does it pay to get dvd/vcr recorder or just a plain dvd recorder with 1080p upconvert. I still want to tape tv shows so do I need to get one with a hard drive and do the ones with a hd also have the option to record to a dvd disk. Who usese a vcr to tape tv shown anymore

I did see a lg 1080p upconvert combo recorder at best buy for $279 so it this any good.

I can highly recommend the Philips DVDR3576H/37 available at Sams Club for $248. Has 160GB HDD, analog and digital tuners so you'll be future-proof, 36 timer rec program slots, 1080p upconvert, copy lots of tapes to HDD and edit there at your convenience, simple and easy to use.

Click on my signature for lots of organized info.

If you are still using a VCR, you will be amazed at how much better a DVDR with HDD (hard disc drive) is. You can program to record before and after a movie is scheduled, so if it runs long, you don't miss the end. You don't have to worry about running out of tape. Then, you edit of the the non-program stuff at the beginning and end, then burn just the program, and nothing else, to disc. You can record all your favorite programs while you are on vacation, and not run out of tape. Of course, the picture quality is way better than VHS, or SVHS.

I have older relatives I have to deal with, who prefer tapes still for tv shows. My mother in particular, prefers her vcr. I tried to convert her to dvd with a Panny combo, but she's an old school, 'turn it off when you're not using it' kind of person, and she hated not being able to simply pick up where she left off watching on a tape (turning off the unit results in the stopping point being lost), vs, needing to go thru menu screen to find the show she left off, then ff'ing thru it to get to the place she stopped watching. on a dvd.

By default, a program recorded to the HDD of a Toshiba RD-XS35 resumes playing where you stopped watching it, even if you turn the unit off in the interim. I suppose there must be other models with the same convenient feature. Where this is an advantage over a VCR is that you can do this for as many programs as you have on the HDD, as opposed to only one spot on one VCR tape.

Yeah, on my Pio, the HDD playback resumes where you left it. On most, if not all, of my DVD players, if you just stop play with a single push of the stop button, the DVD will resume play at the same spot later.

If you are looking to buy new in a big-name retail store, in the USA the only DVD/HDD game in town right now is the Phillips 3576. The usefulness of its hard drive far, FAR outweighs the utility of the more common VHS/DVD combo recorders. Unless you have many tapes you plan to keep using and are very tight for space, current-model VHS/DVD combo recorders are overpriced, crude and not nearly as useful as their earlier versions were.

For roughly the same amount of money, a Phillips 3576 with hard drive makes recording much easier long term, even for casual users. There are some on these boards who "accuse" those of us who promote DVD/HDD recorders as being "elitist", because they like the idea of an integrated VCR and strongly feel they don't need a hard drive. I emphatically disagree: even if you leave aside the considerable convenience features of the hard disk, it serves the absolutely crucial purpose of ALWAYS RELIABLE TIMER RECORDINGS. Recorders that only burn direct to DVD have always entailed some risk of timer recording failure due to some minor disc glitch, this problem is getting worse and worse as the years go by and blank media gets cheaper and flakier. The hard drive feature guarantees a successful timer recording, every time: burning it to a DVD requires a few extra minutes but is well worth it- if the blank disc fails, you still have the program on the hard drive and can try another disc.

In my opinion, with todays blank media market being a total crapshoot, the hard disk feature is invaluable, and much more important than an integrated VCR. If you need to play VHS tapes or transfer them to DVD, just pick up a good used Panasonic, Quasar, Mitsubishi or Sharp for $20 and plug it into the DVD recorder as necessary.

If you are looking to buy new in a big-name retail store, in the USA the only DVD/HDD game in town right now is the Phillips 3576. The usefulness of its hard drive far, FAR outweighs the utility of the more common VHS/DVD combo recorders...In my opinion, with todays blank media market being a total crapshoot, the hard disk feature is invaluable, and much more important than an integrated VCR. If you need to play VHS tapes or transfer them to DVD, just pick up a good used Panasonic, Quasar, Mitsubishi or Sharp for $20 and plug it into the DVD recorder as necessary.
I couldn't agree with you more! Both of these statements are undenyable as far as I'm concerned. The utility of the hard drive is decisive. The blank media market becoming less reliable all the time, makes the hard drive even more valuable.

does it pay to get dvd/vcr recorder or just a plain dvd recorder with 1080p upconvert. I still want to tape tv shows so do I need to get one with a hard drive and do the ones with a hd also have the option to record to a dvd disk. Who usese a vcr to tape tv shown anymore

I did see a lg 1080p upconvert combo recorder at best buy for $279 so it this any good.

