DVD Recorders are in my opinion one of the most falsely advertised and promoted Consumer products of all time because while most people know the good stuff, very few people are aware of the bad stuff until after they've purchased them. Having said that, you can still get good DVD Recorders for between $50-$100, the key is knowing what you're planning to use them for. You're now saying "Duh, to record DVDs". Well there are limitations on recording which is the "Bad Stuff" and this article will give you general pointers on how to save money when buying a DVD recorder and DVD recordable media (DVD%2BR, DVD-R, DVD%2BRW and DVD-RW).
There are 3 types of DVD recorders: Internal computer DVD recorders aka DVD burners, external computer DVD Recorders aka external DVD burners and Stand Alone DVD Recorders (Some DVR's have a DVD recording drive as well). You can record TV Shows on stand alone DVD recorders as well as computer DVD recorders if your computer has a card installed that will let you receive broadcasts from Cable TV provided there is a "hub" to connect your cable too. The main difference between the stand alone DVD recorders and the computer Internal and external recorders are that the stand alone DVD Recorders can not as far as I know record in 5.1 sound while internal and external computer DVD recorders can. This is one of the things they don't tell you about Stand Alone DVD recorders. One thing however I found the Stand Alone DVD Recorder to do better/easier than a computer DVD recorder is to transfer old Video tapes to DVD.
The Major Thing they don't tell you about DVD recorders is it's almost impossible to make a DVD recording of a commercially sold DVD as most of them are encrypted, as well as being illegal. I believe that making recordings of non-encrypted commercial DVDs is also illegal. There are no commercially sold retail software or devices as far as I know that will let you record copies of commercial DVDs that have been encrypted. So if you are planning to buy a DVD recorder to make recordings of commercially sold DVDS, you are wasting your time. Note, if you do a search on the internet there probably is software that will allow you to make these recordings, however doing so is illegal.
The other thing they don't really tell you about DVD Recorders is that they are built to self destruct as the lasers eventually wear down, While stand alone and external computer DVD recorders are relatively cheap, they usually don't last more than a couple of years before their lasers break down. The good news is, they're relatively cheap and just consider them a disposable product. My internal computer DVD Recorders have never broken down. You do need software to record DVD's on your computer and a lot of these players come with software. I use Nero Software which I love and which is also good for burning CDs as well.
I recommend if you are buying a stand alone DVD recorder for basic recording of TV shows, to buy any Lite-On DVD Recorder with a built in TV Tuner, that you can get under $100. Lite-On is incredibly easy to use as they have a really good easy remote control program that guides you step by step. The picture and sound are good as well. I say its better to spend under $100 on something that you know will eventually break down then spend $250 or more for a fancier recorder that will also eventually break down. Whatever you do, do not buy a used or refurbished DVD recorder because its life is even more limited as its laser has already been worn down- to what degree you don't know.
If your computer does not have an internal DVD recorder, you can get a decent small external DVD recorder for between $50-$95 new. I would recommend an HP 20x Super Multi DVD Writer (Recorder) which you can get for under $60 new at discount. Most of these players come with free software and as I mentioned I would go with any one that came with Nero software. The external DVD recorders connect easily to your computer by USB and they record CDs as well. They also play CDs and DVDs besides recording them.
I would recommend if you are using a stand alone DVD Recorder to only use DVD%2BRW or DVD-RW media, as these are re-recordable DVDs and you can play them on any DVD player as soon as you finished recording. If you buy the standard DVD%2BR or DVD-R disc, you can not re-record on them and more importantly you will need to do an extra step on your Stand Alone DVD Recorder called Finalize. If you forget to Finalize, the DVD will not play on anything other then your DVD recorder. You do not need to Finalize a DVD%2BRW or DVD-RW disc, which is why I recommend you buy them for stand alone DVD recorders. For internal or external computer DVD recorders you do not need to manually finalize anything as the software does everything itself so you don't need to spend the extra money on re-recordable discs. Having said that, I would still buy at least 10 re-recordable discs as when you're first recording on the computer as you'll probably make a bunch of mistakes, almost everyone does, and this way you can practice till you make perfect. Personally, I would recommend if you have a friend who has recorded DVDs on the computer to show you how to do everything step by step. It's an easy process but like everything else you learn by trial and error.
I also noticed that when I recorded DVDs, the drop in quality from recording at SP to LP and LP to EP, is a lot more prominent in DVDS then video tape. If quality is a concern, I would record at SP when you can and no lower than EP.
I hope you enjoy using your DVD recorder. If you are planning to do things more advanced then editing, then of course I would recommend buying a more advanced recorder but for the basic things, you can get a decent DVD recorder between $50-$100.
