How to Burn TV Episodes to DVDs

Create your own DVDs of your favorite TV episodes.

At one time, viewers had to rely on VCRs and video tapes to store TV episodes that they wanted to keep. With DVRs and computer video programs, though, many digital storage options have opened up when it comes to storing TV episodes. You can even burn TV episodes to DVD. If you do not have a DVD recorder connected to your television, you must capture TV episodes to a computer before burning the shows to a DVD.

Things You'll Need

• TV with optional DVR, cable or satellite box
• Digital capture device or Digital camcorder with pass-thru
• DVD-R

Instructions

1. Connect a digital capture device or digital camcorder with pass-thru capabilities to the TV, DVR, cable or satellite box. To connect the digital capture device, plug the yellow, red and white audio-video cables into the video and audio "Out" ports on the TV, DVR, cable or satellite box. To connect a video camera, plug the audio-video cables into the "Out" ports on the TV DVR, cable or satellite box and plug the other end of the cable into the port on the camera.

2. Plug the opposite end of the digital capture device into the computer, or connect the camcorder to the computer using the cord that was provided with the camcorder. The digital capture device generally has a USB connector, while most cameras connect by firewire.

3. Launch the video-editing program that you normally use to capture video to your computer from "Start>All Programs." Programs that have capturing capabilities include iMovie, Windows Movie Maker and Adobe Premiere.

4. Open the capturing feature in the video-editing software. In most programs, go to "File>Capture" or "File>Import." In iMovie, click the button with the camera at the bottom of the window to switch to "Capture" mode, then go to "File>New Project."

5. Enter the name of the episode that you are capturing when prompted by the "Capture" wizard. Change the default folder for the program by clicking the "Destination" or "Output" button and choosing the folder on the hard drive where you want the file to save.

6. Begin playing the TV episode on the TV, DVR, cable or satellite box. The episode also plays in the capture window in the video-editing program. Click the "Start Capture" or "Import" button in the window to begin capturing the TV episode.

7. Click the "Stop Capture" or "Stop Import" button to stop capturing the footage. Click "Finish" or "OK" to save the footage into the folder you selected on the hard drive.

8. Open the DVD-writing software that you normally use to burn DVDs on your computer. Click the "Add Video" or "Add Files" button in the writing software and double-click the TV episode file to load it. Follow the rest of the screens through the writing software and click the "Burn" or "Write" button on the final page to burn the TV episode to disc.

References

• Video Capture Card Roundup
• Windows Movie Makers: Capturing Video in Windows Movie Maker 2
• Yale: Instructions for Using iMovie