Bad experience with +RW recorders

[asichter]

Over the past few weeks I've tested a number of +RW recorders. I like the fact that +rw discs are the same price as +r/-r discs, and while -ram is a lot more versitile, it's nearly 3 times the price in Australia. Basically I ended up have a bad experience with all the +rw recorders I tested and I returned them all and opted for the Panasonic E-50.

The recorders I tested:

Digitrex GKX9000 (Apex DRX9000):

It was at the bottom of the price list and for the price did a pretty good job. It did have issues - too much brightness in the color of recordings, copy protection popping up when recording non-copy protected VHS tapes, and a weak TV Tuner. Digitrex in Australia said they would not release a FW update & that the FW update for the Apex 9000 was not applicable to this unit??? So much for customer service! I returned the unit.

Hyundai (not sure of the model #):

A beautiful looking unit on the outside. A nice slim design in a good looking case, but that's where it ended! Once you turned it on it was a nightmare. It has the worst navigation I've ever seen. Very difficult to get around in. It also had a weak TV Tuner. I returned it.

Centrex (a Digitrex 9000 in a different case):

The manual, the remote, and the navigation was identical to that of the Digitrex. I feared it may suffer from the same issues. I didn't buy it.

Omni DW2105:

Probably the pick of the bunch. Again this could have been a Digitrex in disguise, without the issues, except for a weak TV Tuner. Navigation was the same as that of the Digitrex. The main issue I had with this unit was the fact that it didn't have a cooling fan. Even after just 10 minutes the unit became excessively hot and I thought that the disc was going to melt. I could see this unit crashing from overheating in no-time at all. I returned it.

Finally I came to the conclusion that you get what you pay for! I paid the extra and got the Panasonic E50. Quality at last! I also have the E20, so I had the E50 setup in no-time at all, and I was away. This one I'll be keeping! It's been a real eye-opening experience over the last few weeks. Look very carefully at what you buy, before you buy!

Andy S.

[andkiich]

I've never heard of any of those DVD drives. Maybe those drives are not up to snuff.

Consider testing with other drives line Sony, NEC, LG,Pioneer, I think you're getting the point.

[donpedro]

I've never heard of any of those DVD drives. Maybe those drives are not up to snuff.

Consider testing with other drives line Sony, NEC, LG,Pioneer, I think you're getting the point.

Maybe I am wrong in my assumption... but he is talking about DVD Recorders and not Writers.

[spiderman2k1]

Also in other countries they have another brand's. As APEX is some what big in the USA but not in the UK or Australia. And alot of these companies buy DVD recorder from other companies and you do not know what your getting in to. Name brand product's like Panasonic Pioneer and JVC Sony and so on are alway's a good bet. But some time's the smaller guy's make great player's as well. APEX was very good a while back. APEX in the USA has a firmware update for VHS tape's. May be there's not firmware update yet for PAL as Australia is PAL. So far doe DVD recorder's I love Panasonic.

[thxkid]

my wife and both have a maganovox DVD+R\RW recorder we bought from sams for $314, I have about 100 hours on mine my wife has over 1000 hours and both work perfect, my wife has actually worn out a couple of her +RW's and the quality is up there with my Panasonic E20 and whats better I can take the +RW's and put them on my computer and edit them without any loss in picture and then reburn them.

[MrMungus]

When I was first looking into converting tapes to DVD, I looked at DVD recorders and read reviews and it seemed a lot of people had serious problems with some brands/models of DVD recorders. I guess it depends a lot on what you get. I wonder if the DVD recorder situation is the same as the situation with a lot of computer stuff: the good units have common electronics that are good and the bad ones do, too (i.e., cheap).

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[spiderman2k1]

DVD-R and DVD-RAM and DVD-RW are the best just go to www.dvdforum.org read the top right corner

[Alfer]

DVD-R and DVD-RAM and DVD-RW are the best just go to www.dvdforum.org read the top right corner

So just because DVDForum "doesn't approve" of +RW makes it bad?? Pleeeeze.

[spiderman2k1]

When HD-TV come out they might not support DVD+R. Every DVD player that is made right now has to play DVD-R it's part of the license with www.dvdforum.org no player has to support DVD+R if they do not want to. I'm not saying DVD=R is bad format just saying DVD-R and DVD-RW and DVD-RAM are better.

