DVD Recorder vs. VCR vs. DVR Hard Drive—You be the Judge!

So which is better? The VCR that you've grown to love or the DVR hard drive everybody seems to be talking about? Or is it the tried and tested DVD-Recorder? Here's a breakdown of what you can expect from both devices. Feel free to choose which suits you best.

Pros:

- You get to record programming on a long-lasting and virtually indestructible disc.
- You get to use discs that are relatively inexpensive.
- You get to keep reusing the same disc when recording with a Re-Writable disc.
- You get premium DVD quality.
- You can easily connect to VCR when doing a conversion from VHS to DVD or to DVR hard disc if you wish to create a permanent storage.

Cons:

- You might misuse the disc and cause damage that's beyond repair.
- You have to deal with the disc's limited space.
- You have to make sure that you label the discs for storage.
- You have to deal with enormous costs when recording using non rewritable discs.
- You have to settle for a compatibility with other DVD types (+R/-R) that is less than 100 percent.

Pros:

- You may be one of the people who have been using the technology for over 20 years. You might find it difficult to welcome any change at all.
- You may have a collection of video tapes that have grown to enormous numbers over the years. You will find it costly to replace them.
- You love how the technology is very easy to use.
- You love how you get tom reuse the VHS tapes with very little difficulty.

Cons:

- You might find it difficult to track issues that are likely to arise between different players.
- You will have to deal with picture quality that degrades as you keep reusing the tapes.
- You will have to deal with a technology that is practically outdated. And you miss the chance of recording in digital.

Pros

- You won't need any external medium since all recording done is self-contained in the unit.
- You get to run to whatever it is that you need to do, like take heed to the answer of nature, without missing a thing on the program you are watching.
- You simply have to pause live television and replay it when you're back.
- You get to record using HD.
- You get to watch one channel while recording another when the device is connected to a digital satellite/cable service provider. This is made possible by the DVR hard disc's dual tuner models.
- You get to save money by not having to buy DVDs and VHS cassettes.
- They're great for security video recording or home security recording.

Cons

- You'll have to deal with a hard drive space that's limited.
- The hard drive is not designed for permanent storage.
- It's easy to lose all your stored data if ever the hard disc crashes.
- There are versions of a DVR hard disc that require monthly subscriptions for recording the shows in advance.

So which version appeals to you most? You be the judge!