dvd recorder or usb tv / video card

[faithzzzz]

I need some help on finding a good dvd recorder.
i have comcast cable box,vcr,tv.
I want to record my tv shows,vcr tapes,camcorder to my win xp pro.
what is the best price and relable.
how to hook it,without hassles.
I can only spend around $300.00
stores in my area best buy,curcuit,walmart.
any ideas people? please help me,I am very new on dvd recorder
and putting tv shows on my computer,ect

[Krispy Kritter]

It all comes down to personal preference. Just hit your local stores and see which brands/models are available and which options they offer that you are interested in using. You can then check out user reviews on sites such as Amazon or here in the DVD Recorders section.

Feel free to come back here with more specific questions.

As for the recording process, you can just record your video onto DVD-RW discs using the recorder, then read them into your pc for editing. That way you can reuse the discs.

[DVWannaB]

You will have to narrow down what is most important and how you intend to record and also do you want a totally automated straight-jacket process thata DVD Recorder provides or total control of the process via computer.

I am not a big fan of the DVd Recorders on the market today. They all now offer ATSC tuners to pull in HDTV broadcasts from local broadcasters, but they do not offer hard-drives to record on, which allows the user to later go at their own convenience to edit and burn to disc. What you are forced to do is record on a DVD-RW, then during commercial break run at break-neck speed to take one disc for another. dont you dare walk away of forget that your recording is ongoing or you may miss that your DVD-RW has been filled up and recording has ended.


There still some good hard drive DVD Recorders on places like ebay, but they are asking ridiculous prices.

On the computer capture devices, I knoww a lot of folks on these forums swear by the Hauppauge products. So that may be one brand to look at. Stay away from anything Pinnacle, if you like keeping your sanity.

[jman98]

I cannot personally recommend ANY USB based capture cards. When I looked into them a few years ago, they were all terrible. I have always used PCI based cards. They work and work well. Hauppauge makes some very good cards. I'm using the PVR-350 and really like it, but if you want to go the USB route, you are on your own.

What is important to you? Ease of use? Or maybe have tons of free time and don't mind editing video, authoring DVDs and then burning them. Recording to your PC is more time consuming, but if you are willing to learn how to do it properly, the results are better. For example, if you want to record a 70 minute video tape to DVD, I can make it use up almost the entire DVD disc if I record to my PC. If I was to use a DVD recorder, I would have to record it in 2 hour mode and there would be 50 minutes of wasted blank space on the disc that way.

Recording with a DVD recorder is a good choice for people who just want it done quickly and with as little fuss as possible. Unless you are willing to spend even more time on your captures to PC like I do and record at very high bit rates (8100 Kbps CBR in my case) and then edit the file(s) and re-encode down to the bit rate I really want, you won't get good results. For example, let's say you need a bit rate of 4100 Kbps for some video to just about fully use up a single layer DVD disc. I would record at 8100, edit, then re-encode to VBR with an average bit rate of 4100, a minimum bit rate of 3100 and a maximum bit rate of 5100. I'd get better results that way than if I just recorded directly at a bit rate of 4100. If you are not going to want to spend extra time to record at high bit rates and re-encode down to lower bit rates, you really should just get a DVD recorder as it will save you a lot of time and not be worse than recording directly to a PC at a low bit rate.

[faithzzzz]

thanks guy,alot of good advise

[Bjs]

The comcast unit may be a problem , especially if it gets attached to a dvd recorder which appears where most people come unstuck ... vcr fine ... but figure that out later .

A video stabilizer might help comcast unit connected to the dvd recorder ... their fussy beasts if the signal pops on and off .

If thats a worry , then think pc side instead , it would be cheaper , and far easier to replace , considering the costs associated .

For the pc , the two I recommend are on the grounds of not having problems handling interlaced material (crapola , junk) , xbox360 games , dvb broadcasts :

Dvd ezymaker pci / gold form avermedia .

Leadtek winfast dtv1000 t (new version is dtv2000) , includes dvb , both sd and hd recording .
Dvb hd recording requires a serious system ... mines capable , but my graphics card needs replacing with an 8 series .

Both work well and cost under $100.00 , but note I am "au" :

A: Handling interlaced material = no problem .
B: Windows media encoder (recording / streaming) .. beautiful , no hassles .
C: Nero express record .
D: Ulead video studio > record in supported formats .
E: Sony vegas > record .

Both confirmed to work when recording form xbox360 while its being played , which is interlaced output .

Your current cpu according to specs might be fine for dvd recording at 6000 video bitrate via pci (usb2 hits 8000), but some devices insist that sp2 be installed for higher functions ... in this case , it would be the dvd ezymaker pci gold , as it dosent require sp2 being installed and when it comes to dvb , record from a topset box .

Usb2 will insist on sp2 .

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Dont know what DVWannaB is going on about ... "still some good hard drive DVD Recorders"

Still available here and other places ... just too expensive for most people to even consider .

Dvd / hd recorder at $400+ vs $100 capture card for pc ... which one would win ... pc .

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jman98 obviously hasn't owned a avertv usb2 like I have ... it beats the crap out of everything I have seen in capture quality .