DVD Recorders: Reviews

Most basic DVD recorders lack much in the way of bells and whistles, but this Panasonic model is fairly rich in features. Nice touches include upconversion to 1080p, an SD card slot, chase playback and time slip, an IR… blaster (to control a cable box) and a commercial-skip button. However, there's no built-in tuner, so there's no way to record directly from a TV broadcast unless you also have a cable or satellite receiver. The DMR-EA18K also lacks an electronic programming guide, which simplifies programming. Recording quality, especially at LP speed, is described as outstanding. Still, if you mainly just want to record shows for later viewing and don't need disc recording, experts say a DVR or TiVo unit is a better choice. See the ConsumerSearch report on DVRs.

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Though it lacks a lot of the features of some more expensive players – such as a built-in tuner, IR blaster and chasing playback – many reviews say that the Toshiba D-R410 is a great basic DVD recorder for the price. Most… ser reviews are favorable, however, and owners say its setup and operation are simple enough even for novices. Experts are complimentary but not wildly enthusiastic; most prefer the Panasonic DMR-EA18K for basic DVD recording, but the Toshiba D-R410's significantly lower price and largely positive reception make it worthy of consideration.

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The Panasonic DMR-EZ48VK can play and record DVDs and VHS tapes, and it can also be used to dub non-copyrighted VHS tapes to DVD discs. It doesn't have an electronic programming guide, which means you have to set up… recordings VCR-style, entering channel, time and date manually, plus remember to turn off the recorder. It also has no IR blaster to control a cable or satellite TV box. A time-slip function lets you record one show while watching another prerecorded one (using DVD-RAM discs), while chase play lets you begin watching the beginning of the show while it is still recording.

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DVD recorders with a built-in hard disk drive are more flexible and easier to use than other DVD recorders. The Philips DVDR3576H/37 can store 180 hours at the low-quality setting or more than 30 hours at the highest… quality. You have some options for pausing live TV. Recordings are set up manually like a VCR. If you want to merely record shows for later viewing and don't need to burn discs, consider an easier-to-use DVR instead.

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