Looking for opinions on the ILO DVDRHD04

[FulciLives]

Hello

A Walmart store near me has a stack of these and they just reduced the price to $229

Sounds like a good deal for a stand alone DVD recorder with a built-in 80GB HDD but I know some people have had "issues" with this model.

I checked out the ILO WEBSITE and there is a firmware for the DVDRHD04 dated 08/22/2005 which is not that long ago ... I wonder how well it works?

I also downloaded this tool called the ILO / LiteOn SMART Firmware Hacker (v 1.5) and ran the 08/22/2005 firmware through it and it supposedly made it macrovision free, region free and added the 3 hour LP recording mode. I did this with the anticipation that I might buy the ILO DVDRHD04

Walmart told me their return policy is 30 days on this product but before I buy it I wanted to hear some opinions from those that have it or even those that don't have it but know it well from reading threads about it.

Please note I will be using this mostly for cable TV recordings so with that in mind I intend to record to the HDD ... edit out TV ads ... then burn to a DVD+RW ... import to the computer ... author with TMPGEnc DV Author ... burn to a DVD-R.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[MJA]

lucky u.none at the walmart near me.just few ILO DVD04 left.
I thought the return policy is 90 days at walmart

"For those of you SELLING my Hacks on Ebay... F**K YOU!"
loool

[FulciLives]

lucky u.none at the walmart near me.just few ILO DVD04 left.
I thought the return policy is 90 days at walmart

"For those of you SELLING my Hacks on Ebay... F**K YOU!"
loool

There are 3 different Walmart stores near me and this is the only one that has the ILO DVDRHD04 and they have a stack of them (I'd say about 8 or so) and the price was something like $278 but they just reduced them to $229 ... as for the reason they have them ... this is a "ghetto" out-of-the-way Walmart that doesn't see as much action as the other two near me AND they have them stacked on the top shelf where they keep "overstock" items on the extreme fringe of the electronics area so unless you "hunt" for it you would never know they had it.

I was going to get the Pioneer 531 but they were out of stock, suggested the ILO instead ... and truth be told the Pioneer 531 (at almost $340) would have broke me so I thought about it but figured I better check here first but I did ask about the return policy and they said only 30 days when it comes to DVD players/recorders.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[MJA]

Thanx God I know someone there.I returned my damn philips divx player after 1 year.

[gshelley61]

You can get a brand new Pioneer 531 on eBay for about $270 (or less) shipped. Just get one from a high positive feedback seller with a good returm policy.

Since you are definitely an advanced video hobbyist, I believe you would be much happier with the Pioneer in the long run. The ilo units do a good job of MPEG2 encoding, but have no input video picture adjustments at all (no way to adjust black level, for example). They do not compensate for 7.5 IRE sources, so all your VHS transfers would be incorrect unless you use a separate proc amp to adjust the black level to 0 IRE first.

Of course, the biggest advantage of the Lite-On/ilo/Gateway machines is they are very easy to hack MV free...

[trhouse]

Do you know if the iLo or any brand of hard drive recorder other than Sony and Pioneer have the quasi-two pass VBR?

P.S. The drawbacks to online dealers are Pioneer will not honor the warranty from unauthorized dealers and with some all sales are final, no returns.

[lordsmurf]

The LiteOn use of LSI chips is very nice for cleaning up VHS sources. Use the s-video inputs.

However, I tend to subtract -2 brightness and add +2 contrast on my AVT-8710 when converting. It's not an IRE issue, but it's not perfectly the same levels either.

For direct off tv sources, the Pioneer may suit you better. The more recent LiteOn tuners are more susceptible to audio noise (hum, hiss, buzz), but it's a random error not everybody hears.

[gshelley61]

The LiteOn use of LSI chips is very nice for cleaning up VHS sources. Use the s-video inputs.

However, I tend to subtract -2 brightness and add +2 contrast on my AVT-8710 when converting. It's not an IRE issue, but it's not perfectly the same levels either.

Reducing the brightness (black level) and then adding a corresponding white level (contrast) increase is exactly how the built-in 7.5 IRE source compensation filters "stretch" the black level down to 0 IRE, without reducing the white level too much. It certainly can be done externally with a device like the AVT-8710 the way you suggest, with another TBC that has proc amp adjustments, or a standalone proc amp.

The Lite-On/ilo/Gateway machines really do a very fine job of MPEG2 encoding, no doubt. Really excellent direct conversion from DV to DVD using the firewire input, too.

