DVD-recorder with good mp3 features

[nille]

Hi!
I'm looking to buy a dvd-recorder with a hard drive. I'd like a decent one which is region-free. What is particularly important to me is that it is a recorder that will let my transfer and play mp3 files easily and it would also be good if it has lots of mp3 features. But of course I would like to be able to record tv-shows with good quality.
Any suggestions?

Regards
Nille

[mats.hogberg]

I'm, really satisfied with my Samsung HR757
The Region free "hack" posted here works. (Simple remote key sequence.)
USB port, HDMI upscaling to 1080i
Only negative is a little slow menues, long startup time and French manual if you buy from Pixmania like I did. (And it doesn't like packed bitstreams in DivX/XviD)
Check the prices at www.pricerunner.se

/Mats

[nille]

Thanks for your tip. This one seems good, I've read a little about it elsewhere as well.
I assume it plays all sorts of media as well(cdr,cdrw,dvd-r,dvd-rw,dvd+r,dvd+rw)
I'm a newbie, which I'm sure you've noticed. What will I be able to do with my mp3 files on the hadr drive? Random play is excellent, but is there any special mp3 software/player that can be used?
I think I'll buy this one then from Pixmania I think, unless anyone has an even better option.
Thanks again.

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

It does not play VCD/SVCD - that's all I've found. It has never spit out a disk tho - I've tried CD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-R and pressed disks of course.
The player software is of course integrated in the firmware, so you can't use other players.
One thing I've recently found, is that a playlist can only hold 30 entries. Fine for single albums, but I was trying to set up a "Christmas music" playlist the other day with some 10 albums - No go. So I had to put all Christmas related mp3s in the same directory instead.
It plays MP3 from both CD, DVD, USB and HDD. The same goes for DivX/XviD AVI.
There's a limit of 500 items in a disk (folder?) tho.

/Mats

[nille]

I'm still interested in buying it, bút it's a shame you can't random play all your mp3 files or maybe that is asking too much of current dvd-recorders?

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

It can only random play all files in a folder - At least as far as I have found. Not span several folders.

/Mats

[nille]

I have ordered one now from Pixmania, not the end of the world if you can't random play all files.
Thanks again for your help

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

Good luck! Pretty quick delivery - had mine tuesday, ordered thursday morning week before. Not the "3-4 days" they promised, but close enough. Swedish manual is available as PDF from samsung.se - 100 pages to print out.

/Mats

[nille]

Hi again!

I just had a look at the Swedísh manual and here they wrote something which didn't sound good at all. It said that the recorder may have problems playing mp3 files correctly that are encoded with variable bitrate. Most mp3 files are, arent't they. Most of mine, anyway. Is this anything you have noticed, Mats?
If this is the case maybe someone else can recommend another recorder which can play mp3 vbr files?

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

Nope, I've neither read nor experienced that. And I'm pretty sure at least some of the mp3s I've played is VBR. But I'll give it a try - BRB!

<edit>No problem at all. VBR MP3 plays just like CBR. </edit>


/Mats

[nille]

ok, strange thing that they write that in the manual then. By the way, does it play audio cds and cd-rs without any problems?
This is what they write:

Använda MP3-skiva
CD-R/-RW, DVD-RAM/±RW/±R, HDD, USB med MP3-fi ler
som är inspelade med UDF, ISO9660 eller JOLIET format
kan spelas upp.
Det går bara att spela upp MP3-fi ler med fi ltypsändelsen “.
mp3” eller “.MP3”.
Ljudet kan hacka om du spelar upp MP3-fi ler som är
inspelade med VBR(Variable Bit Rate) från 32 Kbps till 320
Kbps.
Det går att spela upp fi ler med en bitrate mellan 56 Kbps och

Thanks again.

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

I think the operating word is "may". I'm sure there's some way to encode a MP3 that the player can't play. To avoid law suits and stuff, it's better to put a sentence like this in the manual, I guess.
On what page did you find this warning?
The way I read

Ljudet kan hacka om du spelar upp MP3-fi ler som är
inspelade med VBR(Variable Bit Rate) från 32 Kbps till 320
Kbps.

is that you may experience problems for VBR mp3 with 32 kbps min, 320 kbps max bitrate. You rarely have that big span for max/min.

/Mats

[nille]

I found it on p. 6.
Ok, it could be the way you're saying it, that it's unusual with such a span in bitrate.
By the way, can you play audio cds and cd-r without any problems?

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

Yes, regular audio CDs work fine, so does audio CD on CD-R (and data CD-R with mp3 and/or AVI)
SVCD and VCD is what I've found it wont play. No big loss.

/Mats

[nille]

Ok, well I've ordered it now. It seems to be very good and let's hope that it is unusual with that big a span in bitrate. I don't know much about, but I do know that most of my mp3 files are vbr.
Thanks for helping me out.

Nille

[nille]

Hi Mats!

I hope you haven't run out of patience with me. I got my Samsung today, and it seems great.
Just one thing I'd like to know if you can help me with. I inserted an audio cd and wanted to move to another track on the cd, but I couldn't find a way to do that without switching on the tv . A bit annoying if you have to switch on the tv each time you want to play an audio cd. Can't this be done just by using the remote control? Maybe it's just something I've overlooked.

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

I'm still with you! Press "down" on the 4-way circular puttons (to select next track) then "right" to start playing that track.
I think for MP3, you skip to the next track with >>|

/Mats

[nille]

Wow, quick answer!

Ok, I'm glad it worked. Thanks again. I'm transferring loads of mp3 files at the moment to the recorder and from what I've heard so far there are no problems with vbr files, like you said.

Good night from Malmö.

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

Good night to you too! (From Gothenburg). Keep in mind the 500 files/directory limit tho...

/Mats

[nille]

Hi again Mats!

where did you find the region-free hack?
Is it without any risk to use it?

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

Found it here at VideoHelp: https://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/samsung-dvd-hr757/8276
Tried the top one, and it seems to work. Not that I've tried any not region free/not region 2 disks, but...
Simple Remote key sequence. No risk for damaging the player.

/Mats

[nille]

Thanks for your help. again. You'll have to start charging med consultation fees soon.
I have another question(if you're still willing to help me)
I have transferred loads of mp3 to my hdd and they all sound good, vbr or not. Maybe I'm asking too much now, but I'd like to organize them a bit,i.e create one folder for each letter of the alphabet, so that I can easily browse to the artist I'd like to listen to? Is that-to your knowledege-possible?

Greetings from an incredibly rainy and grey Malmo

[mats.hogberg]

Don't know if this can be done once the files are on the HDD, but during the copy process (as you select destination) you can create new directories, so you can easily create folders (under Music) for each letter in the alphabet, artists under lettes, albums under artists etc.
I'm lazy, so i only have albums under the Music category.
It might be possible to move files around on the HDD, but I'm not sure. Haven't seen that option, but then, I haven't looked for it.
I guess you day is as beautiful as mine, then... Heavy drizzle. No Christmas Spirit.

/Mats

[nille]

I've created all the folders now, and then I thought i*d be able to move the files once they're on the hdd, but haven't found a way to do that.
Have you tried that?

Nille

[mats.hogberg]

Nope, like I said, I've never tried that, but on the other hand, I've never looked for that feature. What happens if you select a couple of mp3 files on HDD? What options are under the red A button? (I'm at work, so I can't check) I guess it's there the option to move a file will be, if there is one. But I think the only options are basically Rename, Delete, Copy (to disk in this case). But perhaps you can copy HDD -> HDD, and then delete the original?

/Mats

[nille]

I'll try the last option, since there's no such option under the red button. It's good you're not too busy at work.

Nille