Is it possible for me to record ppv events with my dvd recorder? I have my digital cable box hooked up to main cable feed which is split into my dvd recorder and then split into my TV. I thought I read before that events are copy protected so I want to know if it will be before I go to record the event first. If anyone can help me out I'd really appreciate it. Thanks

Most PPV events these days are CGMS copy protected. It is unlikely that you would be able to record as they would be marked with "Copy Never" CGMS command.

You can overcome that by placing a Video Filter between the cable/satellite box and the DVD recorder.

Write me a PM and I can give you information on this.

will it work with a vcr to record?

I will occassionally record "On-Demand" cable programs to my Polaroid DVD recorder by component input @ 480i. Got sleepy last night watching "16 blocks" so I let the DVDR record the remainder of the show. I will watch the rest tonight. No CP issues here.

I dont have a component input or a video filter. I have a video stabelizer for VHS/DVD will this work? If not I think I might just try to hook it up with the old vcr will this work?

I dont have a component input or a video filter. I have a video stabelizer for VHS/DVD will this work? If not I think I might just try to hook it up with the old vcr will this work?

Dear Shawn Michaels...um...I mean, Showstoppa621:

That device you referred to (the Stabilizer) for VHS/DVD should more than likely do the trick. Just connect it between the Cable Box Out and DVD Recorder In and that should be about all you will need to do. Try it using Premium Cable channels (movie channels) or "On Demand" if you have that, and test it out that way first to be safe.

Forgive me for I am new. I now see "LIMITED RECORDING" on my PPV movies. Is it possible to record to DVD and still keep it for ever? Or, will it self destruct in 24 hrs?
Any input appreciated.
Bob
Burn On....

Limited Recording probably means that it is Copy Once. You may be able to record it once but will not be able to make copies of the copies.

Older VCRs will record anything at anytime. If your VCR is part of a combo DVD/VHS recorder, the vcr and dvd sections will both obey a copy prohibit signal. Most "name brand" DVD recorders obey the copy prohibit signal, but a few of the one-off Wal*Mart specials, like the three year old Polaroid mentioned above, ignore it. This is a complex issue and people in different areas with different hardware and different services all have different experiences. Many of the people who boast of "no problem" recording "protected" PPV don't realize the only reason they have "no problem" is because their service didn't bother to embed the protection signal. So it is unwise to rush out and buy any random recorder that a member claims is "immune" to cable/satellite copy protection: none of us can guarantee the recorder will be immune in every case on every system. All USA-spec DVD recorders are engineered to respond to copy-prohibit signals, some are more sensitive than others but sooner or later as Hollywood pressures cable and satellite to honor their copy-protect agreements more of us will encounter this problem. The only reliable solution is an accessory filter or TBC, which are covered in several other AVS threads.

Just as a disclaimer, it should be noted that PPV events are technically not yours to record permanently: they are sold to you with a specific one-time-use agreement that you are paying for the convenience of an early movie viewing window or the convenience of not leaving your home for a concert or sporting event. Our pigheaded insistence on abusing PPV is the number one excuse Hollywood uses whenever they petition the FCC and other gov't offices for restrictive legislation. We can argue with moral conviction about recording rights for everything else, but the "I wanna record PPV" obsession is a dog that keeps coming back to bite us.

Just as a disclaimer, it should be noted that PPV events are technically not yours to record permanently: they are sold to you with a specific one-time-use agreement that you are paying for the convenience of an early movie viewing window or the convenience of not leaving your home for a concert or sporting event. Our pigheaded insistence on abusing PPV is the number one excuse Hollywood uses whenever they petition the FCC and other gov't offices for restrictive legislation. We can argue with moral conviction about recording rights for everything else, but the "I wanna record PPV" obsession is a dog that keeps coming back to bite us.
What "specific" one time use agreement? The owners and the cable cos. collect their fee for allowing you to view/preview something that's not being broadcast for free, or as part of your regular cable package. How is this any different from copying ANY content that you don't "own"? How does it NOT fit into the definition of "fair use"? Furthermore, let's assume that you're right, and it doesn't constitute "fair use". The courts have decided that the cable cos. are NOT liable for the copyright infringements of their customers. (See 08/05/08 Federal Appeals Court decision - Fox, CNN, Disney et. al. Vs. Cablevision)

Appreciate and respect the copyright commercial CB. My reason for the copies is sort of a rebellion to the increase in ppv almost double of a rental and then the next week I start seeing the notice that recordings (on your dvr) are only good for 24 hrs. I'm the type that can watch a movie a dozen times in a year. Just wondered if it successfully burns to dvd-r will it stay viewable.

If you succeed in recording it to DVD. it won't disappear later. They haven't figured out a way to do that with ordinary discs yet.

I kind of figured that. Just unsure how they tag a movie to be unviewable after 24hrs. Is it part of the DVR function or embedded in the movie?

If you succeed in recording it to DVD. it won't disappear later. They haven't figured out a way to do that with ordinary discs yet.

I don't know about that: some brands of blank disc seem to self-destruct almost immediately- tried any TDK lately?:D Kidding.

It ain't my place to tell people what to do and thats not what I'm about. I wasn't trying to nanny anyone with my PPV remark, just reminding us all that recording it is the number one "piss off the studios and send them to Congress" act we can do. The name of the service is Pay Per View, not Pay Per Recording. When we insist otherwise we're just being cute, and lending ammunition to studio arguments to restrict all recording because "consumers can't even be trusted to respect pay per view": the case they're presenting to the FCC right now. I'm no saint, I've recorded PPV events: we all have. But its not the smartest move, and it comes back to haunt us repeatedly. Its kind of a nasty studio trick: instead of baiting the mousetrap with cheese they bait it with PPV, when we inevitably take the bait and try to record it they run crying to the feds about what untrustworthy little sh*ts consumers all are. Its a ruse: if they really gave a damn they would have pulled the plug on PPV years ago, since it doesn't make them a dime. What it does do is give them a crowbar to manipulate dimwit legislators.

The model for PPV is the same as a theater. You are buying a virtual ticket to view a piece of content over a given period of time. Try taking your video camera to the theater the next time you pay to view a movie and record the movie as it plays. If you get caught (first hint that it's illegal) you will find that a defense based on "fair use" will fail in court. So why should it be different just because the viewing venue is your living room.

I sympathize with anyone who wants to record for their convenience because I do the same. But, cable and sat are not governed by the same laws that OTA broadcast is. When you subscribe to cable you are, in effect, contracting with a service provider. You have no rights other than the basic consumer contract rights provided by law or what are explicitly defined in the contract agreement -- their terms and conditions you implicitly agree to by paying the monthly fee. You have certain rights, such as the right of expectation that the service will be provided to the standards set forth in the agreement. You have the right to file a grievance and they must provide a response within a certain period of time as specified in the agreement. Ultimately, if you don't like the service, you have the right to terminate the contract without penalty as specified in the agreement. They, of course, give themselves the right to change their terms and conditions at any time without notice -- and we all agree to this!!! No where in any of these contract agreements will you find that you are explicitly granted the right to record -- not just PPV but anything for that matter.

Have I made my point. Other than their re-transmission of OTA broadcasted material, there is no "fair use" here. Your use is entirely dictated by contract and as long as you keep paying, the law views you as agreeing to that contract.

Is it possible for me to record ppv events with my dvd recorder? I have my digital cable box hooked up to main cable feed which is split into my dvd recorder and then split into my TV. I thought I read before that events are copy protected so I want to know if it will be before I go to record the event first. If anyone can help me out I'd really appreciate it. Thanks

I record UFC PPV Events to my PC using my Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2 capture device through A/V composite cables.

I kind of figured that. Just unsure how they tag a movie to be unviewable after 24hrs. Is it part of the DVR function or embedded in the movie?

That "tagging" is in the HDD of your DVR. All they have to do is erase it from your HDD, in 24 hours. In the case of freeVOD, it will disappear from your list of "saved shows" in 24 hours, or as little as 6 hours, as they choose. But, with free VOD, you just select it again from the menu. With PPV VOD, you have to pay to select again.

As to recording PPV to DVD, of course they are not required to let us, and we don't really have the right. But, IMO, if they really don't want us copying it, it should be copy protected, and the crime would be defeating that copy protection. If something isn't copy protected (and I didn't pay for a hard copy,) and I'm not selling it, I'll make a copy of it if I darned well want to! And, NOT feel like a criminal... :D

Copyright protection, just like so many other rules and regualtions in this country, makes the honest person pay the price. The criminals will still figure out ways to pirate or steal this material while the honest person who throws down hard earned cash is denied the right to record and keep for personal viewing later. Hell, I go to walmart and buy from the $5 dvd racks, for 5 bucks I can keep it forever. Putting copyrights that prevent recording by the customer is wrong. Your not only paying to see the movies or events on PPV, you are paying their toll for viewership in your own home. They should not legally be able to prevent a customer who has paid from recording and keeping the movie or event. just my two cents...

