Lite-On DVD Recorder Model: 5101 at Sams for $139 any good?

[Xyscaling]

NightWing,
I appreciate the work. This is very, very interesting. I am surprised at the difference in the Ilo 04 and the Liteon 5101. Especially how much better the 5101 does the "tree" than the 04.

Thanks, Tom

[NightWing]

Glad I cound do it. Sorry it took so long! It was intersting to see the difference. The video looks better than the LSI chipset! Also like the 220, the 5101 matches well with the source.

I like the split screen for comparasons even though it a pain to do. It shows the difference.

Need to do a set with the ADS A/V Pro Link. But getting so spoiled on record->author instead of wait to compress, the ADS is becomming a mood point.

[Xyscaling]

Now that I'm back from vacation........ I'll take just a minute and comment that I have just taken my ILO 04 back to Wal-Mart and I am keeping the 5101.

Here's why:
1. Picture quality. I am interested in PQ more than time shifting. NightWing helped with that decision. See his photos on this thread. Especially the "tree scene" from Video Essentials and compare the 04 to the 5101.

2. The 5101 burned discs will play on my Panasonic XP-30....... both +RW and +R. Also +RW and +R will play fine on my Malata N996. That's important because of it's X Y scaling ability.

Only +R from the ILO would play on my P'sonic . No burns from the ILO would play on the Malata. I'm probably the only member here that has picked the 5101 over the 04.......... I like it.

[etcallhome]

Thanks XYScaling and Nightwing for all your helpful posts. Based upon them, I've told Santa (my wife) that I want an ILo for Christmas. I feel like the PQ difference between the two will not be noticable given my pre-S video Trinitron. I work for Walmart and we are getting our 10 percent off one item coupon for Thanksgiving. We can combine with our regular employee 10 percent off. Basically 20 off the regular $150. I never dreamed I could get into DVD recording for not much more than $100 before tax at this point in time. Of course, "Santa" expects me to hand over the coupon when I get it.

[Xyscaling]

Good decision.........

As I mentioned before: the ILO has many, many great features, ie:
excellent menus, better TV tuner, much more user friendly, better remote, etc., etc.,

You are getting a great deal!!! Have fun.
Regards, Tom

P.S. Oh yea, I didn't mention it, but my son works for Sam's, as you probably know, Sam's employees do not get employee discounts.

[tipstir]

I own the 5101 from Sams Club, I don't see any problems with it, picture is very good even at LP and at SP you can't tell the difference between professional DVD to one I've recorded off analog cable TV through the TV tuner.

S-Video and Standard Video through Digital Cable TV the picture recording is near perfect to professional.

Don't know what's all the fuss about befween this one from Sams Club and the one from Wal-Mart. Both made by Liteon in China, just the front panel is different and logo. Chip set don't really seem much of a difference in picture. I like the remote from Liteon it has everything you need the ILO lacks features on the remote plus it way to tiny to read even in low light from the TV in the dark where the lite with the silver background makes it easy to place the right buttons to progress and they are larger.

This is one way of recording off the air or from cable TV, you could use the PC as a DVR and send the recorded video down through the process of network streaming to your living room TV using a box called Media MVP. That's a bit more fun to use and there is no need to burn DVD-ISO to watch on you DVD Player since you can sent the media directly to your TV.

I am trying out all the stops to see which one works, so far replacing the common VCR with the Lite-on DVD Recorder 5101 has really paid off, but I find myself using the PC "Intervideo WinDVD Recorder Platinum 5" with Titan TV to do all my digital recording and sending the media to TV through S-Video, picture is just a shy from the Liteon DVD Recorder.

With the Liteon you can record and play through any DVD Player, my favorite play all media type is Mintek DVD 1600, which I was surprised that the Liteon can play everything that one can, even KVCD, RAW DVD-ISO MPEG1, MPEG2 also known as DATA DVD-RW.

Sound is excellent then again I am using high digital optical 24K cable.

One more thing about the Tuner, the picture can be improved if you use R6 Digital Quad 2.3GHz 18AWG coaxal cable.

Well this is my opinion but I think the Lite-ON DVD is a good deal, the menu are very good, and easy to use and navigate using the large remote.

Worth a try in my book!

[Xyscaling]

Well, that means that there are at least two of us that like the 5101........

[etcallhome]

I have a question about recording with the iLo. And, that is what I am going to use it for. No playback. Haven't got it yet but will for Christmas. My question centers on concern about the mono tuner. Sound is every bit as important to me as PQ. Will the mono turner affect the audio if I connect it in the following way?

I am using a Sony TV as a monitor (its tuner is broken, pic is fine) connected to a VCR via the A/V composite connections. I'm running a signal from a Cox digital cable box into the VCR. All of this is going through my receiver which has the necessary A/V composite connections (TV has no S-video connection). From this setup, I intend to run A/V composite lines into the iLo recorder. If you can make sense out of all of this (I'm very much a newbie), will the iLo's tuner record stereo (2 channel as it is, not surround) as it is received from the VCR? Will iLo's tuner in anyway degrade the signal to mono? I hope I'm making sense to you all.

[Xyscaling]

etcallhome,
OK, as I understand your question. You are :

1st: using the Cox cable box to tune your channels and running a/v cables(with RCA ends) to one of the composite inputs on the TV since the coax out of the cable box depends on a working TV tuner to work.

2nd: going with coax? or composite? out of the cable box to the VCR??

3rd: Going from your VCR to your A/V receiver? Just audio or audio and video?

4th: Then to the ILO...........

I CAN tell you that if you want to record a TV program in stereo, you can, but you do not want to use the ILO TV tuner. You want to come out of either the cable box, or the A/V receiver (if it has the correct output jacks), or maybe even the TV if IT has the correct (RCA) output jacks. i.e.
composite video out, left channel audio, right channel audio.

Clear as mud??? As some more questions........
Regards, Tom

[etcallhome]

Hello all,
My monitor went kaput so for right now I am having to use the public library computers until I get a new one. Tom, my name is Tom too. Anyway, I am just now replying to your post about my recording connections.
I will have to go home and look at the back of my equipment and see how I hooked it all up. Can't remember if it is coaxial or rca that is running from the cable box to the VCR.
However, judging from your answer it looks like I can circumvent iLo's tuner and record stereo on it. I didn't think it would matter if the signal source is a video cassette or a cable signal. The iLo will process it the same way. Just the same, I'll post precisely how I've got my system hooked up in the near future.

Let me really show my ignorance now. What is a chipset?
Thanks,
Tom

[Xyscaling]

Just wanted to let everyone know just in case you didn't see Tipster's note, there is now a firmware upgrade for the 5101 at the Lighton website.

Merry Christmas!!