# Best Way to Record or Offload DVR Recorded Content?



## sansabar (Dec 17, 2006)

I may need to change DVR boxes again but I don't want to lose my recorded programming (again).
What is the best way to record this stuff off to a different dvr box?
If so, what is a good box and the way to do it?
Not planning on keeping them forever - just until I can get them watched.
Thanks for any help.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

First, DVR to DVR transfers is not possible. the only way is to do it in real time to a DVR-R or VCR or video capture hardware/software to a PC/Mac


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## sansabar (Dec 17, 2006)

Thanks. I figured this was the route I would need to take. Thanks for the confirmation.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Kinda a clunky route. Why not pay for one more month with the old receiver, and watch the stuff you have recorded.

What DVR now, and what are you getting?


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## sansabar (Dec 17, 2006)

HR21-700. Starting to get some stalls, etc.
I'm in the protection plan and I'm eligible for the latest upgrade - which I believe would be The HR44.
If it will work out I may be able to drop the H23-600 in my shop 100 ft away and run one of those Genie extension boxes.
In the process of looking into the pros/cons.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Most likely if you simply detach the cable, you can watch your recorded material on your set of choice with out additional cabling. Just hook another HDMI cable to your TV. Ignore the "can't watch" or other admonitions and go to List.


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## rwmair (Nov 16, 2006)

sansabar said:


> HR21-700. Starting to get some stalls, etc.
> I'm in the protection plan and I'm eligible for the latest upgrade - which I believe would be The HR44.


My HR23-700 died 10 days ago. I was hoping I'd get at least a HR24, but they sent me a perfect exact replacement - another HR23-700.
Admittedly, I don't have protection plan, so maybe that's the difference.... or maybe I should have haggled.
Still, I guess they could have sent me a HR20/21/22.... 

I knew that moving the recordings was near impossible, as detailed above. But I wondered if anyone has devised a way to at least get the other DVR settings out of the box. Channel lists, season passes, recording defaults, etc. There's the USB port right on the front panel (at least on the HR23). It would be sweet if we could plug in a flash drive, press a couple of buttons, and dump that stuff out as a back-up in case the HR ever dies....


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

just make full copy of old drive to new one (eSATA is a best route), then delete all recordings as meaningless bogger


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

My HR23-700 died 10 days ago. I was hoping I'd get at least a HR24, but they sent me a perfect exact replacement - another HR23-700.
Admittedly, I don't have protection plan, so maybe that's the difference.... or maybe I should have haggled.
Still, I guess they could have sent me a HR20/21/22.... 

I knew that moving the recordings was near impossible, as detailed above. But I wondered if anyone has devised a way to at least get the other DVR settings out of the box. Channel lists, season passes, recording defaults, etc. There's the USB port right on the front panel (at least on the HR23). It would be sweet if we could plug in a flash drive, press a couple of buttons, and dump that stuff out as a back-up in case the HR ever dies....
no way to copy settings using USB


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## rwmair (Nov 16, 2006)

P Smith said:


> just make full copy of old drive to new one (eSATA is a best route), then delete all recordings as meaningless bogger


I thought it was not possible to copy your internal drive contents to an external drive, only have the external drive supersede an internal drive. So I'd have to redo the channel lists, season passes, etc, if I plugged in an external drive to my HR23. And then that external drive with stuff on it (recordings or settings) is mated to the original HRxx only and can't be moved to a new one.

Or does all that only apply to recordings, not settings?


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Yes, recordings (video/audio part) are "mated" to original DVR.

No limit to copy internal/external to other drive. You could do the XFS copy using Linux environment.
They are the same while not switching a drive between two families HR2x and HR3x/4x.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

You can copy the drives, internal or external doesnt matter, but the internal would have to be removed from the dvr to perform the copy.....that drive can then be hooked up to any other dvr on your acct, and all info is intact, just none of the recordings are playable. But it does alleviate the need to redo all your SL's and settings.....


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

I was under impression (too much reading the forums perhaps) SL would be available after moving the drive to other DVR ...
Hope someone who did that, will shine here, in the thread.


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## Kromagg73 (Jul 2, 2013)

There is another option if you want to save those recordings to your computer, it's called the Genie GO. It just came out and you would have to purchase it, then it will prepare the download to the Genie Go from the Receiver. Once you do that, you can transfer it to the computer, etc. Direactv charges about $199 for the Genie Go, but you might be able to find it on Ebay cheaper. That's another option you can try if you don't want to use a External Hard Drive which also will work for pulling the recordings off of the receiver and that might be a cheaper way to go, but you would have to get an eSATA cable to connect to your receiver on the back into the eSATA port.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

or if your box have BCM7411/7412 chips, using R-5000HD board/SW


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Whoa! 

