So you have a DVR

You’ve got a DVR, and you want to get all the great stuff you’ve recorded.  Turns out, this is a lot more difficult than one might think.  If you have Time Warner, like I do, it’s really difficult.  You can try to mount the HD/DVR receiver through Firewire, and hope you don’t do something really bad to the device, (Linux box required).  Our, if all you really care about is getting certain items, or perhaps getting all those great movies that play On Demand, there’s an easier way.  I have an EyeTV, with the option for full digital lossless recording.  On the back of the HD/DVR, there is a cable out jack that pumps data out in full HD.  Connect the EyeTV to this jack, set the input option to Digital, and suddenly, you are recording full digital video of anything that is currently playing on your TV.

Remember, the EyeTV cannot access the higher cable directly, nor can it access the OnDemand channels directly.  This means that you will not be able to set up record times.  However, if you record your shows or movies, or even live TV on the DVR, then all you have to do is let it play through the EyeTV, and record it as if it’s live television.  Click the Export to AppleTV option, or iPhone for that matter, and you suddenly watching True Blood on your iPhone.  Don’t forget, the latest releases of EyeTV software also allow full streaming of TV shows to your iPhone over WiFi, which is pretty cool when your in the bedroom trying to put the 2 year old to bed.