Picked up a new one in the box today! Serial F-----. Won't be able to install until tomorrow evening (maybe), probably more like this weekend. WallyWorld had 3 more, one with a D serial, the others F. I'll let you know how it works out and of course, post my questions! But first I'll seach & read ;-)
Laterz

Can someone tell me what the code for the Polaroid is, on the Sony 600 Learning remote? I have been trying with no success to get it to recognize the Polaroid. I managed to set up everything else easily.

TIA!

Lee

Well got my splitter in the mail yesterday, really fast shipping suprised me. I won't be able to hook things up until Thursday. My work and class schedule is rough in the first part of the week. Decided to make me a little cheat sheet of my components to figure out how to wire everything and make sure I have enough cables. Also the drawing will make it easier when I go online to program my Harmony remote. It always wants to know what inputs/outputs are used for each component. Have a look, it was made easily with free programs except for Word. I used Foxit PDF Reader, it is a lot faster than Acrobat Reader and allows capture of pictures and text from the pdf manuals I downloaded. I pasted each picture into Word and adjust the size of each to get them similar. (You can leave the file as a .doc if you want) Then I used PDF995 to convert the layout.doc to layout.pdf it does it through a print driver. Once you install the print driver and converter you are all set. In Word goto File...Print...when the dialog box opens, you will see your printer listed and the PDF995 if you use it, it outputs a pdf file in the directory of your choice. COmes in pretty handy once you get to playing with it. At work/school a lot of webpages are blocked, I can paste them in word, convert to pdf and take em with me on my flash drive.
My Cheatsheet (http://members.sigecom.net/unloaded/layout.pdf)

peace.
unloaded

Well I managed to get mine functional with the learning remote. I got mine on Ebay with no remote and thought it might be easy to just use the Sony universal. It was more of a challenge than I realized. So I had to order one from Polaroid for $15. There are so many different buttons on the Polaroid remote that it seemed I would just be better off with it. Luckily one of my co-workers had the Polaroid remote for me to learn from. I do like the Polaroid so far, it seems to be a great xvid/divx player, and the recordings on the hd seem good as well. Thanks to all of you who helped me decide to buy this "tinkerable" unit! :-) :) :)

Lee


Can someone tell me what the code for the Polaroid is, on the Sony 600 Learning remote? I have been trying with no success to get it to recognize the Polaroid. I managed to set up everything else easily.

TIA!

Lee

After almost eight months of fairly constant use, the remote in my "B" unit died. My first thought was, "I wonder how long it is going to take Polaroid to ship a new remote?". My second thought was, "Are the batteries dead?".

After installing fresh batteries and still getting no response from the remote, I returned to question 1. Then I remembered I had performed IR Update surgery on the remote last summer. I disassembled the remote and started prodding it with the multimeter. Everything seemed to be OK circuit-wise, so things pointed to a dead IR bulb.

Fortunately, I still had the meter connected to the IR sensor when I noticed some fluctuating readings. It turned out that I obviously had not performed a correct solder job initially as one of the connections was loose on the circuit board.

After correcting this error, my remote again works flawlessly.

Thanks to all for making this unit so easy to work on.

After almost eight months of fairly constant use, the remote in my "B" unit died. My first thought was, "I wonder how long it is going to take Polaroid to ship a new remote?". My second thought was, "Are the batteries dead?".

After installing fresh batteries and still getting no response from the remote, I returned to question 1. Then I remembered I had performed IR Update surgery on the remote last summer. I disassembled the remote and started prodding it with the multimeter. Everything seemed to be OK circuit-wise, so things pointed to a dead IR bulb.

Fortunately, I still had the meter connected to the IR sensor when I noticed some fluctuating readings. It turned out that I obviously had not performed a correct solder job initially as one of the connections was loose on the circuit board.

After correcting this error, my remote again works flawlessly.

Thanks to all for making this unit so easy to work on.

Great info - thanks.

I went the cheap learning remote route. This let's me control most (90%) functions of the Polaroid as well as other components in my system. Also let's me store the Polaroid remote safely away. It might be tough a few years from now to try to find a replacement.

IR Update surgery on the remote last summer. After correcting this error, my remote again works flawlessly.

I also did the remote "fix". I am also a neophyte solderer. It was my one and only solder job. So when my remote dies- that will be the 1st place I look, thanks to your post! ;)

Great info - thanks.

I went the cheap learning remote route. This let's me control most (90%) functions of the Polaroid as well as other components in my system. Also let's me store the Polaroid remote safely away. It might be tough a few years from now to try to find a replacement.


In the last several decades, I have never had a piece of electronic gear outlast its remote..... :D

Just a quick question on the Polaroid - I understand the component is passed thru when the unit is turned off, but what about the audio? In other words, if I hook up my sat receiver to the Polaroid unit L/R audio and Component video inputs, does it send the component video and audio out thru the Polaroid ouput jacks (both L/R audio and optical) when the unit is turned off, and when turned on?
Thanks!

Just a quick question on the Polaroid - I understand the component is passed thru when the unit is turned off, but what about the audio? In other words, if I hook up my sat receiver to the Polaroid unit L/R audio and Component video inputs, does it send the component video and audio out thru the Polaroid ouput jacks (both L/R audio and optical) when the unit is turned off, and when turned on?
Thanks!

Yes the analog (L/R) audio passes through when the Polaroid is powered off as well.

In the last several decades, I have never had a piece of electronic gear outlast its remote..... :D
Wish I could say the same :(

Yes the analog (L/R) audio passes through when the Polaroid is powered off as well.
I'd probably pick one of these up. One of the local Walmarts has three B units and one higher, maybe F or G. All so dirty with dust you'd think they never sold a single one. I'm hoping they'll mark them down for clearance before I put down the cash. I really wish it had a stereo tuner though.

I'd probably pick one of these up. One of the local Walmarts has three B units and one higher, maybe F or G. All so dirty with dust you'd think they never sold a single one. I'm hoping they'll mark them down for clearance before I put down the cash. I really wish it had a stereo tuner though.

FYI - the B unit does not offer pass through when powered off.

The H model I returned six weeks ago is still sitting in the electronics department. (Wonder if anybody's tried to buy it.) Curiously, the Philips I'd also returned which had been keeping it company is now gone. It had orange dot.com stickers all over it.

Anyone know where the returns pop back out on the market?

There is a lot of heat on the Phillips 3455H thread about the same problem that our Polaroid has- not able to chase play while recording a scheduled program.

It is a nice feature but easy to duplicate on the Polaroid by just using the record button instead of scheduling the program. Once pushed, it will record in three hour segments until the HD is filled. During that time, you can chase play to your hearts content.

The problem with insisting on chase play during scheduled recording is that you will have to give up an excellent feature of the Polaroid, which is the ability to schedule record and watch a previously recorded show at the same time. Or you will have to give up the time shift feature, which, for me, is a much better feature than chase play during a scheduled recording. Time shift is available all the time except during a scheduled recording. I use it to record while I am watching a HD saved program or a DVD. The Polaroid lets you do more than one thing even during scheduled recording, except chase play.

It also does not need to be off when shifting to a scheduled program and you are watching a stored program. The notice will come up, then, less than a minute before the scheduled start, you drop back to the tuner and the channel the program is on. Once it starts, you can shift back to the HD program or a DVD. I did that last night while watching a stored movie and recording CSI.

You can also press record and then shift to a stored program and watch it while recording the OTA program. When you go back, if the program is done you can save it, but if not, then chase play.

I have also used it as an alarm clock. I pause a program I want to watch at the point I eventually want to start watching, and go about whatever I want to do. The recorder will shift to live when that point is reached and the sound will come back on. It is a nice feature on a Sunday afternoon when you watch a game and decide to take a nap. Just hit pause and the recorder will wake you up in an hour.

I record two local weather forecasters in the am. Another nice feature is when you watch one stored program, when the part you wanted to see is done, just hit the chapter button and you go to the next stored program. If you allow it to run to the end, you go back to the HD menu.

I consider this relatively inexpensive, compared to the panny 55 I was going to buy, feature rich machine which is a steal for the price. It does have its drawbacks, but every DVR does.

Nice info. Thanks!

I appreciate your post and POV, BeeKeeper. You make some good points. For myself, I would rather have the availability of True Chase Play instead on an "always on" time shift feature. I can always just "press record" if I want to record live TV. Also, the constant recording to the HDD has to create more heat and more wear leading to shorter component life.

My other problem with your (and others) offered solution of using the time shift buffer is that I usually arrive back at my house after my chosen programs have already begun, negating the time shift buffer solution. I must Timer Schedule my programs or miss the beginning. Then I have to wait 'til the recording ends to begin my viewing (later than I want to start watching). This is a far less than satisfactory shortcoming with a $300 (or $220) DVDR, imo. Also, I archive, edit and save to DVD a number of my timer recordings, and the "Switch to the buffer when you come home" solution others have suggested does not fit my needs well either.

But we all like different things and I guess that makes pleasing everyone impossible. I do think it would be nice to have what many folks consider a "given" with a DVDR, the ability to Chase Play a Tmer Set recording.

A bit off topic, but needed: HDMI and upscaling. It would be nice to take the output of the Polaroid, the output of a standard TimeWarner/Dishnet/Directv and the output of a VHS (yes, you still own some - admit it) and input them into a unit for *one* connection to your TV. The unit would upscale all inputs to 720p/1080i. AND cost less than the Polaroid. I have a need/want to do this and I think the Toshiba DR-5(?) fills the bill. Would any of you have this need? I mean, it adds another link in the chain, the remote situation gets silly, but I'm tired of getting halfway there. Of course, since I am the HT Budget Guy compromises must be made : -)
PS Already looked in other forum areas, more confoosing than what we're talking about here!

It would be nice to take the output of the Polaroid, the output of a standard TimeWarner/Dishnet/Directv and the output of a VHS (yes, you still own some - admit it) and input them into a unit for *one* connection to your TV. The unit would upscale all inputs to 720p/1080i.
Already exists in multiple scalers/switchers on the market.

AND cost less than the Polaroid.
Except for that part.

Gefen has one coming out, the Home Theater Scaler Plus, with a variety of inputs & an HDMI out, relatively inexpensive, but no one seems to have tried or reviewed it yet.

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4298

I appreciate your post and POV, BeeKeeper. You make some good points. For myself, I would rather have the availability of True Chase Play instead on an "always on" time shift feature. I can always just "press record" if I want to record live TV. Also, the constant recording to the HDD has to create more heat and more wear leading to shorter component life.

There are literally tons of electrons floating around cyberspace on the always on/off HD and what causes more wear. Usually it is the turning on and off, the cycles, that cause the most wear, since HDs are supposed to last for tens of thousands of hours.

As far as true chase play, you have it except for scheduled programs. And, as I noted, there are work-arounds. On other sets, if you want chase play when watching live tv, you do have to hit record. But now try to watch a stored program at the same time. Or change channels (I will show you how later). You are out of luck. The Polaroid allows it.

My other problem with your (and others) offered solution of using the time shift buffer is that I usually arrive back at my house after my chosen programs have already begun, negating the time shift buffer solution. I must Timer Schedule my programs or miss the beginning. Then I have to wait 'til the recording ends to begin my viewing (later than I want to start watching). This is a far less than satisfactory shortcoming with a $300 (or $220) DVDR, imo. Also, I archive, edit and save to DVD a number of my timer recordings, and the "Switch to the buffer when you come home" solution others have suggested does not fit my needs well either.

If you have the buffer on all day it only has the last hour in the buffer. So if you arrive home during the program, go to the start of the program by pressing and holding the chapter back button and it will go to the start of the buffer. Sometimes you have to hit it more than once, but usually it just goes there. Then navigate using either the chapter shift or commercial skip (right and left buttons) to go to the start of the program. Press record and you will start the recording session at that point! Continue to the end of the program and press stop and you have saved only that section of the buffer.

Also note that the recording will continue for three hours, so you can easily record a long program and chase play through the whole thing. Also note, that if you overshoot the end, when you navigate back to it, the recording section also reverts back to that point. Then press stop, and your program is saved.

In essence, you can navigate within the buffer and save only that part you want, so if you only want 1/2 hour of it, mark the beginning, press record, commercial or chapter skip to the end and hit stop. Only that section of the buffer will be saved.

Another nice feature- when you save that program, the remainder of the buffer is not erased but is there for you to watch. However, anything preceeding the saved recorded section on the buffer will be lost. So if you watch and record one program and the next program will come on while you are watching the first, just change the channel (have that feature enabled, that you continue to save the buffer when you change the channel) at the start time of the next program. You will stay where you are while recording, but the next program will also be on the buffer. Just check the channel number and you will see it is on the new channel.

So when you get to the next program, just hit stop, and the program you watched will be saved. Then navigate to the start of the next programs, where you want to start recording, and hit record and chase play through it also. Let me know how many recorders allow you to change the channel while in the button record mode? You can do it on the Polaroid when using the record button and time shift.

Finally, if you want to go to sleep and not watch the rest of the program, go to the beginning, press record (even if you are already in the record mode) the number of times to match the length of the program you want to save. Then go to sleep. The recorder will be on when you awake, only because it always stays at the state it was in when it starts recording. Plus, even if it is on all night, it will record any other scheduled programs with no problem.

But we all like different things and I guess that makes pleasing everyone impossible. I do think it would be nice to have what many folks consider a "given" with a DVDR, the ability to Chase Play a Tmer Set recording.

In essence, the Polaroid is only chase play limited in that one area, but gives you so many other features using chase play that other players, which have that one feature, do not have. Plus, there are easy work-arounds. I am sure they could satisfy your desire, but at what I consider great cost to other uses of chase play that the Polaroid and phillips offer. I do not know of other recorders that offer the time shift function. It is a outstanding feature with great versatility. Try it out. You will be amazed at all you can do with it that you cannot do on other players.

BK .

Again, great info. I am learning about functions I have not utilized.

Question. What is your set-up?

Do you use the internal tuner frequently or record some without the Polaroids tuner?
Cable, satellite, OTA?
Component in/out?
Do you have another DVDR in your set-up?

Thanks

I would like to try one, but walmat is out of stock and can't find anyplace to buy one

I would like to try one, but walmat is out of stock and can't find anyplace to buy one

Call around periodically to all your area Walmarts. They seem to just pop up. I own 2. I got my last one from a Walmart that had empty shelves for months!??

Its a "K" unit I think.

I bought my 1st one on eslay used and got lucky. I would recommend against this though. I bought another on eslay used and it was DOA. So thats why I started with the Walmart search. Plus Walmart has a great return policy if it bites the dust. :)

Again, great info. I am learning about functions I have not utilized.

Question. What is your set-up?

Do you use the internal tuner frequently or record some without the Polaroids tuner?
Cable, satellite, OTA?
Component in/out?
Do you have another DVDR in your set-up?

Thanks

I use the Polaroid as if it were a VCR, for casual use and generally dump the recording after I view it. I would rather buy the movie and enjoy all the extras than shift it to a DVD for further viewing.

I have several hundred DVDs so see little use for more. There are only a few shows that I would like to see again and again, LOTR being one.

But I have burned some shows, mostly those that are not on DVD. And I have shifted almost all of our VCR tapes that are not yet out on DVD to disk.

I record using the Polaroid tuner from the cable input. I show the recorded show on either my 26" TV or project it on to a 110" screen with my Optima projector. The actual picture is about 78" diag. I use the s-video out from the Polaroid to the Optima projector. Great for watching football.

I show regular DVDs from my panny home theater (component) to the projector. I also Have a VCR (first in the series) that I never use but my wife does.

I could use the VCR tuner to feed the Polaroid and have stereo, but I really cannot tell the difference, so use the Polaroid tuner.

So my setup is cable to VCR, Svideo to Polaroid, to either TV (composite) or projector (svideo). Separate from that is Home theater component to projector or composite to TV.

When the shift comes to all digital, I will change my setup and probably not use the Polaroid tuner, especially if I can feed it 5.1 sound and component video.

The picture from the Polaroid to my large screen is excellent. I use SP and there is no degradation from the live show, but I am on analog, so I start form a lower base than digital. I have not shifted to digital because my cable company has all the analog cable channels in analog on their digital feed anyway, so why shift just to have more channels I will never watch? I have toyed with shifting to dish, but since I have a internet/cable discount, am staying with it until I have to shift. But that will be a major shift, including a new flatscreen TV.

I would like to try one, but walmat is out of stock and can't find anyplace to buy one

Give them your name and most of the time they will call you if one comes in. I bought two, but gave one to my son, so am looking for another.

My first dvr was a panny es-20 which I loved until I realized how much more you have with a HD. Now it sits on the shelf in my computer room for recording old VHS tapes.

beekeeper - great posts!!. Excellent information - thanks!

.

The reason I asked.

Its very interesting to see the different ways people use their components. I have noticed on this forum episodes of poster attacks, and differences of opinion. Not in this thread much but others. But when taken into the context of the users utilization, preferences and priorities it becomes evident that it just simply depends on your point of view.

For interest sake. I have 2 Polaroids. One in the theater and the other in the bedroom. I have a HD-DVR with all the premium channels. I really like the movies and never get out so when they come out on cable it is the first viewing for me. But I found that the DVRs HDD was only 160gb and filled quicker than I could watch so I started missing movies I wanted to see. In comes the Polaroids.

So my setup is HD-DVR-->Polaroid with externalized Hard drive enclosure and hot swappable HDDs (THANKS NEXTOO!)-->Denon AVR/Little LCD for editing--> 72"DLP. Also have an upconverting 6 disc DVD player to the DLP and also to the Polaroid (THANKS AGAIN NEXTOO).

So I archive all the highdef movies @ 480i to HDDs and have a pretty good library growing. The down rezd HD is awesome via the polaroid by my eye. The HDDs swap out easy and I move them from theater to bedroom as needed. I do alittle burning but not much. I do not use the Polaroids tuner ever.

I would be very interested to hear others in regards to not just setup but also why they have their particular setup that way.

DLSDO - When using the Polaroid I do pretty much exactly as you. The majority of my recordings are from an HD source at 480i. And movies. This is why the Polaroid is one of a kind. It has component inputs so it works great for widescreen recording from my HD source. And has the unique external and multiple HDD ability. I do not believe there is another that can offer this. Yes - one of a kind.

It is the hub of my entertainment center because of its pass through capabilities and component input. Sounds crazy for a $220 piece but it does a lot.

Everything else it does is a bonus. And there are quite a few.

I also never use the tuner. I use the timeshift features of my DVR. But I do like playing around with and understanding the Polaroid's capabilities in this area.

After just adding my polaroid to my system yesterday so far it's ok, but not as useful as I presumed it might be, and that is DLSDO's point. I'm using DishHD directly to my 1080p set but it doesn't have the DVR. Using the polo as a DVR is sort of a pain, not sure I'm gonna keep it. Our family of 4 got very used to the DishDVR SD, and while the polo CAN dvr you have to accept some compromises such as using both remotes, coordinating sound-in/out (from av receiver) and tv inputs. That currently is too much for the other family members who prefer simplicity to 'gee whiz, look what this can do' because remember, we had it all in SD on one box, including dolby digital and surround out, without changing inputs/remotes..etc. And I have a 400 disc changer with Faroujda upscaling already so the progressive scan from the polo isn't any big deal. That's how I would like to use it, and although it's functions are quite impressive and it is a solid unit, It doesn't appear at this point that it will suit our needs.
Great thread, nice points of view and sharing of info y'all. The web isn't a 'total void'.
TomC

Quick follow-on - Nextoo is congratulated for pulling the cover to see what's inside. And since I've been burning DVD's for 4 years + (I still have an APEX AD-600A in the bedroom) the external HDD swapping appeals to my tech side, but not for the 'press the buttons on 1 remote' crowd of the family. So the commander may put the brakes on this side project - Although..I did dump Tom Petty to the HD last night and told her we can make a DVD and keep it to watch when we want. She liked that, but I don't think the dual/triple input and AVreciever input switching is gonna fly for too long. Hence why I was asking earlier about a switchbox but that add$ co$t and I'll have to remove my "HD HT Budget Guy" tag. Not gonna do it.

