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Recorded shows on DVR to computer
- Thread starter iaddict
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Maybe, but it depends on the program you've recorded. Broadcast television shouldn't be a problem, but anything with 5c copy protection (usually the cable and premium channels) can't be copied.
You'll need a firewire cable and Apple's Firewire SDK (available for free from their developers site). The SDK comes with a bunch of software, but you only need the video cap one. I forget the exact name of it, but it should be pretty obvious. Connect your DVR to your mac via firewire, launch the app, and the device should appear. Select "capture from device" and a dialog box will pop up asking you to enter the record time. Enter the length of the program you want to copy. Hit play on the DVR and record it on the computer, a la old school tape dubbing.
To play the resulting file, use VLC, or MPEG Streamclip with the MPEG-2 codec installed. You can compress it to h.264 using HandBrake.
I may be a bit off on the exact app to use in the SDK bundle, or the procedure for setting it up. I haven't done it in a while, and I'm not in front of my mac at the moment.
You'll need a firewire cable and Apple's Firewire SDK (available for free from their developers site). The SDK comes with a bunch of software, but you only need the video cap one. I forget the exact name of it, but it should be pretty obvious. Connect your DVR to your mac via firewire, launch the app, and the device should appear. Select "capture from device" and a dialog box will pop up asking you to enter the record time. Enter the length of the program you want to copy. Hit play on the DVR and record it on the computer, a la old school tape dubbing.
To play the resulting file, use VLC, or MPEG Streamclip with the MPEG-2 codec installed. You can compress it to h.264 using HandBrake.
I may be a bit off on the exact app to use in the SDK bundle, or the procedure for setting it up. I haven't done it in a while, and I'm not in front of my mac at the moment.
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What he said..... Dish Network and I think Direct tv or another company have external hard drives that can connect to the DVR systesm made by WD. I still don't think anybody has been able to pull the content off of them yet thou. I know there have been some talk about it around the net but I don't think they have been able to do it yet.
Tivo by far is the easiest to get content off of.
Provided your DVR has an active firewire port - and they are all supposed to - copying the show to your mac happens in real time. You are not copying the file, you are playing the program on your DVR and capturing the stream.
Playback will be at whatever resolution the original tv show was recorded. You'll need VLC or MPEG Streamclip to play the transport stream files you'll get.
You need to play the program you want to capture in realtime from the DVR. The Hauppauge HD PVR captures the HD analog stream from the component output. (It can also capture SD output from the composite, S-video or component outputs.) It digitizes the stream and encodes it in the H.264 format. If you start with an HD source, the file will be in HD. You can customize the bitrate of the capture to get the desired quality or filesize. By default, it puts the h.264 data in a ".m2ts" file. These can be played directly by the VLC media player (and others). The Mac HDPVRCapture application I referenced will also allow you to convert to an iTunes compatible format.
It would be nice if you could simply capture the stream with a FireWire cable, but the DirecTV DVR's do not provide this connection.
I have Cox cable with a Motorola dvr dch 3416 it has two fire wire 400 ports on the back. What program would I need to run in order to get the files off my dvr and on my Imac?
Download the Apple Firewire SDK here and use the AVCVideoCap app that comes in that bundle. Connect your DVR to your Mac via firewire and launch the app. Then just follow the clicks and buttons to get it set up (should be pretty self explanatory). Get your recorded show ready to play and then start the capture as you press play on your DVR. Remember, you won't be able to capture 5c copy protected content.
I have one of the older DirecTV Tivo dvrs (not one of the newer self-branded ones). Is there any way to just copy the files from this type of dvr?
Yes, if you want to cut the commercials out. The easiest app for doing this is MPEG Streamclip. If you are watching the television show as you are capturing it, you can fast forward through the commercials (30 second skip, pressed several times, works great) and just leave the resulting stream as-is. You'll see the places where you skipped forward and it won't be as smooth as editing the commercial breaks out, but it saves a lot of time.
Another Program
I have a Comcast DVR, I attempted to use the apple SDK without great success. I found a program called AVCNoodle that worked instead.
(I am still using it in unregistered mode, as I haven't found an easy way to then convert to something quicktime will play, as the file that is outputted only plays in VLC. I think handbrake will work, but is very slow to convert HD video.)
A work in progress, but may help others if they have issue with the apple SDK recorder.
I have a Comcast DVR, I attempted to use the apple SDK without great success. I found a program called AVCNoodle that worked instead.
(I am still using it in unregistered mode, as I haven't found an easy way to then convert to something quicktime will play, as the file that is outputted only plays in VLC. I think handbrake will work, but is very slow to convert HD video.)
A work in progress, but may help others if they have issue with the apple SDK recorder.
I don't think that MPEG Streamclip works with h264/AVC material, which is what the Hauppauge device outputs as. I'm not sure, perhaps KevinC can confirm.
Also, for Firewire recorded video, wouldn't you need the MPEG-2 plug-in? That's $20, right? Does it come included with Quicktime Pro?
Yes, if you want to use MPEG Streamclip, which relies on the QT mpeg-2 plug-in. I believe it comes with QT Pro, since I don't recall ever purchasing it but I know I have it from installing Final Cut Studio.
That only works if you have a Tivo. The OP has a DirecTV DVR ... I think the DirecTV Tivo's have been gone for a while now.