Need some basic advice about buying a DVD\HDD recorder

[portyporty]

I've not been on the forum long, and I'm not sure if this is the right area for this post, so please redirect me if I should be somewhere else. Also, some of my questions may seem pretty dumb, as I've been using a VCR for years, and am having trouble getting my head around the new technology.

I'm thinking about getting a combined DVD\HDD, as an adjunct to, or maybe even replacement of my current VHS recorder.

I have a few questions about this and would appreciate a little advice.

1. Do these devices enable one to record a program or movie to the HDD, for subsequent replaying? How big a file is the average 2hr movie?
1a. Afterthought - I assume that these devices allow for conventional DVD playing?
2. Do these devices allow one to burn the recorded file or files to a DVD?
3. Is it possible to retain a VCR in the TV\DVDHDD circuit, given that it must be easier to record some material to tape, rather than DVD?
4. After the recorded material is burnt to DVD, how does the quality compare with the original?
5. What features should I be looking for in a DVD\HDD unit?

Thanks.

Just in case it's relevant, I'm in New Zealand and we don't have HDTV. All my tape equipment is SVHS. My TV is a regular CRT, a 42" TEAC. Not a bad picture but only a 60hz machine.

[trhouse]

Do these devices enable one to record a program or movie to the HDD, for subsequent replaying?

Yes, but the big "if" is if the material has copyright protection which includes some broadcast material which is CPRM protected. Most hdd/dvd recorders will not allow recording such material or it may allow "copy once" onto suitable media.

How big a file is the average 2hr movie?

Most recorders ( it does not have to be a hdd model ) will fit a 2 hour movie into a little less than 4.7 GB file in SP mode to allow space for overhead including menus, etc. which is the capacity of a single sided dvd disk. Hdd models have a lot of flexibility because recording to the hdd does not require compliance with the dvd standard. The maximum data rate for dvd standards compliance is a little under 10 Mbs for video, but some hdd/dvd recorders can record to the hdd at 15 Mbs. This kind of file cannot be transferred to a dvd disk however, but it can be played from the hdd.

Nearly all recorders will allow recording at lesser quality for for longer times. For example, a typical LP mode recording of a 2 hr movie will be about half the file size of a SP mode recording.

I assume that these devices allow for conventional DVD playing?

Yes.

Do these devices allow one to burn the recorded file or files to a DVD?

Yes, except as mentioned above, the hdd models can create hdd files not compliant with the dvd standard. These files must be converted by the recorder to compliant video to be copied to a dvd disk.

Is it possible to retain a VCR in the TV\DVDHDD circuit, given that it must be easier to record some material to tape, rather than DVD?

In general, yes, but it can become more complicated depending upon the type of outputs your TV has and if you have in mind some specific configuration.

After the recorded material is burnt to DVD, how does the quality compare with the original?

It depends on the mode of copying from hdd to dvd. If it is a high speed copy, the quality is the same as on the hdd, but if it is a realtime transfer, it usually means re-encoding is taking place with some degradation as the result.

What features should I be looking for in a DVD\HDD unit?

Hdd/dvd units do have some differences. Here are a few,

1.Some have very useful editing and transfer features for recordings done in VR mode vs video mode.
2. Some allow chasing playback ( playing back from the hdd while the hdd is still recording new material ) others cannot.
3.The ability to handle different dvd media, particularly the new dual/double layer media which allows 8.5 GB of recording capacity vs the standard dvd which can hold about 4.7 GB.
4. A few have "live buffers" which retain video from, for example, the past hour. Earlier video is discarded.
5. Some can transfer video captured to the hdd to your computer via an Ethernet connection.

[portyporty]

Thanks for your comments, trhouse. A couple of points:

"Do these devices enable one to record a program or movie to the HDD, for subsequent replaying?

Yes, but the big "if" is if the material has copyright protection which includes some broadcast material which is CPRM protected. Most hdd/dvd recorders will not allow recording such material or it may allow "copy once" onto suitable media."

Do you mean that some material now being broadcast includes a form of copy control? I wasn't aware of that. I've always taken for granted that anything on broadcast TV, in NZ anyway, was recordable to tape. Which seemed to imply that the material could then be re-copied from the tape to somewhere else - another tape perhaps. Or maybe to DVD, as I'm planning to do when I get the method sorted out with the help of this forum.

But you seem to be saying that the same broadcast material will behave differently if it's downloaded onto a DVD or HDD recorder, correct?

Regarding the features of DVD recorders, you say' "Some have very useful editing and transfer features for recordings done in VR mode vs video mode"

Is this editing menu driven? Or does one connect a mouse to the unit?

[trhouse]

You might want to contact Chopmeister via pm for more info. He posted this last year. You are probably ok with regular broadcast, but satellite and cable tend to have this type of protection in many but not all service areas.

Chopmeister
Member

Joined: 30 May 2004

Posted: Aug 28, 2005 02:04

...Back to CPRM, I have been advised by a friend in the industry that SKY TV (New Zealand not UK) will enable this once they have transitioned its platform fully from analog to digital. This means that if I want to record TV onto discs that are universally playable, I definitley need a way to deal with this miserable scheme.

So far, I have drawn a blank on either computer software to decrypt -RW discs with CPRM. (can any of the technical gurus comment on whether the 56-bit C2 (Cryptomeria) cipher has cracked?). Therefore, it appears that my best choice is to strip out the CGMS signal from the video feed before it hits the recorder. I understand that professional time-base correctors that regenerate lines 20 and 21 will remove CGMS-A information from an analog signal. Can anyone provide advice on a good source & model for such a TBC. I need one that will handle PAL, and preferably a New Zealand vendor although importing is not that big of an issue...


Yes, editing is menu driven. I have not seen a mouse on a hdd/dvd unit yet.

[Sifaga]

great info trhouse

[portyporty]

Trhouse, thanks for that. Excellent info.

[handyguy]

Also we have reviews:
https://www.videohelp.com/dvdrecorders