Pioneer DVD Recorders

Pioneer is a leading manufacturer of DVD recorder combinations with TiVo; read details about the entire Pioneer DVD recorders line.

Pioneer was the first company to combine the DVD recording technology with the TiVo “watching TV experience”. The Pioneer DVR-810H-S and Elite DVR-57H combos are analyzed in a dedicated section. See also the DVD recorders/VCR combos section to learn about Pioneer DVR-RT500.

From the Pioneer standalone DVD recorders line we chose to speak about: DVR-520H-S model with a built-in 80 GB hard drive and the classic standalone DVD recorder — DVR-320-S. The Pioneer DVR-420H resembles DVR-520H-S, but adds a multi-region DVD player.

Pioneer DVR-520H-S

The built-in 80 GB hard drive on this unit offers great editing possibilities for your home movies or recorded materials from TV. The DVD burner writes DVD-R and DVD-RW media, and can't playback other writable formats like DVD-RAM or DVD+R/RW.

Like all Pioneer DVD recorders, this model also features VBR (Variable Bit Rate) recording, progressive scan output, VCR Plus+ timer programming, and adds some TiVo-like qualities due to the hard disc drive (e.g. simultaneous playback and recording).

Pioneer DVR-320-S

pioneer dvr 320s

This is a standard DVD recorder, just fit to replace your old VCR. Selective features:

  • Writable format supported: DVD-R/RW;
  • Playback features: DVD-R/RW, DVD-video, CD-R/RW, A/V CD media; VMA, MP3 and JPEG files;
  • Commercial Skip function
  • Maximum recording time on the hard drive: 17 hours in the HQ mode and 102 hours in EP mode
  • VCR Plus+;
  • Progressive scan output;
  • IEEE-1394 (FireWire) port;
  • Built-in TV tuner.

Also from Pioneer DVD recorders line, the Elite DVR-7000 model is loaded with features:

  • DVD-R/RW media recorder
  • multifunctional remote
  • IEEE-1394 FireWire input
  • Component, composite and S-video inputs and outputs;
  • Progressive scan playback;

However, this product is either unavailable or discontinued at the moment.