Quiller

I once spent nearly 300 quid on a Panasonic DVD recorder, only for the thing to bugger up in under 2 days. A year later, weary of spending a lot of money on a DVD recorder, just for it to go wrong again, I deliberately bought one of the cheapest DVD recorders I could find; a Goodman's, at just over a hundred quid.

To say I was pleased with the quality is the understatement of the century. The thing is still working, with the rarest of errors, with great quality, great colours, and great sound.

So now I'm thinking about buying a new DVD recorder in the next couple of months, but I don't want one that's lesser quality than the one I've got. That would take the proverbial bite right out of the biscuit.

I'd like one that records as sharp an image as possible, with the best picture quality. But I don't know where to look. It's kind of like buying blind. You can't really find out until you get home with it.

So does anyone know of any really outstanding quality dvd recorders?

Wee Sonny MacGregor

Oh gawd. I've had a Panasonic EX75 on order for the last couple of months. My local guy recommended it. The top of the range EX85 sounds very impressive but so is the price - rrp £599. If you haven't been put off Panasionic, it might be worth picking up a brochure and looking at the capabilities of the various models?

Sonny

Quiller

;) Never! I wouldn't even buy Panasonic batteries - that's how dissapointed I was about it.

Spent the last few hours reading about DVD recorders on the internet. Well, how technology flies when you're not paying attention. Dual-layer DVD recorders - I must be dreaming.

Sonny, the Panasonic you mentioned is a dual-layer recorder, so expect exceptional quality... if it doesn't pack up on you.

I've got my eye on a Sony with VBR technology. It can record a film on the hard disk drive at a whopping 15 megs per second! That's for a single second of film. No DVD on earth can handle that; so what you get is identical digital picture quality of what you're recording. Then when you're ready to put the film on DVD, it converts it to the best level of quality on a dual-layer disc.

Recording a film on around a 100 gigs of quality is my idea of heaven. Getting a dub from that massive movie means superior quality.

Nick Dando

But there's always the problem of the new technologies coming along later this year - HD DVD and Blu-Ray - which will make a DVD recorder redundant in a few years time. And what's planned for even further in the future?
What you need is a 35mm print and a projector!

Nick

Quiller

Good point, but as there are two formats competing with each other - it's like the Cold War of DVD formats - it's going to slow things down in that arena. The discs (are they discs?) cost ten quid each, which no one can afford right now; and the recorders of these formats... three/four - maybe five years until they get it right, and for the prices to come way down for people to be able to afford them. Both HD formats are supposed to have major faults, too.

Other companies in the next couple of years are bringing out their versions of dual-layer recorders, so I think that's the area for HQ dvd recording.

Did I mention that the Sony DVD recorder can control colour, contrast, chroma, sharpness, and every other post-production process before you even record a film? :eek: Now that's cool.

bloodworm

All that sony machine can do sounds very impessive but just remember that the more gismos it has the more there is to go wrong. You found that out with your first machine and then replaced it with a cheapo that has served you well..Think before you leap, do you NEED all that jazz ????

C/U The Worm

The one that gets away is always the biggest but not always the best !!

schaffer

Hi, The best are not always the tops !!!!!
I`ve had a philips DVD recorder for a few years now (one of the first ones)
and it`s been great.... (I was looking at a Sony model GX5...but think I`ll keep the philips just now)

MrT

If you want a no frills machine, I'd be happy to recommend the Ferguson FDVDR1 unit. At £79.99 from Comet its obviously a basic machine, but having bought one a couple of weeks ago I've now had time to check it out thoroughly. It's easy to set up and use, and it makes good quality recordings in 2 hour mode, although quality drops away in 4 hour and 6 hour modes. I reckon if it lasts for 6months or more I'll have had value for money - I can still remember renting a VHS video recorder for £19.99 a month back in the early 80's. (That must be the equivalent of £50+ per month in todays values).

Best wishes
MrT

spinalman

I use Pioneers. They are normally rock solid and reliable, although not cheap. Pioneer's drives / burners also appear in many other brands and PCs, and Macs.

I have also read good things of Liteons in the v. cheap sector. Likewise the base model Sony's.- refurbs. on eBay for £120.

I had a JVC for a while in the cheap but name brand sector. Not bad, no DV in though.

DVD-R is my preference.

Paul