Can anyone offer any personal experience on the LG RC199H DVD up-converting recorder with built-in VCR? Are there any professional reviews out there? (I couldn't find any.)

Is it true, as another thread (the only mention of this machine I could find on AVS using search) seemed to indicate, that the LG RC199H outputs the VCR signal, as well as the DVD, via the HDMI connection? (That's what I'm looking for.)

Also, does anyone know if the machine will play S-VHS tapes? (We've got a lot of videos recorded on an old S-VHS VCR.)

Thanks for any info you can provide!

Just got one today. Will set it up some time this week. Do me a favor and repost to this thread asking my impressions to remind me to post them and I will post them.

Any impressions yet? I too am interested in this unit. Thanks!

I just purchased this today so I can only give very preliminary impressions. Also, I am not a video expert so I will not get technical.

Hookup: HDMI to Panansonic 37'' Plasma (TH-37PX60U) that I also purchased today, digital optical output to Yamaha Receiver, component input from cable box. Everything worked without a glitch.

The only thing I have tried so far is playing DVD movies. I checked it out with The Fifth Element (Superbit) and The Matrix. I compared it to my Sony that is hooked up to a Mitsu 42'' RP and the Panasonic DMR-ES30V DVD that I was using previously on the same new TV but with a component conection. At first PQ seemed a little less sharp that the Pany. However, after messing with the TV PQ controls it got much better (remember, the TV is also new and I have yet to get my setting anywhere near stable). I also tried the "upconvert" between all the seting (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i) and could not notice any difference (the TV automatically adjusts to the imput signal). One thing to note is that if you change the resolution during playback, it will stop the DVD. No biggie, you just press play and the movie continues from where it stopped.

Overall the first impression is good. The menu's are easy to navigate, everything works as it should, and no glitches so far. One dissapointment is that I did not see options to adjust PQ, but I may have missed them.

Next I am going to try a VHS tape to see how the upconvert works and recording to the DVD from the cable box, video camera, and the VCR. I will post as soon as I have more info.

One thing I've noticed is the RC199H manual really sucks compared to Sony or Panasonic.
I'm also going to be testing out a Panasonic ES45V.
The Panasonic manual is 87 pages plus being longer and wider than the RC199H which is only 57 pages.
The Panasonic instructions give a more detailed step by step procedure. It also shows a diagram of the remote and labels the buttons you need to press. The RC199H instructions just say press these buttons on the remote and leaves it up to you to hunt for them.


I did copy home movies from a DV Digital camcorder using the DV input onto the DVD burner.

The tape I copied had "empty space" between different recording sessions. When these spaces were encountered the Camera and DVD recorder would both stop and I had to FF to the beginning of the next session and press record again. I'm not familiar enough with DVD recorders to know if this is typical or if it can be turned off.
One more thing about the manual. When I went to finalize the DVD the instructions given in the manual were incorrect. I had to "play around" with the buttons but was eventually able to find the finalize screen. Turns out its really easy to get to but not the way the manual instructs you to.

I bought an LG RC199H June 1st. $299.

After finally sorting out how to connect the unit up I decided to also purchase some +RW discs to experiment. I bought this at Best Buy and got 10 free +R discs but didn't want to waste them until this old fella knew what he was doing.

I have a JVC region free DVD player that I bought to play discs from England as well. Along with a VCR and was tired of taping and storing that way. So time to upgrade to a DVD recorder.

I also have Dish Network with PVR.

So my first attempt was to record from the PVR to the RC199H. Followed the manual and recording was easy.

Took the recorded disc and played it on my desktop and laptop computer and it worked well there. Make sure you finalize a +R disc..

Next step was to use my JVC player and record off of it. After having the cables connected wrong ( used Monster Cable Y Pb Pr type to the tv and thought just hook up to the "in" on the back of the LG unit. But had to change to the component set up output style on my JVC unit.)

Tried to record a Dvd that was copyright protected first..and got a warning the LG unit would not allow that. So I put in the +R disc that I had previously recorded and it worked. The picture quailty may be not as good. After all I am copying a copy so you can't expect perfection..lol

I am using the HDMI cable connector to my Sony tv which is High Def ready.
( extra..does not come with the unit. So bought a Monster cable Ultra 600 another $100.)

Picture quailty is "enhanced" when playing a Movie DVD. Clearer and crisper. Worth the money.

Now comes the nit picky part.

If you are a serious stereo component person, then my complaint is that the audio connection from the LG unit is just left/right channel set up. It does output play Dolby Pro Logic or Pro Logic II. But it does not have a 5.1 or better output for sound as my old JVC unit did with 5.1. So if your set up at home is for 5.1 or better, this may not be the unit for you if you use it primarily to watch a lot of movies with enhanced sound features.

By using the Pro Logic sound field on my Sony receiver I do get surround sound through my 5 speakers ( 2 front, 2 rear, and center channel). And the sound quality is good to excellent. Haven't tried blasting the sound to hear any distortion, so don't ask. So that I can't say I miss the 5.1 connection....yet.

But if you are buying a DVD recorder, you basically will be recording off your tv or for dubbing. So maybe the higher advanced sound qualities are not needed. And no doubt mean more money.

Have not tried dubbing from the VCR yet. Don't expect any problems when I do. If I do, will pass that along. Nor any of the other features like various memory cards or camcorder ( don't own one).

So far no problems other than those self induced by a rookie.


Satisfied customer.

btw..the LG unit does play my England DVD's with no problems so maybe it is a Region Free unit as well.

The LG RC199H does have 5.1 digital audio output. It has both coaxial and optical audio outputs. On my receiver it shows that the signal being received from the RC199H is digital and is being decoded to 5.1. Furthermore, I verified this by inserting a DVD and listening closely to the surrond sound.
In this day and age, I don't believe that there is a DVD player that will not send digital audio that can't be decoded to dolby digital or DTS. Perhaps it does not work through the regular RCA analog audio outputs, but it definitely works over the digital outputs.
Did your JVC actually have six outputs? This means that the decoder was actually built into the DVD player. I had a Pioner from the early days of DVD that also had a built-in decoder. These days, the decoding is left to your audio device, normally a 5.1 (or 6.1 or 7.1) receiver.

Thanx for the tip on the optical output. Didn't have a cable for that so was stuck doing it the left/right channel connection way.

Well can't do the optical route..just checked. I have an older Sony STR-DE715 and there's no optical connect on it for DVD. Thanx anyway.

btw..yes my JVC XV-SA600BK did have the decoder and did have the left/right, left/right, center and subwoofer connnects in the back for 5.1 inputs.

I just picked up one of these units last week. I purchased my first plasma TV a few weeks ago and wanted to try the HDMI connection. This unit was recommended by a guy at BestBuy because of its ability to up-convert VHS as well as DVD. It being a recorder was a bonus as I already have a 1 1/2 year old Sony DVD recorder for my basement theater setup (the plasma was for my study – the ‘second’ TV).

What do I think of this LG unit? It’s junk. I’m taking it back this week. I’ve used it about 6 times so far and most of the time when I turn it on it locks up. The ‘HELLO’ never leaves the display and I can’t turn it off/on or eject a disc. I need to unplug it, then plug it back in before it works. Once it seemed to work after I turned it on only to have the disc lockup (freeze frame image – you could skip to the next chapter and get a new freeze frame). I thought it was a bad DVD as this was a new title I purchased with the LG so I popped in a title I was using to evaluate the plasma and it did the same thing. I turned the LG off and then on again and this time it worked. I also noticed on two occasions periodic click-click noise in the audio which I suspect is another ‘feature’ of this LG unit.

As you can see, I’ve obviously gotten a bad one but the question is do I really want another one? The BestBuy guy told me that LG is the old Goldstar company with a new name and a new commitment to high-end quality. I would expect it also provides BestBuy with a high-end profit margin.

Videovark..sorry you had a problem.

I recorded from VHS tape using the direct dubbing feature. The tapes I used was from 2001. ( The Worthington Cup Final and FA Cup final for those who know what those are.)

I am playing the DVD on my desktop with no problem.

The DVD is for my brother so until I send them to him and get his comments when he watches it on his tv all I can say is that it worked fine and color and sound are as expected from 5 year old tapes.

I need to get used to eliminating the commercials out of it if I really want to bother with being more professional about it. But I prefer being lazy at the moment..lol

I have been busy and have not had time to try everything I want on this unit yet. However, so far, I like this unit. It reads the DVD's faster than my Panasonic and has correctly recognized and worked flawlessly with everything I've thrown at it including DVD+R and MP3 CD's. I really want to try recording a dual layer DVD. This weekend I should have some time to experiment further.

In the past I have been weary of buying LG stuff because of it's lower price and dubious quality. However, it appears that LG is putting out some decent stuff. Their HDTV tuner is getting many accolades elsewhere in this forum. Their TV's seems to be doing well. Let's just hope that the RC199H holds up.

Thanx for the tip on the optical output. Didn't have a cable for that so was stuck doing it the left/right channel connection way.

Well can't do the optical route..just checked. I have an older Sony STR-DE715 and there's no optical connect on it for DVD. Thanx anyway.

btw..yes my JVC XV-SA600BK did have the decoder and did have the left/right, left/right, center and subwoofer connnects in the back for 5.1 inputs.

The older sony may have a coaxial digital input. Did you check for that? Otherwise, it's time to upgrade the receiver! Onkyo puts out some very affordable and excellent receivers, or if you want something that will really kick butt try out a Yamaha.

New receiver..trying to spend my money.. :p

Thanx

I've had my RC199H for a month now. Got it from my local Best Buy at the best price I could find anywhere. I had a year old Sony DVD recorder which was my first venture into DVD recorders. It was OK, but the LG is awesome in comparison.