After just adding my polaroid to my system yesterday so far it's ok, but not as useful as I presumed it might be, and that is DLSDO's point. I'm using DishHD directly to my 1080p set but it doesn't have the DVR. Using the polo as a DVR is sort of a pain, not sure I'm gonna keep it. Our family of 4 got very used to the DishDVR SD, and while the polo CAN dvr you have to accept some compromises such as using both remotes, coordinating sound-in/out (from av receiver) and tv inputs. That currently is too much for the other family members who prefer simplicity to 'gee whiz, look what this can do' because remember, we had it all in SD on one box, including dolby digital and surround out, without changing inputs/remotes..etc. And I have a 400 disc changer with Faroujda upscaling already so the progressive scan from the polo isn't any big deal. That's how I would like to use it, and although it's functions are quite impressive and it is a solid unit, It doesn't appear at this point that it will suit our needs.
Great thread, nice points of view and sharing of info y'all. The web isn't a 'total void'.
TomC

TomC - I think you may be blurring the capabilities line a bit.

If you follow this thread I think you will see two distinct conversations that discuss DVD recorder capabilities in general. The first being the DVR capabilities of the Polaroid. The second being the unique features the Polaroid offers when tethered to an HD STB.

The first discussion - the DVR discussion. This tends to cover all of the strengths and weaknesses associated with using the Polaroid as a DVR. This discussion tends to be limited to the COAX to the back of the Polaroid application. Topics such as timer recordings, time shifting, etc tend to dominate. The Polaroid offers some great features and has some work arounds that have been well documented for things that may not be so great. But this discussion is focused on the DVR capabilities of the Polaroid.

The second discussion - the hardware discussion. This tends to cover the unique strengths of the Polaroid. Component inputs. HD video pass through. HDD ungrading. External HDD capabilities. External DVD drive capabilities. Etc. This discussion tends to include folks that are less concerned with the DVR capabilities of the Polaroid. This is because those that are interested in this already have either cable or satellite DVR's. So the Polaroid DVR discussion becomes less interesting. I fall into this camp. I tend appreciate the Polaroid's ability to off load video from my HD DVR. Although I also like to follow the DVR contributions as well.

Trouble can brew when you try to combine the two discussions. And throw in some anticipated expectations. This might lead you to believe that the Polaroid is an all in one solution. It's not. Thus the blur.

When reading this thread without an appreciation for the differences it is very easy to come to your conclusion.

I agree with you 100% nextoo. I fall into the second category, clearing space on the HDD of my SA8300HD is the primary purpose for the Polaroid. Second use will be dumping video from my camcorder to the HDD and then to DVD for quick disc making, later I'll do proper edits of the movies on computer, just don't have the time right now.
I did a temporary hookup of my Polaroid last night, using the splitter, because I have B model without pass thru. Used it to dump the Colts-Pats game to the HDD then to burn DVDs. Made 2 discs one for each half of the game. Right now I have the Polaroid outputting to TV via s-video, will use component when I get some more cables. Picture looks pretty good in FULL mode but there is quite a bit of overscan. Normally my set has about 1% overscan on the component inputs. Every once in a while I have to bump a channel up or down a few lines to hide garble.
The splitter doesn't seem to degrade the video when pumping HiDef from DVR to set, I was a bit worried about that. I'm only using 3ft cables so that probably helps, not sure how a long run would hold up.
While playing around lastnight, with a lap full of remotes, I got to wondering how my Harmony will handle the STB and Recorder at the same time. I was doing a Live Recording while pumping the game at 480i to it, during a commercial I would pause recording, then FF on the STB thru the commercials, then hit Record again when game came back on. Kind of tedious using both remotes, but seems like it would be really confusing trying to do it like that on the Harmony. Those of you using them how do you have yours setup?

peace.
unloaded

The first discussion - the DVR discussion... tends to be limited to the COAX to the back of the Polaroid
Ease up Nextoo. You are correct, I didn't say it was *bad* I just commented that it's not as useful as I thought it may be. I was dumping RG-6 feed from my Dish to my PC on the other side of my house and busting down dvd's 2 years ago. With the recent aquisiiton of a 1080p panel (budget, open box - $300 off) I am interested in the DVR part and with the remote swapping (as unleaded notes) it's okay for maybe one or 2 people who want to deal with it, but for a busy household with many folks who watch/record/rewind different shows daily it seems to be a bit more than 'we're' willing to deal with (I can, but if it's not easy for the others I lose ;-). As I posted before, DishNet has a DVR (I think DLSDO uses the polo in conjuction with his DishHDdvr for archiving to DVD) but I can't justify the $200 lease when you can get this polo for $30 more.
Again, I'm not trying to 'dis the unit; If I thought it was crap I'd say so. No problems here with relating tech experiences with products.
It is a decent unit and has a tons of capabilities.
Peace out.
TomC

Keep your setups and utilizations coming everyone. Lots to be learned here.

Can I ask something off topic? I'm wondering about something right now.

Is there any truth to the theory that newer models (i.e. G, H, K models, etc.) has tight copy protection in them? I read a post or two about it but no real follow ups. From what I get B thru F is light on the copy protection. G and above might be tight on copy protection -- especially the newer the model made. What concerns me is not only copying movies from one DVD player or VCR to the Polaroid but the copy protection that might come up with recording HD content either now or in the future. I decided to stay with the Polaroid but I might trade it in for another that hopefully will work better. I know mine can record DVD videos from one machine to another. I tested that out. I don't copy movies but I tested out the CP the other day and it lets me do that. So, I figure that if that works then if the cable company sends CP info to the DVD recorder that this thing might ignore it.

Now I'm afraid that if I send this in and get say an H or K model and reading about some having CP problems with just a DVD transfer then what will happen if I get one of those models and the cable Co. decides in a year or so to CP all HD signals to DVD recorders. The one I have now might ignore that. If I get a new G, H, K, or what ever model they have now I might not be able to record from the box to the unit with component inputs.

So, what I'm asking is does anyone have a G, H, or K model? Something new and have problems either transfering Macrovision, or DVDs to their Polaroid; or even get CP notices when they try to record HD shows or on demand shows using their Polaroid with a component input?

Ease up Nextoo. You are correct, I didn't say it was *bad* I just commented that it's not as useful as I thought it may be. I was dumping RG-6 feed from my Dish to my PC on the other side of my house and busting down dvd's 2 years ago. With the recent aquisiiton of a 1080p panel (budget, open box - $300 off) I am interested in the DVR part and with the remote swapping (as unleaded notes) it's okay for maybe one or 2 people who want to deal with it, but for a busy household with many folks who watch/record/rewind different shows daily it seems to be a bit more than 'we're' willing to deal with (I can, but if it's not easy for the others I lose ;-). As I posted before, DishNet has a DVR (I think DLSDO uses the polo in conjuction with his DishHDdvr for archiving to DVD) but I can't justify the $200 lease when you can get this polo for $30 more.
Again, I'm not trying to 'dis the unit; If I thought it was crap I'd say so. No problems here with relating tech experiences with products.
It is a decent unit and has a tons of capabilities.
Peace out.
TomC

I wasn't excited.

I was pointing out what seems to be a couple of different discussions in this thread. And a couple of different ways the Polaroid is used.

Introducing a Polaroid into the mix to help archive from an HD (DVR in some cases) source via component inputs is one. This is what I do and I continue to use the DVR functions of my STB - an SA8300HD. Most of this discussion does not involve the DVR capabilities of the Polaroid.

Exploring the Polaroid's DVR capabilities when using a source through its tuner seems to be another. You'll have a better DVR experience this way. There's no other equipment in the mix. COAX -> Polaroid -> Television. This discussion is very engaged and covers things like time shifting, timer recording, etc. The Polaroid becomes the STB.

Mixing the two expectations in one installation, as you are finding out, doesn't work very well.

As far a having to juggle remotes - from your original post. Anytime you introduce another component you introduce another remote. There comes a point in time when some folks give up trying to juggle and move to some sort of unified remote. I had to and I'm happy with the results. I've gone from a pile of remotes to just one. Which makes things easier.

This discussion is very engaged and covers things like time shifting, timer recording, etc. The Polaroid becomes the STB.

Mixing the two expectations in one installation, as you are finding out, doesn't work very well.

As far a having to juggle remotes - from your original post. Anytime you introduce another component you introduce another remote. There comes a point in time when some folks give up trying to juggle and move to some sort of unified remote. I had to and I'm happy with the results. I've gone from a pile of remotes to just one. Which makes things easier.

Excellent points. With my setup I am doing exactly what you say, using my Polaroid as a combo STB and Tivo. I am an analog user since I decided a few years ago to wait until digital becomes mandatory and purchase all my "high end" equipment then. Cheaper and, by then, standards are set and tuners and cards integrated into the system. I also wanted PIP and that means two tuners. That was even more costly back then.

I have big screen through a projector, and use it for movies and football games with the occasional show, like 24 or Smallville. All DVDs go through my HT to the projector. I decided on the projector route since it saved me 3k had I bought a 42" plasma some two+ years ago. It is unbelievable that us "po' folk" can have the same home theater that movie studio owners with millions had years ago.

I have a Harmony 880 remote which I consider essential since is is wife friendly and can accommodate just about any setup. I bought her a 600 series remote, but they are much less wife friendly without the larger display, so my son has it.

The nice thing about the 880 is it has eight functions available on the screen at one time and many screens so you can add many functions. I can do whatever I want in any setup and continue to find more things to add to the different activities. It is a great remote. I settled on it after researching remotes in the remote section of this forum.

How do you have the activities set for your remote? I've got a Harmony 6xx series. Haven't tried programming it yet. I'm not really worried about it being wife proof. I'm probably the only one that will be using the Polaroid. My concern is needing the same buttons to control the STB and Polaroid. Mainly Pause, FF, RW etc. I guess I can set a Dubbing activity or something and have one of them controled by screen buttons. I normally won't be editting out the commercials when it goes from STB to HDD, but I wanted to trim the 4hr recording as much as possible without having to go thru and edit it later. Wasn't too bad for a trial run, but the remote does suck as far as range and angle goes. The interface is a bit clunky too, but I'll get used to that eventually, might even crack open the manual 8)

peace.
unloaded

I have 2 Polaroids. A "G" and "k" unit, I think. No CP issues from "encrypted" cable channels so far. I have it setup to burn commercial DVDs yet have not tried.

Careful about drawing any conclusions though. Do not forget all the variables. It may be that CP is loose on the Polaroid or its possible that although one assumes the cable movies are all encrypted.....this may not always be the case.

None the less. I will trial my "K" from a burning standpoint and let you know

Yeah, I'm more concerned with cable channels. Lots of talk going on here about them blocking stations. Maybe most stations when all is digital or HD. Talk of recorders not being good anymore because of blocked signals giving never copy flags.

As for the movies I don't have many -- maybe just a handful tops. So, I didn't have many to try out. I tried out MGM's "Spinal Tap," "Columbia's "Stripes" and Anchor Bay's "Dawn of the Dead." I don't know about the last movie but I tried the other two using a standard machine going into my other machines and they all came up with the "can't copy" sign. So, I know they are protected. Like I said, I personally don't have a need to make copies of my DVDs and if I did I would use the computer. I just don't want trade in my machine that I know has weak CP and get something that has normal or stong CP in it. Not for moving over DVDs (although I do have some old VCR tapes that I might want to move to disk one day) but more for premium movie channels, HD movie channels, digital channels and anything people here are worried that will be blocked someday by standard DVD recorders like Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, etc. Especially if it is a recorder that can take component out from the box and into the recorder like this one can.

Thanks for letting me know that you have a new G and K models and you can still get all of your channels. If you find out that you can also record your DVD disks too then I think it might be easier for me to exchange this unit knowing that I "should" get one that does all that this does and maybe is not messed up or possibly broken like this one might.

Well, I noticed something with mine. If I have tons of titles on a disk or if I move over tons of titles (like 5 or 6 video clips) then the machine is more inclined to freeze up if I go to the DVD section than if I only have 1 title -- like one movie. So, if I have HDD filled with tons of songs from talkshows that I want to move over to disk -- say 25 titles -- it will move over alright but if I go to the DVD section and try to play them or set thumbnails the unit freezes. I don't know if anyone has any disks that has more than a hand full of titles but if they do, do they get this type of problem?

On a side note, here is some things I found out about the unit -- my unit.

If I want to be able to fast foward normal so that I can see the video move along as I FF/REW then I have to record to the DVD directly. No HDD then transfer over to the DVD. That will skip all video unless you go FF at 1x (I'm talking about playing all of this on other machines not the Polaroid.)

If you put in a DVD disk and record to the disk right away you will get the video so you can FF/REW and see the video BUT you will NOT have chapter marks. I put in a disk and started to record something for and hour. I was able to FF and REW but there was not one chapter mark.

In order to be able to FF/REW on all machines and see all the video PLUS have chapter marks every 5 mins or so I have to do this:

1) Put in a new DVD disk.
2) Record a few seconds of video on it and then stop it.
3) Go back to the DVD disk or section (hit the DVD button on your remote), go up or down until you find the "create a new recording" option.
4) Then record your show on to DVD disk directly.

For some reason for me to be able to use a normal FF/REW on my other machines from this Polaroid you have to record on the disk, also it doesn't know to put chapter marks on the first recording but it does know to put the chapter marks on all other recordings after that -- that's just mine machine. You have to test this out for yourself to see if they are all the same or it's just mine.

nextoo - You boiled down my dilemma, thanks.
Mixing the two expectations in one installation, as you are finding out, doesn't work very well.
While trying to use it sans-coax but as a source tuner thru component in is not really an application it was designed for. That would be for capturing to Hdisk, but I'm trying to 'force' it to be a component tuner. And that aint' working out so well, again -thru no design or function shortcoming of the polo, just the way I'm implementing.
My real challenge is my wallet and what dishnet wants for it's HdDvr, but not the polo.
Thx for your perspectives.

nextoo - You boiled down my dilemma, thanks.

While trying to use it sans-coax but as a source tuner thru component in is not really an application it was designed for. That would be for capturing to Hdisk, but I'm trying to 'force' it to be a component tuner. And that aint' working out so well, again -thru no design or function shortcoming of the polo, just the way I'm implementing.
My real challenge is my wallet and what dishnet wants for it's HdDvr, but not the polo.
Thx for your perspectives.

Not quite understanding. What do you mean by "force"? You can't change the channel on the satellite box through the Polaroid if that is what you mean. For that you would need a DVD recorder with an IR blaster. But you can force it to default to component inputs when you turn it on. That might help.

TomBudC,

re your concerns over the cost of the Dish HD DVR, I had the same thoughts, substitute DirecTV and their HD TiVo. This was over 2 years ago and before I had a stand-alone DVD recorder.

I finally decided ease of use was worth the money and I bought one of the first HD TiVo's delivered to Seattle. Even though it far exceeded my budget, I have never regretted my decision. In fact, 2 years later DirecTV offered me a second HD TiVo for $199 and I now have 2--one each for myself and my wife.

My point is that you might find the added expense of the well-integrated Dish DVR unit is more than worth the price you have to pay.

I, too, have built a home theater and full-house A/V distribution system on a very restricted budget. I have purchased many open box items and closeouts and last-year models. The HD TiVo was the second item I bought brand new, and even then I negotiated the sales price down $100 and later received account credits of over $250 from DirecTV after activation.

Will Dish let you return their DVR after a trial period if you are not satisfied?

My combination of my HD TiVo and my older Pioneer 520H DVD recorder enables me to make archive DVD recordings of HDTV programs whose widescreen video quality rivals that of commercial DVDs.

The DVR is used for timeshifting and the DVD recorder is used for archive recording. Even though my DVD recorder has chase play and a hard drive, it was not optimized for everyday timeshifting and it shows in the user interface. It works fine for me, and the rest of the family never even sees it.

Good luck!

I finally gave my Polaroids a CP trial and this is what I found. As mentioned I have "G & K" units. I utilized a Sony and Samsung DVD player with Disneys "Shaggy Dog". I delivered video to the Polaroid over both composite and s-video. I did not have an extra component cable so this was not tested.

I also tested recording Premium HD cable movies across all cables to the Polaroid. (@480i)

Results:

DVD-->Polaroid
No success. CP flagged! :(

HD Premium cable @ 480i-->Polaroid
Success with Premium HD cable movies across all cables. (The premium channels may not have CP)

Really not a big deal for my applications but just FYI

I finally gave my Polaroids a CP trial and this is what I found. As mentioned I have "G & K" units. I utilized a Sony and Samsung DVD player with Disneys "Shaggy Dog". I delivered video to the Polaroid over both composite and s-video. I did not have an extra component cable so this was not tested.

I also tested recording Premium HD cable movies across all cables to the Polaroid. (@480i)

Results:

DVD-->Polaroid
No success. CP flagged! :(

HD Premium cable @ 480i-->Polaroid
Success with Premium HD cable movies across all cables. (The premium channels may not have CP)

Really not a big deal for my applications but just FYI

It will be a no go with Disney. Try a different DVD. I think Sony may be a problem too but that should be it. I found the Philips 642 player (feb '02 build) works with anything I tested. But really my only concern in cable/satellite company flags.

Also I don't think it matters what the serial letter is with the newer model. It looks like they all have the same build date - June of 2006.

It will be a no go with Disney. Try a different DVD.

OK. I remember reading that Disney was tough so I figured i would give it a try. I will see how some others work

I found the Philips 642 player (feb '02 build) works with anything I tested.

Even Disney?

But really my only concern in cable/satellite company flags.

Are you concerned for the future? I have concerns for the future also. I suppose worse case scenario would require the purchase of a video filter. Unless you actually think they will use copyguards like digital-digital 5c stuff for our lowly downrezd material. I SURE HOPE NOT!

Also I don't think it matters what the serial letter is with the newer model. It looks like they all have the same build date - June of 2006

Interesting

If you want to test how your Polo handles CP flags for cable content try recording a PPV or OnDemand selection. I tried to save an OnDemand movie to my DVR's hdd and it gave me a msg something like: "You Are Not Allowed To Record This Content!"
Haven't had a chance to try pumping one of these shows to the Polo yet, but I'm curious to see how it handles it. Mine is a "B" unit, so I'll post what happens and we can compare with later models.

PS: In my area all PPV and OnDemand content is SD 4x3 so really the only interest I have in it is that fact that it carries the CP flags.

peace.
unloaded

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

I just tried burning my first disc tonight of some content recorded to the HDD
using Sony DVD+RW media did the steps as outlined above in mattzane227's post
when the symbol in the upper left hand corner of the screen went away
I went into dvd...pushed the up arrow and then the right arrow however there was no option to finalize in the drop down menu

I took the disc out and it played fine on my Sony dvd player as well as the Polaroid unit itself....any idea why there was no option to finalize?

Disney is known for its mad CP

How do you have the activities set for your remote? I've got a Harmony 6xx series. Haven't tried programming it yet. I'm not really worried about it being wife proof. I'm probably the only one that will be using the Polaroid. My concern is needing the same buttons to control the STB and Polaroid. Mainly Pause, FF, RW etc. I guess I can set a Dubbing activity or something and have one of them controled by screen buttons. I normally won't be editting out the commercials when it goes from STB to HDD, but I wanted to trim the 4hr recording as much as possible without having to go thru and edit it later. Wasn't too bad for a trial run, but the remote does suck as far as range and angle goes. The interface is a bit clunky too, but I'll get used to that eventually, might even crack open the manual 8)

peace.
unloaded

I have eight activities programmed. I set it up that way to keep it simple in each activity. So the Polaroid with the TV is one activity and with the projector is another.

I suggest you do any editing from an activity like "watch dvd" with just the Polaroid and TV.

