DVD Recorder with HDMI input

Any stand-alone DVD recorder is going to record DVD-video discs, which are required to use a resolution of 720x480 by the DVD-video standard. It is possible to burn other files to a DVD, such as an AVCHD file, but such a disc does not qualify as DVD video and will not play in a "normal" DVD player (although most Blu-ray players can handle such non-standard discs). In short, you will need to transfer the recorded file to your computer and burn it to a DVD with whatever DVD-authoring software you have.

To my knowledge, there is no such thing as a DVD player/burner with HDMI, because such a thing would be pointless. DVD doesn't support HD video, and DRM/general copy protection paranoia prevents all such devices from having digital inputs to make bit-for-bit copies of videos. The DVD-video format only supports MPEG-2, and HD requires such high bitrates with that old codec that DVDs don't really have enough storage capacity for HD video (but even if they did, the 720x480 resolution restriction forbids it, anyway). You certainly can burn MPEG-4 video files to a DVD with a computer, but no self-contained DVD recorder would have such an option. They are all geared towards burning DVD-video discs.

Actually, what I think you really want is a firewire connection between the camera and the recorder (PC) and not HDMI. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you play a video, HDMI is transporting the fully rendered frames to, presumably, the display. This means the recording device will have to take the fully rendered frames -- which were derived from a lossy codec to begin with -- and encode them with another lossy codec (presumably H.264/AVC). So you will suffer a generation loss in the transfer -- it is not exactly bit for bit through HDMI.

Doesn’t the Canon ELPH 310 HS record video to H.264 and PCM audio and store the data to SDHC Memory Cards? If so then your best bet is to take the SDHC Memory Card out of the camera and put into a PC memory card reader. Transfer the files bit for bit into PC and edit / author / burn to disc. You just need to make sure you get software that can nativly handle the canon recorded H.264 video and PCM audio.

As Kelson said taking it out via HDMI and recoding back to H.264 will suffer a generation loss. HDMI will output uncompressed which is lossless (which means as good as the original data) but encoding the uncompressed video back to H.264 or any compressed lossy codec will cost you a generation hit. Plus you would have to transfer real-time via HDMI but taking the SDHC Memory Card out and tranfering the data that way will be much faster and lossless if you keep it bit for bit.

I didn't bother looking up the model and I'm not into video cameras, but if it is as you have said -- which seems more than reasonable for a modern camera -- the previous discussion is moot. Put the card in a PC like you would do for any still camera and use the software that is probably supplied with the camera to process the video.

I got the impression that the TC's priority was avoiding the use of PC programs, rather than recording speed, which was why he wanted to output the video to a DVD recorder instead of simply transferring the file to a PC to burn it. Unfortunately, that isn't an option if he wants to preserve the HD video, regardless of how inefficient it might be.

If you can spare a $1,000 you can get a JVC HDD/Blu-Ray recorder that has a SD/SDHC memory card slot. The deck works with high def H.264. Before you purchase make sure you find out for sure its 100 percent compatible with your canon video laid on the SD SDHC cards. I’m betting it is! I'm thinking it will preserve bit for bit as well.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/652210-REG/JVC_SR_HD1250US_SR_HD1250US_Blu_ray_Disc.html

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/features.jsp?model_id=MDL101892