DVR to computer?

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out how to get content from my dvr to my laptop so that I can burn a dvd of a tv show to send to someone. There are several online tutorials about this but I just wanted to see if anyone here did this on the regular and had any tips on good programs to use(free), tips, etc. I have hdmi on my laptop so that should be able to recieve the signal from the dvr (I'm guessing), so does anyone have suggestions, tips, tricks, etc. for making this as easy as possible? I've never even burned a dvd so I don't know very much about different video formats other than different formats exist; help please?:wave:confused