Post by dkennedy on May 16, 2005 6:31:00 GMT -5
DVD recorders play it again for more
May 15, 2005
By Deborah Porterfield, USA TODAY
In television's Stone Age, we'd watch a show and wait for the reruns. Then came video-cassette recorders (VCRs). Technology evolved, spawning TiVo, a ground-breaking service that lets subscribers record and "pause" live TV shows on digital-video recorders (DVRs).
Now, DVD recorders are helping revolutionize TV habits by freeing consumers to record shows on portable discs without paying fees.
Shipments of DVD recorders in the USA, including combo units that feature built-in VCRs, will reach 3.4 million by the end of this year, says Michelle Abraham, an analyst with research firm In-Stat. By 2007, she says, shipments will reach 11.7 million.
DVD recorders can save TV shows on DVDs, transfer home movies from videotapes to DVDs and can, of course, play DVD movies. Some models also come with hard drives, giving them TiVo-like powers to "pause" a live show.
In contrast, DVRs used by TiVo and cable and satellite TV operators record shows on built-in hard drives and generally require fees. TiVo, for example, typically charges $12.95 a month.
Both recording options have plenty of converts: Sales of DVD recorders topped 940,000 in February, a 166% gain from February 2004, according to Ross Rubin, an analyst for The NPD Group. Sales of DVRs in the same period reached 476,000, up 72%. That figure doesn't include DVRs leased from cable and satellite providers.
Falling prices, bigger sales
Here's the lowdown on different kinds of DVD players
Stand-alone DVD recorder
Pro: Similar to a VCR, it records TV shows and camcorder footage on discs.
Con: Lacks extra drive to burn copies of discs.
Tip: Look for a high-speed FireWire or i.Link connection for fast camcorder downloads.
Price range: About $150 to $400.
Sample models:
Sharp DV-SR45U, $250, www.sharpusa.com.
Sony RDR-GX315, i.Link connection, $300 (summer release), www.sony.com.
DVD recorder with built-in VCR
Pro: Space-saving device simplifies transfer of videotape to DVD, and vice versa.
Con: Can't copy copyrighted material.
Tip: Look for machine with one-touch copy button.
Price range: About $300 to $600.
Sample models:
Philips DVDR600VR, $350, www
.philips.com.
GoVideo VR2940, $350, www.go
video.com.
DVD recorder with hard drive
Pro: Dual recording options let users "pause" live TV, copy recordings at fast clip.
Con: Bigger hard drives and extra features cost more.
Tip: For recording ease, look for model with an on-screen TV guide.
Price range: About $400 to $1,000.
Sample models:
Panasonic DMR-EH50S: DVD recorder with 100-gigabyte (GB) hard drive, on-screen TV guide and Secure Digital memory card slot, DVD-RAM, $450, www.panasonic.com.
Toshiba RS-TX20 Digital Media Server: DVD recorder with 120-GB hard drive with TiVo technology, including a free version of its program guide, $600, www.toshiba.com.
When Panasonic introduced the industry's first DVD recorder five years ago, it sold for about $3,500, says company spokesman Jeff Samuels. Today, discounters sell basic models for as little as $150. Deluxe models with 100-gigabyte hard drives and TiVo-like functionality can be purchased for $450.
A desire to preserve media — be it a favorite TV show or a home movie — will also drive sales, especially among camcorder owners who don't have — or don't know how to work — a DVD burner on a computer.
Transferring home movies is the main reason Peter Giles purchased a DVD recorder for his family in Pound Ridge, N.Y. "My first priority is to transfer all of my videotapes to DVD for the sake of saving them for my children, and my children's children," he says.
But his three daughters, ages 12, 16 and 17, quickly shifted gears, putting the device to work recording TV shows.
"If my daughters had their way, we'd have hundreds of DVDs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and InuYasha," Giles says.
What's telling about his daughters' thirst for DVD recordings is that the family also has a combination DirecTV/TiVo system with a 60-gigabyte hard drive. "Everyone is competing to fill up the hard drive on the TiVo system," he says. Giles' experience is one reason industry observers think that the popularity of TiVo and similar devices will spur, rather than slow, sales of DVD recorders.
"Consumers are very interested in combination DVD recorders with hard drives," says In-Stat's Abraham. "They want the best of both worlds."
DVD recorders with built-in hard drives let you pause a show, then fast-forward and catch up with it in real time. Most combo units also allow you to record one show while watching a recording of another.
Plus, DVD recorders with hard drives offer faster recording options. You can burn a two-hour DVD from a hard drive recording in about 15 minutes.
