[Jeffrey4318]

Okay guys I like to DVR all the races. I do this so I can rewatch if something exciting/good happens. But then my DVR gets too full and I have to delete the races. I was wondering if there is a way I can hook the DVR up to my computer and transfer the video file. Now I know I can transfer the video by replaying it and recording onto an external device. But that takes too long and I would like to get it on my CPU to do some editing. Like removing commercials or ray delay stuff. My goal is to get an awesome digital race collection. I use to collect races on VHS in the older days, but now I would like to store them on a huge hard drive. Any thoughts?

[tbalt]

Buy a TV tuner card at least 720 x 480 pixels, DVD/DL burner, minimum 1 meg ram and Ulead video studio. Works great. If your computer is not half way modern the video will be choppy.

[Jeffrey4318]

I can already do this. What I want to do is find a way to transfer the actual video file. I can replay the race and record on my computer already but that takes too long. I want something quicker.

[Racer Duck]

talk to your DRV tech support people .. they can tell you if what you want to do is possible and if so, how to do it. short of pulling the hard drive out and hooking it directly to a pc, I don't know of any way to do what you want (there's no high speed data port!)

[tbalt]

My Directv DVR has a high speed USB data port on it, not sure if you have the same or if it can be accessed with a pc.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by tbalt

My Directv DVR has a high speed USB data port on it, not sure if you have the same or if it can be accessed with a pc.

if a USB port it can be accessed by a PC. but that doesn't necessarily make the hard file in the DVR accessible - the USB port may only be used for streaming...

[tbalt]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

if a USB port it can be accessed by a PC. but that doesn't necessarily make the hard file in the DVR accessible - the USB port may only be used for streaming...

Probably but I never tried to hook up, Windows probably doesn't have correct drivers for the unit. Maybe I will try if there are to many commercials during this weeks race.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by tbalt

Probably but I never tried to hook up, Windows probably doesn't have correct drivers for the unit. Maybe I will try if there are to many commercials during this weeks race.

the device on one end of the USP cable doesn't give a hoot what is on the other end, only that they talk the same language (USB). it's up to software in the devices on each end to understand and identify each other. once they each know what the other is, they know how to interact.

all you have to do is plug in the cable, if windows recognizes the DVR, it'll pop up a window telling you what it found. after that it's up to you (it could show up as a "network drive", in which case you ought to be able to access the proper files and download them.) if it doesn't recognize it, there's nothing you can do...

[tbalt]

Not true, windows doesn't always recognize every USB device. Drivers are needed for every device. Although most common USB devices are recognized automatically by windows XP do to the embedded device drivers included by Microsoft. Even your everyday camera card readers need drivers but windows usually will find a universal default driver common to most.
Your right by saying that it will hopefully show up as a additional drive which would be nice but more then likely it will not and if it does the data will probably be in a format not known by most software programs. So hooking up will be the only way to find out for sure. If I get a chance I will post what I find out.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by tbalt

Not true, windows doesn't always recognize every USB device. Drivers are needed for every device. Although most common USB devices are recognized automatically by windows XP do to the embedded device drivers included by Microsoft. Even your everyday camera card readers need drivers but windows usually will find a universal default driver common to most.
Your right by saying that it will hopefully show up as a additional drive which would be nice but more then likely it will not and if it does the data will probably be in a format not known by most software programs. So hooking up will be the only way to find out for sure. If I get a chance I will post what I find out.

part of the "query" exchange between devices on the most basic level (kind of like modems sync-ing) is a standard format of bits which identifies the device. each device is hard coded to respond with it's info when querried.

that Windows or any other "intelligent" terminal does or does not recognize a given device is indeed because it is not in it's list of known devices and, therefore has no "drivers" if you want to call them that, to interface to the unknown device.

(I really do know how this works, spent almost 20 years in IBM programming, then managing programmers of, operating systems - specifically OS/2, PC DOS, and Java. USB was one of the last things I was involved with before I "retired" in '98.)

I'd be interested in what you find. Thanks!

[tbalt]

I'll have to find a type 'A' to 'A' male to male USB cable first before I can try. The only usb I currently find laying around is the USB mini. I will post my results for you. I've read on some forums that people have tried this with no success with the computer recognizing the unit. Reading it is a direct link to set top boxes and linking of two directv receivers together. But who knows it would be something to try.