The format's major weakness -- and the one advantage keeping VHS alive -- is that the ability to record on DVD was an expensive option. But DVD recorders have gone from $3,000 little more than a year ago to $700 today, and prices are expected to continue dropping.
A new Panasonic model, at about $1,000, combines the ability to record on DVD discs with a built-in 40-gigabyte hard drive to store programs. And add-on DVD recorders for personal computers can be found for as little as $300.
|