Hello. I have a Scientific Altanta Explorer 8000HD Digital Cable box
from Time Warner Cable in San Diego.  It has an internal hard drive
and lets you record TV shows like a TiVo.  I use it to record my son's
favorite cartoons.  The hard drive is almost full and I would like to
transfer the recorded shows to my PC so I can delete them from the
cable box.  Time Warner Cable was no help with this.  I have tried
plugging my digital camcorder into the Explorer 800HD - but was unable
to copy the cartoons.  I have several computers in my home including a
new Compaq Presario laptop with Windows XP Home and a new Dell
Dimension 5150 with Windows Media Center on it.  I also have several
external hard drives and an Iomega REV drive I could use.  What is the
easiest way for me to move the recordings from the Explorer to a
computer where I can burn them onto a DVD?

My GUESS is that the easiest way would be to connect a DVD Recorder to
your Cable Box, assuming that both the Cable Box and the DVD Recorder
have SCART sockets. DVD Recorders are now very affordable. Here in the
UK, I feel sure that I could record from my Digibox (which has a Hard
Disk) in this way; I have recorded onto VHS tapes using this method.

What outlets do you have on your Cable Box?

Hi probono - thanks for the nearly instant comment!
I have never heard of a SCART socket.  I will try to dig up the manual
to give you an exact answer on the outlets.  Give me a couple of
minutes.

OK - Here is what the box has.  It has a USB port on the front.  It
also has a 1394 Firewire and a DVI interface on the back.  All three
of these ports come with the following tagline:

"This connector is reserved for future use or may not be available on
all 8000HD models."

I have component video out that is connected to my TV.  I also have a
Cable out port for connecting to the cable input of a TV or VCR.  Does
this answer your question?

Assuming that the digital 1394 and USB ports are inactive, is there
some way I can connect the component video to my Media Center PC?

It also has VCR Archive* ports that connect to video and left/right
(L/R) audio inputs of a VCR. These outputs are used for archiving
programs that are stored on the 8000HD to a VCR.  This sounds
promising, but it has the same disclaimer as the USB and Firewire
ports.  I realize I could probably spend a few hours in trial and
error mode and try every possible combination of connections.  I am
hoping someone can tell me one that is proven or very likely to work. 
I would like to avoid losing recording quality if possible, too.

Another question is that my cable box is located far away from my
Media Center PC.  The PC is not easy to move.  Will I lose all my
settings and programs if I unplug the box from everything and take it
upstairs to my study and MCPC?

I just happen to have a SA 8000 digital box. It's not the HD version
but hopefully there's enough similarities so I can help some.

The VCR connections on the back do work, but you need to use the PIP
(Picture In Picture) function of the box. On the bottom of your remote
control, there should be some basic PIP controls. When you turn on
PIP, video will come out of the video connector for the VCR connection
and audio will come out of the L/R audio connections. The video coming
out of the VCR video connection is the proper full frame version of
what you see in the PIP image. Experimenting with this would help
explain it best. I learned about this by connecting things up and
experimenting.

As for moving the digital box, it's been my experience that you keep
all the settings and recorded shows when you disconnect the box from
power and move it. I've done it many times when I had to move
furniture around. When you plug it back in, there still will be a
software loading time, which the box does automatically. It will work
without a cable connection if you want to just play the recorded
shows. I found that out when a hurricane hit and wiped out the cable
access here (I live in FL).

The USB and 1394 ports are inactive. The reason we may not see them
active for a while, for archiving recorded shows, is the scare of DRM
issues. I've discussed this with some rather informative cable
technicians. I doubt they'd lie considering some of them showed me
some things that customers aren't supposed to know.

Anyway, I hope this helps you in some way.

Well there you have it Socal, thanks to Lloyd who's been there.

Good luck!

Bryan

Hi lloydblack999-ga,

Thank you for the response!  I am a new Google Answers user.  How does
this work?  Do I get some time to check to see if your answer works
before declaring the issue resolved?  The reason I ask is that I
probably won't have a chance to fool around with this solution until
next weekend.  Would that be OK?

In order to get the best copies, should I connect the VCR connections
directly into my Media Center PC's video card?

Hi Socal

Neither Lloyd nor me are Researchers and we are not empowered to provide Answers.

Researchers have their names listed in blue and underlined - a
hyperlink to their individual efforts on GA.

Unless and until a Researcher provides an Answer the service is FREE
(apart from the 50 cent Listing Charge)!

Although Commenters who have contributed always appreciate a kind word
or two (grovel, grovel).

You can elect to EXPIRE a question at any time which means that no one
can then post any more Comments or an Answer, so your total cost would
only be 50 cents. Not bad, eh?

It is unlikely that any Researcher would now provide an Answer after
Lloyd has done his stuff. (They are an ethical lot.)

So, you can leave your Question open for further comment until it
expires automatically on 7 March.

If Lloyd's solution doesn't work then do let us know!

All the Best

Bryan

I'm actually new to Google Answers as well. I actually created an
account to help with your specific problem because I've already
experimented with the situation.

As for making the recordings to your PC. Yes, a direct connection will
prevent video signal loss. Digital connections, like through a 1394 or
USB port are the best, but you're stuck with analog signals for this
situation. So, the shortest and most direct connections are best,
anwhere within the room should be suitable. I suggest using S-Video
cables, for the best quality.

However, make sure you connect to the media card's input connections.
This may seem like common sense, but I've seen people connect two
outputs together and wonder why it's not working.

I've actually used one of my TV tuner cards in my computer to record
shows I had on my SA 8000 box. It's kinda funny going from digital
format, then to analog, only to be recorded to digital again. I do
wish the 1394 ports were enabled and the digital box's software was
updated to make this eaiser. Currently I use the S-Video output from
the cable box to watch TV on my monitor through the tv tuner card.

I'll keep an eye on this thread in case you need more help.

Heh, I feel like an idiot for not adding this to my recent comment. I
think Bryan is right, most commenters just like a kind word.

When I help someone in a situation like this, I never expect anything.
Sharing some experience and/or knowledge should be free, at least in
my opinion.

Also, as Bryan said, do let us know if things don't work out. One of
us will help resolve the issue.

Lloyd

Nice Job LloydBlack999!!!!
I'm a rather savvy electronics guy, but the "VCR Archive" port on the
back of the 8000HD had me stumped.  Of course, tech support at
TimeWarner Cable are no help, they don't want you recording the
product that you've already PAID FOR.

Your suggestion about the PIP activating the port was nothing less
than genius.  I've been playing with different wiring combinations for
hours.  Your suggestion worked immediately for me.  Some shortfalls,
though.  1) It doesn't seem that I can record any Pay Per View
Channels.  Any suggestions for that?  Also, when transferring a
recorded show from the DVR to VCR through the PIP window as you
suggested fills with horizontal AND vertical black bars, making the
viewing area much smaller.
What I really want to do is burn movies to DVD so that I can transport
them to another TV and play on DVD player.
Thank you for your suggestion, I never would have figured that one out.
My hat's off to your creativity.

Continue on 705226!

Curious ... This is now shown as 'expired' but LOOK I can still post Comments.

Of cource you can probo