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.
Thanks guys. Pretty much confirmed my suspicions. I may need to look into a scaler/pass-thru device like thebard uses. Anyway, I'll experiment a bit more before I decide if it's a keeper. I do like the hack-ability of the 2001G though. :)

Nextoo, you beat me to it!

Yes, this is correct; the feed to your recorder needs to be 480i.

I use a downconverting component scaler with a hidef passthrough option in my setup. This allows me to send the proper res & aspect ratio to the Polaroid and also acts as a splitter to send the original hidef signal to my tv. That way, I don't need to swicth settings on my stb, and by swicthing the tv input I can easily monitor my recording signal.

Aspect ratio is another thing to watch. Make sure your SD signal goes to the Polaroid as full-screen 4:3. Otherwise, depending on how your stb/recorder/tv are set up, pillar-bar sd signals may actually be sent to the recorder with the black bars as part of the recorded signal, introducing more resolution loss.
What scaler do you speak of here? Link?

Thanks.

What scaler do you speak of here? Link?

Thanks.

AVT-3190HD:

http://www.avtoolbox.com/avt3190.shtml

Basic scaler, pretty affordable, does pretty much one thing: downconverts HD resolutions via component to 480i component/s-vid/composite, with HD passthrough.

PQ manipulations include aspect ratio, zoom, pan, NTSC/PAL, & VERY basic color adjustment.

AVT-3190HD:

http://www.avtoolbox.com/avt3190.shtml

Basic scaler, pretty affordable, does pretty much one thing: downconverts HD resolutions via component to 480i component/s-vid/composite, with HD passthrough.

PQ manipulations include aspect ratio, zoom, pan, NTSC/PAL, & VERY basic color adjustment.
Thanks.

will Polaroid sill be selling DVD recorders by the end of 2007?

Absolutely the best feature of this budget unit IMHO!! Precisely why I bought 2 and am even able to feed through the polaroid into another recorder with better editing capabiilties and preserve the widescreen.



Is it true of all units? Is this true of the early production models??? Anyone have a "B" unit that passes hi def via component when the polaroid is off?


no good with the "B" units, as nextoo pointed out to me. They don't do passthrough of the signal when the recorder is off. That's why you need a unit with a serial # of "F" or greater. I have an "H" unit that's working great.

Did a search, but no hits.

I hook up my Canon Elura DV out to DV in on Polaroid and when I try to record to either the DVD or HDD, after four seconds, unit reports copy protected and stops recording, what gives?

Did a search, but no hits.

I hook up my Canon Elura DV out to DV in on Polaroid and when I try to record to either the DVD or HDD, after four seconds, unit reports copy protected and stops recording, what gives?

same thing happened when my son tried his canon elura using the dv front input. Shifted to composite in and worked fine.

I called Polaroid tech assist and got the standard gee wiz, never heard of that before and our guru will call you. No call. So there is a problem but how extensive, I do not know. At least with the canon.

I have a Samsung and have not had a problem with the DV input. The Polaroid remote worked with it and I had no problems recording. I'm not sure what is happening with the Canon.

I have a Samsung and have not had a problem with the DV input. The Polaroid remote worked with it and I had no problems recording. I'm not sure what is happening with the Canon.
Same here. I have a Sony TRV900 DV camcorder and the DV input on the Polaroid worked as expected. No problems. I only tried playback though, no recording from the Polaroid. I have a 'G' unit.

Thanks all.

I am at a loss. Composite does work, but whoopee :cool: . (No disrespect intended beekeeper, except maybe toward Polaroid)

The remote will control the camera, but the recording stops at the copy protect warning.

I am using Sony miniDV tapes and am wondering if the onboard cassette IC chip is the culprit or the Elura 65. I have altered camera setups all with the same result. I experience no problems using the Elura with any computer capture software or, dare I say, the ILO that got replaced with the Pol.

Lemme know which tape brands ya'll use, please.

Joatmon

Thanks all.

I am at a loss. Composite does work, but whoopee :cool: . (No disrespect intended beekeeper, except maybe toward Polaroid)

The remote will control the camera, but the recording stops at the copy protect warning.

I am using Sony miniDV tapes and am wondering if the onboard cassette IC chip is the culprit or the Elura 65. I have altered camera setups all with the same result. I experience no problems using the Elura with any computer capture software or, dare I say, the ILO that got replaced with the Pol.

Lemme know which tape brands ya'll use, please.

Joatmon

Exact same symptoms.

I will check to verify, but I think they were sony minidv tapes. If they are and if they are the problem then chalk another one up for sony and their death wish dance with copy protection.

The remote will control the camera, but the recording stops at the copy protect warning.

I am using Sony miniDV tapes and am wondering if the onboard cassette IC chip is the culprit or the Elura 65. I have altered camera setups all with the same result. I experience no problems using the Elura with any computer capture software or, dare I say, the ILO that got replaced with the Pol.
Just to eliminate the tape as the culprit, you could do a simple test:

Record a new tape in the camera with the lens cap on, just black screen, no stops...doesn't have to be all the way...then shoot enough scenes over the black (from the beginning) to tell if that makes any diff.

Recording black on a tape is called "striping" 'cause it adds a continuous "time code" for the recorder to read, so even stops with gaps have some time code to read, etc.

If the recorder gets thru the length you striped OK, then it's the tape, not the camera.

Can someone please tell me if this unit has a stereo or mono tuner ? Also the same question for the phillips that is similar to this polaroid model ...Thanks

Polaroid = mono. The Philips with the 160GB HDD is stereo i believe.

is this Philips DVDR3455H DVD 160 GB Hard Disk Recorder the same as Phillips DVDR3350H only bigger HD ?

Since both the DVD burner and hard drive are replaceable and there are no universal codes for the remote, I decided to get an extra remote just in case.
It got here (Canada) very fast and was shipped from a Canadian address, which surprised me since the Polaroid is only available from Walmart in the U.S.
I was disappointed though in that, if the new remote is any better than the first, I don't notice the difference.

Since both the DVD burner and hard drive are replaceable and there are no universal codes for the remote, I decided to get an extra remote just in case.
It got here (Canada) very fast and was shipped from a Canadian address, which surprised me since the Polaroid is only available from Walmart in the U.S.
I was disappointed though in that, if the new remote is any better than the first, I don't notice the difference.

Yes the OEM remotes are not very user friendly with the weak LED. The LED can be replaced which greatly improves things. I went a slightly different route by picking up a reasonable universal learning remote. It has a strong LED and the Polaroid is extremely responsive. Like night and day.

In the last couple of days, I've made a couple of DVD's in SP mode from 480i component source off of my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD cable box. The material was HD recordings on the 8300HD of Blade Runner and Beetlejuice, two of my favorite movies. I recorded first to the 2001G's harddrive, did minor editing, then to DVD-R's. The quality was amazing. The commercially available DVDs of these moives were among the first released when DVD was a new technology, and the transfers were awful; lots of noise, just ugly. (Yes, I know that a HD mastered DVD of Blade Runner is now available, but I'm waiting on the new cut available later this year.) Laserdiscs I have were just as good or better on my 50" plasma screen. The DVDs I made on the 2001G are FAR superior picture quality-wise to the commercial DVDs, and the mpeg matrixed sound is extremely good also, so good that I don't miss the Dolby 5.1 much. I played them back to back on my Oppo upconverting DVD player, converted to 720p.

I'd been worried about the 8300 crapping out and taking the movies with it, since the harddrive format is encrypted to that particular unit, and even another 8300 can't read the data. Having backups this good is fantastic, and I thank this forum for pointing me in the direction of the 2001G.

Now, if we could just get firmware that got rid of that recording symbol in the lower right corner of the screen when you have scheduled recordings...

Jon

I am new to the board and dvd recording, but have been looking into a DVD recorder with a hdd mainly to use as a VCR and occasionally burn some shows/sports. I saw this unit at the local Wal-Mart and just about bought it a few months ago but hadn't done much research at that point.

Well, after finding this board and reading a fair amount of the 44 pages of posts, I decided that if I could find one around here (Des Moines) I would get it. Well, lo and behold I stopped by wally world and saw a couple of these units left. I noticed that some people were having problems with certain shipments of these units with certain letters at the beginning of the serial # (bad, or i should say worse, remote and noisy fan, etc..). The units I saw were "F" units. The display unit had the fan on the back with an opening for it, however I am unsure whether the units in the box have the same fan.

So my question is, are the "F" units the ones with abnormally noisy fans and the worse remotes? I am tech savvy to the extent that I no how to hook things up and use them, however I am not a person who usually takes things apart and tries to mod them. So I would be less inclined to buy this unit if I would be getting the one with the noisy fan/bad remote. Or am I best off just buying one, bringing it home to see if it is one of the bad ones, and then taking advantage of wal marts generous return policy?

sorry for the long windedness of this post. i'm just a newb!

F is good. One of the later models. I have an F and it performs fine.

The earlier models, "B" for example are pretty good too. I think the one thing you lose with a B model is the pass through ability when the unit is powered off. And it is reported that the earlier models have a louder fan design. The earlier models have the fan grill on the back of the unit.

As far as remotes are concerned I don't think there are any great remotes out there regardless of build model. The earlier remotes are bad. The newer ones are not as bad. But this is not unique to the Polaroid. Remotes seem to be a common complaint with recorders and even players. Especially with what I would call the "more reasonable" brands.

If you are interested in the Polaroid I would not hesitate buying the "F" model.

None of the Polaroid remotes are great with the stock LED. If you can do minor, easy soldering, swapping the LED with the one from RadioShack (info early in this thread), offers a vast improvement. The remote is still poorly laid out, probably the worst I've seen. Get a learning remote (suggestions also in this thread), and you will be better off. I'd still do the LED mod for those occasions when you want to use the original.

Check the serial number on the display unit. I will bet that it is a B or C unit, not an F. I've heard nothing bad about the F units, and I believe they have the new fan location. Grab the F while you can.

Jon

jonlowe - complaints about PQ with the Polaroid are few and far between. And as you attest PQ is considered a strength of the Polaroid.

I do not believe there is a better combination when your source is the SA8300HD. Especially considering the component inputs, HDD, LSI Domino chipset and the ability to pass through a high def 1080i video when powered off. I believe it might be one of a kind. I have called the Polaroid "irreplaceable" when these features are considered.

Add to that the ability to replace the HDD and the burner as well as all the other unique features that have been reported.

Haven't heard from many who've used the YesDVD option, but I've used it create several DVD from hd movies (to 480i ws of course) from my sa8300hd. I like the chapter markers that it uses along with the initial menu screen it has. Of course, I play the dvd's on my zenith dvb318 player, which autoplays, so I never see the initial menu unless I actually press the menu button.

Gotta say, since I've gotten my "H" unit, this Polaroid's been great. In combo with the lightscribe drive on my hp computer to burn the picture on the top of the dvd, it makes a pretty professional dvd!

More undocumented "insane-unexpected-suprising-strange" Polaroid features are posted in this link.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9364911&&#post9364911

Thanks for the response. From what I read, I guessed that there weren't any "good" remotes, but as I am lazy (or cheap) I would like the lesser of 2 evils for the remote.

Anyone need me to pick one up for them? I saw 2 at one Wal-Mart and just a few weeks ago saw 2 or 3 at a different one. Wonder what these are going for on e-bay....

Just picked up another Polaroid. Its a "K" model. Hmmmm....time for testing

1) Pass 1080 when off?
2) Fan noise?
3) Swappable HDD?
4) PQ still great?
5) Firmware changes?
6) Remote issues?
7) Preserve the widescreen?

I haven't seen much in the thread specifically with "K" units in this regard. For those interested I will let you know!

My current Polaroid is working great but I want a backup just in case. I also plan to place the new Polaroid in another room and share my archived HDD's between rooms. My archived collection is growing large! I have the "Nextoo external HDD setup".

I had a "B" but got rid of it due to lack of passthrough.

Has anyone been able to get the HDD recognized and viewable on a PC? Nextoo and Dartman had limited success but have done the most as far as I am aware.

BTW.......Nextoo...Great info on another Polaroid anomaly....Thanks!

Great. Post about what you find out about the K.

I posted my firmware, etc. on my K model sometime back. Has passthru and internal quiet fan. Easy to make region free, DVD quality great, HDD the same, etc.

Jon


Just picked up another Polaroid. Its a "K" model. Hmmmm....time for testing

1) Pass 1080 when off?
2) Fan noise?
3) Swappable HDD?
4) PQ still great?
5) Firmware changes?
6) Remote issues?
7) Preserve the widescreen?

I haven't seen much in the thread specifically with "K" units in this regard. For those interested I will let you know!

My current Polaroid is working great but I want a backup just in case. I also plan to place the new Polaroid in another room and share my archived HDD's between rooms. My archived collection is growing large! I have the "Nextoo external HDD setup".

I had a "B" but got rid of it due to lack of passthrough.

Has anyone been able to get the HDD recognized and viewable on a PC? Nextoo and Dartman had limited success but have done the most as far as I am aware.

BTW.......Nextoo...Great info on another Polaroid anomaly....Thanks!

Thanks for the response. From what I read, I guessed that there weren't any "good" remotes, but as I am lazy (or cheap) I would like the lesser of 2 evils for the remote.

Anyone need me to pick one up for them? I saw 2 at one Wal-Mart and just a few weeks ago saw 2 or 3 at a different one. Wonder what these are going for on e-bay....

when I had my B unit for a short period, I noticed the remote was god aweful, like others have posted. The remote that came with my H unit is a lot more responsive

I purchased a K model for Christmas. I have since returned it to Walmart. It kept locking up on me. The fan was quiet and mounted inside not on the back. I couldn't test anything else because it would lock up after 5 min. After locking up I had to unplug it for 20 min. before it would come back on, then it would lock up again after 5 min.

I would think the new model with the digital tuner should be comming out soon, so I decided to wait for it. I would not be suprised if they announce it at CES in Vegas next week. All TV's, VCR's, and DVD Recorders must have digital tuners in them if mfg. after Mar 2007. They do not have to record in HDTV but they do have to tune in the HDTV channels, so they can down convert to record if they choose to. I would think a down converted HDTV signinal would be better quality than a analog siginal.

Sounds like a bad unit. Too bad. Did you have any thermal issues? Quite honestly mine has never really locked up during normal use. That I can recall.

I can force it to lock up if I turn it on without a HDD or burner installed. It keeps looking for them and will lock. I ran into this problem when I was testing different HDDs and burners. But that has been about it.

I posted my firmware, etc. on my K model sometime back. Has passthru and internal quiet fan. Easy to make region free, DVD quality great, HDD the same, etc.

Jon


Excellent!
Thanks

Has anybody figured out page 42 in the manual. I can't find the referenced screens anywhere on the Polaroid. Doesn't suprise me based on how the manual is written.

Also page 43 third paragraph says chapter editing is only available with +RW. That is wrong. It is available with +R +RW -R and -RW. I'm sure this is not news for most but I thought I'd post about the error in the manual.

I THINK that is a leftover page from an early draft of the manual. If you look at page 61 of the Philips DVDR3455H manual, it has similar items. Title, in the case of page 42, I think refers to the recorded DVD. You notice that page 42 lists "Overwrite Title" twice, so this obviously hadn't been edited well! There would be no reason I can think of to append a title to the HDD. And the definition of Append title doesn't even make sense. And "Add a new title" isn't even in the picture!
I don't think I would lose sleep over this one...

EDIT: Oops, I just realized that the online version of the maual is somewhat different than the printed copy I've got> Still don't know where this menu is though. END EDIT

I agree with the mistake on page 43. The only thing you can't do is erase the whole disc with + and - R discs.

This thing has a pretty steep learning curve, but once you start to figure things out, it begins to make sense in a sort of perverted way. The things it can do are pretty powerful. Too bad the manual sucks.

I wish Oppo had imported this. They have been constantly releasing firmware updates providing small improvements for their upconverting player, they LIKE feedback from their customers, and they thanked contributors that helped them rewrite their manual and made inputs on firmware changes needed.

Jon

Has anybody figured out page 42 in the manual. I can't find the referenced screens anywhere on the Polaroid. Doesn't suprise me based on how the manual is written.

Also page 43 third paragraph says chapter editing is only available with +RW. That is wrong. It is available with +R +RW -R and -RW. I'm sure this is not news for most but I thought I'd post about the error in the manual.

I have a "F" unit and mine is very noisy. I pressed down on the fan and noticed it was a little more quite. So, I put in a buffer between the case and the fan pushing the fan down more but it only helped a little bit. It starts up alright but after about 15 mins I get this hum that gets loud and stays. I can't tell if it's the fan pushing noise through the vents on the side or if I have a loud hard drive. Plus, I have extreme while levels when the picture it sees is white -- really, really, snowblind white. My unit locks up when I move something over to the hard drive and then go to the DVD part to watch or edit the video too. You know when you hit the "dvd" button and go into the dvd part of the unit. If I push play it freezes or locks up and I have to unplug the machine. Funny thing is that it didn't do that when I first got it. Same with the noise. That was good to -- until later that same night. The malfunctioning DVD part happened a week later. Also, when I try the "go to" button sometimes I get these blocks and it won't let me enter numbers to go to a certain time in the video.

Point is, I think every machine is different and I guess you would have to try an "F" or any unit to see if it works. I have problems with my "F." Others here love theirs and have no problem.

If this has been addressed in this thread already my apologizes... I did a quick search, but turned up nothing specifically about the time display format. Does the display always show the time in 24-hour format? Can't find anywhere in the setup that allows you to change it. BTW, I'm using manual time set. :)

If this has been addressed in this thread already my apologizes... I did a quick search, but turned up nothing specifically about the time display format. Does the display always show the time in 24-hour format? Can't find anywhere in the setup that allows you to change it. BTW, I'm using manual time set. :)

Military time - or the 24 hour clock is the default. No way to change it to a 12 hour AM/PM format.

Military time - or the 24 hour clock is the default. No way to change it to a 12 hour AM/PM format.
Thanks nextoo. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something somewhere! :)

A good way to solve the remote problem is to get a learing remote and customise all the comands into it. I have one made by Universal Remote Co.called an Automater. It holds 10 different devices and has an LCD screen where you can list functions that there is no key for. It also has Macros so you can make several functions to work with the push of one button.
This model I think is out of production but you can look at learning remotes at Universal remote Co.'s site and check reviews on many brands at Remote Central's site.

