Review on SONY VRD VC10 DVDirect External Recorder by Aaron Franklin

I did not purchase this product from Revain, but I usually rely on other people's recommendations on this site, so here's my take. THIS PRODUCT IS A BIG INVESTMENT. The main reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the packaging doesn't clearly state which brands of blank DVDs are compatible. I bought 100 packs of Memorex DVD+R but the discs were not finalized. I contacted Sony support and found out that there is a list of approved brands. 4x (The support person also said TDK works, but it's not listed) The "list" goes on for other media types (e.g. DVD-R etc.). Visit sony.storagesupport.com for more information. Only Sony discs have been used with no problems. Note: dual layer discs are about 10 times more expensive than single layer discs, so you must have a good reason to use this feature. Also, if you have an older DVD player, note that some pre-recorded DVDs may not read/play. I have lived through this problem. It's frustrating, but I found a new very cheap DVD player that works fine. A disadvantage. When using the standalone option with a digital video camera the signal must be converted to analogue and then back to digital and there will certainly be a loss in image resolution - whether this is noticeable is a matter of opinion. Luckily, you can connect your digital camcorder to your computer via FireWire and use Nero's video capture software, which I found very easy. I recommend using the DVD+VR software feature, which allows you to insert your latest footage onto a previously burned DVD+RW disc, which works in most new DVD players. an old VHS cassette whose picture quality has deteriorated so much that it is unusable. What a loss! I was intimidated by colleagues who advised me to spend over 10 hours editing an hour of a finished tape. The battery life and the high-quality Nero software bundled with the software make this Sony product a less intimidating and worthwhile investment.