This thread sure could use some management for the site. it's almost impossible to find what your looking for without reading 62 pages of postings.

This thread sure could use some management for the site. it's almost impossible to find what your looking for without reading 62 pages of postings.

Welcome to the AVS forum. You will find that once you get use to the way things are done here, it is not difficult to find what you are looking for. Generally there is a lot of speculation in the beginning of a long thread, then people buy it and start going through its features (look for the early long posts with lots of paragraphs) then others comment on their findings (long quotes of the original post and short responses). From there, you start to see the quirks of the machine and comments. Often the "problems" are actually features and what is there and what is not there and how "my Panasonic BDR 5489 could..." while the new machine is a "piece of junk" because it cannot. Then you enjoy the arguments over the features.

Sometimes the problems, like channel drop on this machine, are important and result in lots of letter writing to the manufacturer. Often, manufacturers monitor the forum to see what users think of their machines and several of the good ones fix the problems. More often, users solve the problem with either work-arounds or mechanical fixes.

More often, the poster who thinks the machine is a POJ has never read the manual and never set the machine up properly. They return them and get the same problem and can really muddy the water.

Less frequently, there are some who have vendettas against specific machines, but they tend to not join the main thread and post a separate thread like "The Panasonic BDR 5489 edit features cause cancer".

From there on you get a lot of good "How to..." that are either not documented or better than the manual. Just check the edit methods on this thread.

And with a mature thread you get the new buyers who have to be re-educated. Usually if they read the manual they would know the answer, but often manuals are written by engineers or 25 monkeys typing randomly. Both give the same result, but the monkeys generally give a better product.

Sometimes they post outside the main thread, usually because of your observation that it is too hard to look through the whole thread. They generally have not read the manual either. "How do you edit with a Panasonic BDR 5489."

Or you see the new post with the question, "Which should I buy, the Panasonic BDR 5489 or the HGV 3429?" You can get some good info from those threads. Or even more general, "Which TV should I buy?" You get entertainment from those threads.

The problem with editing a thread to "manageable" length is what do you cut out? Sometimes there are little nuggets in a seemingly trivial post. Often, someone who joins late reads it, has a eureka moment, and solves what was a nagging problem. So who judges what is important and what is not? They would have to be totally familiar with the unit and without prejudice. No such person exists.

We have the best of an impossible world here, but, through careful gleaning, you can make exceptionally informed decisions. It may require strapping on wading boots and jumping into the thread stream, but it will be worth it.

This thread sure could use some management for the site. it's almost impossible to find what your looking for without reading 62 pages of postings.

Use the search function to narrow down the thread.

This thread sure could use some management for the site. it's almost impossible to find what your looking for without reading 62 pages of postings.

I personally haven't had any experience with doing so, but would it be worthwhile and/or appropriate to create a Wikipedia entry (or something like it) for the 3575 so we can compile all of the known information in one spot? If so, we'd have a specific place to refer users regarding items that have already been addressed.

Just a thought...

A Wiki? Sure, assuming volunteers will populate it, but who's going to host it?

I've had my 3575 a few months now and used it quite a bit. My opinion so far:

I use it with an external digital satellite tuner, so I have no opinion on the quality of the built-in tuner or the channel-loss issue.

It works very well for me in normal operation. I find it very easy to schedule recordings, since the user interface for that is quite well designed. I have to coordinate it manually with the satellite tuner, but no big deal.

Recording to the HDD is reliable, and the quality is excellent. I've just finished watching about 8 hours of recorded TV shows that I missed last week while travelling, and the recording was flawless throughout. I do worry that any brief power failure while I'm away would kill my carefully-planned recording schedule though.

I'm recording in SP mode from my digital satellite box via S-Video, and the quality is good enough that I don't notice any difference from live SD channels in normal viewing. While I prefer to watch a live HD channel when I have the option, the quality of recorded digital SD channels played back on my Panasonic plasma HDTV is sufficiently good that I don't feel I'm missing much when I have to time-shift.

The HDD title guide design is a bit useless - all I ever see is page after page of unlabeled black preview boxes - but since the recordings are time-ordered and date/time-stamped, it's not normally difficult to find what I want in practice.

Occasionally I edit a recording to remove lead-in/trailer and commercials, then dub to DVD+R at 4X speed. That also works well. On rare occasions I may find the lack of the normal controls in edit mode to skip to a particular time offset or chapter in the recording a bit annoying. I carefully avoid the known title-split-then-edit bug, so it's never bothered me.

DVD playback is fine. The quality may not be quite as good as the very best DVD players I've seen, but it's good enough for me. I'm upconverting via HDMI using the YCbCr setting, but there's not really much difference between running the HDMI output in 480p mode or 1080p mode since the TV's scaler is also very good. I appreciate the full set of DVD playback controls, although a few more zoom ratios might be nice.

Overall, I would still recommend it.

the best I can.

I case the local Wal-Mart for the day the DVDR3575 hit the shelf. My wife weakly supported the $298 USD + tax purchase, but my sales pitch got a half hearted OK.

I gleefully installed, using the composite cable to my 36 inch tube TV, and set it up, curious what my first personal home experience with digital TV would be like.

I decided back in '02 to ditch satalite, and cable isn't an option, giving that I live 15 miles from the closest cable drop. I found that my life was more productive, getting work done around the house, fixing up my 55' Chevy, doing my wood working, building hobby micro-controllers, and saving $50 a month in subscription fees.

Since then, I've had to learn to live with 3 primary channels, and 5 fuzzy lower power secondary stations (PBS, FOX, MNT, and two 'Jesus channels'), and when I got married, my wife felt that this was enough, and we've lived in this 1970ish condition ever since.

I turned it on, and started the channel search... waited... waited some more, and then the crispest clearest picture I've seen (since satalite) popped on the screen. I yelled for my wife, to share in the glow of the crisp digital picture from OTA digital ATSC.

To my joy, I could pick up all the same channels plus, CW, two local weather channels, PBS HD, but alas one Jesus channel was lost.

My wife couldn't grasp the potential power of recording to a hard drive, but one evening, while watch some program, our then 5 month old started crying. I calmly pushed the pause live TV button, and took care of him. We walked back and I un-paused the show, and continued, she was impressed. Then it came to a commercial, I skipped forward 30 sec a few times, and on we were, she was 100% hooked.

Now that was several months ago, and we have all our shows on time record, and if we can't sit down to watch, or need to pause, no problem. My wife proudly proclaims that she can never watch TV any other way, and have even talked about getting a second unit so she doesn't have to miss concurrent programs! (I'll probably just get a cheap stand-alone ATSC tuner).

She also insists on holding the DVDR remote, because she claims that I'm too slow on the fast forward. (I've created a monster).

Now that we've had the 3575 for 4+ months, we've become too use to it, and wish it could do things like record in the background, while we watch another show. Well we can, but we have to use the analog tuner built into the TV, and it is a painful step back.

I've never had trouble, except with the time shifting around a few min, which jacks with timed recording. I suspected the auto time setting was to blame, but I've not had time to play with it.

I would recommend it to anyone, especially with a baby!

- jam

BTW the irony of this is, I worked in TV from 1988-1991, and loved it! That is until I realized I could make more as a programmer. ;-)

We since my wife would never let me do anything to compromise our fine DVDR, out of curiosity, I plugged the 1394 cable into my laptop, and up popped a new hardware box for an AV/C Monitor.

I've done some minor searching, and was wondering if anyone else has traveled down this dark path?

- jam

I do worry that any brief power failure while I'm away would kill my carefully-planned recording schedule though.

Just last week they replace the electric meter at my home while I watched. Therefore there was no power for at least 30 seconds. My 3575 didn't lose programming, channel presets, or time (unless it reacquired it quickly).

I still plan on getting a small UPS battery backup just in case power is out for longer periods and I'm away from home.

Just last week they replace the electric meter at my home while I watched. Therefore there was no power for at least 30 seconds. My 3575 didn't lose programming, channel presets, or time (unless it reacquired it quickly).

The spec in the manual is 30 seconds. I've verified that it definitely loses everything in less than a minute.

Attn: AMESDP. Excellent post, all key info included with results reported. Thank you.
I might add I believe your post was one of the few that reported using a satellite receiver with the Philips.May I ask what type/manufacture of DVD do you use?

May I ask what type/manufacture of DVD do you use?

You mean the discs? I've recorded mostly to:
-Verbatim 16x DVD+R (I forget the ID and I don't have one here to check)
-Benq 8x DVD+R [DAXON-AZ2-000]
-Fuji DVD+RW [DAXON-D42-000]

These all work fine.

You mean the discs? I've recorded mostly to:
-Verbatim 16x DVD+R (I forget the ID and I don't have one here to check)
-Benq 8x DVD+R [DAXON-AZ2-000]
-Fuji DVD+RW [DAXON-D42-000]

These all work fine.

Thanks, that should save some time and money .

We since my wife would never let me do anything to compromise our fine DVDR, out of curiosity, I plugged the 1394 cable into my laptop, and up popped a new hardware box for an AV/C Monitor.

I've done some minor searching, and was wondering if anyone else has traveled down this dark path?

- jam

I like to fiddle around with my electronics (but usually end up destroying more than gaining). What exactly did you do? Did your laptop become a monitor?... and did you simply connect the Firewire (1394) cable between the DVDR to the laptop?

Originally Posted by devocite
We since my wife would never let me do anything to compromise our fine DVDR, out of curiosity, I plugged the 1394 cable into my laptop, and up popped a new hardware box for an AV/C Monitor.

I've done some minor searching, and was wondering if anyone else has traveled down this dark path?

- jam


Was that a Windows or Mac based PC. What 0s

Jim1348, I'm sure this will stir up a controversy, but I have used splitters for combiners for over 30 years without a problem. If you have inline amplifiers, that require the passing of DC, you will have to buy a suitable splitter...Jack

What features do the old panasonic recorders have that the DVDR3575H doesn't have that somoene would be willing to pay 6 times the price of the phillips? They don't even have an ATSC tuner. Check out this article.

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9787239-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt

What I find interesting in that Crave Cnet blog is this:

We've requested a review sample of the Philips DVDR3575H/37 product several times without any luck, so we're unable to comment on its performance.

I like to fiddle around with my electronics (but usually end up destroying more than gaining). What exactly did you do? Did your laptop become a monitor?... and did you simply connect the Firewire (1394) cable between the DVDR to the laptop?
Yeah, I love fiddling with things. Through my youth, once I discovered the power of the screwdriver, I left an innumerable number of electronic devices in ruin...
I feel like a crack addict knowing a 160 Gig HD lies within the 3575, but I fear my parole office's (wife) wrath, if I cause her to missing any of her shows...

I have a HP laptop running XP SP2, with a built-in Firewire (1394) adapter. I just took the 1394 cable, and plugged it into the 1394 port in the front of the 3575, and into my PC. Windows popped up the infamous 'Found New Hardware' and cited the hardware as being a AV/C Monitor.

I looked around the threads, and there are referenced to AV/C Tuner and other AV/C devices, but in unsure what AV/C Monitor would do, if I could find a 'driver' to handle it.

My HUGE assumption is I might be able see the video stream, but you know what happens when you AssUMe...

What features do the old panasonic recorders have that the DVDR3575H doesn't have that somoene would be willing to pay 6 times the price of the phillips? They don't even have an ATSC tuner. Check out this article.

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9787239-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt

Great find. I could not have written it better myself. The author has represented the opinion I've had since last year.

Starting from July 1st, all TVs and recorders (Tape or DVD with or without HDD) must have ATSC tuners to be legally sold in the US market (ecluding eBay). Thats why Canada still has those non-ATSC tuner recorders for sale at normal prices?

[QUOTE=12bob21;11798328]What features do the old panasonic recorders have that the DVDR3575H doesn't have that somoene would be willing to pay 6 times the price of the phillips? They don't even have an ATSC tuner. QUOTE]

Here is one reason why: I just discovered that my DVDR3575H will not play any DVD-+R, DVD-+RW recorded movies that I made from my originals for the kids. Either I have to ditch those DVD+/-Rs and take out those originals (to be ruined by the kids) or I need to go North to get those old DVD recorders or players. Or pay high prices on eBay.

My 3575 played a DVD+R that I made just a few days ago from my computer. I haven't tried any -Rs though.

I can't get any discs from my 3575 to play in my other players. +R, -R, but I am still tweaking and experimenting.

Sam, I watch a movie almost every night, that I burn on my computer, using Verbatim 16X DVD+R...Jack

My 3575 played a DVD+R that I made just a few days ago from my computer. I haven't tried any -Rs though.

I can't get any discs from my 3575 to play in my other players. +R, -R, but I am still tweaking and experimenting.
Have you checked those disc to see if they're Finalized?

Put one in the 3575, select DVD side, press Disc Menu button, arrow up from 1st title... takes a sec or two... then read the disc info screen. "Finalized" should be the last thing on the screen.

Have you checked those disc to see if they're Finalized?

Put one in the 3575, select DVD side, press Disc Menu button, arrow up from 1st title... takes a sec or two... then read the disc info screen. "Finalized" should be the last thing on the screen.

I finalized my -R and it didn't work. But it was some old 4x Memorex maybe? I forgot to finalize the +R. I thought about that yesterday, but didn't have time to play with it more.

I didn't really buy it for the DVD-R end of it. I like the HDD.

Thanks for the advice,
--Nick

I finalized my -R and it didn't work. But it was some old 4x Memorex maybe? I forgot to finalize the +R. I thought about that yesterday, but didn't have time to play with it more.

I didn't really buy it for the DVD-R end of it. I like the HDD.

Thanks for the advice,
--Nick
The Memorex -R may certainly be a problem, esp. as they age. It's always good to check the Manufacturer's ID (MID) of blank discs before burning them to make sure they'll have the best chance to last. Also essential when you have burn problems so you can eliminate the remaining blank media of a suspect batch as the potential problem.

The 3575 has a neat utility to check the MID on blank or burned discs:

1. Load disc in tray.
2. Press SKIP-1-2-3.
3. At FW screen, arrow right.
4. Read MID info.
5. To exit, press left arrow, then BACK (don't press OK or you'll reset all to factory settings).

You can keep that screen up and check more blank or recorded discs to find their MID. Once you know that, go to digitalfaq.com (http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm) and see what Class the media is. (Commercial discs will just show **** as MID.)

I've had my 3575 a few months now and used it quite a bit. My opinion so far:

I use it with an external digital satellite tuner, so I have no opinion on the quality of the built-in tuner or the channel-loss issue.

It works very well for me in normal operation. I find it very easy to schedule recordings, since the user interface for that is quite well designed. I have to coordinate it manually with the satellite tuner, but no big deal.

Recording to the HDD is reliable, and the quality is excellent. I've just finished watching about 8 hours of recorded TV shows that I missed last week while travelling, and the recording was flawless throughout. I do worry that any brief power failure while I'm away would kill my carefully-planned recording schedule though.

I'm recording in SP mode from my digital satellite box via S-Video, and the quality is good enough that I don't notice any difference from live SD channels in normal viewing. While I prefer to watch a live HD channel when I have the option, the quality of recorded digital SD channels played back on my Panasonic plasma HDTV is sufficiently good that I don't feel I'm missing much when I have to time-shift.

The HDD title guide design is a bit useless - all I ever see is page after page of unlabeled black preview boxes - but since the recordings are time-ordered and date/time-stamped, it's not normally difficult to find what I want in practice.

Occasionally I edit a recording to remove lead-in/trailer and commercials, then dub to DVD+R at 4X speed. That also works well. On rare occasions I may find the lack of the normal controls in edit mode to skip to a particular time offset or chapter in the recording a bit annoying. I carefully avoid the known title-split-then-edit bug, so it's never bothered me.

DVD playback is fine. The quality may not be quite as good as the very best DVD players I've seen, but it's good enough for me. I'm upconverting via HDMI using the YCbCr setting, but there's not really much difference between running the HDMI output in 480p mode or 1080p mode since the TV's scaler is also very good. I appreciate the full set of DVD playback controls, although a few more zoom ratios might be nice.

Overall, I would still recommend it.

I have 3575 up and running. Fine piece of equipment.My satellite has three digit no. for channels, ie 204 how would I ever program the timer to cover the channels? Can it be done? Thanks

I have 3575 up and running. Fine piece of equipment.My satellite has three digit no. for channels, ie 204 how would I ever program the timer to cover the channels? Can it be done? Thanks

The 3575 doesn't have a satellite tuner, so you don't program the timer with the satellite channel. Instead you set the 3575 to record from the external input connected to the satellite tuner (probably E1), set the date/time/duration to record, and then program the satellite tuner separately to turn on and tune to the correct program at that time. Make sure the time clocks match fairly closely.

