DVD recorders - options?

[DavGoodlin]

I normally just buy newer, cheaper, better stuff when equipment takes a dump.
Unfortunately with Blu-ray, nothing has a component output. I need one to get recorded video (composite analog) off my digital camera and onto a playable DVD. Doing this via a PC just fills up too many discs.

I had a 2009 Toshiba D-R560KU that worked fantastic until the CD drawer was bumped. The other player was a 2006 Toshiba D-R5SU and began displaying "bad disc" on almost all DVD's

So all I have left that works are two non-recording Panasonic players, one being a 2000 and working great, still. I also have a few VCR's, Zeniths and RCAs that still work, but who records on VHS anymore.

[jr_tech]

Discontinued Toshiba unit still at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-DVR620..._cart_vw_2_1_p

Will that work for your purpose?

not affiliated,
jr

[jsowers]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Magnavox-H...Tuner/46444957

I use something similar to this, a Magnavox DVR with an internal hard drive and DVD recorder. You record the video to the DVR and you can edit out scenes or commercials or divide it into several different videos and then burn it all to a DVD with a title and reference picture for each video segment.

It's worked fine for several years with no problems. Not having a camera, I use it like I would a VCR and only burn to DVD what I want to keep.

I too have an older Toshiba DVD recorder that sometimes won't recognize any disc. It may just need cleaning. I like the titling and editing features on the Magnavox a lot more and I've never had a bad disc on it yet. It seems to be a lot more forgiving than the Toshiba.

[DavGoodlin]

Thanks guys! two great options. I may be checking walmart a few times to see if this drops in price.

I am done with Toshiba DVD players!

The TV is a Toshiba 30HF84 CRT-HD and just keeps going though the HDMI input crapped out a while back, using component gets HD OTA via Samsung SIRT-451DTB

[Beachboy]

I too am feeling the crunch when it comes to recording video media. I had four Panasonic DVD recorder/players, but sold two of them for $25 each (unused) to thin down the herd. I kept one of the newest models for my own use, only to have it crap out after about four hours of use. The remaining one is a Panasonic DVD/VCR dual recording unit that I haven't used to record yet. I hate recording to DVD's, as they're so quirky and unreliable. Now DVD recorders aren't even commonly available. That leaves me as the only option to rent a DVR from the cable company, but I don't want to do that for various reasons, including the monthly cost and the loss of the ability to keep my recordings in my library. With a DVR, the recordings cannot be "kept" once I return the DVR to the cable company. Plus, I'm limited to watching what I record on the one TV the DVR is paired to. I guess Hollywood doesn't want us to record anything anymore, but I miss the ability to time shift and watch shows or ball games when I'm away from the TV.

[Electronic M]

DVD recording has always worked well for me.

There are other options such as the Panasonic DMR-E80H DVD recorder/DVR. It is a stand alone unit not sold or controlled by the cable companies.

You can also get a tuner card or USB dongle for your computer as well as a bigger hard drive and use your PC as a DVR. I have a 2003 TOTL Dell that is running Windows 7 64bit and has a video card with S-video output. That PC can do it all...I can time shift with it, watch web videos, dub digital files to video tape or disc, etc. I can watch it on my TV tube sets via the S-video jack and a RF modulator, or HD through the VGA/DVI ports.

[Chip Chester]

They make DVRs for over-the-air signals that are pretty cheap, and record the actual MPEG Transport Stream data directly. They include a tuner, remote, and many of them will drive composite in addition to HDMI.

Last one I got was from MCM, and it was $80 or so.

Once it's on a drive, you can edit or archive pretty cheaply.

TV tuner sticks and a laptop will work, too.

For cable stuff, I think there's a move afoot to break cable's hold on your set-top box. Not up-to-date on the specifics, though.

Chip

[Beachboy]

I know archiving to the computer is the way to do it, but that's way too complex for me. My TOTL 2008 HP running Vista has a 5.1 surround sound card and supposedly a Toshiba HD DVD drive. I've never used it for DVD's since I'd rather sit back in my living room and watch on the big screen, rather than on my computer's small screen.

My Panasonic DVD recorder does have an ATSC tuner in it, and it's on antenna, so I can record shows if they're on network television. I do have concerns about the longevity of home-burned DVD's verses commercial ones. DVD's I've burned on my computer with photo files appear to be "losing" files as time goes on.

Cable company's "whole house DVR" is another $13 a month - on top of my $175/month phone/cable/internet bundled bill. I may have to look into stand-alone DVR's, as a lot of the time, I just want to time shift and not save the show once I've watched it. Other times, such as Superbowl games, I try to archive them.

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions, guys!

[Outland]

I still use the VCR to time shift programs. Tapes are cheaper than dirt, and the only competition is a DVR which doesn't let you archive.

For actual archiving, like home videos, the only choice is to use a PC. All the other choices are simply stripped down computers.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Outland

I still use the VCR to time shift programs. Tapes are cheaper than dirt, and the only competition is a DVR which doesn't let you archive.

For actual archiving, like home videos, the only choice is to use a PC. All the other choices are simply stripped down computers.