I did have to take my first RC back to BB as the original unit had a problem ejecting VHS tapes and the VHS door 'sprung' permanently open. When I took it back last weekend, it was on sale for even cheaper than I originally paid, so I used the extra savings to go ahead and get the 2 year extended warranty. I figure at the end of two more years, the MPEG-4 units will be out and I'll be ready to trade again anyway :) Plus, after having had a problem in the first 2 weeks of ownership, it seemed to be good insurance for a relatively low cost.

I absolutely love the RC. I have been dubbing all of my old VHS tapes onto DVD every day. I'm throwing the tapes away as I do so and will greatly cut down on the space needed to store my videos.

What I like:

1080i upconversion to my 1080p Toshiba TV. DVDs look noticably better
One unit for DVD and VCR vs. two units
HDMI output
Ability to record on DVD +R DL for twice the time plus ANY other DVD media made
1394 Firewire input
14 type memory card reader to display pictures or play music off of

What could be improved:

Only has one rear video input (one front + 1394)
Only S video input is on the front panel
Unit locks up occasionally requiring unplugging unit then plug back in (hopefully new firmware soon to fix this)
Remote control sometimes needs multiple presses to get the command to the unit
Needs built in HD tuner (yes, nobody does that, but it's a natural to be able to record 480i HD video to DVD)

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend the extended warranty given the VHS door problem I had in the first 2 weeks and having only owned it for a month. This is the first unit of its kind on the market. I was waiting to look at the Samsung and JVC units which were supposed to be out in May, but LG beat them to the market and the other units still are not out. I'm very pleased with mine.

Bump

I have been dubbing all of my old VHS tapes onto DVD every day. I'm throwing the tapes away as I do so and will greatly cut down on the space needed to store my videos.
Can you get those tapes back!

The jury is still out on how long home-recorded DVDs will last. Some people using "cheap" media find they either don't record ("coasters") or don't play back after a short time. It seems to be a matter of how "good" the burn is, which depends on the burner, media, storage conditions, etc. One person even did some tests to see how long DVDs lasted on the dash of his car...I think a couple of weeks was max. Regular DVDs have an ORGANIC media, which to me means it can break down like any other organic substance.

Some "experts" say home-burned DVDs might last 5 years or less. Until those 5 years are up, it might not be wise to trust your precious memories to DVDs exclusively.

At very least, you might follow the advice of others in this forum and only use Taiyo Yuden DVDs purchased on-line from supermediastore.com, altho' there are some other good brands available in stores. There are several threads in this forum re: media choices.

Just exchanged an LG DR1F9H for the RC199H, and am still having the same problem; namely, neither unit will burn DVDs of movies stored on my DirectTv Tivo DVR. The movies are from HBO, Showtime, etc. I get the message "Copy Protected. Cannot Record". Stuff from the regular network channels record ok. This never happened with my Sony RDR VX500 connected the exact same way.

Is this some sort of compliance feature built into the LG units, or am I missing something?

Hjames608...I feel your frustration. I'm in the market for a DVD recorder and find there is more to understand than you think.

From my understanding pay movie channels have copy protection flags to keep them from being copied. There are 'video stabilizer' products that you can buy that will get around the copy protection.

For more about copying from a DVR to DVD try a google on 'dvr to dvd recorder'. The ecoustics site has a good forum on this subject.

SKMS123, thanks for the info.
I know about the various gizmos out there that purport to defeat copy protection, but I was hoping I wouldn't have to use any of them as I am sure they interfere with the quality of the recorded product.
Besides, I didn't have this problem with the Sony! So, this compliance effect is not quite universal, it seems. Definitely need to know the experiences of the other users with the RC199H before I just return this one and try another brand.

I need to burn mini DV tapes onto DVD+ and would love to do in on this LG. Can it be done easily and how?

I need to burn mini DV tapes onto DVD+ and would love to do in on this LG. Can it be done easily and how?

Yes. The unit has a DV input on the front panel.

I bought this unit earlier today and have already returned it. It's horrible. It would not read any DVD I have previously recorded. It would not read a DVD I made containing mp3 and wma files. And it would not recognize any of my blank DVD+R's (Office Depot branded).

I called LG and they said you must use the recommended brands in their manual (mainly Mitsubishi and Maxell blanks). WOW! I've never owned a DVD Recorder that was so specific (and trust me I've owned many). Usually I am able to use most of the blanks I own regardless of what the manual the recorder came with states. And I've never had one that is picky with media that has already been recorded to and finalized!!!!

I'm using a Samsung DVD-R135 now. No problems....yet. ;)

I bought this unit about a week ago, and I'm having problems with the signal from my cable TV. The TV is a Hitachi something or other and is of good age. It says "Ultravision" at the top left corner if that helps. Anyways, I'm not very tech savvy, but I can do the basics. When viewing the TV through the Tuner option of the DVR, certain channels seem especially "grainy" and unclear. My cables are plugged in securely and in the right slots, but still, I cannot seem to get the bad picture to go away. Any tips?

The symptoms you describe could be caused by one or more not-so-high-quality RF cables. And the connections themselves should be wrench-tightened to maximum protection against interference.

I bought this unit earlier today and have already returned it. It's horrible. It would not read any DVD I have previously recorded. It would not read a DVD I made containing mp3 and wma files. And it would not recognize any of my blank DVD+R's (Office Depot branded).

I called LG and they said you must use the recommended brands in their manual (mainly Mitsubishi and Maxell blanks). WOW! I've never owned a DVD Recorder that was so specific (and trust me I've owned many). Usually I am able to use most of the blanks I own regardless of what the manual the recorder came with states. And I've never had one that is picky with media that has already been recorded to and finalized!!!!

I'm using a Samsung DVD-R135 now. No problems....yet. ;)

I have the same recorder and am tickled with it. Like you, I bought some Office Depot brand DVD+Rs and they would not work at all. I took them back and bought name brand media.

After researching different media out there, it is quite apparent that if you care about what you are recording to DVD, you should only buy name brand media. I am currently archiving all of my old VHS tapes to DVD. IMO the ONLY reliable DVD+R DL media is Verbatim. I would use nothing else. 4.7GB DVD media is not quite so critical. I've used Maxell -R, Verbatim +R, and Taiyo Yuden -R (which a LOT of people say is the best 4.7GB media going), and they all work fine. If you want to record DVDs that will still be around 10 years from now, stick with the good stuff.

Sorry the 199H didn't work out for you. I couldn't be happier. I did buy the BB extended warranty for it, so if anything does pop up, I'll still be in good shape :)

Just got the RC199H myself and have some first impressions:

PQ is very good, however I had to turn down the brightness on my TV and increase contrast, as the picture from the DVD seemed a bit washed out on the TVs default settings (same settings I used for my old DVD)
Both the VHS and the DVD upconvert through the HDMI port. I found that DVD quality was best at 720p and very slightly worse at 480p and 1080i (I have a 1080p TV). The difference is almost impersivable, though.
Dubbing from VHS to DVD worked without a hitch, though I haven't tried chapter editing yet. Main reason I got this set over the Panasonic, is that the Panasonic will only let you edit on DVD-RAMs. I did not see any compression artifacts at all.
The VCR itself is not that great, compared to the 5 year old Sony that just broke on me. With my old VCR picture quality during pause and fast forward/rewind was perfect. WIth the LG there is some lost-tracking noise in both pause mode and ff/rew. I also miss the fine controls of my old VCR such as variable speed ff/rew and frame advance. However, picture quality during normal playback is quite good, and I think there is even a slight improvement when upconverted to 720p.

I bought this unit earlier today and have already returned it. It's horrible. It would not read any DVD I have previously recorded. It would not read a DVD I made containing mp3 and wma files. And it would not recognize any of my blank DVD+R's (Office Depot branded).

I called LG and they said you must use the recommended brands in their manual (mainly Mitsubishi and Maxell blanks). WOW! I've never owned a DVD Recorder that was so specific (and trust me I've owned many). Usually I am able to use most of the blanks I own regardless of what the manual the recorder came with states. And I've never had one that is picky with media that has already been recorded to and finalized!!!!

I'm using a Samsung DVD-R135 now. No problems....yet. ;)

I just realized that I posted this mini-review/rant to the wrong thread. My comments should be regarding the DR1F9H, not the RC199H. Sorry about that!

I've been backing up videos to dvd over the last few days. The whole player locked up on me last night. It just froze. Completley unresponsive. So when I got up this morning I just held down the power button and it finaly turned off. Then it worked fine. And the dvd-r I had been burning was aok.

Now about an hour later the entire video became hypercolored. Lots of pink and green neon colors. It was not recording in those colors just outputing those colors. After a I reboot the RC199H the colors went back to normal. FYI I'm using HDMI out into a Pioneer Elete Plasma.

I've been backing up videos to dvd over the last few days. The whole player locked up on me last night. It just froze. Completley unresponsive. So when I got up this morning I just held down the power button and it finaly turned off. Then it worked fine. And the dvd-r I had been burning was aok.

I've had the unit lock up on me several times. usually it's happened when I'm trying to skip chapters on a DVD to get past the FBI warnings, now playing, future realeases, THX logos, etc. I think when changing titles within the DVD it freezes, and has to be rebooted with a hold down of the power button.

Believe it or not, after my scathing review of the DR1F9H incorrectly posted in this thread, I decided to buy a LG RC199H today. I took some of my recorded DVD's with me to Best Buy today (namely a "backed up" DVD+R -- Office Depot Brand) and a DVD-R of mp3's and wma's with the intention of finding a DVD Recorder that would play them (since the previous DR1F9H I had purchased would not). My goal was to find a DVD Recorder that had HDMI Upconversion and would play DivX, and recognize my discs!