The only real problem I have is changing channels when I use the Polaroid and the TV with PIP. I set it up with the channel numbers on one screen (easier on the 880 with 8 numbers) if I want to go direct, or the additional up/down button on the 880 to change the TV incrementally. With a 6xx you will probably have to use the screen or just shift to "device mode" and change anything using the normal remote buttons.

Lots on this sort of thing on the remote forum.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=93

I just recently purchased on of these units (great machine from what I've seen so far with an instruction manual that is completely worthless)

I just tried burning my first disc tonight of some content recorded to the HDD
using Sony DVD+RW media did the steps as outlined above in mattzane227's post
when the symbol in the upper left hand corner of the screen went away
I went into dvd...pushed the up arrow and then the right arrow however there was no option to finalize in the drop down menu

I took the disc out and it played fine on my Sony dvd player as well as the Polaroid unit itself....any idea why there was no option to finalize?

There are two menus you can get to on the DVD screen. One is up right and the other is right. Try the second (totally off the top of my head as to which has which items). One menu is for chapters, renaming and the like while the other is your final activities, such as name the disk and finalize the disk.

If finalize option is grayed out, I recall reading that it will occasionally finalize on its own if the program fills the disk and there is little or no room left. So that may have happened.

Remote: I recently got the Sony VL-600 and would recommend it as a cheaper learning remote. I was very pleased to put all of the other remotes away. However, I've had to bring 2 back (including the Polaroid) to access the odd button that I don't have room for on the Sony. This is a pain, but the Sony is so easy and convenient, I still use it as my main remote and recommend it. I just keep the others handy.

FF/RW issue:
I know I've seen it somewhere (many pages back), but it just was highlighted for me again recently when I had to switch laptops due to a breakdown. For some reason PowerDVD will handle the Polaroid DVD's normally at any speed of rewind and fast forward. Intervideo DVD acts like most DVD players seem to and will not. You only get the 1X. Anything faster jumps right to the end. Something to keep in mind if you watch movies often on a computer.
I wonder what PowerDVD's secret is?

There are two menus you can get to on the DVD screen. One is up right and the other is right. Try the second (totally off the top of my head as to which has which items). One menu is for chapters, renaming and the like while the other is your final activities, such as name the disk and finalize the disk.

If finalize option is grayed out, I recall reading that it will occasionally finalize on its own if the program fills the disk and there is little or no room left. So that may have happened.
thanks beekeeper but I did also notice the other menu (I also believe it is just 'right' only) and that menu also had absolutely nothing about 'finalize disc' in the drop down menu ...not just greyed out on either menu but not listed at all

maybe it just did what you said and finalized on its own but it seems odd that I wouldn't even see text about finalizing in either of the menus

thanks beekeeper but I did also notice the other menu (I also believe it is just 'right' only) and that menu also had absolutely nothing about 'finalize disc' in the drop down menu ...not just greyed out on either menu but not listed at all

maybe it just did what you said and finalized on its own but it seems odd that I wouldn't even see text about finalizing in either of the menus

When I use +RW discs I never see the finalize option. I don't think you can. A +RW disc auto finalizes and because of the way the +VR mode records this happens very fast after you hit the eject button.

I do see the finalize menu option when I use -RW discs. In this case I have to manually finalize the disc.

Both +RW and -RW discs can be erased of course.

This has been my experience. I'm not sure if this is consistent across different brands of media. I assume it is?

When I use +RW discs I never see the finalize option.
thanks nextoo
I feel better now and it saves me one extra step

Further testing. Sammy DVD player to Polaroid by composite. "G & K" units

Crash- Lions Gate
Polar Express- Warner Bros
Pirates of the Carribean Dead Mans Chest- Disney

No go across the board

From the DVD+RW Alliance: DVD+RW video recorders allow users to add, delete or divide titles, overwrite titles in whole or in part, create or modify play lists and make other changes without losing compatibility with existing DVD players, unlike other formats. DVD+R/+RW also allows instant use and instant eject - you don't have to wait for the disc to format or finalize. And DVD+R/+RW recorders offer the same type of operation you're used to seeing on DVD players.

Further testing. Sammy DVD player to Polaroid by composite. "G & K" units

Crash- Lions Gate
Polar Express- Warner Bros
Pirates of the Carribean Dead Mans Chest- Disney

No go across the board

This is starting to concern me. I tested it a while back and posted my results. I added Sony to the list because I thought the problem was perhaps ARccoS copy protection. But if you look on the list here I don't see the titles you mention:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DVDs_Protected_by_ARccoS

Perhaps somebody else that has tested this can post their results.

The on demand and pay per view titles are not CP around here as far as I can tell. I can tape those movies to all of my recorders so far so I can't tell that way.

I wish I had more movies to check out. I have a movie I haven't opened yet and a few concert videos I haven't looked at but if they work out too I wonder if they did tighten up things after the F series?

This is starting to concern me. I tested it a while back and posted my results. I added Sony to the list because I thought the problem was perhaps ARccoS copy protection. But if you look on the list here I don't see the titles you mention:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DVDs_Protected_by_ARccoS

Perhaps somebody else that has tested this can post their results.
I haven't tried any dvd's but did try a couple VHS backups when just starting to fool around with my 'G' and got flagged with cp. I used my Sima CT-200 and got them onto the hd. One title was Jurassic Park. Don't recall the second one now.

Wasn't there a possibility of a code input on boot that might "fix" the problem. I know there was a region free hack that might have also helped the cp issue?

I also never tried my newer Philips 642 as source.

I haven't tried any dvd's but did try a couple VHS backups when just starting to fool around with my 'G' and got flagged with cp. I used my Sima CT-200 and got them onto the hd. One title was Jurassic Park. Don't recall the second one now.

Wasn't there a possibility of a code input on boot that might "fix" the problem. I know there was a region free hack that might have also helped the cp issue?

I also never tried my newer Philips 642 as source.

The Philips 642 that I used to test was a Feb. 2004 build date. I don't think the newer ones perform the same. This particular version of the Philips was able to do even Disney with the Polaroid. But produced a CP flag on every other DVD recorder I tried it on with any DVD I tested. So I wrote it off as something odd with the Philips 642 and Polaroid combination.

It was reported that VHS will produce the CP flag. That has always been a no go best I can determine.

Beyond that I posted earlier in the thread that I had no problems with LOTR using any player I could find. And other DVD's as well. But not all. Hit and miss - loose CP.

But quite honestly I never really do it so I have not been able to put together a running track record of results.

Other ways to skin that cat anyway as far as dvd backups go. I will use the VHS stuff for some kiddie progs and movies but the CT-200 takes care of that issue.

Lot's of good stuff going into my text file of tips on usage of this tinkerer's delght.

I bought Polaroid last summer but unfortunately switched to FIOS at about the same time and finally found time today to get online and figure out why I couldn't offload anything from my FIOS Motorola HDDVR to the Polaroid . . . everything coming from FIOS is CP flagged. That is all I wanted to do, no interest in vhs to dvd or dvd to dvd. Used to use a Panny dvdr with Cox Cable but that was in the good old analog days, and there is no going back. I guess I should have looked before I leaped.

This is starting to concern me. I tested it a while back and posted my results. I added Sony to the list because I thought the problem was perhaps ARccoS copy protection. But if you look on the list here I don't see the titles you mention:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DVDs_Protected_by_ARccoS

Perhaps somebody else that has tested this can post their results.

I was not really surprised with"Pirates" as it did have ARccoS added even after the discontinuation date but the others surprised me alittle. I will keep testing and let you know

The on demand and pay per view titles are not CP around here as far as I can tell. I can tape those movies to all of my recorders so far so I can't tell that way.

I wish I had more movies to check out. I have a movie I haven't opened yet and a few concert videos I haven't looked at but if they work out too I wonder if they did tighten up things after the F series?

No problems with PPV in my end of the world either

I haven't tried any dvd's but did try a couple VHS backups when just starting to fool around with my 'G' and got flagged with cp. I used my Sima CT-200 and got them onto the hd. One title was Jurassic Park. Don't recall the second one now.

Wasn't there a possibility of a code input on boot that might "fix" the problem. I know there was a region free hack that might have also helped the cp issue?

I also never tried my newer Philips 642 as source.

I do not think the region free hack will have any effect on CP

I bought Polaroid last summer but unfortunately switched to FIOS at about the same time and finally found time today to get online and figure out why I couldn't offload anything from my FIOS Motorola HDDVR to the Polaroid . . . everything coming from FIOS is CP flagged. That is all I wanted to do, no interest in vhs to dvd or dvd to dvd. Used to use a Panny dvdr with Cox Cable but that was in the good old analog days, and there is no going back. I guess I should have looked before I leaped.

As far as FIOS is concerned you are on your own. And a real trail blazer! My guess is that anything locked in the Motorola FIOS box is in there tighter than tight. Cause for concern - yes. But I'm guessing FIOS brings more complexity to the proposition. I'd stick with plain old HD cable. Tougher to comply.

Plain old HD cable? Now that's a new one! :)

The Philips 642 that I used to test was a Feb. 2004 build date. I don't think the newer ones perform the same. This particular version of the Philips was able to do even Disney with the Polaroid. But produced a CP flag on every other DVD recorder I tried it on with any DVD I tested. So I wrote it off as something odd with the Philips 642 and Polaroid combination.

It was reported that VHS will produce the CP flag. That has always been a no go best I can determine.

Beyond that I posted earlier in the thread that I had no problems with LOTR using any player I could find. And other DVD's as well. But not all. Hit and miss - loose CP.

But quite honestly I never really do it so I have not been able to put together a running track record of results.

It may be dependent on the player. I will try the same DVDs delivered by another player.

This is not all that important to me either as I have no need for this function but its fun to see what can be done. If I did I would load it on a PC and burn it to DL media.

Well I decided not to wait for this to go on clearance, since out of the four Walmarts within reasonable driving distance only one store has a newer than B version. Mine is a E version new in box. The fan isn't very loud but a little annoying with the TV on low volume--about the same noise level as a medium quiet computer. If I keep this unit I'll probably look into getting a quiet fan for it.

Fo now I have it connected in between my Olevia 542i and a SV2000 DVD recorder (the twin to the $89 Magnavox at Sam's Club that has a thread here) via SVideo; with coax feeding it Cox analog cable. The handful of DVDs I own are pretty old, so probably won't make good tests of CP. It'll be interesting to see how a E version does on this, though it's not a big deal as I'd only want it as a convenience of having the DVD on the HD. I don't recall much mention of anyone doing testing on a E unit in this thread, though with my memory and the length of this thread, I can't remember half of what I read here LOL.

I was hoping it would let me record off the tuner while I watched an input but it won't let me--I know someone else covered this but right now just can't recall what he said... not a problem either way.

If anyone is curious about power consumption, it draws 24 watts while recording to the hard drive. I'll have to wait for the recording to finish before checking power-off consumption. I've been wondering whether it's ability to pass through inputs are from much of its circuits being powered on even in "off" mode. Will have to check DVD player power usage later too.

Update: power consumptions with DVD running is about 28 watts, power off/standby is about one watt--so looks like the output pass-thru ability is free. Working fine so far but tuner is not as sensitive as the one in my SV2000 DVD recorder and the timer icon that's always showing on the lower right corner of the screen is a little annoying. Getting used to the completely illogical remote layout though. And no luck copying a Firefly series DVD because of copy protection.

I do not think the region free hack will have any effect on CP
I concur but do recall a reference I found on another site mentioning that the code "might" impact cp but also said it was unsubstantied. Might have found the suggestion here (http://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=305350) .

Different serial number units not the region hack might have led others to conclude the region code hack was the possibly the source of that capability.

For those getting the cp flag. Time shift may be the problem. Try turning it off if it is on.

For those getting the cp flag. Time shift may be the problem. Try turning it off if it is on.

For VCR dubs, or just DVD? Cable flags?

Region hack has no effect on CP.

Observations....

I have a D and a K unit.

The D unit was purchased and used first. -R media was not always readable on other players. Also, I got white crushing. (Lighter screens blew out the contrast). Though this was not always true, it only seemed to happen on some -R discs. Also, the pass-thru picture looked fine, but the recordings were sometimes overcooked, "flawed". Because the pass-thru pic looked fine, I can not blame my older player (Panasonic circa 2003). I did have it set to the lighter output setting, but again, the pic on my TV looked fine. Also, I tried to create controlled chapters by stopping and restarting the recording. When it bloomed, it was on select titles (chapters) from the SAME DVD and DVD player. As a result, I have to suspect a faulty recorder.

The remote on the D unit had the poor performance issue reported. It only worked at close range -- if you pointed it below the recorder. I don't think the fan is any noiser than my "K" unit. They both are similar to a computer.

My "K" unit is in another room. I've tried copying from a non-PVR HD box (cable) and a newer Sony DVD-NS975V HDMI-equipped, upconverting player. To get it to work, I have to force interlacing -- as you'd expect. (My Panasonic is so old, it only feeds 480i).

Both units failed when attempting to copy a macrovision DVD. I hoped the older setup (both player and recorder) wouldn't be equipped to recognize cp. Wrong!

My newer K unit has never created a bad (unreadable) disc for my other players. My newer K unit has never crushed a recording. My newer remote functions fine. Though I've only tried to copy one cp disc, the result was the same on either unit -- no go. So, I can't confirm any difference in cp levels for the different builds.

I'm slightly worried about trying -R discs in my K unit because my D unit did not act up until I used -R in it. However, I have to assume the D unit has worse support for -R media or neither has great support for it. Other users seem to rule out the second choice.

Finally, both units to a better job of recording 480i from DVD than they do from my HD cable boxes. Specifically, there is are significantly more "jaggies" in my recordings from (HD down-rezd) TV. This kindof surprises me -- especially considering the relative age of my Panasonic 480i DVD vs. my SA 8300 HD box!

When I take a good DVD an dupe it, then replay the copy on my 110" projector, the quality can be unbelievable! There is barely any quality loss -- especially when using the HQ recording setting. It helps that my Sony 975 player upconverts and is playing direct, digital to my projector. But that's true of my SA8300 recordings as well. So, I'm not impressed by the downscaling and direct 480i output of my HD cable boxes. There's just too much imperfection added without when interlacing. :(

I still think the Polaroid is a good choice to capture 16x9 TV -- when my 8300 is full, when the broadcast is SD, or when the picture quality doesn't matter. In other words, it's a good SD 16x9 PVR. It's also nice you can burn a copy to disc -- for posterity. But don't expect an exciting picture from cable. Maybe the "Passport" software used by TW is better, but I'm skeptical.

Even considering were talking about 480i DVD recordings, you're still going to get a better picture by purchasing a studio copy of most movies/concerts. And, that doesn't even go into the issues of 5.1 (or greater) sound.

Bottom line. I still like the unit -- considering the DVDR offerings. But, I'm returning the D unit. I was going to keep both, but I think one is enough. It's not THAT good. But, my HD boxes are largely to blame!

I just notice the warranty only covers 90 days. Walmart offered a $17 extended warranty when I checke out at the register, but didn't ask about it as I never buy these and my credit card doubles the warranty period. Did anyone go for the extended warranty or concerned about the reliability of this unit?

Just checked their web site $17.88 for 2-yr., $23.88 for 3-yr. but not sure if I can still get it if I want it.

I just notice the warranty only covers 90 days. Walmart offered a $17 extended warranty when I checke out at the register, but didn't ask about it as I never buy these and my credit card doubles the warranty period. Did anyone go for the extended warranty or concerned about the reliability of this unit?

Just checked their web site $17.88 for 2-yr., $23.88 for 3-yr. but not sure if I can still get it if I want it.

I have not bought the warranties but I'm thinking I should have. Not because I fear a reliability issue but because it is very cheap. Plus the Polaroids are cheap to begin with. If one blows up in a year and a half worst case is a Walmart store credit towards a different model recorder.

When you think about it there really is no warranty. The return policy (90 days) = the warranty period. So if it fails during the initial warranty period simply return it.

I never buy warranties either. Never. Well almost...

If they are cheap enough, I'll at least consider it. $17.88 for 2 yrs was too cheap to pass up -- especially when my first unit had issues and there are some others reported here.

In this case, I agree the warranty is probably worth it. I caved an bought one on my second K unit. The D I'm returning.... Also, they said I could add a warranty during the 90-day period. Think about it. You can return it within 90 days. Then you could repurchase with a warranty. They are pretty much forced to add one during that period!

The only other warranties I've ever bought were on my first automobile DVD player about 15 yrs ago (Alpine that did fail!), and some kitchen stuff. I got warranties for my frig, stove, and dishwasher for about $55 total. They extend for 5 yrs. That was also too cheap to pass on. A frig can fail, my fully electronic diswasher has extra circuits, and the polaroid just seems shaky. But, I hope I'll never need it!

When technology is fairly new, warranties seem a little more inviting. Lasers in your home equipment? Still pretty new....

The return policy (90 days) = the warranty period. So if it fails during the initial warranty period simply return it.
That's a nice benefit of buying from Walmart. I'm keeping everything like new--just because I don't like to return abused merchandise--in case I do want to return it. Will have to see how it works out and what digital tuner machines come out.

Already did the LED upgrade tonight. Now I can use the remote in a normal way instead of having to aim it like I'm target shooting for that bullseye LOL. Thanks to everyone who posted with tips on how to do it, especially the part number for the LED and how the remote shell comes apart. Might look into a fan upgrade, will have to see, it's not much of a problem right now.

....I have a macro set up on my remote that powers on the Polaroid and also sets the output on the 8300 to 480i...
Nextoo,

Refresh my memory. When using the Polaroid with an 8300 you set it to ONLY pass-thru 480i and no other resolutions. Right? I recently added a new AVR to my setup and regardless of where I put the Polaroid in the component-video chain(before or after the receiver switch) I can't get any video from the Polaroid. It passes thru ok when powered off, but nothing when on. None of the outputs of the 2001G seem to work..HDD, DVD, etc. Weird. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

You can't control what the Polaroid will pass through. It's only 480i when on (as with all DVD Recorders). When off it will pass anything apparently.

Set the output of your STB to 480i and you should be fine.

Nextoo,

Refresh my memory. When using the Polaroid with an 8300 you set it to ONLY pass-thru 480i and no other resolutions. Right? I recently added a new AVR to my setup and regardless of where I put the Polaroid in the component-video chain(before or after the receiver switch) I can't get any video from the Polaroid. It passes thru ok when powered off, but nothing when on. None of the outputs of the 2001G seem to work..HDD, DVD, etc. Weird. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

The Polaroid will only see (understand) 480i. So, you do need to force 480i output. There are 4 options for 480 on a 8300 cablebox... 480Wide, 480iWide, 480p, and 480i. Pick 480iWide if you have a 16x9 display.... 480i will also work -- if you want to create recordings with black bars for wide screen material! On mine, another selection controls fixed/pass-thru resolution. Make sure you pick fixed.

If you pick the progressive outputs by mistake, you will see a split screen. If you're passing 720p or 1080i, things will really be garbled.

If you can't see anything, you haven't chosen the correct input/output or have a cabling error/problem. (You need to select YUV for your input). There is also a setting for progressive/interlaced output. Make sure you have the correct setting for your TV. And, make sure you are cabled thru your AVR correctly. Try going around it first.

gp

Unless I've been learnt wrong, a component signal is an analog signal. And, I thought the red, green, and blue were all elements of that analog signal. To my knowledge, there are no digital bits in a component video stream.

Since cp can be recognized in the component section of a DVDR recorder, we are sometimes talking about seeing a "flag" that's in an analog signal. Of course, this is just terminology, but I'm not crazy about it.

To me, a flag implies a digital bit/inticator, but this cannot be present in an analog environment. Also, the notion of strong/weak cp doesn't sound right. Either there's something in the signal that indicates cp or there isn't.

It seems this "flag" is in the green cable and is in a frequency that does not affect the picture. Otherwise ANY cp material would look wrong on your display. When you buy a filter, it must be removing a portion of the analog signal that can't be "seen" anyway.

