DVD Recorders

[prberk]

O.K., all you audiophiles (and videophiles, I guess) out there, I have to replace my DVD player, and I am considering a DVD recorder. But I have some questions about DVD recorders (the A/V components):

- Which recording formats are most compatible with other DVD players? (If I used the DVD recorder to record family videos from my VCR, say, to give to Aunt Tillie and did not know which type of DVD player she had...)

- Do most of these models allow you to mark chapters? I have family videos that I would like to put on DVD and mark chapters to start at certain places.

- Is it worth it to pay about $200 more for the DVR feature? (Say, to make multiple copies from the hard drive?) Or is it better to buy a regular DVD player, and get a DVD burner and Dazzle for my PC (a Dell XP from 2003, but not sure the size or memory right now -- not at home).

- If you have a PC DVD burner with Dazzle or other A/V input device, do you have trouble synchronizing sound and video. My friend has this trouble in burning a DVD that he recorded first to his hard drive from my VCR. His "tuner" on the PC showed the video and audio in synch on the PC, but when he burned the DVD, it kept getting off. Is this a common problem?

Thanks for all of your help. As you can see, I am thinking about using this time of replacing a DVD player as a time to upgrade. But I don't want to waste money.

My primary goals (beyond replacing my DVD player) are:

- To record family videos to DVD, perhaps with multiple copies possible (maybe done separately).

- To be able to mark chapters.

Secondary goals include:

- Recording TV (like VCR):

- Sometimes to keep (DVD-R?, DVD+R?)
- Other times not (DVR? DVD-RW?)

Thanks for any PRACTICAL INSIGHT that you can all give!!

Paul

 

[dizneykev]

Well, you do have a lot of questions. I am what some would call a computer guy (I work tech support all day), so I think I can speak from a knowledgable position. In my experience, I have found that most people do not have the computer skills to master video editing on their home pc's. A few things that stand out are that they do not buy the correct equiptment (I would purchase a Plextor ConvertX over a Dazzle for instance), but beyond that, they really do not understand what they are doing. Also, videos, when encoded correctly, take up lots and lots of room on your hard drive. I usually encode videos that take about 4-6 gig per hour. This adds up quickly and can turn your computer into a cluttered mess pretty quickly. That being said, editing your home movies on the pc is the only way to really create a personal, professional looking video. The question you need to ask yourself is do you need that type of video. For most of us, the answer is no.

I would suggest to you the same thing I have told my father to do, go buy yourself a good standalone DVD recorder. A personal favorite of mine is the LG model LRA-516 (Best Buy sells them). This DVD recorder supports every format of disc out there (dvd-r is the choice for most players), does dual layer discs (can hold about 4 hours of video), and has an input on the front that allows you to connect your digital Camcorder directly up to it without having to convert to an analog (RCA video/audio cables) signal. I have the version above this model which has a vcr built in, but that is just because I have a 4 year old who loves to watch videos all day. This model allows you to mark chapters, scenes, etc. as well as make a title and menu for the disc. It is not as flexible as making the video on your pc, but we are talking ease of use, not professional results.

As far as a DVR version goes, I cannot imagine living without my TiVo. I have had once since they first came out and we don't watch live TV anymore if we can avoid it. As much as I love my TiVO, I cannot recommend the DVR/DVD recorders with TiVo built it. They simply don't have enough flexibilty to be useful. If you want a DVR, buy a seperate one and run it through the DVD recorder so you can burn tv shows whenever you want.

I hope I answered all of your questions, if not, feel free to ask more. Good luck.


Dizneykev

 

[barnum42]

I have made DVDs using Pinnacle Studio 9. They work in most folks DVD players, but flat refuse to play in one brand that is sold at the British Supermarket Asda. So there is always a compatibility risk along the line.

 

[Robfasto]

O
- If you have a PC DVD burner with Dazzle or other A/V input device, do you have trouble synchronizing sound and video. My friend has this trouble in burning a DVD that he recorded first to his hard drive from my VCR. His "tuner" on the PC showed the video and audio in synch on the PC, but when he burned the DVD, it kept getting off. Is this a common problem?

Once you get burn a disk with a DVD Recorder you can rip it off onto your computer and not have a problem with the sync. I do it all the time and it works great.

Another couple of features that are nice to have would be a USB port so you can plug a flash card reader into it and burn. And also a firewire port that will allow you to hook up most newer camcorders.

