Transfer series one DirecTV DVR programs to PC?

[spartan92]

Hi there, just wondering if anyone has been able to transfer programs from an older series one Hughes DVR from DirecTV to a PC running Windows XP.

I have a lot of space on a newer PC I built with a very good video card. Is there a hack needed to run from the DVR out to the video card in via S-video or the like? Would I need to buy a specific software in order to do this?

Any wisdom would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[DiscoDuck]

To capture the analog video from a dvr you will need a video capture device like something from Hauppage or ATI in your computer. It will capture the video to mpeg2 or 4 so it can be archived on a pc hdd or authored to dvd. It is time consuming though to go through the process of capture, edit, render, burn. I bought a home dvd recorder to to save videos from my directv tivo. Its great for connection to dv cam via firewire and makes great video dubs from the tivo and has great quality but only in 1 hour mode from the tivo. the 2 hour mode on 4.7g dvd(single layer) is somewhat lossy except from the firwire input. I havent seen a dual layer version yet but it may be worth waiting for.

 

[spartan92]

Thanks for the help DiscoDuck. Can you help me with a couple questions about your post:

If you were to recommend a DVD recorder to connect to the Tivo what brand/features do you think are essential?

Do I need a hack to do this or is it simply connecting via an S-video cable from the recorder to the Tivo box?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[DiscoDuck]

Ive always been a fan of liteon drives and when i saw they had a home dvd recorder for under $150 delivered i had to get one. The copy procedures for line in, tuner, cable, firewire couldnt be easier. The quality of record in 2 hour mode is about vhs quality, 1 hour mode is lossless and very sharp. Will recordup to 4 hours or more but the quality is sequentially degraded as the record time increases. Now if only i could put the dual-layer drive from my pc in it........hmmm.