I am looking for a simple DVD recorder that
will record off my Dishnetwork satellite reciever
for stuff like concerts and football and basketball
games as well as some TV shows. I dont need a Hard
disK since i have a DVR but could use a few inputs
like a firewire for my camcorder if feasable.
i dont want a cheapie or pay a ton of money
so i was hoping somebody has some good advice
on a decent model AND where to buy. I live in the USA
and Best Buy has a lousy selection and most of my
internet searches are coming up with unrelated junk.
I have had good luck with Pioneer stuff so it
would be great if they had something along what i may need.
Many thanks to those who may be able to help! Bob T.
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Many threads on this here, but -- long story short -- you've come to the party a couple years too late. Pioneer made very good gear, but is barely still around anymore, and has retreated mainly to car audio. (Some argument as to whether they still manufacture the PC burners sold under their name.) So, your options come down to taking your chances with used DVDRs sold on eBay, where the better ones have been getting steadily more scarce and pricey, or to get one of the Magnavox models still being sold by Walmart. These have gotten some pretty decent reports here on VH, but it's not like you have any real alternative in the U.S., these days.
People unfamiliar with this class of gear tend to think they don't need the HDD, but trust me -- you do ! Much too much can go wrong in one-pass, direct-to-DVD recording, thereby wasting your best efforts. Constant use of the non-HDD unit's burner will also significantly shorten its service life. I suggest you check out some of the threads here, under 'DVD Recorders' section, and with keyword search on 'Magnavox.'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. -
...or maybe invest in a Hauppauge HD-PVR. This way, you can record straight to your PC's hard drive instead of having to burn to a DVD-RW first and then to your PC to edit. You'll be able to capture HD video off of your HD Satellite receiver instead of having to settle for SD.
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luvsufo - Basically almost nobody in the USA and Canada has any interest in archiving video recordings, so Tivo and similar devices drove the DVD recorders out of our market. The situation is exactly the opposite in Europe where European think it's insane to pay a monthly fee to record shows on a device that offers you no option to burn them to a disc and keep. Buy from Ebay or less reputable sites at your own risk. I would not personally recommend buying a used DVD recorder. You have no idea how long it will last. Eventually all the burners die. It'll likely last longer if you buy a new one.
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I would suggest something like this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800736506-USE/Panasonic_DMR_EH59GA_K_DMR_EH59GA_...B_HDD_DVD.html
They just lowered the prices and for $259 it's the best deal going. They are returns and the one I got was like new including the box and all cords.
They are 120v-220v and support both PAL and NTSC(our system) but they don't have a NTSC tuner(which you won't need with Dish).
One little caveat, they have the non North American standard for black level. What this means is unless you slightly lighten the line inputs to the recorder it will produce DVDs that are +7.5 IRE too bright. +7.5 isn't very much and many people may not even notice but I like black-blacks and luckily the device I record from has a setting for DARKER which darkens the output -7.5 IRE and I get perfect DVDs.
Pioneer also makes new international DVDRs like the Panasonic but they are much harder to find and expect to pay almost double what the Panasonic is selling for. On the + side the Pios don't have the black level problem since they have a setting for both International black level(0) and N. American black level(+7.5).
The Magnavox is a excellent bargain and includes a digital tuner, but it's no Pioneer or even Panasonic It wouldn't cost you shipping to purchase it from W/M and have it shipped to the store. If you didn't care for it you only need to take it back to your local W/M for a full refund.
The Magnavoxes don't have the IRE black level problem but I just couldn't get the brightness/contrast correct with the couple older ones I tried.
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