I can't record DVD from the receiver

9864 Views 27 Replies 9 Participants Last post by JohnDG, Jun 23, 2012

bkaczor

Discussion Starter · May 22, 2012

I have been recording from my receiver to a Sony DVD recorder for the past 4 years. Recently I got a message that the quality must be lowered to record. I lowered the quality to 480I and the recording works for a few minuets when the message reads that I have to have component cables. My recorder has audio video cables. I talked to the Technical people and was told that I should get a HMDI splitter to a audio video or s-video adapter. I have not tried that yet. The service guy came out yesterday and I talked to his boss over the techs cell phone. He said that the 480I should work. Any idea what Direct is doing here?
Any ideas on how to record again? At this point, I have U-verse computer service and get offers for the same service as Direct at half the price. U-verse said that you can't record from their receivers.

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The Merg

· #2 · May 22, 2012

I'm assuming that you have an HDMI cable attached to the TV from the receiver and you also have the RCA cables connected to the recorder from the receiver. If you try to playback a recording that requires HDCP and the receiver sees a HDMI cable is connected and the HDMI handshake is not completed (having the TV turned on), you end up with the message you got. The workaround is either to have the TV on when you make your recording or disconnect the HDMI cable from the receiver when you make your recording.

This is not something that DirecTV is doing, but something required by the studios.

- Merg

bkaczor

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 23, 2012

Merg, Thanks, I will try disconnecting the HDMI cable from the receiver when recording. Also what do you think of the idea of using a HDMI splitter with HDMI to the TV and s-video converter to the recorder?

Bud

The Merg

· #4 · May 23, 2012

"[email protected]" said:
Merg, Thanks, I will try disconnecting the HDMI cable from the receiver when recording. Also what do you think of the idea of using a HDMI splitter with HDMI to the TV and s-video converter to the recorder?

Bud

That will work, however, if the HDMI splitter is not HDCP compliant the you will still have the same issue. If a HDMI cable is connected to the receiver, it needs to see that HDMI handshake.

- Merg

rbpeirce

· #5 · May 23, 2012

I have been recording for years and it still works. I just have to press the Exit button to reset the DVR to 480. No wiring changes were necessary. I have HDMI to my TV and component/composite/whatever, 5 wires to my recorder.

I do have to tell the TV that input is coming from the recorder but I always had to do that.

I am pretty sure the necessity to reset the DVR occurred a couple of months ago with a software upgrade.

The Merg

· #6 · May 23, 2012

rbpeirce said:
I have been recording for years and it still works. I just have to press the Exit button to reset the DVR to 480. No wiring changes were necessary. I have HDMI to my TV and component/composite/whatever, 5 wires to my recorder.

I do have to tell the TV that input is coming from the recorder but I always had to do that.

I am pretty sure the necessity to reset the DVR occurred a couple of months ago with a software upgrade.

You might be fine since the material that you are sending to the recorder doesn't have the HDCP flag on it. It appears that it is that way for your Premium Movie Channels to the largest extent.

- Merg

bkaczor

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 23, 2012

Merg,
I am recording a movie with the HDMI cable removed from the receiver. I will know if it records the whole movie when I get home from my office today.
It is ridiculous that whomever I call at Direct that I do not get a truthful answer to my question. If they made a change to comply with Hollywood, they should just say so. I thought the legality of making recordings for your own use was decided years ago when videotape came out. The HDMI cable has a circuit built into it to downgrade the signal already. If your cable is not compliant to 1.3, you will get a black screen as I understand.

Bud

The Merg

· #8 · May 23, 2012

[email protected] said:
Merg,
I am recording a movie with the HDMI cable removed from the receiver. I will know if it records the whole movie when I get home from my office today.
It is ridiculous that whomever I call at Direct that I do not get a truthful answer to my question. If they made a change to comply with Hollywood, they should just say so. I thought the legality of making recordings for your own use was decided years ago when videotape came out. The HDMI cable has a circuit built into it to downgrade the signal already. If your cable is not compliant to 1.3, you will get a black screen as I understand.

Bud

While the legality issue has been discussed many times (to include here somewhat recently), the basic thought is that you can make a copy of a recording that you own. The basic thought is that while you are recording a show on the DVR, you don't actually own that recording, thus, the studios are allowed to put copy protection on it to prevent you from moving it to a permanent storage device.

Let us know if the recording turns out without the HDMI cable attached to the receiver.

- Merg

texasbrit

· #9 · May 23, 2012

No, the cable has nothing built into it. you won't get a black screen whatever HDMI cable you use. HDMI cables are the subject of many "urban legends"!
HBO and other premiums recently introduced the requirement for HDCP compatibility over HDMI. If there is an HDMI-connected device, the DirecTV box checks to see if it is HDCP compliant. If it is not, you get the message to change to component cables - that's because component does not carry HDCP, so there's nothing to check. The problem is that with most (all?) TVs, if you turn them off (put them on standby) the DirecTV box still detects there is an HDMI device, but it does not respond to the HDCP compliance test. That means that any other device connected to the DirecTV box will not be able to operate if the HDMI-connected TV is turned "off".
Solutions - disconnect the HDMI cable when the TV is off, or get an active, powered HDMI splitter connected between the DirecTv box and the TV. The splitter responds to the HDCP compliance check even when the TV is "off", so you can use your DVD recorder OK.
NOTE: Not all powered HDMI splitters will work. There's a thread here somewhere that discusses which ones work and which ones don't.

