So what is a DVD recorder?
DVD recorders are well on the way to replacing the VCR, and although they have some competition from the hard disk recorder, the convenience and portability of storage on a small DVD disc make them a much more consumer friendly choice. Basically a DVD recorder can be used in the same way as a video recorder, to record television progams for future playback. There are some key differences which will become apparant below.
So what is the best DVD recorder in the world?
The best DVD recorder in the world is...no of course its not that simple, one persons idea of the best is different from the next persons and it depends entirely on what you need and what you can afford. If you really want the best DVD recorder in the world it takes a little effort and some research, lucky for you we have prepared a summary of all the important points of what you should look out for to help you decide.
1. Navigation menus.
The navigation menu if effectively the onscreen means of locating the disc and program that you want to watch after it has been recorded. Typically this is done manually when you are recording or finalising a disc and you will have to type in the title etc. by hand on the remote control unit which can be a bit tedious, so if this may be something you wish to avoid look for a unit which creates the title information automatically, or even a unit which has a user friendly interface on which to type out the titles/title segments.
2. Recording methods.
Effectively there are only two possible basic methods, manual and timer record which are fairly self explanatory and you will not want a unit that doesn't offer both, whether anybody has made such a unit is doubtful anyway.
The functionality of both methods can vary, with manual recording this may be extended to one touch recording in case something suddenly comes on and you need to record it quickly you just have one button to press rather than two or a sequence of buttons. Remember however that for all current DVD recorders you need to format the DVD disc prior to recording and this can take a minute or more.
Timers may operate from 14 days in advance upto a month or more. If you are likely to be away for a long period and want to record regular editions of your fave TV program you may need a timer with a longer advance programming time.
In addition some timers will be programmed by manual input of the time and date, and some will have the extra convenience of the VCR plus coding which is commonplace in TV guides etc. so you just enter the number that corresponds to the program you wish to record and the DVD recorder does the rest. There are also some units that can plug directly into your digital TV input and can show a menu of the coming weeks programs so you have the ease of simply choosing the program straight from an on-screen menu.
3. What about short play and long play etc. like video recorders?
Sure thing! DVD recorders generally come with variable quality of recording, the lower you choose the longer you can record for. The top quality setting will only achieve around a 1 hour recording per disc and is comparable to a DVD movie that you can buy in the shops, depending of course on the original signal quality of the program you are recording. At a slightly lower quality with the odd notable but minor blip gets you around double this at two hours, this will probably be referred to more technically as 5 kbps (kilobytes per second). At lower settings there is a signifcant drop in quality that is likely to interfere with your viewing satisfaction to such an extent you probably wont perservere with it, but there are some units that do produce very capable results for longer recording times and they are becoming increasingly more common as it is one of the key consumer demands to be able to record a good film for example to watch at another time.
4. Connectivity.
All units will have at least a connection for the input signal and an output to your TV. In addition you may need to consider whether you want increased inputs and outputs for extra monitoring, connection to your PC, maybe even the facility to record from you camcorder or digital video recorder directly to your DVD recorder, most likely to be an IEEE1394 firewire-style port. Some units will be connectable to your PC too, and all should be capable of CD playback and recording so this can be especially handy but check the type of connection, USB 1 may be too slow for your requirements.
4. Recording media, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-ram, DVD-RW, DVD+RW?
As with CD rewriters and computer based DVD rewriters, there are numerous formats to choose from and no two players seem capable of using the same media in the same way. If you already have DVD discs you will want to use this will affect your choice, if not it will be less important but the most compatible units are your safest bet. It is important to read the instructions for each unit too on finalising discs before using them on other units as often if you fail to do so you will not be able to use them.
5. Design and layout.
As with most home theatre units the accessibility may also affect your choice, do you want a top loading player or a front loading player, will the unit fit in the space I want to put it in? (if you are replacing a VCR there's little chance it wont!) Are the buttons easy to reach and well labelled? Once the cables are plugged in will they stick out or will they be out of the way?
5. Mulit-region capability?
This is one of the biggest foibles with DVD players and subsequently DVD recorders, the industry inclusion of a regional capability where you can watch only DVDs that are created for your geographical area. On the most part units are increasingly being made with multi-region functionality or the ability to input a code or similar to make the unit capable of being multi-region, however there are still many units that are not. How this will effect you personally will depend on where you get your DVDs and what you like to watch.
The reason for multi-region coding was to protect largely the film industry. Commonly films created in hollywood are released on DVD in the US a long time before anywhere else and so only DVD players from the US could play their films, preventing people abroad getting sneak previews, and supposedly helping to cut down on piracy too. In reality its just a giant pain in the bottom, doing very little to stop the activities intended but impacting significantly on the general consumer and confusing many people into avoiding the wonders of new technology altogether!
We would recommend choosing a player that is multi-regional capable.
6.Hard disc included?
Having a hard disc built in will increase the cost of a recorder quite dramatically however it can also have a dramatic effect on functionality too. It is often the case that the programs recorded will be placed onto the hard drive first and then transferred to the DVD disc if and when required. This means that if you want to erase a program after watching it you can do so easily and without using up your blank discs - saving you money too. It also means that you can record programs for a much longer duration and at a higher quality without running out of space. There may be hard disk editing capabilities so you can prepare a recording to DVD media beforehand and ensure only those scenes and programs you want on it are included. Apart from the cost there is little by way of disadvantage to having a hard disk too although if you are transferring your old videos to DVD it may be necessary to record them all to the hard disk and then to record from the hard disk to DVD which will increase the time needed. may be necessary to record
7.Miscellaneous.
Other things to note are a remote control, it is very unlikely that any system will be sold without one, and also whether the leads are included with the unit, again it is unlikely that at least the basic leads and cables to attach to the TV would not be included.
8.You choose.
DVD recorders have come down in price to a moderate level and are unlikely to drop a great deal
further for some time so now is as good a time as any to take the plunge if you do not have one
already. There are numerous features and facilities to choose from and often with something of
this sort reading other people's opinions first is well worth taking the time to do.
It is one of the key advantages of
Amazon.co.uk
