What current recorders have flexible/incremental recording?

[Bix]

It looks like my Pioneer DVR-220 died from a power surge and I need a new recorder. Some sort of flex mode is a must, so what current or easily available recorders have it?

Thanks!

[pinetop]

I believe your only option is the Pannys. You could go with a recorder that has many recording speeds like Sony and Philips. Both offer 21/2 and 3 hr modes.

[trhouse]

The newer Panasonics can record in FR mode from external sources but the newer combos like the EZ37, 47 cannot do FR mode from its internal VCR to DVD. The predecessors like the ES30 and ES35 could.

[mpack]

It looks like my Pioneer DVR-220 died from a power surge and I need a new recorder.

Is repair not an option, or do you want a new one regardless?

My Sony HDD/DVD recorder once got zapped by a power surge (nearby lightning strike), repair was simply a matter of ordering a new PSU board from a Sony spares supplier - at a tenth of the price of replacing the whole unit here in the UK. I did the repair myself (nothing special to anyone who has ever eg. changed a PCI card in a PC), but PSUs are dangerous so you may prefer to get some qualified person to do it.

While I was at it I replaced the power strip behind my TV with one which has built in surge protection. Live and learn...

[Bix]

I already was using a surge protector, and everything else in it seems okay, which makes this a little weirder.

I have considered repair but it depends on whether or not it would be worth it $ wise or not (either if I have it repaired locally or by Pioneer or it's something I can do myself). I will be calling Pioneer first.

How much of a chance is there that something in addition to the PSU is damaged since it did take a surge?

Also, does anyone know where I could get one of the Canadian Pioneer recorders that're available and have them shipped to the US?

[Bix]

Called Pioneer, they said that having them repair it (since it's out of warranty) would run at least $180, and it has to be sent in, since none of the service centers work on them. He also said that a Canadian recorder would only be warrantied in Canada so it would be a bad idea to get one. He agreed that I should just get a new one even though they don't make any for the US anymore.

So, what should I get? Are there any reliable dealers for older JVCs or anything like that?

[orsetto]

Your 220 actually lasted a pretty long time for that model- they were great machines but prone to blow their PSU during power surges, also their burners generally croaked within 18 mos. So you had a VERY good run with yours!

As you know, Pioneers are no longer sold in USA, you have to get them from Canada. In the last 2 years I have picked up four Pioneers for various family members from one Canadian dealer who was great, and bought another two from a second dealer who was OK but had lousy communication. No problems, they work great even though they were all "open box" CostCo Canada returns. Currently the most available model is last years 450, which is identical to this years 460 (except the new one adds USB and DV front panel inputs for cameras). The 450 has a 160GB hard drive, an excellent Sony-supplied burner that will record to plus, minus and RAM media equally well, HDMI output and a superb editing interface. "Open-box" units including the remote and manual typically sell between $200-325 delivered to USA on eBay, prices fluctuate with demand week to week. It is against VH rules for me to post the name of my favorite Canadian eBay dealer, but you can figure it out yourself by searching for "Pioneer DVD recorder" and scroll thru the results looking for model 450. My guys eBay handle is his first name combined with a number. Usually has a 450 running once a week, a couple of times when I had no patience for an auction I negotiated a direct sale with him.

If you'd rather just walk into a USA store and get a brand new sealed-box recorder, go pick up a Phillips 3576 at any big chain store: nice machine for the money, $250-300 depending on the store and the sale that week. I'd recommend WalMart, Best Buy or Circuit City because they have 30-day refund policies in case you don't like the way the Phillips operates (its different from the Pioneer, lots of people who have spent a few years with one brand don't like it when they switch to another).

[TBoneit]

Well FWIW I have been using a Pioneer 531h and just added the Philips 3576 from Walmart.

Yes there is a difference in how they work. My biggest problem has been the fact that things are named differently. Other than that the 3576 works fine excluding some small blips in the audio from a QAM channel on cable. I have a suspicion it could be related to the signal being routed through the Pioneer then into the Philips, I need to redo the order and test. For me the benefit is being able to set timers for a the QAM locals to get the best recordings. I'm looking forward to the Olympics.

The Pioneer has been a workhorse and if I could have gotten another one by walking into a B & M store, however I did want ATSC & QAM.