IMO the only reason for the VCR part would be for people who emphatically don't want 2 separate units or those who just want a simple way to copy a tape but might not care about PQ or editing that much. Lets face it my guess is most people probably don't get around to converting their tapes anyway, it's just the idea that they might, if given enough time...... I personally bought a combo player several years ago with that exact purpose and truthfully I've only probably converted 10% of my VHS collection. I'm converting most now as I watch them. Sometimes I use my combo unit but most of the time I prefer the simplicity of 2 separate units. That's right I said simplicity of 2 separate units. To me it's easier to use 2 separate units than fumble with one remote trying to figure if I'm controlling the VHS part or the DVD part.
As far as LG recorders check the threads but I believe most people have not had too good luck with LG recorders. I personally had a combo unit for a few days and then returned it due to poor PQ.
The Philips unit would work nice for you if you could find a decent VCR to feed into it. Otherwise I guess if you really wanted the combo unit I'd suggest the Panasonic EZ-48 or if you didn't need the digital tuner look at a EZ-38. Costco and Sams sell the EZ-48 for ~$270

I can highly recommend the Philips DVDR3576H/37 available at Sams Club for $248. Has 160GB HDD, analog and digital tuners so you'll be future-proof, 36 timer rec program slots, 1080p upconvert, copy lots of tapes to HDD and edit there at your convenience, simple and easy to use.

Click on my signature for lots of organized info.

does this philips also record to a blank dvd besides the hard drive. I have a dvr with a hard drive from my cable company and it is great. My wif still likes a vcr , but I will only buy dvd recorders now as I am planning to get a 1080p hd lcd tv which will only be a samsung.

does this philips also record to a blank dvd besides the hard drive. I have a dvr with a hard drive from my cable company and it is great. My wif still likes a vcr , but I will only buy dvd recorders now as I am planning to get a 1080p hd lcd tv which will only be a samsung.
Yes, it has an on-board DVD drive in addition to the 160GB HDD. You can record directly to a DVD, if desired, or rec to HDD then high-speed copy to DVD for a mirror-image (lossless) copy later.

Your wife will love a HDD recorder... no more disks or tapes to handle just to record her shows, and can go on 1-month vacation and STILL record all your shows, even if you're in Poughkeepsie! :D

I bought a VCR/DVD Recorder combo about a year ago, for the sole purpose of dubbing old family VHS tapes to a digital form. The unit I bought was fairly inexpensive: Magnavox MWR20V6. At the time I started this project, I did not own a VCR, so the combo player seemed a natural. I have now dubbed over many of those VHS and VHS-C videos. In most cases, I have then copied the .vob files from the dubbed DVD to my computer hard drive and edited them with Windows Movie Maker. I often make a composite movie using various family events as a collection. The resulting finished video I burn to a final DVD using Windows DVD Maker. This has all worked very well, and has made some nice Christmas presents for family.

I still have one issue, however: when I dub a VHS tape to a blank DVD (and finalize it), the resulting DVD will play in the Magnavox unit, will play in my computer DVDRW drive, but will not play in a standalone Panasonic DVD player that I also have. I have yet to figure that out. What I need to do is to take one of the dubbed DVD to yet another DVD player somewhere and see if the 'non-playing' shows up on other standalone players, and I will do that.

retexan599, what blanks are you using when you make these disks? The make, varity, and speed rating would be helpful.

I find it hard to recommend a DVD recorder without a hard drive, because I find the HDD so very valuable. In the current market, I have little to recommend, obviously. I think the utility of a hard drive far outweighs the advantages of a combo unit. I have had some older tapes that would only play on one or another VHS deck. Having more than one VHS player available is valuable too. The combo units are convenient, but they appear to deliver less than they promise.

retexan599, what blanks are you using when you make these disks? The make, varity, and speed rating would be helpful.