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bkaczor

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 23, 2012

I was able to record the entire movie onto the Sony DVD. However, I can't finalize the recording and of course, it won't play in another player. Message reads that there is something wrong with the disc. I will try again with the HDMI cable removed from the receiver, but suspect that it won't work.
I have a Toshiba recorder with a HDMI output and will try that next.

Bud

bkaczor

Discussion Starter · #11 · May 23, 2012

I decided to hook up the Toshiba DVD Recorder to the HMDI-4 input on the TV. No messages as before. I am trying to use the S-Video out on the receiver and the S-Video input on the recorder, but it does not work. I have to use the video cable. Any ideas?

Thanks, Bud

The Merg

· #12 · May 24, 2012

As long as the HDMI cable is disconnected from the receiver or if it is connected the TV is on, you will be able to record to your DVD recorder. The fact that the Sony could not finalize the recording would be an issue with the disc or the recorder and not with the DirecTV receiver.

As for the S-video cable not working with the Toshiba, what is the issue (no video, no sound). Remember for S-video, you still need to use the audio RCA cables for audio as S-video is only video. If no video is going through, try the S-video cable connected to your TV to verify that the S-video output on the receiver is working.

- Merg

bkaczor

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 24, 2012

I will try to record again with the HDMI disconnected.

I wonder if I have a bad s-video cable? I will connect it directly to the TV to check. I get no video without all three cables connected.

Thanks, Bud

bkaczor

Discussion Starter · #14 · May 24, 2012

Merg,
The DVD was recorded on the Toshiba with the HDMI removed from the receiver as you predicted. I was able to finalize and it plays on my Blue-Ray player.
I tried the s-video cable directly from the receiver to the TV and it works. When I connect it to the S-video IN on the Toshiba, I get a blue screen. It works OK with the RCA Video cable. I was hoping to get the s-video cable connected in order to improve the input quality to the Toshiba DVD recorder.
My s-video cable has 4 pins, is there a better quality one needed? Also in the directions for the Toshiba, it just reads to connect it. I checked to see if there were any program changes needed for the Toshiba, but I can't find any mention of it.

Thanks, Bud

Yoda-DBSguy

· #15 · May 24, 2012

[email protected] said:
Merg,
The DVD was recorded on the Toshiba with the HDMI removed from the receiver as you predicted. I was able to finalize and it plays on my Blue-Ray player.
I tried the s-video cable directly from the receiver to the TV and it works. When I connect it to the S-video IN on the Toshiba, I get a blue screen. It works OK with the RCA Video cable. I was hoping to get the s-video cable connected in order to improve the input quality to the Toshiba DVD recorder.
My s-video cable has 4 pins, is there a better quality one needed? Also in the directions for the Toshiba, it just reads to connect it. I checked to see if there were any program changes needed for the Toshiba, but I can't find any mention of it.

Thanks, Bud

I'll almost garentee that there is a setting in the menu of your DVD recorder where you have to switch the composite video connection to the S-video input connection in order to get it to work correctly.

It's either that or your S-video cable has a bent pin on one of the ends.

My personal vote is for the first senario I gave....

The Merg

· #16 · May 24, 2012

[email protected] said:
Merg,
The DVD was recorded on the Toshiba with the HDMI removed from the receiver as you predicted. I was able to finalize and it plays on my Blue-Ray player.
I tried the s-video cable directly from the receiver to the TV and it works. When I connect it to the S-video IN on the Toshiba, I get a blue screen. It works OK with the RCA Video cable. I was hoping to get the s-video cable connected in order to improve the input quality to the Toshiba DVD recorder.
My s-video cable has 4 pins, is there a better quality one needed? Also in the directions for the Toshiba, it just reads to connect it. I checked to see if there were any program changes needed for the Toshiba, but I can't find any mention of it.

Thanks, Bud

Yoda-DBSguy said:
I'll almost garentee that there is a setting in the menu of your DVD recorder where you have to switch the composite video connection to the S-video input connection in order to get it to work correctly.

It's either that or your S-video cable has a bent pin on one of the ends.

My personal vote is for the first senario I gave....

I would definitely say it is not option two as the s-video cable works fine from the receiver to the TV.

I would agree that there is probably a setting to tell it to use the s-video input OR there is an issue with the s-video input on the DVD recorder.

- Merg

cabletech

· #17 · May 24, 2012

Are you positive that your Toshiba has a S video input? I have looked at a lot of DVD-R
and Blu-Ray devices and I only see a S video OUTPUT.

Check again just to be sure

The Merg

· #18 · May 24, 2012

cabletech said:
Are you positive that your Toshiba has a S video input? I have looked at a lot of DVD-R
and Blu-Ray devices and I only see a S video OUTPUT.

Check again just to be sure

Good point.

- Merg

Yoda-DBSguy

· #19 · May 24, 2012

The Merg said:
Good point.

- Merg

His toshiba is probably like this one and does infact have an s-vhs aka s-video input.

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CCarncross

· #20 · May 24, 2012

Just a quick not Yoda...s-vhs is/was a format, its never been a video connection type. Its always been s-video, it was butchered by many un-informed S-VHS VCR owners.

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