ok..im new to the recorder thing..and i may be a little dumb..forgive me..lol...but im having trouble hooking it up...ive got a sony 42inch tv...a dish 311 reciever..and of course this magnavox recorder...the manual says i need another rf cable which isnt included to come from the satellite box out to be hooked to the recorders in...so i have to go purchase another rf cable..or is there a way around this?...or an alternate way to hook this up...thanks in advance

If your DVD Recorder has an RF Out it might work to run the cable from the wall to the DVD Recorder, then from there to the STB. Still you will need another able though. UNLESS you don't want/need to use the tuner in the DVD Recorder. That would be up to you.

EDIT: Actually, did you say DISH? Then you won't have any analog channels, so no need/ability to use the tuner in the DVD Recorder. So you don't need another cable.

thanks for the timely response..but im still a little lost..ok you say i dont need another cable...does the cable from the wall hook into the recorder...or do i leave it in the dish 311 reciever..and hook the out from that to the recorder in?...pardon my ignorance

Leave it the way it is. The extra cable you thought you had to add between the STB and the DVDR won't do you any good since DISH is Satellite and therefore all digital, and DVDR's can't tune digital channels.

thanks for the timely response..but im still a little lost..ok you say i dont need another cable...does the cable from the wall hook into the recorder...or do i leave it in the dish 311 reciever..and hook the out from that to the recorder in?...pardon my ignorance
Leave the cable from the wall in the Dish receiver. Since you have a digital satellite service, your recorder can't tune anything directly since it doesn't have a digital tuner...you have to let the Dish feed the recorder with TV picture and sound.

If you want to record anything from Dish on your recorder, run A/V cables (red, white, yellow) or S-Video from its "OUT TO VCR" or similar outputs (whatever OUT connection your Dish has) to a Line Input (L1, L2, L3?) on your recorder.

To record something, you'll have to set your recorder's input to whatever Line Input you connect the Dish to.

P.S. Here's a thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=549605&highlight=Dish) you might find interesting...discussion of recording from a Dish receiver.

thanks for all your help guys..i appreciate it...ok i got it hooked up and working...not sure if its right though..even though it works..lol...i ran a/v cables from the satellite reciever to the inputs on the recorder and ran a/v cables from the outputs of the recorder to the television....i havnet tried recording anything..but the recorder has to be on to watch the satellite...so i have to leave it on all the time basically....did i hook something up bass ackwards...is there a way to avoid this..or is it ok?

Does your TV have any other inputs? Usually, you hook a main device (Tivo) to Input 1 on the TV and the recorder to Input 2, using whatever type of cable (composite, S-Video, Component) you choose for each.

Assuming you do, you'll just have to switch between TV Inputs to watch each unit's output. (Of course, the recorder's output will only be what it is fed from the Tivo OR a DVD played on the recorder.)

As I said in the last post, set up the auto mode for recording. I set up 4 hours of recording. When I checked the disk, there were 9 minutes left on the disk after it recorded. Looks like it does select the right speed automatically to make your recordings fit the disk. That is nice if you are recording a 2 1/2 hour movie and you do not have to worry if you set it to the right time mode-it does it for you.

Recommened this to a friend. He bought one and hooked it to his HD plasma with progressive scan. The picture on commercial DVD looked very good. Looks like this could serve as a main unit for people who do not want to use a seperate player as I do. He is happy with his too.

So, has anyone found the clock setting yet?

Thx golfster, that is exactly what I was looking for. I am going to get it now and try the 3 digit code and just familiarize myself with the timer on the Maggy itself. Sounds like the IR could be a problem from time to time, but I will test it. The dish thingie, I want the newer Mpeg 4 20+ channel setup. (I only have about 5 HD channels now, can't get locals except for a antenna input) so I really want the 211 and 622 upgrades but they want $299 for the 622 so I thought 2 ea 211's and the Maggy might be a good alternative until the 622 comes down in price or I can buy a used one. :)

Great thread and it looks like the best bang for the buck using the Maggy.

PS. When you record a HD show off the 811 is the quality pretty good. Like any difference from the sd channels. I have a PJ and my 811's SD qulaity is pretty decent sinde I have the 811 outputting/upconverting to 1080i. I know it won't record HD, I was just wondering if the recorded HD looked at all better than the SD. (Like HBO on ch 300 and 9456)

I too wanted the 622 until they quoted the price (an extra 299 dollars for the privlege of renting it-give me a break). It also requires a Dish upgrade and you may or may not be able to get local channels in HD thru Dish. I am in a St Louis suburb and they told me there are only a few cities that can get them and we are not one of them. The 811 decodes the OTA channels just fine and they show up in the channel guide. I thought about the 211, but the extra HD channels are a bunch of stuff I will probably never watch and it is an extra 10 dollars a month. I bought the Magnavox just so I could record off the 811.

When you record off a high def channel via s-video, you get a letterboxed recording that shows up stretched on my set. I stretch the image vertically on my TV and the video looks very comparable to a prerecorded DVD-not as good as HD, but better than SD. If you view a high def station through the Magnavox input, it does not display as high def, is letterboxed and will look just like your recording will look. All the standard def stations record and play back just as displayed on the screen.

The timer recording setup is very quick and easy on this unit. You can set up about 8 events on the screen without leaving it and it is very intuitive to use. The DVD+RW and the DVD-RW disks play on other recorders WITHOUT finalizing even with edits.

This was my poor man's way of turning my receiver into a recorder and works out very well. If the price on the DVR comes down or the HD DVD recorders become reasonable, I will upgrade to one of them.

Does your TV have any other inputs? Usually, you hook a main device (Tivo) to Input 1 on the TV and the recorder to Input 2, using whatever type of cable (composite, S-Video, Component) you choose for each.

Assuming you do, you'll just have to switch between TV Inputs to watch each unit's output. (Of course, the recorder's output will only be what it is fed from the Tivo OR a DVD played on the recorder.)

yeah my tv has more then one input...but im still a little confused about the whole thing..lol...the dish reciever only has 1 output...so that is going to the recorder input....ok...thats taken care of...but ive got to be able to see it on the tv...so i hooked the output from the recorder to the input of the tv...this is the only way i see it can work..so in turn means to watch the satellite i have to have the recorder on..which isnt really a big deal i guess...maybe im wrong...if the dish reciever had another set of outputs the way your talking about above would work...or am i wrong?

thanks for your time and patience by the way

yeah my tv has more then one input...but im still a little confused about the whole thing..lol...the dish reciever only has 1 output...so that is going to the recorder input....ok...thats taken care of...but ive got to be able to see it on the tv...so i hooked the output from the recorder to the input of the tv...this is the only way i see it can work..so in turn means to watch the satellite i have to have the recorder on..which isnt really a big deal i guess...maybe im wrong...if the dish reciever had another set of outputs the way your talking about above would work...or am i wrong?

thanks for your time and patience by the way
Your Dish receiver "should" have an "OUT TO VCR" connection that you would run a cable to your recorder, and an "OUT TO TV" (or similar) that you would run to your TV? No???

Well, after screwing around with 2 Samsung DVDR120's, gave up and bought the MSR90D6 at Sam's. It works beautifully and is compatible with my old Toshiba player in my living room. I only with it did chapter menus like the Samsung was supposed to do. As a side note, I bought the Samsung because a friend copied a bad tape to a disc for me and it came
out 10x better than Studio 9 did. All worked on my old player too. Seems the ones I had, had later and 'better' firmware than his, hence took it back and got this one.

Hello all:

Thank you for this thread. It has been most helpful in my decision to purchase the unit.

I enjoy it thus far, other than the gripes mentioned previously. That remote control is simply retarded.

I do have a question:

Because of my retarded home theater setup, I have to come up with a 'unique' solution to outputting audio to the Magnavox for recording, while at the same time running my Digital Optical audio into the receiver.

Basically, under this setup, what I am looking to do is wire from the TV1 output via S-Video into the Maggie's rear S-Video Input, and wire the audio via standard RCA into the rear audio input. However, I currently have a digital optical wired from TV1's audio out into my receiver. Will having both hooked up at the same time (digital audio and RCA audio in same output jack) cause any problems? Would it cause a shorting out of equipment?

Under this setup, I would be wiring my satellite to TV for viewing programming via RCA into the Tv's Video 2 outlet. I would then be able to watch the signal from Video 2, and use the digital audio from the satellite receiver's TV1 output to hear sound through my home theater receiver--as I watch and edit my DVD recording to be. Do you think this would cause an issue?

If this was problematic, I might try wiring the RCA audio out from the satellite receiver's TV2 output into the Maggie's rear RCA audio in output, and use the satellite's TV1 video output to wire in the S-video signal. I'm hoping that as long as I keep the satellite receiver on the same source (e.g. my movie/show to be transferred), this might be possible.

Any ideas?

I hope I am making sense. I have got one helluva equipment issue going on here, and I have to get creative to work around the problem.

Well I finally bought the mag90 yesterday and a 4 way signal booster to replace the splitter. Results were, for me anyway, just outstanding. Since the manual recommends the Sony 4x dvd+rw for rewritable discs, I got those just to know I had done everything I could to get a good recording. The booster pushed the quality of my tv picture by 20% at least. I know it is not capable of better (inexpensive Sylvania 27"). I first recorded 1 hour of the nba game. I couldn't tell the diffference in the original. So good for the optimum setting for length. I set it for overnight 6 hours because I wanted to see the worst it would do. The video was at least as good as my tv before the booster was added. It was pretty easy to set up to record and I will try to learn about editing, but this was worth every penny. Thanks to all that I learned from this forum this was a very good deal. I can only hope that it will last for quite some time. Thanks again for input.
Can you tell me what brand/model 4 way booster you purchased? I am looking for a similar device.

Will having both hooked up at the same time (digital audio and RCA audio in same output jack) cause any problems? Would it cause a shorting out of equipment?No you won't short anything out. It should work fine. Both outputs should be live at the same time, I'm not saying this in regard to your specific device but just generally, most devices with multiple outputs have them always outputting. Otherwise how would they know which one you want to use.

No you won't short anything out. It should work fine. Both outputs should be live at the same time, I'm not saying this in regard to your specific device but just generally, most devices with multiple outputs have them always outputting. Otherwise how would they know which one you want to use.

Thanks for your assistance. That was really helpful. I have such a nightmare going on here, what with the S-Video outlet having a short in it, and the component not even responding at all.
On top of that, I've got bad RCA video cables, and questionable connections on my Toshiba's other Video IN outputs.

I wired up the RCA audio from the satellite's TV2 output into the Maggie's audio in (rear), and used TV1's S-Video output on the receiver for the receiver to copy video.

Other than one mis-fire, which recorded Ghostbusters with only the right channel (loose or bad wire methinks), everything has turned out fine thus far.

The next test will be wiring the RCA audio from TV1 into Maggie's rear (that sounded dirty) in conjunction with my (fixed/cannot remove) digital optical audio that goes into the receiver. Hopefully there will be no buzzing noise or issues when burning to disc or viewing live TV.

The ultimate goal is to be able to dub from my DVR to DVD while watching something else on the other output.

Again, thanks for all the help. This place is grrrreat.

With this recorder, it does not seem to make much difference which format you use. I can play both the DVD+ and DVD-RW disks in my other players WITHOUT finalizing. When I record on my Pioneer with DVD-RWs, I must finalize them or they will not play. Both types are formatted as a DVD+VR mode with the Magnavox and treated as such.

OK PROs, I'm a newbie on DVD recorders & I've been reading this thread for weeks.....I thought I had it figured out, but the instruction manual now has me confused.

I just bought this unit at WalMart and also bought some DVD-Rs and some DVD-RWs since I thought I had read that these would likely be compatible with more DVD players than the + disks.

The instruction manual definitely makes it sound like the DVD+RWs should work in other players without finalizing.

I thought that people here seemed to say all formats work pretty well without finalizing...

Should I take my DVD-Rs and DVD-RWs back and exchange them for DVD+Rs and DVD+RWs???????

(Without pressing my luck, can I ask a 2nd question? Can I add more to a DVD-R disk in a subsequent session if I didn't finalize it????)

thnx

Until you finalize you can add more Titles. Generally speaking, you must finalize to play them back in a different player. Exception being VR mode, and DVD-RAM.

So the reason you don't want to finalize these discs before trying to play them in another player is so you can add more Titles? Otherwise I would just suggest you go ahead and finalize them, your compatibility issues will be minimal. Video Mode (not VR Mode) discs are really not meant to be playable in other players until they are finalized. Sometimes you get lucky and it works anyway but that's not meant to work. What's meant to work is playing finalized Video Mode DVD+/-R's and finalized Video Mode DVD+/-RW's.

Until you finalize you can add more Titles. Generally speaking, you must finalize to play them back in a different player. Exception being VR mode, and DVD-RAM.

So the reason you don't want to finalize these discs before trying to play them in another player is so you can add more Titles? Otherwise I would just suggest you go ahead and finalize them, your compatibility issues will be minimal. Video Mode (not VR Mode) discs are really not meant to be playable in other players until they are finalized. Sometimes you get lucky and it works anyway but that's not meant to work. What's meant to work is playing finalized Video Mode DVD+/-R's and finalized Video Mode DVD+/-RW's.

Thanks for the quick reply!!!

(I have no reason not to finalize a DVD-R disk, I was just curious.)

I guess I have the ultimate newbie question: If I finalize a DVD-RW disk, can I erase the disk and re-use it at a later date???

Yeah you can always re-format (initialize) a DVD+/-RW disc, assuming it doesn't have a physical problem that would prevent it. Reformatting doesn't care what's on the disc already.

Yeah you can always re-format (initialize) a DVD+/-RW disc, assuming ti doesn't have a physical problem that would prevent it.

So, unless I'm missing something, I might as well keep my DVD-Rs and DVD-RWs instead of exchanging them for DVD+Rs and DVD+RWs, right???

I don't see a reason why they wouldn't work as advertised, assuming your DVD Recorder supports recording to the "minus" format at all. And assuming the media is of sufficient quality of course.

I have been using a MWR10D6 for the last several weeks. Since the beginning, I have had an intermittent problem with the timed record function when using 4X +RW disks branded as Sony and Maxell. The machine will act like it's recording for the whole hour, but at the end it won't complete the "writing to disk" function. It comes back with an error E4-54037381 and nothing is recorded. The disk is also no longer usable unless you trick the device into reformatting the disk.

When I talked to tech support, their instant answer was that they no longer recommend 4X RW media, even though the docs recommend a few different brands. I talked to two support people and this was their answer each time. I looked today and could find no 2X RW media for sale locally.

Have any other users had a similar problem. What 4X +RW media have others used sucessfully.

Question- Just picked this up today....

If I record a 2 hour movie and set this baby for 2 hour record- (SP in Recording Mode) and simply hit record, it looks like the record light stays on indefinitely.

Is there any indication that it's done?

Should I be using the "one touch timer?"

Some other way?

thnx

I have just bought a Magnavox DVD recorder MWR10D6. I am wondering why when I try to record a HBO or Showtime Movie it wont record in surround sound. Is something wrong with the recorder and should I take it back and get my money back or what. Im new to this and any help would be appreciated. Please get in touch with me somehow. They wont let me post my E-mail address here

Should I be using the "one touch timer?"Typically there is a way to tell it to record for a specific amount of time, often by hitting the Record button repeatedly, it will count up in half-hour increments (again, typically, I don't know about your specific model). Either that or come back in two hours and hit the Stop button. This is when the HDD and editing is handy, you don't have to be spot-on for either the start of the end of the recording, give it some time on both ends and trim it exactly afterwards. Then burn it to a DVD.

