I am looking for a DVD recorder. I would like one that has the VCR with it for easy dubbing. Also, are there any DVD recorders that record in HD? I have a philips one now that has stopped working, but when it did work it would record in HD. Does anybody have a good one that works well with there Dish?
Looking for a DVD Recorder!
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I'll try to reply tonight when I get home. I think LG has stopped making these, as has Sony. I'm quite happy with my VCR/DVD combo, but I'll have to check the model number tonight. Might be able to pick something up used. Check eBay for LG products.
There are HD DVRs, but the only HD disc recorders are in PCs and are quite expensive with little software support. It will probably be years before we see stand alone HD recorders. I assume your Philips was WMV, which many players won't recognize. Or it downrezzed the HD.
There are HD DVRs, but the only HD disc recorders are in PCs and are quite expensive with little software support. It will probably be years before we see stand alone HD recorders. I assume your Philips was WMV, which many players won't recognize. Or it downrezzed the HD.
HD DVD recorders are still a ways off. I believe your Philips was recording HD programming (1080i), but downconverting it for recording on a regular DVD (480p). I don't believe you will see too many VCR/HD-DVD combo recorders because your analog VCR tapes or going to look the same no matter if its SD-DVD or HD-DVD.
OK, I have an LG LRY-517. It has a VCR and DVD recorder built in one, and it also works with DVD-RAM. Very easy to dub from VCR to DVD. I guess you could go the other way, but why would you want to? You could feed analog outputs from a Dish box to it for recording. I love it. Pricegrabber has one new for about $120, or you can look on eBay. Google it and you'll see all the specs. You might see other discontinued LG recorders and DVRs that might interest you.
I also have a Sony DHG-HDD500. Good luck finding one of these. But it works quite well. It's not as easy to use as a Dish DVR, but it will record OTA or cable HD onto it's hard drive. It's input is coax, so I guess you could hook it up to the TV2 output on a Dish ViP box. Just a SD/HD DVR, no DVD or VCR built in.
I also have a Sony DHG-HDD500. Good luck finding one of these. But it works quite well. It's not as easy to use as a Dish DVR, but it will record OTA or cable HD onto it's hard drive. It's input is coax, so I guess you could hook it up to the TV2 output on a Dish ViP box. Just a SD/HD DVR, no DVD or VCR built in.
Consumer Reports Quick Picks:
Quick Picks
Best DVD recorders for most people:
• Toshiba D-RW2 , $140, CR Best Buy
• Philips DVDR3390 , $140
Both provided very good performance for the price, though the Philips lacks an auto clock-set feature.
For extra DVD capabilities:
• Panasonic DMR-ES25 , $200
• Samsung DVD-R135 , $170
The Panasonic can simultaneously record a program and play back another. The Samsung lacks that ability and is more spartan in its features. However, when used with an HDTV, it provides the smoothest 480p picture for the widest range of prerecorded DVDs.
Best combo devices if you own a lot of VHS tapes:
• Panasonic DMR-ES35 , $245
• Samsung DVD-VR330 , $235
Both have a built-in VCR. The Panasonic can record to one type of media while playing back another. When used with an HDTV, the Samsung provides the smoothest 480p picture for the widest range of prerecorded DVDs, and it can record to dual-layer DVD-R discs.
Best combo with a DVD/hard-drive recorder:
• Toshiba RD-XS35 , $330
This versatile model can simultaneously record and play back via the hard drive or when using DVD-RAM discs. It also has an interactive TV Guide On Screen programming guide. But while the Toshiba can control satellite boxes, it can't do so through TV Guide On-Screen; you'll need to program recordings in the usual manner to get that function.
Quick Picks
Best DVD recorders for most people:
• Toshiba D-RW2 , $140, CR Best Buy
• Philips DVDR3390 , $140
Both provided very good performance for the price, though the Philips lacks an auto clock-set feature.
For extra DVD capabilities:
• Panasonic DMR-ES25 , $200
• Samsung DVD-R135 , $170
The Panasonic can simultaneously record a program and play back another. The Samsung lacks that ability and is more spartan in its features. However, when used with an HDTV, it provides the smoothest 480p picture for the widest range of prerecorded DVDs.
Best combo devices if you own a lot of VHS tapes:
• Panasonic DMR-ES35 , $245
• Samsung DVD-VR330 , $235
Both have a built-in VCR. The Panasonic can record to one type of media while playing back another. When used with an HDTV, the Samsung provides the smoothest 480p picture for the widest range of prerecorded DVDs, and it can record to dual-layer DVD-R discs.
Best combo with a DVD/hard-drive recorder:
• Toshiba RD-XS35 , $330
This versatile model can simultaneously record and play back via the hard drive or when using DVD-RAM discs. It also has an interactive TV Guide On Screen programming guide. But while the Toshiba can control satellite boxes, it can't do so through TV Guide On-Screen; you'll need to program recordings in the usual manner to get that function.
You might want to try and get a recorder that can record an anamorphic DVD from the ATSC tuner (much better resolution). Many (most) give you a letterboxed downconversion.
I believe the new philips model can, but this information can be hard to track down.
DVD recorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
kovach: At least some of the models you have listed are ntsc only. I'd stay away from those at this point.
Personally, I don't like Consumer Reports for electronics. They just don't seem to understand the technology to call themselves experts. I do trust them to tell me if a vacuum sucked all the dirt.
I believe the new philips model can, but this information can be hard to track down.
DVD recorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
kovach: At least some of the models you have listed are ntsc only. I'd stay away from those at this point.
Personally, I don't like Consumer Reports for electronics. They just don't seem to understand the technology to call themselves experts. I do trust them to tell me if a vacuum sucked all the dirt.
I think Wal-Mart has the Philips DVDR 3575H/37 for $298. It has ATSC and NTSC tunning capabilities, I think the HDD is 160 GB, will upcovert to HD with HDMI, will burn to DVD using multiple formats, and the menu/editing is not bad. You can back order it through Circuit City for about $10 less.
Here's a link to Philips with info on it: Search
Speaking of Wally-World, at least one location in the country had a clearance on the RCA DVD Recorder with Hard Disk Drive for $100. The one they were carrying - I personally did not like because of the menu, but mainly it created a heartbeat in the sound during certain recordings (if not all). The original price was not bad, if you did not mind the heartbeat when there was no sound. I suspect they had too many returns and now just trying to get rid of them. For a 100 bucks, I might go and get one.
Here's a link to Philips with info on it: Search
Speaking of Wally-World, at least one location in the country had a clearance on the RCA DVD Recorder with Hard Disk Drive for $100. The one they were carrying - I personally did not like because of the menu, but mainly it created a heartbeat in the sound during certain recordings (if not all). The original price was not bad, if you did not mind the heartbeat when there was no sound. I suspect they had too many returns and now just trying to get rid of them. For a 100 bucks, I might go and get one.
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"...I do trust them to tell me if a vacuum sucked all the dirt."
I've gone thru several vacuum cleaners at home and especially at work (filthy place). The Dyson beats them all, hands down, for function and longevity. And that translates into lower lifecycle costs. Yet CR did not rate them highly. So I no longer trust them even for vacs- & certainly not electronics of any kind.
But it's good to see so many good recorders out on the market.
I've gone thru several vacuum cleaners at home and especially at work (filthy place). The Dyson beats them all, hands down, for function and longevity. And that translates into lower lifecycle costs. Yet CR did not rate them highly. So I no longer trust them even for vacs- & certainly not electronics of any kind.
But it's good to see so many good recorders out on the market.
