The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: happyattacks on May 28, 2006, 12:37:44 PM
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This is more of a technical question, I suppose, but I'm sure the hard-core collectors have all done this already, but...
Was contemplating jumping into the new millenium and finally retiring the old VCR, especially in light of what's coming up this Wednesday... Now, My collection is very small, but now I'm looking for the best way to convert those old VHS's to DVD's. Are you better off to go with one of those DVDRecorder-VHS combo units, or is it just as well just hooking up the ol VCR into a stand-alone DVD recorder? Wasn't sure from a quality standpoint if it mattered or not, or if one way was better than the other. If anyone has any reccomendations on brand etc, that would be great too.
Thanks for input!
Matt :)
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[quote name=\'happyattacks\' post=\'119644\' date=\'May 28 2006, 12:37 PM\']
This is more of a technical question, I suppose, but I'm sure the hard-core collectors have all done this already, but...
Was contemplating jumping into the new millenium and finally retiring the old VCR, especially in light of what's coming up this Wednesday... Now, My collection is very small, but now I'm looking for the best way to convert those old VHS's to DVD's. Are you better off to go with one of those DVDRecorder-VHS combo units, or is it just as well just hooking up the ol VCR into a stand-alone DVD recorder? Wasn't sure from a quality standpoint if it mattered or not, or if one way was better than the other. If anyone has any reccomendations on brand etc, that would be great too.[/quote]
This doesn't answer your question, but since when has that stopped anybody in this forum? :)
I, too, am on the verge of leaping the great analog/digital divide. I'd love to convert my valued Hi-8 and VHS tapes to DVD-R, but I'm a bit perplexed by two basic things:
1. Apparently, DVDs are on their way out - technology marching forward, and all that. Which wouldn't necessarily bother me - I never threw away my vinyl phonograph records or quarter-inch magnetic audio recordings - but I'm a tad concerned about the technology becoming so obsolete in a relatively short time, and whether I would have easy access to that technology if my equipment were to break down. (Yeah, I know, go to eBay.)
2. My second, more major concern is: How long do burn-them-yourself DVDs last? The short-lived laserdisc revolution taught us the dangers of laser rot, but I'm worried about speculation that the DVDs you burn yourself may last only a decade or two before they start becoming unreadable. Something to do with the fact that do-it-yourself DVDs involve a heat process that converts dyes in the disk (this apparently is not an issue with professionally mastered DVDs).
As I'm sure any professional archivist would tell you, just because you convert your stuff to the latest thing doesn't mean you get rid of all the old stuff, because for all we know, the old stuff may hold up decades from now while the new stuff withers away in the meantime.
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Either way, you're limited more by the original tape quality than you are a composite interconnect, so it really doesn't matter. Just look for "time base correction" or something along those lines to help stabilize marginal videotapes before digitizing. There is a potential benefit to using a standalone VCR and DVD recorder - if you happen to have (or know anyone that has) a professional-level TBC sitting around, then you can use any random working VCR with any DVD recorder, to possible save a little money.
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[quote name=\'happyattacks\' post=\'119644\' date=\'May 28 2006, 09:37 AM\']
Now, My collection is very small, but now I'm looking for the best way to convert those old VHS's to DVD's.
[/quote]
Not a knock on the OP, who couldn't have known, but I'm wondering if it might not be a bad idea to do a little searching on the times in the past we've had this exact discussion and put 'em in the Archives? Might save some folks some effort in the future.
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1. Apparently, DVDs are on their way out - technology marching forward, and all that.
Hmmm....first I've heard of that. Are you talking about the upcoming Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs? I think regular DVDs will be around a while yet, and once machines that only record in Blu-Ray and HD become the standard, from the research I've done they should still read your old DVDs.
Technology is always marching forward (sometimes too fast for some of us!), but if you keep waiting there'll always be something new on the horizon, and you have to jump in somewhere.
I'm planning to buy a stand-alone DVD player with a built in hard drive, and hook up my VCR to it using RCA cables. I've also heard that Panasonic machines are probably the best - anyone here agree or disagree?
