Philips 3575/3576 and Magnavox H2160 Features, Setup and Operation

[DVWannaB]

This machine sounds very intriguing and all. But it seems when they were planning the schematics of this machine they forgot a key component for inclusion. The FR record mode or time/bitrate optimizer recording function. I just cant see myself buying a DVD recorder that does not have that. I must say, the temptation is great nonetheless.

BTW, how does the 1 hour and 2 hour record modes compare to the Panasonic EZ line? Anyone have a good handle on this?

[wabjxo]

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[DVWannaB]

Thanks wab.

I was just thinking, maybe I could record in XP (1 hour mode) then burn to DVD-RW and re-encode to smaller file on computer. Hmmmmmmmmm...........I will have to think this out some more.

Does it burn DVD+R DL discs?

[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[handyguy]

This machine sounds very intriguing and all. But it seems when they were planning the schematics of this machine they forgot a key component for inclusion. The FR record mode or time/bitrate optimizer recording function. I just cant see myself buying a DVD recorder that does not have that. I must say, the temptation is great nonetheless.

Yep, each time I get a new model I find features that I want, but they take out old features that were useful.

[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[MJPollard]

Get them while they're hot
Cuz next year they're NOT!

Philips announces they'll stop producing DVD recorders "after 2009" (click here) !!!

Ordered one of the refurb 3575s last week. Should get here tomorrow. Looking forward to recording shows without having to scramble for a blank DVD (until I want to transfer one off the HD, of course).

[wabjxo]

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[robjv1]

Picked up one of these tonight at my local Shop-Ko (not sure if they have these everywhere or not). I'd noticed it was on sale last weekend and when I looked the model # up on here and found it had a QAM tuner and would make a good living room recorder I thought I'd try it out! Went to ShopKo tonight and saw it was up to it's regular price (DVDR357SH/37 for $332.00) and thought that was a little steep. I talked to a very nice sales girl though and she said it had just come off sale and would be going back on sale for $268.00 on Saturday. Well she got a manager to override the price and make the sale to me today, which was nice. Not as great of a deal as some of you have got with the $100 specials at Walmart (not in stock at any Walmart within 50 miles here) but a pretty decent price for what seems to be a decent recorder!

I am a little disappointed with the picture quality of the tuner, but this is more then likely because I was short one good cord, so I had to use the crappy push in cord that came with the unit until I can get a better one tomorrow, so hopefully it'll make a jump then. (I'm splitting from the cable out of the wall into my Sony KDXBR970 and then the other side into the Phillips).

Here's hoping Comcast doesn't ruin it all in the near future with their "upgrades" but I can at least keep it as a backup recorder for my VHS -> DVD conversions.

EDIT: Sneaky salespeople! I looked at the price I wrote down when it was on sale last week and it was actually on sale for $199.99 last week! When it goes on sale this week, I'll have to go in and make sure it's $268.00 and not $199.00, otherwise price adjustment here I come...

[wabjxo]

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[robjv1]

Thanks wabjxo. I will try it that way and see if I like it more.

Yeah, I'm not so concerned about the lost detail because I expected that due it scaling down the resolution. The main thing I noticed was that the picture was just a tad noisy for my tastes as viewable on the tuner, which I don't see with a straight connection to my TV on either the analog/digital/high-defintion channels.

Overall thought I'm really pleased with it. There is very little if any quality loss perceivable on an SP dub from what I see on the tuner. The recorder is pretty much WYSIWYG, which I like, I just want to see if I can boost the WYS part up a bit more with some better cabling.

[MJPollard]

I think your girlfriend will really like the 3576's Chase Play feature described here, among many others. Show her this first?... how she can be timer recording her Soaps, or even a manual recording with the Rec button, then how she can just press PLAY and the show recording plays back from the beginning... or wherever you leave it in "Resume" position for a potty break.

Yeah, but she can't rip the HDD out of the recorder in the family room and stick it into the TV in the kitchen, which is what she does with her soap tapes 99% of the time (she watches the tape while she makes and eats dinner [and usually forces me to watch it, too, unless I want to go hungry]). Find a way to do that, and you'll probably have a sale.

(And no, she can't set up a HDD recorder in the kitchen. There's barely enough room for the small TV/VCR, which is on a small stand in a small corner of the small kitchen...)

[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[MJPollard]

(she watches the tape while she makes and eats dinner [and usually forces me to watch it, too, unless I want to go hungry])

Hey, you could do like we do: my wife sits in the LR and plays her Soaps, but I just LISTEN in the DR at my computer and I can follow the storylines nicely! I stopped watching directly ever since One Life To Live decided that it was a reasonable idea to make perfect-little-loving-school-teacher Marcie McBain a gun-toting, kidnapping, hostage-taking felon!

Dude, I won't even pretend that I can follow all of those plotlines. I simply nod and smile at her enthusiasm, and watch for the hotties in bikinis and skimpy outfits.

[robjv1]

You've prob. read my info post on System Connections, but just in case, I found in my basic analog cable feed that I got my best pic on my Vizio 47" 1080p LCD with digital composite cables, but on my 1-yr newer Vizio 37" 768p, HDMI works best... both on the same cable between two adjoining rooms.

I did take a look at that post and I will study it more later. I'm not planning to do much straight TV watching though the Phillips, but I just want to get the quality of the signal going into the Phillips as high as possible. I have a good quality splitter and don't think that is impacting it much, but the cheapo push in cable that I had to use to go from the splitter to the Phillips is probably a detriment. I will hook it up the other way though and see what I think, running it without the splitter through the Phillips.

I am using component cables to run the phillips into my TV for now, I might switch to the HDMI though if I decide I like it enough as a DVD player to use it over my Oppo DVD player which is currently connected on my HDMI.

[wabjxo]

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[MJPollard]

Just received my refurbished 3575 last night! Gonna install it tonight and check it out. I'll have initial impressions later.

[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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[davideck]

I've been testing the 3575 lately, and it exhibits excellent TBC performance on external sources. The Horizontal Jitter reduction is comparable to the internal TBCs in the JVC and Panasonic VCRs, easily outperforming other DVD Recorders as well as the Datavideo external TBCs. Very impressive!

[wabjxo]

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[davideck]

wabjxo - I would prefer to have you link to here.

Could you also please summarize the DTV "channel loss" issue here? Are there really bad units and good units, or is this just strange behavior across all units? Is the 3576 any different?

I also notice quite a bit of noise in the analog channels in comparison to other tuners on the same cable, particularly on the lower end (2,3,4,5,6). Since many posts sing the praises of the tuner in general, I am wondering if I do in fact have a marginal unit?

[wabjxo]

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[DVWannaB]

glad I just read you last post wax. I was still considering this unit, but now that I know it cannot tune Dish or DirecTV, that just gives me one more reason not to get it. This is tough because I am trying to find reasons why I should get it My hobby in life is collecting DVD Recorders w/HDD

JVC DR-MH30
Pioneer DVR-520
Sony RDR-HX715
Toshiba RD-XS52, 54 & 55
Toshiba DR-4

sold on ebay:
Toshiba RD-XS32 & DR-5

[wabjxo]

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[wabjxo]

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