# Capturing an image from a DVR with a Mac **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 18, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capturing-an-image-from-a-dvr-with-a-mac/525425 "2010-01-18T15:26:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capturing-an-image-from-a-dvr-with-a-mac/525425/1 "2010-01-18T15:26:03Z")
[In this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=548216) I’m asking for identification of an aircraft partially seen in a 1941 short film that I recorded on my cable box/DVR. It would be helpful if I could capture the image. A few years ago I tried connecting my cable box/DVR to my PowerBook G4 with a firewire, but was unable to ‘see’ the device. Can someone tell me how I can do this? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capturing-an-image-from-a-dvr-with-a-mac/525425/2 "2010-01-18T15:51:20Z")
You probably can’t do it without additional hardware. Most of the consumer cable boxes don’t do anything useful with their FireWire ports. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capturing-an-image-from-a-dvr-with-a-mac/525425/3 "2010-01-18T16:41:11Z")
Other than a cable, no extra hardware is required. Look over in the AVS forum - they have long [discussions](http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=386740&highlight=firewire+sdk) on this. When I used Comcast, I copied DVR recordings to my MacBook all the time via Firewire. IIRC, if your DVR has Firewire, you have to get the Firewire SDK from Apple (must do a free registration as a developer), install it on your Mac and get a firewire cable to connect your DVR & Mac. There is a small application in the SDK that lets you record from the DVR - all of this is one-to-one, you play it back on the DVR and re-record on the Mac. No support for high speed file to file copies. The only caveat is that the recorded program must allow multiple copies. Now that I am on FIOS, this is possible only for local channels - on Comcast, it worked for all but premium and cable HD channels. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capturing-an-image-from-a-dvr-with-a-mac/525425/4 "2010-01-18T17:27:06Z")
Why don’t you just use the webcam and aim it at the TV? You don’t need perfect resolution, just a viewable picture? Or use a digital camera? If you don’t have an LCD, it might take a couple of tries to get the plane in entirety, but multiple images of both halves would work too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capturing-an-image-from-a-dvr-with-a-mac/525425/5 "2010-01-19T03:09:59Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > Why don’t you just use the webcam and aim it at the TV? You don’t need perfect resolution, just a viewable picture? > Or use a digital camera? That’s what I ended up doing. Link in the other thread.