The advantages of combining a DVD recorder with a hard drive have caught the attention of DVR providers. TiVo, for instance, has partnered with electronics manufacturers to make TiVo set-top boxes that include both a hard drive and a DVD recorder. And Scientific-Atlanta recently announced plans to make set-top boxes with built-in DVD recorders for cable companies.
Prices for DVD recorders with hard drives vary from about $400 to $1,000, with the higher-priced models sporting bigger hard drives and more features.
Keep it simple
All that some TV viewers want is a no-frills DVD recorder that works like a traditional VCR. Such models generally cost $150 to $400.
Most new machines can play both Recordable (can be recorded once) and Rewritable (can be re-recorded) discs in the "+" and "-" formats. They also can generally record on Recordable (R) and Rewritable (RW) discs in either the "+" or "-" formats or, in some cases, both. The format doesn't matter that much if you're careful to buy blank discs that match your machine's requirements.
Some DVD recorders provide free on-screen electronic TV guides that make it easier to schedule recordings. Other DVD recorders use the same VCR Plus+ recording format found on today's VCRs. But such efforts don't yet match TiVo's smooth interface that lets viewers find and record programs with searches for favorite actors, directors, themes, keywords and more.
Another popular option is a unit that houses both a VCR and a DVD recorder. With these machines, you can easily transfer a home movie on videotape to DVD, or vice versa, often with the push of one button. Expect to pay from $300 to $600 for a combination VCR/DVD recorder.
Lots of memory
Consumers who aren't afraid of learning one more format might want to consider machines that record on DVD-RAM discs, as well as the more standard DVD-/+ R and RW discs. These recorders treat DVD-RAM discs as a removable hard drive, which can be recorded over an estimated 100,000 times.
The fast-working DVD-RAM format also can perform a time-slip function that lets you start recording a show at 9, come home at 9:15 and watch the recording from the beginning while the machine records the rest of the show.
One caveat: DVD-RAM discs aren't as compatible as the more popular DVD-/+R and DVD-/+RW discs, and thus can't be played on as many DVD players.
For big-screen high-definition TV aficionados, the future looks even sharper. High-definition DVD recorders with high-capacity, high-quality discs are on the horizon. But the efforts have been slowed by two competing formats. Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo and other electronics makers favor High Density (HD) discs, while Panasonic, Sony, Philips and other manufacturers like Blu-ray discs. A compromise is in the works.
Stay tuned. Or set your recorder to capture the news on DVD.
May 15, 2005
By Deborah Porterfield, USA TODAY
In television's Stone Age, we'd watch a show and wait for the reruns. Then came video-cassette recorders (VCRs). Technology evolved, spawning TiVo, a ground-breaking service that lets subscribers record and "pause" live TV shows on digital-video recorders (DVRs).
Now, DVD recorders are helping revolutionize TV habits by freeing consumers to record shows on portable discs without paying fees.
Shipments of DVD recorders in the USA, including combo units that feature built-in VCRs, will reach 3.4 million by the end of this year, says Michelle Abraham, an analyst with research firm In-Stat. By 2007, she says, shipments will reach 11.7 million.
DVD recorders can save TV shows on DVDs, transfer home movies from videotapes to DVDs and can, of course, play DVD movies. Some models also come with hard drives, giving them TiVo-like powers to "pause" a live show.
In contrast, DVRs used by TiVo and cable and satellite TV operators record shows on built-in hard drives and generally require fees. TiVo, for example, typically charges $12.95 a month.
Both recording options have plenty of converts: Sales of DVD recorders topped 940,000 in February, a 166% gain from February 2004, according to Ross Rubin, an analyst for The NPD Group. Sales of DVRs in the same period reached 476,000, up 72%. That figure doesn't include DVRs leased from cable and satellite providers.
Falling prices, bigger sales
Here's the lowdown on different kinds of DVD players
Stand-alone DVD recorder
Pro: Similar to a VCR, it records TV shows and camcorder footage on discs.
Con: Lacks extra drive to burn copies of discs.
Tip: Look for a high-speed FireWire or i.Link connection for fast camcorder downloads.
Price range: About $150 to $400.
Sample models:
Sharp DV-SR45U, $250, www.sharpusa.com.
Sony RDR-GX315, i.Link connection, $300 (summer release), www.sony.com.
DVD recorder with built-in VCR
Pro: Space-saving device simplifies transfer of videotape to DVD, and vice versa.
Con: Can't copy copyrighted material.
Tip: Look for machine with one-touch copy button.
Price range: About $300 to $600.
Sample models:
Philips DVDR600VR, $350, www
.philips.com.
GoVideo VR2940, $350, www.go
video.com.
