New supertest on the new DVD recorders

[zorankarapancev]

The January issue of the “What HI-Fi? Sound and Vision” magazine came with a new supertest of the affordable DVD recorders. They looked for typical picture constructs such as color rendition, edge definition, depth of field, stability, movement and picture noise – essentially, a closeness of copies to the original broadcast. Easy of use and functionality, including flexibility of connections and recording formats, were also rated along with how well recorders perform as DVD players.
A five-star product not only performs to the highest standard, but is also well constructed, fully featured and is good value. Stars are subsequently dropped for shortcomings in performance compared with price.

4KUS DVR-230 (ILO DVDR04 from Wal-Mart) - 4 stars
For: Price; well equipped; reasonable performance; easy to use.
Against: Cheaply constructed; colours on DVD replay lack richness
Verdict: A specification and performance that belies the price – this is a good value for the money unit.
“…not only is it the least expensive recorder tested, but it also performs to an acceptable level, making it great value for the money…importantly, the 4KUS’s tuner reception is good. Colours are a little lackluster and movement occasionally stutters, but there’s a fair level of detail and very few digital defects. It’s an average picture, but betters some of its more expensive rivals.”

GOODMANS GDVD300R – 2 stars
For: Cheap; easy to use
Against: Noisy, unstable TV pictures; low quality recordings; soft DVD images.
Verdict: Poor TV tuber performance and below-par recordings will leave you feeling disappointed.
‘…pictures from the television tuner offer an encyclopedia of picture problems. An overcooked colour palette leaves skin tones in particular unnatural, giving everyone a David Dickinson-like perma-tanned look…If anything, recordings are even worse, with pictures prone to pixilation, wavy lines and shimmering…”

HITACHI DV-RX7000E – 2 stars
For: Stylish design; fine DVD pictures considering it’s a Scart connection.
Against: Undefined, smearing TV pictures; below par recordings; no progressive scan.
Verdict: Considering what you can get for your money nowadays, the DV-RX7000E is overpriced.
“…The DV-XRX7000E is another recorder that comes attached to a relatively expensive price tag without delivering the performance to justify it… most disappointing is the reception from the Hitachi recorder’s built-in TV tuner…colours might be bold, but they are poorly balanced and prone to bleeding from the edges, especially in fast-moving scenes…detail is also comparatively soft and contrast is flat, producing an overall picture that can easily be bettered by several less expensive players…”


LITEON LVW-5045 – 3 stars
For: Hard drive recording versatility; connectivity; good DVD playback.
Against: Poor television tuner and therefore the recordings suffer.
Verdict: A fistful of features for your cash, but question marks remain over the quality of recordings.
“…Despite the multitude of ways you can make recordings, the quality of copies always boils down to the performance of the recorder’s built-in TV tuner – and Liteon’s picture poses problems…making recordings from an external set-top receiver gives better results, but involves an extra cost that defeats the purpose of buying budget kit…”

MICO ESPEJO R 311 – 3 stars
For: Good TV tuber picture; respectable DVD playback.
Against: Lower-quality recordings; less than average spec; noisy operation.
Verdict: Despite an excellent build-in tuner, recordings can’t equal the original, making the Mico n average unit.
“…However, even in the higher quality recording modes, there’s a drop off in image quality. Edges become slightly frayed and detail dissipates, leaving a softer picture then the original…Movement also suffers with a discernable shimmer across slow camera pans and some less-than smooth stuttering with faster motion…”

PANASONIC DMR-E55 – 5 stars
For: Easy to use; high performance pictures and recordings.
Against: DVD colours can be a bit over-cooked.
Verdict: This recorder deserves an Award for outstanding all-round performance, but it’s not as far ahead of the competition as it once was.
“… As an entry-level recorder the DMR-E55 is a cut above most of its budget rivals, offering everything from good functionality to first class picture performance with both recordings and films…There’s the usual choice of recording quality modes and, even in the standard (SP) mode, recordings are impressively faithful to the original… Two of digital recording’s biggest bugbears – poor black shading and motion-smearing are competently dealt with, leaving a picture that’s as true to the original as makes any difference…in recording terms Panasonic’s DMR-E55 embodies an object lesson in constructing an affordable DVD recorder – it’s easy to use, flexible and effective.”

PIONEER DVR-320S – 3 stars
For: Simple to use.
Against: Low specification and performance considering it’s the most expensive DVD recorder on test.
Verdict: Disappointing considering the price, and there are equally able recorders around for half the price.
“… The DVR-320S might be slim in construction, measuring only 6cm tall, but it’s also slight on specifications… recording times vary from one to six hours, depending on the quality mode. However, only the two best quality modes produce recordings close to the original. The DVR-320S’s tuner signal is rather disappointing. Recorder pictures are plagued by picture noise, ghosting (especially in sports programs) and motion-smearing. Edges are poorly defined and struggle to contain the spectrum of over-cooked colours. It’s a better copy then you’ll get from your old VCR, but not up to the standard of the best of its rivals… As the priciest recorder here, we expected more from this Pioneer. There are others that do plenty more for less money – much less!”

