How To Transfer DVR Recordings to DVD

With all the advancements in technology today you’d think it would be simple to create a DVD of a show or program that you recorded on your DVR. Although it can be done, it’s not necessarily as straightforward as you might think. It takes a little extra time setting up your home video system and, usually, an additional investment in some extra hardware as well.

1. Connect your DVD recorder to your TiVo or DVR. If you have a DVD recorder (or burner), you can hook it up directly to your DVR and create DVDs of your recorded shows and movies. You can connect your DVR, DVD recorder and TV together using RCA composite cables (the red, yellow and white cable), S-Video cables or the traditional coaxial cable. Coaxial cables produce the lowest quality picture, so opt for RCA cables or an RCA/S-Video cable combination if possible. Whichever cables you are using, the setup will be similar:
   • Connect the coaxial cable from the wall to the input on your DVR (cable box).
   • Connect your S-Video and/or RCA cable (or coaxial cable) to the output on your DVR (cable box) and then to the input on your DVD recorder.
   • Connect another set of S-Video and/or RCA cables (or coaxial cables) to the output on your DVD recorder and then to the input on your TV.

   From here your cable television should be passing through your DVD recorder, which should allow you to record shows and movies to DVD as you are watching them, or after you’ve saved them to your DVR. The process of recording a television show or movie to DVD will differ slightly with different DVD recorders, but with many it’s as simple as hitting the record button or setting it up to record like you would on a VCR. In some cases you may need to play the shows from your DVR in order to record them to DVD. In other cases you can simply hit the "record to VCR" feature on your DVR and your DVD recorder should do the rest.

   Before you buy a DVD recorder, make sure that you find one that will give you a clear picture on your final DVD-some DVD recorders produce higher quality DVDs than others. If your DVD isn’t playing on other DVD players, you may have forgotten to finalize your DVD before removing it from the DVD recorder. If you have a quality DVD recorder, are finalizing all your DVDs and are still getting a scrambled picture, remember that Live TV, Pay-Per-View and some other specialty channels may be protected.

   Note: You may be able to use Dimax to filter some of these programs if you’re so inclined.

1. Record from DVR to VCR, then from VCR to DVD. While this may seem like a chore to a lot of people, if you’re comfortable recording shows from DVR to VCR and you’d prefer to stick with that, you can simply add an extra step and convert the VHS tape you just created into a DVD. To accomplish this, take a look at How To Convert VHS to DVD. Keep in mind that this option will probably provide you with the lowest quality DVD.
2. Buy an all-in-one machine. TiVo offers an all-in-one DVD recorder with TiVo built in. However, if you don’t have TiVo service, you’ll need to purchase a DVD recorder with a DVR-like hard drive that will allow you to store programs until you want to copy them to a DVD. You have a variety of DVR recorders with memory to choose from if you opt for this route. Check out these reviews on About before you make your final decision. Remember that these DVD recorders won’t give you all the functionality of a DVR, so you may want to opt for both if you can’t stand to give up rewinding Live TV or having your program guide accessible weeks in advance.
3. Use your PC as a TV. This article will not go into detail about how exactly to set your computer up as a TV/DVR, but it is an option. If you know a little about computers and you’re willing to buy the extra hard drive space and software required to set yours up as a TV/DVR, then you should look into it. You can use your computer as your normal TV, or you can keep you regular TV, only use your computer to record television shows and movies and then burn them to DVD. Remember that your computer must be able to create DVDs, so check to ensure that it has that capability before proceeding. Then go to PC World to learn more.