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  1. Member ejai's Avatar
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    If I may comment.

    As per PhilipL
    I do not think for a moment that "quality" of recording was ever part of the motivation for Apex to produce a cheap DVD Recorder.
    I agree with PhilipL, you will get what you pay for.

    If anyone is thinking of buy a standalone that does not have a TBC and video filtering system included, you are wasting your money. I've created many dvd's using serveral different capture cards and devices and most look exactly like of worst than the vhs originals. None of these devices have TBC or any other video enhancement function.

    Once I optioned to purchase a Panasonic standalone recorder I was was pleased with the video results. I must say that once you start recording video that is more than 2 hours long, expect blockiness (especially on the Panasonic brands), I own 2 of them.

    I have noticed that some tapes that have jitter on the vhs originals are perfect when captured using the Panasonic machines. I also noticed that grainy video from the vhs original looks much smoother after being compressed to dvd standards using the Panasonic recorders.

    I am now convinced that the TBC and video filtering are needed in order to get satifactory video (especially when it comes to vhs tapes).

    I don't know much about the Apex but I will not buy or advise anyone else to purchase a unit without video enhancement abilities.
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  2. Member
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    "I must say that once you start recording video that is more than 2 hours long, expect blockiness (especially on the Panasonic brands), I own 2 of them."

    If you're using the FR mode though, you can by with 2hrs and 17min or slightly more. Any FR time limit after this point will present poor video and quality. I do agree though, if you want the best video quality...2hrs or less (using the FR mode) is best for DVD-Rs.
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  3. Originally Posted by PhilipL
    Hi

    I have already heard people having problems recording from VHS sources on the Apex, and that taken against the cheap price of these machines suggest the answer to there being anything more than a cheap Phase Lock Loop input circuit is a very suspected NO!

    Regards

    Philip

    Fixed via firmware update here

    http://www.apexdigitalinc.com/downloaddetail.asp?linenumber=3


    More details here

    http://www.dvdplusrw.org/cgi/forum/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=4;t=7502


    KDH
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  4. I have 3 Apex players, all hacked, use one of them minimum 4 times a week. I think they are great. My oldest was 2 years old last Christmas. If that Recorder does indeed play vcds, I will be trying one.
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  5. well all the walmarts here in phoenix now carry in stock for $378 the apex recorder, the panasonic e50 for $449, with the apex that close in price to the better panasonic, I'll wait a few months until the APEX drops to price thats more equal say $249 or $199 then it will be worth the price, if they don't have some type of TBC in them I will stay away from them , I love the panasonic E10 and E20 I have and they both have 3 type of video enhancement filters in them including TBC and when I dub a VHS I loose no quality that I can see on a 36in JVC TV.
    By the way my Sampo 631CF blows away any apex DVD player I have ever tried and the Sampo allows backups of DVD's to be recorded on the Pnansonics also.
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  6. [quote="txpharoah" Just be fair. I'll say right now that the Panasonic machines did NOT impress me at all, so I'm not even considering those as an option. If anything, I'd take a Pioneer, but considering the excellent APEX DVD Player track-record, I think they deserve a chance before I decide.[/quote]

    Hmmm. Just to be fair, exactly *what* about the Panasonic machines did not impress you?

    I've had the E20 for over two years now and it's been *very* impressive -- build, durability, ease of use, features and, most of all, video quality. Indeed, at the SP speed (two hour mode) it produces video that compares to *much* higher bitrates (supposedly it's doing a VBR of 5000 at that speed, but it looks like 7000 or more).

    I would (and have) wholeheartedly recommended the Panny to anyone who wants a standalone -- my Panny disks have easily been the match, quality wise, with anything the Sony 500 or Pioneer A06 have made.
    "Like a knife, he cuts through life, like every day's his last" -- Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
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  7. Apex realized the problem with recording from a vcr to the dvd recorder thru A/v cables and released a firmware update to fix this problem.
    You can find fault in just about every device, weather it be the recording quality, lack of features, etc.. so dont knock it just because it has the Apex name.
    I can record from vcr, cable, dvd to dvd recorder,I can record rental DVD's(tried just to see if copy protection was in place).all without problems or errors.
    And another plus of the DVD+RW is it can record up to six hours on a single DVD+RW disk. I bought this because of the price, cannot afford to spend $500.00 to $600.00 on a dvd recorder and it does a really nice job for the price.
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  8. Folks,

    I've had a number of Apex products, and while they're quite useful, I still wouldn't expect one to last much longer than a year or two before it started giving me problems. "You might get lucky" -- take your chances.