On a whim, I put the discs in a DR1F9H (their display model). They played! I also tried them in both Insignia DVD Recorders that they currently sell (also made by LG). They also worked flawlessly.

What did I determine? That my faith in LG had been restored! Clearly the DR1F9H that I had previously returned was defective (since it would not play those DVD's of mine).

I ended up going for the gold and buying the RC199H (since the store I was at was having a 50% off Open Box sale (and there was a RC199H in the box but previously returned).

I was concerned that I was going to run into problems (since this unit was returned for some reason??) but luckily, all is well and this unit is recognizing everything I throw at it. I LOVE IT!!! (Especially for the price I paid!!!!).

The only minor quibble I have is DivX material I play back seems to be formatted to fill the screen when I use 720p or 1080i output. Some of the material I have is 16x9 and it should still have black bars on the top and bottom, but the LG chooses to fill the screen and cut off the left and right sides. Not a huge deal, but a minor flaw never-the-less.

This unit gets a *******EDIT********

B- !!!! I've started FULLY testing this unit (which I should have done before posting this review) and have found that my unit is having a problem: AUDIO DROPOUTS.

I've been playing several discs now and it seems like every 3 minutes or so the audio drops out. I am running the coaxial digital output to my receiver and have tried both 48 and 96Khz and it's still happening.

Argh! So close to finding the perfect all-in-one unit! Anyone else notice this problem???

Maybe a firmware update from LG can fix this. Of course first they have to acknowledge it's a problem...unless of course I have another defective unit???

Anyone tried playing a DIVX file burned to a CD (not DVD) with the RC199H?

My first attempt at this was succesful. However when I tried to play the exact same disk again it would not recognize it.

bump

Well i'm not as technical savvy as some of you. I have recorded from Dish Network PVR to my unit and had no problems. Of course none of them were movies. Just soccer games.

I use Magnavox DVR+ and have had no issues with the blank DVD's recording. It was after i bought this brand that I saw LG had recommended brands listed. Magnavox wasn't one of them. But they've worked fine for me.

I'm interested in the LG RC199H , but also considering the Sony RDRVD530. The Sony has a 102 Mhz 12 bit DAC , while the LG has a 10 bit converter at approx 52 MHZ. DOes this make a difference in tems of quality?

I believe that would be 108MHz and 54MHz instead of 102MHz and 52MHz.

12-bit versus 10-bit definitely makes a difference. I believe the doubling of frequency (54MHz to 108MHz) is to handle progressive scan output, but don't quote me on that one.

I'm interested in the LG RC199H , but also considering the Sony RDRVD530. The Sony has a 102 Mhz 12 bit DAC , while the LG has a 10 bit converter at approx 52 MHZ. DOes this make a difference in tems of quality?

I cannot find any such creature as a Sony RDRVD530 via Google. Is it the RDR VX-530? If so, between it and the LG you will not get HDMI out or upconversion to 720p or 1080i. May or may not be important to you.

I really want to like this unit, and have not returned it yet. My problem is somewhere in the connections I think? I have a new 1080p Tv with HDMI & component inputs, etc. I also have a digital HD cable box connected to the TV. I have the traditional connection of the RF out of the cable box to the RF input on the LG199H, I then have the HDMI out of the LG to my TV. This is where things get weird? When playing a Comercial DVD through the HDMI it looks awesome!! But if I'm viewing the cable chanels through the LG or recording programs on the LG there are weird grey cropping borders around the image. I'm assuming that I have something incorrectly connected, but I can't seem to figure out what? If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

... But if I'm viewing the cable chanels through the LG or recording programs on the LG there are weird grey cropping borders around the image. I'm assuming that I have something incorrectly connected, but I can't seem to figure out what? If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.
When you play back these recordings, do they look the same on the TV as when you were recording them?

Are your recording sources 4x3 or 16x9? If they are 16x9, are you able to set the source output video to give you an anamorphic picture, i.e., tall and skinny when filling a 4x3 screen or proper proportions when filling a 16x9 screen?

Many cable and satellite boxes will only give a letterboxed output to s-video or composite video (yellow RCA) or RF, including black bars above and below the letterboxed 16x9 picture placed in a 4x3 frame/screen. In those cases, when recording and viewing on a 16x9 TV, you end up seeing black bars on all 4 sides of the letterboxed 16x9 source video.

Is there any setting on your source device for choosing 16x9 vs. 4x3 display?

I just picked this machine up yesterday after having a horrible time with the Samsung 330 and I'm quite impressed with it. In my opinion this is not only a very attractive looking machine but, a well thought out one as well. I'm not usually one who is all that interested in a ton of features but, not only does this machine have those but, they are things that I'll actually use. As for the picture I have to say that my old VHS look about as good as they ever could and the DVD picture looks almost as good as my OPPO. The other neat aspect of this machine is the fact that even the VCR plays through the Optical and Coaxial digital audio connections. Love it ..... good buy at Circuit City. $269.00

I've had my RC199H for a month now. Got it from my local Best Buy at the best price I could find anywhere. I had a year old Sony DVD recorder which was my first venture into DVD recorders. It was OK, but the LG is awesome in comparison.

I did have to take my first RC back to BB as the original unit had a problem ejecting VHS tapes and the VHS door 'sprung' permanently open. When I took it back last weekend, it was on sale for even cheaper than I originally paid, so I used the extra savings to go ahead and get the 2 year extended warranty. I figure at the end of two more years, the MPEG-4 units will be out and I'll be ready to trade again anyway :) Plus, after having had a problem in the first 2 weeks of ownership, it seemed to be good insurance for a relatively low cost.

I absolutely love the RC. I have been dubbing all of my old VHS tapes onto DVD every day. I'm throwing the tapes away as I do so and will greatly cut down on the space needed to store my videos.

What I like:

1080i upconversion to my 1080p Toshiba TV. DVDs look noticably better
One unit for DVD and VCR vs. two units
HDMI output
Ability to record on DVD +R DL for twice the time plus ANY other DVD media made
1394 Firewire input
14 type memory card reader to display pictures or play music off of

What could be improved:

Only has one rear video input (one front + 1394)
Only S video input is on the front panel
Unit locks up occasionally requiring unplugging unit then plug back in (hopefully new firmware soon to fix this)
Remote control sometimes needs multiple presses to get the command to the unit
Needs built in HD tuner (yes, nobody does that, but it's a natural to be able to record 480i HD video to DVD)

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend the extended warranty given the VHS door problem I had in the first 2 weeks and having only owned it for a month. This is the first unit of its kind on the market. I was waiting to look at the Samsung and JVC units which were supposed to be out in May, but LG beat them to the market and the other units still are not out. I'm very pleased with mine. Just a note..... if something locks up on you it is not good. It is a piece of crap. I know that misery loves company but don't try and push it on someone else.

Atrac, I have my LG connected via the optical outs and like you tried both of the bit rates and hear audio dropouts on some DVD's. Some DVD's e.g. Aeon flux do not have the audio drops. Have you managed to find a fix for this yet?

I read elsewhere that ppl with this problem can avoid the audio drops by using 480p. Hardly a satisfying answer I know.

I'm getting the audio dropouts on all 4 DVDs that I tried. I am getting them through both the optical and coax digital outputs, but I didn't get them over HDMI or the analog outputs. I've been running 720p. I tried calling LG customer service and after sitting on hold for a while, their computer took my telephone number and said they would call back, but they have not.

My final troubleshooting was to hookup my old mintek DVD player and it worked fine over the coax digital audio output, so that narrows it down to the DVD player in my mind.

I'm taking it back to Bestbuy for a refund.

I'm getting the audio dropouts on all 4 DVDs that I tried. I am getting them through both the optical and coax digital outputs, but I didn't get them over HDMI or the analog outputs. I've been running 720p. I tried calling LG customer service and after sitting on hold for a while, their computer took my telephone number and said they would call back, but they have not.

My final troubleshooting was to hookup my old mintek DVD player and it worked fine over the coax digital audio output, so that narrows it down to the DVD player in my mind.

I'm taking it back to Bestbuy for a refund.

I just bought the DR1F9H today, and hooked it up to my Panasonic Plasma via HDMI. I too notice the dropouts every few minutes when the resolution is set to 720p. The audio is fine at 480i, 480p, and 1080i.

Well, that is the resolution I was running, 720p.

I'm getting the audio dropouts on all 4 DVDs that I tried. I am getting them through both the optical and coax digital outputs, but I didn't get them over HDMI or the analog outputs. I've been running 720p. I tried calling LG customer service and after sitting on hold for a while, their computer took my telephone number and said they would call back, but they have not.

My final troubleshooting was to hookup my old mintek DVD player and it worked fine over the coax digital audio output, so that narrows it down to the DVD player in my mind.

I'm taking it back to Bestbuy for a refund.
Here's a section from a oppodigital.com Q&A re: "the audio sync problem with 720p." Altho it applies to an Oppo player, the two Q&A's I copied below, thanks to oppodigital.com (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_faq.htm), may apply or at least give some hints on your situation?

"Q: What causes Audio sync issue?
A: The Audio-sync error can be caused by several factors. The most common are video source (DVD mastering) and video buffering.

How the DVD was mastered will affect the overall playback. There are many DVDs which have been mastered incorrectly and suffer from slight audio-syncing not matter what player or display unit is used. The effect of de-syncing can be so negligible it is barely noticeable, to such an extreme that whole audio bits are audible before the according visual actions.

