Great DVD Recorder Hunt

hughst

Hello all just before you run out and buy a new yamada dvr-8000 from richer sounds
A few words of warning I was interested in buying a new DVD recorder for my daughter for Christmas. After reading some forums / threads about what was the best for value I decided on a yamada dvr-8000 multi regionally I decided to get it out about two weeks ago and see how it worked. when I plugged it in the screen kept flickering no matter what I did with the scart leads the screen kept flickering I thought it was down to cheap scart leads so I purchased a dearer set when these did not work I thought It was maybe my TV
So I tried it out on another TV but still it flickered when I took it back they told me it was faulty and needed to be left in for repair I ask the shop assistant had he anymore he told me he had some more up the stairs I asked him could he give me a replacement DVD recorder he told me I couldn’t get one as I hadn’t taken out a house warranty I then asked him how long it would take to fix it he couldn’t give a time as to how long it would take maybe 1 month or maybe 3 months I then asked can I have my money back he told me he couldn’t not do that either he explained to me that I should have returned it a month earlier given that this was a Christmas present and was bought brand new I had no reason to think that it was faulty . He took my mobile phone number and said for me to call back in a month’s time and he would have a word with the manager if it was not returned by then. This was bought as a Christmas present and now I am left in limbo not knowing if I will get it back in time for Christmas 2004
>:(

Christy

I have to say the best of the bunch sounds like the Panasonic DMR-E55 Silver (Multi-region DVDR) - The reviews are good and the DVD-Ram facility sounds the dogs b******s... So thats it I want one - Anyone found it cheaper than £179 ???

George_Bray

Are you refering to the fan on the back. Yes I could hear this, but once I shrouded it in blankets and shoved it inside the video cabinet and put the ear muffs on...... Once the unit was inside the video cabinet, no noise. Yes you can hear the disc spinning up, but for a cheap mech it is pretty good. You gets what you pay for.

This is a small PC in a box, not a VHS VCR. Does it produce even as much noise as your PC? I doubt it. The fan is essential to cool the power supply and mainboard components. The DVD rewriter noise is the same as for a PC. If you cover up the DVD-recorder with blankets or block air flow, it could shorten its life.

scattycat_3

Lite - On is a Sony subsid afaik, so dont be afraid of strange names.

As most DVD Recorders use PC components and that the slower dvd pc units are retailing for around £30, and the top range 16x dual layer recorders are £49, then after Xmas I expect domestic recorders to be £79, and in 12 months sub-£50. Following the same pricing path as players. Tape IS dying.

PVR- hard drive recorders with DVD recording for archiving, will be the next must have, and will be the norm next Xmas

The FUTURE of Video Recorders

Hths Scat

Christy

Can these babies be used to transfer video on to DVD as well as recording straight from the TV ???

MarkP

As is usually the case it seems to me that cheapest is not best here, it depends on what you want it for.

If you want to record stuff onto DVD from your DV camcorder then you are best to choose a recorder which has a 'DV in' socket so that you don't loose picture quality by converting from digital to analogue and then back again.

On the other hand I think I'm coming to the conclusion that it's worth paying the extra for DVD-RAM format which gives the timeslip capability and uses up more space on the disks by filling any gaps. It's also worth pointing out that the 3 DVD-RAM recorders I've looked at also record on DVD-R format.

The Panasonic DMR-55 looks pretty good but it does not have a DV socket. Cheapest I've seen is £179.

They do a more expensive DMR-65 which does have a DV-in but is about £100 more. This also has some sort of PC-connectivity gismo which I don't understand and don't know if I'll use.

Toshiba do a D-R3 which also records in DVD-RW format and has a DV-in. This comes in at about £240.

I'm no expert so would much appreciate anyone's views on this, expecially any views on the Toshiba vs Panasonic.

Bottom Dollar, I couldn't agree more, you repeated a lot of points I've made in an earlier post.

Well to help everyone out, I have this morning received the Which? report on DVD recorders that I have been waiting patiently for, for months.

They have tested 5 of the latest DVD recorders, 3 of which I have already mentioned in this thread.

Well to put you all out of your misery, here are the results.

1. JVC DR-M10SEK _________ 76%
2. Panasonic DMR-E55EB-S __ 76%
3. Sony RDR GX3 __________ 70%
4. LG DR4912 _____________ 68%
5. Liteon LVW-5005 B ______ 49%

To cut a long story short, they also tested 4 with a hard disk but wouldn't recommend any.

They recommend the top 3 but only the top 2 do DVD-RAM. The Sony has the best playback of all, for pre-recorded DVDs, which is why it is recommended as well.

Both myself and Bottom Dollar have already pointed out, the Panasonic doesn't have a DV input, but the JVC and the Sony do. As I stated, even before I read this report, only the JVC ticks all the boxes.

I should point out that the Which? report doesn't take price into consideration just quality, ease of use and features. Having said that both the JVC and Panasonic are available for under £200 so they score on that front as far as I'm concerned as well.

Sorry Bottom Dollar, they didn't test the Toshiba you mentioned, but it is more expensive anyway.

By the way, sorry folks, but the Liteon everyone has raved about is really poor quality compared to all the others. I'm sure it's better than a VCR though.

MarkP

George_Bray

...sorry folks, but the Liteon everyone has raved about is really poor quality compared to all the others. I'm sure it's better than a VCR though.

Oh yeh, who says! I've put my money on the Liteon and have no regrets. I have full confidence in the machine. It has greater functionality than most others apart from DVD-RAM. I've disagreed with Which? in the past, and perhaps they are wrong again.

MarkP

Oh yeh, who says! I've put my money on the Liteon and have no regrets. I have full confidence in the machine. It has greater functionality than most others apart from DVD-RAM. I've disagreed with Which? in the past, and perhaps they are wrong again.

Well they have tested all 5 models and as I said, compared to the other models on test, the Liteon has poor playback and recording quality, especially on LP mode, although the SP was only slightly better.

If you disagree, that's up to you. Have you bought all 5 models and extensively tested them? If so why don't you share your results with us as well.

I'm sure the Liteon is a perfectly reasonable machine, especially at £119, I'm just pointing out you can get better. Happy now?

mlockett

Hi
Hughst wrote:-

So I tried it out on another TV but still it flickered when I took it back they told me it was faulty and needed to be left in for repair I ask the shop assistant had he anymore he told me he had some more up the stairs I asked him could he give me a replacement DVD recorder he told me I couldn’t get one as I hadn’t taken out a house warranty I then asked him how long it would take to fix it he couldn’t give a time as to how long it would take maybe 1 month or maybe 3 months I then asked can I have my money back he told me he couldn’t not do that either he explained to me that I should have returned it a month earlier given that this was a Christmas present and was bought brand new I had no reason to think that it was faulty .

Could I just remind him that "The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumer Regulations 2002" would apply.
If a product goes wrong within the first six months, the law assumes the fault was present at the time of purchase. For this to apply, you must complain to the seller of the product (consumable), and not to the manufacturer. Your contract is with the shop you purchased from.

molly22

what about a dvd recorder with hard drive??

Who can find the cheapest available to all DVD Recorder.  Do note this is DVD recorder not DVD player.

Please note if you are including voucher codes always state the source (so we can be sure they're legit and not just for one person).

I shall start the pot off with £120 here though I'm expecting that to be easily beatible