Recommend me a DVD recorder to interface with my HD Tivo?

[texasdiver]

Hi guys:

I need to get a cheap DVD recorder that will interface well with my HD tivo machine and open to recommendations because I've never had or used a DVD recorder before (except for the one one my lapop).

Basically all I want to do is take the kids shows off the SD channels like Disney and Nick off the Tivo and put them on DVD for playing in my car. I just installed a new Panasonic flip-down DVD player in the car to keep the kids occupied on longer trips and I want to create a library of recorded kids shows to keep them occupied on longer trips. Right now we have about 25 episodes of Dora the Explorer and Diego on the Tivo and I just want a cheap machine that will easily let met pull this stuff off the Tivo for playing in the car. So I don't even plan on recording live TV as I have the Tivo for that.

I just want to copy SD material that's already on the Tivo and perhaps edit it to cut out the commercials and breaks to the extent that is possible. About 95% of the kids material is in SD but I do record a few shows for them off the local PBS station that are in HD. So if I could also record HD material for playback in widescreen on the car DVD player that would be great. I understand I can't record in actual HD but if I could record a HD broadcast in SD widescreen that would be good enough.

I don't really care about any other features than getting kids shows onto DVD because I already have an expensive Sony progressive scan that I use for playing Netflix DVDs and for our own adult viewing we use the Tivo exclusively. Since I never sit in the back seat of the car I really don't care what goes back there.

Any recommendations? Do I just go to Costco or Wal-Mart and pick up whatever is cheap? Or are the inter-operability issues between the Tivo and DVD player that I want to be aware of.

Thanks!

PS, if it matters, the DVD player I just installed in the car is the Panasonic CY-VHD9500U (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?storeId=15001&catalogId=13401&itemId=68622)

[Guindalf]

Just about any of the DVD recorders available today will work with the TiVo. It will just be connected in exactly the same way as a VCR. Just remember that you need to have the output set to 480i to record anything. There is no way to record HD yet.

I have a cheap Centrios that I got from Circuit City that works well. Remember also that if you intend to use the recorder for playback, you may need to make sure you have features like progressive scan and DTS sound. Not all have these, especially at the low end.

If you want to edit stuff before saving to DVD, then you need one that has a built-in hard disk drive. these will cost at least $250+ and are not really needed for archiving.

[litzdog911]

Check out the "DVD Recorder Forum" at http://www.avsforum.com

[thumperxr69]

Check out the "DVD Recorder Forum" at http://www.avsforum.com

As Litz says this has been discussed:

specifically:

DVD recorder on AVS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=106)

Good luck

T

[MikeCC]

Also, I suggest you double check to see what DVD recording format your portable DVD reads...

Since some portables may not read all formats, you may have to choose your DVD recorder based on that!

[sean_mba]

Check out a Lite-On 5045 (or whatever their current version of that one is). It has a hard drive, records in several formats, and is hackable so that one could turn off the MacroMedia copy protection if one so wishes. Check it out on AVS.

[newsposter]

As long as it does -R (not sure if +R is as universal), you should be ok.

For editing you could use just RWs but i dont know if they are universally readable in your application. If not, they you are definitely stuck with getting a hard drive unit

I have the panasonic e80 (newer one is out there now) and am very happy. It's superreliable. I have hundreds of disks and except for right in the beginning, I haven't had coasters since.

[sandiegojoe]

Just about any of the DVD recorders available today will work with the TiVo. It will just be connected in exactly the same way as a VCR. Just remember that you need to have the output set to 480i to record anything. There is no way to record HD yet..

Is there anyway to record HD on a PC and burn it onto a dvd for a picture quality that is better than you would get sending it out to the PC as 480i?

That's my dilemma, couldn't find anything on AVSforum

As for the original poster, one other option is recording directly onto your PC if you have a video capture card. I got an avermedia video capture card on ebay for 30 bucks, and it works fine for editing and burning dvds of SD shows (or HD shows downconverted through the tivo to 480i output). Just haven't found a way to record better picture quality using an original HD source.

[Guindalf]

Is there anyway to record HD on a PC and burn it onto a dvd for a picture quality that is better than you would get sending it out to the PC as 480i?

You may be able to do something with an HD capable TV tuner card in the PC, but AFAIK, there is no way to output anything more than 480i from an HR10-250.

[Dssturbo1]

hd out of the hr10-250 to pc with a component in card. which are rare and very expensive $1500++. or as guindalf mentions a hd atsc tuner card would get your local atsc digital/hd broadcast into your pc.

But if you burn a hd type quality file to a dvd it would only be read at that quality on the pc or maybe possible on the new toshiba hd dvd player. a sd dvd player wouldn't play it or at best in sd quality/upconverted faux hd.

[Guindalf]

HD-DVD is a different format to the current DVD recording methods. Although the Toshiba should be backward compatible, HD-DVD is a format and has nothing to do with high definition - it actually stands for High Density, IIRC.

It IS, however, possible to create a HD file on a PC, but I wouldn't know how. I D/L HD programming all the time.

[Dssturbo1]

i was referring to people reporting they had recorded hd quality files (.avi, mpeg2, .ts ?? not sure) on their computer and they burned them to a sd dvd and the toshiba hd dvd player would play them in true 720p/1080i HD picture quality.