Page 1 of DVD stand alone recorder recommendation

Please can you help me choose a DVD recorder. I`ve read the previous threads regarding recommendations and I`m still confused which one to go for.
(forgive my ignorance as I`ve a PHD in technophobia).

My specific requirements are:

Firstly can I link up a Panasonic Nv-Ds60 camcorder to it and record the footage. ( It has a dv out socket/S-video out and "to pc out") & what connections do I need to buy.

Secondly can I edit the footage on the dvd recorder. I`ve read their is "non-linear" editing on some machines. (I`ve tried to record & edit with a belkin connection on tthe PC.....nightmare, ending in tears.)

Thirdly , if not editable on the standalone, can the burned disc then be edited on the PC, and what is the best sofware for doing do with XP.

The Mags seem to recommend the ,Panasonic DMR E65 recorder as it seems a bit of an allrounder for £290, but I`m worried about the compatibilty of the burned disks for editing on pc.( if they cant be edited on the standalone)

Thanks in advance -Paul

The Panasonic has very good editing facilities, probably more than you need, however if you wish to put your DVD-RAMs onto a computer it`s easy & simple, you just need one of the newer Pioneer etc DVD writers (these include DVD-RAM writability) & TMPGenc DVD author (available from the net). There are other programmes as well but I use TMPGenc Author.

Alternatively get a Pioneer or Toshiba and you can use most standard rewriters.For about £379 you can get a Toshiba with built in hard disc drive allowing full editing to be done on the recorder before high speed copying to dvd-r.Beats pratting about with pc`s and authoring software-for simplicity anyway

There are some inherent problems with DVD Recorder editing...unless you are going to use a re-writable disc, then it`s all very basic. RAM machines have decent editing facilities, but you are stuck with RAM disc`s incompatibility with other DVD players and drives (Virtually no DVD players and very few PC drives can read RAM discs).

Some -RW machines have good edit facilities too-I have an LG 4810 and that is pretty good, but again, only for RW discs and only in the `VR` mode which I don`t find as stable as the `Video` mode -I find some times that the video and audio run out of sync after making one or two edits.

All of this though requires you to use a re-writable disc. Not only are Re-Writables (RW)considerably more expensive, they don`t have anything like the compatibility of write- once (R) discs with other DVD players, so sharing discs could be a problem.

The other big drawback to DVD recorder editing - even those with hard drives- is it`s fiddly-especially if you`ve got ruddy great sausage fingers like me!! You are using the tiny buttons on the remote to try and make accurate cuts which is alost impossible. I`ve not seen one that does frame accurate cutting either. MY LG certainly doesn`t as the slowest it will move is 1/15th sec, and when you are editing 25 frames per second, it cannot possibly be frame accurate. Also, remember you are going to be tying your TV up while you fiddle and fart around trying to edit when you`ve got a box of wires a few feet away that was designed to do the job-Your PC!!

My advice would be to get a DVD recorder with DV input for your camcorder, but don`t get too bogged down about looking for super on deck editing. Just dump all your footage onto DVD rewritables (If you get a -R recorder use the DVD-Video mode rather than the DVD-VR mode, if it`s a +R type, then you only have the one option) and then transfer the footage to the hard drive of your PC where you can get seriously creative on the editing front.

Download a program called Womble MPEG Video Wizard -it`s not free, it costs around £70 after a months free trial, but it`s well worth it (And you could probably save that in buying a perfectly decent DVD recorder without all the `Bells And Whistles` of on board editing..etc..etc..). You get frame accurate MPEG editing plus lots of other features for addiing transitions, wipes, fades adding extra sound tracks, titles etc..etc..Use that in conjunction with a DVD authoring program like TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6 (Or even the ones that come with Nero or Roxio) and you can create great discs-You aren`t stuck with th same old boring menu types and backdrops a DVD recorder offers, you can truly personalise your own discs as much or as little as you please.

"RW discs and only in the `VR` mode which I don`t find as stable as the `Video` mode -I find some times that the video and audio run out of sync after making one or two edits."

"All of this though requires you to use a re-writable disc. Not only are Re-Writables (RW)considerably more expensive, they don`t have anything like the compatibility of write- once (R) discs with other DVD players, so sharing discs could be a problem"

As I`ve been trying to say to phelings for, hummmm YEARS.

Panasonic E55. Less than £200.00 on the net. Who in there right mind would pay more .....for less. Just to repeat. DVD-RAM is proven to be the best & MOST RELIABLE re recording system there is.

Thank you all for coming back, especialy Emily for such an in depth answer.
As I will be giving away burned discs to others I`ll go down the -R route with a Hard drive,
and edit on pc.
Other wise Paull it would have been the panasonic ( honest!).
Phelings thanks for recommending the Toshiba, do you have one or does someone know anyone whos got one and let me know if its EASY to use Thanks Again.

I don`t disagree, but it`s lack of compatability is killing it stone dead..Betamax was better than VHS, but VHS won the battle...Better technology doesn`t always win.

Personally, I wouldn`t have a -RAM machine because of the lack of any kind of compatibility for sharing discs, and the fact that so few DVD drives in PC`s cannot even support it.

I just cannot understand why Panasonic left off -RW compatibility as well-Had they not done that, then the two could have run side by side and you`d have had the killer format

If you have a hard drive you can forget editing on a PC.Set top box editing is far simpler.The only reason you would ever go to a PC was if you wanted fancy moving menus.The Toshiba offers the best menu screens of any current set top box,with chapter thumbnails and you can use a screen grab for your menu back ground.
Paull,I really do wish you would stop wittering on about Panasonic offering more for less.As everyone seems to realise,Panny do not offer -RW.So although -RW(VR) is just as incompatible as RAM,the option of -RW(VIDEO) gives you a compatible rewritable,something impossible on a Panny machine.Your little world of RAM users may be ok with that,but in the real world where people want the option of playing rewritables on other players,-RW is a necessity,as Toshiba,JVC,and other makes have realised.Only Panny persist with RAM.Adding -RW to their feature list would not diminish the use of RAM,but would give Panasonic machine owners the same options as users of other makes.
I often copy stuff from Sky+ to -RW(VIDEO) for my son to watch on his PS2.How would you do that.Buy him a RAM player I suppose.Very user friendly!!NOT!

This item was edited on Wednesday, 6th October 2004, 22:03

phelings. Don`t keep running down DVD-RAM & I won`t keep bringing out actual facts about the unreliable RVD/RW system.

I am not running down RAM-I am running down Panasonic.As for unreliable -RW.Facts?I think you are confused.Links to facts please-thats facts,not your opinions