What should I look for when buying a DVD recorder?

DVD Recorder with or without Hard Drive?

• Hello Folks, I'm thinking about buying a DVD recorder with a hard drive. My main purpose is to replace my old VCR and to avoid paying monthly DVR fees to Directv. I intend to record tv shows/movies. What I'm wondering is should I just buy a DVD without a hard drive and recording onto a DVD-R? They're less expensive. I can get a new one for what I'd pay for a used DVD Recorder with an Hard Drive. If I record a two hour movie directly onto a DVD how will it look? Which one should I buy? Any advice would be appreciated!

• Answer:

  The previous answer is wrong. DVD-R discs can be written over and over again at least 1000 times before they start to degrade. The answer really lies in how much recording you do. I opted for the hard drive less system because I don't record much. Maybe couple shows a week and a movie once in awhile. If you record a movie at LP (4 hours) or SP (2 hours) the quality will be great. EX (8 hours) is ok for weekly shows, things you will watch and erase. The playback for rented DVD's is great. Make sure you get one with a HDMI input (if your TV has one). Get it anyway so when you replace your TV you'll be ready with your DVR. The hard drive option is more convenient, you don't have to remove discs and if you do a lot of recording I would recommend getting one with a Hard Drive. In my situation the DVD-R option works fine. I hardly ever have to swap the disc out because of space requirements and plus the discs are dirt cheap. By the way I have a Panasonic DVR. They're bulletproof and very easy to use. The on-screen menu is great and intuitive. I didn't even have to read the instruction manual for the basic operation.