2. My second, more major concern is: How long do burn-them-yourself DVDs last?
If you use -R discs to burn, they burn once and should last (from what I've read) 20-25 years - as long as they're stored the right way. If you use -RW discs, those are the ones with a short shelf-life.
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I have a Panasonic standalone recorder with Hard Drive that I hooked up to a VCR via the RCA cables. I have had a few problems with it, but most were fixed with a firmware upgrade.
I think it is better to have a VCR and a DVD recorder rather than an "all-in-one" machine because from what I hear, if either part of it goes bad, the whole machine may no longer work.
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I'm an expert at this because I work for a TV production company that does home video duplications/conversions to/from DVD on the side (to complement our production business as well as to make a few extra bucks on the side). I've done tons of transfers from VHS to DVD (including my own stuff) over the past seven years, for myself as well as for clients and personal friends.
If you know anybody that works at a video place that does duplications/DVD conversions I'd first try to ask them if they can do you the favor (either over an extended period of time or after hours). They're the people that are more likely to have the three elements needed for a perfect VHS-to-DVD transfer: a professional playback unit, a Time-Base Corrector and a pro-sumer (or higher) DVD-recording device. TBC's are ideal to smoth and clean the image a bit, but realistically it's a tool only hardcore videophiles or people in the industry could have access to. So long as the VHS playback unit offers steady playback and the composite cables are solid (few VHS units have S-Video outputs, but if they had them I'd certainly go with those) the transfer shouldn't be a problem unless the material on the VHS is out-of-synch or badly recorded (flaws that will be magnified on the DVD recording and be permanent). Another variable: audio. If you can mix and equalize the audio to minimize hissing (which is present on almost any non-stereo VHS recording) you can end up with some pretty sweet sound. I actually re-recorded a large number of DVD's from Adam Nedeff's collection in real-time because his discs would not duplicate into digital clones, and in the process I EQ'ed them to excellent results. The '$100K Name That Tune w/Tom Kennedy' DVD's I made sound better than the originals I borrowed from Adam (and look about the same). Then again, I used for playback a $1,200 S-VHS professional VHS deck that had a built-in TBC (like this one only mine is a Panasonic and has all kinds of bells & whistles: http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3989737 (http://\"http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3989737\")).
Also remember that, like VHS, DVD has different speed recordings (1 hr, 2hr, 4hr, 6hr, etc.) but that if you try to record more than two hours on a DVD you're exceeding the format's ideal capacity and have to tolerate a noticeable drop-off in the quality of the moving picture (digital noise, artifacts and edge-enhancements galore). If you have something that doesn't look so good on VHS then it doesn't make sense to transfer it to DVD at a 3/4/6 hr mode to make it lose even more quality; the more bad the original material the more reason to record it at either 1hr (XP mode, the highest-quality recording) or 2hr mode (SP, the still-acceptable 2 hr mode). On the other hand B&W shows that aren't bad quality recordings (like, say, stuff recorded off of TV like 'What's My Line?') can be transferred to the DVD format's 4hr mode and it will still look fine. DO NOT EVER RECORD ANYTHING IN THE 6 HR MODE ON A DVD (OR SOMETHING IN COLOR OR FAST-MOVING AT 4 HR MODE)[/u] or the primary benefit of the VHS-DVD transfer (the retention of the quality of the recorded image without further degradation after repeated use, unlike VHS which loses a little bit of its quality with every playback session).
