Digital DVD Recorder
Posted by padusi in dvd recorder on March 28th, 2009
Digital DVD recorder – LG DRT389H
By Padusi
The LG DRT389H may not be the easiest DVD recorder to get to grips with, but it’s OK when you get used to it, as the reviewer says. Setting the LG DRT389H between Sky+ box & TV is different to the instructions provided, but if you have half a clue about the signal flow, it all makes logical sense. You just have to fiddle around a little bit.
digital dvd recorder
The reviewer admits that watching up-scaled DVDs with the LG DRT389H really breathes new life into them. You really don’t notice just how much until you go back to watching ‘standard scaled’ DVD’s on another device. All in all, it does everything (and a bit more) that you would expect from a machine even if it’s a little pricier.
Having checked out the reviews and cross referenced with which the decision was made, set up was easy but the instructions were slightly confusing. The multiple disc formats may come in handy in the future. The up-scaling of standard DVDs works perfectly and HD playback is incredible. The initial warm up screen is of low quality and the on-screen instructions are in a similar mode, but don’t be put off by this, as Record/Playback is the most important part and this unit certainly delivers both.
The reviewer bought the LG DRT389H as a replacement for an old DVD player, which had seen long service but was past its best. It was chosen as it supported all formats and had more features than equivalently priced models – and it lives up to the spec. Picture quality is excellent and it’s super easy to use once you know your way around the menus.
But that’s the problem – the manual seems to be written in fluent gibberish, and to record from a digital satellite source, one has to set it up completely differently from any of the illustrations or text in the instructions!
For the money, this is a top notch quality recorder. Setup was fairly easy and managed to connect this between the Sky+ box and the TV, enabling recording from Sky+ hard drive to a blank DVD (music videos, etc). For permanent recordings, Verbatim DVD+R discs as recommended since these have the edge over DVD-R. The LG’s menu takes a bit of getting used to, but read the manual fully. The LG DRT389H Recorder is highly recommended as some of the more expensive makes do not have the features that this machine has.
Panasonic DVD Recorder VCR Combo
Posted by padusi in dvd recorder on March 27th, 2009
Panasonic DMR-ES45V – DVD recorder / VCR Combo
By Padusi
If you need to record to numerous types of recordable DVDs, including DVD RAMs, and to VHS at the same time, the Panasonic DMR-ES45V is your choice.
panasonic dvd recorder vcr combo
Aside from one-button copying from VHS to DVD, the Panasonic DMR-ES45V offers a FireWire input that enables you to record straight from your camcorder. However, its onscreen scheduling capability will prompt you to tell it the time and channel you want to record.
For DVD recording, the unit offers four recording modes that all have trade-offs in recording quality vs. capacity. Only 1 hour of highest-quality XP mode video fits onto one single-layer DVD; SP is 2 hours, LP is 4; and EP either 6 or 8 (the 6-hour mode gives better audio quality).
The DMR-ES45V has one of our favorite features: flexible recording. Selecting this option allows you to completely fill a DVD with your program, maximizing the video quality. Rounding out the rest of the connectivity is a component-video output, two A/V inputs with S-Video (one front, one back), one A/V output with S-Video, and optical digital audio output, a FireWire input, and screw-type RF input/outputs. Recording quality on the Panasonic DMR-ES45V was excellent overall, highlighted by an impressive LP mode.
Whereas most recorders suffer a large drop in resolution when switching from 2-hour SP to 4-hour LP mode (usually from about 450 lines of resolution to 250), LP mode on the DMR-ES45V maintained almost exactly the same resolution as SP mode. The downside is, however, as with other Panasonic DVD recorders, for standard DVD playback, image quality performance was largely disappointing.
Using the HDMI output at every resolution (480p, 720p and 1080i), we ran the DMR-ES45V through Silicon Optix’s HQV test suite. Resolution tests in 720p and 480p mode revealed that the DMR-ES45V was not passing the full DVD resolution–the bars on the test pattern were solid where there should have been detail. Disc compatibility overall was spotty and represents the Panasonic DMR-ES45V’s greatest weakness. If we declined the formatting option, it refused to play the disc.
Panasonic DMR-EH75V – DVD recorder/VCR combo with 80GB HDD
The Panasonic DMR-EH75V has the ability to play back and record to three kinds of media: VHS, DVD, and a built-in internal hard drive. The Panasonic DMR-EH75V allows you to record to the 80GB hard drive, numerous types of recordable DVDs (including DVD-RAM), and VHS. Usually, you’ll record to the hard drive then archive anything you want on DVD.
You can also record one program while playing back another on the hard drive or DVD-RAM discs, except during high-speed dubbing. The hard drive can store 17 hours of XP-quality video or up to 142 hours of 8-hour EP quality, while dual-layer discs can hold up to 1.75 hours of XP video or 14.3 hours of 8-hour EP video.
Although Panasonic claims compatibility with blank DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM, and the dual-layer versions of -R and +R discs, +R media failed in our experience. The DMR-EH75V uses the free TV Guide EPG to schedule recordings and retrieve program info. It also has one of our favorite features: flexible recording length. Selecting this option allows you to completely fill a DVD with your program, maximizing the video quality.
Unfortunately, like all VHS/DVD recorders so far, the deck can’t record from VHS tapes in high speed. Recording quality on the Panasonic DMR-EH75V was excellent overall, highlighted by an impressive LP mode. Whereas most recorders suffer a large drop in resolution when switching from 2-hour SP to 4-hour LP mode (usually from about 450 to 250 lines of resolution), LP mode on the DMR-EH75V maintained almost exactly the same resolution as SP mode.
Since the DMR-EH75V can up-convert via its HDMI output, we ran it through our video-quality test but came away somewhat disappointed. Disc compatibility overall was spotty and represents the DMR-EH75V’s greatest weakness. The Panasonic handled -R dual-layer discs well, although it can record from only the hard drive to dual-layer media, not directly from a live video stream.
After numerous failures with other decks, our tests of the DMR-EH75V’s TV Guide EPG were successful on Time Warner NYC’s digital cable hookup.
VCR With DVD Recorder
Posted by padusi in dvd recorder on March 26th, 2009
How To Convert VHS To DVD With A DVD Recorder
Executive Summary about VCR with DVD Recorder by Cole Figgins
The computer savvy among us will use their computer to transfer their videos to DVD. It requires copying the video to a digital file on the computer using an analog converter. The file gets compressed into MPEG-2 format before being burned onto a DVD.
vcr with dvd recorder
You simply connect your VCR by cable to the DVD recorder. Then while the video plays, it is also recording. If you choose this option, consider purchasing a video processor called a proc amp or a time base corrector. These devices stabilize and improve the quality of the analog video as it is fed to the DVD recorder and can greatly improve the resulting images that you get on the DVD.
The second option is to purchase a combination DVD/VCR recorder. Make sure that you have cleaned the heads of the VCR between copying videos. Understand that if you have videos which are recorded at SLP (6 hours of video on a tape) you will not get the same quality of recording onto a DVD as if the video was recorded at SP (2 hours of video on a tape).
If you find the quality is not acceptable for you, consider changing your method of converting videos to DVD. However, for many people, the time and energy saved in converting the videos on their own will outweigh any concerns over video quality.
How The DVD Recorder Compares To VHS
Executive Summary about VCR with DVD Recorder by John
The biggest reason, without a doubt, is picture and sound quality. When you record on videotape, you always notice that the quality is worse than the original broadcast. Even a relatively cheap DVD is competitive with very expensive tapes – and if you don’t always record at the highest quality, DVDs can hold a truly amazing amount of television.
DVDs don’t wear out. They can scratch, like CDs, but it’s rare, and will generally just cause them to quickly jump over the ruined section. If you want to see evidence of this, try comparing ex-rental VHS to ex-rental DVDs.
To top it all off, the DVD recorders themselves are so much easier to program than VCRs. VCR programming is a mystery that has troubled people for decades, with its mysterious codes and multitude of buttons. Programming a DVD recorder, on the other hand, is as easy as selecting the show you want to record from an on-screen list, and pressing the record button.
