DVD recorder for tv worth buying?

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi All,

I used to have TIVO which I loved but since I moved I can't record tv shows anymore. Would you buy a VCR or DVD burner for tv recording? Is it convenient or possible to record tv shows with a DVD burner? Man I sure miss my TIVO. :( Thanks for any suggestions

[Lee DeRaud]

A DVR (Tivo or other) is clearly the most convenient answer for transient things like TV shows...and the only economical answer for hi-def, at least for now.

That said, I've got a Panasonic VHS/DVD recorder combo and it works fine for stuff I want to keep. The only thing I use the VHS part for is dubbing from old tapes to disc, so you can probably get by with a straight DVD recorder.

And I certainly would not buy a new VCR at this stage of the game: you give up too much quality for too little savings.

[Peter Stahl]

I have cable and a DVD recorder with a hard drive is way better than a VCR. I have a Panasonic with a 160 gig hard drive but there are cheaper ones out there. I can't record any digital channels unless I record via the cable box. Why can't you have TIVO any more?

[Jim Watson]

I just bought a Sony VCR / DVD that is supposed to be great. Manual is the size of a thin Readers Digest!! Salesman said to use DVD+R discs which I did. My first copy onto DVD plays fine on the Sony combo machine, but will not play on my other DVD play (an Apex)...any suggests. Perhaps I need a different type disc. Thanks for any info,
Jim

[Lee DeRaud]

I just bought a Sony VCR / DVD that is supposed to be great. Manual is the size of a thin Readers Digest!! Salesman said to use DVD+R discs which I did. My first copy onto DVD plays fine on the Sony combo machine, but will not play on my other DVD play (an Apex)...any suggests. Perhaps I need a different type disc. Thanks for any info,
JimIt may be a problem with the format (i.e. the Apex may not be able to handle +R), but with those symptoms it's more likely the disc wasn't finalized properly. A recorded DVD can only be accessed by a "standard" drive after it has been closed to further recording.

I always use -R anyway: at least in my machine, +R discs need an addition formatting step before they can be used.

[Jim Watson]

I did read about finalizing after I made my first copy. I guess I am really old school - I probably still have 5 or 6 reel to reel recorders around here. They were great fun 40 years ago - now they are just boat anchors,
thanks again,
Jim

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I'm thinking I'll go the VCR/DVDR route. Thanks so much for all the great ideas. I really appreciate it.

[Peter Stahl]

I just bought a Sony VCR / DVD that is supposed to be great. Manual is the size of a thin Readers Digest!! Salesman said to use DVD+R discs which I did. My first copy onto DVD plays fine on the Sony combo machine, but will not play on my other DVD play (an Apex)...any suggests. Perhaps I need a different type disc. Thanks for any info,
Jim

You need to finalize it so you can play it on another DVD player. If you finalize it you can't add any more stuff to it. Blank DVD media is cheap though.

[Jim Watson]

I had thought I had finalized the first disc, but perhaps not. I will try again... thanks much fellows for your time,
Jim

[Dave Hale]

Alan,

Why can't you get another TIVO? They'll record anything a DVD recorder or VCR will. After using a DVR (DirecTV TIVO) I'd never go back to a DVD recorder or VCR.

Most cable companies rent a DVR. Not as nice as TIVO, but they work. Most even have high-def DVRs now. An expensive option is the Series 3 from TIVO. Works with any cable that supports CableCard and it also receives OTA. TIVOCommunity.com has the best links for good prices.

DISH and DirecTV have DVRs too.

[George Grubaugh]

Older DVD players won't play the DVD+R disks.

Try a DVD-R disk.

Look for Verbatim brand or Taiyo Yuden(best) Order them on the net.

DVD recording is very sensitive to good disks.

Good luck,

George

[Lee DeRaud]

Older DVD players won't play the DVD+R disks.

Try a DVD-R disk.Not necessarily: my first DVD player (a Phillips, bought in early 2002) would play DVD+R, but not DVD-R.

(And of course the first DVD burner I owned (in a 2003 Sony computer) would only burn -R...go figure.)