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  1. in 2005 i bought my first dvd recorder an lg4912, and after about 6 months it began messing up my recordings, so eventualy i replaced it with a toshiba which also started messing up my recordings after about 6 months.
    just recently i have decided to get a dvd recorder with hdd, thinking that the hdd would be more reliable than dvd......wrong.

    first i got an lg rht497h, nice to look at but after less than a month had already screwed up 4 recordings, they would stick.
    so i returned it to the shop an replaced it with a sony rdrdc100, a truly awful machine which had ruined one of my recordings within 2 days.

    am i just unlucky or am i doing something wrong? or are all dvd/hdd recorders prone to ruining recordings, and if so, what is the point in them.

    i am going to take my sony back to the shop this week and try and change it for a panasonic. if i keep trying different brands surely i must eventualy find one that works ok, shouldn't i?
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  2. Member hech54's Avatar
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    You also don't have an impressive history of blank DVD media from what I see. RW discs are notorious garbage whoever makes them and most brand name discs except for Verbatim are pretty much garbage as well. Messed up recordings is the price you pay for using RW discs and crap like Philips and JVC branded discs.
    Don't believe me?....wanna see my 7 or 8 year old Philips DVDR985 recorder that still works(albeit quite slow at startup and finalizing now) to this day when necessary?
    I realized many years ago that RW discs were not worth the aggravation.
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  3. Panasonic doesn't make them anymore but I wish they did. Why don't you get one with a HD? Try Walmart, seach for Magnavox.
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  4. Sony RDRHX715 Good as gold. I have two, and when I can find one in decent shape I'll have three.

    By far the best machine I've seen and dealt with.
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    I use Staples DVD-RW (CMC mag) in my Panasonic recorder and don't have a problem with them - but I don't mix them with the ones I use on the PC, else they fail early.. found this out after losing half a spindle of Maxell DVD-RW (Optodisc)
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  6. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Many of them (most!?) are crappy.
    Learn which DVD recorders are the best at http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-recorders.htm
    Using good blank DVDs is also important.
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    Originally Posted by postie1392 View Post
    in 2005 i bought my first dvd recorder an lg4912, and after about 6 months it began messing up my recordings, so eventualy i replaced it with a toshiba which also started messing up my recordings after about 6 months.
    just recently i have decided to get a dvd recorder with hdd, thinking that the hdd would be more reliable than dvd......wrong.

    first i got an lg rht497h, nice to look at but after less than a month had already screwed up 4 recordings, they would stick.
    so i returned it to the shop an replaced it with a sony rdrdc100, a truly awful machine which had ruined one of my recordings within 2 days.

    am i just unlucky or am i doing something wrong? or are all dvd/hdd recorders prone to ruining recordings, and if so, what is the point in them.

    i am going to take my sony back to the shop this week and try and change it for a panasonic. if i keep trying different brands surely i must eventualy find one that works ok, shouldn't i?
    IMO LGs are for the most part crap. Older Toshibas can make some great recordings but are prone to problems, newer ones are made by........LG. I'm not a big fan of current Sony DVDRs because of all the false copy protection problems.
    Older ES/EH series Panasonics were reliable but the newer EZ series are prone to bugs
    I don't know what to tell you. I can't tell from your profile where you live(unless Blighty is a real location) but I'm going to guess not the US, maybe the UK. If you lived in the US I'd say to look at a Magnavox 2160a or a Philips 3576, both with HDD. If you have access to older Panasonic ES/EH series machines I'd say they'd be a good bet, I can't really suggest the newer EZ series. I agree, with DVDRs they make more poor ones than good ones
    I've used all brands -RW discs on my Panasonic ES and EH series with virtually no problems, I did have quite a bit of problems with Panasonics EZ series.
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  8. Originally Posted by jjeff View Post
    I can't tell from your profile where you live(unless Blighty is a real location) but I'm going to guess not the US, maybe the UK.

    spot on, blighty is slang for england.

    thanks for your help, the only panasonic i can find localy is dmrex769. you dont mention ex models in your post, have you any idea if these are also prone to problems? i may try one any way, then if i have no luck give up for good.

