moving videos from a DVR cable box

[destrekor]

so... im lookin at gettin a DVR cablebox from my cable company... and well, they disable the ethernet and usb ports on the back... any method still exist of getting the video from the device to the computer?
i doubt it, but maybe a resident PVR/DVR/cablebox hacker may know something.. worth a shot, eh?

 

[destrekor]

bump bump

 

[Matthias99]

Firewire, if it's enabled. However, it uses HDCP; you won't be able to copy anything that is flagged to prevent recording (some HD/digital cable content, all pay-per-view content). AVSForum has LOTS of information on this topic.

You can always record off the analog output with a video capture card. Not HD, though.

 

[destrekor]

that would defeat the purpose of even having a DVR then.. i already have a hauppauage pvr150, but im not re-configuring it (post-crash) as its gonna be taken out of the computer its in now (family computer) and moved into my computer when i move down to columbus for college.

i doubt the firewire is enabled if the NIC and USB are disabled. i assume it has USB and firewire, but yea...
im thinkin the only methods then are composite or svideo out...
and im looking for ways to move the recorded videos over... without having to play them at the same time and re-record them...

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: destrekor
that would defeat the purpose of even having a DVR then.. i already have a hauppauage pvr150, but im not re-configuring it (post-crash) as its gonna be taken out of the computer its in now (family computer) and moved into my computer when i move down to columbus for college.

i doubt the firewire is enabled if the NIC and USB are disabled. i assume it has USB and firewire, but yea...
im thinkin the only methods then are composite or svideo out...
and im looking for ways to move the recorded videos over... without having to play them at the same time and re-record them...

Often Firewire is the only thing that IS enabled, since it has copy protection. Check with your cable provider or ask over at AVSForum.

Also... if you're buying the DVR, why not just use it, um, as a DVR? Unless you want to burn things to DVD after watching them?

 

[destrekor]

well with 60 hours (possibly 90, cable provider lists both, but there is only one dvr option) of capacity, it wouldn't take much to fill up.. and yes i'd like to burn to dvd, since i will be recording seasons. like, if we get it soon, i'll record the 24 season, family guy, american dad, etc etc etc
i'd like to be able to back up the seasons to dvd (after compressing on my hard drive and other necessary things)..

they had said everything was disabled, so i'll call back and ask specifically if the firewire port is disabled (and if its there to begin with.. it is a HD capable motorola box, so it should have it)

 

[Genx87]

You should look at getting a Tivo unit. Their series two DVR allows you to hook it into your network and copy recorded shows onto your computer. I got it working last weekend and it is simply great. Not even sure why I bothered trying to build a HTPC to be honest.

They have a deal right now where you buy the unit and get some rebate. The 40 hour DVR was 205 bucks with a years subscription included.

 

[destrekor]

the reason i dont like the idea of TiVo, is the insane costs
200-300 for a decent storage tivo unit, and then slap on top of that either a lifetime subscription charge ($300) or a monthly fee.

properly configured, HTPC's can be great
whats sad is that its nearly impossible to match the recording quality of a HTPC to a dedicated PVR (such as a TiVo). It cant be impossible, as the tuners are obviously available. Just the tuners available for PC's don't match them.
my PVR150 is pretty good. when i move out i'll dedicate more time to attempting to get the cleanest image from it possible.

 

[Genx87]

Yeah but honestly if you can transfer to a computer the 40 hour DVR is fine. And when you think about it, at 12 bucks a month you will have a lot of months before you approach the cost of a HTPC. And right now they are running a pretty decent promotion that can get you in pretty cheap.

I was actually impressed with the quality of the capture on the series 2 tivo dvr. In fact I would say it is slightly better than the PVR 150 I own, and way better than the ATI 9600 AIW Pro.

 

[destrekor]

well i wouldn't buy a HTPC, i'd use the PC i already have and just add the card into it.

 

[Genx87]

I suppose.

For me the idea of having a noisy ass computer next to me TV turned me off. So I had to build one up from the ground to be as quiet as possible

 

[destrekor]

i have no clue what i'll do in the future.. but at the moment i am really liking the idea of my cable company's DVR. but hmmm

 

[SemperFi]

As I understand it the RIAA doesn't want us the users to be able to record a true digital signal. I can't remember which but it was ultimate tv or repaly tv the one that went out of business. The main reason for the ousting was they enabled us to move video preserving digital format. That being said the regular tivo's have enjoyed lots of features that the direct tv version didn't have. Mainly because direct is sent digitally and recorded digitally without any D/A conversion. That is why direct didn't offer the features the stand alone was able to do. I have read that direct has sent down new OS but I have disabled upgrades in my units because I don't have time to rehack them now.

If you were to take an interest in tivo I would suggest getting the unit with the smallest hard drive you can find. You can then get a hard drive on sale at one of the stores and upgrade yourself. The OS is Linux and there are tools you can use to copy your disk to a new drive. Lots of info at Deal Database There is an ISO that can be downloaded and burnt to cd. Hook up the 2 drives and boot the cd. Not necessecarily simple but not that hard to do. My direct tivo was 40 hour now it is 107 hours with a 120 Gig hard drive.