I have just bought a Magnavox DVD recorder MWR10D6. I am wondering why when I try to record a HBO or Showtime Movie it wont record in surround sound. Is something wrong with the recorder and should I take it back and get my money back or what. Im new to this and any help would be appreciated. Please get in touch with me somehow. They wont let me post my E-mail address here
How is the recorder connected to your dource of HBO and Showtime?

does anyone know if this suckling writes or plays
RAM discs?

I have just bought a Magnavox DVD recorder MWR10D6. I am wondering why when I try to record a HBO or Showtime Movie it wont record in surround sound. Is something wrong with the recorder and should I take it back and get my money back or what. Im new to this and any help would be appreciated. Please get in touch with me somehow. They wont let me post my E-mail address here

Cable coming directly into a house usually produces stereo sound, once it goes into a cable box (set top box- STB) the cable usually comes out mono, if you have RCA jacks on the STB (red,white, & yellow) use the cables from these to go into the Magnavox DVDR to "input 1" and you should have stereo sound, from this you will get surround sound (you must have a stereo signal to get the extra channels for surround)

I hate to sound silly here, but I have to ask this:

If you tell the machine to record for, say, 3 hour mode, does it run a little longer?

Example:

I recorded a Stanley Cup final from my satellite DVR to the Maggie that was 3 hours in length. When I came back, the recording stated that it ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes. If you go over your allotted set time, does it then bump itself up to the next recording length (4 hours here) to get the whole recording?

My concern is the quality issue. In this case, for some stupid reason, my satellite DVR stopped, then switched to something else that was set up to be recording on it. When it did this, it recorded another 10-15 minutes onto the disk of that program as well.

I have seen on a couple of discs that I've made where the recording may've gone over a minute or two. I just wonder if it is adjusting itself to the next mode.

Any ideas?

does anyone know if this suckling writes or plays
RAM discs?

As far as I can tell (and I had one) it does not.

Question- Just picked this up today....

If I record a 2 hour movie and set this baby for 2 hour record- (SP in Recording Mode) and simply hit record, it looks like the record light stays on indefinitely.

Is there any indication that it's done?

Should I be using the "one touch timer?"

Some other way?

thnx

The record light? Or the record timer light? I had one of these briefly & the timer light would stay on till I pressed "stop" or ejected the disc. Dunno why.

Hi all.

I hate to be stupid, but I've got a problem here.

How do you record more than one title on a disk? What happened here was that I had two shows that ran 45 minutes without commercials. I accidentally set the first one to record on two-hour mode. After I recorded it, I stopped it and checked the menu. It had two listings as usual: One for what I had recorded, and one of those dreaded 'empty titles'. I couldn't get it to record by setting the record mode and hitting record, so I chose to edit/overwrite the empty title with the second show (this is DVD+R). I set the second show for 1 hour, and let it run. For some reason,the disc stopped and ran out of space four minutes before the show was over.

When you initially set the record mode, does that dictate the *entire* disc length? What is the best way to record more than one title to disc. Do you set the time for each separate event? Or do you set the record mode for the total time on the disc to be used, and not set it for each individual recording?

Hate to be a newb, but I'm a little tired of coasters.

Thanks.

You need to decide how much time you will be putting all together on the disc. I assume you don't have an HDD unit, or it would be simpler.

For example, say you want to put 4 shows altogether, at 45 minutes per show (after commercial removal), on a single-layer disc. That comes to 3 hours, so record each show in 3-hour mode (if you even can). Obviously if you can't record at the speed you've decided on (3 hours in this case), you need to either pick a speed that is available, or go up to the next longest speed (4 hours perhaps) and waste some space on the disc (5 shows would be 3:45, wasting 15 minutes or 1/16 of the total disc space).

I find that when you are using DVD+-R discs and you have created chapters, hidden chapters (commercials) and finalized the disc, these edits are not compatible with any of my other dvd players in the house. But, if you use DVD+-RW discs, you have the option of "make edits compatible" and the edits do work in other dvd players.

Anyone else experience this?

I find that when you are using DVD+-R discs and you have created chapters, hidden chapters (commercials) and finalized the disc, these edits are not compatible with any of my other dvd players in the house. But, if you use DVD+-RW discs, you have the option of "make edits compatible" and the edits do work in other dvd players.

Anyone else experience this?

Yes, that is the way it works. DVD+/-Rs seem to only recognize the edits on the original recorder. DVD+/-RWs are recognized on both the recorder and other players. All my RW disks both + and - have wotked on my other players WITHOUT making compatable or finalizing.

Hi i've been lurking for a long time on this forum and love it. I picked up the MSR90D6 to replace an ILO that also came from Wally world the Maggie is light years ahead of the ILO i've burned a 30 pk of JVC +R disk without a single coaster i'm a hugh fan of older sci-fi and horror movies and have a large collection on VHS that i'm converting to disc backup also i record some off TV i have not had any trouble with this recorder at all . It would havebeen nice if it would have had a clock and display an the front also i can't figure out how to get rid of the blank title but for a 100 bucks i can live with it .For te money this recorder is awsome

well, i bought this recorder a couple of weeks back and runs fine.
I also bought a pack of 25 Verbatim +RWs from sams.

After recording, adding title and stuff, the Make Discs compatible does not come on the menu(cannot be selected) and the manual also says that it is possible, however, the discs would not play anywhere else except the magnavox.

Also, does any one know where do we go for modding this piece. I dont want to limit it record only TV stuff.

So you already know that there is a place to go for "modding this piece", you just don't know where it is?

Hello, thanks to this forum I avoided buying a Philips dvd recorder and instead bought the Magnavox DVD Recorder, MWR10D6 for $98.87 at Walmart (whoohoo!). And I can sleep at night because I shelled out an extra $15 for the 3 year replacement plan. Many, many thanks for all of the valuable info, I'll keep the forum updated with my experience with this machine.

Picked this up today to replace a $400 Philips recorder I bought a couple years ago that broke almost as soon as I bought it. What a piece of garbage.

Like this was so cheap (This Magnavox). Question: on the junk Philips I could "Pause" while doing a recording, to edit out adverts and whatnot. Can I not do that with this recorder? If so, how?

Edit - figured it out, can't pause when in any of the one touch timer settings such as (30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.) However, if not in those timer settings, you can pause.

Many thanks.

Bought the Magnavox MWR10D6 a few days ago and every thing is OK except for one problem. I can't seem to record when using the front inputs. In setup I select "front panel inputs" and it puts a check mark next to it and yet it doesn't record. Seems it defaults to the back panel inputs. What am I doing wrong? Thank you.

You have to select the appropriate input. Select channel "00", then "E-" will pop up and you can select E1/E2. I forget which is which.

Hi:

I've been closely following this thread since it first started and I was intrigued by the mostly favorable comments about one of the cheapest DVD recorders out there. With these units now available in Canada, I've been trying to convince myself that it's time to retire my VCR. :)

Basically, I plan to connect this to my digital cable box to replace my VCR for time shifting (probably on DVD+RW). I also intend to make DVD copies of my Hi-8 camcorder tapes and older home videos on VHS. For time-shifting, the built-in editing capabilities are probably sufficient but I will probably use authoring tools on my PC for more important material.

I have a few questions, however:

1) Does this unit record closed captions? I couldn't see any references to this in the manual and I was wondering if it's pretty much a standard feature of all DVD recorders.
2) Has anyone tried editing discs created with this recorder on a PC?
3) Does the unit need to be powered off in order to make timed recordings? If so, is anything sent to the video outputs while powered off?

Thanks in advance for any information.

Tony

.....I've been trying to convince myself that it's time to retire my VCR. :)

Basically, I plan to connect this to my digital cable box to replace my VCR for time shifting (probably on DVD+RW)........

Tony

I'll leave the rest of your questions for the experts that have really played around with this, but I bought mine for the sole purpose of retiring my VCR and archiving the overflow from my cable box.

Couldn't be happier!!!

Plays on all other DVD players when I loan the disks out, too!!!!!

I took the dive and got this recorded and I love it. I am so impressed that for $96 is is so dependable and works so flawlessly. I was also pretty impressed that it records in dolby, has component outs, so easy to use, progressive scan, etc.... all for $96....

I really put it to the test this weekend all formats, all kinds of discs from the cheapest I could find to the good ones, and it has been perfect.

The only negative that I can even think of is: I'd like to have a clock display, and the remote is small and weak (could be old batteries).


I've only had one "issue" with this recorder. Maybe someone can shed some light on this one: When I record on -R, +R, or -RW is works perfectly, and loads into my old DVD player perfectly.. all is good..

However, when I record on to +RW.. It may or may not load into my other DVD player. Usually I can open the tray and load it again and it will load, but even when it does load it takes quite a few seconds to figure out whether it can read the disk or not... while the other formats (which are finalized) load immediately.

Then, if I edit the +RW disc, then I definitely can not load it on my other player, even after doing the "Make Edits Compatible" function.

Any thoughts on why this might be? I haven't tried a different make of +RW disc to compare yet.

One other question.. I made a +R disc, and then I edited the chapters. I see my chapter edits on the Magnavox, but in my other player the edits are not there, and the chapters are the orginal chapters at 10 minute intervals. Why is that?

Thanks for the help, and thanks for the info on a great recorder at a great price.

After reading through this whole thread, it seems a couple others have found similar +RW issues.

So I will probably just use -RW for applications where edits are wanted for sharing and for frequent use / rewriting..

For things I'd like to keep a while.. I'll use either +R or -R, doesn't really seem to be any advantage of one vs. the other here.


When editing out commercials, it seems people are using one of 2 techniques: Dividing Commercials into Titles and deleting them, or Hiding Chapters.

When using -RW, are these edits recognized on other players?

I have recorded stuff on Verbatim DVD +RW and Imation DVD +RW and after Editing name, the Make Edits Compatible never is selectable (which the manual says that if you cannot select it, you can play it elsewhere). However, When I play it on my Laptop, it never recognizes the disc.

I now have 70 opened +RWs which cannot play on other players.
Does anyone have a clue on this?

Sounds like your laptop doesn't handle DVD+RW. What happens when you put a blank DVD+RW in your laptop?

Can you try what you are doing only with DVD-RW instead? Or perhaps DVD+R or DVD-R?

It could be a recorder issue. My +RW burns are real flakey loading into my other DVD players, and if I make edits, then it just will NOT EVER LOAD in some of them.

Now +R, -R, and -RW work perfectly everywhere (so far)...

Take a new +RW disc, record a few minutes on it and don't make any edits at all. Can you load that on your laptop? Just curious.. Try a few times. It might load.

My advice to you, don't use +RW. I've only had this recorder for 3 days and I've already decided to never use +RW again unless it's just something I want to watch and erase and never view on another machine.

I've burnt about 150 discs now off cable and my home movies with out a problem i've used +R -R +RW -RWs in several different brands. I burnt some old family reunion tapes on memerox +R and gave them to family members some had older players that wouldn't read +R so i redone them on -R and they worked great . I've used the RWs mostly when i want to edit tv shows on my computer but hav'nt had any problems. I think that most disc problems are compatibillty problems with the players not the maggie.

the issues here about + dvd's is true that they won't play in many other players
I only use the - [minus ] disks R or RW as i was told by the service tech at maggie
as many of you know dvd - R is the original for dvd recording & playback

Wanted to think those that started and or have contributed to an informative thread.

Several days ago decided to replace an older cheap VCR and have found decent stand alone VCR's are hard to come by. Had stopped in at a nearby Wally's to see what they had to offer and saw this unit along with the rest of their offerings. Passed this unit by at I knew nothing about it and hadn't been a fan of Magnavox for some time. Anyway started doing some searching on the net and ran across this thread. All the positive comments on this entry unit attracted my attention. My principle need was a replacement for the vcr and something for time shift viewing.

Well, now I'm the owner of the last unit the local store had. Picked up a stack of Maxell +RW (15) for $12.

The only difficult thing in the set up is I have too many pieces of equipment and cabling is a nightmare. Have decided the best way to use this unit was to connect it to the S-video out on the sat box and associated audio connections. Did hook up the ant so it would keep the clock in sync with the other equipment I have. Did run some cables over to the AV receiver so I could view the stuff on the TV. Will use the other DVD player as it is a better unit and is hooked up for Progressive scan and the better component cables.

Had to give some thought about no display on the unit and the several neg comments on the remote. After giving it some thought I realized that with the large screen TV and the distance I sit from it, I can't really read the display on most of the other equip anyway. One non-issue delt with. The remote isn't as bad as I was expecting. Do wish it were a little larger and definately more powerful. Really do seem to have to point the remote directly to the set even at ~8' to get it to work.

Played around with the unit yesterday and the recorded output qlty really depends on how good the input is. One of the first things recorded was a few mins of Law and Order on the TNTHD ch. Wasn't impressed with the output. Larter on recorded some better source material and the recorded output was real decent, certanly a lot better than that of a VCR. Also recorded some SD stuff off the built-in tuner. Not very good but don't see myself ever having the need to record off the tuner. Took the partially recorded disk and put it in the other DVD player. Worked like a champ.

Will take some time to figure out all the ins and outs of the machine but right now I have no regrets on the pruchase. Again thanks guys for this thread and pointing to me towards something that fits the bill right now. When I'm ready to replace this unit maybe the dust will have settled on HD format wars and possibly being able to make recordings with something better than SD & S-video input.

the issues here about + dvd's is true that they won't play in many other players
I only use the - [minus ] disks R or RW as i was told by the service tech at maggie
as many of you know dvd - R is the original for dvd recording & playback

I've only seen or read about issues using +RW discs. I've used several +R discs and they have worked everywhere I've tried. Based on my research, -R is compatible in 90 to 95% of machines out there, and +R is right at 90%, so it's really on par. +RW is still only at about 60% compatibility, so I avoid it. In my opinion, with this unit, +RW doesn't offer much over -RW except no need to finalize, but you do have to "make edits compatible", so what's the difference.

However, based on the comments on this thread, the the comments from cust service, I will buy -R discs on my next purchase.

Good Luck.

PS - My cable company is great, real high quality SD all digital channels. With a signal Amplifier and using real good RG6 coax, I record through the tuner on channel 3 and I am thrilled with the quality. Although I have not tried just plugging the coax into the tuner without the digital box and recording from analog cable without the box.. I would assume that would be worse. Crap in equals smelly crap out.

...
1) Does this unit record closed captions?
...
Any answer for this? Since my hearing is not as good as it used to be and I rely on closed captions quite a bit, this could be a dealbreaker.

Do any low-priced DVD recorders support this feature?

Thanks,

Tony

arciervo,

Your question might be worthy of a new thread with an appropriate title. It might get noticed more than being buried in this thread.

Yes, it definately records CC. I recorded the Season Finale of "Lost" from HDTV onto it, and watched it with the CC on in another brand of recorder entirely.

I own three (technically, four) types of DVD recorders: this one, a Panasonic ES15, and two Cyberhome 1600 models (and of those two, they each have different chipsets) and all of them record CC information.

Yes, it definately records CC. I recorded the Season Finale of "Lost" from HDTV onto it, and watched it with the CC on in another brand of recorder entirely.

I own three (technically, four) types of DVD recorders: this one, a Panasonic ES15, and two Cyberhome 1600 models (and of those two, they each have different chipsets) and all of them record CC information.Great! Thanks for the information.

Tony

Got a question about quick recording with this new piece of equipment.

Had thought and hoped the unit would work like a VCR with respect to recording. I had a blank disk in the machine when it was turned on I was thinking all I needed to do was hit the record button but that failed. Had to open/close the drawer then after the disk loading the title screen came on and had to use overwrite before I could record. Oh, the disk was a +RW that had already been formated.

