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Sony DVDirect
Sony bills its new DVDirect as the first DVD recorder to combine "standalone and computer-attached DVD-Video recording." That's accurate enough, but somehow it sounds like an engineering feat without an application, and DVDirect is anything but. Of course, it does fit that bill: you can use it to transfer video directly to disc from your camcorder or VHS by connecting it via S-Video or composite, or connect it to your PC's USB 2.0 port and enlist it as a fully functional, high-speed, dual layer-capable DVD recorder.
But DVDirect is also something much more exciting: the missing link in the chain of live DVD recording. Until now, if you wanted to shoot live to DVD, you had to use a DVD camcorder. Most DVD camcorders are consumer devices, singlechip models with few advanced controls that convert to MPEG-2 on the fly and record directly to miniature DVD-RAM discs. Hitachi makes a "pro" model, but it carries most of the limitations of its consumer cousins. Some videography projects call for quick-turn DVDs, and DVD camcorders do offer a certain convenience for those tasks, but it's hardly worth a videographer's hard-earned dollar to invest in a camcorder that's good for little else.
Enter DVDirect. With Sony's new "Video Recordable DVD Drive," videographers can make quick-turn DVDs-and for those who edit "in-camera," nearly effortless same-day edits -in two ways. First, they can shoot the event with their usual camera (any camcorder with S-Video or composite outs can connect to the DVDirect), capture the event on tape, and then transfer the tape's contents to DVD. Alternatively, if shooting from a tripod or some other stationary position, a videographer can shoot to tape and DVD simultaneously. You can even create DVD chapters live, either at preset timed intervals or by adding a chapter point every time you hit pause. Because the disc is recorded in VR format, with a post-shooting transfer you can also do an easy (if crude and linear) on-the-fly edit.
None of Sony's competitors in the DVD burner market can make such claims for any product they offer. Pioneer's PRV-LXl offers way more pro-recording functionality in a standalone recorder, but it costs $4,000 and stays in the studio. DVDirect sells for a consumer-friendly $299-just $100 more...