DVD Recorder - Quality Issues (NOT PC TYPE)

[jaffacaique]

Hi

I would like to go back to using a DVD recorder to record programmes from TV. I have used around 6 different makes in the past but each time they have gone faulty fairly quickly, I have been fortunate that the stores where I purchased them from have each either credited or refunded me. I have always used the recommended DVD R or DVD RW as stated in their manuals but even though the DVD's have been unmarked the recorders have given much grief (errors, recorder locking up etc).

I currently have a V+Box which although is fantastic there does not seem to be a way to transfer films to my pc without recording it again in realtime to my chosen device, this I have confirmed by speaking to Virgin Media themselves. When I was using the DVD recorder it was a very quick process to transfer the disk contents to pc using MPeg Editor.

The main question I want some advice on is whether other people have had the same experience as me when using DVD recorders, if so was there a particular model that actually worked for longer than a few months or are they all similar (poor quality). I have not yet tried using the type with HDD+DVDrecorder combined as they are often more expensive and with my past experiences I am a little reluctant about spending money again on something that will let me down.

[guns1inger]

My pioneer is going on two years without a hitch. It gets used every week on a regular basis and hasn't put a foot wrong.

[victoriabears]

which 6 brands , I would not be suprised if you had power surge type problems.

[jaffacaique]

Sony, Samsung, LG, Pioneer, Panasonic x2 unable to give model numbers now as this around 2 - 3 years now. Was thinking that this was a common build problem at the time caused by companies using similar cheap parts to keep the costs down. All gave me problems to which ended with them being returned.

All AV and PC equipment in house has always been connected via a power surge protector as standard, only the dvd recorders have had problems. I have always used them, not because we have had problem before but merely to prevent a power surge damaging the equipment and the possible cost and damage that can be caused to the power sensitive components should a power surge occur.

[victoriabears]

Something else going on other than the equipment failure I think, poor media?

Did any of your failed machines have a hard drive? as it seems more reliable to record to hard drive then transfer to disc

[jaffacaique]

Have not yet tried the type with HDD built in other than my V+ box, a lot of them now seem to have both together at a cheaper price than when I bought my original recorders. Having never used the type with HDD and DVD combined, do you know if these ones transfer your films from the HDD to the DVD as files (ie quickly) or do they generally record to DVD in realtime? if it is transfered in realtime then I may as well stick with the V+ box and accept that copying films across will take longer.

[victoriabears]

I know nothing of V Box but many HDD dvd recorders can transfer at faster than real time, I think if you tried a HDD recorder it would be more reliable.

[jaffacaique]

Hi Victoriabears

Thanks anyway for the advice, it looks like I might be worth trying again with the HDD & DVD combined. V+ is a box supplied by Virgin Media, it is very good but does not allow you transfer your films across quickly enough, hence all the questions.

Check out this link.

http://allyours.virginmedia.com/

[victoriabears]

Be grateful it lets you transfer at all, North America is moving to PVR's and no archiving, but with the commercial ridden channels they have here archiving is a waste of time anyways unless you want to spend your life editing.

[hech54]

I have always used the recommended DVD R or DVD RW as stated in their manuals but even though the DVD's have been unmarked the recorders have given much grief (errors, recorder locking up etc).

First mistake. Most of them recommend JUNK media....brand names
that are "hit or miss" as far as quality on their best days....like TDK...prime example.


I have a giant, old Philips DVDR985 that only takes +R discs that is still going strong.
...a rarity in itself....99% of the old Philips machines have been landfill for many years now.

[handyguy]

byopvr.com Use you computer to do it. I assume your computers last longer than your dvrs?

[orsetto]

Sony, Samsung, LG, Pioneer, Panasonic x2 unable to give model numbers now as this around 2 - 3 years now. Was thinking that this was a common build problem at the time caused by companies using similar cheap parts to keep the costs down. All gave me problems to which ended with them being returned.

Some people just have a run of bad luck with these things, until they give up for a little while to break the streak and then try again. This happened to me twenty years ago with VCRs: I had never had a problem, then suddenly both of mine broke down, and I spent the next three years trying to replace them with one defective unit after another. Your little vacation with the Virgin device may have broken your bad run, you should try again now.

The low-end Samsung and LG recorders are no good in the first place so no surprise there, the Sonys sold in Europe a few years ago were not that great, so no surprise there either. Pioneers and Panasonics were usually fairly reliable worldwide. If your Pioneer was a VHS/DVD model or a low-end 230 model from 2005, those were trash outsourced to an OEM mfr who had nothing to do with Pioneer, but all other Pioneers were very solid. A few Panasonics dating from 2004-2006 got sucked into the worldwide plague of defective counterfeit Chinese capacitors, you may have got stuck with one of those, this problem was not Panasonics fault and has now been cleared up. Although Panasonics can commonly show drive symptoms after a year or two like refusing to record or load blank discs, this is caused by dirt buidup in the spindle which you can fix yourself: search the internet for the phrase "how to clean Panasonic DVD recorder spindle" for instructions.

If you can afford it, a current Pioneer or Panasonic DVD recorder with HDD and FreeView would probably make you happy. These record to the hard drive first, which avoids any mishaps with randomly defective DVDs. After recording, you can burn a DVD from the hard drive files in about ten minutes, as you requested. These units combine the best features of a PC and DVD burner in one easier-to-use dedicated package. Keep in mind, as others have noted for you, most blank media sold today is garbage that will almost certainly fail if used to record in "real-time": it is designed for computer burning and high-speed file transfer. If at all possible, find a dealer online who can sell you Taiyo Yuden (TY) Premium 8x Silver Lacquer DVD-R media, this is the last remaining "bulletproof" Japanese-made media thats guaranteed to burn every time, in every recorder. Second runner up would be Verbatim. All other brands like TDK, Maxell, Memorex, etc, are being churned out by the faceless CMC conglomerate in China, or Ritek: both supply mostly poor-quality media.