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I believe it is to prevent anyone from recording a program. It will only record a few seconds and then stops. I never had this problem until I got the new hd box.
HBO, Showtime, etc. have started adding it, they allow one copy. so if you hav it on the HD, it won't record it to DVD, even externally.
Also, the - formats work best for VR mode.
I've also had damaged or poor quality media give me an E45.
There’s a major difference between RW (rewritable) and plain R (recordable) discs. The RW can often have problems in some DVD recorders where the R will work. This happens with either the +RW or -RW discs. Try using just the recordable (-R or +R) discs and see if it makes a difference.
Othewise, you’ve been screwed by the DRM police. Good luck. Buying a DVR that doesn’t have DRM is your only choice.