Specifically, my wife and I watch a lot of old movies on TCM. I've got a Comcast 2-tuner DVR in my main system and I'd like to transfer a bunch of the movies to DVD so we can watch them in the bedroom, and also to free up
more hard drive space for HD content. The instruction booklet that came with
the DVR has instructions for transferring recorded programs using a VCR(brrrr), but not a DVD recorder. I'd be using an S-video or composite video connection to a Sony RDRGX300. I can't see why it wouldn't work, but I'm a little hazy on all the ins and outs of copy-protection. The reason I'm asking this instead of just going ahead and trying it for myself is that I haven't bought the Sony yet; I found a good deal on a new-in-box piece for $148, but transferring old movies is the only use I'll have for it, so if it's not going to work for that, I'll pass. Has anyone had any experience transferring from DVR to DVD-R? Thanks in advance for any help you folks can offer.

I know that when I checked with comcast about doing this they told me that while the box had the capibility to transfer movies, it is not currently enabled. To which I responded, "ok, can you enable it?"......."No"... no reason, just "no".

Thanks, Dave. Yeah, it gets a little confusing. I've been to the FAQs on Motorola's DVR website and gotten what I consider conflicting info. On one hand, they say you can "transfer a recorded program to VHS tape", but on the other hand they say the "software doesn't support" the transfer of "recorded programs to another device such as an external hard drive, a PC or a DVD recorder". All I'm looking to do is to substitute a DVD recorder for the VCR; again, using only S-video or composite connections. I'm not trying to make perfect duplicates.

Try hooking up a VCR. If that works then a DVD recorder should also since it would connect the same way. Most cable companies disable the digital firewire or USB outputs to prevent digital to digital recordings but the analog works just fine.

Has anyone been able to hook up a regular VCR to the Comcast HD-DVR. No picture comes through on the VCR via composite connection.

I've got my parents Comcast DVR (Motorola 6408) hooked up to their VCR/DVDR via Svideo and analog stereo audio. Works, when I hooked it up. I don't think they record much, if anything, so I don't know if it still does. I would assume so. It's just analog, and SDTV should not be copy protected. If it was, I think Macrovision is the only thing that would work over Svideo, and you can defeat that pretty easily.

I have a Comcast 6412 hooked up to a DVD-R via S-vid and analog stereo. I've burned a number of shows to disc and have never had a problem. I've even recorded shows that are HD on the box, but of course are downconverted to SD for the S-vid ouput and recording onto disc.

That may be difference - my Comcast DVR is a Sci Atlanta, not Motorola.

I have my Tivo Recorder hooked up to my DirecTV HD DVR via S-Video and you have to output at 480i to get a picture. It doesn't autoadjust based on what the connection is.

Thank you to everyone who has offered their help on this. Looks like I'm gonna get me a DVD recorder.

As long as there is no copy protection signal piggybacked on the cable signal there is no reason it shouldn't work. The one thing different between vcrs and dvd recorders is that although a vcr will start and record a protected signal(although scrambled), a dvd recorder will not start at all if it detects copyprotection.