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DVR: Digital Video Recording. What You Need To Know
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By Joe Leech
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The Digital Revolution is upon us.... In fact, it??s beensneaking up on us for a long time with devices such ascalculators, digital watches, and many other consumer goods, notto mention the devices we actually use but see very little of.Such devices are common to us in "the first person" in the formof many automotive controls in our car, and indirectly common tous if we fly.. things like aircraft engines, etc.
But the first area possibly to have a major impact in terms ofcomparison has been in the cameras we use. This effects us bothin camcorders and in the still cameras. While the purist willprobably always win the argument that the film camera givesgreater quality control than the digital, there are those whowould argue against this principal very vociferously.
Now, most Americans who own a TV are about to experience firsthand another upward leap on the scale of digital technology asour televisions will be mandated to use digital transmission andreception technology within the next few years. Yes, for manyyears our current televisions will still work.. possibly withadapters, and the upgrade is not too unlike the upgrade from theold AM radio to FM, or if you are a "ham" from AM to SSB.
Sometimes we have to wonder if progress takes place simply forprogress own sake.. or to justify some new selling point or tocreate obsolescence so the engine of progress can march on.
Without going into a technical discussion of digital Vs itspredecessor, analog, and going the comparisons of an analogwatch (one with hands) to digital, suffice it to say that inthis case, the move to digital technology in most cases DOESbring substantial benefits. Clarity, use of less power, higherresolution when it comes to video.. these are but a few.However, it is not the scope of this article to lead into atechnical discussion which could fill pages, but to "segway" andintroduce one to the subject of DVR: Digital Video Recording.
The DVR is on the way "in" and the old recording devices are onthey way out at about the same speed as your old 33 1/3d and 45RPM records.. and the VHS tape you use. Probably half the ofreader base of this article owns and has used a DVD player bynow, and you see the many advantages of not having to contendwith tape that gets tangled in heads some times, must berewound, and has limited audio and surround sound capability.Recording with the VCR has always been a challenge, particularlyif one wants to record multiple programs at multiple times, ordo an extended recording. Instant and simultaneous replay isvirtually impossible.
With DVR, which by the way not only applies to the entertainmentarea, all of these things become things of the past, and optionsopen up that were not previously available.
One can either own equipment and record on site, with the mostcommonly known device being the TiVo.. although there aredevices now made by virtually every known electronicmanufacturer. The only question in buying one of these is, "Willthis become obsolete in 36 months?" A web site referred to inthe resource block goes further into evaluating this.
The other option is to let a outside source do the recording.Many of the TV cable providers offer this as an optional servicenow. You don??t have to buy a thing.. only be a subscriber totheir DIGITAL service (which we all will be eventually).
In the meantime, the only question is, "Do I want these benefitsnow enough to pay the cost for them?". That??s an individualquestion.
In the meantime, this article gives those who have come acrossit some general background, and the opportunity to prepare somequestions before wondering into your TV and Electronicsdealership. We suggest you prepare by doing searches on termslike HDTV; "digital ready", "digital TV converters"; "DigitalRecorders". Ask about the total number of inputs; the totalrecording time; Ask if you can make a copy of the recording ontoa CD or DVD, and will it play universally, or only on themachine it was recorded on.
Many questions.. but in the end, all of us will soon be in theDVR owner ranks.================================================== Joe Leech hasbeen involved with electronics since getting his first "ham"license in high school, and keeping up with DVR technology isjust natural. His full service DVR information web site can beseen at http://www.new-dvrinfo.com
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