A DVD recorder with extra features at extra cost

There are so many DVD recorders on the market but they can be divided into 2 broad categories: ones with hard disks and ones without. The ones with hard disks are expensive(cost $250 and up), so I prefer the later ones. After comparing the features and prices, I came up with the Samsung DVD R135 ($179), DVD-R130 ($140) and DVD R120($120). I finally picked the R135.

- Look: this DVD-R135 looks slim and sexy. The front input jacks are hidden by a plastic cover and this makes the unit looks neat. However other units from Sony, Toshiba, Liteon look more or less the same, so R135 doesn't excel here.
- Playback and recording formats:
The prices of the DVD recorders differ mainly on the features they have. One of the most important features is how many formats the unit can handle. In this area R135 is pretty good, it covers most formats currently on the market.
The DVD-R135 can play: DVD-R , DVD-RW , DVD+R , DVD+RW , CD-R , CD-RW, DVD-RAM. Besides DVD formats it can also play MP3, Jpeg, CD/CDR, CDRW, VCD, SVCD, DivX.
On the recording side it can record only DVD-R, DVD-RW.
First-time buyer may be confused about these -R, +R, -RW, +RW etc... and wonder if they even need them all. Here's a brief explanation about the popular formats:
DVD-R: the most popular format, allows you to record only once
DVD-RW: allows you to rewrite multiple times. However you have to erase the complete disk before you can reuse it
DVD-RAM: allows you to rewrite multiple times but more powerful than RW, you can erase bits and pieces of files on the disk like you do on a hard drive. You only need this format if you want to edit your video file prior to your permanent recording.
DVD+R: similar to DV-R but it allows multiple layers for one disc and hence costs extra.
DVD+RW: similar to DVD-R, allows you to rewrite multiple times.

Do you need all these formats? It depends. If you only want to transfer your Hi8 or DV tapes to DVD all you need is DVD-R. However if you want to play DVD recorded (by your friends, your relatives...) in +R format then you also need DVD+R playback. The more formats you want the more expensive the recorder. If you don't want to spend too much money, I think you should get the following minimum: DVD-R, DVD+R for playback and DVD-R for recording.

Now return to Samsung R135. This one is more expensive than its cousins R120 and R130 because it can handle more formats, especially DVD+R and DVD-RAM (R120 cannot play +R format nor RAM, R130 cannot play RAM, both can't play DivX).
Other important formats that R135 handles:
- DivX: those who download DivX movies from the Web may find this format a must. (DivX technology, not to be confused with the failed Circuit City's DIVX rental system, uses mpeg4 to create movies with reasonable sizes that allow you to download and view them on computers. You can record them on DVD disks and then play them back on R135)
- JPEG: if you have a CD with pictures this unit can perform like a slide show. To me it's a big plus as I need to show digital pictures to relatives and friends on a TV screen, not on a computer monitor
- VCD: if you're Chinese you may need this format. Lots of movies from Taiwan are produced in VCD format. The quality is just as good as VHS but it's inexpensive as it is recorded on CD rather than DVD.

- Input/output: more expensive DVD players/recorders also have more inputs/outputs. One thing I like about R135 is that it has front DV and RCA inputs. However I'm disappointed to find out that it doesn't also have an S-video front input. Why are front inputs important? When you want to transfer your video (from your Hi8 or DV camcorder) you don't want to connect the cables to the jacks at the rear because it's a chore to turn your DVD unit around to make the connection every time. The best units have RCA, S and DV inputs in front.
One important thing I should point out here is that if you have a DV camcorder then you absolutely need a DV input (also called 4-pin firewire ). Many units don't have this input and that means you have to use the RCA jack, which results in a big loss of quality since the video signal is converted to analog, defeating the purpose of having a digital camcorder. Fortunately R135 has a DV input at front. (BTW, the 4-pin DV cable IEEE 1394 costs you an arm and a leg: $24 for a small 6-foot cable, a ripoff).

On the other hand if you only have Hi8 camcorder then you don't need DV input, you can buy a DVD without DV input to save money.
Another good feature that R135 has is input for antenna. Some competitor units don't have it and this means you have to use the antenna of the TV for recording TV broadcasts.

Here are the inputs/outputs of R135:
antenna in/out
audio output: optical audio out, coaxial audio out, 2 sets of RCA audio out
video out: RCA, S-video, component video out
audio in: RCA audio in
video in: RCA, 2 S-video (one in front, one at rear)
video/audio combination: DV-video (in front), HDMI

R135 has a special output called HDMI out. If you have a TV or computer monitor that accepts HDMI input then this feature a big plus, else you probably don't care. What happens is that if you have a TV that accepts HDMI and your DVD player doesn't have HDMI output, the digital signal is converted to analog when transmitting to a TV. With HDMI output the signal is preserved in digital format and hence produces better picture and video. This is one of the advertising points of R135.

- Recording: R135 offer regular recording modes like most other competitors, nothing special. Recordings can be done in different quality: XP(1hr) SP(2hr), LP(4hr) and EP(8hr). It also has a special recording mode that I find useful: FR(flexible recording). The FR mode will choose the quality (XP, SP, LP or EP) for you based on the recording time and the space left on disk. Let say the disk has half the space free and you want to record a 2hr movie. FR mode automatically chooses mode LP for you since this mode fits 2 hours on the disk's remaining half.
The choice on recording speed also depends on your source. A low quality source(like VHS tape) won't yield a better picture whether you choose XP or SP. I recorded a DV tape on speeds XP and SP and compared. I saw a difference between them. However I don't see the difference when recorded a Hi8 tape. So whenever I transfer Hi8 tape to DVD I chose SP (2hr) recording mode, this saves me disks and also time since a 2-hour Hi8 tape fits perfectly on a disk with SP mode.
I have several minor complaints about recording: it takes a while for the disk tray to come out after you press the Open button; the recording menu is somewhat confusing although you get used to it after a while. Another pet peeve is that to 'finalize' a disk (make it playable on others players after recording is complete) I have to answer 2 more unnecessary questions to confirm it.

BTW according to my research when you buy DVD disks the best brand is Taiyo Yuden. However you cannot buy this brand in regular stores, you have buy it from the Web or ebay

One-touch recording: I found this feature very useful, especially to record sport program. I just press REC button, then press REC another time for a 30 mins recording. If I want 90 mins recording then I press REC 3 times (each time adds 30 mins). After the recording is over the whole unit is shut off automatically, so I can record at night without worrying about shutting off the unit.

- Automatic Chapter Creation: this is a very good feature R135 has. As you record, say 2 hours of Hi8 tape, every 5 minutes a chapter is automatically created. Later on when you want to jump from the beginning to, say near the end of the disk, you need to press the NEXT key, saving you the chore of pressing Fast forward key. This Automatic Chapter Creation feature is smart enough to create a chapter every 15 minutes (in stead of 5 minutes) if you record in LP or EP mode.

- Picture quality: looks great to me. However I'm not sure this unit provides better picture than its competitors. I have a Sony DVD player at home and I tried the same DVD on it, the quality look the same.

- Manual: in general the manual is good, with pictures showing the steps. It also comes in English only (don't you hate a manual thick like a book with a dozen languages in it!). One complaint: the manual has content listing but does not have an index, searching for anything is a chore.

Overall I like the Samsung DVD-R135. However I would recommend it only if you need extra formats like RAM, DivX and HDMI output. Otherwise you can settle for the sibling R130, which offers the same quality and has almost the same features for about $40 less.
- Pro: handle most formats including DVD-RAM, DivX, HDMI, convenient one-touch recording, automatic chapter creation
- Con: high price, no S-video input in front