Since I can program my satellite tuner by just selecting programs from the built-in guide, and my 3575 is set to always record SP quality from input E1 by default, all I have to do is set the date/time/duration for each recording on the 3575 after programming the satellite tuner. Easy.

Starting from July 1st, all TVs and recorders (Tape or DVD with or without HDD) must have ATSC tuners to be legally sold in the US market (ecluding eBay). Thats why Canada still has those non-ATSC tuner recorders for sale at normal prices?

Actually, just to clarify this a little bit, it's a misconception that all these devices must have an ATSC tuner inbuilt. This requirement only applies if the unit contains an NTSC tuner. There are a number of recorders available with NO TUNER at all. In fact, several manufacturers have chosen to go that route rather than try to retrofit ATSC tuners into their existing product lines. Oh, and it's not all sold after July 1, it's anything imported to or manufactured in the US after that date. If it was already on the shelf, they can still sell it.

Attn: amesdp.... how easy it is when told how,yes my input is E1 and it never crossed my mind to program the satellite tuner to switch channels etc. Thanks again

I just got one of these from Amazon.com and so far so good, the QAM tuner (knock on wood) works perfectly with my cable operator at the moment.

anyone know if there's a universal remote control code for this? It's getting to be a real drag having to use the decent philips remote for 99% of things, but grabbing another for volume :mad:

Just bought a new 1080 LCD HD set and the Phillips actually picks up more HD channels (on analog cable) than the HD set.

Also, I feed the TV component video from the Phillips and the picture is still very good for the HD channels. Definitely no longer HD quality, but very acceptable. The recorded signal or the tuner signal are very close to equal with SP.

The SD channels are equal in quality, either recorded or from the Phillips tuner. Very happy with the results, especially since I can record or watch the additional HD channels the Phillips gets, although a step down from HD.

Actually, just to clarify this a little bit, it's a misconception that all these devices must have an ATSC tuner inbuilt. This requirement only applies if the unit contains an NTSC tuner. There are a number of recorders available with NO TUNER at all. In fact, several manufacturers have chosen to go that route rather than try to retrofit ATSC tuners into their existing product lines. Oh, and it's not all sold after July 1, it's anything imported to or manufactured in the US after that date. If it was already on the shelf, they can still sell it.

Thanks for the clarifications.

Sam, I watch a movie almost every night, that I burn on my computer, using Verbatim 16X DVD+R...Jack

Thanks. I will get a spindle of Verbatim 16X DVD+R and try to re-burn them with my originals if the 1st disc work. The DVDs I burned had shorter life than the tapes. I lost confidence in DVD burning technology.

guitz, I don't know your skill level when it comes to universal remotes, but I helped another Gentleman develop an upgrade for the 3575, that is for a One For All remote. It could probably be modified for a Harmony as well. The OEM remote uses an RC6 Protocol with a device code of 50. If you have one of these Universal remotes, P.M. me for a link to the file...Jack

Harmony already knows about the 3575, and all the functions from the original remote are available.

Clay, That's what you get for the big bucks ;-) Us JP1 guys aren't that lucky...Jack

I got my $29 URC R-7 remote finally programmed for the Philips...I couldn't find the code, so had to manually program each button. I couldn't find any other learning remote, with full key backlight and punchthrough mode for volume and a few macros to boot, without spending ridiculous amounts of money, which I wasn't gonna do!

Dagnabbit - just missed the free shipping on Amazon by waiting two days. Got busy and just went back tonight - gone! Never fails, you snooze, you lose. cpalmer2k must've gotten that last one!

Anybody using this thing for OTA with good results? How's the tuner? Same/better/worse than a (samsung, etc.) STB?

Dagnabbit - just missed the free shipping on Amazon by waiting two days. Got busy and just went back tonight - gone! Never fails, you snooze, you lose. cpalmer2k must've gotten that last one!

Anybody using this thing for OTA with good results? How's the tuner? Same/better/worse than a (samsung, etc.) STB?


excellent OTA reception with a good antenna, ATSC tuner is good, but a bit less sharp and less vivid colours than Polaroid's DVR with ATSC. Someone way back in this thread mentioned Philips saying they were aware of analog interference affecting the digital signal quality and had a patch update planned to fix it. Haven't seen or heard anything further about it.

I recently purchased the philips dvdr3575h/37 recorder which has a 160 GB hard drive...It is the easiest recorder I have ever used and really pleased with it....there is one problem I cant seem to solve tho...when recording from my hard drive to a dvd I get the message "disk full"......according to the instructions I press HDD...then press title...then select dubbing....after I do this I get the message...disk full.....the way I am recording now is by pressing the HDD button and then the record button.....any help would be greatly appreciated...

You have erased everything on the DVD? I have two 3575 DVDRs and I have never had a problem. Mostly recording from HDD to DVD+RWs (Memorex/Verbatim/TDK) and two or three DVD+Rs.
Only time I have ever received the disk is full warning was when I first got it, and tried to record over a DVD that I had recorded on earlier. You have to erase each title separately, or just do a disc erase.

I recently purchased the philips dvdr3575h/37 recorder which has a 160 GB hard drive...It is the easiest recorder I have ever used and really pleased with it....there is one problem I cant seem to solve tho...when recording from my hard drive to a dvd I get the message "disk full"......according to the instructions I press HDD...then press title...then select dubbing....after I do this I get the message...disk full.....the way I am recording now is by pressing the HDD button and then the record button.....any help would be greatly appreciated...
Could be the title is too long for the disc, for one. The way you're dubbing you might not know in advance. (I don't dub that way, so not sure.)

I'd use the Dubbing menu at the bottom of the SETUP menu. That gives you a chance to see waht's going on in advance...the rec. modes that are available for the title, the size of the title, and the available space on the disc.

What brand, speed and type is the disc?

How big is the title in time and GB, and what rec. mode?

Ok, I know I only read though part of this thread, but will it do Dual Layered discs? Record that is..... ;)

Thanks,

GW

Ok, I know I only read though part of this thread, but will it do Dual Layered discs? Record that is..... ;)

No it won't record DL, as clearly stated in the specifications. That's fine with me, recordable DL discs have never worked consistently well in my experience, and I'd just as soon avoid them. In fact the 3575 doesn't even like playing DVD+R DL discs.

I'd use the Dubbing menu at the bottom of the SETUP menu. That gives you a chance to see waht's going on in advance...the rec. modes that are available for the title, the size of the title, and the available space on the disc.

True - the one-touch Dub button doesn't give you enough control or information about what's going to happen. Use the Setup menu Dubbing function. You can always calculate roughly yourself if a title should fit on a DVDR (e.g., < 2 hours at SP speed), but the recorder allows for an extra safety margin if it needs to re-encode the video.

I have several titles on the hard drive....I inserted a disk and was able to go to the setup menu and select dubbing and the menu came on asking what speed to dub...this happens on all but the last title I have on the hard drive..when I go to the setup and get to the part where it ask for the speed ...I get...disk is full..cannot dub to this disk...doesnt make sense why I would get this since the other titles were able to be dubbed....I didnt copy to the disk...I just wanted to see if all the titles would copy....

I have several titles on the hard drive....I inserted a disk and was able to go to the setup menu and select dubbing and the menu came on asking what speed to dub...this happens on all but the last title I have on the hard drive..when I go to the setup and get to the part where it ask for the speed ...I get...disk is full..cannot dub to this disk...doesnt make sense why I would get this since the other titles were able to be dubbed....I didnt copy to the disk...I just wanted to see if all the titles would copy....
Sounds as if you're either adding titles to be dubbed until it says "Disc is full" or you're sequentially dubbing one title at a time to the same disc?

If either of these are true, it's just telling you that you can't add/dub that last title to the disc.???

If you're adding titles to dub, it will tell you when the disc capacity is exceeded and you may have to delete the last title added or tried to add. In that case, the solution would be to stop before that last title and dub the rest...you may just be exceeding the capacity of the disc (4400MB).

Still a mystery, I think, exactly what you're trying to do.

ok...I am getting somewhere....this particular title was over two hours in length...I divided the title and the dubbing is working....so are we saying that to dub to a disk the title cannot be over two hours....or is a setting needed....when I dub to a disk I would only use the SP mode so I guess my solution is to ensure that titles are not over two hours.....

ok...I am getting somewhere....this particular title was over two hours in length...I divided the title and the dubbing is working....so are we saying that to dub to a disk the title cannot be over two hours....or is a setting needed....when I dub to a disk I would only use the SP mode so I guess my solution is to ensure that titles are not over two hours.....
Yes, 2 hours is correct (actually ~2:09:00), but only for SP mode. It's really the MB size...can't be over 4400MB.

If you look on pg 39 of the manual, the chart for "12 cm Disc" (our std discs) gives you the max amount of time in minutes for each rec mode that should be within the 4400MB capacity of a DVD disc.

Recording to the HDD doesn't have any normal time limits (12 hours continuous i think), so you can use ANY mode you want, except if you later want to dub to DVD, you'll need to keep those time limits in mind when selecting the rec mode.

As you say, if you stick to SP for most of your recording (like I do), you'll know the max you'll be able to fit on a DVD is 2 hours. Using SLP mode ups that to 6 hours. (High-speed dub is limited to ~5:20:00-5:30:00 of SLP mode stuff... over that requires real-time dub.)

Later, when needed, you can get the max quality for longer shows, like a 3-hour movie or game, by recording in SP or SPP mode and deleting commercials, etc. to get down to 4400MB or less. What you have left will be recorded at a better quality than if you just set the recorder for 3-hr-LP mode, and it will fit on a std DVD disc.

I returned my DVDR3575H tonight at my local Wal-Mart. I had also ordered a new one from the Site-To-Store, but I ended up returning it because it also had a May 2007 pack date. Is there anyway I can order this from Wal-Mart online and get the most recently made units?

I returned my DVDR3575H tonight at my local Wal-Mart. I had also ordered a new one from the Site-To-Store, but I ended up returning it because it also had a May 2007 pack date. Is there anyway I can order this from Wal-Mart online and get the most recently made units?
I had to check my "local" Wal-Marts by phone and ask them to check the Pack Date for me...finally found two at a store 45 miles away and the clerk put one behind the counter for me until I could get there. I got a July 2007 unit but it has the same tuning problem my April 2007 unit had, but since I have to "force" it to lose tuning by surfing madly thru the channels, it works fine in normal use...never fails to tune on first startup or for timer recording.

One of my April 2007 units is perfect in every respect on the same analog cable system, so a May 2007 unit could also be perfect, esp. if you're OTA or on digital cable...it seems to be mostly a problem for people on analog cable.

The only way now to be "assured" of getting a factory-updated unit is to call Philips with a unit that does lose digital tuning and ask for a replacement.

Dagnabbit - just missed the free shipping on Amazon by waiting two days. Got busy and just went back tonight - gone! Never fails, you snooze, you lose. cpalmer2k must've gotten that last one!

Anybody using this thing for OTA with good results? How's the tuner? Same/better/worse than a (samsung, etc.) STB?

Looks like Amazon has them back in stock with free shipping. But, the price is now $299 and shipping is three to five weeks!!

I use it for OTA and it is GREAT. Tuner pulls in all the local stations just as well as my Vizaio HDTV. Recording an HD OTA source (like CSI Miami) to the hard drive at the highest resolution sure looks like the original HD source to me! I do not have cable or satelite - so don't know how it works with them.

Looks like Amazon has them back in stock with free shipping. But, the price is now $299 and shipping is three to five weeks!!

I use it for OTA and it is GREAT. Tuner pulls in all the local stations just as well as my Vizaio HDTV. Recording an HD OTA source (like CSI Miami) to the hard drive at the highest resolution sure looks like the original HD source to me! I do not have cable or satelite - so don't know how it works with them.

Yes, I spotted that today, and perfect timing. My son and daughter-in-law just treated the old man to a nice birthday gift certificate on Amazon, so my order is now in the pipeline. I don't mind waiting a little while for this, as I do have a DVD recorder now, it just doesn't have ASTC tuner or hard drive, and I have it hooked up to a 3rd generation STB that's a little "deaf", and not all that tolerant of my DX situation. Glad to hear reports that it works well OTA, will give a subjective comparison when it comes in, FWIW.

For people still looking for the 3575, Wal-Mart online shows them @$298 with free shipping to local store in 7-10 days. (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5663214)

On my Panasonic VCR, I used to be able to tape one program and watch another by using the VCR/TV button, like it disregarded what the VCR was doing if I wanted to watch something different on TV. I am disappointed that I can't do this on the 3575. My husband often watched what he wanted and I would watch my taped program later.

I use OTA and have a 19 year old TV with only a coaxial in. I had to buy a RF unit to get the 3575 to work. Would I be able to watch and record different programs simultaneously if I fed it through the old VCR and used the TV/VCR switch--the tuner still works fine. When I called Philips about the record/watch situation, they said I had to have 2 antennas to do that. Is there a way around this problem?

Also, I have always received ch 6 from 40 miles away perfectly fine, except now on the 3575, as an analog. I get a blue screen. Any suggestions?

bev, with your old TV and only a coax input, you're at a distinct disadvantage with a DVDR.

On the Ch. 6 thing, it can't be anything with the 3575 since the coax In/Out of the 3575 is just a pass-thru of whatever comes in on the antenna coax...you aren't seeing anything from the 3575's tuner or disc drives (HDD or DVD).

To see anything produced by or thru the 3575, you have to have a line connection from one of the 3575's line outputs to a line input on the TV. But, without a line connection on your TV, you'll have to use your VCR as the "conduit" to see the 3575's channels or shows recorded on the 3575's HDD or played on a DVD.

More complicated, but you should be able to connect the coax from antenna to the 3575, then continue the coax from the 3575 coax Out on to the VCR, then on to the TV. That will allow you to watch TV normally w/o turning the 3575 or VCR on (the VCR should also be a coax pass-thru)...whatever your antenna can receive will be passed thru the 3575 and VCR to the TV.

To then see channels from the 3575's tuner or shows on the 3575 HDD or DVD, connect a line output from the 3575 (yellow, red, white) to a line input on the VCR. When you want to watch something from the 3575 itself, you'll have to turn the VCR on and select the VCR line input you connected the 3575 to (L1, L2, etc.), which will allow the 3575 signal to continue on to the TV when you press the TY/VCR button. (If/when you get a newer TV with Line Inputs, just remove the VCR and connect directly to the TV...and your life will be simpler.)

Make sure you go to SETUP > Channel > Auto Channel Preset-Antenna once you have the 3575 connected to the antenna coax in to see what channels the 3575 can pick up.

On my Panasonic VCR, I used to be able to tape one program and watch another by using the VCR/TV button, like it disregarded what the VCR was doing if I wanted to watch something different on TV. I am disappointed that I can't do this on the 3575. My husband often watched what he wanted and I would watch my taped program later.

I use OTA and have a 19 year old TV with only a coaxial in. I had to buy a RF unit to get the 3575 to work. Would I be able to watch and record different programs simultaneously if I fed it through the old VCR and used the TV/VCR switch--the tuner still works fine. When I called Philips about the record/watch situation, they said I had to have 2 antennas to do that. Is there a way around this problem?

Also, I have always received ch 6 from 40 miles away perfectly fine, except now on the 3575, as an analog. I get a blue screen. Any suggestions?

There is probably an RF input on the RF unit that could be connected to the RF output of the DVDR3575. You should be able to use your TV tuner then to tune to any OTA channel, except for the one being used by the RF unit (either 3 or 4 depending on the switch setting on the RF unit).

Interestingly, I also have a problem with analog 6 on my unit. It is a very weak station, and I believe that the analog tuner in this unit is not particularly sensitive. The digital tuner seems to be quite good, and that is where the future is, so I am not particularly concerned. The analog stations will be gone in less than 2 years. If I want to record something on analog 6, I will use my VCR since the picture is going to be poor quality anyway. In my case analog 6 is a PBS station. During part of the day, they broadcast the same programming on their digital station, which the DVDR3573 gets just fine.

Is there a digital station that caries the same programing as analog 6 in your area? That would be the ideal work around.

I've read that this unit doesn't pass through HD programing and that is certainly what the manual says. So I just put a splitter on my coax cable coming from my antenna (a cheap one up in my attic) and run one coax cable from the splitter to my HDTV and the other to the input on my 3575. I also run a HDMI cable from the 3575 to my TV. If I want to watch an OTA show as it is being broadcast I just watch it on the HDTV by clicking "tv" on the TV's remote control. If I want to watch something I've recorded on the 3575 I just click "hdmi" on the TV's remote control. I can certainly watch one show while recording another one this way. Both the TV and the 3575 have no problem being behind the splitter. There is never any pixelation.

