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recommend a DVD recorder
smart51 - 9/11/06 at 09:32 AM

My video recorder is on the blink and it's time to get a DVD recorder. Can anyone recommend what to get / what to avoid.

I want one that records to hard disc, has time slip playback and a digital tuner.

Peteff - 9/11/06 at 09:43 AM

Avforums in the PVR and VCR section. You can get one with a normal tuner, 160gig HDD and DVD player/burner for £170 from a lot of places and route your digibox through it by scart so you can record from digital TV. Twin tuner pvr is a good setup as well, you can watch one while you record another then watch a recording while you record something else but you ned a separate dvd player recorder.

[Edited on 9/11/06 by Peteff]

ned - 9/11/06 at 11:04 AM

sure i'll get stick for this (I don't have it btw) but skyplus is an option and if in your area not that expensive if you get the free broadband with it, know quite a few people going that route...

Ned.

whitestu - 9/11/06 at 11:12 AM

I use my PC with a freeview card as a recorder.

Works really well and can be upgraded easily. Hard disk space is cheap to buy and you can use Divx to shrink DVD files down.

graememk - 9/11/06 at 11:24 AM

i've gone sky+ and free internet

smart51 - 9/11/06 at 12:03 PM

I've already got cable as I don't want a dish on my house. I don't want to use the PC for TV either as I go and use the PC when something terrible is on the telly.

Minicooper - 9/11/06 at 12:14 PM

I have found all the recorded DVDs I have tried using various media and recorders to be very poor

They skip, jump, pause, not consistantly either, it happens so frequently I just couldn't watch them, so I have my panasonic video hooked back up and it's very good

David

jimgiblett - 9/11/06 at 01:17 PM

I am really happy with my Philips DVD HD recorder. Nice and simple to make up DVDs from camcorder too. Cant find the exact same model as mine. But it is a middle of the range 160GB model I've seen it for sale in Tescos.

I am still working out all the functions but for me the nicest is that if you put programs in the sky planner with autostart it records them automatically. Dont know if this function will work for cable though.

- Jim

Aboardman - 9/11/06 at 01:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by smart51
I've already got cable as I don't want a dish on my house. I don't want to use the PC for TV either as I go and use the PC when something terrible is on the telly.


if it is NTL then the PVR with 3 tuners is due out in jan comes with hard disk.

ntl: has selected Scientific Atlanta as the supplier of ntl:'s new PVR to be launched in 2006.

It features..

  • MPEG-4 part 10/H.264 compression
  • High-definition (HD) television
  • Three video tuners
  • Euro-DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem
  • Internal SATA 160GB Hard Drive
  • IP Multi-Room™ PVR Capability via second Ethernet port

    Shai Weiss, managing director of ntl's Consumer Products division said..

    "We look forward to offering cable customers the combination of MPEG-4 PVR and high quality Video on Demand services in 2006,"

    JackNco - 9/11/06 at 03:10 PM

    I haven't got one, or looked in to buying one, but Toshiba were the founding fathers of DVD and use a higher resolution (or used to) so ide be going with them!

    UncleFista - 9/11/06 at 04:31 PM

    Boots are doing a twin freeview tuner, 80Gb PVR at the moment, it's down from £220 to £150.

    It has excellent reviews at AVforums.

    Link is HERE

    If you use the code BFTF77 at the checkout, you'll get 10% off and free delivery.

    So £135 delivered...

    Anyone find one with a better spec for less cash ?

    [Edited on 9/11/06 by UncleFista]

    Catpuss - 9/11/06 at 05:48 PM

    quote:
    Originally posted by smart51
    My video recorder is on the blink and it's time to get a DVD recorder. Can anyone recommend what to get / what to avoid.

    I want one that records to hard disc, has time slip playback and a digital tuner.


    I've been through 3 recently.

    There is the Liteon one that is popular and the Grundig models that are a rebadge (both from Argos). Both would not record, for me, to a majority of my blank DVDs the Grundig would record to x8 but then trash them when ejecting.

    I'm on the Sony 80 gig one from Argos now (each time I had a warranty replacement). That one is rather good. I don't like the user interface quite as much as the Liteon/Grundig one, but it works well and there are some nice touches such as x1.3 speed search and a few more record quality options.

    Peteff - 9/11/06 at 07:44 PM

    Aldi do one to the same spec for £99 from time to time, I got one last year and it's been great. It's a Technosonic and was buggy at first but they've run some OTA updates and fixed the serious problems. Keep your eye out for them as they go like hot cakes round here. The built in programme guide is great and you just press the record button to set it up, no videoplus or wading through the papers and pressing umpteen buttons. I got one of their HDD/DVD recorders as well but it's not as good. It does play Mp3, DivX and XviD files downloaded from the net and put onto CD though, I've found that very handy.

    [Edited on 9/11/06 by Peteff]

    Mark Allanson - 9/11/06 at 08:01 PM

    I have a Panasonic DMR E55 RAM DVD recorder.

    It screws up disc on a regular basis (VERY expensive!), wont play recorded disc from another recorder, stops working for odd periods and then starts up OK (sulking?), the recorded discs wont play on my computer RAM DVD re writer, isn't compatable with my Panasonic TV.........

    I have vowed never to buy another Panasonic product ever again

    UncleFista - 9/11/06 at 09:07 PM

    quote:
    Originally posted by Peteff
    Aldi do one to the same spec for £99 from time to time, I got one last year and it's been great. It's a Technosonic and was buggy at first but they've run some OTA updates and fixed the serious problems. Keep your eye out for them as they go like hot cakes round here. The built in programme guide is great and you just press the record button to set it up, no videoplus or wading through the papers and pressing umpteen buttons. I got one of their HDD/DVD recorders as well but it's not as good. It does play Mp3, DivX and XviD files downloaded from the net and put onto CD though, I've found that very handy.

    [Edited on 9/11/06 by Peteff]


    I'll keep an eye out for that Pete, cheers

    I'm gonna fork out for one eventually....