looking for a dvd recorder

[tom111]

looking for a good dvd recorder with a hard drive that i can edit out the commercials and i got tapes i would like to burn to dvd may it can recorder to -R and -RW and +R and +RW disc.

[Frobozz]

I suggest searching the DVD Recorders link on the left and reading the reviews. Once you've narrowed it down to makes and models that appeal to you then download and read the manuals. That's how I went about choosing my Pioneer.

[ejai]

I'm been hearing good things about the Pioneer, Frobozz can you elaborate on what you like about the Pioneer and what you dislike? I am trying to get a fair assessment of this unit. I would appreciate any info you might be able to provide.

[Frobozz]

I hate to be redundant with what's been written on other threads about the Pionner recorders. But I'll try a short summary of what I like and wish was added (there's nothing I disklike). Mine is a Pioneer DVR-510H-S, which is similar to its successor, the 520H-S.

Likes:
1. Reliable. It always works just the way it should.
2. Great picture quality at the settings I use (2 hr. 20 minute and better).
3. Lots of control over picture quality and/or encoding settings.
4. Easy trimming, splitting, combining and chapter marking.
5. High-speed copying from HDD to DVD, DVD to HDD and DVD to DVD. (depending on format)
6. Thumbnail previews show the video with sound. Hard to describe this one but it is a great feature.
7. Easy to fast copy programs to VR-mode DVD-RW discs that I want to eventually watch but not keep, thereby freeing up hard drive space.
8. Firewire input/output (so my son can burn DVDs of the videos he's taken of my grandson).
8. Mostly quiet. I just leave it on.
9. I'm able to digitize my vinyl LPs with this instead of my computer. I can fit 7 hours of PCM audio-only on one DVD-RW disc, which I then transfer to my computer for resampling, track separation and burning to CD.

Wish it had:
1. Ability to select if I want the menu to appear first on DVDs rather than always automatically playing the first title.
2. Automatic buffer recording of whatever channel it is tuned to so I wouldn't need to be recording a channel to pause live TV.
3. The awesome menu capabilities of Pioneer's $4,000 professional DVD recorder.

[ejai]

Thanks for the response, it's been quite helpful.