OTHER TECH

DVD recorders are well on their way to making VCRs obsolete. If you're frustrated with VHS sound and picture quality - and anybody used to watching DVDs should be - the time has come to replace that clunky tape machine with a disc-based model. Even inexpensive DVD recorders offer superb picture and sound quality, have cueing and editing capabilities that make VHS seem primitive, and use a recording medium that's far more durable and compact than tape. Prices have been dropping steadily, even for models with hard-disk drives. And many models can replace not only a VCR but a progressive-scan DVD player and a CD player, too. Some can even replace a TiVo box!

But many people have held back from getting a DVD recorder because of the plethora of recordable formats. While the situation is confusing, it's not insoluble.