So that all is not lost, he's now in the midst of copying those shows through a DVD recorder — a product that Toshiba, Panasonic, and Magnavox quit making a few years ago but can still be found in limited quantities online. "The transfer to video disc is time consuming — it has to be done in real time — and the picture quality is standard definition, not that good," Di Nardo said. "But it beats recording the operas with a digital camera or a smartphone held up in front of the TV screen."