5 comments about Panasonic DMR-E80H Progressive-Scan DVD Player/Recorder with Hard Drive , Silver.

1. I've owned this unit for about six months, and just yesterday I discovered that it is compatible not with just cable boxes, but also high definition TV tuners, like my DigitalStream box! The built-in TV Guide system will even sync through the HD Tuner! If you're like me and watch a few key shows on network TV, you can save that 50 bucks a month for cable, hook this recorder up to an HD tuner, and simply record your favorite tv shows when they're on to watch at your leisure!
   
   I don't necessarily recommend this specific unit as this is a very old model, but I want to make clear that I love this unit's DVD recorder, its DVR capabilities, and most of all not having to pay monthly TiVo or cable bills!



2. I've had mine for about 4+ years and have loved it! The only problem I had was when I did a lot of editing and "gunked" it up. My only solution was to format the hard drive. I lost everything but now I know that I need to eventually save my recordings to DVD-R or DVD-RAM. After that, I'll do a format to keep things running smoothly. I use DVD-RAM disks to archive everything. If I want to share my recordings, I can transfer what's on DVD-RAM back onto the recorders hard drive and re-record onto a DVD-R.
   Since few portable DVD players play DVD-RAM, I purchased Panasonic's LS-90 portable DVD player, which plays the DVD-RAM format. It works great and has a quality picture. Don't buy the less expensive LS-91. The quality is not comparable.



3. This unit worked great for almost 2 years. Now, I cannot record anything from the hard drive to the DVD. I get the same "RECOVER" message a lot of people are getting and the unit reboots. At this point, I can still record to the hard drive and watch programs at a later time. I'm wondering how long that will even last now. I wouldn't be surprised if a cheap unit broke so soon... but I paid a lot of money for this and expected much more.



4. I have had this unit for many years now. It has never failed me. We have watched thousands of movies and recorded shows weekly for years without the first problem.
   
   I am looking forward to the HD version when it arrives. If it is half as good as this one, it will be GREAT!



5. I got my Panasonic about 3 years back to transfer all my home-recorded video tapes, and there were a LOT of them. I figure I must have recorded nearly 150 DVD's - many of them with multiple titles. I know that because of the era this unit was manufactured that 480p was the best resolution of the time, and this sometimes reveals itself on playback on my 37" 720p TV. Nothing I can do about that and I'm glad I have digitized some of my never-have-again programs recorded on VHS in the 80's and 90's, as well as my parent's old 8mm movies from the 40's thru 70's. A few months ago I had a problem with lockup during playback and after stumping my local repair shop (even after they contacted Panasonic) I sent it to Panasonic in CA for repair. They replaced a board and $130 later I have a working unit again. I get the definite impression that Panasonic is fully aware of this bug but isn't about to initiate a service bulletin because of the age of the product. I can't complain too loudly after all the unit has done for me, but I'm waiting for the next generation of higher def recorders (not upconverters). I pray that the market will continue to support standalone DVR/DVD-R's in a world of Tivo subscriptions.

5 comments about Philips DVDR985 Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder and Player.

1. I've owned a Philips DVDR985 DVD recorder unit for several years now. The first unit I owned developed problems that my then-purchased extended warranty/service provider could not resolve. Eventually, I was given a new replacement unit DVDR985/172 that has been working well.
   
   I just purchased two 25 pc. packages of Sony v1.2 DVD+R discs with a speed rating of 1x-8x. The DVDR985 recorder does not record to these discs but does record to the slower 1x-4x DVD+RW discs.
   
   I contacted Philips technical support and they recommended that only 1x-4x discs (4x max. speed) be used in the recorder. When I queried them on firmware availability to fix the problem, I was not given any specific information other than to download and apply the firmware from http://www.p4c.philips.com (which I had already performed prior to contacting them). I found the specific firmware for my particular model here. The technician I spoke with recommended TDK discs and because I've already opened one of the two 25-peice packs, I'm pretty much stuck with about $40 of unusable and un-returnable merchandise.
   
   Interestingly enough, I don't see any mention of the maximum disc speed limit in the recorder documentation. I am very disappointed with Philips' ability to provide better solutions/firmware support for these types of problems. When coupled with the problems from my initial unit, I doubt I will buy future electronics from Philips.



