What should I look for when buying a DVD recorder?

A while ago i heard that there were a couple of different typed of DVD recorder format, is this still the case

• i am buying a dvd recorder, i want to be able to watch them on the other dvd players, they can all play dvd-r. I also want to be able to transfer lots of my videos to dvd, is there anything i should look out for or will any dvd recorder do this?

• Answer:

  There are basically 2 different types of format. DVD-R and DVD+R, which are one time recordable only. Then you have the + and - RW, which you can use again and again. Most DVD "players" will play either disc if it has been finalised (This is what you do when you have recorded onto a dvd) Also the discs will, like a video have different recording settings, sp lp etc... I use the 4 hour recording time as a maximum. If you try any longer, things can go wrong with your recording. So for now, try transferring one of your videos, then watch some of it when you have finalised the dvd, preferably on a different player to see if it works. Its all trial and error to begin with, but you`ll get the hang of it quick enough. But don`t throw away your videos until you know everything has worked okay !!!