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Record video, transfer old VHS tapes onto DVDs, and play those DVDs in a standard DVD player--that's the lure of Pioneer's PRV-9000 recorder. It lets you do these things, but with a few gotchas, including a hefty $2050 price tag.

The preproduction unit I tested is aimed at the professional video market; the consumer version, the DVR-7000, is nearly identical in function and price. Both can record to DVD-R or DVD-RW media.

Setup was fairly simple--it took me about 15 minutes--and the PRV-9000 has all the ports you'd expect, including component output video, S-Video, and an IEEE 1394 link for your digital camera. (Note: The PRV-9000 has BNC video connections instead of typical RCA ones.) The procedure for playback was easy and familiar, but recording was a bit trickier and involved some new choices. For instance, you must decide whether to record in video mode (for later playback in most DVD players and drives) or in VR mode.

More Options

VR mode offers more options regarding video quality and time, with manual and auto-optimized settings. It also has more editing features, lets you create playlists, and offers periodic thumbnails of stored video for easier navigation. Unfortunately, VR playback is limited to the Pioneer unit and the very few compatible players out there.

In video mode, you can title the video segments, but you don't have full control over inserting chapters. You can only insert them automatically every 3, 5, or 10 minutes.

Video mode lets you record at highest quality for 1 hour or at standard quality for 2 hours. To use video mode, you must perform a process of initializing DVD-RW discs and later finalizing both DVD-RW and DVD-R media, which takes a few minutes total. With a DVD-RW disc, you have the option of unfinalizing and then adding to or modifying the video you've recorded, but only in VR mode. I would be much happier with the PRV-9000 if it would let you add to or modify your DVD-RW disc using either mode.

You cannot mix modes on a single disc. When you reuse a DVD-RW disc and record in another mode, you will erase the existing video. As with VCRs, you can preprogram the unit to record. Unlike a VCR, the unit takes several moments to load, read, and stop recording a disc.

The PRV-9000 turned in better-quality playback than either my PC's DVD-ROM drive or my two-year-old Pioneer DVD player, likely because the decoder in the PRV-9000 is much superior. I was impressed that my player could read the discs at all; don't assume that your older player--especially if it's from a different maker--will be able to do so.

Standards Differ

Given the PRV-9000's price and the high cost of media ($6 to $10 per disc for DVD-R and $15 per disc for DVD-RW), this device isn't for everyone. Also, compatibility with older drives and players is far from universal. And currently there are three competing standards for rewritable DVD; you can't be sure this one will survive. That said, however, this unit can do anything your VCR can do, while offering you better video quality in longer-lived and more compact media.

SUMMARY

Pioneer PRV-9000 If you're a DVD enthusiast and have the bucks, a good addition to your digital entertainment set. List: $2050