Can DVD record from TV/VCR/etc

Yes, if you have a DVD recorder. When DVD was originally introduced in 1997, only players were available. Most DVD units sold today are still play-only, but recorders are becoming more widespread and more affordable. DVD video recorders first appeared in Japan at the end of 1999, and in the rest of the world at the end of 2000. Early units were expensive: $2,500 to $4,000. DVD video recorders are still quite expensive (typically $500 to $2000 as of mid 2003), but eventually will be as cheap as VCRs. DVD recorders are being added to satellite and cable receivers, hard-disk video recorders, and other advanced consumer electronics devices.

A DVD recorder works like a VCR -- it has a tuner and A/V inputs, and it can be programmed to record shows. An important difference is that you never have to rewind or fast forward -- recordings on a disc are instantly accessible, usually from an on-screen menu. Many DVD recorders include an electronic program guide (EPG) that gives you onscreen TV listings from which you can pick shows to record (no need to enter day, time, channel, and so on by hand).

Note that DVD video recorders can't copy most DVD movie discs, which are protected.

Unfortunately there is more than one recordable DVD format, and they don't all play together nicely. It's nothing like the old "VHS vs. Betamax battle" as many in the press would have you believe, but it is rather confusing. See 4.3 to get more confused.

Don't be further confused by DVD recordable drives (DVD burners) for computers (see 4.3). These recorders can store data, but to create full-featured DVD-Videos requires additional software to do video encoding (MPEG), audio encoding (Dolby Digital, MPEG, or PCM), navigation and control data generation, and so on (see 5.4 and 5.8).