[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'119645\' date=\'May 28 2006, 01:18 PM\']
1. Apparently, DVDs are on their way out - technology marching forward, and all that. Which wouldn't necessarily bother me - I never threw away my vinyl phonograph records or quarter-inch magnetic audio recordings - but I'm a tad concerned about the technology becoming so obsolete in a relatively short time, and whether I would have easy access to that technology if my equipment were to break down. (Yeah, I know, go to eBay.)[/quote]
Consumer DVD recording technology has become standarized and come down so much in price that you'd be a fool not to utilize it now. You said it yourself: just because you're updating your VHS collection to DVD doesn't mean you throw away the tapes; you're just transferring them to format that will not degrade from repeated use as quickly as analog videotapes. We're at least at the halfway point of the DVD format's lifespan (and yes, you're coming a little late to the party) so recording/playback equipment will be with us at least until 2011 (if not longer). DVD is the new VHS, and we're still using VHS long after that technology has been considered past its prime, right? Better DVD recording technology is coming, but the one out right now is perfect for what we want to use it for: preserve barely-seen analog broadcasts that aren't readily available for purchase or broadcast. DVD is also analog-friendly and compatible with most regular TV's and low-end HDTV's, which are still what is most prevalent in most American homes instead of the high-resolution HDTV monitors that degrade the standard analog video signal as badly as Silverman degraded gameshows during its tenure as network boss.
[continued on post below]
[continued from post above]
DVD's are also not going anywhere because (1) HD-DVD & Blue Ray technology (the heir apparents to the format) are about to wage a battle for marketshare that will take a minimum of two years to clear things up (most consumers are planning to stick to DVD's), (2) the benefits of the two new formats will only be visible on material coded specifically to take advantage of higher display resolutions (network TV shows, live sporting events, pre-recorded HD-DVD/BR movies, etc.) and (3) there are no affordable HD-DVD/BR recording devices in the foreseeable future (heck, most HDTV videophiles are getting excited about the upcoming PlayStation 3 videogame system because it will offer a bare-bones BR playback unit for ONLY $600). With a good source VHS deck and a good brand name stand-alone DVD recorder (I wouldn't go double-deck unless I was buying something over $200 to ensure quality) you're as golden as you'll be for the next few years unless you're willing to spring for thousands of dollars for HTPC and professional de-interlacers (a format using high-end PC drives/software to emulate analog signals or HD one's on HD displays)... but that's another thread entirely!
2. My second, more major concern is: How long do burn-them-yourself DVDs last? The short-lived laserdisc revolution taught us the dangers of laser rot, but I'm worried about speculation that the DVDs you burn yourself may last only a decade or two before they start becoming unreadable. Something to do with the fact that do-it-yourself DVDs involve a heat process that converts dyes in the disk (this apparently is not an issue with professionally mastered DVDs).
DVD's will last as long as you can handle them with care. They're more fragile than VHS in that, if you scratch or damage the data portion of the disc, you might lose huge portions of the disc instead of just a few minutes of a VHS (which can be tossed and the broken videotape re-attached if you know what you're doing). Also, the codec (i.e. coding algorythms) of cheaper DVD recording machines from the likes of Coby, Sansui (Adam Nedeff's recording brand of choice) or any cheap-ass Korean DVD recorder is prone to use software compression to try to minimize the cost of its components. Brand-name recorders (Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, etc.) are likely to use proprietary MPEG-2 coding mechanisms that, at least in practice (and at the expense of a few extra hundred bucks) result in a much reliable home DVD recording that is less prone to malfunction. No home recorded DVD will work on every DVD playback unit on the market, but using a good DVD recorder ensures more compatibility and reliability than using a cheap-ass brand.
Just ask Adam! :-)
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Never mind what I said before, we need to archive THIS thread just to save that response. Excellent!
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Amen - I think that about covers the issue, from begining to end. Now let's start the debate - Which is better, DVD-R or DVD+R? <grins> Just kidding.
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I've also heard that Panasonic machines are probably the best - anyone here agree or disagree?
The TV production company I work for has six different DVD recorders: four DVD-R Panasonic (2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005 models, each costing $899 to 1,000 the years they were originally bought), a DVD-/DVD+RW Sony (2004 $799 model) and a $4,200 Pioneer unit that also authors/converts/plays back DVD-R to and from PAL/NTSC. OK I lied, my company only has five DVD units; I bought the 2001 Panasonic model for $599 back in 2003 for my own personal use. I still use it everyday to tape 'What's My Line?' episodes off of GSN as well as the 'Stargate' and 'Battlestar Galactica' shows on Sci-Fi (SP obviously). Although we've had our fair share of returned and rejected DVD recordings the Panasonic units have been the one's that have worked best and been the more reliable. Remember that this units do five or six DVD-R recordings (of various lengths and at different speeds) per day, so long-term reliability is important. Panasonic is a little more expensive but, from someone that works with them all day at work and then comes home to use one everyday, it's the go-to brand for DVD recording IMHO!
