• But what was wrong with the VCR?
• Surely there are some negatives too?
• Types of Hard Disk Video Recorder
• A Closer Look: Personal Video Recorders (PVRs)
• A Closer Look: DVD/HDD recorders
• The Future of HDD/DVD in Australia

Surely there are some negatives too?

Not everything's so great in the world of the hard disk, however, and there are a few downsides to be aware of:

Reliability and lifespan. If the VCR breaks it's not a big problem. Simply buy another one and pop the cassette back in. If the hark disk drive breaks you've just lost all your recordings. Nobody can really tell how long a hard disk will last, so the best solution to this problem is to keep backups. Some hard disk units include DVD recorders, which offer a reliable medium for backup storage. According to Memorex, over thirty years can be expected from a recordable DVD compared to about fifteen years from a VHS tape.

Stuck on the disk. Many hard disk devices don't ship with a DVD recorder though, and in this case you may find your precious recordings are simply stuck. Sometimes it's possible to copy recordings to a computer or external DVD recorder, or you may just have to sit there and hope your hard disk doesn't break.

Cost. As a relatively new technology, hard disk recorders don't come cheap and are certainly more expensive than VCRs.