A good way to solve the remote problem is to get a learing remote and customise all the comands into it. I have one made by Universal Remote Co.called an Automater. It holds 10 different devices and has an LCD screen where you can list functions that there is no key for. It also has Macros so you can make several functions to work with the push of one button.
This model I think is out of production but you can look at learning remotes at Universal remote Co.'s site and check reviews on many brands at Remote Central's site.
I agree. I bought the URC 'Customizer' before the holidays to help with my collections of remotes that seems to grow every month! I found the URC-300 (Customizer) on sale at Amazon for a very reasonable price($$). It can control up to 16 devices and is programmable, and even has macro capability. Nice touch screen, and blu-ish backlight completes the package. I even bought the RF 'Expander' (at a discounted price too) for future use - complete with 8 IF blasters. I haven't finished swapping out all my remotes yet, but working towards moving everything to the 300 over time. It seems to work great and is plenty powerful. :) I did buy the LED today from the shack, just in case I decide to hack the remote in the future with a stronger infared LED.

Anyone here try the Logitech Harmony Remote toward that end? I saw them at Wally World for about $99 and wondered if they are any good.

Did you ever get a response to your question ? My burner died and I have the unit HDD maxed out with distance learning classes that I dont want to lose on the unit swap (warranty) with Polaroid.... Thanks, Alan

ok guys - I grabbed this unit (F-model) .....

Guys been working my way throught the threads and postings trying to find two answers that I need real bad.....

What model do I have and can I get a burner to replace my dead burner ?

Thanks. This is also a partial clarification about my previous post.

New to it all so thanks for the help and patience.

Alan

P.S. Is there any easier way to search just the Polaroid DRM-2001G hits for specific items ?

Yes you can use a different dvd burner. Work your way backwards from this post in this link:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9376547&&#post9376547

Guys been working my way throught the threads and postings trying to find two answers that I need real bad.....

What model do I have and can I get a burner to replace my dead burner ?

Thanks. This is also a partial clarification about my previous post.

New to it all so thanks for the help and patience.

Alan

P.S. Is there any easier way to search just the Polaroid DRM-2001G hits for specific items ?
nextoo and me are answering that q regarding the burners right now here:http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9376696#post9376696
may be that any will work if the region is set first.

model is determined by the letter on the serial number iirc.

Just picked up another Polaroid. Its a "K" model. Hmmmm....time for testing

1) Pass 1080 when off? YES
2) Fan noise? QUIET
3) Swappable HDD? YES
4) PQ still great? YES
5) Firmware changes? NONE
6) Remote issues? Actually a better remote. Works well from ~10ft
7) Preserve the widescreen? YES

Overall my new "K" unit functions good. The remote works fine unlike my older unit that I had to learn the art of soldering for. I externalized the HDD just like my other unit. Now my archived HDD collection can be shared from room to room.

In that my wife cannot see the excitement in all this...its nice to share the info with others that do! :)

I have a "F" unit and mine is very noisy. I pressed down on the fan and noticed it was a little more quite. So, I put in a buffer between the case and the fan pushing the fan down more but it only helped a little bit. It starts up alright but after about 15 mins I get this hum that gets loud and stays. I can't tell if it's the fan pushing noise through the vents on the side or if I have a loud hard drive.

You could disconnect the HDD & burner then power up the unit. That should indicate if the noise is fan or drive. You will have to unplug and reattach the IDEs to get it to boot up properly after the "test.

Plus, I have extreme while levels when the picture it sees is white -- really, really, snowblind white.

What is your setup and connections? eg STB-polaroid-TV by component

My unit locks up when I move something over to the hard drive and then go to the DVD part to watch or edit the video too. You know when you hit the "dvd" button and go into the dvd part of the unit. If I push play it freezes or locks up and I have to unplug the machine. Funny thing is that it didn't do that when I first got it. Same with the noise. That was good to -- until later that same night. The malfunctioning DVD part happened a week later. Also, when I try the "go to" button sometimes I get these blocks and it won't let me enter numbers to go to a certain time in the video.

This might be a defective unit. Returnable?

Point is, I think every machine is different and I guess you would have to try an "F" or any unit to see if it works. I have problems with my "F." Others here love theirs and have no problem.

I agree. Performance seems to vary across the board regardless of the unit but overall satisfaction with the polaroid seems to be good

I wish I could return for another but just like a lot of stores and the website they seem to be gone. For some reason I always seem to get the lemons. Some people are like that. Some get great stuff that last for years with no problems no matter what electronics they get and some have problems with every recorder or electronics they get. I even had a problem on the first day when I got my "D" unit and had to take that one back. Now, I find an "F" and that has problems too. My only choice right now is to either get rid of it for good and loose the good things about it or keep it and accept the bad problems that this unit is having.

If I ever take it apart again I have to see if it is the hard drive.

Right now I'm using the component as a transfer method from other recorders and Tivo as I'm using a SD cable box with no component output but the Polaroid does the same thing regardless of what component device I'm running into it.

I just lost my 5th out of 7th DVD disk with the Polaroid last night.

Here's what I noticed. If I transfer stuff but don't go to the DVD part until the end and then just finalize the disk then it is o.k. If I go to the DVD section then the first couple of video titles seem to be o.k. (can play, edit, etc,) sometimes. Then you go back to the DVD section to set up thumbnail, add chapters marks, or even push the play button somewhere and at some time (you don't know when it will happen) and the whole unit freezes. I then have to unplug and by doing that it destroys the disk. So, right now it looks like the only way I can be sure to have a DVD is to not edit on the disk, or even play the disk. Just move things over, go to the DVD section when I'm all done and finalize. That's not cool. You should be able to at least be able to play the video it moved over or set thumbnails so you know what the video is.

I am not going to be much help. I use my polaroids to archive from a Motorola HD DVR in one room and a TIVO in another. I have externalized my HDD's and move them from room to room. I burn very little on the Polaroid and any detailed editing gets done on the PC. Maybe one of the folks out there who utilize their polaroid for alot of burning and editing could chime in.

Spent over 1 hour on phone with 67 year old friend who just bought a 2001G and I couldn't figure out how to get him to do a TimeSlip.

I had the on-line manual (I don't own a 2001g, I have a Tosi 32) and frankly that timeshift page is unintelligible.

I figured you should be able to pause live TV with the push of a single button.

Also in relation to your observation about more intense "whites" from the polaroid. I notice this alittle on my 37" LCD connected stb-composite-Tivo-composite-polaroid-composite-LCD but even despite the cheap cables it still looks good. But no bright whites with HDDVR-component-polaroid-component-72" DLP setup in other room. So is the cause the composite vs. component cables or the LCD vs. DLP?

How long are you waiting before you unplug the unit? After you do editing it can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes to do the actual on-disk editing when you move from the editing menu. It seems to store the edits and do them all at once when you move to play or some other action that takes it out of editing mode. During this time, it does appear to freeze, although it says at the bottom of the screen that it is doing the edits.

Jon


<snip>
I just lost my 5th out of 7th DVD disk with the Polaroid last night.

Here's what I noticed. If I transfer stuff but don't go to the DVD part until the end and then just finalize the disk then it is o.k. If I go to the DVD section then the first couple of video titles seem to be o.k. (can play, edit, etc,) sometimes. Then you go back to the DVD section to set up thumbnail, add chapters marks, or even push the play button somewhere and at some time (you don't know when it will happen) and the whole unit freezes. I then have to unplug and by doing that it destroys the disk. So, right now it looks like the only way I can be sure to have a DVD is to not edit on the disk, or even play the disk. Just move things over, go to the DVD section when I'm all done and finalize. That's not cool. You should be able to at least be able to play the video it moved over or set thumbnails so you know what the video is.

How long are you waiting before you unplug the unit? After you do editing it can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes to do the actual on-disk editing when you move from the editing menu. It seems to store the edits and do them all at once when you move to play or some other action that takes it out of editing mode. During this time, it does appear to freeze, although it says at the bottom of the screen that it is doing the edits.

Jon
I agree with jonlowe. I thought I was having regular hang-ups until I just decided to wait it out. I now have very few.

I just discovered something else that I'm not sure is just coincidence.
The Polaroid was slow in response time when I was editing today. I did the usual and shut down and restarted. It was still slow to respond. I thought, what am I doing different than usual? The only thing I could think of was that the unit was on the tuner where I usually have it on Rear Input. I started up again and switched to Rear Input - immediately back to quick response time.
Coincidence??

Does having the time shift buffer on or off affect this? I default mine to off when powered on. Not sure just a thought.

Does having the time shift buffer on or off affect this? I default mine to off when powered on. Not sure just a thought.
That could be it. I never use the time shift so I checked what setting I'm on and the time shift is on.

Time shift buffer on means the Polaroid is continuously buffering (recording) video to the HDD. I turn mine off when not using time shift because I believe having it off is a lot easier on the HDD - it is not grinding away constantly recording. And with time shift off the Polaroid runs with less of a potential thermal issue. It will run cooler.

Not much in this thread about audio out settings...

Any thoughts about audio output settings.

Do you have dynamic range set on/off?

Which of the analog outputs do you use if your not using an optical output or 5.1?

Do you have LPCM set to 96 or 48k and whats the difference?

If you are using optical out then have you chosen Raw or LPCM and why?

Time shift buffer on means the Polaroid is continuously buffering (recording) video to the HDD. I turn mine off when not using time shift because I believe having it off is a lot easier on the HDD - it is not grinding away constantly recording. And with time shift off the Polaroid runs with less of a potential thermal issue. It will run cooler.
Thanks, great advice for me since I never use the time shift.
Time shift now off.

Dynamic range is there for when you are watching late at nite, and want to hear the dialog, but don't want to get blasted out and wake the neighbors when the special effects kick in. It allows you to still hear the dialog, but the difference between the sound level of the dialog and special effects is not so big.

There is only one set of analog outputs, so I don't understand the question. There are two digital outputs, one coax and one optical. Both carry the same signal, just in different formats. Some purists say the coax output is higher quality than the optical output, but others will argue all day long. Really doesn't make a difference.

If your receiver/amp can accept 96k, use it. Better sound for some non-movie recordings. AFAIK, all movies are 48k. older receivers can only take 48k.

The RAW or PCM setting is there for older receivers that only had Dolby Matrix/Surround (PCM) decoders, not Dolby Digital and /or DTS. CD's are also PCM. If you have a Dolby digital receiver and/or DTS, use RAW. That way your reciever decides what the input signal is and decodes it properly. ALWAYS use the digital out if your receiver can accept it. The 5.1 out is your second choice, two channel analog is last.

Jon

Not much in this thread about audio out settings...

Any thoughts about audio output settings.

Do you have dynamic range set on/off?

Which of the analog outputs do you use if your not using an optical output or 5.1?

Do you have LPCM set to 96 or 48k and whats the difference?

If you are using optical out then have you chosen Raw or LPCM and why?

Dynamic range is there for when you are watching late at nite, and want to hear the dialog, but don't want to get blasted out and wake the neighbors when the special effects kick in. It allows you to still hear the dialog, but the difference between the sound level of the dialog and special effects is not so big.

There is only one set of analog outputs, so I don't understand the question. There are two digital outputs, one coax and one optical. Both carry the same signal, just in different formats. Some purists say the coax output is higher quality than the optical output, but others will argue all day long. Really doesn't make a difference.

If your receiver/amp can accept 96k, use it. Better sound for some non-movie recordings. AFAIK, all movies are 48k. older receivers can only take 48k.

The RAW or PCM setting is there for older receivers that only had Dolby Matrix/Surround (PCM) decoders, not Dolby Digital and /or DTS. CD's are also PCM. If you have a Dolby digital receiver and/or DTS, use RAW. That way your reciever decides what the input signal is and decodes it properly. ALWAYS use the digital out if your receiver can accept it. The 5.1 out is your second choice, two channel analog is last.

Jon

So very helpful. Many thanks!!!!!!!!!

Since your so helpful I am going to go ahead and ask one more stupid question. Hopefully my last one for awhile and I hope it helps others....Well here it is...

Since the only input is 2ch analog then does the optical out output anything other than 2ch analog? I know the answer must be yes yet I am not entirely sure

If you watch pre-recorded DVDs (store bought) or DIVX (MPEG4) movies, they usually have more than two channel sound, either Dolby Digital or DTS. If you only use it for making DVD's, not watching them, then no, it won't make much difference if you only test watch the movies it made. I use digital out whenever possible, since it only requires one connection to my receiver.

Jon

So very helpful. Many thanks!!!!!!!!!

Since your so helpful I am going to go ahead and ask one more stupid question. Hopefully my last one for awhile and I hope it helps others....Well here it is...

Since the only input is 2ch analog then does the optical out output anything other than 2ch analog? I know the answer must be yes yet I am not entirely sure

Crystal clear. Thanks again

Anyone here try the Logitech Harmony Remote toward that end? I saw them at Wally World for about $99 and wondered if they are any good.

I finally got one after going through a series of "universal" remotes, including programmable. I think they are exceptional, as do most Harmony owners.

You might want to check the remote section of the forum and see all the features of the different harmonys.

You can get good deals on the remotes.

Just picked up another Polaroid. Its a "K" model. Hmmmm....time for testing

1) Pass 1080 when off?
2) Fan noise?
3) Swappable HDD?
4) PQ still great?
5) Firmware changes?
6) Remote issues?
7) Preserve the widescreen?

I haven't seen much in the thread specifically with "K" units in this regard. For those interested I will let you know!

My current Polaroid is working great but I want a backup just in case. I also plan to place the new Polaroid in another room and share my archived HDD's between rooms. My archived collection is growing large! I have the "Nextoo external HDD setup".

I had a "B" but got rid of it due to lack of passthrough.

Has anyone been able to get the HDD recognized and viewable on a PC? Nextoo and Dartman had limited success but have done the most as far as I am aware.

BTW.......Nextoo...Great info on another Polaroid anomaly....Thanks!


You ask "has anyone been able to get the HDD recognized and viewable on a PC?. I doubt you will be able. In digging around LSI's site and their use of the VxWorks my hunch is they have a proprietary file system format on this system. Just a hunch. If you look up VxWorks on wikipedia you will find it describes their offerning to the market place. Things mentioned are real time operating system and file system.

I'm looking for an easy, step by step way to properly set the 16:9 flag on widescreen DVDs authored on my Polaroid using the component input from my 8300HD. If I author on a DVD+RW, can I make the changes directly on the DVD or do I need to rip to my PC and fix it there, and recopy back? This is the ONLY thing I want to do, so my DVDs are compatible with 4:3 TVs. I can watch them ok on my 16:9 display, but they are sqeezed on 4:3 sets.

I've see general guides on this on the web, but I'm looking for something specific to the Polaroid unit.

Thanks!

Jon

I'm looking for an easy, step by step way to properly set the 16:9 flag on widescreen DVDs authored on my Polaroid using the component input from my 8300HD. If I author on a DVD+RW, can I make the changes directly on the DVD or do I need to rip to my PC and fix it there, and recopy back? This is the ONLY thing I want to do, so my DVDs are compatible with 4:3 TVs. I can watch them ok on my 16:9 display, but they are sqeezed on 4:3 sets.

I've see general guides on this on the web, but I'm looking for something specific to the Polaroid unit.

Thanks!

Jon

Try this:

http://www.dvdr-digest.com/articles/42_1.html

I'm not aware of anything specific to the Polaroid.

I've ordered the Sony VL600 remote. Are there any tips for setting it up specific to the Polaroid, i.e. key mapping, etc.?

I'm looking for an easy, step by step way to properly set the 16:9 flag on widescreen DVDs authored on my Polaroid using the component input from my 8300HD. If I author on a DVD+RW, can I make the changes directly on the DVD or do I need to rip to my PC and fix it there, and recopy back? This is the ONLY thing I want to do, so my DVDs are compatible with 4:3 TVs. I can watch them ok on my 16:9 display, but they are sqeezed on 4:3 sets.

I've see general guides on this on the web, but I'm looking for something specific to the Polaroid unit.

Thanks!

Jon

The Video Filter will allow you to do this, among other features.

Write me a PM and I can give you details.

I've looked into that, but they want over $150 for it. If it was a one trick pony that only put the flag in, and cost less than $75 shipped, I might be interested.

Jon

The Video Filter will allow you to do this, among other features.

Write me a PM and I can give you details.

I have a question I'm kind of worried about. I kept getting bad disks so I thought I would try an unformatted Seagate 250g hard drive. Well, it's in and it's upgradable. I have to wait and see if I have that problem I mentioned ealier. Oh, I found out the sound was not from the drive but the fan. Anyway, I'm worried that if I have to take out the drive in order to take this thing back I won't be able to get this hard drive (Seagate 250g) to look like a brand new unformated, clean drive, seeing how Polaroid thew all their formating and information crap all over this new drive. Has anyone ever taken out a drive in an recorder, made it look unformated and clean to windows and have have start out like a brand new hard drive?

I don't know where to begin? If I have to take out my brand new Seagate now with all kinds of Polaroid junk on it how would I clean it? I was going to:

1) put it in my computer and let windows xp format the drive if it sees it.
2) clear the free space on the drive using windows XP.
3) either run Fdisk and clear everything out using Fdisk and then try to set it up as a new hard drive. Then put it into the computer and let Win XP format and set the free space

or

4) Use the Seagate tools disk that came with it and try to unformat, and clean the disk with that.

Anyone got any ideas if this experiment I tried doesn't work out and I want my Seagate back for storage on my computer?

Try using Power Quest Partition Magic 8.0

Use the Seagate Tools to write zeros to the entire drive. I forget what the exact option will be named but that will do a low level format that restores it to the state you receive from mfg.

I guess Polaroid will not be introducing any new DVD recorders at CES ? Do they even have a booth there ?

I guess Polaroid will not be introducing any new DVD recorders at CES ? Do they even have a booth there ?

Yes they are there. Booth number is Central 13614.

Any new recorders for 2007? Maybe maybe not. DVD recorders I would consider more of an after thought.

You ask "has anyone been able to get the HDD recognized and viewable on a PC?. I doubt you will be able. In digging around LSI's site and their use of the VxWorks my hunch is they have a proprietary file system format on this system. Just a hunch. If you look up VxWorks on wikipedia you will find it describes their offerning to the market place. Things mentioned are real time operating system and file system.