When talking about player/recorder combinations that won't recognize cp, it seems more likely that the cp "flag" is created by the player's translation and conversion of a cp stored bit into an analog format. And, if it doesn't create the frequency/cycles necessary for the recorder to recognize the addition of this extraneous signal, that's when cp is "defeated". In that regard, it may be the player AND recorder combination that defeats the cp. And, neither is more responsible.

That's my take on it anyway....

Thoughts?

gp

Digital information CAN be embedded in an analog signal, an example of this is Closed Captioning. Likewise, the CGMS-A "flags" are encoded into an NTSC signal the same way as Closed Captioning is. There is a so-called Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI), between each field of visual information, that has room for such information. The information that can be put into that segment of an analog video signal has been divided into lines, so references like "VBI line 22" are used to refer to such information.

A check of the Wikipedia entries for VBI, Closed Captioning, and CGMS-A might be helpful.

The Polaroid will only see (understand) 480i. So, you do need to force 480i output. There are 4 options for 480 on a 8300 cablebox... 480Wide, 480iWide, 480p, and 480i. Pick 480iWide if you have a 16x9 display.... 480i will also work -- if you want to create recordings with black bars for wide screen material! On mine, another selection controls fixed/pass-thru resolution. Make sure you pick fixed.

If you pick the progressive outputs by mistake, you will see a split screen. If you're passing 720p or 1080i, things will really be garbled.

If you can't see anything, you haven't chosen the correct input/output or have a cabling error/problem. (You need to select YUV for your input). There is also a setting for progressive/interlaced output. Make sure you have the correct setting for your TV. And, make sure you are cabled thru your AVR correctly. Try going around it first.

gp
Something's up with my setup. I can't seem to get video from the Polo to my display over component-v. It works fine when the Polo is off. I'm ready to pull my hair out! The only video I can get out of the Polo is over s-video, or composite. I have video out set to YPbPr, 16:9 WS and Interlaced(I tried progressive, but I lost the video altogether so I left it on interlaced).

If I have my 8300HD STB connected to the input of the Polo via component, shouldn't I see the video on my screen with the Polo on? With my STB set to only pass 480iws, when I select YUV as my input, I get nothing but big blotches of green, red, and blue noise all over my screen that flash and move around. :eek: Not good. :( This shouldn't be that hard, unless I'm overlooking something really silly. Just got called to dinner, so I'll get back to trouble-shooting later tonight. Thanks for the reply.

Something's up with my setup. I can't seem to get video from the Polo to my display over component-v. It works fine when the Polo is off. I'm ready to pull my hair out! The only video I can get out of the Polo is over s-video, or composite. I have video out set to YPbPr, 16:9 WS and Interlaced(I tried progressive, but I lost the video altogether so I left it on interlaced).

If I have my 8300HD STB connected to the input of the Polo via component, shouldn't I see the video on my screen with the Polo on? With my STB set to only pass 480iws, when I select YUV as my input, I get nothing but big blotches of green, red, and blue noise all over my screen that flash and move around. :eek: Not good. :( This shouldn't be that hard, unless I'm overlooking something really silly. Just got called to dinner, so I'll get back to trouble-shooting later tonight. Thanks for the reply.

As bobkart said you need to set the output of the SA8300HD to 480i when you have the Polaroid powered on. You are ok with s-video and composite because the SA 8300HD only outputs 480i over those two.

Are you running Passport or SARA on the 8300HD? I can walk you through if it is Passport.

Something's up with my setup... when I select YUV as my input, I get nothing but big blotches of green, red, and blue noise all over my screen that flash and move around.

That's what you see when you are passing 1080i thru the unit. Something is still not set right in your 8300.

I don't remember the settings as I'm not in front of my 8300. But, as I mentioned before, there should be two options you'll need to change. One controls whether the unit passes resolution thru the 8300 or whether it creates a fixed output. The other settings selects WHICH fixed output is transmitted. Until you get both set correctly, it won't work.

gp

Digital information CAN be embedded in an analog signal, an example of this is Closed Captioning. Likewise, the CGMS-A "flags" are encoded into an NTSC signal the same way as Closed Captioning is. There is a so-called Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI), between each field of visual information, that has room for such information. The information that can be put into that segment of an analog video signal has been divided into lines, so references like "VBI line 22" are used to refer to such information.

A check of the Wikipedia entries for VBI, Closed Captioning, and CGMS-A might be helpful.

Ahhhh. I knew analog and digital signals could coexist but I didn't think of that! Someday in the future I will again attempt to snatch the pebble from your hand, master!

In that regard, it may be the player AND recorder combination that defeats the cp. And, neither is more responsible.

That's my take on it anyway....

Thoughts?

gp

Very interesting.

This would explain why particular "series" of Polaroids in some cases defeat CP and in other cases do not. The variable might be the DVD player!!

Nextoo did post findings that would support your theory

As bobkart said you need to set the output of the SA8300HD to 480i when you have the Polaroid powered on. You are ok with s-video and composite because the SA 8300HD only outputs 480i over those two.

Are you running Passport or SARA on the 8300HD? I can walk you through if it is Passport.
Ok, I've got my 8300HD correctly set to output/pass only 480i. I'm feeding directly into the Polo component-video input. While monitoring the video from the STB, on the Polo(via composite), the YUV signal input icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen shows 'No Signal' displayed. :confused: Still nothing output via component-video on my LCD either. My AVR has been completely removed from the chain. Arrrgh...

BTW, nothing plugged into the HDMI output port on the 8300 either - because that will disable component-video.

I know we've all been there ... but I pulled a real stupid move. After tracing some component cabling I discovered I had the blue and green signal reversed on the one going to the TV. :eek: No wonder I wasn't getting anything!! Sigh. Now all is well.

I know we've all been there ... but I pulled a real stupid move. After tracing some component cabling I discovered I had the blue and green signal reversed on the one going to the TV. :eek: No wonder I wasn't getting anything!! Sigh. Now all is well.

And as a result of this voluntary admittance you have become completely trustworthy in this rather murky forum environment! :) I'm glad you got it figured out!

And as a result of this voluntary admittance you have become completely trustworthy in this rather murky forum environment! :) I'm glad you got it figured out!
Yeah.. Cable colors start to blur after awhile and working without the best lighting doesn't help! :D

And as a result of this voluntary admittance you have become completely trustworthy in this rather murky forum environment! :) I'm glad you got it figured out!
:D :D :D

Been there done that recently trying to get my analog outs on my new Tosh XA1 working. Had the center & sub switched. Kinda made it hard to calibrate the audio :o

Any suggestions?

I have an external HDD set-up. I want to rearrange some Movies from one HDD to another without losing PQ.

Options I have thought of..
1)Burn to disc then record back to another HDD- Quality loss!
2)Real time from one Polaroid to another. I have 2 units -Quality loss? Certainly time consuming

Any other ideas or thoughts?

If the Polaroid has a mode in which it can HS Copy to and from a disc, that would do it, unless the size is too large for one disc.

Yeah.. Cable colors start to blur after awhile and working without the best lighting doesn't help! :D

I have to admit getting the colors backwards on my first go with the Polaroid as well. My area was also dark and the colors of green & blue used by Polaroid seemed to make this reversal error easy to do!

Had I remembered no pic was the result, I'd have suggested it. But I was thinking the colors were just off.

gp

I just stopped at a Wally Super Size in MN and found a single 'B' on display and inquired as to stock available thinking I might try to swing a deal on the display unit. They said they had a 2 units showing in stock including the display but the 2nd was on hold. Asking if they would sell it and at what price I was told by the rather helpful clerk the couldn't sell the shelf unit because it is a still active p/n. She took my name and number to call me when the next shipment arrives... so according to the electronic data exchange system they are using it seems we might be able to find some more new(?) 2100's.

I'm looking to grab one and set it up as a recoder off a D*Tv HD receiver and modifiy it to pass HD's from my other unit which is offloading from my D* HDDVR.

Anyone have any contrary info on the status with Wally of these tweakers dreams?

In my area they seem to have only B models.... I wonder if they are re-boxing and re-stocking all those returned B units. Two of them in my area certainly looked like they had been home with someone else. :eek:

Yeah.. Cable colors start to blur after awhile and working without the best lighting doesn't help!

For me its not the cables but the color codes on the device (TV, DVD) that the cable connects to. The way that I connect cables is that I remember that blue is always in the center. I plug in that one first and unless the lighting is extremely bad it is easy to tell the red from the green.

For me its not the cables but the color codes on the device (TV, DVD) that the cable connects to. The way that I connect cables is that I remember that blue is always in the center. I plug in that one first and unless the lighting is extremely bad it is easy to tell the red from the green.
Until my HDTV purchase last summer I never had to worry about, or work with component cables. Even the colored ring bands on the plugs themselves can be hard to distinguish in low light. So, even though they were plugged in incorrectly, it was more than the color that was off. It appeared there was a syncing issue too. The Polo jacks were the ones throwing me off. The middle one looked green to me until closer inspection. But, alas all is well. :)

The sync is carried on the Green cable as far as as I know so plugging that one into the wrong jack would easily explain sync problems.

Only reversing the Blue and Red cables would retain the sync and just mess the colors up.

In my area they seem to have only B models.... I wonder if they are re-boxing and re-stocking all those returned B units. Two of them in my area certainly looked like they had been home with someone else. :eek:

A G arrived in store a few days ago but also was apparent it had been opened since some of the packing material was missing. I am on the list to get the next one and supposedly one is on the way so I passed on it, but might just go back.

If the Polaroid has a mode in which it can HS Copy to and from a disc, that would do it, unless the size is too large for one disc.

Precisely my problem. The program is more than an hour long. I could split the title on the HDD then high speed dub to DVD(s) then transfer to a different HDD. But the transfer back would be real time from a different DVD player. The Polaroid can not record from its optical drive to the HDD. :( And I can not merge back the titles.

I might just transfer real time from one Polaroid to the other. I need another component cable then I will give it a try.

I might just transfer real time from one Polaroid to the other. I need another component cable then I will give it a try.

This is your best option. I know you record everything in HG from an HD source (480i). So your source should be very good. Also the transfer will be via component. So I'm wondering what the analog transfer will look like PQ wise. Let us know.

Any suggestions?

I have an external HDD set-up. I want to rearrange some Movies from one HDD to another without losing PQ.

Options I have thought of..
1)Burn to disc then record back to another HDD- Quality loss!
2)Real time from one Polaroid to another. I have 2 units -Quality loss? Certainly time consuming

Any other ideas or thoughts?

Thought I recall reading this unit has a USB plug inside. Can you plug a PC into it and do a straight copy? But, this probably wouldn't show up under the TOC.

Seems like there would be a quality loss going from one HD to another because you still have the D=>A and A=>D conversion.... But, if there's a loss everytime you do it (convert), a direct copy would be better than burning to a disc and back.

A High-Speed Copy to DVD (and back) would be lossless. I just don't recall under what conditions the Polaroid allows such copies. And this will only solve the problem for Titles that fit on one disc.

It doesn't allow it. There is no option to copy a burned disc back to the HDD.

Ah. In that case I seriously doubt there is any way to losslessly move material from one Polaroid-hosted HDD to another. Getting it off losslessly is easy enough, with a High-Speed Copy to DVD, but there appears to be no way to get any information onto one of these discs without going through the analog inputs. Short of reverse-engineering the proprietary filesystem of course.

Thanks everyone.
I will try DVDR<-->DVDR and post my findings.

Picked up the last unit - G, at WM. Display is a B. Was going to the Shack for the Accurian-not.

Well, curiosity go the best of me & I'm biting the bullet... placed my order for a Video Filter today, gonna see if it transfers the 16:9 flag to the Polaroid's HDD and then passes it on to a burned disc. I'll keep you all posted.

Also will be releived to transfer my video collection once and for all.

If all goes well, this time next week I may be wiping IfoEdit from my laptop...

Well, curiosity go the best of me & I'm biting the bullet... placed my order for a Video Filter today, gonna see if it transfers the 16:9 flag to the Polaroid's HDD and then passes it on to a burned disc. I'll keep you all posted.

Also will be releived to transfer my video collection once and for all.

If all goes well, this time next week I may be wiping IfoEdit from my laptop...

Interesting. I have been conflicted on the same decision. The conflict being as the world moves to 16x9 the flag will diminish in importance. But at the same time I still do have 4:3 televisions around the house.

I went a different way. I incorporated a DVD recorder that can set the flag. If I know the content is something that requires the flag I use the Polaroid to convert the widescreen (component to s-video) and record it with that recorder. And for the money I would have put into the filter I got a pretty darn good recorder.

But it would be a heck of a lot easier with the filter. Let us know how it works!

I went a different way. I incorporated a DVD recorder that can set the flag. If I know the content is something that requires the flag I use the Polaroid to convert the widescreen (component to s-video) and record it with that recorder. And for the money I would have put into the filter I got a pretty darn good recorder.
I considered that as well... the one factor figuring into my decision, believe it or not, was space. My home theater is integrated into my living room, & as it is I have the Polaroid, the dvd/receiver, a cable box, a vcr/dvd combo (yes, I know...), and my key digital box - not to mention the wires, scaler & distribution amp BEHIND the stand!

With my current setup, I record widescreen content to the 2001g via component & 4:3 content via S-video. If the filter works, I figure I can put it inline on the component feed, leave it at the 16:9 setting, & it will all be very transparent; I can switch record modes using the recorder's remote.

Here's hopin'...

Well, curiosity go the best of me & I'm biting the bullet... placed my order for a Video Filter today, gonna see if it transfers the 16:9 flag to the Polaroid's HDD and then passes it on to a burned disc. I'll keep you all posted.

Also will be releived to transfer my video collection once and for all.

If all goes well, this time next week I may be wiping IfoEdit from my laptop...

Sucker! Just kidding :) Let us know your take on the unit.

So the advantages of the filter are..
1)Defeats CP for recording commercial DVD/VHS
2)Sets flag so recorded content in 16x9 when played back on a 4x3 looks right

Did I forget anything?

Did you get the "Video filter", Sima or Grex?

scaler ..

How are you using your scaler? Whats your set-up?

Sucker! Just kidding :) Let us know your take on the unit.

So the advantages of the filter are..
1)Defeats CP for recording commercial DVD/VHS
2)Sets flag so recorded content in 16x9 when played back on a 4x3 looks right

Did I forget anything?

Did you get the "Video filter", Sima or Grex?
I have the Video Filter version that also sets the 16x9 widescreen flag.

I have copied some commercial VHS tapes successfully (some kid's movies that I can't find on DVD).

I make many 16x9 flagged DVD's from HDTV programs, recording an anamorphic source from my HD DirecTV DVR with TiVo via S-video through the Video Filter and into my Pioneer DVD recorder.

I have not tried to copy commercial DVDs using the Video Filter because I can do them on my computer and preserve the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.

I am very satisfied with the 16x9 flag management with the Video Filter. That was my reason forgetting one.

I have the Video Filter version that also sets the 16x9 widescreen flag.

I have copied some commercial VHS tapes successfully (some kid's movies that I can't find on DVD).

I make many 16x9 flagged DVD's from HDTV programs, recording an anamorphic source from my HD DirecTV DVR with TiVo via S-video through the Video Filter and into my Pioneer DVD recorder.

I have not tried to copy commercial DVDs using the Video Filter because I can do them on my computer and preserve the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.

I am very satisfied with the 16x9 flag management with the Video Filter. That was my reason forgetting one.

I suppose I have been hesitant to purchase a filter because..

1)My polaroid has component in so the 16x9 is preserved
2)I can copy a DVD on the PC and add the flag for 4x3
3)I can defeat CP on the PC

It would be easier to put the filter inline though.

Which filter did you buy and why?

How are you using your scaler? Whats your set-up?
I have component out of my hidef stb, which I thought I would run directly into the Polaroid's component inputs. However, (1) when set to 480i, the stb letterboxed even the component signal, and (2) I didn't want to have to manually reset the resolution everytime I wanted to record an HD channel. So I am running:

Moto STB component out to AV Toolbox downconverter (set to 480i/full widescreen).
AVT 480i component out to Polaroid in -and-
AVT HD passthrough to display

Also, all my outputs run separately through my key digital iSync which, when combined with the macros on my universal remote lets me monitor off of:

A - Cable
B - DVD player
C - VCR
D - DVD recorder

...with the touch of a single button each.

It's really nice when recording, 'cuz I can switch back & forth between the original cable signal & the output of the Polaroid, for example. I can also switch back to the cable feed if I'm doing something on the Polaroid that locks up the passthrough, such as finalizing or "making compatible".

To answer the other posts, I purchased the Logic Design filter... 16:9 and CP filter options. Primarily so I could skip the PC editing/reburn stage.

I suppose I have been hesitant to purchase a filter because..

1)My polaroid has component in so the 16x9 is preserved
2)I can copy a DVD on the PC and add the flag for 4x3
3)I can defeat CP on the PC

It would be easier to put the filter inline though.

Which filter did you buy and why?
As I stated earlier in this thread, I have the newer version of the Logic Design Video Filter with both copy management and widescreen signalling/16x9 flag management.

I am not sure why you say "has component in so the 16x9 is preserved." Does that relate to a limitation of your source device, where it can only deliver anamorphic video output over the component video outputs?

My HD TiVo delivers anamorphic video on every video output. Since My DVD recorder lacks component inputs, I am using S-video.

For me, the main benefit of the Video Filter is elimination of the need to post process my HDTV (down rez'd) widescreen DVD recordings on my computer. I simply playback a program on my HD TiVo and record it using the Video Filter on my Pioneer 520H DVD recorder, where I then edit as needed and add chapter marks where I want them (on the hard drive of the Pioneer DVD recorder). Then I can burn any number of copies I need. All of this is done without any need to involve my computer.

I hope I have answered your questions adequately. If not, ask some more.

I have component out of my hidef stb, which I thought I would run directly into the Polaroid's component inputs. However, (1) when set to 480i, the stb letterboxed even the component signal, and (2) I didn't want to have to manually reset the resolution everytime I wanted to record an HD channel. So I am running:

Moto STB component out to AV Toolbox downconverter (set to 480i/full widescreen).
AVT 480i component out to Polaroid in -and-
AVT HD passthrough to display

Also, all my outputs run separately through my key digital iSync which, when combined with the macros on my universal remote lets me monitor off of:

A - Cable
B - DVD player
C - VCR
D - DVD recorder

...with the touch of a single button each.

It's really nice when recording, 'cuz I can switch back & forth between the original cable signal & the output of the Polaroid, for example. I can also switch back to the cable feed if I'm doing something on the Polaroid that locks up the passthrough, such as finalizing or "making compatible".

Very nice.
Thanks

As I stated earlier in this thread, I have the newer version of the Logic Design Video Filter with both copy management and widescreen signalling/16x9 flag management.

I am not sure why you say "has component in so the 16x9 is preserved." Does that relate to a limitation of your source device, where it can only deliver anamorphic video output over the component video outputs?

My HD TiVo delivers anamorphic video on every video output. Since My DVD recorder lacks component inputs, I am using S-video.

For me, the main benefit of the Video Filter is elimination of the need to post process my HDTV (down rez'd) widescreen DVD recordings on my computer. I simply playback a program on my HD TiVo and record it using the Video Filter on my Pioneer 520H DVD recorder, where I then edit as needed and add chapter marks where I want them (on the hard drive of the Pioneer DVD recorder). Then I can burn any number of copies I need. All of this is done without any need to involve my computer.

I hope I have answered your questions adequately. If not, ask some more.

Got it! Thanks :)

Region hack for the 2001G known to work on D and K prefixs. ON_SETUP_9_8_7_ADD/CLEAR_0 Region is set to 0. Now put in a region 2 PAL disc and be amazed. Beautiful NTSC.

Well, I got hold of another Polaroid and so far, although I haven't moved a lot of files onto disk yet, it seems tons better than my F unit in every one but one -- sort of. My F unit made a constant buzz or hum. This one is noisy because it is pushing a lot of air out. More than needed I think This one I got -- B unit !!!!!

This one would be great if it wasn't for the fan. My F was totally annoying because I got the constant buzzing/humming coming though the vent. I thought it was either the fan or the drive -- it was the fan and I couldn't really fix it. This one is not the worst but it does push a lot of air out and you can hear it. Being a B unit it has the dumb fan in the back with the vents in the back.

I'm wondering would would happen to the unit, if anything, if I:

1) Disconnect the fan.

2) Cover most of the fan vent with tape so that just a small opening is left covering most of the vent and the air that comes out.

3) Remove the fan from the back and put it in the same location my closed back F unit was located at. Tape the fan down at the same location and direction that the F and all the other close backed units are placed.

Would the unit over heat too fast? Not at all? Does it need all that air to push out? If I move the fan from where it is now in a B unit to where the D and above units are placed wouldn't it be the same thing then?

Well, I got hold of another Polaroid and so far, although I haven't moved a lot of files onto disk yet, it seems tons better than my F unit in every one but one -- sort of. My F unit made a constant buzz or hum. This one is noisy because it is pushing a lot of air out. More than needed I think This one I got -- B unit !!!!!

This one would be great if it wasn't for the fan. My F was totally annoying because I got the constant buzzing/humming coming though the vent. I thought it was either the fan or the drive -- it was the fan and I couldn't really fix it. This one is not the worst but it does push a lot of air out and you can hear it. Being a B unit it has the dumb fan in the back with the vents in the back.

I'm wondering would would happen to the unit, if anything, if I:

1) Disconnect the fan.

2) Cover most of the fan vent with tape so that just a small opening is left covering most of the vent and the air that comes out.

3) Remove the fan from the back and put it in the same location my closed back F unit was located at. Tape the fan down at the same location and direction that the F and all the other close backed units are placed.

Would the unit over heat too fast? Not at all? Does it need all that air to push out? If I move the fan from where it is now in a B unit to where the D and above units are placed wouldn't it be the same thing then?

Yes it would overheat. You have another lemon. Return it. Check out the RCA HDD recorder that is also at Walmart. Before they are all gone.

Justin you are like the needle in the haystack.

I wish you luck. Check out the RCA before they are gone. The Polaroid has never worked for you. Move on.

Region hack for the 2001G known to work on D and K prefixs. ON_SETUP_9_8_7_ADD/CLEAR_0 Region is set to 0. Now put in a region 2 PAL disc and be amazed. Beautiful NTSC.

My Region is currently set to "1". What happens when you set it to "0" ? Can you then play both Regions 1 and 2 ?

Where do you find Region 2 PAL discs ?

Well, I can't take it back. I dealt with the company. The best I could do is get a replacement.

I don't think this model is a lemon it's just a B model. The first production line. The B models had the fan in back of the unit pushing air out. Just like a Pioneer, Panasonic, Lite on, Toshiba, etc. That's not a lemon it's just the way they were made during the B and C line. Around the D line they closed the back up and put the fan at a different location (facing toward the side vent and over the pc board.) Since the fan wasn't pushing air out of the back it was more quiet. Maybe they even used a different fan type? Again a design change not a lemon factor. Some people have no problem with a noisy fan and some do. I'm not use to it because all of my other stuff is whisper quiet. Plus, I'm use to the D and F models. Anyone who has a B and a later model as well knows what I'm talking about. The problem, if any, is if you take a computer fan and push the air out through the back v.s. pushing the air out the side in a close back unit. I can hear the constant rush of air out the back. Problem is that even though Pioneer, Panny and all the others also push air out the back their fan is not as loud and doesn't push out near as much air.

So, taking the fan is out. How about removing the fan from it's location and taping it down where the new models are located. Then taping up the fan vent that won't be used anymore? The fan is still there, it's located where the D and above models would be located, it's pushing air out the unit still, out of the same vent holes that the others do -- the side holes?

How about replacing the strong air pushing fan with a quieter, not as powerful fan but in the location it is at now? I mean, if Pioneer, Panny and all the others have their fan pushing air out the back too then it seems that Polaroid is using too strong of a fan than what is needed. A quiet, less powerful fan would still pump out the air in the same location but be whisper quiet as well. I wonder if you could replace the fan with the fan from a different company?

So,

1) I can't return it I can only exchange it and except for the fan the rest seems to be . . . knock on wood. My F unit had a bad responsive remote, the disks were red hot to touch when they came out of the unit, I had bad white contrast "white bloom" as some have called it. My D model took 30 or more seconds to read from one video track to the other. My D model couldn't be ripped on the computer. My F model got worse and worse each day until not even +RW disks would work. I'm afraid if I return this thing I might get another unit that has some or all of these problems in one form or another. Just because of a fan that pushes out too much air? As you can guess I have really, really bad luck with video electronics and chances are I would just be loosing one problem and getting another or more in return.

2) I don't know if it would be called a lemon so much as a design change or flaw. If it had a quite fan like all the other companies out there then this would be golden. Right now I'm trying to see how much I can live with the fan noise.

Well... news on the 16:9 front:

I picked up a Logic Design Video Filter in hopes that I could record widescreen material with the 16:9 flag, and I'm afraid I must report that it appears the Polaroid does NOT recognize the flag.

I tried the component jack and the s-video jack. Cable settings were double-checked, and cables were swapped out to be sure they were not at fault. I tried recording directly to optical disc as well as recording to the hard disc and then dubbing. I even tried different types of media: DVD-RW and DVD-R. Discs were checked after each transfer both by opening the .IFO file and by playing them back to observe the aspect ratio. In each instance, they were seen as 4:3 discs.

I do not think the video filter unit is faulty, as the copy management feature works fine: videos that threw the Polaroid a CP error now record fine. Dip switches were set properly, but I also experimented with switches 2 & 3, which control CP and aspect ratio. No luck.

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who may have used the filter with the Polaroid, but also with other units... maybe we can get a list of recorders that do/don't recognize & record the flag.

David

David,

The flag recognition discussion for various manufacturers and models might be better as a separate thread.

Sorry to hear that the Polaroid does not record the flag.

I have the same Video Filter and the widescreen signaling/flag works great with my Pioneer DVD recorders, models 520H and 210S.

My Region is currently set to "1". What happens when you set it to "0" ? Can you then play both Regions 1 and 2 ?

Where do you find Region 2 PAL discs ?




Setting to region 0 allows playing of any region DVDs. I have some commercial DVDs that are only available in Europe. (Amazon UK) (Region 2, PAL) What I didn't know about these HDD recorders (Polaroid DRM_2001g and RCA DRC8030n) is they both will play PAL discs with NTSC output! Do all HDD recorders do this? Do all DVD players do this now? I couldn't make it work on my old players.

ok I have a few questions here if I may.

B unit D unit K unit....where is the post on how to tell by
the serial number...I can't find it.


Everyone posting here says DRM 2001g
the ones at walmart say DMR 2001g
Is there a difference?
When I see DRM I GET SCARED

If you replace the HD do you loose the yesDVD or is this firmware on the unit?
Is yesDVD worth having anyway LOL

Hoping for record some shows to HD and then one button to dvd, quick and dirty.
Box only says -R and -RW....is this true?

if I record 2 3 4 1 hr shows and just try to put them on a DVD does this unit (or any unit) reincode or whatever its recorded at is what you are writing? So to get 3 on a disk you have to make sure what you put on the HD is what you want on the dvd?

thanks big time...seems that a lof of people are happy with this unit and wally has it locally for $200. Rough looking old green boxes...maybe thats better :)

Looked at philips pioneer and toshiba...This is not a main unit in my house( yet) so maybe go cheaper and see how everything works.

thanks for any and all info, comments and I take flames very well

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

Hey! Somebody actually reads their viewer emails!

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

TTYL,

Steve

Update - they never did call me back! However the other night I was re-setting my clock again and I decided to try the autoset again. It worked, but it sets it two minutes fast! It seems to be exactly two minutes fast though so I can deal with that! It also didn't seem to lock onto TLC for the time, it seemed to lock onto Animal Planet . . . anyone else care to play and see what theirs locks on to and what time it locks on to?

ok I have a few questions here if I may.

B unit D unit K unit....where is the post on how to tell by
the serial number...I can't find it.
Look at Serial Number first letter


Everyone posting here says DRM 2001g
the ones at walmart say DMR 2001g
Is there a difference?DRM is correct per Polaroid Website/Manual
When I see DRM I GET SCARED
don't be ... lol

If you replace the HD do you loose the yesDVD or is this firmware on the unit?
don't lose
Is yesDVD worth having anyway LOL
I haven't used it myself so don't know

Hoping for record some shows to HD and then one button to dvd, quick and dirty.
Box only says -R and -RW....is this true? no

if I record 2 3 4 1 hr shows and just try to put them on a DVD does this unit (or any unit) reincode or whatever its recorded at is what you are writing? So to get 3 on a disk you have to make sure what you put on the HD is what you want on the dvd?what you record at ie HQ, SP etc is what you get

thanks big time...seems that a lof of people are happy with this unit and wally has it locally for $200. Rough looking old green boxes...maybe thats better :)

Looked at philips pioneer and toshiba...This is not a main unit in my house( yet) so maybe go cheaper and see how everything works.

thanks for any and all info, comments and I take flames very well
Hope this helps

I just grabbed an 'E' off eslay refurbished with full 90 day Polo warranty. Emailed the vendor to check serial number and they said both units available were 'E'. Total w/ship & insurance 192 washingtons.

This one's getting the nextoo treatment to share drives from my first one in my main system.

I may be late to the party on this, so excuse me if this is repeat information. It appears this is recorder, as far as firmware, remote, etc..goes, has a another very close relative. they could be twins :)

SIGMATek PVR-890B

Sorry, i can't post URLs since this is my first post (AVS rules).

You can find the website by Googling SIGMATek PVR-890B. You can find a reveiw with pictures at Newage. Just Google "Sigmatek PVR-890b test" without the quotes

It looks like the Macrovison is OFF on this model.

If anyone has a/the Macrovison Hack for the DRM-2001G, can you please post it.

If anyone knows where I can grab the firmware for the SIGMATek PVR-890B in UK or EN versions, please let me know.

Thanks

Grounder

I just grabbed an 'E' off eslay refurbished with full 90 day Polo warranty. Emailed the vendor to check serial number and they said both units available were 'E'. Total w/ship & insurance 192 washingtons.

This one's getting the nextoo treatment to share drives from my first one in my main system.

I am running a similar setup with 2 Polaroids in 2 separate rooms with a bunch of HDDs.

Way too much fun.

I want the ability to have better editing capabilities. Divide and merge titles. Record to DL. Move back and forth from optical disc and HDD. I do not want to lose the 16x9 widescreen. I think adding the Toshiba might be the way to go.

Oh you hoo...Nextoo...I think you might be alittle helpful in this regard. If I am not mistaken this is one in your collection. Will this achieve my goals?

I am running a similar setup with 2 Polaroids in 2 separate rooms with a bunch of HDDs.

Way too much fun.
It was partially because of your posts that I decided to do it myself. Thanks! :) I opened the first one up the first day I had it because of the modding thread. I found a great case for the harddrive mod. I'll post in the other thread soon. I'm using the first polo to dump recordings off my D* HD DVR to harddrive and dvd after editing out the commercials. The second will fit in my main theater and record off the D* HD receiver, take drives from the first and provide an additional editing station since my wife uses the other system primarily. These things are fun to tinker with.

I want the ability to have better editing capabilities. Divide and merge titles. Record to DL. Move back and forth from optical disc and HDD. I do not want to lose the 16x9 widescreen. I think adding the Toshiba might be the way to go.

Oh you hoo...Nextoo...I think you might be alittle helpful in this regard. If I am not mistaken this is one in your collection. Will this achieve my goals?
I read nextoo's posts regarding the capabilities of the Tosh also and am interested myself. Just wondering if any of the new recorders coming might provide some of the capabilities and more.

I read nextoo's posts regarding the capabilities of the Tosh also and am interested myself. Just wondering if any of the new recorders coming might provide some of the capabilities and more.

A really great point. The other piece of the puzzle I am missing is the built in ATSC tuner to record OTA-HD. My concern though is that it looks like the new DVDRs do not have HDDs. And I wonder if the editing capabilities will be as good as the Toshibas. I doubt it!

Another problem is the Toshiba I want is hard to find and pricey. Ultimately I think I will wait till after March and see what is coming but I will pick up the Tosh if I can find it at a reasonable price.

On another note. I have noticed that when I turn on one of my Polaroids the optical drive sounds like a trash compactor for the first few minutes. Is this a sign of impending optical drive failure? If so I guess it gives me an excuse to swap out the burner. Still is burning well though

The Toshiba RD-XS35 is selling on One Call right now for $289.99. The XS35 is a current model and the junior of the XS55. I've never tested one but the feature set is consistent with the XS series

A really great point. The other piece of the puzzle I am missing is the built in ATSC tuner to record OTA-HD. My concern though is that it looks like the new DVDRs do not have HDDs. And I wonder if the editing capabilities will be as good as the Toshibas. I doubt it!


Toshiba announced its 2007 lineup during CES. Its top of the line DVD recorder is a combo unit. No HDD. I'm not sure if it was the final word but nothing was announced that included a HDD.

I am running a similar setup with 2 Polaroids in 2 separate rooms with a bunch of HDDs.

Way too much fun.

I want the ability to have better editing capabilities. Divide and merge titles. Record to DL. Move back and forth from optical disc and HDD. I do not want to lose the 16x9 widescreen. I think adding the Toshiba might be the way to go.

Oh you hoo...Nextoo...I think you might be alittle helpful in this regard. If I am not mistaken this is one in your collection. Will this achieve my goals?

No DL with the Toshiba XS series. But it leaves everything else behind when it comes to editing and video creation. Nothing is close. I chose Toshiba because I was looking for a lot of things the Polaroid did not offer. Not just another recorder that might do them better. The Polaroid and my Toshiba are absolute complete opposites. Which makes them a great pair.

No DL with the Toshiba XS series. But it leaves everything else behind when it comes to editing and video creation. Nothing is close. I chose Toshiba because I was looking for a lot of things the Polaroid did not offer. Not just another recorder that might do them better. The Polaroid and my Toshiba are absolute complete opposites. Which makes them a great pair.

Not a bad price for the unit! I agree it looks like a great complimentary unit to the polaroid.

Are you currently using the Toshiba in your setup? How do you have it cabled in with the polaroid?

Any idea whats up with my optical drive?

Not a bad price for the unit! I agree it looks like a great complimentary unit to the polaroid.

Are you currently using the Toshiba in your setup? How do you have it cabled in with the polaroid?

Any idea whats up with my optical drive?

I'm not sure about the drive. I'd keep an eye on it.

As far as setup I do this:

SA8300HD component out -> Polaroid component out -> TV.

SA8300HD component out -> Polaroid s-video out -> Toshiba RD-KX50 HDMI -> TV

The second example allows me to record to the Toshiba in full wide screen 16x9 by using the component/s-video conversion capabilities of the Polaroid. I can also record to the Polaroid HDD and record to the Toshiba HDD at the same time from the SA8300HD source if I choose to. Polaroid for archiving to HDD. Toshiba for archiving to disc for example by recording to each at different quality modes. HQ for Polaroid. SP for Toahiba. What ever. The point is I can be creative.

It's not a bad setup. Like I've posted before the Polaroid and Toshiba are different machines. The Polaroid offers hardware things above and beyond most other recorders. The Toshiba offers editing and DVD creation capabilities above and beyond all other recorders. The combination works very well.

By the way I'm not sure if the XS35 offers HDMI.

I'm not sure about the drive. I'd keep an eye on it.

As far as setup I do this:

SA8300HD component out -> Polaroid component out -> TV.

SA8300HD component out -> Polaroid s-video out -> Toshiba RD-KX50 HDMI -> TV

The second example allows me to record to the Toshiba in full wide screen 16x9 by using the component/s-video conversion capabilities of the Polaroid. I can also record to the Polaroid HDD and record to the Toshiba HDD at the same time from the SA8300HD source if I choose to. Polaroid for archiving to HDD. Toshiba for archiving to disc for example by recording to each at different quality modes. HQ for Polaroid. SP for Toahiba. What ever. The point is I can be creative.

It's not a bad setup. Like I've posted before the Polaroid and Toshiba are different machines. The Polaroid offers hardware things above and beyond most other recorders. The Toshiba offers editing and DVD creation capabilities above and beyond all other recorders. The combination works very well.

By the way I'm not sure if the XS35 offers HDMI.

Thanks.

This is a nice setup.

I had forgotten about the component to svideo "converting" capability!!! This was exactly my concern and the reason I asked! :)

HDMI out has got to be nice on your unit but not a deal breaker for me

By the way I'm not sure if the XS35 offers HDMI.
I downloaded the XS35 & XS55 manual the 35 does not have HDMI but that isn't a dealbreaker necessarily for me either.

Thanks.

This is a nice setup.

I had forgotten about the component to svideo "converting" capability!!! This was exactly my concern and the reason I asked! :)

HDMI out has got to be nice on your unit but not a deal breaker for me

Here's a Toshiba RD-KX50 (the model I have) for $179.99 (scroll down a bit). Factory renewed by Toshiba with the same warranty as a new one:

http://wegotbetterdeals.com/products.asp?cat=68

Here's a Toshiba RD-KX50 (the model I have) for $179.99 (scroll down a bit). Factory renewed by Toshiba with the same warranty as a new one:

http://wegotbetterdeals.com/products.asp?cat=68

Very tempting. I have sort of been dragging my feet with the ATSC models coming. My gut tells me I am going to be disappointed and now is the time to buy. Even if Toshiba were to bring a HDD/ATSC model with its superior editing capabilities to North America I know I couldn't afford it anyways.

Here's a Toshiba RD-KX50 (the model I have) for $179.99 (scroll down a bit). Factory renewed by Toshiba with the same warranty as a new one:

http://wegotbetterdeals.com/products.asp?cat=68
Hmmmm... my wife will increase the honeydoo list :p

Same outfit has them on eslay $169 (http://cgi.*********/TOSHIBA-RD-KX50-80GB-Hard-Drive-HDD-DVD-Recorder_W0QQitemZ200078572381QQihZ010QQcategoryZ94916QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
Now to check the shipping difference :D

Hmmmm... my wife will increase the honeydoo list :p

Same outfit has them on eslay $169 (http://cgi.*********/TOSHIBA-RD-KX50-80GB-Hard-Drive-HDD-DVD-Recorder_W0QQitemZ200078572381QQihZ010QQcategoryZ94916QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
Now to check the shipping difference :D

Nice catch. Let me know what you decide.

If another "box" shows up at our front door the wife might just take away my computer and wallet :cool:

I am fairly certain that Nextoo must have/had at least one of every DVDR ever created..maybe 2 :eek:

I am fairly certain that Nextoo must have/had at least one of every DVDR ever created..maybe 2 :eek:

I sure have looked at a lot of them! And I did my research. I've landed on the Polaroid - Toshiba combination. There isn't one box that has everything but these two combined have almost everything. The hardware expansion capabilities of the Polaroid and the unsurpassed editing/DVD video creation features of the Toshiba is a combination that is impossible to beat. I posted before that because they are so different they make a great pair.

I really like the RD-KX50 but I'm having a hard time talking myself out of one of those RD-XS55's!! :eek:

I really like the RD-KX50 but I'm having a hard time talking myself out of one of those RD-XS55's!! :eek:

Aside from a larger HDD what else does the 55 have to offer?

Aside from a larger HDD what else does the 55 have to offer?

One thing I would like is the networking capabilities. You can hook it up to a wireless home network and use the keyboard on a (notebook) PC for certain editing and naming functions. You can stream the video from the XS55 to a PC on the network for viewing. You can set up a scheduled recording via email from outside the network. I believe you can also stream video outside the network similiar to a Slingbox - although I've read mixed reports on this.