Now let's start the debate - Which is better, DVD-R or DVD+R? <grins> Just kidding.
They're identical with a tiny edge of quality going to DVD+R, but it's like S-VHS and VHS. S-VHS offers a marginal improvement over regular VHS, but VHS at SP (120 min.) speed is good-enough to make the benefits of S-VHS a necessity for only the hardest of hardcore videophiles. Panasonic and Apple don't even bother to include DVD+R playback compatibility with its players/recorders. Unless you have material recorded on DVD+R that you want to watch (which would need a readily available DVD player that plays both + and - R discs) I'd just use DVD-R discs and forget about DVD+R. Benefits of +R don't outweigh the headaches of trying to explain the differences between the two to the average laymen (which I have to do day in and day out... yuck!).
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The problem that I've had with +R is that there are still a good bit of recorders out there that just don't like it. It's certainly better than it used to be, but I can stick a -R into pretty much anything in the world and it will almost always work. With +R it's enough of a crapshoot that I've pretty much abandoned it, and as dad1153 said, the difference in quality (which I don't even notice, but I'm not analyzing things frame-by-frame, either) isn't worth the potential compatibility headaches, to the point where I've pretty much abandoned +R.
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[quote name=\'dad1153\' post=\'119665\' date=\'May 28 2006, 04:00 PM\']
I've also heard that Panasonic machines are probably the best - anyone here agree or disagree?
Panasonic and Apple don't even bother to include DVD+R playback compatibility with its players/recorders.
[/quote]
I don't know about Apple, but Panasonic machines (past 2004 or so) will definitely read and write DVD+R.
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[quote name=\'catnap1972\' post=\'119667\' date=\'May 28 2006, 05:19 PM\']
I don't know about Apple, but Panasonic machines (past 2004 or so) will definitely read and write DVD+R.
[/quote]
Consumer players maybe, but I have yet to find a Panny DVD recorder that supports +R. Apple DVD drives for its computers and laptops definitely do not record or support +R discs (unless those new Intel Core Duo chips do something I'm not aware of).
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Consumer players maybe, but I have yet to find a Panny DVD recorder that supports +R.
I sent one of my contacts a DVD+R, the only format in which I can record, and it damn near broke his Panasonic.
Not only did it refuse to play, but the DVD tray wouldn't open. He had to take it to the shop just to get the thing open.
--Jamie
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Fiono Coyne\' post=\'119671\' date=\'May 28 2006, 06:05 PM\']
I sent one of my contacts a DVD+R, the only format in which I can record, and it damn near broke his Panasonic. Not only did it refuse to play, but the DVD tray wouldn't open. He had to take it to the shop just to get the thing open.[/quote]
Same here, except I just unplug the DVD recorder and then plug it back. One out of two times this will allow us to eject the disc; the other time we have to unscrew the top cover of the unit and remove the disc manually (something you shouldn't do unless professionals have taught you how).
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Thanks for the informative thread!
I'm just getting serious about VHS-->DVD transferring, and have opted to go with a video capture device and accompanying video editing software that will allow me to burn DVDs on the Dell PC. Anything I should know for optimum results?
Thanks,
Randy
tvrandywest.com (http://\"http://www.tvrandywest.com\")
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[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' post=\'119683\' date=\'May 28 2006, 08:23 PM\']...have opted to go with a video capture device and accompanying video editing software that will allow me to burn DVDs on the Dell PC. Anything I should know for optimum results?[/quote]
Just that you should spend a few hours of free time doing research so you know what you're doing and getting into. For HTPC (Home Theater PC), which is what you're talking about, I'd start in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=26 (http://\"http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=26\")) from this website: http://www.avsforum.com/ (http://\"http://www.avsforum.com/\"). This is where A/V geeks go to share their hands-on findings. Very informative but you have to spend some serious time reading and re-learning stuff you thought you already knew. I'm shopping for an HDTV set and the A/V folks at this site have been extremely helpful in guiding me away from HDTV sets that aren't good at reproducing Standard Definition material (480i). Like, you know, thousands of VHS tapes and DVD discs full of gameshows!
