HDD DVD Video Recorder

[blinky88]

I do not need a dual channel recorder just something simple, 160gb HDD DVD recorder will suit my needs .... I do not play games.

Need help selecting the best recorder to suit my needs, looking for help from members which is best brand to suit my needs .... must have HDMI connection.

Help appreciated,
Bob

[hech54]

It shouldn't be that hard to choose "the best" because hardly anyone makes them anymore unfortunately. See if Magnavox are available down under.

[Seeker47]

It shouldn't be that hard to choose "the best" because hardly anyone makes them anymore unfortunately. See if Magnavox are available down under.

Quite a few threads about this here. In the U.S., Walmart had the inside track on these.

[orsetto]

The DVD/HDD recorder is apparently completely dead and unavailable as a new product anywhere but USA, where Magnavox inexplicably continues to pitch new models thru WalMart every three years despite a dearth of interested buyers. A cursory look at web dealers in Aus reveals no DVD/HDD units at all.

Magnavox seems to be a North American brand name. The actual mfr of the Magnavox units is Funai: you might want to check local Aus electronics retailers to see if they have a Funai, Toshiba, or Sanyo version of their current "HD PVR With Built In DVD Recorder". This isn't exactly a traditional DVD/HDD recorder: its a Frankenstein cobbling together of the now-ubiquitous cheap dual-tuner HDTV PVR and a very basic, near-useless dvd drive. Its suitability depends on what you need in a recorder: if you mostly record-watch erase with only an occasional need to burn a dvd, you might be happy with it. If you burn a lot of DVDs from the hard drive, and like to edit out commercials, forget it: this design will torture you with its sluggishness.

The only recorders still commonly available in Australia or NZ with built-in disc burners are the Panasonic BluRay/HDD units. These combine a dual-tuner high Def PVR with a BD/DVD burner. A little more refined than the Magnavox/Funai design, but not tremendously better: Panasonic BD/HDD recorders took a nosedive in quality and features some years back. At least the Panasonics retain the ability to high speed copy from HDD to disc- the Funai units don't anymore. Least expensive model is DMR-BWT460GN with 500GB hard drive. Two others with larger HDDs and useless 4K networking features are available if you want to spend more money for them.

Unless you very much intend to burn discs of your TV recordings, consider abandoning the DVD/HDD concept. All across Europe, Australia and NZ people have migrated to HDD-only PVRs, or HDD PVRs with a built-in BluRay/DVD player (not recorder). You will find a much larger selection of brands and models if you can let go of disc burning.