I've read that this unit doesn't pass through HD programing and that is certainly what the manual says. So I just put a splitter on my coax cable coming from my antenna (a cheap one up in my attic) and run one coax cable from the splitter to my HDTV and the other to the input on my 3575. I also run a HDMI cable from the 3575 to my TV. If I want to watch an OTA show as it is being broadcast I just watch it on the HDTV by clicking "tv" on the TV's remote control. If I want to watch something I've recorded on the 3575 I just click "hdmi" on the TV's remote control. I can certainly watch one show while recording another one this way. Both the TV and the 3575 have no problem being behind the splitter. There is never any pixelation.
Did you actually try setting up the 3575 1st for the antenna coax and using the pass-thru of the 3575 to continue the antenna feed on to the TV?

I've read lots of discussion and comments on our SD DVDRs "not passing thru HD" but always assumed they were talking about the tuner, which is understandable. But, since the coax in/out on the 3575 (any DVDR) is strictly like a passive, no-loss splitter, it seemed logical that whatever signal the DVDR received was just piped out thru the coax out...it doesn't see the SDTV tuner.

I finally found a HD user who hooked up his Panasonic unit and explained how the coax DOES pass thru the HD signal. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3G8DVNXQ79FTI******cm_cr_auth/002-7355838-9545630?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview)

If what he says is true, there's no need for using a separate splitter that will reduce signal strength?

I think we're talking about two different (and important) things here: TUNER passthru and RAW SIGNAL passthru???:confused:

Did you actually try setting up the 3575 1st for the antenna coax and using the pass-thru of the 3575 to continue the antenna feed on to the TV?

I've read lots of discussion and comments on our SD DVDRs "not passing thru HD" but always assumed they were talking about the tuner, which is understandable. But, since the coax in/out on the 3575 (any DVDR) is strictly like a passive, no-loss splitter, it seemed logical that whatever signal the DVDR received was just piped out thru the coax out...it doesn't see the SDTV tuner.

I finally found a HD user who hooked up his Panasonic unit and explained how the coax DOES pass thru the HD signal. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3G8DVNXQ79FTI******cm_cr_auth/002-7355838-9545630?ie=UTF8&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview)



If what he says is true, there's no need for using a separate splitter that will reduce signal strength?

I think we're talking about two different (and important) things here: TUNER passthru and RAW SIGNAL passthru???:confused:


You might be (probably are) right about this. I originally did just feed the coax from the antenna to the 3575 and had a short coax go FROM to 3575 to the HDTV. HD programing looked great that way too (when I was just passing the feed through the 3575 and using the TV's tuner). But, I could not tell for sure - so went the splitter route. Any definitive answer out there? I'd sure like to know. The manual does NOT make this clear. My signal strength seems adequate even with the splitter - but it would be more convenient not to use it.

Virtually all video equipment that has an RF in and out just passes the RF signal thru. Splitting the coax before the DVDr or going thru it is the same thing The pass thru is not lossless - the signal loss is about the same as the external splitter. For a digital signal it doesn't matter - you either get the signal or not - and neither an external splitter nor a DVDr pass thru will affect such a signal (in terms of the 0s and 1s in the stream - signal strength may be affected slightly differently)l. If you got HD coming in the coax it will be the same HD coming out whether via the splitter or pass thru.

One thing that really seems to help is using high quality satellite rated quad core cables. I found some cheap but good RG6 at Home Depot that really works and keeps signal loss low on longer runs. I think it was RCA or something but they don't have it anymore, though they sell others that seem to be made as well.
It really helped with signal dropout on digital and ghosting/noise on analog.
When I was using just whatever OLD crap I had I was dropping channels and ghosting really badly, especially the long split run to the box in here which had a hd tuner card for a while.
This is one time that better quality cable does help, from personal experience.

The Philips 3575/3576 "Active" (Amplified) Coax Passthru

I always wondered how much insertion loss there might be in the DVDR/VCR coax passthru connections (RF in/out loop)...knew there was "some" but had no quantifier. (Generally speaking, a good, standard 2-way splitter has a -3.7dB loss on each output, and the loss increases the more outputs you add.)

Here's a test site post where someone actually measured the loss thru a passive VCR RF loop (same as our DVDRs) and found it to be "less than 1dB" (see post by Sofie). (http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/browse_thread/thread/543b33a6cf8fb80e/1d602a811d85f5e4%231d602a811d85f5e4)

In fact, the post suggests it could be a net gain if the passthru is "active" which just means it has to be plugged in, not on.

It would be good to know if our DVDRs have a passive or active passthru, which would determine whether we are getting less than 1dB loss or possibly getting a net gain in RF signal!

EDIT: Answered my own question...I unplugged the power cord on my Philips 3575, off at the time, and noticed an immediate degradation in picture quality. Plugged back in and perfect pic again, 3575 still off.

If it were a passive passthru, there would be no noticeable difference in PQ. (Did the same test with my Pioneer DVR-640 and it has a passive passthru.)

The 3575's DVDR RF LOOP IS ACTIVE, AND WE'RE GETTING A LOSSLESS PASSTHRU AND PROBABLY A NET GAIN! :D

The amplification circuit is a 4dB amp > Low-Pass Filter (LPF) > 2dB amp.

Note: My tests were done with the Philips 3575 and the Pio 640 connected directly to a TV...no other boxes or components in between to block or amplify the effect.
.

But if you use the "pass-through" method, in order to watch the channels on the TV tuner, doesn't the recorder have to be set to channel 3, and wouldn't that conflict (interfere) with the recordings happening simultaneously from a different (line) input from the cable box?

Or will the recorder let you watch one input live while it's recording from another?

But if you use the "pass-through" method, in order to watch the channels on the TV tuner, doesn't the recorder have to be set to channel 3, and wouldn't that conflict (interfere) with the recordings happening simultaneously from a different (line) input from the cable box?

Or will the recorder let you watch one input live while it's recording from another?
The recorder doesn't even have to be on to watch TV normally. When you turn the recorder on, you can keep watching the same TV channel but record something on a different channel thru the recorder's tuner.

Recording from a line input is diff. since the STB and recorder tuners are both occupied, but you can still watch the HDD or a DVD show.

Passthru is the way to go, unless you have a STB that encrypts ALL the channels, then the recorder tuner is useless and need not be connected to the antenna coax.

I have read through most of the posts and also looked for a specific thread but couldn't find anything. So, my question is. Has anyone tried to replace the hard drive in this unit in case the original goes bad, and has anyone tried to upgrade and put in a larger drive?

Has anyone tried to replace the hard drive in this unit in case the original goes bad, and has anyone tried to upgrade and put in a larger drive?

That would void the warranty, so probably nobody is going to start experimenting until the first units are more than a year old. Come back next year.

I returned my DVDR3575H tonight at my local Wal-Mart. I had also ordered a new one from the Site-To-Store, but I ended up returning it because it also had a May 2007 pack date. Is there anyway I can order this from Wal-Mart online and get the most recently made units?

I spoke to two different people at Philips [I was amazed at how short the wait time was compared to most help lines, and how they gave me ZERO run-around] -- but anyway -- both told me that there is no current pack date that can guarantee a particular unit will not have 'the problem'. Both said the only way to have it fixed for sure was to RMA the unit to Siloam Springs -- which I did.

Note that the key word was 'guarantee'.

I don't know if what they said is true, but if the actual unit assembly is done at multiple locations, or if there are multiple versions of the board in question that may still be in inventory at even a single assembly site, this may indeed be the case. Unless they have very accurate inventory control, it could be easy for an earlier version board to wind up in a later assembled device.

went to walmart today to tell the saleswomen about the philips DVD dvdr3575h/37 recorder I recently purchased....informed her of how easy it was to use and operate...she informed me that they are pulling them all off their shelves to make way for a Sony....if I needed another recorder I would go buy another philips before she took them off the counter....the Sony I just got rid of was not user friendly....it had a 160 GB HD..etc.....didnt really care for it....

Hi folks! While I can't say I've read all 60 pages of this thread, it was most helpful in my decision to buy one of these Philips units. There were a couple things I caught that I can clear up (if they haven't been already):

1. HDTV pass-through on the RG6 works fine. More than fine, actually. I had no signal loss at all by passing the antenna through the DVDR3575H/75.

2. This is the important one: My box DOES do 16:9 correctly! I swear! I just finalized a few minutes of test HDTV footage from yesterday to a DVD+R disc, and popped it into my oldest DVD player and I swear to you it was full screen 16:9. I get true 16:9 when recording to the HDD, recording to DVD+R, *and* after the DVD+R has been finalized.

My user manual still states that it will record to 4:3, but they must have done something to the more recent units. My unit's pack date code is "35 August 2007".

I recorded a few minutes of an HD football game yesterday, which was probably 1080i since it was CBS. I suppose it's possible the unit has more trouble with the aspect ratio on different broadcasts, like perhaps 720p, but frankly I don't see how. I really think they changed something here. Talk about a pleasant surprise!!

Anyway, I love it. Sure, I would have rather had something that could record to the HDD and play back in true HD, but given the price and considering what other options there are (almost none unless you enjoy paying Tivo $180/yr), I think it's great.

If I had ONE complaint to make it would be the transcoding it uses against full HD signals. My Windows Media Center PC does a significanly better job crunching HD down to SD, but then again, it also take me 8+ hours to burn a DVD. Things like the on-screen graphics during the HD football game are overly sharp and just look bad. An algorithm tuned more for smoothness rather than sharpness would have been better ... in my opinion.

Anyway, thanks again for all the great information, and I'm sorry that so many people have had trouble with 16:9. Maybe Philips can update the firmware or something in the older units. Or maybe I'm just on crack. Either way, I'm happy!!! :D

Nice first post! Welcome to AVS Forum! :)

On your #1 and no signal loss, it appears that our 3575s have an "active" RF passthru, which means the RF loop doesn't lose any dB and may even gain a little. Unit must be plugged into power but doesn't need to be on. One reason the pic looks better going thru the 3575?

On your "graphic sharpness" issue, did you try the YCbCr setting in the Setup > HDMI > Format menu just to see if your TV likes that better?

Anyway, thanks again for all the great information, and I'm sorry that so many people have had trouble with 16:9. Maybe Philips can update the firmware or something in the older units. Or maybe I'm just on crack. Either way, I'm happy!!! :D

Actually, the 16x9 has always been OK with this unit. Part of the confusion was mis-information based on a Polaroid unit, which some people thought was the same. They definitely were not.

When you set up for wide screen, the data is stored on the hard drive in NTSC format which would be 4x3, but it is anamorphic. They preserve all the vertical lines they can, and squeeze the image horizontally. When played back on a wide screen TV, it will be stretched back to the 16x9 format.

The only wide screen issue I am aware of is that they do not set the 16x9 flag bit for the DVD player to read. On a 16x9 TV this is not an issue. The image will be properly proportioned. On a 4x3 TV, the display will not get letter-boxed, so the people will look skinny.

Hello,
Sorry If it this question has already been answered before.
Does this unit record 16:9 in native wide ratio and burn it to a Video Mode DVD+R or DVD-R in the recorded 16:9 ratio?

Yes. See Posts 2073 and 2075 above.

However, there are some cable/sat boxes or DVRs that won't output a 16:9 WS signal via an anlog output, so only a 4:3 pic gets recorded. If the recorder has Component inputs, those boxes will/might send a full 16:9 signal, but only the 2005 Polaroid 2001G has Component inputs.

It's sort of "messy" situation once you introduce a STB as the source for recording to a SDTV DVDR.

Yes. See Posts 2073 and 2075 above.

Wow. Just one post above me and I missed it!:confused: Shame!:(
Oh another question. Since this player only supports recording DVDs in +VR mode, how does it treat materials that need CPRM protected discs such as copy once material? Does the unit record these materials only to HDD or it can make copies on DVDs too?

Does this unit record 16:9 in native wide ratio and burn it to a Video Mode DVD+R or DVD-R in the recorded 16:9 ratio?

If you have a Rogers, ExpressVu or Starchoice digital STB, check the corresponding forum on www.digitalhome.ca for instructions to get 16:9 anamorphic output for recording via SVideo or composite.

how does it treat materials that need CPRM protected discs such as copy once material? Does the unit record these materials only to HDD or it can make copies on DVDs too?

HDD only.

Wal-Mart online shows out-of-stock now, and Circuit City online shows them available and the price is back down to $289.99.

Of six Wal-Mart stores near me, only one shows it in stock.

If they show it in stock - call them and check! And if they've got it, ask them (nicely) if they'll put one behind the counter for you until you can get there. My local Wal-Mart showed it in stock, went over, nothing in stock.

went to walmart today to tell the saleswomen about the philips DVD dvdr3575h/37 recorder I recently purchased....informed her of how easy it was to use and operate...she informed me that they are pulling them all off their shelves to make way for a Sony....if I needed another recorder I would go buy another philips before she took them off the counter....the Sony I just got rid of was not user friendly....it had a 160 GB HD..etc.....didnt really care for it....

Two local Walmarts have removed their DVDR3575H display units to make space for a Sony unit, but it is a Blu-ray player. The Wikipedia listing for DVD units with ATSC tuners lists only one Sony, and it does not have a hard drive. One of the stores still had a boxed DVDR3575H a few days ago. While Walmart may be dropping the unit, I would not bet on it either way at this time. I have gotten enough incorrect information about the availability of this unit from Walmart clerks, that I have no confidence in the information that the average clerk has access to.

I spoke to two different people at Philips [I was amazed at how short the wait time was compared to most help lines, and how they gave me ZERO run-around] -- but anyway -- both told me that there is no current pack date that can guarantee a particular unit will not have 'the problem'. Both said the only way to have it fixed for sure was to RMA the unit to Siloam Springs -- which I did.

So were they willing to do a express replacement for you or did you have to box yours up and wait for it to get there then have them ship a repaired unit back.
They WERE doing a credit card based cross ship where you paid for the new unit and they shipped it out and gave you 30 days to return your old one or they kept your payment.
I tried TWICE to get them to let me do a credit card cross ship but they refused and told me to ship my old one first, that express replacement must have been something other users here got on their warranty but it wasn't included on mine.
I told them I didn't want to be out a unit for a month while they putzed around but no luck, even offered to buy one on credit card to cross ship but no go...
By the way, what zip code did they give you because the one I got doesn't match the one the USPS lists for that town.

Thanks to everyone here for all the great information. I grabbed one of these last Thursday at Wally's place and have been happy every since. I was able to record some great NCAAF games over the weekend. Wife is happy with the unit too !! :)

Q: Has anybody had this thing open yet? I would like to know if the HD is easily replaceable. Reason for asking is some of the DVRs seem to have proprietary code on a small partition and will record video to another larger partition. I can do a bit backup of the HD now (before the drive has issues) if it is relatively painless to remove. That said... with the speed of the boot process it might be that there is no sytem info on the HD at all, that all the instructions are in some form of firmware and it is a virgin HD. That would be really sweet (though IME unlikely).

TIA
mike

I'm new to this forum. I have read my way through 70 pages and haven't noticed any info on how the Philips DVDR3575H works when hooked up to Directv. Can someone help with a thread or some info on this subject?
Thanks

1. What about issues with this setup?
2. Can you record directly from the satellite DVR box?
3. Do I have to worry about channel set up, since I Tivo most of my programing using the DVR box?

I'm new to this forum. I have read my way through 70 pages and haven't noticed any info on how the Philips DVDR3575H works when hooked up to Directv. Can someone help with a thread or some info on this subject?
Thanks

Should be a cakewalk. If you've setup any A/V equipment in the past you will be more than capable of attaching the unit. Had mine up in about 20 mins and that was after unhooking and removing a non-working DVD recorder. All the (RCA) plugs to the old recorder found appropriate I/O on the backplane of the new Phillips unit.

At the elementary extreme, all you're doing is taking the output from the DTV Sat Rcvr to the Phillips DVDR input, and the output from the Phillips (in one form or another) to the TV.

mike

So were they willing to do a express replacement for you or did you have to box yours up and wait for it to get there then have them ship a repaired unit back.
They WERE doing a credit card based cross ship where you paid for the new unit and they shipped it out and gave you 30 days to return your old one or they kept your payment.
I tried TWICE to get them to let me do a credit card cross ship but they refused and told me to ship my old one first, that express replacement must have been something other users here got on their warranty but it wasn't included on mine.
I told them I didn't want to be out a unit for a month while they putzed around but no luck, even offered to buy one on credit card to cross ship but no go...
By the way, what zip code did they give you because the one I got doesn't match the one the USPS lists for that town.

No, they did not do an express ship -- for similar reasons -- they claimed the only way to be sure the problem is fixed is to have an existing unit repaired, and they have no stock of repaired units. The claim being that no information on a sealed box [serial number or pack date] will guarantee the new unit won't have the same problem -- a reality they had apparently found on their own after initial express exchanges didn't fix the problem. Again, true or not, it would seem to match people's experience with even recent pack dates having the problem on some units.

As to ship location, the zip I was given was 72761 which matches the town name according to google.

