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willzzz
join:2007-05-23
NY

willzzz

Member

[DVR] Can I get the video files off the DVR!?

Can I get the video files off the DVR!?

Note: I'm a developer.
Has anyone here connected the HD DVR's HD (hard drive) to a Linux Ubuntu computer and installed IBM's GPFS file-system kernel module driver on Ubuntu to view the file-system on the DVR's hard-drive? I searched online and someone did it. They said in the Moto config there are 2 partitions:
0: Unencrypted: Show information, stats info and other Moto stuff.
1: Actual files for the video files. Encrypted. The GPFS FS ID# is UNIQUE to each STB DVR and can't be transferred. To disable the encryption the algorithm would need to be calculated based on the M-Card MAC# that TWC uses for video decoding.

Has anyone managed to remove the encryption!?

ALL I want is a TIVO like solution to watch my video files on the go on my laptop in either Windows or Linux.

I bet this is NOT a Comcast limitation but a CONTENT PROVIDER LIMITATION. If Comcast allowed consumers to install a file-system driver on Windows to view the file-system (Mount as drive X: for example in Win7) to view the files off the STB I would switch to you guys from FiOS.

Add in a Motorola client Windows decode driver to play the video files in Windows I would be happy and recommend COMCAST++.

No more damn internet privacy. I pay for content rights to COMCAST. I get video files from COMCAST off the DVR.

Stupid content providers. I WANT FREEDOM! XD

BTW Comcast pretty please, negotiate better rights with your content providers. I WOULD EVEN PAY YOU BIG $$$ for this service. I want to watch my DVR content ON THE GO when I'm AWAY from my house and when I'm in-between coding breaks. Thank You...

Mr. Geek
03667810 (banned)
join:2008-12-18
Grand Rapids, MI

03667810 (banned)

Member

I have never tried it, but it sounds like it could work.

andyross
MVM
join:2003-05-04
Aurora, IL

andyross to willzzz

MVM

to willzzz
For one, the Motorola DVR's are OWNED by Comcast or other cable company. Opening it up and removing the drive violates all sorts of rules. They could sue you if they determine you have messed with their equipment.

Also, I don't think the media companies would be too happy about you breaking the encryption. They also would probably sue you to death, too.

You can always use the FireWire output for pure digital, but with possible copy protection limitations.
willzzz
join:2007-05-23
NY

willzzz

Member

BTW when is Comcast going to roll out TiVo? Moto sucks and their technology sucks and their GUI/engineering sucks. I want content freedom in a legal way in which I pay to Comcast for the content but I have the freedom to use it in a way I choose. I wouldn't mind the DRM on Windows even...

/me goes to research Tivo2Go.
willzzz

willzzz

Member

Since when did the media companies kept up with the pace of technology eh!?

The new future is CONTENT FREEDOM. There has to be a better way. In fact I keep hearing Moto actually in theory has a solution in their labs but never lanuched it with the cable companies because of the content companies. If Motorola actually launched the damn product (including video file DRM decode driver for Windows/Mac with cable company online authentication) they would get a shit-load of happy customers and everything else.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to willzzz

Premium Member

to willzzz
said by willzzz:

No more damn internet privacy. I pay for content rights to COMCAST. I get video files from COMCAST off the DVR.

You don't pay for the right to create a copy that you could redistribute with the copy protection removed, which is what you're asking for.

Comcast is giving the xfinity streaming stuff to users to provide them with the ability to stream content to various devices.

You'll probably not get the freedom you're looking for from a Comcast device. You might want to look into some other device to do that - slingbox, vulkano, etc can do what you're looking to do, to varying degrees.

Ken
MVM
join:2003-06-16
Markle, IN

Ken to willzzz

MVM

to willzzz
If you want a tivo, why don't you just buy a tivo and hook it up to comcast?

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf to willzzz

Member

to willzzz
I really need to stress several factors here. First, opening your DVR and removing tha hard drive violates several policies including tampering. I've spoken to legal about this and was told that the customer would be charged for the replacement of the damaged equipment, and service may be disconnected. There is also the possibility of legal action.

