Best DVD recorder to us as PVR? Why/Why not?

[plusco]

I am looking to purchase a DVD recorder to use primarily as PVR. I am not sure what would be the "best" choice among the many DVD recorders out there. What would you recommend? Why or Why not? If it matters, I have a DVD+RW in my PC. Thanks!

[spiderman2k1]

The DVD recorder that have Tivo you can not edit out commercial. From ever thing I have read. Panansonic

http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/dvd_recorder/flash.asp

[lordsmurf]

I've been talking privately with Spidey for a while about the recorders. I don't know about him, but I'm feeling disappointed in them all right now. It seems all the recorders suck in one way or another, even Panasonic and Pioneer.

I'm keeping my money in my pocket for now. Too flawed AND too expensive. Double punishment.

For now, PC still looks to give the most control and best overall experience.

The DVD recorders seem to be VCR replacements, but even then, not all that great of one.

[lordsmurf]

{double post? wtf?}

[donpedro]

Any DVD Recorder with hard drive. You can record without wasting DVD's. I would say no TiVo since you can not edit as well as with one without TiVo.

[spiderman2k1]

lordsmurf is right there all little buggy. But from ever thing I have read I would say Panasonic is the best. Some DVD player will not play back DVD burned on the Panasonic. I heard that it's a very small number of DVD player's. I also read about the Pioneer 80gig DVD recorder the second recording speed is not that great Panasonic is better. But I think Pioneer might burn better DVD's.

[lordsmurf]

The Panasonic 4GB limit on the DVDs bothers me. So does the info that non-SP/XP modes are not great quality on the Panasonic. I just don't know, going off user/magazine reviews that seem fairly reliable.

I'm going to try the APEX in a month, and I'm happy that I have a 90-day tryout period with Walmart. Feel better about it.

[jobedo1]

Best DVD recorder to us as PVR? Why/Why not? the panosoic e80 or e100
work great as a PVR no guide but works just like a VCR. with a 80gig harddrive you can save a lot of video and if you like what you have recorded you can save to ram or -r disk. i got rid of my replay-tv for this and like it much better to be able to save to DVD-R or RAM makes it a one stop solution
jo

[Captain Satellite]

<--- Owner of the Panasonic DMR-HS2 and 100% satisfied. Sure it has its pros and cons, but what doesn't?

[shutterbug]

Plusco, I just got my E80 and it's fantastic. I was recording off cable minutes after opening it. Nothing disappointing about this unit. But a better way to make your own chapter marks with titles would be nice.

Easy to use, nice commercial editing functions, menus aren't as bad as some have made them out to be, VCR+ recording option works great, love the remote. First burned dvd on Sony media looks great and plays on my other players. I wouldn't even consider something like the Apex or other no name brands imo.

[spiderman2k1]

"shutterbug" the point about the APEX is that the Panasonic has a VOB authorising problem. I have a Pioneer AO4 and and DVD-R will play on my APEX. I have alot of DVD player's Sony JVC Pioneer.

It's kind of like Dazzle 2 AMD problem VIA SIS ALI had a problem in there chip set's. And the Dazzle 2 would not work on some mother board's. Even if you do not care about ever having a Dazzle 2 it tell's you there is a problem. VIA 266A chip set fix that problem.

I'm still think of buying a Panasonic 80E.http://www.6ave.com/main.jsp has the best price on this recorder. I just feel if there a bug fix it.

[shutterbug]

Spiderman, imo, you can't possibly compare the panasonic DMR E80 to an Apex dvd recorder......More often than not, Ya get what you pay for. And if I undesrtand you and the issue you're referring to correctly, it's not a *bug*. It's a 4 gig limit Panasonic uses to dummy-proof dvd's for compatibility

[spiderman2k1]

"shutterbug" This it's just about APEX it's about burning DVD right. There a standard. If I take a Panasonic DVD-R that got burned and it does not play on my APEX and I take that disc over to my PC and use "TMPGEnc DVD Author" to fix the file's then use the same brand of media to burn a new disc and this new disc now work's on the APEX. That's a bug in the Panasonic DVD burner. This is a problem they had for over two year's now and still have not fixed there software. my piont is APEX or any other DVD player is telling me there a bug in Panasonic. I'm not that mad that it does not work on the APEX I have alot of DVD player's. It's the point that companies should fix there hole in there software. There are two good post you might want to read.

