instead of dvr-ms

[mapleleefs]

I have/had but then switched from XP media centre to xp pro
the one thing I liked about it was the ability to watch T.V. record it and search a guide and set it up as a vcr to record one show or whole series etc.. But the main problem with it is it records in dvr-ms format. Which is hard to work with after the fact.(I have tried the graph)and the file size is large.Is there a program with these kind of features that records in say avi or mpg something in which I can easily shrink down to divxx and keep several episodes on one cd/dvd. I read the doom9 guide on virtual vcr but that seems very complex. Hence why I liked media centre minus the file format
thank you kindly Mapleleefs

[jmk32]

You can also set the Media Center to record in 'Good' mode instead of 'Best' which will record the shows at a smaller size so you can fit more onto a dvd disc.