Interesting. I agree. Everything I've used to look at the drives shows them as unallocated.

Yes, Polaroid does have a booth at CES and no, they did not introduce any new DVD recorders at CES.

Many vendor are getting out of the consumer DVD recorder market because of the requirement to have ATSC tuners in devices that have tuners. One of those vendors is Lite-On who will continue to make burners but not consumer recorders.

There are a lot of new DVD recorders coming on the market within the next few months. From the press releases that I have read some of the look very nice. I hope that they can perform as well as their press.

Yes, Polaroid does have a booth at CES and no, they did not introduce any new DVD recorders at CES.

Many vendor are getting out of the consumer DVD recorder market because of the requirement to have ATSC tuners in devices that have tuners. One of those vendors is Lite-On who will continue to make burners but not consumer recorders.

There are a lot of new DVD recorders coming on the market within the next few months. From the press releases that I have read some of the look very nice. I hope that they can perform as well as their press.

As far as I am concerned they are going to have to perform better than their press releases. I haven't seen anything that looks good. Has anybody seen a new HDD model introduced?

I did read on some other forum that there are some new HDD DVD recorders coming out but I haven't seen any official press releases on them yet.

Nextoo, I feel the same way you do. I would not buy a DVD recorder without a hard drive.

I did read on some other forum that there are some new HDD DVD recorders coming out but I haven't seen any official press releases on them yet.

Nextoo, I feel the same way you do. I would not buy a DVD recorder without a hard drive.

Add me to the list. While I might buy a super cheapo non-HDD model for VCR type duty, I want my main DVDR to have a nice big fat hard drive I can stuff full of whatever I want to. :D

Add me to the list. While I might buy a super cheapo non-HDD model for VCR type duty, I want my main DVDR to have a nice big fat hard drive I can stuff full of whatever I want to. :D

'Shred. Hang on to your HDD recorder. They are becomming rare!

Shoot, I hope I finds me another good one on clearance somewhere soon. I would take a Panny, a Pio 640, or another Philips if the price was right. If the Polaroid had a Stereo Tuner I would already have 2 of them. :D

Shoot, I hope I finds me another good one on clearance somewhere soon. I would take a Panny, a Pio 640, or another Philips if the price was right. If the Polaroid had a Stereo Tuner I would already have 2 of them. :D


Nobody can beat your price on your Philips! I remember. Keep it and enjoy.

hey shred, i'll sell ya my pio 640! LOL....i had a dream last night that i was being attacked by dvd recorders...lol.....i think that means i've researched these things wayyyyyy to much! :)

I thought you were taking it back??

Every time I see the Polaroid at WalMart it is hard for me to leave the store without buying it. Cool machine, very upgradeable. Would be a SLAM DUNK with a Stereo tuner.

Relax - they are gone.

i am taking it back, thats why i said i'd sell it to ya..hehehehe.....i still have it hooked up in my bedroom though, and no matter how i try, just cant get impressed with it...

i've gone back to walmart website twice and i just dont see the polaroid that everyone is talking about..maybe they arent available in my area...

Relax - they are gone.

Still got a few around here, or at least we did last week.

With regard to the remote issue: I received my Sony VL600 - easy to set up and it works great with everything but the Polaroid.
For some reason there is a delay, but only in the Polaroid's response. The TV, receiver, DVD player, DVR and VCR all work fine.
Is there some kind of adjustment on the Polaroid itself?

With regard to the remote issue: I received my Sony VL600 - easy to set up and it works great with everything but the Polaroid.
For some reason there is a delay, but only in the Polaroid's response. The TV, receiver, DVD player, DVR and VCR all work fine.
Is there some kind of adjustment on the Polaroid itself?

Strange. My VL600 works like I would expect with the Polaroid. Very responsive.

Did you use the learning function with any of the other components?

Forget previous post.
I tried the Polaroid original remote and it was doing the same thing. I did the old shut it off and turn it back on and everything speeded up back to normal.
Sorry.

I found a "D" model about two weeks ago (at a local WallyWorld). Bought it after being dissatified with a Philips component equipped unit. (The Philips had a sound synching problem).

The D has functioned fairly well except for the noted remote issue. I've made about 15 discs from TV and DVD. The color output seems poor to the TV it's connected to, but the discs look great when I play them on my other players!. And, no sound problems. :)

One of the discs is only readable in my Poloroid though. I also have a Panasonic, Sony, and GoVideo DVDPlayer. The disc that is unreadable I let run to the end. But, it's not the only one that I let do that. FYI: It automatically finalizes when time runs out. And, yes, this problem disc is finalized.

Because of this problem and because the output section (color) seems improvable, I went looking again. At another WallyWorld, I found two "K" models. So, I picked one of them up.

This is a long thread which I've skimmed thru. Any thoughts on what I should expect from the newer model. Should I get the 2yr warranty plan? I never get these but wonder about this technology. I also wonder what would be around to replace it -- if the Polaroid failed!

I want a component equipped model or nothing. Also, one of the discs looks like the contrast is wrong and/or changes. Is this a MacroVision issue? (It was created from another DVD). Are there any reasons the D could be better than the K model?

Gregg

BTW, A third store had a display unit left as well. So I've found one in every WalMart I've looked in!

What brand and type of discs were you using?

"Many vendor are getting out of the consumer DVD recorder market because of the requirement to have ATSC tuners in devices that have tuners. One of those vendors is Lite-On who will continue to make burners but not consumer recorders." end Quote

LiteOn's reason for getting out of the DVD settop recorders has nothing to do with the ATSC tuner requirement. It was made because they can't make any money on them . Walmart names what they will pay the vendors & if it's less then the price to make them too bad. In LiteOn's case people returned the DVD recorders because they couldn't figure out how to use them. I've got one of them and it works well and I don't see how it could be any easier to use. Well between the low selling prices & majors returns it just didn't make enough money to be worth doing.Walmart is so large they get pretty much what they want. Many companies make models special for Walmart. Such as the SV2000 & the Polaroid DVD recorder which were both made for and only sold at Walmart. Target for example has a major line of Polaroid TV's, VHS & DVD players but no DVD recorders Walmart got all of them.

What brand and type of discs were you using?

Maxell DVD-R (16x)

I know the "B" unit doesn't pass thru component in when it is turned off, but does the C model? I found a C as a display locally. I already have a K, but would like another.

Jon

Wow! This is one cool product. Wish I can afford it.

is this Philips DVDR3455H DVD 160 GB Hard Disk Recorder the same as Phillips DVDR3350H only bigger HD ?

I have the 3350 now and after reading about the 3455 around here and after reading the manuals for both I found some very subtle differences between the two. The big difference is the drive size. Otherwise, almost identical. Search for posts by me, I think I actually listed out these differences at one point, along with comparisons to the Polaroid.

I know the "B" unit doesn't pass thru component in when it is turned off, but does the C model? I found a C as a display locally. I already have a K, but would like another.

Jon

I cannot confirm the C unit, but my D unit will pass 1080i and 720p. Hope that helps you decide if you want to chance it. Certainly, it's returnable. And, you should expect a 10% discount for a floor model @ WalMart.

P.S. This is my 999th post. Does that mean my next one is free? :D

I found out yesterday you can record to the HDD at the same time you are watching a program previously recorded to the HDD.

I found out yesterday you can record to the HDD at the same time you are watching a program previously recorded to the HDD.

A nice feature.

General Question?
If you burn to disc from the hard drive then re-record back to the hard drive from the disc do you lose video quality?

WOW HUGE THREAD..... But lots of info.. Thx Guys.. :)

I've been very lucky. I'm a cheap bastard.. I was looking for a basic HDD recorder. I thought my best bet would be the ILO model, but never came across one at the right price. Finally I had to "settle" for the polaroid a couple months ago.. Ebay $100...

Very pleased so far. Remote works OK at best, though I will probably do the hack on it eventually.

A couple weeks ago I found a 2nd unit, buried under some junk at Walmart.. display model, no remote. It was discounted down to $100. With Wally's easy return policy, it was a no-brainer. Now I have a 2nd unit in the bedroom.

Basically I have 1 comment, and 1 question.

First, someone asked if Harmony remotes work with this unit. Mine works great :D

Now my question is: I am interested in upgrading the the HD in one of the units, what should I buy to get the most bang for the buck? Any models I should avoid?

BTW both recorders are "C" models..

Thanks a bunch

WOW HUGE THREAD..... But lots of info.. Thx Guys.. :)

I've been very lucky. I'm a cheap bastard.. I was looking for a basic HDD recorder. I thought my best bet would be the ILO model, but never came across one at the right price. Finally I had to "settle" for the polaroid a couple months ago.. Ebay $100...

Very pleased so far. Remote works OK at best, though I will probably do the hack on it eventually.

A couple weeks ago I found a 2nd unit, buried under some junk at Walmart.. display model, no remote. It was discounted down to $100. With Wally's easy return policy, it was a no-brainer. Now I have a 2nd unit in the bedroom.

Basically I have 1 comment, and 1 question.

First, someone asked if Harmony remotes work with this unit. Mine works great :D

Now my question is: I am interested in upgrading the the HD in one of the units, what should I buy to get the most bang for the buck? Any models I should avoid?

BTW both recorders are "C" models..

Thanks a bunch

Glad you like the unit. I also have 2. Have externalized both drives with the "Nextoo modification". This allows me the ability to move my archived HDDs from room to room.

What you need is the "modification" thread here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=736151

Glad you like the unit. I also have 2. Have externalized both drives with the "Nextoo modification". This allows me the ability to move my archived HDDs from room to room.

What you need is the "modification" thread here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=736151


I've got a couple of hard drives with enclosures that have a USB cable.
Has anyone tried an IDE to USB converter to use this with the Polaroid?

I've got a couple of hard drives with enclosures that have a USB cable.
Has anyone tried an IDE to USB converter to use this with the Polaroid?
I just tried this weekend with a enclosure and a dvdrw drive and had no luck. I still have to check what chipset the enclosure is running and see if one of my other enclosures might have a different chipset which might work. I also have a couple of the geeks usb/ide adaptors shipping to me and will check them when they arrive.

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.

I have also had trouble with DVD-Rs. But the problem hasn't been getting to the finalizing screen. They will finalize, but won't play on anything but the Polaroid. This is not true for all my -Rs because 3 of the six I've recorded work fine in other players. I used Maxell DVD-R (16x) discs. Maybe it's the brand?

I note the box and the glossary specify DVD+R discs, so I'm going to assume this is what the unit intends for writting support (even though it can READ minus Rs).

I also think the DVD-Rs that play on other players have lower quality. The resolution appears lower and their are more constrast errors. I suppose this could be attributed to the brand or the type of disc.

So far, I've yet to have an error using Sony DVD+Rs.

Note: my current unit is a D -- though I also picked up a K. But I haven't tried it yet.

Does anyone else have problems playing back burnt disks from the Polaroid? I know the video that I move over from hard drive doesn't work when I try the disk in other machines. Now, when I record video straight to the DVD itself (record to optical disk) that also doesn't play back on other machines. Does anyone else have problems with -R disks from the Polaroid? Does anyone else have playback or can't get a DVD to even playback from a Polaroid machine? I know mine is broken but I'm trying to figure out if these problems are happening a lot with the Polaroid. Are these machines messed up in regards to making and playing back DVD videos? I know this thing plays back "real" DVD made things (no VR stuff) but now I'm getting 100% errors and can't record anything to the Polaroid because after I finalize it won't play back anywhere. I even have probems with it reading in a computer. 99% won't, the 1% times that it does the VOB files have errors all over it and no software can re-author it. That to me sounds like a video information problem. If that's the case then tons of Polaroids should have the same problems seeing how they used the same information transfer and VR format in all the machines.

I just tried this weekend with a enclosure and a dvdrw drive and had no luck. I still have to check what chipset the enclosure is running and see if one of my other enclosures might have a different chipset which might work. I also have a couple of the geeks usb/ide adaptors shipping to me and will check them when they arrive.

I tried some USB connectors/adaptors in conjunction with a USB to IDE cable and had no luck. I think it has to remain an IDE connection when moving a HDD outside of the Polaroid.

Does anyone else have problems playing back burnt disks from the Polaroid? I know the video that I move over from hard drive doesn't work when I try the disk in other machines. Now, when I record video straight to the DVD itself (record to optical disk) that also doesn't play back on other machines. Does anyone else have problems with -R disks from the Polaroid? Does anyone else have playback or can't get a DVD to even playback from a Polaroid machine? I know mine is broken but I'm trying to figure out if these problems are happening a lot with the Polaroid. Are these machines messed up in regards to making and playing back DVD videos? I know this thing plays back "real" DVD made things (no VR stuff) but now I'm getting 100% errors and can't record anything to the Polaroid because after I finalize it won't play back anywhere. I even have probems with it reading in a computer. 99% won't, the 1% times that it does the VOB files have errors all over it and no software can re-author it. That to me sounds like a video information problem. If that's the case then tons of Polaroids should have the same problems seeing how they used the same information transfer and VR format in all the machines.

Justin, this is the exact same problem you had with your LiteOn. Are you using the same PC DVD drive to read the discs? Maybe this is the problem.

I mentioned before that it sounds like you may have a bad Polaroid. It happens. After over 13,000 posts in this thread I've read very few similar experiences.

There is the problem of FF over 2X on some players. It looks like after 2X the FF defaults to chapter marks. There have been some reports of problems with DVD-R media but the Polaroid does not list DVD-R as acceptable media. I personally have had no problems with -R but that could be because I bought the right brand.

I wish others would post because I'm sure I'm not the only one with one that does not display what you are experiencing.

I even have probems with it reading in a computer. 99% won't, the 1% times that it does the VOB files have errors all over it and no software can re-author it. That to me sounds like a video information problem. If that's the case then tons of Polaroids should have the same problems seeing how they used the same information transfer and VR format in all the machines.
99% of the discs not even reading implies to me some combination of bad media/bad burner. No matter how screwed up the video format as authored by the Polaroid, the data should be readable via file copy (drag and drop), that doesn't care about the contents of the files involved, only that they can be read. If they can't even be read, that is not a video format problem but a media/burner problem (bad media or good media burned by a bad burner). This is assuming that the reader involved isn't the problem.

As far as the 1% that can be read not being able to be re-authored, this is interesting. What software are you using? Nextoo, do you have TMPGEnc DVD Author (TDA)? I mention TDA because it's all I have that can re-author, and I don't have problems with any of the discs I record and TDA. If someone with both the Polaroid and TDA could try to read the video on a Polaroid-burned disc with TDA, we could get to the bottom of whether the Polaroid just makes out-of-standard discs or if Justin's problems are more isolated.

Does anyone else have problems playing back burnt disks from the Polaroid? I know the video that I move over from hard drive doesn't work when I try the disk in other machines. Now, when I record video straight to the DVD itself (record to optical disk) that also doesn't play back on other machines. Does anyone else have problems with -R disks from the Polaroid? Does anyone else have playback or can't get a DVD to even playback from a Polaroid machine? I know mine is broken but I'm trying to figure out if these problems are happening a lot with the Polaroid. Are these machines messed up in regards to making and playing back DVD videos? I know this thing plays back "real" DVD made things (no VR stuff) but now I'm getting 100% errors and can't record anything to the Polaroid because after I finalize it won't play back anywhere. I even have probems with it reading in a computer. 99% won't, the 1% times that it does the VOB files have errors all over it and no software can re-author it. That to me sounds like a video information problem. If that's the case then tons of Polaroids should have the same problems seeing how they used the same information transfer and VR format in all the machines.

Are you finalizing the disc? And if you are post exactly what you do to finalize the disc. Justin - I'm trying to help here. :)

99% of the discs not even reading implies to me some combination of bad media/bad burner. No matter how screwed up the video format as authored by the Polaroid, the data should be readable via file copy (drag and drop), that doesn't care about the contents of the files involved, only that they can be read. If they can't even be read, that is not a video format problem but a media/burner problem (bad media or good media burned by a bad burner). This is assuming that the reader involved isn't the problem.

As far as the 1% that can be read not being able to be re-authored, this is interesting. What software are you using? Nextoo, do you have TMPGEnc DVD Author (TDA)? I mention TDA because it's all I have that can re-author, and I don't have problems with any of the discs I record and TDA. If someone with both the Polaroid and TDA could try to read the video on a Polaroid-burned disc with TDA, we could get to the bottom of whether the Polaroid just makes out-of-standard discs or if Justin's problems are more isolated.

Very good points. And it does sound like media or the burner. What is confusing to me with Justin is that what he is experiencing is exactly what he reported with his LiteOn. That's the most perplexing variable. Same results with two different recorders over a space of time. Very odd in my mind.

With that being said. The Polaroid does use the +VR format when recording to disc. I have had no problems importing a burned disc to a PC. In my case I move the disc to the PC using DVD Decrypter. Probably overkill because there is nothing to "decrypt" but it does see the finalized disc and will move the disc in either file or ISO mode. Once on the PC HDD I have successfully run it through DVD Shrink (at 100%) with no problems. The result is a (or should be) a Video Mode compliant compilation. Granted I do not do this often but through testing am comfortable that it is not a problem. I have never tried to reauthor.

But the problem here seems to be a "read" issue with burned discs which brings me back to your suggestion of a media or a burner problem.

Does anyone else have problems playing back burnt disks from the Polaroid? I know the video that I move over from hard drive doesn't work when I try the disk in other machines. Now, when I record video straight to the DVD itself (record to optical disk) that also doesn't play back on other machines. Does anyone else have problems with -R disks from the Polaroid? Does anyone else have playback or can't get a DVD to even playback from a Polaroid machine? I know mine is broken but I'm trying to figure out if these problems are happening a lot with the Polaroid. Are these machines messed up in regards to making and playing back DVD videos? I know this thing plays back "real" DVD made things (no VR stuff) but now I'm getting 100% errors and can't record anything to the Polaroid because after I finalize it won't play back anywhere. I even have probems with it reading in a computer. 99% won't, the 1% times that it does the VOB files have errors all over it and no software can re-author it. That to me sounds like a video information problem. If that's the case then tons of Polaroids should have the same problems seeing how they used the same information transfer and VR format in all the machines.

