DVR-MS
So you think you are stuck
Windows XP Media Center (MCE) saves recorded television and movies in dvr-ms format. So basically, you convert this format to something other than dvr-ms and lose all the show information (i.e. run time, description, etc.), or leave it on your PC. And hopefully, if you leave it, you have a plan in place for backing up and expanding your disk space so you can record more and more.
Another problem with this format is the lack of software products available that allow you to strip out the commercials and record to DVD for watching elsewhere (just like the days of VHS).
What to do?
My solution was to purchase a DVD Dual-Layer burner allowing me to store 8.4 GB, instead of the normal 4.7 GB on a single DVD. Fortunately, for me a free license came with the burner for Nero products. The best software product I have seen yet, is Nero Vision Express. It allows me to integrate numerous digital content formats and well as pull from digital picture and video already on the machine and capture video from my video recorder. In addition it fully supports dvr-ms. Also, what found to be a great plus, is that I could grab a snapshot of any point in the video and save it as what looked to be any image format for later viewing.
There are other products that some folks have mentioned to me, but those all seem to be limited to those that purchase a Media Center Edition computer from a major manufacturer.
So, using this product, I can strip out the commercials and even save it to DVD-Video containing menus and other features than DVD normally have.
Some helpful links
Windows XP Media Center (MCE) saves recorded television and movies in dvr-ms format. So basically, you convert this format to something other than dvr-ms and lose all the show information (i.e. run time, description, etc.), or leave it on your PC. And hopefully, if you leave it, you have a plan in place for backing up and expanding your disk space so you can record more and more.
Another problem with this format is the lack of software products available that allow you to strip out the commercials and record to DVD for watching elsewhere (just like the days of VHS).
What to do?
My solution was to purchase a DVD Dual-Layer burner allowing me to store 8.4 GB, instead of the normal 4.7 GB on a single DVD. Fortunately, for me a free license came with the burner for Nero products. The best software product I have seen yet, is Nero Vision Express. It allows me to integrate numerous digital content formats and well as pull from digital picture and video already on the machine and capture video from my video recorder. In addition it fully supports dvr-ms. Also, what found to be a great plus, is that I could grab a snapshot of any point in the video and save it as what looked to be any image format for later viewing.
There are other products that some folks have mentioned to me, but those all seem to be limited to those that purchase a Media Center Edition computer from a major manufacturer.
So, using this product, I can strip out the commercials and even save it to DVD-Video containing menus and other features than DVD normally have.
Some helpful links
- DVR-MS (Microsoft Digital Video Recording) Defined
- Digital video recorder
- Here is the basic DVD-DL drive I purchase from a well-known electronics store that came with the license for the Nero product suite.
- How to automatically convert DVR-MS files for PSP Playback

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