    Beats the holy heck out of me what anyone could find disappointing about the new 4th-generation Panasonic recorders. I absolutely could not possibly be happier with my DMR-E50. And, you can find one for not a whole lot more than the Apex. I'd take a Panasonic over an Apex in a second, and I'd take DVD-R over any "+" format machine in a second, too. Yes, I have heard of good compatibility with +R discs, but just look at how many machines actually specify it -- not very dang many at all. I think -R has already won the war, and the Panasonic "hard drive" recorders will drive the last nails in the +R coffin.

    At any rate, let me be specific about what I like about the Panasonic DMR-E50:

    Excellent video quality at XP speed.
    Fine video quality at SP speed.
    Haven't tried the slower speeds, but they're there if you want 'em.
    Excellent connectivity with other equipment.
    Excellent build quality.
    Intelligent, logical menus and controls.
    Perfectly useful DVD menus and chapter-setting capabilities. Yes, not as flexible as you can do on a computer, but "perfectly useful" nonetheless.

    For a few more bucks than an Apex?? This is a no-brainer!!!

    thoots
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  9. I was a fan of Apex a couple of years ago when they were the leader in breaking down the price points of DVD players in gereral. Plus at the time they seemed to be conscience of the fact that many consumers wanted flexibility in playing formats like VCD and SVCD beyond specificatons - or simply playing them at all. The Apex players broke the mold. DVD Players fell so fast in price that names like Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer etc had a hard time keeping up.

    That being said I'm not on the same bandwagon as it relates to DVD recorders and Apex. Quality may be more important in the minds of the consumer when it relates to DVD recording as opposed to simple multi format VCD, SVCD or DVD playback. There is an investment involved - the consumable DVD-+R disc. If consumers are spending money on the blank discs the tendency may be for a better quality recorder. Cheap recorders may not win here.

    I realize that CD's cost money but back in the heyday of VCD and SVCD it was a victory simply to find a DVD player that could play them - period -Apex fit the bill. Plus the macrovision hacks were attractive. That will not work as a strategy on the recorder side.

    I think the big names may have learned their lesson and will protect their market. Price points will come down but I don't feel we'll see a quality recorder for less than $100 like the current contingent of cheap DVD players.

    I would recommend a high quality brand name in this arena.

    edit - one more point. I think Apex may be attempting a strategy of entering the DVD recorder market as a low cost yet quality provider. They may not be quite as willing to reduce prices with this product. On the player side they grabbed dominant market share in north america in less that a year which I feel stunned even them. That was the principal reason for all of the quality complaints associated with their products. The raced to find factories that could produce. They bought market share at the expense of the niche. Essentially destroyed any profit margins associated with selling DVD players. But they are offering many consumer products now everything from tv's to electronics. They established their brand. They may be less willing to cut prices as in the past.

    Establishing a brand can be costly to the company. the competition, but it's always great for consumers. But not normal in the grand scheme.
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  10. Apex has been very good about releasing firmware upgrades to correct any problems with this recorder. They fixed the VCR to DVD recorder issue and corrected the low audio output. I have burned twenty or so dvd disks so far and have had no problems. They were smart in making the firmware upgradable on this machine.
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  11. hsn.com has another one, the Cyberhome:
    CyberHome DVD Recorder with Progressive Scan and Remote Control Retail Value: $986.52HSN Price: $399.96Sale: $328.84S & H: $16.95You Save: $657.68

    I wonder how it rates?
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  12. Has anyone who purchased the Apex recorder decided to keep it?
    How is it working out?
    I'm thinking of getting one.
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  13. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Be adventuresome.

    Walmart DOES have a 90-day return policy, no questions asked.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
    FAQs: Best Blank DiscsBest TBCsBest VCRs for captureRestore VHS
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  14. Member
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    My roommate ended up returning his Apex recorder after a week. It turns out that the latest firmware update fixed the random crashes and hangs that plagued it for the first 3 days he owned it (but before he told me about the problems, and I flashed it for him), but then he lost the ability to create DVD+RW discs that were playable on anything besides the Apex recorder itself (something that he'd been able to do before the flash update).

    Personally, I think the entire current crop of DVD recorders are pretty useless. Their quality is no better than S-VHS... in fact, it's usually much worse... and DVD recorders STILL can't record anything better than 480i (the one thing that would redeem them in my opinion, since D-VHS is still outrageously expensive).
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  15. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by miamicanes
    and DVD recorders STILL can't record anything better than 480i
    You don't say.

    Think about what you just said, and compare it to the DVD specification.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
    FAQs: Best Blank DiscsBest TBCsBest VCRs for captureRestore VHS
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