Lite-On unveils DVD recorder
with 160GB hard drive
Lite-On LVW-5045
The product: The Lite-On LVW-5045 DVD recorder with built-in hard drive doubles the amount of storage space that its predecessor, the LVW-5005, possesses, packing in 160GB for a maximum recording time of 198 hours at its lowest quality. Like the LVW-5005, this new recorder supports the four main DVD formats and offers a FireWire port to connect your camcorder for easy offloading of footage onto disc. As with other digital video recorders, the device can pause live TV.

• Built-in 160GB hard drive
• Records to DVD±R/RW and CD-R/RW
• VCR Plus+ guide
• Component-video, S-Video, FireWire, and coaxial and optical digital audio ports

The price: The LVW-5045 is available now for $449.

The prospects: Lite-On's previous aggressively priced DVD recorders have helped lower the pricing for the whole market. Unfortunately, the company didn't include an electronic programming guide on a earlier model we reviewed--the Lite-On LVW-5005--making it difficult to schedule recordings easily. The LVW-5045 includes VCR Plus+, which is an improvement (and it's free), even if it's not as capable as TiVo's programming guide.

By Sean Portnoy, senior associate editor, CNET Reviews