Panasonic DVD-S54K 1080p Upconverting DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There are DVD players out there in the same price range that offer a better picture. But what the Panasonic has going for it is rugged construction, a good remote, quick loading, easy set up and it plays everything (not multi-region though). I bought the S54 to replace my S47 which has given me six years of good service and is still running (the motor is getting tired though). I have tried other brands, including a Philips, which gave me just six months of service. So six years of intense use for this price is excellent (My friend's S47 is still going strong after six years). I watch my quality DVDs on a Denon or Marantz, but like all good DVD players, they can't handle shoddy media. They stick, skip or refuse to load. Which is why I always have a cheap DVD player on hand for less than perfect media. The S54 does that job in style, none of that dreaded 'disc error'. Simply put, this Panasonic range is the AK47 of DVD players. If it had better picture quality it would rate five stars.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic DVD-S54K 1080p Upconverting DVD Player

Click here for more information about Panasonic DVD-S54K 1080p Upconverting DVD Player

Read More...

Philips DVDR3576H DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Disc and Built-In Tuner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This excellent unit is truly powerful and capable. It's a real bargain if its price does not climb (see paragraph 3). It combines 3 different functions in one slim package, any one of which alone would have cost more than its sub-$300 price not so long ago: a 160 GB hard disk recorder, an ATSC digital tuner (and an analog NTSC tuner too), and a DVD recorder. Additionally, it breaks the DVD +/- format war by its ability to record on both.
This unit is one of the surprisingly few hard disk-plus-DVD recorder devices available today that has a digital tuner. It eliminates the high cost of monthly charges for a TIVO. No monthly charges at all! It can do two things at once, allowing playback from either DVD or HDD while recording to HDD. It has a fan but it's quiet, and turns off about a minute after turning the unit off. And, of course, you can watch live TV via your TV's tuner as well.
NOTE ON PRICES: In 2009 the Philip's price has increased, sometimes substantially above what it was last year, although you may still find it at a good price. It may be in limited quantities and/or about to be deleted: I do not know. If you can only find it at an elevated price you should also consider other units. Gary S. reports recently that the newly-available Magnavox H2160MW9, now at Amazon too, is essentially identical to the Philips and is at a sub-$300 price, so investigate that. At higher prices, there are other units that, unlike this otherwise excellent Philips, can record in high definition instead of standard def (albeit on hard drive only): the Moxi MR 1500 (for cable only, cannot be used with an antenna; 500 GB hard drive); or the TiVo TCD658000 HD XL DVR (for both cable and antenna; 1000 GB hard drive). TiVo imposes service charges, unlike Moxi or Philips, so the HD XL effectively costs about $900 for the unit + "lifetime" service fee. However, unlike the Philips, both Moxi and TiVo need an adjunct DVD recorder in order to download keeper programs to a DVD (in SD not HD, at least until Blu-Ray recorders are available). Otherwise you lose your recordings if/when the hard disk crashes.
Recording TV programs
I use a roof antenna, and receive both analog and digital TV signals. Programming to record TV shows is very similar to programming a VCR manually. There is no automatic programming system, but it's really not that hard to do manually. It records HD signals as SD (standard definition).
The listing of programs ("Titles") that you have recorded are clearly shown and easy to navigate to. But it is best to put at least a rudimentary title on the TV programs right after you record them. Otherwise all you have is the date, time, and channel of the recording. You have to add titles by a clunky texting method, requiring multiple presses of numbers 1-9.
Playback
I use an HDMI cable between this unit and my TV. Playback from the hard disk is a joy. Access is immediate. The unit remembers where you left off watching last time on each program individually. You can manoever around the recordings with an (adjustable) 30-second skip forward/backward button, or with an adjustable-speed fast forward/rewind, or with a chapter-jump ("next") which uses the (optional) 10-minute auto-chapters that are inserted.
Playback from DVD is fine, but loading a DVD is slow (perhaps because it can handle so many different DVD formats).
Aspect Ratio (edited 12/08--thanks to Arnold E.)
This will require fiddling with from time to time to display the picture properly.
When recording DIGITAL programs you get 16:9 playback with very good SD definition on a widescreen TV with the following settings: Setup/General/Video/TV Aspect/16:9. AND set the "HDMI" toggle button to 1080p (or 1080i if your 16:9 set doesn't have p). The TV should then choose the correct aspect ratio setting automatically.
If you play back a 4:3 ANALOG program (until June 2009) with these settings, it will play back stretched sideways: reset "HDMI" to 480p to fix this.
AND if you are recording some digital programs which are not broadcast full-screen (e.g. BBC News) you may wish to press ZOOM on your TV to fill the screen.
User-friendliness
Most functions are well thought out and the software is good. But you will have to read the manual.
The remote control has the buttons needed, but several important ones are badly laid out. The STOP button is tiny.
Since it's a multifunctional device, you have to tell it what component you want to use. If you have been watching a TV show recorded on HDD, and then insert a DVD, if you just press "play", it will resume playback of the HDD unless you press "DVD" first. It's not smart enough to realize you want the DVD now.
The 122-page instruction book is detailed. It is fairly well written. Mine is very well-thumbed and dogeared. To get the most out of this complex unit, you will need to read it carefully.
Editing
For copying from old VHS tapes or home DVD's, I find it best to record first onto the HDD. Then use "deleting a scene" to remove unwanted sections. The software for this is pretty user-friendly. Then transfer the cleaned-up version to DVD. You can in theory record directly to DVD from VHS, and delete unwanted sections on the DVD directly, using "Hiding Chapters" but this is clunky (first you have to define the section as a chapter). Worse, these deletions, and added chapter headings, were ignored when played back on another unit.
Upsides
An excellent, low-cost, way to record digital and analog programs over the air or on cable.
No monthly fee.
Good quality SD 16:9 recordings.
Versatile: able to transfer recordings either way between DVD and HDD.
Downsides
It can't record HD programs in HD--it downgrades them to SD.
It's slow to load a DVD.
The remote buttons are poorly laid out.
Titling tracks is tedious.
DVD edits may be ignored in other DVD players.
Summary
This is a really fine and extremely versatile unit, at a good price. It is a leapfrog into the digital age. Finally here is a device with the versatility to fully supplant S-VHS VCR's.
The next step will be when this kind of device is upgraded to record HDTV on its hard disk AND to record Blu-Ray DVD's. Don't hold your breath.
(This review is based on the predecessor model, DVDR3575H, similar except for the tuner).

