Stand-Alone BR Recorder....when?

[simpspin]

Well, the title says it all.

The only thing keeping BR the ultimate format is a standalone BR recorder. I really don't want to have to buy a computer just to record my shows on in HD.

[vinman]

I asked myself the same question 1 year ago , then I realized by reading all kinds of blogs and forums that in North America this "when" might be a long time.
So I had a friend bring me back a standalone BR basic (no hardrive) recorder from Japan along with 100 BR discs and I've been recording HD movies from the output of my satellite receiver since then. Yes it cost me a lot of money , but since I collect and archive my movies I saved a bundle compared on what it would have cost me to buy BR movies in the store.The recorded BR movies are much better than my home made DVD collection especially on my big screen projector.
I consider myself lucky to have such friends and took a chance that it would work, just to let everyone interested know, yes it can be done.

[blu-rayguy]

Does ne one know when we are likley to see blu-ray recorders hitting the shelves...

[uk-guy]

Originally Posted by blu-rayguy

Does ne one know when we are likley to see blu-ray recorders hitting the shelves...

perhaps in around 5yrs time not really a need for them at the moment blu-ray burners need to start to make there way into computers first

[DigitalfreakNYC]

Originally Posted by uk-guy

not really a need for them at the moment

completely disagree.

[uk-guy]

Originally Posted by DigitalfreakNYC

completely disagree.

well some people might have a use for a blu-ray recorder i don't. arent most HD
transmissions encrypted wouldn't there be a piracy issue, now i am a massive blu-ray supporter but i think flash storage may be more useful to me for recordings and maybe more durable and cost effective in the long run

with the advent of tivos and sky+ recording, direct to hard drive at the moment
why would we go back to burning to disks and finalising all time wasted in my mind pc use first i say"

[DigitalfreakNYC]

Originally Posted by uk-guy

well some people might have a use for a blu-ray recorder i don't. arent most HD
transmissions encrypted wouldn't there be a piracy issue, now i am a massive blu-ray supporter but i think flash storage may be more useful to me for recordings and maybe more durable and cost effective in the long run

with the advent of tivos and sky+ recording, direct to hard drive at the moment
why would we go back to burning to disks and finalising all time wasted in my mind pc use first i say"

then why bother buying blu-rays at all

for those of us who want to archive things, HD recording is a must.

[uk-guy]

Originally Posted by DigitalfreakNYC

then why bother buying blu-rays at all

for those of us who want to archive things, HD recording is a must.

why buy blu-ray because its the best. i don't understand that comment? like i said each to there own if you find a need for a blu-ray recorder then fine but why wouldn't a flash do the same job for archiving HD media i just don't think there will be a massive need for it i cant really say DVD recorders are a massive hit either i hardly know anyone with one. most people i know have a sky+ recorder or free view recorder it would be like going back in time to the days of
VHS recorders having masses of tapes lying around. thanks to the relative inexpense of hard drives it has taken the need for backing up onto tapes and DVD out of the equation

why must we back up using blu-ray why not flash

[wiyosaya]

Originally Posted by uk-guy

why buy blu-ray because its the best. i don't understand that comment? like i said each to there own if you find a need for a blu-ray recorder then fine but why wouldn't a flash do the same job for archiving HD media i just don't think there will be a massive need for it i cant really say DVD recorders are a massive hit either i hardly know anyone with one. most people i know have a sky+ recorder or free view recorder it would be like going back in time to the days of
VHS recorders having masses of tapes lying around. thanks to the relative inexpense of hard drives it has taken the need for backing up onto tapes and DVD out of the equation

why must we back up using blu-ray why not flash

I don't think anyone is saying that you must back up to any one particular format. As I see it, the point is that there are people out there, myself included, who would buy stand-alone BR recorders today if they were available in our markets. Personally, I would not use a stand-alone BR recorder to back up my PC. I would use it for archiving my existing VHS collection as well as for archiving any new material I might record. Why? It means that I do not have to have a PC connected to my HT equipment.

BR recorders are ubiquitous in Japan. In fact, you cannot buy a BR "player only" in Japan. IMHO, it is only a matter of time before they appear in other markets. In fact, the UK is getting a BR recorder in the very near future. Panasonic is introducing them.

Personally, I think lack of BR recorders in markets other than Japan is hampering the adoption of the format.

[landrus2]

If none of the Japanese companies are interest in selling Blu-ray recorders in the US, let's make them ourselves. All of the necessary components are available as computer peripherals, and there are companies that assemble computers to order. Can we interest one in cranking out a few? They could make some money and maybe spark the interest of the big manufactures' marketing departments. Whether it is fear of not selling or fear of the MPAA that has kept Blu-ray recorders from our shores, this could break the logjam.

It needs

• a housing not much bigger than a DVD/VCR combo (I have a Compaq that size that still has room for expansion cards),
• digital tuner(s),
• a BD-RE burner,
• TV outputs & inputs (HDMI, S-Video, Component, and/or RF),
• a remote control that can control all the usual operation without resorting to a keyboard (that is probably more a question of the IR receiver and software in the computer that the remote),
• and software that presents a user-friendly interface. The software may well be the biggest hurdle.

It would also be nice if

• the software was embedded in some kind of firmware so the hard drive is not needed,
• it had a LightScribe burner for labeling disks,
• the burner could also record DVD-RAM,
• a D-VHS recorder could be included,
• the Operating System did not require paying homage to Microsoft,
• it could boot quickly and directly into a DVD-recorder-like interface,
• the hard drive could be used as a DVR (yes, that does contradict the no-hard-drive option),
• and/or it had a LAN or Wi-Fi interface for software updating, sharing recordings with other units, or downloading Netflix.

The cost of the basic unit might be not much more than the original Blu-ray players.

Who out there is interested in buying one? How much would you pay? Who is interested in making them? How much would you charge?