I've had my 3575 a week now and still learning how to use. I have my 3575 connected to my TV via a component cable. I HDD recorded an OTA HD show and when I play the recorded show the TV shows 480 signal. Is there any way I can use component output to send a HDTV signal to the TV? Do I really need the HDMI output in order to view the HD? Thanks again for all the help.

I've had my 3575 a week now and still learning how to use. I have my 3575 connected to my TV via a component cable. I HDD recorded an OTA HD show and when I play the recorded show the TV shows 480 signal. Is there any way I can use component output to send a HDTV signal to the TV? Do I really need the HDMI output in order to view the HD? Thanks again for all the help.
The only output that will upconvert the native 480 signal is HDMI. Only a few players can upconvert over Component...I haven't found any "common" recorders that can do the same.

In case your question was about recording and playing back a true HDTV show, all SDTV recorders downconvert a HDTV show when recording, so it can only play back a 480 version via its analog connections, and can only upconvert the recorded 480 show via HDMI.

The 3575 can pass-thru a HDTV picture via its coax in/out loop, which is an active pass-thru so there is no signal loss and maybe even a slight gain. The coax in/out connection is a great way to connect to other components since it serves as a no-loss signal splitter....the 3575 and a donwstream TV or cable/sat box can then use their tuners separate from the 3575 tuner.

Since I recorded a 1080i show/signal on HDD I thought that the same HD signal will be played back, so there should not be a need for upconvertion. Am I right?

No, the 3575 and all of today's digital recorders have SDTV tuners, so they downconvert a true HDTV (720/1080) signal to 480i (interlaced). Sending that recording out thru composite, S-Video or Component outputs will be in 480i or p (depending on your setting) and it will be an analog signal.

Sending that same signal out thru HDMI will keep the signal digital and it can be upconverted (converted back) to HDTV 720/1080 format, but it will not be the "identical" (untouched) HDTV signal received.

To record and playback a true HDTV signal without any conversion will require a Bluray or HD-DVD recorder, not available in North America.

Thank YOU wabjxo. I really appreciate your time and help. I will get a HDMI cable and connect the TV via HDMI so I can get the upconverted or the converted back HDTV signal.

Well... I finally got my replacement unit this weekend. Apparently I'm one of the last to get in on the cross-ship method of replacement... although my replacement unit was delayed about 2 weeks due to "supply issues". Anyway... the new unit has a pack date of August 2007 and so far works flawlessly! It's great to finally be able to reliably record off the DTV side instead of having to rely on the analog signal for timer recordings. The picture is so much more crisp and widescreen actually fills the TV!

I'm glad that Philips was able to fix the problem and I now look forward to many hours of service-fee-free DVR bliss!

Now, if only Philips could put out a firmware to enhance some of the recording features. :D (such as auto buffer live TV and save the pause buffer to the titles list)

FuzzyJCT,

What was the problem you were having? My 3575, pack date April seems to record from it's internal digital tuner with no problem. Maybe I'm missing something.

I did seem to have a problem where all my timer programming disappeared. I was using the "day of the week" so it should have stayed programmed, but the other day when I didn't find something recorded that should have been, I found all the programming was gone. Checking now to see if it happens again.

Thanks,

No, they did not do an express ship -- for similar reasons -- they claimed the only way to be sure the problem is fixed is to have an existing unit repaired, and they have no stock of repaired units. The claim being that no information on a sealed box [serial number or pack date] will guarantee the new unit won't have the same problem -- a reality they had apparently found on their own after initial express exchanges didn't fix the problem. Again, true or not, it would seem to match people's experience with even recent pack dates having the problem on some units.

As to ship location, the zip I was given was 72761 which matches the town name according to google.

Well Thanks for that, they gave me 72361 so even if I had shipped it it might have gotten lost in the zip shuffle. They also claimed to use DHL, UPS, or FedEx and I'd prefer to use USPS. Wonder if they have a reason or he just suggested the major private shippers because thats what they use. Pretty sure USPS would be cheaper, doubt the box is too big or anything to make them not ship it.

How's the picture quality of this unit?
The spec. says it has a 54MHZ 10 bit video chip. I wont use it for my DVD playback but I was wondering about the quality of picture when playing "recordings".
Thank you in Advance

DVDR3575 Picture Quality (PQ) for Tuner Recording and Copying Home Movies

I'm on analog cable and receive some downconverted HD channels as a bonus. My 3575's PQ is good for SD analog channels and outstanding for digital HD>SD digital channels.

For recording, it uses only the most useful rec modes (1, 2, 2.5, 3, 4 and 6 hours)...no 13-hour mode like on my Pio 640, which is totally useless...and very ugly!

Recordings made thru the tuner are best when using a quality source like my digital HD TNT channel...even tho I'm getting a downconverted SD analog-cable feed. People with an HDTV source (satellite) report that the 3575's recordings made thru a line input from the HDTV receiver/DVR are even better than those made thru the tuner.

For tuner recordings, I've used 3-hr-LP mode on a fast-action James Bond movie and 6-hr-SLP mode on a drama ("Heartland"), both on a digital TNT channel, and found the PQ to be excellent. In Heartland, I had to search hard for evidence of any degradation caused by 6-hr-SLP mode, finally finding a small operating room instrument panel that had a very small, lighted "Power" display on the panel where I noticed a very slight difference between SP and SLP.

For those who want to convert their VHS tapes to DVD, the 3575 does an excellent job on that too! I've copied lots of tapes, but one special tape made me realize what a good job it did. My wife had a cruise tape she shot on std 8mm, which I copied to std VHS for our home-movie library.

When I went to copy the VHS tape to DVD, I noticed the tape started with a night scene on the ship and the black sky had many small, very annoying dropouts. I copied the tape to the 3575's HDD then dubbed it to a DVD. When I reviewed the HDD and DVD copies, the dropouts were reduced by 50% or more!

Most/many DVDRs have circuitry to "clean up" VCR tapes (some only on one input, others with user settings), but the 3575's copy quality is very good...equal to or better than my Pioneer DVR-640 in that regard.

Recording Sports with Fast-Moving Objects

The biggest PQ test for any DVDR is a football game, with its little 1" men running in all different directions. MPEG2 is predictive in nature and does an excellent job in capturing predictable motion by large objects, but the football men are so small (small moving objects in BIG stationary picture) that MPEG2 doesn't see a need to boost bit-rate for better PQ.

Movement, by itself, is NOT difficult for MPEG2 to capture with good resolution; where MPEG2 has to work hard is in big scene changes. Large spikes in bit rate occur at drastic scene changes, like from the CU of a face to a car explosion, but switching from face-to-face closeups in a darkened toom is barely noticeable.

I recorded a football game on ESPN HD in the 3575's 3-hr-LP mode and saw some degradation from the long-shot stadium camera but sharp, brilliant shots from other, closer cameras. Basketball and baseball games have 4-5" men with closer cameras so they look good at almost any rec. mode.

I also recorded a NASCAR race, dubbed to DVD, and watched the DVD back on my Pio 640, which has a bit-rate meter, and the cars racing around the track kept the meter almost constant around 2.5 Mbps on shots from both in-car and outside tracking cameras... even on long shots of cars moving fast around the track with out-of-focus background and stands and people coming into view suddenly, as well as closeups of the cars racing by a stationary wall camera (doesn't get much faster than the zip-zip of cars moving by)... this is where I first realized that predictable movement is not a problem for MPEG2 recording.

:) ;) :)

FuzzyJCT,

What was the problem you were having? My 3575, pack date April seems to record from it's internal digital tuner with no problem. Maybe I'm missing something.

I did seem to have a problem where all my timer programming disappeared. I was using the "day of the week" so it should have stayed programmed, but the other day when I didn't find something recorded that should have been, I found all the programming was gone. Checking now to see if it happens again.

Thanks,
The 3575 only has a 30-sec or so memory, so maybe it was a brief power outage? (Might need a UPS?)

If you were in the FW screen and pressed OK, that resets it to factory settings... but then you'd be missing more than timer programs?

How's the picture quality of this unit?
The spec. says it has a 54MHZ 10 bit video chip. I wont use it for my DVD playback but I was wondering about the quality of picture when playing "recordings".

I have to say it's really impressive. A 720x480 SP recording from a digital HD source is amazingly sharp and clear, certainly as good as any commercial movie DVD.

Attn: WABJXO... remind me again what is the FW screen ? Thanks.

Local Best Buy had 7 units arrive in the evening, by noon the following day they were sold.
Using a satellite receiver in and out to HDTV with a hdm1 cable . Gee after a week and reading, found all functions working with out a hitch. I was curious about the Hard drive question as to whether it could be replaced by the user , when required. Any info ?

DVDR3575 Viewing the FW Data Screen and Using the DVD Manufacturer's/Media ID (MID) Utility

The Firmware (FW) data screen in the Philips 3575 can be accessed by pressing SKIP-1-2-3. A grey screen pops up with a list of model and FW version data.

While in that screen, you can also use a neat utility that is unique among DVDRs: if you arrow right, you can use the next screen to identify the DVD disc type and Manufacturer's ID (MID), which is good to know and check against the Classes listed in digitalfaq.com (http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm)... esp. good to know before using a new batch of discs for precious memories you want to last a long time.

Insert a DVD and let it load up and read the MID. Leave the screen up and check as many other blank or recorded discs as you want.

To exit, press the left arrow key back to the FW screen, then use ONLY the BACK key to exit, NOT the OK key.

Pressing the OK key on the FW screen will reset the 3575 to factory settings, which you might want to do sometime but only to clear a problem and start from scratch. The Philips-recommended complete factory reset is to unplug the 3575, then plug back in while holding the Standby-On button on the front of the unit.

FuzzyJCT,

What was the problem you were having? My 3575, pack date April seems to record from it's internal digital tuner with no problem. Maybe I'm missing something.

I did seem to have a problem where all my timer programming disappeared. I was using the "day of the week" so it should have stayed programmed, but the other day when I didn't find something recorded that should have been, I found all the programming was gone. Checking now to see if it happens again.

Thanks,

sparks11,

The issue I was having wasn't with recording from the digital tuner exactly... it was the channel memory issue that has been widely discussed here. My recordings would be fine at first. But, sooner or later, the digital tuner would lose it's channel memory and then my timed recordings wouldn't be able to tune into the channel it was supposed to record. So, instead of possibly missing a recording, I recorded off the analog side. Now that I've got my replacement unit, I'm recording off the digital side again and haven't had a problem.

rosej, I don't think anyone has tried replacing the HDD since the 3575 is so new.

On your other question, the FW data screen can be accessed by pressing SKIP-1-2-3. A grey screen pops up with a list of model and FW version data.

While in that screen, you can also use a neat utility that is unique among DVDRs: if you arrow right, you can use the next screen to identify the DVD disc type and manufacturer's ID (MID), which is good to know and check against the Classes listed in digitalfaq.com (http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm)... esp. good to know before using a new batch of discs for precious memories you want to last a long time.

Insert a DVD and let it load up and read the MID. Leave the screen up and check as many other blank or recorded discs as you want.

To exit, press the left arrow key back to the FW screen, then use ONLY the BACK key to exit, NOT the OK key... using the OK key on the FW screen will reset the 3575 to factory settings (which you might want to do sometime but only to clear a problem and start from scratch?).
Attn: wabjxo.. thanks for the info

FuzzyJCT and wabjxo,

Thanks for your comments. So far the programming has not been lost since I reprogrammed it a week ago. Maybe it was a brief power outage, we'll see.

I was concerned since I received my unit from Amazon and it had a pack date of April, but so far so good. I have not had a problem recording from the digital tuner, nor have I lost the channel programming.

Thanks,

When I record a program and look at the titles screen, it shows the time and date of the recording. Is there any way to make the machine show the program title as well? I hate having to remember what I recorded and having to play back some of the program to see what it is.

Thanks

When I record a program and look at the titles screen, it shows the time and date of the recording. Is there any way to make the machine show the program title as well? I hate having to remember what I recorded and having to play back some of the program to see what it is.

Thanks
There's an Edit Title Name function for changing the name
after a recording is finished, but there is no way to assign
a title name to a recording in advance.

There's an Edit Title Name function for changing the name
after a recording is finished, but there is no way to assign
a title name to a recording in advance.

Exactly, and this has to be one of the biggest blunders of intentional design that I have seen on a DVD recorder. Together with the lack of a 'replace' recording feature and the overall clunky timed recording navigation system, the 3575 represents a serious step backwards in the domain of time shifting.

This weakness alone tempts me each and every day to return the 3575 to the store I bought it from and to restore my trusty old E80H to full time usage, despite all the many other advantages this 'latest generation' DVD recorder brings to the table. :mad:

Exactly, and this has to be one of the biggest blunders of intentional design that I have seen on a DVD recorder. Together with the lack of a 'replace' recording feature and the overall clunky timed recording navigation system, the 3575 represents a serious step backwards in the domain of time shifting.

This weakness alone tempts me each and every day to return the 3575 to the store I bought it from and to restore my trusty old E80H to full time usage, despite all the many other advantages this 'latest generation' DVD recorder brings to the table. :mad:
I think you're right on this...no one should have to suffer through the pain you're in...not when you have an easy remedy!?

Hi folks! While I can't say I've read all 60 pages of this thread, it was most helpful in my decision to buy one of these Philips units. There were a couple things I caught that I can clear up (if they haven't been already):

1. HDTV pass-through on the RG6 works fine. More than fine, actually. I had no signal loss at all by passing the antenna through the DVDR3575H/75.

2. This is the important one: My box DOES do 16:9 correctly! I swear! I just finalized a few minutes of test HDTV footage from yesterday to a DVD+R disc, and popped it into my oldest DVD player and I swear to you it was full screen 16:9. I get true 16:9 when recording to the HDD, recording to DVD+R, *and* after the DVD+R has been finalized.

My user manual still states that it will record to 4:3, but they must have done something to the more recent units. My unit's pack date code is "35 August 2007".

I recorded a few minutes of an HD football game yesterday, which was probably 1080i since it was CBS. I suppose it's possible the unit has more trouble with the aspect ratio on different broadcasts, like perhaps 720p, but frankly I don't see how. I really think they changed something here. Talk about a pleasant surprise!!

Anyway, I love it. Sure, I would have rather had something that could record to the HDD and play back in true HD, but given the price and considering what other options there are (almost none unless you enjoy paying Tivo $180/yr), I think it's great.

If I had ONE complaint to make it would be the transcoding it uses against full HD signals. My Windows Media Center PC does a significanly better job crunching HD down to SD, but then again, it also take me 8+ hours to burn a DVD. Things like the on-screen graphics during the HD football game are overly sharp and just look bad. An algorithm tuned more for smoothness rather than sharpness would have been better ... in my opinion.

Anyway, thanks again for all the great information, and I'm sorry that so many people have had trouble with 16:9. Maybe Philips can update the firmware or something in the older units. Or maybe I'm just on crack. Either way, I'm happy!!! :D

I agree with you about the image quality coming from the 3575's tuner. It's a little disappointing. The OTA tuner in my Directv H20 receiver viewed through the 3575's s-video input has a noticeably clearer picture than the 3575's tuner on the same channel. Otherwise, I think the 3575 is great. I just use the external tuner for anything important. I especially like the convenience and excellent recording quality of the hard-drive, and chasing playback has turned out to be something I now consider a must-have feature.

Maybe this has been addressed before, but using the same OTA antenna, I've noticed I can get some digital/HD channels via the pass-through (recorder off or TV set to antenna) that I can't with the recorder's tuner and vice-versa. For instance, the recorder gives me nothing but blue screen for my local PBS stations.

I agree with you about the image quality coming from the 3575's tuner. It's a little disappointing. The OTA tuner in my Directv H20 receiver viewed through the 3575's s-video input has a noticeably clearer picture than the 3575's tuner on the same channel. Otherwise, I think the 3575 is great. I just use the external tuner for anything important. I especially like the convenience and excellent recording quality of the hard-drive, and chasing playback has turned out to be something I now consider a must-have feature.
This is interesting!

Since I would expect an HD tuner to show a better pic than the SD tuner in the 3575, the fact that you see a better HD pic thru the 3575's S-Video input *could* mean the 3575's line inputs pass thru an HD signal, just as it does thru the RF in/out!?

Altho the S-Vid line input is a "position" on the tuner, I'm wondering if those line inputs downconvert the HD signal ONLY to the recording system...i.e., like the RF in/out loop, could there also be a line-input loop that passes a raw signal but only downconverts when you "engage the recording system" (record thru the 480i system to the HDD or DVD drives)? This is even more possible if you consider the line inputs don't have to send the signal thru a channel "slot" on the tuner!?