Way simpler to set up afresh. It really is probably less onerous then you fear. You don't have to enter all SLs in one go. You can build custom lists over time.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Kromagg73 said:


> There is another option if you want to save those recordings to your computer, it's called the Genie GO. It just came out and you would have to purchase it, then it will prepare the download to the Genie Go from the Receiver. Once you do that, you can transfer it to the computer, etc. Direactv charges about $199 for the Genie Go, but you might be able to find it on Ebay cheaper. That's another option you can try if you don't want to use a External Hard Drive which also will work for pulling the recordings off of the receiver and that might be a cheaper way to go, but you would have to get an eSATA cable to connect to your receiver on the back into the eSATA port.


While with the GenieGo you can watch DVR recordings on your PC, it is by no means a way to save those recordings since they are encrypted by the GenieGo software and those recordings expires in 30 days


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

And they are down-rezzed to look good on an iPad mini.....


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

That's where R-5000HD shine. Full rez and does not encrypted !


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

Kromagg73 said:


> There is another option if you want to save those recordings to your computer, it's called the Genie GO. It just came out and you would have to purchase it, then it will prepare the download to the Genie Go from the Receiver. Once you do that, you can transfer it to the computer, etc. Direactv charges about $199 for the Genie Go, but you might be able to find it on Ebay cheaper. That's another option you can try if you don't want to use a External Hard Drive which also will work for pulling the recordings off of the receiver and that might be a cheaper way to go, but you would have to get an eSATA cable to connect to your receiver on the back into the eSATA port.


The GenieGo was originally the Nomad, just rebranded. And it's only $99 which is the purchase price, not a leased price.


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## acostapimps (Nov 6, 2011)

DVD-Recorder or Hauppauge HD PVR (personal video recorder) which you can get on Amazon.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

only R5000-HD will do that offloading if you want preserve original quality,
as a Component output will force you do additional DA and AD conversions, while composite/S-Video will downrezz recordings to 720x480


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## sbl (Jul 21, 2007)

The Hauppauge HD PVR 2 works well. It can record from HDMI as long as it isn't content protected, which some channels are. Component also works and I think you'd be hard pressed to see much difference on a smaller screen. The manufacturer's site for the R5000-HD says it doesn't support MPEG4 receivers.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

What does weaknees do? , because they offer to recopy your recording when you do a hard drive upgrade.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

sbl said:


> .. The manufacturer's site for the R5000-HD says it doesn't support MPEG4 receivers.


That note made long time ago.


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## RoyGBiv (Jul 24, 2007)

damondlt said:


> What does weaknees do? , because they offer to recopy your recording when you do a hard drive upgrade.


My understanding is Weaknees will copy your recordings to a larger hard drive but that hard drive will have to be in the same DVR the original drive was. There is no way they can record them to another drive to play in another DVR.

SMK


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

damondlt said:


> What does weaknees do? , because they offer to recopy your recording when you do a hard drive upgrade.


They're just taking money for our finding here; we did post a procedure how-to copy from one drive to other and they shamelessly employ it for own profit without pay royalty to originators.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

P Smith said:


> They're just taking money for our finding here; we did post a procedure how-to copy from one drive to other and they shamelessly employ it for own profit without pay royalty to originators.


Sue them!


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## trainman (Jan 9, 2008)

P Smith said:


> They're just taking money for our finding here; we did post a procedure how-to copy from one drive to other and they shamelessly employ it for own profit without pay royalty to originators.


There's no reason why they'd have to pay a royalty for that, any more than a car mechanic would have to pay a royalty to the publisher of Chilton manuals if they do a procedure straight out of those books.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

> There's no reason why they'd have to pay a royalty for that, any more than a car mechanic would have to pay a royalty to the publisher of Chilton manuals if they do a procedure straight out of those books.


Some people just like to pat themselves on the back for any reason they can find.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

trainman said:


> There's no reason why they'd have to pay a royalty for that, any more than a car mechanic would have to pay a royalty to the publisher of Chilton manuals if they do a procedure straight out of those books.


It's going way off topic ... at least that mechanic will tell you he is using the book, don't forget he bought the book, not steal quietly


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## sansabar (Dec 17, 2006)

Found a great deal on a used Elgato EyeTV HD DVR http://www.elgato.com/eyetv/eyetv-hd

Gonna go this route and see how it works out. I'll report back with the results.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Ugh, it's Mac only


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