Which program to buy: Stream downloading / capturing vs. Screen recording

[bww]

Currently I use the internet to watch various shows (itv and bbc programs using a vpn and us shows from nbc, hulu etc). I record them as I stream them to a dvd recorder via a s-video connection from my laptop and then can play them on my dvd player and watch whenever I want.

I would like to eliminate recording on the dvd recorder and just have a wmv or some other common file to play on my wd media player and not have to hook my laptop up to the tv.

I have looked at the various programs and am really confused. Do I want to buy a screen catcher program or a stream recorder program (I really don't want both). The stream recorder seems right but then I would have to convert to wmv, the catcher programs convert as they capture.

What is best for getting programs from itv, bbc, nbc and having it in a common file like wmv so I can play it on my media player?

You will get the best quality by downloading or capturing streams, but most probably you will need several programs for that like freeware StreamTransport, CooJah + Blader, Orbit Downloader / Grab Pro, shareware Replay Media Catcher, WM Recorder. Also note that on-demand streams can be downloaded much faster with stream downloading / capturing software.

Of course you can use screen video capture software (screen recorders) for recording streams, but you will have problems with your recordings if there will be any buffering when playing on-demand streams. As for live streams, in many cases it is more reliable to use screen recorders.

Since you plan to convert your videos, you will lose quality anyway, so it may not be that important to use stream downloading / capturing instead of screen recording.

Also take a look at bundles like Replay Capture Suite and WM Recorder Bonus Bundle. They include stream downloading / capturing software, a screen recorder, a converter,... It is much cheaper to buy a bundle than separate standalone products.

See also:
The best video stream recorder, stream downloader, stream ripper, stream capture soft
Stream downloaders, rippers vs. Screen capture software

[bww]

Steam Recorder, Thanks for the quick reply and the good advice. I am leaning towards something from appian software (replay and wm products since there seems to be good support), I really don't want to spend much since what I do now actually works (just copying to a dvd as the program plays on my laptop).

I will try appians demos and see what works easiest and best.
Thanks again

It is really a good idea to try software before buying. There many free products that may work for you, so if they are good enough for you, you don't need to spend any money. Almost all Applian products have unique features, so IMHO it this is a good choice as well.