BTW, copyright means you are not supposed to copy and re-distribute the movie/event for money in return. IF you do, its breaking the law and you can go to jail. I'd think going to jail is the price for those who break the law in this area or any area. For the paying customer, let em record and enjoy

I have had a panasonic dmr-eh-50 for 3 years and have been recording PPV events. I have dish satillite reciever with hard drive. I record to dish reciever then play thru dvd recorder to record it. Dish has recently made some of the PPV movies a one time watch. So I do the same thing. Record to dish reciever then play thru dvd recorder and haven't had a problem playing the PPV movie a number of times. Problem is, after three years my eh-50 died. Now i'm trying to find a recorder that worked just as good. I recorded over 900 movies with the eh-50 with no problems before it started to eat disk's. Hopefully I'll find another good recorder review here.

I have had a panasonic dmr-eh-50 for 3 years and have been recording PPV events. I have dish satillite reciever with hard drive. I record to dish reciever then play thru dvd recorder to record it. Dish has recently made some of the PPV movies a one time watch. So I do the same thing. Record to dish reciever then play thru dvd recorder and haven't had a problem playing the PPV movie a number of times. Problem is, after three years my eh-50 died. Now i'm trying to find a recorder that worked just as good. I recorded over 900 movies with the eh-50 with no problems before it started to eat disk's. Hopefully I'll find another good recorder review here.

Panasonic's Service Center offers a flat rate repair of any out of warranty Panasonic recorder for $130. Enter Panasonic Service Center (or our resident poster named 'Digado'-he's posted the correct info numerous times) in the search box to find phone number and address.

...the right to record and keep for personal viewing later.

I know you think you have this, but there is no such right at all.


BTW, copyright means you are not supposed to copy and re-distribute the movie/event for money in return.

Absolutely false. See #2 in
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

I know you think you have this, but there is no such right at all.



Absolutely false. See #2 in
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

thats ok, I guess I'll just keep stealing it then

I really hate laws like this because it turns people into law-breakers, people who otherwise would not THINK to break a law, outside of a little speeding maybe. Even if it's been passed by the government, it is unacceptable to many, so it is ignored.

We can have all the laws about this we want; most of them are cost-prohibitive to enforce. In the age of electronic duplication and reproduction, the best way for a content provider to protect its intellectual property is to distribute it at a price that makes copying not worth the effort to the average consumer. DVDs are an excellent example of this business model at work: the price point is low enough that most people--hackers and technogeeks not included--just buy what they want.

I very much doubt that any Hollywood star or studio exec has had to go without a new Ferrari because of the activities of the people on this forum--many of whom have vast commecial DVD collections.

Personally, I find that being able to record something off the air and watch it a few times has led me to buy a lot of DVDs that I wouldn't have taken a chance on otherwise. I decide I like something so well that I want the better PQ, plus maybe the extras, cut scenes, etc.

Personally, I find that being able to record something off the air and watch it a few times has led me to buy a lot of DVDs that I wouldn't have taken a chance on otherwise. I decide I like something so well that I want the better PQ, plus maybe the extras, cut scenes, etc.But that's exactly what they want you to do, so they win. :(

Everybody involved makes darned sure the TV version is not something you'd want to record and keep anyway.

You bet they win! So I'm sayin' the media companies are shooting themselves in the collective foot by trying to kill all home recording. At worst, their losses are minimal; at best, it's a great marketing tool. Beside, the real threat isn't you and me; it's the vast pirating operations in China.

Traditionally, home recording--audio and video--has been a compromise. The recordist is willing to accept lower picture quality, commercials, cuts, etc., in exchange for not having to shell out for a commercial copy. VHS preserved that balance. Digital has shaken up the applecart, at least in media company executive suites, because it waves the red flag of the consumer being able to make a bit-perfect digital copy. But really, in a nation where programming your VCR attained mythical status as a difficult technological feat, how many people were/are doing that?

See our earlier discussions in this sub-forum of why feature-rich HDD DVDRs died in the American marketplace. (I'm wondering if they would have been more successful if the feature sets had been kept more basic, and they were marketed as NO-MONTHLY-FEE DVRs with a dead-nuts simple interface that eliminated the frustration of VCR programming (properly working TVGOS pretty much did that). Plus, DVD playback and disc-burning capability thrown in as a bonus. I'm thinking the electronic companies totally misidentified the real mass market. They needed to get Joe Channelsurfer, but instead released products for Pete Poweruser.)