P.S.: just curious Randy, what did you ever do with that car you won on 'PYL' back in '83? I've wanted to ask you for the longest time but, like Wayne and Garth, I didn't feel I was worthy of asking!
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Thanks for the links, and any other advice on VHS--> PC video capture -->DVD
[quote name=\'dad1153\' post=\'119686\' date=\'May 28 2006, 06:36 PM\']
P.S.: just curious Randy, what did you ever do with that car you won on 'PYL' back in '83? I've wanted to ask you for the longest time but, like Wayne and Garth, I didn't feel I was worthy of asking!
[/quote]
Great story.
On a couple of car shopping trips I met with the General Manager of Downtown L.A. Motors. We became friendly to where I learned that CBS would be cutting a check for the value of the 1983 Sentra to the dealership directly, no matter what car I picked out. So he let me peruse his stock of Mercedes, Saabs, Volvos and other imports. I eventually returned to the Nissan line where my expensive tastes had me hot for a fully loaded new model year Maxima.
The last of my PYL episodes aired on October 3rd when the 1984s where already on the dealer's floor. Knowing that I would have to kick in the difference between the stripped Sentra and the loaded Maxima (about $12,000), I thought to ask CBS about the fact that I couldn't get the 1984 car for the 1983 credit alloted. CBS cut an additional check reflecting the increase in the cost between the 1983 and 1984 Sentras.
I ended up buying 3 Maximas since that first one. And I've helped give away a few dozen cars since then; most recently a Mustang this week at TPiR-Live!
Randy
tvrandywest.com (http://\"http://www.tvrandywest.com\")
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This is a really interesting thread.
It's somewhat off topic, but for those interested in media preservation and restoration, you might be interested in this article from Radio Netherlands (http://\"http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/dutchhorizons/weeklyfeature/050706dh?version=1\") on the discovery of a copy of the "lost" silent film "Beyond the Rocks".
Now if only there were as big an interest in old game shows as there is in silent movies....
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Hi there, have questions regarding the dvd's.
How does one edit out commercials before finalizing the dvd? Do you need a program to do that? Can you edit them on the DVD player itself?
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[quote name=\'DJDustman\' post=\'119713\' date=\'May 29 2006, 12:34 PM\']How does one edit out commercials before finalizing the dvd? Do you need a program to do that? Can you edit them on the DVD player itself?[/quote]
If you're watching the transfer as you go, you can pause the DVD recorder when you get to a commercial, then release pause when the program starts again. That method removes the commercial entirely, but unless you're unbelievably accurate, you're going to make some sloppy edits and you may cut off a small piece of the program.
On most DVD recorders, you can go back after you've transferred your entire VHS tape, mark the beginning and end point of the commercial break as a 'chapter', and then tell the DVD recorder to skip over that chapter when finalizing the disc. (I may be getting some of the terminology wrong, but that's the general idea.) The thing is, that doesn't mean that the commercials have gone away, that just means that when you play the disc, you're not going to see them. They're still taking up space on the disc.
The best way to perfectly clip the commericals (or anything else you don't want) is to capture your video on a computer and use some kind of editing and DVD authoring software. I'm fond of Adobe (Premiere and Encore respectively) myself. That's wildly time consuming compared to a DVD recorder, though.
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[quote name=\'DJDustman\' post=\'119713\' date=\'May 29 2006, 09:34 AM\']
Hi there, have questions regarding the dvd's.
How does one edit out commercials before finalizing the dvd? Do you need a program to do that? Can you edit them on the DVD player itself?