One more stab at this.

I have been able to play "unfinalized" Polaroid discs on other +VR DVD recorders (-R and +R discs). And I have been able to record to "unfinalized" Polaroid discs on other brands of +VR DVD recorders. This sounds crazy but I have posted the results previously. Your 99% failure comment reminded me of this.

Burning to a disc does not mean that the disc is "finalized" for playback on other DVD players. I'm sure you are finalizing your discs but please post what you do to complete this process. This will help and eliminate the most obvious and simplest problem.

Yes, all disks are finalized. Either by letting the disk run to the end. The Polaroid finalizes on it's own -- you have no choice; or if some minutes are left I go to the DVD section, push the up arrow, and then right arrow to get a drop down menu. The 3rd choice (I think) is the "finalize disk" option and I choose that. After a minute or so, it finalizes and then go to the main menu. Then from there I push say the play button and the unit freezes. If I just take the disk out after that and put it in another machine it either does nothing or plays about 30 seconds and then freezes.

I had problems with my Lite on 5007 reading in a computer. The Lite on 5005 reads in a computer, I mean rips in a computer, but I get all kinds of packet errors. It happens with both of my computer burners.

I'm using both a Benq DQ60 and a Benq 1640. My Lite on 5005 is so bad that only one DVD+RW disk will work with it. All +R/-R and other +RW/-RW won't even format. Still, using that one DVD+RW disk with the Lite on I'm still able to get a disk filled and ripped to the computer. I then ISO a version out to another disk using the computer and that one works with all. Only the Polaroid won't read or rip either in a stand alone or computer burner.

As for software, I tried Tmpg DVD Author, DVD Shrink, Isobuster, Power Director, Mpeg Video Wizard, Clone DVD 2, and my main one DVD Decrypter. I have some trial big time software like Pinnacle but I haven't installed it yet.

I tried HP +R disks, Some Memorex -R disks, and Fuji -R disks so far. I have better quality Sony, older TDK and Verbatim disks but after loosing over 20 disks by now I don't want to waist those good disks on this machine. I'm saving those for the Pioneer and Panny machines.

The funny thing is that I have this problem with VR software like Lite on and Polaroid uses. I never had any problem reading or ripping things from Panasonic and Pioneer.

Sounds like the LiteOn 5005 problem is the burner. If you can ISO-copy a disc (which will make an identical copy including where on the disc each file is laid out), to the same media (brand/speed/etc.), and the copy plays well but the original doesn't, the only difference there is the burner.

For the Polaroid, I still haven't heard an answer to this one: can Polaroid-burned discs be "just read" on PC? Just drag and drop the folder(s) on the disc to somewhere on the PC's hard drive. No consideration for the what is in the files, this just tests the quality of the burn (media plus burner).

If such copies can be made with no problem, then bad burns can be ruled out and the blame starts to point to the video format. If on the other hand, such copies cannot be made without lots of retries, or worse, CRC errors, that points to the bits simply not getting on the disc well enough (media or burner at fault).

If media/burner can be ruled out, then it would be interesting to see the result of both Justin and someone else with a Polaroid, trying to rip a Polaroid-burned disc with the same software, specifically some software that Justin has not been able to successfully use to rip a Polaroid-burned disc. If such an experiment yields similar (negative) results on both sides, then Polaroids in general can be suspect, whereas if only Justin can't make it work, his specific unit would seem to be at fault.

Alright, I'm not 100% sure I followed what you mean. For example, did you mean a DVD+RW disk?

Anyway, I tried what you said, if I understand it right. I took one of my Polaroid made HP +R disks that did work. I opened the disk up and copied Video_RM and Video_TS files to the desktop. Everything was moving over. You could see the files and folders move over -- VTS_01_01.VOB, etc. Well, with about 5 minutes left until everything moved over it stopped. I got this error. "Cannot move VTS_01_2: The parameter is incorrect." Now, I don't know if that's because I didn't do it right like you wanted me too or if I need a ripping program to get the video off of the disk. From what I remember in other cases I wasn't able to just copy and paste video files off of disks. I need a ripping program like decrypter to do that. So, I think I read you post wrong and did something wrong.

Regardless, I'm not keeping this machine. I will either take it back for good or look to find another one somewhere.

Inability to do a simple copy of the files/folders on a home-buned DVD implies media/burner problems. Only Copy Protected (commercial) DVDs require something like DVD Decrypter to read them. Now this doesn't mean that there might also be a video format problem. Certainly the VIDEO_RM folder is not in the DVD (Video Mode) standard. But it's been suggested that it just contains extra information, and that a compliant Video Mode DVD can be burned just from what's in the VIDEO_TS folder.

Anyway, if you're returning the unit then getting to the bottom of it becomes less important.

Well, I would keep it but if there is something corrupt in the unit itself or maybe a bad burner (personally, I think corruption myself) then I guess I do have a bad machine and should get one that works alright if everyone else can burn video and play back the disks. I tried a different hard drive and that didn't work. I don't have spare burners around to experiment with so the only thing I could try is other media brands but it still shouldn't be this messed up trying three media brands already. By all rights you should be able to go to the store, gets some disks and they should work.

Justin, this is the exact same problem you had with your LiteOn. Are you using the same PC DVD drive to read the discs? Maybe this is the problem.

I mentioned before that it sounds like you may have a bad Polaroid. It happens. After over 13,000 posts in this thread I've read very few similar experiences.

There is the problem of FF over 2X on some players. It looks like after 2X the FF defaults to chapter marks. There have been some reports of problems with DVD-R media but the Polaroid does not list DVD-R as acceptable media. I personally have had no problems with -R but that could be because I bought the right brand.

I wish others would post because I'm sure I'm not the only one with one that does not display what you are experiencing.

The only media that the Polaroid has not played are finalized -RW (from my Panny es-20) and RAM but neither is on the list that the Polaroid can read anyway. It has no problems with -R, and that is not on the list.

I have easily ripped DVDs made on the Polaroid to my computer using NERO, DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter.

I have had no problems using a variety of disks, Fugi, Maxell, Playo, Verbatim, Ridata, Staples, and Taiyo Yuden.

As I have posted before, the Polaroid is an unbelievable general use recorder for the price.

Ditto!

Justin, Return that Polaroid and try anew. Good luck

Ditto!

Justin, Return that Polaroid and try anew. Good luck

Justin has had problems with the Polaroid since he bought it. I suggested the same. But then it was a different problem:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8836109&&#post8836109

And then this. Same problems as the LiteOn:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9084998&&#post9084998

And then here the Polaroid gets returned. But there was "one" disc burned. This is the first week of December:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9084998&&#post9084998

And it looks like second Polaroid shows up here. Disc problems? Two in a row. Actually 4 in a row if you include the LiteOns:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9288189&&#post9288189

And then this with the second unit. An F model. Same "blinding white" PQ problem that was a problem with the first Polaroid which was returned:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9378597&&#post9378597

Different models with different build dates. The D is a February build date and the F is a June build date I believe (when using the remote to display information).

But exact same problems? Problems never reported by other posters?

Strange. I wish I could help but without others posting with the same problems it makes it more difficult to narrow down.

All I can say is that Justin is a hard luck guy and it is time to return the second Polaroid.

edit - it looks like i screwed up one one of my links. But no matter.

It would be interesting to me to see if Justin could rip those DVDs on his computer using a different brand drive to read the discs. I had similar intermittant problems using a Liteon LDW-811s to read and burn the discs. Since I switched to an NEC ND3540a it works every time! Life is much easier when you use better equipment and media.

Yes, all disks are finalized. Either by letting the disk run to the end. The Polaroid finalizes on it's own -- you have no choice; or if some minutes are left I go to the DVD section, push the up arrow, and then right arrow to get a drop down menu. The 3rd choice (I think) is the "finalize disk" option and I choose that. After a minute or so, it finalizes and then go to the main menu. Then from there I push say the play button and the unit freezes. If I just take the disk out after that and put it in another machine it either does nothing or plays about 30 seconds and then freezes.

I had a similar problem with my "D" Polaroid. The symptoms were like you describe above! Except, they WILL play in the Polaroid, but then react as you describe in my other 3 players. (They lock up or only play for 30 seconds).

I tried HP +R disks, Some Memorex -R disks, and Fuji -R disks so far. I have better quality Sony, older TDK and Verbatim disks but after loosing over 20 disks by now I don't want to waist those good disks on this machine. I'm saving those for the Pioneer and Panny machines.

I tried Sony+R discs and that helped the problem (so far). The 3 Sony discs I've tried all worked! Prior to that, I was using Maxell-R and only 1/2 of them worked in other units. If you read the box and the manual literally, the unit does not even claim support of -R discs. I don't know why the HP+R disc didn't work -- maybe bad media?

I don't know why you consider the Sony's that expensive (and won't try them). I'm only paying about $.65 each for mine (without cases).

I know a poster here said this already but I talked to someone at Polaroid and he also said the the number has no meaning as to production date. So, if that's true then this model I have might be part of a bad lot. I only have a couple of days left to decide if I'm going to deal with Polaroid or dump all Polaroids and go Toshiba or Pioneer.

Yes, I did have problems with Lite on 5007. It won't format DVDs. Put in a firmware update and the unit decided to turn itself off in the middle of updating by itself. Unit gone.

The Lite 5005 refurb worked for a few months fine. Then one evening it started to grind as it was trying to read it's burnt DVDs. Now it too won't format anything new except for one Memorex 4x DVD+RW that I use.

The Polaroid has tons of problems as noted.

Thought I would toss out my results:

Burn from Polaroid to Sony +RW disc.

Copy files to Computer HD (no need to rip).

Open files using Tmpg DVD Author... edit, cut, make menus.

Open Tmpg DVD Author files in DVD Shrink to shrink 2 hour shows and create an ISO file to HD.

Burn ISO file with ImgBurn to Sony +R disc using a Lite-On DL burner.

Works so far. I had one Polaroid vob file that would not copy (redundancy error?)... I just re-burned the file from the Polaroid to a different disc and it worked fine.

Im just learning this stuff, but what I have learned is MEDIA is a big factor. Plus... no multi tasking while these programs are doing there stuff.

I'm able to record HQ 2 hour shows... split them on the Polaroid, burn to two discs and then merge them back together using Tmpg DVD Author. I was able to skip the DVD shrink and burn them to DVD-9 (Dual Layer) discs. Only have done one of these so far. DL discs are expensive and I'm tring to figure out what Im doing before doing more. :)

Ron

I'm able to record HQ 2 hour shows... split them on the Polaroid, burn to two discs and then merge them back together using Tmpg DVD Author. I was able to skip the DVD shrink and burn them to DVD-9 (Dual Layer) discs. Only have done one of these so far. DL discs are expensive and I'm tring to figure out what Im doing before doing more. :)

Ron

I commend you for your success with dual layer discs.

In my case this is why I like the externalized HDD. For the lazy and inept like me I just dump it on the HDDs and view it later. Certainly the benefit of your approach is a compact mobile disc that can be viewed anywhere. And probably the fun of creating the disc. But its alot of work I imagine. If I can get with the technology I will have to give it a try.

Kudos!

As I have posted before, the Polaroid is an unbelievable general use recorder for the price.

The Polaroid has tons of problems as noted.

Glad we have that straightened out! :rolleyes: :)

I commend you for your success with dual layer discs.

In my case this is why I like the externalized HDD. For the lazy and inept like me I just dump it on the HDDs and view it later. Certainly the benefit of your approach is a compact mobile disc that can be viewed anywhere. And probably the fun of creating the disc. But its alot of work I imagine. If I can get with the technology I will have to give it a try.

Kudos!

Well thank you. :) Only one under my belt so far. I've attempted 2... the second one failed, but I think I know what I did wrong. That's why I'm in learning mode now with +RW discs.

I agree with you on the "lot of work" thing. It really does take alot of time... each program has to do it's own thing. But it's worth it for me to keep the highest quality (HD originals) on certain "keepers".

External HD? Mmmmm.... yes, life would be good.

Ron

I had one Polaroid vob file that would not copy (redundancy error?)... I just re-burned the file from the Polaroid to a different disc and it worked fine.
That is the dreaded CRC error, meaning that the disc simply could not be read at that point, despite error checking/correcting. (CRC = Cyclic Redundancy Check, a form of error detection.) It means you have a bad burn at least at that point on the disc, assuming the reading drive is not the problem. Since you burned again and could read the second disc, that helps rule out the reading drive as the problem.

That is the dreaded CRC error, meaning that the disc simply could not be read at that point, despite error checking/correcting. (CRC = Cyclic Redundancy Check, a form of error detection.) It means you have a bad burn at least at that point on the disc, assuming the reading drive is not the problem. Since you burned again and could read the second disc, that helps rule out the reading drive as the problem.

But it doesn't rule out a media problem. A flaw or a fleck of dust. By the way I went back to a disc burned from the original Polaroid burner and did a simple copy/paste to my PC HDD and it copied with no problem. It was a -R so brand may come into play when using -R (probably with +R too as with most/all recorders regardless of format).

I think I might try finding 10 original Polaroid burns and do the same. See if all 10 make it or if there is a failure rate. Because I am now using the external burner I have set up (Sony) I think it is important to go back to discs burned with the Polaroid burner.

Although I do not do it much I have not yet seen a read error.

But it doesn't rule out a media problem.
That's right. To me, a "bad burn" means some combination of bad media and/or burner problems. It's difficult to know where among those two potential sources of the problem the actual source lies. By trying the same media in different burners, and/or different media in the same burner, you can get a better idea. A one-off media problem is especially tricky since other discs of the same brand/speed/type/etc. won't have the same one-off flaw. In that case reburning to a new disc and moving on (assuming the second burn succeeds) is about the best you can do (as ASOT did).

bobkart - yes it is tough to isolate. That's whay I'm going to give the 10 disc test a try. If I have a failure rate of 50% I would suspect the burner. But if all 10 copy with no problems I would not suspect the burner. Especially if I can find 10 that are of both -R and +R flavors and are of a couple different brands. I don't burn a lot but I think I can find enough.

But it doesn't rule out a media problem. A flaw or a fleck of dust. By the way I went back to a disc burned from the original Polaroid burner and did a simple copy/paste to my PC HDD and it copied with no problem. It was a -R so brand may come into play when using -R (probably with +R too as with most/all recorders regardless of format).

I think I might try finding 10 original Polaroid burns and do the same. See if all 10 make it or if there is a failure rate. Because I am now using the external burner I have set up (Sony) I think it is important to go back to discs burned with the Polaroid burner.

Although I do not do it much I have not yet seen a read error.

Thanks guys, this helps in my learning.

When I inspected the disc after the failure... I noticed some major smudges and some small scratches. It was a previously used +RW disc . I wiped it clean and tried again... no work. That's when I just re-burned from Polaroid to a new disc. Problem fixed.

I have copied around 10-15 DVD's to my HD and that was the only time I had a problem.


Now.... On a separate project, last night, I was on the final burn phase... burning to +RW... Got an error. Opppsss, I think I used that same DVD again. :( Lesson learned.... tag possible bad discs and check them later. :)


Thanks bobkart for the error message expaination.

Ron

Well here's my list of 10 for testing. Most lower end. Some the lowest of the low. All recorded around September with the Polaroid burner.

The list. A real torture test:

1 Starlogic -R (yes Starlogic) - cheaper than cheap. Princo I believe. The blank disc was at least 4 years old.

1 Verbatim -R 16x new

1 Kypermedia -R. This blank was also at least 4 years old. No speed rating.

1 Philips -R 16x new

2 Arita +R 4x. Again really old blanks. Probably more than 4 years old too - not sure. I never heard of Arita when I bought them. Still haven't. I think they were from Office Max.

1 Philips +R 16x - new

3 Office Max -R - new white label

Why all the garbage media? Because I was testing the Polaroid at the time (September) and was clearing out old media.

I'm going to do a simple copy/paste from the disc to my notebook PC HDD. Perhaps DVD Decrypter too which will report read errors.

I'll quote this post with the results.

No CRC errors.

If anybody would like the particulars please post. I snapped a few screen shots to verify. Only anamoly I noticed was that the Starlite created a bit of noise when moving the data but it completed fine with no errors.

Well here's my list of 10 for testing. Most lower end. Some the lowest of the low. All recorded around September with the Polaroid burner.

Perhaps DVD Decrypter too which will report read errors.

I'll quote this post with the results.

This will be interesting. Everything I've read says that your media is very important. All are saying to stick with the stuff made in Japan.

DVD Decryper? I will have to try this. After my error copying the disc to PC happened, I got to wondering if any other recordings from the Polaroid may be bad. I wouldn't know it until playback at some point?

I always playback the beginning of a newly burnt disc, however maybe I should be checking them with DVD Decryper?

Ron

Keep in mind that DVD Decrypter won't get around a CRC error. That problem is strictly between the disc and the reader (DVD drive), i.e. a hardware problem. A simple file copy (drag and drop VIDEO_TS folder) is sufficient to confirm absense of CRC errors (and thus readability of the disc for whatever purpose). Also, a borderline case may yield a CRC error one time and not the next.

Keep in mind that DVD Decrypter won't get around a CRC error. That problem is strictly between the disc and the reader (DVD drive), i.e. a hardware problem. A simple file copy (drag and drop VIDEO_TS folder) is sufficient to confirm absense of CRC errors (and thus readability of the disc for whatever purpose). Also, a borderline case may yield a CRC error one time and not the next.

Very true. DVD Decrypter just sits on top of Windows XP. The operating system of my notebook PC is XP Media Center. Which is what I am using for my test.

I am through 5 of the 10 discs. I decided to use DVD Decrypter for the test because if it sees a CRC error it will report it and will make additional attempts to read the disc. I think this is probably a better test because it does report errors and reports the number.

I have 5 more to go.

Keep in mind that DVD Decrypter won't get around a CRC error. That problem is strictly between the disc and the reader (DVD drive), i.e. a hardware problem. A simple file copy (drag and drop VIDEO_TS folder) is sufficient to confirm absense of CRC errors (and thus readability of the disc for whatever purpose). Also, a borderline case may yield a CRC error one time and not the next.

Duh... that makes sense. :)

So is there anyway of confirming your burn without watching the whole program? Or is this just the nature of the beast.

Also, has anybody used K-probe. From their website: "When you buy DVD Media you can quality test the stability of any DVD Media to determine if the media is any good after you burn them. The better the results (lower error rates) you have in Kprobe / K-probe, means that your discs will last longer and have a smaller chance of decay over time."

Ron

Well thank you. :) Only one under my belt so far. I've attempted 2... the second one failed, but I think I know what I did wrong. That's why I'm in learning mode now with +RW discs.

I agree with you on the "lot of work" thing. It really does take alot of time... each program has to do it's own thing. But it's worth it for me to keep the highest quality (HD originals) on certain "keepers".

External HD? Mmmmm.... yes, life would be good.

Ron

So...I really like the quality of reproduction of the high def material @ 480i at HQ.

I really havent crunched the numbers but...excluding the work to burn the double layer I wonder how cost compares?

Specifically...Is it more cost effective to use the factory HD and foot the cost of DL discs or is it more cost effective to purchase 250gb HDs. I have chosen the external HDD route simply due to my inherent laziness...........Hmm

Well here's my list of 10 for testing. Most lower end. Some the lowest of the low. All recorded around September with the Polaroid burner.

The list. A real torture test:

1 Starlogic -R (yes Starlogic) - cheaper than cheap. Princo I believe. The blank disc was at least 4 years old.

1 Verbatim -R 16x new

1 Kypermedia -R. This blank was also at least 4 years old. No speed rating.

1 Philips -R 16x new

2 Arita +R 4x. Again really old blanks. Probably more than 4 years old too - not sure. I never heard of Arita when I bought them. Still haven't. I think they were from Office Max.

1 Philips +R 16x - new

3 Office Max -R - new white label

Why all the garbage media? Because I was testing the Polaroid at the time (September) and was clearing out old media.

I'm going to do a simple copy/paste from the disc to my notebook PC HDD. Perhaps DVD Decrypter too which will report read errors.

I'll quote this post with the results.

No CRC errors.

If anybody would like the particulars please post. I snapped a few screen shots to verify. Only anamoly I noticed was that the Starlite created a bit of noise when moving the data but it completed fine with no errors.

Done. Finally. No read errors.

All 10 passed the test. But all this means is that the burner that was installed in my Polaroid works. Please post if you have had a different experience.

I have seen reports of a 99% failure rate. Please post.

Yes, the burner in question does seem to make readable burns on a wide variety of media, even no-name brands. Is that the stock burner that came with the Polaroid or an aftermarket model you swapped in?

Yes, the burner in question does seem to make readable burns on a wide variety of media, even no-name brands. Is that the stock burner that came with the Polaroid or an aftermarket model you swapped in?

Original stock burner.

The stock burner in those units is probably a Philips/BenQ crippled 1620 Id bet. My old 1600/1620 pr0 still does nice burns to a wide variety of disks so why not use one as a setops burner.
I couldn't tell what it was for sure when I opened mine because it's a loader based drive but my 1620 tried to work when I plugged it in. Didn't mess with it enough to figure out what would have gotten it working properly for sure. I had it set to use the WOPC and all the other smart burn features plus I think it was region unlocked so that might mess with it working too.
I mainly use mine as a overflow/second unit when my panny is busy at the same time now. with over 100 hours in next to best quality mode it has lots of space left :)

The stock burner in those units is probably a Philips/BenQ crippled 1620 Id bet. My old 1600/1620 pr0 still does nice burns to a wide variety of disks so why not use one as a setops burner.
I couldn't tell what it was for sure when I opened mine because it's a loader based drive but my 1620 tried to work when I plugged it in. Didn't mess with it enough to figure out what would have gotten it working properly for sure. I had it set to use the WOPC and all the other smart burn features plus I think it was region unlocked so that might mess with it working too.
I mainly use mine as a overflow/second unit when my panny is busy at the same time now. with over 100 hours in next to best quality mode it has lots of space left :)

Dartman returns! Hey Keith. Or is it Mr. Keith Richards? Regardless. Welcome back!

Just haven't had much to add to the discussion since I got one of the first ones and tore it apart a half hour after getting it :eek:
At least the editing is now easy with the high output led in place. I also tried that RCA they have too as you know but also a no go for me, no more mono tuners for this boy. Now if they get QAM capable tuners soon... :cool:

Guys, I'm excited to get this started. Just picked up the floor model with no manual and no remote, Wmart, 20% off the retail $219 (they wouldn't go lower, durn!). Can't get Dish, RCA, or Kenwood remotes to work using any codes I've dug up for Polaroid products, including their TV's, DVD's or VCR products. I see they're $14.99 from Polaroid - May callthem tomorrow and beg one and a manual for *free* if poss. Anyone have any codes they've input into uni-remotes that worked? Remember, I can't 'learn' any beacuase I don't have the remote. The durn unit is very useless without the remote.

The logitech 880 I got myself before X-mas will run it after you get the updates off their site, so probably their lesser remotes can get the codes too. Might be worth finding somebody who has one to teach a cheaper one that learns or try a cheaper version. I'm sure other new remotes can get the codes but I know mine works.

I'm confused about something. I was thinking about getting a Pioneer 640 if I take the Polaroid back and got info about something messed up with the Pioneer. I started to read some of the posts and there is talk about shows not being listed when you set up a show. Is that the problem mentioned to me about the Pioneer? If so, my older Pioneer 310 single disk machine does that. Some shows show up under the thumbnail. Most just have a date and speed info, some put the right show title in and some put the wrong show title in. Most I leave alone but the ones with the wrong show I change. If that's the big problem with the Pioneer then for me that's no problem at all since it's only a title and I've got that issue with my 310 and it doesn't bother me. Even if I had to enter a title before I could dub I wouldn't think that's a problem unless I have 30 titles to move over on a disk or something.

The problem I think you're referring to is where you create a Timer Recording entry and give it a name, but when the recording is made, the name you gave it doesn't get put on the recording. There is now a fix for this (see the "Want to Fix Pioneer Timer Record Name Problem" thread, or whatever it is called). Some people are waiting until they can buy a 640 with the fix already in place, since it's not clear that the fix can be applied without sending the unit in for repair. For me it's not a problem since I record that way infrequently enough that I can just wait until the recording is made to give it a name. I could see though, for people with lots of recurring timed recordings, how it would save time if the recording already had the name given once when the recurring timed recording was entered.

Hmmm, I see. Now I never add a title before a recording. I either let the thumbnail do the talking. For instance, if I record "Transporter" or something I look for the title to be shown and then make that the thumbnail. If I need to add a title it has always been after a show or something is done. I never even thought about making a recorder title before a show.

Does anyone know if the Pioneer 640 is still going to be made this year? If it is still going to be made then I could try another Polaroid now and wait until later in the year or Christmas for a Pioneer 640. I know it's their last model. I hope it is still here by the end of the year. I think Toshiba will still make some sort of recorder until their HD DVD format comes down in price. In the future I see Toshiba with HD DVD and Panasonic and Sony with Blu-Ray. Pioneer won't be around by then -- at least not with DVD HDD recorders.

My Toshiba RD-XS32 has just started shutting down to Record Pause when trying to record Showtime and Starz On Demand stuff.

This is a recent event. (Comcast in Pittsburgh)

HBO and other areas of On Demand still record for me.

I was just thinking that since the 2001 will put a prerecorded DVD onto the HD, maybe it will ignore On Demand signals?

Thanks
Tom

PS. Can anyone tell me what the name of the method used to tell my HDD to not copy?

I believe it's CGMS-A (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CGMS-A).

Thanks Bob, I think you're right.

I'm writing letters to the CEO's/Chairman of the Board's for any premium channel that enacts CGMS-A telling them that was the "in your face insult" that is forcing me to cancel their service. And further warn them that the market place is more competitive than ever and that they should not embrace Business Plans that will only work if words written on paper are enforced by the government.

Somewhere, I have a PlayWright, which was taken off the market because it completely reconstructed the DVI. While it is only Composite, with all the talk now that Composite can be better than SVHS, it may be my solution.

Is there any chance they are using VEIL? was VEIL ever adopted? (VEIL is a watermark that is detected and if no CGMS-A is detected, no copy is assumed.)

I've only ever heard of VEIL in passing references such as yours. So that's all I know about it, as in very little.

BobKart,

When I was reading up on CGMS-A, there were proposals to couple CGMS-A with VEIL for a 1-2 knockout punch! I guess the VEIL watermark couldn't handle the 8 flags that CGMS-A could set (8 by spec, 4 by practice).

....but it looks like my old SIMA SED-CM Video Copymaster won't do it. I have a PlayWright that I have to find.... it may possibly do it since it had the most sophisticated processing of completely rebuilding the DVI. But the Gorrilla Video Filter just sounds so nifty (!) - especially with the 16:9 and 4:3 switch (!)

I've been eying up a 2001 and have a Toshiba RD-XS32.

What is completely lacking anywhere AFAIK, is a popular website to list experiences trying a certain media in a certain recorder.

I don't think there is any such area on this web site unfortunately since I think this is one of the key sites for this kind of information (if I'm wrong, please educate me.)

Assuming I didn't miss anything and there is NO such area at this site, I would suggest www.videohelp.com as a candidate site for people everywhere to log there experiences.

The site is another prime site, however, their logging method is rather complicated since they ask for so much information on the media. In particular, the logging is done relative to media rather than recorder.

I have mentioned this to them, and they said they will be adding a simplified, intuitive method for logging media from a specific recorder page.

I think it is imperitive to have an up-to-date database of information given the compatibility issues regarding this stuff.

Regards
Tom

My Toshiba RD-XS32 has just started shutting down to Record Pause when trying to record Showtime and Starz On Demand stuff.

This is a recent event. (Comcast in Pittsburgh)

HBO and other areas of On Demand still record for me.

I was just thinking that since the 2001 will put a prerecorded DVD onto the HD, maybe it will ignore On Demand signals?

Thanks
Tom

PS. Can anyone tell me what the name of the method used to tell my HDD to not copy?

I have the same problem with my Toshiba RD-KX50 (it's a XS52 with a smaller HDD). It will not record certain premium channels and nothing On Demand.

I found when I placed the Polaroid between the Toshiba and the cable box and used the Polaroid to convert component to s-video to the Toshiba the copy protection went away.

The Polaroid will pass through a video signal when powered off. When powered off and passing an s-video signal to the Toshiba from the cable box the copy protection returned. When the Polaroid was powered on the CP to the Toshiba went away. So the Polaroid is doing something when powered on. It obviously doesn't see the CP flags from the cable box. And because of that has no CP flags to send the Toshiba.

Toshiba is hyper sensitive when it comes to false positives and CP. When using the Polaroid as I describe there are no problems.

I have the same problem with my Toshiba RD-KX50 (it's a XS52 with a smaller HDD). It will not record certain premium channels and nothing On Demand.

I found when I placed the Polaroid between the Toshiba and the cable box and used the Polaroid to convert component to s-video to the Toshiba the copy protection went away.

The Polaroid will pass through a video signal when powered off. When powered off and passing an s-video signal to the Toshiba from the cable box the copy protection returned. When the Polaroid was powered on the CP to the Toshiba went away. So the Polaroid is doing something when powered on. It obviously doesn't see the CP flags from the cable box. And because of that has no CP flags to send the Toshiba.

Toshiba is hyper sensitive when it comes to false positives and CP. When using the Polaroid as I describe there are no problems.

I am always very hesitant to ask questions so as to not appear too darn stupid and inflame you guys. I follow the threads closely but my knowledge base is limited. I have learned much from this site.

I understand the anomaly of the Polaroid. I also get how the Toshiba in series with a powered up Polaroid strips the CP. I am not sure I see the benefit though. My On-demand is not HD so @ 480i the reproduction is only ok. I really like the PQ of my high def down rezd but in this scenario CP is not really an issue. SD stuff looks only ok so I mainly record high def only. I suppose you could sent a commercial DVD through to the Toshiba but this could be done faster on a PC right? What am I missing? Or is it just an interesting observation with little practical application?

Again, sorry if its a dumb question.

I am always very hesitant to ask questions so as to not appear too darn stupid and inflame you guys. I follow the threads closely but my knowledge base is limited. I have learned much from this site.

I understand the anomaly of the Polaroid. I also get how the Toshiba in series with a powered up Polaroid strips the CP. I am not sure I see the benefit though. My On-demand is not HD so @ 480i the reproduction is only ok. I really like the PQ of my high def down rezd but in this scenario CP is not really an issue. SD stuff looks only ok so I mainly record high def only. I suppose you could sent a commercial DVD through to the Toshiba but this could be done faster on a PC right? What am I missing? Or is it just an interesting observation with little practical application?

Again, sorry if its a dumb question.

Great points. In this application (CP) don't look at the Polaroid as a component to s-video converter. Just as a CP filter. The "copy once" "copy never" flags are sent for both HD and SD content.

The Toshiba is known to have "false positives" which can be very fustrating. With the Polaroid used as a filter you don't have to worry about false positives (or the real flags for that matter) with either HD or SD content.

I think this could become more of a problem as cable companies move to a stricter implementation of the CP flags. I'm sure people will probably go out and purchase some sort of filter. They are sold now. Maybe $100 or so. With the Polaroid it is not needed. You have both a component to s-video converter and a "copy once" "copy never" filter for $220. Oh - and a HDD DVD recorder too. :)

Great points. In this application (CP) don't look at the Polaroid as a component to s-video converter. Just as a CP filter. The "copy once" "copy never" flags are sent for both HD and SD content.

The Toshiba is known to have "false positives" which can be very fustrating. With the Polaroid used as a filter you don't have to worry about false positives (or the real flags for that matter) with either HD or SD content.

I think this could become more of a problem as cable companies move to a stricter implementation of the CP flags. I'm sure people will probably go out and purchase some sort of filter. They are sold now. Maybe $100 or so. With the Polaroid it is not needed. You have both a component to s-video converter and a "copy once" "copy never" filter for $220. Oh - and a HDD DVD recorder too. :)

When I am archiving HBO-HD and Cinemax-HD movies I recorded on my HD-Moxi DVR to my Polaroid am I bypassing CP. In other words if I had a Toshiba in place of the Polaroid would it not allow this transfer? If so then the benefit I have recieved is huge but I was not aware. Hmm. Nice

When I am archiving HBO-HD and Cinemax-HD movies I recorded on my HD-Moxi DVR to my Polaroid am I bypassing CP. In other words if I had a Toshiba in place of the Polaroid would it not allow this transfer? If so then the benefit I have recieved is huge but I was not aware. Hmm. Nice

It depends.

First the cable company has to be sending a "copy once" or "copy never" flag. Some do. Some don't. But I think more will. If it is then in your case (knowing how you archive to HDD's) then your only problem would be if there was a "copy never" flag being sent. I believe you would be OK recording to your HDD if a "copy once" flag was being sent but you might have problems if you want to burn the recording to a disc at a later date. You may be allowed one copy to disc. I'm really not sure.

But again, with the Polaroid the flags are not seen.

And in your case more and more HD content will be moving to On Demand. You should be fine with the Polaroid if this content has a "copy never" flag.

Also a lot of the filters being sold do not handle component video. Based on how you record I believe the Polaroid was your only choice.

So...I really like the quality of reproduction of the high def material @ 480i at HQ.

I agree... the quality is very good. Sometimes I will record and burn a SD show for use on a 4x3 non HD tv, but mostly I archive HD programs @ 480i.

I really havent crunched the numbers but...excluding the work to burn the double layer I wonder how cost compares?

Specifically...Is it more cost effective to use the factory HD and foot the cost of DL discs or is it more cost effective to purchase 250gb HDs. I have chosen the external HDD route simply due to my inherent laziness...........Hmm

I must have missed something somewhere... Is it possible to add an external HD to the Polaroid? And then easily swap them as needed?

If so, then you can get roughly 34, HQ, 2-hr shows on a 250gig drive? ( I think my calculations are close) ( 250/7-8 gig per movie).

Not sure what HD's are going for. But a 250gig at around $150 will net you around $4.40 per movie. I think the last DL discs I bought were around $3 a piece?

Seems like a pretty close end result when you factor in the time involved with burning. ( at my rate anyway) :D

I use a Dish Network VIP622 that has a 300 Gig drive on it. It fills up fast with HD content. I bought the Polaroid to off-load from the Dish box. Dish is supposed to be coming out with a external HDD add on soon. Then life will be really good. Being able to save HD material will put a damper on my need to burn to disc. And forget the H-Def burning.... $17 for 1 HD disc at Staples??? :eek:

Ron

I agree... the quality is very good. Sometimes I will record and burn a SD show for use on a 4x3 non HD tv, but mostly I archive HD programs @ 480i.



I must have missed something somewhere... Is it possible to add an external HD to the Polaroid? And then easily swap them as needed?

If so, then you can get roughly 34, HQ, 2-hr shows on a 250gig drive? ( I think my calculations are close) ( 250/7-8 gig per movie).

Not sure what HD's are going for. But a 250gig at around $150 will net you around $4.40 per movie. I think the last DL discs I bought were around $3 a piece?

Seems like a pretty close end result when you factor in the time involved with burning. ( at my rate anyway) :D

I use a Dish Network VIP622 that has a 300 Gig drive on it. It fills up fast with HD content. I bought the Polaroid to off-load from the Dish box. Dish is supposed to be coming out with a external HDD add on soon. Then life will be really good. Being able to save HD material will put a damper on my need to burn to disc. And forget the H-Def burning.... $17 for 1 HD disc at Staples??? :eek:

Ron

I figure it is about $1 at SP. $2 at HQ. About 120 hours at SP on a 250GB drive. 60 2 hour movies? Half that for HQ. My recent purchases of a 250GB HDD were for $65. So maybe a nickle more than a dollar.

Yes you can add removable HDD's to the Polaroid. I currently use 2 terabytes of HDD space with the Polaroid. Here's a pic of my external setup which includes an IDE removable drive rack and an external DVD burner :

Two things,

1) I set the timer record last night and something taped over night. When I got up this morning my machine was still on. The machine didn't turn itself off after the timer program was done. Is this normal for this machine? When I get a chance later I'll set up a timer program as a test and see if it shuts off. I'm just wondering if it's mine or if all of these machines will not turn itself off after a timer setting is done?

