DVD Recorders (1 Viewer)

[DAN NEIR]

Hi,
I'm considering upgrading to a dvd recorder but don't know much about them.
Like what's the difference between dvd-ram, dvd +r, dvd-r, dvd+rw, dvd-rw and xyz, etc..... How long do these dvd's record for?
I seem to understand that if you get a player with one format(dvd-ram for example) that you can't use any of the other formats.
Can anyone provide some info on all this confusing stuff or a link to a previous discussion or site that explains this all in plain english?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Try picking up the discussion in any of these existing threads; the first one lists the formats:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ghlight=dvdram
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ghlight=dvdram
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ghlight=dvdram
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ghlight=dvdram
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ghlight=dvdram

I'll leave the thread open in case anyone wants to give you some additional links.

M.

 

[DAN NEIR]

Ok, so from what I gather dvd-r , dvd-rw and dvd -ram are formats supported by panasonic and dvd+r, dvd+rw are formats supported by philips. Sort of like there's beta and vhs but both are vcrs. So my next question would be which one of these formats is beta and which is vhs? Which one is the format more accepted or likely to be accepted? I don't want to buy one only to see it phased out of existence like beta or laser disc in 5-10 yrs.

 

[Jim Can]

I bought the Sony RDR-GX7. It records in DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW. It will also play DVD+R but not record it. I'm having good luck with it so far. The recorded discs seem to play in other DVD players pretty well, that was an issue for me. They will not play in my first generation Sony DVP-S3000 though

 

[Michael Reuben]

Which one is the format more accepted or likely to be accepted?

No one can say. I chose to focus on creating discs that can be played in standard DVD recorders. The consensus seems to be that DVD-R has a slight edge there (but only slight).

M.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Ok, so from what I gather dvd-r , dvd-rw and dvd -ram are formats supported by panasonic and dvd+r, dvd+rw are formats supported by philips.

Panasonic supports DVD-R and DVD-RAM, but not DVD-RW, in the consumer DVD recorders. Sony seems to be offering the widest range of format support.

For archival purposes, DVD-R and DVD+R will offer the best compatibility with different model DVD players.

Probably more important than the formats, IMO, are the features available on the different models. I recently purchased a Panasonic DMR-E80 recorder, which has a built-in 80GB hard drive. After using this feature, I could not imagine dubbing discs without it. Panasonic currently has the most reasonably priced recorder with this feature. I've been recording exclusively in the DVD-R format -- I have yet to even use a DVD-RAM disc with the recorder.

 

[DAN NEIR]

Ok, so I understand R,RW, + and - but I'm still fuzzy on ram, can you re-record w/ ram(like RW +,-) or is it one recording and done like r+,-. Also how compatible is ram with existing players.

I'm beginning to think I should wait until a player is made that uses all the formats, is compatible with most players and has a built in hard drive. And of course is reasonable affordable.

 

[Michael Reuben]

I'm still fuzzy on ram, can you re-record w/ ram(like RW +,-) or is it one recording and done like r+,-. Also how compatible is ram with existing players.

DVD-RAM discs are rewritable (so more like RW than R). But except for recent model Panasonic players, most consumer players can't play them back. Like Scott, I haven't made much use of DVD-RAM.

M.

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

It's best to look at DVD-RAM as a removable hard-drive. It allows for great editing & dubs to/from the hard-drive in Panny recorders like the HS2, E80 & E100.

 

[DAN NEIR]

I just came back from circuit city and best buy. As far as recording goes am I right in saying,
R+,- have 2 hours of record capability in sp, 3 hours in lp and 4 hours in slp?
And dvd-ram's can hold up to 12hours?
Plus the panasonic with the built in hard drive holds up to 100 and something hours on it?
Also if I were to buy a panasonic for example,could I only record in r- or ram and not rw-. I would like to have at least one disc that I could keep using over and over to record shows when I'm out. I would watch it when I got back and would like to be able to erase it for future use.
I forgot to ask what happens if the disc has let's say 2 hours of record capability and you only use 1 hour let's say. Can you go back later and use the remaining hour or once you burn it that's it(like w/ a cd.) And can you mix modes? Like on a vhs tape when you record one portion of a tape in lp and say the rest of the tape in slp.

 

[Michael Reuben]

I would like to have at least one disc that I could keep using over and over to record shows when I'm out.

DVD-RAM would do that for you. You'd just have to use the recorder to play it back.

But if you get one of the models with a hard drive, you could just as easily use the hard drive for those purposes, especially if you plan to erase the show right after watching it.

On the other questions, I'll have to defer to someone more experienced. I'm still learning the ins and outs of DVD-R recording.

M.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I forgot to ask what happens if the disc has let's say 2 hours of record capability and you only use 1 hour let's say. Can you go back later and use the remaining hour or once you burn it that's it(like w/ a cd.) And can you mix modes? Like on a vhs tape when you record one portion of a tape in lp and say the rest of the tape in slp.

I can only speak regarding the Panasonic units. XP recording mode will fit one hour of programming on a 4.7GB blank DVD, and SP mode will handle two hours. There are two other modes for 4 and 6 hours, respectively (can't remember their names), but the higher compression at these speeds tends to lower video quality below that of most sources, so I do not use them.

There is also a flexible recording (FR) mode that will allow you to fit other time lengths onto a single disc with the optimal compression. For example, I was able to record three 45 minute VHS tapes at a FR length of about 2 hours and 15 minutes onto a single disc, giving me near SP video quality but gaining an extra 15 minutes.

Until you finalize a DVD-R, you should be able to add content to the disc until it is at capacity. You need to finalize a disc to make it readable in standard DVD players. You can also combine material recorded at different speeds as long as you do not exceed the total 4.7GB capacity of the disc. However, you cannot rewrite to this format -- you must use DVD-RW, DVD+RW or DVD-RAM for that functionality.

As Michael indicated, if you opt for a recorder with an internal hard drive, you can record programs directly to the HD and not worry about having enough room available on the blank recordable DVD. You can just delete the program off the hard drive when done viewing, or dub the material to a DVD-R (or DVD-RAM) if you want to save it.

Using the SP recording mode (which seems to be the best compromise on video quality vs. space), the Panasonic E80's internal 80GB HD will hold about 34 hours of program material. XP mode will give you 17 hours, and the lowest quality mode will get you over 100 hours of program storage.

The DVD-RAM discs are re-recordable, and can be thought of as a removable hard drive, as Brajesh points out in his reply above. If you have a unit with an internal HD, though, you will probably rarely use the DVD-RAM format.

As you can see, the internal hard drive feature has a lot to offer. As Michael also pointed out, blank DVD's are not 100% reliable (I've had three fail out of my first spindle), so having the material recorded on the hard drive first allows you to re-dub to another blank disc without losing your recording. Also, it's great for making multiple copies of a recording. You can also edit the material on the hard drive (remove commercials, unwanted camcorder footage, etc.) before dubbing to a DVD-R.

 

[Michael Reuben]

As Neil also pointed out, blank DVD's are not 100% reliable

I've been called many things, but "Neil" is a first. (You may be confusing me with my fellow mod, Neil Joseph. If so, I'm flattered, though he probably isn't. )

M.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Sorry, Michael. I realized that I called you "Neil" and was editting my reply as you were entering yours. :b

This is what happens when you get old and cannot keep track of which admin is participating in different threads.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Too bad, I kinda liked being Neil for a moment there.

Back to the topic: I was interested to hear that you had three bad blank DVD-Rs on your first spindle. How many on the spindle? I'm currently working through a 50-disc spindle of Optodisc brand, and so far have had two be bad. One of them had suffered an obvious scratch, but whatever made the other one fail is invisible to the naked eye.

Generally, though, I've been pleased with the Optodisc brand, and they're very reasonable.

M.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The bad discs were from a 20 or 25 count TDK 2x speed spindle. One failed before dubbing, while the other two failed during the finalization process. There were no visible marks or defects on any of the discs, and wiping the discs with a clean cloth did not help.

Many of the other discs from the TDK spindle acted a little strange, too. After finalization, the E80 would state that some discs were "incompatible". However, removing and re-inserting the discs then allowed the player to recognize the finalized disc, and the discs could be read in my Panny RP-91, PC DVD-ROM drive and old Sony 300 player in our bedroom.

I have used several discs out of a Verbatim 15-disc spindle, and none of them have exhibited any of the problems mentioned above with the TDK discs.

Where are you buying the Optodisc blanks, and what is the cost? The Verbatim's were $33 for two 15-disc spindles, and the TDK's were also a little over $1 per disc.

 

[Michael Reuben]

My first 50-disc spindle of Optodiscs came from www.shop4tech.com. It was $49.99, and they had free shipping at the time. (These are general purpose 1X discs, BTW.)

Recently, when Shop4tech was out of stock, I ordered from www.rima.com. Their deal for two 50-disc spindles was $82. I ordered some other heavier items, so I'm not sure what the shipping would be for just the discs, but it was reasonable.

I've burned about 25 discs and hit two bad ones. I'm starting to go through discs a lot faster, because there are far more broadcasts on Sundance, IFC and TCM than I can keep up with, and my TiVo was about to overflow. I much prefer having certain programs on DVD-R than on TiVo, because there I have more option for watching them.

M.

 

[alan halvorson]

There's a thread at AVS Forum on DVD media. According to that thread, Optodiscs don't fare very well - cheap, but more problematic.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Well, I have a lot of 'em, so I guess I'll find out!

ADDED: I just looked at the thread in question. The negative remarks were about Optodisc's RW line. I have their R line, which I researched before buying and found generally favorable reviews. Here, for example:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...39#post1603039
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...22#post1602322

M.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Thanks for the links, Michael. I see that Rima.com has a sample pack with two discs each from 5 different suppliers. I may try that to see if there are any issues with Optodisc or Ritek (which I've read favorable comments regarding) with my player.

I am not going through discs at the same rate as you, though. I do not record much off television. So far, I've been mostly archiving MiniDV and Hi8mm home videos as well as some VHS tapes (both pre-recorded and special items I've recorded myself over the years).