Pioneer DVR-630 XP+ and LPCM modes...

[Wender]

Hi all,

Just bought a Pioneer DVR-630 and done some experimenting. With the LIVE8 and various other concerts coming up, I wanted to make sure I record the right way to get the most out of it.

There is an XP mode, an LPCM mode and an XP+ mode with increasing quality in that order. XP and LPCM has the same bitrate (8+ kbps) and XP+ has 14+ kbps bitrate.

The manual doesn't really say, but it seems that XP+ does NOT record the audio as LPCM. Only the "LPCM" mode does this. When copying an XP+ recording from HD to DVD it gets transferred to XP in real-time, but when transferring an PLCM recording it can be done as high-speed copying. I finalized the DVD-RW (yes it asks you to even if it's a -RW disc, to make proper .VOBs etc I guess - unfinalized -RW discs are not recogniset at all on my Mac). and dragged the VOB over to the MPEG Streamclip app:

>Video Tracks:
>224 MPEG-2, 720 × 576, 4:3, 25 fps, 8.05 Mbps, upper field first

>Audio Tracks:
>160 PCM stereo, 48 kHz, 1.54 Mbps

I wonder why you can't do an XP+ recording on the HDD and transfer it to LPCM on a DVD. I read somewhere that this two-pass copying going from XP+ to XP is the best way to get maximum picture quality but not being a techie I'm not sure why.

The VR mode vs Video mode also confuses me a bit but I'll keep reading before asking stupid questions. Seems like you can choose between VR and Video mode for the HD but this option is greyed out when setting the quality to XP+ for some reason. I'm using LPCM quality and Video mode for now.

Any input and experiences would be appreciated.

Cheers,

PH

[Wender]

Ooops... The manual specifically says LPCM mode is the ONLY mode for high quality audio... My bad.

Strange thing - XP+ should be the ultimate quality but the audio is 256kbps AC3.

[Synergy]

Seems like you can choose between VR and Video mode for the HD but this option is greyed out when setting the quality to XP+ for some reason. I'm using LPCM quality and Video mode for now.

For more details on VR vs. Video mode, please refer to the following link:

http://www.btinternet.com/~james_lancaster/whichdvd.HTML#2

Actually the HDD content is always recorded in VR mode for editing purpose. The option of Video mode on or off for HDD recordings is used for later high-speed dubbing purpose only (i.e, Video mode "on" is set for high-speed dubbing to DVD). Since XP+ mode can be transferred to DVD media only in real-time, therefore Video mode option is unavailable. Only DVD-RW media can be recorded in either VR or Video mode, and you get non-standard 3/4 and 2/3 D1 resolution when using MN15 to MN9 in VR mode on DVD-RW discs, probably something you want to avoid if you do editing on a computer later.

Since you are from PAL system, the following website may be more helpful if you have PAL-related questions:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=113

[iluvJLO]

where did you buy this unit? is it available in the US? an XP+ recorder is what I need

update: i see this model is for Europeans only. Hmmm, why aren't there anything new for the US market? It seems like JP, and EU gets all the new stuff, while US gets new models of rehashed equipment. When will we get a unit with XP+ and DL recording?

[Frobozz]

Patience. The Pioneer DVR-533H and 633H are supposed to show up in a couple weeks (or months) and they include the XP+ mode. However, that mode is for recording and playback from the hard drive only. There is no way to put transfer this to a DVD or to a computer.

[iluvJLO]

I looked through various sites containing information on the 533-633 models, but found nothing about it having XP+ and DL.

update: ahh i just found some info.. cool XP+ and DL. should have made a 12bit DAC. any idea when this will be released? I need one bad!

[Frobozz]

any idea when this will be released? I need one bad!

The latest gossip is they will be out the middle of this month. That's a month later than what was previously expected. Many folks are eager.