Click Here to see more reviews about: Philips DVDR3576H DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Disc and Built-In Tuner

Click here for more information about Philips DVDR3576H DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Disc and Built-In Tuner

Read More...

Sony RDR-VX555 Tunerless DVD Recorder/VHS Combo Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First let me say that I did not purchase this item to record from broadcasts. I bought it to use as an easy way to transfer video/audio data from VHS to DVD. I wanted to upgrade the storage media for all of the home movies of my family. I can remember when a simple VHS player/recorder cost in excess of $700, so imagine my delight when I came across this item, for just over $200. It is almost too simple. Drop in a VHS tape of your own making, and a DVD (I use DVD-R 4.7g blank media). Push one button. Bam. It begins the Dub process. Easy. And very good. After you make the copy, you are almost finished, you must finalize the disc. Again easy, as explained on page 88 of the manual. Something like two or three options in the menu, and it does it. Now it will play in almost any other DVD player. My Mac did not recognize the disc when I inserted it into the DVD tray on my G4 PowerMac. It just showed up on the desktop as a Sony Disc, or something. DVD player in OS X played the file fine. However, to get it into your Mac, to edit, as I wanted to do, you need to use something like Toast (I have Toast 7.0) Dragged the file over, and toast did the rest. Now the file Toast made from the Sony file is in iMove, waiting for me to edit. Again. Quite simple. The manual does explain that if this unit detects any copyright signal from another source, it will not copy from that source. (Be it a DVD, VHS, or Broadcast from your cable/Dish provider) Something to consider if it is your plan to duplicate copyrighted material. This is not the proper forum for the discussion of 'Legitimate Back-Up vs illegal duplication (aka Piracy), But I felt for the money, this unit does what it says it can do. And it does it well. Personally, I am biased, in that I really like Sony products. Please take that into consideration as well, as you consider this purchase.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony RDR-VX555 Tunerless DVD Recorder/VHS Combo Player

Click here for more information about Sony RDR-VX555 Tunerless DVD Recorder/VHS Combo Player

Read More...

