Transfer PVR recording to Laptop

sprob

How do I do this, I have got a HDTV with scart leads connected from it to the PVR, the PVR has a 9 pin male serial socket on the back so I would imagine I could connect the laptop directly to that!! , the laptop has svhs (tv out port) and an RGB monitor port (15 pin female) and an iLink port, what is the cheapest way cablewise to do this, I need the audio side of it as well so that I can transfer it to DVD.

Sounds quite complicated to me, but I'm guessing you guys will know an easy and cheap way to do this.

Cheers
Thanks for any help

penrhyn

Cheapest and easiest way is to buy a cheap DVD recorder and connect it to your PVR via scart.
I suspect the 9 pin socket is a serial port for software upgrades.
The only output available from the PVR is analogue so you would need a converter to enable you to dump the programme onto your laptop.

sprob

Sounds like a daft question but can I buy a scart lead that I connect to the TV and playback the recording on the TV and connect it to the laptop using one of the ports (say scart to svhs or scart to RGB) or is that not possible

sprob

BTW the software upgrades are done via the aerial, the EPG is updated every night at 3am the same way

Thanks

weegie.geek

sprob wrote: »

BTW the software upgrades are done via the aerial, the EPG is updated every night at 3am the same way

Thanks

Yeah, but when it's in the factory it's probably slightly outside the footprint of any freeview transmitter.

The serial port'll be for diagnostics and updating the firmware like penrhyn says.


Have you had a google to see if you can connect the hard drive from the freeview box to your PC, then copy the transport streams off it? It'll probably involve dicking around in linux, but if you're ok with that you should be fine.

Failing that, a TV capture card will let you connect to the pc via scart/svideo/composite, but the quality will be quite a bit worse than if you were able to extract the raw transport stream.

Have you considered buying a freeview tuner for the laptop, so you can record straight to it?

sprob

Trouble is I dont want to pay a lot, I recorded it for a friend and its over 3 hours long so its hogging hd space, I was going to copy it to a VHS tape but you guessed it she hasnt got a video anymore only a dvd player

thanks for the help so far - any other suggestions appreciated

Woby_Tide

is there no USB connector on it

(the serial connector makes it sound like a Humax)

penrhyn

It would help if you told us the make and model of the PVR, the only one that you can easily transfer stuff of digitally is the Topfield.

Otherwise you need an analog to digital converter like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/KWorld-MAKER-USB2-0-VS-USB2800D-Direct/dp/B0007W5LWI/ref=pd_sbs_sw_h_?ie=UTF8&qid=1216663637&sr=8-3

sprob

Sorry for the delay the PVR is a Digifusion FVRT145, it only has two scart sockets and the serial port plus the aerial connections, penrhyn I'll have a look at the thread in a mo Cheers

amcluesent

The Humax user group has also developed a USB link to take video files off the PVR hard-disk at high speed.

almillar

You can take the hard drive out ouf these (and some other) Digifusions and connect them to an IDE port on a desktop PC. You can then 'extract' the programs onto the PC's hard drive with special, and convert/save it to whatever format you like. Have a google for FVRT145 extract or something. I haven't got the bookmark anymore. This can also be done with the Pace Twin Freeview recorders, and is very straightforward.
HTH