2. I paid about $650 for this thing (out of box) at CircuitCity, with an extended warranty about 2 or 3 years ago (good thing I got the extended warranty!). I was plagued with "Disc Error"s while recording. It got progressively worse. Eventually, it wouldn't play rented or brand new movie DVDs. I took it back for repairs. When it came back, it worked again, but only for about a month and started getting the errors again. I took it back. This time they swapped it for another out of box unit just like it. This one worked for a couple of months then started experiencing the same disc errors. I took it back. When I got it back, it worked for a while, then started doing it again. So, of course, I took it back yet again. I told them I didn't want it repaired. I wanted my money back. I found that many many people were having the same problems on the internet. (I even downloaded and installed the latest firmware).
   
   CircuitCity honored the extended warranty and gave me in-store credit of $551.xx plus they'll be sending me a check for the remaining balance on my extended warranty! With that credit, I bought a Panasonic DVD recorder (2 years newer and IN the box!), which records on DVD+r/rw *AND* DVD-r/rw and also has the firewire input that I must have. AND I bought a dual-layer DVD+-r/w drive for my computer, AND I still have $268 left PLUS that unknown check amount... I think I'll get a TiVo with the rest!
   
   I'll never buy another Phillips product again (And I live in Phillips' hometown of Knoxville TN!)



3. Most expensive paper wt in the world.
   Bought on line. Worked well first 2 months. Made about 30 DVD's and discarded about 30 ruined ones. Then the problems began.
   *Wouldn't shut down
   * Wouldn't start up
   *Disc error
   *Stop recording in middle of program
   *Firmware upgrades didn't work
   
   If Philips is the standard of Euro technology, they are in for an apocalpyse-terrible quality control.
   
   Just ordered a brand new Toshiba-of Japanese origins.
   Put me down as a dissatisfied Philips owner.



4. I bought this in 2003 and it worked for a little over a year, though I could never get it to record. I would get repeated error messages in just trying to play DVDs. I was about to give it to Goodwill and decided to do a firmware update to see if I could salvage it. Got error messages. I called Phillips. For $39 they are going to send me a replacement and I am going to ship this one back to them at their expense. In my call, I stressed that I had paid over $800 for this product and that it was a lemon, according to Amazon reviews.



5. I purchased this dvd recorder a couple of years ago and am still using it today. I have noticed, however, it is reluctant to play some of the formats and it often skips if the disc is scratched or dirty. I am currently in the market for a new player.

5 comments about GoVideo R6740 Progressive Scan DVD Recorder/Player.

1. My recorder broke just after a year. It won't format, the disc door won't open, etc... Also, you can't edit your recorder such as erasing the commericals to fit more tv show. I will not buy another GoVideo product. However, I do recommend using American Express Blue Cash to buy your electronics. Their Buyer Assurance program extended the warranty of my purchase by another year. AE credit my credit card the original purchase price instead of having me get the DVD recorder fix. I am very happy with AE. I am going to charge all my purchases with AE from now on. AE is how every company to run their business.



2. This DVDR lasted 15 months. It was plagued by intermittant operation and now the door won't open. Can't recommend this one.



3. I have been a GoVideo owner since 2004. I purchased this unit from a tv shopping channel and it had given relatively good service since its initial use. The unit recently stopped working and I have had a very difficult time in finding anyone here who repairs this equipment. The name/number that I given by the company's tech. support was not even accurate. When I called the repair shop, I was told they had never been connected with or did they ever submit any info. to GoVideo that they were a factory authorized service center. The other complaint that I have is that of the durablility of the product. My initial investment in 2004 was about $300. I would have expected a product under normal use to last for sometime longer than a couple of years. I have recently purchased a new unit and have stared again. Hopefully, this product will be somewhat more durable than the GoVideo product. And, hopefully, their tech. support and information will be a great deal more accurate.



4. Go.Video is out of business.
   
   After 18 months, this unit's motherboard failed. Under a service contract, a local repair shop was stalled by Go.Video for two months before acknowledging that no replacement was available. My service contract provider will now only authorize $129.98 to replace the unit because "the marketplace"(Amazon)has set this price for the unit. As with the AKAI DVDRW120, which shares the underlying hardware and firmware, this unit has a sketchy reliability record.



5. I bought this exact DVD recorder from QVC for $[...]. It was not user friendly for recording and I wound up just using it as a second DVD player. I have it 2 years but used it maybe 50 times. I can't get the disk tray open and my 3 1/2 year old's Nemo DVD is stuck in there. I contacted GoVideo via email since all other ways were impossible and this is the response I got today and I quote: "Go Video no longer offers tech support or customer service." Hello! I looked up reviews on all GoVideo products offered now or at one time from Amazon and they are all basically the same as mine. Stay away from this brand!

2 comments about Philips DVDR3475 Tunerless 1080p Upscaling DVD Recorder.

1. This is certainly the worst buy I recently did. Moreover, I am deeply disappointed with Philips support center. I bought this unit in USA to use it in Brazil, where I live. It was only after arriving here that I realized the region area lock. So I took it to Philips Service Center to make the conversion to Area 4. They simply informed me that the conversion was not possible and there was nothing they could do for me. As a result, ironically, it is only possible to play pirate movies in this unit, which are region free. Since I like buying my own original titles, I will have to throw this unit in the garbage and buy another one which does not have such area protection stupidity. Indeed, there are several other company brands that do not employ this useless protection. I suppose they support better their customers as well. As a result, I do not intend to buy anything else from Philips soon.



2. One star, because I can't give it a -5...
   
   I transfered 40-50 hours of home video to DVD using this, only to find out--after spending further hours and hours labeling the DVD's and then leaving the country--that "finalize" on this machine doesn't *really* mean finalize like it's supposed to... So, it plays normal DVD's, and DVD's that were recorded on it; but don't *even* think of recording DVD's using it and then playing them on any other DVD player, or even a computer.

1 comments about Lightscribe Lacie P5 DVDrw Dl 18X USB 2.0.

1. I didn't have a DVDrw in my mac and had been looking for something that was mac compatible. This worked great. I didn't even bother with the software. Just set it up according to the instructions, plugged it in and it burned my DVD. (I used the iDVD software that came with the mac). It's a nice looking unit too. It does seem a little slow, but then again I have nothing to compare it with. It does what I want for a reasonable price. I'm happy with it.

4 comments about LIteOn LVC-9016G - DVD recorder/ VCR combo.

1. I don't know how the LiteOn recorder works because I'm still waiting for the wiring which should have come with it. I ordered it on July 3rd. and this is September 2nd. and I'm still waiting for the wiring to be sent to me.



2. Bought it Refurb thru Austinmicrotech, looks new, all parts(remote, wires, manual) were there.
   Works flawlessly so far, records with VHS tapes as well with all types of DVD (RW,R,+,-).Also dubs VHS to DVD or other way around.Has 2 quality settings for VHS and 6 for DVDs!
   Has cable tuner(programmable), while most new ones don't have any. If your looking for a regular combo VCR/DVD recorder or to transfer all those old VHS tapes to DVD this is it.



3. This unit is very user friendly and so far has performed flawlessly. I purchased a Refurbished unit and it arrived in "factory new" condition. The price was about a third of a new unit. When recording on DVD the sound is a bit brilliant but I haven't looked to see if there is an adjustment for sound preference. A fine unit for the money.



4. This dual deck recorder makes nice recordings.It is far easier to use than most dual decks because of the "easy guider system" thus making copying a snap.A real bargin at a very fair price.

1 comments about RCA DRC 8320N - DVD recorder/ VCR combo.

1. We have returned this product to Wal-Mart twice. Each time we have experienced problems. The first two models allowed some use of the control panels. For example: video tapes would rewind only if you pressed rewind while it was playing. If you tried to stop the tape first and then rewind, it would not rewind. Frequently, the controls would be unresponsive to the eject button as well. If we unplugged the unit, let it rest??, and then plugged it back in, it might work (on a good day). Needless to say, this has caused hours of frustration....especially when you have five children waiting to watch a movie.
   Hoping that the third unit would be a charm, crossing our fingers that maybe it was just a coincidence, we exchanged it one more time.
   Our third unit is the worst of them all. It is completely unresponsive to any and all controls. By the grace of God, we were able to get our DVD and VHS cassette out.
   We are sending it to the repair shop right now. They said they can fix it, I said "good luck, I hope your right".
   
   Do not buy this item.

5 comments about Toshiba D-VR4X Multi-Drive DVD Recorder/VCR Combo.

1. This is a sad machine. I have now tried to copy 5 VHS tapes to DVD's using this machine. Of the 5:
   
   1. Three of them copied fine, but are UNPLAYABLE on any player except THIS ONE. I have tried 2 new computers, and two very recent component DVD players. Also tried different brands of DVD-R's. No luck.
   
   2 The other two totally froze the unit. During the "finalization process". "Processing Please Wait" remained on the screen for over two hours. Had to pull the plug on it to shut it off. Not one button worked.
   
   This machine was designed by an idiot. The upwards tilting MIRROR finish across the front panel reflects any sunlight or room lighting right into your face and BLINDS YOU!
   
   The VCR and DVD indicator lights are blinding bright enough to guide a plane onto an airport runway on a dark foggy night.
   
   On the other hand, the clock digits are so DIM, they are nearly invisible while the machine is off.
   
   I believe this model is not available in many places anymore. Too bad I got in at the end of it's life. I think I still have a few days left to return it to Sears. They don't seem to have any more either.I will gladly pay whatever restocking fee they charge me, to put ME out of my misery.
   
   What a complete, frustrating waste of time this was.



2. In looking at the other reviews, I felt I needed to base one on my own experience after having the DVD recorder/combo for over 3 months.
   
   I have had it freeze up and need to be unplugged twice, usually after I have left the unit turned on for 2-3 weeks without shutting it off.
   
   I will agree the VCR/DVD light is bright, but it is easy to tell which you are set to. The light for the clock is very dim when the set is turned off.
   
   As for performance, I'm enjoying the DVD burner. It works well, and I have very few issues. (See above). I would recommend reading the manual first though. While not entirely necessary its a good idea when you are trying to record movies that run just over 2 hours (due to the DVD media and picking the type of record XP, SP, LP, SLP).
   
   For playback, the movies I burn come in a little dark on my HDTV, while normal DVD's work fine. If I play the burned discs on a computer or other DVD/TV set they look fine.
   
   Overall I think the product is a good buy for a mid-range price.



3. This thing is terrible. I don't know where to begin! Anything I burn (if it burns) doesn't play on anything else. The picture quality sucks. Any good features are non-existant. I actually got sunburned from the bright display. It was WAY overpriced. And to top it off, it crapped out on me 14 days after the warranty expired. Thanks Toshiba for a wonderful product.



4. I followed the manual for the setup and everything works well. Those having problems watching a DVD need to make sure they don't skip the "Finalization" so that you can watch it on other DVD players. The only problem I've encountered so far is that it is limited to 123 channels and only goes up to 123 (so channel 252 is out), which would not be a problem if I could get it to play the channels I manually tried to program (numbered UNDER 123, of course). It won't let me add or delete some channels, and after I've added them, I only get the "blue screen" and no broadcast. I have everything hooked up correctly, so I don't know what's going on with that except I won't be able to record TV programs as I wanted to. I do have some really good VHS tapes I will use it to transfer to DVD so all is not lost. I know. Good luck to me.



5. I tried to give this thing no stars, but had to give it one in order to write a review.
   
   I bought this on Amazon about 6 months ago. In spite of the backwards messages and displays (described later) and unbelievably tiny red Timed Recording indicator light, it worked fine for the first 3 months. Then one night, while it time-recorded from 9-10PM onto video, it didn't stop recording until it ran out of tape! I didn't know it had done that (duh!), so when I returned home from work the next evening, the daytime recording onto DVD never happened. Seems that, if you schedule timed recordings onto both DVD and VCR, if there is no tape left, no recording occurs at all.
   
   Then the error message that was on the screen that must've occurred when it "couldn't" record onto DVD that day wouldn't go away. As a last resort, I unplugged the thing for over 3 hours - It finally went away. Of course, all of the timed recording and system settings were gone and had to be re-input. Unplugging it for 3 or more hours is now the only way to get rid of ANY error message.
   
   Now it never stops recording onto tape no matter what the scheduled stop time is. I've resorted to only time-recording onto DVD...what a waste of money for a dual unit, eh?
   
   Oh, yes, the indicators and backwards messages. The VCR is on the left and DVR on the right of the unit; but when ejecting, the eject indicator on the screen is on the right when ejecting a tape and the left when ejecting a DVD (that engineer must've been on drugs). The messages are also backwards: If what you actually need to do next is press the time recording button to turn it on, the message tells you to turn it off, and vice versa...perhaps same engineer on the same drugs?
   
   I haven't yet tried copying my video tapes onto DVD...from the other reviews here, I anticipate another "fun" experience. I strongly suggest buying a unit like this that is manufactured by ANYONE other than Toshiba.

5 comments about Toshiba D-VR650 Super MultiDrive 1080i Up-Converting DVD Recorder and VCR with Built-In Tuner.

1. where to start?
   
   the worst part was when I started trying to copy old home videos over to DVD. A few did fine, most would suddenly stop with a weird error message about "video input changing". No error code, nothing in manual. Called toshiba...they knew the problem before I described it. Machine will react to any irregularity, stretch, fold, skip, in an old tape and think that its COPY PROTECTED!!!!!!! so it errors out and stops. Toshiba says of course since they are concerned manufacturers and worried about illegal copying, there is nothing they can do about it. I tried a work around by using a separate VCR, but same thing. Can't tell you how many blank DVDs i ruined that now having a bit of a tape recorded on it. Their suggestion? Dub the old video tape onto a new video tape. (and lose a generation of quality). Not what I had in mind. Don't protect me from myself and my own tapes that play fine, and are totally legal!
   
   next, I agree with all the previous posts about it having a mind of its own. It powers up, down, changes channels, records, or not, and even opens/closes the tray when it darn well feels like it, and not a moment before. Really frustrating. A good case of new technology that goes slower than old technology.
   
   Plus this is the only DVD player I have ever encountered that doesn't remember your playback position if you stop a movie, then turn off the power and then want to return to the place you left off previously in a movie. Nope...back to the FBI warning you go every time!
   
   The final clincher is that I bought this based on the technical information, and I had just bought a toshiba HD TV (which actually I really like a lot!). One apparently stupid assumption I had was that the Toshiba TV remote would operate the Toshiba DVD player....wrong. Not even stop, play and pause. I wasted a good 30 minutes twice trying every code they listed. And then another phone call. answer? "the engineers must have had a good reason"....
   
   run away! I sold mine within 60 days.



2. I thought I had researched DVD recorders carefully. Wow. Was I wrong. This machine has the following major flaws:
   
   1. It cannot record most ATSC Over-the-air TV stations in Los Angeles. We have more than a dozen channels, and this unit registers a FALSE positive for CPRM copy protection, such that you cannot record all but two channels in los angeles. i even spoke to the chief engineer at the local PBS station, to confirm that they ARE NOT send the CPRM signal out. So, as a HD time-shifter---USELESS!
   
   2. The record quality is terrible, except at the XP (1 hour speed)
   
   3. The menu system is extremely non-intuitive and cumbersome.
   
   The one positive is that the playback picture resolution is GREAT. (but the is the most EXPENSIVE player I've ever used).
   
   We've been loyal to Toshiba for 8 years, but no more.



3. This machine worked good for the first two weeks, then I noticed that it would just freeze and I'd have to unplug it to get it to respond. it does not seem fully compatible when you watch a DL dvd then switch out to watch a 4.7 gb DVD, Often it loses the signal and I have to unplug it yet again for a few minutes to get it back online. It is very frustrating to spend my money on electonics and more often than not end up taking them back cause its defective or just trashing it. I CAN NOT recommend this DVD player for any reason and Toshiba is err... was my favorite company to buy electroncs from since Sony now Sucks..



4. I bought it to do hands-off conversion of my videotape collection to DVD, and it does it without any problems. Put in the tape, put in the DVD, make a few choices, and walk away. Come back to finalize the disk and you're done. No problems with copy protection on any tapes so far, good color/contrast/audio on all copies. It has a lot of other features I haven't needed (yet) so I can't comment on those, but it does this perfectly. Manual isn't all that confusing, despite some other reviewers' complaints.



5. I had 2 goals: Be able to watch the rare VCR, and be able to record tv programs to dvd, as needed. Hence, this unit, which (as advertised) should be able to accomplish either.
   This thing is more finicky than Morris the Cat.
   Expect major headaches, and a set-up time of >30 minutes EVERY time you make an additional attempt to record something with this thing. (The success of the project I'm working on at this moment: not yet determined.)
   Sometimes you can't even open the dvd drawer. Sometimes it pops closed again before you've inserted the dvd. It seems to respond to its own remote with very random success. You may be lucky, you may not. Tomorrow expect different results. Right now, I'm rescanning cable channels as it seems to have lost its willingness to recognize anything above 20.
   I am not really THAT dumb. I should be able to use a basic electronic device. This one is possessed. I urge you to look elsewhere.

No comments about Philips DVDR 3506 - DVD recorder with TV tuner - upscaling.