Great DVD Recorder Hunt

greenfeld69

Anyone know what the cheapest hard drive DVD recorder is?

spr148

I have been looking at DVD Recorders for a while and am slightly less confused that I was a month ago. If it helps anyone, this is what I have learnt.

The LiteOn 5005 is short on inputs and outputs. The best quality signal is composite video. This is going to be fine for anyone who wants a replacement for their video recorder but will score poorly in tests (e.g. Which?) against those with S-Video or RGB and is not sufficient for those seriously into their home cinema etc. This problem is fixed on the 5006, which has RGB. It does not affect the quality of recordings from video camera through the DV input.

There appears to be a problem with the noise all the LiteOn machines make.

There appears to be a problem for LiteOn with poor quality playing of TV through the DVD recorders receiver - though not on the recordings made. I cannot see that this is likely to be a major problem for anyone.

The lack of DVD-RAM is only likely to be a problem for anyone who wants the timeslip capability. Only you can decide whether this is worth the additional costs vs a 5005 or the additional inputs of the 5006.

Build quality seems to be pretty hit and miss across most manufacturers. Philips scores especially badly. It is well worth looking at the returns policy of the seller as there is a good chance you'll need it!

Woby_Tide

Liteon doesn't support DVD-Ram.  Who cares?  Use cheaper DVD-R for one-offs and DVD+RW for reuse.

I'm guessing you have a player that doesn't utilise RAM, don't dismiss it so simply, RAM v RW is a no contest in fairness, the extra cost is more than made up for in the longevity of the RAM discs in comparison and their functionality, wait for the deals and you can get double sided carts for £3.50 and even the non carts come on deals evry often, chalk and cheese comparison

wjohn228

Is it possible to record from a Sky+box (hard drive) onto a DVD disc using a DVD recorder? - Any restrictions on type of DVD format?

Does Sky+ mean that a DVD recorder WITH a hard drive isn't necessary? -

The Which? Survey suggests that buying a DVD recorder with a hard drive should be avoided because Personal Video Players are a better option ( they are simpler and easier to use) and developments such as PVRs with twin digital tuners and built-in DVD recorders will soon be available

wilko99

The other fault is reported on the reviews at amazon.co.uk and other places, being that TVs don't switch to the Liteon automatically when it starts up. You have to find the 'channel' manually. No great effort but not ideal.


Regards
George[/quote]

My telly finds the signal from the Liteon,no probs. I have it sharing the same scart input as my SKY. Swith the liteon on. and the Liteon comes up on the screen. Switch it off, and SKY comes back on. If recording, you just jog the SOURCE button on the Liteon remote to watch SKY or TV. ;D

wilko99

This is a small PC in a box, not a VHS VCR. Does it produce even as much noise as your PC? I doubt it. The fan is essential to cool the power supply and mainboard components. The DVD rewriter noise is the same as for a PC. If you cover up the DVD-recorder with blankets or block air flow, it could shorten its life.

George, I was having a little joke to lighten things up. ::) I must add that to place a Liteon DVD Recorder in a bucket of water, would also, do some damage to the unit and possibly shorten it's life to a fraction of asecond.LOL

George_Bray

George, I was having a little joke to lighten things up. ::)

Sorry, I wasn't sure whether you were joking or being serious!

George_Bray

If it helps anyone, this is what I have learnt.

>The LiteOn 5005 is short on inputs and outputs. The best >quality signal is composite video.

Am I missing a trick here? My Liteon 5005 has S-video out and scart (RGB I think) outputs, in addition to digital phono and digital opitical. Plus all the phono sockets for composite video and sound. What more do you need? The user manual mentions ‘high quality’ connections like scart and S-video, so I trust they’re (all pins) connected up. I’ll be very disappointed if RGB ‘in’ (through scart in) is a fudge. Are your sure? I’d be surprised, given the recording quality.

> There appears to be a problem with the noise all the LiteOn >machines make.

My Liteon 5005 has a small fan which makes very, very little noise. I’m pleased it has a fan because, without it, any DVD recorder will risk overheating and a much shorter life.

>The lack of DVD-RAM is only likely to be a problem for anyone >who wants the timeslip capability.

Agreed. I can edit (re-record) chapters on a DVD+RW to my heart’s content. Who needs DVD-RAM?

brusselsprout_3

I recently bought a Panasonic dvd recorder which used dvd-ram disks, but was unable to use it with my Freeview box - does anyone know how to record on freeview and save on to ram disk through dvd box?
The 2 would not work together - anyone any ideas or am I not doing it right?
Also not cojpatible with computer disks dvd-r and + r & rw

Rave

The other fault is reported on the reviews at amazon.co.uk and other places, being that TVs don't switch to the Liteon automatically when it starts up. You have to find the 'channel' manually. No great effort but not ideal.

I find that autoswitching an enormous irritation, so much so that I generally end up snipping pin-16 on all my scart leads. I'd be very happy with a recorder that didn't do it.

Rich :¬)