You can only use your VCR to time-shift programs if you use a cable box ahead of it, as no VCR I've ever seen has the capability to tune DTV channels. Also, most cable companies have already eliminated or will soon eliminate analog channels from their systems (Time Warner Cable will have dropped all analog channels by the end of this year), so very soon you will need a cable box, connected to your VCR's line inputs, if you want to record from the box; however, if the cable company's boxes have HDMI connectors, you can forget about recording anything, since no VCR I've ever seen has HDMI inputs.

The DTV subchannels may be encrypted, so you could not record anything from them even if you wanted to; this is why new cable boxes have HDMI connections, so they cannot be connected to VCRs or anything else that can record TV shows. The cable companies (to say nothing of the motion picture industry) do not want people to be able to record from TV these days due to copyright laws, intellectual property laws, etc. (This is why VHS/DVD players do not have RF or cable tuners.)

Forget Sony's having overturned the ruling in 1975 regarding recording TV shows on VCRs. Today, forty-one years later, the rules have changed, and the cable companies, to say nothing of Hollywood, will do everything in their power to stop people from recording anything from their TVs. If you want the program, buy the DVD.

It wouldn't surprise me if someday very soon there is an actual law against recording TV shows (if there isn't such a law on the books already), although if new cable boxes and new VHS/DVD players are set up with HDMI connectors rather than RCA video/audio in/out jacks, there may be no need for such a law. Only time will tell.

I still have a Panasonic VCR, but all I use it for these days is to watch my old VHS tapes. Haven't recorded anything with it in months if not years.

[jsowers]

My mom is on Time-Warner and just got a new Cisco replacement set-top box that I had to install. It has a DVR inside and wasn't what she wanted, but it was the only choice they offered, which is a racket. They upgraded the service and internet speed and that was the reason she needed new equipment, or so they said.

It has one HDMI connection and that's to connect it to the flat screen TV. It also has an analog video and stereo audio out and an RGB out. So you can still use a VCR or DVD recorder if you like, to archive. But you can't watch one thing while recording another unless you use the internal DVR.

I am lucky to still be on a cable system that's analog and it's so much cheaper and better. It's from an independent telco and how long it will last is anyone's guess. It's also ten times better managed and run than Time-Warner and the digital local channels and sub-channels I can get on my flat-screen TV and my Magnavox DVR are much better with no dropouts. When I had Time-Warner before they got rid of analog, they seemed to be oblivious to whatever was wrong and took days to correct problems on their cable feed.

You should see the instructions that came with the new Time-Warner cable modem my mom got. They tell you to go to a site that isn't there to activate it or you can call after you replace the cable modem. But you can't call or use the internet because the new modem hasn't been activated yet. It's like they don't even know how their own equipment works.

I had to leave the old modem in place and call from that. The instructions were useless. After the new modem was working. they sent a second cable modem and when I called, nobody could find out why. I wasn't impressed.

Oh, and the new DVR came with no instructions. I had to figure that out for myself. Still not impressed.

[centralradio]

I have a Panasonic DMR E50 which I've been using for awhile.It has its issues with crappy blanks but still works ok.Also I have a Lite-on which is a piece of crap and did not last long.With blank VHS tapes sources drying up .Thank goodness more TV shows are getting online via Youtube and other video sites that I can download and archive them .I dont want to rely on DVD recording TV shows as end up getting coasters when it craps out a bad DVD.The way things are going lately with limited choices of recording devices out there.Pretty soon the recording thing will be over with since Hollywood is probably behind the push to stop it.

[DavGoodlin]

TWC and Comcast are about the same then, J.S. I was coerced into giving up a working Arris cable modem that was working fine, because "it would no longer be supported".

To set the new one up, I "just" go to a website or call, so long as I don't depend on the "new" cable modem, which is what I'm having trouble with.....Nice

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

TWC and Comcast are about the same then, J.S. I was coerced into giving up a working Arris cable modem that was working fine, because "it would no longer be supported".

To set the new one up, I "just" go to a website or call, so long as I don't depend on the "new" cable modem, which is what I'm having trouble with.....Nice

The Arris cable modem I am leasing from TWC for cable TV, Internet and my home phone may be replaced very soon as well, but not by my own choice. The company just might do the same thing here in northeastern Ohio as they did in your area, i. e. replace a perfectly good cable modem with an up-to-date one. Whether they will tell me the same thing they told you, i. e. "the modem is no longer supported", I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

I am almost to the point where I will purchase my own cable modem from Best Buy. They sell Arris (formerly Motorola) modems for very reasonable prices; if it means I will be able to own my own modem, rather than renting one from TWC and paying those outrageous rental fees, then it will be darn well worth the price of the new one.

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I am almost to the point where I will purchase my own cable modem from Best Buy. They sell Arris (formerly Motorola) modems for very reasonable prices; if it means I will be able to own my own modem, rather than renting one from TWC and paying those outrageous rental fees, then it will be darn well worth the price of the new one.

How much are they charging per month to rent you the modem, anyway?

jr