DVD recorder question

[mattg568]

I use the Pioneer DVR-231 to record stuff on TV either while I'm gone or asleep. I record onto a -RW disc so that when I get home, or I wake up the next day, I can watch what I recorded, then erase the disc for future record sessions. Now, here's my question: Is it okay to play my recordings back on the 231? Or should I use a dedicated DVD player for the recordings I make? I've heard that you shouldn't use the recorder as the player. Does that mean either commercial DVD movies or recordings you make or both? I only use my 231 to play back recordings made with the 231's timer. I don't use my 231 to play commercial bought DVD's. I play those on a regular DVD player. Am I okay in doing this?

Also, the reason I play my recordings on the 231 is because of the Commercial Skip feature that it has. Do regular DVD players have Commercial Skip?

[handyguy]

"Do regular DVD players have Commercial Skip?"

No, but they do have chapter skip....

Some dvd players might not play back those -RW disks.

[trhouse]

What is the reason you believe recorders should not be used for playback?

[mattg568]

I thought I heard somewhere here that you should play your DVD recorder recordings on a regular dvd player, maybe to get longer life out of your dvd recorder, but I don't know for sure... Shouldn't DVD-RW recordings in Video Mode be playable on other dvd players? How many people actually play both recordings made with the recorder and store-bought movies on that same recorder?

[Seeker47]

What is the reason you believe recorders should not be used for playback?

Jumping in here: If the laser lifespan is finite (as Lordsmurf has been warning us), that might be one good reason to leave the recorder for recording duties -- not exclusively, but primarily.

I also wouldn't play unknown discs in the recorder. By "unknown", I mainly mean a loaner or a rental. You don't know where that DVD has been ! Hopefully you would notice some child's greasy fingerprints on it, but one evening when you are tired or distracted . . . .

[Frobozz]

By all means play back your time-shift DVDs with the Pioneer recorder. It is set up to play back VR-mode discs where most other players cannot. If you do record video mode (which would be silly if you're not intending to keep the recording) then you'd need to finalize the disc before playing in a different player.

[mattg568]

Why would it be silly to record in video mode on a -RW if i'm going to later erase it? What I'd do is:

1. record DVD-RW Video Mode
2. Finalize DVD-RW
3. Play in DVD player
4. Put DVD-RW back in recorder
5. Undo Finalization
6. Erase
7. Repeat to #1


On second thought, I guess I'll use the recorder to record and to playback temp recordings that I'll eventually erase and record over again and use my DVD player for finalized discs and storebought movies.

[Frobozz]

You don't need step 5. You can erase a finalized DVD-RW by re-initializing it.

The reason I said it would be silly to record video mode DVD-RW if you're going to erase it, is that you lose the VR format's features such as chase play, chapter marking and editing. From my perspective the only reason to record video mode is if I plan to keep the discs for playback in other players.

To me it doesn't make sense to spend time finalizing a disc I plan to erase anyway, when I can simply play it with the recorder without finalizing. But that's just what works for me.

[handyguy]

Just get a dvd recoder with a HD, no need for disks. Btw, those -rw disks only rewrite a certain number of times. IF you got a dvd recorder that can write on dvdram, you can get 100,000 rewrites, compared to -rw of 1000, but in practice maybe 100...