DVD Recorders - Advice wanted

[Lord Bracknell]

Bracknell Towers is already equipped with a DVD player and a VHS video recorder. But we don't have the capability to record DVDs.

I want to be able capture images in DVD format from a Sony Digital Video Camera/Recorder that uses Mini DV Cassettes (the DCR-TRV50E model) and from VHS video tapes.

What's the best buy? What's the best cheap buy?

Any advice would be welcomed.

 

[Everest]

I've got a Toshiba RD-XS32. DVD recorder + 80Gb HDD. Good piece of kit. It has an input for DV camcorders, 2 scarts + other inputs.
Bit pricey, but I know you're loaded (and I'm not talking about the Y-fronts area).

 

[Cian]

If you're dumping from camera to DVD, through a PC is often the best option

http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=301944&view=detailed

Is is cheap DVD burner that does the 5 major formats (+/- RW and Dual Layer)

 

[Bigtomfu]

ditto go for the pc option, would advise upgrading your machine if its over about three years old though, i think you have more scope for editing etc if you do it through a pc.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

The Bracknell Towers resident geek writes....

You are all spot on in that editing is better done through the PC. already have this technology on both a PC and a Mac and I've always captured video directly from the camera via a firewire (IEEE 1394) connection. It's then edited in Adobe Premiere.

However, due to lack of space on both machines (even with ruthless pruning, the image bank eats loads of space) unless it's a very small bit of video footage, the size of the resultant .avi files eat up most of the memory!

Right now the option of upgrading either machine isn't practical especially since what we want to do is COPY films of around an 60 minutes running time straight from the camera onto a recordeable media. No worries so far as VHS copies are concerned but also want to make DVD versions and the quickest way is going to be via a DVD recorder.

I don't want to get into taking computers apart right now and given the sloooooooooow USB ports it already has, a detachable DVD burner 'aint practical.

So something like wot Everest suggests (but cheaper!) would be ideal. I'm impressed by the 80gb HDD on the Toshiba but what's the memory on a "bog standard" DVD recorder likely to be?

 

[Cian]

Most DVD recorders have exactly NO HDD. So 0GB on a bog-standard one then.

 

[Bozza]

I've got a Panasonic HDD/DVD recorder. Can't remember the model now. Great bit of kit though.

HDD gives similar functionality to tivo/Sky+ - have it on record all the time and pause/rewind live TV as you want to. Anything you want to keep dump onto a DVD.

Very basic editing available if you want it - chop out sections frame by frame etc.

 

[jmc]

If you're dumping from camera to DVD, through a PC is often the best option

http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=301944&view=detailed

Is is cheap DVD burner that does the 5 major formats (+/- RW and Dual Layer)

That's one I've just bought.....from them too....

 

[Cian]

Komplett are the gods of cheap PC machenery. Got a massive distribution base over in Sandyford, so I usually get the stuff the next day (its <15 miles away).

 

[jmc]

The Bracknell Towers resident geek writes....

You are all spot on in that editing is better done through the PC. already have this technology on both a PC and a Mac and I've always captured video directly from the camera via a firewire (IEEE 1394) connection. It's then edited in Adobe Premiere.

However, due to lack of space on both machines (even with ruthless pruning, the image bank eats loads of space) unless it's a very small bit of video footage, the size of the resultant .avi files eat up most of the memory!

Right now the option of upgrading either machine isn't practical especially since what we want to do is COPY films of around an 60 minutes running time straight from the camera onto a recordeable media. No worries so far as VHS copies are concerned but also want to make DVD versions and the quickest way is going to be via a DVD recorder.

I don't want to get into taking computers apart right now and given the sloooooooooow USB ports it already has, a detachable DVD burner 'aint practical.

So something like wot Everest suggests (but cheaper!) would be ideal. I'm impressed by the 80gb HDD on the Toshiba but what's the memory on a "bog standard" DVD recorder likely to be?

go to Komplett - 250GB hard drive for exactly this purpose - £100 a joy to deal with!!!