DRM Recordings

[BubbaHotep]

I need to reload my media center. I had some hardware failures. Is there anyway i can save my HBO recorded content and be able to play it off of my newly reloaded Windows media center 7?

I have a ceton tuner
Core i7 960
12GB ram
ASUS Sabre Tooth
GTX560 Nvidia
240GB Boot
3TB recording Raid 1

Any answers soon the better. I need to get this up and running so i can finish recording an HBO series.

thank you in advance.

[richard1980]

No. The DRM will be lost when you reinstall the OS. The only way to retain DRM is if you are restoring a backup. Even when doing that, you only get DRM up to the date/time the backup was created. Any recordings made after the backup was created will not be watchable.

[BubbaHotep]

is there a way to rip those to DVD or someother format and be able to recover them?

I do not have a lot of recordings, but i do want to save Game of Thrones

[STC]

I'm just trying to dig out of my poor head, today some snippets of info....You can transcode the shows you want to watch into, say h264 using your present build. That till loose the DRM, but keep the quality.
I can't recall any tools to do this though, sorry I'm on a roof, it's hot, and I'm trying to fix an air con

Richard may be able to help here, he is a wealth of info.

[richard1980]

If the recordings contain DRM, the copy protection policy will be copy-once. As such, you cannot make another copy of them. The one copy you already have is all you are allowed to have. They cannot be transcoded to a different format or burned to DVD.

[Venom51]

And thus all the reasons to not buy anything that involves DRM.

[STC]

Yes but wait, wasn't there a tool that came out recently that 'bypasses' this and allows you to transode? I can't remember what it's called but it did cause quite a stir on TGB.com.

Still thinking....

[richard1980]

In the US, it is illegal to make or distribute tools that circumvent copy protection. That's not to say that such tools do not exist, only that they are illegal. I do not know if such tools exist, and if they do, whether or not they even work with WMC recordings. However, I doubt that WMC DRM is at the top of the priority list. DVDs and Blu-rays probably are. So any tools that do exist are probably focused specifically toward DRM on DVDs and Blu-rays.

Additionally, even if such tools were available, I would not promote the use of them.

[STC]

Understood. I would not promote the use either. I recall vaguely, this was a legal tool, just like a HDPVR is by recording to h264 format as the process goes through an analogue conversion but the resulting quality is very close to the original digital source.

[Venom51]

That's why I choose the HDPVR path. I don't want break any laws but I also don't want to be told by people, who's content is just not that important, which devices I can and can't watch them on.

[TheOsburnFamil]

There used to be a utility for MP3 "dubbing" that allowed for the DRM-protected playback to be re-recorded (think old-school dual setdeck).

Haven't seen anything out there for WTV files; but, I wouldn't be surprised if something existed.

Just a thought it may be worth looking for.

[TheOsburnFamil]

Ya know-- as long as we're on the subject...

I really am surprised that MS didn't try to do some sore of DRM recovery utility. I mean seriously-- we have linked Windows Live accounts for the OS. They (MS) already have an online "locker" system for purchasing/downloading MS apps online. Why not link your DRM database to the cloud. That way they could track that it's only in use on one PC but if you have to reload (as long as you reload with the original name/hardware), you're not screwed.

[StumpyBloke]

Ya know-- as long as we're on the subject...

I really am surprised that MS didn't try to do some sore of DRM recovery utility. I mean seriously-- we have linked Windows Live accounts for the OS. They (MS) already have an online "locker" system for purchasing/downloading MS apps online. Why not link your DRM database to the cloud. That way they could track that it's only in use on one PC but if you have to reload (as long as you reload with the original name/hardware), you're not screwed.

I have wondered this too. I don't pretend to be an expert by any stretch when it comes to DRM because we are not plagued by it in the UK (yet) in the same way but I find it inexcusable that we are forced to have to put up with Hollywoods ego crap yet they don't allow any recovery method! Idiots!!!

[richard1980]

In all fairness, if a cable company DVR box goes down, they take your box away and you lose your recordings. DVR customers have it way worse than we do. At least we have the option of backing up our HTPCs. They have no such option (at least none that I am aware of). If you want to preserve your DRM, you should back up your computer as often as possible. Personally I have no sympathy for anyone that doesn't back up their computer. I don't back up mine, and if I lose everything, oh well. I'll get over it.

[TheOsburnFamil]

You're right about the backup points. And you're right, it's better than a DVR box. But that shouldn't prevent MS from innovating on this area. They already have the system in-place to support something like this. I'm just wondering why they don't.

[StumpyBloke]

You're right about the backup points. And you're right, it's better than a DVR box. But that shouldn't prevent MS from innovating on this area. They already have the system in-place to support something like this. I'm just wondering why they don't.

+1

[STC]

[rubbing it in mode on]
Thank my local cable co. I am copy free
[/off]

Sorry...lol.

[TheOsburnFamil]

[rubbing it in mode on]
Thank my local cable co. I am copy free
[/off]

Sorry...lol.

LOL-- that should go in the forum requests section...

[rubbing it in mode on]

[HTPCwatcher]

You're right about the backup points. And you're right, it's better than a DVR box. But that shouldn't prevent MS from innovating on this area. They already have the system in-place to support something like this. I'm just wondering why they don't.

I don't think it has anything to do with innovation. MS is at the mercy of the content providers.

[mmatheny]

Didn't there used to be a way to back up your music licenses from WMP? Why couldn't there be something for videos?