Is this the only way to manually record? Had read the instructions in the manual but was hoping/thinking the instructions was written with first time recording in mind.

My desire was to be able to keep a blank disk in the machine and then If I saw someing on the tube I want to record I could quickly turn on the machine, give it a min to load the disk and then just hit record button.

.Oh, the disk was a +RW that had already been formatted.
By whom?

FWIW, all I ever do is hit "REC" for as many 1/2 hrs as I need.

By whom?

FWIW, all I ever do is hit "REC" for as many 1/2 hrs as I need.
By this recorder when disk was inserted in the machine the first time.

Got a question about quick recording with this new piece of equipment.

Had thought and hoped the unit would work like a VCR with respect to recording. I had a blank disk in the machine when it was turned on I was thinking all I needed to do was hit the record button but that failed. Had to open/close the drawer then after the disk loading the title screen came on and had to use overwrite before I could record. Oh, the disk was a +RW that had already been formated.

Is this the only way to manually record? Had read the instructions in the manual but was hoping/thinking the instructions was written with first time recording in mind.

My desire was to be able to keep a blank disk in the machine and then If I saw someing on the tube I want to record I could quickly turn on the machine, give it a min to load the disk and then just hit record button.

That doesn't sound right... strange....

Are you sure you hit the record button exactly 10 times, whihc is what is required for the cheesy remote to actually work?

Another thought, if you have this problem again, instead of opening the tray, just hit TITLE then after it loads the disc hit stop and then it will definitely know there is a disc in there and hit record. Shouldn't take more than 10 seconds.

If you do see this problem again, try it with a -RW disc. I am wondering if this is just another of the +RW issues with this recorder.

BTW - I just recorded 12 cartoons for my daughter, 6 hours of recording, SLP and the picture looks pretty darn good, 45 minutes of editing, breaking them all into titles and renaming them, and finalizing. All done perfectly even using cheap media. The machine works like a champ. And the disc immediately loads in all of the other players (-RW).

I'm extremely pleased with this unit in all aspects except the remote control, and it is a little slow.. like even skipping to the next chapter takes a few seconds where it is immediate in my other players. All minor inconveniences though.

I took the plunge and bought this unit yesterday from Wal-Mart. I would have to agree with the majority of folks posting here. This is a good recorder/player. I am using Sony DVD-R blank discs and have not encountered any problems so far. The NTSC tuner is much better than the one in my RCA HDTV that the unit is run thru. One note for new users: On my unit, the default video output was composite (yellow standard cable). I had to go into the menu to switch it to S-video output. I thought at first I had a brand new bad cable (If this has already been mentioned, pardon me). I have appreciated this thread. It has been very helpful and informative.

[QUOTE]1) Does this unit record closed captions? I couldn't see any references to this in the manual and I was wondering if it's pretty much a standard feature of all DVD recorders.

I am not sure if anyone mentioned the necessity of making sure the player is tuned to the output channel (E1,etc) in order to access the cc signal which will be on the disk if the show was cc supported.
I still reccommend this unit very highly. I have recorded on the same disc in 6 hour mode over 20 times and it is no different than the show. Really good quality

With a little more use I've found out that is there is a empty rw disk in the tray when I turn on the machine, after the disk is loaded, the title screen pops up and if I hit STOP, then a single press of the RECORD button starts the recording.

Will have a stack of R disks coming in a couple days and will see if the machine acts a little different with these disks in the same sitiation.

Will likely stay with the RW disks for time shift viewing and unplaned recording.

I have recorded on the same disc in 6 hour mode over 20 times and it is no different than the show. Really good quality

Compared to the 2 hours mode, the 6 hour mode is awful. Try some 2 hour recordings and you will really see how good the quality of the recordings are.

Just bought this Magnavox unit. Will most likely have some questions & this looks like the place to get them answered.

Allan1

i just got the Magnavox MWR10D6 at Walmart for $98. i have been using "Great Quality" cheap dvd- and + r with not a single coaster an no artifacting on HQ and SP settings. its true from the other reviewers the tiny buttons on the remote leave something to be desired. the IR on the remote does not seem to be too strong so you really have to aim the remote at the magnavox, may be a prob if watching dvd from bed like i do. also and having to press "stop" and then "setup" to finalise a recording may seem archaic at first but for being able to record + and - R media for under a "C" note it cant be knocked considering the closest competitors are truetech from target that are absolute garbage and cyberhome from bestbuy that support DVD + R only. it is also way quieter than my xbox or my old true tech dvd player even considering it has a fan built in.

the only gripe i have with it is that chapter edits are not saved on dvd r when played on another machine. from reading this forum i know this is true from most recorders unless using dvd + rw.DVD R recordings on the magnavox MWR10D6 when finalised and played on another dvd player, the chapters will revert to the auto chapter settings on the setup menu, if you select no auto chapter, you wont have any chapter marks on a different player. not a huge problem but it can be frustrating to have to fast forward manually on a long movie. I use this MWR10D6 to clear out my less important recordings that do not demand editing from my DVR. Its great because i don't have to have the computer capturing these low priority recordings, i can just send them to the magnavox

i do have a question though.

the setup menu has an option to "Replace disk menu" the manual is not very clear on what this is supposed to do, quote from the manual page 26l
it can be used to prohibit recording additionally or to replace the title list after recording when inserting the disc includes titles and a different type of list is recorded by other units, off is default seting :confused:

anybody knows what this does in simpler language, i was in the belief that this setting was to disable the title menu so upon disk insertion the first title would start playing automatically, i have recorded with the setting both on and off and did not notice a difference on playback on a different player (xbox) any input on what this does?

I'm pretty sure it just means it will prompt you to remove (or ask to reformat?) the disc if you try to put in a disc recorded on another unit that it the Magnavox can't record on.

In the title menu, you can play, edit, or overwrite a title. I am flipping through the manual and can not figure out what overwrite means. It can't be erase, because in the edit menu you can delete a title (erase). So what exactly is overwrite?

I'm pretty sure it just means it will prompt you to remove (or ask to reformat?) the disc if you try to put in a disc recorded on another unit that it the Magnavox can't record on.
that makes sense. thanks

another question i have is that after recording every single clip, the maggie goes back to the disk menu and you have to press stop to go back to record mode, is there a way to make it not go into the menu after a clip is recorded?

In the title menu, you can play, edit, or overwrite a title. I am flipping through the manual and can not figure out what overwrite means. It can't be erase, because in the edit menu you can delete a title (erase). So what exactly is overwrite?

Overwrite starts recording over the space you just selected.

Hi, I have the Comcast HD Motorola 6400 connected to this DVDR through S-Video, and then component out from DVDR to HDTV. When watching hi-def channels through DVDR, there are black horizontal bars. My TV has a zoom that will fill up the TV, but I am curious why this happens through the DVDR. TIA

S-Video is inherently 4:3 (except for anamorphic DVDs and such). 720P and 1080i are inherently 16:9. 480P can be either.

If the 6400 is outputting a 16:9 show to 4:3 output (aka S-Video) then the S-Video will need to have black bars at the top and bottom of the video.

Has anyone else had an issue with the audio output volume?
Neither analog nor digital audio out provide a decent audio level on my system or laptop.
I haven't been able to find help in the manual or in this thread to date.

Thanks,

terryB

Volume on my system using digital output setting is about the same as I get when I play a commercial DVD. No problem with mine.

Has anyone else noticed this:

I have Auto Chapter set to 5 minutes, I record a couple of hours on the DVD. During playback I press Display, then I press the Next button on the remote a few times. I would expect to see the time jumping something like:

1:30:00
1:35:00
1:40:00
1:45:00

but instead, it jumps like this:

1:30:00
1:34:00
1:40:00
1:44:00
1:50:00

in other words, every other Chapter is 4 minutes long, then 6 minutes long, then 4, then 6...

Strange.

Got mine hooked up and have some initial impressions,

The clock is driving me nuts..set it, but can't figure out how to view it without going into the setup clock menu.

Good set of features like zoom, commercial advance, angle, viewing video at a slightly faster or slower rate with sound-can view at 1.3X norml rate in case you don't want to spend a whole 3 hours on a long movie. Most features are menu driven instead of remote driven by input button. Should be OK once you get used to it.

This recorder records to DVD+/-R or RW disks. It formats the - disks to the + format, so everything is treated as a + but there are a few features in editing that are DVD+RW exclusive such as not having to finalize to use in another player-you make compatable instead.

Had a couple initial glitches on recording that may have been my fault. First thing I did was a 30 minute one touch recording on a +RW. I let it record for a minute or so then stopped it. Screen displayed "writing to disk" went to 60% and just stuck there for a long long time. All buttons were locked out. I finally unplugged it. Plugged it back in and it displayed "repairing disk" for a couple minutes. Then the menu displayed and the recording played perfectly. I then erased the disk and set up a timer recording. It did not start on time and when I checked the clock, it was set wrong-probably somehow my fault. Set up another timer recorder after I reset the clock and it started and stopped on time. The recording was viewable right after the recording stopped and the quality was excellent. Features like commercial advance, FF, pause etc all functioned perfectly.

Tried playback of Star Wars III to see how a commercial disk looked. I have this machine set up with component video, but NOT progressive scan. The picture quality looked very close to my Toshiba player that is on Component video WITH progressive scan. Hooked up with progressive scan, it should produce a better picture. All features worked on this disk but response seemed a little slower than the Toshiba or my Pioneer recorder. Not a problem though.

Have not had time to record to the various formats and to see how compatabe the disks are. Will post and findins/problem that I encounter.

All in all, this seems to be a pretty nice recorder. I am going to keep it. I think it seems a little less rugged than my Pioneer, but it cost a whole lot less. Seems to maybe be a best buy for an under 100 dollar recorder. I like the dual format feature instead of + only like many of the low cost recorders have. Wish it had a front panel display-everything is on screen. My biggest complaint remains the clock. If I figure out how to display it on the screen, I will be very happy.

So far it seems loke a good basic recorder/player for somone on a budget or wants a good second unit.

I just bought a Magnavox MSR90D6 multi-format DVD recorder from Sams Club today and need some help. I can not get it to show any functions on my TV screen. I am trying to hook it up from my sat box, to my knew dvd recorder, then to a vcr, and from there to my big screen tv. It sounded like the remote was doing it's job but no functions showed up on the tv screen to see what it was doing. I then hooked it up this way. Sat line to sat box in, out to knew dvd recorder straight to tv. This did not work either. If anyone could help it would be appreciated.

P.S. I also have been running a rca video/audio cable from my vcr to my jvc sound system to here my video through my jvc unit.

I just bought a Magnavox MSR90D6 multi-format DVD recorder from Sams Club today and need some help. I can not get it to show any functions on my TV screen. I am trying to hook it up from my sat box, to my knew dvd recorder, then to a vcr, and from there to my big screen tv. It sounded like the remote was doing it's job but no functions showed up on the tv screen to see what it was doing. I then hooked it up this way. Sat line to sat box in, out to knew dvd recorder straight to tv. This did not work either. If anyone could help it would be appreciated.

P.S. I also have been running a rca video/audio cable from my vcr to my jvc sound system to here my video through my jvc unit.

First of all. I assume (hope) your are using RCA cables for all your hookups and not coax cable. That said, hook the audio out cables and either the yellow video cable or better yet, the s-video cable to the inputs of the recorder. Hook the audio outputs and the video output (preferable component) directly to the corresponding input on your TV(you can also hook the digital audio output to your audio system for 5.1 sound). I would also hook the VCR outputs directly to the TV input . If you want to copy a VHS to DVD, you can use the front inputs.

I think all the daisy chaining is your problem. You have to get the right combo of VHS/TV and DVD/TV for the signal to get through and might even have to be on a certain TV channel.

First, try the DVD recorder hooked directly to your TV input and see if you get the menus. If that works, your hookup series is the problem.

Thank you golfster for your reply. I got the on screen display feature to work today.

Thank you golfster for your reply. I got the on screen display feature to work today.

Thanks, I am sure you will enjoy it. Let us know your experiences.

Well I got a reply from customer service that my machine needs repairs, but they are too busy to follow through after I copied them with the receipt and s/n, etc. Anybody have any inside contact info. to get better service?

TerryB

I haven't seen any responses to my 8-24 post, Auto Chapter problem (post #327).
I'd like someone to check their unit and see if you are seeing the same thing, or is it just my recorder.

Well I got a reply from customer service that my machine needs repairs, but they are too busy to follow through after I copied them with the receipt and s/n, etc. Anybody have any inside contact info. to get better service?

TerryB
Did you try returning it to Sams/Walmart depending on which model?

Did you try returning it to Sams/Walmart depending on which model?
I agree, golfster.
Absolutely one of the main reasons I buy stuff like this at Sams & Costco: unlimited return/exchange policies there.

(been using my Mag. unit, from Sams, for six months now, pretty well every day, for time-shifting my TV programs: no problems at all; and using various brands of media, too.)

I purchased this recorder and seems to be much better than the RCA unit I replaced. The only problem I'm having is the remotes on this unit and the Sylvania player I have use the same frequency. Is there any way to fix this? Thanks.

I just bought this recorder at WalMart recently and after reading all the messages on this GREAT thread, I have a problem that I haven't seen asked.

So far everything is great EXCEPT---After the DVDR sits for an extended period of time or overnight it loses all my timer rec settings (almost like it lost power for over 30 seconds--I know for a fact it did not) and when I look at the unit the Timer Rec Light has gone off. When I turn the unit back on, it acts like it was just plugged in i.e. the "initial setup" page appears, where i have to set the language again, and then proceeds to the "Channel Preset".

After allowing it to do its channel thing, I go to the clock--only to find out that it is still there--with the correct time too, but when I go to the timer rec setting--all have been lost. I must reset them all.

Can anyone help me with this problem?

I just bought this recorder at WalMart recently and after reading all the messages on this GREAT thread, I have a problem that I haven't seen asked.

So far everything is great EXCEPT---After the DVDR sits for an extended period of time or overnight it loses all my timer rec settings (almost like it lost power for over 30 seconds--I know for a fact it did not) and when I look at the unit the Timer Rec Light has gone off. When I turn the unit back on, it acts like it was just plugged in i.e. the "initial setup" page appears, where i have to set the language again, and then proceeds to the "Channel Preset".

After allowing it to do its channel thing, I go to the clock--only to find out that it is still there--with the correct time too, but when I go to the timer rec setting--all have been lost. I must reset them all.

Can anyone help me with this problem?

Return it. Sounds like you got a defective unit.

Well, I finally went out to WM and purchased one of these units to replace my dying 10yo VHS machine. After reading through this thread, I decided this machine would probably meet my needs to replace my basic TV program recording needs.

I spent about a half hour trying to get this thing to show a picture. I had to call the cable company to get some tech help on why the RF connection was not showing a picture. I had to go into the hardware settings of the STB and tell it to show RF through the box. Got that done and hooked up to the DVDR and did component connections to the TV. Man was it horrible! SD picture was worse than normal and the volume was cut in half (had to turn it way up to hear anything).

So, now I’m trying to find a way to get my STB hooked up via S-video to the DVDR. Here is the problem I have; my cable provider (Surewest) uses this weird little STB from Amino. It has Cat5e in or RF in and a round serial port out or RF out (I have the Cat5e hooked up for my HD as the system is all fiber optics). For me to get the best picture (and HD) I have this STB serial port cable that has L/R audio and component connections. No problem hooking directly into the TV. I was able to snag another of these serial cables from the installer that has S-video and L/R audio. Problem is I can’t get an HD picture through this cable. Would it not stand to reason that I should be able to get an HD picture from the STB using the S-video cord instead of using the component cord?

