Originally posted by Brian Damage
Thanks for the info guys, I am definitely going to get one of them.



I wo't be buying a DVD recorder until 2010

why is that?

Originally posted by Brian Damage
why is that?


They will be a lot cheaper by then-LOL Still use your VCR though. DVD's are not that reliable.

iam gonna get one sometimes this summer hopefully maybe sooner. i have alot of vhs tapes with differnt shows on most of them. and i think it would be fun converting my vhs to dvds and it would make more room for my storage then my vhs. i cant wait to get one

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
They will be a lot cheaper by then-LOL Still use your VCR though. DVD's are not that reliable.

The average selling price of DVD recorders is expected to fall by as much as 50 percent later this year as Taiwanese shipments of DVD recorders increase sharply, a government-backed market research firm in Taipei says.

Taiwanese hardware makers excel at producing large volumes of IT hardware products at low cost. The ability to produce large volumes of IT products at low cost has made Taiwanese hardware makers the production leaders of many hardware components and devices, such as laptop computers. And Taiwanese companies will take a larger share of the market for DVD recorders as prices fall, Market Intelligence Center (MIC) says in a statement.

MIC is part of Taiwan's Institute of Information Industry, a government-backed think tank set up to support the development of the country's IT industry.

]DVR's (http://www.dvd-recordable.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1389&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0[/url)

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
They will be a lot cheaper by then-LOL Still use your VCR though. DVD's are not that reliable.

Have you even used a DVD? I thought the same way you did and now I refuse to even touch VHS. :lol:

Just MAKE SURE you don't touch the discs and you keep them in the case. If they get scratched or dirty, THEN you have problems.

That's one positive thing about VHS tapes, they seem to be more durable. You could drop a tape and nothing would happen. Where as a DVD could shatter.

Originally posted by Brian Damage
That's one positive thing about VHS tapes, they seem to be more durable. You could drop a tape and nothing would happen. Where as a DVD could shatter.



That's the first negative of DVD's-LOL

Originally posted by Agent 13
Yes! Once you get a DVD recorder, you'll never go back to a vcr. :D

I have the DVD recorder that I bought at Best Buy over the summer. Now I could not go out and buy VHS tapes anymore. All I do is to convert my VCR tapes into DVD's. That's what I'm doing. In addition to that, I first bought a Verbatim's Digital Movie DVD-R 25-pack. The DVD's has a crazy looking movie reel. Cool.

You can put down DVDs and the recorders and say i dont think they are nearly as good as VHS and in the same breath say ive never owned one tho, but if you ever had a dvd recorder like its been said ud never go back to vhs only, you get much better picture quality and sound quality with a dvd then with vhs, and its smaller easier to store comapatible with most computers, try playing a vhs tape on a computer, plus editing is much easier there are no belts or devices to eat up the dvd as as there is with vhs, if a dvd gets bad its less of a mess than an eaten up vhs tape plus the dvd doesnt need a tracking like vhs does as long as your player is compatable with the disc format it can play any dvd , i still have tapes that wont track on my vcr correctly, to even compare a vhs to a dvd is like comparing the cassette tape to a cd in quality and sound, but the most important thing about a dvd is that in a couple of years u wont be able to get a vcr at your local stores anymore, now that the dvd recorders have become so affordable they will phase out vhs soon.

Originally posted by Flying Dutchman
You can put down DVDs and the recorders and say i dont think they are nearly as good as VHS and in the same breath say ive never owned one tho, but if you ever had a dvd recorder like its been said ud never go back to vhs only, you get much better picture quality and sound quality with a dvd then with vhs, and its smaller easier to store comapatible with most computers, try playing a vhs tape on a computer, plus editing is much easier there are no belts or devices to eat up the dvd as as there is with vhs, if a dvd gets bad its less of a mess than an eaten up vhs tape plus the dvd doesnt need a tracking like vhs does as long as your player is compatable with the disc format it can play any dvd , i still have tapes that wont track on my vcr correctly, to even compare a vhs to a dvd is like comparing the cassette tape to a cd in quality and sound, but the most important thing about a dvd is that in a couple of years u wont be able to get a vcr at your local stores anymore, now that the dvd recorders have become so affordable they will phase out vhs soon.



VCR's will still be around they will just be combined with DVD recorders. It will be DVD recorder/VCR.

"That's one positive thing about VHS tapes, they seem to be more durable. You could drop a tape and nothing would happen. Where as a DVD could shatter."


