Time for X-mas shopping: Mac Compatible DVD/DVR Recorders?

[terryj]

Ok gang,
I'd like some input on a Mac compatible DVD Recorder
or a HD ( as in Hard Drive) Based DVR Recorder.

After 600 tapes, the VCR is on the last leg,
and with still over 4x that amount to still
process through my Canopus ADVC-100,
I'm thinking rather than hunt for a decent
VCR to replace the one on its last leg, I'd
switch gears and get either a DVR or a DVD Recorder
in place, switch at least the day-to day stuff
( tv shows, specials, PPV movies) to it, and
leave the VCR to finish out most of the movie collection.

Now, I'd like a unit that would be Mac Compatible:
FW I/O, that could easily input content into
iMovie or FCP and then build into DVD Studio Pro
( sorry, I HATE canned, generic blue background menus).
So this is a must.
I've already STF for the past posts by Frobozz and others,
but would like to hear any updates/recent success/releases.

Thanks in advance!
Happy Thanksgiving!

[terryj]

ok, 24 looks and no one is brave enough to even TRY
to answer...?


After doing so more reading over at the AVS foruns,
and Circuit City's website consumer reviews,
it looks like NO DVD Recorder will do what I
want at this point, without finalizing a disc,
re-ripping it back in to the Mac, and then
bascially re-creating the wheel.

Time to sit back and wait out technology I think...!

[thoughton]

I'm not even sure what you're asking

Any PVR with a firewire out should be fine, surely?

I don't know why DVD-Recorders figure in the equation at all ... unless you are referring to those ones with hard discs.

[terryj]

hey thoughton.

On PVR ( DVRs) does the FW I/O port work like
a standard FW port, or has it been "set" to allow only
transfer in of material. I would like a machine that
would for the material to be recorded on it, and then
transfer it out via FW straight into the Mac, as DV stream,
to FCp or iMovie, where, just like what I'm getting with
my Canopus Setup, a record of stream to an NLE app,
where I can perform edits, and then compress to
build in DVDSP 3.

Hope that clarifies....?

After even more reading last night...it seems that this is
impossible, either with PVR/DVR, or using DVD Recorders.

Fromwhat I've read thus far:

PVR/DVR will allow for transfer IN on its FW port
of say camcorder material, to watch on the machine,
but is limited to only S-VHS OUT or ANALOG RCA OUT.

DVD-Recorders have the same setup, but in addition
to being able to create a disc, which when finalized,
you could then re-rip back into the mac, and
then extract the content back to demuxed MPEG-2
and then you could create your DVD nice in pretty in DVDSP.

WHAT I WANT: is a machine, either DVR/PVR, or DVD-recorder,
which will ALSO have the ability to take the content stored
on it's HD, and be able to transfer that via FW OUT to the
Mac, totally bypassing any ANALOG or S-VHS output.
Just a straight two piece simple setup:

DVR/PVR/DVD-Recorder with HD to MAC, connected via FW.

and so far, it looks like this isn't possible yet.

My local cable companies PVR/DVR isn't equipped with
FW OUT, only ANALOG OUT.

Most machines I've read on, from Cyberhome, Ilo, and
Samsung do not allow this.

so perhaps I'm asking something that technologically isn't
(allowed) possible yet.

[Frobozz]

terryj, if you can find a Pioneer DVR-520H-S DVD recorder (last year's model) you'll have a great recorder. It has Firewire DV input and output (the current model is DV input only). I have the DVR-510H-S (previous model to the 520) and I've used it both directions with iMovieHD.

One thing about the DV output is that the video must be played from the recorder's hard drive or from a non-encrypted DVD. This means, unlike your Canopus ADVC, the video must be MPEG encoded before it can be DV exported by the Pioneer.

I know you've balked so far about going with Toast 7 because of the QT 7 requirement, but I've had great success recording VR-mode DVD-RW discs with my Pioneer recorder and then using Toast's media browser to extract the MPEGs to Toast for re-authoring the DVD.

The Firewire output on PVR's (such as my Comcast/Motorola DCT-6412) export a TS MPEG stream. They do not export DV video.

[thoughton]

As far as I know current PVRs try and prevent you from accessing the saved video (my Sky+ box certainly does), but I thought there were plenty of hacks for earlier boxes (tivo, comcast etc) to allow this? Isn't that where .tivo files come from? Sorry if I'm wrong, I thought they were fairly common since ffmpegX supports them (tivo isn't a big player in the UK market). I know earlier comcast boxes had firewire out.

[terryj]

I know you've balked so far about going with Toast 7 because of the QT 7 requirement, but I've had great success recording VR-mode DVD-RW discs with my Pioneer recorder and then using Toast's media browser to extract the MPEGs to Toast for re-authoring the DVD.

The Firewire output on PVR's (such as my Comcast/Motorola DCT-6412) export a TS MPEG stream. They do not export DV video.

And this might be the one thing that moves me into Tiger/Qt7.
figures....


ok, I'll browse ebay tonight to see what I can find on the
Pioneer DVR-510....

[terryj]

As far as I know current PVRs try and prevent you from accessing the saved video (my Sky+ box certainly does), but I thought there were plenty of hacks for earlier boxes (tivo, comcast etc) to allow this? Isn't that where .tivo files come from? Sorry if I'm wrong, I thought they were fairly common since ffmpegX supports them (tivo isn't a big player in the UK market). I know earlier comcast boxes had firewire out.

Perhaps some one pulled the reins in then...I just got back from my friend's house, and he got the Cox Cable DVR setup w/HD Cable
on the 23rd.
Pretty nice set-up, but his Firewire port is DEFINITELY crippled
only allowing FW in, not out. He plans to supplement his setup
with a stand alone DVD-Recorder, but it would be S-VHS out of
DVR to in of DVD-Recorder, but I'd rather cut down on the amount
of stacked devices.....
:P

but your point about haxies is interesting....more to read up on tonight!

[Frobozz]

ok, I'll browse ebay tonight to see what I can find on the
Pioneer DVR-510....

Search for either a DVR-510H-S or a DVR-520H-S. They both have the DV Firewire input/output. The 520 has a faster DVD burner and a couple improvements to the editing commands. Also, the 510 reportedly has more difficulty copying from VHS tapes than does the 520. The problem is when the tape has glitches in playback. The 510 simply blanks out those frames while the 520 maybe isn't as sensitive to problem tapes. I use mine for copying laserdiscs and TV programs so I haven't yet seen this problem.