I find it hard to recommend a DVD recorder without a hard drive, because I find the HDD so very valuable. In the current market, I have little to recommend, obviously. I think the utility of a hard drive far outweighs the advantages of a combo unit. I have had some older tapes that would only play on one or another VHS deck. Having more than one VHS player available is valuable too. The combo units are convenient, but they appear to deliver less than they promise.

The discs I was using were Maxell DVD+R(16X). To run a test, today I dubbed a Maxell DVD-R disc(8X) and it played just fine in the Panasonic DVD player whereas the dubbed DVD+R did not. I also looked at the Panasonic manual again, and see that it lists DVD–R as ‘Discs that can be played’, but does not mention DVD+R anywhere in the manual, not even in the section ‘Discs that cannot be played’. The odd thing is that the Panasonic will play a DVD+R burned in my computer DVDRW burner, but not one made on the Magnavox Recorder. Always learning...

The DVD-R is the original format for home-recorded DVDs. The DVD-R format was designed to be compatible with existing DVD players.

The DVD+R format entered the marketplace in around 2004. DVD player and recorder manufacturers gradually began introducing products that would support this format. Toshiba was one of the last manufacturers to support DVD+R with products marketed in 2007.

The DVD Forum, an association of product manufactrers and others, first recognized DVD+R as an official format on 25 January 2008.

The DVD-R is the original format for home-recorded DVDs. The DVD-R format was designed to be compatible with existing DVD players.

The DVD+R format entered the marketplace in around 2004. DVD player and recorder manufacturers gradually began introducing products that would support this format. Toshiba was one of the last manufacturers to support DVD+R with products marketed in 2007.

The DVD Forum, an association of product manufactrers and others, first recognized DVD+R as an official format on 25 January 2008.

My Panasonic DVD-RV32 player was purchased in July 2003, so perhaps that explains why no reference to DVD+R in the manual. Thanks.

My Panasonic DVD-RV32 player was purchased in July 2003, so perhaps that explains why no reference to DVD+R in the manual. Thanks.
While that sounds possible in theory, it does not explain why the machine will play +R disks made with your computer burner, but not your DVD recorder. This is one of those weird mysteries about this stuff. Why do some recorders prefer some brands of blank media, but hate others, and a different manufacturer's recorder likes the blanks the first one didn't but IT doesn't like the ones the first one did? Nothing is completely straightforward normal. :confused:

Another possible though. My older Apex DVD player will not play +R or any RW media. It will also not play -R discs if recorded in a speed faster than 2hrs/disc. IOW it won't play a disc recorded in XP. I think Citibear once explained it by saying some older DVD players were unable to process the faster bit rate associated with the XP speed(or something to that effect).

I have had some older tapes that would only play on one or another VHS deck. .

I recently purchased a Samsung vcr/dvd combo and some of my old family tapes (1986-1987) have a severe stutter when played in the new unit? I played them in an older sony model and they are fine , so its not the tape.Is this a common problem, and if I convert to DVD from the combo will I still get the stutter or do I have to hook up the older player to the new combo unit? What a mess..

I recently purchased a Samsung vcr/dvd combo and some of my old family tapes (1986-1987) have a severe stutter when played in the new unit? I played them in an older sony model and they are fine , so its not the tape.Is this a common problem, and if I convert to DVD from the combo will I still get the stutter or do I have to hook up the older player to the new combo unit? What a mess..

This is a very common problem. It's best to use a VCR to play the videotapes when copying them to DVD.

I've been there, done that:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13955310#post13955310

Notice especially my observation:

"I also experimented with the manual tracking override of a Samsung combo player/recorder but found that its digital tracking would reassert itself after a brief time rendering the Samsung useless as a player in the dubbing project."

This observation (without the added emphasis) was also found in a 4/11/08 version of that linked post. The Samsung model in question is the DVD-V5650; still found on Amazon with a 2 rating (out of a possible 5) in customer reviews.