Toshiba DR430 DVD Player - Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Bought this DVR to enable me to transfer VCR tapes to DV. Although the manual does not specifically tell you how, it is really easy to figure it out. Play the VCR using AV cables into the front of the DVR and hit record. That is how easy it was. You do have to change the input to Front with the menu button. I have made many DV's with no problem and happy with it. I have also recorded TV shows directly from the Direct TV box via the S Video jack and the quality is superb!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba DR430 DVD Player - Black

Get 11% OFF

Click here for more information about Toshiba DR430 DVD Player - Black

Read More...

JVC SR-HD1250US Blu-Ray Disc and HDD Recorder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I will try to give anyone interested in this unit some important informa to consider. It did not work for me at all, but it might work for you. To begin the unit is marketed by JVC but I do not think it is their original product. The unit comes in a basic box with no company advertising on it. It does say JVC on the unit but on the menu screens during operation make no reference to JVC at all. It looks very much like the TASCAM Blu-Ray recorder and I would guess it is the repackaged same unit.
First the unit will record to BD-R and BD-rewritable formats as well as DVD-R and RW (not DVD+R or RAM). It will read from +R discs. It is copy protected so if you think you can duplicate store bought DVDs and BDs, you can put that thought to rest....you cannot. All material must go through the HDD first. There is no direct recording to blank media. This is not a bad thing as you can do editing when the title is on the HDD. The unit has several recording modes for High Def and Standard Def. It has NO flexible bitrate modes so you must use the standard modes. For example, for HD recording it offers modes of 2 hours / 4 hours or 6 hours on a 25g disc. The times modes are the same for SD. You can do direct dubbing from a disc to HDD as long as it is copy protected. This means you can dub your TV recordings of CSI to the HDD. It will re-encode the material at the mode selected, for instance SP for 2 hours (SD). This would be a very good thing if you had commericals recorded and you wanted to remove them and then dub the edited title to another disc. You can do those kinds of edits. If your original recording had chapter marks they will appear in the same spots on the HDD dub so you can remove them and input them where you want, or delete portions of the recording, give it a title and select a thumbnail image that will appear on the final menu. These things are pretty nice options.
This is where my problem with the machine came into play. First it has no COMPONENT INPUT, so for me recording HD could only be done from a HD video camera, which I do not own. My cable TV HD box has only a component output but no HD-DV output, which is what this unit requires for HD dubbing, so I could not dub recorded HD to this machine. I could have lived with that.
On page 28 of the manual it gives recoding lengths for each recording mode and how they apply to each recording format. For example, if you record a title in the SP mode, which is 2 hour on standard definition 4.7g DVD-R it would translate to 10.5 hours on a 25g BD-R. To any reasonable person this would imply that this machine could actually put standard defintion on a BD-R? It cannot. If you record in standard definition you must dub it to a DVD-R or RW. It cannot be dubbed to BD-R. So why tell the buyer that you can get 10.5 hours of standard definition on a BD-R disc, when this machine cannot do it. I do not know, I tried to ask JVC and got no response.
This is what happens if you try. I wanted to take all 14 Sherlock Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone and put them on 2 BD-Rs in standard definition. Using page 28 as a guide, I did my math and they would fit easily with an hour to spare on each disc. This would be using the SP mode for standard definition. First I had to dub them from the original discs which I recorded off TCM. I had one disc per movie recorded at approximately 7.2 mb/s which is a high birate and would be re-encoded to the SP level of 5.0 but this would mean very little actual loss of image quality. The encode in real time. I did all 14. I should have done one and tested it. It would have saved me 20 hours.
The actual dubbing process went smoothly and all 14 titles were nicely stored on the HDD. I did have to pick the thumbnail images for each and input titles, which is horribly difficult on this machine compared to DVD recorders from Panasonic and Pioneer. After completing this, I inserted my first blank BD-R, only to see the message, disc is incompatible. I had purchased 20 GIGABLOCK discs on Ebay as they were the only ones I could find that said they would work with this unit....they do not. I went to Bestbuy and bought a three pack of Verbatim at $15. The machine recognized that disc and formated it. So stay away from cheap discs in this unit. I followed the dubbing from HDD to BD-R instructions and when the unit detected that a BD-R was inside, I got the message, titles will be dubbed in HD qualty only. I could not change this. I thought well let us try. I selected the first title to be dubbed and received a message that read "some titles cannot be dubbed). This is all it said, just some titles canot be dubbed. This message does not appear anywhere in the manual. No matter what title I selected no standard definition title could be dubbed to a BD-R disc. I put in a standard DVD-R and it would have dubbed it with no problem. I checked in the manual under record mode convertion thinking that I could somehow tell it to do what I needed done, afterall the page 28 graph, said a BD-R could hold 10.5 hours of SD on a disc. But I found that only HD titles on the HDD can be converted down to SD, so you can take a high definition title and put it on DVD-R but it is re-encoded in the mode to fit on the disc.
So that is it for me on the unit, I hope it helps people make a decision. It was a horrible mistake for me, but luckily I had a 15 day return policy to protect me, so I am only out shipping cost. If your HD cable box has a HD-DV output or you want to put your HD videos from your camera on disc, this unit may be very good for you. It just did not work for me. A word of warning even on some of that, as I understand it, many HD broadcasts have copy protection built it which allows only one copy of the material. For this unit that would likely be the transfer to the HDD, it then may not allow dubbing to disc, unless it was converted to SD.

