The Basics: DVD Recorders
If you are still loyally sticking with your old VCR to record favorite TV shows and share home videos with friends and family, then it's time to take a look at a DVD recorder. With the advanced features and lower prices available with the current crop of DVD recorders, the VCR's days are truly numbered.
DVD recorders take all the functions of a VCR and combine them with the superior image quality, usability and durability of DVD. While initially much more expensive than VCRs, DVD recorder prices have dropped significantly in recent years, and the cost should continue falling in the years to come. At the same time, expect manufacturers to add more features to even the budget models.
Depending on the model you choose, a DVD recorder can now be more than just a replacement for your old VCR. It can also perform the functions of a CD player, a progressive scan DVD player, and a hard-drive digital video recorder (DVR) like TiVo. That's a lot of ability crammed into a unit that's sleeker and more compact than a single-function VCR.
DVD recorders incorporate many of the useful features of VCRs and combine them with the digital abilities of traditional DVD players. Like VCRs, they all have internal TV tuners, so they can record TV shows and serve as a signal source for a TV's picture-in-picture functions. Some DVD recorders offer programming options such as VCR Plus+ for hassle-free recording scheduling. An infrared (IR) blaster can link a DVD recorder to a cable TV box or satellite tuner, making recording a straightforward process. In addition to basic recording, the DVD format enables functions that a VCR could only dream about. For example, with models compatible with DVD-RAM, the beginning of a recorded program can be watched while the end of the program is still being recorded.
Picture quality from even the lowest-priced DVD recorder easily surpasses that obtained from a standard VCR. The image quality does vary according to the recording mode selected, just as it varies according to the tape speed setting on a VCR. The recording modes on a DVD recorder refer to the amount of material stored to a single disc. The best quality is obtained by recording one to two hours to a disc. Images noticeably deteriorate beyond that, especially if you use the lowest-quality settings to store six to eight hours on a single disc.
In addition to the straightforward recording of TV shows, some advanced DVD recorders offer an integrated hard drive. TV programs can be saved to the hard drive and later viewed, edited, and deleted or, unlike a standard DVR, burned to DVD for permanent archiving. Depending on the size of the hard drive, you can store tens or even hundreds of hours of TV content without ever having to buy a DVD. Adding a hard drive to a DVD recorder means you can make multiple copies from the hard drive to disc without suffering any loss of quality. A hard drive also enables DVR features such as pausing and rewinding live TV. Some DVD recorders with hard drives even offer the full TiVo subscription service, which includes such features as an electronic program guide and the Season Pass program selection function.
An increasingly common trend among manufacturers is to combine a DVD recorder with a VCR in one space-saving unit. This allows you to transfer programs and home movies recorded on VHS to DVD. These combination recorders are ideal for those who want to preserve an existing library of VHS tapes while simultaneously enjoying the advantages of a DVD recorder. Some DVD recorders even offer video processing for cleaning up the signal from VHS tapes before transferring the content to DVD.
You can connect a DVD recorder to a standard DVD player and dub material from one disc to another. This isn't a license to pirate DVD movies, of course, as DVD recorders will not record copyright-protected content. Every DVD recorder can also play back DVD movies like a regular DVD player. Some offer only basic playback functions, while others provide all the features of a standalone DVD player, such as variable speed search, child locks and Dolby Digital and DTS surround-sound decoding.
While DVD recorders are readily available, they have not been flying off the shelves as some might have expected. High initial prices for both the units and blank media, combined with consumers' natural apprehension about adopting a new technology, held down demand. However, the prices of DVD recorders and their corresponding media have fallen significantly since their introduction, and sales are picking up speed.
How to Shop
Disc compatibility is just as important for DVD recorders and it is for traditional DVD players. Make sure a potential DVD recorder purchase is able to record to a wide range of DVD formats, especially DVD-R/RW, which are compatible with computers and most DVD players. DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM can be recorded to multiple times (up to 100,000 times for DVD-RAM), so these are best if you plan to record TV shows for a single viewing. Write-once DVD-R and DVD+R are suitable for archiving shows and home movies. Keep in mind that no DVD format is guaranteed to be compatible with every DVD player.
If it is within your budget, seriously consider a DVD recorder that incorporates a hard drive. This gives the unit the ability to function as a basic DVR. Content recorded on the hard drive can be watched and deleted, or it can be burned to disc for archiving or distributing to friends and family.
Look for a DVD recorder with an IR blaster and VCR Plus+, which allow the unit to be programmed to record shows just like a VCR. Taking the DVD recorder/VCR fusion even further are the combination decks, which can handle both DVD and VHS playback and recording. More and more of these all-in-one components are appearing on the market, and if you have a large VHS library and want to experience the best of both worlds, this is the design for you.
Obviously, no DVD recorder can compete with an advanced computer program for editing home movies, but if you will be transferring a lot of home movies to DVD, investigate the editing features offered on a potential DVD recorder purchase. Look for a FireWire input, which provides a digital-to-digital connection between camcorder and recorder. A few models also offer a FireWire output, allowing you to transfer material directly from the DVD recorder to a computer.
If you have a digital television or intend to upgrade in the near future, get a DVD recorder with a progressive scan output. All DVD recorders have standard analog outputs as well, so they are compatible with traditional televisions.
