Philips DVDR985 Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder and Player
Not quite there yet
I would give this recorder 5 stars if the firewire interface allowed it to link to a pc. Unfortunately the firewire port is only for downloading video from a digital camcorder. In my opinion, a standalone dvd-recorder is much easier, faster, and produces better quality recordings of analog video than does a pc-based recorder. I mean, why would I want to hook up my pc to my tv and devote all those system resources just to record a tv show? For just recording a show where I don't want to do any editing or manipulation a device like this that acts like a vcr is perfect. <br />On the other hand, there are times when I want to record from digital or data sources and that is impossible on this machine (without a digital camcorder). So ideally the firewire port should allow me to use this unit like an external pc-based dvd recorder for digital or data recordings and if it should also capture analog video and deliver it to my pc through the firewire. Either that or I will just buy both kinds once the prices drop more.