Click Here to see more reviews about: JVC SR-HD1250US Blu-Ray Disc and HDD Recorder

BLU-RAY DISC & HDD RECORDER Includes: 250GB HDD, AC cord, IR remote

Click here for more information about JVC SR-HD1250US Blu-Ray Disc and HDD Recorder

Read More...

Toshiba D-KVR20 1080p Upconversion Progressive Scan DVD±RW/VHS Combo Recorder w/HDMI (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I needed to convert several older VHS tapes to DVD. I followed the directions on page 49/50 and was recording within 5 minutes. It was just that simple to operate. When the DVD recording was finished, I tested in several different players with successful results.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba D-KVR20 1080p Upconversion Progressive Scan DVD±RW/VHS Combo Recorder w/HDMI (Black)

Click here for more information about Toshiba D-KVR20 1080p Upconversion Progressive Scan DVD±RW/VHS Combo Recorder w/HDMI (Black)

Read More...

Panasonic VW-BN1 AVCHD Archive and Playback DVD Burner for SD5, SD9 & HS9 Camcorders Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Title says it all, really.
The Good:
===================
1. Utility.
This is a pretty useful item if you own one of the compatible Panasonic camcorders. I have the HDC-SD9 1080i camcorder which uses only SDHC cards, and so having this little drive is super handy when traveling and you want to keep using a single SDHC card to record hours of HD video, because it allows you to burn onto DVD (single or dual-layer) media and then reuse the memory card. After connecting the drive to my HDC-SD9 (both of which need to be connected to AC adaptors) via USB cable (with different mini-USB connectors on each end... don't lose it!), it's as easy as selecting the burn video option. It lets you select specific video clips stored on the memory card and will let you know, after selecting your clips, how many DVD-R or DVD-R DL (dual-layer) will be required for the selected clips. Easy to use.
2. Design.
This little drive is pretty sleek, aluminum-cased, compact in size, is relatively quiet when operating, and should be easy to carry around. No power button, but why would you need one?
3. Taiyo Yuden compatible!
Yes, I only burn on TY media, and I can verify that their standard 16x DVD-R work fine. Unfortunately, TY doesn't make any dual/double layer media at this time (or at least, they don't sell them to the public). The Bad:
========================
1. 6X burning speed for DVD-R (including DVD-R dual-layer).
This drive would be a bit better if it could burn a DVD-R DL at 8x and a DVD-R at 16x, instead of 4x speed, which would speed things up significantly.
2. No DVD+R (or DVD+R DL) support.
This is a real let down of this drive. Unlike almost every DVD burner out there, this dvd writer will only let you use DVD-R media and not DVD+R discs. This is bad because, for whatever reason, DVD+R DL media are cheaper and faster for the price generally. 8x DVD+R DL are plentiful and easily obtained, while only 4x DVD-R DL discs seem to exist at the current time.
The Bottom Line:
=======================
Overall, I would recommend this drive despite its shortcomings, those being primarily the lack of 8x burning and DVD+R support. Still, it's a highly useful companion to easily burn your HD videos onto DVD (until blu-ray burners become affordable) for convenience while traveling and simply for avoiding the slow and painful video editing process (until home computers become more powerful) for those who don't mind watching unedited, raw footage.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic VW-BN1 AVCHD Archive and Playback DVD Burner for SD5, SD9 & HS9 Camcorders

