How to Move Video From a DVR to an iPod

With the help of a video capture card, you can transfer video from a DVR to your iPod.

While directly moving video from a DVR to your iPod isn't possible---the video ports and formats of the devices are incompatible with one another---transferring the video indirectly is possible. With the help of your computer and its video capture card, you can transfer videos from your DVR to your computer. After you've converted the transferred videos into an iPod compatible format, you can then move them to your iPod.

Things You'll Need

• Video Capture Card or FireWire Card
• Video Conversion Utility

Instructions

1. Connect your DVR to your computer's capture card, using an audio/video cable that's compatible with both devices; for example, if your capture card and DVR both have coaxial ports, then use a coax cable. You can use a FireWire cable to connect a DVR to your computer if the DVR includes a FireWire port and your computer has a FireWire card.

2. Connect one end of your selected video cable to a "Video Out" port on your DVR, and the other end of the cable to your capture card.

3. Download and install a copy of a utility that features video capture, such as VLC Player or Windows Live Movie Maker---you can use any capture software that was packaged with your video capture card. Start the capture utility and then start the playback of your DVR video.

4. Download a free copy of a video conversion utility---such as SUPER or Quick Media Converter---to convert your captured video files into the iPod compatible, MPEG-4 (MP4) format. If you've choose to use VLC Player or Windows Live Movie Maker, you can use either utility to convert your captured content into MP4s.

5. Import your converted MP4s into iTunes. Connect your iPod to your computer, and then transfer your MP4 videos to it via iTunes.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use a FireWire connection, you will need to install your DVR's Firewire driver on your computer before connecting the DVR to the computer. You can find drivers for your FireWire-enabled DVR on the Web at your DVR manufacturer's support page.

Resources

• VideoLAN: VLC Media Player for Windows
• Microsoft: Windows: Windows Live Movie Maker
• eRightsoft: SUPER
• Cocoon Software: Quick Media Converter