Apex DVD+RW/+R recorder $399

[KDH]

Available on Sears.com
$399

The most significant thing about this recorder is that it's based on a different chipset design(Cirrus) to the Philips/Yamaha/Magnavox recorders(and the Mico & Daewoo)

(Cirrus logic reference design- see http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspRelatedID=3305 )

More info here
http://www.apexdigitalinc.com/proddetail.asp?linenumber=66&c=No

and here
http://www.cirrus.com/en/press/kits/DVDRecorder.html

Interesting to see the reliability of this one!

KDH

[NightWing]

Looks like more nailes in VHS coffin! Like the firewire that can be added to the base designed.

Wonder when Apex will have the downloadable manual for this beat?

[zanos]

If it were $200-$300 then it might be worth it because this thing doesn't even have a hard drive and it's an Apex. You can get a panasonic one for $500.00.

[NightWing]

At 300 and if they add the fire wire port would serve the same as the transcoder Composit/DV boxes with the addition of a burnner for about the same price!

Great starting to drule now! This is starting to get intersting!

[FulciLives]

Hello People!

You can get the Panasonic DMR-E50 for $400 if you use a price search website such as MYSIMON.COM

The Panasonic unit works EXTREMELY well and has many features that the APEX unit does not have. The most important of these is the fact that the Panny unit has a 3D Y/C Comb Filter and a built-in TBC ... both of these do a BANG-UP job of cleaning up and stabilizing an analog video signal. As you can imagine this will improve the image greatly not to mention that the MPEG2 encoder will have an "easier" time of doing the encoding which of course will result in better quality.

The Panny DMR-E50 does not include FireWire inputs but there is a step up model (the DMR-E60) that does and it is only about $100 or so more.

I just did a search on MYSIMON.COM and the lowest price for the DMR-E50 is $382.00 and the lowest price for the DMR-E60 is $479.99

APEX can suck my ... ummm ... manhood

Oh, I should point out something ... the Panny units use DVD-R and DVD-RAM whereas the APEX uses the DVD+RW format. IF you would rather have DVD+RW over DVD-R (and DVD-RAM) THEN I have a bridge somewhere in a desert that you might be interested in buying ...

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
You don't really want to capture camcorder footage in MPEG2 DVD format unless your footage does not need to be edited. The MPEG2 format is not very friendly to the type of extensive editing such camcorder footage usually requires. So I doubt very many people will be using the FireWire port on stand alone DVD recorders.

[txpharoah]

As soon as this thing sells at Walmart, I'm buying it.
FYI: Wal-mart is almost like APEX HQ, so I'm sure it will show up there eventually.
And I bet it'll be $199 when it does debut at a Wal-mart.
Anybody want to take bets? I'm thinking Christmas season!

[dcsos]

Maybe someone will invent a MPEG-2 editor that can handle already compressed camcorder footage without frame error or compression mistakes

If we had a tool like
SONIC FOUNDRY VEGAS 4.0
then we'd use the firewire in and edit later when necesary!

[FulciLives]

Remember:
In the world of digital video, you ALWAYS get what you pay for.
Dollars do make the difference. So quit buying junk.

Hey txpharoah ...

I'm NOT trying to get on your bad side but ...

I have to admit I find the quoted comment funny in light of you advocating the purchase of ANYTHING made by APEX ... hehehe

Luv ya

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[KDH]

Available at Amazon as a preorder for $384.99
here
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008N6XE/102-5556886-3708913?vi=glance

KDH

[NightWing]

Must be a typo. It states at Amazon that it come with editing software.

[txpharoah]

Remember:
In the world of digital video, you ALWAYS get what you pay for.
Dollars do make the difference. So quit buying junk.

Hey txpharoah ...
I'm NOT trying to get on your bad side but ...
I have to admit I find the quoted comment funny in light of you advocating the purchase of ANYTHING made by APEX ... hehehe
Luv ya - John "FulciLives" Coleman

Yeah, but I cut APEX some slack because some of their DVD players play any CD I throw at them and even take quite a few DVD formats as well. It took me weeks to find the good version of the 1100W in stores. I had to learn about barcodes and everything to make sure I got the right production date and everything. Found one, hacked it, and it's purred like a kitten ever since. And at only $75 (at the time the cheapest price).

I'd give their DVD-recorder a chance.

And you know why I'd wait until it shows up at Walmart?