With the current DVD combo recorders there is very little advantage to be found in such products. A VCR connected to a DVD recorder offers greater versatility and is to be prefered to current model combo recorders for copying videotaped recordings to DVD.

If you are still using a VCR, you will be amazed at how much better a DVDR with HDD (hard disc drive) is. You can program to record before and after a movie is scheduled, so if it runs long, you don't miss the end. You don't have to worry about running out of tape. Then, you edit of the the non-program stuff at the beginning and end, then burn just the program, and nothing else, to disc. You can record all your favorite programs while you are on vacation, and not run out of tape. Of course, the picture quality is way better than VHS, or SVHS.

This is a very common problem. It's best to use a VCR to play the videotapes when copying them to DVD.

I've been there, done that:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13955310#post13955310

Notice especially my observation:

"I also experimented with the manual tracking override of a Samsung combo player/recorder but found that its digital tracking would reassert itself after a brief time rendering the Samsung useless as a player in the dubbing project."

This observation (without the added emphasis) was also found in a 4/11/08 version of that linked post. The Samsung model in question is the DVD-V5650; still found on Amazon with a 2 rating (out of a possible 5) in customer reviews.

With the current DVD combo recorders there is very little advantage to be found in such products. A VCR connected to a DVD recorder offers greater versatility and is to be prefered to current model combo recorders for copying videotaped recordings to DVD.


I bought the DVD-VR375 model .Some of my tapes seem OK and some stutter. So I guess my family tape to DVD project should be done from my older player hooked to the recorder? So it was really a waste to buy the combo for this project.Do you suggest gold archive dvd's for family tapes or a good silver dvd?

I bought the DVD-VR375 model .Some of my tapes seem OK and some stutter. So I guess my family tape to DVD project should be done from my older player hooked to the recorder? So it was really a waste to buy the combo for this project.Do you suggest gold archive dvd's for family tapes or a good silver dvd?

There are many AVS discussions of blank DVD media. Generally the premium line Taiyo Yuden are considered to be the best. These are found at various online sellers. While I have not yet purchased Taiyo Yuden media, my daughter has. She advises me that these are the best.

I have used a great many TDK and Maxell discs, and somewhat fewer Verbatim discs, mostly of the DVD-R format, and with very good results. I understand that TDK no longer manufactures their own discs with the result that their recent quality may have suffered. TDK has been my most frequently used brand. I have used all the TDKs I had on hand. I am currently using Maxell, my second most frequently used brand. I am more than half way through one spindle of Maxells with another unopened spindle of 100 Maxells and one unopened spindle of 100 Verbatims on hand, perhaps a three month supply. I expect my next purchase will be Taiyo Yuden media. My home-recorded DVD archive is approaching 4,000 discs. (My disc numbering system is based upon date and finalizing order rather than an actual number, i.e., the second disc finalized today would be 080622B, so I don't have an actual number for my disc archive.)

For a time I used Memorex DVD-R. Suddenly, in the late spring of 2007, I began finding one in every six Memorex discs failed when used among my several Panasonic recorders. I switched to TDK discs and the failures immediately stopped, thus indicating defective Memorex discs rather than failure of my recorders. I have not used Memorex media since that time. Many others report immediate or longevity problems with Memorex media.

Your Samsung combo recorder was not a wasted purchase. Just connect your present VCR to one of the Samsung's composite inputs (yellow for video, red and white for audio), play your tapes on your present VCR and record on the Samsung from that input instead of its internal VHS section.

If you are still using a VCR, you will be amazed at how much better a DVDR with HDD (hard disc drive) is... ...Then, you edit of the the non-program stuff at the beginning and end, then burn just the program, and nothing else, to disc...[Although I'm already fairly confident of the answer regarding my EZ17 (i.e. NOhttp://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon4.gif), I'm going to ask "just to be sure"...]

WHAT is required to be able to edit the non-program stuff in the middle?

