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  1. Member louv68's Avatar
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    This recorder appears to be a Walmart exclusive, not found elsewhere.
    Does anyone have an unbiased opinion on this unit based on price/value?

    http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5030815
    -The Mang
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  2. Member
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    I got one of these on eBay for $156 shipped. It works well as a DVR however editing functions are somewhat limited to chapter marking and deletion. Menus are a little wierd and take getting used to. Title naming is very easy. It seems like the only discs that can be recorded to the hard drive are discs that are created on this machine. Recording from hard drive to disc is real time only and I believe you are forced to watch it although there is a PIP function I haven't figured out yet.
    NOW, Upgradeability..... I just replaced the 80GB WD800BB with a 160GB WD1600. Just open the case and remove 4 verticle screws holding the HD side brackets to the circuit board. Pull out the drive and remove IDE and power cables. Set the new drives jumper to SLAVE, swap on the brackets and carefully reinstall. It's a tight fit so watch how th cables run.
    Put the cover back on, plug it in and turn it on. A screen will popup that says somthing is wrong with the HD with choices to reboot or reformat. Choose reformat. In a few seconds it will shut off. Turn it back on and your in business. Recording times increased as follows. #1 from 22 t0 46 hrs, #2 from 33 to 70 hrs, #3 from 48 to 102 hrs, #4 from 66 to140 hrs. #5 from 98 to 207 hrs, #6 from 131 to 278 hrs. I have been unable to get DVD+RW's recorded on this machine recognized by my computer, but +R and -R work fine with dvd decrypter and dvd shrink. [/b]
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  3. Does it reformat even if the HDD has been installed before?

    By this I mean if you have installed a HDD and recorded to it and then decided to install a different one - when you install the first will it reformat?
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  4. Member
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    Didn't try that NEXT. I would assume it would probably either format or just work as is. The drive I used was new in the box. I also tried reading the old drive with the computer but it was not recognized. I'm using XP w/NTFS.
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    On the 8030N, I was wonder if this con be used in conjuction with Directv.

    Can it replace the current DVR?

    Can it be setup after the Directv receiver if it cannot replace the Directv DVR?

    thanks
    joel
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  6. Member Webster's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by masochrist
    I also tried reading the old drive with the computer but it was not recognized. I'm using XP w/NTFS.
    Was the 80G drive still working before you removed it from the recorder?
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  7. Member
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    The old 80GB was working fine. I used it for a few days before I upgraded to make sure every thing was working right so I could tell if I screwed anything up. I'm sure it will work on the computer once I format it. As far as using it with Directv you have to feed the receiver output to the RCA. I do the same with Dish Network. I don't know about your receiver but Dish has a record to VCR function that turns on the recorder instead of recording to the Dish DVR. One neat thing the RCA does is label the recording with the Dish channel, like say TVLAND or ComedyCentral unless you want to change it.
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  8. Member
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    I cant get my dish network receiver to turn on the RCA unit what remote code did you use? If you dont mind me asking.
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    I haven't tried it yet with the RCA as I just got it last week. Thought it would be a good solution if it could be made to work. I usually record things manually.
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  10. Member Webster's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by masochrist
    The old 80GB was working fine. I used it for a few days before I upgraded to make sure every thing was working right so I could tell if I screwed anything up. I'm sure it will work on the computer once I format it
    Hmmm, I wonder if RCA is formatting the drive using some kind of Linux based system..... It would be interesting to find out. If it is, you can access the recorded files and edit them

    Thanks for the info. I may get one of this recorder and playing around with it once I have enough cash in my pocket.
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  11. I pretty much gave up buying anything RCA years ago.
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  12. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Last RCA I saw was really lacking in image quality. The MPEG encodes were fairly noisy at all settings, and there were few settings.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
    FAQs: Best Blank DiscsBest TBCsBest VCRs for captureRestore VHS
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  13. Member
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    for the price i may have to get this, dose it have time slip?

    also check it out: 150$ Delivered
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16882125056
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  14. Member
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    No hard drive on the one at Newegg.
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  15. Member
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    hey i just got a rca 80gb dvd recorder and after setting it up with my brighthouse digital box. i can't seem to get all the channels listed on the rca except for channel 3.
    does anyone use their rca with a satellite box and figured out if they can get more channels.
    thanks
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  16. Member
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    I would imagine your box only outputs channel 3. Just change channels the way you did before.
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  17. Member
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    masochrist thanks...i did but without a channel search on the dvr player which is hooked up the way it is recommended. tv to dvr to digital box to wall, basiclly. i won't be able to watch one channel and a different one thru the digital box. end result being what ever channel i am watching on the dvr the same channel is playing on the digital box. i guess my next question should be, when connecting as recommended did i miss something when it says you can connect tv n cable box about watching one channel "click input on the remote "so you can record one thing and watch another
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  18. Member
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    I'm looking at this item, but want to be sure I can use it to burn a DVD from my digital camcorder. Does this model have the ilink connection? This is a IEEE 1394 (Firewire) cable with a very small connector.
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  19. Member
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    Nope this model does not have firewire.
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  20. Member
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    Does anyone else hear a fain "heartbeat" sound when viewing recorded shows and dvd's? When I burn one of my shows to a dvd, I hear this. It's very annoying. I've tried the dvd on other tv's and have the same problem.
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    Ref iMick's posting of Jan 13, 2007 as follows: "Does anyone else hear a fain "heartbeat" sound when viewing recorded shows and dvd's? When I burn one of my shows to a dvd, I hear this. It's very annoying. I've tried the dvd on other tv's and have the same problem."

    The sole reason I am now a member of this forum is due to my research looking for a review of the RCA DRC8030N 80 GB Recorder which I had purchased at Wal-Mart.

    I too immediately noticed the "heartbeat" sound when viewing recorded shows both on the HD and the DVD medium. I did try everything I could think of related to my old 30" Toshiba CRT TV but to no avail. I thought about trying it on the TV in the bedroom but after reasoning it out, I just didn't believe it would help. I exchanged the first recorder I purchased for another just like it but the same "heartbeat" sound could be heard.

    I liked the subject recorder exceptionally well especially the libraries. I had tried several types of DVD recorders mostly DVD/VCR combos but this was the only unit I liked enough to keep. However, since I could not resolve the "heartbeat" sound problem, I gave up, returned it to Wal-Mart and got my money back.

    If anyone has an idea what causes this sound problem, please advise.
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  22. Member
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    I bought my unit early last week and connected it Thursday night, i have not noticed this sound in my recordings, and i have not had any problems with the tuner.

    my only real problem was when transferring a 2hr recording ( made in #1 quality , 1hr per DVD ) from the Hd to DVD, the automatic quality reduction ( too fit it on the DVD ) was a washed out ,too bright picture with NO contrast

    recordings made in lower settings , copied to DVD with no change and are quite good, even the 1hr recording in #1 quality copied to DVD with NO problems

    I would like to see a ' tivo' style hack, where the HD can be accessed by a PC.

    specs #6 8hrs on DVD, #5 6hrs, #4 4hrs, #3 3hrs, #2 2hrs, #1 quality BEST mode 1hr per DVD
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  23. Radioshack has a similar 80G/DVD recorder for $99.
    It is in store only. I do not know its quality. But it
    seems the price is good.

    http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2123209&cp=2032057&f=Taxonomy%2F...entPage=search
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  24. Member FulciLives's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by xxiangg
    Radioshack has a similar 80G/DVD recorder for $99.
    It is in store only. I do not know its quality. But it
    seems the price is good.

    http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2123209&cp=2032057&f=Taxonomy%2F...entPage=search
    Well damn ... that's a new price point. First stand alone DVD recorder with a built-in HDD for $100 that I have seen on the market.

