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  1. What do you all recommend? What DVD recorder or video card should I get? Thanks in advance!
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    DVD recorders can only record from standard definition connections on the DirecTV DVR. Magnavox/Funai makes the only DVD recorders still available for the N. American market. This is their less expensive model: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Magnavox-MDR865H-HD-DVR-HDD-500GB-ATSC-Tuner/46444957

    A recorder for 720p or 1080i which does not require a PC: Avermedia EzRecorder 310 You will also need a USB hard drive for storage. To record from the DVR's HDMI connection you will need a splitter which removes HDCP as a side effect. The ViewHD VHD-1X2MN3D is one such HDMI splitter.
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  3. Thank you so much! So the AVerMedia EZRecorder is your top recommendation? Or do you prefer a setup that requires a PC?

    Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    DVD recorders can only record from standard definition connections on the DirecTV DVR. Magnavox/Funai makes the only DVD recorders still available for the N. American market. This is their less expensive model: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Magnavox-MDR865H-HD-DVR-HDD-500GB-ATSC-Tuner/46444957

    A recorder for 720p or 1080i which does not require a PC: Avermedia EzRecorder 310 You will also need a USB hard drive for storage. To record from the DVR's HDMI connection you will need a splitter which removes HDCP as a side effect. The ViewHD VHD-1X2MN3D is one such HDMI splitter.
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    I don't have one, but I recommended the EzRecorder 310 for the convenience it offers. The EzRecorder 130 which has fewer features and a lower price could also work. From my perspective, a convenient solution is the "best" if someone is a novice to capture and has many recordings to transfer. The EzRecorder 310 and EzRecorder 130 also allow capturing 1080i30 as 1080i30. In my opinion, this makes them better than some other stand-alone capture devices that have been recommended by members here which only produce de-interlaced output. Instead of producing a correctly de-interlaced 1080p60 capture from 1080i30, these other stand-alone devices produce a 1080p30 file, which is missing half the frames it should have. I recommend editing the EzRecorder capture files on a PC using VideoReDo TV Suite.

    "Best" is always subjective. Most people want a device that produces reasonable quality and capture files that are not too large, but someone was recently looking for a PC capture device that allows making lossless HD captures with the original digital audio for "best quality". This produces enormous files, but that is what he wanted.

    I won't have time to discuss PC solutions for several days. Maybe someone else will have a suggestion. If not, there are threads offering advice for PC capture devices if that is what you want. Search for them.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 1st Oct 2017 at 11:22. Reason: Correct grammar and typos
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  5. Thanks again! I just decided to order the EzRecorder (+ splitter) because I'm (clearly) new to this and it seems simple enough. I ordered the single recording schedule version, but now I'm wondering...does that mean I have to schedule one show at a time to be transferred off the DVR? Should I have ordered the multi-recording one? I don't anticipate needing to get footage off the TV or my DVR again, so I also don't know if this was the most cost-effective way to handle things.

    Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    I don't have one, but I recommended the EzRecorder 310 for the convenience it offers. The EzRecorder 130 which has fewer features and a lower price could also work. From my perspective, a convenient solution is the "best" if someone is a novice to capture and has many recordings to transfer. The EzRecorder 310 and EzRecorder 130 also allow capturing 1080i30 as 1080i30. In my opinion, this makes them better than some other stand-alone capture devices that have been recommended by members here which only produce de-interlaced output. Instead of producing a correctly de-interlaced 1080p60 capture from 1080i30, these other stand-alone devices produce a 1080p30 file, which is missing half the frames it should have. I recommend editing the EzRecorder capture files on a PC using VideoReDo TV Suite.

    "Best" is always subjective. Most people want a device that produces reasonable quality and capture files that are not too large, but someone was recently looking for a PC capture device that allows making lossless HD captures with the original digital audio for "best quality". This produces enormous files, but that is what he wanted.