[gshelley61]

P.S. The drawbacks to online dealers are Pioneer will not honor the warranty from unauthorized dealers and with some all sales are final, no returns.

Correct. If you buy one of the Pioneer units on eBay, Pioneer will very likely not honor their service warranty if it breaks (a risk some are willing to take for the additional savings, of course).

[FulciLives]

So the ILO DVDRHD04 is set to record inputs at 0.0 IRE BLACK ... is this true?

If so that makes it worthless.

Oh well I liked the price and the fact it has the LSI chip but a friend once passed off a Panasonic DMR E-20 stand alone DVD recorder to me and it had the black level bug and was way UGLY as a result.

I wonder though ... does it really have the black level bug as gshelley61 says OR is it just slightly "off" as LordSmurf seems to suggest?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
As for the tuner input I intend to use the analog video/audio outputs of my cable box. Although my cable box only has composite video out (no S-video out) but I don't see that being an issue?

[trhouse]

Does it matter? Either way external correction is being done.

[FulciLives]

Does it matter? Either way external correction is being done.

I don't understand what you are saying here?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[trhouse]

I was just thinking that some process amps can address either fault so it would not seem to matter much which one it has since the solution is the same.

[FulciLives]

I was just thinking that some process amps can address either fault so it would not seem to matter much which one it has since the solution is the same.

Yes but I don't have any such processors and don't forget they are not cheap. If I need those gadets ... only to fix a flaw in the machine's design ... then that machine is a POS.

Granted a proc amp with adjustments is nice to have for trouble sources but it isn't something you should need because a device has an incorrect design flaw.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[trhouse]

You might want to read the reviews in the recorder section. First, one guy says this,


"Black Level Issue:

The Ilo DVDHD04 does not pass pluge test (doesn't pass blacker than black level) for proper calibration of "brightness" settings on monitor. The unit needs a option for adjustment of IRE level 0 or 7.5IRE. I believe that the problem is that it is set up as a computer DVD player and not a home theater player."

then another says this,

"The blacker than black test issue was a firmware problem and was fixed with the Feb firmware release."

I thought this recorder has a firewire input does it not?

According to this article, the FCC says the cable company must supply a set top box with firewire upon request. If true, you could just hook up via firewire.

http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/fcc-requires-firewire-on-all-cable-boxes-015708.php

[lordsmurf]

I've seen a Panasonic DMR-E20. It's easily an IRE error, maybe even a luma error compounding the problem.

The LiteOn 5104 that I have (which is apparently in the same "family" as the 5005X and ILO "04" models), is just a bit off. Every recorder I have used is a little off perfect. Most machines err on the light side, though a few err on dark. This one is light, but not a full-blown IRE problem.

I can either correct it with a proc amp in advance, or use the slightly "contrasty" picture setting on my DVD player or tv later on. I have to do this with most commercial DVDs anyway, play with picture settings, I have about 6-7 to pick from.

But honestly, right this second I'm watching my local WB station, and it's off too. The commercials are more properly set than the show itself.

Nothing is 100% perfect.

[Beavis]

I don't think anyone mentioned it yet, but remember that the RF tuners in the ILO units are mono only- a problem for someone who wants to do a lot of TV recording direct from the cable RF input. That plus all the other quirks of a cheap machine were deal breakers for me.

On the other hand, so far I'm loving my Pioneer 531....

[FulciLives]

**** it.

I just did it.

Went to Walmart ... now I am an owner of ...

The Pioneer DVR-531H-s

I'll be crying the blues when various bills start to hit me ... this sucker ain't cheap!

So far I just got it hooked up so all I did was a 1 minute CARTOON NETWORK recording as a test on a DVD-RW ... looked the same as the source as far as I could tell. This was at the XP mode and was VR mode but I erased it and then figured out how to select VIDEO mode. Screw that VR mode.

There is some UFO thing on NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC at 8pm so I am going to HDD record that at XP+ and then there is some stupid SCI-FI movie on later on I need to record (Bruce Campbell is in it from EVIL DEAD fame) and I will probably do that at XP+ as well.

Then I'll do the edit out commercials thing (I hope this is frame accurate?) then dump to a DVD-RW because I'll probably want to re-author everything with TMPGEnc DVD Author.

The PQ of this thing better blow my socks off the way a good BLOW JOB does for this price. Not that I pay for BLOW JOBS. Well just that one time LOL

The biggest deal breaker for me with the ILO unit was the recording times ... I want to be able to record at the exact "bitrate" I want. I know with the Pioneer this is possible plus it has that neato XP+ mode.

