Which DVD recorder of these two?

Milky_Mocha

My old DVD recorder has given up and I'm being offered a replacement under warranty. My old model value is approx. £300 so I've been asked to choose something of that value or pay the difference if higher. I've been directed to a website to choose from (hughes.co.uk) and these are the two I've shortlisted. There weren't many to choose from:

http://www.hughes.co.uk/vision/dvd-and-hard-drive-recorder/sam-bdh8500m/product or

http://www.hughes.co.uk/vision/dvd-and-hard-drive-recorder/pan-dmrbwt740eb/product

The second one would cost me £100. Would it be worth it?
I'd like to be able to play normal DVDs on it and not just 3D and Blu-ray, although I would play those as well on occasion.
They mention freeview on these boxes. Does this mean I get the freeview channels with no subscription required? That would be a big plus as my old box didn't have that.
Any and all opinions would be gratefully received.

flashg67

Well a quick read of the Samsung specs says it doesn't record to DVD, so it seems odd they've given that as an option. It seems to be a Blu-ray/DVD player with a Freeview HD recorder built in. So if you need to be able to record to DVD (and Blu-ray), rather than to the internal hard drive, then the Panasonic is the one. I've had poor experience in the past with Panasonic DVd recorders not lasting more than 2 years, though of course they may be better now.

bob_a_builder

Does this mean I get the freeview channels with no subscription required?

there is no subscription for freeview - clues in the name

cookie365

Neither. Get a hard disk recorder like one of the Humax boxes they have on the site
http://www.hughes.co.uk/vision/freeview-and-pvr-digital/hum-hdr2000t-500gb/product

Or you can get a youview box with your allowance:
http://www.hughes.co.uk/vision/freeview-and-pvr-digital/hum-dtrt2000-500gb/product

And if you need a DVD player something like this to go with it:
http://www.hughes.co.uk/vision/dvd-vcr-combination/son-dvpsr170b/product

hubb

Or go to Humix direct website and get some reconditioned by themselves for much cheaper than new. Apparently they are very reliable and I am thinking of buying one from them.

cookie365

hubb wrote: »

Or go to Humix direct website and get some reconditioned by themselves for much cheaper than new. Apparently they are very reliable and I am thinking of buying one from them.

Or even better still, read threads before you reply to them

Milky_Mocha

flashg67 wrote: »

Well a quick read of the Samsung specs says it doesn't record to DVD, so it seems odd they've given that as an option. It seems to be a Blu-ray/DVD player with a Freeview HD recorder built in. So if you need to be able to record to DVD (and Blu-ray), rather than to the internal hard drive, then the Panasonic is the one. I've had poor experience in the past with Panasonic DVd recorders not lasting more than 2 years, though of course they may be better now.

Thanks. I hadn't realised the Samsung doesn't record to DVD.
They didn't recommend any specific device. They recommended the website as their supplier of DVD electronics and when I typed the keywords "DVD recorder" those were the only ones that came up.

Milky_Mocha

cookie365 wrote: »

Neither. Get a hard disk recorder like one of the Humax boxes they have on the site
http://www.hughes.co.uk/vision/freeview-and-pvr-digital/hum-hdr2000t-500gb/product

Or you can get a youview box with your allowance:
http://www.hughes.co.uk/vision/freeview-and-pvr-digital/hum-dtrt2000-500gb/product

And if you need a DVD player something like this to go with it:
http://www.hughes.co.uk/vision/dvd-vcr-combination/son-dvpsr170b/product

This is an eye opener, especially at those prices. Can I record programmes to disc or at least to a portable device such as a usb with plenty of space? The reason is so I can send my mum abroad recordings of her favourite t.v. shows and movies now and again.

Milky_Mocha

bob_a_builder wrote: »

there is no subscription for freeview - clues in the name

I've never used freeview and have come to be believe there's a catch with everything that claims to be free so didn't know for sure. Thanks for clearing that up.

Yorkie1

Milky_Mocha wrote: »

This is an eye opener, especially at those prices. Can I record programmes to disc or at least to a portable device such as a usb with plenty of space? The reason is so I can send my mum abroad recordings of her favourite t.v. shows and movies now and again.

The Humax is a fab machine but doesn't allow you to save in a different format. If you look at the humax forums you might find there are workarounds though.

fenlander_uk

Milky_Mocha wrote: »

This is an eye opener, especially at those prices. Can I record programmes to disc or at least to a portable device such as a usb with plenty of space? The reason is so I can send my mum abroad recordings of her favourite t.v. shows and movies now and again.

Essentially, no. All freeview boxes encrypt the programmes as they record them so they cannot be easily copied to another device. The exception is the Humax HDR-T2 for which there is excellent third party software available, allowing files to be decrypted and copied off for use on other devices. Unfortunately this machine is no longer produced and is certainly not available from Hughes.

There are other technical issues involved in sending programmes to a recipient abroad. What does your mum use to view the files? Even if you can get decrypted files off a DVR they are unlikely to be in a format that will play on a standard DVD player, though they will play on a PC.

Don't leap too quickly. If a DVD recorder is a solution that's working for you, a like for like replacement may well be your simplest solution.