Anyone want to recommend a decent DVD recorder? (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

That seems to be my big problem here too.

 

[wally]

Ron,

Since you are actively participating in this thread, Thank You, and Parker, for the HTF. I am finishing up furnishing an entire Home Theater in our soon to be finished basement. I will have spent close to/over $7,000 when all is done and haven’t missed a wink of sleep due to the piece of mind acquired here on HTF.

That being said the DVD recorder and antennae for OTA High Def are proving to be my undoing. Oh well, several weeks till the construction is done, so I’ve got scads of indecision in front of me!

 

[Dave Miller]

Hmmmmmmm, I just thought of a startling question: Do dvd recorders have the ability to copy disc to disc like PCs do?

If so, I could create a master disc on this Pioneer unit using the -RW format that would allow me to edit more, put chapters where I want them, etc., and then dupe multiple copies onto -R from the master -RW.

Would that work or do I need a unit with a Hard Drive to do this?

Peace,

DM

 

[Elizabeth S]

Dave,

Am I correct in thinking that the disc-to-disc copying process would require either a hard drive for memory while you swap discs, or two disc drives?

I really strongly recommend getting a model with a hard drive. While I don't have TIVO and am not sure about its editing capabilities prior to transferring to the recorder, the hard drive just seems easier and so much more flexible. If inputting from a camcorder, for instance, you could just copy the whole thing at one whack, then sit down later and edit exactly how you want it, rearrange scenes, insert chapters, etc. Once you have it exactly how you want it, you can burn multiple copies from your playlist, or make another copy from the DVD-R at a later date.

I went straight to hard drive models, but a lot of posters at AVS who originally had non-hd models love the hd upgrade.

 

[Dave Miller]

I am not sure of the answer to your first question. I'd love a definitive answer from someone, but you are correct about the ease of DVD recorders w/ HDs. That's just more than I want to spend right now.

My HDTivo has no editing capabilities and I believe that is pretty normal for Tivos.

Peace,

DM

 

[Dave Miller]

Well Ron, if you are not in need of a dvd player, how about this for consideration.

Interesting review. I've already got a great player and love the portability of that unit to move from Tivo to Tivo as well as to my PC.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking I could hook this up to my Tivo, dump a program onto an RW disc, then hook it up to my PC, delete the commercials, edit, create menus, etc. Is this possible?

Peace,

DM

 

[wally]

Could you elaborate Elizabeth, I'm about to pull the trigger on the newer Tosh XS34. When you say finicky was it finicky about brands or finicky even within a brand that you though should work.

 

[Elizabeth S]

Hi Wally,

I have the previous XS-32 Toshiba model.

By finicky, I was mainly referring to the -RW brands which it will "accept". This model only takes 2X -RWs, but would not accept the Memorex brand (and Sony as well, if I recall correctly). I was a little panicked, because 2X -RWs are getting very hard to find. I had finally found some 2X Maxell -RWs it would accept and was using them successfully. Recently, however, I've found that finalized -RWs from the same package are no longer "recognized" on my Panasonic DVD player. (I usually finalize only -RWs which I'm lending someone and pop it in the Panasonic to make sure it plays. Other discs from this package had previously played on the Panny.) Now, I don't know where the problem is -- granted, the Panny is an older model and I was surprised it ever played the -RWs at all. I'll have to experiment if my Phillips will play it.) I generally just use the -RWs to clear space on my hard drive and for those purposes, the Maxells have been fine. I also have 2 of the Pioneer 420s, so I've been recording shows for friends on that one. (It has accepted virtually any brand and speed thrown at it (-Rs and -RWs) and they play on the Panasonic.) The Toshiba has been very good with -R media, though and has had no problem with the 8X Sony I've used (though it only burns at 4X).

AVS Forum has been a great help in reading people's experiences, but unforunately, not very many people have tried out the XS-34 yet. I have a hunch the media issues may be better, though. (The XS-32 for Canada has had a firmware update which corrected the problem of it not accepting certain 2X media, so they were aware of it. Toshiba US has not issued updates, though.) I also THINK I remember reading that the XS-34 takes 4X -RWs now.

In any case, I think the XS-34 is worth a shot if it has the features you're looking for (and if you find someplace with a good return policy, just in case).

 

[wally]

Just purchased this unit from 6th Avenue. $384.06 ($0.06 shipping!!!). I’ve got at least a month before my basement is finished so I won’t be able to give a full report, but I’ll at least get to try it out on a limited basis soon. I believe the xs-34 will record on 8x media.

Sounded like a good deal for a HDD and FireWire connection. And only $34.06 over budget, wifey will be pleased.

Thanks for the response Elizabeth. Can’t wait to crank this new system up!!!

 

[Elizabeth S]

Good for you, Wally -- you'll have a lot of fun with it! How great you'll have a home theatre in the basement!

 

[DustinLC]

Hey Elizabeth,

Does you Panasonic take 8x media? I bought 50 spindle 8x compatible TDK brand and couldn't finish burning it on the E80. I've been searching mad to get an answer on the net concerning this and whether there is a difference between 8x compatible, up to 8x, and 1-8x.

