[daxrod]

I cancelled my service to Direct TV. Before I return the box however, I want to extract some recordings and save them onto my hard drive. Is there a way do do this, and if so, how do I go about it? The box is an HD DVR

[daxrod]

Actually, I've thought that using a dvd recorder would be an easier way to do this but how do i view direct tv recordings that are stored on the dvr if there is no more direct tv service?

[fairnooks]

You do need a DVD recorder or video capture device of some sort to record the video as you play it through the same outputs that would otherwise go to the TV or monitor, unless the only output is HDMI, then its no go. It seems you may be saying you can't play anything already on the drive since cancelling service? If so, Direct TV does have the ability to "reach" out and deactivate a DVR by initiating a reset which usually reformats the DVR drive, removing any recorded material, in which case you should have gotten anything you wanted off before cancelling.