Best tool(s) for MPEG-4/H.264 broadcast stream to MPEG-2 conversion?

So I'm getting set to dive into transport stream recording w/ a new R5000HD mod to my E* 622 reciever.

I think I've gotten together the necessary tools for MPEG-2 .TS viewing/archiving and manipulation (i.e. R5000HD/SageTV software bundle; HDTV Dump app add-on for MCE; VideoReDo).

Issue is, as many of you know, a growing number of channels are broadcast in MPEG-4/H.264 rather than MPEG-2. Thus, output of the streams to D-VHS and viewing through MCE '05 seems impossible, unless they are converted to MPEG-2. Ideally, I want to be able to do both--1) dump to D-VHS for archiving/viewing from tape; and 2) playback of the file directly on my HDTV (for now, via my Xbox 360s Media Center browser, which taps into my MCE '05 laptop. It's internal HD or a connected USB drive will be home home to the files).

So, what's the best tool/process for acheiving this w/ the MPEG-4/H.264 content? For some (archiving), it seems a transcoding solution is a must; for others (viewing), I'd love to hope there is an H.264 plug-in for MCE out there that offers functionality akin to HDTV Dump and MPEG-2 stream viewing. I just want to be able to make good w/ ALL the content I'm paying for...y'know?

So I'm hoping that everyone is just consumed w/ CES and that there indeed IS an answer/solution to the question posted above...

Anyone?

I know some supposed MPEG-4 channels are only 'tagged' in the stream header as MPEG-4 but are actually MPEG-2, but a few of the newly added E* HD channels (as of a few months ago, newly added, that is) such as StarzHD and I think UniversalHD are actually MPEG-4/H.264.

So, especially for archiving those glorious UHD episodes of "Battlestar Galactica" and the like, I'd love to have a transcoding/H.264 streaming option if it exists...

Does the R5000 record the UHD 'fake' MPEG-4 stream as a straight MPEG2 .TS (i.e the deceptive flag/header makes no difference)? If so, that's fantastic, indeed!

Great to know. I was aware that they had manipulated the headers to make them unviewable on pre-vipXXX series recievers, but wasn't sure if that affected the ability of the R5000 to record them in standard fashion. Thanks for the confirmation.

As for conversion of MPEG-4 streams...I know many lambast StarzHD for not getting its PQ 'in order', but as that may be, what apps do folks suggest? Will VideoReDo cover me, or are there other tools needed? I have CleanerXL (which I THINK could do a MPEG-4 to -2 transcode [but I'm not 100% positive), but its getting it from a .TS to a MPEG-2 that seems to be needed, and I know it won't read transport streams.

Thanks for the input/suggestions. However...

For those out there, including myself, who may be familiar with the basics of compression/encoding/transcoding but prefer a more 'friendly' GUI-fied solution, does anyone have suggestions? I'd prefer something fairly streamlined and easy to use, even if it doesn't give me all the handles/controls that a maestro compressionist would prefer. Just not wanting to get into a suite of 5 apps and command line scripting, y'know?

In short: I can stomach a two/three step process, but they'd need to be fairly automated ones...I have only so much free time, unfortunately, and want to put as much of that into watching the content rather than digging into the fine details of tranmogrifying it. I get that its fun for some (and bless you all), but for me, not so much.