

Joe