Toshiba Shows Versatile New HD DVD Recorder

[admin]

As the holiday shopping season approaches, Toshiba is turning up the heat on the Blu-ray Disc camp with the launch of an HD DVD recorder that can record high-definition video to regular DVDs.

The Vardia RD-A301 will hit Japan in mid-December and can also transcode high-definition MPEG2 broadcasts on the fly to the more efficient MPEG4 compression format. MPEG4 video takes up less space, so more can be stored on an HD DVD disc or on the unit's built-in 300G-byte hard-disk drive.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,139126-c,dvddrivesmedia/article.html

[drfsupercenter]

I wonder how much one of those will cost. I'm tired of only having an hour a disc in high quality mode!

[admin]

These will record using MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, just like Blu-ray's AVCREC.

[drfsupercenter]

How much would that record on one standard DVD then?

[ed klein]

You can only get that model in Japan and costs approximately $800. USA dollars.

[drfsupercenter]

Currently that is... I'm sure it will come here eventually.

[ed klein]

Not likely any personal hi def DVD recorders with a hard drive will ever come to the USA that are capable of recording 1080p.

The current best you can get is the sat company DVR that you rent from them and you can ONLY view the hi def at 1080p if you have a 1080p compatable TV. You can not record the hi def to your personal DVD recorder it comes out only in SD.

Lobby groups like Sony will spends millions of dollars to keep it off the market place in the USA.

[admin]

HD Rec will allow 2 hours of HD video on a standard single layer DVD. Actually, this was Toshiba's original plan for HD, to still use DVD media/red laser technology and more efficient codecs like H.264 or VC-1. Only when Sony introduced their own blue laser technology in Blu-ray, did Toshiba go with blue laser and invent HD DVD.

But as ed klein mentioned, 1080p recording has copy protection issues (if/when 1080p content is broadcast reguarly, I'm sure the networks would like to prevent recording at 1080p or at least track it or prevent copying with some sort of DRM).

[drfsupercenter]

I've seen "HD rips" of stuff online... so there's obviously a way to do it.

I'm not too concerned about size though, I don't even have HD programming. I just mean for taping normal broadcast-quality things, I'd rather get 2 hours than 1 on high quality mode.

[ed klein]

@DRFSUPERCENTER
Quote "so there's obviously a way to do it"

You can start by capturing the HD signal (1080p) that comes from the sat dish to the DVR like Dish networks 622 system before it gets downgraded to the SD output port. Maybe some port called HDMI input on the DVR and HDMI output on the DVR to the TV. Capture that HDMI signal and output to a HDMI input on you personal hi def DVD recoder with a hard drive.

Also, factor-in HDCP on the HDMI and maybe future digital flag protection.

[drfsupercenter]

I've never seen protection that my DVD recorder can't handle... there are probably those digital TV tuners that work the same way.

Take any Macrovision protected VHS, and all that happens is the recorder displays a "this material is copyrighted" error and won't record. All I have to do is start the recording with the VHS on "Stop", and then press play once it's going. Maybe people do something like that.

But whatever can be encrypted can also be decrypted. Again, I don't know or really care how they do it, but I've seen plenty of things recorded on HD stations.
Heck, I've even come across .ts files floating around the Internet.

[hsweet]

I'd be happy to see any DVD recorders with hard drive available in the USA as they are throughout the rest of the world. Why is TIVO the only choice? How did it end up with monopoly control of the US market?

[admin]

You don't have DVD recorders with hard-drives in the US? Is it because TIVO is so popular that people aren't interested? Or is it some stupid copyright thing?

Having just looked at Amazon.com, it seems to be true that there aren't any DVD/hard-disk recorders on sale. These are everywhere here in Australia, from all the major brands (Sony, Panasonic, Philips ...), but of course, we don't have TIVO (yet).

[hsweet]

DVD recorders with Hard Drives were available in the USA but now DVD recorders are only available without hard drives. TIVO is convenient but lacks editing capability and requires a subscription fee. But, the main point is that there is now only one source for the technology. That is called monopoly.