SONY RDR-GX300 – 5 stars
For: Well equipped; true to original recordings; excellent DVD playback
Against: Noisy operation
Verdict: Faithful high-quality recordings and one of the best DVD playback pictures from a recorder make the Sony a real contender.
“… Not only does the RDR-GX300 produce recordings indistinguishable from the originals, but the quality of DVD replay exceeds anything your average DVD recorder can muster…Our only gripe concerns the Sony noisy operation while recording. It also looks a bit chunky, but it’s well constructed and nicely finished… Images are well balanced, with rich colours and reasonable detail and contrast. Recordings in the standard mode are as close to the original as matters, with virtually no sign of drop off in detail or colour and none of the motion-smearing problems that can afflict lesser players… DVD playback is often treated as an afterthought by digital recorders, but playing movies is at the forefront of the RDR-GX300’s abilities… Sony’s RDR-GX300 is not only well equipped and easy to use, but delivers outstanding recordings and DVD pictures – it’s a cracking unit.

SUPERTEST WINNER – SONY RDR-GX300: It always going to take something special to dethrone the Panasonic DMR-E55, and the Sony is a worthy successor. Both recorders are five-star products, but the Sony holds the edge over the Panasonic in a number of areas.”


A few words from me:
- This test is about the quality of the recordings and the functionalities of the respected recorders and it doesn’t take in account the reliability of these machines.
- From my personal experience with some of the tested recorders, in general terms, I agree with the results of this test. There you have it: if you want the best recording quality up to 2 hours and if the price is not the object, go for the Sony model. Remember, it doesn’t come with the FR mode for recording like the Panasonic or Pioneer, so the recordings over 2 hours are not necessarily better than the ones from the other machines.
- If you decide to buy a Panasonic DVD recorder, look for the special discount prices because this year the Panasonic is introducing completely redesigned DVD recorders with a 12 bit analog/digital converters and 100% better quality of recording at the LP speed.

[neftv]

I can only speak for my experience on my LiteON LVW-5045 and I am not having problems with the tuner. I just got the unit two weeks ago and so far I'm pleased with it. I noticed the article is really not comparing apples to apples among the units described.
It seems that the European LVW-5045 with the Scart connector have tuner issues.
I really liked the Sony model but I was comparing it to the Sony RDR-HX900. I decided that having the ability to write to CD-R -RW and playback PAL DVDs on a NTSC tv was more important to me as I could now start sharing DVDs with my Cousin in Australia.
If it was me I would have given the LVW-5045 4 stars atleast and I can't believe the Ilo unit scored higher after reading in the forum of user reports about the ILO.

[oldfart13]

That issue will have to be updated again shortly what with new recorders like the Sony HX900 and the ones they revealed at the recent CES...

[JohnnyCNote]

These results correspond with what I've experienced personally using the ILO and LiteOn 5005, as outlined in more detail in my thread "ILO vs LiteOn".....

[JK27]

Interesting that they did not test the Toshiba units (RD-XS32 or RD-XS52).

[handyguy]

Our reviews aren't biased by what Sony can pay us:
https://www.videohelp.com/dvdrecorders

[lordsmurf]

Reviews that use "stylish design" and "noisy operation" as factors are bullshit.

Agreed. Users cannot be paid off, like Sony and probably Panasonic tend to do.

These "my magazine says it's the bestest ever" reviews are getting rather boorish these days.

Video quality is the MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT of a review, but all too often this is chucked to the wayside for other criteria. How quaint.

Reviews in magazines are also very VERY narrowminded, basing the quality tests (if performed!) off of 1-hour mode, and maybe 2-hour mode. Ones that find 4-hour and 6-hour (DEINTERLACED!) comparable are laughable and easily dismissed as cluelessness (because interlaced and deinterlaced video have STARK differences). Most people do not use SP VHS, nor will they only use 1-2 hour video modes to record from tv. Something of 3-4 hours is the minimum they're willing to go, and is all too often ignored or incorrectly tested/compared.

[ejai]

You can't please everybody, its funny that most reviews show the Panasonics at the top of the list and this makes JVC fans go crazy.
It's like American politics if you don't think a certain way, then your credibility comes under fire. The JVC is a good machine but I love my Panasonic. I'll be glad when the new models are released.

If the JVC had a sharper picture and more vibrant colors then it would be one of the best dvd recorders on the market.

I noticed that the vhs tapes I own showed a more sharper and full color picture. I started to observe the quality of the JVC M10 more closely and noticed that it softens images more than some might need or want. It also slightly washes out the color . If you happened to have bought a JVC you will be happy, especially if you don't have another recorder to compare the quality with.

The JVC M10 being the best affordable recorder on the market is all hype.......It is just one of the best. I once believed the hype but now I know better.

[jrh1194]

Ejai,
You are absolutely right...There are a few "Panasonic Bashers" that post often in this forum. We all know that. I have tried several machines before deciding on the panny. One thing I learned is that none of them is perfect. I felt the panny did the best overall job and I was dissapointed in the JVC and even more so with Liteon. I guess this will give the bashers another shot at Panasonic.

[next]

Ejai,
You are absolutely right...There are a few "Panasonic Bashers" that post often in this forum. We all know that. I have tried several machines before deciding on the panny. One thing I learned is that none of them is perfect. I felt the panny did the best overall job and I was dissapointed in the JVC and even more so with Liteon. I guess this will give the bashers another shot at Panasonic.

I think you are right about the bashers. And not to name names but I think it all started with the purchase of an Apex recorder. There were many attempts to prove that was the best on the planet. And then moving through a couple of more models of really cheap stuff. I don't think there is a huge wallet there and most of it is trying to justify a purchase. Oh well. No big deal.

[ejai]

I agree