It's getting harder to find anything that doesn't have an 8 on it. In the past, I've used 4x. Gesh you know, I don't know why it should even make a difference since we're burning it at real time or 2x speed, but it does .

I will look into the Toshiba and Sony recorder one day because I think it's only a matter of time before every media is just 8x compatible. It's a same, I have two Pany and they're only 2-3yrs old.

 

[Elizabeth S]

Dustin,

I don't have a Panasonic recorder, just a Panasonic DVD Player. My recorders are Toshiba and Pioneer. All the 8X
-Rs I've burned on the recorders have played fine on the old Panasonic, though.

Did you try asking at AVS Forum? LOTS of Panasonic recorder owners there!

 

[DustinLC]

Thanks Elizabeth. I'll give them a try.

I've seen a lot of Panasonic owners here in the past. Like other DVD recorders forum, I found out many get really excited at first and once they become an experts, they'll disappear from this and other similar forums .

 

[Dan Szwarc]

Have you decided, Ron?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hi, Dan!

I am actually putting the recorder on
hold for now. It's not something I really
need at the moment, since there really isn't
the "perfect" model to suit my needs.

 

[Dan Szwarc]

D'oh! It figures. I was hoping to base my decision on yours! It also turns out that my contractor finally quoted me for some garage work ($1200) and I won't be spending any money on any new players for a while either. Oh well. Keep up posted. If you don't decide soon, you'll have to start over as all the new models come out!

I looked into this player on the net (was seriously thinking about it). Apparently is is utter crap. Crummy video, crummy passthrough, firmware bugs, etc. Junk.

 

[JasenJ]

How annoying is this. I too was hoping to piggy-back on Ron's decision making process. I'm about to pull the trigger on a purchase to start recording the new seasons of BG, SG-A, SG-1, and Monk. Looking in the under $200 range, but staying away from the cheap $100 machines. Like the chase-play feature of DVD-RAM, so am limiting my search to DVD-RAM capable units.

Currently I'm stuck in over-analysis paralysis. Been scrubbing the web for the last few days. Here's my findings so far:

Panasonic DMR-ES10: Shut up and buy one. Very popular. Widely acclaimed. Seems to be the player EVERYONE is buying. A few vocal detractors (the moderator at videohelp). Plays DVD-Audio (as two tracks) - do I care? Probably not. VCR Plus programming.

Toshiba D-R4: Not much feedback on this. A few people complaining about unit failures. Other Toshiba models seem to have very nice menu editing functions, but can't find out if this model shares those. 24bit/192kHz audio - worth it (especially since I'll be using the digital out to my HK230 receiver, and the audio quality from TV broadcasts can't be that great)? Seems to have a lot of video control adjustments. Picture zoom.

Samsung R120: Again, not a lot of reports. Has FireWire in. I don't think I care, I dump all camcorder material to the Mac for editing, and I'd rather archive DV rather than MPEG. Optical and coax digital out - others only have optical. Has the LSI chipset that videohelp moderator raves about. Seems a capable unit.

Pioneer and JVC are also two praised brands, but my local stores don't seem to carry them, and Pioneer doesn't have DVD-RAM at the $200 price point.

Does anyone have a brilliant insight that will push me over the edge to actually purchasing something?

- Jasen.

 

[Dan Szwarc]

I want to edit/retract my earlier comment about the Lite-On LVW-5045 player in that link.

I have found negative info on ALL DVD recorders, with or without HDDs. It seems the product is not ready just yet. All have bugs and all are either lacking features or just don't work they way one expects.

Regarding the LVW-5045: most of the reviews are from when the product was new. The latest firmware, 197, appears to fix most of the annoying bugs and allow the player to be a decent product for the price (for the PRICE). I also found a forum DEDICATED to the LVW-5045 (England, but beggars can't be choosers) and my fears were quelled after reading all the GOOD info about the device (mostly how to avoid he problems).

Yes. The video quality is not perfect. Apparently, the skimping has come in the analog to digital stage and it affects the passthrough and the playback. Earlier FW versions even did not enable DD out!

I am looking for a player to replace my VCR, not my DVD player. While this could do both, I really wanted something for time-slipping and for recording shows you want to watch, but not to keep. TIVO would be best for this, but I don't want to be saddled with a subscription fee (I'm paying too damn much for cable and cable modem and phone and electricity and gas, etc.!!! )

I came across this player at buy.com for $290 after rebate with free shippping and I bit. (The Costco price ended up being $338 with 6% MI sales tax and $19 shipping! Add 5% if you are not a member!)

It should arrive in a week. I will post back here my review after I evaluate it with some recordings, some DVDs, some VHS to DVD conversions, and one Laserdisk conversion (Wanna guess which one, Greedo, who doesn't shoot first?).

One other plus is there appears to be a good chance that the player will allow a straight swap to a bigger HD without any fancy-pants tricks. The firmware appears to run off a chip and the HD is only for storage (there is a "format" utility in the menu that fixes major corruptions).

The LVW-5045 is not likely to live up to Ron's requirements. It barely lives up to mine.