If I can get the s-video cord to work, I’d have it made. Or maybe pick up a component to s-video adapter?

You won't find a Component-Video-to-S-Video converter cheap.

I'm a newb. I'm thinking about buying this unit. Lots of good info here.

Well, I finally went out to WM and purchased one of these units to replace my dying 10yo VHS machine. After reading through this thread, I decided this machine would probably meet my needs to replace my basic TV program recording needs.

I spent about a half hour trying to get this thing to show a picture. I had to call the cable company to get some tech help on why the RF connection was not showing a picture. I had to go into the hardware settings of the STB and tell it to show RF through the box. Got that done and hooked up to the DVDR and did component connections to the TV. Man was it horrible! SD picture was worse than normal and the volume was cut in half (had to turn it way up to hear anything).

So, now I’m trying to find a way to get my STB hooked up via S-video to the DVDR. Here is the problem I have; my cable provider (Surewest) uses this weird little STB from Amino. It has Cat5e in or RF in and a round serial port out or RF out (I have the Cat5e hooked up for my HD as the system is all fiber optics). For me to get the best picture (and HD) I have this STB serial port cable that has L/R audio and component connections. No problem hooking directly into the TV. I was able to snag another of these serial cables from the installer that has S-video and L/R audio. Problem is I can’t get an HD picture through this cable. Would it not stand to reason that I should be able to get an HD picture from the STB using the S-video cord instead of using the component cord?

If I can get the s-video cord to work, I’d have it made. Or maybe pick up a component to s-video adapter?

Revolver - if you go to the "Settings" under the "Menu", you should be able to change the output of the box from Component Video to S-Video via the "Audio and Video" settings dialog box, then you can use the AV breakout cable that you have to send a signal to the DVD-Recorder.

Revolver - if you go to the "Settings" under the "Menu", you should be able to change the output of the box from Component Video to S-Video via the "Audio and Video" settings dialog box, then you can use the AV breakout cable that you have to send a signal to the DVD-Recorder.
Thanks Lloyd. I gave the menu a look but there is no such setting for the STB :(

I called the Tech support again and told him I what I was trying to do (beating my head against a wall would have been more productive). He basically said that I should get a picture over the S-video connection in SD to the DVDR, but not HD. Ok, fine. He didn't know how to do that either. He then told me about the TIVO they offer. I asked him if the TIVO subscribers could record the HD channels (but obviously not at HD resolution). He said they could. Huh? doesn't TIVO connect with an S-video cable in?

Anyway, I disabled the RF function of the STB which in turn allowed the S-video on the STB to work. I now have a picture and sound through the STB and the DVDR! I, however, still cannot see an HD channel? Am I missing something? I assume from reading some of the posts that you guys are able to recored a "downrezed" HD signal through your STB?
I forgot to mention, I Do get sound on the HD channels via the DVDR, just no picture.

Strange...

Been a while since I hooked mine up, but I am sure I used the s-video out of my Dish Network HD box. I am able to record anything that I can tune in on the HD receiver. The HD channels are "letterboxed" but they record just fine. The recordings I make from the HD channels are sharper than the same programs in SD, but are not as sharp as the original HD programming. They are more like the quality of a commercial DVD.

Golfster, I just got my Maggie and I have Dish 622, go good pq using S-Video, RCAs from 622, then Component out to TV, the RCAs go to my A/V CD input, all that works fine, but when I ran a new Digital coax cable to my second input on my A/V I get no sound, I even switched to the other input where my Sony DVD player was on the A/V, but no sound comes through, I know you said your Digital coax works, so maybe you can help me get this working.

Strange...

Been a while since I hooked mine up, but I am sure I used the s-video out of my Dish Network HD box. I am able to record anything that I can tune in on the HD receiver. The HD channels are "letterboxed" but they record just fine. The recordings I make from the HD channels are sharper than the same programs in SD, but are not as sharp as the original HD programming. They are more like the quality of a commercial DVD.

Yeah, that's what I figured. It would be nice if SW would drop this wierd little STB and get a decent machine with more output options. They said they have a DVR in "development". Hopefully by next year or I'll have to shope for a new provider.

I'll have to experiment a little more, but I think I'm SoL considering I can't get the HD signal over s-video directly to the TV either. :mad: I'll try a few recordings to see how the SD picture looks.

Thanks Lloyd. I gave the menu a look but there is no such setting for the STB :(

I called the Tech support again and told him I what I was trying to do (beating my head against a wall would have been more productive). He basically said that I should get a picture over the S-video connection in SD to the DVDR, but not HD. Ok, fine. He didn't know how to do that either. He then told me about the TIVO they offer. I asked him if the TIVO subscribers could record the HD channels (but obviously not at HD resolution). He said they could. Huh? doesn't TIVO connect with an S-video cable in?

Anyway, I disabled the RF function of the STB which in turn allowed the S-video on the STB to work. I now have a picture and sound through the STB and the DVDR! I, however, still cannot see an HD channel? Am I missing something? I assume from reading some of the posts that you guys are able to recored a "downrezed" HD signal through your STB?
I forgot to mention, I Do get sound on the HD channels via the DVDR, just no picture.

I'll have to play with my STB's over the weekend. I have both the AmiNet 110 (SD)and 120 (HD) versions at home, as well as the component, composite and S-video breakout cables. I'll see if I can see the HD-channels over S-Video or composite and let you know if I have any success.

The Walmart in my town has these units marked down to $75. I'm tempted to buy one, but if I buy now at $75, with my luck they'll drop it even lower next week.

Golfster, I just got my Maggie and I have Dish 622, go good pq using S-Video, RCAs from 622, then Component out to TV, the RCAs go to my A/V CD input, all that works fine, but when I ran a new Digital coax cable to my second input on my A/V I get no sound, I even switched to the other input where my Sony DVD player was on the A/V, but no sound comes through, I know you said your Digital coax works, so maybe you can help me get this working.

Actually, I am not using my digital audio outputs on this recorder. I have a Toshiba DVD player hooked to my surround sound system for 5.1 audio and use the Magnavox for recording and time shifting. I am using component out and RCA for audio directly to the TV only. Since I can not record 5.1 audio, I felt I had no reason to hook up the digital audio or play it through the system. I use the playback only on recorded TV shows because I like the commercial advance feature and do not have that feature on my player. Guess I will have to try it and see if it works.

Actually, I am not using my digital audio outputs on this recorder. I have a Toshiba DVD player hooked to my surround sound system for 5.1 audio and use the Magnavox for recording and time shifting. I am using component out and RCA for audio directly to the TV only. Since I can not record 5.1 audio, I felt I had no reason to hook up the digital audio or play it through the system. I use the playback only on recorded TV shows because I like the commercial advance feature and do not have that feature on my player. Guess I will have to try it and see if it works.
Ok, I guess I am going to have to do with RCAs, not a big problem as my Pioneer A/V rec. has a good "Expanded" setting that puts out pretty good surround, in fact I usually keep it on that setting even when I am receiving Dolby Surround.

I just bought this recorder at WalMart recently and after reading all the messages on this GREAT thread, I have a problem that I haven't seen asked.

So far everything is great EXCEPT---After the DVDR sits for an extended period of time or overnight it loses all my timer rec settings (almost like it lost power for over 30 seconds--I know for a fact it did not) and when I look at the unit the Timer Rec Light has gone off. When I turn the unit back on, it acts like it was just plugged in i.e. the "initial setup" page appears, where i have to set the language again, and then proceeds to the "Channel Preset".

After allowing it to do its channel thing, I go to the clock--only to find out that it is still there--with the correct time too, but when I go to the timer rec setting--all have been lost. I must reset them all.

Can anyone help me with this problem?
____________________________________________________________ ________


I am still having the above problem!!!!!!

I took the 1st unit back to walmart after making a call to customer support and they told me something about a bad memory chip.

I got the second unit and set it up and sometimes it works fine and other times it goes through the effects of losing power and needing to be set up from the beginning again. Strange thing is it NEVER loses the clock / time or date setting.

Sometimes it works perfect, but it is never reliable to be sure that it keeps its timer setting throughout the day for timer recordings.

Could it be something I am doing. I have tried it in several outlets and same happens in them to, so I know it is not losing power.

I find it hard to believe that I am the only one who has gotten ahold of 2 BAD units!!

HELP--I want this unit to work for me.

I have not heard of this problem, but maybe you can answer a question for me, after I used a timer recording and was all done with it, the Timer light kept flashing, I cycled the power and it kept flashing, so I went into the Timer Menu and deleted the already used timer recording, that stopped the dumb light from flashing. Is this normal?

I have not heard of this problem, but maybe you can answer a question for me, after I used a timer recording and was all done with it, the Timer light kept flashing, I cycled the power and it kept flashing, so I went into the Timer Menu and deleted the already used timer recording, that stopped the dumb light from flashing. As far as you know, is this normal?


On page 31 of the manuel it states under Hints (3rd dot down) that the light flashes after the recording is complete. I would assume that you would have to "Play" or "Open/Close" to stop the flashing light.

I do know that when mine works, if you have a program set to record Mon-Fri the light, (at least mine doesn't) does not flash after the Monday recordings are done. But my machine never makes it to the Tues recordings because before Tues it will have lost all memory of timer recordings set and go back to square one.

On page 31 of the manuel it states under Hints (3rd dot down) that the light flashes after the recording is complete. I would assume that you would have to "Play" or "Open/Close" to stop the flashing light.

I do know that when mine works, if you have a program set to record Mon-Fri the light, (at least mine doesn't) does not flash after the Monday recordings are done. But my machine never makes it to the Tues recordings because before Tues it will have lost all memory of timer recordings set and go back to square one.
Thanks, I read that hint, and as I recall, I did what it said to do, but light kept flashing. I think what might have happened was that I had a movie to record that was 2hrs. and 5min and selected the 2 hr. mode, I noticed that the recording stopped during the credits after the movie.

Does anyone have or know the Region Free codes for the Magnavox CMWR-10D6?

I have many European DVD's in our native language. I have the hack codes for my last DVD player - and it worked perfectly. Now that I bought new one (last DVD player died), I cannot watch my European DVD's.

Please share with me :-)
MapleChuck

I'll have to play with my STB's over the weekend. I have both the AmiNet 110 (SD)and 120 (HD) versions at home, as well as the component, composite and S-video breakout cables. I'll see if I can see the HD-channels over S-Video or composite and let you know if I have any success.

Lloyd, did you get to do any experimenting by chance?

I finally got it to work!
After reading the main sticky about recording HD on DVDRs, I went back into the STB settings and looked at the output settings. For some reason I didn't equate "SDTV" setting to 480i and was trying all the progressive settings. Set the STB to SDTV and can now get my HD channels to show through the DVDR via S-video hook up. I'm a little embarrased, but am glad I got it to work. Now I'm off to try some recordings. :D

I couldn't get SVIDEO IN to work. I can send SVIDEO from the cable box to the TV and watch it, but not the DVD recorder. I popped a yellow video cable over and it worked fine.

Not sure what is going on.

I couldn't get SVIDEO IN to work. I can send SVIDEO from the cable box to the TV and watch it, but not the DVD recorder. I popped a yellow video cable over and it worked fine.

Not sure what is going on.

You need to go into the DVDR setup menu under and select that the rear (E1) input be S-Video.

I just wanted to post that I have to record blocks of programming that I need to split into 5 segments for each timed recording.

With this unit when using DVD-RW I can name a title then Divide it and just make a few changes to the title to note which segment it is then divide it again as I break it apart.

The titles are nice and easy to read and this was relatively easy for a newbie like me.

It did take about 15 minutes to finalize, but until I can get an HDD model, this will work!

(I used SLP mode and ended up with 11 titles all nicely labeled by the day and with a nice thumbnail/index that I choose)

The quality is even better than on the VCR and I do not need to stay up to change out tapes!!!!

It did take about 15 minutes to finalize, but until I can get an HDD model, this will work!


When using DVD+RW or DVD-RWs, I have not had to finalize the disks to be able to view them on other DVD players. Give it a try, it might save you some time.

Quick question I havent seen asked or answered... With this unit, or DVD Recorders in general, if you transfer a glitched VCR tape to the unit, will the audio get out of sync? When recording VCR tapes to my computer using an encoder, the audio gets more out of sync with the video the more glitches the tape has, like it pauses the video recording when the video signal lock is lost, but keeps on recording the audio. What occurs with this unit? It just show the glitch and keep on truckin, or does it get out of sync?

No sync problems, it'll keep on truckin'. At least DVD Recorders in general do.

When using DVD+RW or DVD-RWs, I have not had to finalize the disks to be able to view them on other DVD players. Give it a try, it might save you some time.

Indeed! They behave like VHS tapes: record and play right away!

Anyone came across any hacks for this unit yet?

Has anyone else noticed this:

I have Auto Chapter set to 5 minutes, I record a couple of hours on the DVD. During playback I press Display, then I press the Next button on the remote a few times. I would expect to see the time jumping something like:

1:30:00
1:35:00
1:40:00
1:45:00

but instead, it jumps like this:

1:30:00
1:34:00
1:40:00
1:44:00
1:50:00

in other words, every other Chapter is 4 minutes long, then 6 minutes long, then 4, then 6...

Strange.
I can confirm this on auto chapter set for 5 minutes. Mine has 2 variations
a 4 to 6 minute split and sometimes a 3 to 7 minute split. It averages out to 5 minutes though

That's what counts, the average.

***HELP***

I see this little magnavox is getting a lot of attention. I want a unit to replace a VCR. I want to be able to tell it to record a half dozen shows a week from my coaxial cable. I want to be able to program in the start / end times like on a VCR. I want to be able to throw a RW disk in there and use it over and over like a VHS tape.

Can this model do all this? What are the downsides as compared to a VCR? How many times can you rewrite the RW disc?

Now the important stuff. I want to use this to copy about 20 old VHS home movies and 10 or so mini DV tapes from my latest camcorder. How easy is it to do this? How good is the xfer quality. What speed choices do I have. I have read up on a Pannisonic. I records best at 1 or 2 hour speed BUT from what I have read 4 hour speed is almost as good? Should I use -R or +R disks? Are those Maxxel Disks at Sams any good....50 with cases fro $16 (+R).

Anyone ever try to use theextended warranty from Sams?

Thanks!

You can do all that as long as your cable box can be programmed for your desired shows. The Maxell's are fine. One caution, don't use any +rw, this from manufacturer, they used to recommend them, but there are too many other DVD players that won't read them.

My cable box? Why? I split the cable, one runs to the cable box to tv tuner one and the other to my vcr....just do not get the digital stations on my VCR. I think this is the issue you are reffering to right?

Do I use RW- for recording? How about for my home movies. How is the 4 hour speed quality?




You can do all that as long as you cable box can be programmed for your desired shows. The Maxell's are fine. One caution, don't use any +rw, this from manufacturer, they used to recommend them, but there are too many other DVD players that won't read them.

Do you want to record one thing and watch another at the same time?
The -rw is what you would use, also the -r is best for compatibility with other DVD players. I have not tried the 4 hr. mode, but I can tell you that an HD movie recorded at 2 hr. mode is as good as most DVD movies.

I have this unit and have given it a thorough workout.

I timer record over 8 programs a week. (I only has 8 timer record settings so I change the last few as needed.)

I record to -RW Maxell media from Wally World as it is the only inexpensive -RW within 15 miles of my house. (I am told RW has the potential for over a 1000 recordings.)