[wabjxo]

Yes, try the 3576 1st on the coax since it has an amplified coax passthru. I run my 3575 this way thru a Pio 640. The Pio has a passive passthru, so slight signal loss, but beefing the signal up first should help the direct TV pic and the Pio's recordings?

[Bix]

I ended up going w/ an open box new Toshiba RD-XS35 on eBay. After looking around here, it seemed like a good pick over the current models.

[samijubal]

Toshibas are awesome. Best picture quality there is and all the options you could ever want for customizing record and playback modes both.

[orsetto]

The Toshiba RD-XS35 is marvelous but fragile- hard drives and especially burners tend to fail on these. This model series of Toshiba has probably the best PQ and definitely the most advanced authoring features of any recorder ever made, but they were discontinued three years ago and they do not age well. Anyone who wants to be ready and able to keep Their Toshiba XS model running should absolutely bookmark the AVS Forum threads specifically devoted to the repair and upkeep of the RD-XS35 (other similarly-named Toshiba models of the same series require slightly different maintenance strategies, so concentrate on comments related to the RD-XS35). Here on VideoHelp the most exhaustive repair and upkeep threads are devoted to Pioneer and JVC, while AVS members post more detailed reports on Toshiba and Panasonic repairs. (wabjxo gives equal opportunity regarding the Phillips 3575 and 3576: he is firmly planted in both forums! )

Note I am not Toshiba-bashing: all makes have their issues. I favor Pioneers myself, but they've made a couple of real lulus, too: I wouldn't take another Pioneer 531-533-633 if you gave it to me, they're maddeningly repair-resistant once they break, and they *always* break (later Pioneers are way better). The Toshibas of the same vintage can be tricky to keep running, but at least you CAN keep them running if you have the info at hand. That info is more easily found on AVS forum.

[FulciLives]

You can buy a Pioneer from Canada or there are region free Asian models on the market as well. All have the feature set you are looking for.

http://www.220-electronics.com/

They have some nice Pioneer Asian models. They do NTSC and PAL recording. The cheapest one that I would consider is the DVR-340H model. It has a built-in 80GB HDD. The price is $389 though

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[p_l]

Congrats on your Toshiba RD-XS35. I absolutely love mine. As orsetto says, all makes have their ups and downs. I had to change the burner on my RD-XS35 but it was worth it for all this machine can do. I don't recall that many reports of failed HDDs for it, though. But if you do need a hand with your Toshiba RD-XS35, see you on avsforum.com.

[samijubal]

Don't let people scare you, you'll love the Toshiba. The HDD Toshiba recorders use a Panasonic burner that's more reliable than the Toshiba burners are. All standalone recorders have burner problems. Burners in standalones just don't last like PC burners do for some reason. I haven't seen too many people with failed hard drives in a Toshiba. When they do fail they can be easily replaced.

[Bix]

The Toshiba RD-XS35 is marvelous but fragile- hard drives and especially burners tend to fail on these. This model series of Toshiba has probably the best PQ and definitely the most advanced authoring features of any recorder ever made, but they were discontinued three years ago and they do not age well. Anyone who wants to be ready and able to keep Their Toshiba XS model running should absolutely bookmark the AVS Forum threads specifically devoted to the repair and upkeep of the RD-XS35 (other similarly-named Toshiba models of the same series require slightly different maintenance strategies, so concentrate on comments related to the RD-XS35).

Got any specific links? I've found:

HDD Swap info: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=840132

Fan noise fix: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=799382
http://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/xs34/index.html
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=856807

How easy or hard is navigating the inside of the recorder if you're familiar w/ the inside of a PC?

I picked up a 3 year warranty from SquareTrade (for peace of mind, no bashing please - they have super reviews and pay you back your purchase price if it's not fixable) too so I'm not too worried.

[samijubal]

The ribbon cables used on the burners are more fragile than PC connectors. Hard drive swaps aren't as easy as a PC but they aren't hard either.

