Decent DVD recorder for TV?

[IcantC]

So I was looking to buy a DVD recorder to record shows off my Directv box. I do not want to use Tivo. I plan to burn the shows to DVD and watch them when I travel.

I noticed they are very cheap on ebay now ($20-50), but wondered if you guys had any suggestions? I spent some time on google, but feedback from those who have used them would be great. I do not care to record in HD or Blueray or other fancy stuff.

Also can any PC playback a dual layer disc?

It would be great if I could watch 1 show, while recording another. Though I do not think that is possible with satellite.

 

[LED_astray]

So I was looking to buy a DVD recorder to record shows off my Directv box. I do not want to use Tivo. I plan to burn the shows to DVD and watch them when I travel.

I noticed they are very cheap on ebay now ($20-50), but wondered if you guys had any suggestions? I spent some time on google, but feedback from those who have used them would be great. I do not care to record in HD or Blueray or other fancy stuff.

I think an ideal combination is a hard drive and DVD burner unit. You can record, do very basic editing, (e.g. shorten to fit,) and then burn to a DVD. I haven't seen them advertised for a couple years. I'm not sure why. Maybe not enough people appreciated the extra features (or maybe the studios quashed them...?)

(We have an old Sony. I don't recommend their UI, but the basic combination is great.)

Also can any PC playback a dual layer disc?

Newer drives can, (but I have computers so old they only do CD's!) Take a flashlight and check they labels on the face of your drive. Wait, I guess that isn't conclusive. One of ours has a DL, which is what I remembered, but this one doesn't and it does play movie DVDs which I thought were all dual-layer. (I guess I'm not much help. Sorry.)

It would be great if I could watch 1 show, while recording another. Though I do not think that is possible with satellite.

My brother-in-law does this, but I don't know any of the specifics. It probably depends on your satellite plan, receiver, and the recorder.

 

[tiktok 22]

I think an ideal combination is a hard drive and DVD burner unit. You can record, do very basic editing, (e.g. shorten to fit,) and then burn to a DVD. I haven't seen them advertised for a couple years. I'm not sure why. Maybe not enough people appreciated the extra features (or maybe the studios quashed them...?)

Hi LED,

They still make them and this one is great. It also upconverts to 1080p and plays Divx. You can also dub non-encrypted files from DVD to HDD.

 

[Lit Up]

I have a Panasonic DMR-ES15 that works well enough. I think you'll find just about any of the name brand ones will suit your needs. The comment I will make is to be sure to never misplace your remote as an All-In-One type of remote isn't going to do you much good with these DVD recorders. There's a lot of functions that the player's remote will have that you won't find on an All-In-One type.