if you knew then what you know now...

[stonecoldsoonerfan]

hey everyone, first time poster here.

have hundreds of vhs tapes i want to transfer to dvd in order to "repossess" a bedroom that's partially used for storage right now. not sure which dvd recorder i was going to buy, but am convinced that one with a harddrive is the best way to go.

if you were in my shoes and were going to buy a dvd burner with a harddrive, which one would you buy and why? i'm trying hard to stay under a grand. if it matters, i'm on cable tv and record alot of football, basketball, etc. and the wife likes old movies to record.

which one would you point me to?

thanks in advance for your responses.

[lordsmurf]

Why hard drive?

[stonecoldsoonerfan]

from what i've read, it seems to offer the highest quality in transferring from vhs to dvd, but i'm certainly open to correction if that's not accurate.

[ktnwin]

You don't need a DVD recorder with hard drive to transfer VHS tapes to DVD, unless you want to do simple editing (like cutting out the part that you don't want).
and yes, a DVD recorder is the quickest and easiest way to get any video to DVD (except DVD to DVD-R !!!)

[indolikaa]

I'd have subcontracted the work!

If you want a set-top solution, how about TiVo'ing to a Panasonic DVD Recorder?

[stonecoldsoonerfan]

yes, i would have alot of editing to do on what i transfer so from what i can see, the harddrive would be the way to go. what dvd burners do you guys use? any brands or models that i should stay away from or look at?

thanks!

[hech54]

I'm also not convinced on the DVD Recorder WITH a HD theory. Does anyone have any thoughts on which manufacturer of DVD Recorder is the most "computer user friendly"? DVD's from my Philips are working out pretty well as far as editing and compatibility with programs like DVDShrink(for simple editing) and TMPGEnc DVD Author. I'm curious as to what others have to say about their Panasonics, Pioneers etc etc.
I have run into one disc from a DVD Recorder that showed up as "Sonata" implimentation(for lack of better terminology) that has required ALOT of adjustment on my part to make the data computer friendly.

[macleod]

the pany E30 is a dream (doesnt have a hard drive). I record home VHS and TV over to DVD. You should get a pc dvd burner and a dvd ram drive. I capture everything on RAM and then rip to computer. Use TMPGENC to open vro file, edit, author and burn. The panny has some issues with max compatibility.

Here is a cost breakdown:

1. computer (emachine) 400
2. PC burner : $60-$120
3. RAM discs - $5 each (rewrite 10,000 times)
4. Panny E30 - ($280'ish on ebay)
5. media: $.60-1.00 each
6. TMPGENC DVD Author ($60'ish)


Takes about 2 hours I would say to do heavy editing and then authoring. Also, Panny will NOT allow recording of macrovisioned material or DVD's (with macrovision).

I have been EXTREMELY happy with my panny. The only issue that I know about some of the panny's is that there was a black level bug, which effects some captures. My E30 does not have this problem.

[dun4cheap]

Well I have been using my ADS Pyro AV Link, and capturing straight to Mpg2 with Studio 9 and creating and editing my old VHS. The last one I did Babes in Toyland for my mom was very old, bad quality. I didn't lose any frames, created a chapter menu and restored the video using the color correction plugin with the noise reduction plugin and had a better quality dvd than my original source tape. I picked up the ADS Pyro AV link for $110, already had the computer and dvd burner, Studio 9 I purchased for $69. (I do a lot of video editing). By the way I also edited out all the commercials since this was originally recorded from TV. Get this there was a circuit city commercial advertising a vhs vcd for $300. Have the times changed or what.

[shutterbug]

Stonecold,

Knowing what I know now, I'd still buy the panasonic E-80....maybe the E100. And the hard drive is a major reason. Nothing else has really caught my attention. There's nothing like watching a game and then instantly going to your own slow motion replay while your still recording the game. Jump back to it live, or watch the game from the beginning while your recorder continues to record the game til its end. If you want to record it to DVD after, you can. If you decide not to, no problem--just delete the program.

If you like to record off cable, don't let these guys talk you out of a hard drive model. You'll never want to use your vcr again.....except to record your movies to DVD.

[vcdforme]

The standalone recorders are OK if you use that machine also for your playback. If you want to play that disc somewhere else you'll probably
be out of luck. I have 9 different DVD players. Discs that are made in
my Panasonic E50 only playback on the Panasonic and my Apex 1110.
And that's it!
Discs that I make on computer are 100% compatible with all of my players.

[stonecoldsoonerfan]

vcd-

i was told that the dvd's would play on most dvd players made after like the summer of 98 (that may not be exactly the date, but somewhere around there). of course, that was told to me by an ultimate electronics salesman.

anyone else have any experiences with not playing dvd's on another dvd player?

also, here's a link to alot of information that made me think about purchasing one of these.

http://mb7.theinsiders.com/fouinsiderfrm9.showMessageRange?topicID=710.topic&start=1&stop=30

heard on this link that the pioneer 510-hs is comparable in quality to the panasonic e-80. anyone heard of or had one of these?

thanks for the responses, guys. i appreciate it.

[hech54]

The standalone recorders are OK if you use that machine also for your playback. If you want to play that disc somewhere else you'll probably
be out of luck. I have 9 different DVD players. Discs that are made in
my Panasonic E50 only playback on the Panasonic and my Apex 1110.
And that's it!
Discs that I make on computer are 100% compatible with all of my players.

That is why I bought a Philips +R Recorder. Before my computer burner came along....I used to sell DVD from my Philips and never had one returned due to not being able to play....come to think of it....I've never had any of them returned.
The Philips machines (in my opinion) are much less reliable than the others but the discs they put out are EXTREMELY compatible. As a matter of fact I never use my Philips to view DVD's....I use mine to record only. I paid WAY too much money for that thing WAY back when....my cheap little Grundig DVD player takes care of my playing needs for me. I'll save my expensive machine for the reason I bought it....to record. And just for the record....my old Philips 985 has NEVER been in for repairs and if and when it ever dies....I'd buy another Philips. The newer models are no more reliable but they are making discs that are even more compatible(again....in my opinion) than my old 985....meaning the discs are now very "computer friendly" too. Editing out the cheesey Philips menu is a snap.

[Rad17]

A little late on the reply, but.....

After much research, and asking for opinions on this board, I bought the Panasonic DMRE80H. In a word, this machine is awesome.

I had wrestled with trying to pump all those old home videos into the computer -- bought the best hardware and software I could find -- and besides taking longer than forever to get it into the computer, then letting it "render", then burning the disc, etc., the quality just wasn't that great. So, I gritted my teeth, paid the $500 for the Panasonic (online), got some *great* input from "thoots" on the forum here on how to start recording, editing, etc., and jumped into it.

The results I got were fantastic. Editing is a breeze, and the finished product looks excellent.

For transferring video to DVD, the difference between the aggravation in trying to do DVD's on a computer, versus the ease of use of the Panasonic, is huge. I certainly could have saved myself several bucks (not to mention the considerable aggravation factor) by going with the Panasonic in the first place. But, I'm sure any brand of DVD recorder with a hard drive will give the same results. Having the HDD makes all the difference. Hope this helps....