DVR to Mac

[Vampersteen]

Okay, so i've seen others posting advice, but I'm not really smart in the computer lingo. So please help, but write the advice as though you're trying to explain it to a 4 year old.
I need to steal tv shows from my DVR and put them on my macbook- for free, ie no buying programs to do this.
I'm embarrassed to say but I saw people mention FireWire- is that a USB cord? and I dont know what type of MacBook I have, so tell me where to look and I'll find it. Also, if you're going to advise me to download, please post a link to where I can find that.
Thanks for your help.

[usually_quiet]

There is a picture in this article http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/confirmed-macbook-drops-firewire/2387 that will help you identify the firewire port, if your MacBook has one. (According the article only some have a firewire port.) Here's a link to another article that suggests software for capturing the DVR output: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1456585. I don't have a DVR or MacBook myself, but if nobody else knows more, at least you have a place to start.

[Edit] Firewire is not a type of USB, it is a completely different type of cable. This is an example of a firewire cable http://www.amazon.com/foot-FireWire-IEEE-6-pin-Cable/dp/B003XXAZLA

I guess I should also tell you that success is more likely capturing live TV over firewire output from the DVR. According to several threads here at VideoHelp, capturing DVR recordings via firewire is often difficult or impossible, due to copy protection applied to the programming and encryption used by the DVR.

[dizzie]

Yes, a better option would be to record the shows directly to your Mac using FireRecord (free) as they are broadcast. Again, though, the shows must be broadcast with the encoded marker "Copy Freely". Lately, this seems to include only stations that could also be recieved over the air locally.