How to Copy a Movie From a Dish Network DVR

Connect a Dish Network DVR to a DVD recorder for copying movies to disc.

A Dish Network DVR records programming from satellite television service onto an internal hard drive. Over time, the hard drive can fill up, making it necessary to offload programs, or the user may simply want to make a copy of a program or movie. Hooking up a DVD recorder to the DVR creates a simple solution for copying movies off the recorder onto a long-lasting media disc. Use a standard set of composite AV cables to connect the two components.

Things You'll Need

• Composite AV cables
• DVD recorder
• Blank recordable DVDs

Instructions

1. Connect the composite AV cables to the "OUT" jacks on the back of the DVR, matching the yellow, white and red plugs to the color-coded jacks.

2. Insert the plugs on the other end of the cables into the AV "IN" jacks on the DVD recorder, using the same color codes to match the plugs with the jacks.

3. Load a blank, recordable disc in the DVD recorder and close the media tray.

4. Press the "Menu" button on the DVR and use the down arrow key to scroll to "Recorded Programs," then select the name of the recording from the list.

5. Press the "Record" button on the DVD recorder, which may take up to a minute to get up to speed and start recording.

6. Press "Play" on the DVR remote control when the red recording light illuminates on the DVD recorder.

Tips & Warnings

• Wait for the DVD to finalize before removing it from the recorder. The finalization process encodes the disc so it can be played on other components besides the DVD recorder.

• Unplug the components from electricity while connecting the composite AV cables.

• Some movies recorded to DVR from premium channels may be encrypted with copy protection to prevent burning the content to a DVD.

References

• Sound & Vision magazine: Back to Basics: How to Set Up a DVD Player or DVD Recorder
• Dish Network: DVR Receivers