I've scanned several of the SA8300 threads (some of them are HUGE! :)looking for this kind of information, but no luck so far. My apologies if this has already been covered, can someone point me to the right post in the right thread?

Apparently some people have gotten an external SATA drive to work with a Scientific Atlanta SA8300HD. They can get the 8300 to record a show on the external drive, then play it back later from the drive onto their HDTV. Well and good.

What I'd like to do, is store such a show for safekeeping, on a DVD or other such media. I know I wouldn't be able to play the DVD like a blockbuster rental. But what I would like to do is:

1.) Connect an external SATA drive to my SA8300HD.
2.) Record a short show onto the external drive.
3.) Unplug the external drive from the 8300, and plug the drive into my desktop computer somehow.
4.) Copy the file that is the short show, from the external drive onto a DVD so I can keep it, if the file is small enough.
5.) Six months later, after I've filled up the external SATA drive several times, emptied it, etc., I'd like to plug it into my desktop computer again, and copy the file from that DVD back onto the SATA drive.
6.) Then plug the SATA drive back into the SA8300HD, and play the file of the short show on the HDTV again.

Anybody know if that is possible?

Apparently many people have successfully done Steps 1 and 2 above. How about the rest? Possible? Impossible? What are some of the roadblocks, if any?

My apologies if this has already been hashed out in some other thread.

Not possible. Recordings to the external drive retain their original encryption (so you can't do anything with them on a PC) and are tied to the specific DVR they were recorded on (so you can't watch the recordings on a different DVR).

Not possible. Recordings to the external drive retain their original encryption (so you can't do anything with them on a PC)
So I can't even copy the file to a PC's disk, or to a DVD on the PC etc.? I don't want to play it, merely to copy it for storage.

and are tied to the specific DVR they were recorded on (so you can't watch the recordings on a different DVR).
So if I later copy the file back onto that same DVR (the one I initially recorded it on), then I CAN play it on that DVR (my SA8300HD)?

I need to make sure we're talking about the same thing here. I don't want to "play" the DVD. Just want to put it on the shelf for storage. Then I can delete the original short show from the SA8300's disk, record other shows, etc. A year later, if I ever do want to see that short show again, I still can't play the DVD, of course. But I can put the DVD into my desktop system, plug in the external SATA drive, copy the file from DVD to the SATA drive, and then plug the SATA drive back into the SA8300HD and play the show there.

Can it be done?

Anybody know how the shows are stored on the SA's internal disk? Or on the SATA external drive? Does a show make a single file?

So I can't even copy the file to a PC's disk, or to a DVD on the PC etc.? I don't want to play it, merely to copy it for storage.No, you cannot. All recordings are encrypted.

Anybody know how the shows are stored on the SA's internal disk? Or on the SATA external drive? Does a show make a single file?IIRC, recordings consist of dozens of encrypted files spread across both disks.

So if I later copy the file back onto that same DVR (the one I initially recorded it on), then I CAN play it on that DVR (my SA8300HD)?No, you cannot do that. That is a Tivo exclusive feature.

I need to make sure we're talking about the same thing here. I don't want to "play" the DVD. Just want to put it on the shelf for storage. Then I can delete the original short show from the SA8300's disk, record other shows, etc. A year later, if I ever do want to see that short show again, I still can't play the DVD, of course. But I can put the DVD into my desktop system, plug in the external SATA drive, copy the file from DVD to the SATA drive, and then plug the SATA drive back into the SA8300HD and play the show there.

Can it be done?No, it cannot. Tivo is the one and only HDTV DVR that lets you download / copy recordings to your computer. Screenshots #1 (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivodesktoptransfer.png), #2 (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivoweb.png).