Buyers' Guide: Video Recorders

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Today it seems hard to remember a time when we couldn't record TV shows. After more than two decades of video tape though, we now have several alternatives for making recordings in the home. DVD recorders are the natural successor to tape, allowing you to record several hours onto a disc that can be removed and archived or shared.

Personal video recorders, or PVRs, dispense with tapes and discs altogether and record shows onto computer hard disks. These allow massive recording capacities and the facility to time-shift, where you can effectively pause live TV or start watching a show while it or another is still recording.

Some PVRs also feature built-in DVD recorders for archiving purposes, or twin tuners, which let you record two different channels at the same time.

One of the best features of modern video recorders is an electronic programming guide, or EPG. These display the TV schedules onscreen and simply let you point and click at the ones you would like to record, eliminating the need to enter in times, dates and channels; most can also be set to automatically record an entire series.

VHS
VHS is the familiar videotape recording system first launched well over two decades ago. It's the cheapest video recording system available, with machines costing from as little as £50. Tapes can record around four hours in best quality and double that in long-play. You can, of course, remove tapes for archival and sharing purposes, but VHS is looking dated in terms of quality and features.

The quality even in best mode is noticeably below that of the original broadcast, and far worse in long-play. It can be hard and time-consuming to find specific points on a tape, and they can also wear out or break. Suffice to say, there's no support for EPGs.

With DVD recorders plummeting in price, we find it hard to recommend buying a new VHS unless your budget is very tight.

DVD recorders
DVD recorders are the natural successor to VHS. They use special recordable DVD discs, most of which will work in standard DVD players. Like DVD movies and CDs, you can instantly skip to different points on the disc, and they won't wear out either.

Prices have fallen considerably, and budget models are now available for as little as £150. Like normal DVD players though, spending more will get better quality and features. A DVD recorder will also work as a normal DVD player.

Models with Freeview digital tuners should deliver an eight-day EPG for easy scheduling. Some models may also boast time-shifting, although this capability is best implemented on a hard disk-based PVR.

Probably the worst aspect of a DVD recorder is the capacity of a disc. In best quality mode you may only squeeze on one or two hours of TV shows. Reducing the quality will increase the capacity, but surely one of the reasons for buying a DVD recorder is for DVD quality?

If you want massive recording times without compromise in quality, a hard disk recorder is far superior, although you'll also need a DVD recorder or VHS if you'd like to archive or share your shows.

PVRs
Personal video recorders, or PVRs, represent the pinnacle of today's video recording technology. They employ computer hard disks for recording video which can store tens or even hundreds of hours, while the speed of the disk allows them to play one show while recording another.

PVRs are available with analogue or digital TV tuners. Those with analogue tuners offer different settings to trade quality against recording time, whereas those with digital normally record exactly what's broadcast. While this fixes the recording capacity, it does mean that you get perfect quality. Models with twin tuners can record two different channels simultaneously.

Most PVRs with analogue tuners don't feature an electronic programme guide, whereas those with digital tuners do, and once you've used one you won't want to go back.

If you have Sky, there's only one PVR available: the Sky+ with twin tuners and either 20- or 80-hour recording capacities. NTL and Telewest are expected to have PVRs dedicated to their digital services by the end of 2005.

The big downside with PVRs is not being able to archive or share your recordings unless you have a DVD recorder or VHS to hand; indeed some PVRs come with built-in DVD recorders, which are a great option if you don't already own a DVD player.

That said, if a PVR has sufficient capacity, you could store shows on there for ages and still have plenty of room for day-to-day recordings. PVRs start with capacities of 10 hours, but we would recommend 20 as a minimum.

Windows Media Center/TV on your PC
It's possible for a PC to double up as a PVR and still be used as a normal computer. The benefit is having a whopping great hard disk, powerful EPG, and the facility to play photo slideshows and your music collection.

The simplest option for existing PC owners is to fit a TV tuner card and software to control it, such as Showshifter. You could buy a tuner, the software and the remote control for about £100.

Alternatively, you could buy a new PC designed specifically as a PVR. The most powerful are systems running a special version of Windows XP, called Media Center Edition 2005, or MCE for short.

MCE PCs can have a two-week EPG, DVD archiving and the option of twin tuners. Most are quiet and designed to fit discreetly into a living room, but at around £1,000 they cost far more than a traditional PVR.

Combi systems
Combination systems feature two different recording technologies in a single box for greater flexibility. There are machines that combine VHS and DVD recorders, or PVRs with DVD recording facilities. This might sound like a great option, but in many cases you may not use one of the technologies much or even at all. Think carefully about what you want before buying.

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See also:

Buyers' Guide: Televisions

Planning on splashing out on a new goggle box? Follow our guide to choosing a screen that's really good to look at  27 May 2005

Buyers' Guide: Sound Systems

OK, so you've invested in a great screen, and the recording system that suits your needs. But there's no point having a fantastic-looking picture if the sound's not up to scratch  27 May 2005

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