DVD compatability

[gizmo67]

My Dad is looking to buy a DVD Recorder with the intention of transferring his analogue VHS tapes and digital photographs onto disc. However, we have heard that there are two types of recorder, DVD - and DVD +. apparently, only one of these are suitable for recording from VHS tapes, but we don't know which one. Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.

Regards.

 

[AdamW]

I have not heard that one, the video is stored in the same format on either type of disc. Perhaps one type of disc has a greater life expectancy, not sure.

However, you may be in luck as there are many recorders that record on both DVD+R and DVD-R, as well as +RW and -RW.

For example, this nice little Sony

 

[AdamW]

Wo mama! 250GB HDD as well as dual-standard DVD recorder. Shweet.

 

[ill_wind]

There is dvd+-r/rw and dvd ram used by different manufacturers they are generally incompatible esp dvd ram as it is encapsulated in a protective cover so will not even fit into other dvd players, shame really as it is the most user friendly format. Be aware that dvd recorders are more complex to use than vcrs

 

[Malc]

I have read that DVD-R tends to work in more DVD players than DVD+R. Perhaps that is what is meant.

But I would expect the compatibility only applies to old dvd players. I would have expected all new DVD players to be equally happy with -R or +R.

 

[gizmo67]

Thanks for the advice people !

 

[ZenStalinist]

Plus you have to make sure that you buy the right type of discs. Ultimately it won't be as bad as the VHS/Beta wars because there's already a standard prerecorded format. Not all DVD RAM comes in cartridge form, most now comes as a disc, seems only to be the earlier DVD RAM recorders need it.

 

[muffking]

Panasonic models always get good reviews and have been well recommended on the AV forum. They make a DMR-E65 which has memory card slots to transfer the photos and it has a Time Base Corrector for boosting the quality of VHS copies. They also make a DMR-E95 which is basically the same as the DMR-E65 but also has a 284 hr hard drive. Or there's the balls out DMR-E500 which has all that plus a 400Gb HDD and Ethernet for multi-room operation/playback and PC use

 

[GRC]

Please tell us the source of the statement;

" ....DVD - and DVD +. apparently, only one of these are suitable for recording from VHS tapes, but we don't know which one"


GRC - For the record, I think this is nonsense. Any DVD recorder with an AV input (SCART or Phono) will happily record through that input, whatever you feed into it; VCR, camera, laserdisc player, another DVD player (AS LONG AS there's no copy-protection on whatever media you're playing back).

I'm using two Panasonic DMR-E55's, which I got for less than £200 each. I can happily record between the two of them; from DVD-RAM to DVD-R, and vice versa, and from VHS to DVD-RAM or DVD-R, again, without problems.

It'll quite happily use DVD-RAM discs with or without the cartridge housings as well.

If your father is playing back the archived DVDs on the same recorder that he recorded them on, any issues of compatibility between DVD-R and DVD+R can be ignored as long as you get the right kind of discs for the recorder in the first place.

If you want to know more about using the Panasonic to archive VHS, post it here, and I'll fill in more detail.

Regards, Graham