    also, what about samsung, any idea if their hdd recorders are any good?
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    My suggestion would be to try Philips. They've made some highly regarded recorders in the past. And you definitely need to use better media than your other posts indicate you are using. If you want to use re-writable discs, there is one and only one choice - Verbatim. And note that all DVD re-writable discs are prone to having issues. I'm personally skeptical that they will last as long as manufacturers claim. I once saw a Verbatim DVD+RW disc act weird after only one burn, so I advised my father to just throw it away and use another one from the spindle of discs I bought for him. If you start having problems with a RW disc, just throw it away and get another one.
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    We don't have the EX series in the US, only the EZ/EA and if one wanted to go with a international Panasonic we can get ES and EH series from non standard sources.
    From the little I've read about the EX series they seem to be fine but I have no first hand experience with them.
    I think you'll find more info about UK DVDRs on this site, http://www.avforums.com/ which seems to specialize in UK products.
    I have little to no experience with Samsung DVDRs and frankly haven't read a lot about them either. I don't think they're all that popular in the US. I could be wrong but I don't believe Samsung ever imported HDD DVDRs to the US.
    Personally I'd try the Panasonic, other than our newer EZ series I've had very good luck with Panasonic DVDRs. Philips/Funai DVDRs have a spotty record in the US. The 3575/6 and similar Magnavox 2160a have proven to be quite reliable but the cheaper non HDD units tend to be on the flaky side and I'd question the build quality.
    I had no idea Blighty was slang for England, learn something everyday
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  11. thanks for your help jjeff, ill certainly give the panasonic a try and let you know how i get on.
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  12. I think what we are up against is the reason folks would have a dvd recorder rather than a PVR , and am i right in saying that reason is archiving?,,which most North Americans do not do, at least where I live.

    I think the DVD recorder market in the UK is more vibrant partly because they archive more and have commercial free channels making that easier.

    This search on Amazon UK certainly brought up many choices:-

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=dvd+recorders

    Many do not like Panasonics because of the picture quality but I have certainly found them reliable, one point about unreliability I am convinced that lack of cooling and air flow around modern electrnics and computers contributes greatly.

    I have the Philips UK Model 3570H (or 3590H), it is very slow to respond to remote commands, picture quality if fed with a good signal is good, but seems to only want to record to HD and then you have to transfer to dvd.
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  13. Originally Posted by victoriabears View Post
    one point about unreliability I am convinced that lack of cooling and air flow around modern electrnics and computers contributes greatly.
    i have been thinking about this point, and i have been using my dvd/hdd recorder in quite a confined space, with another olde world vhs video recorder on top of it,(how antiquated am i?) i will try leaving more room for my machine to breathe and see if that improves things.
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    Under it, too!
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    Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
    Under it, too!
    With nearly all gear setups, as a practical matter you are looking at stacking some devices -- if you have anything more than just the sat or cable box. I've never had a receiver in the chain, and I still have to stack several devices. What I've tried to do is to have spacers between most of them. I've read some folks advocating more exotic (probably unnecessary) solutions, but I've mostly used sorbothane feet. Depending on size, they can give you a couple inches of separation or more, plus vibration dampening. (They are not the cheapest way to go, but being the same color as most components, tend to blend in. Of course, some components already come with their own feet.)
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  17. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by Seeker47 View Post
    Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
    Under it, too!
    With nearly all gear setups, as a practical matter you are looking at stacking some devices -- if you have anything more than just the sat or cable box. I've never had a receiver in the chain, and I still have to stack several devices. What I've tried to do is to have spacers between most of them. I've read some folks advocating more exotic (probably unnecessary) solutions, but I've mostly used sorbothane feet. Depending on size, they can give you a couple inches of separation or more, plus vibration dampening. (They are not the cheapest way to go, but being the same color as most components, tend to blend in. Of course, some components already come with their own feet.)
    Use those things from the hardware store that are made for keeping a doorknob from punch a hole in the wall. They are rubber and a perfect height. Look for the clear ones, about 3/4" inch high. This was in a post at digitalFAQ just a few days ago, though I cant seem to remember which one. It was about having lots of gear -- VCRs + proc amp + etc etc
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    Hi all,

    I am looking for a DVD recorder with 2 nos. of record drive, and i understand that melata DVR-489 (DIVA-2) is offering this feature, is this recorder reliable? and can the recording take turn simultaneously meaning that when the disc A recording is done, disc B recording will start immediately? wish that my question can be answer. Thank you.

    Jeremy
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    Originally Posted by postie1392 View Post
    Originally Posted by jjeff View Post
    I can't tell from your profile where you live(unless Blighty is a real location) but I'm going to guess not the US, maybe the UK.

    spot on, blighty is slang for england.

    thanks for your help, the only panasonic i can find localy is dmrex769. you dont mention ex models in your post, have you any idea if these are also prone to problems? i may try one any way, then if i have no luck give up for good.

    also, what about samsung, any idea if their hdd recorders are any good?
    I'd avoid Samsung DVD recorders if I was you. They have too many "quirks", like having to be in stand-by before they'll do a timer recording, to make them user friendly.
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  20. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Which models? Samsung has used various builds through the years -- you can't nix the whole brand.
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  21. Member Seeker47's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by jeremynsl View Post
    Hi all,

    I am looking for a DVD recorder with 2 nos. of record drive, and i understand that melata DVR-489 (DIVA-2) is offering this feature, is this recorder reliable? and can the recording take turn simultaneously meaning that when the disc A recording is done, disc B recording will start immediately? wish that my question can be answer. Thank you.