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=175473&highlight=

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=195879

[Captain Satellite]

I will butt in to say that I've shipped HUNDREDS of my DVDs produced on my Panasonic DMR-HS2 and have received fewer than ten reports of incompatiblity. When there was a problem, I produced another disc on the Panasonic and in EACH CASE, it worked like a charm. I would attribute this more to a problem with the media than the recorder, as nothing in the recorder changed.

[donpedro]

I would attribute this more to a problem with the media than the recorder, as nothing in the recorder changed.

Here it goes again Read this...

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=175473

[Captain Satellite]

Here it goes again

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=175473

Big deal, is that the only trick you know, posting links?

[donpedro]

Here it goes again

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=175473

Big deal, is that the only trick you know, posting links?

No. What I know is in that link. Do you know how to click on it ?

[plusco]

Thanks all for the input. What I was afraid of...there is no clear standout PVR DVD recorder yet. IMHO, current product offerings still leave to many things left on the table to fullfil PVR needs (with options for Analog conversion and DV editing).

First choice: Would be to have harddrive, but this unit doesn't. I believe I would go with the Sony RDRGX7 for now, as multi format (+rw), firewire/dv port are important to me, limited control over settings, and some sort of guide. Picture quailty is tops from what I read. Not sure why they left of the DVD+r capabilty...I would buy it today, if one could externally connect a HDD to it.

2nd choice: Pioneer 510Hs - Harddrive unit! Drawbacks (1) Only -R and DVD-Ram [DVD-Ram is of no use to me] (2) no +rw or +r. 17% of users in one of this boards surveys have a Pioneer recorder.

Although I think Panasonic makes fine units, it doesn't make the PVR cut for the very reasons that were mentioned by Spiderman2k1.

For now, unless compelled to do otherwise, I think I am going to buy a Hauppauge Win-TV-PVR 350 and a Canopus ADVC-100.

You have all been a big help. Thanks!

[spiderman2k1]

"plusco" If I was you I would buy a Dazzle 2 www.dazzlegeek.com great message board also would buy a ATI AIW get one cheep at www.pricewatch.com for $33.00 dollars get Radeon

[plusco]

Hauppauge Win-TV-PVR 350 @ $200 bucks give me 12MBits/sec mpeg2 hardware decode/encode, dbx stereo, FM radio and composite/s-video out...without having to displace my current video card. I have read many, many good postings on this site about it and the price jsut dropped to $200. Am I missings something...? Thanks.

[spiderman2k1]

"plusco" Dazzle 2 is rate best MPEG 2 capture card. Just go to www.dazzlegeek.com you can get one from ebay for about $60.00 dollars they do not make this card any more. It was not made to capture TV show but people have made Timer's so you can capture when your not home.

[next]

Hauppauge Win-TV-PVR 350 @ $200 bucks give me 12MBits/sec mpeg2 hardware decode/encode, dbx stereo, FM radio and composite/s-video out...without having to displace my current video card. I have read many, many good postings on this site about it and the price jsut dropped to $200. Am I missings something...? Thanks.

Great choice but the underscan has always bothered me. I do not like the card as a PVR alternative, The underscan is obvious on the right side of the screen at DVD resolutions on play back.

edit- underscan is probably not the right term but I do not like the way it looks.

[next]

I've been talking privately with Spidey for a while about the recorders. I don't know about him, but I'm feeling disappointed in them all right now. It seems all the recorders suck in one way or another, even Panasonic and Pioneer.

