Can I get DVR'd stuff off my Motorola DCH3416 Cable Box/DVR faster than real time?

Factual Questions
1

OK, I’ve got a Motorola DCH3416 hi-def digital cable set top box with a built-in DVR. Obviously, I can play what’s on the DVR in analog standard format and record it to my computer (or VCR or whatever) in real time, but that would take too many hours that I’d rather spend some other way. My cable provider is Comcast, but I’m switching to something else very soon (in 3-4 days).

What other options are there to transfer off those programs faster? I don’t actually need it all to be in digital format, but obviously that’s the only format that can transfer at faster-than-real-time speed.

I’ve Googled “hack Motorola DCH3416” but haven’t found anything very useful. It’s supposed to conform to the OCAP - Open Cable Application Platform, but I haven’t been able to learn how that information helps me either.

I figure I could open the box and pull out and clone the internal 160 GB hard drive, but I don’t know if I can do that without breaking some kind of seal and thereby violating some rule or something and then being forced to buy it. Also, I have no idea if the programs are in some kind of standard format like VOB or MPEG files or what. Does anyone know the answers to either question (i.e., (1) can I get the drive out without breaking a seal; (2) assuming I could, are the programs in a standard format?)

Buying it wouldn’t be all that terrible, except that this is a fairly poor and glitchy product (ironically, I almost took a job opportunity from Motorola in San Diego to help program their set-top boxes…)

For what it’s worth, it has USB, Firewire, and eSATA ports, which would be very cool if they actually did anything, which doesn’t seem to be the case, but they might if I could get a solid answer to those questions (which I haven’t been able to find). Here’s the URL for the owner’s manual for the Motorola box (in PDF format): Motorola DCH3416 User’s Guide

Little help, please?

2

These boxes are usually designed to make it very difficult for the user to extract video files from the hard disk. The MAFIAA considers that a feature.

3

Even if you pulled the drive, you wouldn’t be able to extract the video streams off. They’re encrypted fairly securely (and that’s assuming that they use a standard filesystem, which I doubt).

BTW, the ports are usually assigned the following functionality:

USB: for optional accessories such as an IR emitter
Firewire: for output to firewire-capable TVs (relatively rare on new sets, since HDMI was chosen as the defacto digital standard
eSATA: for attaching an external drive to increase storage capacity

However, all of these features need to be enabled by your cable provider (i.e. they’re not turned on by default).

4

Thanks, Running with Scissors. That sounds like what these companies would do, and since I can find nothing that indicates otherwise, I’m going to surrender.

Oh, well…