Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

HD DVR

May 17, 2017 12:07PM PDT

I am looking for an HD DVR that I can take with me on trips. If a hotel has Dirictv or cable I want to unplug their cable going into the tv and plug it into my DVR and then plug my DVR into the TV. That way I can record, pause, and/or fast-forward programs. I don’t want a recorder with tuners that can pick up OTA signals. Is there such a device available? Than

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Clarification Request
Is the cable HDMI?
May 17, 2017 12:22PM PDT
- Collapse -
HD DVR
May 17, 2017 12:29PM PDT

yes, it is HDMI.

- Collapse -
Then
May 17, 2017 1:55PM PDT

Because of forum policies the link I gave you is as much as I can offer. It's been kicked around as you see there.

- Collapse -
HD DVR
May 17, 2017 2:12PM PDT

The service is already paid for I just want to run it through my DVR so I can pause, fast-forward, etc.

- Collapse -
Service is paid for but
May 18, 2017 7:14AM PDT

The service agreement is such that recording is rarely allowed. There are folk that melt down, burn up over that. Remember who our host is. I can't tell you how to crack COPY PROTECTION so don't ask.

- Collapse -
HD DVR
May 18, 2017 7:58AM PDT

All I was wanting to do is run the program through my DVR so I didn’t have to sit through all of the advertising and the information I’m not interested in. At home I never watch live TV so I was trying to find a way where I could do the same thing while I’m traveling. I wasn’t thinking about violating any laws.

- Collapse -
I gave out as much rope as I could for you.
May 18, 2017 8:08AM PDT

See the link up top and there you are. We're at the limit of how close to the edge as we can go.

Of course you can do the same thing on the road but you will be breaking copy protection systems to do so. And that's why I can't help you further.

Think about it. Would you help others jack a car? That's what you are asking me here. It doesn't matter if it's your car or not. You want help in jacking a car.

- Collapse -
HD DVR
May 18, 2017 8:20AM PDT

Thanks for taking the time to respond. All I was trying to find out was--is there a piece of equipment made that would perform what I want it to do--and where do I purchase the equipment.

- Collapse -
That's in my google search above.
May 18, 2017 8:22AM PDT

But that's as far as I can take you without crossing a line. If you need more, ask the maker or seller of the product to tell you if it will do the deed.

- Collapse -
Which service is already paid for?
May 18, 2017 7:28AM PDT

You mean cable or satellite service? That doesn't matter since what you are proposing violates 99.9% of the current agreements cable companies forge with various content providers/owners.

You probably just have the wrong provider. My Xfinity (Comcast) provider lets me stream DVR content via a nice app when I am traveling on my iPad or mobile phone. AFAIK, DirecTV offers a mobile DVR too.

- Collapse -
HD DVR
May 18, 2017 7:59AM PDT

All I was wanting to do is run the program through my DVR so I didn’t have to sit through all of the advertising and the information I’m not interested in. At home I never watch live TV so I was trying to find a way where I could do the same thing while I’m traveling. I wasn’t thinking about violating any laws.