| With the quick demise of the old VHS Magnetic | | | | drivers that connect directly to a PC. In |
| Tapes and more recent VCDs, DVD recording is | | | | some brands, it may be possible through PC |
| becoming popular. DVD recorders work by | | | | video editing software that allows for the |
| 'burning/etching' via a laser to a blank DVD | | | | exporting of standard DVD video files made on |
| disk. Still, a DVD recorder resembles and | | | | a PC to the standalone DVD recorders using |
| functions very much like a VCR. | | | | firewire interface. |
| | | | |
| All DVD recorders can record from any analog | | | | Copying and Piracy Possibility in DVD |
| video source. It can also record directly | | | | Recorders |
| from digital camcorders via an i-link input | | | | |
| through Firewire and IEEE1394. DVD recorders | | | | To check software piracy DVD recorders are |
| are provided with AV inputs as well as | | | | designed to detect the anti-copy signal on |
| onboard TV tuner for recording TV shows | | | | commercial VHS tapes or DVDs. It will not |
| directly. They come in different | | | | start the recording and display an error |
| configurations: Standalone, DVD Recorder/VCR | | | | message either on screen or on its front LED |
| Combo or DVD Recorder/Hard Drive Combo units. | | | | panel display. |
| | | | |
| Unlike DVD Writers which comes as internal | | | | On the other hand a DVD recorder can copy any |
| add on card in a PC, the standalone DVD | | | | homemade camcorder videos or videos made from |
| recorders cannot read or write computer data. | | | | TV shows, copy Laserdiscs or any |
| The great advantage of a DVD Recorder over a | | | | non-copy-protected video material. As it has |
| DVD Writer is that in order to record video | | | | a built in tuner for recording TV programs |
| and audio through a PC, the user has to save | | | | directly. The tuner is programmed to record a |
| the video in the computer's hard-disk using | | | | series of programs on different days and |
| Firewire, USB, or S-Video using a video card | | | | times, much like a VCR. |
| and then copy the resultant files from the | | | | |
| hard-disk onto a blank DVD disk, whereas a | | | | Thus any antenna, cable or satellite set-top |
| DVD recorder can record from video sources in | | | | box with AV, RF or S-video outputs can be |
| real time, directly to blank DVD. | | | | connected to any DVD recorder. But DVD |
| | | | recorders are not designed to accept HDTV |
| Standalone DVD recorders do not come with | | | | signals. |