DVD Recorders: Getting Started
By Bear Cahill

IMO, these sd work ‘like a VCR’ as far as recording and playback. There are models w/ harddrives, VHS players, etc. built in, but to me that’s overboard.

Bells and Whistles

The VHS option is not bad, but you most likely already have one you can plug into the inputs of the DVD recorder.

I have a DVD recorder for archiving TiVo shows as opposed to accessing my TiVo from my PC. This is nice because it means I can also archive VHS tapes, camcorder tapes, etc. w/no extra work.

I do have a TV card in my PC so I can do this, but using the DVD recorder is easier.

My motto is: buy what you WILL use and not what you CAN use.

I’ve bought lots of things that CAN do a lot, but in reality I don’t use all the extra features. Not in all cases, but in this case, I say pass on the bells and whistles.

Again, there are models w/ all types of features, but if you buy one that is a DVR, DVD recorder, VCR, TV tuner all in one and one part breaks, it’s all broke.

Realize Something About Technology

Remember – this is new technology and will only get better and cheaper. If you buy the top of the line today, it’s going to be out of date and/or cheap tomorrow. Test the waters w/ a ‘good’ model and upgrade when the time is right.

Editing Your Recordings

Chances are – you won’t. It’s a pain for the most part and usually requires DVD-RAM or DVD-RW discs to do it and they’re more expensive. If you have a lot of free time for this, you’re a rare person.

I was looking for this type of solution in getting ready for having a baby and I knew I wasn’t going to be sifting through and editing hours of video.

If you’re really interested in editing, look in to PC options. Pinnacle, ArcSoft, Adobe, etc. – they have good solutions for that.

DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW

DVD+R and DVD-R are like VHS and Beta: they’re both ok right now, but eventually we’ll probably land on one or the other. It seems to be leaning towards DVD-R which tend to be less expensive also.

Many recorders and players do both, but cost more. I say save some money, pick one (probably DVD-R) and move on. If you pick the wrong one, chances are in a couple years you’ll be buying a new one anyway. Moreover, you’ll probably be able to get a cheap one w/ a built in converter or two trays to duplicate one to the other.

DVD-RAM and DVD-RW are the rewritable types. They’re more expensive and for my purposes aren’t worth worrying about.

My Recommendation

I got the Panasonic DMR-E55K:

It records to DVD-R like a VCR. I don’t use it to record live TV so I don’t use VCR+, but it has it. Also, it has TimeSlip which lets you watch something while it’s recording (start recording “24″ at 8pm and start watching it from the begining at 8:20 to speed thru commercials like a TiVo). Again, I don’t use this, but it has it.

Plain and simple, it records my TiVo, camcorder, digital camera (RCA cable output), VCR, etc. to DVD – that’s what I want it to do and that’s what it does. It’s easy, creates a good menu w/ thumbnails and my chosen titles, it’s a name brand w/ good reviews and was fairly cheap (there was a rebate at the time).

Also, it plays CDs and mp3 CDs w/ a good interface so not only does it replace a CD player, but since you can put so many songs on one CD, it replaces a CD changer.

An interesting trick: If you have a digital camera w/ RCA cable output, you can hook it directly into the dvd recorder and create a quick slide-show dvd. Many cameras even have a slide show function built in! You can use the sound from a music channel, CD, etc.

Summary

If you’re going gung-ho into all the nitty gritty about DVD recorders, you’re either just starting here or haven’t bothered to read this far. If you’re looking for a good, relatively cheap solution to digitize your tapes, archive TiVo, etc., I recommend the Panasonic DMR-E55K.

Bear Cahill is a software engineer in the Dallas, TX area and is the creator of Booples (http://www.theBooples.com) and the Video Exchange Community (VEC) (http://www.videoexchange.org)

Publish freely if this resource box is included and links maintained as links.

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Expert Guide to DVD Camcorders
By Kenny Hemphill

Thinking about a mini DVD camcorder? You’re not alone, it’s a rapidly growing
sector of the camcorder market, with Hitachi, Sony and Panasonic all making more
than one mini dvd camcorder.

These camcorders differ from regular digital video cameras in one important way –
they record video onto mini DVD discs, rather than DV tape. This has a number of
advantages. DVD discs are more robust than tape and won’t get chewed up in the
camera. Although this is thankfully a rare occurance, it scares me every time I here a
strange noise coming from my camcorder, so it’s with bearing in mind.

The second advantage is that DVD discs are random access, compared to tape on
which everything is recorded sequentially. This means that there’s no need to
rewind and fast forward to find the clip you’re after, just select it from the menu.
Some cameras even allow you to perform basic editing functions on-camera. An
additional side-benefit is that a mini DVD camcorder doesn’t have tape heads to get
worn or dirty as happens in regular mini DVD cameras.

And thirdly, you can easily watch your home movies by removing the DVD from the
camera and playing it in practically any DVD player.

However, there are negative factors to. The most siginificant one is that video is
encoded as MPEG-2 on a mini DVD camcorder, as opposed to DV format. This
means that it needs specialist software to edit – you can’t just use your regular
video editing program (unless it specifically supports MPEG-2). And if a Mac user
you’re out of luck, as there are no MPEG-2 editing applications for the Mac.

Also, mini DVD camcorders tend to cost more than similarly specified mini DV
cameras. And the media is also more expensive. However, if you don’t intend
editing your movies and don’t mind the extra cost, a mini dvd camcorder does offer
extraordinary convenience.

