Tips for buying a DVD recorder

26/05/2009 by admin.

Are you ready to buy a DVD recorder and you are overwhelmed by the tons of brands and specifications to choose from? Then here are some helpful points to consider.

1. The first question you need to answer is “What are you going to do with it?” Usually people buy DVD recorders for two purposes:

- To record TV programs and either keep them after watching them or simply delete them after watching.
- To edit home videos.

If your main reason for wanting to buy a DVD recorder is to record TV programs, then you will probably go for a digital video recorder with a built-in DVD burner or a DVD recorder with a hard drive. You will need to look for a DVD recorder that has better image and surround sound capture and the ability to record live shows while playing back video content recorded earlier. And
You will definitely, be looking for one that has larger disc drive space. However, if your intention is to edit home videos, then you will probably want to go for one that has a DV input - a firewire port and also good editing functionality.

2. The second question you need to answer is “Will I share my discs with other people?”

- If you plan to use your discs without sharing then you don’t need to worry about this. However, if you are planning to share them, then you need to be aware of formats supported by the DVD recorder. There are 7 formats i.e. DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM. Most recorders now support DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW while selected models support the DVD-RAM or Dual-Layer (DL) formats. (”R” refers to write-once discs, “RW” represents rewritable media.) It worth noting that DVD-RAM is not supported by many DVD players and it the most costly.

3. The third question you need to ask is “Will I need to use the recorder for other multi-media purposes?”

- If you are planning to play MP3 and WMA CD’s and to view JPEG’s, then you will have to consider if the DVD recorder supports those file formats.

4. The fourth question is “Are you a technical person?”

- Well some people have no problems getting on with setting up and operating most electrical gadgets, however, some of us are technically challenged at times and that is why you should go for a DVD recorder that is easy to operate. To start, Check out the on-screen menus and the remote control. Good interfaces will guide you through tasks, while bad ones will get in the way. If you are planning to use this for editing, then look at how the recorder organizes scenes for you and look at the steps required to perform basic tasks such as trimming, deleting, and reordering scenes. If the manual is available online, skim its contents to see if it offers clear, detailed explanations of everything related to recording and–especially for home video–editing.

5. Lastly, you need to ask yourself “How much money are you ready to spend?”

- Remember, the most expensive DVD recorder isn’t always the best one for your needs.

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