Another common type of Audio-sync errors is the cumulative effect of video buffering. In order to produce the best possible video quality, when the Faroudja chip in the DVD player performs de-interlacing and scaling, it may need to buffer some video frames to do motion analysis. This introduces a slight delay to the video. Usually this delay is not noticeable by the viewers. Certain displays also buffer video frames for many reasons – to scale up the 720p or 1080i video to the display's native pixel resolution, or to process the video in order to reduce the "rainbow effect" on some DLP displays, or even to do motion analysis and adaptation (duplicated effort but cannot be turned off). The buffering by displays introduces another video delay. Since normally audio is not delayed, the cumulative video delay becomes noticeable and causes the Audio-sync problem. The problem happens rarely and randomly because the time it takes the DVD player and the display to process the video depends on the complexity of the video scene.

As a rule of thumb, if the Audio-sync error occurs infrequently and at preset moments, it is a DVD mastering issue. When it occurs frequently and is not repeatable by rewinding, stopping and resuming playback, then there are several steps you can take to prevent instances of Audio-sync errors. See below.

Q: How to fix Audio-sync issue?
A: Audio syncs are DVD player, display device, and DVD discs dependent. From DVD player perspective, the solution to the Audio-sync error is to introduce an audio delay to compensate for video buffering. There are two ways to do this: 1. The OPDV971H has an audio delay feature. To access this feature, press the Setup button, then select Delay in the Audio tab. Audio delays are selectable from "no delay" to 50ms in 10ms intervals. 2. Some audio receivers can also adjust audio delays. The optimal audio delay depends on the display device so it can only be obtained by experimenting. For extreme cases, Stopping and Resuming DVD playback will stop Audio-sync errors."

I just bought an open-box RC-199H unit from Circuit City. As soon as I plugged it in it made a horrible groaning motor sound. I fiddled with it and that eventually stopped, but it recurs almost every time I start up. They will swap it for me today.

Even with that transient defect, before I brought it back, I was able to dub VHS to DVD easily, and edited, adding a title and chapters, which worked flawlessly on playback. I only have the HDMI cable connected to the TV, coax from the wall (analog at the moment, will upgrade shortly). So far, I like the functionality. I don't see great picture, but, again, I am still using an analog cable connection. DVD's look good, claim they're '480i', but look higher.

Apparently, from what I see on this thread, LG has significant quality control issues, but, if you get a good unit, you should be happy with it

I purchased my LG RC199H in Aug and it works perfectly..... as a matter of fact as far as the VHS playback its the best I've ever owned. I was really excited to find out that the machine upconverts the VHS on both the component and HDMI. I don't want to sound excited about VHS playback but, I own a few tapes that haven't had their time in the sun on DVD just yet so, I have no choice but to watch these and to my surprise upconverting them or should I say viewing them through the Component connection (using my Oppo in the HDMI port) they look asme (at least as awesome as VHS can look).

I'm getting the audio dropouts on all 4 DVDs that I tried. I am getting them through both the optical and coax digital outputs, but I didn't get them over HDMI or the analog outputs. I've been running 720p. I tried calling LG customer service and after sitting on hold for a while, their computer took my telephone number and said they would call back, but they have not.

My final troubleshooting was to hookup my old mintek DVD player and it worked fine over the coax digital audio output, so that narrows it down to the DVD player in my mind.

I'm taking it back to Bestbuy for a refund.

I just bought this machine and, after reading some of these messages, I decided to do some tests. I found that the audio drop outs in 720p do occur when using the optical output with PCM audio. But with PCM you do not get DD 5.1 audio. If you're using the optical or coaxial connections to send to your surround sound receiver then you want to set the LG audio output to 'Bitstream' in the audio menu. Then, not only do the dropouts go bye-bye you get full Dolby Digital audio!

I bought this unit because the Panasonic DMR-ES45VS I bought two weeks ago has some quirks I don't like either, like limiting chapter editing to DVD-RAM discs only. So far these two machines are disappointing me in different ways when it comes to features. But then I have high expectations when it comes to features. Performance otherwise on both of them is pretty good. VHS dubbing is so-so. I'm going to have to ultimately take one of them back but for the moment I can't decide which one I'll keep. It's too bad we can't get enough good information on these things before we make a purchase. None of the stores I went to even had these machines connected to anything so I could see how they worked.

The one other thing I don't like about the LG is that in upconversion to 720p or 1080i it stretches the picture! That's a no-no in my book. I should have the option to do that, it should not be forced upon me. This is what I like about the Panasonic, it does not stretch the picture in upconvert. Ah! Decisions, decisions...

Okay, I just purchased my first HD LCD and connected this machine up through the HDMI and boy am I disappointed. First of all I should mention that the picture quality on the 720P and 1080I is fantastic (even rivals my Oppo) when the picture is actually there because, not only do I get the audio drop outs through all digital outputs in the 720P but, when I go up to 1080I "yes" the audio drop outs go away but, now I keep loosing the picture. What is strange is that it only seems to happen when DVD's are played and not tapes. The video loss actually goes to on screen snow then to green (I notice the green when you are changing to a different resolution but, the picture does come back). None of these issues are evident through the component hook-up. I've weeded out the TV as the problem seeing that the Oppo works just fine.

On a side note I did buy another one to see if it did the same thing and it was worse. Hopefully LG has some sort of Firmware upgrade to clear this problem up because, there is a lot to like about this VCR / DVD combo player.

I want to burn my camera images to a DVD using this LG recorder. I got it since it features the Compact Flash card reader slot.

Does anyone know how to copy jpg files from a compact flash memory card, to a DVD on this LG recorder?

Thanks for the help!

I've started FULLY testing this unit (which I should have done before posting this review) and have found that my unit is having a problem: AUDIO DROPOUTS.

I've been playing several discs now and it seems like every 3 minutes or so the audio drops out. I am running the coaxial digital output to my receiver and have tried both 48 and 96Khz and it's still happening.

Argh! So close to finding the perfect all-in-one unit! Anyone else notice this problem???

Maybe a firmware update from LG can fix this. Of course first they have to acknowledge it's a problem...unless of course I have another defective unit???

Yup! Mine does this too. Did you notice that if you disable the DTS bitstream (which forces it to resort to crappy PCM) it no longer does it?

I exchanged the LG at BB, and it does it too.
I also exchanged the Onkyo thinking it was the problem. Nope. Still doing it.

I think we've found a problem here!


My receiver is the Onkyo S790. What's yours?

I just bought this machine and, after reading some of these messages, I decided to do some tests. I found that the audio drop outs in 720p do occur when using the optical output with PCM audio. But with PCM you do not get DD 5.1 audio. If you're using the optical or coaxial connections to send to your surround sound receiver then you want to set the LG audio output to 'Bitstream' in the audio menu. Then, not only do the dropouts go bye-bye you get full Dolby Digital audio!


My experience has been the EXACT OPPOSITE of what you described. PCM audio does not drop out. DTS set to Bitstream at either 48 or 96 KHz has cut-out issues.

Just wanted to update my units performance.

It was great until....lol

I returned it to Best Buy --glad I bought the extended warranty so no hassles even though it is within the manufacturers one year warranty. And kept reciepts. Along with all boxing/packaging.

The problem was no sound through the TV when playing a DVD.

No problems recording. or transferring stored tv programs off Dish Network. ( Mainly English Premier League matches of my fav team).

No problems with the sound from the VCR portion through to the tv when I played a VHS. And the record feature works fine.

No problems playing a DVD in my other player ( JVC) through the LG unit and got sound that way with the TV.

So it was not my Monster Cable HDMI connector as I was getting sound through the VHS and alternate connection..

But when I played a DVD in the LG and just wanted to listen to it on the TV, it was a no go.

The sound through my stereo via optical link worked fine when playing a DVD in the LG. But if all features don't work..then it's not right.

Should get my unit back sometime around Dec 12th. Returned it the day after Thanksgiving.



PS. I did have a lock up --freeze situation once. Easy to resolve. Unplug the unit and replug it back in. Never had the problem again.

Just wanted to update my units performance.

It was great until....lol

I returned it to Best Buy --glad I bought the extended warranty so no hassles even though it is within the manufacturers one year warranty. And kept reciepts. Along with all boxing/packaging.

The problem was no sound through the TV when playing a DVD.

No problems recording. or transferring stored tv programs off Dish Network. ( Mainly English Premier League matches of my fav team).

No problems with the sound from the VCR portion through to the tv when I played a VHS. And the record feature works fine.

No problems playing a DVD in my other player ( JVC) through the LG unit and got sound that way with the TV.

So it was not my Monster Cable HDMI connector as I was getting sound through the VHS and alternate connection..

But when I played a DVD in the LG and just wanted to listen to it on the TV, it was a no go.

The sound through my stereo via optical link worked fine when playing a DVD in the LG. But if all features don't work..then it's not right.

Should get my unit back sometime around Dec 12th. Returned it the day after Thanksgiving.


PS. I did have a lock up --freeze situation once. Easy to resolve. Unplug the unit and replug it back in. Never had the problem again.
I have no experience with upconverting DVD players and HDMI, but I did have a similar problem with a high definition TiVo unit (HR10-250 from DirecTV) where audio from HDTV channels could not be heard on the TV but played fine through the optical connection to the separate sound system.

In my case, the problem was only with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 audio. The HDMI connection sends essentially the same digital audio signal as the optical output does to the sound system. My HDTV has no means of decoding Dolby Digital audio, and therefore was silent when seeing DD audio from the HD TiVo. When I set the TiVo to send only stereo (PCM digital) audio, the HDTV sound was fine.

It sounds like you might have the same issue. If you play a DVD with DD 5.1 audio, your TV is silent, but your audio system sounds fine. When you play any source without DD audio (e.g., VHS tape or internal tuner in the DVDR/VCR unit) the audio is fine on the TV.

