CPRM compatible DVD -RW

[tbl35]

I'll try to keep it brief and hope I'm not adding anything irrelevant, but I'm a noob at this stuff so I'm not totally sure what info you need or don't need. Go easy on me

Just bought a Toshiba DVR620. I bought it mostly to transfer some VHS tapes to DVDs and so I could stop having to use a VCR to record sporting events. I have Bright House Tampa (Florida) cable & a digital box. The box is 5 years old.

Went to record a hockey game tonight on SunSports, and it won't accept my DVD +RW. OK, I have a DVD -RW so I pop that in. Nope, error there too, not in VR mode. I format it in VR mode, and now it tells me the disc is not CPRM compatible. Doing some research, not seeing a lot of people complaining about this so I don't know if I'm just really unlucky or what. I tried a few other channels (NBC and Center Ice, which is PPV) and it started recording immediately.

The questions I have are:
1 - What DVD -RW discs are CPRM compatible?! I don't see this info anywhere.
2 - What I want to do is: record games, if I want to keep them (for my own use) I'd prefer it if I could then get them on my hard drive, edit out ads & whatnot & burn them to a DVD +R. So, if I manage to locate these discs, would I then be able to do this with them?
3 - Could my ancient cable box be the issue? Some of the research I've found suggests that no tv shows in the US should have this CPRM flag on it. Is this just an issue with the particular channel & should I be hassling them or maybe BrightHouse?

Thanks for any help.

[Bjs]

Welcome tbl35

I format it in VR mode, and now it tells me the disc is not CPRM compatible

CPRM copy protection technology with scramble system allows recording of copy-once broadcast programs, but
not copying of such recordings. CPRM recordings can only be made on DVD-RW discs in VR mode, and can only
be played on CPRM-compatible player.

Set device to vr mode, then insert RW ... They should not require formatting ... I killed 3 discs before I figured it out.

As for editing on pc this may not be possible.

Supported media Here

In case it disappears

[tbl35]

Welcome tbl35

CPRM copy protection technology with scramble system allows recording of copy-once broadcast programs, but
not copying of such recordings. CPRM recordings can only be made on DVD-RW discs in VR mode, and can only
be played on CPRM-compatible player.

Set device to vr mode, then insert RW ... They should not require formatting ... I killed 3 discs before I figured it out.

As for editing on pc this may not be possible.

Thanks! This was helpful. You are probably right, I have no idea if my computer's dvd-rom would even be able to read those types of discs.

Supported media Here

Thank you, but those unfortunately all seem to be DVD -R and I was hoping for DVD -RW. Is it possible that this is only a problem with older/cheaper -RW discs? The only ones I had on hand we got free for buying something, can't remember what or when!

[tbl35]

Nobody, eh? I really don't get this, don't all newer DVDR demand these types of discs for recording "premium" tv? I can't believe I'm the only one with this problem!

I found these which seem to actually SAY on the box that they're CPRM compatible, but can't find a store that carries them. Desperately trying to find something I can buy in a store that will work since I need this today. That is not to mention, I don't want to use trial & error to find a disc that works.

A little absurd that they're putting these flags on TV but the disc manufacturers aren't required to let us know what media will actually work. Ridiculous the control they're trying to get over this stuff imo.

[Bjs]

Seems maxell 8x -rw dl supports cprm and may be far easier to locate ... dvd-ram is cprm but expensive and getting harder to locate.

[jman98]

tbi35 - Many of us have other methods of recording, such as to PCs, that don't involve the use of DVD recorders. Consequently we have no experience with your problem.

Note that Bjs's post specifically lists DVD-R media, NOT DVD-RW media. I don't know what to make of that. The ONLY reliable manufacturer of DVD-/+RW media available in the USA is Verbatim. That is it. I cannot promise you that Verbatim DVD-RW will work for your recorder, but all other brands available in the USA, including what you found, are crap.

Finally, do note that DVD-/+RW discs are NOT intended for long term storage. If you don't intend to archive what you record, then no problem. But if you wanted to keep the recording, you need to understand that eventually any DVD-/+RW disc will degrade over time and the recording will eventually become unwatchable. Whether that happens in 1 year, 2 years, 5 years or more, I have no way to know, but it will eventually happen with all RW media.

[tbl35]

I didn't really mean just here. I've looked all over the internet and there is next to no info about this problem anywhere, and no manufacturer lists this in their specs that I can see.

Thanks for the tip about the degradation. I don't plan to keep the DVD-RWs, I'd like to re-use them & then rip something to my PC if I want to keep it. Not sure if it'll be possible with this CPRM problem but once I get a -RW disc that will work I'll give it a shot. (I've been using my Verbatim +RWs to copy some old VHS tapes then ripping them to my computer & burning to a Verbatim+R, so I'm not unfamiliar with that process. Pretty sure I got the Verbatim recomendations from here. )

I have an email in to Verbatim customer support, hopefully they'll get back to me & let me know if they're compatible or not. I'm also going to bug the station that I had problems with though & let them know what I think of this. It's ridiculous that I need to jump through hoops like this when I'm supporting their product by watching it and need to record stuff when I'm not home. I didn't go buy this DVDR so I can go back to using my VCR!

[jman98]

I have an email in to Verbatim customer support, hopefully they'll get back to me & let me know if they're compatible or not. I'm also going to bug the station that I had problems with though & let them know what I think of this. It's ridiculous that I need to jump through hoops like this when I'm supporting their product by watching it and need to record stuff when I'm not home. I didn't go buy this DVDR so I can go back to using my VCR!

I certainly sympathize. The manufacturers and Hollywood (really we need to blame them as the movie industry in other countries is not so anal) are both to blame for this. The manufacturers want consumers to have equipment that makes them happy, but what makes consumers happy makes Hollywood unhappy. Hollywood wants you to pay for everything you watch and they would charge you every time you watch it if they could. So they put out CPRM flags on things like regular season hockey games where you simply cannot purchase a legal copy of this game even if you wanted to. So Hollywood doesn't want you to copy a game that you cannot purchase anywhere. Some hockey games are placed on various Bit Torrent sites and there is one site that is famous as the biggest, but I cannot remember it's name. Keep that in mind for the future. Anyway, the manufacturer/Hollywood war is so bad that with a company like Sony that is both part of Hollywood and a manufacturer that they are completely schizophrenic with some parts of Sony being pro-consumer and pushing for BluRay drives and burners for consumers and other parts of Sony actively fighting those divisions and trying to cripple every consumer item that gets made. Legally Hollywood can't really prevent you from making home recordings because prior case history is against them and if they tried that outright, consumers could potentially get even greater rights than they have now. However, court cases have decided that while they can't prevent you from recording that they have no legal obligation to make it easy for you, hence CPRM.

I did find this site
http://www.nhltorrents.co.uk/
but I have never logged in or used it.

[tbl35]

So they put out CPRM flags on things like regular season hockey games where you simply cannot purchase a legal copy of this game even if you wanted to. Hollywood doesn't want you to copy a game that you cannot purchase anywhere.

That's exactly what's so crazy about this! If I miss a game it's not like I can go buy a copy. What was even more baffling to me is that it let me record a game on Center Ice...which is PPV and a lot more expensive than the expanded basic where I have the local sports stations. What sense does this make?

However, court cases have decided that while they can't prevent you from recording that they have no legal obligation to make it easy for you, hence CPRM.

Hah, gotta love it!

FWIW, I just heard back from the Verbatim tech support and they says their DVD -RW discs are CPRM compatible. I'll pick some up & hope for the best. Thanks for the input guys!