Things You'll Need:
- DVD Recorder
- Blank DVDs
- Input device
- Cables
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Step 1
Determine whether your DVD recorder records in DVD+ or DVD-. These are two different and completely incompatible formats. The instruction manual will tell you which one your DVD recorder uses. Buy blank DVDs in the appropriate format.
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Step 2
Download video into your DVD recorder hard drive by attaching cables to another device. This can come from several sources. You can attach a video camera to your DVD recorder and play recorded tapes. You can also play video from a VCR or DVD player. Video can also be recorded from television, cable or satellite. Connect the cables from the source device output to the DVD recorder input.
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Step 3
Select "hard drive" when your DVD recorder asks where you wish to copy the downloaded video. Most DVD recorders also give you the option to record directly to a blank DVD in real time. This is a slow and inefficient process that does not take advantage of all the cool things your DVD recorder hard drive can do. Once you select "hard drive," press "play" on the source device and "record" on the DVD recorder.
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Step 4
Give the video a title once it is downloaded. Most DVD recorders allow you to customize what a downloaded video is called and identify it by number and date.
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Step 5
Edit the video in the hard drive. DVD recorder hard drives allow you to create chapters, delete scenes, and move video around. They don't have the ability to perform advanced editing functions but they let you organize raw video in a logical format.
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Step 6
Select which video you want to burn to a DVD. DVD recorder hard drives allow you to pick and choose from any video stored in memory. This lets you create customized DVDs from multiple sources. Place the video in any order you want up to the time limit. Most DVDs allow you to record up to two hours of video at optimal quality.
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Step 7
Burn your DVD at high speed. A DVD recorder hard drive allows you to produce a two-hour DVD in as little as 10 minutes. This comes in very handy when you are burning multiple copies of the same DVD.
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Step 8
Finish the DVD. Find the "Finish DVD" option on the main record menu. It will ask you to choose a menu style. This allows you to customize the look of your DVD as it plays. The DVD recorder will then spend about one minute finishing the DVD. You can then eject the DVD and play it in any DVD player.