Seperately theres also the fact that getting around copy protection such as the millenium copyright act is illegal in the united states, and discussion of this on this forum is against the terms of use.
Mike Wolf

Mike Wolf to willzzz

Member

to willzzz
I'd also recommend getting a TiVo if thats the features you want, which is also legal.
The Q
join:2008-06-26
Collegeville, PA

The Q to willzzz

Member

to willzzz
said by willzzz:

I want to watch my DVR content ON THE GO when I'm AWAY from my house and when I'm in-between coding breaks. Thank You...

Mr. Geek

Wouldn't a slingbox accomplish this? You could access your home DVR/cablebox from anywhere you had an internet connection...

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

didnt consider that. o..o nice
amungus
Premium Member
join:2004-11-26
America

amungus to willzzz

Premium Member

to willzzz
Your options at this point are
1) realtime dubbing via firewire, or
2) component to one of these »www.hauppauge.com/site/p ··· pvr.html (unless you're just after SD quality ).
Forget opening the DVR; as others have said, it's just not worth the trouble...

I can confirm that firewire DOES scramble "premium" (HBO etc.) content - you cannot get it to record correctly due to the "5c" encryption. When I did have a moto cable box, I dubbed off a few things mostly just to try it. Couple concerts dubbed from random channels came out just fine, but trying to record a movie from, say, Showtime resulted in a file that played back as basically static...

3rd option - get a tuner card that accepts CableCard and use Windows Media Center. Lots of HD content is not restricted in WMC from what I gather, so you can freely transcode, or, just watch the raw ".wtv" files (Windows only - more specifically, Windows 7 Media Center, which all but the "basic" edition have...). HBO etc is definitely still "locked down" in some form, though you may be able to "copy once" to another WMC machine, I don't know...

Options for CableCared tuners are limited though. Currently, only the 4 tuner Ceton card supports CableCard, though the HD Homerun Prime is supposed to be out someday (3 tuners)... There are also used ATI tuners out there, but they only tune 1 channel at a time. Having a DVR, you're probably used to dual-tuners, so the HD Homerun Prime is going to be the "optimal" solution for many, whenever they get around to releasing it.

"5c" encryption is also, AFIK, uncracked......

If you want any level of "freedom" you may consider ditching the cable company box, or, getting the HD PVR. Sadly, the choices for using your own solution are artificially limited at this time. Tivo allows some freedom, but you have to pay a monthly subscription, which I find appalling and ludicrous. Moxi boxes are similar, but don't allow transfer that I know of.

The solution right now with the most freedom to record/transfer most TV shows, with no additional monthly fees, is a Window Media Center machine. HBO etc., are still rather locked down though...

The HD PVR box, when used with your current DVR is hands down the simplest way to record HD straight to a computer with zero limitations.

As long as you can obtain a cable box with component video outputs, the HD PVR will happily record. The cable companies, and content companies however, are well aware of this "analog loophole" and are phasing out the option to even have component video outputs on ANY device - blu ray players are already omitting them, and there will no longer be ANY that have this...
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned) to Mike Wolf

Member

to Mike Wolf
The cable company isn't going to take legal action. Go back to them and ask them under what legal theories they think they'd have a cause of action. No one has time for that BS. Yeah they could do the other stuff.

Circumventing the DMCA for his own uses wouldn't even hit the fed's radar.

Do you really think that the attorneys don't have anything better to do?

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

its simple. your opening their equipment (which they consider tampering) which they are renting to you for a small profit.

You tell me circumventing DMCA isn't a problem (for his own use) yet the same thing can be said about copying DVDs. Have you read the federal warning on them lately? Even copying CDs require licenses that are stored only for one computer. I've had plenty of folders with ripped music disappear because the license expired. Also I don't have to think, I asked the lawyers specifically about this case.
There is a reason why the contents of the DVR hard drive is encrypted, to prevent piracy. Its a blanket view.

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di ··· ight_Act

Point is if they wanted the content of their DVR's to be accessed outside of the DVR they would have made it possible, like TiVo does.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

I'm just telling you reality versus legality. I'm an IP attorney (17 years out) and I can tell you that circumventing the DMCA for your own uses realistically isn't a big deal. Legally, it may be more of a problem.

