n00b question(s) about DVD recorders

[Phantom]

Im looking to buy a dvd recorder. question is, would a dvd recorder be safe to play dvds over along period of time or should i also look to buy a separate dvd player too?

is there any point in buying a dvd recorder with a built in hard disk?

are dvd recorders affected by region selection or would they be region free?

thanks

 

[El_Watcher]

I would say recorders will be just as good as stand alone players at playing, I guess you are asking if the laser will last as long, and I can't see why not.
The advantage of hard drive recorders over most DVD recorders is the ability to time slip (DVD-RAM recorders can though). You may not think it will be useful, but I will tell you it is brilliant to be able to pause while you go to the toilet, or rewind to a bit you want to look closer at.
As for region settings, they are just the same as players, they will be region 2 by default but a lot will have a region free hack or update.