DVD Recorders

[Rebo0ot]

I am in the market for a home DVD recorder. After looking online and in stores, I think I will go with a hard drive model, DV In, HDMI, and DivX support. However, the internet has very little info in terms of reviews/specs and even LG doesn't show model LG LRH-790 OR LG LRH-780 on their website.

Has anyone had any success in finding a "shoot-out" comparison for the HDD models or even non-HDD models?

I went to both Future Shop and Best Buy, and they carry completely different products in store and online so I took a notebook with me and I found 19 different models between the two stores (HDD and non-HDD). The brands were Daytek, Samsung, Sony, Pioneer, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba, and Philips.

Future Shop with Hard Drive:

Sony RDRHX 715 160 Gig Hard Drive; $699.99
Pioneer DVR 640HS 160 Gig Hard Drive; $484.99
LG LRH-790 250 Gig Hard Drive; $579.99
LG LRH-780 80 Gig Hard Drive; $379.99
Daytek DVR-950S 160 Gig Hard Drive; $379.99
Pioneer DCR-533H-S 80 Gig Hard Drive; $399.99
Panasonic DMREH-50S 100 Gig Hard Drive $494.96

Future Shop No Hard Drive Combo(VHS+DVD):

Samsung DVD-VR 330 - VHS+DVD Recorder; $289.99
Toshiba D-VR5 - VHS+DVD Recorder; $334.99
Panasonic DMRES-35S - VHS+DVD Recorder; $349.99

Future Shop No Hard Drive, No VHS:

Panasonic DMR-ES15S; $239.99
Panasonic DMR-ES25S; $289.99
Samsung DVD R-135 - $239.99
LG LRA-760; $289.99
Samsung DVD R-130; $189.99
LG LRA-536; $219.99
Daytek DR5102; $149.99

Best Buy with Hard Drive:

LG LRH-539 250 Gig Hard Drive; $599.95
Philips DVD-R3455H 160 Gig Hard Drive; $369.99

Any guidance appreciated.

[wolfman]

I have a Panasonic EH60, which, I believe is an update of the EH50. It's main advantage over other brands is that it records SP quality at LP speeds, thus reducing the outlay for blank media.

[Rebo0ot]

Hey Wolfman, thanks. I tried doing an online search for the Panasonic EH60 and could find nothing on specs. Panasonic's homepage doesn't even list this model as being available. Which store did you buy it from? Do you have an available link to it's specs?

[cohoho]

I am in a similar situation - ready to buy but nothing available that really meets my needs and wants. You mentioned an HDMI output as a feature you are interested in. Unfortunately, the Pioneer 640 does not have this feature, otherwise it'd probably be a reasonable choice. The only DVDRs w/HDD that have this feature that I know about are the Panasonic DMR-EH55 (hard to find so far) and the Toshiba RD-XS55 (impossible to find). Toshiba's previous model RD-XS54 also has this feature (review here http://www.armchairdictator.com/content/view/17/26/ ).

The Toshiba RD-XS55 looks good (all black) but apparently has horrible usability and way too many restrictions on the use of the hard drive - you can read photos and MP3s and WMA files from CDs and DVDs ONLY (no memory card reader, no copying these files to the hard drive, and no ability to stream them from a connected PC even though this machine can be networked). Also, this machine misses the mark because there is no DivX playability.

The Panasonic DMR-EH55 is the front-runner in my mind but unfortunately it is way overpriced (check thesource at http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Pr...roduct=1611316) and in my opinion it looks like a $50 piece of crap. However, it seems there are no other alternatives for someone who wants a DVDR w/HDD, DivX, HDMI and a reasonable level of usability and functionality. Crazy eh?

Let us know what you find out and what you decide to buy. Cheers.

[cohoho]

On more thing, I have read that the LGs are troublesome (too bad because they look pretty good) in terms of reliability, and in the case of the LRM-519 (the one with the Microsoft TV guide), the picture quality is inferior to VHS! Note that this is not personal experience, just my impression based on reviews I have read on the net.

