Can I put tv shows from my DVR onto my computer?

Is there any device that let your record directly from TV to hard drive besides the DVR?

• I want to record shows to put on YouTube, but in my search for devices, I have only heard of the TiVO DVR and those DVRs offered by cable and satellite companies. Are there any tech experts that can tell me if there is such a device that can let you record TV shows on any channel you want, have multiple connections for more than one cahnnel and let you time the recording of the shows of your choice without joining a company and paying fees? Is TiVO used on any service you have for free? Is there any device/software that can let me record my shows directly to my computer? Or do I have to shell out money to buy a DVD recorder? Please let me know of all the recording devices that can allow me to record TV shows onto a hard drive or other storage medium, e.g SD cards and USB flash drives.

• Answer:

  I am going to start by saying TV programs you receive from broadcast or a pay TV service are not yours to post on the Internet, at least as the complete work. If the studios want it published as such, they will do it themselves. Your only "right", is to view in your own home, and to record to watch later. That said you have a couple options to record TV for you to watch later, for yourself. Easiest is a tuner/capture card for your computer. You can get dualt uner cards, and/or use multiple tuning cards, and use PVR software, much of which is free to use. A TiVo can work. You will need to subscribe to the TiVo service, separate from your TV service, even if your TV service is Antenna. TiVo also respects copy protection the providers impose on their service. What your TV source is dictates which TiVo models you can use. For antenna and/or traditional analog/digital cable (for now including Verizon FIOS), a TiVo HD or Premiere is what you want. For satellite or IPTV (such as AT&T Uverse), you want a Series 2 model TiVo. You could get a DVD recorder, record to DVD, and rip that to your computer. Just about all of them are single tuner.