# Archiving from DVR 522 to VCR/DVDR: Batch? Realtime?



## Kilt (Oct 5, 2004)

I am a cable customer with a Panasonic E80 hard drive DVD recorder who is considering moving to E* and a DVR 522.

My goal is to have certain sports programs end up on my E80 hard drive (for archiving to disk) after passing through the 522 for decoding, all in the most time-efficient manner possible. The same issues present themselves whether the archiving device is a DVD recorder or a VCR, so I will just call the archiving device the “DVD/VCR”. I have not been able to find an in-depth treatment of the related issues with respect to the DVR 522.

My terminology may be incorrect, but I want to explore whether “batch” and/or “realtime” transfers from the 522 to a DVD/VCR are possible; and, if possible, how they are affected by pauses and replays. By “batch” I mean a transfer that happens at some LATER time, after the program has already been recorded on the 522’s hard drive. For example, you record a game on the 522 today and batch transfer it to the DVD/VCR tomorrow. By “realtime” I mean a transfer of the game from the 522 to the DVD/VCR at the SAME TIME it is recording onto the 522. That is, in one recording session you simultaneously record the game on the 522 and the DVD/VCR. 

The procedure I would much prefer for the subset of games I want to archive is a realtime transfer. I realize that realtime transfers from the 522, if otherwise possible, will require the DVD/VCR’s timers to be coordinated with the 522’s recording session.

Questions arise as to batch and realtime transfers when I look at a picture of the back of the 522, and as I try to understand how the 522’s dual-tuner/dual-TV concept is implemented. 

The 522’s output connections are organized as TV1 connections and TV2 connections. The TV1 outputs are: one trio of composite connections, one S-video, and one coax cable. The TV2 outputs are: one trio of composites and one coax.

Surely you should be able to batch transfer a recorded program from one or more of these 522 outputs to a DVD/VCR, but implementation and cabling questions arise. The first 4 questions relate to BATCH transfer capability:

1. Can you batch transfer to the DVD/VCR via the:

(a) TV1 composites? 
(b) TV1 composite audio + S-video? 
(c) TV1 coax?
(d) TV2 composites?
(e) TV2 coax?

2. This seems self-evident, but if the 522 is connected to TV1 via the one and only S-video port, then you cannot connect the 522 to the DVD/VCR via S-video, right?

3. If you can transfer via the TV1 and/or TV2 coax outputs, do you lose the ability to have stereo sound recorded into the program copy on the DVD/VCR? Or can a stereo DVD/VCR still separate the stereo signals and send them to a TV via composite cables?

4. If batch transfers are doable, can you set up the transfer so that multiple programs (an actual batch) are transferred from the 522 without further human intervention, or is it only doable one program at a time?

The next two questions relate to my preferred procedure of REALTIME transfers. Assume the 522 connects to TV1 via the composite audio and S-video. What I would like to do is: watch a basketball game on channel 777 on TV1; do a bunch pauses, replays, etc. as I am watching; and end up with an un-paused, un-replayed, clean copy of the game on the 522 (which should go without saying) AND also on the DVD/VCR.

5. While the game is recording onto the 522, can I simultaneously have it outputting in realtime from the 522 to the DVD/VCR via the: 

(a) TV1 coax?
(b) TV2 composites?
(c) TV2 coax?

6. If I can do a realtime transfer via any or all of these outputs, what effect will pauses, replays, etc. have on the copy of the game recorded on the DVD/VCR? Because of the 522’s unique TV1-TV2 tuner and output duality, I’m wondering if the answer to this question depends on whether the game is transferred via a TV1 output versus a TV2 output. 

More specifically, does the 522 work this way: The game is recorded from channel 777 via tuner 1 to TV1. All the pauses and replay’s appearing on TV1 relate (only) to this tuner 1 activity. Hence, if a realtime transfer can be made from a TV1 output, the pauses and replays will be recorded onto the DVD/VCR. If, however, you CAN realtime transfer via the TV2 composites and/or coax, can you tune the DVD/VCR to channel 777 via tuner 2, just as if the DVD/VCR were an actual TV2. If so, wouldn’t the channel 777 game being sent to the DVD/VCR via tuner 2 be separate and immune from the pausing and replaying activity taking place on TV1-tuner1, which just happens to be receiving and recording the very same channel 777 onto the 522? Hence resulting in a clean copy of the game on the DVD/VCR (assuming no pausing, etc. on TV2-tuner 2 via the TV2 remote)? Or are my speculations all or partially wrong?

I can’t figure out the answers to these questions and neither can the E* sales reps. But the answers are crucial to my decision as to whether I switch from cable or not. I’m hoping some of you technically knowledgeable 522 owners can provide answers.

Finally, my understanding thus far is that the D* Direct-Tivo can do both batch transfers and realtime transfers, but that pauses and replays during realtime transfers will be recorded on the DVD/VCR. Confirmations or refutations re Direct-Tivo would also be appreciated.


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2004)

I’ll take a stab at this since no one else has.

1. The 522 will only play shows (DVR events) at a time. There is no play all feature.
2. I would split the s-video if you were in your case, but there will be some, probably not noticeable, degradation in quality.
3. I am pretty sure the 522 outputs stereo over RF. This will give you the worst picture quality, but makes running over 50 feet of cable easy.
4 see 1
5 all outputs are active
6 Your suggested setup should work. Although, I personally would not archive in real-time. For one thing, you cannot remove commercials that way. The 522 has the ability to watch a show off the hard drive while you are recording it. In another words, you set TV1 to record the game, then go the DVR event menu and choose play the game. This gives others (if you have kids) the ability to watch something else on TV2. You will have the normal pause/rewind ability during the game and can archive it at your convenience.

D costs more, but you do get more.


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