    Jeremy
    I have an old Malata player, circa 2003 or thereabouts. But I have not seen any mention of this brand for sale -- stateside -- in several years.
    When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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  22. Most recorders 2005 and earlier were well-built but very buggy, most recorders made post-2005 are less buggy but built like crap. Certain brands like LG and Samsung have a worse reliability record than others worldwide, certain brands like current Panasonics are less reliable in the US than the versions made for the UK (because our DTV broadcasts require a different, buggy tuner technology that interferes with every aspect of recorder operation).

    My friends in Europe have had mostly positive experiences with DVD/HDD models from Pioneer, Sony and Panasonic. Pioneer is now out of the business but you might find leftover stock on clearance still. The Sony 515, 715 etc are highly regarded, and the follow-on 525, 725 etc are the most popular DVD/HDD recorders in Europe. The Sony 780, 980 1080 are current models with analog tuners, 790, 1090 etc have the digital and freesat tuners. The current Sonys are re-labeled Pioneers and should be very reliable, since Sony and Pioneer have been co-mfring for a few years now- presumably Sony now runs the factories exclusively but the design was agreed on in 2006 and been in use since. Until 2008 Sony had its own user interface operating the Pioneer hardware, but starting with the x80 and x90 models Sony DVD/HDD recorders are identical to Pioneers in operation. The Panasonics in Europe have been equally reliable, but the EX series is still too new to have established a track record. The "generic" global-market Panasonic EH series has proven very reliable, but only has an analog tuner: DTV or FreeSat requires an external converter box. There was a UK equivalent to the American Phillips 3576, but it appears Phillips UK has now exited the DVD recorder market. Other than these four brands, most recorders are a gamble, particularly those without HDD.

    The suggestion made by others to avoid RW in favor of HDD is a good one, RW wears down the burner and is pointless if you have a recorder with HDD. Blank media is now largely a junk commodity, near-toxic when used in DVD recorders, so shop carefully. The best discs for recorders are Taiyo-Yuden (TY) Premium 8x DVD-R and Verbatim DataLife Plus 8x DVD-R. Unfortunately these are difficult to find in Europe, even in the USA we have to order them online. Of the more commonly-available 16x media, look for new spindles of JVC DVD-R marked "made in Japan": these are actually TY discs, JVC and TY recently merged. You could also try the Verbatim 16x DVD-R, it usually works well but there have been some conflicts with some batches being unreliable in some recorders.
    Last edited by orsetto; 4th Mar 2010 at 13:03.
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    They are crap. I own an Ilo and a Panasonic and both have issues. I am very gentle on them and still find that they suck. I wonder if the DVD Recorders sold on eBay that have the drives replaced with a PC drive are worth it. I have rarely had any issues with the PC drives/media.
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  24. All recorders have issues, some more than others, and ILOs are not exactly known as paragons of reliability: they're somewhere between LG and Coby. Panasonics just get dirty spindles which require periodic cleaning, follow the maintainence instructions plastered all over the internet and you can make a Panasonic outlast any other recorder. There's a thriving group of amateur Panasonic dealers snagging "broken" Panasonics off eBay for a song: they spend 15 mins cleaning them and put them back up for sale to double their money.

    PCs are much better at burning more kinds of media because they're generic devices with a choice of operating systems and burning applications. Burners are easily updated to cope with newer media, most of which is now so borderline it won't burn on anything but the most recent PC hardware. The burners in recorders usually can't be flash-updated, and the burning instructions are in fixed ROM chips instead of upgradeable on the hard drive. Recorders at this point are special-purpose machines for those of us who can't be bothered using a computer as VCR replacement, we either accept the media limitations or we move on.

    Recorders with generic PC burners on eBay (or anywhere) cannot approach the functionality of a Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony or Phillips DVD/HDD. Brand-name, versatile recorders use customized burners with embedded DRM chips to placate Hollywood: if you swap in a generic PC burner, the recorder won't recognize it. A few older deluxe Toshiba XS recorders will accept generic burner replacements, but its a very short compatibility list and full functionality is not supported.
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    Originally Posted by orsetto View Post
    Most recorders 2005 and earlier were well-built but very buggy, most recorders made post-2005 are less buggy but built like crap. Certain brands like LG and Samsung have a worse reliability record than others worldwide, certain brands like current Panasonics are less reliable in the US than the versions made for the UK (because our DTV broadcasts require a different, buggy tuner technology that interferes with every aspect of recorder operation).
    . . .
    The Panasonics in Europe have been equally reliable, but the EX series is still too new to have established a track record. The "generic" global-market Panasonic EH series has proven very reliable, but only has an analog tuner: DTV or FreeSat requires an external converter box. There was a UK equivalent to the American Phillips 3576, but it appears Phillips UK has now exited the DVD recorder market. Other than these four brands, most recorders are a gamble, particularly those without HDD.
    For the reason mentioned in the first paragraph above, PAL vs. NTSC, and possibly for electrical system reasons, I take it that these foreign models would do anyone here who might be interested little good, if they tried to import one ?