Click here for more information about Panasonic VW-BN1 AVCHD Archive and Playback DVD Burner for SD5, SD9 & HS9 Camcorders

Read More...

JVC DR-MV80B - DVD recorder/ VCR combo Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this from HSN a couple weeks after getting a 65 in Mitsubishi HDTV from them as well. I was thinking about getting a blu-ray player. When I saw this unit on air last weekend, I decided to try it. I really don't want to replace my movies again. I'm still replacing the VHS ones with DVDs as I find them on sale. This upconverts the regular DVD very nicely. The other bonus was that I could record my personal VHS tapes on DVD. I have my wedding and family functions that I would hate to lose. Not only was this easy to do, the DVD came out better than the VHS version. Just make sure you finalize the disc so you can play it on any DVD player.
I personally don't record anything from TV. But, there are several ways to set this up either with an HDMI cable, directly to your TV, thru a home theater system, or your cable/satellite box. It's not point and click to set up. You have to manually set it up to work, but it will record. As another reviewer stated, this will not record protected material. It's not the machine's fault. It's actually against the law to do so. Why would they allow you to record something for free when the production company wants to sell you their series on DVD?
For me, I got this to watch my current DVDs in the best high def format possible and transfer old VHS to DVD. So, this totally meets my expectations and then some. It does a fantastic job of upconverting DVDs and the VHS tapes look pretty good too. If you are looking for a great upconverting DVD player, that is a DVD-R, and has a VCR, too, this is the unit for you.
PS-I was able to use Sony DVD-R without any problems. This was not one of the recommended brands but [...].

Click Here to see more reviews about: JVC DR-MV80B - DVD recorder/ VCR combo

Click here for more information about JVC DR-MV80B - DVD recorder/ VCR combo

Read More...

Toshiba DR420 DVD Recorder, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This unit is really great! We recently got a 40" HD TV and needed a replacement for the VCR -- we wanted to record shows (and On-Demand movies) at a good enough quality for HD viewing.
One option was DVR from Comcast for $10/month (which might or might not allow recording of On-Demand movies and transfer to computer for disc-burning). Another option was using a computer with a video acquisition device and record to hard drive. The third option was this unit for $110, delivered, from Amazon -- hands down the most practical choice.
Though this unit doesn't record in true HD resolution, the quality is about the same (in 2 hour mode, 16x9) as regular 16x9 enhanced DVDs. At first I was worried the recorded discs might not play on other DVD players; but they did, no problem at all on any of our equipment (that is, after the recording is finalized). The recording time for a DVD-R disc (on high quality mode) was 2 hours and 8 minutes. (On lower quality modes, it's 4+ hours and 8+ hours.)
Navigating the menu system is easy enough, and each recorded disk is given a simple menu with the various recordings available to choose from (which by default have the date & time of recording as the title, but can be renamed).
Upconversion of commercial DVDs is quite good (enough so that we're not that motivated to get a Blu-Ray player yet ;-).
Our only complaints (which are very minor) are that the tray-eject is a little slow & noisy and that there isn't component video inputs (just composite video & S-Video inputs). But it was easy enough to hook up to our cable box (or TV) to record from their outputs.
This will be a great unit to have until Blu-Ray recorders become less expensive.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba DR420 DVD Recorder, Black

DVD Recorder

Click here for more information about Toshiba DR420 DVD Recorder, Black

Read More...

