Recording from Tivo to VCR (1 Viewer)

[cafink]

My family is thinking of getting my brother a Tivo unit for Christmas, but we have one simple question about it.

Can programs stored on a Tivo be played back and recorded through a VCR? It seems to me that there's no reason this couldn't be done, but I know that a lot of DVD's and VHS tapes have "macrovision" copy protection measures, and a sales clerk I spoke to at Best Buy (who obviously only kind-of knew what he was talking about) suggested that Tivo units employ the same measures.

I did a bit of research on the subject and it's my understanding that a Tivo will leave macrovision intact when recording a program that has it originally, but will not add it to a program that doesn't.

How exactly does this affect the recording of television programs? Do they have macrovision? The main thing is that we'd like to be able to archive some material on tape when space on the Tivo gets to be in short supply. Is this a reasonable thing to do?

Thanks.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Can programs stored on a Tivo be played back and recorded through a VCR?

Before I got my Panasonic DVD recorder, I did it all the time. I never encountered a macrovision or other copy-protection problem with cable broadcasts. Of course, I never tried recording something like a pay-per-view event, so that may be why. But if it's a broadcast you could record on tape in the first place, it's one you can transfer from TiVo to tape.

M.

 

[cafink]

Thank you!

 

[SethOakley]

Carl, its my experience that anything you can get onto Tivo will be easily transferred to VCR. After you record on Tivo, there is simply a “Save to VCR” link and you do it through the Tivo. Its so simple, my mom has an entire Wiggles collection of VCR tapes now for all my nieces and nephews.