    I won't have time to discuss PC solutions for several days. Maybe someone else will have a suggestion. If not, there are threads offering advice for PC capture devices if that is what you want. Search for them.
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  6. Originally Posted by hypnicjerk View Post
    I just decided to order the EzRecorder (+ splitter)
    Once you get it working could you post a few short sample recordings? One of live sports (for evaluation of interlaced capture) and another of a movie (for telecined film)? TIA
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    Originally Posted by hypnicjerk View Post
    Thanks again! I just decided to order the EzRecorder (+ splitter) because I'm (clearly) new to this and it seems simple enough. I ordered the single recording schedule version, but now I'm wondering...does that mean I have to schedule one show at a time to be transferred off the DVR?
    You should probably capture just one DVR recording per capture session.

    There might be a limit on the number of hours that you can capture with the EzRecorder 130 in a single session, but it is probably generous, so other than that, it shouldn't matter how many shows are contained in a single DVR recording that you want to capture. In other words, if a single DVR recording contains something like a marathon or an entire nights worth of shows from one channel, it should still be OK

    I wouldn't recommend capturing several different DVR recordings one after the other in a single recording session, especially if they originate from different channels.


    Originally Posted by hypnicjerk View Post
    Should I have ordered the multi-recording one? I don't anticipate needing to get footage off the TV or my DVR again, so I also don't know if this was the most cost-effective way to handle things.
    The EzRecorder 130 can only accept HDMI input and TVs do not output video over HDMI. So, I have to ask you what you mean by "get footage off the TV"?
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  8. I just didn't know what I was talking about. ^_^ It's fine, as long as I can get the footage off the DVR. (So, jagabo, I guess I can't help you?)

    But...so far, I've not been able to do so. The EzRecorder says there is still HDCP protection even though I used the ViewHD VHD-1X2MN3D HDMI splitter.
    DirecTV DVR HDMI out is going into the splitter's HDMI input
    Splitter's HDMI output is going into EzRecorder in
    EzRecorder out is going into a monitor's HDMI port

    Not sure what to do (if the above is the correct connection procedure)?

    Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    The EzRecorder 130 can only accept HDMI input and TVs do not output video over HDMI. So, I have to ask you what you mean by "get footage off the TV"?
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  9. Some of the Amazon reviews on the splitter say it does not bypass HDCP anymore (one specifically mentioned it doesn't work for DirecTV now). Does anyone know of an alternative splitter I can get if this is the case?

    The OREI HD-102 looks like a possibility?
    Last edited by hypnicjerk; 12th Oct 2017 at 00:14.
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    Originally Posted by hypnicjerk View Post
    I just didn't know what I was talking about. ^_^ It's fine, as long as I can get the footage off the DVR. (So, jagabo, I guess I can't help you?)

    But...so far, I've not been able to do so. The EzRecorder says there is still HDCP protection even though I used the ViewHD VHD-1X2MN3D HDMI splitter.
    DirecTV DVR HDMI out is going into the splitter's HDMI input
    Splitter's HDMI output is going into EzRecorder in
    EzRecorder out is going into a monitor's HDMI port

    Not sure what to do (if the above is the correct connection procedure)?

    Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    The EzRecorder 130 can only accept HDMI input and TVs do not output video over HDMI. So, I have to ask you what you mean by "get footage off the TV"?
    Originally Posted by hypnicjerk View Post
    Some of the Amazon reviews on the splitter say it does not bypass HDCP anymore (one specifically mentioned it doesn't work for DirecTV now). Does anyone know of an alternative splitter I can get if this is the case?

    The OREI HD-102 looks like a possibility?
    You have hooked up the splitter correctly.

    I am sorry to hear that the splitter I recommended didn't work for removing HDCP. The VHD-1X2MN3D I bought in 2014 did work for me. I guess the maker changed some of the components they use to build the device.

    I don't have another splitter suggestion at the moment other than the ViewHD 4-port splitter VHD-3D1X4. The OREI HD-102 looks like it is hit-or-miss.
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  11. The OREI HD-102 didn't work. :'( Waiting for the VHD-3D1X4 to ship to my house now...

    Maybe it's about time I heard about the PC solutions now, heh!

    Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    I am sorry to hear that the splitter I recommended didn't work for removing HDCP. The VHD-1X2MN3D I bought in 2014 did work for me. I guess the maker changed some of the components they use to build the device.

