I'm very new to DVD recorders. I keep getting conflicting answers from sales people and would once and for all like to get some straight answers. For example, at Radio Shack somebody just told me that I must have a hard drive (or a Tivo type unit) with my DVD recorder in order to record programs from the television on to a DVD. He claimed that DVD recorders werent fast enough to keep up with recording live yet. This contradicts everything I have read about them but he seemed pretty convinced. Also, I have not been able to get an answer (including two posts here) on whether recording one channel while watching another is possible if you get your cable through a digital cable box. I really would like a DVD recorder but don't want to spend $400 on one and realize it can't do anything I want it to do. I want a DVD recorder that is able to convert all my VHS to DVD (this I know all of them can do) and also be able to record television programs off the TV, preferably with the option of being able to watch a totally different channel. So I guess my questions are: 1) Do I need a hard drive to record TV programs to DVD? 2) If not, what are the benefits of a hard drive besides being able to store the program before you put to a DVD (if that is what is desired)? 3) How (or is) is possible to record one program while watching another if I get my channels from a cable box? 4) Also can anybody reccommend any good DVD recorders based on what I posted about? I would greatly appreciate any help I can get, as I am very frustrated!
... The answer to #1 - is no, all set top DVD recorders will record Tv programs to DVD ... #2 - with a HD you can do time slipping ... pausing live Tv .. also it is nice for editing what you record before you put it on a disc .. you're looking at double the price, however ... #3 - I'm not sure since I don't use a cable box ... #4 - Personally I have a Lite-On LVW-5005, I really like it and one really neat feature it has is that it will record on DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and SVCD, VCD onto CD-R discs ... it's called "Write all" and it does write all really well ... I paid about $240 delivered ... Go to this link for some reviews of some more recorders ... http://www.dvdrecorderworld.com/reviewlist.php ... I have used my machine to convert all my VHS tapes to DVD (you can't do copy protected tapes without additional equiptment) ... And I do record one program while watching another, but I just have cable with no box ... ... These machines are pretty much like digital VCRs except you use discs instead of tapes ... ... I hope that this has been some help to you ... _X_X_X_X_X_[small] ... Victor Katz .. the original catfreak ... . . . Of all the things in my life that I've lost . . . . . I miss my mind the most . .[/small]
All recorders that I know of will record in real time. They would be pretty worthless otherwise. Sounds like the guy at Radio Shack was trying to up his commision. I have a Panasonic with the hard drive and I do like having the hard drive for editing etc... The hard drive does give you the ability to edit out the comercials and fit more on a DVD. I have found I can fit six 1 hour episodes onto a DVD in SP mode. (After taking out the comercials the program is only about :40 long. Works Great! As to you second question, I think that digital cable, like satelite needs two receivers to watch two channels. My Panasonic w/hard drive can be recording to the hard drive and I can watch another program recorder ealier or watch the one that is being recorded from the begining if I come home in the middle of the recording. Also with three S-Video inputs and a TV Tuner there is no end to the combinations of what input to watch or record. Sorry if this sounds like an advertisement but I really do like the unit. The one big downer of the Panasonics is that they will not record to RW media only -r and -RAM whick makes it nearly imposible to transfer video to the computer for editing. Hope this helps and doenn't make you- Dazed-N-Confused
