How to Burn a DVD From a Dish Network DVR

If you keep storing up videos on your Dish Network system's digital video recorder, it will eventually run out of space. When this happens and you don't want to get rid of any videos, the best option is to transfer them to DVD. There are two ways you can burn your DVR videos onto DVDs. If your computer has a DVD burner, you should be able to use it with the right video recording software installed. You can also connect your DVR and TV to a DVD recorder.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dish Network DVR Recordable DVDs HDMI/component/composite cables Video capture device Video editing software Computer with DVD burner OR DVD recorder

Computer

1. Purchase a video capture device and video editing software for your computer. These are needed to transfer the video from the DVR to the hard drive and play it on the computer. Some kits, such as the Video Xpress system, will have both of these together.

2. Install the software onto your computer and attach the capture device to it. Connect the capture device to the DVR's output through component or composite cables.

3. Insert a recordable DVD into your computer's DVD burner, making sure it is formatted properly. Read over all the software instructions and make sure the program identifies the DVR as an available hard drive.

4. Play the video file from the DVR, and look for it to appear on your computer program's video screen. Follow all of the program's instructions for recording the video onto the DVD.

TV

5. Connect a DVD recorder to the DVR, making sure the DVR's output is connected to the DVD recorder's input. There may be several types of cable connections you can use. An HDMI cable will give you the best quality transfer, while RCA component cables are next best. Composite cables give you the lowest quality.

6. Load a recordable DVD into the recorder. Make sure this DVD is of the type that will work with your recorder. The recorder may only read one of the three basic formats (DVDR+, DVDR- or DVDR+-), or it may read more than one.

7. Play the DVR video you want to record, turning the TV on so you can see it. Press the DVD recorder's "Record" button to burn the video onto the DVD.

Tips & Warnings

• An HDMI cable's connector looks like a stretched rectangle-trapezoid combo. Component and composite cables are very similar RCA-style cables. Component plugs are red, green and blue, while composite plugs are yellow, white and red. Connect the DVD recorder's output to your TV set so you can play back the recorded disc. This step is especially necessary if you disconnected your DVR-TV connection to connect the recorder to the DVR.