Because you get 90s days on returns. Just in case.

I think that this Christmas season I'll get myself a 2.0 megapixels ultra-compact digital camera for under $80 and a DVD-Recorder for about $199. Not positive, but thing are looking this way.

[KDH]

In my first post on this thread I incorrectly quoted the wrong reference design
It is in fact a LSI logic design
see
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030602/sfm036_1.html

KDH

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[KDH]

Which begs the question Philip-Why did they(Apex)choose the +RW/+R format?
Certainly not pressure from Philips or the DVD+Alliance-this machine is on none of the Alliance websites.

KDH

[orbital517]

Remember:
In the world of digital video, you ALWAYS get what you pay for.
Dollars do make the difference. So quit buying junk.

Hey txpharoah ...

I'm NOT trying to get on your bad side but ...

I have to admit I find the quoted comment funny in light of you advocating the purchase of ANYTHING made by APEX ... hehehe

Luv ya

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

LOL!!!!!!! I was thinking the same thing. For someone to have a sig that says "you get what you pay for", and then saying that the APEX at walmart for $199 is contradicting.

hehehe

But to each his own.

[NightWing]

Is there somthing in the spects for DVD+ about incremintal writing? Or quick erasing?

Like the other chips set wondering if a FireWire can be added? Sounding like a hacking dream if so!

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[spiderman2k1]

I like Apex but this one has no hard drive I'll pass on it

[thxkid]

heck for use people who allready own a DVD recorder (2 in my case) I can't wait for APEX's 40 hour Hard disk recorder for $189, that will go perfect with my DVD recorders and dishnet and ram discs. There was no way I was gonna record Indy 500 at 5 hour mode on my panasonic, the hard disk recorder would have eliminated that, the horrible quality that is. and for $189 not only is it a hard disk recorder its also a progressive DVD player also.

[NightWing]

Could be they just got a heck of a deal on + drives.

A HD recorder woulld fit the bill for a lot of people just to record a soap or possible a month of shows they like. Going to be a fun xmas season when this stuff hits.

WOW Wonder if you could add a slider tray system so you CAN remove the HD! This was something Tivo showed at a trade show a while back. This is getting intersting!

[handyguy]

DVD-RAM has twice the data rate of dvdr, thats why those panasonics can let you watch one program on the same disk that you are recording at the same time. also DVD-RAM has a rewrite rating of 100,000 times.

[KDH]

More on the Apex here
http://www.dvdplusrw.org/cgi/forum/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=4;t=7197
Seems there will be a 9200 model later in the year with Firewire.

KDH

[NightWing]

Just notist the Apex site has the PDF copy of the manul up for this unit.

[KDH]

Available in WalMart
$378
see
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?cat=3987&dept=3944&product_id=2221270&path=...62055%3A105664

KDH

[FulciLives]

Available in WalMart
$378

I really don't see the attraction here since you can buy the Panasonic DMR-E50 stand alone DVD recorder for around $400 (mail order price)

The Panasonic unit is SO much better than the Apex. No I don't have the Apex or even read a review of it but the specs speak for someselves. The Panasonic has an adaptive 3D comb filter and built-in TBC ... the Panasonic units have been around for a while and have proven (mostly due to the two features I just noted) to be excellent at converting ANALOG to DIGITAL. The Apex does not have those two VERY important features.

So unless the price is exceptionally lower (which it is not) then why even bother with it?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Gil T Pleasure]

Maybe it's the fact that Panasonic uses the less compatible DVD-RAM format whereas Apex uses the more compatible DVD+RW format.

[FulciLives]

Maybe it's the fact that Panasonic uses the less compatible DVD-RAM format whereas Apex uses the more compatible DVD+RW format.

If you want DVD+ anything over DVD- anything then I got a bridge to sell you somewhere out in the Sierra desert.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[FulciLives]

Hi

It seems that the Apex isn't quite as good as first thought, it is similar to the Sony GX7 in that features of the +RW VR format have been removed. The dvdrwplus promotional site explained that Sony had to do this to make the deck simpler to use due to having the two formats for users to content with (yeah right). This excuse doesn't hold true for the Apex of course.

So why dumb down the +RW format? Is it reliability issues or something else?

Regards

Philip

My understanding is that the +RW format was originally made and intended for data storage as opposed to DVD format video storage. So it might very well be a reliability or compatibility issue.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn