TiVo Community Forums Archives - Which DVD recorder ???

TiVoCommunity.com
(c)opyright 1995-2005 All rights reserved
indexcheckTC
This area is a static history of posts in the TiVo Community Forum Archive.
This archive history was made for the simple indexing of search sites like Google.

Pages:1

Which DVD recorder ???
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: InVision

I have scanned the threads on the Pioneer DVR-57H. Decided to let them work some issues out before I fork down 11 bills + 4 bills for lifetime & HMO.

Sooo, I decided to buy a DVD recorder for my theatre system and use the S-video and stereo audio as input to the recorder.

Lord I hate asking, but, does anyone have any suggestions on which recorder to get? I would prefer black so it would make my current system.

Thanks,

Posted by: JimSpence

I have the Philips DVDR985 standalone recorder, which uses the +R/+RW format. Unfortunately it's silver colored. :)

Posted by: stevel

The current replacement for the 985 (which I also have) is the Philips DVDR75 (or maybe 80, which has more features). Both are silver.

Not a lot out there in black nowadays.

Posted by: mattack

quote:
Originally posted by InVision
Lord I hate asking, but, does anyone have any suggestions on which recorder to get? I would prefer black so it would make my current system.

Unfortunately it's silver, but the one that gets the most raves and discussion on avsforum.com's DVD recorder section is the Panasonic DMR-E80, because it has a hard drive, so you can edit the recordings before burning to DVD. (Much more convenient than sitting and hitting pause while trying to record to DVD.)

I don't have one yet, and I notice that now even Amazon has them at about the lowest price anyone does online (including shipping), so I wonder if a new version will be announced at CES next week.

Personally, I wouldn't get one without a hard drive, though I also want to have another recorder to augment my Tivo.. (Though I'll also use DVD-RAMs on the recorder.)

Posted by: BobbyK

I own a pAnasonic...one of the early models. I just replaced it with a Toshiba DR-1. I picked this model because it burns and plays back DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-Ram. DVD Ram while only playable on players that accept DVD Ram...allows you to do some nice editing.
Only issue with DR-1 as far as I am concerned is that it took me a while to learn the editing process. But once you understand it....it works really well. I did not like the Panasonics disc labeling. It took forever due to the menu etc....I don't know if they have addressed that in later models or not. I hated it. The Toshba is much faster.
I couldn't find the DR-1 at local retailers. I found it on the internet.
Good luck.

Posted by: stevel

There's no need to sit around and hit pause with the Philips recorders. You can snip ads out after it's done recording.

Posted by: steuert

I have a Panasonic DMRE50; they come in your choice of black or silver. I did not feel the need for another HD as I have plenty of HD capacity with 2 DTiVos, and IMO the ability to edit commercials is not that important - you can leave them in and FF through them during playback, or put the recorder in "pause" while recording.

Posted by: Redleg

I have the Panasonic E80 and love it. Great picture quality, reliable burning, and with a little practice it's easy to use. I wouldn't get one without a hard drive -- you increase the flexibility of the unit tremendously for just a little more than the DVD-only models (online, the E80 is around $500).

Posted by: moondoggie

The E80 is great but does not have a firewire connection. I got the E60 (no hard drive), but has firewire. The E100 has both, but is very expensive.

Posted by: InVision

How many hours do you get on a DVD-R (1 or 2)?

How is the quality?

Did the interface with the TiVo work well?

Thanks

Posted by: Resist

So what can you do with firewire?

Posted by: InVision

Like everything !! Mostly dump my DV cam to DVD-R disk would be the most used.

m

Posted by: Redleg

quote:
Originally posted by InVision
How many hours do you get on a DVD-R (1 or 2)?

How is the quality?

Did the interface with the TiVo work well?

Thanks

1. Up to six hours, but the quality really drops over three hours. 120 to 150 minutes looks as good as very good VHS to me.

2. At maximum quality (one-hour mode), recorded right from the tuner, the compression is almost invisible. At two-hour mode, it looks about as good as "Best" on my TiVos. If you are dubbing VHS tapes and home movies, the Panasonics have some time-based correction hardware that actually cleans up the images somewhat.

3. The interface isn't as easy to use as TiVo, but with a little practice (a day) you'll be able to figure out most things. The manual is not great to learn from -- it's a good resource after you've worked out the basics. On the AVS DVD Recorder forum, there are some good guides users have put together to get you burning DVDs right away.

For my TiVo stuff, I need to get in the habit of using the "Save to VCR" function... otherwise it's a matter of time before one of the kids interrupts a dub!

As noted, there's no firewire on this unit, though, which wasn't a factor for me. Though some disagree, the lack of a HDD would be a bigger drawback, IMO. If it's vital I'd save up and wait for the E100 to go on sale.