Every Digital Video Recorder (DVR) has a limit, a full-to-capacity point where it refuses to record anymore. Alternatively, the DVR can simply start dumping the old recordings to make room for the new recordings, but this can be a problem for those who like to keep their favorite shows and movies around for quick access. Luckily there is a way to keep your favorite shows and not lose them. You must do a simple transfer of information from your DVR to your DVD player.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You’ll Need:
TV
Video cables
DVR player
Recordable DVD disc (such as DVD + R/RW)
DVD player
Record From DVR to DVD
1 Record the show first on the DVR as you normally would.
2 Turn on everything including the DVR, DVD player and the television.
3 Connect an S-Video cable from the DVD player to the DVR player. The cable will be red and white.
4 Change the inputs on the DVD player. Since you are using an S-video input, the correct setting would be L1.
5 Change the TV setting to match the settings of your DVD. If you are watching what you are recording, the setting on the TV should be “Video 2.”
6 Play the show back to test that all the cables are connected correctly and the inputs are congruent with each other. If while playing back you can hear and see your show, you are good to proceed. If not, check your cables and make sure the inputs agree.
7 Place a DVD + R/RW disc into your DVD player.
8 Set the recoding time according to the DVR instructions. Two hours of recording time is usually a safe amount of time, unless quality is not your number one priority. For example, a show you do not plan on keeping or a sporting event you will simply watch once and tape over would be conducive to longer recording times. Otherwise the 2-hour setting will give you the best quality you can expect, and it should mirror the quality of the original DVR recording.
9 Push “Play” on the DVR player and “Record” on the DVD player. If you want to build a playlist of shows or record multiple shows, simply push “Stop” on the DVD player while you set up each new recording.
Tips & Warnings
If you plan on doing this often, consider purchasing an additional DVD player that is set up especially for this purpose since you will not be able to watch DVDs with this setup. You would need to constantly switch the cables and change the inputs with only one DVD player.
Comments
on 2/23/2010 you say “since you will not be able to watch DVDs with this setup. ” ?? and then you say “If while playing back you can hear and see your show, you are good to proceed. ” If the audio video signal is passing through the recorder to the TV ,then you CAN use that set up to PLAY DVDs. Your article is full of miss leading mistakes.
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If you own a Digital Video Recorder, such as TiVo, or a DVR from a Cable or Satellite provider, then you know you can record to the device’s hard drive to view TV shows at a later time, much like the old VCR. However, saving those TV shows becomes difficult as the Hard Drive starts to fill up. The answer to saving your shows is to record them to DVD! This can be accomplished easily by hooking up a DVD Recorder to your DVR.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Depends on length of source video
Here’s How:
Record a TV show on your DVR that you want to save to DVD!
Turn on the DVR, DVD Recorder and the TV that the DVD Recorder is connected to. In my case, I have my Samsung DVD Recorder (no hard drive) hooked up to my TV via an RCA Audio/Video cable from the rear outputs on the DVD Recorder to the rear RCA inputs on my TV. I use a seperate DVD Player for playing DVDs, but if you use your DVD Recorder as a player as well, use the best cable connections you can to connect to the TV. See the article Types of A/V Cables for more info.
Connect an S-Video or RCA video cable and composite stereo cables (red and white RCA plugs) from the DVR to the inputs on your DVD Recorder. If your TV has Component inputs, connect the Component Out from the DVD Recorder to the Component In on the TV, otherwise you can use S-Video or Composite. You will still need to use RCA audio with your video connection.
Change the input on your DVD Recorder to match the inputs you are using. Since I’m using the rear S-Video input, I change my input to “L1″, which is the input for recording using the rear S-Video input. If I was recording using the front analog cables it would be “L2″, the front Firewire input, “DV”. The input select can typically be changed using the DVD Recorder remote.
You’ll also need to change the input select on the TV to match the inputs you are using to connect the DVD Recorder. In my case, I’m using rear inputs that correspond to “Video 2″. This allows me to view what I’m recording.
You can now perform a test to make sure the video signal is coming through to the DVD Recorder and the TV. Simply start playing the recorded TV show back from the Digital Video Recorder and see if the video and audio is being played back on the TV. If you have everything connected properly, and the correct input select, you should be seeing and hearing your video. If not, check your cable connections, power, and input select.
Now you’re ready to record! First, determine the type of disc you’ll need, either DVD+R/RW or DVD-R/RW. For more info on Recordable DVDs read the article Types of Recordable DVD Formats. Second, change the record speed to the desired setting. For me it’s “SP”, which allows up to two hours of record time.
Place the recordable DVD into the DVD Recorder.
Start playing the Recorded TV Show back while pressing record on either the DVD Recorder itself, or by using the remote. If you want to record more than one show on a DVD, just pause the recorder while you switch to the other show, and then resume by hitting pause on the recorder or remote a second time after you start playing the next tape. However, make sure you have enough space on the disc for the shows you are recording.
10. Once you have recorded your TV show (or shows) hit stop on the recorder or the remote. DVD Recorders require that you “finalize” the DVD in order to make it a DVD-Video, capable of playback in other devices. The method for finalizing varies by DVD Recorder, so consult the owner’s manual for information on this step.
11. Once your DVD is finalized, it is now ready for playback.
12. While you can purchase a DVR that includes a built-in DVD Recorder, those can be expensive. By hooking up a seperate DVD Recorder, you can save some money, while taking advantage of backing up you TV shows to DVD, without the need for a DVR with a built-in DVD Recorder.
13. On the other hand, having the convenience of a built-in DVD Recorder is the right choice for those who don’t want to hook up an extra A/V device to their home theater set-up.
Tips:
Make sure you use the DVD format that works with your DVD Recorder.
When using analog cables to record from a Digital Video Recorder to a DVD Recorder make sure you use highest quality cables that the DVD Recorder accepts, and that the DVR outputs.
When selecting a recording speed on the DVD Recorder use 1 hour or 2 hour mode. The 4 and 6 hour modes should only be used when recording TV shows you don’t plan to keep, or long sporting events.
Make sure you set the correct input select for the inputs you are using on the DVD Recorder. Typically, DV for a Firewire connection and L1 and L2 for analog inputs.
Make sure to Finalize your DVD for playback in other DVD devices.
What You Need:
DVD Recorder
Digital Video Recorder – such as TiVo
Audio/Video Cables
DVD Recordable Media of the correct format
TV hooked up to the DVD Recorder to monitor the recording