I have a Panasonic DMR-EZ17 and I just purchased several Panasonic DVD-RAM discs which have increased its flexibility (i.e. I can now DIVIDE and CREATE (where-I-want-them) CHAPTERS http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon14.gif). But, I cannot see any way to edit the commercials (from the MIDDLE ala ''SCENE DELETE, MID-CUT -- Deleting a Specific Scene/Commercial from a Title": Title EDIT/DELETE and Using/Editing CHAPTER MARKS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12298466&postcount=17)). Is the PC my only available option?

Can *EVERY* DVDR with a HDD edit the MIDDLE?

Per the advice from members of this forum, I recently purchased a LG GSA-H55NK DVD burner for my PC (since my two current DVD burners wouldn't recognize DVD-RAM discs), but, I haven't been able to install it yet.

Thanks!

UPDATE: Related thread - Editing discs made with DVD recorder (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1042151)

I'm not familiar with the EZ17, but if you can create chapters, can you also delete some of those chapters? If so, make the commercial breaks into chapters, then delete those.

Your Samsung combo recorder was not a wasted purchase. Just connect your present VCR to one of the Samsung's composite inputs (yellow for video, red and white for audio), play your tapes on your present VCR and record on the Samsung from that input instead of its internal VHS section.

One other question , should I get 8x or 16x blank DVD's is one better than the other? You can tell I'm new to this.


Thanks for your help and answers to my questions.

[Although I'm already fairly confident of the answer regarding my EZ17 (i.e. NOhttp://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon4.gif), I'm going to ask "just to be sure"...]

WHAT is required to be able to edit the non-program stuff in the middle?

I have a Panasonic DMR-EZ17 and I just purchased several Panasonic DVD-RAM discs which have increased its flexibility (i.e. I can now DIVIDE and CREATE (where-I-want-them) CHAPTERS http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon14.gif). But, I cannot see any way to edit the commercials (from the MIDDLE ala ''SCENE DELETE, MID-CUT -- Deleting a Specific Scene/Commercial from a Title": Title EDIT/DELETE and Using/Editing CHAPTER MARKS). Is the PC my only available option?

RAM discs can be editted with ease. Just surround the commercial breaks or whatever section you're sure you don't want, then open the title in chapter view mode (Sub Menu>Chapter View), select the unwanted portions with the pause button, then erase them. Just be sure you check those sections you want gone beforehand carefully. Once you delete, it's gone for good.

One other question , should I get 8x or 16x blank DVD's is one better than the other?

Either are fine for home-recording use.

The speed rating of DVD blanks becomes a factor when doing high-speed dubbing on a hard drive DVD recorder or making copies of a DVD on a computer DVD burner.

For that reason I think most people prefer the 8x discs if available. They seem to provide a better burn.

CTL:A RAM disc acts basically like a small HDD. You are able to delete segments anywhere on the disc as Westly-C stated. AFAIK all DVDRs with a HDD allows deletion anywhere on the drive. It's one of the big pluses of a HDD equipped DVDR.

Can *EVERY* DVDR with a HDD edit the MIDDLE?

Definitely, they can. I just mentioned "the beginning and end" because I was referring specifically to movies, meaning commercial free ones. The only caveat is that in Video Mode, the most universally compatible recording mode, edits have to begin and end on a key frame, so your edits may be almost 1/2 second off where you want them. Usually, there is sufficient black space between program and commercial so that this is not a problem.




One other question , should I get 8x or 16x blank DVD's is one better than the other? You can tell I'm new to this.


I like 16x just fine, but the MOST important thing is to get good quality blank DVDs. The consensus around here is that Taiyo Yuden, available online, are the best. Verbatim, available in lots of stores, are the best generally available of line. I use those, and have burned many hundreds, with only one or two coasters. Most people place Memorex at the very bottom of the heap.

I like 16x just fine, but the MOST important thing is to get good quality blank DVDs. The consensus around here is that Taiyo Yuden, available online, are the best. Verbatim, available in lots of stores, are the best generally available of line. I use those, and have burned many hundreds, with only one or two coasters. Most people place Memorex at the very bottom of the heap.

These are my thoughts exactly, as well. I get my TY glossy hub printables here (http://blankmedia.ca/), but I'm sure that if you're in the US there are some fine places there, too.

Can *EVERY* DVDR with a HDD edit the MIDDLE?

