DVD recorders: How to buy
Which should you choose?
There're many different ways you can watch and store TV
The multiplicity of ways we can now access TV – analogue, digital, Sky, cable, Freeview – has led to an explosion in the types of TV recorders on offer. This can make it difficult to decide what’s best for you.
If you just want to record TV
If all you want to do is record TV programmes with the minimum of fuss we’d recommend you go for a standalone PVR that records to an internal hard drive. For ease of use they’re hard to beat, though they’re not suitable for long-term archiving.
If you want record and archive TV
If you’re after long-term storage or the ability to share recordings with family and friends a DVD recorder is a better option.
There are essentially 3 choices – a basic DVD recorder is the modern-day equivalent of the VCR and lets you record onto discs over and over again. But you’ll only get 2 hours of good quality recording time per disc – you can push it further to 3 or 4 hours but quality will suffer.
DVD recorder/PVR/VCR combi
If you fancy a DVD recorder but want massive amounts of recording time too it’s worth considering one with a built-in hard disk drive.
You’ll be able to record at least 68 hours of programmes before the drive is full and you can copy those programmes you want to keep longer-term or share to DVD disc.
If you want to use Freeview and record TV
If you get your digital TV via Freeview choose one with a built-in digital tuner (a DVD/PVR). Not only is this approach much more clutter-free, with an all in one box replacing a separate DVD Recorder and Set Top Box, not to mention only needing one remote control, but selecting recordings from the DVD/PVR's own electronic programme guide is a significantly easier process.
If you want to use VCR and record TV onto DVD
If you still want to play back old video tapes then you could buy one with a built-in VCR - a one-box solution for all your recording needs though they can be complicated to use, and the best one is expensive.
Check before you buy
If you get the chance to demo the recorder in the shop pay particular attention to the following:
It's crucial that your remote is easy to use
Layout and feel of remote
The remote control is your interface with the machine. It's crucial to find one that is sensibly laid out, comfortable and easy to use.
Disc loading times
Patience is a virtue when operating a DVD recorder. Compared to VCRs and PVRs many are slow to record, taking on average well over a minute to start recording on a new unformatted disc.
Check on-screen menus/EPG
The on-screen menus for programming and, if it’s got one, the EPG are the ways through which you’ll be interacting with the recorder. Design and layout of these is crucial and affect how easy the recorder is to use.
From what we’ve seen to date this can result in an improved picture but results are variable and it depends on what TV you are connecting to. At present this feature seems of limited value so don't pay over the odds for one with this.