Sony VRD-MC6 DVDirect DVD Recorder + Accessory Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I used this product to take old movies that i shot on a 8mm camera and put them on a dvd using this great product. You can also take vhs movies and put on dvd.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony VRD-MC6 DVDirect DVD Recorder + Accessory Kit

Click here for more information about Sony VRD-MC6 DVDirect DVD Recorder + Accessory Kit

Read More...

Sony VRDMC6 DVDirect Compact Size DVD Burner with AVCHD Recording Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've stopped using my old hitachi video camera(from 2001)awhile ago since I never liked dragging it out, setting it up, charging it, finding a tape or lugging it around etc. But, none the less, I still have at least 10-12 mini cassette(8mm) tapes that needed to be put on DVD, as well as some old VHS tapes too. I haven't seen any of these home movies in years because watching a VHS is aggravating(waiting for it rewind?! geez. hello old school). I was so excited to hear about this and figured it would be a great idea to finally transfer my stuff.
Out of the box, it will literally take you moments to set up and start recording. If you're taping from a VCR, make sure you plug into the line OUT on the back of the VCR.
It formats the DVD disc for you, and when you press play on your video camera(or VCR) you also hit the big main button on the DVDirect to begin recording. If there's snow in your video for more then a few seconds, it pauses recording and resumes when the video kicks back in. You can choose 5 min, 10 min or 15 minute automatic chapter inserts, so it's easy to navigate a long video. Sound is good, but only as good as it was originally. If you have crappy sound on your old video camera, it'll be crappy on DVD. I wasn't expecting it to turn my stuff HD or work miracles, so this is exactly what I wanted and expected.
The screen on the DVDirect is easy to see and tells you how long you've been recording, when it's stopped, it tells you how long is left on the DVD to record. Only a few buttons, so it's simple to stay on track and not get lost in countless options, which means it won't be hard to figure out even for someone who's not good with technology. It does record live time, so you have to have a little patience. Press play, record, and walk away. Also, amazingly simple to finalize the DVD and pop it in a player and begin watching. I also notice on the box it says you can make photo slide shows with music. Pretty cool! Definitely a great buy for anyone with tons of old VHS and mini cassettes.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony VRDMC6 DVDirect Compact Size DVD Burner with AVCHD Recording

Get 22% OFF

Click here for more information about Sony VRDMC6 DVDirect Compact Size DVD Burner with AVCHD Recording

Read More...

