Community Newsletter: Q&A forum: Advice needed for an all-in-one DVR that can burn DVDs

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

VHS 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.

I 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.

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!

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.

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.

I 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

TIVO became a brand synonymous with DVR, because the developers of that system have concentrated on assuring that the core functionality of the DVR simply works and works simply. The TIVO system is constantly updated, but I have never seen them rush an upgrade to market. If you have children TIVO's KidZone is the most user friendly way (both to the parents and the kids) of having some sort of control over the programming that the children use. The TIVO community is awesome. The networking functions of the box are fabulous. I'm afraid that every other DVR only wishes it were a TIVO. What you don't realize until you have a DVR is that you will almost never watch live TV again -- simply takes too long and is too inconvenient. You want the best product in this position of your AV cabinet. Don't skimp, you will regret it.

If one's just looking for a great DVD player, look for a Toshiba HD DVD player at a fantastic price. I saw them at WalMart yesterday priced at about $75!! They were retailing for about $400 a couple of weeks ago. These things may not be the wave of the future with BluRay now taking the stage but for a great price and top quality video reproduction these can't be equaled at the price. Also, I'm told that they upconvert standard DVD's to near HD quality.

Only in Japan do they have the bandwidth that it would require to download HD movies with the same quality as Blu Ray.In the U.S. it would take quite a long time to download a file that large.

Unfortunately Jim, there are just about as many opinions and recommendations on DVRs as there are makes and models of equipment. I think you should first establish a price range and then shop around for the equipment you feel comfortable with operating. All of the fancy features will probably not be used, since you seem to want to keep it simple, so go with a simple machine that you feel like you can learn to use.

Royce Ray

USB output would be digital. The VHS input connectors you describe (yellow white & red) would be analog. The yellow white & red analog correspond to analog inputs on most DVD & VHS recorders. You would need a D/A ( Digital to Analog ) converter bewteen the two.

hey jim,
about a year ago i found myself wanting to accomplish the same thing. i found that a htpc filled the bill quite nicely. you can have your dual tuners for free ota high def as well as standard def tv signal, a dvd for recording both tv and your old vhs tapes. the dvd drive will make cd's also. you will have all the features of a tivo without the fee's.
i started my quest by evaluating my present computer and found with a few added components plus software i not only accomplished the task at hand, but ended up with a much better computer. plus i now was able to use my big screen for a monitor and surf the web from my couch. i spent about $300 for tv tuner card and video card the software for recording the tv programs came with the cards. good luck.

Jim,

No worries.

Your decision on a DVR may already be made for you if you currently have cable service. Your cable provider (mine is Comcast, for example) can provide a DVR unit, usually at a modest additional fee to the standard cable box. It is simple to connect and most cable operators offer a free installation if you find it difficult. (Difficulty is relative to the experience and patience of the customer...so do what makes you most comfortable.) This is the most cost effective and compatible way to get DVR capability.

If you have satellite service, some satellite services offer the DVR box as part of the monthly fee (e.g. DishNetwork) while others will sell you one or you can buy your own (e.g., DirecTV). All of the major discount retailers will usually have a satellite compatible DVR/tuner for you to buy. Prices will range from $99 to $300 depending on functions and sale prices. There is usually an additional fee for the service or $5 per month or so. Talk to the sales staff at the store and make sure they know what type of satellite service you have.

If you are pulling in signals from your house antennae, then a TIVO box may be for you to consider (with all due deference to your bride). Our family has used TIVO in the past. The menus and options are excellent: with superior search and recording options to our cable box unit. (You can also use TIVO with satellite and cable services, depending on the box purchased: again, check with the sales person at the store). Prices range from $200-$800 depending on options.

Some things to consider whatever you decide to do:

Is your TV high definition (HD)? If yes, what inputs does it accept (e.g., composite, RF, etc. - check your manual)

Do you want to hook the audio up to your home sound system? If so, what inputs/outputs are you currently using?

Do you want to receive and record HD? If so, make sure you purchase an HD model.

Make sure the outputs on the DVR you purchase are the same as the inputs on your TV and audio equipment to simplify the installation process. (Any electronics chain will be more than "happy" to upgrade your other equipment to match the latest and greatest DVRs....but do you want to?)

It's possible to make it very easy to install the DVR by simply matching current outputs and inputs to the new DVR box, making it a simple "unplug, then plug n' play" exercise.

About recording VHS to DVD.... There are VHS/DVD combination boxes that will allow you to copy from the VHS side to the DVD side: if you buy one, make sure it supports the cross copying. Some don't, especially the lower priced ones. One question to consider at this point is whether or not you want a DVD player that "upconverts" the signal to HD (1080i) if your TV supports it. The same discussion on mapping your TV inputs to the VHS/DVD outputs is important.

You could purchase a set top DVD recorder for $99 to $300 which will take output from your current VHS recorder and allow you to record to DVD...simple and cheap.

And...make sure the DVR and the VHS/DVD, don't end up competing for the same TV input. Most will configure together OK, but check with your sales person when you buy the units and they can help guide you on what plugs into what. (Bring your TV/Audio manuals to the store and show them what you have to work with and/or if you have a friend who is good with this stuff, offer them beer and pizza to help you...)

Finally, you could hook that VHS up to your PC using special hardware, then digitize all that old video and improve quality and edit it.....then create your own DVDs for posterity. Dazzle has a line of hardware that is reasonable for example...but you need computer skills, big hard drives and time to do all of that work...not to mention the interest.

Have fun!

Hi:

For whatever it's worth:

Lite-On LVC-9016G DVD + VHS Combo Recorder (Silver)

This is a 'Lite-on' DVD/VCR/VHS recorder, (either which way), with tuner..... I have no experience with this 'gizmo'.... Except that I know that 'Lite-on' stuff works 'well' for me so far; and this item is cheap, when ordered from the right site!!

I am in no ways connected to 'Lite-on'!! Sorry!!