Buying a DVD recorder

[chargersrool]

Im looking for a DVD recorder that will record my favorite programs from TWC like speed channel, food, disc, hist, etc. The main thing is if there is a DVD recorder that will allow you to download to a external hard drive or store them on it instead of using a disc. (Dont want to spend $100s of dollars on discs.)
Heres what i want to do:
Want to use-
http://www.costco.com/Seagate-Backup-Plus-3-TB-Desktop-Drive.product.100007783.html
with
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-DR430-Upconversion-Progressive-Recorder/dp/B0065NA1K0/re...s=dvd+recorder

Or if anyone can find any better deals on DVD recorders just show the link and give your review of it if you own one.

-On the amazon link it says the DVD recorder doesnt have a tuner, what would a tuner be necessary for?

[p_l]

Your URLs are incomplete and therefore are broken links.

But the US, pretty much the only game in town now as far as DVD recorders are concerned are the Magnavox 537, 535, 533

[chargersrool]

sorry here
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-DR430-Upconversion-Progressive-Recorder/dp/B0065NA1K0/re...s=dvd+recorder
http://www.costco.com/Seagate-Backup-Plus-3-TB-Desktop-Drive.product.100007783.html

[Steve(MS)]

Get one of the maggies mentioned above and use dvd +RWs, that way you won't have to buy a bunch of once write discs.
Then burn to the +RWs then move to computer and rip off to your choice of hard drive.

AFAIK, there are no hard drive recorders that will load off to another hard drive.

Or go with a computer capture card....

[sanlyn]

Outta luck, guys. Many of the channels you mentioned (and a great many more) are write-once protected. They will not record to removable media. Will record from cable box to HDD in-recorder only, and transferrable from HDD only to DVD-RAM. The workaround is to record from the cable box component outputs to a computer via something like a Hauppauge HD PVR (which also records SD), which ignores most copy protection schemes.

On the chance that a non-HDD DVD recorder does record directly to DVD disc (I'm not familiar with all of them), that recording will be your only source. It can't be copied to other media. Also note that some of these machines might not recognize "RW".

[usually_quiet]

Im looking for a DVD recorder that will record my favorite programs from TWC like speed channel, food, disc, hist, etc. The main thing is if there is a DVD recorder that will allow you to download to a external hard drive or store them on it instead of using a disc. (Dont want to spend $100s of dollars on discs.)
Heres what i want to do:
Want to use-
http://www.costco.com/Seagate-Backup-Plus-3-TB-Desktop-Drive.product.100007783.html
with
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-DR430-Upconversion-Progressive-Recorder/dp/B0065NA1K0/re...s=dvd+recorder

Or if anyone can find any better deals on DVD recorders just show the link and give your review of it if you own one.

-On the amazon link it says the DVD recorder doesnt have a tuner, what would a tuner be necessary for?

The Toshiba DR430 can't do what you want. Its USB port is only useful for displaying JPEG photos and playing MP3 files. I don't know of any DVD recorders either imported or made for the USA that can either record to to an external hard drive or export recordings to one via a USB port.

Also, except for a few long-discontinued models, the file system used by DVD recorders for their HDDs is proprietary, and the recordings are encrypted, so it isn't possible to simply hook up the recorder's hard drive to a PC to copy recordings. The only way to export recordings from the hard drive is to dub/copy to a DVD disc.

Not every cable provider applies "copy once" protection to most channels, but if yours does, you will find DVD recorders inconvenient for making portable recordings. Some DVD recorders with an HDD do not allow copying protected recordings to optical media, and they won't record programming from "copy once" channels directly to optical media either. Those DVD recorders that do allow copying or direct recording of "copy-once" protected channels to DVD require media that supports CPRM encryption. Some use DVD-RAM discs for this, while others record only to CPRM-compliant DVD-RW. CPRM-compliant DVD-RW is particularly hard to find in the USA. If I recall correctly, the Toshiba you linked to requires CPRM-compliant DVD-RW.

There are only a few DVD recorders made for the USA at present. They are sold under the Toshiba or Magnavox labels. The Magnavox 537, 535, and 533 recorders are the best of the current US models and all have internal hard drives. I have one of the previous generation of Magnavox DVD recorders with a hard drive, and it was a worthwhile purchase. There are also a few imported Panasonic DVD recorders (with or without hard drives) available from specialty retailers that have no usable digital tuner, but can record the output from a cable box.

[chargersrool]

So its basically not even worth getting a DVD recorder these days? since this write once encryption?. Is there a list of what channels or what companies are applying this encryption in their service?

[usually_quiet]

So its basically not even worth getting a DVD recorder these days? since this write once encryption?.

That wasn't true for me. My Magnavox DVD recorder works just fine for anything I have tried to record. I have Comcast SD Digital service with no premium channels, and they don't seem to use "copy-once" protection on anything I receive.

Is there a list of what channels or what companies are applying this encryption in their service?

Not that I know of. ...but it is a flag in the signal, not encryption, that prevents recording under some circumstances. Devices that remove the part of the signal carrying the flag exist. The Dimax Grex is one of them.

[handyguy]

I use my magnavox DVD recorder for OTA stuff. Best feature is being able to skip commercials.

[sanlyn]

I'm stiull using two Toshiba SD recorders from an SD digital box. Now and then I do get a channel that's copy-once, but sources like PBS and the old "network" channels are OK. The same channels work well via the HD box, too, but most of the others are copy-once, including the HD History channel, etc., and I have a simialr SD recorder hooked up to s-video there.

For about the same price as a decent HDD-equipped DVD recorder you can get an HD PVR such as the Hauppauge that records from component outputs from HD boxes. So far, protection isn't a problem with the one I use. But these PVR's record to a computer, not to a DVD recorder. Those recordings can be edited, authored to disc, copied to another drive, or almost anything you could do with video on a computer. There's a lot of software out there that can help you work with those recordings, and a lot of it is free.

[southc04]

In regarding the 533, 535, and 537, I noticed each one has a "digital" tuner and vary in price?

Here is my question: I had a Panasonic DMR-ES20 from 2005 with a tuner and I connected an RF modulator to it since my office, I have basic cable ( in the office only) and it has worked wonderfully until christmas when the motor finally gave out

If I purchase ANY of these models from Magnavox, can I still connect the RF modulator to the newer unit..as they are digital tuners?
I do not have HD capabilities with the tv..so I hope that does not create issues.

I am at my wits end and hoping I can get any of these magnavox models and hope for the best.

Thank you!

[usually_quiet]

In regarding the 533, 535, and 537, I noticed each one has a "digital" tuner and vary in price?

Here is my question: I had a Panasonic DMR-ES20 from 2005 with a tuner and I connected an RF modulator to it since my office, I have basic cable ( in the office only) and it has worked wonderfully until christmas when the motor finally gave out

If I purchase ANY of these models from Magnavox, can I still connect the RF modulator to the newer unit..as they are digital tuners?
I do not have HD capabilities with the tv..so I hope that does not create issues.

I am at my wits end and hoping I can get any of these magnavox models and hope for the best.

Thank you!

The Magnavox 533, 535, and 537 can tune both analog and digital channels, and can be used to record from a cable box's RF out on analog channel 3/4, or from its s-video or composite video connections. You should not need an RF modulator.

[jjeff]

Yes you can take the Magnavoxes line output and feed your RF modulator for your RF input only TV
The only DVDRs to really have built in RF modulators were combos and even then I think not the newer ones.
Any of the Maggies should be a nice replacement for your ES-20.

[southc04]

Thanks usually_quiet and jjeff for the response.

Here I come walmart