DVD Recording

Re-writable DVD discs can come in various formats, most notably DVD-R and DVD-RW. The biggest key difference is that DVD-R is meant to create a permanent recording, and can’t be re-recorded over later as recordable video tapes could. DVD-RW, by contrast, can be erased and re-recorded on over one-thousand times, and without the erosion in quality that VHS tapes tended to see. Although many newer hybrid devices exist, a lot of older or cheaper players can only read one of the two formats.

With the advent of DVR recorders, re-writable DVDs have been somewhat less popular, and it not uncommon to only find a few scant models in stores like Best Buy. These DVDs are perhaps best for recording things that you plan to save for a long period of time, such as old home movies (which on some players can be transferred from VHS tapes), or movies and television shows that you intend to save but can’t or won’t purchase on official DVD releases; this can obviously include special events, such as sports games or news reports, that might not see such releases. It can certainly be great to save things like that, or seasons of television shows before they are available through other means.

One disadvantage compared to DVR, of course, is that discs still aren’t completely reliable. They can be scratched, and in fact might be slightly more susceptible to skipping or other errors than normal DVD discs. For that matter, compatibility issues between DVD-R and DVD-RW can be a hassle, and some recorders may even auto-format discs in such a way that they become impossible to use on other players. Users can also select recording speeds, similar to a VCR, to save space or get higher quality, which can greatly affect the quality of the recordings.