Without wasting time going into all the details... I'm looking for a good, inexpensive Direct-to-disk DV recorder. I plan to use it in the field with a JVC GY-DV500.

Recorders like the FireStore FS-4 all seem to start at about $700 anymore, but I could have sworn I'd seen a hard disk recorder in the $400 range a couple months back. Can anyone point me toward a less expensive solution, or am I going to have to shell out $700 for a FireStore?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Eric,
I would highly suggest getting an FS-3 or DR-DV5000 unit for your camera. It was made to hook on the back and it has removeable hard drives. You can probably find a good used unit somewhere, maybe on fleabay. The FS-4 is going to be to cumbersome, especially with a full size camera like the 500.
Kit

Put Scopebox on a powerbook :-)

We use it in studio all the time and it works a treat!

Windows Vista has a built-in program for very basic capturing. I don't know if you camera is HD or if the program even handles HD, but it's free (included) with Vista. I've never used it, but I'm sure it's about as basic as they come.... but meets your cost expectations.

$700 isn't out of my price range. Will that work with a Canon HV20? Is there anything that's cheaper than the FS-4, and does it connect to the tripod?

I sometimes use my 5 year old laptop (AMD Athlon XP2500+ with a 5400rpm 40GB hard drive) to record direct to disk, using a freeware utility called WinDV. I've even piped through that laptop, to an external USB drive, successfully. It works fine, as long as the disk is defragged and no other programs are running. WinDV buffers the video, which helps prevent dropouts.

I'm new to this tapeless stuff but.....Is there any way to record HDV directly to a disc in a Lossless way. I know there probably is a way but how do you do it???? Using what equipment???? Any help explaining this to me is appreciated. Or please direct me to articles explaining this, etc. Thanks.

On a PC, you can use Vegas or, for free, VLC.

VLC on a PC for free sounds good to me.

If you use VLC to capture, be sure to make a copy the captured file (or change the name of the file you capture to in VLC) as soon as you stop the capture. Otherwise, if you start capturing again, the previously captured file will be overwritten and lost.

or HD Video pro. It's a software solution but has much acclaim. I use it myself (the DV version). Lets you calibrate the monitor and check focus, too, plus the file management is simplyfied: log while you shoot. Google it.