General DVD recorder questions from someone who wants one

[carpets]

1. Are DVD recorders hard to plug in. Like do you need some random expensive cords just to plug it in or is it just one plug and some of those color plug things like a DVD player?

2. Also, lets just assume that you were taping a show and wanted to pause for commercials so you paused it. Would it pause right when you press the button or would it take a few seconds like the VCR? Also, if it comes back from commercial, will it start recording instantly when you press the button or will it take a few seconds and make you miss part of a line or a scene? That always pisses me off on my tapes. Half of a line is always missing.

3. Is it possible to make custom menus? For example, if I made a couple DVDs with The Simpsons Season 4, could I make a menu that actually says "Simpsons: Season 4" and then have all the episodes accesible underneath or something like that?

4. And are DVD recorders easy to use? Is it easy to switch VHS tapes into DVD and does the quality increase?

5. Which DVD players do you recommend for someone who doesn't have a lot of money and doesn't want anything confusing or technical?

[lordsmurf]

1. No special plugs. Easy.
2. Also has delay
3. No, not entirely custom. Not custom images/layout etc, But text, yeah.
4. Easy to use, as much as VCR. Improve quality? No, not at all. What goes in goes out. Transfer VHS to DVD? Yeah, if homemade VHS.
5. You're looking at $250 minimum. I like the APEX DRX-9000.

[louthewiz]

Panasonic DMR-E80H built in hard drive 9 different menus to choose from built in editing features and you can do all the stuff you described ,I have one and I am very happy with it. And finally all you need is s-video and stereo cables to hook up tv/vcr/cable box etc ,and it also has a time based corrector to clean up video tapes that are fuzzy by using the composite video connections and it is VERY easy to operate.

[carpets]

2. Also has delay
4. Easy to use, as much as VCR. Improve quality? No, not at all. What goes in goes out. Transfer VHS to DVD? Yeah, if homemade VHS.

It has a delay too? What a jip!
And I always thought they were supposed to improve the quality of a homemade VHS.

[hech54]

2. Also has delay
4. Easy to use, as much as VCR. Improve quality? No, not at all. What goes in goes out. Transfer VHS to DVD? Yeah, if homemade VHS.

It has a delay too? What a jip!
And I always thought they were supposed to improve the quality of a homemade VHS.

Nope...what is on the tape is what is now on the DVD. Once you add chapter points for easier access....the DVD will be an improvement in a "user friendly" sort of way.....that's about it.

I personally never noticed a "pause" on my old Philips 985.

[macleod]

An added expense, but if you have a pc dvd burner, just record your program and then use your computer to edit, author and burn the final dvd. TMPGENC DVD Author and other packages can do this for you.

Also, dvd recorders output are not compatible with a number of dvd players (I have the panny E30 and it will not play in a few of my players). I convert old VHS to DVD and I want menus, etc. so I record onto ram then use TMPGENC to edit, author, and burn a VERY compatible dvdr.

As far as ease of use (panny experience only) it is VERY easy to do. I would say to download a white paper or user manual on some of the recorders and read through them. Also, when it is time to buy, you may think about using ebay vs. walking into a store. There is good and bad, however, with ordering online. Thankfully, when I bought my panny on ebay it was a GREAT transaction ($280 including shipping on the panny E30).

[handyguy]

Just use the right media. I have a e30 & I use Accu media & it plays on every dvd player & dvd writer I have used it on.

Basically you use the recorder instead of your vcr. Its much easier to keep the disks around as they are small & you can find any recorded program easily.

[carpets]

Actually I just read reviews of many DVD recorders and it appears that there is no delay after you press record.

[bobinga]

Pioneer 210 appears to have no delay. Editing in VR mode is very easy on DVD-RW in VR mode once you get hang of it. Edited out commercials and did not notice that jump or hesitation on playback, but editing is most often done at a natural transition of the movie recorded.

[Capmaster]

2. Also has delay

:P Nope. False statement. Not the Panny DMR-E50.

[handyguy]

If you program to record a program on your panny it comes on a minute before the program is to begin. That way it can recognize the disk.

A neat trick is to record a program for about fifteen minutes then when its recording, play it. When you get to a commerical time slip through it (takes about 4 seconds). This way you get a nearly commercial free program.

[ejai]

The Panasonic recorders are known to have problems with compatibility when using them to author a dvd-r. I've even expressed this to one of their techs who agreed that some players have trouble with compatibility when it comes to the authoring structure of the Panasonic recorders.

Thats why I use the Panasonic's dvd-ram to capture and the computer to author dvd-rs. Now I have a 90% compatible disk. This is a known problem and should of been worked out by Panasonic well before releasing their product.