Recorder or Writer?

[hassali]

Hi, i'm sorry if this question has been asked before but i'm kinda new to the dvd burning scene. I was wanting to get either a dvd recorder or dvd writer, but i'm not sure which one to go for?
Can u copy dvd's using a dvd recorder?
With the recorder i'm not sure if i'll record that many tv programmes etc, whereas a dvd writer i can connect to my pc and burn any films etc i have downloaded and copy dvd's.

With that in mind is Sony's Dru500 or DRX500 the best on the market or is it worthwhile waiting for something else?

Any help is greatly appreciated

thanks

[yg1968]

You reasoning is correct. If your goal is to backup your DVDs, you are better off with a DVD burner. If your goal is to record TV shows, it's much easier with a DVD recorder.

Backing up DVDs with a DVD burner had been made a lot easier with program such as Pinnacle Instantcopy, DVD2one, DVD95Copy. These programs essentially make a Hollywood DVD (usually a DVD-9) fit into a DVDR (DVD-5). You also need to use DVD Decrypter.

You could burn DVDs with a DVD recorder if you have another DVD player that does not have macrovision protection (for example some models of the Apex-1500 can be made macrovision free) but you would not have the original menus, etc.

A DVD burner is much more versatile but converting VHS to DVD is a time consuming task and requires a good capture card. I use my Sony digital camcorder with a passthrough feature as a capture card with excellent results and I don't mind encoding a video file while I sleep.

So essentially, there is a trade off between speed and versatility. I choose a DVD burner because of its versality.

In your situation, it seems pretty clear that you are better off with a DVD burner. The Sony DRU500 would be an excellent choice. You have done your home work! I have the HP200i and I am very happy with it. But had it been available at the time, I would have gotten a Sony DRU500.

[hassali]

thanks for the advice, just wanting to know, i was gonna go for the Sony DRX500UL rather than the DRU500, is there any real difference apart from being external, as in performance etc between the two.

thanks

[yg1968]

I would be very surprised to hear that there is a difference in performance between the two. But I guess that the best person to answer that question would be someone who has the external drive.