Yeah, cracking open the equipment could be a TOS violation. I already agreed.

lol, thanks for the DMCA wikipedia link.

Point is that circumventing the DMCA for personal uses is almost impossible to track and enforcement possibilities are very low. Why do you think uploaders are the ones that get in trouble and not downloaders? Tracking and enforcement and damages are much great in the case of the latter.

Dan Bernitt to willzzz

Anon

to willzzz
I had to get a new DVR and I want the shows I recorded on the old, "broken" DVR.
ak3883
join:2005-08-20
Marlton, NJ

ak3883

Member

said by Dan Bernitt :

I had to get a new DVR and I want the shows I recorded on the old, "broken" DVR.

Sorry to say it pretty much is not possible, and outright impossible to "transfer" recordings from one DVR to another.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

Yeah. I don't think that's happening any time soon.

Outputting the DVR picture to a VCR/DVDR is about the only solution available.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf to Dan Bernitt

Member

to Dan Bernitt
said by Dan Bernitt :

I had to get a new DVR and I want the shows I recorded on the old, "broken" DVR.

cant you connect a vcr to the dvr? i know the SA8300 and 8000 has a function that does that.
Mike Wolf

Mike Wolf to 67845017

Member

to 67845017
i know that i was just saying that in their eyes anyone can claim to be a downloader and later upload, that why i said blanket view. in their eyes they are saying "better to not allow anyone to do this then single out those who do" That makes sense cause if the cable providers just singled out those who upload, it can be turned around as harassment or something. I mean look at what Comcast tried to do with throttling bittorrent and the big bruhaha that caused.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

I agree with that.
ajwees41
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE

1 recommendation

ajwees41 to willzzz

Premium Member

to willzzz
said by willzzz:

BTW when is Comcast going to roll out TiVo? Moto sucks and their technology sucks and their GUI/engineering sucks. I want content freedom in a legal way in which I pay to Comcast for the content but I have the freedom to use it in a way I choose. I wouldn't mind the DRM on Windows even...

/me goes to research Tivo2Go.

you do realize the comcast tivo is run on motorola hardware don't you?
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

1 edit

67845017 (banned)

Member

I think he thought that people were going to be handed out tivo hardware.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

1 edit

Mike Wolf

Member

and even then he'd still be limited by the custom interface and software that Comcast puts on the box, if they wanted they could limit the box as much as the Motorola software is.
jagged
join:2003-07-01
Boynton Beach, FL

1 recommendation

jagged to willzzz

Member

to willzzz
you need:
32-bit OS - XP/Vista/Windows 7
firewire cable
firewire card on your computer or firewire port on the motherboard
search for motorola firewire drivers
install drivers on computer
run CapDVHS (most likely it would come bundled with the driver package)
play the file on the DVR and record with CapDVHS

it will dump the files on your computer in .MPG format (or .TS format if you change it manually) which is MPEG-2 with AC3 audio

it may or may not work on encrypted channels.

If you have the Motorola DCX3400 DVR you may have to hit the back arrow on your remote a couple times once you press record on CapDVHS, especially if you don't see the video resolution and bitrate in the fields. I have to do that every time, even if i can see video stats or the recording won't have audio or the audio would start later on when I play it on the computer

heat84
DSLR Influencer
join:2004-03-11
Delray Beach, FL

1 recommendation

heat84 to willzzz

Member

to willzzz
Or you can just do what I do(see signature) and never have this problem.

Why can't you just watch the recorded programs? Then you don't have to worry about getting them off the hard drive.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

said by heat84:

Or you can just do what I do(see signature) and never have this problem.

Along with Sickbeard . . .

heat84
DSLR Influencer
join:2004-03-11
Delray Beach, FL

heat84

Member

said by 67845017:

said by heat84:

Or you can just do what I do(see signature) and never have this problem.

Along with Sickbeard . . .

Who?
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

Sick Beard - Internet PVR for your TV Shows

»sickbeard.com/