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenny_Hemphill
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DVD Digital Camcorder Buying Tips
By Michael Gentleman

A DVD digital camcorder can be a great way to preserve family memories. The DVD digital camcorder is well know for it’s user friendliness. The mini discs that you use come in a variety of ways. A rewritable disc is available as well as a one time write disc.

When using a DVD digital camcorder you will most likely have to finalize the disc before you can watch it in your DVD player. DVDs are a safe and easy way to archive your most treasured memories for many years to come. If you are in the market for a DVD digital camcorder there a few things you may want to consider before making your final purchase.

Image quality is one of the most important factors involved in making an educated purchase. Check to see how well the camera performs in low and high light situations. Does it wash out people’s faces when the light is too bright or is it difficult to see clearly in low light? How is the color? Does the camera faithfully reproduce what you see in real life? All of these factors will determine the quality with which your DVD will play back.

Make sure that the voice recording device is adequate for what you will be using it for. Look to see if it comes with an external microphone jack. If the particular model you are looking at does not offer this feature you may be disappointed by what you hear during DVD play back. You may hear a lot of camera noise instead of the joyful sounds of your friends and loved ones. If you have to go with a lower end camcorder say below $500.00 you should pay close attention to these details. Do a little bit of shopping and don’t be scared to ask questions.

Most stores will let you try out camcorders. Feel free to spend a little bit of time playing with the buttons and try a few sample recordings. This will give you a good idea of what the final DVD will look and sound like. So, go out there find you a wonderful DVD digital camcorder and begin making memories and wonderful video footage to be enjoyed by all those around you.

Mike writes about dvd digital camcorders with product reviews. If you are interested in dvd digital camcorders then visit his website for further information. http://dvddigitalcamcordersguide.com

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Choosing A DVD or Video Camcorder
By Victor Epand

Mini dvd camcorders use a tiny tape while mini dvd camcorders use a small dvd disc. As far as what camcorder to choose. It all comes down to what you want to do with the final video. If you’re looking for a camera to make video productions that you will edit on a computer, go with a mini dvd camcorder. Going with this option means the use of video editing software and can become a time consuming process: Capture video from the mini dvd tape onto your computer (no quality loss), edit that captured video using free or low cost editing software, distribute your edited video out to a dvd using your dvd burner.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one camera you can take on, say, a cruise and instantly make a dvd without any editing for all to view in any dvd player, go for the dvd camcorder. There are two forms of consumer cameras. dvd Camcorders, that is great for people who don’t want to make changes. Shoot, take the dvd out and then put it in a dvd player. The advantage is pretty straightforward. You can just edit without having to capture (depending on the editing system + hardware.)

I want to make sure we’re not talking about capturing on, say, a still camera as an avi.I’m talking about the $500+ systems that attach to the back of cameras like the XL-1s from canon.

It stores footage in MPEG-2 format. In MPEG-2 format, not every frame has all the information. That’s how you can store hours of footage on a dvd . MiniDV Camcorders (which uses fire wire, and you’d have to get a card for your computer that uses fire wire), permit you to capture the data off the tape in the camera. The footage is stored in “DV format’, where every frame has all the data. I’d pick MiniDV (if you want to be able to easily edit it). You’ll need a fire wire card. The tape stores the 0s and 1s (which is data). Fire wire permits you to slurp the data from the tape and edit it on the computer.

Not a “camcorder”, but a simple 8mm movie camera made for the typical point-and-shoot amateur photographer. Eastman Kodak made several million Brownie 8mm movie cameras in the 1950’s and early 1960’s, both with single lens and multiple lenses. The crank on the side winds up a spring motor, and then you can shoot about 20 seconds of film at a time. I’m afraid these cameras have no historical significance at all, they remain common as dust today, they are virtually unusable, and so they rarely sell for much more than $20.

After you install the new drivers from your camcorder manufacturer, try to switch the USB port, and then check the USB port version, if it is the same with the camera. You can find this in the camera’s documentation. Connect the camera by USB (it must be power off), and after that press the “power on” button, wait a little and go to My Computer, there must be a new driver, go on it and copy the files.

For best quality video, you need to transfer MiniDV or Digital8 video from your camcorder to your computer with IEEE 1394, commonly called FireWire or I. Link. USB will not work well with most camcorders to transfer video as they output USB 1 not “High Speed” USB2. USB is normally used for transferring still images and web cam features. Most editing programs will not transfer with USB; if they do it will not be the best possible video quality.

There are some dvd burners out there that do have a direct connection to the recorder available. The link is one such interface – it’s a Sony spec I believe. Generally, when you download video to a computer, the computer has to store the images digitally on a memory system at least temporarily because the ram is limited and video eats tons of memory.

Once it’s on your hard disk, there are numerous programs available like Avid Pro that will allow you to edit and manipulate the video like a professional. You can add titles, fades, intersect clips, add sound tracks you name it. Once you’re done editing, then you can select an option to permanently record it to a dvd if you like. You can also simply record it without editing of course.

Once the video is stored on the dvd , it’s basically permanent, unless you obtain dvd +RW discs, in which case you can record over it, erasing the original recording.

I’d recommend always recording the original video first to a dvd or some other permanent storage medium, and then upload the video from the dvd disc to a computer for editing. Once you’re done editing, use another DVD disc and burn it with your edited version. This way you always have the original handy and you can put it and the edited version in a safe place for the future when you’re an old fart like me and want to cry watching your little kids playing in the backyard.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.SellUsedCamcorders.com Sell Used Camcorders is a community of camcorder sellers from around the world. If you have camcorders to sell, click here to create a Camcorder Account: http://www.SellUsedCamcorders.com/merchant/signup.html

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