A Pair of Innovative DVD Recorders

Photograph: Marc SimonMaking the decision to go digital with your living-room video recorder is easy; deciding which of the many new models to buy is a bit tougher. I looked at shipping versions of GoVideo's VR3930 DVD Recorder+VCR and Lite-On's LVW-5005, and liked both, but for different reasons.

The $449 GoVideo VR3930 does what GoVideo does best: It combines a DVD recorder and a VCR into a handsome, single, dual-deck unit that makes copying from one medium to the other easy. Consider the VR3930 if you have a library of treasured VHS recordings that you'd like to preserve on DVD. With two button presses, you can initiate the copy process and transfer 1, 2, or 4 hours of video from VHS to disc. GoVideo's integrated approach eliminates the hassle of connecting a VCR to a DVD recorder using composite-video cables, and then manually fussing with the recorder's input settings and making sure the recording starts when you want it to.

In addition, the VR3930 is itself a capable DVD player, DVD-R/RW recorder, and VCR. The device comes with a well-designed remote control, DVI inputs, a good user interface, and excellent documentation to help users get past setting the clock.

Many Formats

The reasonably priced Lite-On LVW-5005 lacks a VCR component but offers a whole slate of powerful recording options in its slim silver box. This $379 unit impressed me with its extremely friendly and smart menu design (for example, you can view the channel you want to record, while you set the channel in the timer view). I appreciated the slim remote control's minimalist yet highly functional design, as well as the Lite-On device's recording flexibility: It can write to both the DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW formats, and can record audio from any video or audio source to CD-R/RW.

Recording was as easy on the Lite-On as it was on the GoVideo: You just press the record button, wait a few seconds for the recording to kick in (the interval depends on the media type), and you're good to go. Alternatively, the nifty Guider button walks you through the recording process. My gripes with the Lite-On were few: I didn't like how some features, such as changing the recording speeds or slow-motion playback, were buried under menu options, and I found the drive's whirring noise as it spun up a bit annoying.

Neither unit is perfect. Both could use help in creating DVD navigation menus, for example, and neither provides prompts on screen for finalizing a disc, a necessity with most DVD media in order for discs to play back in other DVD players (Lite-On says a firmware update will fix this). But none of these flaws are fatal. Depending on your recording needs, I highly recommend both models.

GoVideo VR3930 DVD Recorder+VCR

For copying VHS tapes to DVD, this unit eliminates the hassle of connecting a VCR to a burner.
Price when reviewed: $449
Current prices (if available)

Lite-On LVW-5005

This sleek living-room DVD and CD recorder has a friendly interface, but no VCR capability.
Price when reviewed: $379
Current prices (if available)