HIVE MIND: Best way to copy video files from a DVR to a desktop PC?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - HIVE MIND: Best way to copy video files from a DVR to a desktop PC?

Posted: 9/24/2005 5:41:58 PM EDT

I have no laptop but I do have a USB hard drive. Any ideas?

Also, I have both DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink on my PC. Will either of these decode the DVR video files?

Posted: 9/24/2005 5:44:46 PM EDT

[#1]

I'm not an expert on the format of the raw digital data, but I'm fairly certain they are encrypted. You'd probably need to play them from the DVR and capture them via an analog capture device.

-Troy

Posted: 9/24/2005 7:35:26 PM EDT

[#2]

It has an integral function to record any given show to a VCR tape but I was interested in maintaining the original resolution with the option of burning it to a DVD.

Posted: 9/24/2005 7:47:38 PM EDT

[#3]

Easy.
First, you'll need an old delorien, some fissonable material and a flux capacator. Then, you need a spunky neighbor kid who likes to skateboard...
Oh wait, that's something else.

Tag. This will be the deciding factor between CHarter DVR and a Tivo for me.

Posted: 9/24/2005 7:51:26 PM EDT

[#4]

What DVR type?

TiVo: Can't do it easily.
ReplayTV: Easy as pie

eta: ReplayTV, DVArchive, and 15 minutes will have you
ripping video directly to a PC.

Posted: 9/24/2005 7:53:39 PM EDT

[#5]

<- trying to figure out the process on a dish PVR

Posted: 9/24/2005 7:56:11 PM EDT

[#6]

Tag!

Posted: 9/24/2005 9:49:43 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
What DVR type?

TiVo: Can't do it easily.
ReplayTV: Easy as pie

eta: ReplayTV, DVArchive, and 15 minutes will have you
ripping video directly to a PC.

It's made by Scientific Atlanta. Other than the brand name, what else would let me know the type?

Posted: 9/25/2005 3:56:06 AM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
It's made by Scientific Atlanta. Other than the brand name, what else would let me know the type?

It is a cable box, right? It is probably the cable co's
proprietary DVR.

Sorry, I was speaking about dedicated ReplayTV/TiVo
boxen.

Posted: 9/25/2005 4:08:44 AM EDT

[#9]

Dish PVR's store their video in plain old mpeg2 format. If you like to take a risk every now and again you can rip the HD out of the unit and plop it into a linux box and pull the video off of it.

no experience with doing it yet.. but...im going to keep it in mind for the future.

Posted: 9/25/2005 4:15:12 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Dish PVR's store their video in plain old mpeg2 format. If you like to take a risk every now and again you can rip the HD out of the unit and plop it into a linux box and pull the video off of it.

no experience with doing it yet.. but...im going to keep it in mind for the future.

That was my first thought too. They just use normal computer hard drives (AFAIK, they may be laptop sized but I doubt it) and are probably in a conventional formatting, if not mildly encrypted. I know people have made TiVO boxen to run other OSes. Scientific Atlanta, eh? Sounds like COMCAST to me >:-)

let me know what you end up doing, I'm seriously considering the $10 a month for one for myself.

Posted: 9/25/2005 7:37:18 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Dish PVR's store their video in plain old mpeg2 format. If you like to take a risk every now and again you can rip the HD out of the unit and plop it into a linux box and pull the video off of it.

no experience with doing it yet.. but...im going to keep it in mind for the future.

That was my first thought too. They just use normal computer hard drives (AFAIK, they may be laptop sized but I doubt it) and are probably in a conventional formatting, if not mildly encrypted. I know people have made TiVO boxen to run other OSes. Scientific Atlanta, eh? Sounds like COMCAST to me >:-)

let me know what you end up doing, I'm seriously considering the $10 a month for one for myself.

FYI In the near future Archos/DISH are going to market portable video players that can download video straight from the DISH 522/625 and 942 DVRs via the receivers USB port. So if someone cracks the system we might be able to download direct to a PC via USB.

Posted: 9/25/2005 10:26:05 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Quoted:
It's made by Scientific Atlanta. Other than the brand name, what else would let me know the type?

It is a cable box, right? It is probably the cable co's
proprietary DVR.

Sorry, I was speaking about dedicated ReplayTV/TiVo
boxen.

Yep, it's a digital HDTV cable box as well as a DVR. Cable provider is Adelphia in South Florida.

The rental cost is $8/mo including a remote.

If I wanted to ditch it and buy my own DVR would I still need to rent their cable box?

Posted: 9/25/2005 10:33:27 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
What DVR type?

TiVo: Can't do it easily.
ReplayTV: Easy as pie

eta: ReplayTV, DVArchive, and 15 minutes will have you
ripping video directly to a PC.

Er?

I double-click my Tivo Desktop, select which Tivo has the show I want, and copy it right over, either via wireless or wired network.

Home Media Option is wonderful.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - HIVE MIND: Best way to copy video files from a DVR to a desktop PC?

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