Toshiba DR570 DVD Player - Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm writing this review after a month of use and the majority of the reviews are spot on. I evaluated recorders from several different manufacturers and decided to go with the Toshiba. I have a Toshiba VHS/DVD player combo as well as a no-frills Toshiba 14" CRT style TV which have been reliable for a few years now so I was confident this unit would at least meet those standards (I was not disappointed). The metal cabinet feels solid and the DVD tray isn't flimsy. A flip down door reveals the basic controls (play, stop , forward/reverse, record) as well as front inputs for S-Video, composite video/audio, and a 4-pin IEEE1394 Firewire DV port which you can connect a digital camcorder to.
I first did a test setup by connecting the CATV coax cable to the antenna in and then connecting the DR570 directly to a Sony Bravia LCD via HDMI. Initial setup was straightforward and I let the unit do an autoscan for channels. Scanning for "in the clear" digital channels took awhile (common issue with most QAM tuners) and unsurprisingly, it picked up some channels but not others (the Sony Bravia TV is no different in this regard). My actual setup just uses S-video and audio connections from my digital cable box (I don't use the built-in tuner).
I used a DVD+RW disc to try some test records with the different quality settings. These settings determine the bit rate (variable bit rate) of the MPEG-2 video stream and what I found is the LP mode (4 hours of recording) offering pretty good overall quality. The only exception is anything with fast action where you will notice a substantial degradation in the clarity during those particular recorded scenes. Both the XP (1 hour) and SP (2 hour) mode will take care of this issue at the expense of being able to record less content on a disc. Both EP (6 hour) and SLP (8 hour) mode offer pretty poor picture quality and are at least for me, unusable.
As others have mentioned, loading a disc can take around a half a minute when either inserting a new disc or powering on the recorder. Rewritable DVD discs need to be formatted first (takes less than half a minute). Recording is quite simple and no different than a VCR. One caveat with many of these DVD recorders is that when you stop recording, you may lose the last few seconds (so I usually just let the recording go for 2-3 extra seconds before pausing or hitting stop). Another note is that unlike video tape where when you hit stop, you can quickly record again, this DVD recorder writes to the disc for around half a minute before you can do any other action. Playback is like any standard VHS or DVD player. If you hit the TOP MENU button on the remote, this will show moving thumbnails of each recording (which Toshiba refers to as "titles"). With rewritable media, there are some rudimentary editing tools which allows you to "remove" scenes (i.e. like say if you want to "delete" commercials). Note that you don't gain any extra recording time doing this (the only way to do that is deleting that entire title or completely reformatting the disc). The advanced portion of the manual covers this.
Like all DVD recorders, there is a finalization step which allows the DVD disc to be playable on most any other player (like if you are planning to share it with someone else). The DR570 provides an auto finalization setting so that you don't need to remember to do this once your disc is full.
Programmed recordings is also relatively straightforward and simple. Just like their VCR's, you need to power-off the unit to place it into standby/programmed recording mode. So far, I haven't encountered any missed recordings.
As for media, I've been using Verbatim DVD-R, DVD+R, and DVD+RW without any problems. I haven't yet come across any lockup issues with this recorder.
Like many others, the main complaint is the remote and its dark lettering. I've since memorized the location of the key buttons which I use but compared to the remotes for my Toshiba television (which has a simple but very nice glow in the dark buttons which are big) and VCR's, this thing is pretty bad from a usability perspective (this minus one star).
Overall, I've been very pleased with this recorder and most of Toshiba's recent consumer electronics devices. Whereas some other brands look and feel like disposable pieces of junk at this price range, the DR570 doesn't give that impression and I would definitely recommend this unit to others looking to make the jump from VHS to DVD.
November 2010 Update:
Thought I would provide an update after one years worth of solid use (at least 200+ disc worth of material recorded). In a nutshell, the particular unit I received has been extremely reliable and I've had no problems (no lockups, no odd clock problems that some are experiencing, no missed programmed recordings, etc). I now use a universal remote (Logitech Harmony) in place of the one that comes with the recorder. As a standard def recorder, I've been satisfied with this product and have still been recommending it as an "upgrade" from a VHS recorder.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba DR570 DVD Player - Black

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about Toshiba DR570 DVD Player - Black

Read More...

MAGNAVOX H2160MW9 HDD and DVD Recorder with Digital Tuner, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)TIP: read the "original review", then SEE the update history at bottom
** 05/05/2010 UPDATE newly released firmware update to correct the E19 error
** 11/10/2009 UPDATE: "workaround" for the known "Finalize disc bug fix")
** 9/25/2009 UPDATE regarding my defective unit)
--------------------------- MY ORIGINAL REVIEW ---------------------------
The Magnavox H2160MW9 is is a mixed bag of fantastic abilities and a few disappointing failures rolled into one product. My 4-star rating is very generous, considering the negatives.
If you've invested time doing research on HDD recorders, then you know how limited the choices are. With further research, you'll find that the problems I'm having are not isolated incidents. Google the model number and you'll see.
FAILURES:
*** DVD player does not - will not play DVD discs: --> see the UPDATE 9/25/2009 SEE the UPDATE 11/10/2009: an easy workaround fix

Click Here to see more reviews about: MAGNAVOX H2160MW9 HDD and DVD Recorder with Digital Tuner, Black

Click here for more information about MAGNAVOX H2160MW9 HDD and DVD Recorder with Digital Tuner, Black

Read More...

