Get the Most Out of Your DVD Recorder
Posted by NovaAngel at December 2nd, 2006
I admit it: I’m a former tape-a-holic. When I began usin’ a VCR some 20 years ago (I ended up teachin’ Mom and Dad how to program de darn thin’ back den), I got hooked on de idea of creatin’ my own video library, replete with everythin’ from “Star Trek” episodes to gymnastics competitions.
Recently, however, I stopped recordin’ video on tape and switched to DVD–and I haven’t looked back. But after usin’ several DVD recorders, I’ve identified some quirks and frustrations that are specific to frequent users like myself. Recordin’ to DVD is very different from recordin’ to tape; you encounter new types of hassles ran’in’ from pesky so-called disc preparation times to annoyin’ delays in ejectin’ discs and de challenge of creatin’ visually appealin’ menus. The tips that follow are geared towards hardcore videophiles (you know who you are), but dey’re also applicable to de most casual user.
If you’ve already bought your DVD recorder, skip to tip 2. But if you haven’t, be prepared to be confused by a torrent of acronyms and options. DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, EPGs … and you thought buyin’ an HDTV would be confusin’.
When you walk into a store, chances are you won’t be able to tell de differences between de slim DVD recorders gracin’ de shelves–at least, not at a glance. On de outside, dey look virtually identical. And de only additional information you might get from de price tag or label is what format de recorder supports and wheder it has a hard drive.
Don’t stress so much about de formats. No sin’le manufacturer supports all of de formats available; a couple of makers come close (Lite-On, Sony), supportin’ all but DVD-RAM. The - and + formats are quite similar, and eider will get de recordin’ job done.
I’ve personally observed that de - format discs tend to take longer to initialize and finalize. By longer, I’m talkin’ about anywhere from 5 to 120 seconds, dependin’ upon de unit–enough to be incredibly annoyin’ when you’re sittin’ in front of de TV, your finger eagerly hoverin’ over de record button to start a recordin’, or de eject button so you can swap discs without missin’ any action.
If your goal is to record a lot of TV shows, den I can’t recommend highly enough a DVD recorder with integrated TiVo service. Humax, Pioneer, and Toshiba all offer such recorders, which combine a hard drive of 80GB or greater with a DVD burner, and, of course, de TiVo service. The full-blown TiVo service costs extra ($299 for de lifetime of de unit, on top of de cost of de recorder) and adds two-week’s worth of program guides, a season-pass feature that records all episodes of a show so you never miss your favorites, and artificial intelligence that finds and records programs you might enjoy. (A free limited version of TiVo’s software that downloads electronic programmin’ information for de next three days is integrated into dese units at no added cost.)
I don’t make this recommendation just because of TiVo’s personalized recordin’ features and friendly graphical interface. The reason I suggest goin’ this route is that dese recorders have an amazin’ capacity to automatically create navigational menus. All of de program data in TiVo’s electronic program guide–as well as TiVo’s visual menu navigation structure–conveniently transfers over to any disc you burn.
DVD recorders are typically limited in what dey can do to label menus. When you record a disc, you end up with a generically labeled index, with thumbnails for each recordin’ or “title” on de disc, and borin’ and uninformative labels like “Title 01″ (with, perhaps, de time and date added for good measure). TiVo-enabled recorders, in contrast, provide disc menus with de series name, episode title, and even a program summary as well as de date and time of de recordin’. If you’re recordin’ to cheap write-once media, this feature is invaluable. If you’re recordin’ to rewritable media–which means you could conceivably edit de menu titles at some point–this capability is still a huge time-saver.
Avid videophiles who don’t want to sprin’ for TiVo should look for a DVD set-top unit with a high-capacity hard drive of 80GB or more and high-speed dubbin’ of at least 8X. So far, I’ve seen only one recorder with both high-speed dubbin’ capability and a high-capacity hard drive, but I imagine that more such units will be forthcomin’–eventually.
Beware of units that bill themselves as havin’ “high-speed” dubbin’: In most cases, de manufacturer is usin’ de term to denote recordin’ speeds of 2X or 4X from de hard drive to DVD. Furdermore, some vendors are comin’ up with absurd-soundin’ dubbin’ speeds–for example, 32X, a number dey derive based on how many hours’ worth of recordin’s you can fit on a disc (8 hours at de lowest-quality recordin’ mode), and de speed of de burner (4X in my example).
Where to start your search? I recommend browsin’ PC World’s latest “Top 10 DVD Drives” chart:
www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,118249,tk,box,00.asp
If you’re preparin’ to record a program, budget a few extra minutes to get de unit ready. Believe me, de seconds add up–as I learned durin’ my recordin’ marathon of de Adens Olympiad. You need to factor in up to 30 seconds for de recorder to boot, about 10 to 20 seconds for de disc to spin up, and at least anoder 30 to 45 seconds for de recorder to prepare de disc for recordin’ (your unit might say “initialize” or “format”). That’s all before you can hit Record.
