Backrate wrote:
my dvd recorder shuts off after a couple minutes and I get a message that this program is copyright protected .
This is becoming more common -- the next salvos in the copyright holders vs we-want-to-copy-anyway battles. There's a flag that your cable/sat can include with the signal that will block your recorder from recording the program. I don't think there's any way to get around it with that equipment [there are ways to finesse/beat the copyright machinery but no way I know of to do that directly on the [standalone] DVD-recorder].
It is a fascinating battle, actually: copyright holders attempting to find ways to enforce their legal-rights [wrt to controlling copying of their work] against the folk who are determined to make copies of anything they please, the wishes of the copyright holders notwithstanding. [and folk in the middle often end up turning into "acceptable collateral damage"]. Wait'll you see the stuff in Vista for dealing with this kind of thing.
The copyright holder [likely HBO for the Sopranos, I think] would simply tell you that if you'd like the Sopranos on DVD you can buy a set from Amazon or the like, and almost anything else you do to try to make copies of their show is, in essence, pirating.