2) When I had a 250g hard drive it was super easy to put in. Just plug it in and turn it on. It starts right up. If I remember right I think I had like 59 hours of XP quality video. I think I was shocked at how much but right now I can't remember what it was since I took it out a while ago. Then I put in a 120g and I think it was 29 hours of XP quality video. Again, I've been so busy thinking about what to do with this thing that I for get the exact number but I think they are right.

I am always very hesitant to ask questions so as to not appear too darn stupid and inflame you guys. I follow the threads closely but my knowledge base is limited. I have learned much from this site....Again, sorry if its a dumb question.
Don't be. As we all learned in school - the only dumb question is the one not asked! :D

I figure it is about $1 at SP. $2 at HQ. About 120 hours at SP on a 250GB drive. 60 2 hour movies? Half that for HQ. My recent purchases of a 250GB HDD were for $65. So maybe a nickle more than a dollar.

Yes you can add removable HDD's to the Polaroid. I currently use 2 terabytes of HDD space with the Polaroid. Here's a pic of my external setup which includes an IDE removable drive rack and an external DVD burner :

Wow! I was way off on my calculations. Way cool on the external set up. I suppose there is a link somewhere that shows how you set this up?

Ron

Wow! I was way off on my calculations. Way cool on the external set up. I suppose there is a link somewhere that shows how you set this up?

Ron

This is a thread that describes what I did and how it evolved.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=736151

I think your calculations were fine. It was the cost of the 250GB drive that threw them off.

Dish is supposed to be coming out with a external HDD add on soon. Then life will be really good. Ron

Ron,

I think I have bad news. My understanding is that if they enable expansion of your DVRs external drive a few caveats come into play. 1st and foremost any material archived to the external HDD from DVR will be married to that unit. In other words if your DVR breaks down your left with content that can only be viewed on that particular DVR. If you rent the DVR then your really screwed long term. Even if you own it and they replace it that drive will not be recognized by the new DVR.

The advantage to an externalized HDD on the Polaroid is that you own the unit and even if it dies the content can be viewed on any Polaroid. I have 2 Polaroids in different rooms with externalized HDD. I have 6 seperate external HDDs so far and swap them from room to room. This meets my needs. If one of the Polaroids dies then I am still ok. (Set up thanks to Nextoos discoveries and hard work!!) The down side is that its rezd down to 480i and the audio isn't as good but still excellent as far as I am concerned.

I have a Moxi 160 gb HDDVR that I rent from charter. They will soon have a 4.1 firmware update that allows an external HDD. I am not gonna run out and buy the new Terabyte HDD for the reasons noted above.

I hope this is helpful

I figure it is about $1 at SP. $2 at HQ. About 120 hours at SP on a 250GB drive. 60 2 hour movies? Half that for HQ. My recent purchases of a 250GB HDD were for $65. So maybe a nickle more than a dollar.

Yes you can add removable HDD's to the Polaroid. I currently use 2 terabytes of HDD space with the Polaroid. Here's a pic of my external setup which includes an IDE removable drive rack and an external DVD burner :

Do you archive @ HQ or SP? I have used only HQ. I just assumed it would be alot better. I guess we know where assuptions get us. :) Do you see much of a difference in PQ?

Don't be. As we all learned in school - the only dumb question is the one not asked! :D

Much appreciated!

Do you archive @ HQ or SP? I have used only HQ. I just assumed it would be alot better. I guess we know where assuptions get us. :) Do you see much of a difference in PQ?

I will use both. Even SP+.

Using HQ exclusively provides excellent quality. I've mentioned on a number of occasions how it is great not to be worried about the 4.7GB size of an optical disc.

But I will also record using SP or SP+ if I think I will eventually move it to a disc. The quality is still pretty darn good because of the HD (at 480i) source.

It really depends on what it is I guess. You should try testing the different recording modes and see what you think.

Ron,

I think I have bad news. My understanding is that if they enable expansion of your DVRs external drive a few caveats come into play. 1st and foremost any material archived to the external HDD from DVR will be married to that unit. In other words if your DVR breaks down your left with content that can only be viewed on that particular DVR. If you rent the DVR then your really screwed long term. Even if you own it and they replace it that drive will not be recognized by the new DVR.

I hope this is helpful

Very helpful.

Hmmm, that puts a damper on things. I'll have to see what the guys over at DBS think of this. It makes complete sense though, if Dish does not want HDD's moving around. (Edit: After thinking about this.... it seems like Dish would have a way to re-link it to your new box if something happens to the original?)

So I guess we are left with archiving 480i for now. And that's not all that bad.

Thanks for the link nextoo. This may become very useful for my needs also.

Ron

I'll have to see what the guys over at DBS think of this

Let me know if this does in fact apply to your unit. As mentioned thats the situation with the Moxi HD-DVR external HDD add on. :rolleyes: They take away all of our fun

Let me know if this does in fact apply to your unit. As mentioned thats the situation with the Moxi HD-DVR external HDD add on. :rolleyes: They take away all of our fun

Dish box:

Just got word that the external HDD will be married to the original box, however a future upgrade will allow it to be married to the user account instead. :)

That's good news. Just wonder what "Future Upgrade" means in time. I think I will wait until the upgrade is done before adding the HDD.

On a side note: nextoo? I'm not sure how I missed that thread on your brilliant frankenberring of the Polaroid, but that is just awesome. Makes me want to do it too. I wish I had like 12 extra hours in a day just to tinker. I like your idea of archiving by type on different drives.

Ron

I believe the topic of blooming has been covered regarding this recorder. Specifically, on whiter/lighter screens, recordings can be overly white (white crush).

On my D model, I found this to be true, but I'm still in the learning phase and it may/may not be related to the input source/media.

Last night, I hooked up my K unit for comparison. As I began to dub a DVD on my D unit, I noticed lighter scenes were blooming. I took the disk to my K unit which is attached to a better player -- with a newer "engine". I know it has a better, higher bit, D/A converter. The blooming was much less apparent.

My first inclination is to conclude that the conversion from D=>A and back may lose too much on older units. This may be true for both the source player and for the target recorder. I'm not yet familiar with the engine(s) used in the Polaroid, so I don't know if the later is applicable.

A couple of years ago everyone was complaining about crushing blacks on many DVD players. This has to do with the D/A,A/D conversion of colors near black. In this case, crushing whites appears to be what's going on.

I'm guessing the white blooming complaint is more of a compatibility/design issue vs. a flaw with particular units.

Caviat: My older unit also has a lighter/darker playback setting. The lighter looks much better on my TV, but darker may eliminate the white crush I'm seeing. And, because the crush does not occur until I play it thru the Polaroid, that's why I suspect the conversion error.

I believe the topic of blooming has been covered regarding this recorder. Specifically, on whiter/lighter screens, recordings can be overly white (white crush).

On my D model, I found this to be true, but I'm still in the learning phase and it may/may not be related to the input source/media.

Last night, I hooked up my K unit for comparison. As I began to dub a DVD on my D unit, I noticed lighter scenes were blooming. I took the disk to my K unit which is attached to a better player -- with a newer "engine". I know it has a better, higher bit, D/A converter. The blooming was much less apparent.

My first inclination is to conclude that the conversion from D=>A and back may lose too much on older units. This may be true for both the source player and for the target recorder. I'm not yet familiar with the engine(s) used in the Polaroid, so I don't know if the later is applicable.

A couple of years ago everyone was complaining about crushing blacks on many DVD players. This has to do with the D/A,A/D conversion of colors near black. In this case, crushing whites appears to be what's going on.

I'm guessing the white blooming complaint is more of a compatibility/design issue vs. a flaw with particular units.

Caviat: My older unit also has a lighter/darker playback setting. The lighter looks much better on my TV, but darker may eliminate the white crush I'm seeing. And, because the crush does not occur until I play it thru the Polaroid, that's why I suspect the conversion error.

I'd check the IRE setting on your source. For sources that conform to the North American IRE standard I don't believe you will see any blooming. The LSI Domino chipset has corrected the IRE problems of the past - i.e. follows the standard. The Polaroid uses the LSI Domino chipset. The "engine" you refer to.

[QUOTE=ASOT]Dish box:

Just got word that the external HDD will be married to the original box, however a future upgrade will allow it to be married to the user account instead. :)

Very good news indeed

That's good news. Just wonder what "Future Upgrade" means in time. I think I will wait until the upgrade is done before adding the HDD.

Ah yes grasshopper. Don't hold your breath!!!!!

On a side note: nextoo? I'm not sure how I missed that thread on your brilliant frankenberring of the Polaroid, but that is just awesome. Makes me want to do it too. I wish I had like 12 extra hours in a day just to tinker. I like your idea of archiving by type on different drives.

Its far easier than you think and well worth your time

Regarding CGMS-A and the VBI (Vertical Blanking Interval).

Old Macrovision and CGMS-A modify lines in the VBI. The VBI are horizontal lines which preceed the frame lines. If you have a monitor that underscans a little on the top edge of the picture, you will see VBI information.

Old style Macrovision appears as a set of white bars which appear in groups, maybe 4 sets, and then a pause of maybe 30 seconds. You can watch the brightness go from high to low as those set of white bars appear in the VBI. If you have an oscilloscope, there is a diarama of stuff in the VBI including the multi-burst which allows you to see the video frequency response of the signal!

Now, the CGMS-A flags appear on lines 20-21 if I remember correctly. I have never observed them on a scope, however, they are still part of the DVI.

All you have to do to circumvent all this crap is to clean the DVI area. Time Base correctors are notorious for effective cleaning.

It could be that when the Polaroid is converting signals from component, it is reconstructing the DVI for composite.

Years ago, Vidicraft made the PlayWright box which completely stripped the DVI and digitally recreated a proper one. It was absolute death for VHS macrovision. Unfortunately, the evil beings of Macrovision decided that to deal with hooligan boxes, they would patent every single possible method of eliminating the signal. That way they could go after anyone based on patent law.

Vidicraft was so guilty.

Me and a friend bought the last 2 boxes in West Palm Beach, FL years ago. Had to pay retail. (ugh!) But it was sort of a red herring for us because at the time of the hysteria, we were running Beta which was immune to such puny methods. Yes, we Betaphiles were a smug bunch...

The logitech 880 I got myself before X-mas will run it after you get the updates off their site, so probably their lesser remotes can get the codes too. Might be worth finding somebody who has one to teach a cheaper one that learns or try a cheaper version. I'm sure other new remotes can get the codes but I know mine works.

The lesser remotes do get the codes. I have an 880 and 628 and both can be programmed with the Polaroid codes. The 880 is better only because of its display and more buttons. I program both with the same setup for the 880, which is a great universal remote.

Two things,

1) I set the timer record last night and something taped over night. When I got up this morning my machine was still on. The machine didn't turn itself off after the timer program was done. Is this normal for this machine? When I get a chance later I'll set up a timer program as a test and see if it shuts off. I'm just wondering if it's mine or if all of these machines will not turn itself off after a timer setting is done?



If it was still recording then you forgot to change am to pm or vice versa when setting up the stop time. BTDT

If you did not turn the unit off before it started recording, then it will stay on until you turn it off after it records.

In essence, whatever the state the machine is in when recording starts is the state it will stay in after it stops recording.

There are some other posts here on turning on your TV while the recorder is recording a scheduled program and watching it or a previously recorded program (a very nice multitasking feature) only to have the Polaroid shut down at the end of its schedule and you have to go back and find where you left off in the HD program. Also BTDT.

Plan on hooking up my Polaroid when I'm off this weekend. Downloaded the manuals for each of my pieces of equipment and printed out the pics of the inputs/outputs on the backs. Trying to get everything wired up on paper before I attack it. Also I need to know the connections so I can program my Harmony remote online.
I'm kinda undecided on best way to do it. My biggest hangup is my SA8300HD outputs. I gather it won't send widescreen over svideo so I'll have you use component to send to my dvdr. It wont let HDMI and component both be active at the same time either. I think I'm gonna need some Y cables or some type of splitter. I saw links before to Y component cable and a radio shack IR switch but can't seem to find the links again. Can somebody point me in the right direction?
I have an Onkyo reciever and it has 2 or 3 component inputs and one output, I'm wondering if I can run backwards through it and use it as a switch. Has anybody tried this?
My TV an Optoma RD50H has 2 sets of HD component and one set marked 480i also has dvdi and vga inputs, I plan on using the dvi input for my Zenith upconverting player, right now I've got it going into one of the component inputs and upconverting with old firmware, will probably have to flash it again.
I'm open to suggestions for the best path for video and sound, not really interested in using the tuner on the dvdr. I plan on capturing stuff in HD to the HDD in the SA8300HD and sending it out at 480i to the Polaroid for burning. I don't want to have to get behind the set and change wires and it needs to be a pretty wife friendly setup. Shouldn't be too hard with my remote, just the source has me a bit confuesd.

peace.
unloaded

Most know this but the Polaroid works as it should if you shift from watching a DVD to the tuner (for whatever reason) then shift back to the DVD it picks up from where you were on the DVD. It does not pick up if you turn it off in the middle of a DVD.

Two things,

1) I set the timer record last night and something taped over night. When I got up this morning my machine was still on. The machine didn't turn itself off after the timer program was done. Is this normal for this machine? When I get a chance later I'll set up a timer program as a test and see if it shuts off. I'm just wondering if it's mine or if all of these machines will not turn itself off after a timer setting is done?



Had the same thing happen to me when I taped the first nite of 24 Sunday evening.

I set up TWO scheduled events ( sunday and monday) and was very careful about the am/pm business. Anyway, I woke up Monday morning and the thing was still taping. 10.5 hrs worth of stuff. I ended up splitting the file and deleting the extra stuff.

I can't be absolutely sure I did the am/pm thing right but I'm pretty sure I did. Maybe there is a bug if you set up two scheduled events.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Plan on hooking up my Polaroid when I'm off this weekend. Downloaded the manuals for each of my pieces of equipment and printed out the pics of the inputs/outputs on the backs. Trying to get everything wired up on paper before I attack it. Also I need to know the connections so I can program my Harmony remote online.
I'm kinda undecided on best way to do it. My biggest hangup is my SA8300HD outputs. I gather it won't send widescreen over svideo so I'll have you use component to send to my dvdr. It wont let HDMI and component both be active at the same time either. I think I'm gonna need some Y cables or some type of splitter. I saw links before to Y component cable and a radio shack IR switch but can't seem to find the links again. Can somebody point me in the right direction?
I have an Onkyo reciever and it has 2 or 3 component inputs and one output, I'm wondering if I can run backwards through it and use it as a switch. Has anybody tried this?
My TV an Optoma RD50H has 2 sets of HD component and one set marked 480i also has dvdi and vga inputs, I plan on using the dvi input for my Zenith upconverting player, right now I've got it going into one of the component inputs and upconverting with old firmware, will probably have to flash it again.
I'm open to suggestions for the best path for video and sound, not really interested in using the tuner on the dvdr. I plan on capturing stuff in HD to the HDD in the SA8300HD and sending it out at 480i to the Polaroid for burning. I don't want to have to get behind the set and change wires and it needs to be a pretty wife friendly setup. Shouldn't be too hard with my remote, just the source has me a bit confuesd.

peace.
unloaded

Unloaded,
If I am understanding your set-up I do not think you will need any switches or Y's.

Video
SA8300->component->polaroid->component->tv

dvd player->(component or hdmi/dvi)->tv

polaroid->svid->another dvdr (polaroid acts as video filter and preserves widescreen ie..eliminates CP issues for another dvdr and acts as a component to svid switcher)

Audio
SA8300->optical(spdif)->reciever

SA8300->R/W->polaroid

polaroid->optical(spdif) + R/W->reciever

Kinda thought it through fast so if I made a mistake let me know. But I think this would work. Also you could run component from the dvd player to the polaroid but the component in to the polaroid is already occupied so you would have to do a quick disconnect/reconnect when you wanted to record from the dvd player.

Hope this is helpful and meets your needs

Unloaded,
If I am understanding your set-up I do not think you will need any switches or Y's.

Video
SA8300->component->polaroid->component->tv

dvd player->(component or hdmi/dvi)->tv

polaroid->svid->another dvdr (polaroid acts as video filter and preserves widescreen ie..eliminates CP issues for another dvdr and acts as a component to svid switcher)



My understanding is, if I pass the component thru the Polaroid, it has to be off. I'd like to run the component Out of it to the 480i component IN on my TV and let it adjust it for the screen res. I'd also like to have the DVR and DVDR on seperate inputs to the TV so I can switch back/forth betwen them. Switch to the DVDR to get a burn going (from it's HDD) and then back to DVR and watch live shows on HiDef. Hopefully I can trick my Onkyo HT-R520 into using it's switch backwards. I'm hoping it has enough bandwidth for hidef. The specs say:

Component video frequency response: 5Hz-50MHz
Not sure what that means. Might need that link to the Y splitters just incase.

peace.
unloaded

[QUOTE]My understanding is, if I pass the component thru the Polaroid, it has to be off.

If you have a "B" serial # unit then it has to be on to pass component. All other units will pass component on or off. With my proposed set up you will be able to archive HD @ 480i from your cable box to the polaroid or run through it altogether for viewing your high def in its full 1080i on your tv. You can record to the polaroid and view another stored show on the HDD or view a DVD fom your dvd player. I think my set up will achieve your goals unless I am confused. It would'nt be the 1st time. :)

DLSDO is right, stick the polaroid between the cable box and the final destination (tv or receiver). Make sure you have a unit with a serial number greater than B (it's on the outside of the box so you can check it before you buy it).

The steps I take to archive an HD recording to the polaroid

(1) keep polaroid off
(2) change sa8300hd settings from pass through to fixed
(3) set picture resolution to 480i wide
(4) turn on polaroid
(5) play/record content to polaroid

when finished with polaroid, turn it off, then
(6) change sa8300hd settings from fixed to pass through (or upconvert-1 or upconvert-2)

you're back to normal



As far as DVD->Polaroid->TV, I haven't tried this, but would there be any macrovision errors with the polaroid on or off ?

DLSDO is right, stick the polaroid between the cable box and the final destination (tv or receiver). Make sure you have a unit with a serial number greater than B (it's on the outside of the box so you can check it before you buy it).