There may be nothing wrong with your LG unit.

I'm thinking of getting this as a present for my parents who are sometimes technology challenged. They don't have an HDTV but probably will when they replace their current set. They just have regulat cable, not digital.

How easy is it to transfer pictures from a memory card to a DVD and how is the quality? Is the DVD/VHS recorder easy to setup and operate?

Thanks

Just to add to the growing list, I connected a new RC199H today via component video to the TV and optical audio to the receiver. Popped in CARS for my daughter and got audio dropouts immediately. Checked menu for Bitstream and tried both frequency settings....no difference at all. Still dropping out. Machine will probably go back to BB next week. No excuse for this.

Dave

Just to add to the growing list, I connected a new RC199H today via component video to the TV and optical audio to the receiver. Popped in CARS for my daughter and got audio dropouts immediately. Checked menu for Bitstream and tried both frequency settings....no difference at all. Still dropping out. Machine will probably go back to BB next week. No excuse for this.

Dave
I've read posts by people with this same problem, trying all settings as you did, and some have "solved" it by NOT using 720p. One other user said he had no problems using Component connections, but that's what you're using.

Maybe try 480p or 1080i and see if audio dropouts go away...and you don't then get video problems at 1080i? May be acceptable if your TV has a good scaler/upconverter.

The audio dropout problem has gone away. Have no idea why. I watched several movies after Cars and all played fine. Put in Cars again and it played OK. Can only think that turning unit off/on again over the past couple of days reset something, or it was an alignment problem, if such a thing can happen. Anyway, unit is playing with no problems now.

Dave

Hi, all. Just bought the LG RC199H and have only had time to try the player (through the Directv receiver) which seemed to work fine. Untechnical female here, and I'm hoping one of you technical guys can help me with a cable question. I have a new hard disk camcorder that I'm dying to play on the LG and record my holiday video. Tried to set that up tonight but realized my camcorder came with a firewire to USB cable but the LG needs firewire on its end, so I borrowed one I use in my computer, but only one end of the cable connection fits each unit! Does that mean I have male/female connections and I have to buy a male/male or female/female firewire cable? 4 pin to 4 pin? (And I thought my holiday shopping was over!). Thanks!

Just got the RC199H today at BB----never buy the day after Christmas!
Anyway, the sound is great, the video superb but the manual sucks and I'm not too happy with the remote but so what?
I can't burn from TV because obviously, I have digital cable and it tells be it's copyrighted. There's got to be a way around this.
However, after 5 hours of playing around, I like this. I especially like the fact that I can use my SD card to view my photos.

Just got the RC199H today at BB----never buy the day after Christmas!
Anyway, the sound is great, the video superb but the manual sucks and I'm not too happy with the remote but so what?
I can't burn from TV because obviously, I have digital cable and it tells be it's copyrighted. There's got to be a way around this.However, after 5 hours of playing around, I like this. I especially like the fact that I can use my SD card to view my photos.

This is more of an exception than the rule. You should not generally have this restriction. Who is your cable provider?

This is more of an exception than the rule. You should not generally have this restriction. Who is your cable provider?

Cox, New Orleans (actually I'm in a suburb of N.O.) It appears sometimes this happens and sometimes it doesn't. It'll record a few minutes than there's a message (I can't remember exactly) that says it's getting information then that it's copy protected. I wonder if this is the famous 'broadcast flag' I've heard about. I can record to VCR fine but don't want to.

Cox, New Orleans (actually I'm in a suburb of N.O.) It appears sometimes this happens and sometimes it doesn't. It'll record a few minutes than there's a message (I can't remember exactly) that says it's getting information then that it's copy protected. I wonder if this is the famous 'broadcast flag' I've heard about. I can record to VCR fine but don't want to.

Could be. Or the LG could be very sensitive. There are reports of false positives with other brands. I'd continue to test and wait for others to post their results. And perhaps call the cable operator. Altough I can't imagine everyone in your area with dvd recorders having the same problem. It will sort itself out.

Could be. Or the LG could be very sensitive. There are reports of false positives with other brands. I'd continue to test and wait for others to post their results. And perhaps call the cable operator. Altough I can't imagine everyone in your area with dvd recorders having the same problem. It will sort itself out.
According to the reviews I'm reading on the net, it's a common enough problem. I didn't really get this to record to tv but I would like it to work.
As for calling Cox, since the Hurricane 16 months ago, the 'new' employees are ABSOLUTELY no help. I feel very strongly about that! :)

I'm connected thru my digital cable converter and that's connected to an amplifier to my stereo system. My digital converter has a built in A/B switch so I can record a pay station and watch a non pay station.
When using it in normal mode, and pressing the audio button, it shows Mono but switching the A/B switch to watch the basic channels shows Stereo. Why is this the case? It doesn't appear to sound any different but I'm just curious. It's connected properly and records and plays dvd's and vcr's just fine so far....with the exception of the often refusal to record 'copyrighted' programs.
I appreciate any info on this.

Paul

Disclaimer: I'm a total newbie, and really know nothing about home entertainment systems.

My girlfriend just got me one of these things for Xmas, intending it to serve as a sort of TiVo or DVR. I don't really need to burn DVDs, or do any of the myriad other tasks this device is capable of. I've read in the thread that recording off of digital cable has been problematic for some people.

I'd ideally like to watch one channel while recording another, and not have to set it to record every week, or try to keep track of when some shows have extended episodes, etc. My completely uneducated hunch is that this is not what what the LG RC199H was intended for. So, I'll ask for the opinions of you experts: is this a good stand-in for a TiVo or cable-company-issued DVR? Any thoughts suggestions are appreciated.

I'd ideally like to watch one channel while recording another, and not have to set it to record every week, or try to keep track of when some shows have extended episodes, etc. My completely uneducated hunch is that this is not what what the LG RC199H was intended for. So, I'll ask for the opinions of you experts: is this a good stand-in for a TiVo or cable-company-issued DVR? Any thoughts suggestions are appreciated.

Bad TiVO substitute. Get a real TiVO :) I only have experience with the ones for DirecTV. I like the performance of the real TiVO branded units as opposed to their new proprietary DVR platform, but either will accomplish what you want.

I apologize for being naive about this unit. I saw it at Best buy this evening and have been doing some reading about the LG RC199H.

My wife is nagging me about transferring here Disney VHS library over to DVD so the kids don't where them out. Can I use this machine to record the Disney VHS tapes to a DVD? If so, what variety of DVD's would best to record on? Thanks for the help. Appreciate it!

rlhurst7

I am not real experienced with DVD recording yet, so take it for what it worth, but I do know that I have had good luck copying VHS to DVD using this unit. It does seem to retain all the quality.

I have the HDMI cable to my Sony LCD tv and tried to click the resolution button on the remote, but can't seem to get it to work higher than 480i. Anyone else have that happen?

On two occasions, the unit locked up for no reason and I had to "reset" by holding the power button as the instruction manual said.

Can anyone tell me how to finalize a DVD disc? The intruction manual says how but I can't seem to find the finalize menu. What is the best DVD format (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW) to go with when recording so that it will work in all DVD players?

Cox, New Orleans (actually I'm in a suburb of N.O.) It appears sometimes this happens and sometimes it doesn't. It'll record a few minutes than there's a message (I can't remember exactly) that says it's getting information then that it's copy protected. I wonder if this is the famous 'broadcast flag' I've heard about. I can record to VCR fine but don't want to.
I have the same problem with Digital Cable from COMCAST. I bought the RC199 two months ago. It works fine except for recording on DVD. I used the Time Recording on DVD feature once and it worked superbly. Then I used it again when I went away for several weeks trying to record the same program week after week. When I came back I had the bad surprise to see that the recordings had stopped anywhere between 10 and 50 minutes from the starts, although I had programmed them for 62 minutes. This happen with all kinds of channel, either the regular broadcast (NBC, ABC, etc.) or premium channels like HBO. I then tested recording some more and discovered that for certain programs (independently from the channel) I got the message "copy protected". I have not found a way around it yet. Has anyone?

I am not real experienced with DVD recording yet, so take it for what it worth, but I do know that I have had good luck copying VHS to DVD using this unit. It does seem to retain all the quality.

I have the HDMI cable to my Sony LCD tv and tried to click the resolution button on the remote, but can't seem to get it to work higher than 480i. Anyone else have that happen?

On two occasions, the unit locked up for no reason and I had to "reset" by holding the power button as the instruction manual said.

Can anyone tell me how to finalize a DVD disc? The intruction manual says how but I can't seem to find the finalize menu. What is the best DVD format (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW) to go with when recording so that it will work in all DVD players?

I also initially had problems upgrading from 480i. I discovered that I first had to upgrade the definition when playing a DVD. Then it worked fine when using it on TV. However. my RC199 is connected to a Sharp Aquaos 32G4U which adjusts automatically to the signal, so this feature is useless for me.

This is my first DVD recorder,and this unit sucks,it won't record any television show at all.It doesn't even have a dvd screensaver/background,it's just a solid black screen.Unless you guys can help me to get this thing to do what it is suppose to do,I'm sending this back.

^This thing makes me want to stick with VCRs.

-Also can this thing transfer video from the VCR side to a DVD disc in the DVD side?

If you want to copy vcr tapes to DVD, I have done it once and it worked without problems. But the DVD I made will only play on this unit. The manual says you have to finalize the disc, but nobody on this forum has responded on exactly how to do that. I was just running HDMI from my av receiver to this unit and discovered that if I want to record something off Dish Network, I had to run RCA cables from the DN box directly to the DVD player.

