November 2004 — Product Watch
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2005 Digital Imaging Products Guide
Editor’s note: The Seiko Instruments Web site classifies the InkLink as a “discontinued product,” but still offers plenty of background information on the product.
For more information, visit www.siibusinessproducts.com/support/discsupp.html.
Aspire Digital’s AD-8091 DVD Recorder Review
DVD recorders record to a writable DVD rather than a tape. There are two main formats: DVD+R/W and DVD-R/W. The +/-R discs are write-only while the +/-RW discs can be erased and reused. You must make sure to buy the right discs as they are not interchangeable, but once recorded they will play back on most DVD players. The +/-R discs are about a dollar each in small quantities, while the +/-RW discs are $2 to $3 dollars each. DVD recorders have dropped in price enough that it now makes sense to switch from a VCR to a DVD recorder. Aspire Digital’s AD-8091 DVD recorder is one of the newer, inexpensive DVD recorders. Its suggested price is just $249. In addition, the AD-8092 DVD recorder adds FireWire (IEEE 1394) for connecting directly to digital camcorders for a list price of $299.
The AD-8091 records to DVD+R and DVD+RW discs at five quality settings, allowing between one and six hours on a disc. It has connections on the back for RF in/out, composite video in/out, and S-Video in/out. It d'es, however, lack the front composite-video inputs common to most recorders, so you must fish in back to connect a camcorder.
The AD-8091 can record from the television as you watch it, or you can preprogram it to record shows. You can transfer content from a VCR or camcorder but only at viewing speed, so transferring an hour tape takes one hour. It will also automatically create chapters for you during recording that you can name these later, but the interface is clunky. The AD-8091 supports copy protection on commercial DVDs so you cannot make duplicates of copyrighted material.
In addition to recording from the television, I used the AD-8091 to transfer videos I use in the classroom to DVD. The process was easy and, in all cases, the resulting quality was every bit as good as the source video. Once on a DVD, I could upload these to a computer for further processing or uploading to the Web.
The AD-8091 is a user-friendly and inexpensive DVD recorder that I highly recommend.
For more information on Aspire Digital’s products, visit www.aspiredigital.com.
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