A system for adapting various writing speeds of storage devices and methods for making and using same are provided. A recording device maintains a data buffer with a buffer size. Data recorded by the recording device with a selected recording bitrate is stored into the data buffer of the recording device. The recorded data is written from the data buffer into a selected storage device that is attached onto the recording device. An amount of recorded data stored in the data buffer is compared with two or more sets of thresholds, and the recording bitrate of the recording device can be adjusted, as needed, in response to the results of the comparison. By adjusting the recording bitrate, the recording device advantageously can accommodate storage devices with various speeds while maintaining the quality of the recorded data and maximizing the capacity of the storage device.