I don't have experience with EVERY recorder, but I have never heard of one that could not edit like you are asking. If it could not, there would be a lot of returns, and some really angry people. There would also likely be plenty of posts here describing the problem.

One other question , should I get 8x or 16x blank DVD's is one better than the other? You can tell I'm new to this.

Assuming you can find them, as a general rule all 8x media is "better" than current 16x media, because the 8x dye formula is older, more compatible with more recorders, had better quality control, and is easier for the machine to burn. As a side benefit the 8x discs are usually of better overall quality so your burns are likely to remain stable for a longer time. Of course there were a few "off" batches of 8x, not all were perfect, I'm referring to the better-grade brands here. Taiyo Yuden still mfrs brand new 8x discs and they are the easiest to find online: excellent media. But sometimes you can find leftover stock of 8x Verbatim, TDK, Sony, Maxell: these are also very good and in some cases like TDK or Maxell the 8x is a night-and-day difference from the current near-garbage 16x media of the same brands. The move to lower-priced 16x media pretty much killed off all the individual brands, who now subcontract their generic 16x media to one or two huge conglomerates who make marginal media.

There is no clear answer why the majority of 16x media is worse-quality than the older 8x. The most common technical explanation is that 8x was fairly easy to accomplish but in going to 16x many mfrs merely "pushed" their 8x to go (unreliably) faster, much like photographers used to "push" 100-speed film to 800-speed with unpredictable results. In a world where most DVD standalones no longer have hard drives, the discs are being burned in real-time 1x speed anyway, so 16x is a complete waste. In the recorders with hard drives that can do high speed copying, the burn difference between 8x and 16x is often no more than a minute. The same applies to many PC burning situations: 16x does not offer some huge dramatic speed benefit over 8x unless you are involved in commercial duplication where a one or two minute difference multiplied many times a day can impact productivity. For consumer use, 16x media has largely proved to be a disaster, rendering thousands of perfectly good recorders and burners obsolete merely to accomodate the handful of very lucky PC users who actually do get a speed advantage using 16x on the latest burners.

Assuming you can find them, as a general rule all 8x media is "better" than current 16x media, .

Wow , thanks for the info Im learning alot fast. So Amazon has (Verbatim UltraLife¿ Gold Archival Grade DVD-R 4.7GB 8X, 50 pack) which are quite expensive, but if these do last as long as they say and are top quality I'd be willing to use them for home family tape conversion. What are your thoughts as I havent really heard much about this product ? Thanks again!

Sorry, I don't have any hands-on experience with Verbatim Ultralife Gold, so can't really tell you about them. Normal (non-gold) Verbatim UltraLife 8x DVD-R was about as good as you could buy, see if you can find any leftover stock of that at Rima or SuperMedia Store. Or, pick up some Taiyo Yuden Premium Silver Lacquer 8x DVD-R. Either would be much less expensive than gold media yet have very comparable archival qualities. While the gold reflective layer in those very expensive discs is indeed indestructible, the most fragile part of any disc is the dye layer that holds the actual recorded data. Verbatim UltraLife 8x discs used outstanding AZO dyes, Taiyo Yuden uses a different but also very robust dye. Unless you live in an extremely humid environment like Florida, the gold discs are a bit of an overkill. If you can afford the cost, they give extra piece of mind, but they are PRICEY for sure.

Current 16x Verbatim discs sold in retail stores uses a dye similar to the older 8x Verbatims but the discs are manufactured with subtle differences that cause compatibility issues with some burners and recorders. If you plan to use hardware made within the last year, 16x Verbatim is a good option that often goes on sale for $23/100 at office supply chains. Tho personally I prefer 8x media if I can find it.

A while back I bought some Verbatim 8x DataLifePlus, and when I opened the cakebox it had a sticker which read, "NOT COMPATIBLE WITH PIONEER 4x DRIVES (models A05, A06)," which is what I had in my compuuter at the time, so I put them aside and started using them later when I got my Toshiba RD-XS35 DVD Recorder. Unfortunately, even there they were unreliable, and I sometimes got errors doing high speed dubs and ended up with discs that were unreadable both in the unit itself and on a computer.

