Recommend DVD recorder

[Mallomar]

I think my old Panasonic DMR-EZ47V is fixin' to die. It started making weird mechanical noises (intermittent rattling or vibrating sounds) about two days ago. It still reads and writes DVDs, but that noise can't be good. It only makes the noise when there's a disk in the drive, regardless of whether the drive is reading, writing, or just resting. I've tried a couple different brands of media, which made no difference.

We're not techies, so we're clueless. Maybe I should try a lens cleaning disk? (I'm assuming that it wouldn't be cost-effective to take the recorder to a technician for repair.)

My guess is that I need a new recorder, though, so I'd appreciate suggestions/advice/recommendations. This old unit also has a VCR slot, but I can live without that. But a unit with a hard drive as well as a DVD burner would be great. I've got a Philips DVDR3576H (on another TV) that I like, but it won't burn copy-protected programs.

And the Panasonic doesn't have any of that copy protection stuff built-in. Is it still possible to get units like that?

FWIW, we have FiOS TV. We have a Verizon Motorola set-top box that includes a hard drive. The new recorder would be used on a second TV that has a regular set-top box without hard drive.

Thanks.

 

[sivart]

I'm not aware that any manufacturer in the US is making DVD recorders with hard drives any longer. (My Panny E80H is still going strong).

If you can do without the hard drive, look at any major brand name. If you need the hard drive, eBay may be your best bet (or locally craigslist)