Posted by Stan Brown on 11/28/05 15:50

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 01:50:00 -0600 from <senior.dennis@nospam.com>:
> Yesterday I was in Walmart and saw a DVD machine that said Play and
> Record DVDs. (Not for the computer but a separate machine that looks
> like my DVD player). I'm confused. I thought a computer was needed
> to record a DVD ????

What goes in a computer is called a "DVD burner". The unit you saw is
a "standalone DVD recorder". Both have their market niche, but you
can't substitute one for the other.

The standalone unit works similar to a VCR. It will not take
direction from your computer.

Blank DVD media are also sold in Wal-mart (and most other stores).
There are several different types, and you need to buy exactly the
right type for the recorder you're buying. The recorder will play
whatever DVDs it creates and it will play regular commercial DVDs.
But DVDs you make on a recorder may or may not play on regular DVD
players and on a different brand of recorder.

Since you don't really know where to begin, why not go to Wal-mart at
a time when they're not busy and ask the young guy who works in
electronics to explain things to you. I'm not being facetious: a
general overview will probably be easier to understand in person than
by reading on the Net.

However, the DVD FAQ (URL below) is also a good starting point.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
DVD FAQ: http://dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html
other FAQs: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/faqget.htm

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