The exact same procudere has always worked flawlessly with both 8x and now 16x Taiyo Yuden injet hub printables, white or silver. YMMV.

A while back I bought some Verbatim 8x DataLifePlus, and when I opened the cakebox it had a sticker which read, "NOT COMPATIBLE WITH PIONEER 4x DRIVES (models A05, A06)," which is what I had in my compuuter at the time, so I put them aside and started using them later when I got my Toshiba RD-XS35 DVD Recorder. Unfortunately, even there they were unreliable, and I sometimes got errors doing high speed dubs and ended up with discs that were unreadable both in the unit itself and on a computer.

The exact same procudere has always worked flawlessly with both 8x and now 16x Taiyo Yuden injet hub printables, white or silver. YMMV.

Might the Verbatim discs have been of the +R or +RW format? Only Toshiba's latest DVD recorders support + media.

I'm new to the whole DVD burning thing and am currently deciding between the Panasonic EZ498VK (which I just purchased but haven't opened) and the Phillips dvdr3576, which I have yet to buy.

In my office, I just found a box of very old DVD discs. They are at least five years old and there are three of each: Memorex DVD-R and Memorex DVD-RW. I've been reading the forums and see that the 8x is much preferred to the 16x speed, however, on these, I don't see any speed listed. What's on the packaging is this:

Memorex DVD-R, Single Sided, Version 2.0, 4.7GB, 120 Minute Video. I don't see any speed listed at all. It does list the following times:

High Quality - 60 min, Standard Play - 120 minutes, Extended Play - 180 minutes, Extra Long Play - 240 minutes.

Any idea if these are good to use or are they too old/outdated to use in these new models?

Thanks!

Memorex discs are considered "landfill material" by many, including digitafaq.com which rates disc mfgrs and their media codes. Even if they burn successfully, they may "fade" to unplayable in a short time.

Also, a National Archivists Assoc. says, in their guidelines for archivists, that they should consider DVD media shelf life (before burning) to be 5 years.

Two strikes against using those 5-yr-old Memorex! ;)

Rewriteable discs (RW) use a "phase-changing" burn layer so they can be burned/erased/reburned many times, so that phase-changing nature argues against using them for long-term storage of precious memories. Use -R/+R since once they're burned, they won't be changing "phases"... they're burned for good (and that's why you can't erase and reuse them).

I know you want to copy old home movies to DVDs, but eventually you'll use very few discs if you get the 3576 cuz then you might be a timeshifter, like me, and start enjoying your HDD for watching your favorite shows recorded during the day or on at the same time as your OTHER favorite show, etc.

Might the Verbatim discs have been of the +R or +RW format? Only Toshiba's latest DVD recorders support + media.

-R


I agree with opinion here that Memorex is to be avoided. Some people are happy with Riteks, but I haven't been. I don't know if Princo still exists, but I'd stay away from that, too.

As an illustrious member here says in his sig, life is too short to drink bad wine or burn "cheap" media . . .

IMO the only reason for the VCR part would be for people who emphatically don't want 2 separate units or those who just want a simple way to copy a tape but might not care about PQ or editing that much. Lets face it my guess is most people probably don't get around to converting their tapes anyway, it's just the idea that they might, if given enough time...... I personally bought a combo player several years ago with that exact purpose and truthfully I've only probably converted 10% of my VHS collection. I'm converting most now as I watch them. Sometimes I use my combo unit but most of the time I prefer the simplicity of 2 separate units. That's right I said simplicity of 2 separate units. To me it's easier to use 2 separate units than fumble with one remote trying to figure if I'm controlling the VHS part or the DVD part.
As far as LG recorders check the threads but I believe most people have not had too good luck with LG recorders. I personally had a combo unit for a few days and then returned it due to poor PQ.
The Philips unit would work nice for you if you could find a decent VCR to feed into it. Otherwise I guess if you really wanted the combo unit I'd suggest the Panasonic EZ-48 or if you didn't need the digital tuner look at a EZ-38. Costco and Sams sell the EZ-48 for ~$270
I am one of those folks that wants to purchase a dvd/vcr combo, but I want one that will allow me to record one program while watching a different one. I've gotten all kinds of conflicting information from sales people, websites, and manufacturer. For example some folks at this website say it can't be done, a technician at an electronics repair shop says no way, but when I called Panasonic, their rep says, yes, no problem. There model DMR-EZ48VS will do the job for you. Can anyone out there provide concrete insite?

