Standalone dvd recorders which one to buy?

[fvnesscafe]

Okay, suppose I have made a choice and decided to buy a standalone dvd recorder (I'm a woman and I might change my mind a hundred times before I do anything just so you know. :P ). I have been looking at these recorders for months now and I still don't know which I should get. I lean towards the Panasonic DMR-HS2 (I like the built in hard drive idea). But there's also the Philips DVDR985 which I like as well because the dvd player I have is a Phillips and I haven't had a single problem w/ it. The main thing is they each play in different standards. The Philips plays in DVD+R and the Panasonic plays in DVD-R. Which is more commonly used? I guess what I would like is if you would tell me what you have why you like it and what you don't like about it.

Thanks!

[pan-dmre30s]

DVD-R is more commonly used.

[Bob W]

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11161115&m=1&cat=32&scat=244

This player plays both DVD-R and DVD+R plus mp3's on DVD+RW plus un-authored VCD or SVCD and it's a progressive scan player.

[jacknjt]

DVD+R is getting more popular now. go for dvd+rw u gona save a lot of money on medias, and there are so much less problem with dvd+r medias cause of new tech in them. also the philip dvd recorder has more features.

[Bob W]

DVD+R is getting more popular now. go for dvd+rw u gona save a lot of money on medias, and there are so much less problem with dvd+r medias cause of new tech in them. also the philip dvd recorder has more features.

I don't know where you live but in Reno Nevada DVD+R is two times the price of DVD-R. It's the same for online buying.

[jacknjt]

i live in florida and i go to my local stores to get really good brand names medias most are verbatim and maybe fuji sometimes. bestbuy, and sam club. no shipping hassel and prices are 1/2 of that dvd-r for the same brand medias. dvd-r only cost less if i order from da net but the quality wont be comparable.

[Bob W]

i live in florida and i go to my local stores to get really good brand names medias most are verbatim and maybe fuji sometimes. bestbuy, and sam club. no shipping hassel and prices are 1/2 of that dvd-r for the same brand medias. dvd-r only cost less if i order from da net but the quality wont be comparable.

Most of the time DVD-R is cheaper where I live. I did however pick up 15 Verbatim DVD+R 4x at BestBuy on sale at a bargain but all of them were defective with bubbles or voids near the edge of the disc.

[jacknjt]

i guess florida has better market for dvd+rs. i never had problems with the medias i bought especially the verbatims.

[Gil T Pleasure]

Wait for the dual-format Sony RDR-GX7 coming out in June for $800 MSRP. One caveat, it only burns to DVD+RW, DVD-RW and DVD-R disc although it reads DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW.

