What DVD Recorder to buy in Melbourne for Christmas

[Sifaga]

I am working on the missus, trying to convince her that we need a dvd recorder for the family for christmas.

better quality recordings
save on buying vhs blanks
be able to program recordings
easier to convert to dvd than VHS to DVD

(This is the one that will convince her)
I will be able to make a music video compilation of all her golden oldies songs.


well

Living in Melbourne, which one should i get and where.

Im leaning towards a Pioneer, not sure which model, around AUS$1000

any suggestions

edit: I checked the pioneer site, the DVR630H looks good, anyone had any experience with it.

Looking for prices of the DVR630H in Melbourne now.

[mattso]

I'm in Melbourne, I've got the DVR530H (80GB) and love it. I paid $790 (on special at JBs). A few weeks later I saw the DVR630 on special for $850! Oh well... 80GB is enough for me I suppose. I can capture clean, crisp recordings off the TV, as well as convert old PAL and NTSC video tapes to DVD. Editing on the HD is a breeze (frame-accurate is possible!). It's not a brain-ache to learn to operate. You should see some good Christmas prices very soon, keep an eye on the JBs Christmas catalogues!

[Sifaga]

thanks mattso,

$850 for the DVR630 is a good price, it says $1100 on the pioneer site.

can you record off optus or foxtel ? or is it just free to air channels

will it play mp3's off the harddrive or do i have to convert audio to something else

[lordsmurf]

Does LG have any recorders down there? I believe they do, and that's a pretty nice machine in terms of video quality. The tuner is good too. And I believe they may even have hard drive models. I bet it would be cheaper than the Pioneer, but similar quality.

[Sifaga]

thanks LS

I'll keep an eye out for LG models as well

[mattso]

Sifaga, I just picked up the new JBs catalogue:

Pioneer DVR530 (80GB) = $787
Pioneer DVR630 (160GB) = $897

The LG RH7926W (250GB!) is also there, for $998. I'm not too clued in about this model, but I believe it only has 1, 2, 4 and 6-hour recording modes (no incremental Manual Recording modes). There is also no S-video input (?).

However, if it carries the LSI encoding chip (as I have read earlier models did), then that would be a big plus (particularly for VHS conversions).

But the Pioneer is a very good machine.

Or you could go with the new Soniq DVR150 for $198!

can you record off optus or foxtel ? or is it just free to air channels

will it play mp3's off the harddrive or do i have to convert audio to something else

I don't think there's any problem there (re Pioneer). It can play mp3 CDs, and I think you can transfer to the HD (but just not back to CDR). It doesn't do CD burning.

EDIT: There are other LG models available, some have S-video inputs I think.

[peggypwr1]

I would love to visit Australia, what is it like to live down there? Is it expensive? Lots of things to do? What about those posionous spiders?

[Crak-r-jacK]

Here's a bit of a tip for Australian buyers. Until the end of November, Retravision are giving out $500 accomodation vouchers for every $500 spent in store. The vouchers are for various resorts and hotels all around Australia and pretty good value if you need a holiday. If not there a alot of them selling on ebay for $80-$150. So for every $500 you spend at retravision you could get back approx. $100 by selling the vouchers on ebay. I'm not sure how Retravisions price compares to other sellers though and you have to pay the listed price to get the vouchers. I asked for their best price on a $999 DVD recorder a few weeks ago (haven't bought one yet, still researching) and they came down $100 without hesitation, same at Harvey Norman and I expect anywhere else that doesn't already have them on sale. ALWAYS ask for stores best price especially if you've got the cash or card to buy it straight away and let them know this.
One other thing, although you are permitted to GIVE these vouochers to friends and family, your not supposed to sell them so you'll need to keep any voucher number hidden in your ebay listing (photo).

[blinky88]

I have the same recorder as mattso, also bought from JB Hi Fi and agree with everything he said, great machine.

[Crak-r-jacK]

I've been tossing up between the Pioneer DVR-630H and the Panasonic DMR-EH60.

I'm not too clued up on differing media formats. What, if any, are the disadvantages of only being able to record on DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-DL with the DVR-530H or DVR-630H.

[Sifaga]

Mattso and blink88

does the pioneer play MP3's from the harddrive or only from a MP3 CD

[blinky88]

I have not played any MP3s though my setup so I cannot help you in this area .... I choose to convert my MP3s to AIFF or Wave (CDA), I believe normal CD quality is better than MP3, I also have a 5 disc CD player in my setup and a 6 stack CD player in my car.

[mattso]

The manual is vague on this matter, but what it DOES say is that it supports playback of mp3 CDs, and that it also can copy CDs to the HD. In my mind, that means yes, you can dump mp3s onto the HD. I wouldn't see why you couldn't, actually. Just return it if it's not up to your expectations!

Overall, though, this is a very decent unit here in Australia - decent for quality, reliability, ease of use, and of course price.

You could possibly try posting at avsforum.com (DVD Recorder forum) for this specific question.

What, if any, are the disadvantages of only being able to record on DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-DL with the DVR-530H or DVR-630H.

No disadvantages at all if you ask me. I'd hazard to suggest that DVD-R is the more common/cheaper format anyway, here in Oz.

I would love to visit Australia, what is it like to live down there? Is it expensive? Lots of things to do? What about those posionous spiders?

Australia ain't the place it used to be, that's for sure... I'm thinking about moving! And yeah, red-back spiders & venomous dugites & rabid killer kangaroos that leap out of dark alleyways & attack passersby...