If not Pioneer then Who?

[wado66]

I have been reading and reading. And from what I have read, Pioneer is one of the better DVD recorders out now. But, around here in the brick and morter stores. Pioneers is nonexistant. I can find it nowhere. I probably couldn't afford it anyway.
So, with that being said. What is the best brand and model that I can afford in the $400 price range? I am planning on copying VHS tapes, V HS-C tapes, Tivo recordings and mini dv tapes.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Scott

[NiteLite]

What is the best brand and model that I can afford in the $400 price range?.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Scott

Here's one suggestion.
Very nice Pioneer unit and the price has dropped recently about 30-40 bucks. Free shipping / no tax*

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-DVR-640H-S-Recorder-160GB-DVR/dp/B000FESU9O/ref=sr_11_1/...836149?ie=UTF8

Good luck,
NL

[lordsmurf]

These are the best recorders currently available:
- JVC recorders, any of them.
- Pioneer that does 352x480 Half D1 @ 3-hour settings
- Toshiba that has noise reduction options.
- LiteOn that has 3-hour LP mode.
- Zenith with LSI chipset and a 3-hour mode or 3-hour settings.
- Samsung with LSI chipset and a 3-hour mode or 3-hour settings.
- LG with LSI chipset.

Note that certain brands have certain notes! Not all recorders from that brand have all those features or specs.

[wado66]

Just curious after reading some more posts. Is the built in hard drive on the dvd recorder models just used for editing purposes? Or are there other advantages for it?

[FulciLives]

Just curious after reading some more posts. Is the built in hard drive on the dvd recorder models just used for editing purposes? Or are there other advantages for it?

The big advantage of the HDD as I see it (and use it) is that you can record hours and hours of content to the HDD before it fills up.

If you have a DVD recorder without a built-in HDD then you are limited to what will fit on a single DVD disc. Most people don't like to record more than 2 - 3 hours per disc ... maybe 4 hours at most.

That doesn't give you a lot of "room".

What if you go out one night and you want to record a show on one channel followed by a movie on another channel followed by another program on yet another channel and ... opps no space left on the DVD disc.

Imagine going away for the weekend or even a whole week vacation.

Sometimes TV channels will run marathons. For instance the HISTORY CHANNEL ran a marathon of UFO related shows one Saturday that was a solid 6 hour block of shows. If you have a HDD model that is easy otherwise you would have to "baby sit" and change discs out every 2 hours or whatever.

To me the real reason for having a HDD is so you aren't limited to 2 - 4 hours which is all you can fit on a DVD disc and still get good quality (I rarely go over the 2 hour mark per disc myself at least for TV shows. For a movie that is over 2 hours you don't really have a choice).

Of course the HDD models allow you to edit stuff but although I'll do that to an extent with mine (trim the start and end points) I usually copy to a DVD-RW and rip to the computer where I do any "fine" editing then burn to a final DVD-R on my computer burner. Then I can use the same DVD-RW over and over again to "transfer" stuff to the computer.

That Pioneer model (the AMAZON.COM link in a post above) is probably your best bet if you do want a HDD model. Not sure that is the best price (at AMAZON.COM) but that is definately the model you want ... if you want a DVD recorder with a built-in HDD.

I have the previous years model from Pioneer and I am very happy with it.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
I'm not a sports fan myself but if you are then the HDD model is a must as you can record to the HDD using a high bitrate ... watch it ... then delete it. You get really good quality. But if you record to a disc you have to set the time correctly and since some sporting events are very long (and the length varies) you end up using a low bitrate and it might not look so good. If you record to the HDD at a high bitrate and still want to keep it later you can always break it up to fit over 2 DVD discs and still have excellent quality instead of trying to fit it all on one DVD disc.

Of course some of what I am saying can be done with a DVR box like a TIVO box if you know what I mean.

[wado66]

Thanks for all of the replys. I was really dying to get my hands on something today to play with. So, I ran up to BB and got a Toshiba RD-XS35. I have 30 days to try it out. I have read a lot of stuff on the Pioneer and still may go with it.
I do have Tivo, so am I wasting money going with the recorder with a HD. I could do like you say, "FulciLives" and edit on my computer. I paid 399.99 for the RD-XS35. The only drawback on the Pioneer "NiteLite" recommended is that it isn't from a brick and morter store. I like buying my electronics from stores face to face in case I have problems. Or just want to return it easily.
Thank you all for your posts. They were very informative. If any of you have any more opinions or suggestions, especially on the Toshiba RD-XS35. I would welcome your imput.
Scott

[trhouse]

I would say the advantages of a hdd are that you do not have to depend on timers or a TV networks program guide to show when programs start and end. I have had timers on recorders simply fail to start and programs that ran over their alloted time not be fully recorded.

