Decent DVD recorder that plays AVI (DivX & XviD MPEG-4) w/HDMI out?

[perceptionist]

Can anyone recommend a good player/recorder that fits this description? Not looking to spend a fortune. Up to $160 is my spending range.

AVI recording is not necessary.

Thanks for any suggestions,

[usually_quiet]

You are not going to find a current model N. American model DVD recorder with HDMI out that plays DivX AVI files and is in your price range.

DVD recorders are on the verge of disappearing completely from the N. American market. The handful of models remaining do not have that feature. There were some recent models like the Toshiba DR570 (now discontinued) that played DivX files but they presently command prices well beyond your budget. Plus, DVD players and DVD recorders can only play SD video, regardless of the video format, or their ability to upscale over HDMI.

If you must play DivX files look for a media player. Although some DVD players can play DivX, they have more limitations than media players. If you must have a DVD recorder, you will need to do without DivX playback, and you had best find one soon, before prices increase further or production ceases.

[orsetto]

Nothing available new with these features, we're in the gathering dusk of recorder availability and the few models left are strictly for basic DVD play/record. I would go with usually_quiet's suggestion of a HDD-connected media player which will have wider file variation compatibility anyway. Supplement this with the nice $49 Philips DVD player that plays many different files and can be hacked for multi-region, and you're good to go.

In the past there were a handful of dee-luxe DVD/HDD recorders marketed in Canada, but unavailable in USA stores. I have a couple of Pioneer DVR-460 recorders, the last series made before Pioneer tanked in 2008. These originally sold for $429 at CostCo Canada, I bought mine in 2009 for $237 apiece thru open-box liquidators in Toronto. These will play AVI or DiVX directly from a data DVD, or you can copy the AVI files from a DVD or USB stick onto the Pioneer HDD for convenient "jukebox" viewing. As a bonus, the Pioneer converts PAL AVI files to NTSC on the fly so you can view them on region-locked displays like my Sony EX500 LCD television.

Unfortunately there have been no such deluxe DVD/HDD recorders available in North America, not even Canada, since 2009. Prices on second-hand or new-old-stock are quite high on eBay, $350 minimum for a late-model Pioneer or twin-sister Sony RDR-HX780. (You can still buy a similar limited-availability Panasonic that is a grey-market import, models DMR-EH59 or DMR-EH69, for about $375 from NYC photo dealers or several web video specialists. These do not have USA tuners: to record TV you would need to connect an external ATSC tuner box like Zenith DTT901 or a cable decoder or satellite box.)

[johns0]

Buy a regular dvd recorder and a dvd player that plays avi from usb/disc.