Page 1 of Budget DVD Recorder

Hi everyone. Great forum.

I am looking to buy a cheapie DVD recorder. My two major requirements are input for a DV camera, and the ability to play back recorded TV progs on a portable DVD player (Tevion).

A DVD recorder in Superdrug caught my eye (and the wife`s because she liked the look of it). It was £129. Does anybody know anything about it. Is it any good. I think it was DVD +. Would this be OK.

Are there any other good budget buys?

Thanks for your help.

if it`s got a DV connection, yes-Though I believ Curry`s have heir budget model in for 30 quid less-I think I`d rather deal with Curry`s than Superdrug in the event of any problems....


..then again....!!

Quote:
Are there any other good budget buys?
NO!
Buy a branded Japanese make and save yourself time, hassle, and money.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 10th May 2005, 00:01

Emily,

If I can I prefer to buy goods from shops that refund items on a no quibble basis. Superdrug will do this. I doubt whether Currys/Dixons will.

Zovirax,

You are probably right. However, if I could start off with a (decent) budget system for a year or so, and then change up to a better HDD set up when prices are lower it would suit me down to the ground. My main need at the moment is to get a set up which will enable me to record DVDs for use with a portable DVD player.

But if no-one has had any joy with a DVD recorder then I may have to change my plan.

Cheers.

Quote:
I doubt whether Currys/Dixons will

If you order online they do.

It would help if you could get the make that Superdrug are selling.

Currys/dixons have a 30 day no quibble refund AFAIK

Thanks for your comments.

I think the Superdrug DVDrecorder is a Avious DRW-1029. Any info anybody?

Re Currys/Dixons refund policy, I was under the impression that it only applied if the goods were unused/unopened. However, I may be wrong on this.

Cheers.

Quote:
Re Currys/Dixons refund policy, I was under the impression that it only applied if the goods were unused/unopened. However, I may be wrong on this

Not sure about the store, but if you buy online, its a 7 day exhange for any reason. I recently sent back two TV`s for exchange, and tehn eneded up with a ful refund, dam nice of them i thought.

There websites will of course confirm.

One critical thing you haven`t mentioned, is what discs are your portable DVD player compatible with? If you have the instruction book, check the list of compatible discs and look to see whether it likes the DVD-R format or the DVD+R format. Chances are it will only list one or the other. If you`ve lost the instructions, look the model up online - chances are someone will list that in the sales spec.

The cheaper DVD Recorders tend to be the +R/W format. This is a straightforward method of recording, similar to VHS in many ways, with few editting features.

The -R/W machines tend to be a little dearer, and from what I`ve seen, all seem to be big name brands. These machines give you greater editting ability and the finished (finalised) disc can be much more professional compared to a +R/W disc. However, until you know which format your portable is compatible with, you`d best not rush into buying anything!

I personally have 2 DVD recorders. One is the Liteon LVW-5006, which records onto +R/W and -R/W discs, and also onto CD as either audio CD or Video CD. This retails at around the £150 mark, and is a doddle to use, but has very few editting features. It does have i-link, which can be useful. They do one called the LVW-5002, which is just +R/W format, but I don`t know if it has i-link. This retails at about the £120 mark.

My other machine was originally a Toshiba DR-1, which recorded to DVD-RAM/-R/-RW, but that has just packed up at the tender age of 15 months! So it has been replaced with a JVC DR-M7, (recording onto the same discs as the Tosh) which is currently available for £156.95 with free delivery from RGB Direct. This is a much better quality machine than the Liteon with some superb editting features. However, I own 3 other stand-alone DVD players. One plays discs that are + or - format. One plays -R/W discs only and one plays +R/W discs only, so it is crucial that you check your compatibility first!

Thanks for your comments. very helpful.

The portbable DVD player is a Tevion I bought from Aldi just before Christmas. Very pleased with it. Great for the kids on long trips and for when we are caravaning. I will look in the instruction booklet to see if it compatible with + or -.