OK, so this is probably easily answered. I wish to purchase a DVD player, but have heard that recordable DVD is not too far from being a viable purchase. So, anyone got any idea when the "common man" will be able to go into his local Comet and spend £400 or so on a recordable DVD deck???

Cheers

CP

The alternative is to wait till PVRs become more affordable and clever...

I have heard a rumour that they are holding the release of recordable DVDs till around Christmas.

<This is a RUMOUR, GOSSIP, please do not beat me up if I am wrong>

I read on http://www.dvdstreet.co.uk that the first recordable dvd machine would be released by Pioneer in the Autumn but at a price tag of £1500. It also went on to say that the recordable dvd disks would cost £20 each and would not record as good quality as the dvds you buy in the shop. Its conclusion was to stick with dvd players.

From what I have gathered, recordable dvd's will not be a valid option in the near future - 2-5 years. For a number of reasons, primarily being the resistance to the technology from the film studios. They simply don't want you to be able to record a film off a digital tv broadcast onto a dvd disk, and have it for life. For this reason prices will be kept artifitially high, this initially happened with cd's, as the technology for burners was around for ages before they became afordable, and even then it's still only computers which use them. Why are there very few music systems with them in?

I pesonnaly suspect that the way to go for recording in the home is the black box system. Like the tivo, although this system has major floors. In these systems you will be able to record a large number of programs on digital media, probably hard drives, which are replaceable or expandable. In the very near future a number of manufacturers will be starting to supply tv's with inbuilt tivo like systems which will record whatever you want.

In general look at dvd's as cd's and forget about DVDR for now, apart from anything there are about 4 different DVDR systems comming out, non of which seem to be very compatable with each other, and may end up as speciality products like mini-disks, not mass use products.

I forgot to say that the article on the dvdstreet site also said you would not be able to record in digital 5.1 so that was another downer for me.

I have just bought a dvd player on Sunday and wish I had bought one earlier. We have now watched five dvds linked to a 5.1 amp and the difference is incredible. The difference in quality between dvd and vhs is vast. I was never into dvds till I found this site, read through some threads and asked a lot of questions, now I am a big fan.

I, too, was a bit apprehensive about investing in this technology when I knew dvd recordable players are being developed. However, I prefer to buy top quality dvds than make poor quality ones myself when the price does come down. As Bangers says think of it like a cd player. I think dvds are here to stay, when you go in any shop selling video merchandise, dvds are starting to get more and more shelf space which shows the demand is there.

I would also agree with the other members here that the new Skyplus recording system will be the way things will go. It will be able to digitally record programmes. I envisage myself having one of these new satellite digiboxes and using it with my amp and dvd player with the VHS player being relegated upstairs.