HD Junkie has posted a tutorial on how to download HD TV DVR recordings to your computer.
According to FCC regulations, all DVRs that cable companys rent must have an active firewire port. While unfortunately you likely won't be able to record premium channels such as HBO, INHD, DiscoveryHD. All broadcast channels must be open. If any broadcast channels are encrypted a quick call to your cable company will fix this. This is a dream come true for all you TV archivers. While I use this method primarily for recording 720p, and 1080i HDTV sources, this will work for standard definition digital channels as well.
via Lifehacker.
First, its not DVR's that have to have a firewire port active, it's just an HD capable device. A plain HD receiver will fit that bill.
Second, it's not just a "quick call" to your provider to unlock encrypted local HD channels. Try doing that with Comcast and Knology (as well as others) and see how far you get. The initial CSR probably won't know what you're talking about. If they do, they will more than likely tell you, "tough". They argue that FCC just says a LOCAL feed has to be unencrypted and that the SD feed meets that requirement. While some areas do have local HD unencrypted, most do encrypt them.
Anyone who is really informed in HD knows this to be true. When the final 2009 cutoff for analog hits, then maybe digital and HD signals will finally become uniformed; until then it is still a huge mess.
Posted by: BoB | January 23, 2007 at 06:35 PM
I don't have my Comcast DVR connected to my computer, but I do have my DVR output going to a DVD recorder - so anything I'm able to record on my DVR I'm able to make a DVD of...including all the HiDef channels...
Posted by: wendysue22 | January 28, 2007 at 11:02 PM