[Rebo0ot]

Useful info cohoho - thanks. I found the LG LRH-790, and 780 model in Futureshop stores, not on website. It has DivX, HDMI, memory card reader, all black in color. Problem is.......their website does not yet show these models with specs......and so far, I'm unable to find reviews on them.

Wolfman above says he has the Panasonic EH60....presumably the sucessor to the Panasonic EH55.....and again, no specs on Panasonics site and no web reviews. Crazy eh?.........this technology has been around for a couple years now yet, not alot of info out there. I found 19 diffrerent brands that I touched in the stores........but now I want specs and comparisons........guess I will have to create my own website eh?

[wolfman]

Originally Posted by Rebo0ot

...I tried doing an online search for the Panasonic EH60 and could find nothing on specs. Panasonic's homepage doesn't even list this model as being available. Which store did you buy it from? Do you have an available link to it's specs?

I bought it from Future Shiop, but I don't think they carry them anymore. I believe the EH60 was a replacement for the EH50, and in turn the EH60 was replaced by the EH55. The EH60's weren't available for very long, because (I suspect) Panasonic underestimated the demand.

The major specs are... 200GB HDD, reads all formats, writes DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R and DVD-RAM. No HDMI or DVI. Panasonic still has the manual online at: http://www.panasonic.ca/PDP/Operatin...h60-oi-eng.pdf

Right now, if I had to replace the EH60, I would go for the EH55.

[cohoho]

There is some discussion on the LG LRH-790 here: http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...ad.php?t=43549

The manual for the LG LRM-519 is available here: http://us.lge.com/products/model/det..._LRM-519.jhtml

[cohoho]

The manual for the LG LRH-780/790 is here:

http://ca.lge.com/en/products/mobile...=03&gcscId=BVD

For "Product" select "DVD&VIDEO&SET TOP"
For "Model No." select "790"
Click "SEARCH"

[cohoho]

Just found the manual for the Panasonic DMR-EH55 here: http://www.panasonic.ca/PDP/Operatin...h55-oi-eng.pdf

[searchers]

Picked up a Pioneer 640hs last weekend - my 4th dvr/dvd. Three of them are Pioneers - a brand I have had no problems with for almost 20 years. I have a couple of laser players almost 20 years old - and they still work perfectly.

Last year I bought the Pioneer 633, and except for the TV Guide feature, it works perfectly. I have probably recorded over 500 dvds with it so far. The reason I picked up the 640hs is because it does NOT have the TV Guide - in other words it is perfect. A 2 hour programme can be dubbed from hard drive to dvd in about 8 minutes - something my older Panasonic dvr could not come close to doing.

[gordow]

Searchers ,, as a newbie looking at buying my first hdd dvd recorder , i thought that the tv guide feature would be a benefit ,, why don't you like it ,, what are the cons and if any pros to the tv guide.

Gordow

[springle]

I have owned 6 of these devices over the years - all with a hard drive. I currently have 4 connected - an LG-790, an LG-539, a Panasonic EH60 and a Toshiba XS52. The LG-790 and the Toshiba have HDMI output with upconversion. I did connect the Toshiba to a set with HDMI and could not see any difference in the video quality. Consequently I never tested the LG-790 in this regard.

All my machines have DV (FireWire) input. This is very useful as it allows for simple editing of DV tapes. What PVRs lack is editing capability. All the DVD recorders I have used have some degree of editing capability. You can edit out commercials, cut and sometimes join programs. You can add Main and Chapter Menus to a DVD. You can create Chapters and name them. PVRs lack such features and pale in comparison.

I gave away my oldest machine to a "needy" friend. Now he says that he cannot do without it. If it should break down, he would have to go out and purchase a new one immediately. The hard disk drive is a major selling point.

I have used Pioneer, Panasonic, LG and Toshiba machines. Of these, for some reason the LG machines don't offer "Flexible Recording" speed, recognizing that each brand may use a different name for this feature. This is a feature whereby the recorder will use a sampling rate sufficient to fill the disk. Hence, if you record a 95-minute film, the recorder samples at a rate to fill a 4.37 Gig blank DVD (4,700 Meg) exactly. If you use the LG, you must set it to the 2-hour recording mode for this film and you would end up with 25 minutes of blank disk.

