DVD Recorder Guide
DVD recorders are a lot more complicated than you thought. Assembling the right hardware and software, after deciding upon the function you want your DVD recorder to perform, can leave many people confused. This guide would make you familiar with the different components of a DVD recorder and help you take your pick.
DVD recorders are of two types: PC-based recorders and set-top recorders. PC-based recorders are more affordable, and therefore, more common. They can be either internal or external. Set-top recorders have been available in Japan for more than a year now and are slowly coming to other markets. They are similar to the good old VCR’s but their exorbitant price has kept most home users away from them.
You will find three types of products in the recordable-DVD market: DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and DVD+RW. All three are rewritable media, but DVD-RAM discs are cartridge style, which makes them incompatible with most players. You should remember that none of these formats is compatible with one other, so be careful while choosing your media.
The hardware is just one part of a DVD recorder. The software consists of three components: two behind-the-scenes components (encoder and decoder) and a GUI that helps you write to your DVD. The encoder translates the recorded digital information into a DVD-friendly format, and a decoder transforms the DVD format back into digital information that the device can display. Inter Video’s DVD Xpack is an example of a third party. Both encoder and decoder come with a DVD recorder. Set-top recorders generally have a built-in encoder and decoder.
The third software component is the most important part of a DVD recorder. It lets you assemble DVD content and its nature depends on the type of DVD media that you wish to create:
Data DVDs: Software should be file-system-oriented that lets you select the files and folders you want to burn to the DVD. Prassi’s PrimoDVD and Software Architects’ WriteDVD! are examples of this type.
Video DVDs: You need a video-capture and editing software like XP’s MovieMaker and Apple Computer’s iMovie (included in iMac)
Tip: Select the hardware and software of your DVD recorder depending on the function you want it to perform, and make sure the two are compatible.
| 
