I will soon have to move from recording with vcrs to dvds as I use a lot
of tapes and they are now hard to get easily in quantity. Are there any
DVD recorders that are easier than others to program ( set the time for
recording ) or are they all about the same ? I know I will have to get
rewritable blanks , is there any way to get to an unused portion of a
disc to record without fast forwarding thru the already recorded
material ? Are all the blank discs 4 hr. maximum or are there any 6 hr
discs ? thanks SD
>Are there any
>DVD recorders that are easier than others to program ( set the time for
>recording ) or are they all about the same ?
I always thought Panasonic had good user interfaces, but I haven't tried
everything.
>I know I will have to get
>rewritable blanks , is there any way to get to an unused portion of a
>disc to record without fast forwarding thru the already recorded
>material ?
This is the way they normally work.
>Are all the blank discs 4 hr. maximum or are there any 6 hr
>discs ?
It depends on your recorder. A disk holds a certain amount of data. The
recorder can compress the program more, thus fitting more time into the same
amount of data, but the more compression, the more damage done.
Every DVD uses lossy compression, meaning that some picture detail is
literally thrown away in order to decrease the amount of data required. If you
want less data (more time in the same space) you have to throw away more
picture data. I think 6-hour mode is unwatchable, and 4-hour is barely
tolerable. I always go for 2 hours per disk.
thanks, I'm accustomed to vcr EP on a 19 inch analog screen , so I may
not find the 6 hr. as much as a problem. I noted that the blanks listed
2 and sometimes 4 hr. options. Is there a 6 hr. option on some recorders
, do you know of any ( probably would not be listed on box ) ? Stephen
> Is there a 6 hr. option on some recorders
>, do you know of any ( probably would not be listed on box ) ?
My Cyberhome (out of business) and Panasonic (couple of years old) recorders
both had (have) 1, 2, 4, and 6 hour modes. I would think it would be listed on
the box as a feature.
On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:47:36 -0500, Kimba W Lion
<norepliesbyemail@norepliesbyemail.com> wrote:
>forneon@webtv.net (S D) wrote:
>
>> Is there a 6 hr. option on some recorders
>>, do you know of any ( probably would not be listed on box ) ?
>
>My Cyberhome (out of business) and Panasonic (couple of years old) recorders
>both had (have) 1, 2, 4, and 6 hour modes. I would think it would be listed on
>the box as a feature.
>
>--
>Intelligent Life Is All Around Us
>http://intelligentlife.info/
I've always wondered, does "6-hour mode" on these things basically
equal recording in MPEG-1/VCD res? I'd assume it'd have to, since I
can't hardly imagine full 720x480 at that low of a bitrate being
particularly watchable.
>I've always wondered, does "6-hour mode" on these things basically
>equal recording in MPEG-1/VCD res? I'd assume it'd have to, since I
>can't hardly imagine full 720x480 at that low of a bitrate being
>particularly watchable.
It _is_ pretty darn unwatchable. I'd rather watch a VCD. But, while I haven't
analyzed it, I doubt that the 6-hour recording is in VCD format.
"S D" <forneon@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:22033-4AE9A147-193@storefull-3251.bay.webtv.net...
> thanks, I'm accustomed to vcr EP on a 19 inch analog screen ,
> so I may
> not find the 6 hr. as much as a problem. I noted that the
> blanks listed
> 2 and sometimes 4 hr. options. Is there a 6 hr. option on some
> recorders
> , do you know of any ( probably would not be listed on box ) ?
> Stephen
>
I don't use stand alone recording nor DVDs, so take this with a
grain.
The standard for DVD encoding is the MPEG2 codec (that's the
method used to compress video onto a commercial DVD). It's a
felxible encoder, in that it will allow its user to use lower
and lower bit rates sacrificing a/v quality for file size.
However, in today's world - more than a decade after MPEG2's
creation - there are better encoders which produce equal or
better pictures at lower bit rates. You may have read of H.264
(a part of MPEG4, its name an indication of its level of
improvement).
If you can find a recorder which utilizes H.264 (or MPEG4 in
some other variation - divx (H.263) is an outgrowth) you can
place 8 or more hours on a DVD5 and still be very satisfied with
its viewing.
What I'm doing personally is utilizing a PC as a recorder and
terabyte hard drives to capture digital TV as is, no further
compression. This means that when I play it back - now, on
today's modest screen, or later on my dream screen - it will
look just the way it was transmitted. I might mention that
terabyte hard drives are less expensive than blank DVDs (per
gigabyte), and they're reusable;-0)
>I will soon have to move from recording with vcrs to dvds as I use a lot
>of tapes and they are now hard to get easily in quantity. Are there any
>DVD recorders that are easier than others to program ( set the time for
>recording ) or are they all about the same ?
**I have three recorders. One is a Toshiba D-R410KU and the other two
are Panasonic DMR-EA18Ks. I think the Tosh is easier to work with for
someone who is new, but the Panasonic has a wonderful feature called
Flex Recording (FR). Both recorders have their bad points and good
points so I suggest looking them up on avsforum.
>I know I will have to get
>rewritable blanks , is there any way to get to an unused portion of a
>disc to record without fast forwarding thru the already recorded
>material ?
**Why are you going to use rewritables? Are you transferring it to
another media? Rewritables don't have good reps for reliability and
longevity. If you're going to archive programs, then I would use DVD-
or +R.
If you have a DVD that is half empty, when you insert it into the
recorder and then set it to record, it will automatically record to
the empty section. No fast forwarding like VHS
> Are all the blank discs 4 hr. maximum or are there any 6 hr
>discs ? thanks SD
**As others have said, it's not the disc, it's your player. Both the
Tosh and Panny can do up to 8 hours on a single disc. Over two hours
per disc is really pushing it a bit quality-wise. I recorded a Rolex
Sports Car race on the 3-hour FR and I couldn't watch it. A VHS copy
of the race looks better.
I like the Panasonic a bit better because of the ability to flex
record. That means if there is a movie on Turner Classic Movies that
is 1 hour and 35 minutes long, I can tell the Panny to fit the movie
onto a whole, single disc. It ups the quality, while the Tosh can only
do 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours. The Panny will do whatever time you want.
(It also has the 1, 2, 4, 6, or 8 hours selection aside from Flex
Record.)
On the flip side, the Tosh is a bit easier to use in the beginning.
The front info panel will also give you more disc information while on
the Panny you have to hit Status button to get info. Visible times
while rewinding or fast forwarding, for instance. You can also fudge
times a bit while recording on the Tosh. By that I mean, you can ask
it to record 1 hour and 1 or 2 minutes on XP quality and it will burn
the disc. This works nicely if you are recording a 1 hour program and
want to "catch" the whole program properly. I haven't tried it on the
Panny because it gives you a little warning exclamation point when you
set the program to run a little long.
Both players can use dual-layer disc which will almost double
recording time on each disc. For instance, a DVD- or + R DL will
record 1 hour and 45 minutes on the best possible quality (XP) or 3
hours and 35 minutes on the second best (SP). (This is according to
the Panny instructions, I haven't used a DL, yet.)
Another tip, the Panny has a sterling reputation for VHS to DVD
transfer quality.
thanks for all the good information, I would use rewriteables as some
programs I keep , others I would just watch and record over. I take it
that the recorders can all record several programs at different times as
the vcrs can.....such as 9:59 to 11: 01 AM 1:59 to 3:01 PM and 4:59 to
7:01 PM , all settings made at once, or am I wrong ? Stephen
Recording DVD players 3 questions 
Linear Mode