 

[prberk]

Once you get burn a disk with a DVD Recorder you can rip it off onto your computer and not have a problem with the sync. I do it all the time and it works great.

Another couple of features that are nice to have would be a USB port so you can plug a flash card reader into it and burn. And also a firewire port that will allow you to hook up most newer camcorders.

First, thanks to all of you who have responded (especially to disneykev -- good, thorough info!!)

As for the synchronization, am I understanding you, Robfasto, to be saying that, whether I ever upload the info to my PC or not, the A/V style of DVD recorder is best for the initial VCR-to-DVD transfer?

Do any of you who upload VHS video directly to your PC have synch problems?

As for my family videos, I have a fairly talented (musical) family, and much videotape! And with my father having just passed away, we have a special interest in putting many of those memories onto DVD, both to preserve and share them with extended family.

I see now that certain models of the DVD recorders will let me mark chapters (like the one recommended above); but what if I want to make multiple copies of the completed disc. Am I still needing to buy a PC DVD burner and AV input device, etc.? If I go this route (making the initial copy on a recorder to avoid synch problem), is it better or upgrade my PC for the later copies, or invest in a DVR? My PC is a Dell Pentium 4, 2GHz, with 256 MB RAM and 37 GB hard drive (27.7 GB free).

I am kind of interested in the editing features on PC, but I recognize the learning curve required. I am concerned that I might find it too time-consuming and never actually finish the projects. But, if the uploads are straightforward, and with easy editing, I might enjoy it.

It sounds like, to me so far, though, that you all would recommend buying an A/V type of recorder first (avoiding the synch problem), but upgrading the PC later, for copying or editing straight from the DVD made with the recorder.... Either that or using a DVR.....

Is that what I am hearing ? I appreciate any more thoughts before I make a purchase....

Thanks again for your patience with me.

Paul

 

[TAC]

As far as a stand alone DVD recorder, I can't offer any input, since I don't have one.

I am planning on starting to hook up a 'high end' VCR to my TV tuner/input video card to burn things I have saved to DVD. By 'high-end,' I mean that it has flying erase heads, and I used to do editing with them (I have two). It also has S-video IN and OUT, so the TV tuner/input video card I bought has a S-video in/out hookup.

If you have video that you want to preserve, I recommend having a professional service do a transfer of the video tapes to DVD. They might give you a discount if you have a lot. I would NOT go to a Wal-mart or place like that, but a true video or photography store. If you get all of the video to DVD, THEN you can edit video down to clips and burn those to DVD (see below).

I have a 1.8 Ghz, 512 Mb of RAM, 80 Gig HD x2, and I can edit video with no problem. The program I use gives me fits, but it's a known buggy program. But the user interface is easy to learn, and it does what I need to do, and it works.

Yes, you can get bogged down with video editing. If you intend to do that, I would recommend getting a second hard drive, and ONLY use that drive for your editing. I do have a DVD-ROM and a separate DVD-burner. If you decide to go that route, I recommend getting a dual layer burner. That way you can put (I think) almost 4 hours of video on one disc.

A way to avoid getting bogged down with video editing is to start with small projects. I did my brother's 30th BD party, and edited everything down to about 10 minutes. I also did my SIL's wedding. That took longer, but the hardest part was the reception. The ceremony was pretty straight forward (no real edits).

The best thing about having a separate HD for your video editing is that you can edit clips and save them, build them up, and then burn a whole disc. EX: My wife and I were at WDW last Christmas. I taped each of the "Christmas Around the World" stories. I imported each of them, but only worked on one at a time. So, when they were all done, I burned a disc with all of them edited, and created a DVD menu "Christmas Around the World at WDW." Each country had it's own 'button' and you can select any country and see the story.

Good Luck!

 

[barnum42]

Am I still needing to buy a PC DVD burner and AV input device, etc.? If I go this route (making the initial copy on a recorder to avoid synch problem), is it better or upgrade my PC for the later copies, or invest in a DVR? My PC is a Dell Pentium 4, 2GHz, with 256 MB RAM and 37 GB hard drive (27.7 GB free).

I guess the Pinnacle DC10 would be the way to go - it comes bundled with Studio 9 and lets you capture analogue (VHS) for editing. This is the set-up I have.

I had tried one of the USB devices, but it always came out blocky.

I have a 1.3 ghz machine, but I upped the memory to 750 mb RAM as it was struggling a bit without this. It takes roughly 5 gig of disc space per half hour of video. I now have two 120 gig hard drives for editing purposes.