We have been looking at buying a DVD recorder. A friend that works at a tv station says to buy a - (minus) one. The local geek says to buy a + (plus) one. A guy I met at Sam's says to add onto my computer. Another guy at Sam's said to buy a dual layer one as it records more on each disc. I also need to be able put old VCR tapes onto discs so I want to be able to edit easily. Edit is very, very important.
What to do?

1. How can I tell if they have bit rate selections? This will allow more on each disc, right?

2. Which type of recording is most likely to be playable on a laptop? (We plan to send stuff to Iraq)

3. Is the dual layering really worth the extra $160?

4. Rumor has it that Verbatim discs are most likely to work well with all recorders. True?

5. If I get the hardware for the computer instead of getting a Sony recorder or something... will just any computer shop be able to install it?

6. I figured that a exterior DVD recorder would be best for the computer (if I choose this route)...less heat in the tower. Logical?

7. Are any of them going to let me record a 5-plus hour NASCAR race on one disc?

8. What does it really mean if they say a recorder has 10 hours of memory? It stores 10 hours of recordings on it's hard drive until you can get it onto discs? Do I have to use many discs and make Chapters to sort it all out?

I appreciate any helpful information.

Thanks to Scott, the electronics/computer guy at the store, I have some of the answers...finally. I have been persuing this for weeks and most salespersons had only general answers.

1. I forgot to get an answer to the bit rate stuff. See question #7. Maybe that is what he meant about recording in the different formats, each will be a different bit rate.

2. +(plus) will probably only play on newer laptops, 2 years old or less. The quality of +(plus) is better and the recordings can be played back many more times without skipping or having blank spots. -(minus) has been the leader in the field.

3. The dual layering does allow more data on each disc. Also, the recorders that are dual are also both plus and minus so you can choose which you need.

4. True, Verbatim discs do work best. Scott suggests that I start with cheaper discs until I know what I am doing. He said that I will probably have to throw away some till I get the hang of it.

7. Probably not, 4 hours is about the limit. If I edit the commercials out I could probably be sure to get a whole game or race on one disc. The amount of data on one disc also depends on the disc I have bought. Some are 8X and some are 16X. The amount of data I could put on one disc also depends on which type of format I choose for the recording. JPEG would be the best bet for a laptop as it doesn't have to be opened but JPEG uses more of the disc than other formats.

8. Ten hours of memory is just that, and stored on the hard drive of the recorder. The software included in the recorder automatically sorts the data into Chapters so it's easy to split a program between 2 discs. (This sounds waaay too complicated!)

Anyone have more input??

you can install a burner on your comp. you can also down load FREE off the internet a burning process. My fiencee has it on our comp and we burn dvd's all the time! Its GREAT! LOVE IT!

If you want a great deal of control over the editing process, I would higly recomend adding the DVD recorder to your computer. There are lots of different editing programs out there, and more being created all the time. This gives you more options, and you can start with something simple, and get more complex as you learn. Also they are often cheaper, so more cost effective to replace when newer technology comes out. On the horizon are recorders and disks that can handle close to 10 gigs of data, something it sounds like you would be interested in. The only draw back is that they can be limited to your current computer, some editing programs require a lot of RAM, and a slow CPU can also be an issue.

External or internal depends on a few things. Will you be replacing a drive, say a current CD player/recorder? Most DVD recorders can also play and record CD's (mine is MUCH faster than my old CD burner). If you're replacing an old drive, then an internal would be fine. If you aren't replacing an old drive, then it's a matter of space. Does your computer have an open drive bay (place to put the drive)? If it does, and your machine isn't very old then I would go with the internal recorder unless you want to be able to use the DVD recorder with multiple machines. Like taking it over to a friends house and helping them edit DVD's. External recorders cost more, and unless you have some specific reason not to add the drive to your system, in my oppinion it's not worth the extra cost. If you're really worried about extra heat inside the case, there are fans that can be added to help cool the system usually for less than the added cost of an external recorder, and you benefit the whole computer, not just the DVD recorder.

As far as intstalling it, it shouldn't be that hard to install on your own. A simple matter of opening the case (after everything is turned off and unplugged of course) and securing the drive in an open bay and plugging a drive cable into it. If you're replacing a CD player/recorder then looking at how it's set up can make it fairly clear. If you're using Windows, as soon as you turn your computer on it should recognize that you've installed new hardware and look for drivers for it (basicly instructions for Windows telling it how to use the hardware). Most hardware you buy comes with a disk that includes the drivers for it. All of this sounds more complicated than it is. Mostly it's just opening the computer up and adding the hardware, turning the computer on and clicking a few buttons. If you're not comfortable doing something like that though, then yes any computer store in the area that does computer repairs should be able to install it for you with no problem. But you can save yourself some money by doing it yourself.

Hope that helps, if you have any questions about what I wrote, just let me know, would be happy to explain more.