It almost sounds like it may be too much but it has features no other brand offers.

One thing I would like is the networking capabilities. You can hook it up to a wireless home network and use the keyboard on a (notebook) PC for certain editing and naming functions. You can stream the video from the XS55 to a PC on the network for viewing. You can set up a scheduled recording via email from outside the network. I believe you can also stream video outside the network similiar to a Slingbox - although I've read mixed reports on this.

It almost sounds like it may be too much but it has features no other brand offers.

Oh my! Yes this is indeed unique and desirable. The price point is steep. An authorized refurb might be the way to go.

On another note. I have noticed that when I turn on one of my Polaroids the optical drive sounds like a trash compactor for the first few minutes. Is this a sign of impending optical drive failure? If so I guess it gives me an excuse to swap out the burner. Still is burning well though

I think I'm having the same issue with one of mine, a K unit. Oddly enough, when I pulled it out of the "rack" to remove the cover and isolate the source of the noise, it stopped!

I do have a cablebox and VCR sitting on top of it, so I wondered if the weight was causing the noise. Since I put it back, I haven't heard the growl. Before I took it out, the problem was happening EVERY time I turned the unit on (after sitting at least 20 minutes).

How did you determine it was the optical drive (vs. the fan or the hard drive)? Did you pull the cover? Mine seemed to noisy to be the fan, but I did consider the HD. (Have you tried turning the unit immediately back off? When I did this, the second power-up was significantly quieter. And, it's get's quiet after a couple of minutes).

How much does it cost to swap the burner? Also, is a hard drive swap as easy as unplug and replug? (same for the OD)?

Note: I also had a D unit which seemed flawed. It would overcook some bright scenes, the remote stunk, and the -R DVDs wouldn't always play in my other units. I exchanged it last weekend for an H unit. Haven't unboxed yet, but I wanted to make sure to get a good one. I even considered using both for the 90 days and swapping parts 'til I got a good one.

Does that give you ideas about buying the warranty? ;) Even then, I have my concerns. What happens if the unit shoots craps in 6 mos, the units are all gone, and no other component-equipped DVDR's are being sold. Would I get my money back except for the warranty? If so, I guess $18 is O.K. for a 6 mo rental fee! If not, I'd be P.O.d since I want a component unit! (Of course, the salesman in electronics could not answer the question. He said warranties were a new thing -- that were added in the past 4 months. I didn't know that!)

GreggPenn
Depends on you. Considering no new DVDR hdd with component in on the horizon. New burner replacement bout 30 to 40 bucks, new harddrive 60 to 80 bucks, new remote 25 bucks, modified remote 3 bucks, new fan 6 bucks. Like Frankenstein, just won't die. You can even repair the power supply board from what I've read. I guess the only way to kill this machine is the heart(processor) or the body(motherboard). All pretty much plug and play except the remote mod. Warranty will probaly get your money back, but no component in. Personally I own two, I like my odds on having this machine around for a long time. :-)


Magic

I am running a similar setup with 2 Polaroids in 2 separate rooms with a bunch of HDDs.

Way too much fun.

I want the ability to have better editing capabilities. Divide and merge titles. Record to DL. Move back and forth from optical disc and HDD. I do not want to lose the 16x9 widescreen. I think adding the Toshiba might be the way to go.

Oh you hoo...Nextoo...I think you might be alittle helpful in this regard. If I am not mistaken this is one in your collection. Will this achieve my goals?
You mention you don't want to give up your widescreen and Toshiba may be the way to go. How are you getting ws on the tosh. Or do you mean with the bars on the top and bottom. I have a tosh and when i record a ws movie off a hd channel i get bars on the top and bottom. Is there a way to record in full ws? I know it won't be hd but i would like to get the full picture.

GreggPenn
So far noise issues have been the fan vibrating the case cover which have been alleviated by either adding some kind of damping to the fan or the optical drive as reported by DLSDO which could mean impending optical drive failure. So far no one has reported the optical drive to fail. As in my earlier post, replacing the optical drive should be cheap if your's fails. Considering your post, My units were loud when the fans kicked in before I replaced the fans and added some type of damping to the mounts. If you remove the cover, usually the noise goes away, which has been indicated a fan problem. Hope this helps.

Magic

Aside from a larger HDD what else does the 55 have to offer?
I had the RD-xs54 and it was a great machine except for the built in TV guide. I was on the phone almost daily for 5 weeks with Toshiba and TV guide trying to get it to download the information. For 5 weeks this thing was constantly scanning channels and only downloaded a partial day of information. I had to get a seperate cable box for it so i could watch tv. It ended up going back. The Network function was great. I was hoping they would come out with a unit similar but without the tv guide. If you can't get that set up the recorder is almost useless. Very difficult to schedule manual recordings. I have the xs32 and xs52 and these are both great recorders. i just wish there was a way to upgrade the hd to a higher capacity. Looks like they dropped recorders with hd's in thier new lineup for 2007.

You mention you don't want to give up your widescreen and Toshiba may be the way to go. How are you getting ws on the tosh. Or do you mean with the bars on the top and bottom. I have a tosh and when i record a ws movie off a hd channel i get bars on the top and bottom. Is there a way to record in full ws? I know it won't be hd but i would like to get the full picture.
Bars top and bottom is actually a good thing. It means you're getting the 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 movie reproduction. When you play DVD movies whether HD or "widescreen" you should have bars top and bottom. You are actually getting the full picture.

You mention you don't want to give up your widescreen and Toshiba may be the way to go. How are you getting ws on the tosh. Or do you mean with the bars on the top and bottom. I have a tosh and when i record a ws movie off a hd channel i get bars on the top and bottom. Is there a way to record in full ws? I know it won't be hd but i would like to get the full picture.

Read this post here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9766539&&#post9766539 It does a much better job explaining it than I can.

In my case my STB only outputs Anamorphic video (full widescreen) by component cable. My STBs S-video output letterboxes video (Bars on each side). So when I record with the Polaroid (component) I enjoy a full widescreen picture. But if I record with a DVDR that does not have a component-in input then my video will be letterboxed! Boo hiss. Who cares, why another DVDR? The editing capabilities on the Polaroid are lacking but the modification aspects are unique.

One of the best features of the Polaroid aside from component input is it passes the signal by way of S-video to preserve the Anamorphic picture. Hurray

Therefore if you have a STB that only outputs an Anamorphic (true widescreen) picture by component you can pass the signal through the Polaroid and out to another DVDR by S-video without letterboxing.

I am not sure which STB you have but if you connect S-video out to your DVDR and record...if its letterboxed then you have your answer.

Now I am going to sleep........ :eek:

I think I'm having the same issue with one of mine, a K unit. Oddly enough, when I pulled it out of the "rack" to remove the cover and isolate the source of the noise, it stopped!

I do have a cablebox and VCR sitting on top of it, so I wondered if the weight was causing the noise. Since I put it back, I haven't heard the growl. Before I took it out, the problem was happening EVERY time I turned the unit on (after sitting at least 20 minutes).

How did you determine it was the optical drive (vs. the fan or the hard drive)? Did you pull the cover? Mine seemed to noisy to be the fan, but I did consider the HD. (Have you tried turning the unit immediately back off? When I did this, the second power-up was significantly quieter. And, it's get's quiet after a couple of minutes).

How much does it cost to swap the burner? Also, is a hard drive swap as easy as unplug and replug? (same for the OD)?

Note: I also had a D unit which seemed flawed. It would overcook some bright scenes, the remote stunk, and the -R DVDs wouldn't always play in my other units. I exchanged it last weekend for an H unit. Haven't unboxed yet, but I wanted to make sure to get a good one. I even considered using both for the 90 days and swapping parts 'til I got a good one.

Does that give you ideas about buying the warranty? ;) Even then, I have my concerns. What happens if the unit shoots craps in 6 mos, the units are all gone, and no other component-equipped DVDR's are being sold. Would I get my money back except for the warranty? If so, I guess $18 is O.K. for a 6 mo rental fee! If not, I'd be P.O.d since I want a component unit! (Of course, the salesman in electronics could not answer the question. He said warranties were a new thing -- that were added in the past 4 months. I didn't know that!)

I was just guessing that it might be the optical drive. Have been to lazy to investigate the source of the "growling". I think the unit is also a "K". It does it for the first minute or so. It otherwise seems to perform flawlessly. I plan to externalize the burner so I will let you know what I find after " burner surgery".

Per Magic it sounds like it might be the fan. Nevertheless...I will let you know after I pop the hood again.

Read this post here It does a much better job explaining it than I can.


The link you refer to isn't there or doesn't work. I would be interested in reading it if you can repost it.

I have a Philips DVDR (ughhhh) that has component video in and out so maybe i could try it on that one. But the model i have doesn't have a hard drive in it. It's the old DVDR75 (i think that's the model). I haven't used it in a long time. Once i got the toshiba the philips was shelved. I also have a ILO HD04 that i picked up at Walmart on clearance last summer for 50 bucks. I was able to replace the hard drive in it with a 250gb. It was a little more work than what it appears to be on the polaroid but it works. I have tried upgrading both of my toshibas with a larger drive but no luck. On the xs32 i did get it to recognize a new drive but then it formatted it to a 80gb. I'm going to run to Walmart to see if they have any of the polaroids left. (probably tomorrow, we had a pretty good snow storm last night). I would just like to get a recorder that i could upgrade the hard drive and store lots of movies on and this one sounds like it might just be what i want. To archive on disk i'll use the toshiba. One thing i like about the ILO is, it doesn't recognize the copy protection that comcast is sending and i can record anything to disk. This isn't the case with the toshiba, if the content is protected it won't let me move it from the hard drive to disk. It seems mfgrs are moving away from DVDR with hard drives, i wonder why. I can't imagine using a machine without one anymore. I was really hoping Toshiba would come out with a new DVDR without the TV guide in it this year. I really like the network capability in the xs54 but could not get the guide to download.

I was just guessing that it might be the optical drive. Have been to lazy to investigate the source of the "growling". I think the unit is also a "K". It does it for the first minute or so. It otherwise seems to perform flawlessly. I plan to externalize the burner so I will let you know what I find after " burner surgery".

Per Magic it sounds like it might be the fan. Nevertheless...I will let you know after I pop the hood again.

I had the "growling" but it sounded a lot like a disk being accessed. I always have a disk in the machine so my guess it was that, since the sound has gone away.

I think if it was something failing, the sound would have stayed. Not so here. So my guess, at least for me, was a disk in the drive and not correctly in the tray (or not accessed correctly, for whatever reason). I do know that after I removed the disk to play another and then put it back, the sound disappeared.

I had the "growling" but it sounded a lot like a disk being accessed. I always have a disk in the machine so my guess it was that, since the sound has gone away.

I think if it was something failing, the sound would have stayed. Not so here. So my guess, at least for me, was a disk in the drive and not correctly in the tray (or not accessed correctly, for whatever reason). I do know that after I removed the disk to play another and then put it back, the sound disappeared.

I thought that might be it also but it "crunches" when powered on whether or not a disc is in the drive. I will reopen it up soon and let you know. I am getting tired of it powering up to perform a timed recording in my bedroom while I am sleeping...uh...was sleeping. BTW my other Polaroid is silent.

Was at my local Wallyword yesterday, they had 3 new units all K series. I didn't really expect them to get anymore in after my 3 city search. If anybody is in Southern Indiana they were at the East Side Walmart in Evansville. Debating if I should try to exchange my B series one for a K. So far I haven't had any troubles other than it not passing a signal but my splitter has taken care of that.

peace.
unloaded

Was at my local Wallyword yesterday, they had 3 new units all K series. I didn't really expect them to get anymore in after my 3 city search. If anybody is in Southern Indiana they were at the East Side Walmart in Evansville. Debating if I should try to exchange my B series one for a K. So far I haven't had any troubles other than it not passing a signal but my splitter has taken care of that.

peace.
unloaded

I have seen Polaroids on the shelf lately also! Get em' while you can IMHO. I have a feeling that when the ATSC models come out old NTSC models are going to be in demand again and harder to find due to dwindling supply.

My prediction...

The new ATSC OTA-HD capable units on release with fall into one of two categories. They will be affordable but lack a HDD or they will have a HDD and be cost prohibitive. So if the average consumer actually purchases a unit then they will likely use it with an old NTSC HDD recorder.

Just a guess ;)

The link you refer to isn't there or doesn't work. I would be interested in reading it if you can repost it.

I have a Philips DVDR (ughhhh) that has component video in and out so maybe i could try it on that one. But the model i have doesn't have a hard drive in it. It's the old DVDR75 (i think that's the model). I haven't used it in a long time. Once i got the toshiba the philips was shelved. I also have a ILO HD04 that i picked up at Walmart on clearance last summer for 50 bucks. I was able to replace the hard drive in it with a 250gb. It was a little more work than what it appears to be on the polaroid but it works. I have tried upgrading both of my toshibas with a larger drive but no luck. On the xs32 i did get it to recognize a new drive but then it formatted it to a 80gb. I'm going to run to Walmart to see if they have any of the polaroids left. (probably tomorrow, we had a pretty good snow storm last night). I would just like to get a recorder that i could upgrade the hard drive and store lots of movies on and this one sounds like it might just be what i want. To archive on disk i'll use the toshiba. One thing i like about the ILO is, it doesn't recognize the copy protection that comcast is sending and i can record anything to disk. This isn't the case with the toshiba, if the content is protected it won't let me move it from the hard drive to disk. It seems mfgrs are moving away from DVDR with hard drives, i wonder why. I can't imagine using a machine without one anymore. I was really hoping Toshiba would come out with a new DVDR without the TV guide in it this year. I really like the network capability in the xs54 but could not get the guide to download.

Oops. Try again http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9766539&&#post9766539

Oops. Try again http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9766539&&#post9766539
I was hoping you would get it fixed too ;)

I was hoping you would get it fixed too ;)

No more posting after midnight for me!

[QUOTE]I would just like to get a recorder that i could upgrade the hard drive and store lots of movies on and this one sounds like it might just be what i want.

The Polaroid will match up good with your Toshiba and achieve the goals you describe

To archive on disk i'll use the toshiba. One thing i like about the ILO is, it doesn't recognize the copy protection that comcast is sending and i can record anything to disk. This isn't the case with the toshiba, if the content is protected it won't let me move it from the hard drive to disk.

If you go from your STB by component to the Polaroid then out to the Toshiba by S-video your CP issues should improve

I'm going to check Walmart for the Polaroid tomorrow. Is there a certain Letter i should look for "or avoid" in the serial? D, E, etc.

Also, if this unit isn't available what's the opinion of the RCA? Is it as flexible as the Polaroid in terms of hard drive upgrade, copy protection etc.

Thanks for all the help....

I was just guessing that it might be the optical drive. Have been to lazy to investigate the source of the "growling". I think the unit is also a "K". It does it for the first minute or so. It otherwise seems to perform flawlessly. I plan to externalize the burner so I will let you know what I find after " burner surgery".

Per Magic it sounds like it might be the fan. Nevertheless...I will let you know after I pop the hood again.

Because it was easy, I peeked in my B unit before returning it. The noise I hear does not sound it could come from the small fan I saw. It sounds more like a noisy 3.5" floppy disk drive (i.e., optical drive/disk drive). And, the sound also goes away after about a minute. I would not characterize the sound as crunching though....???? Also, a disc is never in the machine during startup -- so it's not a misloaded DVD.

When I pulled it from the rack, I bumped it enough that it may have temporarily affected the noise/vibration. So, maybe the sound is a vibration vs. emminent failure. Still, the noise is slowly coming back. Good news is that I have a new H that I'll use for awhile (for comparison)!

Since parts are so easily replaceable, I'm tempted to return the K unit (and it's warranty) while keeping the H unit (w/o a warranty).

BTW: while recording last night, I goofed. Because I remembered reading that hiding a chapter before finalizing a disc could mask commercials (or goofs), I tried it. I marked the short, bad chapter (title) as hidden. After I finalized the disc, it was still there. What gives?

Finally, this item still shows as an active item on the WalMart inventory -- in the stores. Seems consistent with the reports of new units showing up!

Oh yeah, I read this unit does not power off after a timed recording -- but mine does. (Only tried this to the HDD).

[QUOTE]BTW: while recording last night, I goofed. Because I remembered reading that hiding a chapter before finalizing a disc could mask commercials (or goofs), I tried it. I marked the short, bad chapter (title) as hidden. After I finalized the disc, it was still there. What gives?

Lets see if I can make this make sense. I had the same problem. What you need to do is this. Mark the "goof" as a chapter. Take note of which chapter it is that has the "goof". This next step is where I think it gets screwed up. My guess is that you now are depressing the "chapter hide" button. The problem is that your already into the next chapter. What you need to do 1st is rewind alittle back into the chapter you just created. Then depress the "chapter hide" button. I hope this helps.


Oh yeah, I read this unit does not power off after a timed recording -- but mine does. (Only tried this to the HDD).


If you set the timer to record to disc or HDD, the unit will revert to the state it was in prior to the recording. So if you turn it off then it will power itself back on - record- then power off. A very nice feature

I'm going to check Walmart for the Polaroid tomorrow. Is there a certain Letter i should look for "or avoid" in the serial? D, E, etc.

Also, if this unit isn't available what's the opinion of the RCA? Is it as flexible as the Polaroid in terms of hard drive upgrade, copy protection etc.

Thanks for all the help....

The "B" unit does not allow passthrough of the component video signal when powered off. All other units do. Otherwise they are very similar.

If I understand it correctly, somewhere along the line the fan noise and remote range was improved too. My E version doesn't have those improvements, at least as far as I can tell.

I just picked up 2 Units. 1-G & 1-K. Now i'll have to figure out the difference and which is better.

Let the fun begin. Where's my screwdriver!

First of all, upon opening these units if found that both had been returned and resold. I will be talking with my local Walmart about this.

I set the unit up and connected it with component in from the cable box and then fed the component out to the tv. I cannot get a signal through the component in YUV unless i reconfigure my cable box to 480I output. but doing this i loose my HD on my HDMI output to the TV. I can get the signal from S-Video in. But i think that is defeating the purpose of what i'm trying to ahieve.

The hard drive upgrade was a breeze, put in a 400gb and how have 191 hrs of SP recording but the component input is bumming me out. Any suggestions?

Where can I buy a new K model? I don't want someone else's sloppy seconds. I want new only. Also do these crap out a lot because a see a lot of refurbished ones on eBay.

I set the unit up and connected it with component in from the cable box and then fed the component out to the tv. I cannot get a signal through the component in YUV unless i reconfigure my cable box to 480I output. but doing this i loose my HD on my HDMI output to the TV. I can get the signal from S-Video in. But i think that is defeating the purpose of what i'm trying to achieve.

The Polaroid only recognizes 480i. When it's on and you're recording (from cable), that's what you're box will need to output. There is no way to get both (480 and HD) from your cablebox at the same time.

So, to watch TV in HD, you'll have to switch back and forth -- HD for viewing, 480i for recording.

The advantage is when the Polaroid is off, it will pass the HD signal thru the component connections so you don't need a splitter.

gp

....I set the unit up and connected it with component in from the cable box and then fed the component out to the tv. I cannot get a signal through the component in YUV unless i reconfigure my cable box to 480I output. but doing this i loose my HD on my HDMI output to the TV. I can get the signal from S-Video in. But i think that is defeating the purpose of what i'm trying to ahieve.....
Yeah, it's bummer, but that's the way it works. You've got to set the cable box to only output 480i, or the Polo won't see it - at all. And, as you've discovered, using component-video on the STB turns off the HDMI for HD. I'll bet you're using an SA8300HD STB too. Right?

