Looking For Good Cheap DVD Recorder

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Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

I'm looking to buy a good, cheap DVD recorder to transfer some stuff
from my Phillips DSR6000 (DTivo Series 1). I don't think I need a lot
of features because, at least for now, that's all I intend to do with
it. Right now I'm looking at the Lite-On LVW 5001 (or 5005?), the
Panasonic DMR-E55S and the Phillips DVDR80 (in that order).

I assume that I can't watch anything else on my Tivo while I'm
transferring a program to DVD. I use my Tivo as my only tuner/video
source. So., I'll probably just do the transfer before I go out or go
to sleep for the night. That brings up a few questions:

1) Is there any way to stop the DVD recorder when the program is done?
Or do I have to set it for the length of the program? What if I don't,
will the DVD recorder just keep on recording empty space until the
capacity of the DVD is used up?

2) Is it easy to put 2 or more shows on a disk?

3) Should I consider a DVD recorder with a hard drive on it? If so,
what model? (Note: The models listed above are about $150 to $180 while
a unit with a HD is about $400 to $600 or more)

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

>I'm looking to buy a good, cheap DVD recorder to transfer some stuff
>from my Phillips DSR6000 (DTivo Series 1). I don't think I need a lot
>of features because, at least for now, that's all I intend to do with
>it. Right now I'm looking at the Lite-On LVW 5001 (or 5005?), the
>Panasonic DMR-E55S and the Phillips DVDR80 (in that order).
>
>I assume that I can't watch anything else on my Tivo while I'm
>transferring a program to DVD.

The Tivo has only one set of video outputs - I believe this is true
of all Tivos. The "Save to VCR" function generates a nice title
screen and tries to avoid letting you accidentally screw up a
transfer, but there's no magic to it. Essentially it's just another
version of Play with a few variations.

>I use my Tivo as my only tuner/video
>source. So., I'll probably just do the transfer before I go out or go
>to sleep for the night. That brings up a few questions:
>
>1) Is there any way to stop the DVD recorder when the program is done?

There should be. The user interface might make you insist (like
pressing the STOP button multiple times or for several seconds) to
avoid accidentally killing a recording.

>Or do I have to set it for the length of the program?

Using a timed recording on one of the inputs should be an
option but not the only method.

>What if I don't,
>will the DVD recorder just keep on recording empty space until the
>capacity of the DVD is used up?

Probably. It doesn't know when the end of the stuff you are
interested in happens.

>2) Is it easy to put 2 or more shows on a disk?

Yes. Generally, if you are recording to DVD, and you stop and start
recording, either manually or with timed recording, that's a different show.

I record to hard disk and then copy the shows I want to DVD, in the
order I want them, with the useless bits (ads, padding on either end
in case of schedule variations, etc.) removed.

>3) Should I consider a DVD recorder with a hard drive on it? If so,
>what model? (Note: The models listed above are about $150 to $180 while
>a unit with a HD is about $400 to $600 or more)

I really like my Panasonic DMR-E85H, which is a disk-based DVD
recorder. One thing I can do with it is press RECORD on the
Panasonic, press PLAY on the VCR (playing previously-recorded
off-the-air programs), and let it run for as long as necessary (e.g.
6 hours) to transfer the whole tape. Then I can slice up the
recorded copy of the whole tape into separate programs, edit out
the useless bits, arrange stuff as I'd like and burn to DVD (e.g.
episodes of the same show on the same DVD and in order).

Gordon L. Burditt

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

In article <3amj3cF6c4gdbU1@individual.net>, David Z <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>3) Should I consider a DVD recorder with a hard drive on it? If so,
>what model? (Note: The models listed above are about $150 to $180 while
>a unit with a HD is about $400 to $600 or more)

I think you should consider one. As much as I hate web-based discussion
boards, you should check out the DVD recorder section at avsforum.com.

The prices are coming down a bit from what you quote. I got a Toshiba
RD-XS32, and it came out to almost exactly $400 *after* tax. (The price
was about $370.)

I've seen many people who got one without a hard drive realize they did
want a hard drive.

Several reasons why the hard drive is good:
1) saving up stuff to record to fill a DVD. While you can record to a
DVD in several sessions, and I have done this myself, sometimes it's easier
to just save up a bunch and record it all to the DVD in one batch.

2) If you are recording something unattended to DVD, and you have flaky media,
you will lose the program. If you record to the hard drive, and have flaky
DVD media, you can just put in another DVD and burn it again. I personally
have not had flaky media yet, but I've only burned maybe 10-15 DVDs so far.
Based upon online reports, I think we're at the stage of DVD recording where
CD was many years ago -- not 100% "there yet", but still do-able, especially
for techies. (Though one of the reasons I got a standalone recorder rather
than trying to do it all on a computer, esp hacking Tivo to get shows off,
was to not HAVE to be techie.)

3) It works well to augment a Tivo. I record some things I know are going
to be burned to DVD directly on my other recorder to avoid another step
time-wise and compression-wise.

4) Most important for me - you can edit recordings before burning to DVD on
many of them. (But unfortunately not on the Tivo/DVD recorders or I would
have bought one of them.)

Basically -- choose what you want, but I really think the hard drive is
useful even for many who don't think they want/need it. I guess that's sort
of the same rationale for Tivo in the first place vs. a 'dumber' recorder.
(Though even this recorder is more sophisticated than VCRs, even though the
recording screen is superficially similar.)
--
mattack@vax.hanford.org