However, the LG machines record and play +DL disks, allowing the recording of longer programs at reasonably good quality. Interestingly, LG has set their sampling rate so that the highest quality for +DL disk yields 180 minutes of available time on a disk. (You might expect 120 miniutes, but this is not the case for these disks on LG recorders.)

I am aware that new machines from Panasonic and Sony now offer the ability to view DivX. Toshiba probably does as well, but I haven't yet encountered the model that does so. I think the new Panasonic and Sony machines also will now record -DL disks (if you can find any) and the Panasonic will play both + and - DL disks.

Many older programs (television episodes and older films) are not available in normal DVD quality. Many of these programs are available in DivX format. My LG recorders both play DivX and I have observed that they don't care whether or not the programs are on a CD, or a DVD. For example, I put 5 episodes of a 1950's "Quatermass" BBC English serial onto a blank DVD in DivX format. The player puts up a menu for selecting which episode you want to view and the quality looks as good as broadcast. (I would guess that DivX HD programming will shortly appear, and such programming will be able to be sent over Component Video cables to a set.)

My final observation relates to editing ability of the hard drives. I found the Pioneer to be the most intuitive and easy to use. The Panasonic is second. the LG is third and the Toshiba is last. In fact, the Toshiba offers many additional audio and video features and such contributes to its distinctly unfriendly editing menus. I always have to have a manual beside me when I edit the Toshiba HDD. Not so with the other brands.

Still another final comment. The Pioneer machine I purchased did have several problems. In fact, I am in the process of giving it away, "as is". First, it had a glitch in the hard drive such that I lost a film. Secondly, occasionally it fails to finalize DVD-RW disks. These deficiencies made me to forego purchasing another Pioneer even though it has the best editing menus.

The final final comment relates to connectivity. Some have complained that the LG machines only have RCA video inputs on the back. Their S-Video input jack is on the front of the machine. As I only input into my machines via S-Video, then Program Guides are useless to me. That is, if you use the tuner on your DVD recorder, then a Program Guide might be useful (although I understand that the TV Guide one places advertisements onto your hard drive). However, if you use an RCA or S-Video input, then you bypass the tuner on the DVD recorder and such guides are useless.

[gordow]

Right now i'm stuck between a few machines.

A Toshiba XS35
Pioneer 640HS
Panasonic H55S


Having some trouble deciding between these three.
Right now the pricing on all three isn't bad the Tob. is 449. the Pio can be had for 399. and the Panny is the most at anywhere from 499-599 , i just don't know whether i can afford the Panny , i'd like to find one that has the 160g hard drive , it would probably fall more into the price range of the others ,, i hope with Xmas getting closer ,they'll be more on sale ,, the Pio goes off sale and back up to 499 come the 26th ,, the Tob is showing regular price , along with the aforementioned Panny.

I guess when i comes down to it ,, it will be whatever's on sale when i decide to pull the trigger ,, my birthdays at the end of Nov and would like to have one on my shelf for then.

Anything that might help make my decision a little clearer??
I'm not really into doing a lot of dubbing or transfers of home movies and the such , i just really want to be able to record tv to watch / record later , and something easy to set up to record as my kids and wife will be using it as well. I don't know about the vcr+ codes as we don't have any tv guides to get them from ,, and we're on digital cable on the Rogers system , so something that blends easy with that would be great.

Anyway ,, if you all have any suggestions ,, shoot.

Gord

[ecumsecumguy]

I'm considering buying the LG LRH 780 but I've got a dumb question...can I record on one channel to HDD and view another while I'm doing it? I've only got cheapo analog cable - one wire coming out of the wall, no cable box.

Its on sale unitl tomorrow at FS. Considering it as a XMas gift for my wife to replace the creaky VCR.

Any feedback appreciated,