Polaroid DVD Recorder [Text View] - Page 5

murray1245

12-05-06, 07:34 PM

GREAT! Ours is a D model also, so I'll take a leap and assume ours is the same. I'll do a little more surfing for fans and get something ordered in the next day or so. Once I have the new one installed I'll post back what I used and how it works.

Our picture is great too!

Our remote also sucked, but the Radio Shack LED really did fix the problem. It's not too hard to do, but prying it apart is kinda hard. Start at the front by the LED, pinch the sides and it should open up a little, stick something thin in the crack and work it around and it should come right apart. BTW, Polaroid is showing a spare remote is available for ordering on their web site, $15 I think, I think I'm going to order a spare.

Our clock wont auto set correctly (WAY off on time and it sets the date to 2003!). Setting it manually works OK, but it runs a tad fast so I reset it weekly.

We've had no issues burning DVDs with TY 8x +R inkjet printables. We do have an annoying playback issue though . . . if we play a disc burnt in the Polaroid on a GE1101PA, 1101PB, or Apex 1500 it works fine EXCEPT when you hit fast forward . . . when you do that it goes into warp drive and zips right to the end of the disc! Not a huge deal, but it would be nice to be able to skip commercials on the burnt discs. I think it's related to the screwed up DVD_VR file structure it's using on the DVDs. If I figure something out on that I'll post back.

Kind of a negative sounding note, but we really do like our unit. It's a good DVD player, has a great picture, and being able to record soooo many hours on the hard drive is just awesome! We've fixed the remote problem, are on our way to fixing the fan problem, and I'm sure the DVD file issue can be fixed too.

THANKS for the feedback, take care,

Steve

Steve
Thanks for you info above. I will purchase another remote, since I'm paranoid about causing damage to the remote and winding up with a useless unit. In a past life I was an electrical engineer and removing/replacing components soldered directly on a circuit board can be tricky even when you (supposedly) know what you are doing.
I have had no issues with the automatic time setting. I do seem to remember when I first set it, the unit did a channel scan looking for the station transmitting the code. It scanned to our local PBS and stopped as I recall. We have 2 pbs stations on our cable. Except for the 24 hr military time no issues. I would check with you local PBS station just the make sure they broadcast the time sync
One question for any poster....on the HDD menu page it says to press the "sort" key to sort by name/date/time. I have no sort key on my remote. I think I've tried all the other keys and no luck. Has anybody found a way to get this to work. A sort by date with the newest first would be great.
Steve, I will look forward to you post on fans.

Mike

nextoo

12-05-06, 07:38 PM

Sort is the "slow" key. Look closely. Sort is printed right on the key. I missed it too. Right side of the remote right below the "Rec To" key. Only works when the HDD content screen is up.

murray1245

12-05-06, 08:21 PM

Sort is the "slow" key. Look closely. Sort is printed right on the key. I missed it too. Right side of the remote right below the "Rec To" key. Only works when the HDD content screen is up.

I am a bozo....thanks for the "tip". They did "hide" it well. I'm guessing about 95% will miss it. Thanks again

slr_65

12-06-06, 10:54 AM

Hi Mike,

Yeah, I was a little worried about opening the remote too, but once I knew I could get another from Polaroid I decided to take the leap. It was kinda hard to snap apart, but not too bad. The unsoldering/soldering was easy - it's in an uncongested spot and has large solder pads. Piece of cake for anyone who's had any type of soldering experience at all. And the best part . . . IT WORKS! Now the remote works as a remote should!

I had ours tuned to the PBS station but when I hit auto clock set it scanned anyway. It did stop on the PBS station but like I said, the time and date is way off. I don't have anything else that sets this way, my other stuff uses the atomic clock signals sent over the air so I dunno if our PBS is sending the right time or not.

As for the fan . . . I found one I liked a little better and I just ordered it last night.

It's specs are:
Brand/model: SilenX 40x40x10mm - 14dBA - 5CFM iXtrema Pro Fan
SKU: IXP-11-14
Noise Level: 14 dB
Size: 40 x 40 x 10 mm
Fan Speed: 3500 RPM
Air Flow: 5 CFM
Operating Voltage: 12v
Current Draw: 0.04A
Power Consumption: 0.48w
Bearings Type: Hybrid Sleeve
MTBF: 30,000 hours

It has a little higher cfm rating that others I had found, is only 14db loud, and comes with a silicone rubber mounting setup.

It's a 3 pin fan, but I think the 3rd pin is just a tachometer output and doesn't need to be hooked up. I have a drawer full of old computer/electronic stuff so I'm sure I can find a suitable connector for it, or at least a suitable "method" (use my wire wrap tool to wrap around the pins?).

This fan has been mentioned in some console gaming forums and seems to be well received. It's hard to find though, apparently they've been discontinued. I got mine off of Fleabay for $20.00 shipped. A little more than I wanted to spend but it is a little higher cfm, is quieter, and came with the silicone rubber mounting kit . . . all positives I think.

I'll post back a report once it arrives and I install it.

Take Care Mike,

Steve

Bill R (# 2)

12-06-06, 06:13 PM

I had ours tuned to the PBS station but when I hit auto clock set it scanned anyway. It did stop on the PBS station but like I said, the time and date is way off. I don't have anything else that sets this way, my other stuff uses the atomic clock signals sent over the air so I dunno if our PBS is sending the right time or not.

Steve

Steve,

Try this: Manually tune to your local PBS station (don't use the scan function). Stay on the station for at least 3 minutes. If your time does not set correctly your PBS station's time signal is very likely wrong. I have seen this problem on one of our local PBS stations dozens of times in the last year (with the Polaroid DVD recorder and other pieces of equipment). And every time I called the station engineer he was not aware of the problem. The problem with the DRM-2001G is that it will reset its clock every time it sees a time signal from a station. This can be very annoying if your use the recorder to record from cable or off the air and the PBS station's time signal is off.

slr_65

12-06-06, 06:46 PM

Steve,

Try this: Manually tune to your local PBS station (don't use the scan function). Stay on the station for at least 3 minutes. If your time does not set correctly your PBS station's time signal is very likely wrong. I have seen this problem on one of our local PBS stations dozens of times in the last year (with the Polaroid DVD recorder and other pieces of equipment). And every time I called the station engineer he was not aware of the problem. The problem with the DRM-2001G is that it will reset its clock every time it sees a time signal from a station. This can be very annoying if your use the recorder to record from cable or off the air and the PBS station's time signal is off.

Hi Bill,

Last time I tuned to the PBS station prior to switch the time set to automatic, but it scanned anyway - automatically, I didn't do anything to tell it to scan. It scanned and then stopped on the pbs channel, then set the clock hours off and to 2003. I hadn't been on the channel long before I selected the automatic set though.

This attempt I should tune to the PBS station and leave it there at least three minutes, then set the time set option to automatic? If it still sets it wrong then I should call the PBS station and ask them if they are indeed transmitting a time signal and if they are ask them to check it for accuracy?

Thanks!

Steve

wajo

12-06-06, 06:56 PM

Your problems with PBS and time signals reminds me of when I had a Pio 531 and my TVGOS would never complete its 8-day data download when I had more than one PBS channel "ON." The Pio had a menu item called "Change channel display" where I could turn channels ON and OFF. Keeping only one PBS channel ON... the "strongest" one in my area... made TVGOS behave better. Seems the signals "competed" and confused the TVGOS system in that Pio unit (poorly designed TVGOS system, with no fault isolation).

Maybe, if your DVDRs have a way to turn/tune channels OFF, that might help stabilize your time signals?

slr_65

12-06-06, 07:12 PM

murray1245

12-06-06, 07:46 PM

All,

Some information I found out about the HDD menu and the sort key...

Thanks to "nextoo" I found the sort key on my remote finally, and have found this to be a very helpful function when viewing the HDD screen. The "sort" key is same key as the "slow" key. In fact "sort" is printed on the key albeit in small letter easy to miss.

This is what I have found out about using it.

1. When you access the HDD menu the first 8 saved programs are displayed. The order of the progams is the oldest first. Note: The "DATE/TIME" fields are in dark blue. If you have more than 8 programs they are pushed off the screen to new page.

2. If you press the "sort" key the "Date/Time" the fields turn to red and the programs are now sorted with the newest first.

3. If you press the "sort" key again the "Title" field turns blue and the programs are sorted by the alphabetically

4. Finally if you press the "sort" key again the "Title" field turns red and the program are sorted in reverse alphabetic order.

I don't know if 3 or 4 or that important unless you are adding titles to your shows. That's a pretty cumbersome process when using the not so great remote. Too bad you cannot plug a keyboard in some place.

1 and 2 to me are very useful. The "default" sort order is to show the oldest first. So if you have saved more than eight shows you have arrow down until you find the newer stuff. If you press the sort key the newest items will be first and the older saved items at the bottom. Another nice feature not really well documented. I have several older things on the disk that I want to leave there for now, so my newer stuff was being pushed to the bottom or to second page. Handy way to get the newest back to the top.

Except for some intermittent noisy fan issues (on a D unit) and the well documented remote issues I have found this unit very much work the money. I plan to replace the fan and install the Radio Shack LED as well as upgrade to 250 GB drive. Nice/relatively easy hacks.

nextoo

12-06-06, 08:05 PM

nextoo

12-06-06, 08:06 PM

nextoo

12-06-06, 08:09 PM

edjrwinnt

12-06-06, 11:31 PM

My Polaroid recorder's component video input just died on me. I cannot get anything to display through the component video input using a 480I output device, and I've tried a few different component video cables. Anyways, it would pass through any signal including a hi-def signal when the recorder was turned off as it should. However, in trying to fix my problem, I reset the unit and the component video input is no longer the default input once the unit is turned off. I remember somewhere in this thread that someone said how to make this recorder show the component video input with the unit turned off, but I can't remember how to do it. Can anyone tell me real quick how to do it so I know for future reference?

I'm sending the unit back right away for an exchange and Polaroid said it would take 10-14 days to get a replacement once they received my defective one. I sure hope I get one with copyright protection disabled.

slr_65

12-07-06, 01:06 AM

Steve,

Try this: Manually tune to your local PBS station (don't use the scan function). Stay on the station for at least 3 minutes. If your time does not set correctly your PBS station's time signal is very likely wrong. I have seen this problem on one of our local PBS stations dozens of times in the last year (with the Polaroid DVD recorder and other pieces of equipment). And every time I called the station engineer he was not aware of the problem. The problem with the DRM-2001G is that it will reset its clock every time it sees a time signal from a station. This can be very annoying if your use the recorder to record from cable or off the air and the PBS station's time signal is off.

OK, I just gave this a shot.

I tuned it to our PBS station, channel 12, and left it there for 5 minutes, then I went to the configuration screen and set the clock to auto. It jumped to The Learning Channel, channel 32, momentarily and then came back to 12 and said it had successfully set the time. Unfortunately the time is way off. At 11:34pm it said it was 06:42pm on 03/01/2003. I tried again a couple minutes later and it jumped to 32 momentarily, then back to 12, then set the time to 06:44 on 3/1/03.

As per an earlier note that multiple time signals could confuse it I went to channel 32 and set it to be skipped. After I exited the config menu I went down a channela and then up and it indeed skipped channel 32. When I went back to 12 to set the channel it again momentarily jumped to 32, back to 12, and then set the time wrong again.

It appears to be getting a wrong signal from somewhere. I wonder why it keeps jumping to 32? I wonder if TLC is sending a time signal?

What next, call PBS?

/Steve

wajo

12-07-06, 01:28 AM

As per an earlier note that multiple time signals could confuse it I went to channel 32 and set it to be skipped. After I exited the config menu I went down a channela and then up and it indeed skipped channel 32. When I went back to 12 to set the channel it again momentarily jumped to 32, back to 12, and then set the time wrong again.

It appears to be getting a wrong signal from somewhere. I wonder why it keeps jumping to 32? I wonder if TLC is sending a time signal?

What next, call PBS?
A quick-and-easy test now would be to turn 32 back on and skip PBS 12 since it goes to 32 first...then call PBS if that doesn't help?

This might not help since it seems the Polaroid's "skip" is just to get a channel out of the normal up/down selection...it doesn't actually turn a channel "off"... but still worth a try?

wajo

12-07-06, 01:44 AM

One more thing on the time setting problem...I notice in the 2001G manual that there are two date formats shown on pg 16...the first is the European mm/dd/yy and the other is the North American (NA) dd/mm/yyyy.

If you might have mistakenly entered a NA date format, say for Nov. 30, 2006 as 11/30/06 (or 2006, one menu wants a 2-digit yr and the other want a 4-digit yr?), and the system wanted the EU format, which would be 30/11/06 (or 2006), it's possible the unit is "confused" since there is no 30th month? (These date format entries are "fussy" so it's essential to enter dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yy exactly as shown.)

Another thing to check, just in case, is the Time Zone setting?

Bill R (# 2)

12-07-06, 12:41 PM

weitau

12-07-06, 03:47 PM

larrimore

12-07-06, 03:55 PM

thebard

12-07-06, 04:34 PM

Larrimore... welcome back.

Did you get your scaler? How does it work with the Polaroid?

murray1245

12-07-06, 08:31 PM

Here is some additional info on the installing the LED that might help.

1. Look on the remote control circuit board. It shows the electronic symbol for a diode (it looks like an arrow). The "tip" of the arrow is the "cathode" also the negative (-) polarity. The wide end of the arrow is the "anode" also the positive (+) polarity.

2. Diodes only conduct current from the anode (+) to the cathode (-) so the infrared diode needs to be installed properly.

3. You can look at the diode being replace and based on the on what is visible match the Radio Shack LED to the current diode and install the new diode the same way.

4. There are two other ways to insure you get the diode in correctly. If you look very closely (very, very) at the "flange" around the bottom of the lens you will note one there is a "flat" on one side. The lead adjacent to the flat is the cathode (-). This needs to be installed on the pad by the tip end of the diode symbol. Also if you haven't already cut them down notice, the leads are of different lengths. The convention for this type of diodes is that the longer lead is the anode (+) and th shorter lead is the cathode (-).

5. For what its worth the picture on the back of the Radio Shack package is only half correct. It show the flat being adjacent to the cathode (this is correct); but it shows the longer lead being the cathode. This is incorrect. The longer lead is the anode.

6. If a diode is inserted incorrectly the diode can be damaged; however the reverse voltage spec on this diode is 5v; since the batteries are only 3v in this unit I think its unlikely the diode would be damaged; although it won't work.

7. Finally if you have a camcorder or camera with an I/R filter you can observe whether there is any infrared output by pointing the remote at the camera and you should be able to observe a flash when a button is pushed (at least I can on my camcorder)

Hope this helps all the paranoid types like me.

slr_65

12-07-06, 10:55 PM

Mine was pretty simple - it was easy to see the unique shape inside the original LED and the top of the circuit board had a + symbol by one of the leads. I just noted the orientation of the original LED to the + sign, removed the old LED and installed the new one the same way. It was really easy to see how to install it.

The best part is that it worked quite well when I was done!

How did yours end up working with the new LED?

slr_65

12-07-06, 11:00 PM

beekeeper

12-08-06, 05:19 AM

I've searched through this thread, but no one seems to have problems with DVD-R discs.....

I can copy video from the HD to the DVD and finalize through the DVD menu (up arrow). But I can only access this menu with DVD+R discs.

I can burn to DVD-R, but I am unable to finalize the disc. Does anyone know how one can finalize a DVD-R disc? thanks for any input!

BTW, this is a great thread for a great hack-able DVR!

I have occasionally had some hiccups with -R. Generally, when it is reluctant to go to the finalize screen after burning I go out of the DVD mode and then back in and all is well.

If it still does not work try unplugging the unit and try again.

I have been able to do everything with a -R that you can with +R. Was going to buy a bunch of +R but did not need to.

I have an ES-20 that has more problems than this Polaroid and cost almost as much with no HD. This is a great machine.

beekeeper

12-08-06, 05:28 AM

Nice info on how to sort the HDD menu.

I tried the same on the schedule program display and no joy. Anyone have any luck rearranging the schedule programs display?

I have many (12) weekly scheduled programs and I would like the order to be by day of the week but it is by first entry to last.

It would make it easier to find and edit them on a very difficult screen to see from a distance.

mattzane227

12-08-06, 06:35 AM

I just got one of these and everything was good until I tried to copy a show from the HD to a DVD+RW. I do just what the directions say. Go to Hard Drive, select program, push record. The little yellow thing comes up in the top left hand corner like its burning. Then after like 15 or so minutes the little yellow burning signal goes away so I try to play it. It doesn't work in the Polaroid or in my computer. I tried 3 different DVD+RW's. 2 different brands. I burned a show on TV straight to DVD+RW and that worked fine. Am I doing something wrong or it mine broken?

Bill R (# 2)

12-08-06, 11:58 AM

I got a little more time to play with the auto clock set.

It appears that there is a time signal on TLC (channel 32), but that it's incorrect.

Wonder who I inquire to? Probably the cable co?

Cable companies only pass a station's time signal (it is in the VBI frames). There is definately something wrong with TLC's time signal. I just tuned to it and it set my clock for 7 AM, 3/3/2003. I switched to my local PBS station and looked at the setup menu (clock) screen and within seconds it was set back to the correct date and time.

Use a LOCAL PBS station to set your clock (OTA or cable delivered). If the clock does not set correctly call the station.

murray1245

12-08-06, 12:45 PM

Cable companies only pass a station's time signal (it is in the VBI frames). There is definately something wrong with TLC's time signal. I just tuned to it and it set my clock for 7 AM, 3/3/2003. I switched to my local PBS station and looked at the setup menu (clock) screen and within seconds it was set back to the correct date and time.

Use a LOCAL PBS station to set your clock (OTA or cable delivered). If the clock does not set correctly call the station.

Bill is correct. The only stations transmitting the time are PBS to my knowledge. It is transmitted in one of the frames of be vertical blanking signal. The time code is just passed though by your cable provider. You want to call the PBS station engineering department and see if they are transmitting the signal. I'm not sure they all do. I suppose it is also possible other stations could also be transmitting but I have not heard of that. I have two VCR that time sync as well as Polariod. As Bill said since the code is buried right in the video's vertical sync you could even get from an Over-the-Air signal.

murray1245

12-08-06, 01:03 PM

I got a little more time to play with the auto clock set.

If I tune the unit to TLC (channel 32) instead of PBS (channel 12) and then try the auto clock set feature then it does not scan channels, it just stays on channel 32 and in a moment says it successfully set the time. Unfortunately the time is incorrect. It's the same as last night just 24 hours later (i.e. the date has moved a day and the hours and minutes are off by the same amount as last night).

I even tried skipping the PBS channel but it didn't help.

It appears that there is a time signal on TLC (channel 32), but that it's incorrect.

Wonder who I inquire to? Probably the cable co?

I think you said earlier that even when you turn ofr the automatic clock set feature and manually set the time, it drifts off the real time quickly. If that is so the internal clock on Polaroid sounds like it messed up. I had mine set manually for some time, and the time was always reasonably close to the "real" time. The same is true for my VCR's. Wonder if the real issue is that the clock is so far off even the auto sync cannot help. Unfortunately this is probably a show stopper for you unit if you plan to use the timer function (which I do). I'm going to go back to manual time on my unit this weekend just to see how accurate it is with no sync. I'll let you know.

slr_65

12-08-06, 05:58 PM

I think you said earlier that even when you turn ofr the automatic clock set feature and manually set the time, it drifts off the real time quickly. If that is so the internal clock on Polaroid sounds like it messed up. I had mine set manually for some time, and the time was always reasonably close to the "real" time. The same is true for my VCR's. Wonder if the real issue is that the clock is so far off even the auto sync cannot help. Unfortunately this is probably a show stopper for you unit if you plan to use the timer function (which I do). I'm going to go back to manual time on my unit this weekend just to see how accurate it is with no sync. I'll let you know.

I don't think our PBS station is transmitting the signal. I called them today and couldn't get through to anyone who knew anything about it. They finally suggested I submit it to their web site probelm reporting page, which I did.

I think TLC is transmitting a signal but it's about three years off.

When the clock is in manual it's reasonably accurate, though it does seem to gain just a little bit. I don't think it's any worse than any other independent clock, but it'd be nice for it to be automatically set and updated . . . I'm just getting too used to the WWV updated clocks I have.

I'm not really unhappy using the manual setting, it'd just be nice to have the auto set/update working if it's available.

On another note . . . just talked to my wife and she said FedEx left a package -> that should be the new fan! Unfortunately I have a Scout activity tonight right after work and a family event tomorrow so it'll probably be Sunday before I get to installing it. I'll let ya know how it goes . . . wish me luck!

TTYL,

Steve

weitau

12-08-06, 11:17 PM

I have occasionally had some hiccups with -R. Generally, when it is reluctant to go to the finalize screen after burning I go out of the DVD mode and then back in and all is well.

If it still does not work try unplugging the unit and try again.

I have been able to do everything with a -R that you can with +R. Was going to buy a bunch of +R but did not need to.

I have an ES-20 that has more problems than this Polaroid and cost almost as much with no HD. This is a great machine.

Thanks beekeeper! yes, my unit seems to be fickle about -R's but using your tip, it works now. Thanks!

beekeeper

12-09-06, 09:26 AM

I don't think our PBS station is transmitting the signal. I called them today and couldn't get through to anyone who knew anything about it. They finally suggested I submit it to their web site probelm reporting page, which I did.

Steve

I have never been able to set the time on my VCR or any machine using our local cable co and PBS, so it seems to be a function of where you live.

I did set it once using an OTA signal, but found the time to be erratic, sometimes on and sometimes off, so do everything manually now. So do not think you are doing something wrong. It is probably a combo of both the local cable co and local PBS.

slr_65

12-10-06, 09:09 PM

Thanks for this info; my fan occassionaly has a "grr" which usually goes away in 45 sec - 1 minute. The fan in my unit is 40mmX40mmX10mm. The part number on the fan is 4010M125. It is 12v according the circuit board printing. My guess the last 3 numbers refer to the air flow in cubic meters/min - .125 cubic meters/min - ( this would be 4.4 cubic feet/min). This seems to be "standard" rating for fans of this size. Typical noise levels in dbA are 25-30 so this fan looks like it is much quieter.

OK, Just replaced our fan tonight. More on that in another post.

I'm looking at the fan I pulled out . . . ours (a D model) has a:

T&T
4010M12S ND6 (I think it's an "S" and not a "5". Theres a 0104 stamped over it so it's kinda hard to read)
.16A 12VDC

murray1245

12-10-06, 09:32 PM

OK, Just replaced our fan tonight. More on that in another post.

I'm looking at the fan I pulled out . . . ours (a D model) has a:

T&T
4010M12S ND6 (I think it's an "S" and not a "5". Theres a 0104 stamped over it so it's kinda hard to read)
.16A 12VDC

Steve,

Thanks for the update. Mine has the same markings. I think the digits are 125 and my guess is they stand for .125 cubic meters/min air flow -- that is a standard airflow for fans of this size and matches the one you put in.

I did replace my I/R Led tonight. No problems and the remote functions MUCH better.

Also I set my clock to manual and let it run for 48 hours. It lost about 2 seconds at least relative to my watch. Tuned to my PBS station, and set it back to automatic; it appeared to sync up in a few seconds.

Justin Time

12-10-06, 09:44 PM

I have a question. I'm thinking about re-trying another Polaroid unit real soon. I also was looking at a Panasonic ES15 unit too. I started to read the Panasonic .pdf file. It said in it that the unit cannot read a disk recorded in DVD-R recorded in VR format. Then I took my one DVD-R disk that I made in the Polaroid unit before I took it back into the computer. I see that it (like the Lite on units) is listed as a "DVD_VR" disk even though it is on a DVD-R disk. I know my old Pioneer 310 unit does not read and play the one Polaroid disk I made. Others do but not that one. I was wondering if anyone has both a Polaroid 2001g unit as well as a new Panasonic unit like the ES15 unit and knows if a Polaroid DVD_VR listed disk plays back on a Panasonic?

I know in other machines you can choose if you want the disk to be a DVD "Video" disk or a "DVD-VR" disk but (like the Lite on) if you just put in a DVD-R disk into the Polaroid and make a disk out of that you really have no choice. I put it in the computer and it says "DVD_VR" even though I never picked that option during setup. Just like my Lite on unit. I put in DVD-R disk in and it makes it a DVD_VR disk without asking me. I think I would think twice about getting this unit if I found out that a Panasonic ES15, ES25, etc. thinks it's a DVD-VR disk and doesn't play it.

bobkart

12-10-06, 09:59 PM

slr_65

12-10-06, 10:06 PM

Hi Guys,

I finally got time to open our unit up and take a look at it. Ours is a "D" model.

I was going to take pictures, but alas the wife had the camera card and internal memory full from yesterday's family get together.

*) It was pretty easy to open it up. You gotta pivot the cover up about 90 degrees to get it to unhook from the front panel though.

*) The fan is mounted vertically in the unit on a bracket. The two screws for the bracket are just to the left of the power cord on the back panel.

*) The fan mount is screwed to the back panel with no rubber insulators or anything, just screwed down metal on metal. The fan mount is at an 45 or so degree angle to the back panel - it sucks from the back panel and shoots air towards the vents on the right hand side (looking from the rear). That seems odd as there are some fsirly large heat sinks on the power supply board and you'd think they'd want a more direct shot across them. I'm almost thinking the fan mounted to the rear panel like the B units would be a better setup, wonder why they quit using it? The mount then comes out and makes a 90 degree bend for approximately 10mm and then makes another 90 degree bend. This is done to mount the fan, the first bend runs along side of the fan and the second goes under the fan and has the holes for the mounting screws. Again, no insulation between the fan and the mount.

*) The fan is powered off of the power supply ciruit board by a two pin male on the circuit board. It's keyed with the positive lead being the one on the left hand side when looking at the unit from the rear.

*) I thought about just trying to put some rubber (from an inner tube? or small o-rings?) under the fan mount and bracket mounts, but I had already ordered the SilenX fan I posted about earlier and had it on hand. Besides, our unit had an acceptable noise level most of the time and then ever so often would get really noisey. Since everything was tight I figured it wasn't a vibration problem per se, but an actual fan problem, so it probably needed replaced anyway.

*) The SilenX fan is a three pin fan, but the third wire is just a tachometer output and is not needed. In fact it comes with an adapter to power it off of a PC power supply lead and when you use that it just feeds power and ignores the third lead.

*) I have a huge PC junk selection - whenever I scrap a PC I rob the screws, wires and connectors, etc. off of it. I found a two pin female connector that in a former life was a PC Hard Drive LED pig tail. It fit fine even though it was not keyed. I cut the end off of the PC power supply adapter and wired it to the two pin female (I could've just cut the three pin end off of the fan but the wires aren't color coded like they are on the adapter and I was tired and lazy so I just took the easy route and used the two wire color coded adapter wires).

*) The SilenX instructions say the fan discharges to the side with the lable, but both sides had a label on mine! I just plugged it into the board and fired it up to find which side was the discharge side. One side of the SilenX fan has a flange on it - that side is the discharge side.

*) I fired the unit up with the original fan and with the SilenX and it's hard to judge, but I think the original may have had just a tad more air flow, but again - it's hard to judge. Somewhere around 4 to 4.5cfm is normal for fans of this size and the SilenX is a 5cfm so I -think- it's probably a suitable replacement.

*) The SilenX fan came with four silicone rubber mounts. These look like rubber double headed nails - A large head on the end with a smaller one just under it and a shaft protruding beyond that. You just push the mount through the mounting hole on the unit - when it hits the smaller head you just push and pull the mount and the smaller nail head will pop through the hole. Now you have a big and little nail head with the metal you are mounting to sandwiched between them and the shaft of the rubber nail sticking out. Now you just slide the fan mounting holes down over those shafts till the fan body touches the smaller nail head (pull on the shaft while pushing down on the fan).

*) Since these units just use two holes to mount the fan this looks a little weak, but in reality it's just fine. I thought the fan body might touch the fan mount where it runs down beside the fan body, but when held up to the light there's just a tiny little bit of room between the fan and the mount, so the fan is mounted on the silicone rubber mounts and is not touching metal anywhere.

*) That was pretty much it - I mounted the fan via it's slicone rubber mounts, screwed the fan mount bracket back to the back panel, plugged in the make shift wiring adapter, secured the wiring harness with a zip tie (I had to cut a zip tie that held the wiring harness earlier to get the fan wire and plug loose), and reassembled the unit.

The results . . . FANtastic! :) You can just barely hear the thing run now if you have the TV muted and are trying really hard. At 3' or more though it's really hard to hear. With the TV sound on even just a little you don't hear it at all. When setting on the furniture in the living room, rather than standing right in front of the unit, you don't hear anything at any time. Anything with a fan is going to make some kind of noise so I think this is as good as it gets!

I do think the original fan pushed just a teeny bit more air, so I'll keep an eye out for one with a couple more CFMs. Barring that, I think when the 90 day warranty is up I may just add another fan - there's plenty of room in there to do that. I'm seriously thinking of cutting a hole in the back and mounting one like the B models.

Other interesting things . . . the power supply circuit board says "DVR-3000"

There is a male USB plug on the main circuit board . . . not a place for a plug, but an actual plug! It's a computer type header pin plug with pins all in a row sticking up with a plastic shell around it - not a standard USB port. I also noticed on one of the on screen menus of the Polaroid it said something about the DV/USB button on the remote . . . hmmm, mine only says DV on the remote! I'll bet dimes to donuts that that USB port is functional on the motherboard! It may not be in the firmware, but then again I'll bet it is . . . no need to lock it out in the firmware when there's no where to plug in to it anyway. I have some electronics experience but I'm not a good hardware "hacker", but we need someone who is to check out that USB header!!!!

That's about it . . . I'm pretty happy now . . . got the remote working and now I've got the thing quieted down! Maybe a bigger hard drive and a USB port is on the horizon!

G'night all!

Steve

slr_65

12-10-06, 10:16 PM

From about 10 pages back in this thread:

Quote:
Originally Posted by larrimore
When I record anything and then open the disc in Nero it always shows the title as DVD_VR, no matter what i set the title to in the recorder. So, I would think you are right.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nextoo:
No actually it is video mode. There is no option to record in VR mode. You are right the DVD title is DVD_VR but the file structure is video mode. Maybe DVD_VR stands for DVD_ V(ideo)R(ecording).

So that may clear up your question.

Whatever the case, the file structure is a bit whacky and drives most copying/authoring software nuts

We also have a minor problem - discs made in the Polaroid play fine on other stand alone players, but when fast forwarded they fast forward at warp speed. So far we've just tried discs where the program was recorded at SP+ speed, which from what I'm told is a non-standard bit rate for DVDs. I'll try them at other recording speeds soon and see what happens.

Still, the file structure drives most PC programs nuts so I forwarded a copy of a disc made on my Polaroid to the guy who wrote the FixVTS program. That program seems to work for most discs made on Phillips recorders, so I'm hoping he can find out what's up with our discs and modify his program to fix our discs too.

/Steve

Justin Time

12-10-06, 11:25 PM

I have to say, I know I keep bringing up Lite on with this unit but I have the same probem with the fast forward when I record something on the Lite on and play it back on at least one of my other dvd recorders. I forget if it is both DVD- and + but I know it has that problem with +. I even take the disk recorded in +, rip it to the computer and use Qsuite for the Benq computer burner it create a "fake DVD video" file that all of the players understand. Anyone who has Qsuite knows what I'm talking about regarding + disks. Well, even with that, I put the disk in a player and speed 1x and 2x and it works o.k. Speed 3x and 4x (depending on the unit) will kick the fast foward into hyper speed. I could get through a two hour movie in just a few seconds. Apparently, the Polaroid with it's Lite on DVD_VR file structure does the same thing. It's like the people behind Lite on/Ilo was behind this unit too. Maybe that's why it's so affordable to get this with a hard drive and all.

So I guess I'm taking it that even though it has that weird fake DVD structure that makes players think it's a real DVD video that it must play back in a Panasonic too? I guess?

Now with the Panasonic ES15 being so cheap I'm having a real hard time trying to decide if I should get that for the price or get the Polaroid with it's odd video structure that may or may not play on all machines. I would get it for the hard drive but if the Panasonic has much better video recording quality and uses a "real" video file format I don't know what to do.

slr_65

12-10-06, 11:42 PM

Hi Guys,

I was trying to run down some information on the USB in this unit. I had noted earlier that the poster of the region hack on videohelp-dot-com noted it was from an Eltax unit. Eltax doesn't seem to have any information on their recorders on their website - I was looking for an owner's manual or something.

I did run across a reference to a Packard Bell recorder though, model EHR2080, and on a forum for it they gave a procedure to check the firmware information of the unit . . . I tried it on my Polaroid "D" model and it worked!

Press:
Setup
321
Add/Clear

I get a screen that says:

Firmware Information
Mpeg F/W: Build0050.19
Loader F/W: V6NJAN27
FrontPanel Ver: f015
Macrovision: On
Current Region Code: 1
Default Password: 3308
Date: Feb 27 2006
YesDVD Version: YR.5.1.2.11106

Then below that is an "OK" which exits you back to the Setup screen.

This work for anyone else? Anyone else have different firmware info? Lets compare the info for the different model letters and see what we dig up!

Oh, by the way, it seems the USB on the Packard bell is for mass storage devices that are formatted with FAT32. One guy mentioned plugging in a portable music player and another a drive with pictures on it. From what I gathered it was a USB 1.1 port.

/Steve

slr_65

12-10-06, 11:59 PM

Try the earlier hack for MV. Was told you wouldn't see anything on screen, but that it worked. Guy said that you had to do it each time you powered on as the unit won't save the change permanently. On the same site as the region hack, in fact, it is the same hack. I haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

Jon

On our "D" unit the region hack works . . .
Setup
987
Add/Clear
Now enter the region you want to set the unit to - 0 for all, 1 for North America, etc.
Setup

I tried the Macrovision hack, but it said nothing on the screen and when I checked the firmware information page it said the Macrovision was still on. Since it says "On" one would think there's also an "Off" though, wouldn't one?! :)

slr_65

12-11-06, 12:23 AM

OK, there's been three firmwares released for the Packard Bell unit, lets hope someone can figure out how to update our units . . . here's a change log of the PB United Kingdom units . . . check the item in bold on the second release . . .

Version: 50.19UK3
Released: June 13th, 2006
Changes: Enhanced the maximum number of programmable timer recordings from 8 to 20.
Fixed an issue where EHR2080 would not switch between 4:3 or 16:9 display modes on widescreen TVs.
Corrected translation bugs in the various sections of the OSD text.
Fixed an issue where the start time of the time shift buffer would not be updated after 23:59:59.

Version: 50.19UK1
Released: April 13th, 2006
Changes: timer icon will disappear after a few seconds.
Fixed: "REC" on front display will not continuously blink during recording anymore.
Fixed: When repeat chapter/title is selected, it will not stay on screen all the time (so it can be used for demonstration purposes).

Version: 50.9UK2
Released: November 21st, 2005
Changes: date format from MM/DD/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY throughout system.
Channel Autonaming/Autosorting improved.
First release for mass-production.

slr_65

12-11-06, 01:13 AM

I've been looking at the firmware and update procedure for the EHR2080 . . .
I downloaded the same firmware updates but for models intended for different countries and then created the update discs to see if I could spot anything different between them.

It appears to me that the way the unit knows it's an update disc inserted is by the label of the disc - EHR2080UK is the label of the update disc for a UK model no matter what version the update is. ERH2080FR is the label for the update disc for a French model no matter what the version of the update is, so I think the label just needs to match the model of the player it's inserted in. the "DMN8600.CUB" file is the actual update file and it's name also stays the same no matter what version the update is.

Firmware file used to create update disc: ehr2080_fw5019uk1.iso
Label: EHR2080UK
File: DMN8600.CUB

Firmware file used to create update disc: ehr2080_fw5019fr1.iso
Label: EHR2080FR
File: DMN8600.CUB

Soooo, I wonder if you would use a disc label of DRM2001G and put one of the DMN8600.CUB files on the disc if it would think it was an update disc?

I WOULD NOT PROCEED WITH THE UPDATE as I'm sure the differences in tuners or something would cause a problem and we don't have the original firmware for our units to fall back on.

I would give this a shot, but I'm chicken! With my luck the darn thing would try to update automatically without asking whether I really wanted to or not!

If anyone wants to play the update files, a page on how to perform an update (complete with screen shots), etc. are at this site:

http://support.packardbell.com/uk/item/index.php?m=step3&i=platform_ehr2080

TTYL,

Steve

weitau

12-11-06, 03:02 AM

I did manage to get DVD-R's to to work on my machine, but now I am having problems finalizing DVD+R discs. I've already trashed two DVD+R's, and I am afraid that the loud banging noises from when DVD-R's were in the machine have done something nasty.

My advice is to stay away from DVD-R discs!

aurora97381

12-11-06, 03:54 AM

beekeeper

12-11-06, 08:02 AM

I have a question. I'm thinking about re-trying another Polaroid unit real soon. I also was looking at a Panasonic ES15 unit too. I started to read the Panasonic .pdf file. It said in it that the unit cannot read a disk recorded in DVD-R recorded in VR format. Then I took my one DVD-R disk that I made in the Polaroid unit before I took it back into the computer. I see that it (like the Lite on units) is listed as a "DVD_VR" disk even though it is on a DVD-R disk. I know my old Pioneer 310 unit does not read and play the one Polaroid disk I made. Others do but not that one. I was wondering if anyone has both a Polaroid 2001g unit as well as a new Panasonic unit like the ES15 unit and knows if a Polaroid DVD_VR listed disk plays back on a Panasonic?
.

I just played a DVD-R recorded on the Polaroid on both my panny es-20 and panny home theater player. So at least two pannys play the -R just fine.

I have found that the Polaroid does not play DVD-RW recorded and finalized on my ES-20. Forget about RAM disks.

beekeeper

12-11-06, 08:18 AM

I had trouble backing up/copying recordings made on my ES-20 to my computer and found that DVDShrink worked fine. It does the same for the Polaroid -R recordings that I made. So there is an easy way to move from the Polaroid recorded DVDs to computers.

jonlowe

12-11-06, 09:20 AM

My "K" version is as follows:

Firmware Information
Mpeg F/W: Build0050.19
Loader F/W: V6VJun28
FrontPanel Ver: f015
Macrovision: On
Current Region Code: 0
Default Password: 3308
Date: Jun 2 2006
YesDVD Version: YR.5.1.2.11106

Soooo, the only thing different software /firmware wise is the loader software. I changed the region code to 0 myself.

Wonder what the "Date" field means?

sir_65, thanks for your research!

Jon

PS: the manual for the similar Phillips unit says that the USB port is only for MP3 files and pictures.

Hi Guys,

I was trying to run down some information on the USB in this unit. I had noted earlier that the poster of the region hack on videohelp-dot-com noted it was from an Eltax unit. Eltax doesn't seem to have any information on their recorders on their website - I was looking for an owner's manual or something.

I did run across a reference to a Packard Bell recorder though, model EHR2080, and on a forum for it they gave a procedure to check the firmware information of the unit . . . I tried it on my Polaroid "D" model and it worked!

Press:
Setup
321
Add/Clear

I get a screen that says:

Firmware Information
Mpeg F/W: Build0050.19
Loader F/W: V6NJAN27
FrontPanel Ver: f015
Macrovision: On
Current Region Code: 1
Default Password: 3308
Date: Feb 27 2006
YesDVD Version: YR.5.1.2.11106

Then below that is an "OK" which exits you back to the Setup screen.

This work for anyone else? Anyone else have different firmware info? Lets compare the info for the different model letters and see what we dig up!

Oh, by the way, it seems the USB on the Packard bell is for mass storage devices that are formatted with FAT32. One guy mentioned plugging in a portable music player and another a drive with pictures on it. From what I gathered it was a USB 1.1 port.

/Steve

slr_65

12-11-06, 11:47 AM

My "K" version is as follows:
Soooo, the only thing different software /firmware wise is the loader software. I changed the region code to 0 myself.

I'm guessing the loader software would be the DVD burner?

Wonder what the "Date" field means?

I do too! I almost wonder if it isn't the date of the production run for the cirucuit boards (full units are assembled from the individual parts, so the boards made on a particular date could be used in units produced over several months so the B, C, D, etc. could still denote the month of unit production, but the boards inside could actually be older than the production month. i.e. They don't make a board, make a case, etc. and assemble all at once. They make a lot of boards on a particular date, they also make a lot of cases, etc.. Later they just assmelbe the previously produced parts and then assign a code showing the date everything was put together. The assembly month code could help identify the unit's generation, but the real indicator would be the firmware information screen.)

sir_65, thanks for your research!

You're welcome! It's been fun!

PS: the manual for the similar Phillips unit says that the USB port is only for MP3 files and pictures.

Thanks! I'll bet it's active if we hook up to it. I don't really care much about pictures but a memory stick with mp3s would be a welcome addition.

slr_65

12-11-06, 11:51 AM

The results . . . FANtastic! :) You can just barely hear the thing run now if you have the TV muted and are trying really hard. At 3' or more though it's really hard to hear. With the TV sound on even just a little you don't hear it at all. When setting on the furniture in the living room, rather than standing right in front of the unit, you don't hear anything at any time. Anything with a fan is going to make some kind of noise so I think this is as good as it gets!

Update:
I let it run over night. The fan got a little louder, must have to break in the bearings or something. It's still better than it ever was and is livable. Again, nothing with a fan is ever going to be silent.

As far as heat, the unit was warm this morning but I don't think any warmer than it has been with the old fan.

If you're fan is noisey, replace it!

nextoo

12-11-06, 05:41 PM

slr_65

12-11-06, 06:54 PM

I posted this in the Philips thread after I looked into it a bit more. This post and the one after it:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8931141&&#post8931141

There is nothing unique to the Polaroid about the recording format it uses. Other than the fact that it the same one used by most if not all recorders produced by Philips.

Actually I think there is. FixVTS will fix a disc made in a Phillips DVD burner, and from what I gather CloneDVD will also fix a Phillips disc on the fly. I know FixVTS wont work with a Polaroid created disc. I dunno first hand, but I read on one of the EHR2080 forums (which is essentially the same unit as our Polaroids) that CloneDVD identifies a disc made in our machines as a Phillips disc and tries to fix it but then errors out.

Somethings afoot . . .

I sent a disc I created on my Polaroid to the author of FixVTS, hopefully he can figure out what's up and modify his program to accomodate our discs too.

nextoo

12-11-06, 07:03 PM

tockcc

12-11-06, 07:06 PM

I hope someone can figure how to turn off the Macrovision.

nextoo

12-11-06, 07:11 PM

I hope someone can figure how to turn off the Macrovision.

The macrovision protection on my unit is weak at best. When used with a Philips 642 DVD player (feb. 2004 build) there is none.

nextoo

12-11-06, 07:13 PM

Actually I think there is. FixVTS will fix a disc made in a Phillips DVD burner, and from what I gather CloneDVD will also fix a Phillips disc on the fly. I know FixVTS wont work with a Polaroid created disc. I dunno first hand, but I read on one of the EHR2080 forums (which is essentially the same unit as our Polaroids) that CloneDVD identifies a disc made in our machines as a Phillips disc and tries to fix it but then errors out.

Somethings afoot . . .

I sent a disc I created on my Polaroid to the author of FixVTS, hopefully he can figure out what's up and modify his program to accomodate our discs too.
Ok - makes sense.

DLSDO

12-11-06, 08:16 PM

The macrovision protection on my unit is weak at best. When used with a Philips 642 DVD player (feb. 2004 build) there is none.
Does this hold true for most all commercial DVDs and VHS tapes on your unit? Do you think macrovision protection varies based on build date with the polaroids?

nextoo

12-11-06, 08:29 PM

Does this hold true for most all commercial DVDs and VHS tapes on your unit? Do you think macrovision protection varies based on build date with the polaroids?

My experience has been only with DVD's. I cannot speak to build dates because I only have access to one Polaroid at the moment. For some reason the Philips 642 I mentioned works with the Polaroid. The same Philips 642 will not do the same with other recorders. Not sure why but in my tests it works.

I have read that the weak macrovision does not apply to VHS tapes. If you are interested in converting your VHS tapes then I think one of those Sima (or similiar)boxes are required.

murray1245

12-11-06, 08:36 PM

Hello, newbie here. :)

I'm so happy to find this thread. Unlike most of you, who seem to be very tech savvy, I am an average consumer who is probably going to buy this poloroid. I have read through many posts here, but I can't read them all. I'm hoping some of you will be kind enough to answer my questions.

I want to use this recorder to edit and transfer from mini DV to DVD. I know that a PC might be a better way to go, but I have not had much luck with my non-mac pc, pre-installed video editing software and DVD burner. The YES Video concept appeals to me. I am the mother of an 18-month-old, so I don't have much time for extensive editing (that might be done on a PC) anyway. Can you share your experiences using the Poloroid to edit/burn home video?
I am also using this purchase to replace my DVD player. Was going to get a DVD/VCR combo to transfer VHS to DVD until I thought about how I need to get my daughter's birth off of mini DV onto something else. If I hook up my current DVD/VCR combo to the Poloroid, how easily am I going to be able to achieve VHS to DVD transfer? I do want to do some basic editing and I see there are some tips in this thread that I will have to go back and read, but I just want to get an idea concerning the compatibility of the poloroid to my general wants.

Finally, I see that the Phillips is only about $80 more at Wal*Mart. Money is tight for me (not working outside of home), but I'm wondering if the Phillips would better suit my needs. Any thoughts?
-
Aurora97381

IMHO....

I bought this unit for exactly the reason you are thinking. About I have about 32 hours of miniDV tapes, along with some older VHS tapes, and wanted a simple way to move them to DVD's. I have PC software but the process was cumbersome. I recorded using the miniDV directly to the the hard drive to confirm everything looked OK and then "burned" a DV from the hard drive. Very easy process. The time it takes is the time to "play" the Camcorder into the Polariod and then to record. For a one hour video the record time is about 15 mins.

Couple of things to be aware of: 1) the remote control is not very good. There is a way to "hack" it but you does require some electronics knowhow. 2) Try to get one with a serial number starting at D or higher. (This is printed on the box...look for the first digit of the serial number) These seem to have some of the bugs worked out. 3) Recording quality is very good. I can record 2 hours of miniDV to a single DVD and I really don't see any picture quality difference. Overall it is a good buy for the money but far from perfect...particularly if you are not of the hacker bent. I'm happy with it, but wish it had a few items corrected before shipment.

slr_65

12-11-06, 08:56 PM

-
2) Try to get one with a serial number starting at D or higher. (This is printed on the box...look for the first digit of the serial number) These seem to have some of the bugs worked out.

I think I might look for a "G" model or later if I were looking again.

I think the only real difference between the original "B" model and at least the "D" model is they quit venting the fan out the back of the unit and just mounted it internal. Beyond that I think they are the same unit - same crappy remote, same noisey fan, and the newly discovered firmware information page shows a January date where as a later "K" unit showed a June date. I think the newer ones pass video through when the unit is turned off too.

Just my two cents . . .

/Steve

nextoo

12-11-06, 09:04 PM

I think I might look for a "G" model or later if I were looking again.

I think the only real difference between the original "B" model and at least the "D" model is they quit venting the fan out the back of the unit and just mounted it internal. Beyond that I think they are the same unit - same crappy remote, same noisey fan, and the newly discovered firmware information page shows a January date where as a later "K" unit showed a June date. I think the newer ones pass video through when the unit is turned off too.

Just my two cents . . .

/Steve

Yup I think you are right. Although earlier in the thread somebody said their unit vented out of the bottom. I have not seen it though. Also the earlier remotes were not as robust but the Radio Shack led is a great fix if it is an issue. The pass through when off has been reported for the later models which is a great feature -especially because it can be a high definition video signal which is really unique.

tockcc

12-11-06, 09:35 PM

My experience has been only with DVD's. I cannot speak to build dates because I only have access to one Polaroid at the moment. For some reason the Philips 642 I mentioned works with the Polaroid. The same Philips 642 will not do the same with other recorders. Not sure why but in my tests it works.

I have read that the weak macrovision does not apply to VHS tapes. If you are interested in converting your VHS tapes then I think one of those Sima (or similiar)boxes are required.

I have a LITE ON recorder with the Macrovision removed and the Polaroid records from this recorder okay but I have another player that has Macrovision and it won't record thru this recorder. I believe if the player or recorder you are recording from to the Polaroid has the Macrovision removed then the Polaroid does not reconise the Macrovision. However it would be nice to turn off in the Polaroid incase the recorder I have that works with it now ever breaks

slr_65

12-11-06, 09:36 PM

Interesting stuff!

Here's mine:

Mpeg F/W: Build0050.19
Loader F/W: YYS1
FrontPanel Ver: f015
Macrovision: On
Current Region Code: 1
Default Password: 3308
Date: Jun 2 2006
YesDVD Version: YR.5.1.2.11106

It looks like my loader F/W looks really different because it is the Sony external burner that I installed a week or so ago.

Also the results of the first six lines are in yellow. I'm thinking these are adjustable.

Interesting indeed!

So it appears the Loader is actually referring to the DVD burner.

What model is yours?

nextoo

12-11-06, 09:41 PM

I have a LITE ON recorder with the Macrovision removed and the Polaroid records from this recorder okay but I have another player that has Macrovision and it won't record thru this recorder. I believe if the player or recorder you are recording from to the Polaroid has the Macrovision removed then the Polaroid does not reconise the Macrovision. However it would be nice to turn off in the Polaroid incase the recorder I have that works with it now ever breaks

Yes. But the Polaroid is able to record from many players that are not macrovision free. At least that has been reported earlier in the thread. I have tested this as well and it does work. I am hesitant to focus on this but if you are concerned about it it does work. As long as it is a back up of your store bought DVD's I guess it is OK.

nextoo

12-11-06, 09:46 PM

Interesting indeed!

So it appears the Loader is actually referring to the DVD burner.

What model is yours?

Yes loader usually means the disc loader. I believe mine is an F or a G. My confusion stems from the fact that I had them both and returned one. I'm not sure if I may have confused the boxes.

But in any event. Great work sir_65!!!!

aurora97381

12-11-06, 11:46 PM

-
Aurora97381

IMHO....

I bought this unit for exactly the reason you are thinking. About I have about 32 hours of miniDV tapes, along with some older VHS tapes, and wanted a simple way to move them to DVD's. I have PC software but the process was cumbersome. I recorded using the miniDV directly to the the hard drive to confirm everything looked OK and then "burned" a DV from the hard drive. Very easy process. The time it takes is the time to "play" the Camcorder into the Polariod and then to record. For a one hour video the record time is about 15 mins.

Couple of things to be aware of: 1) the remote control is not very good. There is a way to "hack" it but you does require some electronics knowhow. 2) Try to get one with a serial number starting at D or higher. (This is printed on the box...look for the first digit of the serial number) These seem to have some of the bugs worked out. 3) Recording quality is very good. I can record 2 hours of miniDV to a single DVD and I really don't see any picture quality difference. Overall it is a good buy for the money but far from perfect...particularly if you are not of the hacker bent. I'm happy with it, but wish it had a few items corrected before shipment.

Thank you so much for your reply!

equivocal

12-11-06, 11:58 PM

Firmware Information
Mpeg F/W: Build0050.19
Loader F/W: V6VJun28
FrontPanel Ver: f015
Macrovision: On
Current Region Code: 0
Default Password: 3308
Date: Jun 2 2006
YesDVD Version: YR.5.1.2.11106

Mine was identicial to this. Wal*Mart has it now, but IIRC, it was an "H" series. I do remember that the sticker on the outside of the box which had the S/N on it also had a date 11/11/06, which was a Saturday.

The mono tuner was one problem Another was that it would blowout white & light blue on the Fox station. One scene had a man wearing a dark vest & lt. blue l/s shirt standing in front of a white background. The man had no arms. It was funny in a sad way.

For an experiment I dragged my malfunctioning-but-stereo Mits VCR out of the shed to see if I could put up with this convoluted way of getting stereo for the next two years. Even through the composite input from the VCR, the Polaroid was still blowing out the whites.

slr_65

12-12-06, 07:19 PM

Hi Guys,

procedure to check the firmware information of the unit . . . I tried it on my Polaroid "D" model and it worked!

Press:
Setup
321
Add/Clear

I get a screen that says:

Firmware Information
Mpeg F/W: Build0050.19
Loader F/W: V6NJAN27
FrontPanel Ver: f015
Macrovision: On
Current Region Code: 1
Default Password: 3308
Date: Feb 27 2006
YesDVD Version: YR.5.1.2.11106

Then below that is an "OK" which exits you back to the Setup screen.

Hmmm, I'm surprised we haven't heard from owners of other models . . . anyone got a "B" so we can compare what the earliest unit firmware summary looked like?

So far we've heard from "D", "K", and one that was either an "G" or "H" unit. Anyone have any other models?

kdawg25

12-12-06, 07:25 PM

nextoo

12-12-06, 07:56 PM

I have one of these with a remote that barely functions. Has to be at a certain angle to even get it to work.

Anyways, does anyone know a code for a universal remote for this? I have a One For all URC-8910 if that helps.

You can either do the Radio Shack fix ot you will need to get a learning remote. The Sony VL600 is $25 and can be found at various retail outlets. It is a learning remote.

nextoo

12-12-06, 07:57 PM

Hardware hack update that I posted here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9153523&&#post9153523

murray1245

12-12-06, 08:13 PM

I have one of these with a remote that barely functions. Has to be at a certain angle to even get it to work.

Anyways, does anyone know a code for a universal remote for this? I have a One For all URC-8910 if that helps.

This last Sunday did the Radio Shack fix. It now works like a "real remote". Does take a little bit of electronic know how but for less than $2 cannot beat it. I have a detailed post earlier in this thread on how to make sure the I/R Led is oriented properly.

slr_65

12-13-06, 01:14 AM

Here's the answer I got from the author of FixVTS . . .

I got your DVD, thanks. I see where the problem comes from.
Your recorder, as many, does not make a compliant DVD. The menu problem comes from video_ts.vob and video_ts.ifo. The menu PGC references VCID 1/1, but that VCID does not exist in the VOB! The vob has VCID 2/1, but that's nowhere in the IFO!
As a result, FixVTS removes that cell, and you're without a menu. In this case, you could run FixVTS with all options off, and that would not destroy your DVD, but it wouldn't do much either.
It's not clear how to fix such problems because that's clearly faulty authoring: if the IFO says that cell 1 references VCID 1/1 from LBA 0 to 64, if you go to the VOB to look at these LBAs, you should find VCID 1/1. In this case you don't and that's baaaad!

It's hard to decide what to do in this case. I guess FixVTS should just not care whether that's legit or not, and act like most players do (i.e., ignore the VCID in the IFO, and go to the sectors without thinking twice). But that's not the way it is at the moment.

For the rest of your problems: I tried the DVD in PowerDVD, and the fast forward works just fine. The DVD loads in DVD Shrink and PGCEdit with no problem either.
But you could try PGCEdit's new function to recreate the time maps (open in PGCEdit, and select the DVD menu, "rebuild time maps"). This might fix the problem for you...

lsattle

12-13-06, 09:29 AM

I have one of these with a remote that barely functions. Has to be at a certain angle to even get it to work.

Anyways, does anyone know a code for a universal remote for this? I have a One For all URC-8910 if that helps.

If your remote behaves like mine did, you will find that the led is pointing up within the unit.

try pointing the remote on the floor 5 feet in front of the dvr. This causes the led to point right at the unit.

Also, tilting the remote left or right 30 degrees may help also.

See my earlier post of a week or so ago that details how to drill the plastic a bit to allow the led to point straight, or even down that allows better ergonomics when pushing the buttons.

lsattle

12-13-06, 09:43 AM

I've got an issue with my D unit that I'm wondering if others have.

My tuner will not work correctly on any channel greater than 62.

In looking at frequencies, etc there is not any explaination why it changes in performance between 2-62 and 63 and up.

Here are the channel names/ frequencies I've found on the web:
cat name number freq

CATV YY 61 445.25
CATV ZZ 62 451.25
CATV AAA 63 457.25
CATV BBB 64 463.25

Only strangeness is that the cable names go from 2 alpha character names to 3 alpha character names between ch 62 and 63.

Any body got any ideas, or should I just take it back and get a new one.

I'm afraid with all the hd changes coming to the cable industry I will really want these channels some day. Today I'm only losing maybe 5 usable channels above 62 and not much I care about.

nextoo

12-13-06, 11:45 AM

For anybody interested in the Sony VL600 learning remote as an alternative check e-slay. Dealtree is moving some. I picked one up for $4.50 plus shipping ($13.50 all in). Not a bad price and less than $20! - inside joke :) . Don't worry about the manual. It is posted at the Sony site.

Search VL600 and look for the auctions starting at .99. Dealtree tends to move things out in batches. Here today gone tomorrow.

By the way I think Dealtree liquidates Best Buy inventory. I think Trading Circuit liquidates Circuit City stuff. And I think Returns Central is Sears - maybe. I've gotten some pretty good deals in the past on e-slay using these sellers. Be careful with Returns Central. It was the only one that sold something that was DOA.

gondey99

12-13-06, 12:24 PM

This only happend once so far

My wife reported the following:

Watching a recorded program from the hard drive she was not able to skip 30 seconds ahead. After she watched program she tried turning off the unit from the power button on unit. It would not shut off.

Before I left for work recorder was still on. I was able to shut it down from the remote. I then powered it back up and it seemed fine.

I will have to do more followup

Anyone else had this issue?

Greg

gondey99

12-13-06, 12:45 PM

jonlowe

12-13-06, 02:07 PM

WolfsBane

12-13-06, 02:07 PM

Well guys... it doesn't matter whether or not I want this recorder. Non of the Wal marts in my area have them. I'll just have to keep looking for alternatives...

nextoo

12-13-06, 02:45 PM

Well guys... it doesn't matter whether or not I want this recorder. Non of the Wal marts in my area have them. I'll just have to keep looking for alternatives...

I think it's over. It is not listed at Walmart.com online in the DVD recorder section anymore.

gondey99

12-13-06, 03:01 PM

Well guys... it doesn't matter whether or not I want this recorder. Non of the Wal marts in my area have them. I'll just have to keep looking for alternatives...

Check Ebay

http://cgi.*********/BRAND-NEW-POLAROID-DVD-RECORDER-80GB-102-HRS-DRM-2001G_W0QQitemZ150070817821QQihZ005QQcategoryZ32864QQssPageN ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

nextoo

12-13-06, 03:02 PM

For those of you looking for a better manual for the Polaroid unit, check out:

http://www.denver-electronics.com/UploadetFiles/154/25/DHD-161,_UK.pdf

This is for a very similar unit sold in Germany. Doesn't have component in (uses SCART instead, which has RGB in), but the rest of the menus look the same. Much better organized and written than the Polaroid manual. Also doesn't have YES, if that matters to anyone.

Jon

Thanks - nice catch. The Denver does have the USB implemented. I noticed this after a quick read through. Also this Denver looks almost more similiar to the Philips 3455. Notice how with both the Denver and the Philips there is no timeshift/off in the setup menu. Also you are not able to set a default input upon startup. Both of these are important to me. Especially the default timeshift off. This keeps the HDD from thrashing constantly.

Also here's the manual for the Philips. It too can be helpful.

http://www.p4c.philips.com/na4/d/dvdr3455h_37/dvdr3455h_37_dfu_aen.pdf

nextoo

12-13-06, 03:24 PM

Interesting comments here on the Philips +VR recording mode:

http://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=299589&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

This post is from Politiken on that page:

It appear to me you missed what it is all about. It has nothing to do with the folder being present or the fact that some applications cannot parse the IFOs/VOBs - It is actually quite a smart move, using the VIDEO_RM folder - because

a) it takes practically no space on the disc
b) the disc will play in all DVD players without any problems
c) it will make sure that the recordings will play correctly (i.e. as recorded) when played back on the recorder itself - which is precisely what you would expect and want

Remember that the output comes from a recorder connected to your TV signal.
You want to see what you have recorded, as if you were watching live on your TV set.

If you record a TV News show, part of the show could be in 16:9 and other parts in 4:3. Your TV set will adjust itself (given the correct commands within the signal) and swith mode (back and forth) so you will see everything in the correct aspect ratio, and you will not take any notice.

But your recorder is placed before your TV set and cannot change mode while recording, because the DVD format only allowes titles in 16:9 or titles in 4:3, and the recorder saves, on the fly, in the DVD format. Only when shifting PGCs you can change the mode - but this cannot be done seamlessly.

Alas, you will have the best of worlds - except when you want to edit the recording, not using the recorder itself, but using a PC author application like DVD Shrink instead.

The DVD format goes back to 1978 if I remember correctly - and the world has moved on.
DVDShrink is now "Nero Digital / Nero Recode" and using this applications "Make /Edit Video-VR" (or what ever) will work without any problems - with or without the presence of the VIDEO_RM folder or whether the disc type is -R/+R/-RW/+RW

Its all about switching back and forth between 16:9 and 4:3 (during an ongoing recording session).

An interesting question is: will a DVD with VIDEO_RM folder, play as recorded on any recorder or player that make use of the VIDEO_RM folder ?
If so, we should definitely keep the folder on the disc.

regards Pol

Interesting.

slr_65

12-13-06, 07:16 PM

Interesting comments here on the Philips +VR recording mode:

The problem is that the Polaroid is not exactly using the Philips +VR recording format.

To maintain compatibility they should've given an option to record in +VR or in standard mode. What happens in a few years when the Polaroid dies (from that junky fan!) and your discs don't play correctly on any other machine?

nextoo

12-13-06, 07:37 PM

The problem is that the Polaroid is not exactly using the Philips +VR recording format.

To maintain compatibility they should've given an option to record in +VR or in standard mode. What happens in a few years when the Polaroid dies (from that junky fan!) and your discs don't play correctly on any other machine?

Maybe, but I really think it comes down to pick your poison. Only because the standard is getting blurred. Are you speaking to the fast forward issue?

slr_65

12-13-06, 11:11 PM

Maybe, but I really think it comes down to pick your poison. Only because the standard is getting blurred. Are you speaking to the fast forward issue?

The standard is getting blurred though simply because these companies are doing these things. People are trusting their family memories to these devices so you would expect the manufacturers to strictly conform to the standards so that compatibility would be assured.

Yes, the fast forward issue is a pain. I wouldn't mind re-authoring at all, but so far all attempts retain the fast forward issue, so for now my Polaroid is simply a large vcr and dvd player - I'm not doing any DVD creation on it until I can find a way to extract the content and burn it to a comliant disc.

equivocal

12-14-06, 03:46 AM

Thanks - nice catch. The Denver does have the USB implemented. I noticed this after a quick read through. Also this Denver looks almost more similiar to the Philips 3455. Notice how with both the Denver and the Philips there is no timeshift/off in the setup menu. Also you are not able to set a default input upon startup. Both of these are important to me. Especially the default timeshift off. This keeps the HDD from thrashing constantly.

Kinduv an odd pagination. Read it forwards and backwards simultaneously.

To my eye, the Denver is the physical twin of the Polaroid. Connectors they have in common have the same placement. Philips doesn't have 5.1 or optical audio. And the remotes are identical, but the 0 and Add/Clear buttons are swapped.

I was happy to see that the on-screen interface uses 24-hour time. I wish Americans could count past 12 because I hate contaminating my numbers with letters. :)

nextoo

12-14-06, 04:16 AM

sir_65

I guess maybe I'm not following. Which DVD players are you having problems with? I do have a FF problem with Toshiba - it will only go 2x but that doesn't bother me. My Panasonic home theater works - FF, chapter skips etc. Everything works fine on my two Philips - of course. I have an old Lennox (circa 2002) where there are no problems.

Are you saying your memories are in danger because of a FF bug on some players? Maybe this is where I'm not tracking - no pun intended :).

Remember the VTS person said this: "Your recorder, as many, does not make a compliant DVD". Notice the word "many".

Any +RW recorder does not make a compliant DVD. +RW (+R,+RW) does not conform to the DVD standard. This really isn't news. This has been posted before. From Wikepedia:

"Because Video Mode and VR mode are DVD Forum standards, they are only used when recording to DVD approved formats i.e. DVD-RAM/DVD-RW/DVD-R discs. +RW isn't approved by the DVD Forum so can't get a license to use the above modes, hence Philips introducing their own +VR mode, so +RW gets +VR and generally they are not mixed."

Any +VR mode disc is non compliant. If compliancy is the issue the tip off is to stay away from anything produced by Philips. Philips based units only record in +VR mode. There is no Video Mode or VR mode option. Personally this doesn't bother me so I don't strike Philips off my list. I actually like some of the things +VR brings to the table. It offers flexibility when using a single recording mode as opposed to balancing back and forth between Video Mode and VR mode for editing. But it has its shortfalls as well.

Philips (and Philips derivatives) recorders sell in significant numbers world wide. They are not my favorite by any stretch but they do seem popular.

Also this from Wikepedia:

"However, many cheaper recorders are mixing these formats up now and typically this means not bothering to get the recorder approved by the DVD verification labs and so not paying the appropriate licence fee or reaching a certain level of quality or compatibility, and so just use +VR mode on DVD-RW and +RW. You can tell these by the lack of the DVD Video logo!"

It doesn't get much cheaper than the Polaroid. The Polaroid is a cheap recorder. That's always been the reason to buy it.

Now back to your concern. Are you worried your DVD's won't play on DVD players at all? Like I said I haven't found one that won't play a Polaroid disc. Or are you concerned about losing some play back features? I don't think you have to worry about the disc's not being able to be played. But you might lose some features depending on what brand of DVD player you are using (my FF issue with Toshiba being an example).

Also I picked up a Magnavox (Philips) a couple of weeks ago because it has component inputs. I really haven't done any recording with it. I'll burn a few discs and see what they look like. They will be non compliant non DVD standard +VR discs. I'll check to see how they perform. Especially looking at FF.

Logic Design

12-14-06, 07:28 AM

Nextoo

Are they any other players that don't have macrovison. I am thinking about backing up my commerical dvd's.

Is phillips is it sill sold in stores?

All present players have macrovision. The way to control the recording process, is to be able to generate the CGMS code that commands the player when to and not to allow copying. This Polaroid is ideal to use with the Video FIlter because it has components inputs. You can have CGMS, Widescreen Signaling and Components recording capability.

nextoo

12-14-06, 08:26 AM

nextoo

12-14-06, 08:51 AM

Here's a pretty darn good article about +VR and how it compares. It is three years old but it is one of the better ones I have found:

http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=5449&PageNum=2

slr_65

12-14-06, 06:11 PM

I guess maybe I'm not following. Which DVD players are you having problems with? I do have a FF problem with Toshiba - it will only go 2x but that doesn't bother me. My Panasonic home theater works - FF, chapter skips etc. Everything works fine on my two Philips - of course. I have an old Lennox (circa 2002) where there are no problems.

So far the only set top player the discs play correctly in is the Polaroid it's self. Two GE1001PAs, one GE 1101PB, one Apex 1100, one Apex 1500, a Mintek 1600, and a $30 cheapie we just bought from Walmart all have the FF bug. PowerDVD on the PC does play them correctly though.

Are you saying your memories are in danger because of a FF bug on some players? Maybe this is where I'm not tracking - no pun intended :).

The FF bug is just a symptom . . . when you try to import the content of the DVDs to many copying or authoring programs you will find they aren't happy due to the odd format - it's odd even by Philips standards. The audio is not compliant either. Currently many players are kinda loose on their requirements so they will play the non-compliant discs, but in the future newer players providing legacy support for the older DVD format will probably be compliant to the standard, but no guarantees beyond that.

Even though +RW is not officially approved, if the file types and structures mimic the approved formats (and ideally a recorder capable of bitsetting the disc to DVD-ROM is used) the chances are that the disc will be fully compatible with about any future player introduced. If they are not they could easily be ripped and transferred to a different format.

These recorders are being advertised as an easy way to capture your old family videos, etc. to a more permanent format and in my opinion by using an odd format that sometimes (more often than not in our experience) creates playback problems on set top machines and editing problems if you want to rip and edit the videos they are doing their customers a great disservice.

It's a shame we have a unit with a great encoder chip that makes great videos and then we decided to use an oddball disc format (again, it's NOT exactly the same as the Philips format) and firmware that does not author correctly.

All in all we're happy with our Polaroid unit - the hard drive for recording is great and it's a fine DVD player. It would be nice if we could use it further, but with the quirky discs it produces we're not using it to create any important DVDs - we're simply not willing to give up basic features on set top players and hassling with trying to find programs that are happy with the disc format so we can edit or copy them (in the couple programs we did find that would allow us to edit/copy the videos we found that the fast forward bug carries through, and again we're not willing to give up such a basic function).

We're really hooked on the PVR concept now . . . we're actually considering returning the Polaroid to Walmart and building a home theater PC. More dollars, but it's more capable and easily repaired / upgraded (both hardware and software).

Take Care,

Steve

slr_65

12-14-06, 06:14 PM

tockcc

12-14-06, 06:24 PM

I think it's over. It is not listed at Walmart.com online in the DVD recorder section anymore.

It is still listed on Walmart's site if you do a search but says out of stock. I ask in a Walmart store today if the Polaroid was still going to be available and a Dept. Head checked there order machine and told me more would be in in January.
I hope so mine makes a loud noise everytime you turn it on for about a minute and then is quiet. I still have till the first part of February to exchange it. They may have updated units by then. However you never know for sure store could be wrong and there may not be anymore.

gturn

12-14-06, 06:48 PM

I just saw 3 units in a Walmart store in Layton Utah today. 2-F and 1-B seriel numbers. The display was a C seriel number. Maybe they were customer returns.

nextoo

12-14-06, 07:41 PM

So far the only set top player the discs play correctly in is the Polaroid it's self. Two GE1001PAs, one GE 1101PB, one Apex 1100, one Apex 1500, a Mintek 1600, and a $30 cheapie we just bought from Walmart all have the FF bug. PowerDVD on the PC does play them correctly though

This is not good news for you. I went back and checked with mine again. Actually my Toshiba is working as it should but there is a quirk. Here's my results:

Philips 642 - no problems. The FF 2X-4X etc shows in the upper left hand corner of the screen as it FF's

Philips 5960 - no problems. Same as 642.

Lennox DVD-2003 - no problems. FF display shows in upper left hand corner of the screen like the Philips.

Panasonic HT 700 home theater - no problems. FF works as it should. This one shows a horizontal progress bar on the bottom of the screen as it FF's.

Toshiba KX50 - this is the one that I thought was not working. It does have a problem. It will FF but it also has a progress bar on the bottom of the screen. The progress bar hangs at the next chapter point and kind of bounces around but the unit does FF properly. The bouncing around progress bar had given me the impression it was not working. I'm not sure if this is a Toshiba or a Polaroid problem. I'm guessing Polaroid?

What is odd is that you are batting 0% but I'm not having a significant problem - except with the Toshiba as noted. I have not seen the "hyper" FF with what i have tried.

I noticed your unit shows a February build date. The one I am using shows June.

Can anybody else please test fast forward (FF)with your various players, make note of the build date ot your Polaroid if possible, and please post results? Thanks!

nextoo

12-14-06, 09:00 PM

Here is something I just did successfully. Using DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 and DVD Shrink 3.2.0.15.

Ripped a Polaroid recorded disc to my notebook using DVD Decrypter in file mode. The Video_RM file was not included. I then ran the files through DVD Shrink at 100% to an ISO file output. Used DVD Decrypter to burn the ISO.

I ran into no problems during this process. I believe I've read previously that some have had problems doing this? Not sure. I did not try to edit or author.

I tested the burned DVD on the players I mentioned previously. Same problem with the Toshiba that I reported.

This is odd. I wonder if it is the Toshiba. I'd like to find out what is going on.

m1_too

12-14-06, 10:36 PM

All present players have macrovision. The way to control the recording process, is to be able to generate the CGMS code that commands the player when to and not to allow copying. This Polaroid is ideal to use with the Video FIlter because it has components inputs. You can have CGMS, Widescreen Signaling and Components recording capability.

Shouldn't you indicate your affiliation with a product every time you promote it? You give the impression that this is the only product which will solve the problem. Then again, maybe it is....

I use the Grex with the Polaroid. Love both! I am not affiliated with either...... :)

murray1245

12-14-06, 11:09 PM

T
Can anybody else please test fast forward (FF)with your various players, make note of the build date ot your Polaroid if possible, and please post results? Thanks!

OK...I have a D model. I cut a DVD+R disk (two hours) and finalized it. Played fine in the Polaroid and fast forward worked. Reverse worked. Chapter skip forward/backward worked

I then tried it in a Samsung. Played fine; 2X worked; any faster speeds skipped chapter to chapter continuously until end of disk. Chapter skip itself worked OK. Same with reverse - 1/2X worked OK, other speeds went into reverse chapter skipping continuously until beginning of disc.

I then tired it in Panasonic. Same result as Samsung. 2x and 1/2x worked, other speeds went into continuous chapter skip mode ( have my chapters set to 5 minutes) in both forward and reverse. Chapter skip functions worked fine.

I have also tried DVD+R disk in newer Sony player. It played fine. Did not check the FF. The only player I have seen not work on a DVD+R disc is a very old Sony.

Looks any speed greater that 2X (or less than 1/2X) actually send the disc to chapter skip mode. I can live with this. I have had trouble trying to play discs on a PC. I think only POWER DVD has worked. Also not a bit deal for me.

murray1245

12-14-06, 11:20 PM

It is still listed on Walmart's site if you do a search but says out of stock. I ask in a Walmart store today if the Polaroid was still going to be available and a Dept. Head checked there order machine and told me more would be in in January.
I hope so mine makes a loud noise everytime you turn it on for about a minute and then is quiet. I still have till the first part of February to exchange it. They may have updated units by then. However you never know for sure store could be wrong and there may not be anymore.

I have a D unit. I have same issue with fan noise for the first minute or two. For the first minute it sounds like a bearing might be going or perhaps the fan is striking the housing. After about a minute it quiets down and no problem after that. It does not do this every time. About 1/2 the time.

I have just purchased the same fan referenced in this thread by slr_65. I have not yet installed it but plan to do so this weekend. I am currently running an internal temperature test on the unit before I change the fan. Will test again after I change the fan to see if there is any difference. Fan specs show the new fan should be very quiet (thanks to slr_65 for finding it). Temperature check should indicate whether there is any issue with air flow volume. I will post my results.

I'm very happy with this unit. I have "fixed" the remote issue and now the fan issue (I hope).

slr_65

12-14-06, 11:26 PM

This is not good news for you.
Well, it's good news for you, but it's not really any news to me - I already knew some worked with them and some didn't.

The point is that there's a problem with the way the Polaroid is creating the discs. This problem is affecting some players. If your player plays them then that's good for you . . . for now, but when your player dies and you need a new one you may run into this problem . . . and you shouldn't . . . if it were authored correctly and using a more standard format it wouldn't be an issue at all.

I think the authoring problem is a function of firmware, so I wonder if users of the Packard Bell, Denver Electronics, and other similar units have this problem? I'll have to drop a note on one of their forums . . . I was going to join and post to one of those forums anyway to see if anyone would scope out what pin on the usb header of the circuit board goes to what pin on the usb port so I could see if our usb ports are active or not.

A friend pointed out to me that our GE players and the Apex players are all made by the same company - Shinco, so it's not surprising they are all having problems. The flip side of that is that Shinco has made a significant portion of the players sold in the discount stores so the odds are that many will have these issues. That's kinda contrary to the general trend of the lesser expensive, retail store sold units usually being the most compatible with home burnt/authored discs.

What is odd is that you are batting 0% but I'm not having a significant problem - except with the Toshiba as noted. I have not seen the "hyper" FF with what i have tried.

Again though, the point is that there IS a problem . . . the Polaroid clearly is not authoring the discs correctly and that's inexcusible. People are using these units to preserve their treasured personal recordings and they are trusting it will create a product that will be usable for many years to come and that simply may not be the case . . . as their players die and they purchase new ones they may run into these problems.

I'm pretty sure this is all fixable in firmware, so lets hope they come out with some updates. There has been two updates for the Packard Bells, so someone somewhere is working on this firmware - lets hope it filters on through to Polaroid.

I haven't had much time to play, but I think this is fixable on our end too. I think the .vobs are just video and audio and the other files are simply support files - they contain the chapter marks, menus, etc.. I'll bet there's some way to convert the .vobs to mpegs and then just import the mpeg without anything else, then just use some authoring software to create the supporting files and the DVD.

Anyway, again . . . we're not unhappy with the unit, but it could be better . . .

/Steve

slr_65

12-14-06, 11:35 PM

My new fan was very quiet, then I let it run over night and it was a little louder the next day. Since then though it seems to have quieted down again! It never was really loud - just louder than it was, but still quieter than the original fan. Now it's back to very quiet. I wonder if it had to "break in" or something? I think the fan tone is a little higher pitched than the original, but again if you get a few feet away from it you don't hear it.

One thing I've noticed . . . you can really tell where the fan is pointed! Put your hand at the left front of the unit and run it towards the back - about 5/8 of the way to the back you'll notice it's much cooler . . . that's where the fan points!

From what I've read on the Packard Bell pages it seems they quit doing the fan venting out the back because it was too noisey - several people actually plugged the hole and mounted their's internal to quiet them down . . . hmmm, I wonder if the developers of these units scan the net and listen to what we find and what the fixes are? (wishful thinking, I know!)

Anyway, good luck - let us know how your unit sounds with the new fan!

Steve

slr_65

12-14-06, 11:39 PM

Oh, one note on the fan noise . . . it was mentioned on several of the Packard Bell forums and I noticed it too . . . the thing is very quiet with the lid off and seems to get worse with it on. Must be bouncing off the metal or something . . . I wonder if something as simple as adding duct tape, thin foam, etc. to the inside of the case would help quiet it down further? (again though, with the new fan it's really pretty quiet anyway so it's not been worth my time to take it apart and experiment)

beekeeper

12-15-06, 05:11 AM

nextoo

12-15-06, 08:05 AM

A friend pointed out to me that our GE players and the Apex players are all made by the same company - Shinco, so it's not surprising they are all having problems. The flip side of that is that Shinco has made a significant portion of the players sold in the discount stores so the odds are that many will have these issues. That's kinda contrary to the general trend of the lesser expensive, retail store sold units usually being the most compatible with home burnt/authored discs.

I was going to mention the same thing. You posted 2 GE's and the Apex 1500 on another forum - they're not vintage yet but they are getting close. I had two Apex AD703's (very similiar to the GE's) that were Shinco and they would not play any burned DVD media. They would play VCD's on CD's all day long but choked on burned DVD media. Like I said I have not found a DVD player that cannot play the disc's I have burned. The FF thing seems to be a problem on specific model players.

Remember the FixVTS author commented that many DVD recorders do not make compliant DVD's. I believe this is the trend. See my previous comments and the quotes I have sourced concerning this.

As far as DVD players produced in the future having problems playing the discs. I believe this will become less of a concern not more of one as time moves on. The FixVTS author pretty much addressed this when he commented how DVD players tend to skip over the issue.

Right now I'd like to find the right PC solution that allows people to edit on a PC if they want to. I really don't have a reason to personally but it would be nice to find out.

nextoo

12-15-06, 08:19 AM

jonlowe

12-15-06, 09:18 AM

Pardon my ignorance, but I've missed how to do this in the instructions. Were do you do this and how?

Thanks.

Jon

Sir_65

I do not want to be too basic since I am sure you are doing this, but just in case-

you know that even though the machine sets chapter marks they are not transferred to disk unless you do that after burning and before finalizing. If you do not set the chapter marks at that point and finalize the disk, when you use the >>| button it will skip to the end of the disk and not stop at any intermediate point.

That sounds a lot like what is happening, since I learned that the hard way. My ES-20 does automatically set chapter marks but you have to set each one on the Polaroid.

nextoo

12-15-06, 09:44 AM

Here's something interesting as it relates to the compliant issue. I posted previously that I was able to rip a Polaroid disc to my PC with no problems using DVD Decrypter. Also that DVD Shrink works on the file with no problems.

The first picture posted below is a screen shot of DVD Shrink showing the Polaroid ripped files under the Re-author option of DVD Shrink. Notice that it shows two movie titles of the exact same size! This is not as it should be.

The second picture shows a screen shot showing the results after running the Polaroid files through the Re-author process. Notice now that there is only one title.

Progress? I think so. :)

NorthJersey

12-15-06, 10:20 AM

has anyone played one of these polaroid authored dvd+/- R in the Zenith dvb318 player ? The 318 automatically skips commercials on dvd's, bypassing the menu, and starts the movie. I have the 318 and will be getting the Polaroid, and was hoping not to have to disable autoplay on the 318 in order to play a dvd+r created by the polaroid

nextoo

12-15-06, 10:38 AM

Here's a couple more pics of the Polaroid disc re-authored with DVD Shrink.

The first pic shows an Audio_TS folder. Shrink must add this.

The second pic is the Video_TS file contents.

Using this process does blow away the original Polaroid menus. But if there is any reason to edit on the PC one of them would be, for me at least, to get rid of the not really pleasent looking Polaroid menus.

I'm not sure if the net result of this is a compliant compilation but my guess is that it can now be authored in the authoring software of choice.

thebard

12-15-06, 10:40 AM

Sir_65

I do not want to be too basic since I am sure you are doing this, but just in case-

you know that even though the machine sets chapter marks they are not transferred to disk unless you do that after burning and before finalizing. If you do not set the chapter marks at that point and finalize the disk, when you use the >>| button it will skip to the end of the disk and not stop at any intermediate point.

That sounds a lot like what is happening, since I learned that the hard way. My ES-20 does automatically set chapter marks but you have to set each one on the Polaroid.

What I've noticed is that chapters that result from segmenting a title on the hard drive will transfer & show up on other machines/PCs before the disc is finalized. Manually added chapter marks (at least on a DVD-RW) will not.

In other words, if I record to hard drive & edit out the commercials, then transfer to RW, then add chapters, then play back on my computer, the edit points will show up but the manually added chapters will not (until I finalize or "make compatible").

But I think this is separate from the FF issue, as my Panasonic home theater will FF at 2X speed, but any faster and it will skip (with DVD-R disc burned in the Polaroid, or with DVD-R ripped from DVD-RW originally burned in the Polaroid).

I have an F serial #, and any subsequent tweaking on my PC goes through IFOedit & DVD Encrypter. I'll have to check my firmware # when I get home tonight.

David

nextoo

12-15-06, 10:44 AM

thebard - when you say skip do you mean skip from chapter to chapter?

gturn

12-15-06, 11:01 AM

I noticed on the Pioneer board they have experienced FF problems on +R and +RW disks recorded on thier machines. Has anyone tried all the different types of disks to see if the FF problem is only with certain types of disks rather than just a Polaroid problem?

From other forums it seems that DVD players in general have problems with burned DVD's. There seems to be problems burning a DVD then getting all the fuctions working right on multiple players. I don't think it is as much of a Polaroid problem as it is an industry wide problem with all the different DVD types and no clear standards.

nextoo

12-15-06, 11:29 AM

Here's a comparison of the two Video_TS folder contents pre and post Re-author using Shrink.

First pic shows the Polaroid burn Video_TS contents. Second pic shows the re-authored Video_TS folder contents. Notice the difference in the number of files and the file sizes. I'm sure the re-authored Shrink one is now compliant. The whole process does not take very long. For me though I'm just going to stick with the Polaroid burns. If the sky falls I'll re-author at that time.

By the way I'm beginning to think that the FF issue and this compliant thing that popped up are mutually exclusive.

nextoo

12-15-06, 11:34 AM

thebard

12-15-06, 01:29 PM

thebard - when you say skip do you mean skip from chapter to chapter?

In this case I mean "warp speed". Chapter accessing works properly on all discs.

slr_65

12-15-06, 04:28 PM

slr_65

12-15-06, 04:44 PM

Well this topic is getting kinda long, isn't it?

The fact is that the Polaroids are NOT making compatible discs. Some players are happy with their discs and some aren't. The saving grace is that even the ones that aren't will still play the discs, they just lose a functional ff/rw. To compound the issue they aren't using good authoring practices or a standard disc format so it's not easy to rip and reburn the videos to be more compatible.

All in all this adds up to an encoding/burning solution that we've decided not use for anything important and it's something I think potential buyers of this product need to be aware of.

It's a personal decision . . . if you are comfortable trusting your important videos to something less compatible than most then fine, have at it. Personally we aren't comfortable with that.

It's kinda frustrating - the thing makes great pictures and it'd be really handy to be able to just encode and burn, but alas you usually get what you pay for and this case is no different - it's cheap so not surprisingly it's got some quirks.

Again, for the money and the PVR/DVD Player functions it's worth the money.

Remember the FixVTS author commented that many DVD recorders do not make compliant DVD's. I believe this is the trend. See my previous comments and the quotes I have sourced concerning this.
Yes, but also note that his FixVTS can fix discs made on other recorders, including Philips recorders, but due to the Polaroid's poor authoring it wont work on the Polaroid and he doesn't really know how to make it work with them.

If it were a matter of making the disc on the Polaroid, importing it to a PC, running FixVTS, then reburning or reauthoring I'd be happy but currently I haven't found a way to do that . . . no matter what I've done so far the FF/RW bug has persisted.

slr_65

12-15-06, 04:47 PM

slr_65

12-15-06, 04:49 PM

nextoo

12-15-06, 05:09 PM

Well this topic is getting kinda long, isn't it?

If it were a matter of making the disc on the Polaroid, importing it to a PC, running FixVTS, then reburning or reauthoring I'd be happy but currently I haven't found a way to do that . . . no matter what I've done so far the FF/RW bug has persisted.

Long? Maybe. But it is intersting enough to discuss. I like puzzles.

I think you may be making a couple of incorrect assumptions. The first is connecting the FixVTS comments about compability to your FF problem. I do not think they are connected. The second might be that by making the disc compliant will then fix your FF issue.

I believe, as was quoted before, "many" recorders make discs that do not conform to the DVD Forum standard. They may or may not have FF problems. As mentioned previously anything on a +R +RW is a non compliant disc.

I went back and checked some of my burns from a Panasonic DMR-E30 - 3-4 year old burns if I remember correctly. Guess what. The FF performace was poor on the DVD player I tested it on. Does this mean the disc is non-compliant? Probably not. I'm going to check older burns that were done on a number of different recorders and test them with the players I have. I'm interested in seeing how well they do.

I sincerely think it is a stretch to make the assumption that the FF performance in this case is related to disc compliancy. I could be wrong but there just are too many moving parts to make it that simple. Plus I don't think making the disc compliant post Polaroid burn on a PC will fix your FF problem. FF issues seem to be reported as a problem that present themselves across brands.

ASOT

12-15-06, 05:12 PM

Thought I would toss in my results with a iMac.

I burn to +RW with auto chapers set at 5 mins.

Playback on a iMac G5 running OS X 10.3.9.

All functions seem to work fine. Step, Next Chapter and Scan Forward x4 all performed perfectly.

I will try the same disc on a Pioneer Player at home tonight and see what happens. If I recall... The fast forward did the warp speed thing.

Ron

nextoo

12-15-06, 05:15 PM

OK...I have a D model. I cut a DVD+R disk (two hours) and finalized it. Played fine in the Polaroid and fast forward worked. Reverse worked. Chapter skip forward/backward worked

I then tried it in a Samsung. Played fine; 2X worked; any faster speeds skipped chapter to chapter continuously until end of disk. Chapter skip itself worked OK. Same with reverse - 1/2X worked OK, other speeds went into reverse chapter skipping continuously until beginning of disc.

I then tired it in Panasonic. Same result as Samsung. 2x and 1/2x worked, other speeds went into continuous chapter skip mode ( have my chapters set to 5 minutes) in both forward and reverse. Chapter skip functions worked fine.

I have also tried DVD+R disk in newer Sony player. It played fine. Did not check the FF. The only player I have seen not work on a DVD+R disc is a very old Sony.

Looks any speed greater that 2X (or less than 1/2X) actually send the disc to chapter skip mode. I can live with this. I have had trouble trying to play discs on a PC. I think only POWER DVD has worked. Also not a bit deal for me.

Thanks for pointing out how FF moves into chapter skip because I think this is what is happning to mine as well. But I seem to be able to get to at least 4X before it kicks in on the players I've tested.

slr_65

12-15-06, 05:34 PM

Yes, I like puzzles too!

Yes, it's hard to pin down exactly what's going on, how one defines a "compliant" disc, etc.

It comes down to this - if the disc is authored correctly and the standard file format used then the disc will normally play in players that can read burnt media whether it be on plus or minus R discs.

The Polaroid is not authoring correctly and is not using the standard file format. It is using a variant of a file format that's become an unofficial standard for DVD recorders, but it's not even following that unofficial format precisely.

All this creates problems - playback problems on some players, copying problems with some pc software, and re-authoring problems with some pc software.

Kind of a bleak picture.

Oh well, the Polaroid is doing a fine job as a PVR for us and as a DVD Player. I'm currently scoping out hardware to build a home theater PC and we'll just use it to burn important videos. I've done some of this in the past and all those discs played fine on any player I've tried them on, can be copied easily, and can be imported and re-authored easily so it CAN be done . . . just currently not on a Polaroid.

Again though, it is disappointing since the Polaroid has a fine encoder chipset and makes a fine picture . . . sure would be nice to be able to utilize it more!

gturn

12-15-06, 08:07 PM

It comes down to this - if the disc is authored correctly and the standard file format used then the disc will normally play in players that can read burnt media whether it be on plus or minus R discs.

The problem is not that Polaroid doesn't conform to "the standard file format" the problem is there is no "Standard file format" to conform to. Go to other player forums and do a FF search, some work better than others but the problem is industry wide. This problem is found amoung all DVD burners not just Polaroid. There are to many "Standards" and you can't be compatable with them all. I have had purchased DVD movies which don't work right on some machines.

murray1245

12-15-06, 09:22 PM

murray1245

12-15-06, 09:50 PM

Now for something completely different. My very low tech fan problem.

This evening I mounted a Silenex I-Extrema 40 fan replacing the occasionally noisy fan in my Polaroid (slr_65/Steve has a very good previous post on how to mount this fan..thanks to him). It only took about 10 minutes even for a clutz like me. Mounted with the "silcon composite fan mounts" (marketing talk for rubber grommets). This fan is REALLY quiet. After I turned the unit on I could see it running but barely hear anything. I actually put my hand at the outlet to make sure it was working. The fan has 7 blades vs 6 for the fan that came with the unit. The blades are also bigger. The mounting isolates the fan from the frame. After I put the top back on the unit I could hear NOTHING. It shows a 14 dbA rating. Most fans of this size have about a 25 dbA rating. So this fan is rated at 1/10th the noise output.

I was a little concerned about air flow. Last night, before I put the new fan, in I mounted a remote temperature sensor in the Polaroid and let it run for 3 hours with the cover on. The sensor measured 95.0 F with a room temperature of 70.5 F. After mounting the new fan I and covering the unit I let it run for 3 hours again. The temp is 97.1 F with same room temperature. Just to try a a get a "worst" case here I have had the time shift buffer running and I cut a DVD+RW disc as well. Looks like there may be slightly less air flow based on the small temperature increase but nothing significant.

This fan is a good upgrade if you have a noise issue. I got mine at FrozenCPU. It was 12.99 + shipping. I am going to let me unit run all weekend just to make sure I have no temp issues....

Now back to the "compliant" DVD issue...!!! :))

slr_65

12-16-06, 08:28 AM

OK...Time for a little more fuel on this fire....When I got the Polaroid about 45 days ago I was trying various things. One of the things I tried was a "Yes DVD". Recorded from camcorder the DVD+ R. It created a disk with about 20 chapters and 3 "music" DVD's (some chinzy music with random scenes from the input). I wasn't impressed and turned the feature off. It took a long time to create the YES DVD and I wasn't real impressed with output. However I still have the disk. So I tried the disc in my Samsung (the one with FF problems) and guess what...EVERYTHING seems to work fine. I was able to FF all the way to 32X, skip chapters etc. Looks like the YES DVD may create working discs... Comments?

Wow! That is interesting! I'll have to give it a shot!

This whole issue gets muddy in a hurry . . .

I think the .vob files are just the video/audio it's self. The rest of the files contain the chapter info, menu information, etc. - files that describe the a/v content or control access to the a/v content. Beyond that we have the actual file structure -> how the files are arranged on the disc.

I just haven't had time to play, but I'm hoping the .vob files are OK and can be imported by themselves into something like TMPG or ULead DVD Movie Factory (I've downloaded TMPG but haven't had time to learn how to run it. I used to use ULead a couple years ago but I've switched computers since then so I need to dig the software up again). I played with video encoding a few years ago and if I recall correctly you could just rename a .vob to .mpg and it'd work in the authoring software.

The authoring I think is a problem on the Polaroid discs as the author of the FixVTS pointed out that one of the files was referencing material that didn't exist which is a baaad thing. It's also curious that Mike found that a disc created by using the YesDVD software didn't have the FF bug.

The actual file structure may be less of an issue - you can add directories to DVDs and it doesn't bother a thing. I have several wood working videos and they have the standard DVD directories and files and then many contain project plans in .pdf format that are in the root directory or in their own directory and they work just fine. As long as there is a VIDEO_TS directory with the proper files in it I think it'll probably work.

I dunno if the failure of some copying and some editing software is due to the authoring issues or the file structure, but I almost bet it's the authoring issues.

Soooo, I'm hoping just importing the .vob files in will allow me to re-author the disc with better menus and stuff and will drop off the FF bug. If it is an authoring bug then maybe someday there will be either an official or unofficial firmware upgrade to fix the problem, till then maybe we can just use the YesDVD software in our units or maybe someone will be able to create a program like FixVTS that will correct the authoring issues for us.

Whatever, I don't have time to play a whole lot right now so if someone else does please post back your findings.

Again though, all in all we're quite pleased with the Polaroid. That hard drive recording is just great! We have three kids and busy jobs so it's quite common for us to not be home during our favorite shows and setting up a VCR, swapping tapes, etc. is just a pain so we didn't do it unless it was a show we really wanted to see. Now I've programmed timers for our programs that are repetive and we scan the guide on Charter.net for any thing special we might want in the coming week and program a timer for them too. Now we haven't missed a show! In fact even if we are home we don't drop everything to run to the TV when our favorite shows are on - we just let the Polaroid get it and watch it later when we're not busy . . . and then we can skip the commercials easily! That 30 second forward and 10 backward works great! (I do wish the onscreen graphics would go away a little faster though).

/Steve

slr_65

12-16-06, 08:45 AM

Hi Mike,

Glad the fan worked for ya - it's been a nice (and easy!) upgrade to our unit!

I thought it had just a little less flow when I compared them, but placing my hand in front of the fan while it's running isn't highly accurate. I also didn't notice it getting much hotter, but again my hand placed on the case isn't highly accurate either . . . thanks for being a bit more scientific about it!

I let ours run over night and by the next morning I thought it was a bit louder. After I turned it off and turned it back on hours later I thought it was a little louder than it originally was, but not as loud as it had been after it ran over night. It's stayed at the "maybe slightly louder, but not as loud as the first time it ran over night" level ever since, and I've let it run over night a couple times just to see if it got louder as it got hotter but it hasn't seemed to. I dunno if it had to "break in" or maybe my ears just need recalibrating. What ever the case, the new fan is quieter than what the original fan ever was.

The new fan also draws less than half the amperage if I recall correctly, so I've thought about installing another one of those fans to increase the air circulation further - it wouldn't be hard to fabricate a mount.

I also thought about mounting it on the back panel so it can blow through the back panel like the original B units did (did they draw in through the back panel or push air out of the back panel?), but from what I've read on the forums for variants of our unit that would probably increase the noise of it . . . it seems many actually mounted their fans internal and blocked the fan hole off to quiet them down and then shortly after production started the factory started doing the same thing. With our much quieter fan though maybe it wouldn't hurt anything . . . if it did increase the noise to an unacceptable level I could just block it off again too. That power supply board does get hot and you can really tell where the fan blows when you run your hand down the side of the case, so I'm thinking putting the fan directly inline with that board like it was on the original units rather than just blowing across the bottom edge at a 45 degree angle may be a better idea.

Keep us posted on what your discover with your temp probes and stuff.

Take Care,

Steve

slr_65

12-16-06, 09:17 AM

From other forums it seems that DVD players in general have problems with burned DVD's. There seems to be problems burning a DVD then getting all the fuctions working right on multiple players. I don't think it is as much of a Polaroid problem as it is an industry wide problem with all the different DVD types and no clear standards.

Not really. I've burnt lots of DVDs (my son videos ball games, special events, etc. and makes DVDs of the videos and sometimes I get roped into helping burn copies if there's a large group wanting copies) and have had very few problems . It seems that the more exepensive players have the most problems, I don't recall ever having a problem with the less than $50 cheapies from Walmart, Best Buy, etc..

A properly authored DVD burnt onto quality media is rarely a problem. The number one culprit of people having problems is the use of cheap media - don't buy your media from Walmart, etc. - order it online and get Taeo Yuden or Verbatim (The TYs work best for us).

beekeeper

12-16-06, 11:24 AM

Thanks for pointing out how FF moves into chapter skip because I think this is what is happning to mine as well. But I seem to be able to get to at least 4X before it kicks in on the players I've tested.

I finally hooked up my ES-20 and tried it with some Polaroid disks. Where they worked fine in my panny home theater player they did the chapter skip with the ES-20 when going past 2x FF.

I also had a disk that I did not insert chapters and it warped to the end with maybe one stop.

The Polaroid manual states that even though you have chapters set for say 5 min on the hd, they will not be moved to the disk when you finalize. To set chapters you must do so after burning the disk and before you finalize.

What we are seeing when we use the chapter skip on our other players, is the time shift used by that player, not what you set on the Polaroid on the setup menu. If you get a 5 min shift, it is only because that is what you also have on the player.

So I also got "chapters" on both my disks even thought one had no chapters set by the Polaroid after I burned the disk and before finalizing. On that one, it was a set time shift. But on the one where chapters were set, I got the exact chapters I set on the Polaroid and they were set to specific scene changes where I cut commercials.

So the FF problem is player specific with some working as they should and some that do not. It is not isolated to brands but can happen within a brand.

I copied my disk with chapters using DVD shrink and NERO so you can copy disks made with the Polaroid. But the same FF problem occurred with the copied disks, so just moving them to your computer to get the "proper" DVD format and then to disk is not en ought to fix the FF problem. It does fix the DVD format.

nextoo

12-16-06, 01:48 PM

Editing Success

First of all I have to admit I had never really had edited on the Polaroid prior to this experience. I had pretty much just tested editing in the past and followed the party line that editing on this machine was a problem. Well I have changed my opinion. I just edited a 3 hour and 45 minute recording that was recorded in HQ (one hour speed) with no real problems. There was a slight hitch but I think I figured out what the problem was. I initially had a problem at just over the one hour mark - the edit was not taking. But I think I figured out the work around. So it is possible to edit beyond the original recording speed.

The recording was the HD broadcast of the first installment of Lord of the Rings on TNT HD. I remember reading the problems associated with editing a football game where the recording speed was lower than the duration of the recording. In other words with a 3 hour recording recorded in SP (2 hour) mode you had to split the recording in order to edit out the commercials. I thought I would give it a try regardless. Not true - it can be done!

The trick I found was this. Having recorded in HQ speed I thought I would have problems editing anything beyond the one hour mark. Well I did. The first edit past the one hour mark would not take. So I closed the segmenting operation and started over. This time I skipped the first commercial just past the one hour mark and moved on to the next commercial. Well I was surprised to find that this edit took. And all edits after did as well. My thoughts at the time were that worst case I would have only one commercial - the one just past the one hour mark that was the first problem. Well when I went back after editing out all other commercials I was able to edit it out as well. Success!

This to me is huge because some recorders do not let you record in HQ speed past two hours. The Polaroid has no such limitation. So getting a very high quality recording at HQ speed for long durations is possible - and it can be edited.

Here's a few pics:

1. 3 hour 45 minute recording in HQ. Notice the recording time and the HQ quality setting to the right of the tumbnail

2. The segment bar showing the commercials edited out (darker blue areas on the bar). Notice how the edits are through the entire length of the recording.

3. The movie playing. Notice how after the edits it is now less than 3 hours long.

Tomorrow all three LOTR's are being rerun on TNT HD. I'm going to record them all back to back. Edit out all of the commercials and see if I can create one verrrryyyy long edited recording of all three movies. I'll just edit out the time between the end of one movie and the start of another like it was just another commercial.

EDIT - well it looks like it was false hopes. I ran into the same editing problems posted before. It looks like 14 edit points is the max. After that the segmenting bar defaults out to all purple. It does not look like recording speed or recording duration has anything to do with it. You get 14 edits - that's it. If you need more you have to split the recording - as was posted before. Oh well.

Justin Time

12-17-06, 03:08 AM

Let me ask very quickly about the hard drive. Does it have to be a Western Digital hard drive if you want to put in a newer/bigger one? I have 250g Maxtor and 250g Seagate around. I just wonder if it has to be WD or would one of those other companies be accepted?

bobkart

12-17-06, 03:46 AM

From my reading in this thread, it doesn't have to be any particular brand, just have an IDE interface. Then of course the reverse-the-connector trick as was just covered in another thread.

Justin Time

12-17-06, 04:13 AM

I must have missed that post. "reverse-the-connector?"

Maybe I can use the search function and find that post.

bobkart

12-17-06, 04:19 AM

Here it is. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9180231&&#post9180231)

Justin Time

12-17-06, 04:47 AM

Thanks for finding it. I'll read it right now.

rampart51

12-17-06, 07:36 AM

slr_65

12-17-06, 10:49 AM

FYI...the Polaroid does not multi-task. Most of you probably already knew that.

Last nite, I set the machine up to tape a tv program from 8-9pm.

At 7:30pm, I put in a DVD movie to watch. At 7:57pm, I got a message (I don't remember the exact words) but I had to cancel the scheduled taping or if I didn't, the DVD would stop playing. Oh well....I tried.

I have a "B" unit.

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure I've watched a program stored on the hard drive while a timer recording was being made. If I recall correctly it gave me some message and I exited the program, let the timer start, then I went back and restarted the program.

I'll have to try that again tonight. I'll also have to try watching off of the DVD rather than the hard drive.

equivocal

12-17-06, 12:28 PM

FYI...the Polaroid does not multi-task. Most of you probably already knew that.
At 7:30pm, I put in a DVD movie to watch. At 7:57pm, I got a message (I don't remember the exact words) but I had to cancel the scheduled taping or if I didn't, the DVD would stop playing.

The Polaroid can play DVDs while recording, but its behavior when a timed recording starts during DVD playback is crude, as you experienced. It doesn't offer a choice to approve the timer, only to stop it, so the dialog stays there for 3 minutes until the timer starts and takes over the output. Pressing the DVD button gets you back to your DVD while recording continues. I forget whether it returns to where it had been playing. In some cases it would and others it would start the disc from scratch. At least the Polaroid has the GoTo function you can use if you stored the playback time in wetware.

I also recall seeing a diferent 3-minute warning dialog that offered two choices. This may have been during timeshifting. I definitely remember that if a timer interrupted HDD playback I had to start the HDD title over.

FullOnShred

12-17-06, 04:30 PM

The Polaroid can play DVDs while recording, but its behavior when a timed recording starts during DVD playback is crude, as you experienced. It doesn't offer a choice to approve the timer, only to stop it, so the dialog stays there for 3 minutes until the timer starts and takes over the output. Pressing the DVD button gets you back to your DVD while recording continues. I forget whether it returns to where it had been playing. In some cases it would and others it would start the disc from scratch. At least the Polaroid has the GoTo function you can use if you stored the playback time in wetware.

I also recall seeing a diferent 3-minute warning dialog that offered two choices. This may have been during timeshifting. I definitely remember that if a timer interrupted HDD playback I had to start the HDD title over.

Same way with the Philips. I agree it is a crude, clumsy way of handling things. If I was watching a HDD Title and recording starts I have to go all the way back to the start to begin watching that HDD Title again.

murray1245

12-17-06, 07:20 PM

One last post on the fan replacement project.

I did have the unit on most of the weekend. Internal temperature where I had the probe stabilized at about 97 F vs 95 F when the original fan was in place. I did notice that when I pushed down on the top of the unit, over the fan location, I was getting some noise. The fan housing is fractions of an inch smaller that the internal unit height. Fortunately I was able to "reposition" the fan down just slightly ( probably 1/32 of inch of less) and that "fixed" the issue. There is a little bit of slop in the the mounting screws. While I had the unit open I noticed the new fan was vibrating a bit (probably not balanced all that well) but because it was mounted using the rubber grommets, there was virtually no noise. All in all this is a good fix for those who have a noise issue. With the top on, quite literally, I cannot hear the fan at all.

rampart51

12-17-06, 08:20 PM

murray1245

12-17-06, 08:40 PM

nextoo

12-18-06, 02:34 PM

Question on DVD Decrytper.

I am a newbie on using this software. My first attempt was to create an ISO file from a DVD. I have tried several DVD's - created on the Polariod, created on my PC, and commercial - and they have all generated lots of "Failed to Read Sector" messages. Am I to assume all these disks have flaws? How common are these type errors? Should/can these be ingored? Any info appreciated.

I have not had the fail to read sector messages. If you are seeing the same behavior from three different disc sources then I'd perhaps take a look at the DVD reader. Also there may be something in your hardware/software/driver setup that could be the reason. If possible take the 3 flavors of discs to another PC and see if you see the same thing.

equivocal

12-18-06, 04:54 PM

Same way with the Philips. I agree it is a crude, clumsy way of handling things. If I was watching a HDD Title and recording starts I have to go all the way back to the start to begin watching that HDD Title again.

The resume DVD I remember must have been on the Polaroid because when the Philips switches to DVD it always load like a fresh disc (ads, promos, etc.). The Polaroid manual discusses "pre-stop" (page 27). I can't find anything equivalent in the Philips manual.

To summarize:
T-3:00 = OK/Cancel dialog to skip timer (only if powered up)
T-0:30 = Warm-up period, takes control of the machine, "stop" is the only input accepted
T+0:00 = DVD or HDD playback available during recording
Also, if the timer brought the machine from stand-by it will shut the machine down at the end of the timer even if it's doing DVD or HDD playback that you started during the recording.

Justin Time

12-18-06, 05:26 PM

I said here before that I got lots of read errors with both my Lite ons and the Polaroid I had for a few days. My Lite on 5007 and Polaroid got the read errors and could not finish reading the disk. My Lite on 5005 gets the error message but still can be ripped. So, when you put in a Polaroid disk and try to rip it with your computer, even though decrypter says read errors, does decrytper read/rip the whole disk? Do you get the "found end of disk" message and get a pop up box saying that it completed? If so, then ignore the errors because the disk did read/rip. I think it fills in errors with dummy sectors or something. If you try to rip the disk and it does not finish or let you rip the disk then you have the problem I had with my 1st Polaroid and old Lite on 5007. I couldn't find away around that. It only played on the unit itself but I could never find a way to get it ripped to computer.

nextoo

12-18-06, 05:36 PM

Like I said I have not personally seen any read errors when using DVD Decryptor.

Sometimes it can be as simple as the type/brand of media being used. It could also be an incompability between the DVD reader in your PC and the Polaroid burns. I have had instances in the past where one DVD reader was having problems reading a disc. I tried reading it with another DVD reader and there were no problems.

There are a lot of variables. Have you tried using a different DVD reader or PC with the discs? This may help isolate the problem.

tockcc

12-19-06, 05:05 PM

Looks like Polaroid is out of the DVD recorder business. The only DVD item left on there web site is a portable player. Too bad I had hoped to get another one.

slr_65

12-19-06, 05:45 PM

Looks like Polaroid is out of the DVD recorder business. The only DVD item left on there web site is a portable player. Too bad I had hoped to get another one.

I just went to the Polaroid website and I found it's still there . . . it's under the Standard Players/Recorders menu.

Whew! Had me worried, I hadn't ordered a spare remote yet!

wajo

12-19-06, 05:58 PM

My Wal-Mart still has one "D" unit available, plus the display unit. Sure wish I could tell myself I really, really needed it! :(

slr_65

12-19-06, 06:05 PM

My Wal-Mart still has one "D" unit available, plus the display unit. Sure wish I could tell myself I really, really needed it! :(

You do! :D

Yes, the tuner is mono but so what? For regular TV programs that's fine. For other things just feed a stereo VCR, cable box, whatever in and record off of it.

Yes, the burner has a couple bugs but evidently most do so it's no worse than any other and actually seems to burn discs fairly well.

Yes, the remotes can suck but they are fixable.

Yes, some fans are loud but they are fixable too.

On the plus side is the hard drive recording! I just didn't realize how much we'd use that! It works great! Yes, you've done the same with a VCR but it's a much larger hassle with a VCR, it's simple with a PVR! We don't miss a program now! In fact even if we're home we don't rush to catch our programs any more, we just let the Polaroid get it and then watch it at our convenience -> with the added benefit of being able to skip the commercials! If you're big into TV you can even put in a much larger hard drive - try that with other brands!

The DVD player has worked fine for us, even on burnt media.

For two hundred bucks it's a bargain! Go for it!

slr_65

12-19-06, 06:40 PM

I left a note on TLC's web site about their time signal being off and I got a very nicely worded email today from Charlie Myers who is the Director of Affiliate Technology and Standards for Discovery Communications asking for my phone number and a convenient time to call me and visit about the problem.

Hey! Somebody actually reads their viewer emails!

This came at a great time as I'm on vacation this week. I'll keep the list posted on what develops!

TTYL,

Steve

nextoo

12-19-06, 07:12 PM

You do! :D

Yes, the tuner is mono but so what? For regular TV programs that's fine. For other things just feed a stereo VCR, cable box, whatever in and record off of it.

Yes, the burner has a couple bugs but evidently most do so it's no worse than any other and actually seems to burn discs fairly well.

Yes, the remotes can suck but they are fixable.

Yes, some fans are loud but they are fixable too.

On the plus side is the hard drive recording! I just didn't realize how much we'd use that! It works great! Yes, you've done the same with a VCR but it's a much larger hassle with a VCR, it's simple with a PVR! We don't miss a program now! In fact even if we're home we don't rush to catch our programs any more, we just let the Polaroid get it and then watch it at our convenience -> with the added benefit of being able to skip the commercials! If you're big into TV you can even put in a much larger hard drive - try that with other brands!

The DVD player has worked fine for us, even on burnt media.

For two hundred bucks it's a bargain! Go for it!

For two hundred bucks it is a steal. And it is becoming scarce. It does way too much to be ignored. It is a freak. A good freak.

I had two up until about a month ago. I returned the spare. Then things started to come together with my external approach to both the HDD and the burner. I figured the weak link in the chain was the power supply in the Polaroid. Pretty much everything else can be replaced. If it went then everything I put together would be useless - not to mention the recordings on the drives.

Last week I called around and all Walmarts were out except for one. It had 5. When I got there it had two "B's" one "D", the display model, and the "F" that I purchased. So now I am the proud owner of a new "F" model. I tested it and everything works fine.

bobkart

12-19-06, 08:04 PM

The power supply cannot be replaced (easily)? That seems odd.

Schwinn

12-19-06, 08:18 PM

The power supply cannot be replaced (easily)? That seems odd.
I'm guessing the problem is finding a replacement that fits with all the right connections...

nextoo

12-19-06, 08:20 PM

The power supply cannot be replaced (easily)? That seems odd.

I can't do it without the part. Which means it would have to go out for repair if there was a problem. Which usually mean big $'s. Although I probably should not worry about it. With both the HDD and the DVD burner being powered by my external case the power supply in the Polaroid is not working that hard.

With a spare I can easily swap the power supply if I had to. Or I could just RIP my first Polaroid if there was a problem and hook up the new one. In any event there is value to the spare if I eventually want to ebay it. Plus I have a new meter running for the 90 day Walmart return policy. Heck I could even hook it up and use it.

I rationalized the purchase as cheap insurance with resale value.

But to answer your question - the power supply can be easily replaced. The question is how much would it cost.

bobkart

12-19-06, 08:43 PM

Bill R (# 2)

12-19-06, 08:47 PM

For two hundred bucks it is a steal. And it is becoming scarce. It does way too much to be ignored.

One reason that it is becoming scarce (and I noticed that for a few other DVD recorders in the last few months) is that starting in March, 2007, all devices made after that date that have a tuner must have an ATSC tuner (for digital OTA channels). My guess would be that the vendors are finalizing their ATSC models and are no longer building the models with just NTSC tuners. It will be interesting to see what the vendors come out with. I think that just about all of them will have both ATSC and NTSC tuners and some will likely include QAM tuners (for unenceypted cable digital channels). I wonder if many vendors will include a cablecard slot. I noticed this Christmas selling season that many ATSC/QAM equipped TVs don't have a cablecard slot so it looks like the industry has given up on cablecard 1. Cablecard 2 is suppose to be out next summer. Cablecard 1 allows you to subscribe to encrypted digital cable tiers but you can't get VOD or an interactive guide. Cablecard 2 allows you to get the interactive guide and VOD and other interactive services.

nextoo

12-19-06, 09:37 PM

I see. That makes sense. It's possible that power supplies on the less desirable production models (B, C, D) would work, then if some of those become easily available (eBay?), replacement power supplies could be had relatively inexpensively (someone selling one that's otherwise broken). I wonder if it might even be possible to obtain a replacement power supply through Polaroid, other than by having one sent in for repair. A third-party repair facility would need that in order to be able to repair one, for example.

Yes. All true.

But it should be noted that I have not seen any reports of power supplies being a problem. It is just my approach to try to cover three things with a DVD recorder that tend to turn them into door stops or expensive repairs.

The first is the DVD burner. The second is the HDD. The third being the power supply. The Polaroid has been selling now for 7 months or so and there have been no reports of them melting down. I have banged mine around pretty good so I feel the build is solid. I have operated it with the cover off with cables being plugged and unplugged - different HDD's and burners with no ill effects.

I've settled things down now with a permanent installaton. I feel confident it will last a long time. If the burner goes it is a $30 burner swap. The HDD is not an issue.

Full speed ahead.

bobkart

12-19-06, 09:45 PM

Yes let's hope the power supply doesn't turn out to be the weak link. As you observe, it does not seem to be at this point.

nextoo

12-19-06, 11:01 PM

One reason that it is becoming scarce (and I noticed that for a few other DVD recorders in the last few months) is that starting in March, 2007, all devices made after that date that have a tuner must have an ATSC tuner (for digital OTA channels). My guess would be that the vendors are finalizing their ATSC models and are no longer building the models with just NTSC tuners. It will be interesting to see what the vendors come out with. I think that just about all of them will have both ATSC and NTSC tuners and some will likely include QAM tuners (for unenceypted cable digital channels). I wonder if many vendors will include a cablecard slot. I noticed this Christmas selling season that many ATSC/QAM equipped TVs don't have a cablecard slot so it looks like the industry has given up on cablecard 1. Cablecard 2 is suppose to be out next summer. Cablecard 1 allows you to subscribe to encrypted digital cable tiers but you can't get VOD or an interactive guide. Cablecard 2 allows you to get the interactive guide and VOD and other interactive services.

Great points. It looks like the shelves are bare for most models. I guess it is a wait and see in anticipation of CES 2007.

equivocal

12-20-06, 12:20 AM

Yes, the tuner is mono but so what? For regular TV programs that's fine. For other things just feed a stereo VCR, cable box, whatever in and record off of it.

I figured WTH, in two years it'll have to use an external tuner anyway but when it still screwed up the color on the composite signal from the VCR I gave up. I don't understand this. Can't be the tuner.

murray1245

12-20-06, 08:05 AM

FWI

I got this from Polaroid when inquiring on buying another remote..

Polaroid product accessories can be purchased on-line by visiting the
website at www.polaroid.com
https://secure.scsoem.com/OrderEntry/accmenu.htm or contact the
Polaroid Customer Service Center for assistance at the numbers below:

In the United States 866-289-5168

In Canada 866-301-7922

In Mexico 01-800-400-2443

Our customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week to help you.

bradleyj2

12-20-06, 12:06 PM

lsattle

12-20-06, 12:51 PM

I've done some web surfing that I believe is of interest to most readers on this post.

I've dug around the lsilogic site to see what I could learn.

First, let me say that from what I can tell this unit was mostly engineered by Lsi Logic, not polaroid. In fact that is probably true of the Liteon, apex and Philips units mentioned in the last of couple of months.

Lsi released a manufacturing kit around 3 years ago that describes our machine pretty closely. My hunch is the Palaroid was built from maybe a bit newer technology.

I will post links soon. I am not sure I can yet till I get 5 posts in.

lsattle

12-20-06, 12:53 PM

Regarding links to Lsi Logic,

Here is a google search link that has a lot of good information:

http://www.google.com/search?as_q=domino+features&hl=en&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=lsilogic.com&as_rights=&safe=images

lsattle

12-20-06, 01:01 PM

Here is an Lsi Logic link to their Turnkey Manufacturing kit.
This is regarding the DiMeNsion-8600 architecture.

I am not sure of the chip in the Palaroid, (has the heat sync covering it). But you will find multiple different Lsi architectures available that can be used for different dvd recoders. That is a set top box vs a hard drive dvd recorder, vs a dual tuner unit, etc.

http://www.lsilogic.com/files/docs/marketing_docs/consumer/DMN8600MK_Final.pdf

This link is to a document detailing what is in the 8600 kit. It even contains the circuit board for the front of a dvd recorder.

lsattle

12-20-06, 01:57 PM

Below is a link to a 2005 article in a magazine summarizing where Lsi is in this market place. Article says they have 40% of the market.

http://www.edn.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6252384&partner=eb&pubdate=9%2F1%2F2005

slr_65

12-20-06, 03:06 PM

I'm a new user on this board. I found it a month or so ago while searching for information. And reading all the posts here has been great!

I had been going back and forth for the last couple of days between this Polaroid DVD recorder and the new RCA at Wal-Mart (as mentioned on another thread...with 80Gb HD).

So last night I did it...I bought the Polaroid unit. I had to go to 3 different Wal-Marts here in Shreveport to find one. The last store I went to had 2 on the shelves...A "F" model that looked like it had been returned (paperwork and remote out of the plastic and no batteries) and a "B" model that was all sealed up.

I hope I didn't make the wrong choice...I bought the sealed "B" serial number. I haven't had a chance to hook it up yet. But from what I read here it seems like the "B" may need the remote hack and fan quieted...Both no biggies for me.

I was really hoping for more reviews on the RCA model...But since I knew this Polaroid was hard to find, I got it while I could. That's why they have return policies!

Thanks to everyone who posted here for a newbie to read!

The remote hack is no big deal, you'll be able to handle it easily!

The fan is also easy to replace and I actually wonder if the fan having vents out the back like they did in those "B" models isn't really the best idea. If it's loud I'd try using some of the rubber fan mounts you can get from the silent PC vendors, or using rubber o-rings, etc. for mounting.

You'll be happy with the unit!

I've been looking at building a home theater PC now and it's amazing what you have to do and spend to get near what this $200 cheapie does!

DLSDO

12-20-06, 08:10 PM

For those interested...

To extend the life of my DLP lamp I connected a 8" LCD to the Polaroid so I don't have to power on the big screen everytime I want to work with the DVDR. It also allows me to monitor work/schedule/edit on the DVDR while I watch DVDs on the DLP along with a myriad of other conveniences.

bobkart

12-20-06, 08:14 PM

That is an excellent idea and one I have considered for my main setup. I have a 15" LCD monitor that I use with an NTSC-to-VGA converter to drive it from regular A/V signals.

DLSDO

12-20-06, 08:21 PM

My connection is via composite and interlaced. What is an NTSC-to-VGA converter? I assume it allows you to output from source and connect to a computer LCD screen? Sorry if its a silly question.

bobkart

12-20-06, 08:32 PM

The LCD monitor I mentioned is for a PC, so to display regular "TV" type signals on it (NTSC), a converter is needed, this is the one I have:

http://www.avtoolbox.com/avt3340.shtml

grantsoo

12-21-06, 06:31 AM

I've had a "B" unit since September.
With a DLP TV, I never notice the fan when the TV is on.
As for the remote, I've learned how/where to point it and I have very little trouble.
I've also learned to wait it out on occasion. For example, when you press the DVD button, it usually takes a few seconds to initiate the process and switch screens. If the whole unit slows down when responding, which it doesn't do much of anymore, I just shut down and restart and it goes away.
The only major irritant I have is the FF thing.
I think it is a great machine for the money.

lejudew

12-21-06, 07:59 PM

I've been reading posts on this thread for about two weeks, and finally decided to take the plunge. My local Walmart had four units (B, D, F, and G). I got the G unit, and must wait till I return home after Christmas to try it out. I'll update then with my findings.

FullOnShred

12-21-06, 11:38 PM

lejudew

12-21-06, 11:49 PM

No, just the one.

slr_65

12-23-06, 11:02 AM

Hi Guys,

I've been looking at the hardware to build a HTPC and during my research I ran across this drive that's currently $109.99 from NewEgg:

SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD400LD 400GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM

Silent PC Review gave a good review of this drive and they seem pretty impressed with it (it's very quiet). It seems like a good price / performance buy.

Has anyone tried one in our Polaroids? I know one of the guys was playing with a 500gig Maxtor (I think) and it didn't seem to be working as well.

Also, I read the thread about the upside down ide cable . . . Wow! What a lucky accident to have plugged it in upside down from the get go! Imagine if it'd been plugged in correctly to start with - it probably would've been determined that there's something special about the drive and that would've been it!

I wonder if the early failures to get a different burner working weren't due to this issue? Does the burner also need plugged in upside down?

murray1245

12-23-06, 12:37 PM

FYI

I ordered a "spare" remote a few days ago. (See post above). This is mostly because of my paranoia about having a useless unit if the remote would die. It arrived today (only to 2 days over the Christmas rush) via USPS. Interestingly when I tried it, it seems to be much better functioning that the remote that came with the the unit ( and to which I applied the Radio Shack LED fix). This remote works at almost a 90 angle to the unit. The original remote had to be almost directly pointed at the Polaroid. I will probably still apply the "fix" since it works so well but perhaps newer remotes are shipping with a better LED.

murray1245

12-23-06, 12:46 PM

On the IDE cable

I have run into this before as well. Cables like this really come in two styles depending on the orientation of the end connectors. Cables are sometimes referred to as "straight through" or "crossover". The issue is whether "pin 1" one on end is actually wired to "pin 40" on the opposite end . I discovered this when manually adding end connectors on ribbon cable and did not orient the connectors properly. It is very subtle, and unless you are aware of the orientation issue, can be easily overlooked.

DLSDO

12-23-06, 01:27 PM

slr_65

12-23-06, 10:20 PM

KPC3

12-24-06, 02:14 AM

murray1245

12-24-06, 05:04 PM

I pulled the trigger tonight - purchased the Poloroid DRM-2001g over the Philips DVDR3455 ($80 more) from the local wallyworld. Tell me I made the right decision over the 160gb drive and the newness of that model. I think the component pass-through for HD makes a huge case for this unit. (F-serial#)

I'm very happy with mine. I did do the LED upgrade (see many posts in this thread). I did also buy a spare remote, on which the LED seems to function much better so maybe yours will be no issue. Picture quaility is excellent and I have recorded DVD's from VHS and camcorder with excellent results. One minor issue on the recorded DVD's fast forward beyond 2x does not work on most players, because of some non-standard file layouts. This does not affect the basic playing, chapter etc. The remote is a very poor ergnomic design, so you have to be careful which buttons you push. Overall I would rate the unit about 8+ on a scale of 1-10 considering the price. Also is is fairly easy to upgrade to a mega disk if you need to. Basically just removing/plugging in the new disk. I think you will be happy.

equivocal

12-24-06, 06:25 PM

Tell me I made the right decision over the 160gb drive and the newness of that model.

You made the right choice. :)

I was disappointed at how much less the Philips does than the Polaroid even though it costs more. If Philips had the Polaroid tuner there'd be no contest. The Polaroid remote may require more precise aiming, but no amount of precision is going to make the Philips frame advance or slowmo HDD playback or jump directly to the DVD menu or...there were so many.

FullOnShred

12-24-06, 10:44 PM

beekeeper

12-25-06, 06:34 AM

I am sure all know this, but it was interesting to me. If you record using the record button for whatever length, when you time shift while it is recording and decide to shift to normal time shift and stop recording (I know you are following this) even though you are not at the live point, the recorder will save up to where you are and keep all the time shift from that point.

So- press the record button for 2 hours.
Time shift during the recording
Let's say 1 hour has passed and you are at the 40 min point in time shift (so are 20 min to live) and press stop
The 40 min is saved and the 20 min remains to view in normal time shift. You do not lose anything.

Of course, if you want to save the whole thing, press and hold record for three seconds and everything will be saved, but you will be live and time shift will restart at that point.

beekeeper

12-25-06, 06:47 AM

If the Polaroid had the 6hr. Live TV Cache and a Stereo Tuner I would buy one. You can upgrade the Polaroid's HD to much more than 160gb the Philips comes with so that isn't as much of a selling point for the Philips as you would think.

You can use the record button (press it once) and the Polaroid will record until the HD is full. It will save every 3 hours, but during those three hours you can time shift back to the beginning with no problem.

Plus, you can watch the saved segments while it still keeps on recording. So you have a "time shift" that is as large as the HD.

As far as the stereo tuner, I cannot get too excited about that since I use it mostly like a VCR. But several have posted that they just change the input and have stereo.

grantsoo

12-25-06, 10:42 AM

Which way does the fan blow? i.e does it suck in through the back and shoot into the case, or does it suck out of the case and through the back to the outside?
It blows from inside to out.

redjr

12-25-06, 01:19 PM

Merry Christmas guys! I went to a local Wally World yesterday looking for any remaining 2001Gs to get as my Christmas present. Nothing like waiting till the last minute! :D Since I read in the thread Polaroid was going out of the DVD recorder business, I didn't have much hope since the other two WMs were out of stock. Lo and behold there was a one left on a top shelf in a badly damaged box. Upon closer inspection, I could see that it had not been 'pre-owned' by the plastic wrap. Everything appeared intact - remote, cables, batteries and manual - nothing opened. As there was not visible damage, WM refused to discount the price. :(

I've been following this thread for awhile as I've had more than a passing interest in the unit. Still not sure if it will work out for me, but I have plenty of time with WMs liberal return policy. Hope to get it hooked up and checked out later today, or later this week and see how it performs.

Cheers, :)

slr_65

12-25-06, 01:42 PM

Here's a 160 gb Hitachi drive that's on sale and has a mail in rebate. Final price would end up being $39.99.

It's an ATA100, 7,200 rpm drive, with 8mb buffer.

I can't find much firm on it on the net, some of the older Hitachi DeskStars were renamed DeathStars by the users as they tended to self destruct but that seems to be a few years ago and I can't find much newer. A couple reviews I found were pretty positive and said they were also quiet drives.

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=314482&pfp=dec24&tabtype=rb

I also don't know much about CompUSA's rebates, so I dunno if it's a big hassle or not.

Anyway, doubleing the hard drive capacity for $40 looks like a nice upgrade so I thought I'd post it here and let the users make up their minds if it's worth the shot or not. I think I just might give it a shot since it's just for the PVR and if Ilose something it probably isn't life or death data.

nextoo

12-25-06, 02:40 PM

buy.com has the Western Digital 250GB with 8 meg cache for $66.30 delivered using google checkout. Probably one of the best HDD's for the Polaroid and essentially guaranteed to work.

NorthJersey

12-25-06, 04:10 PM

Any one have an sa8300hd box connected by component video through this polaroid, with another component video output to their tv ? I thought I read from someone here, who has this setup, and was able to receive hd(or any video) on their tv when the polaroid was off. I realize that you can't have the cable box send anything greater than 480i through the polaroid through component cable, but when I power down the polaroid, I don't receive any video. What am I doing wrong ?

The cable setup is: sa8300hd (component cable out) ---> polaroid 2001g (component in); polaroid 2001g(component out) --> tv (component in).

I have a "B" unit polaroid. I've set the default timeshift buffer to YVB off. I tried tuner off as well, but for either, when I turn the polaroid off, no video appears on the tv.

nextoo

12-25-06, 05:26 PM

NorthJersey - I remember reading on here that B units do not have pass through. I have an F and G and both pass through HD when turned off with the source being the SA8300HD. I would try to get a later model if possible - especially if you are using it with the SA8300HD. The HD pass through when coupled with the SA8300HD is a really unique feature.

nextoo

12-25-06, 05:40 PM

nextoo

12-25-06, 05:46 PM

Has anyone run more than one HD serially externally? I run one at a time.

Has anyone used an IDE-USB 2.0 external HD enclosure? Nextoo uses an IDE-IDE external HD enclosure

Has anyone run 2 Polaroids serially?

I have not tried two HDD's on one IDE cable. As far as USB I have not tried to rig one. I'm guessing it would be futile. The IDE external drive rack works fine and is a very reasonable approach. An external drive rack with tray runs less than $8 and additional trays are less than $4. So for me it is a cheap and workable solution for using multiple HDD's with the Polaroid.

Schwinn

12-25-06, 06:07 PM

Here's a 160 gb Hitachi drive that's on sale and has a mail in rebate. Final price would end up being $39.99.

It's an ATA100, 7,200 rpm drive, with 8mb buffer.

I can't find much firm on it on the net, some of the older Hitachi DeskStars were renamed DeathStars by the users as they tended to self destruct but that seems to be a few years ago and I can't find much newer. A couple reviews I found were pretty positive and said they were also quiet drives.

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=314482&pfp=dec24&tabtype=rb

The bad hard drives were the "IBM Deathstars" (Deskstars) it resulted in IBM selling their harddrive divison to Hitachi . The Hitachi drives have been rated top notch. However misinfo as above which leads people to believe they are bad has kept them from selling as well as they might and Hitachi is thinking of dropping hard drives from their lineup if sells don't go up. IBM really sank the drives by continuing to sell bad drives while denighing there were problems for a long time. Hitachi never sold any of the bad drives. So yes this is a great deal . I've 2 of the Hitachi drives no issues over several years and they are quiet.

NorthJersey

12-25-06, 08:19 PM

nextoo

12-26-06, 12:00 PM

It blows from inside to out.

Interesting. The fan on the later versions without the fan grill on the back go in the opposite direction. Meaning the air flow moves the air towards the circuit board - from the back of the unit to the front (at an angle that is shown on previously posted pictures).

It has been posted it appears that some of the noise on the B models can be attributed to the air exiting through the exhaust fan grill. I wonder if reversing the flow would reduce the noise.

slr_65

12-26-06, 12:10 PM

Interesting. The fan on the later versions without the fan grill on the back go in the opposite direction. Meaning the air flow moves the air towards the circuit board - from the back of the unit to the front (at an angle that is shown on previously posted pictures).

It has been posted it appears that some of the noise on the B models can be attributed to the air exiting through the exhaust fan grill. I wonder if reversing the flow would reduce the noise.

Yes, it is interesting. It appears they wanted to draw cold air in the side vents and out the back. Later they switched to drawing warm air from the other side of the case and shooting it across the power supply and out the side vents.

I doubt the second approach works as well as the original idea. I do wonder if cutting a hole with no grill for the fan to exit out of would be quiet and provide better heat dissapation.

I saw on a HP forum where many took power off of a spot on the board that gave 7v instead of 12 and though the fan ran slower it still kept the unit cool enough and was much quieter. Maybe slowing the fan down and eixting out the back would give the best of both worlds.

Oh well, I'm overthinkig this again . . . my unit with the new SilenX fan is just fine . . .

slr_65

12-26-06, 12:13 PM

The price now shows $29.99 which is a super deal.

And now it's $49.99!

I decided to get one last night and they were sold out, now this morning they magically have some, but the price is $20 higher! :mad:

nextoo

12-26-06, 12:20 PM

You can use the record button (press it once) and the Polaroid will record until the HD is full. It will save every 3 hours, but during those three hours you can time shift back to the beginning with no problem.

Plus, you can watch the saved segments while it still keeps on recording. So you have a "time shift" that is as large as the HD.

As far as the stereo tuner, I cannot get too excited about that since I use it mostly like a VCR. But several have posted that they just change the input and have stereo.

beekeeper - so if I'm reading this correctly is the time shift feature engaged and then you hit the record button for it to work? Interesting. When you repeatedly press the record button you can set a 9 hour recording - the OTR feature. I wonder if setting the recording to 9 hours will increase the 3 hour save increments to 9 hours.

edit - well I just tested this. It looks like the Polaroid has an unlimited time shift buffer - well only limited by the size of the HDD. Here's what I did.

I pressed the time shift button on the remote. Once time shift started I hit the record button. When you do this the time shift meter show +30 mins. You can repeatedly press the record button until you get to +150 minutes. So you have now increased the time shift buffer to the original 60 minutes + the 150 minutes just added for a total of 210 minutes. You can then at a point in the future reset the + minutes to +150 again thus keeping the time shift buffer expanding.

Interesting. I wan't sure there was anything left to find out about the Polaroid. I guess there was. :)

By the way my comments are not confirmed. I'll see what happens to the buffer as time progresses. Right now I can rewind back to the original start point. I'll see what happens after the original hour passes.

Also I am time shift buffering through the component inputs so stereo is not a concern.

final edit - the time shift buffer maxes out at three hours. Which means the default buffer is set at 1 hour but by pressing the record button a few times you can expand it to 3 hours. The meter on my screen shows a 3 hour bar. Which is a lot better than the one hour default.

Or do as beekeeper suggests. In time shift mode press the record button once and the Polaroid will save the buffer in three hour increments.

Nice catch beekeeper!

nextoo

12-26-06, 01:22 PM

Time Shift buffer - new post. My last post was getting as confusing as I was.

Here's the deal:

1. Engage the time shift buffer. The time bar shows one hour. Press record button. The time bar now shows three hours. You have effectively expanded the buffer to three hours.

2. Press the record button again and the time bar shows 3 hours and +30 mins to the right of the bar. Press the record button repeatedly and the + mins will increase in 30 minute increments up to +150 minutes.

This might mean the buffer is now the three hours shown on the time bar +150 minutes. Not sure. Does anybody know?

edit - pages 34-35 of the manual tries to explain it. But you have to read it a few times. The +30, +60, etc is the length of the auto save for the buffer - I think. As beekeeper suggests just press the record button once and it will save in three hour increments. And it will record to the entire space of the HDD if you let it. And I was able to continue to record the buffer while watching another recording that was saved on the HDD. So the "effective" buffer can be huge.

Once again - great catch beekeeper!

scooter133

12-26-06, 03:48 PM

I have a question about this unit. If I record a program to the hard drive in 4 hour mode, then edit it down to 3 hours, can I burn to a disc in 3 hour mode or will I have to stick to 4 hour mode?

dkandmp

12-26-06, 04:31 PM

I have one of these with a remote that barely functions. Has to be at a certain angle to even get it to work.

Anyways, does anyone know a code for a universal remote for this? I have a One For all URC-8910 if that helps.

I too have the polaroid DRM-2001G. My daughter got a little leaps game system that needs to communicate w/ the dvd. I tried using the codes in the manual for Polaroid, and none of them worked. I ended up calling Polaroid and was told that the DRM-2001G has NO CODES that can be used with it. So you cannot use a device like little leaps or any universal remote with the recorder as there are no codes. Needless to say, I was pretty upset and I think Polaroid will get a scathing letter from me. I just wasted about 3 hours trying and retrying these codes all for nothing.

Bill R (# 2)

12-26-06, 06:57 PM

I have a question about this unit. If I record a program to the hard drive in 4 hour mode, then edit it down to 3 hours, can I burn to a disc in 3 hour mode or will I have to stick to 4 hour mode?

Scooter,

You have to burn it to DVD at whatever "quality" you recorded it to the HDD even if you edit to something much shorter. My old Philips had the ability to record to DVD at a different "quality" setting as do some of the other HD recorders currently in the marketplace.

By the way, it has been mentioned here before but some new members may have missed it, there is a mistake in the manual on the 3 and 4 hour modes (page 21 of my manual). 3 hour mode is LP (long play) and 4 hour mode is EP (extended play). Only column 1 is wrong (EP and LP reversed).

DLSDO

12-26-06, 10:35 PM

Dartman

12-27-06, 12:10 AM

I've ran the HD from my old panny into this unit and it did it just fine, seems to be same quality as original, sound and video. Of course it's 1 to1 transfer so takes real time but sure freed up my favorite for more stereo goodness :D

grantsoo

12-27-06, 05:47 AM

Scooter,

You have to burn it to DVD at whatever "quality" you recorded it to the HDD even if you edit to something much shorter. My old Philips had the ability to record to DVD at a different "quality" setting as do some of the other HD recorders currently in the marketplace.

By the way, it has been mentioned here before but some new members may have missed it, there is a mistake in the manual on the 3 and 4 hour modes (page 21 of my manual). 3 hour mode is LP (long play) and 4 hour mode is EP (extended play). Only column 1 is wrong (EP and LP reversed).
I'm not sure if I'm talking the same thing here, but I quite often find that when I try to record a 2 1/2 hour move on SP+ and then burn to DVD it says "too big for disc". I've found that I can go and split out a few minutes at the beginning to get to the start of the action and then do the same at the end to remove the credits and it will now be small enough to record. The odd time that isn't enough so I will segment out a few commercials until I get it down to the right size.
This tells me that it may be possible to edit it down to a smaller size for recording to DVD.

DLSDO

12-27-06, 08:55 AM

Dartman Thanks.

I assume your talking about freeing up the panny to utilize the stereo tuner for recording?

bugman72

12-27-06, 10:21 AM

Has anyone had any issues with playback of certain pressed DVDs, mainly Talladega Nights? For some reason, I can access everything on the DVD, but if I try to play from the main menu, the player locks up at 3 seconds into the first chapter. I can't switch inputs, FF, REW, or anything. I have to shut the player down and reboot. It happens every time. Same thing will happen if I select the first chapter from the Chapter Menu. But, if I go to the second chapter and then do a chapter rewind, it plays fine.

Any ideas or has anyone else seen this?

NorthJersey

12-27-06, 11:32 AM

update on my polaroid recorder. I returned my "b" unit this morning for the only "h" unit on the shelf (the two others were "b"). Brought it home, setup it up between by sa8300 and my tv, and passthrough works great.

thanks for the info, nextoo!

nextoo

12-27-06, 11:54 AM

I'm not sure if I'm talking the same thing here, but I quite often find that when I try to record a 2 1/2 hour move on SP+ and then burn to DVD it says "too big for disc". I've found that I can go and split out a few minutes at the beginning to get to the start of the action and then do the same at the end to remove the credits and it will now be small enough to record. The odd time that isn't enough so I will segment out a few commercials until I get it down to the right size.
This tells me that it may be possible to edit it down to a smaller size for recording to DVD.

You are right the recording times are not exact as to what will fit on a DVD disc.

Here's a tip to find out what you can fit on a DVD. Make sure you have a blank DVD in the drive. Press the "rec to" button on the remote and make sure you are on optical disc. Now press the "Add/Clear" button to toggle through the recording quality modes. You should see this:

HQ 01:01:36

SP 02:04:38

SP+ 02:24:12

LP 02:53:20

EP 03:59:16

SLP 06:00:58

This is what you can fit on a DVD in the various quality modes. It can be helpful to be aware of this.

nextoo

12-27-06, 12:08 PM

Question.

Haven't done any editing on the computer just on the DVDR but...

Could you take a 2hr long program recorded @ HQ on the DVDR...split it into 2 titles...burn it to 2 seperate DVD's...dump it into the computer and reburn it to a single (double layer) DVD or modify it in a way to fit a single DVD?? Probably more work than its worth. I archive to my external HD's @ HQ and if I ever want to burn to DVD I am kinda stuck I guess. No real need to burn to DVD much in my case though.

Likely a really stupid question. So sorry and thanks!

BTW...Just took the plunge and bought a 2nd polaroid. I'm thinking of connecting in serial. See about transfering from HD to HD..move titles around etc...Lots of other ideas....Wonder what the macrovision/CP issues will be with a serial connection of 2 units? PQ issues I wonder? I will keep everyone posted for those interested.

DLSDO - great!

What do you mean by connecting in serial? Do you mean connecting them through the analog video/audio inputs/outputs? If you do there should be zero CP issues.

I connect my Toshiba RD-KX50 to the Polaroid. I use the Polaroid to convert component to s-video. My source is a SA8300HD cable box that only outputs full widescreen HD channels (at 480i) via its component outputs. This allows my Toshiba to record in full wide screen (no letterboxing) using its svideo inputs. I do this because my Toshiba sets the wide screen flag as an option. Plus the Toshiba offers a more sophisticated editing environment if I find the need.

The Polaroid does an excellent job of dishing a component video source around various parts of an entertainment system - via component, svideo, or composite outputs. And for the most part does this while the Polaroid is powered off too. This ability alone makes it worth the price for me.

Bill R (# 2)

12-27-06, 12:13 PM

This is what you can fit on a DVD in the various quality modes. It can be helpful to be aware of this.

I have found that it also depends on what brand DVDs you use. I have been able to fit 2:29 minutes on some DVD discs using the SP+ mode. If I remember correctly they were HP brand DVDs.

nextoo

12-27-06, 12:17 PM

I have found that it also depends on what brand DVDs you use. I have been able to fit 2:29 minutes on some DVD discs using the SP+ mode. If I remember correctly they were HP brand DVDs.

I was wondering about that myself. I just tested a -R a +R and a +RW and the times all came up the same which actually suprised me a bit. It may make sense to check what might be available right before burning a disc. I don't burn too many so I haven't had a lot of experience with it. But checking may eliminate the guess work.

Bill R (# 2)

12-27-06, 03:32 PM

Lately I have been using 16x +R discs to burn movies (from my satellite receiver). I am using 16x discs not because the Polaroid can burn them that fast (from my tests it can burn them about 6x - 8x) but because I bought a lot of them when they were on sale on black Friday. Radio Shack had a 50 pack of Memorex (not HP as I said in an earlier post) 16x DVD +R for $9.99 (no rebate mail-in required). The Memorex are very good discs and for about 20 cents each I could not go wrong. I remember when I got my first DVD recorder +R discs (2x - 4x) were about $1.50 each.

The Memorex discs are the ones that were able to hold 2:29 at the SP+ setting. I have some other DVD brands and when I get a chance I will give them a try and see if I come up with some different figures for how much they hold. I'm also wondering if the model run has something to do with how much the disc can hold. They did use several models of burners in the 7 (or more?) production runs that they did.

Domle

12-27-06, 04:10 PM

Is anyone else having luck with finding these units at Walmart? I tried a couple stores today and they are sold out.

DLSDO

12-27-06, 04:59 PM

Justin Time

12-27-06, 07:37 PM

Well, I decided to try another one. This one seems to have all of the problems that others have noticed. For example: the fan is noisy, it starts off quite but after 10 min. it makes a noise either from the fan pushing air out of the vents or maybe a loud hard drive? The D unit I tried didn't do this. I also, had to unplug it a few times because the unit locked up. The super, super fast foward problem. Wow! it's worse than my Lite on. I tape an hour show and on the second FF it went through the whole video in like 1 or 2 seconds. I couldn't even react fast enough and it was done. The remote is bad. Editing is almost impossible. I hit the button thinking it will edit but find out that the machine didn't pick up signal and have to start all over again. Problem is this seems to be the end of the line for this year so I might keep it.

So, here's a problem that bothers me. Say you tape a 30 minute program but in that 30 mins there is a lot of editing. Say it's like 10 cuts in the video you have to make. Well, after you reach a certain number (let's say it can only handle 10 edits in a program) then the 11th one turns the edit bar from lite and dark blue (kept parts and deleted parts) to a bar that is all blue. So, I edit and everything looks o.k., I edit one too many than what the machine want and the whole bar turns dark blue and you can't edit anymore. So, then I take that say 30 min video and split the file into two 15 min. parts. Then you go to the "segment" section again and there is all of your segment parts still there.

If I tape a 30 min. show say but have to do a lot of editing I don't want to cut it into two 15 min parts. I want the whole 30 min show. I think I remember someone saying to skip the first edit past 1 hour and then go back and edit that part after you are done but this isn't even one hour. This happens if you go past the number of edit points the machine is set up for. So, for example, if you tape 5 mins of a music video but have to do 10 edits on that 5 minute video after you make your 11th segment. It won't let you, the segment bar turns dark blue and you can't segment any more.

Anyone know how to get more, or past, the set number of segment edit points you are allowed to do on this machine?

Also, I seem to get bright "peaks" in the video using my component input. Things look alright then for a second I get a bright peak in the video and then it goes back down to normal. Anyone else get this problem?

Bill R (# 2)

12-27-06, 07:43 PM

You are right the recording times are not exact as to what will fit on a DVD disc.

You should see this:

HQ 01:01:36

SP 02:04:38

SP+ 02:24:12

LP 02:53:20

EP 03:59:16

SLP 06:00:58

This is what you can fit on a DVD in the various quality modes. It can be helpful to be aware of this.

I just tried it on some no-name 8x +R discs that I had. Here are the results:

HQ 01:03:06

SP 02:07:40

SP+ 02:27:43

LP 02:57:32

EP 04:05:04

SLP 06:09:45

nextoo

12-27-06, 07:48 PM

Well, I decided to try another one. This one seems to have all of the problems that other have noticed. For example: the fan is noisy, it starts off quite but after 10 min. it makes a noise either from the fan pushing air out of the vents or maybe a loud hard drive? The D unit I tried didn't do this. I also, had to unplug it a few times because the unit locked up. The remote is bad. Editing is almost impossible. I hit the button thinking it will edit but find out that the machine didn't pick up signal and have to start all over again. Problem is this seems to be the end of the line for this year so I might keep it.

So, here's a problem that bothers me. Say you tape a 30 minute program but in that 30 mins there is a lot of editing. Say it's like 10 cuts in the video you have to make. Well, after you reach a certain number (let's say it can only handle 10 edits in a program) then the 11th one turns the edit bar from lite and dark blue (kept parts and deleted parts) to a bar that is all blue. So, I edit and everything looks o.k., I edit one too many than what the machine want and the whole bar turns dark blue and you can't edit anymore. So, then I take that say 30 min video and split the file into two 15 min. parts. Then you go to the "segment" section again and there is all of your segment parts still there.

If I tape a 30 min. show say but have to do a lot of editing I don't want to cut it into two 15 min parts. I want the whole 30 min show. I think I remember someone saying to skip the first edit past 1 hour and then go back and edit that part after you are done but this isn't even one hour. This happens if you go past the number of edit points the machine is set up for. So, for example, if you tape 5 mins of a music video but have to do 10 edits on that 5 minute video after you make your 11th segment. It won't let you, the segment bar turns dark blue and you can't segment any more.

Anyone know how to get more, or past, the set number of segment edit points you are allowed to do on this machine?

Also, I seem to get bright "peaks" in the video using my component input. Things look alright then for a second I get a bright peak in the video and then it goes back down to normal. Anyone else get this problem?

I believe the maximum number of edits in any one recording is 14 (maybe 13 I don't remember). I was the one who posted about the going past the hour stuff and it turned out to be wrong.

If you plan on doing a lot of editing you have to seriously consider doing the remote fix or getting a universal learning remote. I find editing to be very easy with a responsive remote - but editing is mentioned often as a weak point of the unit. If editing is your main focus the Polaroid may not be right for you.

Justin Time

12-27-06, 09:15 PM

Oh, I didn't know that the hour trick didn't work. I must have missed that post. I also didn't know that it only does about 14 edits per video. I have Pioneer and Panasonic for recording and editing good stuff but I wanted a cheap workhose unit so that I can save my Pioneer and Panasonic burners from being used every day. I was going to give them a break and put tons of stuff on the Polaroid but it stinks to find out about how hard it is to edit with that bad remote and how you only get a very small about of edit points allowed.

tclobaugh

12-28-06, 11:03 AM

I too have the polaroid DRM-2001G. My daughter got a little leaps game system that needs to communicate w/ the dvd. I tried using the codes in the manual for Polaroid, and none of them worked. I ended up calling Polaroid and was told that the DRM-2001G has NO CODES that can be used with it. So you cannot use a device like little leaps or any universal remote with the recorder as there are no codes. Needless to say, I was pretty upset and I think Polaroid will get a scathing letter from me. I just wasted about 3 hours trying and retrying these codes all for nothing.
I've used the Sony VL600 (about $25 from WalMart or elsewhere) and have been extremely happy with it. This remote will not automatically setup to use the Polaroid, but it is a learning remote and you can teach all of your keys from the Polaroid to the Sony. The hardest part is figuring out where to map all the keys. It took me about 30 minutes to plan and execute and now I have a very nice remote, that also controls all my other components quite well.

If you don't want to use a learning remote, then I think there are only two options for you: 1) The remote hack where you replace the IR light in the remote with a stronger one. 2) The Harmony remote might work (Has anyone tried to control the Polaroid with a Harmony?). Harmony remotes start at ~$100.

NorthJersey

12-28-06, 11:17 AM

nextoo

12-28-06, 11:20 AM

does the yesdvd option work when creating a dvd(+r) from the hdd ? I didn't seem to get the YesDVD option that the manual says would appear, when I was done writing to the dvd. I did go into the YesDVD option in the setup menu, and only set the music video part to no. Did I miss something ?

I have never done a yesdvd but it was posted earlier in the thread that you have to record directly to the +R (will not work when from the HDD). I'm not sure if this works when recording direcly to a -R but it should when using +R.

NorthJersey

12-28-06, 11:23 AM

No longer listed on wally.com. This might mean its the end of the line. You will have to search around in the walmart stores for lingering stock. If your adventurous like me (ie. stupid), you could pick it up used off of eslay. I bought 2 this way cheap. But like they always say...."You get what you pay for!"

Good luck and keep us posted.

If you do go the product page for this unit on the Polaroid site, and click the option to find where to purchase it, it says only Walmart sells it. There is no mention on the product page that it is discontinued. Maybe Walmart pulled it from their page because it is not expecting a new shipment until January (I thought I read that here).

Anyhow, Tuesday night, I called 5 different Walmarts in my area, asking for the Electronics dept. One store, the only Super Walmart in my area, had no idea what I was asking for; 3 others said they didn't have anymore Polaroids; while the last one, which I returned my unit at yesterday, had 3 left, but 2 were "b" units, and 1x H. So your best bet is to call around and find out if they have them, to save yourself a trip.

tockcc

12-28-06, 03:04 PM

There are no DVD players or recorders for sale anymore on Polaroid site except portable ones. I found one Walmart with one left and it had been opened and probably returned but I can return it in 90 days if it doesn't work. This is my second unit. I am going to hook one to my Cband Satellite and one is hooked to my Starchoice Canadian system.
Haven't figured out how to keep the remote from working both at once yet.

tockcc

12-28-06, 06:43 PM

I had the fast forward problem when I recorded from the hard disc to a DVD but when I rerecorded it to a YES video the YES video worked normal in fast forward.

Domle

12-28-06, 07:37 PM

No Polaroid units in my area. I called all stores within a 15 mile radius and no luck. I ended up picking up an open box Panny DMR-ES25 at CC for $150. sigh.

DLSDO

12-29-06, 10:51 AM

Few questions.......

1.) After segmenting out commercials can you erase them from the HD?

2.) Does anyone have a "B" unit that passes the 1080 signal via component when the unit is off? Earlier posts suggested otherwise but were the problems related to the polaroid or a particular STB! This is an important distinction as stock is starting to dwindle and this is one of the best features of the polaroid IMHO and people should know if its an absolute no go with all earlier units. I have 2 "G" units that pass the signal.

tclobaugh

12-29-06, 01:24 PM

The 5800H is a new product that showed up at Wally World that might be of interest to a few out there. It's a combination of a Phillips DVR (similar to the Polaroid on paper) and HTIB system together. Let me tell my story, then I'll give my first impressions after setting up.

I returned my Polaroid which I loved except for the DVD drive which started out loading slow and then died after 6 weeks. I was set to get another, but was forced to take store credit because they were out (common story these days, it seems). I was also in the market for a low end HTIB (don't preach - it's for a small room and I'm on an extremely tight budget) to replace the old Sony HTIB that stopped working. I saw the model online for $398, and considered it, but decided to wait as it was out of stock, and I wanted to research it a little. (I had about $150 to spend on a HTIB after buying a Polaroid.) Then my wife saw it while shopping and said it was $350 in the store. That was it - I went down and got it (the last one). In the end I spent $125 extra to get a DVR similar to the Polaroid and an HTIB. I was pleased, and I'm under budget.

I set up the system last night, and while I found some major drawbacks that I wasn't expecting, I still think it will work for me.

The system is not a new integrated system but just a DVR and HTIB packaged and sold together. This was probably the biggest disappointment, as I was hoping for some integration that made the unit a little easier to navigate for the wife (her biggest complaint about the Polaroid was everything she had to remember to get the VCR to play, or the DVD, etc. I may have to break down and get a Harmony). The first, and biggest clue, that these are not integrated is the fact that there are 2 remotes, and neither will act as a universal to control the other unit. (I can't believe they didn't at least include a remote that could control both).

The components are a Phillips DVDR-3350H/37 and a Phillips HTR5000.

The HTR5000 is what I expected from a low end HTIB. I haven't really put it through it's paces yet, so I can't comment on it's sound, just the connectivity. It's a 5.1 system. Inputs are decent, with 6 channel In , Coaxial In, Optical In and Analog Audio In x2. So I end up able to connect 5 external devices (provided they have the correct connection types.) This works for me as I have the DVR (coax), Cable (Optical In) and a VCR (Analog) to connect. Outputs (other than the speakers) are Coaxial Out and Analog Out. It also has a built in AM/FM tuner. It has Dolby Pro, DTS, etc. I'll have to get back to you on how it sounds. I listened long enough last night to satisfy myself that everything was connected and that it sounded fine, which it did.

Now on to the DVR, which is fairly similar to the Polaroid (which is why I posted in this thread). I'm not familiar with the Phillips DVRD3455H other than what I've heard here about it being very close to the Polaroid. After playing around with the 3350, and then reading the manual on the 3455, I can tell you that these 2 models are VERY close. The main differences between the 2 are that the 3455 has 80 gig more HD space, a USB port, and YES Video. I didn't have, or didn't use these with the Polaroid so I didn't really care.

Differences between the Polaroid and the Phillips. Things the Phillips has that the Polaroid does not:

VCR+ (which might be nice).
Stereo tuner (can anyone confirm this?)
DivX 3.11/4.x/5.x playback
The TimeShift Buffer is longer (I forget how much)

Things from the Polaroid that I found myself missing with the Phillips:

Less options on the setup menus (Close Caption default, input source default, timeshift on/off default) The input source is annoying because I mostly watch through cable, which is the EXT in, but the default input source is the Tuner, and I always have to switch it back
Number/Type of inputs (Phillips has 2 Analog, S-video and DV. Polaroid has 2 Component, 1 Analog, S-video and DV) The loss of both Component inputs would be a deal breaker for many systems. For me, I don't need, but find it an annoying omission

Other things - The remote looks very similar but is much more responsive that my Polaroid one. It is not the same remote, because my universal that I programmed to control the Polaroid does nothing on the Phillips. (Guess I need to relearn my remote).

That's it for now. If anyone is looking at this model and has questions, let me know and I'll see if I can help you out. I'll try to post back with any new insights I get from using it more.

In the end - I don't think there is much of a market around here for this model, as most of you likely don't need or want the HTIB, and many others would not go without component inputs. But if it works for me, it might work for others. If it meets your needs, you can't beat the price.

FullOnShred

12-29-06, 02:01 PM

Specs for your unit. apparently only has an 80gb HDD??

With integrated HDD & DVD Recorder
Record your favorite TV programs in digital quality and play any movie format including DivX with full surround sound on this complete and unique HDD & DVD Recorder Home Theater System.

HDD/DVD Recorder Home Theater
HTS5800H/37
Multi-format Movies with DivX
Music: Windows Media™ Audio
Flex Time

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+ Product Support
+ Features: Specifications:

Picture/Display
A/D converter : 10 bit, 54 MHz
D/A converter : 10 bit, 54 MHz
Picture enhancement : Progressive Scan

Sound
A/D converter : 24 bit, 96 kHz
D/A converter : 24 bit, 96 kHz (Recorder) 24 bit, 192kHz (Receiver)
Frequency response : 150 - 20 000 Hz
Output power (RMS) : (4 x 115 + 2 x 120) W
Signal to noise ratio : >60 dB
Sound Enhancement : Class "D" Digital Amplifier, Treble and Bass Control
Sound System : Dolby Digital, Dolby Prologic II, DTS
Total Output Power : 700 W

Loudspeakers
Center freq range : 140-20000 Hz
Center Speaker : Magnetically shielded
Center speaker drivers : 2x 3" full range woofers, 1" conical dome tweeter
Center speaker impedance : 3 ohm
Satellite Speaker : Magnetically shielded front
Satellite speaker drivers : 3" full range woofer, 1" conical dome tweeter
Satellite speaker freq range : 140-20000 Hz
Satellite speaker impedance : 3 ohm
Subwoofer driver : 6.5" wOOx passive radiator
Subwoofer freq range : 40-140 Hz
Subwoofer impedance : 3 ohm
Subwoofer type : Passive

Video Playback
Compression formats : DivX 3.11, DivX 4.x, DivX 5.x, MPEG1, MPEG2
Playback Media : CD-R/CD-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, DVD-Video, Video CD/SVCD
Video disc playback system : NTSC, PAL

Video Recording
Audio compression : Dolby Digital
Compression formats : MPEG2
Recording enhancements : Auto Chapter Marking, Chapter Marker Insertion, Divide, Erase, Manual Chapter Marking
Recording Media : DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW
Recording Modes : High Quality (HQ), Standard Play (SP), Standard Play Plus (SPP), Long Play (LP), Extended Play (EP), Super Long Play (SLP)
Recording system : NTSC

Audio Playback
Compression format : Dolby Digital, MP3, MPEG2 Multichannel, PCM, WMA
Playback Media : Audio CD, CD-R/RW

Still Picture Playback
Picture compression format : JPEG
Picture enhancement : Slideshow with MP3 playback, Zoom
Playback Media : DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD-R/RW

Storage Media
Hard Disk Capacity : 80 GB
HDD recording enhancements : FlexTime, Instant Replay, Pause Live TV

Tuner/Reception/Transmission
No. of preset Audio Channels : 40
Tuner Bands : AM, FM
TV system : NTSC

Connectivity
Front / Side connections : Audio L/R in, i.LINK DV in (IEEE1394, 4-pin), S-video in, Video in
Other connections : Analog audio Left/Right in, Analog audio Left/Right out 2x, ComponentVideo out Progressive, Composite video (CVBS) input, Composite video (CVBS) out, Digital coaxial out, RF antenna in / TV out
Rear Connections : 6-channel speaker terminals, AM/MW Antenna, Analog audio Left/Right in 2x, Analog audio Left/Right out, Click-Fit Multich Connectors, Digital coaxial in, Digital coaxial out, Digital optical in, FM Antenna

Accessories
Included Accessories : Audio Cable, Batteries for remote control, Coax digital audio cable, Quick start guide, Remote Control, User Manual, Audio/Video cable, Power cord

Dimensions
Product width : 435 mm
Product height : 65 mm
Product depth : 340 mm
Product weight : 4.3 kg
Set Width : 435 mm
Set Height : 53 mm
Set Depth : 359 mm
Set weight : 4 kg
Center Speaker Width : 220 mm
Center Speaker Height : 95 mm
Center Speaker Depth : 75 mm
Center Speaker Weight : 0.8 kg
Surround Speaker Width : 95 mm
Surround Speaker Height : 175 mm
Surround Speaker Depth : 65 mm
Surround speaker Weight : 0.76 kg
Subwoofer Width : 130 mm
Subwoofer Height : 340 mm
Subwoofer Depth : 360 mm
Subwoofer Weight : 5.11 kg

Power
Power supply : 120V, 60Hz
Standby power consumption : 3.5W

KPC3

12-29-06, 10:44 PM

ok guys - I grabbed this unit (F-model) as a present to me - I am not happy with the componet out to component into my Sony xbr. The picture does pass at 1080i with unit turned off, but the difference of 480i through my SA8300 direct to my xbr as opposed to through the polaroid is night and day. Any thoughts? (nextoo??) Do I need to run the coax straight to this unit for a half decent live recording from it's native tuner? Thanks guys!

redjr

12-30-06, 11:53 PM

DLSDO - great!

What do you mean by connecting in serial? Do you mean connecting them through the analog video/audio inputs/outputs? If you do there should be zero CP issues.

I connect my Toshiba RD-KX50 to the Polaroid. I use the Polaroid to convert component to s-video. My source is a SA8300HD cable box that only outputs full widescreen HD channels (at 480i) via its component outputs. This allows my Toshiba to record in full wide screen (no letterboxing) using its svideo inputs. I do this because my Toshiba sets the wide screen flag as an option. Plus the Toshiba offers a more sophisticated editing environment if I find the need.

The Polaroid does an excellent job of dishing a component video source around various parts of an entertainment system - via component, svideo, or composite outputs. And for the most part does this while the Polaroid is powered off too. This ability alone makes it worth the price for me.
nextoo,

Are you using the component-video out on the 8300HD to feed your HD display, or the HDMI port? I finally picked up the 2001G as a Christmas gift to myself and at first didn't have my STB set for 480i since I don't prefer to scale SD and found that the 2001G didn't like that setup. :( But, if you're using the HDMI port (as I was) c-video out won't work. Over the past several months I have found the quality of the HD signal from the 8300 via the HDMI port to be vastly superior to c-video. Just my preference I guess. :) And for sure c-video is the best input to the 2001G. So, I'm stumped on how best to configure my setup to use the 2001G in conjunction with the 8300 - feeding it the highest quality signal from my STB while also feeding my 1080p (Westy w3) display using HDMI. :confused:

BTW, how do you get full HD (1080i reso) signals to the 2001G? All I get on HD channels is sync garbage. SD channels work fine, but it's no-go on the HD channels. Do I turn all resos - except 480i - off at the STB instead of letting the 8300 pass them thru natively? And the 2001G will not downconvert HD signals. Correct? That's not a good option for me. :eek:

NorthJersey

12-31-06, 10:48 AM

can't answer for nextoo, but I only use component output from my sa8300, and therefore have the polaroid in between the cable box and tv. But remember, if you plugin an hdmi cable to the sa8300, it deactivates the component output on the box. So in your case, if you really like the hdmi output, you might be forced to disconnect the hdmi cable before turning the polaroid on.

For hd channels/recordings from the sa8300 to the polaroid, before I turn the recorder on, I see the picture format to fixed in the sa8300 settings' menu, then set it to 480i widescreen. Then I turn on the polaroid, and record to the unit (hdd or dvd). When viewed on the tv, the picture is a little skewed (left/right sides are pushed in a little), but when you play the dvd that's it been recorder to, it correctly shows up with the widescreen attribute (such as with using an upconverting dvd player).

nextoo

12-31-06, 12:23 PM

yes - when you move into the high def arena it is a pick your poison environment.

redjr - the Polaroid like all other recorders can only record at 480i. The SA 8300HD will output a high def channel via component in full widescreen at 480i. This is the advantage of the Polaroid when comparing it to many other popular recorders. Most do not have component inputs which makes recording full widescreen via component at 480i from a high def channel a non starter - impossible without introducing some sort of conversion device. Some people think they are recording widescreen via s-video with the SA8300HD (or similar) but what they are doing is expanding (zooming) the image with a severe loss in recording quality being the result - not good. Not to mention you lose a representative portion of the image by cutting parts of it off.

Also the Polaroid can pass through a high def signal via component when it is turned off. A very strange and unique feature but extremely welcome!

The SA8300HD disables component video output when using HDMI. So with these facts decisions can be made. Most do as NorthJersey suggests. I do. It offers the opportunity to accomplish something that is not possible with most other DVD recorders.

NorthJersey - I don't see the monitor wiggle you mention. Could it maybe be a television adjustment? When I first set up my Philips LCD I would see a bright green line on the side of the screen when using a couple of the inputs. A quick picture picture placement adjustment on the television fixed it.