[coyote]

Lets please not start the +r/-r war again. Nearly every player thats out there right now plays both formats. There are good and bad points about both.

[asichter]

I didn't want this to turn into a slanging match against the +RW camp. My issues were with the poor quality units and not the + format: issues such as FW updates required, poor quality TV Tuners, poor navigation and no cooling fans in some units. The quality of the + recordings was actually very good, with the exception of the over-brightness of the Digitrex.

Maybe Philips should have been a little more carefull who they sold their technology to. Letting the backyard bandits load up poor quality units with the +RW technology really hasn't helped their cause. I have yet to come across a poor quality -R recorder, at least in Australia.

So my issues are with the poor manufacturing of some +RW recorders, and not with the format itself. By the way, I'm loving the Panny E50 ... a very well manufactured unit, constantly producing great results!

Andy S.

[spiderman2k1]

DVD-RAM and DVD-RW I real feel are better for home recorder's letting you record in VRO file mode. It's one big MPEG 2 file that you can edit with MPEG2VCR. I'm not start a war of format. Just stating what I think is better. That's my own opinion.

[kabanero]

DVD-RAM and DVD-RW I real feel are better for home recorder's letting you record in VRO file mode. It's one big MPEG 2 file that you can edit with MPEG2VCR......

spiderman2k1.

I'm not start a war of format, but can you tell me, please: when you finished recording DVD-RAM or DVD-RW in VRO format (one big file) , can you take that disk out of your stand alone DVD recorder AS-IS and play it in any other (non-Panasonic ) stand alone DVD player?

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[kabanero]

Hey PhilipL

I didn't ask you for an answer, you Pioneer fan boy.

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[kabanero]

Hi

..... The problem is +RW is only supported fully by Philips, with no other mainstream manufacturer getting behind it on set-top recorders. Sony supports +RW on its set-tops but has stripped away all the features to reduce the operational overhead and make it reliable.

Philip

Hey Philip,

How about this list:


Amtron tba
Amtron tba
Anam ADVR-6500
Anam ADVR-7500
Anam DVR-1D
Apex DRV-900X
Apex DRX-9000
Apex DRX-9001
Apex DRX-9200
Apex DRX-9400
Apex DRX-9500
Apex HTX-90
Apex PVR-9280
Arlink DVD-R320
Arlink RW-320
Arlink RW-600
Arlink RW-747
Arrgo CH-ADR-530
Audiovox D500R
Bantam D5004DT
Bantam HTD5004DT
BBK DW9915
BBK DW9917
BBK DW9919
Beko DVDRW 8000
BenQ DRD510
BenQ JH300
Brainwave DVDR 901
Bush DVD2003
Bush DVDR300
CAT DVR-228
CAT tba
Centrex tbd
Centrum Xamba 300
Changhong DRV-900X
Changhong DRW900
Changhong DRW910
Claire (Sampo) DV-R7H
CMI (Sampo) MD40597
CML DW9915
CyberHome CH-DVR 1500
CyQ"ve PV2400e
CyQ"ve PV2400i
Daewoo DF-S71N
Daewoo DF-S72N
Daewoo DF-S73N
Daewoo DF-S74N
Daewoo DQR-2000D
Daewoo DQR-3000D
Daewoo DQR-4000D
Daewoo DQR-5000D
Daewoo DVR-1000N
Daewoo DW-S71N
Daewoo DW-S72N
Denver tba
Desay DS-K93
Desay DS-R80
Desay DS-R85
Desay DS-R95
Digitrex GRX-9100
Diva DRW-E8010
DVONE DRW804
DVONE DRW805
DVONE DW-804
DVONE DW-805
DVONE DW-810
DVONE HE-520
Ellion DVR-900A
Ellion DVR-900C
Fisher (Sanyo) DVR-500
Fujitsu-Siemens Activity Media Center
Gateway AR-230
Goodmans (Alba) HEC14 (GDVD100R)
Go-Video R6530
Grundig / GRD DVDR550 DVDR
H&B DR-900
Haier tbd
HE HEDVDR-960
Himage tbd
Hiteker HE-520
Hiteker HE-560
Hualu AER-600
Hualu DVD-R65
Hualu DVR-R66
Hualu DVR-R68
Hualu SH-600
Humax DRP-560
Hyundai DVR-900A
Irradio DVDR-1000
Japan Computer Corp. (JCC) iBOX K Series
LG DR4712
LG LGDVDR313
LG RC5900
LG RH4810
Lite-On LPW-6001
Lite-On LVW-5001
Lite-On LVW-5005
Lite-On LVW-5010
Lite-On LVW-5020
Magnavox (Philips) MDV630R
Magnavox (Philips) MDV650R
Malata DVR-R2
Malata DVR-R3
Mastec 50550/HTDVDRE 31
Maxent (Sampo) DVE-R6
MBO DVD-REC 2000
Memorex DW9915
Memorex tba
Mico DVDR310
Mico DVDR311
Mico DVDR312
MiCO Espejo R301
MicroniK MovieNET 1500
Mustek DVD-R100A
Mustek DVD-R100B
Philips DVDR 1000
Philips DVDR1000 MkII
Philips DVDR1500
Philips DVDR600VR
Philips DVDR615
Philips DVDR70
Philips DVDR72
Philips DVDR740
Philips DVDR75
Philips DVDR755
Philips DVDR77
Philips DVDR80
Philips DVDR880
Philips DVDR890
Philips DVDR980
Philips DVDR985
Philips DVDR990
Philips HDRW720
Philips LX9000R
Polaroid DVR-0800
Profilo DVD+RW S80
Profilo DVD+RW S90
Qpict tba
RCA (Thomson) DRC8000N
RCA (Thomson) DRC8300N
Rogers (Mico) DV-810R
Sampo DVE-R3
Sampo DV-R1
Sampo DV-R66
Scott SDR-104
Skyworth DVDRW-003
Sony RDR-GX3
Sony RDR-GX300
Sony RDR-GX5
Sony RDR-GX7
Sony RDR-HX10
Sony RDR-HX8
Sony tbd
Sony tbd
Teco TD2028VR
Teco TD5000VRC
Telstar DVD-R 890
Tevion DRW-1000
Thomson DTH8000
United DVR 4092
United DVR 4094
Universum tbd
Vestel tba
Wanlida DiVA DVR-489
Xoro HSD R505
Yamada DVR-8000
Yamaha DRX-1
Yamaha DRX-2
Yank tba
Yank tba
Yukai (Mustek) DVD-R100A

