The best way to understand DVD recorders is to compare them with VCRs. They are similar both in shape, function and features. You can say about a DVD recorder that it’s an optical disk recorder that uses a laser beam to write media on a blank DVD. Usually the term of DVD recorder is applied to standalone units that are used in home theater systems, in studios, etc, but there are other types of DVD recorders and DVD recorder combos out there. For example DVD recorders mounted in a computer are referred to as DVD burners, and in many home theater systems you will find standalone DVD recorders that have an integrated hard-drive.

But there is far more to DVD recorders than that. DVD recorders are now equipped with a number of features that make the DVD recorder a true media device. DVD recorders can record from analog video sources and also most of them can also record from digital sources via Firewire ports. Also most DVD recorders today have included ATSC (HDTV) tuners, used to record media directly from a TV stream.

In the beginning there were three main formats supported by DVD recorders: DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and DVD+RW. Out of these, DVD-RAM is almost obsolete and is not compatible with most DVD recorders out there today. DVD-RW allows you to write and then rewrite data on the DVD, the only downside is that you have to erase the whole disk if you want to modify stored data. Last but not least, the DVD+RW uses the random write access technology that enables you to write and erase data without having to erase the whole disk. Most DVD recorders today support both DVD-RW and DVD+RW standards.

The speed used by the DVD recorder to write data is measured in “X”, similar to CD-ROM speeds measurement system. In this system 1X equals to 1.321 MB/s, which is the equivalent of 9X when comparing to CD-ROM writing speeds. The writing speed is only relevant to DVD burners mounted on a computer, that can write data stored on the hard drive, standalone DVD recorders write data in real time (1X speed).

There are some discussions about the fate of the DVD recorder, for some say it will become obsolete as happened with the VCR, but others say that the technical advantages of the DVD recorder will keep in on the market for years to come. For example a DVD recorder has superior audio and video quality, doesn’t need rewinding because it uses a chapter index you can jump to at any time, it makes use of playlists, it provides multilingual subtitles, etc. Of course there are some downsides such as the fact that DVDs must be finalized in order to be played (this is not true for DVD+RW and DVD-RW disks that allow random write access). Another downside is that the MPEG-2 standards implemented on most DVD recorders today outputs media of a slightly lesser quality than professionally rendered DVDs.

Considering this, a DVD recorder is a much better choice then a VCR and it’s definitely a must have device in your home cinema media center.