[orsetto]

If you don't mind poking around in your PC you won't have difficulty poking around in your DVD recorder. As long as you observe common sense and follow the tips of others with the same unit. all generally goes well. There are at least two primary AVS threads regarding Toshiba repair, someone posts to one or the other once a week. I don't have them handy but they both very specifically put the words "Toshiba" plus either "burner" or "HDD" in the title. Easy enough to spot if you check the new posts on AVS "DVD Recorder" forum weekly.

samijubal has had great luck with his Toshibas, more power to him and may he continue to never encounter a problem, but others are not so lucky. The Panasonic name on a burner is no guarantee of anything, as implemented in Toshiba recorders the burners suck wind. They can be replaced with sturdier alternatives when they blow but you lose a few burning options. On the whole, burners should be replaced by Toshiba under their flat fee repair program for best results. Since you signed up for the Square Trade insurance, you're covered one way or another for the replacement value. The hard drives are somewhat easier: for a long time no one was able to reverse-engineer the installation procedure and Toshiba has been deliberately vague in their service manuals. For awhile, the only successful HDD replacement involved getting the EXACT same model and size of drive, which is tricky when drives are discontinued every few months. Eventually I believe someone figured out the relatively simple trick to getting Toshibas to accept almost any replacement hard drive, its in those threads. There are some specific caveats from one model to another though, so always double check the post refers to your model.

[wtsinnc]

Regarding Panasonic DVD recorders, it's the DVD burner that I've had trouble with. I've owned three Panasonics, two E-30s and a DMR-E80H. The E80H is now on it's third burner and still using the same hard drive which has performed flawlessly to date. I also replaced the burner on one of the E-30s and eventually got rid of them both as they became progressively more problematical than they were worth. Panasonic wants about $135.00 to replace the burner in my E80H and it requires shipping out of state and a two to three week wait. I've looked at the Philips but I have never had good service from their products so I suppose that when (not if) my E80H again needs service, I'll sell it for what I can get for it and just do without. The need for a set top recorder is, for me, not what it once was.

[samijubal]

I've had problems with Toshiba recorders. All standalones have burner problems, it's inherent to the format. I've got a Toshiba HDD recorder and a few non-HDD recorders, the HDD recorders have a better burner.

For me it's all about PQ and when it comes to picture quality Toshiba simply can't be beat. If they have some problems, so be it, all recorders do and at least I'm getting the best PQ possible until they die.

[samijubal]

I picked up a 3 year warranty from SquareTrade (for peace of mind, no bashing please - they have super reviews and pay you back your purchase price if it's not fixable) too so I'm not too worried.

How did you get a 3 year warranty? I just bought a new XS35, killer deal couldn't pass it up, all I get for a warranty is 1 year.

[Bix]

That's the warranty SquareTrade offered when I put in the eBay item number on their site.

[samijubal]

I got that from them too. It was NEW that was 1 year. With all the negative NEW reviews I wouldn't waste any money on their warranties.

[Bix]

N.E.W. is this place?: https://www.newcorp.com/

[samijubal]

Yea, it's offered through Ebay.

[Bix]

Got my RD-XS35...not getting any picture from the (properly connected) machine, plus it's freezing and there's no audio or video from the tuner. I will call Toshiba tomorrow morning.

[samijubal]

That was fast. I'm still waiting for mine. Keep us updated on what happens. I think yours and mine are from the same seller. I doubt Toshiba would repair something bought on Ebay, unless it's from an authorized seller, even if it is new.

[FulciLives]

Should have bought one of the new Pioneer models *shrugs*

So much for a "deal" huh? You got a finicky piece of equipment that doesn't even work correctly.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[samijubal]

It could happen with any recorder. You've had problems with yours.

[FulciLives]

It could happen with any recorder. You've had problems with yours.

Yes but I bought mine brand new and had great success with it until I wore out the burner.

Buying something used only to have it not work right-off-the-bat when other solutions exist that are brand new ... well I think you get my point.

The Toshiba units of the past were good but getting old now. The Pioneer units are as good (in some respects better) and can still be bought brand new with the same functionality as years past. All the Toshiba models have been junk now for the last 3 generations. In short you can't buy a new Toshiba that performs as good as the models you are talking about so why risk it with old equipment that is most likely well used or "reconditioned"?

Yeah sure Pioneer left the USA when it comes to DVD recorders but it is very easy to import the Asian models (brand new) or the Canadian models (brand new) and they both do NTSC (the Asian units also do PAL). They also are damn fine if not the best quality DVD recorders available today and do incremental bitrate recording.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman