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Home audio & video: Search for the ultimate DVR/DVD recorder
Search for the ultimate DVR/DVD recorder
by mdavis03 - 2/22/07 7:35 AMHello
I should first tell you what has happened. I use a VCR to record TV shows during the week for me and my family. I record so much that I have gone through a VCR every year for about 3 years, not to mention quite a few tapes. It runs for usually an hour or two every day/night so it was constantly running. Last night I went to put a VHS tape into the VCR and it wouldn’t let me put it in until I was able to finagle it into the slot. This got me thinking it was time to upgrade. I have a few questions first though.
The way I see it, I have two options: a DVD recorder or a DVR. Here is what I want: a DVR with DVD recorder but subscription free service. The DVD recorder should burn to dual layer DVD discs. I would like an on screen electronic programming guide, but I don’t mind programming in all the shows that I want to watch like I did with my VCR.
One that I was looking at was this
http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_DMR_EH75V/4505-6474_7-31864416.html?tag=lst
It seems like a decent system though I would like a bigger hard drive but it is big enough. I mean heck its definitely more recording time than a VCR tape!
Now for what I would like. I have been trying to find out if they make DVR’s/DVD recorders that also sport built in AM/FM radio like the DVD home theater systems do. I haven’t found any and wondered if anyone else had found something like this before? If needed I can get a DVD home theater system but thought I would ask first.
Thanks for all the help.
"DVR’s/DVD recorders that also sport built in AM/FM radio "
by jcrobso - 2/22/07 7:56 AM In reply to: Search for the ultimate DVR/DVD recorder by mdavis03I don't think there are any standalone units that do this.
The Panny is a good unit, the other choice would be a Tivo. John
"DVR’s/DVD recorders that also sport built in AM/FM radio "
by mdavis03 - 2/22/07 8:55 AM In reply to: "DVR’s/DVD recorders that also sport built in AM/FM radio " by jcrobsoYeah, I didnt think any stand alone unit would have the built in AM/FM radio. Do Tivos have DVD recorders built in? I thought I would have to get a subscription service if I bought TIVO.
What I use and what I'm getting later.
by R. Proffitt
- 2/22/07 8:06 AM
In reply to: Search for the ultimate DVR/DVD recorder by mdavis03
I have an older RCA DVR that is really great. But it's one of those early models with a 40GB drive. Today I would be looking at the 299 buck Philips you see at wally mart and other places with I think the 160 or was it 250GB drive. It's really a great unit with DVD recording as well.
But all that changed with the arrival of the Apple TV. I don't have that yet but I wonder if I'll be doing something else with some small PC or Mac to do the recording and with the Apple TV for the front end.
Time will tell.
Bob
Wally world special
by mdavis03 - 2/22/07 8:56 AM In reply to: What I use and what I'm getting later. by R. Proffitt
Does that Wally world phillips have Dual layer burning?
Phillips DVR
by mdavis03 - 2/22/07 8:58 AM In reply to: What I use and what I'm getting later. by R. Proffitt
This one?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4922159
It doesnt have Dual layer, which is unfortunate. Where could I go to find out how much recording time a 4.7GB DVD would hold?
My single layer DVD recorder does 6 hours.
by R. Proffitt - 2/22/07 9:20 AM
In reply to: Phillips DVR by mdavis03
More than enough for me. I use the 4 hour setting however.
Why is dual layer an issue here? At 4 hours my DVD recording is far better than any VHS I've ever seen.
Bob
Dual layer vs Single layer
by mdavis03 - 2/22/07 12:50 PM In reply to: My single layer DVD recorder does 6 hours. by R. Proffitt
I would like Dual Layer, but its not a complete necessity. Its one of those things thats nice to have. I wont burn programs to DVD often so single layer DVR/DVD Burner would probably be fine.
Tivo Series 3 Is The Answer
by EXCON - 2/22/07 9:24 AM In reply to: Phillips DVR by mdavis03When discussing the ULTIMATE DVR. Records HD and in THX audio. I have owned TIVOS for years and frankly I could not watch TV without them. Check out this site:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/
That shows you how much people LOVE Tivo! How many H/T components have a dedicated website? Buy it! I GUARANTEE you will LOVE IT!!
Mass love for tivos?
by mdavis03 - 2/22/07 9:30 AM In reply to: Tivo Series 3 Is The Answer by EXCONI heard the same thing, that people love the ease of use of Tivos. My question is this, can I get one without a monthly subscription fee and can I get it with a DVD recorder if I want to back up certain programs to make room for other shows?
Check out Ebay
by EXCON - 2/22/07 10:41 AM In reply to: Mass love for tivos? by mdavis03You want a Series 3 with LIFETIME subscription but its gonna cost ya. A Series 2 does not record HDTV but is certainly alot better than no Tivo at all. As for the DVD recording you can easily run cables from your TIVO to a DVD recorder and TIVO will AUTOMATICALLY record ONLY the shows you want. There is nothing like TIVO you have to experience it to understand it. I always tell people: "It will CHANGE your life" and thats no BS!
Tivo Fanboy?
by mdavis03 - 2/23/07 9:27 AM In reply to: Check out Ebay by EXCONI understand Tivos are great and all but to get a system without a subscription, even on eBay, I will payout the butt. Which is why I am looking at other DVRs. They offer more storage while being cheaper and some without a subscription. They may not offer as slick an EPG as Tivo, but you have to remember, I manually programmed my VCR whenever I wanted to record a show, so an EPG isnt a necessity but would be very nice.
TiVo Humax DVD recorder
by askmrlee - 2/24/07 10:55 AM In reply to: Search for the ultimate DVR/DVD recorder by mdavis03About 3 years ago I bought a TiVo Humax Series 2 with DVD recorder. All the awesome internet enabled features of TiVo with the convenience of DVD recording. Even though it only does single layer burning, it will record on 16X single layer DVDs which means it take about 20 minutes to transfer 4 hours of medium quality programs to 1 DVD.
Now, TiVo and Humax no longer make these but you may be able to find them on eBay. If you don't want to pay the monthly subscription fee (which I think is totally worth it once you connect it to your wireless network) you may want to check out LG's LRM-519 which may be another way to go.
My Pioneer works for me
by brookeb - 2/24/07 4:11 PM In reply to: Search for the ultimate DVR/DVD recorder by mdavis03I have the Pioneer 1-Disc DVD Recorder With 80GB Hard Drive (DVR-543HS), and it does the job for me. The only problem with the free EPG guide that comes with it is that it's pretty generic, and only shows a very limited amount of channels.
If you really want a free EPG, you might be better off buying a Media Centre PC, setting it up, and using it.
As for the size of the hard drive on the Pioneer, 80 GB is lots of space for me, because what I don't want to record, I just delete ... and when I want to keep something I recorded, I burn it to a DVD and delete it afterwards. So I would say anything larger than 80 GB is just overkill.
I'm from Canada and we're just getting Tivo. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go Tivo because it seems like it's the best solution ... so far.
I have the ultimate DVR/DVD recorder!
by matrix2004 - 2/24/07 7:25 PM In reply to: Search for the ultimate DVR/DVD recorder by mdavis03I have the Panasonic DMR-EH55S. It's similar to the one you have but mine has a 200GB hard drive and no vhs player. I decided to get a seperate vhs player so i could dub my old tapes to dvd. I've had it
since Christmas and no problems yet. Best part is NO FEES!
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