Community Newsletter: Q&A: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs
- 3/10/08 5:01 PM
DVD's Players and Recording
by mrlemarquis - 2/29/08 11:17 PM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Jim W's question is one which would interest me to know the answers to as well! I've accumulated no less than 3 DVD players over time, and none of them is what I really want! One will only accept a maximum of 100 photos on a "burnt" DVD from pictures on my PC, quite a waste of a Disc!
Shortly I'd like to transfer (like Jim W) my VHS cassettes onto DVD's, and the only way at the moment is to pay heavily (around 40$ per VHS Cassette!). OK- buy a new player/recorder, but if possible one which will record the VHS Cassettes directly from the TV to the DVD, and be available for editing via my PC. Another thing I'd love to know is whether it is necessary to have the special "DVD" blank CD's, or can I also use the normal CD-RW's? It worked once, for some photos.
I'm going to "track" this thread, and I hope somebody out there has the answers!
Answers for Jim W.--Digital video recorders suggestions
by marenic6 - 3/1/08 12:13 AM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have two dvr and would not be without them i have SonyHX730 with the hardrive which you can do a number of different proggraming on and you don't have to be a member of the Geek Squad to operate it.
My other dvr is a Toshiba D-R6KC was not expensive no hardrive but can record up to 8hrs on a disc and the reproduction is excellent and a breeze to proggrame.
Also Jim you put your VHS tapes on to discs on both of them, if you look around and shop wisely you will get a good DVR between $250& $300 they have come down a lot over the years i remember the first one i bougth was over $600
Am I reading this right?
by jandcgifts - 3/7/08 9:37 PM In reply to: Answers for Jim W.--Digital video recorders suggestions by marenic6Are you saying that your two DVR"s can record VHS and then re-record the movie to DVD?
VHS to DVD & quality
by anna3333 - 3/18/08 4:53 PM In reply to: Am I reading this right? by jandcgiftsVHS players got away with recording most anything because the quality is reduced when anything goes to VHS. It won't improve just because you copy the VHS to DVD. So passing a recording through a VHS tape on its way to DVD is not a quality alternative.
recording
by lorendt - 11/1/08 2:44 PM In reply to: Answers for Jim W.--Digital video recorders suggestions by marenic6I have a Toshiba D-R6KC, it's set to R1, how do I record a program when the TV is off or when I'm not home?
Toshiba Recording
by SWLinPHX - 11/6/08 4:20 AM In reply to: recording by lorendtI own two Toshiba DVR's (as well as one I rent from my cable company). Toshiba offers you the choice o either using the antiquated VCR+Plus system or the newer TV Guide Onscreen, where you just browse or search the listings grid and highlight the show(s) you want to record, even adjusting start and end times. In this case all program info (title, description, etc) will remain with the recording. You can also perform manual recordings if necessary, which will just produce the time/date stamp.
In either case, your TV and DVR to not have to be on (just plugged in) and use the internal tuner(s) to record, just like a VCR.
VHS toDVD...
by Bowser - 3/1/08 1:08 AM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Jim... Try hammacher.ca I just ordered a unit that does what you are looking for. $400.00 seems quite high but getting rid of dozens of VHS tapes and being able to play back with a Blu-Ray player will be worth it. Malcolm.
TIVO is the only way to go IMHO
by chrisemcleod - 3/1/08 4:46 AM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In my experience, using a DVR without a subscription is merely a hard drive VCR. You would have to manually set timers for every program you wanted to record. Perhaps there are other DVRs where you don't have to pay a for a subscription, however.
I completely understand about your wife not wanting to pay the TIVO fee, but, after moving from TIVO to a DVR provided by our cable company, and then switching back as soon as a dual-tuner, high def TIVO became reasonably priced, I can tell you, I would never ever in a million years switch to anything else.
Just my two cents!
Let the buyer beware
by robert in gozo - 3/7/08 7:07 PM In reply to: TIVO is the only way to go IMHO by chrisemcleodBought a SONY RDR GX 330 only to discover after that fact:
"Can the DVD recorder record High-Definition Television (HDTV) format signals?"
"No. The DVD recorder is not capable of recording High-Definition Television (HDTV) format signals. Only standard definition interlace signals can be recorded."
thus, with a tuner set to channel 3, wiring it up to receive both Hi Def and standard digital input via cable via on Line 1, or Line 2, and attempting to record from a Hi Def or standard digital channel, only to find out that it does not record from HD channels.
Get a DVD Recorder that does record from Hi Def channels.
Read the manual before you purchase.
We have cable supplied from the Time Warner Scientific Atlanta cable box. Or so it seems the latest problem is when attmpting to record from any channel, "This Picture cannot be recorded." That's the message we get.
Paid about $100 for device from J$R Music in NYC about 6 months ago.
Oh well. Let the buyer beware. Warranty will cover a look see by Sony and we'll send device back.
Like many things - different strokes for different folks
by tom.o - 3/1/08 5:10 AM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My brother & I are baby boomers. We both are running Vista Home Premium Media Center. He is running an Intel Duo setup with 2 500gb HD's and has gagged it by forgetting to remove or offload media. I am running an AMD setup with 1 500GB drive. I watch it what I want and remove it when I am done. Both of us are doing OTA HDTV and love it. No monthly fees; however, it can get pricy in doing a good build though hardware prices have fallen since our builds.
With a HTPC and Media Center you can set it up for remote record and access your HTPC from any PC to change the schedule. I can record and episode or the entire series and the Media Center knows if you have already recorded it. It's not super user friendly; but, if you are reading this; you should be able to figure out how to do a HTPC. Remember to buy the High Def tuner card or cards or your system will be dead next year for OTA signals.
My daughter uses the cable company's DVR set up and has lost info when they had failures. I used to record to a DVD/VCR recorder dubbing set up and in fact still have it as a backup. The drawback is if I record to DVD I am using up disks. As I said it's different strokes for different folks.
Consider all your options
by chaissos - 3/1/08 5:17 AM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Jim,
Currently, I've got a dual tuner DirecTV DVR and a Tivo. There are various reasons for this, however, for ease of use, you should consider the Tivo. We've tried several DVR's, from sattelite to cable, and for ease of use, frustration with features and plain reliable operation, there really is no substitute for a Tivo.
DirecTV's DVR, while workable, isn't as intuitive as it could - or should - be. Finding the options you want in the menu system doesn't make sense to me - or my wife. Let's face it: The reason for recording shows is to watch them when YOU want to watch them, not when the broadcaster wants you to watch them, go back and "watch that again" AND (very important) to skip over the garbage (read: Commercials) that you don't want to see. Controlling the playback on the DirecTV DVR is difficult and it doesn't do what I want it to do when I hit the buttons. Someone out there will probably tell me my batteries may be going, or I shouldn't expect it to work like other DVR's, but everything's fine and I want it to work exactly as advertised, which it doesn't - or at least doesn't do it well.
Controlling playback on the Tivo seems to work much better. You can watch what you're skipping over and hit play when you want. The DVR will rewind a bit and start playing where you hit the button.
Movies: Tivo is the only DVR (I'm pretty sure) you can use to order movies on-line. Tivo has a function called "Amazon Unboxed" in which you can order any movie on Amazon's site for download right to the DVR. Granted, you have to wait for it to download, but once you have it, you have up to 30 days to watch it. Those movies cost (mostly) $1.99 - or - $.99. You can also buy them direct which means you own the right to watch it when you want. Like the Ipod, once you buy it, you can re-download it whenever you want.
Music and pictures: Tivo is also the only DVR (that I know of) you can use to stream music from your computer to your TV. If you're like many folks, everything is connected, so you can have music from the TV piped to your stereo. You can also watch slideshows of your digital pictures on your TV (great for parties). You can also watch your MPEG encoded movies stored on your computer on your TV...through your Tivo. Finally, you can also pull TV shows from the Tivo to your computer. These functions are available to anyone with Tivo, a home network, and a bit of playing around.
I've also seen a few DVR's made by a couple different cable companies. I give them credit for having the service, and I see their DVR's operating much the same way DirecTV's does.
Personally, I hate the Tivo subscription. I had the opportunity to purchase a lifetime subscription years ago and didn't. That was a mistake. However, the features available still make it worth while. Comparing, the difference between the Tivo subscription (which still requires some other signal source) and another DVR (Most are now on some sort of subscription basis), the cost difference isn't as great as one might think.
Good luck on your decision, and I hope this information helps you in your quest.
What DVD Recorder to buy
by mrpaul - 3/1/08 5:56 AM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There are two types of DVD Recorders on the market, one has a digital tuner to record from cable and the other does not. A combo DVD/VCR player recorder can be used to copy VHS tapes to a DVD. If that is all you want to do, buy the model WITHOUT the digital tuner. But if you also want to record onto a DVD Disk over and over, then buy the combo player which does have THE DIGITAL TUNER INCLUDED. Panasonic and LG Both still offer the combo recorder with digital tuner.
Digital Video Recorders
by midcow2 - 3/1/08 6:12 AM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
First part of question: combination VHS to DVD. I would not purchase that but would suggest purchasing software and USB interface to you PC for about $50-70 allow editing and doesn't burden you with extra cost. You PC must be able to wirte DVDs.
Second part: audition it an buy an inexpensive one you like. Blu ray has won over HD so don't buy a bargain priced HD-DVD. Other features to look for HDMI output and upconverting to 1080p.
What card to use to record VHS to DVD
by Kuma De Silva - 3/7/08 10:19 PM In reply to: Digital Video Recorders by midcow2I have have a Pentium 4 with Windows 2000XP. This got a Sony DVD writer and a 80 mb Hard disk. I got more than 100 VHS tapes to be converted to DVD. What is the cheap card or USB attachment to purchase to get my job done.
Kuma De Silva
kumads@sltnet.lk
Upgradable and cheap
by ldsaint - 3/1/08 6:47 AM In reply to: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Have you thought of having a multimedia centre PC to do everything, you'll even be able to connect your old video to it and upgrade it as standards cheange for a fraction of the cost of stand alone units. All you need is a multi media centre PC and some speakers and you're away. Initial outlay although high will be less than all the stand alone units.
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