How do I get Videos ONTO my Dish DVR (transfer videos from PC to Dish DVR)?

Threads about Dish Network's DVR ask how to get a video off.

I want to know how to get a video ON.

Our kids have some 10-20 shows that they watch, and that's it. It is such a hassle using the DVD player.

• Switch TV from Video1 to Video2
• Turn the DVD player on
• Eject DVD they don't want to watch
• Load DVD they want to watch
• Sit through "Coming Soon" and FBI warnings AGAIN!
• Start the show at 00:00:00
• Switch TV back to Video1 for the evening news

Is there a way I can convert my video files to [Format="?"] and use [Tool="?"] to copy the file from my Windows XP PC over to the Dish DVR's hard drive?

VHS tapes were much simpler than DVDs - I miss them.

I don't really know how to transfer videos from PC to Dish Network's DVR. But if you don't like DVD players, you can use network hd players like WD TV, Tvix Box, Dune BD Prime. They play everything from a hard drive and usually it is pretty simple to transfer videos from your PC to a network HD player with a few mouse clicks. Some news players can even play images of Blu-Ray discs!

If I understand everything correctly, you need to remove HDD from Dish DVR and connect it to your PC. The hard drive uses ext2 partition, so you can access it from Linux; in Windows you need an ext2 driver (or you can use alternative methods like a plug-in for Unreal Commander / Total Commander).

Then you need to create an MPEG-2 TS video from your DVD and copy it onto hard drive.

It doesn't seem to be easy. Besides it may not work. So I don't think it is worth it.


You can also decrypt a DVD to your hard and remove everything that you don't need such as FBI warnings, ads,... Then burn a new DVD and enjoy. It seems to be the easiest solution to your problem.

Rats.

Well, ok. Thanks for the feedback.

I figured if anyone knew how to get videos ON a Dish DVR, this group would.

We've got a 2-TB NAS drive now, but we don't have a PC dedicated to the television yet. For now, we are still flipping back and forth between the DVR and the DVD player.

Thanks for the information/confirmations.
~Joe

Originally Posted by jp2code

I figured if anyone knew how to get videos ON a Dish DVR, this group would.

We've got a 2-TB NAS drive now, but we don't have a PC dedicated to the television yet. For now, we are still flipping back and forth between the DVR and the DVD player.

You can use TV-out of your video card to send video to your TV using analogue cables, for example. You can even use a remote control with your PC. I used to do that, but I find it uncomfortable now.

The newest players can be connected via network and play even HD videos including Blu-Ray images. And they can show online content and even support downloading from torrent sites. This is a pretty cheap alternative to HTPC.