I'm keeping my money in my pocket for now. Too flawed AND too expensive. Double punishment.

For now, PC still looks to give the most control and best overall experience.

The DVD recorders seem to be VCR replacements, but even then, not all that great of one.

Test please before comments. You seem reserved which is in character. I think when you finally test you will be an advocate.

[oldfart13]

Spidermak2k1: yeah, I got the "won't play on Apex without reauthoring" bug as well BUT the same discs play perfectly on my brand new Norcent DP-300 so, that means firmware problems in the Apex, not the Panasonic. The discs also play fine in my Malata 393, which again has newer firmware. Maybe you should rag on Apex to update the firmware of their 2 or 3 year old DVD players (yeah, right, like the Chinese are listening)...

[oldfart13]

Lordsmurf: Hey man, I respect your opinions BUT this time, you're dead wrong. My new use of the E80 is as follows: record on E80 HDD in XP or SP mode, Edit with the E80, High Speed copy to DVD-RAM, copy DVD-RAM to computer (that $120CAD LG 4040B comes in mighty handy), author with TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.5+ (which accepts the VRO file AND AC-3 sound), burn with Nero. Nothing simpler. No out of sync problems, field order problems, colour shifting, etc. My productivity doing it this way has gone up 100% and considering all the time I spent using the computer and still getting dropped frames, sync errors, macroblocking, etc. it's so much better. I figured on not sitting on the fence any longer than was absolutely necessary. The comp is still better IF you can get it to work for you but I couldn't justify the extra cost (again) of buying a high end system that simply isn't needed if I went the standalone DVD recorder route. Also, the E80 is fun to play with and isn't that what it's REALLY all about??

[lordsmurf]

You can disagree all you want, I'm just passing on what I hear and have seen, mostly through my site, private PM's/e-mail's and reading lots of reviews from both users and magazines. They've all got their share of problems. I'm currently looking at which player has the lesser of all evils.

I'll start with APEX 9000 because of the Walmart 90-day return option. Maybe even try the Cyberhome 1500 since they also a coming to Walmart right now.

I've had Panasonic-made discs before. I'm not overly impressed by amoeba-like macroblocks in medium recording modes. At least in the discs I got. I had to re-encode the MPEG with TMPGEnc noise filters and block softening because I was easily annoyed. Others have complained about the same.

And yes, I consider not burning over 4GB to be a bug. Whether on purpose or by accident, it's a bug to me. The disc allows for 4.38GB, and I'd like to use it all up if I want to. My preference. I'm allowed to have those.

I also want a recorder that makes player-ready discs. This is my VCR replacement. I don't plan to re-edit or re-author anything, that's just a waste of time to me (already have two computers that can capture if I need to author/edit/capture something). So that means it has to like my Toshiba 2800, Apex 1100 and Cyberhome 300 players. Also means RAM is not anything I care about. I'll be using -R or +R at all times.

That's what I want, and my findings to date.

[oldfart13]

What 4 Gig limit? I'm doing a burn right now thats over 4 Gig to a DVD-RAM disc! It's a single file movie....

[oldfart13]

Here's another (right out of DVD Decryptor):

Device Information:
Current Profile: DVD-ROM

Disc Information:
Status: Complete
Erasable: No
Sessions: 1
Sectors: 2,105,456
Size: 4,311,973,888 bytes
Time: 467:54:56 (MM:SS:FF)

Physical Format Information (Last Recorded):
Book Type: DVD-R
Part Version: 5
Disc Size: 120mm
Maximum Read Rate: Not Specified
Number of Layers: 1
Track Path: Parallel Track Path (PTP)
Linear Density: 0.267 um/bit
Track Density: 0.74 um/track

So, I say again...what 4 Gig limit??

[handyguy]

You can also read: Left Column: dvd writers & recorders features & user opinions......

[oldfart13]

For features and users opinions (other than my own) try here:

www.avsforum.com

under dvd recorders