can I record audio only on a dvd recorder?

[Alshalan]

Hi,
I am planning to record from a radio channel (from satellite receiver)

Most of the recent dvd recorder have a built-in digital tuner , so I do not need a satellite receiver anymore. Other dvd recorders records from sattallite receiver on a blank DVD, or in HDD with variable storage (60GB upto 500GB). All spec. do not mention anything about audio only recording.

Any idea?

[Pentium100]

Well, it depends on the model in question. However, you still can plug in whatever video source you have and connect audio inputs to your audio source.

Same as with VCRs - some can record audio-only, some need a video input and cannot play the audio-only tapes recorded by the other VCR.

[Wilhelm]

The device will record in the DVD format that includes both audio and video. The audio will be compressed into an MPEG format. A better alternative would be to feed the signal into a line input into a computer and record strictly audio into a .wav format or some other lossless or MP3 compressed format without any video data. DVD recorders are generally designed for two formats: DVD-video and DVD-VR only.

[Emo-Fan]

You can record audio-only without difficulty: I do it all the time on my Philips DVD hard disc recorder. Any of my own musical files I can simply erase if I decide that I don't want to keep them. The ones that I do like I can burn directly to a DVD. The video portion of the recording is just a blank screen. I use the HQ setting, so there's very little compression, but I get only 1 hour of recording time on a single DVD disc.

My only reminder would be to use a mixer in the recording process with the VU meters on it set to 0 dB at the peak volume levels. I suggest this procedure in order to avoid overdriving the analogue inputs to a distorted level.

The resolution, s/n and dynamic range will all be better than CD!

(I also use a digital multi-tracker that records to CF cards and these are uncompressed WAV files at 20 bit 44.1k, downconverted to 16 bit 44.1k, but that's another story!)

[Alshalan]

Thank you all for your help.

I will buy DVD recorder with HDD storage.

[Pentium100]

Thank you all for your help.

I will buy DVD recorder with HDD storage.

Just when you buy it, check if it actually has the feature to record audio-only.

While I do not have a DVD recorder, I can say from my experience with VCRs - do not assume that the function is there, even if it is on every other device you have. I, for example, have a VCR that has RF in/out ports (as all other VCRs), but only plays the tape trough the SCART port, while all other VCRs that I have or had can play a tape trough the RF port.

[Wilhelm]

Recording video with a blank screen is not "audio-only." It is compressed audio in a DVD-video or DVD-VR format with an unchanging video signal. If you check the specifications of the MPEG formats, you will see that the specifications are less than those of a CD because of compression. The sound quality is not likely to be noticeably different, but it MPEG compression nonethe less.

[Alshalan]

I went today to some few shops here.. mainly Sony and Panasonic.
All them, they record only Video, and they do not record Audio alone.
another problem is in case of a HDD the only way to transfer it to PC should be through DVD burning, and there is no cable direct transfer.

I thinking now to install Satellite Card into my PC, and through the software provided with I can record audio only.

[Pacific Stereo]

It's like everyone else has said. These things aren't meant to record audio, they're designed to record a video source WITH audio, and that audio is then compressed in a lossy fashion. I doubt that this is an issue now, but back in the day, many VCRs required a video signal in order to be stable in record mode.

Why not just buy a consumer CD-R recorder?

[Lance Lawson]

I have several HiFi VCR's and all of them can record stereo hifi audio without a true video input. My 2 favorite are an older Mitisubishi that even has level meters and a fairly new SONY N81 that sounds gorgeous. My total investment in these two beauties is $9. Frankly they sound as good or better than my best piece of conventional tape device (Teac RTR). If I need to record a long broadcast of music audio I simply plug the receiver into the VCR. Whenever I need to record HiDef digital audio I go through my SONAR program and save it to hard drive.

[Alshalan]

It's like everyone else has said. These things aren't meant to record audio, they're designed to record a video source WITH audio, and that audio is then compressed in a lossy fashion. I doubt that this is an issue now, but back in the day, many VCRs required a video signal in order to be stable in record mode.

Why not just buy a consumer CD-R recorder?

Because the music I want to record is not known to me when it is going to broadcast, and how long?
also the 80min of 1 CD is not enough
I am too busy to just wait for the music I want. Hard drive is better, just record for 24 h then go through it and see what I got, then erase it, and recored again.

i am intending to recored from a radio channel not TV channel.

[Pacific Stereo]

Yes, most (if not all) HiFi VCRs could record audio without a video signal present. However, with non-HiFi models, your mileage could vary considerably!

[THE-REEL-MAN]

Jan 4th 2011
Yes you can record on to a DVD without Video signal.
What I do is conect the incoming audio in to the fron aux input on my DVD RECORDER. yOU DO NOT NEED TO CONECT TO THE vIDEO INPUT. i HAVE A panasonic dvd recorer/vcr recorder. However it is a good idea to have your source material ajusted throught a VU METER. If recording in stereo, you need two meters. Because most DVD recorders have automatic recording control, their is no way to know how much signal is going to the DVD. You need to rout the audio signal through the VU meters to see if the playback signal remains around the 0 Db mark or does not enter the Red Zone for too long a time.

I hope this helps
Steve

[Eldorado]

I'm confused about the answers here that say you can only record compressed audio (though I am not at all familiar with DVD recorders as opposed to the drives in PCs).

Is it not true that the DVD Video standard permits audio in 24/96? If so, it seems crazy that most recorders would not be capable of producing recordings at this quality - a relatively simple matter on a PC. What am I missing here?

On the subject of VCRs, I read the thread about recording to VHS tape and I know that a few of the responses were careful to outline the cons. But as we have a redundant deck lying around the house, curiosity got the better of me, and I have been experimenting with recording (so far only CDs) to JVC tapes. The results are extremely impressive. I'd always been aware that some people do this, but never really thought of trying it myself. But being as this is a source of very cheap, easily available analogue tape, I'd recommend it, at least for those who just want to hear how it sounds. I acknowledge the issue of longevity, but as I'm not really after archiving anything here, it doesn't really apply in my case.

There's something to be said for a six-hour tape that only cost a dollar or so to make. I'm curious about the 180 min tapes (as they're extendable to 9 hours in 3x recording mode), but to be honest, can't see the need for a tape that long!

[kelvinmunson]

I have quite a few audio Tangerine Dream concert bootlegs on VHS and the quality is pretty good. Soundtrack being digital we used to use it for copying and trading bootlegs before CDRs came along and became a reasonably priced alternative.

We'd use audio tapes for years before that but obviously, unless the original was passed around for copying, there was always the problem of progressive degradation through added noise each time a copy was made from a copy.

Kelvin


On the subject of VCRs, I read the thread about recording to VHS tape and I know that a few of the responses were careful to outline the cons. But as we have a redundant deck lying around the house, curiosity got the better of me, and I have been experimenting with recording (so far only CDs) to JVC tapes. The results are extremely impressive. I'd always been aware that some people do this, but never really thought of trying it myself. But being as this is a source of very cheap, easily available analogue tape, I'd recommend it, at least for those who just want to hear how it sounds. I acknowledge the issue of longevity, but as I'm not really after archiving anything here, it doesn't really apply in my case.

There's something to be said for a six-hour tape that only cost a dollar or so to make. I'm curious about the 180 min tapes (as they're extendable to 9 hours in 3x recording mode), but to be honest, can't see the need for a tape that long!