The rest of the models are the same 2 or 3 reference designs, a sort of do-it-yourself-cheap kit, which only the Tawaniese manufacturers have been buying up, and producing set-top recorders with these kits, as it requires little R&D.

Hey Philip,

Are Yamaha, RCA, Sony, Hyundai, LG, Daewoo Tawaniese manufacturers?

Here is the link:
http://www.dvdplusrw.org/Search.Overview.asp?mid=8&sid=9

Philip,

When are you going to stop bull shitting people?

[KDH]

Don't forget Sanyo-they're due to ship +RW recorders( or possibly dual format)to the US this April.

As for there being only "1 or 2 factories" making all these recorders--unlikely...........

There are 4 chipset makers supplying the various makers.

Cirrus Logic to Mustek,Thomson/RCA and Cyberhome all of which make their own recorders(and soon to supply LG) .Sampo/Maxent have a factory in mainland China coming on stream in the next couple of weeks.

LSI logic supply to LiteOn and OEM manufacturer of Apex.

ESS to Polaroid

Philips supply chipsets to Daewoo and Funai(?) and to MiCO who are currently making 1500 recorders a day in a factory in Shenzhen,China.

So my count says there maybe as many as 10 suppliers on top of Philips and Sony themselves.

Then theres the royalty issue-the Chinese don't like paying royalties-look at EVD.Will they be prepared to go the dual route for an extra $10 a machine to include -RW?

Look at Dell and HP/Compaq -still not shipping dual DVD writers yet and saving as much as a quarter of a billion dollars this year(assuming 25 million +RW writers this year fitted to half of their annual output of 50 million PC's worldwide with a $10 royalty saved each time for not including -RW)

Also there's the currency issue-most -RW/-R/RAM recorders are made in Japan.They can't be making much money at the moment with the dollar so low.The Chinese currency is pegged to the dollar-so no risk.

KDH

Oh I nearly forgot.........12x PC +R writers appear in early March ..6 weeks after Pioneer manage to get 8x -R on the shelves