The quality on SLP is the same as the 2 hour quality on my old VCR. It is better than the SLP on the VCR.

By using the -RW media I can also divide titles and customize my chapter marks.

The only negative with RW is that you have to finalize it when you are done and have to erase the whole disc to record over something. (Correction- I do not need to finalize the -RW)

It is very effective at being the replacement for a VCR for your basic household needs.

( I also need to record large amounts of satellite homechool material per week so I am purchasing an HDD DVD recorder that will be dedicated for that purpose. If not for that, I would be very content with this choice.)

You can un-finalize a -rw, and then delete only what you want deleted.

The only negative with RW is that you have to finalize it when you are done and have to erase the whole disc to record over something.

Some people have been able to play them in other machines without finalizing, but I have not.



Keep in mind, if you are using this unit to play your recordings back, you will not need to finalize the disk. In addition, you will be able to record on the unfinalized disk until it is full.

True, unfortunately I am having daughter do her schoolwork in another room on another player. She likes to play with remote buttons and the potential for messing up my scheduled recordings is just too high for me. (Special needs child)

For the things I want to watch, this would be a great idea. Only my television programs come on at the same time I need to record the broadcasts.

I do enjoy the thought of being able to edit things.
Only 1 more paycheck till I can buy the HDD DVD.

Added:
Wanted to add that when using the timer programs I accidentally set it for am instead of pm stop time. It kept recording until the disc space was done.

I could not find a back door in to change the program. This translates nicely to kidproof recordings. No chance of them disrupting a recording in progress.

Now if only they did not touch the on/standby button!

is it hard or does it take long to erase the rw disc. I am really interested in the 4 hour speed quality. The Panny supposedly is almost as good in 4 hour mode as 2 hour....

is it hard or does it take long to erase the rw disc. I am really interested in the 4 hour speed quality. The Panny supposedly is almost as good in 4 hour mode as 2 hour....

It takes about 30 seconds or so to erase the disk. It is just a matter of hitting the erase button on the menu. The 4 hour mode is really pretty good. I use it for time shifting on TV shows but use the 2 hour mode if possible for recordings I want to keep.

We just bought a Pye PY90DG (at Circuit City for $90), which I've deduced is a clone/variant of the other Funai DVD recorders that have 90 as the model number. So I'm thinking it must work similarly to the Magnavox, though it's not a combo unit (it plays and burns DVDs, but doesn't play VHS tapes). That said, is it a stretch to wonder if anyone knows how to hack the region code? My favorite movie is not made in region 1 (yet...though there's a petition for it) so I purchased it on eBay from Australia (not realizing that most players won't play DVDs for other regions) and now I can't get it to play. I've looked for all the other Funai 90 clones on videohelp (DVD hack section) but they haven't been hacked either (Magnavox, Emerson, Symphonic, Sylvania). Any ideas?

If not, I was thinking of buying the Enchanted April VHS tape (which irks me since I had a homemade one that I threw out) and trying to burn it to DVD (we have a separate VCR hooked up to the TV that we can connect to the DVD player/burner). I'm new to the world of DVD burning, though, so I'm not sure that will be possible. Appreciate any help.

I would like know if someone could tell me if I purchased a Magnavox MSR90D6 can I copy my DVD movies that I have already purchased from a dvd player to the Magnavox MSR90D6 or are the movies scrambled so you can not copy them? I just want to make me some backups so the originals stay in good shape. I thought of a couple of ways will either of them or both of them work?
1. Hook my dvd player to my dvd recorder to my tv. Put my original in the dvd player and record to the dvd recorder.
2. Hook my dvd player to the tv in and then hook my dvd recorder to the tv out and then record?

Will either of these work so I can record my dvds? Or does anybody have any better ideas? I would appreciate any help I could get.

Thank you,
GEHSDH

Marla: there's a bunch of programs out there (but don't ask me, as I run Linux (and fairly sure you don't :)) and have the ones I like) that'll copy and remove the region coding from DVDs so's you can burn them again play them anywhere. I'd check on Google.

IFOEdit.

Thanks for the suggestions about the editing programs--I'll check into them.

ok so i bought it, set it up, and went to put one of my sons favorite movies on DVD for a road trip, and it wont let me, i get error 25............is there anyway around this, could i have made a commen error? i checked connections, everything says right.

did i just waste 100$?

Are you trying to make a copy of a copy protected movie?

ok so i bought it, set it up, and went to put one of my sons favorite movies on DVD for a road trip, and it wont let me, i get error 25............is there anyway around this, could i have made a commen error? i checked connections, everything says right.

did i just waste 100$?

yes that is why i said is there anyway around it. i already took it back.......

A lot of you have had this now for quite siome time-is it as reliable as a vcr for timer recordings? I've been burned once with a recorder which only did it was supposed to 1/2 the time and its a frustration I care not to go through again no matter the price point.

You have 8 timer record settings available.

I need to record 12 regular programs a week so I have to reset the last few after the first 8 are done each week.

I have had 2 times where a recording in position number 8 did not occur.

On one I am sure I did not get the disc in in time to format (you need about 2 minutes. )

For the other, I may not have set the standby on the remote. I think on that I used the button on the actual unit or I forgot.

In all fairness, though, in the 5 weeks I have had it I have made 60 timer recordings and except for those two I have had no problems at all.

I am using Maxell-RW discs from Wally world which lets me add chapter marks and divide titles.

And the best part is that you know exactly how much room is left on a disc comared to a VCR tape. I am not going back to those.

Purchased the MSR90D6 at Sam's this AM. Looked through the thread and maybe I have missed it. My TV has no tuner, so no coax connection. My SA8300HD is connected to the TV via HDMI. I had the recorder connected to the cable box with s video and rca cables. I can't see any menu settings for the recorder. Tried recording a dvd and of course I don't see where to finalize it on order to play it on my dvd player. The manual appears to want a connection to the TV with a coax cable.

Can anyone make a suggestion, otherwise I think I need to look for a recorder with different options for connecting to my setup. Thanks.
Bettie

Sounds like you are missing a connection from the DVD Recorder to your display.

Yes, it needs to be connected to the television. Here's a cut and paste of the Magnavox outputs:

Dolby Digital coaxial output, composite video outputs, S-video outputs, component video outputs and stereo audio outputs

So the coax connection is optional. Assuming your television has s-video I would suggest the s-video connection to your Magnavox then to the television because when using an HDMI connection out of the SA8300HD in many case the component outputs become disabled. Once connected via s-video you will need to change the input on your television (usually via its remote) to the s-video input in order to see the Magnavox. You'll also have to connect the analog audio cable (red/white).

Worst case is all of the outputs on the SA8300HD become disabled when using HDMI. You can test for this by disconnecting the HDMI cable.

Yes, it needs to be connected to the television. Here's a cut and paste of the Magnavox outputs:

Dolby Digital coaxial output, composite video outputs, S-video outputs, component video outputs and stereo audio outputs

So the coax connection is optional. Assuming your television has s-video I would suggest the s-video connection to your Magnavox then to the television because when using an HDMI connection out of the SA8300HD in many case the component outputs become disabled. Once connected via s-video you will need to change the input on your television (usually via its remote) to the s-video input in order to see the Magnavox. You'll also have to connect the analog audio cable (red/white).

Worst case is all of the outputs on the SA8300HD become disabled when using HDMI. You can test for this by disconnecting the HDMI cable.

I appreciae your response. I did try connecting the s-video to the TV along with the audio cables. I forgot to mention this in my original post. Using the remote to change to s-video, the screen on the TV went black and the message appeared no s-video signal. This is what prompted me to write.

Thanks again.

In order to test if you are getting s-video out of your cable box try this. Connect the cable box to the television using the s-video cable directly. This will eliminate the Magnavox as a variable and determine if your cable box is outputting s-video.

Hii guys. Just found this forum tonight after doing some research on this product. You guys have been great. I am a newb to DVD recorders and really only want it for 2 reasons. So if anyone can help me out I would greatly appreciate the info before I decide to buy this player. My 2 questions are.

1. Can you record movies from HBO or Starz onto this player? I use Direct TV for my cable.

2. I have a ton of old wrestling pay per views I taped from the late 80's early 90's on VHS that I would like to transfer on DVD. Would I be able to, or would they still be determined copyright protected?

If anyone has these anwers please let me know. Thank you!

Hii guys. Just found this forum tonight after doing some research on this product. You guys have been great. I am a newb to DVD recorders and really only want it for 2 reasons. So if anyone can help me out I would greatly appreciate the info before I decide to buy this player. My 2 questions are.

1. Can you record movies from HBO or Starz onto this player? I use Direct TV for my cable.

2. I have a ton of old wrestling pay per views I taped from the late 80's early 90's on VHS that I would like to transfer on DVD. Would I be able to, or would they still be determined copyright protected?

If anyone has these anwers please let me know. Thank you!

I'm not an expert, but I'll try to help...

1) I have Time Warner and have a SA8300DVR....I can easily use my MSR90D6 to record HBO with the "copy to vcr" function.

(When I tried to go direct from the SA8300DVR to a vcr with component cables, I ran into HDMI problems!)

I guess the easiest way to explain it is if you just use this unit "as a vcr" and a vcr now works OK, you should be OK.

2) I can't imagine those wrestling shows are copy protected, but that's just a guess.

Our new Sams has it selling for $89.88 at this time and they have about 20 on the floor, I don't know if all Sams has it at this price but you could phone and check if interested.

hello all,

i've read thru the thread & this sounds like a nice unit.

i've tried a panny combo unit and i've tried a/d conversion thru roxio on my desktop to transfer my vhs & vhs-c home movies to dvd+ or - r.

(1) will this unit allow me to tape home movies easily to dvd + or - r?

(2) will i be able to add bookmarks & titles and create thumbnails on a dvd menu using those same media?

(3) or should i still be searching for a nice hdd unit?

i will only be using this unit to transfer home movies to dvd...thanks for any feedback!

Can anyone that has tried both this Mag and a new Panny (like the ES15 or 25?)? I'm on the fence, I'm looking to record shows from Dish through S-Video. I tried a Toshiba D-R4 and D-R5 and both units either had poor S-Video in or poor recording quality, the recorded picture from both wasn't very good. I've also tried a Samsung DVD-R135. The PQ on the Samsung was MUCH better than the Toshibas. I was surprised since I had read a lot of good things about the PQ on Toshibas, so I'm guessing the S-Video feed may be part of the problem. The Samsung seems good, but a couple of flaws may make me return it, specifically, sometimes, when recording through it, it gets the "jitters" and seems to drop frames and looks jerky. So...I'm down to the Panny ES25 or this Mag for recording and the Sony NS75 upconverting player. The only thing I'd be missing would be the DV in, which would have been nice to convert some camcorder tapes over, but I guess I could always do that on my PC, or hook up the camcorder through the front componet inputs.

Both the Panasonic ES-15 and ES-25 have DV input.

Both the Panasonic ES-15 and ES-25 have DV input.


Yes, I guess my post wasn't clear. I mean if I go with the 2 system setup, the Maggy for a recorder and the Sony as the player, I would have all the functionality as the Panny, except for the DV in. I guess both setups would have their pros and cons.

Well I hooked up the VHS to the Mag today. I am beginning the archive process of my VHS tapes to DVD. I have some live concert footage unavailable on DVD and these need to go digital. Other than the source VHS looks like crap on most of these, the Mag is working just fine to capture these to disc. No signs of shutdown during TBC that I have noticed.

forgive my ignorance....what is "TBC"?

i picked one of these up @ sams club primarily to transfer my vhs home video library...

the one thing i've run into that i can't figure out to change is that the present date is displayed in each chapter title...

anyone know how to "not display" the current date in the chapter title....looks a little funny when the video is 10 years old and today's date is in the title...

thanks!

I bought my MSR90D6 a couple days ago at Sams Club for $89.88. WOW..what a price! I bought a pack of DVD+R discs, and everything works great. I bought a pack of SONY DVD+RW discs, 120 min, 4.7 GB/Go, 1X - 4X at Best Buy.

The RW discs load when inserted, then try to format. After some time, I get an error message that says: "Recording Error Can not record on this disc." The error code is E4 54043e02.

The SONY discs are listed in the owners manual as "Strongly Recommended". The only difference I can see is the manual says SONT DVD+RW 4x. My discs say SONY DVD+RW 1x-4x.

Any help out there??? Thanks.
Ken

When they jumped to 4x DVD-RW they changed the format slightly. Some recorders can only handle the version before that, 2x. I have a Toshiba non-HDD model like that.

EDIT: Ah I see your manual says 4x so I guess that's not the problem.

I bought my MSR90D6 a couple days ago at Sams Club for $89.88. WOW..what a price! I bought a pack of DVD+R discs, and everything works great. I bought a pack of SONY DVD+RW discs, 120 min, 4.7 GB/Go, 1X - 4X at Best Buy.

The RW discs load when inserted, then try to format. After some time, I get an error message that says: "Recording Error Can not record on this disc." The error code is E4 54043e02.

The SONY discs are listed in the owners manual as "Strongly Recommended". The only difference I can see is the manual says SONT DVD+RW 4x. My discs say SONY DVD+RW 1x-4x.

Any help out there??? Thanks.
Ken
Look at post #273. I had a similar problem with both Sony and Maxell 4X+RW disks. Tech support said the no longer reccomend using 4X+RW , use 1X or 2X. Try finding those!

Since then, I've found that I can use Memorex 4X+RW disks with complete sucess.

TBC = Time Base Correction


forgive my ignorance....what is "TBC"?

i picked one of these up @ sams club primarily to transfer my vhs home video library...

the one thing i've run into that i can't figure out to change is that the present date is displayed in each chapter title...

anyone know how to "not display" the current date in the chapter title....looks a little funny when the video is 10 years old and today's date is in the title...

thanks!

Look at post #273. I had a similar problem with both Sony and Maxell 4X+RW disks. Tech support said the no longer recommend using 4X+RW , use 1X or 2X. Try finding those!

Since then, I've found that I can use Memorex 4X+RW disks with complete success.

I called Funai Customer Service this morning. Waited about 10 minutes to talk with the tech. He asked what brand DVD I tried, and I told him "Sony". He then proceeded to tell me that Sony was not a good brand and not recommended. I told him that the manual said just the opposite, that it was a preferred brand and recommended for high quality. He then said that Sony has had problems lately and that I should use another brand.

That is when I jumped in and said "What about the error code?" He said "You have the error code?" Yep.... it is E4. Well, it turns out that is the code for the laser not working properly and I would have to return the unit to Sam's Club for a new one. Oh-oh I said.... That will be difficult since I already disposed of the box.

Anyway, I took the Recorder, remote, manual, and receipt back to Sam's. No problem... Here is a new one for you. In and out.... it was a breath of fresh air.

Took the new unit home, set the clock, put in the SONY DVD +RW and sat back. It loaded, then formatted. I haven't recorded yet, but then I never got this far with the RW disc.

I have to wonder though how long before the new unit exhibits the same symptoms.

I have to wonder though how long before the new unit exhibits the same symptoms.

I have had one of these for over 6 months, use it quite a bit and have had no problems so far. You can get a lemon in ANY brand you buy.

i picked one of these up @ sams club primarily to transfer my vhs home video library...

the one thing i've run into that i can't figure out to change is that the present date is displayed in each chapter title...

anyone know how to "not display" the current date in the chapter title....looks a little funny when the video is 10 years old and today's date is in the title...

thanks!

after unplugging the unit for several minutes and powering back on, i skipped "setting the date"...just left it blank dashes.

now, each title doesn't have the current date in it....very annoying to have that in the title when the vhs tape i'm burning is from some time in the past...

Good tip on the time/date thing. Of course, you have to set the clock before you can record anything.

Good tip on the time/date thing. Of course, you have to set the clock before you can record anything.


no, not true...i can record/burn dvd's from my old vhs tapes without setting the date/time.

or did you mean recording from live tv?...i'm not sure on that...haven't tried it.

That is what I meant, timer recordings..

Haven't done it in a while, but either on this deck or maybe it is my Pioneer, you can backspace over the date when you edit and change it.

When you make a recording there are two lines that show in the title.
Both will have the recording date at first.

You can change the top line of the title but not the bottom line

So you could end up with this:

L54 World Studies W 11
10/30/2006 29:45

The second part of the bottom line is the length of the recording.

I hope this helps

Hello, I'm actually considering the mag unit from sams club and had a question. As far as DVD+RW discs, what do you all prefer or have had good luck with? I was considering Verbatim DVD+RW. Has anyone tried these on this unit? Thanks

Hello, I'm actually considering the mag unit from sams club and had a question. As far as DVD+RW discs, what do you all prefer or have had good luck with? I was considering Verbatim DVD+RW. Has anyone tried these on this unit? Thanks

There are certainly people who can give you a more detailed explanation, but it seems to me that most people haven't had too many disk compatibility problems at all.....

Thanks

Hello, I'm actually considering the mag unit from sams club and had a question. As far as DVD+RW discs, what do you all prefer or have had good luck with? I was considering Verbatim DVD+RW. Has anyone tried these on this unit? Thanks

I had the Wally World version of this model briefly (same unit, different number). The Verbatim +RWs worked excellently on it (also on my Panasonic ES-15).

I am currently using Imation DVD+RW for everyday taping in the slowest speed (6 hour) and have yet to experience any problems and I use Maxell DVD-R for recording family video tapes--no problems there either. Hope this helps









Hello, I'm actually considering the mag unit from sams club and had a question. As far as DVD+RW discs, what do you all prefer or have had good luck with? I was considering Verbatim DVD+RW. Has anyone tried these on this unit? Thanks

Due to a dispute between my provider and $inclair we may lose one of our channels, I can put up an antenna for that one channel but I record everything I watch on two DVR's. Is this machine capable of time recording if I put a disk in and set the time and day will it record without any problem or am I better of getting a recorder with a hard drive. I would only record two hours a week on this machine so does anyone know of a recorder with a small HDD under $200.?

Due to a dispute between my provider and $inclair we may lose one of our channels, I can put up an antenna for that one channel but I record everything I watch on two DVR's. Is this machine capable of time recording if I put a disk in and set the time and day will it record without any problem or am I better of getting a recorder with a hard drive. I would only record two hours a week on this machine so does anyone know of a recorder with a small HDD under $200.?

I also have 2 DVRs and have this recorder set to record one show per week off an antenna because there are 3 shows on at the same time that I do not want to miss. You can use it just like a VCR to record a show weekly at the same time. Use a RW disk and erase it after you view it. I do not even have to finalize the disks recorded on the Mag for then to work on my other players.

BTW, I get very good picture quality off the antenna with the built in tuner.

Dragonfly:

I use the Verbatim +RW disks at 6 hr speed and have never had problems. I record about 20+ hours weekly and have yet to encounter any glitch.
Great unit for $90.
One with HHD will cost you considerably more.

My only major beef with the unit does concern timer-recording: it will only record on empty space beyond (or ... after) already-recorded segments on the disk. In other words, if you record six one-hour segments, then erase one or more in the middle (like, hour number 3 and 4) , that blank two hours can be used but only manually, not on timer record.


Rick

Dragonfly:


My only major beef with the unit does concern timer-recording: it will only record on empty space beyond (or ... after) already-recorded segments on the disk. In other words, if you record six one-hour segments, then erase one or more in the middle (like, hour number 3 and 4) , that blank two hours can be used but only manually, not on timer record.


Rick
I did not know that. Thanks for the valuable info.

Thanks everyone, this sound like it will do all I need if for and the price is right, in fact Big Lots has refurbished ones selling for $59.99 so I might pick one up just in case I do need it or as another toy to play with.

Does anyone know of a way to remove macrovision on the sylvania dvr90vf? (without having to buy a stabilizer)

I think the new price was mentioned here some time ago, but I've recently seen two different Sam's Club stores selling it for $89.88. The forum thread name of "$96.88 Magnavox..." is now outdated--and that's a good thing :cool:

Thanks everyone, this sound like it will do all I need if for and the price is right, in fact Big Lots has refurbished ones selling for $59.99 so I might pick one up just in case I do need it or as another toy to play with.
Has anyone picked up one of these reburbs from Big Lot or know if they still have them? I'm thinking about getting one but not sure if I should just get a new one from Sam's. TIA

EDIT: I stopped by a local Big Lots and it didn't have any so I bought one from Sam's Club. A little more money but I have had problems with some reburbs in the past so not a big loss

So far I only tried one recording. It was for 2:01 long and I set the quality to Auto to see how it would handle it for a blank +RW disk. It used SPP and about 3.3 GBs. Not sure about the recording quality but it was pretty close to the original TV signal I think--hard to say because the original signal wasn't that great to start with (and a little softer than the picture from the TV's own tuner). I agree the remote is a weak point with this recorder, the button are small and even though I have small fingers I had to be careful I hit the right botton and that I press it down far enough. And it's the only device I have that doesn't have a wide enough IR receive angle to detect the remote's signals from where I sit, because I have my equipment facing a 90 degree angle from where I sit, so I have to get up closer to point the remote for a more direct shot. Just tested for range head-on, it's only about eight to ten feet on the new batteries it came with.

I have to read the manual to figure how this thing really works, I've already read through this helpful thread. So far seems like a very good value if it can last a few years.

Edit Again: I returned this one after I noticed the SV2000 at Walmart (another thread on that in AVS) unit has the same basic internals as the Magnavox, with the benefit of a better remote with good range. Got it at the Seekonk MA Walmart for $50 new, must be a clearance price though they have a lot of them and not marked as clearance. Besides the front panel button layout being not as nice as the Magnavox, the three status LEDs are all red color so it's hard to tell what they indicate at a distance. Besides being a lot more powerful, the SV2000 remote uses AA batteries which I prefer a lot more to the AAAs used by the Magnavox. The back panel and inputs, as well as the DVD drive itself, is identical in these recorders.

I have a magnavox msr90d6 and wonder if anyone knows how i can copy a dvd that is protected.I have my other dvd player connected but as soon as i hit play on it while the recorder is recording it stops recording.How can i get around this?

Colin

What you need is a Video Fliter that goes between the Video Output on the Player & the Video Input on the Recorder to bust the copy guard that is in the DVD disc.

Do a search here for "video filter" or "Sima" & you should get plenty of info on them.

Hi, New to forum. I just received the Maganavox MSR90D6 for Christmas. These little tidbits of information are great. Here is my question...has anyone tried to transfer vhs videos to this dvd recorder? The manual says that it might turn out fuzzy. I haven't tried it yet but would like to put my old tapes of my kids onto dvds. Thanks

I recently purchased the Magnavox MSR90D6 DVD recorder at Sam's. I can play pre-recorded dvds , however each time I try to record from the TV I get either static or a black screen. The title pages come up empty! I've emailed the company, but they have NOT responded. Maybe someone here can assist me. I should add that I have direct TV. I had an ILO recorder which worked for about 8 months before it died on me. I found this forum hoping someone could tell me whats going on here?
Thanks!

So your DirecTV receiver's output goes to a line input on the DVD Recorder? Then when you select that line input on the recorder, you should see what is coming out of the receiver. That you can record by just hitting the record button on the recorder/remote. If you are trying to schedule a recording, it must be recording from that same line input. Usually they are labeled L1/L2/L3. It sounds like you are trying to record from some numbered channel, but with DirecTV you don't have any cable coming into the recorder. So you will just get static or nothing.

I just bought my unit last week. Have gotten alot of great ideas from this forum.
It is nice to know that there places like this website, to learn and get some extra hints.... that you might not know other wise. Have tried burning several different
ways and have not had any problems thus far. A hell of a price for a pretty decent unit. Was a previous ILO owner, and am glad to find this unit.

In addition to the input from yesterday.... was talking of attempting different ways to burn from other resources. Seems that alot of people feel that you must record within the 4 hour record level to get good resolution. I feel that this unit does a superb job for the price paid. Seems to me that if you are that particular about the resolution of your copy you should either record everything @ 1 Hour level ( HQ ), or should have bought a higher end unit, and not one for less than $100.00. I previously owned an ILO '04 model, it cost $149.00 at the time purchased and lasted less than a year. This product far more superior than the Ilo was, and have no problem what so ever- even with lower end dvd + r blanks, that I have been trying out. I did have a problem with finalizing the dvd's though. Called Magnavox Tech Support - whom were very helpful and professional. I could not get the set up on the screen, so I could finalize. I was instructed to hit the (stop) button before hitting the (set up) button, did so and have had no problem since. All I can say is Kudos to Magnavox for good unit for a great price !!!!!

I picked one of these up on Friday and have it in my bedroom where I have an older TV with only a RF input. I have a three way switch which I have two Replay TV and cable coming in from my front room where most of my equipment is located.
I have hooked my Denon DVD player into it and can record with no problem but I have my DVR and cable coming into my VHS player and feed through to my set, I can record from my VCR by switching a cable but have no display on my TV so I hit play on the VCR and record on the DVDR and the timer as many times as need to record the tape, all this is blind but it works, not as I would like it but it works.
Now no matter what configuration I use for hooking up the Replays I don't have any success in recording from them. I have a laser disk player also wired into this room but I can move it to this room if I have to.
Would getting a RF modulator help or some other type of switch allow me to record from these units or am I SOL as I am not moving it into the LR as I have too much equipment in there now?

There is a new shipment of refurbs at Big Lots this week, at least this was the model at the stores in my area. I picked one up and have been playing with it the last couple of days.

The only negative I can see is that it's impossible to record back to back TV shows from different sources since the machine stops to "write to disc" at the end of the first program resulting in the second one starting late. I've never recorded directly to a disc on my DVD/HDD recorder, so I don't know if this in standard for most DVD recorders.

The finalized product playsback in my Panny E85 and can be ripped to my computer, so I'm happy.

It's a nice backup to the Panny.

Just bought this unit and so far I am pleased but I have encountered one strange quirk.

When I burn a DVD+RW and it only contains one track, (ie. what I just recorded and the ever present Empty track are the only things in the menu), it will not play in my Samsung dvd/vcr combo. It tries to load and then tells me it can't play the disc.

Now, if I burn another track onto the disc so that there are two plus the Empty in the menu, it loads on the Samsung with no problem and no hesitation.

This problem is peculiar to the Sammy too because the one track disc plays fine on my computer, a different Magnavox dvd player(with a little hesitation), and a cheap portable.

There is a new shipment of refurbs at Big Lots this week, at least this was the model at the stores in my area. I picked one up and have been playing with it the last couple of days.

The only negative I can see is that it's impossible to record back to back TV shows from different sources since the machine stops to "write to disc" at the end of the first program resulting in the second one starting late. I've never recorded directly to a disc on my DVD/HDD recorder, so I don't know if this in standard for most DVD recorders.

The finalized product playsback in my Panny E85 and can be ripped to my computer, so I'm happy.

It's a nice backup to the Panny.

That is standard behaviour. The way I get around it on my Panny ES-15 is to use RAM discs. Finalization is unnecessary, so, no delay. Theoretically that would be true of +RW also, but I haven't tried that.

That is standard behaviour. The way I get around it on my Panny ES-15 is to use RAM discs. Finalization is unnecessary, so, no delay. Theoretically that would be true of +RW also, but I haven't tried that.

Indeed. All the single-tuner devices I have used have a delay. Some are shorter than others. My cable-company DVR has a 6-second delay between recordings (unless I create a 2nd recording on the 2nd tuner to overlap). My Panasonic has some seconds but I didn't measure them - but the delay is shorter with -RAM

As stated previously, I have had this unit approximately 6 weeks and have burned probably 20/25 disks. Have not had any major problems, had a few quirks ..... mainly from being unfamiliar with the unit. Have called Tech Support twice, and they were very friendly and helpful both times. They corrected my problems, immediately. As far as quality... am pleased with the results. Have recommended this unit to many people. Good price and good quality.

I have had this unit for about a year now and it has performed flawlessly. I have used Sony DVD+RW for my re-recordables and Fujifilm DVD-R for my write-once. I just used Fujifilm DVD-RW (Ritek) for the first time and I have just had my first problems. I recorded Grey's Anatomy last night and it seemed to record fine. When I went to play it back, the unit froze and would not play. It wouldn't play in any of my other DVD players either.

Also, I've noticed that with DVD+RWs, they play right away in other units as long as you "make edits compatible". The DVD-RWs do not.

Anyone else had these issues with DVD-RWs? Does this unit just perform better with DVD+RW???

thanks.

I think that DVD-RW discs need to be finalized before they will play in other units.

I think that DVD-RW discs need to be finalized before they will play in other units.

I did finalize the DVD-RW before playing it. I think this may be a media issue.

I did finalize the DVD-RW before playing it. I think this may be a media issue.

I've tried both the -RW and +RW and haven't seen a difference.....

Picked one of these up this weekend, nice unit for the money. I moved a few of the family's home movies from VHS to several different brands of +R and -R without any problems. Then I archived a few shows off my satellite DVR. The quality of recordings was pretty good for s-video. If the RW media works as well for me as others here, this will make a great backup unit.

One question - I'd love to be able to make edits and multiple copies of some home movies for our kids - anyone doing this with a PC? What ripping,editing and burning software would work well for this? Walking a DVD from this Magnavox to the PC vs trying to get a VCR hooked up to the PC really appeals to my lazy nature!

I've now played with the unit for a couple of weeks and really like it. It actually recorded to some really cheap media I have lying around (Playo DVD-R). I'm able to record some Disney Channel stuff for my 9 year old without wasting the good stuff.

My Panny e85 always burps and ruins bad media.

I do hate the fact that you can't erase a block on a +-RW disc and then use timer record. The unit thinks the disc is still full.

Great thread! Based on comments I picked up a MSR90D6 from Sam's Club.

I've got it hooked to a DISH 622 DVR thru EXT1 RCA and out to the TV using RCA. All works fine....but....

For timer recording the unit needs to be in Standby and the signal from the DVR doesn't pass thru to the TV.

Is there a way I can hook up so that I can watch TV while the unit is in standby mode?

Great thread! Based on comments I picked up a MSR90D6 from Sam's Club.

I've got it hooked to a DISH 622 DVR thru EXT1 RCA and out to the TV using RCA. All works fine....but....

For timer recording the unit needs to be in Standby and the signal from the DVR doesn't pass thru to the TV.

Is there a way I can hook up so that I can watch TV while the unit is in standby mode?
Don't you have other inputs to your TV? The 622 has several outputs. You could hook any of then to the TV. The RF Coax input/output of the recorder should pass through when the recorder is off.

Golfster

Thanks. the RF does pass thru. I was thinking it would work using the RCA inputs & outputs.

I've found that it is better to insert Chapter marks at the beginning and end of each commercial break, then "hide" the chapter. Finalizing (or "make compatible" with +RW) will also hide the commercials when played back on other machines. This way you don't end up with all the empty titles.