Oh yes one last thing for the Pioneer 531 owners ... is this set up for 7.5 IRE BLACK out of the box or do I have to adjust that ... haven't gotten that far yet.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Beavis]

Yeah, frame-accurate editing is available. The only catch with it is that when you do frame accurate editing, the subsequent copy from the HDD to DVD media has to be done in realtime. High speed copy only works when you select I-frame-accurate editing. But, that's never really too much of a big deal for me, because I do all my recording in XP or XP+ modes, edit out the commercials (using the copy list function), and then I transfer the programs to DVD media letting the machine select the optimum lower bitrate to fit my stuff on the blank disc. That re-encoding requires realtime copying anyway.

A great thing about the settop recorder is that you don't have to use the PC at all. For my typical TV recordings I really don't care about fancy menus and the basic ones that can be generated by the 531 are fine... and I'm hapy to be able to remove commercials and author a disc while laying on the couch away from the computer. But yeah, if you want custom stuff and fancy backgrounds, you'll have to rip the disc back to your PC and re-author.

[FulciLives]

Yeah, frame-accurate editing is available. The only catch with it is that when you do frame accurate editing, the subsequent copy from the HDD to DVD media has to be done in realtime. High speed copy only works when you select I-frame-accurate editing. But, that's never really too much of a big deal for me, because I do all my recording in XP or XP+ modes, edit out the commercials (using the copy list function), and then I transfer the programs to DVD media letting the machine select the optimum lower bitrate to fit my stuff on the blank disc. That re-encoding requires realtime copying anyway.

Yes this is good to know and since all HDD recordings I do will be XP+ then it is frame accurate editing for me ... wheeeeee!

A great thing about the settop recorder is that you don't have to use the PC at all. For my typical TV recordings I really don't care about fancy menus and the basic ones that can be generated by the 531 are fine... and I'm hapy to be able to remove commercials and author a disc while laying on the couch away from the computer. But yeah, if you want custom stuff and fancy backgrounds, you'll have to rip the disc back to your PC and re-author.

One nice thing about not using a capture card it not tying up the computer when you capture. Granted I had tried a couple of HARDWARE MPEG-2 devices like the Hauppauge WinTV-PRV 150 and some people have reported recording while playing games or surfing the net but still that makes me nervious LOL

Now I can play games without worrying about what is being recorded. I just got a new game and haven't been playing it because I've been fooling around with capture cards.

However I must say that I will probably still end up with a new capture card at some point for those pesky sources that need AviSynth filtering ... I did one once that was so bad that nothing could have fixed it the way I did with AviSynth.

I better go set up my 8pm EST recording now ...

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

*** EDIT ***
Oh well the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Channel UFO thing turned out to be the PETER JENNINGS UFO report from earlier this year (aired on ABC) but I only have a SP VHS of it so I'm still happy. Wasn't the greatest UFO special but it was OK and they did interview the great ART BELL so that makes it worthwhile LOL

I'll report back later after I edit and burn it as to how nice it looks or doesn't. The NG Channel is one of the few channels that I get with really good ... dear I say excellent ... quality.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[gshelley61]

The Pioneer units are set to 7.5 IRE input by default. All three of the factory preset modes (Tuner, VCR, LDP) are that way, and so are the three user adjustable presets. The three user customizable presets are where you can fiddle with all the video input adjustments.

When you play back a DVD or something from the hard drive, you can access the playback video picture adjustments.

Congrats on the acquisition of the 531. I think you will be impressed by what it can do as you dig further into all the features and adjustments it has.

[lordsmurf]

**** it.
I just did it.
Went to Walmart ... now I am an owner of ...

Now see, don't you feel better?
That's how I tend to shop. At some point, research has to end.
Gotta make the commitment.

[gshelley61]

**** it.
I just did it.
Went to Walmart ... now I am an owner of ...

Now see, don't you feel better?
That's how I tend to shop. At some point, research has to end.
Gotta make the commitment.

YES! :P

[FulciLives]

I am happy ... my bank account ain't though

Recorded my first 2 hour show to the HDD using XP+ mode. I then edited out the commercials using FRAME ACCURATE editing (which was simple enough) and then started copying it to a DVD-RW ... plan to import to the computer and re-author with TMPGEnc DVD Author to a DVD-R disc.

I'll post some screen shots since I love to do that LOL

Would love to post a clip but don't have the WEBSITE SPACE for that now ... any freebie websites where you can upload a big chunk of a file like a short video sample?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman