Not high-definition yet, but disc recorders still have a lot to offer.

A DVD recorder gives you a whole lot of bang for the buck. It's easy to use, offers better recording quality than a VCR, and allows random access to sections of a disc. It can replace a DVD player, and many incorporate VCRs. Some fine models cost under $200.

But there's a hitch: DVD recorders remain standard-definition in a world that's increasingly turning high-def. While everyone waits for the HD recorders expected soon, fewer standard-def models are being introduced. Several companies, including Pioneer, no longer make DVD recorders.

Stand-alone Blu-ray and HD DVD recorders have yet to arrive, but a few PCs already have a built-in high-definition DVD recorder. When used with an ATSC tuner (typically included) or CableCard-equipped video card, those pricey portable computers can record HDTV broadcasts and let you watch high-def movies on the display or on your HDTV.

Your best bet for recording HD programs now is to lease a hard-drive digital video recorder (DVR) from a cable or satellite company. Buying a high-def TiVo DVR is another option. If you don't mind a more complicated process, buy a computer with a Blu-ray or HD DVD burner. Note, however, that such burners won't make high-def duplicates of copyright-protected material.

Even if you don't want to record HD, you might still want to consider a DVR, a standard-def model. Whether standard or high-def, a DVR offers pluses no DVD recorders can match. It integrates with your TV service and program guide and allows flexible scheduling. For example, you can automatically record all first-run episodes of a TV series. But capacity is limited, and a DVR can't archive recordings or play DVDs or VHS. Also, it comes with ongoing service fees, typically $5 to $10 a month for cable and satellite DVRs and $8 to $17 for a TiVo. With a DVD recorder, you buy the box and that's it.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

DVD recorders are available from many of the same manufacturers that make DVD players.

JVC, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba are among the brands you'll find. Some DVD recorders store content only on DVDs. Others can also record onto VHS tapes, hard drives, or both. Price: DVD-only recorders, about $120 and up. (Recorders with only analog tuners can no longer be sold. New models can include a digital tuner, enabling them to receive off-air digital signals, or no tuner at all.)

FEATURES THAT COUNT

A recorder's storage capacity varies in actual usage. DVD recorders store content at different compression settings and at different quality levels. For the best image quality, you should record programming at the device's lowest compression, yielding as little as one hour of recording per disc. To get the maximum capacity advertised—up to 11 hours a disc—you have to use the highest level of compression, which gives the lowest quality.

All rewriteable DVD formats let you edit what you've recorded. DVD-RW in VR mode and DVD-RAM recorders let you edit more extensively than DVD+RW or DVD-RW in video mode. Besides letting you watch one program while recording another, recorders with DVD-RAM capability and some with DVD-RW in VR mode let you watch an earlier section of a program while you're still recording it.

Like VCRs, DVD recorders might use VCR Plus to ease the setup of time-shift recordings. Some come with TV Guide On Screen, a free interactive program guide that gets several days of listings at a time from your broadcast TV signal and many cable services. It offers point-and-click setup of recording events.

In addition to commercial DVD titles, DVD recorders often support playback or display of many other disc formats. They include audio CDs, CD-R/ RW discs containing standard CD-audio information; the recordable DVD formats DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, and DVD RAM; Video CD (VCD); and DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD (SACD). They can also play CD-R/RW discs containing MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) files, JPEG picture files, and MPEG-4 and DivX video.

A DVD recorder, like a DVD player, enables you to navigate a disc in a number of ways. Unlike a VHS tape, most DVDs are sectioned. Chapter preview lets you scan the opening seconds of each section or chapter until you find what you want. A related feature, chapter gallery, shows thumbnails of opening scenes by section or chapter. Go-to by time lets you enter how many hours and minutes into the disc you'd like to skip to. Marker functions allow easy indexing of specific sections.

HOW TO CHOOSE

If you're shopping for a DVD recorder, you can expect fine picture quality. Almost all we tested had excellent quality at the best setting, one hour per disc. Extended play can fit up to 11 hours a disc, but at very low quality. A 2- to 4-hour setting is a good compromise of quality and capacity. Most did well playing commercial DVDs. Other points to consider:

Tuner or not? Many new recorders have an ATSC tuner for over-the-air digital TV. Buy one of those if you have a TV that uses an antenna. Once analog broadcasts end in 2009, a recorder with an ATSC tuner will let you watch digital broadcasts on any TV, even an older conventional set, without a set-top box. A recorder without a tuner is fine if you get TV using a cable or satellite box. However, basic cable users might want a recorder with a digital-cable, or QAM tuner, which will let you get basic digital cable without a set-top box. All the models we tested with ATSC tuners also have QAM tuners.

Stand-alone or combo? Combos typically cost more than DVD-only recorders but give you VCR capability in the same box. DVD/VCR combos offer an easy way to transfer home videos from VHS to DVD, though you can't copy most commercial tapes. Combos take up less space than separate devices and usually simplify connections.

Which discs? Almost all recorders can use DVD-R and DVD+R write-once discs and DVD-RW and DVD+RW rewriteable discs. Some can use dual-layer DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL discs, which claim twice the capacity. Many recorders can use rewriteable DVD-RAM discs, and some offer simultaneous record/playback and extensive editing with them. Certain recorders offer similar capabilities with DVD-RW discs recorded in VR mode rather than regular video mode. Disc compatibility is an issue if you want to play recordings on other machines. All DVD recorders can play standard audio CDs.

How much control? If your setup includes a cable or satellite box, choose a recorder that can control the box and switch channels or you'll have to manually select the channel for each recording.

Pseudo HD. Some models can upconvert standard-definition DVDs to simulated high-def quality on HDTVs with HDMI inputs.That might improve image quality on a plasma, LCD, or microdisplay rear-projection set, but the TV's built-in upconversion might do as well or better. Try a few settings to see which looks best.

Weigh the importance of video editing. A DVD-only model that records to DVD-RAM discs or to DVD-RW discs in VR mode allows scenes to be subdivided and rearranged onscreen. But the discs aren't compatible with all players, and even if they do play, edits you make on those discs might not show up. Most DVD/hard-drive models give you the ability to edit video on the hard drive. You can then burn images to a range of disc types for maximum compatibility with other players.

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