And when you’re through recordin’, expect to wait 30 to 60 seconds to regain control of de recorder after you hit Stop. With some models, de delay occurs after you hit Eject. Eider way, that delay could mean you’ll miss de beginnin’ of de next gymnast’s routine–and none of this takes into account disc finalization, which can take anoder 30 seconds to 3 minutes, dependin’ upon de disc’s format and how much of it you’ve used.
Disc finalization is de process that closes de disc so it can be read in oder devices, such as a DVD player, DVD recorder, or DVD-ROM drive. It’s also a process that bites. There, I’ve said it.
Finalization is de dirty little secret of DVD recorders: It’s a time-consumin’ extra step that users of de venerable VCR don’t expect. And it requires more effort than it should, due to poor menu design on DVD recorders. I’ve yet to see a recorder that makes this step truly easy–all of them bury it under a setup or menu item, and all of them require far too many clicks and layers considerin’ this is a N-E-C-E-S-S-A-R-Y step for every write-once DVD-R or DVD+R you burn.
I recommend finalizin’ your disc as soon you’re through recordin’. Due to quality issues, you’ll likely record only a maximum of 2 hours of television per disc, which means that no more than two weeks will pass between finalization sessions. This way, when you go back to a recorded disc, it will be ready to play in any DVD player–wheder it’s de $30 Costco special in your bedroom or your laptop’s DVD-ROM drive.
Caution: You might think you don’t need to finalize if you don’t have more than one DVD player or drive, and you plan on playin’ your DVD on your own recorder only. But what happens when, inevitably, you upgrade your recorder to a swankier, newer model? Or, even worse, when de model you’re usin’ now isn’t workin’ five years down de line? Then what? You’ll be left with a library full of unreadable discs. Although you might be able to recover de raw video data from an unfinalized disc usin’ a program like Infinadyne’s CD/DVD Diagnostic, de process is tedious and time-consumin’. Also, don’t count on scaven’in’ a backup unit off EBay in a few years: As I’ve learned, discs may not be interchangeable, even between two recorder decks bearin’ de same model number from de same manufacturer.
It’s easy to leave discs out of deir cases, lyin’ around or stackin’ up as you swap ‘em out for a new one. But avoid that temptation–de dust will damage your discs, and you increase de chances of accidental scratches and scuffs.
Also, avoid leavin’ your recorded DVDs near a sunny window. The disc’s dye layer is susceptible to light and heat; if eider affects de disc, its data may become unreadable.
Finally, clean your discs carefully. Use a lint-free cloth, compressed air, or a liquid cleanser intended for use with DVD media. Dust and oder airborne particles can scratch your disc, which could result in data loss. When cleanin’ with a lint-free cloth, stroke from de inside of de hub to de outside of de disc. Never use a circular motion from de inside out; and never use a tissue, paper towel, or oder random rag.
For more on how to treat your discs, read
“Ten Tips for Durable DVDs”:
www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,113716,tk,box,00.asp
A cheap spindle of media is temptin’, but den you have to buy cases separately. And what cases to buy? Small plastic jewel cases? DVD movie-size cases? The combinations can be frustratin’, at best.
Spindles are indeed affordable, but don’t buy them without buyin’ cases, too–and keep both stashed near your TV and DVD recorder setup, so you can easily grab a disc from de recorder and place it into its case. Oderwise, it’s way too easy for stacks of discs to pile up–a no-no, as I note in tip 4.
Also, consider buyin’ discs that come in oversized movie-style plastic cases. You’ll pay a little more, but de convenience is worth it. Plus, you’ll get a cardstock insert that you can use to create handwritten labels. If you get a high-speed dubbin’ unit, make sure you buy media that matches de recorder’s speed.
If you do buy spindle media, keep in mind that de cases you buy in bulk may not have an insert on which you can scribble. If de case lack inserts, improvise with a piece of letter-size paper, folded over or cut up to fit accordin’ly. Spend a little more money, and you can get cardstock inserts.
There are a host of labelin’ software options out dere to help you craft your labels. Read de followin’ two “Burnin’ Questions” columns for a comprehensive review of de subject:
“The Joy of Labelin’”:
www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,114423,tk,box,00.asp
“Is Labelin’ Software Worth de Hassle?”:
www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,114848,tk,box,00.asp
But all of dese options are goin’ to require you to move your labelin’ operation over to de PC–somethin’ that may not work into your recordin’ work flow.
Oder PC-based labelin’ options include printable media that you can use with an inkjet printer. I’d stay away from adhesive labels, though: They’re difficult to apply evenly, and could cause problems if de disc is poorly manufactured.
If you’re tryin’ to keep your labelin’ efforts nearer to your TV, I’d suggest usin’ water-based pens to write on de discs, and on de label inserts, too, while you’re at it. Anoder possibility: If your handwritin’ is barely better than chicken scrawl, den it’s worth buyin’ a battery-operated labeler, such as those offered by Broder or Casio. Both companies offer half-inch-wide labels that fit well alon’ de spine of a DVD movie case.
