Saving programs from Dish Hopper?

I have a Magnavox DVD recorder w/ HDD that I use to copy programs. I have DirecTV, so I don't know if it will work w/ Dish, but here's what I do:

1. The Magnavox is connected to the DirecTV sat box via composite video (Yellow/Red/White). The Magnavox is connect to the TV via HDMI (but you could connect using any available connection)

2. DirecTV give a warning that the output needs to be changed from HD to SD. I switch the output to SD.

3. DirecTV gives a copy protection warning. But, if I unplug the HDMI from the sat box to the TV, the error message goes away and I can copy pretty much anything (haven't tested it on pay movies yet).

4. The recording is Standard Def.

5. The recording is in real time. So, it you have 40 hrs of recordings, you'll need to run it for that long (plus your set up time)), and you won't be able to do anything else as it will need to record un-interrupted.

The Hopper Portable is a $99 hocky puck that lets you dl shows then you take it with you to travel. But I am not sure it will work once you cancel your account.

There is no way to copy off the shows. Lots of anti-piracy efforts involved.

Try saving them to an external drive before you consider the task a lost cause.

Try the other options, too, if you want to.