I just realized one of my tests might bolster this theory: I was checking digital-channel stability by surfing thru the dig. channels and decided to start the tuner on an external input (E1, USB, etc.). After using the channel up/down button to do my digital surfing, every time I went back to the analog tuner, it was on an analog channel, not any of the external inputs I left the tuner on...it was always on a channel at the low or high end of the analog tuner. This might be an indication that selecting an external input "divorces" the tuner from a channel relationship and it becomes a pure pass thru? Using the channel up/down button might be "remarrying" the tuner to its previously blissful channel relationship???

And they lived happily ever after!

:D

Maybe this has been addressed before, but using the same OTA antenna, I've noticed I can get some digital/HD channels via the pass-through (recorder off or TV set to antenna) that I can't with the recorder's tuner and vice-versa. For instance, the recorder gives me nothing but blue screen for my local PBS stations.
Have you tried another Auto Channel Preset scan to see if your channel memory is "up to date" with current OTA conditions?

FuzzyJCT and wabjxo,

Thanks for your comments. So far the programming has not been lost since I reprogrammed it a week ago. Maybe it was a brief power outage, we'll see.

I was concerned since I received my unit from Amazon and it had a pack date of April, but so far so good. I have not had a problem recording from the digital tuner, nor have I lost the channel programming.

Thanks,

sparks11,

Out of curiosity, are you using your 3575 hooked up to an OTA antenna? Or are you get a QAM signal from your cable provider? I ask because the channel memory problem only seems to affect the QAM side of things. The OTA antenna doesn't experience the problem. So, if you are strictly over the air, then you shouldn't have a problem with losing the channel memory. Fwiw... my original unit also had an April pack date.

Sparks11 is on Cablevision I/O, whatever that is. What I'd like to know is if that's analog or digital cable?

Anybody have the Philips DVDR3545V - DVD recorder/ VCR combo? It's similar to the HDD of this thread, but since I have a Cablevision HD DVR, I figger the HDD is not necessary. I just bought one, when the price dipped to $200, but haven't put it thru its paces yet.

daloosh

This is interesting!

Since I would expect an HD tuner to show a better pic than the SD tuner in the 3575, the fact that you see a better HD pic thru the 3575's S-Video input *could* mean the 3575's line inputs pass thru an HD signal, just as it does thru the RF in/out!?

Altho the S-Vid line input is a "position" on the tuner, I'm wondering if those line inputs downconvert the HD signal ONLY to the recording system...i.e., like the RF in/out loop, could there also be a line-input loop that passes a raw signal but only downconverts when you "engage the recording system" (record thru the 480i system to the HDD or DVD drives)? This is even more possible if you consider the line inputs don't have to send the signal thru a channel "slot" on the tuner!?

I just realized one of my tests might bolster this theory: I was checking digital-channel stability by surfing thru the dig. channels and decided to start the tuner on an external input (E1, USB, etc.). After using the channel up/down button to do my digital surfing, every time I went back to the analog tuner, it was on an analog channel, not any of the external inputs I left the tuner on...it was always on a channel at the low or high end of the analog tuner. This might be an indication that selecting an external input "divorces" the tuner from a channel relationship and it becomes a pure pass thru? Using the channel up/down button might be "remarrying" the tuner to its previously blissful channel relationship???

And they lived happily ever after!

:D

Sorry if I misled you. Although the H20's S-video picture is better than the 3575's tuner, the H20's picture (through the 3575's S-video input) is not even close to HD. I have a separate component (HD) connection from the H20 directly to a different TV input. Through that connection an HD broadcast looks like HD (much better than the 3575's tuner or the H20's S-video output).

Sorry if I misled you. Although the H20's S-video picture is better than the 3575's tuner, the H20's picture (through the 3575's S-video input) is not even close to HD. I have a separate component (HD) connection from the H20 directly to a different TV input. Through that connection an HD broadcast looks like HD (much better than the 3575's tuner or the H20's S-video output).
No problem...just dreamin'. Forgot that the H20 downconverts the HD to SD to get it thru the analog S-Vid connection! Drats again! :D

Thanks for your responses with regard to Title change for recorded programs.

My cable provider is Cablevision in New Jersey. I/O refers to their digital offering, so I would think that when connecting my cable to the 3575 I am at least getting some digital channels. I'm not sure if they are all digital though since I can connect directly to my old TV and receive channels as well. I think for sure the HD channels must be digital. I have a Cablevision DVR on my 50" plasma and am using the 3575 connected to my 27" LCD TV.

If I use the internal tuner on the 3575, I can tune channel 2,4,5,7 and others in the analog tuner mode. If I use the digital tuning mode, I can tune these channels on 2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc.

I hope this answers the questions.

Thanks,

...I think for sure the HD channels must be digital...
Yes. All HD is digital.

My cable provider is Cablevision in New Jersey. I/O refers to their digital offering, so I would think that when connecting my cable to the 3575 I am at least getting some digital channels. I'm not sure if they are all digital though since I can connect directly to my old TV and receive channels as well. I think for sure the HD channels must be digital. I have a Cablevision DVR on my 50" plasma and am using the 3575 connected to my 27" LCD TV.
Curious again...what kind of connections for the DVR > plasma and 3575 > LCD, and how do the DVR and 3575 receive their cable feed?

Also wondering if you're taking advantage of the active RF passthru of the 3575's coax in/out loop?

Has anyone had a problem recording to the 3575 from a digital cable box, using audio/video inputs? (Problems as in some sort of copy-protection kicking in, either not allowing the 3575 to record something, or not allowing a transfer from the hard drive to a DVD?)

I'm on the verge of getting one, and would like to know what to expect. (Have been very pleased with my 3455, but that's only using analog cable. No box. With the 3575 I'm going for digital cable.)

Anyone had any problems with copy-protection on cable?

Have you tried another Auto Channel Preset scan to see if your channel memory is "up to date" with current OTA conditions?

Thanks. ;) Will do so tonight.

>>what kind of connections for the DVR> plasma

DVR is Scientific Atlantic cable box with DVR built in. I'm using the component out from the DVR to the plasma.


>>3575 > LCD

I'm trying to remember how I did this one. I'm pretty sure I'm using the component out of the 3575 to the LCD.


>>how do the DVR and 3575 receive their
cable feed?

DVR receives the cable directly. On the 3575 I first ran the cable to a splitter, then one side to the cable box and the other to the 3575. Cable box has a component out to the LCD as well. The LCD let's me choose which of the two component inputs I want to watch, cable directly from the box or signal from the 3575.


Also wondering if you're taking advantage of the active RF passthru of the 3575's coax in/out loop?

No, I'm not. When I was setting this whole thing up, I was actually getting myself a little confused and kept experimenting until I found something that worked. Is there any advantage to using the 3575's coax in/out loop?


Hope this is the info you wanted.

DVDR3575 Using the RF/Coax Passthru as a Built-in No-Loss Splitter

Note: This info applies to all DVDRs except for VCR/DVD combo units... their RF in/out works differently when the VCR is ON, so better to keep them out of the coax chain to your TV. Also, not all DVDRs have an "active" RF passthru.

With the 3575, you don't need a splitter to get separate incoming signals to other components, including your TV. The 3575 has an active RF passthru thru its ANTENNA IN/OUT loop...as long as the 3575 is plugged in (doesn't have to be on), it's passing thru the incoming cable/ant signal with either NO loss or a slight gain in signal strength.

A splitter has a minimum signal loss of -3.7dB from each output or, if a cheap unbalanced splitter, -3.7dB from one output and -7.4dB from the other. With a strong signal, that loss is not a lot, but every dB counts in some areas and in some systems. String a few splitters together to cover a whole house, esp. those with more than two outputs which have higher -dB loss, then you ARE talking about significant, cumulative signal loss.

Here's where many people don't take advantage of the pass-thru nature of their DVDR's ANT in/out coax loop... one less splitter everywhere you have a DVDR (w/o a VCR).

I've got straight analog cable, no box, with a 3575 and Pio 640 "daisy-chained" (connected together in series) on the incoming coax to the TV. My 3575 is first in the coax chain to take advantage of it active RF passthru.

My Pio 640's RF in/out loop is passive, so no signal boost from it. In fact, a passive loop reduces signal strength a little...less than -1dB, as reported by a testing web site tech.

See this post for more info on the test for active/passive passthru. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11838929&postcount=2065)

EVEN IF all your channels are scrambled, making the 3575 tuner useless, you should still connect the 3575 1st in line for the coax feed since its active passthru will add a little boost to the signal for downstream components.

Has anyone had a problem recording to the 3575 from a digital cable box, using audio/video inputs? (Problems as in some sort of copy-protection kicking in, either not allowing the 3575 to record something, or not allowing a transfer from the hard drive to a DVD?)

I'm on the verge of getting one, and would like to know what to expect. (Have been very pleased with my 3455, but that's only using analog cable. No box. With the 3575 I'm going for digital cable.)

Anyone had any problems with copy-protection on cable?
I haven't, but others on the forum seem to have copy problems. It may depend on your location and cable provider. I'm in NYC with TWC, and have sucessfully recorded (and dubbed) from most of the premium channels. I have an HD STB connected via composite cables to my 3537, and component cables from the 3575 to the TV. Never seen copy protection...

I did a search and didn't see this question asked...if it has, my apologies.

Does anyone know how to or if it is possible to connect the philips 3575's HDD to your home computer network?

I record shows on the HDD...then connect with my slingbox and am watching the shows remotely (streaming) and the quality is so-so. But, I thought if I could access the HDD files directly I could download the entire recorded programs to my PC and watch it in higher quality.

I live out of the country, so I wouldn't physically be able to burn the shows and pop the DVD into a computer either.

Thanks,
-mark

The idea with Slingbox is that it sends video from a local TV connection over the internet to a remote location, which could even be in another country. The classic use to to see TV from home while traveling.

Unfortunately there's no way to connect the 3575 to a computer network. The only way to transfer video in either direction is by burning to a physical DVD.

wabjxo,

Thanks for the info. The splitter I am using is high quality, and seems to work fine. I'll have to try using the "active" RF passthru. I didn't use it because I wasn't sure I'd be able to record one show while watching something else with the cable box.

Thanks.

Hi Everyone,

I received my recorder two days ago. Set it up last night...

Not doing so well from the get go...

When I ran the auto-tune (analog & digital) the unit stops at CH 117 and doesn't go any further...It never completes the tuning...

Any ideas why?

Thanks....

I've had that happen on a digital channel and it freezes there...no button seems to stop the scan. A couple of others have had the same problem on a digital channel. Not sure if anyone has found the reason. I'm on analog cable, which might be a cause...it's trying to cherry-pick digital channels out of an analog feed, where the cableco might not be sending the digital data (PSIP)???

The first person who reported this solved the problem by pulling the coax, so that's what I did. I think I remember, if you pull the coax while it's frozen on a problem channel, it will just pick up again with the scan. You may have to try to pull the cable before it hits the problem channel.

I think I tried several times after that and it finally passed thru the problem channel.

Anyone remember more exactly how to get by a problem digital channel?

:confused:

Circuit City has the 3575 in stock now! $289.99 w/Free Shipping. (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Philips-Hard-Disk-DVD-Recorder-DVDR3575H/sem/rpsm/oid/186585/catOid/-12876/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do)

I'll give that a try.

BTW J&R has them too. I went with them because they double box (although they charge for shipping). So, of course they decided to stop doing that and just put the box in a gray plastic bag...Oh well....the dents aren't too bad and no damage to the player...

Lesson learned...

Round and round we go. After being told by two different people in two different calls to Philips that a) there was no guarantee that a new boxed unit would have the problem fixed [digital tuner forgetting channels], regardless of pack date or serial number, and that b) the only way I could get the problem fixed for sure was to send the unit in for an actual repair, I just got a call today saying '...we won't have new units to ship till 10/29...'.

I said, gee, if all it took was an exchange to fix the problem, I had 90 days to exchange it at Walmart and I could have saved $20, a trip to UPS, and had the unit to use in the meantime.

Their response? '...Well you didn't talk to me... I'm just telling you what is written here...'.

But what about all the '...can only be fixed by a repair...' business?

Same answer.

So, bottom line, as friendly and helpful as the two folks I first talked to happend to be, they were, in fact, not stating the truth.

My advice, if you've got the problem, keep cycling units where you bought it... At least you'll save shipping.

Or, "Lessons Learned from my recent experiences"

I’ve been getting some excellent TV recordings on the 3575 which I’m converting to XVid avi files to avoid taking up a whole DVDR for one or two programs. I thought I’d share some lessons learned about the conversion process in case it helps someone else.

Background: My 3575 is connected to a digital HD satellite tuner via S-Video. I normally record TV programs to the HDD at SP quality, preferably from an HD channel with the tuner set to output anamorphic format for wide-screen programs (16:9 squeezed into the 4:3 SD frame). This give me best use of the maximum DVD resolution of 720 x 480. When an HD version is not available, I record from an SD channel, either 4:3 full screen or 16:9 embedded in a 4:3 frame with black bars above and below, depending on the program aspect ratio.

For recordings I’m going to convert to avi files on the computer, I don’t bother editing them on the 3575 – I just transfer them via High-Speed dub to DVD+RW, then import and edit them with TMPGEnc DVD Author on the computer. It’s not difficult to edit on the 3575, but TMPGEnc DVD Author is even more convenient, and it’s frame-accurate on the cuts. If I'm going to save the resulting edited DVD title, and it’s a wide-screen program, I would use IFOEdit to set the aspect ratio to 16:9 in the IFO file of the title set so that DVD players will display it automatically at the correct aspect ratio.

To convert to an avi file, I prefer to use one program that directly imports DVD titles and outputs an avi file in the final format. After experimenting with many alternatives, I usually come back to AutoGK. It’s slow because of the multiple passes it does, and it may seem quite complicated in operation because it invokes many separate background utility programs, but the quality and reliability is good. Some of the other DVD-to-avi converters I have tried are faster or simpler, but they have a lot of bugs and quirks, and the quality isn’t always the best. I normally use the latest XVid codec (DivX-compatible) for a good balance of compression, speed and quality.

Using AutoGK to convert the edited DVD title to an avi file is straightforward enough, but there are some key settings which are very important, depending on what your source video looks like.

If the source is an anamorphic 16:9 program recorded in a 4:3 frame at 720 x 480, you want to preserve the full resolution with no resizing for best quality. The only way to get AutoGK to do this is to use the Hidden Options screen, which you can display with Ctrl-F9. Check the “Override AR” box and select “Original”. That causes AutoGK to keep the original 720:480 = 1.5:1 aspect ratio instead of attempting to convert it to 4:3. You also have to un-check the box “Detect and force 4:3 when close”. The rest of the Hidden Options are fine, but on the Advanced settings from the main page you also need to select “Fixed Width = 720” in order to keep the full 720 x 480 resolution. This is also where you select the XVid codec. I normally select the “1/6 DVDR = 746 Mbyte” output file size for a one-hour TV program as a good compromise of size vs. quality with MPEG-4 compression if I’m going to keep the full 720 x 480 resolution. With these settings made, you can queue and start the conversion job. AutoGK will auto-detect whether the original source is 24 fps film or 30 fps video, and set the output frame rate appropriately. I’ve found that it’s best to go with AutoGK’s recommendation, as overriding it can produce very visible interlacing errors. On my system it takes about 2 hours to convert a 1 hour program, but I just leave it running in the background, or check the “Shut down system when done” box if I have to leave.

This produces an XVid avi file with the following characteristics: 720 x 480, 23.97 fps (assuming film source detected), 4:3 aspect ratio assumed. The original resolution has been preserved, and this will play back correctly on the 3575, assuming that your TV will stretch it to fill a 16:9 display if necessary. PC video players will display it on your computer screen at 720:480 = 1:5:1 aspect ratio though, since avi files have no 16:9 flag to hint to the player what the correct display aspect ratio should be. If you use a player with flexible zoom ratios like Zoom Player, you can adjust this manually. You can also use MPEG4Modifier to set the aspect ratio of the XVid video data stream within the avi file, but unfortunately most simple video players (like WMP) that lack flexible zoom ratios also don’t know anything about this embedded aspect ratio. The alternative is to let AutoGK resize the output to a true 16:9 aspect ratio like 720 x 416, but this would throw away some vertical resolution (remember that you can’t go wider than 720 if you want to be able to play the resulting file on the 3575).

For programs recorded from an SD channel which are not anamorphic, forget the above special settings and go with the AutoGK defaults. If the program is 16:9 wide screen embedded in a 4:3 frame with black bars above and below, AutoGK will detect this correctly and resize the output to 720 x 416, cutting away the black bars, which is what you want. This will also play back correctly on the 3575, although you may have to use Zoom on your TV to display it properly.

Good luck!

I just got the unit from Wally.com. I set it up, ran through the channel scan and now i'm having the follwing issues.

DTV channels
Some channels have video and no sound but when connected directly to my HD TV the channels are fine.