BTW, I saw the unit at Sam's a few weeks ago, came home and searched online, found very little about it--except on this forum. Thanks to everyone who submitted early reviews and now constant tips on how to use it. It is because of this forum that I decided to purchase the unit, and I haven't been disappointed.

Using -R discs, I did the "hidden chapter" trick for skipping commercials and it works great when I play it back on the Magnavox. However, when I pay the disks on my PC (windows Media Player) or my Panasonic Home theater unit (SC-HT441W) the chapter marks are ignored. Chapter searching just gives the default player chapters. I did finalize the disks on the Magnavox.

Should I be recording on disks with a different format if I want to hide chapters?

Using -R discs, I did the "hidden chapter" trick for skipping commercials and it works great when I play it back on the Magnavox. However, when I pay the disks on my PC (windows Media Player) or my Panasonic Home theater unit (SC-HT441W) the chapter marks are ignored. Chapter searching just gives the default player chapters. I did finalize the disks on the Magnavox.

Should I be recording on disks with a different format if I want to hide chapters?

If you use RW disks, either + or -, the edits will be compatable on other players. You also have more editing capabilities with the RWs. You will find some features on a DVD recorder only work on the original machine and hidden chapters may be one. You can edit out the commercials by dividing titles before and after the commercial and then deleting that title. They will be deleted on any other player too.

I purchased an SV2000 ????10D6 from Wal-mart in Dec 2006 and had to return it due to a slippage problem with the disks after 3 months of use. They had no more of this model when I went to exchange it so I swapped it for the Mag CMWR10D6. Was I surprised when I opened the unit. Other than the button placements (Face plate instead of the Top edge)and the Brand name the unit was identical both in size, manual, accessories excluding the remote, packaging, firmware and functionality. I already replaced this unit with another one (same model) after 2 weeks use as it appeared to not hold the user settings. I lost time setting. Several times it changed to some time in 2032. Two times it appeared to have lost power and went into initial setup mode on power-up and back to factory default settings. Yet no other device in my home had detected a power outage or a very low brown-out. I had the unit set to Auto clock off and still it screwed up. The unit is suppose to handle a 30 sec power outage without losing it's settings.

I have only had this unit for a few days - so far so good. I have recorded off Sat and cable in both 2hr and 6 hr modes and concur that the quality it to my satisfaction even in 6 hr mode.

I have found that when I try and duplicate a recorded DVD that the recorded program appears twice in the software hence exceeding the capacity of the target DVD (4.7 Gig). I know that it is only there as one copy so it appears that duplicate title entries are made as a mode of copy protection - anyways that's how I interpret it.

I have found that I can copy a disk by using software like DVDFAB-Decryptor (free on the Internet) - in Mainmovie mode and selecting the 1st entry of the multiple ranges to extract the target recording. If there is more than one track I have to make another pass to extract it and so on and so on. Once all tracks have been removed I use DVD Shrink to merge them onto one DVD without incuring any more compression as they originally came from a 4.7 gig disk in the first place.
The only draw back it that you lose the menu but still retain the chapters per track. You now have to use the "Info" option of the DVD player to jump to the other tracks directly if you do not want to view the 1st track or you can just play through from track 1 to X.

DVD Shrink does not like the VR format of the RW disks so use DVDFAB-Decryptor to peel off the recording(s) when duplicating, but once transfered you can use DVD Shrink or DVD Decryptor to make further copies in one pass with no further editing. You can use this procedure to transfer recordings off of a DVD RW to a DVD R hence freeing up the RW for further recordings. You may also have to completely erase a RW in oder to defragment future recordings.

I hope that this may help anyone who would like to share their personal family takes with other family members without having to re-record the source (eg VHS).

One thing I have noticed over the years is that the cover does not neccessarily represent the maker especially when it comes to electronics and consumables.

I read somewhere years ago that there are several manufacturing plants in Asia that manufacture all diferent kinds of electronic devices under tender from popularly know names. The same holds true for DVD's. Does Sony really make their own DVD's or are they put out to tender? Why does one make closely resemble another make. eg SV2000 10D6 verses the Magnavox CMWR10D6. Packaging, Manual, menues (firmware), the product itself all look the same. Just the name, button placement on the faceplate and the background image on the menu chages. Someone must of used a search and replace to edit the manual as they are identical except for the brandname used and support number. Even in support you may be talking to the same helpdesk that has multiple clients.

Without getting into any arguments even DVD's could be manufactured by only a handful of suppliers fulfilling orders. After all is not a DVD+R, -R etc a standard and therefore should be compatable amongst brands, but such is not. I have had issues where one DVD brand will appear to burn ok but on play back you find out that it will not recognize the disk or your stand alone player will not. Are disks that do not meet quality control specs of one client being re-routed to another client that has not made such demands. That could explain why one year Sony DVD+R (4X) work and another year they don't. They may have changed suppliers?

What I am trying to say here is that newer model DVD players/recorders tend to be more tollerent to media then the older models. If you end up buying a brand of spindle DVD's that worked before but do not work now don't be afraid to take them back to the retailer. Just make sure you keep the bill and don't waste any time in sampling the batch when you buy. I have been very successful in returning open spindles of DVD's back to the retailer and just claiming that they do NOT work on my device.

I have been able to either get my money back or apply it towards another Brand.

Happy hunting

I am trying to get my DishPro 311 to treat the MSR90D6 as a VCR for recording. Unfortunately, the 311 won't talk to it. There are two Magnavox codes and one Funai code in the 311's manual, but the 311 tells me that the second Magnavox and the only Funai are not valid codes.

As I am new to Dish and DVD-/+RW recording (as of this week), could anyone give a bit of advice on configuring this? I have done plenty of Googling, but any searches on the 311 seem to only turn up sales pages.

Thanks.

If you go through the Dish manual, there is a search feature to find codes on the remote. Once you set the code, there is a proceedure for the remote to show you what the code is. You can then enter that code in the receiver for the VCR code.

I tried using that feature a long time ago with Dish, but found it unreliable. You really have to have a reflective surface opposite the receiver and recorder for it to work well. I went back to the timer/recorder method.

Hello, I am trying to get the code for this DVD recorder as well to use with my DirecTV HD DVR ( HR20 ) remote control? Can anyone suggest how? The DVR remote setup doesnt have a choice for DVD recorders. Thanks

I can use a dvd +rw only a couple of times before I receive error messages stating that I cannot record on this disk with an error code beginning with E3....This occurs when I am erasing the disc.

SOmetimes I do not even get the an error when I have erased until I check back on the timer record menu and I see that the "speed" column has replaced my speed (slp) on a program I want to tape has been replaced with "E3" after it was supposed to have taped the program. What is this error?

I spoke to a customer service agent a few minutes ago from Funai and she told me that E3 means I can only use a +rw disc three times. I have never hear of that. You could tell she had no idea what she scripted answer she was reading from. Could it be that I am using a DVD that is not recommended in their manual? I use Memorex +RW

I can use a dvd +rw only a couple of times before I receive error messages stating that I cannot record on this disk with an error code beginning with E3....This occurs when I am erasing the disc.

SOmetimes I do not even get the an error when I have erased until I check back on the timer record menu and I see that the "speed" column has replaced my speed (slp) on a program I want to tape has been replaced with "E3" after it was supposed to have taped the program. What is this error?

I spoke to a customer service agent a few minutes ago from Funai and she told me that E3 means I can only use a +rw disc three times. I have never hear of that. You could tell she had no idea what she scripted answer she was reading from. Could it be that I am using a DVD that is not recommended in their manual? I use Memorex +RW


Harry,

I'm using Office Depot +RWs and -RWs and I've never seen this come up. I'm quite sure that some of my discs have been used more than three times. I try to rotate the usage so no one disc is overused.

Hi, Well I switched to Sony brand and have not had any issues with them. Maybe the other discs were not compatable.

I recently bought the SV2000 (WV10d6) at WALMART a week or so ago ... the price was $49.97 + sales tax.

I know this unit is basically the same as the Magnavox also sold at WALMART.

I've been having a problem with it though ... sometimes the image will pause but the audio keeps going and when the video stops "pausing" I've just missed a second or two of video as it reverts to where it should be. This has happened on recordings (not all) but tonight I saw it "live" just passing a video signal through it. Happened from the RF tuner input (cable TV) as well as the back S-Video input (using the cable box). I've only noticed it on CARTOON NETWORK which is mostly what I've recorded so far. Since it happened on the tuner input and the back line input (via the cable box) I assume the problem is the SV2000 but now I'm wondering if my CARTOON NETWORK is just "screwy" although I've never noticed this before.

For the record my RF cable gets split at the "source" so the RF input on the SV2000 was from the splitter ... not the RF on the cable box. So it can't just be the cable box. Either my CARTOON NETWORK signal is messed up across the board or it's the SV2000.

Oh wait ... this also happened on a recording I did from TCM so it has to be the SV2000.

Damn. I know this thing is cheap but can't it just record correctly ... I mean it can't even pass the signal without these hic-ups so it's not a disc issue.

Do I have a lemon and should I just return for another or what?

Anyone else have this issue?

I recently bought the SV2000 (WV10d6) at WALMART a week or so ago ... the price was $49.97 + sales tax.

I know this unit is basically the same as the Magnavox also sold at WALMART.

I've been having a problem with it though ... sometimes the image will pause but the audio keeps going and when the video stops "pausing" I've just missed a second or two of video as it reverts to where it should be. This has happened on recordings (not all) but tonight I saw it "live" just passing a video signal through it.

For whatever it's worth, I've never passed a signal through my Magnavox MSR90D6, but the "sticking" video happens occasionally when I replay an RW disk that I've recorded on too many times........

Great thread, everyone! I read through the whole thing except for maybe only skimming pages 13-15. :)

I'm a big Sam's fan, so I've seen this on the shelf for a long time now. Was always somewhat tempted by the price, but always thought I didn't really need it. But I'm getting sick of all my VCR tapes everywhere. (I'm a caveman who still doesn't have a DVR.) I didn't realize this recorder could do things like fit the quality to the amount of media remaining, which is pretty cool.

Here's my question -- does anyone record over-the-air TV with this? I have DirecTv, and our local network stations aren't on the system yet, so I have to get them over the air with an antenna. I know this won't get digital signals, but how does the analog signal look?

I'm sure most people use these for archiving or recording directly from cable, so hopefully someone knows. I'd hope the tuner was good enough to not render everything a big grainy mess.

[I]ChocoLab asks:
Here's my question -- does anyone record over-the-air TV with this? I have DirecTv, and our local network stations aren't on the system yet, so I have to get them over the air with an antenna. I know this won't get digital signals, but how does the analog signal look?

I have recorded OTA TV with this box and have been very pleased with the results.

....Fred

Thank you to everyone that posted in this thread. There is a lot of good info here. I learned quite a bit about the MWR10D6 and recording in general thanks to your posts.

I purchased the MWR10D6 this afternoon as a replacement for a VCR and tuner. (old TV, strange tuner - only stores channels 2 to 36, 95-99, but still has a great picture). I had been using a VCR as the tuner and to timeshift some shows. I even downloaded the manual for this unit and the SV2000 WV10D6, but decided to get the unit without reading the manual.

Unfortunately the TV only has a coax input - no video / audio in, and I cannot display the menus to perform the setup and programming. Darn! So it is back to Wally World and hitting the boards to find another machine.

One question I was unable to answer was:

When recording two shows, back to back, do all of the DVD recorders need 30-45 seconds to stop and restart recording?

Thanks again!

Well, I picked it up Sunday morning and recorded the NFL games yesterday, and I have to say, this thing is very cool. If I'd known it was this much better than a VCR, I'd have gotten one a while ago.

Question, though: Did I read above that the RF output is just to pass the signal through to the TV? So I could pass the signal through the recorder to my TV and the TV should still get the HDTV signals? That would be great, as I have a very high-gain UHF antenna and it would be nice to use just that one to record and to watch TV regularly.

Also, I went to Big Lots and they didn't have any RW media. Have most of you been able to use most any media brand? The Sony is a good deal at Sams, but I really don't need 50 DVD-RWs... :)

And do most people get the + or -? The + just adds more flexibilty in editing chapters, etc., right?

Well, I picked it up Sunday morning and recorded the NFL games yesterday, and I have to say, this thing is very cool. If I'd known it was this much better than a VCR, I'd have gotten one a while ago.

Question, though: Did I read above that the RF output is just to pass the signal through to the TV? So I could pass the signal through the recorder to my TV and the TV should still get the HDTV signals? That would be great, as I have a very high-gain UHF antenna and it would be nice to use just that one to record and to watch TV regularly.

Also, I went to Big Lots and they didn't have any RW media. Have most of you been able to use most any media brand? The Sony is a good deal at Sams, but I really don't need 50 DVD-RWs... :)

And do most people get the + or -? The + just adds more flexibilty in editing chapters, etc., right?

I bought this baby about 1 1/2 years ago and I've had 100% success with any inexpensive DVD+RW I could find. Most of the time I get the Office Depot bargain of the week when they're on sale.

I always buy the +RW when available.... if I understand it, you always have to wait for the -RWs to reformat to +RW anyway.

Thanks for the reply... Now I see what golfster meant early in the thread when he said the - discs are treated as + discs.

One thing -- I checked them out at Sams, and apparently they have the 50 packs of the - discs on closeout (the "c" at the top right of the shelf tag) for $19.99 for 50, versus $29.99 for 50 of the + version. If I don't mind waiting for the - disc to format first, would the - be just as good? That's quite a price discount. And they only had a few left, so I might have to move fast. :)

But I'll reiterate that for anyone like me who thought there was no real point in getting one of these because it was just a glorified VCR, you should make the move. It has a lot more features and is far superior... And you don't have to worry about having the old huge videotapes around. In fact, a friend of mine said his dad was thinking about one of these before the football season started, but he didn't want to pay $150. I told him about this one for $69, and now he's going to pick one up.

Thanks for the reply... Now I see what golfster meant early in the thread when he said the - discs are treated as + discs.

One thing -- I checked them out at Sams, and apparently they have the 50 packs of the - discs on closeout (the "c" at the top right of the shelf tag) for $19.99 for 50, versus $29.99 for 50 of the + version. If I don't mind waiting for the - disc to format first, would the - be just as good? That's quite a price discount. And they only had a few left, so I might have to move fast. :)



If I remember correctly, they reformat themselves before you record and then you have to "finalize" after recording, especially if you might share these with other people/DVD players.

Quality of recording is the same, at least by my eye.

Good luck!!!

I have not looked at this thread for a while, but to answer some of the recent questions.

This machine treats + and - formats the same way with the same features. I have been buying - format mostly because I have another recorder that requires that in it's diet.

I have been using mostly RW disks because of two reasons. I can find them almost as cheap and I can edit them much more than the non-RW media. I have not had a problem with any brand on this machine except the occasional bad disk that you can expect once in a while. If I am giving the disk away, I usually use whatever DVD R that I have around.

I have found that usually you do not have to finalize with either + or - on this machine, but I always do when giving them to someone else to ensure compatability. Non-finalized disks play on both my Toshiba and Sony DVD players.

Haven't seen this recorder at my local Sam's for a while. If I ever see one, I will pick up a spare.

For the poster with the coax only input on his TV, you can buy switches and converters at Wal-Mart for about 15 bucks to hook composite or s-vid to your coax input. No need to buy a 150 dollar machine. Besides, the lack of DVD output via coax is very common in all recorders.

golfster,

Thanks for the info re: the switches and converters. I'll see what is available on my next visit to Walmart.

I really appreciate the tip 'the lack of DVD output via coax is very common in all recorders.' It never occurred to me that the DVD output would only be available on the video connector. Is this true for recorders near this price or for recorders in general? I don't mind spending a little more to be all coax, I just won't be able to buy it now.

Thanks again.

golfster,

Thanks for the info re: the switches and converters. I'll see what is available on my next visit to Walmart.

I really appreciate the tip 'the lack of DVD output via coax is very common in all recorders.' It never occurred to me that the DVD output would only be available on the video connector. Is this true for recorders near this price or for recorders in general? I don't mind spending a little more to be all coax, I just won't be able to buy it now.

Thanks again.
Another way you can get around your problem is to route your DVD outputs through a VCR if you still have one. Just run your composite outputs from the DVD recorder to the composite inputs on the VCR. Then you can run the coax output from the VCR to your TV. You just have to select the correct input on your VCR to view the DVDs. Add a couple more cables and you can copy your VHS to DVD or your DVDs to VHS. Takes up a lot of space, but the cost is right.

Yes, most DVD recorders do no output to the coax cable regardless of price. People who buy top of the line recorders will be using component or HDMI outputs, so why bother with coax. I have a Pioneer combo unit recorder and it will output the VCR to coax but not the DVD. Both will output to composite or component outputs. The coax is primarily for pass through of your cable or antenna signal.

In response to your earlier question, yes DVD recorders take a little while to stop recording as opposed to VCRs that just stop when you hit the button. I really do not notice much extra stuff on the recording and if you use RW media, you can easily edit it out. I do not think they keep recording all that time, seems to be file information being processed.

Sounds like you are soon to be in the market for a new TV. You can be sure the TV will have component inputs and you will appreciate the video improvement and the ability to use progressive scan.

I bought my first MSR90D6 about a year ago at Sam's Club. Can't recall any problems on that one until a couple of weeks ago when it started defaulting to Initial Setup after every recording session. Tech support said bad memory chip so I turned the unit back in to Sam's Club. (Love that refund policy.)

I bought two more of the same recorder. They are now about 68 bucks.

I also get the error message when I try to erase right after watching a recorded program. The error message is Recording Error. Cannot record on this disc. E4 followed by 54037381.

Once the error message appears all the controls get stuck for a couple of minutes. Can't eject, can't power off, can't restart setup. After a couple of minutes the error message goes away and I find I can erase normally on the second try.

Any insight on that?

The other problem I'm having with one of the new units is that it fails to record. When I look at the timer settings I see the asterisk and the E3 error message.

The manual alludes to power outage as a possible cause but I had both units recording at the same time and one recorded successfully and the other didn't.

Any ideas?

Magnavox Digital DVD Recorder ZC350MS8 Sam's Club $116.72

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=360749&pCatg=5847

Anybody know anything about it? Tried it?

Is it the same or similar to the ZV450MW8 offered at Walmart and discussed on the other thread?

Magnavox Digital DVD Recorder ZC350MS8 Sam's Club $116.72

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=360749&pCatg=5847

Anybody know anything about it? Tried it?

Is it the same or similar to the ZV450MW8 offered at Walmart and discussed on the other thread?

Specs look similar but it doesn't have a VCR? I like the 450 and if you don't want the VCR try it out.

"so I turned the unit back in to Sam's Club. (Love that refund policy.)
"

I forget , what is their policy?

-DonB2

Bought this as a replacement for a vcr-actually bought it to see if it would be easy enough for my father to use. Have had it for 6 months + and its done everything I expected-until now. For some reason the clock has stopped working. At first it just lost time, and I figured there was something wrong with the PBS feed of time info. Reset it manually-and it stopped.It just stays at the time I set it for. Tried every way possible to set up the clock, even unplugging the unit hoping for a reset. After that, it ran for an hour then froze again. Could there be something I'm doing wrong or something else I could try? Or did the clock just give up the ghost.. I'm mystified...

Bought this as a replacement for a vcr-actually bought it to see if it would be easy enough for my father to use. Have had it for 6 months + and its done everything I expected-until now. For some reason the clock has stopped working. At first it just lost time, and I figured there was something wrong with the PBS feed of time info. Reset it manually-and it stopped.It just stays at the time I set it for. Tried every way possible to set up the clock, even unplugging the unit hoping for a reset. After that, it ran for an hour then froze again. Could there be something I'm doing wrong or something else I could try? Or did the clock just give up the ghost.. I'm mystified...
If it has a setting for Daylight Saving Time (DST) or Summer Timer, turn that OFF. Might be in the clock-setting area of menus.

If doing a reset is relatively easy, do that first.

Anyone know how to do a reset of this unit? I've left it unplugged for 24 hrs, and it didn't lose any of the settings. I've also tried it both ways with the DST option-having it off seems to make no difference. Very frustrating.

Left it unplugged from everything for 48 hours. The clock still does not work.

If connected to a cable or sat box/STB, disconnect the cable(s) from the DVDR inputs and see if anything changes, i.e., you regain some control?

First off, thanks for trying to help. And yes, I have unhooked it from cable, as well as leaving it unplugged, for two days. Plugged it back in to set the clock, but left it unhooked from cable and set it manually, with auto time and DST set to off. Everything seems fine, but the clock stays frozen at the set time. Hooked it back up, reset it-same thing. Other than this, the recorder works fine. Its just now useless for time shifting, which is the only reason I bought it. Its got to be related to the DST bug mentioned in another thread, because thats when the problem began. I'm open to trying anything if you have any ideas.

Since you had the inputs disconnected and reset everything as a standalone unit, it sounds like the only thing that could possibly be wrong is a broken clock?

Some wild a** guesses now:

1. Set clock for auto, but leave DST off.

2. Check setup menus and make sure all your Languages are set for English, esp. the "OSD Language" (On-Screen Display language). If this setting gets lost in some machines, it will keep the unit in a constant setup loop asking for OSD Language...maybe yours just isn't asking so you don't notice?

Following up on what wabjxo posted, I'd plug it back in and set the clock to "Auto" but manually input your local PBS station number. Of course, you'll have to have a cable/antenna connection. Then, power off the unit and give it some time to reset the clock.

Following up on Force, it just occurred to me that the PBS station time signal inserter/encoder might be broken, and there are ~40 states that run unmanned stations from a central Network Ops Center (NOC). They're supposed to visit the unmanned stations regularly, but then ...

Often, the NOC engineers don't know something is wrong until they get a call from someone complaining. This happened a lot in 2005-2006 with the Pioneer TVGOS system signal.

I'd call my local PBS station, ask for the chief engineer, and suggest that their time signal doesn't appear to be working?

Edit: Oops, Illinois has PBS affiliates (no unmanned stations and a NOC?).

Here are the affiliates in Illinois:

WEIU (Charleston, IL)

WILL-TV/Channel 12 (Urbana, IL)

WMEC (Macomb, IL)

WQEC (Quincy, IL)

WSEC (Jacksonville, IL)

WQPT (Moline, IL)

WSIU/WUSI (Carbondale, IL)

WTTW (Chicago, IL)

WTVP (Peoria, IL)

WYCC (Chicago, IL)

I bought this thing from Sams Club on a total whim, even before I knew this thread existed. Glad to see its a popular item. I havent done much with it yet, but so far so good. The 2 hour rec mode looks just as good as HQ mode to me (I don't have HDTV so Im sure my TV masks some of the artifacts, still it looks great) and its easy to use. My only complaint is the god awful remote. Too small, as are the buttons and I have to aim the remote right at the unit to get any control whatsoever. Has a very very poor IR field to work with. Hope I can program some of its functions into my Dish 311 remote.

I've been reading this thread - great advice!

This may be a stupid question, but here goes . . .

We got my brother the MSR90d6 from Sam's about a year ago. It's died somehow - not sure what happened. My bro is freaked because he hadn't finalized a bunch of discs, which I think are R-.

Tonight at Wal-Mart we found the MWR10d6 on sale at 1/2 price for about $50. I've been reading on here that the two models are twins with different names.

Any advice on whether the replacement recorder will be able to successfully finalize the discs?

Help me, AV Science Forum . . . you're my only hope . . . .

I've been reading this thread - great advice!

This may be a stupid question, but here goes . . .

We got my brother the MSR90d6 from Sam's about a year ago. It's died somehow - not sure what happened. My bro is freaked because he hadn't finalized a bunch of discs, which I think are R-.

Tonight at Wal-Mart we found the MWR10d6 on sale at 1/2 price for about $50. I've been reading on here that the two models are twins with different names.

Any advice on whether the replacement recorder will be able to successfully finalize the discs?

Help me, AV Science Forum . . . you're my only hope . . . .

They appear to be the same recorder. The S is probably for Sams and the W for WalMart. Long story short. It should work just like the original

Many thanks for the reply!

wabjxo and Force: A belated thanks for all your suggestions. Having total strangers trying to help leaves me feeling humble-thanks for caring. Unfortunately nothing has worked and I've come to the conclusion the clock just took a dump. Which is weird...
Outside of that, the machine did everything I expected and since they are down to $80 now I'll probably get another. Since noone else has posted of any similiar problems I'm willing to believe it was just one defective unit.

wabjxo and Force: A belated thanks for all your suggestions. Having total strangers trying to help leaves me feeling humble-thanks for caring. Unfortunately nothing has worked and I've come to the conclusion the clock just took a dump. Which is weird...
Outside of that, the machine did everything I expected and since they are down to $80 now I'll probably get another. Since noone else has posted of any similiar problems I'm willing to believe it was just one defective unit.

Too bad you couldn't find a solution. Losing the clock really cripples the usefulness of the unit.

Pardon me while I go off-topic a bit, but if you're looking for a cheap replacement check out the Radio Shack web site. They have a Presidian marked down to $29.99 but the supply is limited. About 3-4 weeks ago I had a local RS with stock, but I wasn't sure I wanted it and then when I checked this past weekend they were out. I was hesitant because they only can use -R/-RW and I've already got a case of +RW (yes, a case :D ).

wabjxo and Force: A belated thanks for all your suggestions. Having total strangers trying to help leaves me feeling humble-thanks for caring. Unfortunately nothing has worked and I've come to the conclusion the clock just took a dump. Which is weird...
Outside of that, the machine did everything I expected and since they are down to $80 now I'll probably get another. Since noone else has posted of any similiar problems I'm willing to believe it was just one defective unit.

You might want to sell it on eBay.

I only use mine to burn stuff that I've already got on my cable box DVR & there must be other people like me who never even set the clock!!!

You might want to sell it on eBay.

I only use mine to burn stuff that I've already got on my cable box DVR & there must be other people like me who never even set the clock!!!

I agree with philherz as I am another who has two replay tv and never use the clock, so there must be others that watch eBay who would be happy with your unit.
Don't know where you bought it but if it was at Sams, just take it back and exchange it.

Originally Posted by duchessofdork
I've been reading this thread - great advice!

This may be a stupid question, but here goes . . .

We got my brother the MSR90d6 from Sam's about a year ago. It's died somehow - not sure what happened. My bro is freaked because he hadn't finalized a bunch of discs, which I think are R-.

Tonight at Wal-Mart we found the MWR10d6 on sale at 1/2 price for about $50. I've been reading on here that the two models are twins with different names.

Any advice on whether the replacement recorder will be able to successfully finalize the discs?

Help me, AV Science Forum . . . you're my only hope . . . .

They appear to be the same recorder. The S is probably for Sams and the W for WalMart. Long story short. It should work just like the original

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.
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The difference between Walmart and Sam's Club is that Sam's Club will take it back a year or two down the line (long after the factory warranty runs out) when the units inevitably crap out. Walmart's return policy is 90 days. After that you are stuck with sending it out for repairs if repairs are even possible.

I bought two a couple of weeks ago and right out of the box one was defective. I took it back to Sam's Club and returned. The supply of these units at that store had dwindled to a handful so I bought two more instead of just one.

Once you get past how squirrelly these things are they are OK for the price.

I find that I cannot play a DVD +RW recorded on my LiteOn 5005A. It'll show the title box and a picture in the title box, but hit Play and nothing happens.

I have no trouble playing DVD +RW that a made on a Sony DVD recorder and I have no trouble playing commercial DVDs.

And I have no trouble playing DVD +RWs on the LiteOn that I made on the Magnavox.

Any ideas?

Originally Posted by duchessofdork
I've been reading this thread - great advice!

This may be a stupid question, but here goes . . .

We got my brother the MSR90d6 from Sam's about a year ago. It's died somehow - not sure what happened. My bro is freaked because he hadn't finalized a bunch of discs, which I think are R-.

Tonight at Wal-Mart we found the MWR10d6 on sale at 1/2 price for about $50. I've been reading on here that the two models are twins with different names.

Any advice on whether the replacement recorder will be able to successfully finalize the discs?

Help me, AV Science Forum . . . you're my only hope . . . .



.
.
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The difference between Walmart and Sam's Club is that Sam's Club will take it back a year or two down the line (long after the factory warranty runs out) when the units inevitably crap out. Walmart's return policy is 90 days. After that you are stuck with sending it out for repairs if repairs are even possible.

I bought two a couple of weeks ago and right out of the box one was defective. I took it back to Sam's Club and returned. The supply of these units at that store had dwindled to a handful so I bought two more instead of just one.

Once you get past how squirrelly these things are they are OK for the price.
Thanks for the further advice! I guess we'll give the Sam's Return Policy a try! Wish us luck! Thanks again!

I've had my Maggie for a couple years now and it has always worked fine.

I've noticed that in the last few months it's started to make more coasters, but I'm not sure if it might be my DVD recorder getting older or if it's most of my DVD+RW disks getting older and reused more and more!!??

Any thoughts?

Any way to check???

thnx

As you say, could be either. Break out a new batch of +RW disks and see how it goes. That will tell you one way or the other.

As you say, could be either. Break out a new batch of +RW disks and see how it goes. That will tell you one way or the other.

I knew you'd say that.

I still have a few brand new +RWs and I'll try those out, but I don't think I ever had a problem with a disk until it's been erased & re-recorded at least one time!!!

Almost all of my disks are Office Depot or other bargain brands. I seem to get anywhere from 1 to 5 re-records before they stop working.

Would that be typical?

Would a more expensive brand perform better?

thnx

Would a more expensive brand perform better?
Than Office Depot? Probably. Try Verbatim if you have them at a store around you (and if you can find +RW's, if that's what you want). Otherwise, try Sony.

Online go for Taiyo-Yuden or Verbatim.

I've used Maxell, Verbatims and Office Depot brands -RW discs for several years. I think probably 25 times is the most I've recorded to any one disc and still going strong. I reformat after each timeshift. I've only used +RW's a few times. Your situation sounds like a recorder problem to me.

Your situation sounds like a recorder problem to me.

I'd tend to agree.....These same disks seemed to be much more reliable 6 months ago, but certainly there have always been some problems.

Any idea of a decent replacement for my Magnavox? All I ever do is copy stuff off of my Satellite Box HD Recorder when I run out of room.

I don't need HD, dubbing, chapters or even a tuner!

I saw someone mention a Toshiba DR400 for $120.

My forum search didn't yield any obvious threads.

thnx!!

I'm no expert on tunerless DVDR's but it sounds like you really just need a basic unit. I'd probably suggest something like a Toshiba. Costco and I think Sams sells basic ones for a little over $100 from what I've seen. I see a thread on the Toshiba 410 on this first page of posts. You might find a few others on the next few pages. Panasonics cheapest tunerless DVDR EA-18 is $179 and may be a overkill for your application. From what I've read I'd personally stay away from Sony's or Polaroids. They each seem to have more issues than others. I guess I'm not a big fan of the Funia recorders, ala Magnavox. The Philips 3575/6 is an exception.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1014246