DVD Recoder

[AngusYoung67]

I am new to a DVD recorder. I got one after my VCR went and thought I knew what I was doing. I am using a RW disc to record on. I am using the timer to record shows and thought that I set it long enough for a 2 hour show but didn't. What mode do I set it on say for a 1, 2, or 3 hour show? I see it has auto on it and wondered if I should just set how long the show is and then use auto mode? Any help would be appreciated

[DB83]

Recording modes are usually refered to by letters (check your manual)

some examples:

HQ = 1 hour
SP = 2 hours
EQ = 3 hours
LP = 4 hours

I do not know what 'auto' stands for. A recording mode MUST be set so that the recorder knows what compression to use for the recording.

[yoda313]

Auto is probably a "best fit" mode. I know my panasonic dvd recorder has a best fit mode to use the most available bitrate to fill a disc for a given run time.

I personally use a 6 hour mode on a liteon dvd recorder for archiving a tv show I like a lot. I know the quality is not the best but its not a show I need top quality for. I just want to get as many as I can without using a ton of discs.

I would generally say that if these are just "throw away" shows that you don't plan on preserving and want to maximize the time available on a disc test the lowest (ie longest) recording settings. See how they look to you. Find your sweet spot and stick with that mode. Then that way you get the best quality for the longest recording sessions to your satisfaction.

Some dvd recorders have a 3 hour record mode and that might just be adequate for you or it may not. A 1 hour record mode would not be very good for recording say a marathon or something obviously. You need to balance quality over disc space.

For a movie I would choose a 2 hour mode to maximize quality while still getting it on the disc (obviously if its longer you'll have to bite the bullet and go to the next level down to fit more time).

Edit - Also there is a little wiggle room if you want to record a minute extra before and after a show to make sure you get the whole show. At least on my liteon dvd recorder there are a few extra minutes on a two hour mode. I get an extra 11 minutes on 6 hour mode. That way I can add a minute or two to a programed recording to ensure I'll get the opening and closing of a show.

[DB83]

I believe the 'wiggle room' is due to the variable bitrate of the recorder. It is not an exact science so do not rely on that for pushing the recording more than a minute or two.

[yoda313]

I believe the 'wiggle room' is due to the variable bitrate of the recorder. It is not an exact science so do not rely on that for pushing the recording more than a minute or two.

That may be the case.

But at least on my liteon model it seems very consistent. And it always shows available recording time and that is pretty constant from what I can tell.

But that again I'm sure it varies from model to model.

[lordsmurf]

LiteOn uses CVBR, not VBR.
And no, that's not a typo -- CVBR. (constrained VBR)

It may as well be "imperfect CBR".

[yoda313]

LiteOn uses CVBR, not VBR.
And no, that's not a typo -- CVBR. (constrained VBR)

It may as well be "imperfect CBR".

So thats why it always gives the extra time?

[jjeff]

I am new to a DVD recorder. I got one after my VCR went and thought I knew what I was doing. I am using a RW disc to record on. I am using the timer to record shows and thought that I set it long enough for a 2 hour show but didn't. What mode do I set it on say for a 1, 2, or 3 hour show? I see it has auto on it and wondered if I should just set how long the show is and then use auto mode? Any help would be appreciated

What brand of DVDR do you have? Panasonics usually run a few seconds longer but not much. SP should give you ~2hrs and 10 seconds. If using FR you'll want to schedule your event for at least a minute longer than your program, FR usually stops ~10 seconds short of what you have it set for.
Note no DVDR is really giving you any extra time it's just some may have a slightly slower bitrate for a given speed. A SL DVD only holds ~4.4 GB plain and simple.