Gil
~~~~~
Tell me, what's the speed of dark?

[LanEvo7]

dvd-r only cost less if i order from da net but the quality wont be comparable.

You've been stating this as the reason to purchase DVD+R over DVD-R almost every time. Not once though, have you provided any real backing. There are plenty of people that have successful projects using Ritek G04 and Sony generic DVD-R. Besides, in MOST places DVD+R and DVD-R are exactly the same price.

[jacknjt]

remember this's a lady asking question so i think she wont ORDER from da net with shipping haassel and bad return policies. that'y she need to get a dvd+r with more medias to choose from and is cheaper in her local stores.

[Cornucopia]

jacknjt, don't be a chauvanist, giving us that BS about women not knowing how to or wanting to order from the net. My wife does that--more than I. If fvnesscafe is smart enough to use this great site, she can certainly get stuff from the net without too much worry and hassle.

fvnesscafe,
IIWY, I'd read up on all the threads that have been flying through here recently regarding settop recorders, the +R/-R debate and compatibility comparisons. Read between the lines and be critical. Frankly, I'm biased towards -R for reasons that have been previously expressed, and have a godawfully expensive ($1700 when I bought it last year) Pioneer PVR-9000. But expense is relative, cuz it's a workhorse (literally for work) and has already paid for itself. Great captures, pretty good compression, easy to use, excellent compatibility. Only problem I find with it, and all settop recorders, is the stupid way you have to use the joystick/arrowkeys on menus if you want to type in the name of a title. Would it have hurt them to add a PS2 or USB port for an optional keyboard?

Good luck in your search...
Scott

[Erwin]

Just to let some members know, she bought a DMR-H2 about 3 weeks ago.
Here is the link https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=473103&highlight=#473103

[LanEvo7]

remember this's a lady asking question so i think she wont ORDER from da net with shipping haassel and bad return policies. that'y she need to get a dvd+r with more medias to choose from and is cheaper in her local stores.

Its not whether she would or wouldn't order from the net. Its your arguement to say go with DVD+R because its cheaper than DVD-R brand name. First of all this might only be true in your area, because in my area, DVD-R and DVD+R media of the same brand are exactly the same price. Second, you have yet provided any proof that ALL unbranded media is of poor quality and such.

[next]

another link:

http://www.thewholewideweb.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=508

[oldfart13]

This question depends on what you want to use the recorder for but with new models being released all the time, you might want to wait a bit. Apex has announced a standalone, as well the E50 Panasonic is now available from a number of dealers in the US. That at least has a fix for the "black level" bug that was in all the previous models. New Pioneers will be able to do up to 4X recording on newer models and at least one will be able to do 5.1 audio recording. What are you going to use this standalone for anyway?

[Erwin]

What's the point in waiting. I just bought mine at Circuit City for $359! It was a floor model, but it was brand new. I took my other one back and saved $148 (tax included). The only thing missing was the a/v cables(I have plenty of these) and a DVD-RAM Disc (I can get one of these for $8.00). You could tell it had not been used at all (no scatches, the promotion labels were still on the unit.

[thxkid]

Gonna be sorry if you buy either now with APEX hitting the market with DVD+R recorders for less than $300 by this summer and hard disc recorder allready out from them for $249, oh yes here in Arizona DVD+R's are half the price the DVD-R's are in the stores, buy online about the same price for ritek's for either.
I have a Panasonic E20 and E10 and love them both, but really plan to look real hard at the new APEX's coming out.
My brother bought the HS-2 and loves it and the cheap Ritek's work fine in any of them for recording, oh by the way all the recorders will play any DVD+R that I burn also.
I'd wait another 1-2 months see whats coming down the line, even if you don't go with an APEX, panasonic , philips and sony WILL have to bring their prices down to compete with APEX.

[Cornucopia]

I don't know, I'm off APEX ever since they decided to go the cheapskate route and lose VCD capability. And I wouldn't expect any of their future models (player OR recorder) to have that capability. Those Panasonics look like great units though...

Scott

[Erwin]

Apex DVD players are OK and they tend to be one of the most compatible players out there (they can do things that several expensive DVD cannot do). However, I have never owned one. I bought 2 different models and took them back. I just don't like how cheap they look (just my oppinion though). Their DVD recorder will probably be nice, but I think I would still get the Panasonic eventhough it will cost $100 to $50 less than I just paid. I don't have a DVD recorder with a hard drive, but I have the next best thing: a DVD player that can play DVD-RAM discs and be used as a source for recording. The Panasonic does an exellent job with recording and that's all I really wanted.

[LanEvo7]

Most major retailers(best buy, comp usa, staples, jandr, etc.) have DVD-R and DVD+R at the exact same price if its the same brand. Ritek DVD+R are more expensive than Ritek DVD-R. You can also get 2x Sony Generic DVD-R for about a $1 a piece. There is no reliable brand of DVD+R for that price.

[heavyharmonies]

Gonna be sorry if you buy either now with APEX hitting the market with DVD+R recorders for less than $300 by this summer and hard disc recorder allready out from them for $249, oh yes here in Arizona DVD+R's are half the price the DVD-R's are in the stores, buy online about the same price for ritek's for either.

1. "hard disc recorder already out from them for $249". Already out where? I find abolutely NO reference to this anywhere online other than a press release on forthcoming models from Apex.

2. "here in Arizona DVD+R's are half the price the DVD-R's are in the stores". Arizona must be its own little planet. I have yet to find anywhere online OR offline where DVD+R media is cheaper than DVD-R media. In fact, almost universally DVD+R tend to be 1.5x the cost of the same brand DVD-R.

And before we start getting into format wars, I have burners of both flavors. Frankly I would *love* to find reliable DVD+R media that's cheaper than DVD-R media. Haven't found it...

-Dan

[jeg_jason]

Check out these two links about new Apex products.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030109/90251_1.html

http://www.apexdigitalinc.com/images/APEXDVD.PDF

[heavyharmonies]

Check out these two links about new Apex products.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030109/90251_1.html

http://www.apexdigitalinc.com/images/APEXDVD.PDF

I'd already read those, but thanks for the links anyway. My point was that he's telling people not to buy a hard drive-based DVD recorder because Apex already has one out.

Out where? I find no outlets online selling it. I find none on Ebay. If it's "already out" conceivably it could be found somewhere.

What I'm getting at is, don't fall for the hype until something concrete arrives. Not to mention that given Apex's record with respect to build quality and reliability, I would be VERY gunshy about being the first on the block to get one of their DVD recorders. A HD-based DVD recorder is a MUCH more complicated device than a DVD player, especially from a software standpoint....

I hope they succeed, but I'm wary...

-Dan

[dafoe]

I have to agree with the last person to post.

There is a reason Apex products are dirt cheap- you get what you pay for.

Why do you think a Lexus costs more than a Kia? I mean they are both cars right?

I have no doubt that DVD Recorders will get cheaper, they will have bigger hard drives and offer faster recording speeds which will eventually allow them to replace VCRs. This will happen, in part, because of competition from companies like Apex.

However, given the track record of Apex as far as quality is concerned,I would not buy an Apex DVD recorder- especially a 1st gen unit.

I would suggest that you buy the Panasonic unit if you are looking for a DVD recorder. Of course this fall they will probably release a cheaper, better recorder as they do every year.

[LanEvo7]

I'd agree with that. Certain items you do not want to save on. Hard drives is one of those things. Cheap hard drives equal slow performance and bad quality. If it was just the DVD player get APEX, they are all about the same(DVD drive with a decoder card). If it comes to a recorder go with something a little more expensive.

[oldfart13]

Okay...what is a better value:

1) Ritek G03 discs made in Taiwan or Verbatims made in India?

2) Apex DVD player made in China or a Sony DVD player made in Malaysia?

Wonderful choices these days. I used to put a lot of faith in
"Made in USA" or "Made in Japan" but with so many manufacturers making their product in foreign locals to "less than exacting" standards, it's a crap-shoot to get "real" quality...

[Cornucopia]

oldfart13:

I see what you mean. "Where" isn't as much of a big deal anymore (although Corporate/Labor/Environment politics might enter into the discussion here). Then I guess my decision would boil down to-

1. What kind of quality control strictness do the companies have?
2. What's their track record like as far as consistency?
3. How good are they in dealing with customers who DO have a problem/malfunction/return?

So, just looking at recent history, I would go with the Verbatims and the Sony--but that could easily change. If the companies aren't watching out for my back, I'll walk.

Scott

[mopar7]

If you have been looking thru these forums, there are no complaints about the Yamaha, or the Magnavox recorders, and a couple of people mentioned having them and no complaints at this time. The Maganvox is available at Walmart for $488. Granted there maybe more Panasonics and Philips on the streets but the problems.....

[mopar7]

Oh, and if I am remembering correctly, they both have Philips guts in them, but all it takes is a slight change to be better (or worse).