Help me buy a DVD Recorder: 16:9 anamorphic compatable, DV in, <~$200

[nmreich]

Hello,

I am new here.

I need to purchase a DVD Recorder with the following specifications:

- The purpose of this recorder is to make "home movies". I just want to plug in my digital camcorder and make compatable DVD's.

- It must be able to record WIDESCREEN from my digital camcorder and output the widescreen in letterbox style. (I have a 4:3 older TV and I want to see the black bars at the top and bottom - I do NOT want to see a squished picture)

- It must have DV input.

- It must be around $200. I'd be willing to go up to $220 - $230 but no more.

So.... that sounds easy right? Well I've had the hardest time finding ANYTHING that matches those criteria. How can it be? I just bought the Panasonic ES25S but it can not record in true WIDESCREEN (the output appears "squished" on my 4:3 TV) so I am going to be returning it. How Panasonic can produce such a great product and NOT have it record 16:9 properly is beyond me.

Can someone out there offer some suggestions please!

[nmreich]

Anyone?

Isn't there an inexpensive DVD Recorder that can record DV in true Widescreen? My Panasonic ES25S only does this with DVD-RAM discs, but all other discs are forced 4:3 and not true widescreen...

[mats.hogberg]

Don't bump your posts. Wait at least a couple of days.
From the rules, which is required reading to make this experience as pleasant as possible:

Please try not to "bump" your topic.
Replying to your own topic to get it to the top is annoying. Try to have some patience, this is a bulletin board, not IRC. It may take some time (e.g., one or two days) before someone can answer your query or question.

/Mats

[DVWannaB]

I have an JVC MH20 that does just that what you described as you needed. Unfortunately, this model is no longer made.

I believe the Sony RDR-3xx, 4xx, 5xx, 715 series can do that also. Sony is expensive so the cheapest model might be right about where your cutoff price requirement is.

Also, do a search on the DVD recorder section of this site and check some of the features you want, like DV-in and see what it gives you.

PS. I know Toshiba's do 16:9, but I am not sure about DV-input.

[Frobozz]

The previous Pioneer recorder that had DV input correctly recognized the 16:9 source. They also recognize it when connecting the camcorder via S-video. The current Pioneer recorder lacks the DV input.

My understanding is that some or all of the Toshiba recorders have a manual setting for recognizing 16:9 sources.

[MJA]

I heard some good reviews about this recorder from radioshack

Accurian All Write DVD Recorder with 80GB Hard Drive $99.97

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2123209&cp=&sr=1&origkw=dvd+reco...entPage=search

if you don't like it return it

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=719068

[DVWannaB]

ok, I can positively say that these machines will do what you are looking for:

JVC DR-MH30
No longer being manufactured and will be lucky to find one new. Used ones can probably be found on ebay and other online auction sites. This unit recognizes 16:9 video via the DV-input.

Pioneer DVR520
see above. This is a nice unit, with black-level, chroma, etc controls. Also recognizes 16:9 through DV-input.

Toshiba RD-XS52 & 54
Can still find the XS54 new in stores, pretty expensive tho'.

Sony RDR-HX715
Expensive and can be found new in stores.

[Squonk]

The Pioneer 520, as stated above recognizes the widescreen flag. It is a hard drive model but is 2 generations old. The non hard drive model would be the 320 I believe with a DV input (2 way firewire by the way). The successor models were the Pioneer 533/633 but I can't confirm they could recognize the widescreen flag. The current model is the Pio 640 but I think they dropped the DV input.

The older Sonys could manually set the widescreen flag. I am talking about the GX300 (non hard drive) and the HX900. I think their later models were inferiorly built and may have dropped the DV input (ie the 315).

I would go on Ebay and see if you can find either a Pio 320 or a Sony 300. But if you want to do any editing, I would recommend a hard drive model.

[nmreich]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Two questions:
1. Why is it so hard to find a 16:9 compatable DVD Recorder? (it seems like a pretty basic and necessary function)
2. Why are they dropping the "DV" input on some of the newer models?


----


Several of the suggestions are too expensive for me. I'm really looking to spend no more than $200 if I can help it and $230 max.

I will try e-bay too.


MJA,
I went to my Radio Shack last night but they had sold out. They also called 7 other stores and they are all sold out too. Bummer!

[nmreich]

I should add, that if I want to do video editing I do it on my computer and burn it to DVD that way. BUT it's a long tedious process. I want a quick fix - plug in camcorder and hit record. Just dump it to DVD. So that means hard drive or not it's not necessary. Sure it would be nice, but not necessary for my application.

[deuce8pro]

I found a new JVC DR-MH30 on ebay just a while ago. It should still be there but not sure.

[obs]

Check out some of the current generation of LGs.

I have an LRH-780, which is an HDD model that's only available in Canada, but it has an option to set the recording aspect ratio:

"When DVD recording, you can set the recording aspect ratio to suit the material you’re recording (16:9 or 4:3)."

I tested this by recording an uncopyprotected DVD rip of Narnia (anamorphic), and the result was a letterboxed widescreen DVD (watched it on the computer).

You can just go to LG's site and download the PDF user's guides to see if a particular recorder has the same setting.



PS. 2. Why are they dropping the "DV" input on some of the newer models?

It's kind of normal for electronics. When prices drop, features get dropped too, as well as build quality.


PPS. With ATSC tuners just around the corner, you may want to see what happens. Even if you don't want ATSC, stores might want to clear out their non-ATSC models.

[DVWannaB]

Well it just so happens that after reading and responding to this thread that I decided to check out the DVD Recorder market for specs that I would be looking for if I were to purchase one right now.

I am/was looking for a recorder that is:

1) Able to switch to 16:9 or 4:3 recording using the remote
2) Able to record & burn to Dual-Layer (DL)
3) Able to record in Flexible Record (FR) mode
4) Able to do Component Video In
5) Hard Disc Drive (HDD)

Thats pretty much all as far as requirements. I COULD NOT FIND ONE machine that had just those 5 options. The only maker that came close was Toshiba and Sony. Sony does not offer FR mode and Toshiba does not offer DL burning. I was even willing to give up on the Component Video In option, but still couldnt find a match.

There seems to be a dearth of choices in the DVD Recorder market today. I suspect many manufacturers are making plans for the next generation to inlcude ATSC tuners, DL ability and HD capabilities. Right now, there isnt much to happy about on the market.