Buying advice please!! - I have lots of criteria and noob questions

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I would like to buy a DVD recorder, but I have lots of criteria that must be fulfilled. So here's what I think I need:
- HDMI output (I have a 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma HDTV)
- Ability to have chasing playback
- Firewire input for my DV camcorder
- reliable - I really don't want to have to fuss with firmware upgrades etc. I would like to just have it run smoothly right out of the box.
- won't break the bank. Subjective, I know, but I like the features of the Panasonic EH55, but I can't justify spending $699CAD

Here are some questions before I buy:
- if a DVD recorder has HDMI, it's usually up-converting, right?
- is up-converting really neccessary on a recorder?
- for chasing playback, I'm basically limited to Hard drives or DVD-RAM. Is there a difference between the two for quality or user-friendliness?
- Is there much difference between the manufacturers when it comes to processors? Two sales guys at different stores both said Panasonic is best for recording quality. Any truth to that?

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I need suggestions of some recorders that fit my above criteria. Thanks.

Ed

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Anybody?

[redwudz]

You may not find many with a FireWire input. For some reason they have eliminated that on some models.
I don't have much experience with HDMI, I use component, but if you are watching it on a HD set, it would probably have to up-converted.

You would definitely want a hard drive, it makes the DVR much more versatile.

I wouldn't listen to anything a salesperson says.

Some of your requirements are listed in our DVD Recorder page to the left.<<<<<< You can plug them in and do a search for most brands. I use a Pioneer 633H-S that I've been happy with.

If you narrow it down to a few models and brands, search for some reviews on the internet and you may find out a little more. You also can take a look over at the CD Freaks forum, among others: http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=89

[BCdave]

The LG LRH-790 recorder has upconverting HDMI output, chasing playback (which they call "timeslip"), and firewire input. It has a 250 GB HDD, and uses the highly regarded LSI encoding chip (I believe their newest generation DMN 8653 chip) so that the video output is literally better than the source. http://www.lsilogic.com/news/product_news/2006_07_25a.html

The LRH-790 is currently on sale at Future Shop for $550 Can.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10072968&catid=22226&l...gon=&langid=EN

If you're interested, FS usually seems to have "web only" sales on long weekends, so keep an eye on their website next weekend (the LRH-790 was $510 a couple of months ago on a 48 hour web-only sale).
This model is quite new, and not much feedback is available - however, LG seems to correct any flaws in their recorders via firmware upgrades, which I consider to be a plus for LG.

I have a 2 year old non-HDD LGR435 which I love, and I am planning to purchase the less expensive LRH-780 (80GB and no HDMI upconverting) when it goes on sale.

[go_leafs_go]

Thanks for the replies and the links. And thanks for directing me to that future ship link, Dave. It looks like I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and spend a bit more for all the features I want.

Anyone else have other recommendations? Much appreciated

Ed

[BCdave]

Ed, one of the queries in your original post is whether upconverting is a necessary feature of a recorder. Personally, I don't know the answer, but a number of threads on the forum seem to indicate that an HDTV will do the upconversion to its native resolution, so the upconversion feature in a player may be unnecessary. Here's one recent thread: https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=304296&highlight=upconvert

Sans the HDMI connection, the price of HDD recorders drops considerably. eg. The LG LRH-780, which I intend to buy, has been on sale at FS for as little as $320-$340 (regular price $400), and it has the same excellent LSI encoding chip as the LRH-790.

As I say, I'm not tech-savvy enough to comment on the merits of HDMI upconversion, but this forum is bustling with guys who are, so hopefully some of them will offer their expert opinions.

Dave