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  1. I've worn out DVD recorders from about the time they were first made. I have Comcast cable with a DVR hook-up. Just bought a new Toshiba DR 430 DVD recorder and it appears as though I can't record movies from Showtime, Cinemax etc. I have ALWAYS recorded movies and concerts from these channels. But now after I press record and the DVD recorder runs for about 16 seconds, it stops, and a box appears with a message that says something like "Not Recordable in Video Mode" - or "Not Recordable In +VR Mode" depending on if I'm using a +R or -R DVD blank. Is this correct or am I doing something wrong? I've never had this problem before and I've recorded scads of movies over the years from any channel I wanted. Is this a new thing, and does this happen to everybody? Is it the recorder, or the new Digital cable box, or what? Is there any way around it? Are there any new recorders that don't have this problem? Do I have some Setting wrong? I'm stumped....Thanks for all your help. Regards, Mike
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  2. The analog output fro your cable box is marked do-not-record or record-once (CGMS-A) and your new DVD recorder is responding to it. Can you record onto DVD-RAM? That may work if it is marked record-once. It will give an encrypted disc. You can use a program like relCPRM or DVDFab Passkey to make a decrypted copy of the disc if you want.
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    Recent Toshibas are very sensitive to CP, real or imagined. If your older DVDR will record the same program your newer Toshiba won't, it's probably just your finicky Toshiba. Sonys and newer JVCs aren't any better.
    Try something like a tunerless Panasonic EA-18 or maybe a Magnavox 2160a/513 both with a HDD.
    Newer Toshibas don't record to RAM discs. If your Toshiba allows you to record in VR format to RW discs, you might want to try that option. Video format would be the most likely to give your CP problems. RAM discs use VR but again newer Toshibas can't record to RAM discs.

    If your older DVDRs also won't record your programs(maybe they just started adding CP) then your only option would be some type of video filter to install between your DVRs line output and DVDRs line input. They start just North of $50.
    Last edited by jjeff; 22nd Oct 2010 at 19:03.
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    This isn't really new. Since 2004-2005 DVD recorders from major manufacturers have obeyed copy restrictions applied to paid TV broadcasts. Suddenly running into them now could be the result of a having a different DVD recorder, or it could be that Comcast suddenly realized they weren't transmitting the copy protection flags that the premium channels want them to add.

    Any channels with "copy never" applied won't be recordable, and most premium channels meet the FCC's requirements to use that level of protection.

    All cable-only channels are permitted to use "copy once". Anything marked "copy once" would need to be recorded using either DVD-RAM, or DVD-RW using VR mode, depending on the recorder. Read your owner's manual to find out the particulars on the type of media required.

    Your local channels must all be marked "copy freely" and any kind of DVD media or recording format will work for those.
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    If you want to be independent from Digital Protection Flags mentioned by usually_quiet you can use Grex:
    http://www.xdimax.com/grex/grex.html#TVG
    If you put it between cable box and DVD Recorder all flags will be removed as it it were regular non protected video.
    You can find it (Grex) is mentioned many times in this forum.
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  6. I'm the original poster of this thread. Thanks to all of you who steered me to use DVD-RW to record what I have DVR'd from premium channels. It worked. But now there's a new wrinkle I can use some help with: I want to bump the movie I recorded on DVD-RW to a regular disc, so I can keep the movie but get my DVD-RW blank back for further use. Of course I'm hitting a brick wall. So does anyone have any suggestions? Do I need to buy conversion software, or is there freeware? As I understand it I need to convert VRO to VOB. I'm in over my head here because I don't even know what that is, but apparently it's what I need to do and I haven't a clue. Could really use your help. Thanks a ton. Mike
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  7. Member LJB's Avatar
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    I just use DVDFAB to copy these video files from the -RW to my hdd then I author as needed (if applicable) and burn with imgburn.
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  8. DVDFab doesn't work for the encrypted DVD-RAM discs that are sent to me. That's why I use relCPRM. Is the situation different between DVD-RW and DVD-RAM?
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    Originally Posted by mykicks View Post
    I'm the original poster of this thread. Thanks to all of you who steered me to use DVD-RW to record what I have DVR'd from premium channels. It worked. But now there's a new wrinkle I can use some help with: I want to bump the movie I recorded on DVD-RW to a regular disc, so I can keep the movie but get my DVD-RW blank back for further use. Of course I'm hitting a brick wall. So does anyone have any suggestions? Do I need to buy conversion software, or is there freeware? As I understand it I need to convert VRO to VOB. I'm in over my head here because I don't even know what that is, but apparently it's what I need to do and I haven't a clue. Could really use your help. Thanks a ton. Mike
    VRO files contain all the individual recording sessions on the disc, one after the other. You can use a free program, MPEG Streamclip, to import your decrypted VRO files directly and extract individual recordings. It can also be used to re-package the audio and video into a different container file format, as required for certain DVD authoring programs. MPEG Streamclip only cuts on I-frames, which occur at half-second intervals, but if you don't mind an unwanted frame or two, it can be used to remove commercials or trim the beginning/end of the recording, as well.

    Let MPEG Streamclip fix timecode breaks. The locations for timecode breaks are saved in a log file and tell you where the beginning/end of each recording session is found. If using AVStoDVD to author a DVD with a simple menu, save the edited portions of the VRO file with the "Convert to MPEG..." option. If you are just making a single recording into a DVD and no menu is needed, save the edited portions using the "Demux to M2V and AC3" option to separate the audio and video into individual files.

    Next, author the edited audio and video. AVStoDVD can be used to author DVDs with simple menus from .mpg files. The authoring function of IFOEdit can be used create a menuless DVD file structure from demultiplexed audio and video.

    Finally, use Imgburn to burn the VIDEO_TS folder produced by DVD authoring to a DVD disc.
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  10. Member LJB's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by LJB View Post
    I just use DVDFAB to copy these video files from the -RW to my hdd then I author as needed (if applicable) and burn with imgburn.
    Originally Posted by jagabo View Post
    DVDFab doesn't work for the encrypted DVD-RAM discs that are sent to me. That's why I use relCPRM. Is the situation different between DVD-RW and DVD-RAM?
    My original solution was to purchase a non-tuner dvdr which records to dvdr/rw (not dvd-ram).
    The files are in the dvd structure (video_ts folder) as opposed to a .vro format.
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