If you want to copy vcr tapes to DVD, I have done it once and it worked without problems. But the DVD I made will only play on this unit. The manual says you have to finalize the disc, but nobody on this forum has responded on exactly how to do that. I was just running HDMI from my av receiver to this unit and discovered that if I want to record something off Dish Network, I had to run RCA cables from the DN box directly to the DVD player.

I don't currently don't own an LG so I can't help with finalizing a disc. My advice would be to start with the manual. It should only take a few minutes to figure it out and will be quicker that waiting for somebody to respond. I did have an LG LRM-519 for a while and if I remember correctly the manuals are pretty well written.

I don't currently don't own an LG so I can't help with finalizing a disc. My advice would be to start with the manual. It should only take a few minutes to figure it out and will be quicker that waiting for somebody to respond. I did have an LG LRM-519 for a while and if I remember correctly the manuals are pretty well written.


Thanks, I'll try the manual again, but following the manual the first time I could not get to the finalize menu onscreen. I won't give up yet.

Thanks, I'll try the manual again, but following the manual the first time I could not get to the finalize menu onscreen. I won't give up yet.

Finalize is under the Home burtton - Disk Manager - Finalize.

Finalize is under the Home burtton - Disk Manager - Finalize.

I found the finalize menu, and got it to work. Now I feel really dumb.

I did learn that I could click the resolution button on the remote and only get it to work when playing a VHS tapes. I thought it was supposed to upconvert DVD's also, but maybe the DVD's I was trying to upconvert were already in 1080i.

I'm having trouble playing back any recording made in SLP-VCR mode on other VCRs. I have 3 other VCRs which were bought in the 90's (early to late) (Panasonic and Toshiba) which can easily play each other's recordings even in SLP mode. Not even necessary to fuss with the tracking. Yet recordings made on my new LG-RC199H in VCR-SLP mode are unuseable. Picture jumps, sound weak and garbled, even after adjusting the tracking. Is this a common problem on this or other new VCRs? Note: Plays back OK on itself, just not on my other 3 players. Also SP mode recordings made on the LG sometimes jitter on other players even after adjusting tracking. I suspect both problems are related, just much more pronounced at slow speed.

To my surprise it is possible to hack this machine to play discs from other Regions. I have a fairly large collection of DVD's from England and Australia (1 or 2 from France and Japan) and though I loved the PQ on this machine I was always disappointed that it wasn't region free...... well I found the hack and it does work without risk to the machine. Funny thing is that I think this machine plays these disks back better than the Oppo machine I have. Oh and also if anybody else tries this let me know what the original option value is that you will be changing..... I changed it and didn't write it down..... not that it matters because, the machine works the same and will now play DVD's from other countries but, I would like to have it.

Here's the hack.....


This is hack to enter the system configuration information. Once here you can change many aspects of the DVD including the region code. I have included a link with pictures of exactly how to do this <a href="http://thenetbuilder.com/2006/11/hack_your_lg_dvd_player.php">HERE</a>

To start the hack:
Click the home button on the remote, goto the Setup page, highlight the 16X9 aspect ratio and enter in this coded sequence: 1 3 9 7 1 3 9

To change the values of these options hit the enter button and scroll with arrow keys until you get to the option you want to change. For the region code hack replace the value of option 5 with the value of: ff

Changing this value will set unit to region code 0 which should allow any region to be played on the player. Hit the return button to save and exit. Reboot the device - all is well now.

I've had my LG RC199H for about 2 weeks now. I've dubbed a few tapes to DVD+R media. None of the titles that I have copied to DVD+R are recognized by my PC's. I have 2 Dells and a home-brew unit. All are equipped with DVD readers and DVD writers. The DVD's that were burned on the LG unit all have been finalized. Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas? TIA

Oh and also if anybody else tries this let me know what the original option value is that you will be changing..... I changed it and didn't write it down..... not that it matters because, the machine works the same and will now play DVD's from other countries but, I would like to have it.



I performed the hack on my machine and all appears to be working properly. The original value for Region 1 was "94".

I performed the hack on my machine and all appears to be working properly. The original value for Region 1 was "94".


Thanks for the original code..... Probably will never change it back (no reason to) because its an awesome plus to have this machine Region Free as well. :D

I've had my LG RC199H for about 2 weeks now. I've dubbed a few tapes to DVD+R media. None of the titles that I have copied to DVD+R are recognized by my PC's. I have 2 Dells and a home-brew unit. All are equipped with DVD readers and DVD writers. The DVD's that were burned on the LG unit all have been finalized. Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas? TIA


I haven't had any issue playing back burned DVD's from this machine and I've tested them out on some pretty flimsy machines too. I don't want to suggest that this could be the problem but, I've often wondered about buring in that XP mode and whether that would cause some issue with playback on some non LG machines; were they burned in XP?

I haven't had any issue playing back burned DVD's from this machine and I've tested them out on some pretty flimsy machines too. I don't want to suggest that this could be the problem but, I've often wondered about buring in that XP mode and whether that would cause some issue with playback on some non LG machines; were they burned in XP?

Actually, they were burned using the dub feature on the LG machine in SP mode. It's the PC's that won't recognize the LG burned DVDs. :confused:

Actually, they were burned using the dub feature on the LG machine in SP mode. It's the PC's that won't recognize the LG burned DVDs. :confused:


I'll try a couple of mine on my PC tonight..... Let you know

I'll try a couple of mine on my PC tonight..... Let you know

I appreciate the help. Thanks.

I appreciate the help. Thanks.


I just tried playing one and it played perfectly fine. There may be a slight incompatibility with you PC's DVD Rom but, I bet if you try it on another DVD player it will work fine.

I've had my LG RC199H for about 2 weeks now. I've dubbed a few tapes to DVD+R media. None of the titles that I have copied to DVD+R are recognized by my PC's. I have 2 Dells and a home-brew unit. All are equipped with DVD readers and DVD writers. The DVD's that were burned on the LG unit all have been finalized. Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas? TIA

Re: Playing Burned DVDs on other Players: This machine is my first DVD Burner. I also have 2 vintage DVD Players from 1999-2000 (one built into a pc the other into a tv). Naturally, ever since the introduction of DVD burners, I've been concerned about backwards compatability. All the literature I've read concludes that DVD-R is the most likely to work of all the recordable formats. Therefore I purchased a stack of Verbatim 8x DVD-Rs (per the LG manual). The results were confusing to say the least. The pc results were consistent in one respect: Any recording that filled up the disk worked. This includes 1 hr@XP as well as 1, 1.75, 2, 2.5, and 3 hrs@ATorSP (with either 5 or 10 min chapters). Short clips (30min or less) would not be recognized by the pc. It was more difficlut to find a pattern with the tv's DVD player. Only 8 out of 30 recordings worked (but only those from 9min to 2 hrs long but not all of the ones in that length range). I'm waiting for a stack of Taiyo Yuden Premium 8X DVD-Rs to try next.

Hi all,
I'm about to buy one of these units on sale at BestBuy and I'm glad I checked here. It still sounds mostly good but I'll have to be careful about media and not assume that our old VHS tapes of the kids are permanently archived if I transfer them to DVD with this. That's a bonus application relative to my original goal anyway.

My boss told me that his wife uses an inexpensive DVD-recorder to record shows to RW discs (which she re-uses) - he didn't know the brand or model off-hand, but the key feature is that she begins recording the show at its start, waits 10-15 minutes, then watches the show with the ability to fast-forward through commercials (as the rest of the show continues to record). I knew that hard-drive based DVR/TiVO etc. could do that, but I was surprised that DVD-recorders could do it.

Can the LG RC199H do that trick (assuming of course it can record at all off our cable box)? We don't watch much TV (mostly DVD movies) and we don't have a super-modern video set up, but I bought the DVD of the first 4 episodes of "24" and my wife is hooked on American Idol and we want to make our "addicted" viewing time more efficient.

Thanks!

Hi all,
I'm about to buy one of these units on sale at BestBuy and I'm glad I checked here. It still sounds mostly good but I'll have to be careful about media and not assume that our old VHS tapes of the kids are permanently archived if I transfer them to DVD with this. That's a bonus application relative to my original goal anyway.

My boss told me that his wife uses an inexpensive DVD-recorder to record shows to RW discs (which she re-uses) - he didn't know the brand or model off-hand, but the key feature is that she begins recording the show at its start, waits 10-15 minutes, then watches the show with the ability to fast-forward through commercials (as the rest of the show continues to record). I knew that hard-drive based DVR/TiVO etc. could do that, but I was surprised that DVD-recorders could do it.

Can the LG RC199H do that trick (assuming of course it can record at all off our cable box)? We don't watch much TV (mostly DVD movies) and we don't have a super-modern video set up, but I bought the DVD of the first 4 episodes of "24" and my wife is hooked on American Idol and we want to make our "addicted" viewing time more efficient.

Thanks!

I am going to try it if I ever get the time. I think you have to record on the DVD+RW discs that then allow you to mark the comercials or somehow by editing the disc. I'll let you how easy/hard it is to do, but I am new to it all. Anyone else feel free to chime in here.

Hi all,

My boss told me that his wife uses an inexpensive DVD-recorder to record shows to RW discs (which she re-uses) - he didn't know the brand or model off-hand, but the key feature is that she begins recording the show at its start, waits 10-15 minutes, then watches the show with the ability to fast-forward through commercials (as the rest of the show continues to record). I knew that hard-drive based DVR/TiVO etc. could do that, but I was surprised that DVD-recorders could do it.

Can the LG RC199H do that trick (assuming of course it can record at all off our cable box)?

Thanks!

No. You might try googling "time shifting dvd recorder" or just ask your boss to find out. (He might even be confusing DVR with DVD recorder since any hard drive can also be called a read/write disk that can be played back at any time.)