Philips DVDR3575H/37 1080p Upscaling DVDR with Built-In Tuner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)You know how you buy a product, and it doesn't have all the features you need? Well, this is another one of those. I've never understood why manufacturers sell products without all the features - I guess they need their customers to upgrade every now and then, huh?
I currently have a Panasonic DMR-E80H (80GB hard drive) that has worked flawlessly and is still kickin today. The time had come for me to buy another DVD Recorder. After TONS of research, I bought a RCA DRC8000N. This one was ok, good interface, cheap (200.00), but the tuner quality wasn't all that great - it had little wavy lines on my local channels (through analog cable signal straight from outside line). The remote control for the RCA wasn't responsive either - it took a second for each command to go through. So I exchanged it for the Polaroid DRA-01601A (260.00). This one had a little better picture quality (except through 1 of my channels which was extremely noisy), so I immediately returned it. Finally, my local Wally store had the Philips DVD3575H in stock and I picked one up for 300.00.
Pros:
The tuner quality is very good - I have analog cable, and my 65" tv shows little noise with it. The tuner is even better than my Panasonic one.
The remote is responsive and pretty well laid out - I don't like the black play/pause/rew/ff buttons though - I keep wanting to hit the button just above them so I still have to hunt.
You can play a recorded event while recording another one. You can play the one that you're currently recording too (ie: chase play).
It has SDTV tuner.
It's quiet when running - I honestly couldn't hear it from my couch.
It has a skip function that allows you to skip ahead 30 seconds when you're watching a recorded program. The 30 seconds is changeable to 60, 2 minutes, etc.
It has 3 fast forward and 3 reverse speed settings.
You can have up to 6 markers to mark a spot of a recorded program and you can jump to it (helpful if you have to stop watching a program and you lose the "resume" function of it by turning off the device). My Panasonic one will hold up to 99 and are used as chapters instead of "markers". I'll still call this a pro as many recorders don't even know what a marker is.
It will auto-chapter every 5 minutes (this is an option as well to change it to 10 minutes, etc.)
The Info bar (display bar at the top of the screen) is well thought out. It shows information as to what you are playing and where you are at in the program (ie: 27:35 of 1:03:00). From the Info bar, you can change closed captions, repeat options, fake surround sound settings, noise reduction settings, set markers, change to another chapter, change to another recorded program. This makes it simple for some tedious functions.
Cons:
Unfortunately, yes there are always cons.
1. You can't title a timer event until after it's done recording. Why? I have no clue. Basically, if you record 10 programs per week, it'll be difficult to remember what each of them are. They are labeled like this: Day, Time, Channel, Recording Quality. This is not helpful at all to me.
2. If you do actually want to go edit the name after it has recorded, you have to enter it like you're on a cell phone. You have to press the number 2 three times to get the letter C. Then you have to change it to lowercase letters, then repeat over and over. That's just stupid.
3. If you have a weekly timed event, you don't have the option to overwrite the previous week's program. My Panasonic gives this option, which is very helpful. With the Philips, I have to remember to delete the programs before the hard drive fills up. With my Panasonic, I just let it overwrite and no worries.
4. No TV Guide? I don't know if this is a real con because from reviews I've read on other DVRs that have it, it's a crap shoot whether it works or not.
5. There's an annoying bright blue light when this thing is recording. I'll just have to cover it up with some tape.
If you have the money to spend - go buy a Panasonic (at around 450.00).
If you don't, then this is an excellent alternative (at around 300.00).
I'd stay away from the cheap ones, because that's what they are.
I can't comment on the DVD playing/recording abilities of this thing as I'll still use my reliable Panasonic for those functions.
I'll probably keep this one unless something goes really wrong over the next few days. I am extremely tired of researching DVD Recorders. I almost went and bought an old TIVO with the Basic Service so I wouldn't have the monthly fees. But I hate buying used equipment - especially off of eBay.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Philips DVDR3575H/37 1080p Upscaling DVDR with Built-In Tuner

Click here for more information about Philips DVDR3575H/37 1080p Upscaling DVDR with Built-In Tuner

Read More...