DVD recorder with hard drive
Pro: Dual recording options let users "pause" live TV, copy recordings at fast clip.
Con: Bigger hard drives and extra features cost more.
Tip: For recording ease, look for model with an on-screen TV guide.
Price range: About $400 to $1,000.
Sample models:
Panasonic DMR-EH50S: DVD recorder with 100-gigabyte (GB) hard drive, on-screen TV guide and Secure Digital memory card slot, DVD-RAM, $450, www.panasonic.com.
Toshiba RS-TX20 Digital Media Server: DVD recorder with 120-GB hard drive with TiVo technology, including a free version of its program guide, $600, www.toshiba.com.
When Panasonic introduced the industry's first DVD recorder five years ago, it sold for about $3,500, says company spokesman Jeff Samuels. Today, discounters sell basic models for as little as $150. Deluxe models with 100-gigabyte hard drives and TiVo-like functionality can be purchased for $450.
A desire to preserve media — be it a favorite TV show or a home movie — will also drive sales, especially among camcorder owners who don't have — or don't know how to work — a DVD burner on a computer.
Transferring home movies is the main reason Peter Giles purchased a DVD recorder for his family in Pound Ridge, N.Y. "My first priority is to transfer all of my videotapes to DVD for the sake of saving them for my children, and my children's children," he says.
But his three daughters, ages 12, 16 and 17, quickly shifted gears, putting the device to work recording TV shows.
"If my daughters had their way, we'd have hundreds of DVDs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and InuYasha," Giles says.
What's telling about his daughters' thirst for DVD recordings is that the family also has a combination DirecTV/TiVo system with a 60-gigabyte hard drive. "Everyone is competing to fill up the hard drive on the TiVo system," he says. Giles' experience is one reason industry observers think that the popularity of TiVo and similar devices will spur, rather than slow, sales of DVD recorders.
"Consumers are very interested in combination DVD recorders with hard drives," says In-Stat's Abraham. "They want the best of both worlds."
DVD recorders with built-in hard drives let you pause a show, then fast-forward and catch up with it in real time. Most combo units also allow you to record one show while watching a recording of another.
Plus, DVD recorders with hard drives offer faster recording options. You can burn a two-hour DVD from a hard drive recording in about 15 minutes.
The advantages of combining a DVD recorder with a hard drive have caught the attention of DVR providers. TiVo, for instance, has partnered with electronics manufacturers to make TiVo set-top boxes that include both a hard drive and a DVD recorder. And Scientific-Atlanta recently announced plans to make set-top boxes with built-in DVD recorders for cable companies.
Prices for DVD recorders with hard drives vary from about $400 to $1,000, with the higher-priced models sporting bigger hard drives and more features.
Keep it simple
All that some TV viewers want is a no-frills DVD recorder that works like a traditional VCR. Such models generally cost $150 to $400.
Most new machines can play both Recordable (can be recorded once) and Rewritable (can be re-recorded) discs in the "+" and "-" formats. They also can generally record on Recordable (R) and Rewritable (RW) discs in either the "+" or "-" formats or, in some cases, both. The format doesn't matter that much if you're careful to buy blank discs that match your machine's requirements.
Some DVD recorders provide free on-screen electronic TV guides that make it easier to schedule recordings. Other DVD recorders use the same VCR Plus+ recording format found on today's VCRs. But such efforts don't yet match TiVo's smooth interface that lets viewers find and record programs with searches for favorite actors, directors, themes, keywords and more.
Another popular option is a unit that houses both a VCR and a DVD recorder. With these machines, you can easily transfer a home movie on videotape to DVD, or vice versa, often with the push of one button. Expect to pay from $300 to $600 for a combination VCR/DVD recorder.
Lots of memory
Consumers who aren't afraid of learning one more format might want to consider machines that record on DVD-RAM discs, as well as the more standard DVD-/+ R and RW discs. These recorders treat DVD-RAM discs as a removable hard drive, which can be recorded over an estimated 100,000 times.
The fast-working DVD-RAM format also can perform a time-slip function that lets you start recording a show at 9, come home at 9:15 and watch the recording from the beginning while the machine records the rest of the show.
One caveat: DVD-RAM discs aren't as compatible as the more popular DVD-/+R and DVD-/+RW discs, and thus can't be played on as many DVD players.
For big-screen high-definition TV aficionados, the future looks even sharper. High-definition DVD recorders with high-capacity, high-quality discs are on the horizon. But the efforts have been slowed by two competing formats. Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo and other electronics makers favor High Density (HD) discs, while Panasonic, Sony, Philips and other manufacturers like Blu-ray discs. A compromise is in the works.
Stay tuned. Or set your recorder to capture the news on DVD.