DVD Recorders are something that I do not sell at the moment.  Yet because there is a lot of confusion, I thought
I would write this guide.  If you find it helpful, please visit my Ebay store and browse the CDs and books.
Dolphin1959--Dolphin's Treasure Trove.

The idea of a DVD recorder is simple..to replace the VCR  that uses videotape with a machine the uses DVDs.
Although it sounds simple, it is quite complicated, especially considering some very intelligent people  have never gotten their VCRs to stop blinking 12:00.

First of all, when you buy a videotape..you buy one size.and normally either the 6 or 8 hour version.  A lot of places
only stock 6 hour tapes, so the only choice you have to make about the videotape  is the manufacturer.

DVDs, on the other hand, that are used in DVD recorders come in lots of different kinds.  DVD+R DVD-R   DVD-RW DVD+RW  RAM disks and RAM cartridges. Not only that, DVD recorders  also come with hard drives.  And, now that analog tuners are being phased out, DVD recorders come with digital tuners, analog tuners (no longer made,). and no tuners at all.  Then you still have to choose among a myriad of manufacturers, some relatively new.  DVD recorders are much more like computers than VCRs ever were, and some people sell them right here used on Ebay because they have never gotten them to work at all. Some models of some brands are notorious for not working right..especially frustrating as they work fine for 3 weeks or so and then lock up.

I have a Pioneer DVD recorder (Pioneer is not in this business currently), a Panasonic DVD recorder, and a two Toshiba DVD recorders--which are identical except in one respect  The one I bought new at a local electronics chain never worked right.  The one I bought right here on Ebay used for 1/3 the price has always worked right.  I also
have seen what comes out at a local warehouse chain now and then, but it seems never consistent.

None of my DVD recorders have hard drives,although I have always wanted one with one.  This gives Tivo-like
functionality to your DVD recorder.  Yet, unlike Tivo, you can then easily transfer programs to a DVD..or transfer
non-copyrighted DVDS to the hard drive.  Some models even let you play from the DVD  and record to the hard drive, or play from the hard drive and record to the DVD.  You can never assume anything like this, and often features like this are not listed anywhere..even on the site of the manufacturer.  You often have to call the company and ask
to see if the particular DVD recorder model has the features for which you are looking.

In the simplest version of a DVD recorder, and how some people have always used VCRs, the user pushes the button to record what is currently.on.  This does not involve any type of programming, so this is sometimes as far as any people ever get with a VCR or a DVD recorder.  The blinking  light that constantly tells you it is 12:00 can show on a DVD recorder just like on a VCR.  At least it gives exactly the right time twice a day!!!

Even if this is all you ever wanted to do with a DVD recorder, some of the higher end models of DVD recorders have a feature that no VCR has ever had.  On the same DVD disk, you can record one program, while watching a different program previously recorded on the same DVD disk. This is usually referred to as simultaneous record and play.  This is what makes a DVD recorder much more complicated and more computer-like than a VCR.  Generally, the DVD recorders that can do this use RAM disks to do this, or they do this with a hard drive.  (DVD recorders with hard drives are a lot more expensive).  The Pioneer DVD recorders were very unique in that they could do this on a DVD-RW disk. These disks are much cheaper and much more common than RAM disks.  It must have been quite a feat to accomplish this, since no other manufacturer ever accomplished this with DVD-RW disk.

Now, you might be asking, what are all these different type of DVD disks?  It seems rather bewildering. Really, it is not that complicated, but even a lot of electronics sales people have some comfusion.  First there are disks that you can only record on one time.  These would be the DVD+R and the DVD-R. The DVD+R disks are often used with computers.  The DVD-R are generally what you prerecorded movies come on.  They cannot be recorded on more than once--supposedly.  DVD-R disk have to be finalized to run them in another machine, if you want to give them to a friend, for example.  DVD+R disks do not have to be finalized.  Although you are only supposed to be able to use these type of DVD disks once, the truth of a matter some people have found on certain DVD recorders, you can use the DVD-R disks over and over on the same machine if you never finalize the disk.  Finalize is just some type of process that the DVD recorder uses to allow the DVD disk to play on other machines.

Next we move to DVD-RW and DVD+RW disks.  Again, the + version is more common to be used in computers and do not need to be finalized.  The DVD-RW disks are more common to the world of the DVD recorder.  The RW means that you can record on these over and over again--RW means rewritable.  For a long time, the cheaper DVD recorders used the DVD+R and DVD+RW formats, and the better ones used the DVD-R and DVD-RW formats.
Some could use all of them.  The problem is there has been a wide variability between true compatibility.  You might record on DVD-R or DVD-RW, finalize the disk, take the DVD disk over to a friend;s house, and find the disk does not play.  Most often this is due to incompatibility between machines, but sometimes it actually has to do with the brand of the media you buy.  There is one office chain that sells a 25 DVD-RW package all on a spindle for a very low price,  Of the four DVD recorders that I have, I found these worked on only one.  I cannot even say..stick with brand A or brand B..you just have to experiment. If you want to record something for a friend, and the friend just has a common DVD player, you are probably safest buying a DVD recorder that records in DVD-R and DVD-RW format since this is what commercial DVDs use that come with prerecorded movies.

RAM disks and RAM cartridges are far less common, and  few and far between are the electronic salespeople who know anything about them.  RAM disks supposedly can be used 100,000 times without failing.  If you have ever used one videotape over and over again, you know it will wear out.  Any recordable DVD disk is going to last longer than a videotape, but RAM disks will last seemingly forever without ever wearing out.  RAM disks are expensive compared to DVD RW disks, but as I said, except for the Pioneer, if you want to simultaneously play and record without investing in a DVD recorder that has a hard drive, you have to buy a DVD recorder that uses this format.  This does not mean that if a DVD recorder says it can use  RAM disks that it  necessarily can simultaneously play and record, but the ones that do have this feature and do not have a hard drive, use RAM disks. 

RAM cartridges are just RAM disks enclosed in a plastic cartridge the way a videocassette tape is enclosed in a plastic case.  The advantage to this is you cannot get any finger prints on the disk.  These are really expensive, but I bought a box of 25 right here on Ebay for 2 dollars apiece.  Most salespeople have no idea what you are talking about if you ask them about this.  Both the Panasonic DVD recorder I have and the two Toshibas I have can use these cartridges.  The newest Panasonic also can use RAM cartridges, but it does not say this anywhere in the manual on the box or anywhere else.  I know this because a friend of mine has this latest Panasonic DVD recorder, and he called and asked them if it can use RAM cartridges.

Well that is enough for today. 

I will have to add to this later.  I hope what I have written so far has been helpful.

Thanks for reading so far.

Please visit my Ebay store Dolphin's Treasure Trove.