A DVD recorder is an optical disc recorder that records video onto blank writable DVD media. Such devices are available as either installable drives for computers or as standalone components for use in studios or home theater systems. Currently in the U.S. DVD recorders are under going a transformation adding a digital ATSC tuner if it has a tuner as mandated by the FCC.
Originally, DVD recorders supported one of three standards: DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW, none of which are directly compatible. As a general rule, however, most current drives support both the + and - standards, while few support the DVD-RAM standard, which is not directly compatible with standard DVD readers.
Recording speed is generally denoted in values of X (similar to CD-ROM usage), where 1X in DVD usage is equal to 1.321 MB/s, roughly equivalent to a 9X CD-ROM. In practice, this is largely an issue confined to computer-based DVD recorders, since standalone units generally record in real time, that is, 1X speed.