According to page 41 of the manual you can time shift if you use DVD-RAM. Also, it will only play VHS-S - no recording.

According to page 41 of the manual you can time shift if you use DVD-RAM. Also, it will only play VHS-S - no recording.

Hmmm...I'll have to check that out in my manual and report back when I try it.

For those of you who own this unit (or others), what is the best way to edit out commercials from a previously recorded VHS tape when copying it to DVD? I can't find an easy way to do this other than fast forwarding the DVD to the parts where there are commercials, marking them as chapters and then hiding those chapters in the playlist. This is a pain in the neck to do or should I say time consuming.

I recorded to a -RW disk, the contents had a lot of edits (deleted a bunch of commercials). And like many others, the unit froze up during the process. The first half of the disk recorded pretty good, but the second half there are a bunch of spots where the video freezes for a second or two during playback. The freeze points are NOT where the commercials were deleted.

This only happens on a seperate DVD player, not the LG. Is this a problem with the way the LG burned the disk or the is it the media itself (i'm using an off brand disk)? Has anyone else come across this? The edits took place over a few days, so the disk sat in the recorder tray that long, with the power on. Could this have caused the problem?

Secondly,

I am connecting the LG to a cable company's Hi-def DVR with a coax cable. Is there a significant increase in playback of DVDs, and/or viewing cable, and/or recording quality by using the S-video input on the front of the unit?

LG RC289H-S

Does anyone have the specs for this new unit available 2/07?

I would like to see what is different from the RC199H

Thanks

I just got this unit and I'm really not sure how I feel about it.

First of all it was a replacement for a JVC DVD/VCR combo that turned out to be a Lemon. Thank goodness for the Best Buy four year service plan - after the fourth repair they deemed it "junked" and I was able to pick out their most expensive dvd/vcr combo in the store (my JVC was a few years old so this was a big upgrade!) and that was this LG RC199H!

Well I have no idea what upconverting is but I liked the memory card slots and the ability to hook up the digital video camera (though I don't have one... but maybe in the future?).

I already figured I wouldn't be able to copy store-bought DVDs because the JVC wouldn't let me but I've come across a new thing.

First of all I can't dub old store-bought VHSs to DVD. I mean really? Old ones... like 1990 and prior? It recognizes the copyright on those? How? I didn't think they were putting signals on those tapes back then. (How do they do this anyway?)

Second of all I tried something tonight and was really surprised. I have TiVo on another TV and I recorded a movie from IFC (Independent Film Channel). I decided I wanted to save it so I did a "Save to VCR" on that unit - no problem. Older VCR. It was built to do that! Well I took my VHS tape into my room with the LG RC199H and popped it into the VHS side and started to dub onto DVD but it stopped me. Copyright Protection!!! What??? Really??? It's stopping me from dubbing from my own VHS to DVD?? I understand that some people are completely unable to record on the unit because of cable sending off some sort of copyright signal but this was cable -> recorded to TiVo -> recorded to blank store-bought VHS -> AND THEN I tried to dub on a completely different unit that isn't hooked up to cable/TiVo. Is it really possible that some sort of copyright signal was retained in all that copying?

I did a little testing. I taped something from Lifetime Television (the Golden Girls) onto the TiVo -> saved that to VHS (same one) -> and brought that into the LG and tried to dub and THAT was copyright protected.

Then I thought maybe the VHS itself had something to do with it. Maybe the little copy tab was loose - so I pulled it out and taped over it - put it back in the machine and then I was able to dub the Golden Girls episode to DVD. So I thought that was the problem but alas NO. It still wouldn't dub the movie from IFC!!

Oy! I thought "this can't be so!" so I called LG customer service and they went through the spiel about how it wouldn't be able to dub store-bought videos but then I told them that it was a blank VHS that I had taped from TV onto. That threw them for a loop! The gentleman I talked to said I should take it back to Best Buy and exchange it for a different unit - that there was some software that they were loading on the machines and maybe my unit was shipped out before the software was installed.

Considering that this unit is my replacement unit after the JVC lemon - I'm really not in a hurry to unplug everything AGAIN only to find out that no, the LG will never dub anything taped from TiVo or IFC or something.

So does anyone else have this problem? Or is it specific to my unit?

The Customer Service dude also suggested that the LG might not be able to handle my brand of VHS. (Sony). OK maybe but that doesn't explain why I could dub the Golden Girls but not the IFC movie. They were on the same VHS.



On a different topic - I tried that region hack that was posted in this forum and I am now able to play my Region 2 (UK) DVD's. So that's a bonus! It's been hinted that there might be a hack to remove the copyright thing using that same hidden menu that you access when doing the region hack. If anyone figures it out - post it please!

Just an update -

I'm now trying a dub which was TiVo-ed from Lifetime Television -> saved to JVC brand VHS -> and going to a Memorex DVD-R. This seems to be working. Is it because Lifetime didn't copyprotect their content? Or because I'm now using a JVC brand VHS tape?

There's no way that the brand of VHS tape will make a difference.

I've recorded about 20 movies from VHS so far, most of the older, but I have only ran into copy protection on two of them so far. I am sure there will be more, but other than that it is working good for me.

One thing I wish it had was a menu display on the front of the unit....so you don't have to even turn on the tv to dub from vhs to dvd, but it's not a big deal.

I have read all the previous posts and haven't found the answer. I want to like the LG RC199H, I really do. I have owned it for 1 week and have noted several issues with it. 1. It won't play SVCDs, though it will play DVDs, VCDs, and audio CDs. I will even play DivX files fine. 2. I won't detect my cable channels. 3 Won't cycle through the audio options; it just says MONO. and 3. Now I get a green toned picture when watching any channel (via the cable box) or when I play back any DVD (commerical or home movie). I have emailed customer support, but based on reviews I have read elsewhere, I am not too optimistic. Anyone experienced similiar problems and found a fix? Oh did I mention that it won't output audio to my receiver if I try to watch the signal via HDMI? Like I said, I really want to like this machine, but I am really finding it hard. I may just have gotten a lemon. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

I have read all the previous posts and haven't found the answer. I want to like the LG RC199H, I really do. I have owned it for 1 week and have noted several issues with it. 1. It won't play SVCDs, though it will play DVDs, VCDs, and audio CDs. I will even play DivX files fine. 2. I won't detect my cable channels. 3 Won't cycle through the audio options; it just says MONO. and 3. Now I get a green toned picture when watching any channel (via the cable box) or when I play back any DVD (commerical or home movie). I have emailed customer support, but based on reviews I have read elsewhere, I am not too optimistic. Anyone experienced similiar problems and found a fix? Oh did I mention that it won't output audio to my receiver if I try to watch the signal via HDMI? Like I said, I really want to like this machine, but I am really finding it hard. I may just have gotten a lemon. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

I've owned this unit for awhile. About once every month, I seem to get that green screen you are referring too when I get in a hurry. I think it has to do with the HDMI communication. I just push stop, turn unit off and back on and it is fine then. I don't know about SVCDs. For 5.1 sound, I used the optical out on the back of the unit and sent it to my AV receiver but I don't remember changing any audio settings in the menu when I did that. Hopefully this helps some. That being said, I am happy with it, but I really wish they would make these with a tuner so that I could record over the air digital stuff I receive for free.

I will have to try that resetting that you have suggested. I have the unit connect via my optical cable to the receiver, but alas no sound. Thanks again. I will continue to play with it. Thanks. :)

So, it seems almost everyone here has had a reasonably good experience with all of the recording and playback features. But, I haven't seen a post here yet about the chip reader functions of this unit. I have lots of Memory Sticks and SD chips. I put them in the unit, go to "Home" and the menu feature to use to view these is "greyed" out. In fact the "Music" "Photo" and one other is too. Am I missing a part of the cable hook-up? I can play and record both VHS and DVD just fine. Had the "Greening screen" problem once but other than that the unit is great! Anyone had this issue with inaccessible menu items?

Anyone had this issue with inaccessible menu items?

This won't be much help since I have not yet tried the camera card feature, however I did/do often notice the greyed out menu items. When I first got my refurbished unit I was frustrated not being able to re-set the channels, until I followed the instructions to reset the unit completely to factory defaults. Now that I have a properly functioning unit I've noticed that it seems to be trying to out smart me. For example the finalize option is greyed out unless there is a disk in the unit that has not yet been finalized! Greyed-out means it makes no sense to use that option given the current state of the machine.

I've had this unit for a couple of months and recently noted that, intermittently, the TV appears to lose video sync. Everything is fine - source doesn't matter (pass through video from a Showstopper on AV1 or DVD or VHS) - and then the picture is scrambled. I'm using composite video. Rebooting the TV does not help, but rebooting the LG fixed the problem - for awhile. Ugh.

I took my RC199H to BestBuy - extended warranty and all, you know. They sent if off, replaced something inside (or so they say), and now the loss of video sync appears to be gone. All is well...after some effort...

Hi everyone,

First time post: How is the LG RC199H holding up over time? What do you think of LG in general?

This thing is a piece of trash. It constantly locks up, doesn't recognize some store-bought discs, and now after playing a SINGLE VHS tape, it just plays snow on every tape. I played the tapes in my other VHS player, and they are fine. I am fit to be tied right now. I e-mailed LG. We'll see what happens.

This is my first and last LG product.

If you care about timer recording, steer clear. Mine stopped working after about a year. It would shut off prematurely. I had the extended warranty on it through Best Buy and after 2 visits they gave me a new one, the LG RC797T. I like it a little better because it has the onboard digital tuner, but in another post I was told that the tuner was not truly HD. Still scratching my head over the difference between "digital" and "HD".

Good luck.