    Of course it's probably shit LOL

    - John "FulciLives" Coleman
    "The eyes are the first thing that you have to destroy ... because they have seen too many bad things" - Lucio Fulci
    EXPLORE THE FILMS OF LUCIO FULCI - THE MAESTRO OF GORE
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  25. Member
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    well my first 'major' disapointnet, this thing refused to transfer 'any DVD' I made on my PC to the DVR HD

    nothing has any CP, these were the wifes 'Olympic' videos I made last yr from TV captures

    so far the only thing, i have been able to transfer to the DVR-HD is from the RW disc made on the machine

    I did have some I hoped to store on the HD, for watching at anytime.

    i am not likeing the idea of REALTIME transfer via S-video connection from another DVD player

    although that maybe what i have too do

    will any other DVD-DVR do a NO cables transfer from internal player to internal HD

    and tonight while playing a movie I heard the 'heartbeat' for the first time, this from a DVD burned on PC, not on the RCA

    maybe i need to shop for the Polaroid 2001G or the accurian from radio shack
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  26. Member FulciLives's Avatar
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    Just buy a "real" DVD recorder ala the Pioneer DVR-640H-s or the Toshiba RD-XS35

    Also the Pioneer does what you want ... copy a DVD-R to the HDD then back to a fresh DVD-R ... as long as there is no copy protection.

    My guess is the RCA only works that way when it is a VR mode DVD disc.

    - John "FulciLives" Coleman
    "The eyes are the first thing that you have to destroy ... because they have seen too many bad things" - Lucio Fulci
    EXPLORE THE FILMS OF LUCIO FULCI - THE MAESTRO OF GORE
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  27. Member
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    im guessing by real you mean much more expensive , if I had that money I would, I only want to go one way, from the the burned DVD that plays to the HD for archive and easy play, mainly the wifes stuff.

    the 'APRECIATION' points are enormous are worth all the effort
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  28. Member FulciLives's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by theewizard
    im guessing by real you mean much more expensive , if I had that money I would, I only want to go one way, from the the burned DVD that plays to the HD for archive and easy play, mainly the wifes stuff.

    the 'APRECIATION' points are enormous are worth all the effort
    So your wife is too lazy to put in a DVD when she wants to watch something?

    Is this what you are saying?

    - John "FulciLives" Coleman
    "The eyes are the first thing that you have to destroy ... because they have seen too many bad things" - Lucio Fulci
    EXPLORE THE FILMS OF LUCIO FULCI - THE MAESTRO OF GORE
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  29. Originally Posted by FulciLives
    Also the Pioneer does what you want ... copy a DVD-R to the HDD then back to a fresh DVD-R ... as long as there is no copy protection.
    It can but if it is a video mode disk it does it in realtime which means it is re-encoding the disk much like if you just play the video back into it from another player.

    The Pioneer can only copy back to the hard drive in high speed mode a VR mode -r/-rw disk without re-encoding.
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  30. Member FulciLives's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by trhouse
    Originally Posted by FulciLives
    Also the Pioneer does what you want ... copy a DVD-R to the HDD then back to a fresh DVD-R ... as long as there is no copy protection.
    It can but if it is a video mode disk it does it in realtime which means it is re-encoding the disk much like if you just play the video back into it from another player.

    The Pioneer can only copy back to the hard drive in high speed mode a VR mode -r/-rw disk without re-encoding.
    You can copy a Video mode DVD-R to the Pioneer and then copy it back to a fresh DVD-R ... like burning an ISO IMAGE to the HDD and then using it to burn one or more DVD-R discs. No re-encoding is done BUT you can not use the HDD copy for anything but to make a new DVD-R copy. It can't be "played back normally".

    I thought this is what was being talked about at first. I guess it wasn't.

    - John "FulciLives" Coleman
    "The eyes are the first thing that you have to destroy ... because they have seen too many bad things" - Lucio Fulci
    EXPLORE THE FILMS OF LUCIO FULCI - THE MAESTRO OF GORE
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