If you want to try a recorder with a hdd from a brick and mortar store, try the Polaroid 2001G at Walmart. It is a budget $219 and has the LSI chip favored by many.

It was reviewed by vhelp and myself independently on this thread,

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=279460

The build and recording quality was surprisingly good for such a budget product and the hdd can be easily replaced or upgraded with no special tools. It does have its drawbacks. +VR mode recording only like Lite-On's, mono TV tuner, mpeg1 layer2 audio ( no Dolby ), and a weak remote ( which may be fixed with more recent units ).

The US dvd standard does call for one sound track being either Dolby or LPCM so this is not entirely compliant. That said, I have also never had a player fail to play mpeg1, layer2 audio.

[edit]If you have TIVO then a hdd recorder may be redundant. With TIVO you have to pay monthly but a hdd recorder is pay once. I am not sure how big a hdd you can get with TIVO but I put a 500 GB in my Pioneer 531H.

[wado66]

OOPS, guess I should have read more. From what yall are saying, I don't think I need the HDD.
I upgraded my Tivo also. I added a second HD. So I'm good there.
I still haven't opened the box on the Toshiba RD-XS35. May make a trip back down there.
I was looking at some others while I was shopping.
Toshiba D-VR5
Sony RDR-VX530 (DVD/VCR Combo)
Philips DVDR3400
Samsung DVD-VR330 (DVD/VCR Combo)
I am currently looking thru this site at those models. Would appreciate any more info, if you have it. Thanks
Scott

Almost forgot looked at the LG DR1F9H also.

[davideck]

IMO, the added convenience, flexibility, and capabilities of a HDD unit will save you time, frustration, and blank media.

The ability to playback from and record to the HDD at the same time (Toshiba calls this "timeslip") is an extremely useful feature. Capturing to the HDD with Timeslip allows you to verify the capture quality while you're capturing instead of after the entire DVD is burned. Will you ever see something strange in the tape playback during capture and wonder what the DVD will look like? With Timeslip, you can search through the capture in progress and replay a section as many times as you like.

Will you ever want to start the capture at a specific point on the tape? Timeslip will allow you to verify this in seconds and start the capture over as many times as you like without wasting media.

By capturing to the HDD, you can easily make multiple DVD versions (playlists) from the same set of captures. For instance, you may want to make a compilation DVD of various chapters from multiple captures. Or you might want to add and/or delete chapters for DVDs that you make for relatives and friends. You can also easily make backups or multiple copies.

For analog tape capturing, I recommend Toshiba DVD Recorders because of their exceptional TBC performance and overall Picture Quality. This is particularly important if you are not planning to use an external TBC/Frame Synchronizer.

[wado66]

Let me make sure I understand correctly, "davideck". I have quite a few VHS-C tapes. Alot of birthdays on different tapes. Can I take a tape and put, say 15 minutes of that tape to the HD. Then get another tape and record 20 minutes from that tape, and so on. Then compile those clips, edite them and burn them to DVD?

[davideck]

Sure.

You could also capture each tape in its entirety and simply assign chapters for different sections of interest. Then, you can compile multiple chapters into a playlist and burn that as your DVD. You can create as many different playlists as you like. Very convenient.

BTW, for MiniDV tapes captured over 1394, my Toshiba RD-KX50 (80 GB version of the XS52) can automatically assign chapter points for each timecode (pause) or date change. This is a big timesaver for me.

[KTH]

Another plus with using a unit with a HDD is that if you record to the HDD first than tranfer to a DVD later you don't have to worry about losing the recording due to bad or incompatible media. You have to remember with units without a HDD it's one strike and your out, but with a HDD equipped unit you can try again if the burn fails. Yes, a HDD can go bad, but this is a lot less likely than running into bad or incompatible media. Also for myself I do record programs that may only run once, so having a HDD equipped unit reduces the risk of missing a recording.
Also about using a TiVo instead of a HDD equipped recorder I believe the TiVo's native resolution in it's highest quality mode is 480x480 (SVCD resolution) compared to most DVD recorders resolution at XP & SP of 720x480. I'm not sure what resolution units like the Humax & Toshiba TiVo units that have a built in DVD Recorder record at. Maybe they capture at a higher resolution.