ethernet to firewire connection

[miamilaw]

I have just purchased a dvd recorder (Philips 985) and am interested in being able to record from my Directivo (Sony T-60) to my dvd recorder. I have read that I can hack and put in an ethernet port in the back of my Dtivo. I have followed the different threads about inputing the signal into a computer and then recording onto a dvd. My question is can I somehow convert the output from the ethernet to a firewire so that I can record into the dvd recorder at the highest quality. I would prefer to not have to use the computer since it is much easier to use the set top recorder. Am I missing something here or is this too obvious? Thanks

[captain_video]

If you're using a set top DVD recorder then why not simply connect the S-video and stereo audio outputs from your DTivo to your recorder? You will lose some image quality because you're going from digital to analog and back again but there isn't much else you can do with a set top recorder. If you had a DVD reciorder in your PC you could transfer files from your DTivo via ethernet and record them in digital format straight to your DVD burner using a few tools provided in these forums and commercially available DVD authoring software. This would ensure the highest quality which, unfortunately, is not attainable with your set top recorder. You can't take the digital output from a DTivo and burn it directly to DVD without processing it first on your PC. THe format used in a Tivo for mpeg streams is not directly compatible with your recorder and must first be split into elemental streams and then properly muxed to create a DVD-compatible mpeg file for recording.

[miamilaw]

Captain thank you for your reply. I guess I was trying to do it the easy way. I have tried on my home computer to make dvds and was never happy with the time involved and the quality of the recording. I have done some recording with the Philips 985 via s-video and it is pretty good. I have been influenced by the threads here that talk about using your computer and was wondering if I could have cut out the middle steps. Question. Is there any difference in quality really between the s-video and component output that would be worth the effort to try to hack the dtivo. Also if I do go the computer route how much difference is there between the s-video and the digital output. Not the technical specs, because I probably would not understand the significance, but to my eyes and ears in watching a movie or sporting event. Thank you for all your help.

[captain_video]

The difference in quality is definitely noticeable, especially on a large screen TV. If you do all of your viewing on a set that's 27" or less then the difference may not be all that discernible. Consider that when you record a DTV signal using your Philips recorder, the signal goes through several extra processing steps. The digital datastream from the satellite is converted to analog for output via the S-video and stereo audio jacks on the DTV receiver or DTivo. The analog signal is converted back to digital by your Philips recorder for recording to DVD. The digital signal on the DVD is once again converted back to analog for playback. The digital satellite signal from the DTivo is processed in the same way that a standalone DTV receiver would do it since the hard drive simply acts as a buffer for the output.

If you use your DTivo to record and then extract directly to your PC, everything stays in its original digital format when going to the PC and burning to DVD. It's only converted back to analog by your set top DVD player during playback. You are able to keep any Dolby Digital soundtracks intact using this process for the best possible surround sound. Dolby Digital is lost when you use the analog stereo output jacks on the DTivo. The image quality should look identical to the original DTV broadcast.

If you've ever seen a standalone Tivo and a DirecTivo side-by-side, you'll see the difference in picture quality. This is pretty much what you'll see if you use your Philips recorder vs. direct extraction to your PC.

[miamilaw]

Thank you for explaining it to a newbie. I have a Sony 57 inch TV which is digital (it is about a year and a half old). I don't have the model number with me at work, but it is HDTV ready. So I guess the computer can amplify (Correct phrase?) the signal up to 1080i, so that it is almost HD and having remained as a digital signal, I will have kept the highest quality. I went directly to a Directivo and never had a regular tivo to compare. I am happy with the picture from the dtivo, but having never seen it in a true digital form, I guess that I do not know what I am missing.

If I am correct the procedure would be to install an ethernet port on my directivo. Do the hacking procedure so that the signal is not scrambled. Connect the tivo to my networked computer. Then when I record a movie on my directivo, I copy it to my computer's hard drive, and then burn the dvd in my computer. Is there any advantage to using a firewire connection to the set top recorder if I do this. or will I end up with the same quality on either the computer or the set top dvd recorder. If this is the correct situation, then what advantage have I obtained with my set top recorder except to make it easier to copy video tapes ithout having to go thru the computer with each tape. I have about 200 old college football games recorded on a vcr tape, which are not the highest quality when played on the big tv. I do not think it is worth my time to do all of these thru the computer because of the time involved in doing this. Thnaks for your assistance.