    I don't have another splitter suggestion at the moment other than the ViewHD 4-port splitter VHD-3D1X4. The OREI HD-102 looks like it is hit-or-miss.
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    Originally Posted by hypnicjerk View Post
    The OREI HD-102 didn't work. :'( Waiting for the VHD-3D1X4 to ship to my house now...

    Maybe it's about time I heard about the PC solutions now, heh!
    PC solutions have the same problem with HDCP protected sources. That is why I bought the ViewHD VHD-1X2MN3D splitter.

    There is a stand-alone Chinese capture device, the HDMI Cloner Box Pro. that ignores HDCP. Demo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfTTY4E8KTw If you are OK with recording with the DirecTV DVR set to output 720p, then you might like it, but it doesn't record 1080i correctly. It deinterlaces 1080i to 1080p30 instead of 1080p60, which means half the frames that should be present were discarded.
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  13. Got this SUPERSUN splitter before trying the ViewHD 4-port one (because the SUPERSUN could arrive faster), and...

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072C5NJZF/

    ...finally, a splitter that bypassed HDCP! I was thrilled! The recordings it's made so far are not great and choppy at times. Is that due to the splitter quality? Is there something else I can do to improve recording quality?
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  14. Originally Posted by hypnicjerk View Post
    The recordings it's made so far are not great and choppy at times. Is that due to the splitter quality?
    Not likely. It's probably a playback problem or the fault of the Avermedia 310. Post a short sample with a moderate speed panning shot.
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    Originally Posted by jagabo View Post
    Originally Posted by hypnicjerk View Post
    The recordings it's made so far are not great and choppy at times. Is that due to the splitter quality?
    Not likely. It's probably a playback problem or the fault of the Avermedia 310. Post a short sample with a moderate speed panning shot.
    hypnicjerk bought the Avermedia 130 instead of the Avermedia 310 because it was less expensive. I searched for other threads about the Avermedia 130 and found a couple of reported problems with the device's recordings which might cause choppy playback that I had forgotten about. It would definitely help to have a short sample to see if either of them are responsible for the choppiness. One of them is that the Avermedia 130, as well as some other programs/devices, flag interlaced mp4 files with the field rate, not the frame rate. Luckily incorrectly flagged video is correctable after the fact.

    hypnicjerk should also check the firmware version as well to make sure it is current. The latest firmware, issued in April of this year, is ver 1.1.7. Too bad that Avermedia doesn't list the actual bug fixes and improvements included in any of its updates.
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  16. Old thread, but I need to revive it.


    In a few months we will be disconnecting from DIRECTV and just using an over the air tv antenna. When we do so, we will be turning in the DVR as well. Is there any way to transfer the content from the DVR to an external hard drive or my late 2013 MacBook Pro for later viewing?

    Anything new to add to the info in this thread??
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    No. Copying the files won't work. The recordings stored on the DVR's hard drive are encrypted and playback is restricted to the individual DVR that made them. This is why I suggested a capture device or DVD recorder to record the video in real-time from the DVR as it is played. Look at the DirecTV forums and you will see the same advice.

    However, Magnavox/Funai is now out of the DVD recorder business. DVD recorders are now only available in used or refurbished condition.
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    I purchased this:
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LAP3GC8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    And this less than a month ago:
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076JDXPRG/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    And the combination does exactly what you want
    Note much of what I'm recording is SD so I have my output set to 720p which gives me a significantly smaller file, about XP in DVDR speak(1hr material produces a file about 4GB) when set to 1080 the file size was about 7GB. I also used the slowest bitrate on the recorder(I believe 10mbps) which to me looks just like my original material but they do have 3 other bitrates to play with depending on your material.
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  19. I’m not very high tech, but I’m guessing I would run an HDMI cable into the splitter, another to the TV, and another to the recorder (or perhaps my MacBook Pro, and make a recording with some type of video capture software, Roxio?).
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    The Avermedia I linked is a standalone recorder that records to an external HDD(or thumb drive) you supply, if you want to directly record on your MacBook then yes, you'd need some type of software.
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  21. Thanks a bunch!
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