When you say watch one program while recording another one, what exactly do you mean?
Example are you on cable/SAT or OTA. Do you want to watch a VHS or DVD while recoding to the opposite drive? With a RAM disc you can be recording to the RAM disc while playing back the same or a different title on that RAM disc. Please let us know more specifics on what you want to do and maybe we'll be able to help.

I am one of those folks that wants to purchase a dvd/vcr combo, but I want one that will allow me to record one program while watching a different one. I've gotten all kinds of conflicting information from sales people, websites, and manufacturer. For example some folks at this website say it can't be done, a technician at an electronics repair shop says no way, but when I called Panasonic, their rep says, yes, no problem. There model DMR-EZ48VS will do the job for you. Can anyone out there provide concrete insite?
With any DVDR, you can set up like the 1st sketch in this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12298409&postcount=10) and record something from an antenna or cable while watching something else.

I am one of those folks that wants to purchase a dvd/vcr combo, but I want one that will allow me to record one program while watching a different one. I've gotten all kinds of conflicting information from sales people, websites, and manufacturer. For example some folks at this website say it can't be done, a technician at an electronics repair shop says no way, but when I called Panasonic, their rep says, yes, no problem. There model DMR-EZ48VS will do the job for you. Can anyone out there provide concrete insite?

Not sure If I already answered you elsewhere, if I'm repeating here, sorry:)!

You might be confused by conflicting answers because your question is not as simple as it seems: you need to be very very specific about how you receive your television signal or you will get the wrong answer. First, to clear the easiest part of this, no combo recorder currently available includes two separate tuners (one for the VHS and one for the DVD). This was of course the easiest way to manage two recordings at once but the feature never was that popular and was dropped three years ago. Certainly current Panasonics do not have this. One tuner is shared between the vcr and the DVD sections, you can record the same channel to both sections but not a different channel to each.

As to the rest, it depends on your TV reception. If you DO NOT have cable or satellite, and receive all of your TV stations for free off of an antenna, then yes you can record one channel on the combo recorder and watch another *using the tuner built into your TV*. If your TV is strictly a display panel with no built in tuner, you will be limited to recording and watching the same channel thru the combo decks own tuner.

If you use cable or satellite, it gets more complex. Much more. Most people have a decoder box from their cable/satellite company, if you do too then you are pretty much limited to recording the same channel you are watching. If you are very tech-savvy and understand antenna wiring, there are ways to hook up a switch that would let you record any "free" channel from your antenna using your combo decks tuner, while using the cable decoder box to watch a cable channel on your TV, or vice versa. Some people even rent two cable boxes- one for the TV and one for their recorder. Or, you can opt for a cable/satellite box with built-in recorder which can record two different programs internally while displaying a third on your TV (millions of people do this). Later, you can copy the programs from the cable box recorder to your DVD/VHS recorder.

A few people in a few areas are able to subscribe to cable that doesn't require a decoder box. This "basic" service tier does not usually include the better channels or anything like HBO. If this is how you are set up, again the combo deck can record one channel from its built in tuner while your TV, if it has its own tuner, can display a different channel. You might run into problems tuning all of the ATSC channels with this setup, since not every cable company feeds the ATSC channels in a way you can make use of without a decoder box.

Anything is possible if you have patience and skill at this kind of wiring, or can hire or "borrow" someone who does. Its one of those chores that seems easy after you've done it once, but if you've never done it you can get totally lost.

Not sure if the EZ-48 can do this, a actual owner might know, but with me ES-30 I can record one program using the internal tuner the DVD drive and using a external tuner record a different program to the VHS drive at the same time. I was never aware of a Panny that had dual tuners(going back to '05 anyway) maybe Pios or another brand had that feature.