Dvd Recorder Help!

sheryldoc

Im a total technophobe.. but I would like a DvD recorder.. I jst wanna record the soaps and watch them later in my room.. nothing fancy!

can you get ones with timers on them?

And whats all this dvd +/-, dvd-r/dvd-rw its woudl be aswell written in gaelic.

Any help or info much appreciated.

espresso

Are you sure that you want a DVD recorder? For what you want to do (time-shifting), a PVR may be better. Something like this. (not necessarily from this site, wherever is cheapest)

sheryldoc

I have no idea what a pvr is lol.. ( infact I jst read it and i dnt think its suitable as it records onto the actual box and thats no use.. thanx tho)

I want to record from NTL cable box in my living room.. and then take the dvd and watch what ive recorded in my bedroom later in bed..

marleyboy

Its an interesting point you have brought up, there are many DVD recorders on the market, and yet I havent come across one with a timer (akin to a video recorder).

terrierlady

What do you mean timer? dvd recorders are simple to operate show timer information on screen so easy.

Mike_J

Most DVD recorders will have a timer function. As far as the +R-R ...etc

"r" means recordable. You can record once and thats it. To watch the disk on another DVD it must be "finalised". This is normally a function within the recorded
"rw" mean re-writeable. The disks can be re-recorded over, similiar to video tape.

The + and - are signature applied to recording formats applied by dvd manufactures. I have a Philips which is a + model. When I buy disk I have to buy "+" disks but they can be read by vitually all DVD players. You can buy mutli-format recorders which can record on either format of disks but as long as you pick the right type up this wouldnt really matter for just recording soaps etc.

f1charlie

Mike_J wrote:

You can buy mutli-format recorders which can record on either format of disks but as long as you pick the right type up this wouldnt really matter for just recording soaps etc.

Just make sure the machine you have in the lounge and the machine you have in the bedroom take the same kind!

coolagarry

Have alook on here for the different types and prices.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_/202-7618303-4147865?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=dvd+recorder&Go.x=10&Go.y=12
Even the cheapest one should meet your requirements but read the customers reviews to help you make up your mind.
http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/2003/DVDFormatsExplained.asp explains the different formats but all you really need to know is that if you use +r or -r discs then you can only use them once (you cannot write over them again) if you use +rw or -rw discs than you can use them over and over again like a video tape.
As f1charlie says sometimes your player may prefer + or - discs but that is getting less and less important these days.
If all else fails buy a £9 player from Asda. They play the lot!!
You will see that some of the recorders also play DivX and Mpeg4 but that is only relevant if you want to download compressed video off the internet and play it.
Look here to sort out the different formats

Mercenary

There are also DVD Player/Recorders with a Hard Drive to consider...where you can record either straight onto the HDD and transfer to DVD later, or you can record straight to the DVD.

I have a Sony HDD version and find it brilliant for recording all my preferred films and programmes (which are often put on late evening :rolleyes:...not very convenient! ) then I can watch them at my leisure, edit adverts out and burn onto DVD-/+Rs for keeping, or burn onto DVD-/+RWs for viewing on other DVD players and then re-using.

I have also recently been transferring old camcorder home movies (some from VHS tapes) onto the HDD and then burning them onto DVD-R discs for posterity .