The steps I take to archive an HD recording to the polaroid

(1) keep polaroid off
(2) change sa8300hd settings from pass through to fixed
(3) set picture resolution to 480i wide
(4) turn on polaroid
(5) play/record content to polaroid

when finished with polaroid, turn it off, then
(6) change sa8300hd settings from fixed to pass through (or upconvert-1 or upconvert-2)

you're back to normal



As far as DVD->Polaroid->TV, I haven't tried this, but would there be any macrovision errors with the polaroid on or off ?

I have not tried this either but my understanding is that the polaroid strips off the CP. Nextoo has posted a large volume of info in this regard. Another wierd but welcome anomaly of the polaroid. :cool:

The lesser remotes do get the codes. I have an 880 and 628 and both can be programmed with the Polaroid codes. The 880 is better only because of its display and more buttons. I program both with the same setup for the 880, which is a great universal remote.

I have the 720... works great.

Ron

Just so I get one thing straight - you have to go through the Polaroid to copy on something else to strip off the CP?
I know I've tried recording on the Polaroid and just got the CP message.
If I understand this correctly, since the Polaroid is the only DVD recorder I have, I could potentially put the signal in the back of the Polaroid, out to say, a VCR, through the VCR and back into the front of the Polaroid to back up a CP recording?

Lots of earlier discussions about CP. Heres a link http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8822415&&#post8822415 and http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9494012&&#post9494012 (http://)

Nextoo is the "authority" in this regard. Where are you Nextoo?

My local Wal-Mart didn't have any Polaroids, so I called other Wal-Mart stores to see if they had any. I found one at a store 2 hours away, and they sent it to my local store. I wasn't able to look at it before they sent it. I picked it up at my local store today, but I haven't plugged it in yet.

It is a B serial number. From my reading of this thread, it sounds like the differences between the B's and later models are as follows:
Component pass through-No pass through unless 2001G is on.
Fan-In different location and maybe noisier.
Remote-needs LED replacement.
Copy protection-might be weaker in B model than in later models.

My primary uses for this unit will be:
Archive shows I want to keep from my Dish ViP622 HD DVR receiver and burn to DVD.
Convert VHS tapes to DVD.

Should I keep it or keep looking for a D or later model?

My local Wal-Mart didn't have any Polaroids, so I called other Wal-Mart stores to see if they had any. I found one at a store 2 hours away, and they sent it to my local store. I wasn't able to look at it before they sent it. I picked it up at my local store today, but I haven't plugged it in yet.

It is a B serial number. From my reading of this thread, it sounds like the differences between the B's and later models are as follows:
Component pass through-No pass through unless 2001G is on.
Fan-In different location and maybe noisier.
Remote-needs LED replacement.
Copy protection-might be weaker in B model than in later models.

My primary uses for this unit will be:
Archive shows I want to keep from my Dish ViP622 HD DVR receiver and burn to DVD.
Convert VHS tapes to DVD.

Should I keep it or keep looking for a D or later model?

I think you will likely be disappointed with the "B".

You will likely run from your dvr to the polaroid then to your tv. This will allow for easy archiving of you dvr shows @ 480i but in order to watch your dvr in its full 1080i glory you will lack pass through when you power off. This is a problem!

I suspect that your dvr does not simutaneously output from hdmi and component. If it did then you could output from the dvr by component to the polaroid and from the dvr by hdmi to the tv simutaneously.

To avoid the hassle I would get rid of the "B" and find another unit.

Any other thoughts out there?

I think you will likely be disappointed with the "B".

You will likely run from your dvr to the polaroid then to your tv. This will allow for easy archiving of you dvr shows @ 480i but in order to watch your dvr in its full 1080i glory you will lack pass through when you power off. This is a problem!

I suspect that your dvr does not simutaneously output from hdmi and component. If it did then you could output from the dvr by component to the polaroid and from the dvr by hdmi to the tv simutaneously.

To avoid the hassle I would get rid of the "B" and find another unit.

Any other thoughts out there?

All outputs from the VIP622 are hot at the same time. So, yes he could do the hdmi and component thing. I think this is a cool thing, because you can watch the program in 1080i while recording to the Polaroid in 480i.

Mmmm... second thought... I think you would have to use hdmi and s-vid. S-vid outputs at 480i so you would not have to change the setting in the VIP622. Just leave it at 1080i and the S-vid to the Polaroid will be ok.

Ron

But wouldn't you get letterboxing over S-Video? Or is this VIP622 one of the few STBs that doesn't add letterboxing to the S-Video output?

But wouldn't you get letterboxing over S-Video? Or is this VIP622 one of the few STBs that doesn't add letterboxing to the S-Video output?

Well you may have something there.

I run component into the Polaroid from the VIP622. To record HD, I have to set the VIP to 480i (Polaroid will not accept 1080i) and select #2 4x3 mode. This smashes/squishes the picture... But on playback from the Polaroid it looks great, normal.

Im not sure why it does this, never quite understood the mechanics behind it, but this is the method used over at the DBS site.

Im sure somebody over there was using the HDMI/s-vid method so that he could watch the show in HD 1080i while at the same time record to the Polaroid. I will see if I can dig it up.

Ron

All outputs from the VIP622 are hot at the same time. So, yes he could do the hdmi and component thing. I think this is a cool thing, because you can watch the program in 1080i while recording to the Polaroid in 480i.

Mmmm... second thought... I think you would have to use hdmi and s-vid. S-vid outputs at 480i so you would not have to change the setting in the VIP622. Just leave it at 1080i and the S-vid to the Polaroid will be ok.

Ron

Nice feature! With my HDDVR if you use the HDMI it disables all other outputs. Bummer. I am OK because passthrough via component on the polaroid when the unit is powered off allows me to go.. HDDVR through the polaroid so I can view 1080i. A "B" unit would not allow this in my situation.

But it appears based on what youve said that he could output from the VIP622 via component @ 480i to the polaroid "B" unit and archive. He could also output 1080i from the VIP622 via HDMI to the TV. So powering off the polaroid has no significance as passthrough is uneccesary.

Nice feature! With my HDDVR if you use the HDMI it disables all other outputs. Bummer. I am OK because passthrough via component on the polaroid when the unit is powered off allows me to go.. HDDVR through the polaroid so I can view 1080i. A "B" unit would not allow this in my situation.

But it appears based on what youve said that he could output from the VIP622 via component @ 480i to the polaroid "B" unit and archive. He could also output 1080i from the VIP622 via HDMI to the TV. So powering off the polaroid has no significance as passthrough is uneccesary.

Kinda. The VIP outputs at 1080i on HDMI and component, outputs 480i over S-vid.

The Polaroid will only accept 480i. So if you are inputing the Polaroid with HDMI or Component, you will have to set the VIP to 480i so that all outputs are 480i. If you use the S-Vid outputs you can leave the VIP at 1080i (Comp/hdmi) and the Polaroid will be happy with 480i.

Here is a link that helps explain a bit. http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=66748&highlight=dvd+recorder

Ron

So powering off the polaroid has no significance as passthrough is uneccesary.

So to answer your question.... yes. However, I have never recorded HD using the S-vid, only component. So, the question of letterboxing and, for me, quality would be an issue.

Quality is the reason I set the VIP to 480i and record HD programs over Component. I watch the show first in HD, then if it is a keeper, I will switch things over (one button on the Harmony remote :) ) and re-run the show to record whenever I get the time.

Ron

Ok, so I decided to hook up the Polaroid to my Sony KDF-E50A10 TV using component (haven't hooked up the Dish receiver to the Polaroid yet). So all I'm getting is colored mess. I would go to setup on the Polaroid, but I can't read anything on the TV, it's all jumbled up. I also tried hooking up by composite, but it's just black on left side of TV, gray on right side, again unreadable at all.

Ideas?

Sounds like the Polaroid is outputting Progressive Scan (480p) and your TV does not handle it.

Sounds like the Polaroid is outputting Progressive Scan (480p) and your TV does not handle it.
That's what I wondered also, but I checked, and my Sony accepts 480i, 480P, 720P, and 1080i through component.

Wasn't sure if that was an HDTV. So it should take 480p. Have you tried S-Video?

I'd try all the outputs, make sure they are seated fully on both ends of the cable, etc. It should work. Other signals show on your TV fine I'm guessing (from the line inputs). Testing this will rule out smething wrong on the TV. If you can't get it to work then a bad unit (Polaroid) is the likely conclusion.

I think this will help many people here - Has anyone found remote codes that work for inputting into a universal, non-learning remote? Like a Dishnet or DirectTv remote that you want to use to control your Polaroid? You can 'program' the buttons but need to input codes and all I've found don't work. There must be *some* out there that do. Please post:
Remote you've programmed (Dish/AV Reciever etc):
Codes you input that make your non-Polaroid remote work with the Polaroid:
Thanks.

Ok, so I decided to hook up the Polaroid to my Sony KDF-E50A10 TV using component (haven't hooked up the Dish receiver to the Polaroid yet). So all I'm getting is colored mess. I would go to setup on the Polaroid, but I can't read anything on the TV, it's all jumbled up. I also tried hooking up by composite, but it's just black on left side of TV, gray on right side, again unreadable at all.

Ideas?

Just an idea, sometimes its the little things that hang me up.

Have you tried hitting the DVD button on the remote? When you turn on the Polaroid, mine defaults to whatever input I set in the default settings (R-Comp) Rear Component. It displays whatever is coming in from Dish. You dont have any input set up yet, so maybe its just showing scramble.

If I put in a DVD, it loads, but I think you have to hit the DVD button to switch to viewing it? Not totally sure about this as I dont watch DVD's from the Polaroid. It seems like if you selected the HDD button, it would take you into the HDD menu also.

Hope I'm not offending you with this.... but I've done worse blunders.

Ron

Ok, so I decided to hook up the Polaroid to my Sony KDF-E50A10 TV using component (haven't hooked up the Dish receiver to the Polaroid yet). So all I'm getting is colored mess. I would go to setup on the Polaroid, but I can't read anything on the TV, it's all jumbled up. I also tried hooking up by composite, but it's just black on left side of TV, gray on right side, again unreadable at all.

Ideas?

What is your source? You said you have not hooked up the dish receiver yet.

Nonetheless.......I would send your dish to the polaroid by component. Make certain you have set the dish to output 480i ONLY. Otherwise its a no go. Make certain the polaroid is set to YUV. This can be achieved manually on the front of the polaroid itself or by the remote. Its a no go again unless you set the input on the polaroid to component. Now send your polaroid by component to the tv. Voila!! Get the popcorn your ready to go.

[Also. You can toggle between interlaced and progressive output via the button on the remote marked PS/IS.]

Hmm, I've got a serial # starting with B. It was a display model so probably an early one. I'm thinking Y component cables will work best for what I want. I can only find RCA Y's so far, anybody know if these will work? Different shielding or anything?

peace.
unloaded

After scronging around on the net I found what i'm gonna try:
http://www.hdtvsupply.com/covispno.html
I realize it's not amplified but I won't be using both devices at the same time so hopefully it will be OK. I think it will do better than some RCA splitters from ratshack. I'll post results when I'm finished.

peace.
unloaded

Had the same thing happen to me when I taped the first nite of 24 Sunday evening.

I set up TWO scheduled events ( sunday and monday) and was very careful about the am/pm business. Anyway, I woke up Monday morning and the thing was still taping. 10.5 hrs worth of stuff. I ended up splitting the file and deleting the extra stuff.

I can't be absolutely sure I did the am/pm thing right but I'm pretty sure I did. Maybe there is a bug if you set up two scheduled events.

Has this happened to anyone else?

I have had a mix of 16+ scheduled weekly and one-time programs and only had the problem when I forgot to change the end time from am to pm. Otherwise it works as advertised.

My VCR was more friendly when I set up scheduled programs as it would change the end time to the same as the start time so I would only need to shift it by an hour or two. The Polaroid, as we all know, has a start time about 15 minutes later than your current time and does not shift the end time at all. So if you set it up in the am for a pm recording, it is very easy to set the start time to pm but forget to change the end time to pm.

The easy way to check this. if it happens again, is do not stop the recording but go to the scheduler and check that event to see if it is an am/pm issue. I was fortunate since my goof was with a weekly program so it was still on the schedule after I stopped it.

Latest info on the Polaroid website does not mention the component input. Further, there are several of these units listed on eBay, and the "canned" specifications do not mention component input... Has the component been removed or disabled in later releases?

LL

The easy way to check this. if it happens again, is do not stop the recording but go to the scheduler and check that event to see if it is an am/pm issue. I was fortunate since my goof was with a weekly program so it was still on the schedule after I stopped it.

Interesting. So you can pull up the timer while its recording? If you have inputed the wrong am/pm can it be changed at this point or will you just have to manually stop the recording at the end of the show?

After scronging around on the net I found what i'm gonna try:
http://www.hdtvsupply.com/covispno.html
I realize it's not amplified but I won't be using both devices at the same time so hopefully it will be OK. I think it will do better than some RCA splitters from ratshack. I'll post results when I'm finished.

peace.
unloaded

Whats your configuration? Why do you need the Y adapter? What are you trying to achieve?

Thanks

Latest info on the Polaroid website does not mention the component input. Further, there are several of these units listed on eBay, and the "canned" specifications do not mention component input... Has the component been removed or disabled in later releases?

LL

You are correct. The web site description does not note component input but if you click on the user guide icon you will find component input on the rear panel diagram. The most recent production line has not changed in this regard. I have 2 polaroids. The newest one is a "k" version (I think) and I have it and its no different than my earlier model.

Just so I get one thing straight - you have to go through the Polaroid to copy on something else to strip off the CP?
I know I've tried recording on the Polaroid and just got the CP message.
If I understand this correctly, since the Polaroid is the only DVD recorder I have, I could potentially put the signal in the back of the Polaroid, out to say, a VCR, through the VCR and back into the front of the Polaroid to back up a CP recording?
I was trying to do this but I ran into a snag.
I can go composite out video to the older VCR, however the VCR does not have digital sound input so I don't know how to get the sound to it. There does not appear to be an extra set of audio output jacks that I can use.

I was trying to do this but I ran into a snag.
I can go composite out video to the older VCR, however the VCR does not have digital sound input so I don't know how to get the sound to it. There does not appear to be an extra set of audio output jacks that I can use.

The Polaroid is not CP free. It is CP weak. Search this thread to see what people have experienced and posted. One thing I saw posted previously is that the Polaroid will display a CP alert when trying to record a protected tape from a VCR. That will not work.

Kinda. The VIP outputs at 1080i on HDMI and component, outputs 480i over S-vid.

The Polaroid will only accept 480i. So if you are inputing the Polaroid with HDMI or Component, you will have to set the VIP to 480i so that all outputs are 480i. If you use the S-Vid outputs you can leave the VIP at 1080i (Comp/hdmi) and the Polaroid will be happy with 480i.

Here is a link that helps explain a bit. http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=66748&highlight=dvd+recorder

RonSame here with the exception that the SA8300HD disables all other outputs when using HDMI - as DLSDO has reported. You can set the 8300 to 1080i and it still outputs 480i over s-video. This is SOP with s-video. I don't think you'll see HD over s-video on any of the STB's out there. DVI, HDMI, or component is required for HD.

My simple solution is to set my 8300 at 1080i. Run the component from the 8300 to the Polaroid then out of the Polaroid to the TV via component. I do not believe there is another DVD recorder available in North America that can do this. Passing through an HD video signal when powered off is really a fluke.

I have a macro set up on my remote that powers on the Polaroid and also sets the output on the 8300 to 480i. This same macro changes the 8300 back to 1080i when I power the Polaroid off. So it's one button on and off. Only problem is the 8300 has to be set at 1080i for the macro to be effective. If the 8300 set to 480i for some reason the macro will actually change the 8300 to 1080i when I use it to power on the Polaroid. So I still have to be aware of the setting on the 8300. Not perfect but the macro saves something like 11 remote commands.

If I want to go the manual route I have done this in the past. I've have both component and s-video running from the 8300 to the Polaroid. I set the default video input to s-video (Polaroid). This way if the 8300 is set at 1080i it will not scramble the picture because the s-video is always 480i. At this point I can adjust the 8300 to 480i if necessary and switch the Polaroid to component input. Call it a safe guard I guess.

Great link by the way - thanks.

Munchcolo,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9510086&&#post9510086

Passing through an HD video signal when powered off is really a fluke

So this returns us to the original problem. All polaroids are capable of 1080i passthrough when powered off except "B" units.

If your interested in this unique feature, as most of us are, you may want to return your "B" unit for a newer production model. If you can find a workaround with the "B" unit please post.

Unfortunately units are not so easy to find as of late.

Walmarts are hit and miss. I bought my 1st polaroid on ebay used but made certain with the seller that if DOA it was fully refundable. This has been my workhorse. It has been through the torture test. I got it cheap and was really lucky. Not so lucky with #2. My second purchase was on ebay again but was DOA!! Was returned without problem. Bought the last one new at Walmart. BE CAREFUL WITH EBAY. Let us know what you decide

Whats your configuration? Why do you need the Y adapter? What are you trying to achieve?

Thanks

I want to record with the Polaroid in widescreen format, only way I can get it there is 480i thru component. I plan on dumping shows off the SA8300HD's hdd to the Polaroid, probably watching the show for the first time while I do it (I'm assuming this has to be done in real time). Later I plan on burning dvd's from the Polaroid's hdd while watching live or dvr'd stuff on my TV, just switching inputs on my tv enough to keep track of what the recorder is doing. Don't want to be switching any cables behind the sets, and it needs to be wife friendly for the TV/DVR part.

If the 8300 is set to output 480i, will it still record in HD if I'm recording while I'm sending a recorded show to the Polaroid?

peace.
unloaded

PS: I should add that mine is a "B" model, and it was a display at the 3rd Walmart I hit that day. I was at a different one today, all they had was display and it was a "B" also. I don't expect to be able to find a newer one easily (without sending to manufacturer).

I want to record with the Polaroid in widescreen format, only way I can get it there is 480i thru component. I plan on dumping shows off the SA8300HD's hdd to the Polaroid, probably watching the show for the first time while I do it (I'm assuming this has to be done in real time). Later I plan on burning dvd's from the Polaroid's hdd while watching live or dvr'd stuff on my TV, just switching inputs on my tv enough to keep track of what the recorder is doing. Don't want to be switching any cables behind the sets, and it needs to be wife friendly for the TV/DVR part.

