# Current best value DVD recorder



## Smart_Saver (5 Sep 2008)

There  does not seem to have been a lot of conversation on this subhsect for some time. I was in Dunnes stores this week and they have a DVD recorder on offer for 100 bucks. Here's the link

Has anyone heard of this?


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## Brendan Burgess (5 Sep 2008)

*Re: Key Post: Current best value DVD recorder*

It depends on what you want. 

A hard drive is really important as you don't have to keep chopping and changing disks. 

RTE will be moving to digital broadcasting over the next few years, so it should have the capacity to record digitally broadcast programmes. 

I found Video Plus to be very useful, but it has been replaced by something else, which does not seem to work too well in Ireland. 

I did a bit of research and concluded that the best machine was the Sony 870 or Sony 890. I bought the Sony 870 for around €370 during the week. I haven't set it up yet though. 

But for €100 how far wrong can you go?  

Then there is all this talk about BlueRay which I don't fully understand. I gather it is something to do with the way in which movies are recorded onto DVDs, but as I don't watch pre-recorded movies, it doesn't affect me.

Brendan


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## ClubMan (5 Sep 2008)

*Re: Key Post: Current best value DVD recorder*

_Argos _have a "value range" _DVD _(non hard disk) recorder .

Brendan - are you *sure *that _VideoPlus+_ has been dropped/replaced?


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## z105 (5 Sep 2008)

> Then there is all this talk about BlueRay which I don't fully understand. I gather it is something to do with the way in which movies are recorded onto DVDs


Blu Ray is Sony's answer to the High Definition format, the competition named theirs HD DVD (Toshiba etc), neither were compatible on each others machines but Toshiba recently threw in the towel and will start making machines that will follow Sony's format (Blu Ray). High Definition output is 6 times greater than DVD but one needs a HD ready TV to see it in all it's glory. High Definition is magnificent and a bit like broadband, once you get it you will never go back to dial up. At the moment the technology is perfected but in it's infancy. Not every film is released on Blu Ray. I think one of the major reasons Toshiba gave up the ghost was that the major film companies in Hollywood sided with Blu Ray.

Anyhow I recently got "Blu Rayed" !! and it's absolutely brilliant.

As you say though, if you aren't bothered with home cinema/pre-recorded movies then it's a big expenditure for nothing. Next time in DID or the likes ask them to show you something on Blu Ray and it might change your mind !


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## Brendan Burgess (5 Sep 2008)

Thanks Have a Laugh

I thought that HD - DVD meant Hard Disk  DVD! 

If you want to record a movie from the TV, is Blue Ray any use? Or is it just pre-recorded DVDs? 

Brendan


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## z105 (6 Sep 2008)

> If you want to record a movie from the TV, is Blue Ray any use? Or is it just pre-recorded DVDs?



No use I'm afraid, just for pre-recorded films etc at this stage. What's more the broadcast from most tvs at this stage is analogue/digital, sky do broadcast in HD (subscription) and you can also get free HD tv (BBC and some ITV) by buying one of these -  but unfortunately it seems you can only get them in the North of Ireland (and you use an English postcode and off you go), at the moment.

If you have a HD Camcorder or camera I guess you can burn it to DVD but may only play in 1080i (Not full HD, which is 1080p).


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## V1Rotate (6 Sep 2008)

GoMayoGo said:


> There  does not seem to have been a lot of conversation on this subhsect for some time. I was in Dunnes stores this week and they have a DVD recorder on offer for 100 bucks. Here's the link
> 
> Has anyone heard of this?



Hi just wondering did you invest in that DVD recorder in the end?

I would like it at that price as I got rid of my very expensive DVD player aka Xbox360 ( not playing games ).Its not bad as a cheap DVD player with DVD recording options is it?

John


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## Jethro (8 Sep 2008)

*Re: Key Post: Current best value DVD recorder*



Brendan said:


> ....
> 
> I found Video Plus to be very useful, but it has been replaced by something else, which does not seem to work too well in Ireland.
> 
> Brendan


 
Video+ is still around. I use it sometimes on my Sony HD Recorder. It will only work on the analogue channels so if I want to record digital I have to use the timer. But it's fine for something where I don't mind the drop in quality.


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## theresa1 (11 Sep 2008)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VideoPlus   - I think I used videoplus once - never again!


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## Brendan Burgess (12 Sep 2008)

Videoplus works perfectly for me. The only errors are user errors, where I type in the number of the wrong programme. 

The guy in the Sony shop told me that ShowView doesn't really work well in Ireland. ( I wonder could it be that it doesn't work with Irish stations?) 

That link seems to suggest that they are the same thing.

Brendan


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## Coolaboy (2 Oct 2008)

Will these dvd reorders copy dvds of barney and thomas the tank. Our kids are terrible for scraping the dvds and we end up buying the same one again.


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## ClubMan (2 Oct 2008)

Coolaboy said:


> Will these dvd reorders copy dvds of barney and thomas the tank. Our kids are terrible for scraping the dvds and we end up buying the same one again.


No - they are not _DVD _copiers. You'll need to do something like this. Copying _DVDs _even for personal backup purposes may be illegal.


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## Coolaboy (3 Oct 2008)

What is site all about. Unreal.


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## ClubMan (3 Oct 2008)

Coolaboy said:


> What is site all about. Unreal.


Huh!?


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## kaych (6 Oct 2008)

Hello GoMayoGo. Just wondering if you have made your decision yet. I think that you could nearly get a decent Sony for the money that Dunnes were charging at the time. Not sure if their prices have also fell.


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