I wanna record TV shows to DVD.

[edro]

I wanna record shows on Discovery Channel and History Channel for my own viewing pleasure. (Is that legal, just like a VCR?)

I think I should probably get a Tivo type device to record the stuff while I am away or whatever. After I have the shows on the Tivo, I guess I will need to get them into my computer.

So I guess the main question is, What TV Capture card does a great job at keeping the quality high? Can you record stuff to a capture card OUT of a Tivo?

Are there any Tivo type devices that allow you to "download" the video file staright to your computer instead of having to capture the video and audio?

What about those new Panasonic tabletop Tivo/DVD burners?

I have a 4x Pioneer DVD burner (DVD-R) already though.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

ADS USB Instant DVD

 

[titanmiller]

(Is that legal, just like a VCR?)

Its not illegal either way.

I would probably recomend the set top Philips DVD recorder that is being advertised on television all the time currently. That will ulitimantly make it much easier than running the signal through your computer.

 

[Fallen Kell]

titanmiller: While it might be ultimately easier just to record video on the Philips, that doesn't mean it is nearly as useful. It is much more useful to use a TIVO like device and/or tivo computer to "record" the live stream and then either

a) watch it and delete
b) burn to dvd
c) network stream it to other systems/computers in your home

Besides, you will only be able to record 2 hours on the Philips before needing to replace the blank DVD. With a computer/tivo setup, you can record as many hours as you have HD space in GIGs/2 (that is approx 2 gig per hour), so in my current system that means I can record 200 hours of video before I would have to do anything. That is a heck of a lot more then the 2 hours of Philips. I will also be able to edit the video before burning to DVD (i.e. remove commercials/content that is questionable, merge video's, etc.).

 

[T9D]

..

 

[edro]

Ok, so now my question is: What is a good TV capture device? I see that the "ADS USB Instant DVD" now has a USB2.0 version that allows higher quality video/audio.... The only thing is, that it is like $160. Anything else comparable? Should I just ge thet USB1.0 version that is like $80? I would like to keep it real simple.

 

[Viper96720]

You could try pinnacle pctv pro, hauppage wintv pvr or dazzle . Should let you capture video that you can burn to DVD.

 

[theanimala]

I'm a firm believe in ReplayTV over Tivo. With Replay, you can download a program called DVarchive that makes your PC look like another Replay. You can then send shows back and forth between the two devices. Once on your computer, burn to a DVD!

 

[edro]

Originally posted by: theanimala
I'm a firm believe in ReplayTV over Tivo. With Replay, you can download a program called DVarchive that makes your PC look like another Replay. You can then send shows back and forth between the two devices. Once on your computer, burn to a DVD!

Aren't ReplayTVs like $500+ with activation? You HAVE to get them activated don't you? I don't think you have to activate a Tivo to allow it to work.

 

[sumrtym]

Get an ATI AIW....a 9000 if you don't game much, a 9700 or 9800 if you do.

 

[edro]

I have a Radeon 8500 now as my primary card.

I should get a 9000 or 9700 AIW? Can you rip it, then burn it straight to DVD? I hate all that conversion crap.... like TMPEnc and VirtualDub and all that crap.

 

[jm9843]

I concur w/ theanimala. I too have experience w/ ReplayTV and copying across a network to a PC for editing, DVDing. I believe their are tivo hacks to accomplish the same thing. This is obviously favorable to capturing w/ a capture card.
Reason being: It's already encoded by the ReplayTV/Tivo into DVD compliant 720x480 MPEG2. Capturing via a capture card will be re-encoding already encoded material, and is CPU intensive. Dropped frames suck.

 

[sumrtym]

You can capture directly to MPEG2, and as long as you have a fast CPU/HDD setup, dropped frames should not be a problem.

 

[Diable]

Just get a cheap tv card and capture straight to MPEG1, it will look like crap but there's no conversion crap to mess with. If you want quality your gonna have to mess with "conversion crap" unless you hack a Tivo/Replay TV.

 

[jm9843]

Originally posted by: sumrtym
You can capture directly to MPEG2, and as long as you have a fast CPU/HDD setup, dropped frames should not be a problem.

You are correct about the dropped frames not being a problem w/ modern hardware. However, the source is MPEG2 from a PVR. Re-encoding MPEG2 from the PVR into MPEG2 again through a capture card = bad idea. That is, if maintaining "pvr-quality" is a priority. And I assume it is since he mentioned burning it to DVD.

 

[ShawnReeves]

I also wanna do this but dont have a DVD-RW just 48x Liteon CDRW. My Set top DVD player is a Panasonic. Cant remember which model since Im at work now, but its the 2nd best right under the one with progression scan. Must I convert video as an SVCD in order to view on my Set top or will the files play like the MP3's do? I hate converting them to SVCD because it takes too long.
What Programs should I use to Edit/Convert if I must?

Thanks,
Shawn