DVD Recorders Reviews

DVD recorders are home theater components that can record TV shows onto DVD discs, replicating the functions of a VCR. Some models combine a DVD recorder with a VHS player/recorder, making it simpler to convert a collection of home movie VHS tapes to DVD. DVD recorders also function as regular DVD players and can play audio CDs -- many can play JPEG photos and MP3s on CDs as well. Keep in mind that none of these devices are high definition. Blu-ray disc burners for computers are becoming more commonplace, but no one expects to see a standalone Blu-ray recorder for at least another year or two.

Be aware that if you don't need to record TV shows to discs, a DVR is a better option. Reviewers say TiVo has the best interface of all. Almost all cable and satellite companies also offer a DVR for a monthly fee, or in some cases free with a qualifying programming package. These all allow you to record programs internally for later playback, and many allow you to record in high definition, but you can't record shows directly to a disc. See our report on DVRs for more.

All devices that can receive TV signals -- including DVD recorders -- are now required to include a digital ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) tuner. This law is designed to ease the transition to the all-digital TV broadcasting system that will debut in February 2009. When it comes to DVD recorders, manufacturers are complying with the requirement in earnest, bringing a fair selection of DVD recorders to market. However, they have also thrown some unsuspecting consumers a curve ball.

As a category, DVD recorders are among the most maligned types of consumer electronics products. Common complaints include failure to record programs (either through user or player error), hard-to-understand instructions, confusion over recordable disk formats and more. That hasn't changed in the latest generation of DVD recorders, unfortunately, Still, some players are clearly worse than average. A case in point is the Lite-On LVW-5115GHC+ (*est. $130) , an inexpensive DVD recorder with an included ATSC tuner. While some experts and a couple of users seem happy with the LG DVD recorder, most owners at Amazon.com are anything but. A number of owners note that the color balance on recorded images is often shifted dramatically toward red or green. Reliability also seems to be a major issue, and we saw several complaints from buyers who claim they received more than one defective recorder.

While manufacturers have been busy introducing lots of new DVD recorders with the required ATSC tuner (or no tuner at all), reviewers have been a little slow to catch on. CNet.com's reviews address the tuner issue, and are much more detailed than most. Consumer Reports also offers a useful review of 24 DVD recorders, noting which include tuners. Although it doesn't provide an in-depth discussion of each DVD recorder's strengths and weaknesses, the review does say which important features are lacking on each model. Unfortunately, both CNet's and Consumer Reports' reviews contain many discontinued DVD recorders, while coverage of some newer models is lacking.

Owner-written DVD recorder reviews are also extremely helpful. Reviews from owners at Amazon.com, CircuitCity.com, BestBuy.com and Epinions offer insight into products' performance after they've been in use for months. AVSForum.com and Videohelp.com also offer user reviews, but their real benefit lies in the technical information. These sites offer user-to-user help, workarounds, tricks and techniques that can be found in few other places on the Internet, along with reviews written by those with a little more technical savvy than typical consumers.  ... Continued

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Users find many problems with DVD recorders, and the most recent generation of products is no better. Confusion generated by tunerless products and frustration due to copying restrictions on some cable and satellite TV programming has created lots of angry consumers. That said, there are a few DVD recorders that fare better than others. The Philips DVDR3576H/37 is one of the few DVR recorders equipped with a hard disk drive. Though it isn't as user friendly as some earlier models, performance is generally good. Among DVD recorder/VCR combo machines, the Panasonic DMR-EZ48VK rates best, though reviews aren't especially impressive overall. The Panasonic DMR-EA18K is a basic DVD recorder without the VCR deck. Another basic DVD recorder, the Toshiba D-R410, is easy to use and makes a good budget choice, but buyers should be aware that this model lacks a digital tuner and recording quality is only so-so.