Hi, gonk!

You were wise to by a hard drive-based unit when you did. Today, nothing like your DMR-E80 is available. All such HDD-based DVRs with DVD burning were pulled either late in 2006 or early in 2007. Today, only DVD Recorders are available. I've wondered if this was either (a) a result of the TiVo vs. Echostar patent suit; (b) a mechanically simpler and cheaper solution given the evolution of DVD technology; or (c) simply another move by the industry to make it more difficult for people to simply record anything, e.g. save a movie off HBO vs. forcing you to buy the DVD.

I've seen some used units like your DMR-E80 available for sale, selling for far more than their original list price! It's a testament to how good the technology was. Alas, it's no more and I'm still kicking myself for waiting too long!

A TiVo-like DVR isn't an option for us, even the Dish Network DVR. First, we've abandoned landlines: we went all-cellular last year as we were using our cell phones for all calls. All DVRs require a landline and I'm not going to get a landline again just for a DVR. Second, I'm not sanguine about how the personal data collected by DVRs is being used or may be used in the future. The Privacy Foundation wrote a very disturbing report concerning TiVo back in 2001: it's still available here . While even the author of the report has a TiVo, TiVo's practices make me uncomfortable.

Therefore, my only option at present is one of the current crop of DVD recorders, all of which appear to leave much to be desired.

If the reports of poor video quality at LP and lower speeds are true, then the lack of DL support in Toshiba models may be a problem. With DL support, one can record a four-hour event at SP speed, albeit there will be a tiny gap in the recording at the layer change. The Consumer Reports review I cited noted that "A 2-to-4 hour setting is a good compromise between quality and capacity," implying LP might be AOK, but their review slammed all models for poor video at the EP setting, whereas I can get acceptable video at EP speed from my VCRs. My primary use for EP on the VCRs has been time-shifting long hearings recorded off C-SPAN.

I have a large collection of movies and other programs taped off cable and satellite that I'd like to transfer to DVD. While I've been gradually buying the DVDs of my all-time favorite films and TV series (we own over 160 DVDs), I still have a large number of VHS tapes (roughly 250), and many of the programs aren't available on DVD. Many are over two hours long, hence they'd have to be recorded at LP on the Toshiba. I suspect the quality will be degraded from the already less-than-DVD quality of a VHS tape at SP speed. The other issue I want to address is my remaining collection of Laser Discs: I've probably got fifty or so discs that haven't suffered "laser rot" I'd like to preserve before my Pioneer CLD-D702 kicks the bucket.

I have considered a DIY DVR approach using a Mac MIni and Elgato's eyeTV; the eyeTV would also give me a way of transferring the video to my Macs from which I could burn DVDs, but again that's a lot of time, tedium, and extra cost compared to a DVD Recorder.

While the latest Samsung products meet all of my requirements, the user reviews are off-putting, leaving me with Toshiba as the only logical choice.

Perhaps I should just roll the dice and pick up one of the Toshiba units and see if I can live with its limitations. For around $100 it's not that big a gamble for a DVD-only unit, though, given the age of my VCRs and the problems they're exhibiting, I'd probably prefer to give the Combo unit a spin.

I'm hoping to hear from some other fellow Outlaws who can comment on the current crop of DVD recorders.