[/quote]
I'd be interested in hearing a response for this from someone with an actual standalone recorder, ('cuz I do this stuff on my PC where I can edit to my heart's content) but my hunch is that you'd have to do it on a computer, or pause recording in realtime (just like with a VCR) as you go. In order to take a full show and then chop out the commercials, you'd need to be able to store all of that data somewhere and reorganize it. And barring a hard drive being inside the recorder (which I realize some better models do have), that isn't gonna happen.
(I suppose it could be done with markers of some kind...that is, the DVD still has the commercials on it, and the editing is merely inserting a marker A that tells the DVD to skip to marker B when it sees it, bypassing that part of the program. Even then, though, it couldn't write to the disc until those markers were in place.)
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If you're watching the transfer as you go, you can pause the DVD recorder when you get to a commercial, then release pause when the program starts again.
Count me as one person who employs this method. Right after the show cuts to commercial, I simply pause the recorder, fast forward through the commercials, and start recording again once I've reached the right spot.
There's a small problem with video quality, however:
When you go back to watch your finished DVD transfer, the picture is horribly pixelized for about 4 seconds in the spots where you unpaused recording. To remedy that, I simply record the last 5 seconds of the commercial so that the pixelization goes away before the show returns.
--Jamie
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[quote name=\'DJDustman\' post=\'119713\' date=\'May 29 2006, 09:34 AM\']
Hi there, have questions regarding the dvd's.
How does one edit out commercials before finalizing the dvd? Do you need a program to do that? Can you edit them on the DVD player itself?
[/quote]
Different strokes for different folks. I have a DVR (TiVO-like device that digitally tapes multiple shows off TV) that records shows in their entirely. I have my DVD recorder hooked-up to the DVR and, when I play back the shows I've taped that I want to permanently record on DVD, I cue them and record them in real-time while pausing the DVD recorder when commercials come up. When I'm dubbing VHS tapes or DVD discs with gameshows to a DVD recorder it's the same thing: play the source, record with the DVD recorder, pause the recorder when commercials come-up (unless the fellow that did the original VHS/DVD tape was kind-enough to already skipped the commercial) and unpause it when commercials are over.
Now, once you stop your recording of a particular program there should still be space in the disc to record more material unless your recording fills the length of the speed recording selected (60m, 120m, 240m and 360m). STOPPING A RECORDING SESSION DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN THE DVD IS READY TO PLAYBACK ON ANOTHER DVD MACHINE. You can start and stop a recording as many times as the selected recording speed will allow. Example: you tape 25 min. of 'WML?' off of GSN by hitting Record (starting with the opening, pausing when commercials come on and then stopping as soon as the credits are over) and hit the Stop button at the end. If you selected the SP 120m speed you have 95 min. of free space left; if you selected XP 60m speed you only have 35 min. left, and so on. If you're adventurous and know what you're doing you can change recording speeds between recording sessions to increase/decrease the amount of recording space left in the disc. Using the above 'WML?' example, after recording a commercial-free 25m episode at SP 120m speed I can switch over to SLP 240m mode and, instead of having 95m left, I would have 190 min. of recording space (i.e. double the 95 min. from SP speed, which is approx. double the recording capacity if I were to switch to XP 60 min. mode). Just remember: XP 60m recording speed = excellent, SP 120m recording speed = good, SLP 240m recording speed = mediocre-to-bad (except for B&W kinescoped shows in good condition, which look OK) and SLP 360m recording speed = BAD
Now, once you've filled the disc to capacity (or recorded what you wanted and you're sure you don't want to record anymore) you're ready to FINALIZE the disc. ONCE A DVD-R OR DVD+R DISC IS FINALIZED ITS CONTENTS CANNOT BE RECORDED OVER OR ERASED; IT'S DONE. This is why you should go the extra mile and try to remove the commercials manually when recording the disc because, whatever you record in a disc, is there from when you hit Record until you hit Stop EXCEPT THE COMMERCIALS OR PORTIONS OF SHOW YOU DON'T WANT that you've paused. There are Rewritable discs (DVD-RW or DVD+RW) that theoretically you can Record and Erase over and over (like a VCR cassette) but these discs are the most likely to be corrupted and/or not be compatible with other DVD players. Just remember not to hit Stop when taking out commercials in a recording session, because DVD's recognize Stop as the end of a chapter. Record at the start of a show, pause to take out commercials/unwanted segments, then Stop when the show is over. When you get around to finalizing the disc each recorded show will be its own chapter that you can click and watch w/o commercials (or w/commercials if you have no other choice than to let them in, but you can fast-forward thru them like we do/did with VHS since forever).