Brain Damage - will all due respect, I have never heard any scientific evidence to back up this strange claim - how many people have had valuable vcr tapes eaten up by a hungry video cassette recorder, or had a master tapes' quality ruined by repeated playing? You will never see "drop outs" or rolling frames on a dvd just because it has been played often. The same cannot be said for a vhs tape. Also - it is much easier to accidentally record over a valuable program on a vcr - all you have to do is hit the wrong button on the remote in the dark and you have ruined the tape. WIth a dvd recorder, even if it is a rewritable disc, you are prompted several times to make sure the action is one you wish to take.

Not to mention, I have dropped BOTH vcr tapes and dvds and have NEVER heard of a dvd "shattering" - it is not made of glass...it may crack if you dropped it a certain way, from a certain height or angle - however I have had more cases of vcr tapes splitting apart when dropped, have had the little plastic bar on the front that lifts fly off, among many other problems, etc. Also - copying digital to digital is an exact transfer of exisiting quality, while vhs to vhs copies go down a generationm with each copy...

The bottom line is ANYTHING can break or be damaged if it is not properly taken care of - but for quality, ease of storage of recorded materials and overall durability, a DVD recorder beats a vcr hands down.

Originally posted by omenboy
"That's one positive thing about VHS tapes, they seem to be more durable. You could drop a tape and nothing would happen. Where as a DVD could shatter."


Brain Damage - will all due respect, I have never heard any scientific evidence to back up this strange claim - how many people have had valuable vcr tapes eaten up by a hungry video cassette recorder, or had a master tapes' quality ruined by repeated playing? You will never see "drop outs" or rolling frames on a dvd just because it has been played often. The same cannot be said for a vhs tape. Also - it is much easier to accidentally record over a valuable program on a vcr - all you have to do is hit the wrong button on the remote in the dark and you have ruined the tape. WIth a dvd recorder, even if it is a rewritable disc, you are prompted several times to make sure the action is one you wish to take.

Not to mention, I have dropped BOTH vcr tapes and dvds and have NEVER heard of a dvd "shattering" - it is not made of glass...it may crack if you dropped it a certain way, from a certain height or angle - however I have had more cases of vcr tapes splitting apart when dropped, have had the little plastic bar on the front that lifts fly off, among many other problems, etc. Also - copying digital to digital is an exact transfer of exisiting quality, while vhs to vhs copies go down a generationm with each copy...

The bottom line is ANYTHING can break or be damaged if it is not properly taken care of - but for quality, ease of storage of recorded materials and overall durability, a DVD recorder beats a vcr hands down.


All that mAybe true but it's no need for a person to get rid of all their VHS tapes like it's 2067

LOL - I would never, ever suggest getting RID of all your vhs tapes - lord knows I have way more than my share - I was just responding to the puzzling concept that video cassettes were somehow more durable than dvds, which is completely untrue...

Originally posted by omenboy
LOL - I would never, ever suggest getting RID of all your vhs tapes - lord knows I have way more than my share - I was just responding to the puzzling concept that video cassettes were somehow more durable than dvds, which is completely untrue...


VHS tapes are easier to handle. U have to handle a DVD the same way you handle a new born baby-LOL

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
U have to handle a DVD the same way you handle a new born baby-LOL :rolleyes: I have close to the same number of DVDs as I have videos. While I have not yet had a disc ruined, even by my kids, I've had lots of tapes broken in transit, inside a VCR, etc.

I made the switch to DVDs a LONG time ago and I wouldn't go back, I don't even have a VCR hooked up at this point in time.

DVD recorders don't do a lot for analog tape recordings in many cases except give you a digital preservation copy of them that will last much longer than the VHS tapes do. But for RECORDING they are absolutely unbeatable. I'm currently recording Mama's Family with my Panasonic DMR-E80H. I go to the hard drive in XP mode which offers the best quality, and then edit the commercials out and dub them to DVD, 4 episodes to a disc which gives you a whole 4.7gigs for just 88 minutes of video. The quality is outstanding.

I use BeAll DVD-R's and +R's and out of hundreds of blanks I've had ONE bad disc.. You can buy these for $31 per 100 disc spindle, so if you're worried about longevity make a backup copy using a PC drive. It's definitely an economical decision. Once Dual Layer DVD blank prices come down it'll be economical to make backups of commercial discs as well (ONLY the ones you own now) which should eliminate any chance of a disc getting damaged. Keep in mind a backup of a DVD is as good as the original, unlike a copy of a VHS tape.