    Originally Posted by orsetto View Post
    The best discs for recorders are Taiyo-Yuden (TY) Premium 8x DVD-R and Verbatim DataLife Plus 8x DVD-R. Unfortunately these are difficult to find in Europe, even in the USA we have to order them online. Of the more commonly-available 16x media, look for new spindles of JVC DVD-R marked "made in Japan": these are actually TY discs, JVC and TY recently merged. You could also try the Verbatim 16x DVD-R, it usually works well but there have been some conflicts with some batches being unreliable in some recorders.
    In terms of domestic brick & mortar outlets, Fry's has sold JVC media in the past, though I don't know if those discs have been among them. I'm concerned about implications of the Ty merger with JVC, but haven't seen any clear info yet on whether this is going to be a bad thing. Losing what might be the last known-good blank media option certainly would be.
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    I have three DVD recorders: Panny DMR-E20 from 2002, DMR-E55 newer, lighter made, and an RCA with hard disc. Of the three: I would part with the RCA (China made) first. The remote is tricky, editing recorded video is tricky, and the quality doesn't appear to be as good as the pannys. Downside: the Pannys use -RAM media, and it's hard to find. Thank goodness, I grabbed about 25 discs before they became obsolete.
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  27. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by Seeker47 View Post
    ]I'm concerned about implications of the Ty merger with JVC, but haven't seen any clear info yet on whether this is going to be a bad thing. Losing what might be the last known-good blank media option certainly would be.
    There was no "merger". Taiyo Yuden bought the JVC brand name for optical media.
    Read this post for all the details: JVC takes over Taiyo Yuden? what's this about?

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  28. Member Seeker47's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by classfour View Post
    I have three DVD recorders: Panny DMR-E20 from 2002, DMR-E55 newer, lighter made, and an RCA with hard disc. Of the three: I would part with the RCA (China made) first. The remote is tricky, editing recorded video is tricky, and the quality doesn't appear to be as good as the pannys. Downside: the Pannys use -RAM media, and it's hard to find. Thank goodness, I grabbed about 25 discs before they became obsolete.
    I see RAM media all the time at Frys. I have some, but have never actually used it. I'm thinking it may be in the same category as RW media: over-stressing the DVDR burners, as just mentioned by Orsetto -- and I'm sure he knows whereof he speaks. I do use RW there from time to time, but I'm going to cut back on it quite a bit after reading that.
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  29. Member Seeker47's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
    Originally Posted by Seeker47 View Post
    ]I'm concerned about implications of the Ty merger with JVC, but haven't seen any clear info yet on whether this is going to be a bad thing. Losing what might be the last known-good blank media option certainly would be.
    There was no "merger". Taiyo Yuden bought the JVC brand name for optical media.
    Read this post for all the details: JVC takes over Taiyo Yuden? what's this about?

    Thanks for that. I haven't been this confused about what actually happened since the day AOL took over Time Warner !
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  30. hi again,

    thanks for all your comments, they have been very helpful.

    i contacted sony with my problem and this is the reply i recieved:


    Dear Mr Bryant

    Thank you for your reply.

    In response to your enquiry, I can confirm that the issue you are experiencing is due to the videos being compressed to fit the DVD as the recorder records to the DVD in Real time direct recording. I can confirm that this is normal and not a fault with the unit. We have notice that this happens with some channels and this is due to the way that the program is being broadcast. I would like to make you aware that we are looking into ways to resolve this issue with broadcaster and when this is resolved, update information will be provided on our support website.

    I recommend to regularly visiting our support website on the link below for future updates:

    http://support.sony-europe.com/hav/hv/dvr/dvr.aspx?site=odw_en_GB&m=RDR-DC100

    I trust this information is of some assistance. Thank you for your enquiry.

    Yours sincerely

    Massine Adour
    Customer Information Centre
    SONY UNITED KINGDOM LTD

    Sony United Kingdom Limited, a company registered in England and Wales.
    Registered office: The Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0XW
    Registered company number: 2422874
    so i think i will give the sony rdrdc another chance to redeem itself.
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