I Need Help (Gadget Help)

[gonzai]

So, I've been thinking of getting a DVR - reading about them, looking at stores and prices, etc but not feeling comfortable enough about them to pull the trigger. Due to circumstances yesterday, I no longer have the luxury of time - I need one, NOW. Thus I turn to the internet for help.

I know I need a DVR with a VCR combo - we have too many VHS tapes still floating around here, and the downstairs still records on VHS.

As I understand it, a DVR with its own digital tuner can record one channel while you watch another? If so, I need that. We often have 2-3 shows on at once we want to see.

The new television which occasions the need for the DVR appears to be a 1080i (the manual says nothing and my brother, who surprise-gifted us with said TV, doesn't know.) Therefore, I think an upconverting DVR would be a worthy compatriot to the new telly. So, desired, but not a dealbreaker.

The big question for me is in the actual recording. Do programs record directly onto a DVD, or do they record to a hard drive in the machine? If the former, is there any way to edit what goes onto the DVD (ie, cut commercials?) If the latter, do you record to the hard drive and then burn it to DVD at your leisure? Can things recorded to the hard drive be transferred to a computer instead? (I have plenty of portable and external hard drives, and I know how to make DVDs on my computer.) I've just never quite gotten the hang of this particular aspect.

I'm willing to pay a fair amount amount to get a machine that does what I want and will last a few years - up to around $300 or so.

With those criteria in place, what should I be getting/looking for? Any particular brands, models, or stores I should go to? I did look at Circuit City before they closed, but they only had floor models that you weren't allowed to test, and I'm not paying that amount of money to gamble, I want something under warranty that I can return if need be!

All advice is most appreciated!

Comments

[giandujakiss.livejournal.com]

Yeah, see, this is why I think the cable company DVR is the way to go, if it's offered in your area. You don't buy it - you rent it the same way you do a cable box, only it's more expensive per month. And at least in my areas, you can record two things at once, and the channels go as high as you like. I mean, you use it instead of a normal cable box. In my area, there's no option for one with a DVD player.