Others on this thread(nextoo and DLSDO) use a series of macros I believe to do the magic with the STB, but I'm not sure. Maybe they could comment on that aspect. Since the remote won't allow you getting into the HD setup mode on the STB, I'm curious how you program a macro to perform the setup function. :confused:

Yeah, it's bummer, but that's the way it works. You've got to set the cable box to only output 480i, or the Polo won't see it - at all. And, as you've discovered, using component-video on the STB turns off the HDMI for HD. I'll bet you're using an SA8300HD STB too. Right?

Others on this thread(nextoo and DLSDO) use a series of macros I believe to do the magic with the STB, but I'm not sure. Maybe they could comment on that aspect. Since the remote won't allow you getting into the HD setup mode on the STB, I'm curious how you program a macro to perform the setup function. :confused:
I have the Comcast. Motorola DCT 3416I DVR. It was just changed out last week. Today while i was messing with it, the analog audio went out. I can only get audio through HDMI. Analog has no volume and is distorted. Comcast is coming out this afternoon to replace it again. I have had 5 boxes in the past 2 years. These Motorola are crap.

Even if i have to record from S-Video it still is a good picture. Plus i can't believe how easy it was to upgrade the hard drive.

I'm going to have to check and see if another Walmart has a couple of units that haven't been returned. One of these is all scratched up and who ever had the other one must have been eating fried chicken while using the remote. Grossed me out, all greasy.

Is the Polaroid made by Philips? I have the Philips 75,doesn't have a hard drive. That machine was always going down.

[QUOTE=GreggPenn]


Lets see if I can make this make sense. I had the same problem. What you need to do is this. Mark the "goof" as a chapter. Take note of which chapter it is that has the "goof". This next step is where I think it gets screwed up. My guess is that you now are depressing the "chapter hide" button. The problem is that your already into the next chapter. What you need to do 1st is rewind alittle back into the chapter you just created. Then depress the "chapter hide" button. I hope this helps.


If you set the timer to record to disc or HDD, the unit will revert to the state it was in prior to the recording. So if you turn it off then it will power itself back on - record- then power off. A very nice feature




It's much easier to use the segmenting feature on the Polaroid than marking and hiding chapters. It's something I wish the RCA had.

Has this been posted yet? I was watching a talkshow lastnight from the DVR side. Well, my finger hit the wrong button and something happend. The video playing from the hard drive/DVR side zoomed in while it was playing. One hit zoomed in 150%, a second push of the button zoomed in 200%. If you pause the video you can move the picture around. I know the zoom button works for the DVD side. It says that in the manual but on the unit I have now that same zoom function works during videos/shows being played on the hard drive/DVR side as well.

Where can I buy a new K model? I don't want someone else's sloppy seconds. I want new only. Also do these crap out a lot because a see a lot of refurbished ones on eBay.



These were Walmart only machines. There are alot of DVD recorders returned because the average Joe won't take the time to read the manual, or can't understand it, or get's frustrated because he can't WILL the machine to do his bidding, or he's a girl that can't figure out why it's not as easy to use as a vcr. Finalize? What's that. +R, -R, +/-RW HUH? What's a hard drive? Title? Chapter? Component? Composite? It' easier to return it and go out and have a drink with a sailor.

Yeah, it's bummer, but that's the way it works. You've got to set the cable box to only output 480i, or the Polo won't see it - at all. And, as you've discovered, using component-video on the STB turns off the HDMI for HD. I'll bet you're using an SA8300HD STB too. Right?

Others on this thread(nextoo and DLSDO) use a series of macros I believe to do the magic with the STB, but I'm not sure. Maybe they could comment on that aspect. Since the remote won't allow you getting into the HD setup mode on the STB, I'm curious how you program a macro to perform the setup function. :confused:

Nextoo is the universal remote macro man. The front of my DVR and also the remote easily shift through the various resolutions. I will break down and get the 880 one of these days. My 8 or so remotes are a bit obnoxious but I really enjoy keeping everyone in the house thoroughly confused. Gains me more sofa surfing time to myself ;)

Popped open my "k" to see what the startup crunch/growl was and it was the fan. Not the optical drive. Only on startup. Like an off centered bearing or something. I replaced it now its whisper quiet.

Isn't this DVDR fun :)

Nextoo is the universal remote macro man. The front of my DVR and also the remote easily shift through the various resolutions. I will break down and get the 880 one of these days. My 8 or so remotes are a bit obnoxious but I really enjoy keeping everyone in the house thoroughly confused. Gains me more sofa surfing time to myself ;)
That's makes sense, if you can change that easily, i have to turn the box off, go into a hidden menu and change the resolution there and then back out and turn the box back on.

The other problem i have, since the Polaroid doesn't have an IR blaster is if i want to program a recording i have to make sure the cable box is on the channel ahead of time. the cable box has a remind feature, if you want to be reminded of an up coming show but it won't change the channel. You just get a message at the time the program starts asking if you want to change the channel or continue watching whats on.

These boxes only do basic stuff, watch tv and record. Comcast has all the extra features on the remote, such as PIP, Zoom, etc. disabled on their machines and i haven't found a way to enable them. I'm sure it's done with the firmware. Which they have been updating frequently.
The new box also has a sata port for an external hard drive and ethernet port but these are disabled too. I've tried them out.

Nextoo is the universal remote macro man. The front of my DVR and also the remote easily shift through the various resolutions. I will break down and get the 880 one of these days. My 8 or so remotes are a bit obnoxious but I really enjoy keeping everyone in the house thoroughly confused. Gains me more sofa surfing time to myself ;)
:D remote envy is a wonderful thing

[QUOTE]That's makes sense, if you can change that easily, i have to turn the box off, go into a hidden menu and change the resolution there and then back out and turn the box back on.

PIA no doubt. Beekeeper also does the macro thing the thread is here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9616075&&#post9616075

The other problem i have, since the Polaroid doesn't have an IR blaster is if i want to program a recording i have to make sure the cable box is on the channel ahead of time. the cable box has a remind feature, if you want to be reminded of an up coming show but it won't change the channel. You just get a message at the time the program starts asking if you want to change the channel or continue watching whats on.

This is where the Toshiba might be helpful.

These boxes only do basic stuff, watch tv and record. Comcast has all the extra features on the remote, such as PIP, Zoom, etc. disabled on their machines and i haven't found a way to enable them. I'm sure it's done with the firmware. Which they have been updating frequently.
The new box also has a sata port for an external hard drive and ethernet port but these are disabled too. I've tried them out.

Which STB model do you have? 6416/3416 or something like that

Which STB model do you have? 6416/3416 or something like that


I have the 3416 now. This is what comcast is currently installing. These all were brand new units, still had the plastic coverings on them. I'm on the 3rd one in 2 weeks so that isn't saying much for the new units.

Yesterday when the cable guy came out i told him the box was bad, he wouldn't listen and started pulling wires off the tv. He said there was no way it would work the way i had it installed. He was disconnecting everything while the tv was on. Plus i have a 47 inch LCD with the piano black finish and he had his hands all over it. He kept screwing with my wiring, finally i told him to replace the box or leave and NOT to touch the tv again, he went out to the truck for a new box, came back in with it plus wires. He said it was definitely my wiring and he wanted to try the new wires, i agreed but i connected them. No go. He finally changed the box, connected all my wires and fired it up. Worked perfectly. What should have been a 5 minute job, he was here an hour. He kept apologizing until he was out the door. I was furious, i still may call comcast and report this. He made a mess.

[QUOTE=Burnerbum]

This is where the Toshiba might be helpful.


This is correct. I have scheduled a timer recording with the Polaroid and used the IR blaster on the Toshiba to change the channel on my STB. It requires setting the timer recording on both the Toshiba and the Polaroid but it works great. When doing this I set the timer recording on the Toshiba to just a couple of minutes. This way the Toshiba just changes the channel on the STB and does not record the entire event. Remember when the Polaroid is recording the default is the display showing the progress of the recording. This is also recorded by the Toshiba which makes the Toshiba recording useless.

If I want to set up a timer event with the Toshiba and use the IR blaster to change the channel on the STB I make sure the Polaroid is powered on (for full widescreen recording conversion). And do not set up a timer recording on the Polaroid - means there is no recording display on the Polaroid.

Both ways the results are great.

I need some help with my unit, a version H, that I purchased in December after reading about it on this forum and I have been enjoying the unit since then. Because a new housing development has started nearby, we are experiencing power interruptions of up to one-half hour frequently. This causes the unit to lose the current local time (though not any of the of the timer recordings that were programmed). When the power returns, the unit re-sets the time to 00:00, and therefore, I miss my timed recordings.

I have the “Date-Time Setting” set to “Auto” and once I turn the unit power on and tune to our PBS station, the time sets automatically. However, I am often not home to power up the unit. I have a VCR with the same auto time set feature and it will find the PBS station and re-set itself after a power interruption. Has any one else had this issue? I think I have followed the manual instructions correctly, but the manual is sometimes not so clear. I am beginning to think the DRM-2001G will not re-set itself, and that I may need to purchase a UPS if I want to maintain the time. Any suggestions?

I didn't realize the Polaroid displayed the recording progress, I haven't done a timed recording yet but that is good to know. Can that be shut off.

As far as the IR blaster, that's what i was thinking i would have to do. The other alternative i have is i have an old OFA programmable remote that actually lets you set timer events in it. So i could set that up to change the channel at a specific time. Setting a timed recording is getting to be a little task when doing this.

Does the widescreen info get transmitted though S-Video? The other problem is using component input i have to downgrade the cable box to 480I then my HD output is lost on the HDMI. It's not that easy to switch video output options on the Motorola box.

Another question, can the polaroid dub a dvd up to the hard drive, I have looked through the manual, and on screen menus but can't find anything on it.

I am beginning to think the DRM-2001G will not re-set itself, and that I may need to purchase a UPS if I want to maintain the time. Any suggestions?

You are correct. No auto reset. UPS is a smart option.

Popped open my "k" to see what the startup crunch/growl was and it was the fan. Not the optical drive. Only on startup. Like an off centered bearing or something. I replaced it now its whisper quiet.

Isn't this DVDR fun :)

What fan did you use? Was it plug in or cut/solder....

[QUOTE]Can that be shut off.

Yes. While viewing realtime.

Does the widescreen info get transmitted though S-Video?

Depends on the STB! Very few STBs transmit anamorphic by s-video out. But some do. If your STB only outputs anamorphic by component then you will get output from your Polaroid of the same.

The other problem is using component input i have to downgrade the cable box to 480I then my HD output is lost on the HDMI. It's not that easy to switch video output options on the Motorola box.

Again depends on the STB. If you output anamorphic (true widescreen) from s-video then go out to the DVDR by s-video and your HDMI should be fine. If your STB does not then I would go component to the DVDR then component to the TV.

Another question, can the polaroid dub a dvd up to the hard drive, I have looked through the manual, and on screen menus but can't find anything on it.

No. Again, advantage Toshiba!

What fan did you use? Was it plug in or cut/solder....

Gregg,
I used a "blue ice" or something like that I had lying around. Perfect fit. I had to modify the power connection from the motherboard. Amazing what some wire and a dremel can get you. I would be very careful with the electrical mods. I think I may have fried a new burner that I modified a power connection for on the board.

Yeah, it's bummer, but that's the way it works. You've got to set the cable box to only output 480i, or the Polo won't see it - at all. And, as you've discovered, using component-video on the STB turns off the HDMI for HD. I'll bet you're using an SA8300HD STB too. Right?

Others on this thread(nextoo and DLSDO) use a series of macros I believe to do the magic with the STB, but I'm not sure. Maybe they could comment on that aspect. Since the remote won't allow you getting into the HD setup mode on the STB, I'm curious how you program a macro to perform the setup function. :confused:

That's what I'm using -- though thru Everest (a local cable provider in Kansas City). I never had this box thru TW so I'm not sure if software makes operations different.

There are 3 steps to make changing resolutions on an 8300 easier.

1) Set resolutions you'd like to choose from. Pressing two keys during start-up gets you to a menu for this selection. (I don't remember the keys -- but I got it from my provider). You only need to do this once. My other settop box didn't require this "boot" config..... So, this step might not be necessary!

2) Pressing the setup button (during normal operation) toggles between two menus. One has settings for CC, Video, audio, etc... This menu includes an option for pass-thru vs. fixed. Choose fixed. Picking fixed activates another option on the second settings menu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3) The other settings menu will now display WHICH resolution you want to force the output to. <1080i, 720p, 480pWide, 480iWide, 480p, or 480i>. These setting CAN be accessed thru the remote.

To program a macro, you simply need to transmit the "settings" button IR code. Then send the correct combination of up/down arrows and the select button. This could easily be entered into any remote that will accept macros via a learning function. I'm using a Sony RM-AV3000 (which now has a couple of successors).

(Side note: I've never heard of a settop box that can output HD and 480 signals at the same time. The Polaroid isn't the problem, it's the settop box. O.K. the Polaroid's the problem cause it can't record HD!!!!!!! :D )

[QUOTE](Side note: I've never heard of a settop box that can output HD and 480 signals at the same time.

Here is an example of a STB that outputs HDMI and S-video concurrently. He is able to view 1080i by HDMI and record 480i via the S-video output at the same time. Anamorphically none the less!!

See the post here..http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9761058&&#post9761058

Yeah, it's bummer, but that's the way it works. You've got to set the cable box to only output 480i, or the Polo won't see it - at all. And, as you've discovered, using component-video on the STB turns off the HDMI for HD. I'll bet you're using an SA8300HD STB too. Right?

Others on this thread(nextoo and DLSDO) use a series of macros I believe to do the magic with the STB, but I'm not sure. Maybe they could comment on that aspect. Since the remote won't allow you getting into the HD setup mode on the STB, I'm curious how you program a macro to perform the setup function. :confused:

I use component from the SA8300HD to the Polaroid and then component from the Polaroid to my HD television. I do not use HDMI from the SA8300HD for the reasons already mentioned.

As far as the marco is concerned with my SA8300HD you can go into the settings menu to change the output resolution. Try this - press settings on the SA8300HD remote, then press the "A" button. This gets you into the advanced settings. Arrow down to output settings. Right arrow over and select the one you want. I only use (highlight) one at a time - the one I plan to use. This is if your SA8300HD is running Passport software.

To set up a macro I use the VL600 learning remote and it works fine. The macro I set up to power on the Polaroid also sets the output resolution on the SA8300HD to 480i. When I power the Polaroid off the same macro powers off the Polaroid and sets the output resolution back to 1080i.

I set the macro up on the same button that powers on the Polaroid. If I just press the button it will only power on the Polaroid. If I press and hold the same button for more than 2 seconds it runs the macro. So it is flexible

I don't use the macro all the time but it does come in handy. The only thing I don't like about using the macro is if the SA8300HD is set at 480i when I use the marco it will power on the Polaroid and change the output resolution on the SA8300HD to 1080i. Not the desired outcome!

You are correct. No auto reset. UPS is a smart option.


Thanks for the reply. Any suggestions of a good UPS to use?

Thanks for the reply. Any suggestions of a good UPS to use?
That will depend on the length of time you need it to maintain power. At least as far as sizing the ups.
The Polo draws forty watts according to the manual.

Any EE's out there that can translate how much run time one will get with various wattage ups units?

I'm a history major :D

Thanks for the reply. Any suggestions of a good UPS to use?

Look here..http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=839 I am no expert either but short term battery backup of a small device like the Polaroid should be supported by these models.

Right now i have HDMI set at 1080I output, the S-Video is set to 480I and all is ok. But at one point i had HDMI at 1080I and Component at 480I. And it worked, i could record off of Component and still had HD on HDMI. Then i changed something and got a blue screen on the tv stating i had a HDCP - HDMI (or something like that) violation and set them both back to 480I. So i set it back and now have S-Video 480I and HDMI 1080I and it's ok,

I'm just trying to duplicate getting the component back to 480I and HDMI 1080I and then i'll keep my hands off it.

I remember this happening a while back when i was setting up the tv. i was getting HD on HDMI but 480I on component. But, then i didn have the Polaroid and wanted HD on component. Now i don't.

I think the box must have a bug that allows this to happen since i'm sure it's not suppose to but i can't remember what i did to make it happen.

DLSDO

What model Tosh do you have? Does it have the TV Guide and if so, do you have any problems with it downloading. I had the RDxs54 but could not get the guide to download. This was about a year ago. I was thinking of trying one again. I really liked the Network Navi in it. It was great for editing video on the pc. I saw a post that the guide wouldn't work with all digital cable which i have. I just wonder if they corrected that. I have an older RCA DVD recorder, which also uses the TV guide and that downloads fine. I'm thinking of setting that up to use the IR blaster from that. It would make it easier for programming with the guide built in. I haven't had it set up in over a year so i'll have to try and make sure it works with the digital cable.

I also have the Philips DVDR75 which i just read allows you to set the component video in and out to Interlaced or Progressive. I've never tried this recorder on component. Uhmmm something else to play with. But no IR blaster on this one. From what i can find the Polaroid only accepts component 480I not P.

Has anyone bought from Refurbdepot.com. I'm checking out a recorder they have.
Any input appreciated.

...
1hr (HQ) was 720x480 at 9000kbps
2hr (SP) was 720x480 at 4380kbps
2.5hr (SP+) was 720x480 at 3750kbps
3hr (LP) was 720x480 at 3090kbps
4hr (EP) was 352x480 at 2130kbps
...

Since HQ/SP/SP+/LP all record at 720x480, can anyone help me understand what impact the speed/kbps has on overall quality?

How does the speed/kbps affect video quality, audio quality, or both?

Is there a significant increase in specifically "video" quality between HP & SP ?

I can do some A/B comparisons but it would be interesting to know the technicals too.

Has anyone bought from Refurbdepot.com. I'm checking out a recorder they have.
Any input appreciated.
Doesn't look encouraging:
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/refurbdepot
Before buying from an unknown vendor, I always check them out on that site. If bad or no rating I usually pass on them. I have bought from a couple with no rating based on members comments on vatious boards. When transaction is complete I add them to the site with comments for the next guys.

peace.
unloaded

Since HQ/SP/SP+/LP all record at 720x480, can anyone help me understand what impact the speed/kbps has on overall quality?

How does the speed/kbps affect video quality, audio quality, or both?

Is there a significant increase in specifically "video" quality between HP & SP ?

I can do some A/B comparisons but it would be interesting to know the technicals too.

If you want detailed info on this there is quite a bit on the Internet. In a nutshell, think of the bit rate as the number of pixels you are transferring, so the higher bit rate means more pixels.

It is more complicated than that since different chips handle those pixels in different manners.

Because of that, quality can vary between different machines for the same bit rate, but in the same machine there is a decrease in quality with decreased bit rates. If your display is small, you will see little difference between the first two or three bit rates (HP/Q, SP , SP+), but more at the lower ones. What you may see, even between one and two is pixellation when there is a lot of motion on the screen, especially with large displays. Even then, your eyes and brain tend to fill in the blanks so you often have to look for it. However, sometimes it is both apparent and annoying, especially in sports.

If you have a large display, you will see differences between the first and third, but, depending on the display and your own standards, the difference between HP/Q and SP are acceptable. SP is probably the mode of choice both because it is acceptable and that it gives a 2 hour DVD.

The bit rate is not just tied to quality but to what can fit on a DVD. You can put 1 hour at HP/Q, 2 at SP, 2.5 at SP+, and 4 at LP. So if you do not want to split the recording, you record it at the speed which will fit the DVD. On the Polaroid, and most recorders, you cannot record a 2 hour show to the HD at HP/Q and fit it on one DVD. It will need two. (Some will fit that 2 hour recording on a DVD, but they just convert your HP/Q to SP so you gain nothing and may lose some quality by not recording at SP in the first place.)

Generally, audio stays the same. The file size in megabits of the audio information is insignificant compared to the video.

If you have moved from VCR to the Polaroid, you will be amazed at the quality of even the lower bit rates compared to tape. But, in time, you will join the ranks of the more discriminating who can see one misplaced pixel on a 40 inch Plasma.