I go to the hard drive in XP mode which offers the best quality, and then edit the commercials out and dub them to DVD, 4 episodes to a disc which gives you a whole 4.7gigs for just 88 minutes of video. The quality is outstanding.

Something that was discussed at the old DMR-HS2 forum and that I have tested, is that you'd get even better quality by recording to the HD at SP and then high speed dubbing. By recording at XP and then dubbing at FR, you are actually re-encoding the video a second time - just like losing a generation. I find that it's definitely better to sacrifice initial bitrate quality and get an exact duplicate of that, than to re-encode. Just my opinion and something to consider if you haven't experimented for yourself.

As for the original topic, I've been doing dvds for a couple of years now and I don't see any cons to it at all, only plenty of pros. They simply are superior in every way to VHS so far as I'm concerned.

The problem with dvds is there's always the possibility of it going bad after a certain time. I definately recommend making multiple backups just in case and always use good media.

Something that was discussed at the old DMR-HS2 forum and that I have tested, is that you'd get even better quality by recording to the HD at SP and then high speed dubbing. By recording at XP and then dubbing at FR, you are actually re-encoding the video a second time - just like losing a generation. I find that it's definitely better to sacrifice initial bitrate quality and get an exact duplicate of that, than to re-encode.
Graeme,

Forgive my computer illiteracy, but would this apply to using the RAM? i.e. copy something onto the RAM in XP, edit out commercials, and then play it on a DVD player, putting it onto a DVD in FP using my DMR-E50 (has no hard drive)

Any help would be appreciated. :wave:

It would apply even moreso Jen. In the instance you describe, not only are you re-encoding a second time, but in addition you are sending the signal through rca patch cords which will cause an even greater loss of quality. That said, if you don't have a hard drive and don't/can't/won't do the editing and final burning with a computer then I'd say your method (initially recording at XP and burning the final product at FR) is the best way to go i.e. will retain the quality as much as possible.

It would apply even moreso Jen. In the instance you describe, not only are you re-encoding a second time, but in addition you are sending the signal through rca patch cords which will cause an even greater loss of quality. That said, if you don't have a hard drive and don't/can't/won't do the editing and final burning with a computer then I'd say your method (initially recording at XP and burning the final product at FR) is the best way to go i.e. will retain the quality as much as possible.
Thanks, Graeme, but I'm a bit confused by your answer. It sounds like you think "initially recording at XP and burning the final product at FR is the best way to go" but at the same time you're saying that "not only are you re-encoding a second time, but in addition you are sending the signal through rca patch cords which will cause an even greater loss of quality." Please clarify this. Thank you!

I guess my question to you would be, what method would you use if you had just a DMR-E50, which has no hard drive?

(I have both a DMR-E50 and DMR-E80, but my question related only to the DMR-E50.)

Sign,

Computer Illiterate Me

It sounds like you think "initially recording at XP and burning the final product at FR is the best way to go" but at the same time you're saying that "not only are you re-encoding a second time, but in addition you are sending the signal through rca patch cords which will cause an even greater loss of quality." Please clarify this.

The very best way to dupe digital video files is with a computer or a high-speed dub from a hard drive. Both of these methods result in NO quality loss.

The second best way is to record to hard drive at XP and dub in real time at FR, but this does result in some quality loss due to the re-encoding (changing the bitrate from XP to FR).

The worst way, overall, is to do an analog dub (hooking up a player to a recorder) because this not only entails re-encoding but additional quality is lost as the signals pass through the rca plugs between machines.

BUT, if one MUST do an analog dub, then your method of doing it is the best way to go about it.

Does that clarify?

Actually, as a sort-of aside, I suppose the ABSOLUTE worst way to do it, and someone on this board actually did it to me once believe it or not, is to dub a dvd to vhs and then dub the vhs back to dvd, losing 2 generations! I couldn't believe it, especially as I had told this person twice not to do it that way. Oh well. Needless to say that put an end to our trading :-)

I have both a DMR-E50 and DMR-E80

I just noticed this. You'd be best off then Jen by high-speed dubbing your edited RAM discs (recorded at SP) back to the E80's hard drive and then high-speed dubbing final copies from there to -R. Then you'd lose no quality.

Graeme,

Thanks so much for your help! I think I understand. ;)

Jen :wave: