THE PRICE of stand-alone DVD recorders has already started to fall but even the cheapest are still hundreds of pounds more expensive than a trusty VCR.

DVD is an eminently sensible way of archiving your favourite movies. It's easy to store, lasts far longer than any magnetic tape, and looks sensational compared to blurry old VHS.

So what to do?

You could bite the bullet and lash out £500 on something like the Panasonic DMR-E20 but only the most committed movie fan could justify such expense, especially when S-VHS decks have fallen below the £200 mark. Alternatively, you could use your PC to capture your favourite videos or camcorder footage. What's more, with a nifty piece of kit like USB Instant DVD from ADS you don't even need a DVD burner.

Instant DVD can utilise the CD burner your PC came with and turn it into a mini DVD. Used this way, you can fit about 20 minutes of DVD quality movie footage onto one 700MB CD-R.

That may not sound like much but it's about the right length if you make your own movies with a camcorder.

Alternatively, Instant DVD can author movies on CD at increasingly lower bit-rates (the amount of data written to a CD per second) and, at the lowest setting, it can squeeze 80 minutes of your favourite movie onto one 25p blank. That makes Instant DVD a cheaper method of building a movie collection than video tapes.

And every disc burnt with the ADS box enjoys the same benefits as a pukka DVD bought from the shops - instant access, seamless special effects playback and excellent quality sound (sadly not Dolby 5.1, but you can't expect miracles). Instant DVD comprises a breakout box that plugs into your PC soundcard and USB port. Phono sockets on the front allow you to look up a VCR, DVD or camcorder.

It's a simple matter to fire up the software and start to capture your footage. The idea is similar to the Hauppage PVR USB that sells for a similar price, but the execution is far better.

Crucially, the ADS software allows for adjustment of the audio sync on captured movies, avoiding at a stroke the biggest problem suffered by the Hauppage whereby the dialogue would slip by anything up to a couple of seconds. Incidentally, I'm still awaiting a solution to this problem from Hauppage "technical support" more than nine months after it was first reported!

The ADS solution also scores extra points by coming with a raft of extra software for editing home movies, creating DVDs with swanky menus or even creating a photo slideshow on CD-R that will playback on your TV.

Ulead videostudio 6.0, DVD Pictureshow and My DVD 3.5 would between them cost around £100 making the £249 asking price of the Instant DVD box far more palatable.

Even better, the software package turns your PC into a sophisticated edit suite far more powerful than even the costliest standalone DVD recording deck.

If you enjoy camcording or need to clear out those dusty old movies on video then this is currently the best way to go.

USB Instant DVD is available from all good electrical and PC stores priced around £249.

REVIEW

ANTZ EXTREME RACING. Format: PS2. Publisher: Empire.

THIS is a strange game. It's unusual because it's based (albeit very loosely) around a moderately successful movie released several years ago. And it's downright bizarre because it's a racing game featuring insects. Anyone who has seen the movie won't be surprised in the least to discover there is nothing of an extreme nature in this title.

A racing contest is to be held in a bid to discover who is the fastest bug in of all Insectopia. In the beginning you play as the movie's hero Zed or Princess Bala.

The race tracks themselves are ingenious, played out, as they are, in your average American backyard and the surrounding countryside. Ditto the racing machines which are normally giant insects or hastily modified junk. They handle with pinpoint accuracy too.

Obstacles to be overcome include jam spills, nails and oil slicks. You can also take part in a multi-player race against your buddies but the screen update takes quit a hit in this mode.

Antz Extreme Racing is unlikely to find a home among the devotees of Gran Turismo and its ilk. Kids who liked the movie - and are easily impressed - will probably enjoy the fantasy racing scenarios though.

On a platform snowed under with smart racing titles Antz tries hard to be different and almost succeeds. Not a classic then, but well worth the price of a weekend rental.

Published: 04/10/2002