Dvd Player And Recorder

[megfitz]

My old DVD machine has given up and is not repairable so I am looking for a replacement. I am not technically minded ,what I want is a simple DVD machine that I can use to record on to discs then at my choice I can play them back. I have a stack of +RW discs , so it would be good to be able to use them.
Please can anyone recommend a machine and supplier .
Many thanks.

[Buenchico]

Most retailers ceased selling DVD recorders well over a decade ago. They've been replaced by PVRs, that record onto a hard drive (or solid state drive), meaning that there's no need to buy DVDs.

It would make most sense to buy a cheap DVD player, so that you can play your existing recordings and then to buy a Freeview recorder for future use. However even that option wouldn't necessarily be that simple because DVD+RW was never a popular format and many DVD players can't handle it. (DVD-RW was far, far, far more common). However this well-reviewed Sony DVD player is able to cope with the DVD+RW format:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertainment/dvd-blu-ray-and-home-cinema/blu-ray-and-dvd-players/sony-dvpsr760hb-dvd-player-12872098-pdt.html

You'd then need something like this to provide you with modern recording facilities:
https://www.richersounds.com/panasonic-freeview-play-recorder-500gb-hard-drive-pvr.html

[bhg481]

Panasonic make a BluRay/PVR recorder (DMW-PWT550EB) which uses all flavours of discs. I got mine from Richer Sounds but John Lewis also sell it.

[Old_Geezer]

IMO it is a mistake for retailers to stop selling DVD recorders altogether simply because the market contracted a bit. There are plenty of things not on TV one might wish to have on disk. I guess PCs still have drives, but that seems overkill unless one has a PC anyway. (I've loads of lectures and other stuff on disk which would need a player. Can't be the only one.)

No expert but I'd probably look for blueray or M disk or something that is backwardly compatible with standard DVDs.

[megfitz]

Thanks for the info, please can you tell me what a Blu-ray is and what it does.I have WiFi but it’s very slow in this area.

[bhg481]

BluRay discs hold 25GB (50GB double layer) compared to 4.7GB for DVDs. They are designed for HD video. They use a different wavelength laser but all BluRay machines will cope with DVDs and CDs.
More expensive than DVD machines but produce much better videos.

[Buenchico]

Blu-ray discs are physically the same as DVDs but provide a higher definition picture. If you go to a shop to buy your favourite movie you'll probably find it offered on both DVD and Blu-ray. (You'll probably also notice that the Blu-ray version is more expensive).

If you've got a modern 'HD' (high definition) or 'UHD' (ultra high definition) TV set, you'll get a better picture quality from using a Blu-ray player (with a Blu-ray disc in it) than from using a DVD player.

Blu-ray players are 'backwards compatible', meaning that they'll play BOTH Blu-ray discs and DVDs (although, of course, only the Blu-ray discs will give you 'HD' quality). However you CAN'T play Blu-ray discs in an ordinary DVD player.

[Sqad]

megfitz......please excuse my intrusion, but you seem to have been sufficed and i can see we have some experts here.

How can I play DVD's when i stay at a hotel even when the hotel room has a smart TV?

[Buenchico]

Sqad:
The only easy way you'll be able to play DVDs in a hotel (unless they've got a DVD player or Blu-ray player available for you to use) is to take a portable DVD player with you. (You could also 'rip' the DVDs to digital files and store them on your laptop but that's rather more work).

[anotheoldgit]

One can still buy refurbished DVD hard drive recorder/players.

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[Sqad]

Thanks Buenchico.....yes, i thought that might be the answer...
Thanks.

[Old_Geezer]

Take your laptop, the one with integral DVD drive ?

If you don't want to watch it on the laptop you may be able to find a cable to connect audio/USB to the HDMI on the TV.

[megfitz]

I’m still confused, what is a hard drive on a dvd recorder/player,would it be suitable for what I want it for ?
I record programmes on to disc (documentaries,Attenborough,Bake off etc.) to send to my daughter in USA who can play them on her computer,she doesn’t have a TV. It’s legal...I checked.
My TV is HD Ready with Freeview in it.

[Buenchico]

The hard drive in a PVR (= 'personal video recorder'), or in a combined DVD recorder & PVR, works in the same way as the hard drive in your computer. It's stores data (i.e. video recordings) on rotating discs so that you can call up that data (i.e. play the video recordings) simply by pressing a few buttons.

This well-reviewed (combined) recorder allows you to store video recordings on the hard drive and play them back from there. It also allows you to copy recordings from the hard drive to DVD+RW discs (as well as to other DVD formats) but you can't record directly to discs:
https://tinyurl.com/yd67stzm

The user manual is here, so you can see how it works:
https://tinyurl.com/y8r74uey

[jno]

John Lewis have decidedd not to sell DVD players any more, they think the format is history. (Darn, I've only just got rid of my VHS tapes.) I wouldn't be suirprised if other general retailers follow suit sooner or later.

[zebo]

It's OK to stop selling DVD machines because we're all apparently using Netflix etc but some of us live in places like Norfolk, I cannot use my smart tv functions and to download a 1 hour TV programme from catch-up can take up to a day, if at all!

[megfitz]

Thank you everyone for helping me with this technology problem,I now know more (I may not understand it all) however I’ve wimped out and ordered a reconditioned DVD player /recorder similar to my previous one.