Some channels the programming doesn't match. ie: channel 62-1 on the TV shows a different program than channel 62-1 on the Philips.

Some times the channels will tune in and sometimes i just get a blue screen.

Video In S-Video
I'm using the inputs that i had connected to my Tosh which worked fine but on the Philips the picture is black and white. I double checked all the connections for proper fitting.

The unit has a July 2007 build date.

Any suggestions? I thought the tuner issue was resolved in the later build dates.

I just got the unit from Wally.com. I set it up, ran through the channel scan and now i'm having the follwing issues.

DTV channels
Some channels have video and no sound but when connected directly to my HD TV the channels are fine.

Some channels the programming doesn't match. ie: channel 62-1 on the TV shows a different program than channel 62-1 on the Philips.

Some times the channels will tune in and sometimes i just get a blue screen.

Video In S-Video
I'm using the inputs that i had connected to my Tosh which worked fine but on the Philips the picture is black and white. I double checked all the connections for proper fitting.

The unit has a July 2007 build date.

Any suggestions? I thought the tuner issue was resolved in the later build dates.
Yes, you need to go to the SETUP > Video > Video Input menu and change it from Video In to S-Video In. Obvious but have to ask: you do have the audio R/W cables reqd with an S-Vid connection installed in the AV IN jacks?

Are you on analog cable, digital cable, OTA, ???

And how are you connected to the incoming coax and to other components in your system?

Are you on analog cable, digital cable, OTA, ???

And how are you connected to the incoming coax and to other components in your system?

I have the S-Video solved. I did have S-Video selected in setup and had audio cables connected. I disconnedted my cable box from the power and plugged it back in to reboot it and i had color. Must have gotten some glitch or something that messed it up. Weird, never had this happen before but it's a Motorola Box which are terrible. It freezes up frequently.

I am on (ADC) digital cable. The cable now comes into the house to the Philips and then out and split to the tv and cable box. I wanted the strongest possible signal on the Philips to test it out. Since it's an active pass through i figured it would be strong enough for the box and tv. They seem to be ok. No boxing.

What is also strange, i'm picking up a couple channels on the Philips that aren't even offered in my Digital package, not even shown in the lineup offered in my area. I'm not complaining, just confused on that one.

Burnerbum, so it sounds like everything's working OK now?

I'm glad to hear you tried, and are successful with, the 3575's active passthru.

:)

In the course of experimenting with creating XVid avi files for the 3575, I discovered that it can't erase DVD+RW data discs. The Disc Edit menu item is disabled for data discs, including the disc erase function - probably an accidental oversight. You have to erase data RW discs on your computer in order for the 3575 to be able to initialize them. Not so good if someone gives you a DVD+RW with temporary avi file on it to watch, and then you want to erase it and re-use the disc in the recorder.

I just received my replacement unit for the april build unit that has the QAM channel loss issue. This replacement unit says its an August build. I connected it up and did a channel search on my comcast cable looking for all the stations. It went through the analog search fine then proceeded to find the digital ones. The problem now is that it gets all the way to channel 135 and just sit there. It never finishes the search no matter how long I wait. If I power it off and back on there are no digital channels. I am able to directly enter the channel number and it does tune it but will not be in memory. I called Phillips and talked to 3 different service people. Finally they gave me another number that deals with the shipping part. The told me to send it back but they are backordered again until later this month. I reminded them that I have had these issues since I bought it in May and now we are going into November. They did offer me a refund minus taxes but I really like all this machine can do and should do once they fix it. I did check to see if it had the latest software and it does match what they offer on their site. Back it goes as I sit patiently waiting for the next batch of machines. :mad:

It seems most people having problems are on Comcast and with analog cable (like me except TWC)...do you have analog or digital service?

ANyway, ch. 135 is the last digital channel. Several people have been getting "stuck" on a higher digital channel, incl. me (ch. 113), and the only way around it is to pull the coax before it gets to your problem digital channel.

When mine got stuck, I did that and it worked well enough to get the dig. channels up to that point. I repeated the scan one or more times (can't remember) and it finally got thru all the channels OK.

In the course of experimenting with creating XVid avi files for the 3575, I discovered that it can't erase DVD+RW data discs. The Disc Edit menu item is disabled for data discs, including the disc erase function - probably an accidental oversight. You have to erase data RW discs on your computer in order for the 3575 to be able to initialize them. Not so good if someone gives you a DVD+RW with temporary avi file on it to watch, and then you want to erase it and re-use the disc in the recorder.
I'm wondering if the computer program you used to create your +RW data disc might have "closed" the disc in a way that the 3575 interprets as "disc protection." That would deactivate the "Disc Erase" function.

Does the Disc Edit menu show "Disc Protect On > Off"? If so, it's Protected and can be changed easily to "Off > On"???

I'm wondering if the computer program you used to create your +RW data disc might have "closed" the disc in a way that the 3575 interprets as "disc protection." That would deactivate the "Disc Erase" function.

Does the Disc Edit menu show "Disc Protect On > Off"? If so, it's Protected and can be changed easily to "Off > On"???

As far as I am aware there is no such "protect disc" function on data DVDs - that feature is unique to the +VR video recording format.

In any case, as I said above, the Disc Edit menu item is disabled and cannot be selected or displayed at all for a data DVD+RW.

I think the designers at Funai decided that Disc Edit should be disabled for data DVDs, and both Funai and Philips just overlooked the problem that the Erase Disc function is on the Disc Edit menu, making it unavailable to erase data DVD+RWs. It does work for completely blank or computer-erased DVD+RWs, so only those with files on them can't be erased.

It seems most people having problems are on Comcast and with analog cable (like me except TWC)...do you have analog or digital service?

ANyway, ch. 135 is the last digital channel. Several people have been getting "stuck" on a higher digital channel, incl. me (ch. 113), and the only way around it is to pull the coax before it gets to your problem digital channel.

When mine got stuck, I did that and it worked well enough to get the dig. channels up to that point. I repeated the scan one or more times (can't remember) and it finally got thru all the channels OK.
I suspect that this problem is not unique to this DTV tuner.

I have seen at least three similar examples with three different HDTV STB tuners locking up on a high-numbered Comcast cable channel. In two cases I was able to use the dialog box on-screen to stop the channel scan just before the "bad" channel. In the other case I pulled the coax. One tuner (Samsung 260) did not get stuck there, but its predecessor (Samsung 451) did.

This reminds me of my early days with my brand new HDTV and some of the incompatbilities that sprung up with OTA HDTV channels as they expanded their HD capabilities over time, e.g., began to supply program guide data in their PSIP data. I communicated a lot with local station engineers and technicians to report problems and subsequent successes. The issues varied between brands and models of HDTV tuners, and all were eventually solved by the stations adjusting their config options to get a workable combination.

I recently had an issue with the local PBS channel OTA broadcasts locking up my HD TiVo boxes as soon as I tuned to their HDTV channel. It happened with two boxes every time. Then the problem was somehow solved in a few days and all has been normal since. I suspect some options that were changed in their transition from 1080i to 720p brought on the problem.

HDTV is far from being a stable environment, but compared to my late 1999 experiences, when I was new even though HDTV was a few years old, things are pretty darn stable for the most part in the OTA world and moving that way in the cable world. Within the last year, cable here finally provided the PSIP channel mapping data to allow us to tune in the famiiliar nn.n channel numbers instead of the constantly-changing native channels assigned and used within each cable head end system.

I think the cable providers' learning curves are way behind the OTA brodacasters when it comes to setting up clean and compliant options for each channel they deliver. I have not found anyone at Comcast who can even understand the problem, much less be able to troubleshoot and solve it.

Budget, thanks for that great explanation and additional info.

Just to remind 3575 users, to cancel an Auto Channel Preset scan, you press the BACK or SETUP button before you get to a "problem" channel.

Unfortunately, once you get "stuck" no buttons seem to work and you might have to pull the coax, turn it off, and try again. On at least one occasion, my 3575 has tried to restart the channel scan from where it left off, but I don't remember the exact steps I took to get back to normal, with digital channels memorized.:mad:

I did try pulling out the cable on channel 116 (Ch 117 was the problem child). It did work, although I think I lost Ch 118...Although, when I hit Ch 135 if froze yet again....So I redid the scan, disconecting the cable before Ch 117 and then Ch 135...

For some reason I can't get the same digital channels I can on my Sony TV. Sometimes I get a blue screen, other times I get a message that says "scramble program". I did find one channel at 94.2 instead of 94.3.

The problem is I can't find a way to just go from digital channel to digital channel. The +/- key just sends me to E1, E2 or USB...
I find I have to input the channel number. Not a good way to try to find channels...

Strange interface...

BTW My cable is analog & digital on the same coax...

Sounds as if you actually ended up with no channels in memory since the tuner only shows external inputs.

I'm assuming you subscribe to/pay for analog cable like me and getting some digital channels as a bonus? I think that may be one reason for freezing on a digital channel, plus what Budget_HT noted above re: the stability of cableco channels and freezing problems.

I'd like to see what happens when, instead of pulling the cable, you cancel the scan with the BACK or SETUP button just before it reaches your problem channel. Not sure if you'll end up with memorized channels (and ability to use the channel up/down buttons) or with NO digital channels. Worth a try, tho?

I know there's a way to get digital channels in memory even tho the scan freezes on a problem channel since I've done it...but I just can't remember all the steps I took to do that.

ANYONE ELSE WITH DIGITAL CHANNEL SCAN FREEZING WITH ADVICE THAT WORKS?

EDIT: I only get 6 digital video channels (+46 music channels not interested in) with my analog cable service, so I once or twice did an Analog (only) auto-scan, then Added my 6 digital video channels with the Manual Channel Preset menu (takes a few sec. for it to switch from "Delete" to "Add")...I believe that worked?

As far as I am aware there is no such "protect disc" function on data DVDs - that feature is unique to the +VR video recording format.

In any case, as I said above, the Disc Edit menu item is disabled and cannot be selected or displayed at all for a data DVD+RW.

I think the designers at Funai decided that Disc Edit should be disabled for data DVDs, and both Funai and Philips just overlooked the problem that the Erase Disc function is on the Disc Edit menu, making it unavailable to erase data DVD+RWs. It does work for completely blank or computer-erased DVD+RWs, so only those with files on them can't be erased.
Maybe you and Raphaelae should talk?

Raphaelae's post here talks about his DivX disc being locked/protected? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11896144#post11896144)

Maybe you and Raphaelae should talk?

Raphaelae's post here talks about his DivX disc being locked/protected? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11896144#post11896144)

He's talking about being unable to play a DVD-RAM disc with a DivX file on a Panasonic unit, not really a related problem I think.

If I cancel the scan at channel 135 the when I look to see what channels it found all I get it the external input selections which means it didnt memorize any of them. I dont know what comcast could be doing to cause the unit to hang on scanning but I definately think its Philips' problem.

I've had the 3575 for 3 days now. It seems to want to display ONLY in kind of a stretched out mode.

On my HDTV I have control over the way a signal is displayed: Panoramic, Full, and 2 others. But, when I switch to the DVR's tuner, I no longer have control over this.

This DVR doesn't seem to have a way to change the aspect ratio--so it appears to be a bit too big. Is this a result of the upconvert process? Can it be changed?

Also, I read that you could turn a splitter around and use it as a signal combiner. This did not work for me. I lost channels. I have OTA for digital and also an analog cable feed. I screwed them into the spliiters 2 OUTs, and used the IN to go to the DVR.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

On the pic size/aspect ratio, you can set the 3575 for your TV's aspect in the Setup > Video > TV Aspect menu.

I've tried splitters backwards and they don't work as combiners. Some people on OTA antennas have told me that combining signals from two sources is very "tricky" to do. Not sure what the answer is on that, but I'm on analog cable and I get a few excellent digital HD channels, as do several other 3575 users here. I'd try a single feed from your analog cable and see what you pick up with an Auto Channel Preset - Analog/Digital.

If I cancel the scan at channel 135 the when I look to see what channels it found all I get it the external input selections which means it didnt memorize any of them. I dont know what comcast could be doing to cause the unit to hang on scanning but I definately think its Philips' problem.
Earlier you said you got analog channels but it hung on ch. 135 on the digital tuner, and you could tune the digital channels directly? But now are you saying you get NO channels, even analog?

Assuming you mean you don't get any DIGITAL channels in memory after an Auto Channel Preset - Analog/Digital, but you do get analog channels, try a manual preset of the digital channels you know you get. Open the Setup > Channel > Manual Channel Preset menu, tune each digital channel using the number buttons, then select the "Add" option box...wait a few sec cuz it takes a little while for the selection to change from "Delete" to "Add."

You do have the incoming coax going directly to the ANT IN (RF in) on the 3575???

I've had the 3575 for 3 days now. It seems to want to display ONLY in kind of a stretched out mode.

On my HDTV I have control over the way a signal is displayed: Panoramic, Full, and 2 others. But, when I switch to the DVR's tuner, I no longer have control over this.

This DVR doesn't seem to have a way to change the aspect ratio--so it appears to be a bit too big. Is this a result of the upconvert process? Can it be changed?

Also, I read that you could turn a splitter around and use it as a signal combiner. This did not work for me. I lost channels. I have OTA for digital and also an analog cable feed. I screwed them into the spliiters 2 OUTs, and used the IN to go to the DVR.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

When you say OTA, I presume you mean an antenna signal.

I have a splitter connected backwards as a combiner for 2 antennas, but I do not think there is any way to combine the signals from an antenna and cable. They use different channel assignments. You can set the tuner to scan antenna channel assignments or cable channel assignments, but not both at the same time.

I have a question. I am a total noob at this stuff.

I am looking to purchase something like this. Can someone tell me how they set it up to get all the digital cable channels? There is no cable card slot on this, so how would you set it up to record digital cable channels?

On my HDTV I have control over the way a signal is displayed: Panoramic, Full, and 2 others. But, when I switch to the DVR's tuner, I no longer have control over this.

You didn't mention what type of connection to the TV you are using, but keep in mind that many HDTVs have less control over aspect ratio for digital (HDMI) inputs compared to analog (composite/S-Video/component) inputs. If you aren't able to get the result you want by setting the TV aspect ratio in the 3575 settings, and you're using HDMI, try component input instead.

I have a question. I am a total noob at this stuff.

I am looking to purchase something like this. Can someone tell me how they set it up to get all the digital cable channels? There is no cable card slot on this, so how would you set it up to record digital cable channels?

You connect the digital cable box to the recorder using either an S-Video cable with red/white audio cables, or yellow video cable wire + the red/white audio wires, and then record digital channels on the recorders' line input channel.
The ATSC tuner can receive digital channels if you use an HDTV antennae. Not sure if the free unscrambled digital signals from cable with be picked up. I'm thinking units with the QAM tuners only do that.

DVDR3575 Connecting Cables

Note: Satellite users need to consult their installation guide or setup manual for info. I think you can set up the same way as described here, but some people say you can't use the normal coax connection, while others say you can but it's "better" thru a line connection, like the "AV IN" connectors on the back of a DVDR. :confused:

Connecting to Antenna or Cable Coax

Over-the-air (OTA) antenna and cable TV users (no box) who have some or all unscrambled channels should start by connecting the incoming coax to the 3575, then continue the coax on to downstream components, such as a cable box and TV.

The 3575's coax ANTENNA IN/OUT loop acts as a built-in, no-loss splitter. It feeds the 3575's tuner for watching or recording, AND it passes the raw incoming signal thru to downstream components thru the ANTENNA OUT. It is different from your old VCR because you can't watch anything internal from the 3575 (menus, tuner, HDD, DVD) thru its coax connection, no matter what channel your TV is on...you must use a LINE CONNECTION (composite, S-Video, component, or HDMI).

The IN/OUT loop is an "active" passthru, which means it maintains signal strength (as opposed to a separate splitter which loses strength) as long as the 3575 is plugged in...but it doesn't have to be on. You also don't have to have the 3575 on to watch TV thru its normal coax connection.

With the coax "daisy-chain" as described, you'll have two separate tuners, one in the 3575 and one in the TV (a third in the cable box if you have one and it also passes the coax signal thru like the 3575).

My coax is daisy-chained from my 3575 to a Pioneer DVR-640, then on to my TV. (The Pio 640 has a passive passthru, so no extra signal boost thru it, and why it's 2nd in line on the coax.)

Connecting to a TV

For watching TV thru the 3575 and/or cable box tuners, make separate line connections (composite, S-Video, Component or HDMI) from each component to separate TV inputs. S-Video and Component cables only carry video, so you'll also need L/R audio cables for those connections.

HDMI cable carries both video and audio. The 3575 has a default Setup option to use the HDMI cable for audio, but you can either turn that off if you use a separate audio connection to a receiver or, the lazyman's option, leave it on and turn TV volume down to zero, like I do.

If you have to convert your HDMI to DVI, use an adapter, but remember that DVI only carries video, no audio.