I have the LG RC199H and recently moved into a new home. Im my old home, it worked fine when I recorded things to DVD. I don't think I've set it up any differently in my new home (but I did install t all myself this time and when I originally bought everything in the old house I had a guy from Best Buy come out and do it). However, here's my problem:

Now, I put in a new disc (Memorex DVD+R) in hopes of recording some football games stored on my DVR and it says "unable to read disc" and ejects it after it "initializes" it. When I put in a disc I've already recorded from when I lived in my old house, it works fine. They're the same exact discs (Memorex DVD+Rs). I don't see what I'm doing wrong. If I put in a normal DVD, it works and reads it fine. These new discs the LG doesn't like but they are the same exact discs.

Might just be a bad batch of discs. With Memorex, especially, it's not all that uncommon.

Try a better brand disc, like Verbatim, or even Sony.

Well my RC199H finally died, after 9 months. Stopped reading rented DVD's. I called a local repair shop and the guy said he'd fix it but the warranty would not be extended. So with only 3 months left I'll buy something else. I asked him what to look at and he said it didn't matter. He said all the manufacturers use really cheap parts so they can beat the other guy's price. He recommended to buy something cheap and throw it away when it breaks and buy again. Great news. Will probably buy an Oppo player and get the tape transfers done some other way. FWIW, sent and email to LG blasting them for such a ripoff product. I'll buy from another company!

Dave

I have a DVD-VCR combo LG RC199H, by mistake I have changed the option values in the hidden setup, but not the ones I had to change to make it multizone, and now my remote doesn't work and I can not turn the unit on otherwise I do it from the power button on the front panel. Even when it is on the remote doesn´t work, I have replaced the batteries with no result, I´m sure that the problem is in the options values I have changed. Can anybody tell me how to solve this?

I have a DVD-VCR combo LG RC199H, by mistake I have changed the option values in the hidden setup, but not the ones I had to change to make it multizone, and now my remote doesn't work and I can not turn the unit on otherwise I do it from the power button on the front panel. Even when it is on the remote doesn´t work, I have replaced the batteries with no result, I´m sure that the problem is in the options values I have changed. Can anybody tell me how to solve this?

I have this unit and have recently switch to an HDMI cable to get the upconverting. My issue is that the unit defaults to 480i when I start it. I then need to manually set it to 1080i with the remote to start each movie. Is there any way for the 1080i setting to be retained so I don't need to set it on startup each time?

Thanks in advance.

I just picked up one of these units last week. I purchased my first plasma TV a few weeks ago and wanted to try the HDMI connection. This unit was recommended by a guy at BestBuy because of its ability to up-convert VHS as well as DVD. It being a recorder was a bonus as I already have a 1 1/2 year old Sony DVD recorder for my basement theater setup (the plasma was for my study – the ‘second’ TV).

What do I think of this LG unit? It’s junk. I’m taking it back this week. I’ve used it about 6 times so far and most of the time when I turn it on it locks up. The ‘HELLO’ never leaves the display and I can’t turn it off/on or eject a disc. I need to unplug it, then plug it back in before it works. Once it seemed to work after I turned it on only to have the disc lockup (freeze frame image – you could skip to the next chapter and get a new freeze frame). I thought it was a bad DVD as this was a new title I purchased with the LG so I popped in a title I was using to evaluate the plasma and it did the same thing. I turned the LG off and then on again and this time it worked. I also noticed on two occasions periodic click-click noise in the audio which I suspect is another ‘feature’ of this LG unit.

As you can see, I’ve obviously gotten a bad one but the question is do I really want another one? The BestBuy guy told me that LG is the old Goldstar company with a new name and a new commitment to high-end quality. I would expect it also provides BestBuy with a high-end profit margin.

My RC199H is about a year and 1/2 old, and just tonight it started doing the same thing: push power, display says "HELLO" but nothing comes on the screen and can't eject, 30 sec later it shuts off (HELLO goes back to the clock display). Tried unplugging it for about 2 hours then retest, still no change. I had to get a disk-reading problem fixed on it last Nov because it started having a hard time reading disks, and now this. Anyone else having the same problem, with a possible fix?? (other than to buy a new one!)

Thanks for your help,
John

My RC199H is about a year and 1/2 old, and just tonight it started doing the same thing: push power, display says "HELLO" but nothing comes on the screen and can't eject, 30 sec later it shuts off (HELLO goes back to the clock display). Tried unplugging it for about 2 hours then retest, still no change. I had to get a disk-reading problem fixed on it last Nov because it started having a hard time reading disks, and now this. Anyone else having the same problem, with a possible fix?? (other than to buy a new one!)

Thanks for your help,
John
Try setting your clock manually and turning DST off.

Try setting your clock manually and turning DST off.

I got it working again. I unhooked everything except the power cord, set the unit on its side, slapped the bottom of it firmly a few times, hooked up the HDMI cable again, pushed power and low and behold, it worked (imagine that!!)

wajo, you bring up an interesting point with setting the clock manually because before tonight, the last time I turned the thing on was on Sunday when I set the time for the "spring forward" change. I don't mean to sound stupid but what is DST, and how do I turn it off?

Thanks!
John

DST = Daylight Saving Time... some units use "Summer Time."

DST = Daylight Saving Time... some units use "Summer Time."

Thanks for your advice. I couldn't find a setting in the "home" menu for DST, but I did find one for "factory set" which appeared to reset everything to factory original condition. I did this, set the time/date manually, and let it go through the auto channel set. I hope it stays working from here on out.

Thanks for your advice. I couldn't find a setting in the "home" menu for DST, but I did find one for "factory set" which appeared to reset everything to factory original condition. I did this, set the time/date manually, and let it go through the auto channel set. I hope it stays working from here on out.
DST or Summer Time setting is usually associated with the clock/date/time setting, and it really needs to be set off, assuming there's a setting in the first place. Too bad you couldn't find something.

My RC199H is still having problems. Tried turning it on today after work, same thing ("HELLO" with no picture). Picked it up and slapped the bottom a few times, then pushed power: it turned on and worked fine. It must have a loose solder connection inside. I really like this machine, but with this problem, and its DVD-reading problem that I got fixed last November, it's obviously poor quality. It would've been worth the $300 that I paid for it a year and 1/2 ago...if it never had these problems!!

I took the top off, and found a 10-wire connector that was only halfway connected. This connector was connected to a small circuit board directly behind the disk drive, so the repair guy who replaced the disk drive must've bumped the connector without knowing it. I pushed the connector all of the way into its socket: no more problems!

One thing that's worth noting is the disk drive in the RC199H is identical to one used in a desktop computer (same connections and everything), so if the drive in your unit starts having trouble reading disks, then it might be worth it to buy a DVD writer for a PC, install it, then see if that fixes it.

I'm posting here because this is the most recent post about this product I could find in this forum. I posted here back in 2006 when I first bought the machine and was very excited about it. I purchased it mainly to copy old VHS home movies to DVD and have a legacy VCR in case I ever needed one.
BIG MISTAKE!!!!

Evidently the problems I'm having with this product is very common.
If interested read the comments left on Amazon. You really only need to read one comment because they all say the exact same thing!!!

That is:
The DVD drive in this machine will gradually have problems reading ANY kind of DVD you put in it. At first you can manually eject the disk or turn the machine off and back on and it will work. However, at some point it will not read anything.

I NEVER did get around to transferring any of my old VHS home movies to DVD (life got in the way!). I NEVER recorded off cable to the DVD drive. I did record 1, thats "ONE" 20 minute RAM disk. (by the way, it would not play in anything but the LG199H).

I watched maybe (I'll be generous) 10 movies on this machine.

So in other words in the 2+ years I've had this this machine I've put 20 minutes of recording time and 20 hours of play time on it!!! It lived in a smoke free home with a dust cover on it when not in use.

Anyone been able to get this problem fixed or get some kind of satisfaction from LG?

I did read a few references to replacing the DVD drive with a standard PC IDE drive. Will any IDE drive work or does it have to be an LG.

BTW, my son bought the Panasonic ES45V (the other machine I was looking at in 2006) and he has used the heck out of his and its still going!!!

I'm posting here because this is the most recent post about this product I could find in this forum. I posted here back in 2006 when I first bought the machine and was very excited about it. I purchased it mainly to copy old VHS home movies to DVD and have a legacy VCR in case I ever needed one.
BIG MISTAKE!!!!

Evidently the problems I'm having with this product is very common.
If interested read the comments left on Amazon. You really only need to read one comment because they all say the exact same thing!!!

That is:
The DVD drive in this machine will gradually have problems reading ANY kind of DVD you put in it. At first you can manually eject the disk or turn the machine off and back on and it will work. However, at some point it will not read anything.

I NEVER did get around to transferring any of my old VHS home movies to DVD (life got in the way!). I NEVER recorded off cable to the DVD drive. I did record 1, thats "ONE" 20 minute RAM disk. (by the way, it would not play in anything but the LG199H).

I watched maybe (I'll be generous) 10 movies on this machine.

So in other words in the 2+ years I've had this this machine I've put 20 minutes of recording time and 20 hours of play time on it!!! It lived in a smoke free home with a dust cover on it when not in use.

Anyone been able to get this problem fixed or get some kind of satisfaction from LG?

I did read a few references to replacing the DVD drive with a standard PC IDE drive. Will any IDE drive work or does it have to be an LG.

BTW, my son bought the Panasonic ES45V (the other machine I was looking at in 2006) and he has used the heck out of his and its still going!!!

I purchased mine back in August of 06 and it sounds like we had an identical experience with this piece of junk. Like you I was very pleased with it and like you I hardley used it. I took a bat to it and purchased a Samsung.