[kwebbotaurus]

Which is the best option?:

1) Hard Drive Recorder (with Freeview) + DVD Recorder (no Hard Drive)
2) Freeview + Hard Drive DVD Recorder

I have an analogue widescreen tv and would want to back up (and edit) recordings to DVD + archive VHS recordings

I've got (1) (that is Fusion FVRT100 and Panasonic E55) which I mainly use for recoding films and committing to DVD-R. It's not the best solution because the main thing you want to do is edit out the advert breaks. The Fusion doesn't allow this and the E55 only allows you to cut sections if you record to expensive DVD-RAM discs but there's no such editing when using DVD-R. So the only real option is to record to DVD-RAm and keep them (on discs that cost more than £1 each!) or to take either DVD-RAM or DVD-R to the PC, read the data and edit there then burn back to DVD-R. But the whole point is you want to be able to do this with a box in your living room not fanny around with a PC upstairs.

I think the Freeview+DVDR-HDD might be the better option as the HDD part of the recorder will have better editing facilities (a bit like a large DVD-RAM in the box!). However the downside of this is that you miss out on all the great Freeview PVR fetaures like dual tuner (watch/record, record/record/library playback, pause TV, rewind TV, etc. etc.)

It's a real tricky call. Ny the end of this year there could well be a number of dual tuner Freeview+HDD+DVDR machines which (hopefully) will be the ULTIMATE solution.

Cliff

I have just bought a Panasonic DMRE85 from Richer Sounds for £300 and at the moment I am just recording to HDD, but the onscreen editing is a piece of cake and when I what to burn to disk it looks a doddle. I also got a Toshiba SD24 combi for £59 at the same time so I can transfer any videos I want to Disk too.

[kwebbotaurus]

Originally Posted by ian_howe@btinte

I also got a Toshiba SD24 combi for £59 at the same time so I can transfer any videos I want to Disk too.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the Toshiba SD24?

Thanks for the replies, I suspected option 2 was the way to go!

[Bearded_Malc]

Originally Posted by clawson

Ny the end of this year there could well be a number of dual tuner Freeview+HDD+DVDR machines which (hopefully) will be the ULTIMATE solution.

Where have you read that?

I know the we the consumer would like such and why no produces such things now I don't know since DVR/HD recorders have an analogue tuner so a freeview tuner is a pretty obvious step. I wonder if there is pressure from broadcasters? Going straight from freeview to DVD would be an all digital process so perhaps the broadcaster are worried about their DVD sales? None of the freeview PVRs even have RGB on the archive (VCR) socket. Why?

Originally Posted by Bearded_Malc

Where have you read that?

Sony have already announced products for end this year but it looks like Tatung may be the first to release (http://www.tatungserver.de/en/news_p...05/02/1026.php) with these features - but it's the natural next "convergence" step anyway. You can already do this inside a HTPC so I don't think there's any reason why it shouldn't also be available in a consumer electronics device as well.

Cliff

some of the new Sony models due for release are HDD + DVD-R + Freeview, including the ability to pause live tv etc.

At least, thats what I interpreted from the homecinemachoice news story:
http://www.homecinemachoice.com/cgi-...ws.php?id=7614

superpixel

(we posted at the same time!). Yup, looks like we've both heard about the forthcoming Sony's

Cliff

[Bearded_Malc]

Thanks for that. Seems like there is even more reason to wait.

I was planning to go plasma soon together with freeveiw PVR and perhaps DVD Recorder for archiving. Seems like I need to rethink that, except the plasma