The passthru coax connection allows you to watch TV independently from the 3575 and the box w/o the 3575 being on and w/o selecting a TV line input. To watch anything internal from the 3575, switch to its line input on the TV.

Connecting to a Cable Box

To record channels from a cable box, run a line connection (composite or S-Video+L/R audio) from the box to AV IN (E1) on the back of the 3575. You can also connect to VIDEO + L/R AUDIO on the front of the 3575 (E2).

Connecting to VCR or Camera for Copying

To copy your VHS home movies to DVD, connect composite RCA (Y/W/R) or S-Video+L/R audio cables from a VCR output to AV IN or S-Video IN on the back of the 3575 (E1), if a cable box is not already hooked up there. If already occupied, connect composite cables to the VIDEO/AUDIO inputs on the front of the 3575 (E2).

For temporary connection of a video camera, connect composite cables to E2 or a DV cable to E3 on the front of the 3575.

The front connectors (E2/E3) are good choices for a camera or even a VCR that will not be "permanently" connected to the 3575. Also, connecting to E2/E3 leaves your back connection (E1) open for other, more-permanent components, such as a sat or cable box/DVR.

Best Cables/Connections to Use?

If you're on straight cable TV (no box) with a standard definition (SDTV) DVDR, don't hesitate to try digital composite cables for your connection to the TV since the signal you receive over the cable's single center wire is a compressed Composite signal.

Component or HDMI WILL give you a better pic when watching commercial DVDs since those are produced with Component video... only here will a SDTV system have a pure component transfer from source (DVD) to TV.

If you have a cable box, try as many connection types as you can to see which is best in your system. Your particular box may separate the video components cleanly enough that you'll see a noticeable difference, but the cable signal is still Composite, at least in my area... to "upgrade" to digital TV, my cableco rents a $7/mo. box they say I need but they don't do anything different to the signal coming into my house... they just remove a trap on the feed line that's now blocking certain "extended basic" analog cable channels.

If you're using satellite or an outside antenna (OTA), your source will be sending a Component signal, but only your sat/OTA receiver or DVR will be able to keep the components separated all the way to your TV. If your SDTV recorder attached to the box doesn't have Component inputs (few do), you'll still be combining those components thru the recorder's analog Composite inputs. If you're lucky enough to have a SDTV DVDR with Component inputs, you should get a totally AWESOME picture. But, back in the real world, don't be surprised if your sat/OTA signal is "not quite as good" when passed thru your SDTV recorder's tuner or Composite/S-Video inputs.

Wal-Mart and other B&M stores have a good selection of cables. For online cable purchase, Monoprice and Blue Jeans Cable, both sponsors of the AVS Forums (click their ad at top), make excellent cable. In all your cable purchases, make sure they say they're for "digital" use since they should have better construction, tighter tolerances, broader bandwidth, etc.

Some people haven't heard of "digital" Composite cables. An article by Blue Jeans Cable helps explain why the tighter tolerances and performance standards of digital cable make them a better choice than an analog cable. The article (http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/125179.html) says:

"Can analog cables be used in digital applications? Yes, up to a point; but the looser tolerances of older analog cable designs will limit their run lengths. Can digital cables be used in analog applications? Yes, absolutely; the same tight tolerances which make digital cables appropriate for digital applications make them superb for analog applications. One may not "need" the improvement, but it will never hurt, and can help."

For more info. on why composite cables may work well for our SDTV systems, here's an excerpt on composite video from projectorcentral.com:

"Composite video shows up everywhere these days. It is (except for HDTV) what comes over the air to your TV's antenna, or through the coaxial cable from your cable TV provider. The yellow "video" jacks on the back of your VCR, laserdisc player or DVD player all output composite video.

The good news is that it only takes one wire to carry a composite video signal. The bad news is that the display system, whether it's a television or projector, needs to un-compress the composite signal, restore it to its original three-signal component video format, and then derive from that the RGB information for final display.

The problem is that picture information is lost when component video is compressed into composite format. Furthermore, once you pack luminance (Y) and chrominance (C) information into one signal, it cannot ever be separated cleanly again. So when the television or projector tries to convert the composite signal back to component video, it can't recover the entire original signal. The result is that the final video image on the screen is diminished—the picture is not as crisp and clean, and the colors aren't as accurate and rich as they would have been had the composite video compression been avoided."

Notice that "HDTV" is excluded from the quote above since HDTV lives in the totally different world of Component TV... there is no valid or useful comparison between HDTV and SDTV except HDTV is better! ...duh!

Use a SMALL Wrench to Snug-Up Connector Nuts

On every connection that has a nut to tighten, use a SMALL wrench to add just a LITTLE extra tightening at the end. Especially important on all splitter connections. :eek:

Don't use a large wrench, pliers or any FORCE at all...just a final snug-up with finger tips on wrench.

I use a small, 6" Crescent wrench. (I had interference once that was caused by an RF/coax input line that I finger-tightened, but I moved the DVDR several times for tests, etc., and it had come loose only about 1/100 of a turn...just enough to cause interference ("scratchiness") in my picture.

For People with ALL Scrambled Channels

If ALL your channels are scambled, the 3575's tuner is useless, so you won't need a coax input on the 3575 and could start with the box. Then the line connection between the box and the 3575, mentioned above, is all you need to record a scambled channel on the 3575, plus its line connection to the TV to watch your recording on the 3575, also as mentioned above.

On 2nd thought, even w/all scrambled channels, why not keep the 3575 1st in line for the incoming coax just for the "boost" in signal strength its active passthru will give to the box and other downstream components? Those downstream components won't even know the 3575 is there, but they might benefit from the active passthru!

:D

Ah ok, now it makes more sense. I have another question: This will work with an HDMI switch right? Because my TV has only 1 HDMI input, and it's being used by my Moto STB.

Also, my dad wants to convert our old VHS tapes to DVD. Do you still recommend this model? Or is there one other model that combines both a VHS and a DVD recorder, with DVR functionality? I know this is a lot, but I think one of these exists.

If I cancel the scan at channel 135 the when I look to see what channels it found all I get it the external input selections which means it didnt memorize any of them. I dont know what comcast could be doing to cause the unit to hang on scanning but I definately think its Philips' problem.
Yes the analog channels are in memory but the digitals are not. I have added them in manually and I believe they stay but need to double check. Also the cable is going directly into the recorder.

Ah ok, now it makes more sense. I have another question: This will work with an HDMI switch right? Because my TV has only 1 HDMI input, and it's being used by my Moto STB.

Also, my dad wants to convert our old VHS tapes to DVD. Do you still recommend this model? Or is there one other model that combines both a VHS and a DVD recorder, with DVR functionality? I know this is a lot, but I think one of these exists.
The 3575 has HDMI so I suppose it should work with a switch???

I've copied tapes from my existing VHS machines with no problem and the picture is improved compared to the original. One of my wife's std 8-mm cruise tapes had a night scene with black sky...the original had lots of little dropouts which virtually disappeared on the 3575's copy from the tape.

Menus and editing on the 3575 is the easiest of any machines I have and it does a good job. There's one "bug" that causes problems if you Divide a title, then try to Delete Scenes (which is the most used of any editing functions). The solution is simple, however, just Delete Scenes first, then Divide the title if needed (Dividing is not a highly used function, mostly for two shows recorded together and such).

I've posted simple procedures for editing the beginning and end of a title, whcih can be a "mystery" sometimes, i.e., knowing how to catch the very first and last frame when you want to delete the beginning or end of a title...very simple to do with the 3575.

You could get a unit with a VCR but once you copy all your precious memories from tape, you might find, like me, that job is olut-of-sight and out-of-mind...the occasional tape transfer for relatives and friends is all I do now. If you have at least one good VCR, you'll be fine.

Ok so this is the model that I should get: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-DVDR3575H-37-Upscaling-Built/dp/B000P76KXY

Ok so this is the model that I should get: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-DVDR3575H-37-Upscaling-Built/dp/B000P76KXY
Yes, and there are only 4 left (until they receive
the next shipment). :)

Ok so this is the model that I should get: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-DVDR3575H-37-Upscaling-Built/dp/B000P76KXY
Circuit City also has them at $289.99 w/free shipping. (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Philips-Hard-Disk-DVD-Recorder-DVDR3575H/sem/rpsm/oid/186585/catOid/-12876/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do)

Yep, now I just have to convince my father to buy it :/

He's the one that wants something like this, but he doesn't know what to get...

I have Charter Cable as my service provider. When I do a channel scan on the 3575H I get a few mysterious digital channels. For example if one of these channels is showing a movie that I can identify I would go to the cable box channel guide and try to find which channel the movie is playing on. Strangely I cant find any channel playing that movie. I'm guessing that it's a VOD (Video on Demand) channel. Now here's the real weird part. As I'm watching the movie it will randomly switch to another movie and at times fast forward on it's own as if someone else is controlling it. Other times it will say it's scrambled or just go blue screen. Has any one else experienced this?

I've read of one person who regularly watched premium/VOD content his neighbor(s) were paying for...no control, like you, just had to watch. Must be some oversight by the cableco or ....?

That's actually a very common situation. I don't think it's been brought up here so much because QAM tuners in DVD recorders are relatively new. But over in the HDTV Recorders, Hardware and Programming subforums, it's been discussed for as long as VOD's been around.

(You can learn a lot about your neighbors through their viewing habits!)

Funny you mention that. I actually get the Adult channel now and then. Now which neighbor could it be?
:D

Probably turn out to be the one you'd least suspect. ;)

I purchased a 3575H and am unhappy already. After the set up that went well. I have a picture that will only play in 1080i in zoom or widescreen. I have Comcast digital cable from Romeoville,IL. The coax cable (no STB) runs from the wall to the 3575H's rf in. It then runs from the 3575H's rf out to a Vizio VX32L(lcd tv) rf's in. The two are connected via HDMI cable. When the 3575H is turned on the Vizio plays the picture at 16:9 in either widescreen or zoom. The aspect ratios in both on screen guides are set to 4:3. The problem is the Vizio offers 4 modes panoramic, zoom, normal or wide. The 2 features, normal and panoramic, are not options with the 3575H turned on. In wide or zoom the picture is distorted by either cutting off part of the picture or or making everything fat in widescreen. There is no option to run the vizio in 720p or 480p. The picture is terrible. Any thoughts about fixing this problem?

I purchased a 3575H and am unhappy already. After the set up that went well. I have a picture that will only play in 1080i in zoom or widescreen. I have Comcast digital cable from Romeoville,IL. The coax cable (no STB) runs from the wall to the 3575H's rf in. It then runs from the 3575H's rf out to a Vizio VX32L(lcd tv) rf's in. The two are connected via HDMI cable. When the 3575H is turned on the Vizio plays the picture at 16:9 in either widescreen or zoom. The aspect ratios in both on screen guides are set to 4:3. The problem is the Vizio offers 4 modes panoramic, zoom, normal or wide. The 2 features, normal and panoramic, are not options with the 3575H turned on. In wide or zoom the picture is distorted by either cutting off part of the picture or or making everything fat in widescreen. There is no option to run the vizio in 720p or 480p. The picture is terrible. Any thoughts about fixing this problem?
The default setting in the Setup > Video > TV Aspect is 4:3 Letter Box. Did you try changing that to 16:9 Wide?

Also, are you selecting the best output for your TV on the 3575 using the "HDMI" button?

And are you selecting the correct input on the TV (HDMI I assume)...as opposed to the RF input (Ant In or whatever it's called on your TV).

Thanks, the HDMI button was the cure. I am very leary of HDD units. Had a DMREH-55 in which the HDMI circuit failed 3 times and had to get a refund on because the fixes didn't work and is no longer produced. Getting to know this unit takes a little time. It's a lot different than the Panasonic. The Panasonic was a lot faster and more intuitive.

Wal-Mart online has the 3575 in stock again, $298 + free shipping to store. (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5663214)

(Reports of its premature death at Wal-Mart were greatly exaggerated.)

So, with both Circuit City and Wal-Mart having these available, what is the best way to ensure that a customer gets the newest software when they order this unit?

My July unit has the latest FW and people have been reporting that they are receiving August 2007 units. Odds are pretty good they will be the latest, but no guarantees. The latest FW is posted online however just in case (not anything major in it anyway).

I'd like to think the on-again, off-again availability of the 3575 has been due to Philips reloading their supply chain with up-to-date units? :) :D

I purchased a 3575H and am unhappy already. After the set up that went well. I have a picture that will only play in 1080i in zoom or widescreen. I have Comcast digital cable from Romeoville,IL. The coax cable (no STB) runs from the wall to the 3575H's rf in. It then runs from the 3575H's rf out to a Vizio VX32L(lcd tv) rf's in. The two are connected via HDMI cable. When the 3575H is turned on the Vizio plays the picture at 16:9 in either widescreen or zoom. The aspect ratios in both on screen guides are set to 4:3. The problem is the Vizio offers 4 modes panoramic, zoom, normal or wide. The 2 features, normal and panoramic, are not options with the 3575H turned on. In wide or zoom the picture is distorted by either cutting off part of the picture or or making everything fat in widescreen. There is no option to run the vizio in 720p or 480p. The picture is terrible. Any thoughts about fixing this problem?

The problem is not the recorder but the visio. It only allows two modes for HDMI but 4 with component (and everything else). Also, the visio does not allow PIP with HDMI input if it is progressive. The recorder sends it as 1080p through HDMI out. So add component inputs to the visio from the recorder (as well as HDMI) and select component if you want to change aspect four ways (usually SD), or use PIP. Use HDMI as the input if HD or widescreen.

I have Charter Cable as my service provider. When I do a channel scan on the 3575H I get a few mysterious digital channels. For example if one of these channels is showing a movie that I can identify I would go to the cable box channel guide and try to find which channel the movie is playing on. Strangely I cant find any channel playing that movie. I'm guessing that it's a VOD (Video on Demand) channel. Now here's the real weird part. As I'm watching the movie it will randomly switch to another movie and at times fast forward on it's own as if someone else is controlling it. Other times it will say it's scrambled or just go blue screen. Has any one else experienced this?

I have the EXACT same situation here. I find movies that aren't listed anywhere in my cable. But i also recieve a couple of channels that aren't even offered in my area. And of course, the adult content. Even the FF on some programs. But the other thing that is strange is i have a QAM tuner in my tv and some of the channels the tv picks up are different than the Philips. Example. channel 62-1 on the tv shows a completely different show than channel 62-1 on the Philips. On the Philips the channel up/down button also misses some stations when i use it. It's like they dissappeared but i can tune to them directly (sometimes they are gone). For a week i had all the Showtime channels on my TV tuner, even the HD station but now they are gone. I guess the cable co found out they were letting them through and blocked them. by the way, this is with Comcast cable. One night i set the timer to record 2 programs. The next day i checked and the recorder did record the correct channel set but the programs were completely different than what set it for. I'm trying to make a channel list for the Philips but it keeps changing.

But the other thing that is strange is i have a QAM tuner in my tv and some of the channels the tv picks up are different than the Philips. Example. channel 62-1 on the tv shows a completely different show than channel 62-1 on the Philips. On the Philips the channel up/down button also misses some stations when i use it. It's like they dissappeared but i can tune to them directly (sometimes they are gone). For a week i had all the Showtime channels on my TV tuner, even the HD station but now they are gone. I guess the cable co found out they were letting them through and blocked them. by the way, this is with Comcast cable. One night i set the timer to record 2 programs. The next day i checked and the recorder did record the correct channel set but the programs were completely different than what set it for. I'm trying to make a channel list for the Philips but it keeps changing.
This post by Budget_HT helped me understand the QAM channel situation better. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10674451&postcount=235)

Ok, I've tried the "pull the cable off to get by the trouble stations (117 & 135)"

But I only wound up with 3 stations in memory...2 were "blue screens" and one was ok. Funny thing is, it missed the one station (CW11) that I can input in directly and get...

Yet, my TV picks up many digital stations without a problem.

My unit is an August build with the latest software.

I'm going to call Philips and see if they can help. If not I'll return the unit. Without a WORKING digital tuner it's useless to me...

NoPlasmaYet, On the previous page when we were trying to figure out what to do, I added a note that you might not have seen...wondering if you tried this:

"EDIT: I only get 6 digital video channels (+46 music channels not interested in) with my analog cable service, so I once or twice did an Analog (only) auto-scan, then Added my 6 digital video channels with the Manual Channel Preset menu (takes a few sec. for it to switch from "Delete" to "Add")...I believe that worked?"

Since you've already done a partial scan for digital channels, you can prob. go directly to the Manual Channel Preset menu, where you can go thru each digital channel and see if it tunes, then "Add" those that tune. You prob. won't be able to use the channels your TV receives since those are prob. different from what the 3575 tuner will pick up...see the link to the Budget_HT post I gave 2 posts above (#2181).