If the 8300 is set to output 480i, will it still record in HD if I'm recording while I'm sending a recorded show to the Polaroid?

peace.
unloaded

PS: I should add that mine is a "B" model, and it was a display at the 3rd Walmart I hit that day. I was at a different one today, all they had was display and it was a "B" also. I don't expect to be able to find a newer one easily (without sending to manufacturer).

Your y-cable may be an effective work around with a B unit. I'm not sure what the video quality will be like though. If it is not very good Wallyworld has a passive component a/v switch box made by Philips - it's around $20 - $25. Cheap and effective and works well.

It you are recording something from the 8300 to the Polaroid and then want to switch to another input on your TV that is also being fed by the 8300 (via y-cable) you will be seeing the same video you are sending the Polaroid (from the 8300). You won't be able to watch something different from the 8300. If you change channels this will also be sent to the Polaroid (via y-cable).

The y-cable will help when the Polaroid (B unit) is powered off though. Providing you are happy with the video quality.

edit - well I should have read your post better. When burning Polaroid HDD saved material to a disc you are still able to watch what ever you want with the 8300 (or any source for that matter). The only thing you see on the screen when burning a disc is a small icon in the upper left corner of the TV screen. When the burn process is completed the icon goes away. With the stock burner this takes about 20 minutes. My replacement burner I posted about does it in about 10.

I think PQ might be a problem with the Y workaround. The passive a/v switchbox is a good idea. Its only $20 and returnable...heck I might give it a try just for grins. This might be a tenable solution for those of you with "B" units.

I think PQ might be a problem with the Y workaround. The passive a/v switchbox is a good idea. Its only $20 and returnable...heck I might give it a try just for grins. This might be a tenable solution for those of you with "B" units.

My concern would be PQ as well. But it may be ok who knows.

Also one more point I didn't make in my previous post.

The Polaroid doesn't "dominate the screen" when burning to a disc. So you are free to watch what ever you would like while the burning is taking place.

Also the Polaroid is pretty good at multitasking. For example while you are burning a disc you can also record to the HDD. You can also play back something previously recorded to the HDD while burning. The machine doesn't preclude a lot of functions just because it is burning a disc.

Has anybody experianced any video dropouts while the Polaroid is off and passing through the signal?

I have the Polaroid inline between my Dish box and AV Receiver. All Component connections. I'm not positive, but it seems that ever since I put the Polaroid in, Im getting these Video black-outs that last anywhere from 2-8 seconds. Audio is fine. It is almost always with HD content... I say almost always as I had 1 black out the other night on a SD channel.

It seems to happen during a scene change and mostly on commercials. I can find no pattern to when it happens. Some times I will go for days/weeks with no problems and other times I will get a whole slew of them. I have not found any specific channel that this happens on either.

From what I know (not much), this could be just a problem of too many things inline before the signal gets to the TV. Dish>Polaroid>AV reciever>TV and somewhere the signal is getting boggled.

I'm trying to pin point where the problem is. I'm thinking that the problem lies elsewhere and not the Polaroid. Do you guys think that with the Polaroid off and passing through the signal that it could be hic-uping?

Ron

ASOT - I have not seen any problems like that. About the only thing I can recommend is going trough the process of elimination route.

My primary path is pretty simple. STB -> Polaroid -> Television.

But I also have a more complicated path and I haven't seen what you report. With the Polaroid either on or off.

STB (component) (s-video) -> Polaroid (s-video)-> Toshiba DVD recorder (HDMI) -> Television

Not sure but when you get to the bottom of it let us know.

ASOT - I have not seen any problems like that. About the only thing I can recommend is going trough the process of elimination route.

My primary path is pretty simple. STB -> Polaroid -> Television.

But I also have a more complicated path and I haven't seen what you report. With the Polaroid either on or off.

STB (component) (s-video) -> Polaroid (s-video)-> Toshiba DVD recorder (HDMI) -> Television

Not sure but when you get to the bottom of it let us know.

Thanks nextoo. Not sure if I will ever get to the bottom of it... maybe I'll try a different set up sometime. I have not tried any set ups using HDMI yet, so maybe I can bypass the Polaroid and AV Receiver all together for the Video signal.

I have 2 Polaroids, and the one that is set up on a non-HD set and non-HD Dish box has never had a video dropout.

Thanks for the info.

Ron

Thanks nextoo. Not sure if I will ever get to the bottom of it... maybe I'll try a different set up sometime. I have not tried any set ups using HDMI yet, so maybe I can bypass the Polaroid and AV Receiver all together for the Video signal.

I have 2 Polaroids, and the one that is set up on a non-HD set and non-HD Dish box has never had a video dropout.

Thanks for the info.

Ron

Ron,
I have not had this problem either. I also run 2 polaroids in different rooms. I too have a fairly complicated setup. I have cable but have heard of these problems you describe with dish.

I've had similar issues in the past, not with the Polaroid, but with other equipment. In each case, I thought it was whatever box was feeding my display, cable, DVD, etc, but ultimately, I ended up pulling the plug on the display for 15 -20secs, and plugging it back in, curing the problem. Just about the same situation you describe. Won't hurt to try it. Also, do the same with the Polaroid and your Dish receiver. Seems to reset things that a simple power off won't take care of sometimes. Allows all of the microcomputers and DSPs to completely reboot.

I've especially had issues when we've had momentary power failures, even with surge protectors on the power lines. Power isn't off long enough to allow everything to reset, and things get into an unstable state.

Jon

Has anybody experianced any video dropouts while the Polaroid is off and passing through the signal?

I have the Polaroid inline between my Dish box and AV Receiver. All Component connections. I'm not positive, but it seems that ever since I put the Polaroid in, Im getting these Video black-outs that last anywhere from 2-8 seconds. Audio is fine. It is almost always with HD content... I say almost always as I had 1 black out the other night on a SD channel.

It seems to happen during a scene change and mostly on commercials. I can find no pattern to when it happens. Some times I will go for days/weeks with no problems and other times I will get a whole slew of them. I have not found any specific channel that this happens on either.

From what I know (not much), this could be just a problem of too many things inline before the signal gets to the TV. Dish>Polaroid>AV reciever>TV and somewhere the signal is getting boggled.

I'm trying to pin point where the problem is. I'm thinking that the problem lies elsewhere and not the Polaroid. Do you guys think that with the Polaroid off and passing through the signal that it could be hic-uping?

Ron

Ron,
I have not had this problem either. I also run 2 polaroids in different rooms. I too have a fairly complicated setup. I have cable but have heard of these problems you describe with dish.

Yeah, thats my fear. I hope the problem is not at the source (Dish). I have these problems watching a recorded show (recorded on the Dish box) too. If I hit rewind and play it back again... I may or may not see the drop outs again. I have yet to see a drop out on a program that was recorded to the Polaroid though, so maybe the problem is somewhere after the Polaroid (hopefully).

I run everything through my AV receiver, so I might try bypassing that for the video. The only benefit I get by doing that is so I dont have to change the video input on the tv (one output from the AV receiver to TV). But now that I have the Harmony remote, I can program it to do all the tv switching for me. That will eliminate one possible gremlin.

Ron

I've had similar issues in the past, not with the Polaroid, but with other equipment. In each case, I thought it was whatever box was feeding my display, cable, DVD, etc, but ultimately, I ended up pulling the plug on the display for 15 -20secs, and plugging it back in, curing the problem. Just about the same situation you describe. Won't hurt to try it. Also, do the same with the Polaroid and your Dish receiver. Seems to reset things that a simple power off won't take care of sometimes. Allows all of the microcomputers and DSPs to completely reboot.

I've especially had issues when we've had momentary power failures, even with surge protectors on the power lines. Power isn't off long enough to allow everything to reset, and things get into an unstable state.

Jon


Ahh... good tip. I had a bad habit of not turning off the Dish box too. I never thought the problem could be with my beautiful SXRD display... :D .

Thanks for the tip.

Ron

Just an idea, sometimes its the little things that hang me up.

Have you tried hitting the DVD button on the remote? When you turn on the Polaroid, mine defaults to whatever input I set in the default settings (R-Comp) Rear Component. It displays whatever is coming in from Dish. You dont have any input set up yet, so maybe its just showing scramble.

If I put in a DVD, it loads, but I think you have to hit the DVD button to switch to viewing it? Not totally sure about this as I dont watch DVD's from the Polaroid. It seems like if you selected the HDD button, it would take you into the HDD menu also.

Hope I'm not offending you with this.... but I've done worse blunders.

Ron

Tried all that, I still just get scrambles on the TV screen. I loaded a DVD and started playing it, also hit the DVD button on the remote, still scrambles (I know the DVD was playing, every now and then something recognizable would pop up on the screen). I've tried all possible cabling (composite, S-Video, component), but still just scrambles. I've tried connecting the Dish receiver to the 2001G and then to the TV, still no luck. I can only conclude that my B model is defective.

At any rate, I've located an H model at a Wal-Mart not too far from where I live. I think I'll run over there tonight and exchange my B for the H.

Tried all that, I still just get scrambles on the TV screen. I loaded a DVD and started playing it, also hit the DVD button on the remote, still scrambles (I know the DVD was playing, every now and then something recognizable would pop up on the screen). I've tried all possible cabling (composite, S-Video, component), but still just scrambles. I've tried connecting the Dish receiver to the 2001G and then to the TV, still no luck. I can only conclude that my B model is defective.

At any rate, I've located an H model at a Wal-Mart not too far from where I live. I think I'll run over there tonight and exchange my B for the H.

I think you'll be better off in all cases with the H model. Really sounds like a bad unit.

Let us know how the H unit works.

Ron

Tried all that, I still just get scrambles on the TV screen. I loaded a DVD and started playing it, also hit the DVD button on the remote, still scrambles (I know the DVD was playing, every now and then something recognizable would pop up on the screen). I've tried all possible cabling (composite, S-Video, component), but still just scrambles. I've tried connecting the Dish receiver to the 2001G and then to the TV, still no luck. I can only conclude that my B model is defective.

At any rate, I've located an H model at a Wal-Mart not too far from where I live. I think I'll run over there tonight and exchange my B for the H.

You will be happier with the "H". I scanned your posts again. Please confirm that you set your STB to output 480i only!! This is a common cause of the problem you describe

You will be happier with the "H". I scanned your posts again. Please confirm that you set your STB to output 480i only!! This is a common cause of the problem you describe
Yes, I did set the Dish receiver to 480i, and it still output garbage. I'll post after I get the new H model. Thanks for the input from all of you.

Yes, I did set the Dish receiver to 480i, and it still output garbage. I'll post after I get the new H model. Thanks for the input from all of you.

Thanks

Has anybody experianced any video dropouts while the Polaroid is off and passing through the signal?

I have the Polaroid inline between my Dish box and AV Receiver. All Component connections. I'm not positive, but it seems that ever since I put the Polaroid in, Im getting these Video black-outs that last anywhere from 2-8 seconds. Audio is fine. It is almost always with HD content... I say almost always as I had 1 black out the other night on a SD channel.

It seems to happen during a scene change and mostly on commercials. I can find no pattern to when it happens. Some times I will go for days/weeks with no problems and other times I will get a whole slew of them. I have not found any specific channel that this happens on either.

From what I know (not much), this could be just a problem of too many things inline before the signal gets to the TV. Dish>Polaroid>AV reciever>TV and somewhere the signal is getting boggled.

I'm trying to pin point where the problem is. I'm thinking that the problem lies elsewhere and not the Polaroid. Do you guys think that with the Polaroid off and passing through the signal that it could be hic-uping?

Ron

In the circumstance when you feel you're getting "a whole slew of them", why not temporarily remove the Polaroid from your loop to see if the problem goes away?

In the circumstance when you feel you're getting "a whole slew of them", why not temporarily remove the Polaroid from your loop to see if the problem goes away?

Yes, I may try something like this. I have a video switcher that I have not put to use yet, so I may take the Polaroid out of the loop and only switch over to it when I need to record.

Ron

Hello, im new to the forum and to the dvd recording. I got a ILO HDTV, A H20 directv hd receiver and the Polaroid with 'C' serial. Now my problem, i have a good picture but no sound at all. The tv is hooked up through hdmi cable to the receiver. Then i hooked up the polaroid with component cables into the receiver and into the tv. The receiver is set to 480. I tried composite cables but no sound either. Can please somebody guide me through the hookup. I have read many threads but couldnt find an answer yet. Also how can i make it default when i turn on the recorder that i dont have to adjust always again the settings. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance. Michael

Interesting. So you can pull up the timer while its recording?


Yes



If you have inputed the wrong am/pm can it be changed at this point or will you just have to manually stop the recording at the end of the show?

Have not tried it but think you will have to stop it to change it.

I bought a B model two days ago, but it was defective. So I took it back last night and exchanged for an H model. I hooked it up, and I think I'm going to like this unit.

Although I haven't tried recording to DVD's yet, I have experimented with recording to the HDD, and so far I'm impressed. I was recording from my Dish ViP622 receiver to the 2001G. I tried both component input (using 480i output from the Dish receiver) and S-video. For some reason, the S-video seems noticeably sharper and better.

Everything is routed through Denon AVR-1705 A/V receiver, and then to Sony KDF-E50A10 TV. The audio connection from the Polaroid to the Denon is digital coaxial. A couple of questions about setup:
1. SPDIF Output set to RAW (and not LPCM)?
2. LPCM Output set to LPCM 96K (and not LPCM 48K)?
3. Can I set the Polaroid to default to R-SV as the input source when I turn it on? I don't have local TV reception, so I won't be using the tuner.

Thanks

Hello, im new to the forum and to the dvd recording. I got a ILO HDTV, A H20 directv hd receiver and the Polaroid with 'C' serial. Now my problem, i have a good picture but no sound at all. The tv is hooked up through hdmi cable to the receiver. Then i hooked up the polaroid with component cables into the receiver and into the tv. The receiver is set to 480. I tried composite cables but no sound either. Can please somebody guide me through the hookup. I have read many threads but couldnt find an answer yet. Also how can i make it default when i turn on the recorder that i dont have to adjust always again the settings. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance. Michael

You are all set for video. Now you need an audio connection. Your HDMI only provides audio from the Directtv to the TV.

Directtv receiver-> R+W->audio in Polaroid (now you can record audio)--audio out Polaroid with Optical or R+W (preferably Optical)->audio input on your Audio receiver (now you can hear the audio sent from your Polaroid)

Can I set the Polaroid to default to R-SV as the input source when I turn it on?

Yes. Press "menu" on the remote. Scroll down and choose the "timeshift" option. Then choose "on or off" for the timeshift feature and then choose the s-video default input so its always on s-video when you power up the polaroid.

I picked up a floor model from the local Wal-Mart at a nice discount. It lights up OK, but I haven't tested anything else at this point. Any issues with the "C" version that I should be aware of?

Thanks.

LL

I picked up a floor model from the local Wal-Mart at a nice discount. It lights up OK, but I haven't tested anything else at this point. Any issues with the "C" version that I should be aware of?

Thanks.

LL

1)Might need the remote fix..see earlier posts in this thread
2)Should passthrough when powered off just fine
3)HDD is expandable
4)Burner can be replaced
5)Have fun. Its a tinkers dream!!

guys, quick question about recording to the HDD before archiving to DVD. If I want to record a 3 hour show to the HDD, then cut out enough commercials so that the final DVD is only 2 or 2.5 hours long, at what speed do I record to the HDD ? LP is 3 hours but lower bitrate, the HDD is empty. Can I record to the HDD the 3 hr show at SP+ ?

guys, quick question about recording to the HDD before archiving to DVD. If I want to record a 3 hour show to the HDD, then cut out enough commercials so that the final DVD is only 2 or 2.5 hours long, at what speed do I record to the HDD ? LP is 3 hours but lower bitrate, the HDD is empty. Can I record to the HDD the 3 hr show at SP+ ?

It depends on the length of the edited recording. Not the original recording.

For example you can record 3 hours in SP (2 hour mode). In order to fit it on a disc you'll need to edit out one hour. Or you could record 4 hours in SP (2 hour mode) and cut it in half and burn to two discs.

To find out what you can fit on a disc in various recording modes do this:

1. Press the "record to" button on the remote to get to the optical disc.

2. Press the "add/clear" button to toggle through the recording modes. This will let you know how much time/space is available on the disc by mode.

Why do this? Because different brand discs offer different times. For example one brand may only offer 2:25 in SP+ mode. Another may be 2:28. If you are cutting it close through editing it could helpful to know.

thanks nextoo, that helps a lot!

guys, quick question about recording to the HDD before archiving to DVD. If I want to record a 3 hour show to the HDD, then cut out enough commercials so that the final DVD is only 2 or 2.5 hours long, at what speed do I record to the HDD ? LP is 3 hours but lower bitrate, the HDD is empty. Can I record to the HDD the 3 hr show at SP+ ?

Another piece of info that might help....

TV shows average 22 minutes of live TV per 1/2 hour. That means a 3 hr show should have 132 minutes of actual material. And, that is 2 hrs and 12 minutes. SP mode gives you 2 hrs and 7 minutes. So, you might have to drop 5 minutes of actual material to get a 3 hr show to fit on a DVD in SP mode. (That assumes you don't just hide the commercials).

I also know there is a limit to the number of edits you can make so removing all the commercials may not be possible in a 3hr block.

Another piece of info that might help....

TV shows average 22 minutes of live TV per 1/2 hour. That means a 3 hr show should have 132 minutes of actual material. And, that is 2 hrs and 12 minutes. SP mode gives you 2 hrs and 7 minutes. So, you might have to drop 5 minutes of actual material to get a 3 hr show to fit on a DVD in SP mode. (That assumes you don't just hide the commercials).

I also know there is a limit to the number of edits you can make so removing all the commercials may not be possible in a 3hr block.

When you burn to disc the segmented info doesn't transfer but remains on the HDD. Anyway to erase the segmented info from the hard drive?

When you burn to disc the segmented info doesn't transfer but remains on the HDD. Anyway to erase the segmented info from the hard drive?

Not that I am aware of. The hidden chapters remain on the HDD. No way to delete them that I have found.