Doesn't look encouraging:
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/refurbdepot
Before buying from an unknown vendor, I always check them out on that site. If bad or no rating I usually pass on them. I have bought from a couple with no rating based on members comments on vatious boards. When transaction is complete I add them to the site with comments for the next guys.

peace.
unloaded
THANKS
After reading the reviews it all came back to me. I now remember ordering from this company a couple of years ago. They stated the item had shipped and charged my credit card but never shipped it out. After 3 weeks of shipping promises which never happened, i cancelled the order. But then i had to keep calling to get them to credit my card. I think i ended up calling my credit card company and they took care of it for me.

Beekeeper... WOW! Thanks for taking the time to write that overview! It was very helpful.

This is a pretty terrible machine, functionally. The stock DVD burner is mediocre, thrashes a lot and often rejects discs. The hard drive is noisy. The unit likes to lock up a lot. The LSI chipset overheats a bit too, what they did to cool it is not adequate.

I had to replace the DVD burner long enough to remove what I recorded, so I could return it to Walmart.

This is a pretty terrible machine, functionally. The stock DVD burner is mediocre, thrashes a lot and often rejects discs. The hard drive is noisy. The unit likes to lock up a lot. The LSI chipset overheats a bit too, what they did to cool it is not adequate.

I had to replace the DVD burner long enough to remove what I recorded, so I could return it to Walmart.

One man's socks are another man's mittens.

I like the Polaroid much much more than the RCA. All of these units have crappy burners, the RCA's is just as crappy. Happily, most any other burner will work with these units - which is not the case for many other high-end name brands. As far as the hard drive, it's a western digital, which again, almost all DVD HDD recorders use. Also, every DVD HDD unit I've seen with the LSI chipset uses the same heatsink, held on with a blob of heatsink epoxy - so that must be within spec.

The Polaroid beats the RCA (for me) because of the divx playback, the component input, and much superior video ouput. The RCA is decent, but the Polaroid is better.

Just for an experiment, last night I started an OnDemand movie on my cable box. I hit Record on the DVR (sa8300hd) it said something like "Not allowed to record this content" I had it going through the Polaroid so I hit record on it and it recorded with no trouble. No CP warning or anything. Haven't tried recording through DV yet, that will be my next experiment.

peace.
unloaded

Since HQ/SP/SP+/LP all record at 720x480, can anyone help me understand what impact the speed/kbps has on overall quality?

How does the speed/kbps affect video quality, audio quality, or both?

Is there a significant increase in specifically "video" quality between HP & SP ?

I can do some A/B comparisons but it would be interesting to know the technicals too.

On a 10' diagonal movie screen, I can see some difference between the modes, but it's not huge. At normal viewing distances, it's really quite minor.

I'm not going to challenge/debate with beekeeper on his response, but I understand what you're saying. I also read what he said and don't feel any more informed -- though I don't know the exact details either.

You have to be correct about each frame being a constant number of pixels. You can't change that. However, you can change how the analog signal is compressed and stored digitally on a disc. Just as with jpg compression, you can compress and store each frame (image) to an increasingly smaller space. As expected, you lose detail. An algorithm tells the computer how to compress analog to digital and expand back to analog signals. Think of mapping 4 pixels to one digit (vs. 1 to 1 pixel mapping). Detail would be lost because you only returned 1/4 of the original color/contrast information. But, final pixel counts would be the same to form some type of image. This is oversimplified but should give you an idea....

I know the details are more extensive, but I'm happy remembering it this way.

You can definitely tell more imformation is stored as the resolution goes up too. I've tried the top 3 recording modes (HQ, SP, & SP+). FF is MUCH faster the lower you go on resolution -- same as VCR or any recording.

gp

This is a pretty terrible machine, functionally. The stock DVD burner is mediocre, thrashes a lot and often rejects discs. The hard drive is noisy. The unit likes to lock up a lot. The LSI chipset overheats a bit too, what they did to cool it is not adequate.

I had to replace the DVD burner long enough to remove what I recorded, so I could return it to Walmart.

Did you note how easy it is to upgrade this unit? For the price, I think you're expecting too much -- especially from a rare component DVDR.

On a 10' diagonal movie screen, I can see some difference between the modes, but it's not huge. At normal viewing distances, it's really quite minor.gp

Thats a huge screen! I will bring the popcorn!

All my recordings are @ HQ. I have not done any recordings in the other mode because I was afraid the PQ would suffer significantly. Your not the first person to note little difference between the modes.

This actually has significance to me. I archive most everything to the HDD but in those instances that I burn to disc if the movie is greater than an hour then its a bummer. My only choices are..

1)Split the title into 1hr segments and record to multiple DVDs
2)Do #1 above and transfer to the computer then burn to DL---->expensive and time consuming

So if PQ is good at the longer play modes then the problem is solved

Just for an experiment, last night I started an OnDemand movie on my cable box. I hit Record on the DVR (sa8300hd) it said something like "Not allowed to record this content" I had it going through the Polaroid so I hit record on it and it recorded with no trouble. No CP warning or anything. Haven't tried recording through DV yet, that will be my next experiment.

peace.
unloaded

Unloaded,

Similar finding with Motorola BMC 9022 HD-DVR and Charter On-Demand.

DLSDO

What model Tosh do you have? Does it have the TV Guide and if so, do you have any problems with it downloading. I had the RDxs54 but could not get the guide to download. This was about a year ago. I was thinking of trying one again. I really liked the Network Navi in it. It was great for editing video on the pc. I saw a post that the guide wouldn't work with all digital cable which i have. I just wonder if they corrected that. I have an older RCA DVD recorder, which also uses the TV guide and that downloads fine. I'm thinking of setting that up to use the IR blaster from that. It would make it easier for programming with the guide built in. I haven't had it set up in over a year so i'll have to try and make sure it works with the digital cable.

I also have the Philips DVDR75 which i just read allows you to set the component video in and out to Interlaced or Progressive. I've never tried this recorder on component. Uhmmm something else to play with. But no IR blaster on this one. From what i can find the Polaroid only accepts component 480I not P.

Burnerbum,

I do not have the Toshiba. I am one of those types that learns every last detail about the unit...waits..waits...and then buys, then the next day something bigger and better comes out so it starts over again.

Seriously though the Toshiba matches well with the Polaroid for many of the reasons Nextoo and others have posted earlier

Doesn't look encouraging:
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/refurbdepot
Before buying from an unknown vendor, I always check them out on that site. If bad or no rating I usually pass on them. I have bought from a couple with no rating based on members comments on vatious boards. When transaction is complete I add them to the site with comments for the next guys.

peace.
unloaded

What a great link!!! Thanks so much. I searched a few sites I had problems with and what do you know the rating was bad. I have had alot of success with Newegg and the rating reflects this.

Thanks again!

An algorithm tells the computer how to compress analog to digital and expand back to analog signals. Think of mapping 4 pixels to one digit (vs. 1 to 1 pixel mapping). Detail would be lost because you only returned 1/4 of the original color/contrast information. But, final pixel counts would be the same to form some type of image. This is oversimplified but should give you an idea....

gp

Correct. Better than I did.

Well, I was browsing around on Newegg, trying to find specs on that RjTech ATSC tuner mentioned in another thread, when I stumbled across a few more DVD Recorders that list removeable HDD's. I'm wondering if anybody has played with them?
LASONiC HV-670 DivX DVD Player With 3.5" Removable 250GB HDD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16882133001)
Nice how it has the HDD in a front access bay for removal. Doesn't have many inputs on the back, looks like out only for component.

RjTECH RJ-2200DVRX DVD Recorder with Removable HDD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16882107048)
Looks like you'd have to open the case to remove the HDD, but looking at the connections, it seems to have component inputs. Specs are real scetchy though.

Any input on either would be appreciated.
If you think these belong in a seperate thread, lemme know and I'll edit/move em.

peace.
unloaded

Well, I was browsing around on Newegg, trying to find specs on that RjTech ATSC tuner mentioned in another thread, when I stumbled across a few more DVD Recorders that list removeable HDD's. I'm wondering if anybody has played with them?
LASONiC HV-670 DivX DVD Player With 3.5" Removable 250GB HDD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16882133001)
Nice how it has the HDD in a front access bay for removal. Doesn't have many inputs on the back, looks like out only for component.

RjTECH RJ-2200DVRX DVD Recorder with Removable HDD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16882107048)
Looks like you'd have to open the case to remove the HDD, but looking at the connections, it seems to have component inputs. Specs are real scetchy though.

Any input on either would be appreciated.
If you think these belong in a seperate thread, lemme know and I'll edit/move em.

peace.
unloaded

Very interesting.

The Lasonic is just a player. It doesn't record.

It looks like the RjTech folks have been reading this forum! And specifically this this thread. :) It looks like it is the second DVD recorder with component inputs and a HDD. And yes it looks like you have to remove the cover to swap the drive.

edit - The RjTech remote is identical to the Polaroid 2001G - well almost identical. It looks like it is the same platform. I bet it is coming out of the same factory in China.

Here it is without a HDD:

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556063698.html

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21627&vpn=RJ-2200DVRX&manufacture=RJ+Technology&promoid=1055&affiliateid=472595

Here's a brief forum thread at the ncix site. Interesting about drive size replacement. And how WDD is recommended. It's hard for me to believe that RjTech is actually promoting opening the case. But that looks like what is happening. Warranty?

http://forum.ncix.com/forums/index.php?mode=showthread&forum=113&threadid=1233449&pagenumber=1&msgcount=9&subpage=1&product_id=21627

It sounds just like the Polaroid. I bet a Polaroid HDD will play in one of these just fine.

I have spent the day comparing the RCA with the Polaroid. This is what i have found

RCA has a nicer video library menu section, it automatically picks up the name of the program while recoding and labels it. The library menu looks more like a VOD menu.
The disk library is bad, if you put a disk in and don't want it in the library i haven't found a way to delete it.

The remote on the RCA is easier to use and buttons place better.

But that's where it ends.

Comparing the picture of the 2 (King Kong recorded in 2 hour mode off HD in 480I) there is no comparison. The Polaroid beats it hands down. I have been comparing them frame by frame in light and dark scenes and the Polaroid is superior. I think one of the main reasons here is the component input on the Polaroid vs S-Video on the RCA.

The Polaroid passes all signals through even when the unit is turned off. Component and S-Video, I have never seen a unit do this.

The editing on the Polaroid is easier to use. The lack of the timeline when using the RCA makes it more difficult to tell where you are.

At first i didn't like the feel and functions of the Polaroid but I am use to the Tosh with it's ultra editing features and these two are not even comparable in terms of editing features.

Both Units are hard drive upgradable, i have installed 400gb in both without any problem.

I haven't tried burning on either of them yet but when i put a commercial disk in the RCA it sounds like a meat grinder running. I can hear it in the next room.

My biggest complaint with the Polaroid is the Remote.

If anyone knows of a JP1 file for this unit i would appreciate if you would post the link. I have checked the files sections that i know of but haven't been able to find it.

Does the RCA have the LSI chipset? If not that could account for some pq differences. Or does the LSI not "get involved" in the record side of things on the Polo?

Does the RCA have the LSI chipset? If not that could account for some pq differences. Or does the LSI not "get involved" in the record side of things on the Polo?
Not sure which chipset it has but it does not have YESDVD. From what i've read i think the LSI Chipset is YESDVD only but i could be wrong on that.

Also, i copied a disk to the hard drive on the RCA and it was completely washed out. Not even viewable. I could copy disks made on a Philips +R recorder but disks made on the Toshiba -R would not copy. This was a real time copy, not a high speed dub.

[QUOTE]I have spent the day comparing the RCA with the Polaroid. This is what i have found

Nice review, Thanks

The Polaroid passes all signals through even when the unit is turned off. Component and S-Video, I have never seen a unit do this.

Nice feature isn't it

i have installed 400gb in both without any problem.

400gb in the Polaroid and no problems eh? Very interesting. This is largest drive I have seen work. Are you sure its able to handle 400gb of storage? Is it ATA 100?

My biggest complaint with the Polaroid is the Remote.

You should consider the remote hack. I had never soldered in my life and I found this to be quite easy. Its a $2 fix!! It works great.

well went to the 3rd walmart in town...and they had a B....I was about to say well forget it and the salesman said there is one more on that other shelf...it was a G.
They want $17 for 2 yr extended...I said what the heck...but no paperwork so I hope the receipt is all you need.

So I now have a unit and playing around.
The one thing I can't understand is how do you tell it its recording to the HD or the DVD? I can't find a DVD record indicator. I tried to copy to DVD directly and after the show I had it on the HD. And I can't get the DVD to do anything...I am not sure if its recording to the DVD now or not? Do direct DVD recordings go on the HD too?

Overall for $200 its ok and I have a 250 I will put in it...Heading to RS tomorrow to get the led to mod the remote.

Thanks to all the posters here that pointed me to it and how to mod.

Use the REC TO button to the right of the REC button to choose where to record to. Use the DISPLAY button to display an onscreen window which will verify your choice.

[QUOTE=DLSDO

400gb in the Polaroid and no problems eh? Very interesting. This is largest drive I have seen work. Are you sure its able to handle 400gb of storage? Is it ATA 100?

You should consider the remote hack. I had never soldered in my life and I found this to be quite easy. Its a $2 fix!! It works great.[/QUOTE]

From what i see as hard drive space, the 400 is being utilized.
Prior to installing the new drive i had approx. 37hrs ??mins at SP mode
With the new hard drive i'm showing 191hrs 10mins at SP mode.

I installed a Samsung 400GB/7200rpm/8M/PATA Jumper on Cable Select
Model HD400LD
Got this on sale at Microcenter for $99.99 a couple weeks ago.

I don't want to seem like i'm a hog, but i was thinking of getting a 500gb to try.

I'll have to look for the remote hack, i don't remember reading about that.

Very interesting.

The Lasonic is just a player. It doesn't record.

It looks like the RjTech folks have been reading this forum! And specifically this this thread. :) It looks like it is the second DVD recorder with component inputs and a HDD. And yes it looks like you have to remove the cover to swap the drive.

edit - The RjTech remote is identical to the Polaroid 2001G - well almost identical. It looks like it is the same platform. I bet it is coming out of the same factory in China.

Here it is without a HDD:

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556063698.html

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21627&vpn=RJ-2200DVRX&manufacture=RJ+Technology&promoid=1055&affiliateid=472595

Here's a brief forum thread at the ncix site. Interesting about drive size replacement. And how WDD is recommended. It's hard for me to believe that RjTech is actually promoting opening the case. But that looks like what is happening. Warranty?

http://forum.ncix.com/forums/index.php?mode=showthread&forum=113&threadid=1233449&pagenumber=1&msgcount=9&subpage=1&product_id=21627

It sounds just like the Polaroid. I bet a Polaroid HDD will play in one of these just fine.


Looking at the RJTech 2007 catalog, it looks like they have a nice DVR- the RJ-2000DVR- that lets you record to an internal OR a USB connected HDD OR a flash drive/MP3 player. It also lets you record back and forth between int. and USB HDDs or record to the HDDs from int. DVD player. Records in MPEG4 format. DV input optional. No DVD recordrer funtion.

http://www.rjtech.net/ref/RJ2007.pdf

So do these rjtech units have stereo or mono tuners like the polaroid and RCA have. It does look like the 2001 unit so probably same everything with a empty spot for the original 80 gig drive and same mono tuner as before...

thanks for the help masochrist.

There were a lot of post about noise on these units...I can't tell if mine is running its so quiet.

I was curious about the record quality and I was amazed when I did a EP recording..my eyes could not tell it from the original feed.
Just a small test I have not had time to try the other recordings and I am sure that its not as great as I think...but I am very happy with it.

Does anyone turn their unit off when not in use?
I could not find out how to set the default input so this looks like a bad idea to me.

I agree with nextoo on the RJ tech equipment, same factory. From an earlier post I listed the many clones of this platform as it evolved with different chipsets, LSI being the latest. My guess is Sampo Corp. The RJ -2000DVR is a clone of the MTV MDR 5501 sold in Austrialia. I found this link, not sure of the language, http://ryan.com.br/dvd_links_fotos.htm that has links to many of the player/recorders we use with pics. :D

Magic

Nextoo
In another post I made, I referenced a modder name techo. His mods site is linked under the my previous post link under the MDR 5501 recorder. Enjoy

Magic

I turned on my Polo yesterday and heard the scretching sound that has been reported on the thread. Without opening it up yet, I believe the fan is the culprit. I've had similar noise from fans on video cards and other computer equipment. After putting in a DVD for playback the noise went away. This may be just a startup issue, but I don't believe it's related to the burner, or HD.

Nextoo
In another post I made, I referenced a modder name techo. His mods site is linked under the my previous post link under the MDR 5501 recorder. Enjoy

Magic

Yes thanks! I gave it a look. Interesting stuff.

Just picked up my second unit yesterday.
The first is a "B", this is a "K".
Bit of a surprise though, the "K" seems to be just as noisy, if not noisier than the "B".

Does anyone turn their unit off when not in use?
I could not find out how to set the default input so this looks like a bad idea to me.



Set default input by going into SETUP_ Scroll down to the next to last option_TIMESHIFT DEFAULT SOURCE_ >>Choose input _(f) is for front (r) is for rear (cvbs) is composite (yuv) is component_ or tuner_ the (on) and (off) refer to whether or not you want your hard drive to spin up and start the timeshift option. If you choose off, the drive will stay off until you hit the timeshift button.

Yes thanks! I gave it a look. Interesting stuff.
I have been trying to find this site but have been unable too. If you could post the link i would appreciate. I'd like to see what type of mods he's up too.

I've tried search but haven't been able to refine it enough or i just don't know how to use the search feature well.

Thanks

go here (http://ryan.com.br/dvd_links_fotos.htm) scoll down to MDR 5501 click on the number 1(that's the link)next to the flag a little further down. That page is his mods page. He has modded the power supply, added a battery backup and has pics of the insides.

Magic

No habla Portugese!

Well you know the old saying. One picture is worth 1000 words. :D

I have not yet recorded @ anything less than HQ. I did my own little PQ evaluation. Here is my opinion. FWIW

My wife recorded segments of Harry Potter @ HQ and SP for comparison sake by way of a Moto 9022 HD-DVR. She played back the segments but I was unaware of the recording modes.

I could discern a distinct difference as viewed on a 72" DLP but with the same segments on my 37" LCD..... I could not tell a difference.

If you choose off, the drive will stay off until you hit the timeshift button.

Does the drive actually start and stop with the timeshift function? Other posts on this say that the drive is always spinning but only the recording starts and stops, just like the drive in a computer.

Does the drive actually start and stop with the timeshift function? Other posts on this say that the drive is always spinning but only the recording starts and stops, just like the drive in a computer.

You are correct. I've had the cover off, the hard drive starts spinning with power on. It is always spinning with the power on. Also, it's not just like a drive in a computer, it is a computer hard drive.....

Need I say more???? :D

Yes makes sense. With timsshift buffer turned off the HDD is still spinning but it is not thrashing around like it does when the timeshift buffer is turned on and the HDD is writing data. It seems to run cooler with the timeshift buffer turned off.

You are correct. I've had the cover off, the hard drive starts spinning with power on. It is always spinning with the power on. Also, it's not just like a drive in a computer, it is a computer hard drive.....

Need I say more???? :D



You are right. I guess I read a little extra into what the manual said. It says it will enter the Timeshift OFF state automatically. Nothing about HDD off.

Y Also, it's not just like a drive in a computer, it is a computer hard drive.....

Need I say more???? :D

There are some computers that do allow you to shut down the HD when you go into specific standby states. But in most the drive just keeps spinning even when you think it is in "standby". So you could have that feature in another machine that uses a HD.

My Panasonic E-500 DVD recorder will go into "HDD sleep" mode after a period of inactivity, during which the HDD shuts down. It will "awake" if I hit any remote key.