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I'll throw in my two cents...I have two DVD recorders: a Gateway/Lite-On SVW-5001 (model number IIRC) on which I upgraded/hacked the firmware. It records to DVD+R/W discs and has been fairly reliable for me. It feels and looks super chintzy.
About two months ago, I was very lucky to walk through the Target electronics section right after a new batch of clearance stuff came out, and I got a newer Samsung floor model DVD-R/W recorder for $40. (The Lovely Hayley rolled her eyes, of course! "Yeah...I'm gonna eBay this one...") It was originally $199. I think the last three digits of the model number are 120. If you are looking to get a DVD recorder, watch for Target and Circuit City open box specials. You'll save a ton of cash. Use coupons, too...you can buy CC coupons from eBay.
This Samsung has been more solid for me so far, and I like using DVD-R because I know the disc will be more compatible in other people's equipment. I am fairly certain that this Samsung is a cousin of a Panasonic DVD recorder...it looks and plays the part. Might be wrong about that though.
I use the record/pause/record method that dad1153 describes in previous posts. I also do the same thing he does with a DVR. At one point, I mistakingly dissed the Comcast DVR, but now that I have one, it's incredible. We wouldn't give it up for the world. I think I would like it better than TiVo...costs the same per month, comes with 120GB hard drive, and dual tuners. I can always get the newest equipment when it comes out, too. Great for recording GSN stuff. We're moving in a week or so and I have about 20 hours of Super Password to go through from that thing.
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[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'119846\' date=\'May 30 2006, 07:42 PM\']
At one point, I mistakingly dissed the Comcast DVR, but now that I have one, it's incredible. We wouldn't give it up for the world. I think I would like it better than TiVo...costs the same per month, comes with 120GB hard drive, and dual tuners. I can always get the newest equipment when it comes out, too. Great for recording GSN stuff. We're moving in a week or so and I have about 20 hours of Super Password to go through from that thing.[/quote]
I have a Scientific Atlantic DVR from Time Warner cable in NYC and I also have about 20 hours of shows to go through, only mine are 'What's My Line?' shows. This DVR lets me tape two shows simultanously while watching any show that's already recorded, which is great when 'Amazing Race' and 'Deal or No Deal' are on at the same time. DVR is like HDTV: once you experience it there's no going back to the old VCR time-shifting mode. Watching 'TPIR' or same-day recordings of GSN daytime shows in primetime (when GSN is dead to me with its tired mix of 'Millionaire,' 'Greed,' 'Dog Eat Dog,' etc.) is what it's all about people!
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Entering this thread late, but since I was out of town and Internet-less, I have an excuse. :-)
[quote name=\'dad1153\' post=\'119668\' date=\'May 28 2006, 05:57 PM\']
Apple DVD drives for its computers and laptops definitely do not record or support +R discs (unless those new Intel Core Duo chips do something I'm not aware of).
[/quote]
That was true until a couple of years ago. I used to cringe when I'd read that Apple actually had flashed dual-format drives with special firmware to remove +R compatibility just to maintain "consistency" with its older models that had -R-only capability. Of course, unofficial re-flashing utilities quickly appeared, but even those users who knew where to find the utilities learned that they couldn't use the discs with iDVD; Apple had programmed its consumer-level authoring program to detect and reject +R discs. (Naturally, the professional counterpart, DVD Studio Pro, could use both +R and -R discs, but it was a separate purchase and not a cheap one.)
The most recent models of the Power Mac G5, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac Core Duo can read and write both +R/RW and -R/RW discs, and if memory serves, so could the last revisions of the PowerBook G4 and iMac G5. All but the MacBook Pro, and possibly the MacBook (haven't seen the latest specs) can also use +R dual-layer discs.