- In this report
- Overview
- CR Quick Recommendations
- Ratings
- Brand repair history
- Types
- Choosing a DVD player
ELECTRONICS FORUMS  Get real-world advice from others about choosing a new TV, digital camera, computer or cell phone. |
November 2006
Types: Choices for digital video recording
| DVD recorders | |||
| A decent choice if you record a moderate amount of TV, especially if you want to keep some of the recordings. Price $120 or so and up for stand-alone models; $200 and up for models with VCR combos; $300 and up for those with a built-in hard drive. Pros Highest-quality way to record standard-definition TV programs you want to keep. Many of the latest models now play and record in most disc formats (DVD+R, etc.). Also useful for digitizing analog home-video recordings or copying digital recordings. Expect VCR-like functionality, but with the better picture quality that digital video technology offers. Cons No DVD recorders today have digital tuners or the ability to record HD. Burning DVDs is not as straightforward as recording on a VCR (for example, most discs have to be finalized before they can play on other devices); write-once discs can’t be erased and reused. Buying tips Look for pause and record capability. Most hard-drive recorders allow you to begin (or pause) viewing a recording while the unit continues to record. So do most DVD recorders that accept DVD-RAM and DVD-RW (VR) discs. Some such units also allow you to view a previously recorded program while recording another. If you own a lot of VHS tapes, consider a combo unit with a built-in VCR. The combo will take up less space than a VCR and a recorder. It also allows easy dubbing of home-movie tapes to DVD. Combo models that add a hard drive can hold many hours of video and give you an easy way to transfer recordings from the hard drive onto DVD. If you buy one, check that the hard drive allows you to watch a previously recorded show while recording another. A caution about two useful features. Cable- or satellite-box control allows the unit to record from various channels without requiring you to set the box to the correct channel before each recording. That’s a must if you want to record from several channels while you’re not home. TV Guide On-Screen, a free interactive program guide, makes simple work of finding and recording programs. But, as with today’s analog-tuner recorders, the utility of both features in the coming era of all-digital TV signals is uncertain. Consider the camcorder. If you plan to dub from a camcorder to your recorder, look for a recorder with front-panel jacks. HDTV tip. If you watch a lot of video-based DVDs (such as those from recent TV series), look for a model that did especially well playing back such discs, which a HDTV can display at their best. |
 Toshiba SD-3990
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TiVo Hard-drive recorders |
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| The hard-drive pioneer still has the most sophisticated recorders--and the most expensive, given ongoing fees. Price $50 and up, plus $13 to $20 monthly service charge. Pros The best onscreen guide of any DVR--searches by title, theme, etc., and proactively searches for programs based on habits and preferences. Some models can share recordings with other TVs in the house, your PC, an iPod, and even another TiVo. Cons Service charges are higher than for most cable or satellite recording boxes. Must be connected to a phone line or the Internet to use the service and update the guide. Buying tips Buy from a retailer. TiVo requires a one- to three-year service commitment at higher monthly fees; canceling costs up to $200. Be cautious about buying a Series 2 TiVo. Like DVD recorders with analog tuners, their utility with all-digital TV is unclear. HD-capable TiVo is finally here. The Series 3 HD PVR shipped in September at a list price of $800. |
 TiVo Series 2 DT
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cable/satellite Set-top Recorders
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| Built into digital-cable and satellite boxes. You rent them and so can easily upgrade to new models. Price Monthly fees of $5 to $10 a month; up to $400 up front to lease a box from satellite TV services. Pros HD recording on some. No phone line required. The very good onscreen guides integrate simple recording with regular TV service, including (for cable) pay per view and video-on-demand. Easy to use. Cons Monthly fees add up. Program guides and features, while good, are less advanced than TiVo’s. DirecTV and Dish satellite customers must often pay several hundred dollars up front to lease a DVR-equipped box. Buying tips Cable recording is the less expensive option. Besides avoiding the high leasing fees of a satellite service, you’ll probably have access to video-on-demand, which is not available with satellite. Ask about DVD-recording capability. Cable companies are beginning to offer a Scientific Atlanta set-top recorder that’s equipped with a built-in DVD player-recorder--handy for archiving, albeit only in SD. Ask about a TiVo interface. Two cable companies, Cox and Comcast, are beginning to offer cable recorders, including high-definition models, that have TiVo’s superior recording features. |
 Scientific Atlanta 8300AD
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