Is anyone still burning classic movie DVDs off of TV, and how?

[Rosie Sayer]

It seems increasingly difficult nowadays to burn TV content to DVD due to copy protections. I was wondering if anyone is still doing this, and if so, from what channels, and using what sort of technology? I'd like to save to permanent storage some of the content that channels like TCM show, because it's not available commercially in any form.

Also, is anyone out there able to copy DVDs? I have lots of homemade (burned by me), region-free DVDs from years ago when I had a DVD recorder/burner. Some of them are rare. I would like to be able to copy these. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[M.T. Fisher]

I still have a DVD recorder.

[Rosie Sayer]

Mickey, do you still record things, and if so, from what channels? Are you then able to burn them to a DVD? The problem is that a lot of the TV content nowadays is copy protected. I don't know if TCM falls into that category.

[M.T. Fisher]

You can still record from TCM w/o any problem.  I've never had any problem with copy protection from television.  Regarding burning DVDs, there are several programs that work fine.  I use a program called 123CopyDVD.  (Not the most original name.)  I picked it up at Staples.

[Sylvia Arteaga]

Can't you rip your DVDs to a computer? Then they'd be files that you can send to people or burn onto newer disks

[Rosie Sayer]

Sylvia, that is something I've been wondering myself but haven't tried yet. I have a peripheral DVD drive, but it doesn't play DVDs. :-/ I'll have to test and see if I can simply download the file to my computer hard drive and then burn it to a new blank DVD. Whether I'll end up with something I can play, I don't know yet.

[Rosie Sayer]

Good news: friends of mine just got a new DVD burner, and they are saving some stuff from TCM for me. My collection will be getting some new additions!

[Rosie Sayer]

Just an update on this: I received the disks from my friends. They were able to record a bunch of things off TCM for me and burn them to DVDs, and they play just fine on my DVD player!

The time to buy one of these recorders is as soon as you can, because they're getting harder to find.

[M.T. Fisher]

You can find used ones at Amazon.