Need New Equipment

[JoeNJ]

Currently I'm still in the stone ages and still have a VCR,but the quality of the tapes now pales in comparison to what's out there now. The reasons I haven't converted yet are 1)Most of my recordings are all on VHS, 2)I think videotape is more durable/stable than anything I have tried(which has basically been only DVD).

So my ultimate question is what is my best bet to start investing in now? What are the advantages/disadvantages to Tivo or DVR? I currently have DirecTV which may provide DVR.
Another reason I like my videotapes are that I can add things on if I'm compiling a tape,is there anything that can do that? I've heard I can record on CD but if I don't 'seal' it I can't watch it. Again I'd like to be able to compile things.

Suggestions?

[redwudz]

Another reason I like my videotapes are that I can add things on if I'm compiling a tape,is there anything that can do that? I've heard I can record on CD but if I don't 'seal' it I can't watch it. Again I'd like to be able to compile things.

That's sort of what hard drives are for. Large HDDs are inexpensive enough presently. And there are rewritable CDs and DVDs you can use many times over.

VCRs are analog systems, where CD, hard drives and DVDs are digital. Multi-generation analog VHS tapes are usually terrible quality. Digital media can go through many generations and still have almost no quality losses. But digital requires different tools and methods so there are some limitations along with the advantages. JMO.

And welcome to our forums.

[yoda313]

Yes redwudz has covered the basics on your question.

One thing to note don't think of a tivo or dvr as a permanent archiving mehtod. If anything happens to the unit the filles are lost. Also I belive with the tivo when your subscription ends you lose total access to it. Mine did when I didn't renew it (went with a cable dvr). Though I didn't have copied files on it but I imagine your accessibility to those are restricted as well.

If you are serious about diving into the world of digital conversion check out these guides on how to capture:

https://www.videohelp.com/capture

YOu can get a computer capture device for under a 100.00 at a very good quality. You can get them even cheaper at varying performance levels.

A little research will lead you to the solution thats best for you.

Edit - you are talking about 'finailizin" in the digital world when you close a recording session on a disc. You can record VCD video on a cdr. That has often been described as similar to vhs quality. It is video cd and is essentially the ancestor of DVD.

With a dvd recorder you can use a recordable one time use disc and record a half hour here, then a half hour there, and then "finalize" the disc when it is full or you want to use it on another player. On rewritabel media you can use it as many times as you want like a vhs tape. You can record to the full capacity of the disc (they have varying recording speeds just like vhs, sp, lp ep etc - generally 2-6 hours on a disc with 2 being best quality and 6 being barely adequate to videophiles).

[TBoneit]

The DirecTV DVRs can onl hold so much and then you run out of room. " Again I'd like to be able to compile things. "

To do that you need to capture to your computer and put on a DVD or use a DVD recorder with a hard drisc drive in it. Compile in the computer or Recorder then burn.

As was mentioned above, it isn't if a hard drive will die, it is when.

True story: At work we sold two 120Gb Western Digital laptop drives. One for the laptop and a second to go in an enclosure for backup. Customers plan being if needed he could swap in the backup and keep going. Within two weeks the drive in the laptop went bad and had to be RMA'd. Things happen.

[Video Head]

An HTPC would be an option.