Backup HD DVR

[TeRo]

Never used a chat room before so I'm guessing my way thru (e.g., what's a "post" vs a "thread"?). Here's my problem.
My DirectTV HD Receiver/DVR (model HR20-100S)has intermittent problems. Their technician says it will need to be replaced. But I have several shows saved that I enjoy watching (I'm retired and use a lot of TV time). Technician says there's no way to transfer those to a new DVR, so they would be lost. The technician suggested I contact you guys for help.
Is there any way I can backup those shows to, say, an external hard drive, then feed them to the TV? (There is a USB port on the back of the DVR but I don't know what it's for.) If there is a way, what setup would I need?

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
TeRo

 

[boba]

You can record in real time to a VCR or a DVD recorder but you can't transfer to a Hard drive.

 

[wildbill129]

Never used a chat room before so I'm guessing my way thru (e.g., what's a "post" vs a "thread"?). Here's my problem.
My DirectTV HD Receiver/DVR (model HR20-100S)has intermittent problems. Their technician says it will need to be replaced. But I have several shows saved that I enjoy watching (I'm retired and use a lot of TV time). Technician says there's no way to transfer those to a new DVR, so they would be lost. The technician suggested I contact you guys for help.
Is there any way I can backup those shows to, say, an external hard drive, then feed them to the TV? (There is a USB port on the back of the DVR but I don't know what it's for.) If there is a way, what setup would I need?

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
TeRo

Welcome aboard.

No, there is no way to transfer programs, unfortunately. You option would be to play the program and record it to a vcr or dvd recorder, it would not be high definition though. The best you could do is s-video.

The usb port is useless. It has power, so you can run a fan from it, but that is it.

You can use an external drive on the HR series, but it will bypass the internal drive. You can't move programs to it from the internal drive.

By the way, a thread is what you started here. A post is my reply to your post in this thread.

 

[jdspencer]

Describe your intermittent problems. Maybe we can help.