"Tuner Issues
Maybe this has been addressed before, but using the same OTA antenna, I've noticed I can get some digital/HD channels via the pass-through (recorder off or TV set to antenna) that I can't with the recorder's tuner and vice-versa. For instance, the recorder gives me nothing but blue screen for my local PBS stations."

Have you tried another Auto Channel Preset scan to see if your channel memory is "up to date" with current OTA conditions?

Thanks. Tried it that evening and regained the PBS channels, but lost another set of digital channels I had had before the auto-scan. Strange.

Thanks. Tried it that evening and regained the PBS channels, but lost another set of digital channels I had had before the auto-scan. Strange.
Have you tried the Manual Channel Preset?

You can enter channel #s directly if you know their numbers and switch the checkbox from "Delete" to "Add"...takes a few sec to switch. Just need to add the basic "major" channel #, like "38", and it will pick up all the sub-channels.

Have you tried the Manual Channel Preset?

You can enter channel #s directly if you know their numbers and switch the checkbox from "Delete" to "Add"...takes a few sec to switch. Just need to add the basic "major" channel #, like "38", and it will pick up all the sub-channels.

Tried that after the auto-scan and just got blue screen. The only reason I noticed the PBS not working is that I was thinking about recording some of the new Ken Burns "The War" documentary.

Does anyone know if a firmware update is in the works for any of the issues that have been presented in this forum thread? Or, has it been decided (by Philips) that only a unit repair or replacement will resolve any or all of them?

Since I haven't tried many of the more advanced features of this unit (scene deletion, etc.), my only issue at the moment is still the red bias in the picture via the HDMI output through the tuner (previously mentioned as a possible downconverting issue from HD to SD - Waxbjo?).

Does anyone know if a firmware update is in the works for any of the issues that have been presented in this forum thread? Or, has it been decided (by Philips) that only a unit repair or replacement will resolve any or all of them?

Since I haven't tried many of the more advanced features of this unit (scene deletion, etc.), my only issue at the moment is still the red bias in the picture via the HDMI output through the tuner (previously mentioned as a possible downconverting issue from HD to SD - Waxbjo?).
From people who have talked directly with Philips CS, it appears it isn't a FW issue but a HW issue. To be "assured" of a HW fix, it appears you have to call them for a replacement. I guess no one knows for sure if later (Aug, Sep) will have the HW fix.

"Analog interference" has been mentioned, which might make some sense since most problems are with people (like me) on analog cable "stealing" digital channels from that feed. OTA and digital cable/sat people seem to have little or no problems along the same lines.

Is your unit an August 2007?

You didn't mention what type of connection to the TV you are using, but keep in mind that many HDTVs have less control over aspect ratio for digital (HDMI) inputs compared to analog (composite/S-Video/component) inputs. If you aren't able to get the result you want by setting the TV aspect ratio in the 3575 settings, and you're using HDMI, try component input instead.
Thanks amesdp. I tried changing the DVR's aspect ratio to both of the other choices than 16x9, but there was no change through the HDMI to my JVC HDILA.

I'm shocked it doesn't have the same controls as the other connections do. I'm going to try component to the TV since having part of the image cut off is irritating--plus I know component allows me to change the aspect ratio.

Thanks amesdp. I tried changing the DVR's aspect ratio to both of the other choices than 16x9, but there was no change through the HDMI to my JVC HDILA.

I'm shocked it doesn't have the same controls as the other connections do. I'm going to try component to the TV since having part of the image cut off is irritating--plus I know component allows me to change the aspect ratio.
Have you tried the "HDMI" button on the remote (top left, 2nd row) and gone thru those options (with the 3575's "TV Aspect" set for 16:9)?

Thanks kenavs. I am trying to combine OTA Digital with Cox analog cable. I tried two different 1GHz combiners--neither worked. AND, I never got a single digital channel. The result was several lost analog channels.

So, I am thinking about getting a "combiner" to see if that'll work. Otherwise--I've read here that when using a A-B switch you lose channels as well...

By the way, I've had my unit for 5 days now and the regular recordings I've done have been excellent and easy to program. It's freeing to not have to use a tape or a DVD to record. I've had a Liteon and a Sammy DVD recorder. The Liteon was a few years back and was terrible quality recordings and the Sammy was excellent, but kept getting hot, then it'd start messing up--not reading disks or recording.

So if anyone has a solution for OTA Digital combining with Cable Analog they've used successfully?

The first day I was messing with the remote and found that feature and cycled through them, but at that point I was just trying to explore every option on the DVR and not looking to solve a particular problem--so didn't really notice. Now that I am fully aware of the aspect problem, I'll go back and try that again tonight.

Thanks Wabjxo.

From people who have talked directly with Philips CS, it appears it isn't a FW issue but a HW issue. To be "assured" of a HW fix, it appears you have to call them for a replacement. I guess no one knows for sure if later (Aug, Sep) will have the HW fix.

"Analog interference" has been mentioned, which might make some sense since most problems are with people (like me) on analog cable "stealing" digital channels from that feed. OTA and digital cable/sat people seem to have little or no problems along the same lines.

Is your unit an August 2007?

No. Surprising to me, since it was purchased on Circuitcity.com on 8/21/07, after they had just received a new shipment, it has an April 2007 build date.

No. Surprising to me, since it was purchased on Circuitcity.com on 8/21/07, after they had just received a new shipment, it has an April 2007 build date.
April units on analog cable have a greater chance of having "analog interference"...one of mine does, but in normal use, it's fine...I have to surf digital channels fast many times to make it go "blue-screen." Never fails to start on a digital channel or not record from timer program.

Anyway, you might be best served by either returning your unit for refund, or calling Philips and let them replace it with a known good unit? From others' experience, odds are a replacement from Philips will be OK.

I got one of these DVDR3575 DVRs last week. too many problems with it. My Pioneer blows it away, too bad it's no longer made.

Anyway, aside from the same probs others are having (like aspect that's not right, HDMI start-up problems with audio, etc).

This unit randomly changes digital channels:

At random times. when watching or recording a DTV channel. the unit will suddenly switch to channel 2.1 for about a minute, then switch back. Interestingly, the channel number on the Philips unit does not change. If I watch the same digital channel on the HDTV, the channel does not switch.

Also, the upscaling is very misleading. This unit only has an SD tuner, even though it tunes in HD channels. Apparently, it downscales the channels to SD, then upscales them back for HDMI out. I guess that's how they get around the Digital copyright stuff.

But I have had problems with every Philips piece I've ever had, and this is no different. Too bad.

I'm waiting for Pioneer to come to their senses...

I got one of these DVDR3575 DVRs last week. too many problems with it. My Pioneer blows it away, too bad it's no longer made.

Anyway, aside from the same probs others are having (like aspect that's not right, HDMI start-up problems with audio, etc).

This unit randomly changes digital channels:

At random times. when watching or recording a DTV channel. the unit will suddenly switch to channel 2.1 for about a minute, then switch back. Interestingly, the channel number on the Philips unit does not change. If I watch the same digital channel on the HDTV, the channel does not switch.

Also, the upscaling is very misleading. This unit only has an SD tuner, even though it tunes in HD channels. Apparently, it downscales the channels to SD, then upscales them back for HDMI out. I guess that's how they get around the Digital copyright stuff.

But I have had problems with every Philips piece I've ever had, and this is no different. Too bad.

I'm waiting for Pioneer to come to their senses...

I don't know of any aspect ratio or audio problems with the Philips 3575. And Pioneer doesn't even have a model with a digital tuner, so it's a bit difficult to compare, isn't it?

But I have had problems with every Philips piece I've ever had, and this is no different.
I didn't see any questions you had or requests for help, but I have one question:

If you've had problems with every Philips piece you've ever had, what possessed you to buy another one?

O.k. so I'm home and using the HDMI button--no noticeable difference. There is apparent overscan and stretching of the faces to fill the screen. I think I'll try component tomorrow.

O.k. so I'm home and using the HDMI button--no noticeable difference. There is apparent overscan and stretching of the faces to fill the screen. I think I'll try component tomorrow.
What setting do you have in the Setup > Video > TV Aspect menu?

I got one of these DVDR3575 DVRs last week. too many problems with it. My Pioneer blows it away, too bad it's no longer made.

Anyway, aside from the same probs others are having (like aspect that's not right, HDMI start-up problems with audio, etc).

This unit randomly changes digital channels:

At random times. when watching or recording a DTV channel. the unit will suddenly switch to channel 2.1 for about a minute, then switch back. Interestingly, the channel number on the Philips unit does not change. If I watch the same digital channel on the HDTV, the channel does not switch.

Also, the upscaling is very misleading. This unit only has an SD tuner, even though it tunes in HD channels. Apparently, it downscales the channels to SD, then upscales them back for HDMI out. I guess that's how they get around the Digital copyright stuff.

But I have had problems with every Philips piece I've ever had, and this is no different. Too bad.

I'm waiting for Pioneer to come to their senses...

Since this is your first post and you even get the problems wrong, my guess is you are an anti-Phillips troll. Or an electronics masochist.

...I'm waiting for Pioneer to come to their senses...
You'll probably have a long wait...

But I have had problems with every Philips piece I've ever had, and this is no different. Too bad.
I'm waiting for Pioneer to come to their senses...

Since this is your first post and you even get the problems wrong, my guess is you are an anti-Phillips troll. Or an electronics masochist.

I'm guessing the former :D

I'd love for Pioneer to come to their senses. But I also bought the Phillips as I can't hold my breath that long!

Well,

Last night I gave it another shot. I ran the autotune, disconnected the cable before Ch 117 and then Ch 135...

When it was done I was surprised (delighted?) to see I had some digital channels...I started to scroll thru them...after I got past the second one I went into nothing but blue screens...

So, I went back to the first channel I saw (just moments ago) this too, was now just a blue screen and so was the second channel...

There's a problem here and it's with the Philip's tuner...

I'm just not sure a new unit would correct the problem though...Perhaps it's just a bad design? Or is it just a quality control issue?

Well,

Last night I gave it another shot. I ran the autotune, disconnected the cable before Ch 117 and then Ch 135...

When it was done I was surprised (delighted?) to see I had some digital channels...I started to scroll thru them...after I got past the second one I went into nothing but blue screens...

So, I went back to the first channel I saw (just moments ago) this too, was now just a blue screen and so was the second channel...

There's a problem here and it's with the Philip's tuner...

I'm just not sure a new unit would correct the problem though...Perhaps it's just a bad design? Or is it just a quality control issue?
I've posted twice on something you should try and so far doesn't look as if you have.

Please read this post. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11908006#post11908006)

I'm guessing the former :D

I'd love for Pioneer to come to their senses. But I also bought the Phillips as I can't hold my breath that long!
Nicholas, I posted in another thread where you said you used a splitter with one leg to the 3575 and one to the TV.

You don't need a splitter...please check this out. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11876263&postcount=2126)

Nicholas, I posted in another thread where you said you used a splitter with one leg to the 3575 and one to the TV.

You don't need a splitter...please check this out. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11876263&postcount=2126)

Well I like running the RF out of the 3575 to Antenna B of my TV. I don't use PIP much, but I like the ability to:D. I'm curious though. If I hook it up like you suggest, Cable -> 3575 -> TV, can I watch TV while recording? I suppose it's like a VCR in that respect? I could test it, I've just never thought about it until now.

I suppose it'd be good to eliminate the splitter. I will stop recommending that to people!:)

I've posted twice on something you should try and so far doesn't look as if you have.

Please read this post. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11908006#post11908006)

I did try that...I fact I tried to add a channel that worked a couple of days ago and now it doesn't...

Methinks there are issues with the digital tuner in this unit...I haven't been able to contact Philips yet, but I'll try them first...If they can't offer, at least, a reason why this is happening, I'll return the unit.

Wal-Mart online has the 3575 in stock again, $298 + free shipping to store. (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5663214)

(Reports of its premature death at Wal-Mart were greatly exaggerated.)

The Wal-Mart in my town has only had one on the shelf for months (display item). I checked this past weekend and they had a mark on the shelf sticker with "DELETED" written on it. They had just gotten in a shipment and all the other units had plenty of boxes, but still none for the 3575. So at least one wal-mart has dropped it.

I've been following this thread for a long time and am still on the fence of whether to get one or not. The exchange policy at wal-mart was one very positive point. walmart.com shows them out of stock, but the "find one at a store near you" function says there is a store 25 miles away that has them. I guess I better jump on that this weekend if I want to give this unit a try.

Rob

Well I like running the RF out of the 3575 to Antenna B of my TV. I don't use PIP much, but I like the ability to:D. I'm curious though. If I hook it up like you suggest, Cable -> 3575 -> TV, can I watch TV while recording? I suppose it's like a VCR in that respect? I could test it, I've just never thought about it until now.

I suppose it'd be good to eliminate the splitter. I will stop recommending that to people!:)
Yes, you can watch TV normally w/o turning the 3575 on. I think you'll like using the passthru and may even notice a slightly improved picture.

You should still be able to PIP with each unit having a separate connection to the TV, shouldn't you?

The Wal-Mart in my town has only had one on the shelf for months (display item). I checked this past weekend and they had a mark on the shelf sticker with "DELETED" written on it. They had just gotten in a shipment and all the other units had plenty of boxes, but still none for the 3575. So at least one wal-mart has dropped it.

I've been following this thread for a long time and am still on the fence of whether to get one or not. The exchange policy at wal-mart was one very positive point. walmart.com shows them out of stock, but the "find one at a store near you" function says there is a store 25 miles away that has them. I guess I better jump on that this weekend if I want to give this unit a try.

Rob
I check Wal-Mart and Circuit City regularly and I notice that Wal-Mart online will have the unit "IN STOCK" for several hours then "OUT OF STOCK" for several hours, etc., etc.? They'll deliver it to your nearest store, where you can also return it if you don't like it...one advantage from getting it from Wal-Mart.

I did try that...I fact I tried to add a channel that worked a couple of days ago and now it doesn't...

Methinks there are issues with the digital tuner in this unit...I haven't been able to contact Philips yet, but I'll try them first...If they can't offer, at least, a reason why this is happening, I'll return the unit.
You might have a defective unit since it doesn't hold channel memory for even one cycle thru the channels... or
if you're on analog cable, your cableco may not be sending its digital channels in the same clear feed like mine is... or
your setup may be such that the 3575's not getting a strong-enough signal? Did I already ask how your 3575 is getting its raw cable feed?

Yes, you can watch TV normally w/o turning the 3575 on. I think you'll like using the passthru and may even notice a slightly improved picture.

I'm talking about watching channel 13 while recording channel 23.

I'll have to try the pass-through deal tonight when I get home.

I'm talking about watching channel 13 while recording channel 23.

I'll have to try the pass-through deal tonight when I get home.
Yes, using the 3575's RF passthru gives you two independent tuners, 3575 and TV, which can be used independently.

Yes, using the 3575's RF passthru gives you two independent tuners, 3575 and TV, which can be used independently.

Thanks wabjxo!

Played my first burnt dvd from the 3575 through my computer DVD and sound was there but had to set volume on computer at maximum. The picture quality was perfect.
What sound/volume settings should be used when recording to HDD and when dubbing to DVD?
The sound is find when the disk is played back through the unit or another DVD player. The volume problem is only with the computer playback.

Played my first burnt dvd from the 3575 through my computer DVD and sound was there but had to set volume on computer at maximum. The picture quality was perfect.
What sound/volume settings should be used when recording to HDD and when dubbing to DVD?
The sound is find when the disk is played back through the unit or another DVD player. The volume problem is only with the computer playback.
Sounds as if your computer sound settings may need a look.

If you have Windows, look in the "Sounds and Audio Devices" Control Panel and see what settings those menus have. All mine are set on "High."

Also check the "Volume Control" in the Task Bar.

I should have of course mentioned all other DVDs play perfectly on my computer and the sound settings are correctly set. it would seem to be the the selection I've made on the 3575. I'll just experiment.......

I should have of course mentioned all other DVDs play perfectly on my computer and the sound settings are correctly set. it would seem to be the the selection I've made on the 3575. I'll just experiment.......
"Other DVDs playing fine" would have been nice to know! Good luck.

What setting do you have in the Setup > Video > TV Aspect menu?

16x9

16x9
Your TV has the four modes, as you mentioned, but it also has 2 modes (which you said you were limited to) called "EZ Fill"...might be something in the 2-mode EZ Fill setting (might be ON and mutually exclusive?)...just a WAG?

--Panorama, Cinema, Full and Regular Aspect Modes
--HD EZ Fill (Cinema Zoom and HD Panorama)

Thanks for your post mfm99

Finally another person who will not buy a machine and then pay a monthly fee for permission to use it. It just burns me to think TiVo and the Satellite systems get away with this rip off, and have sucked in so many people.

Wow, just joined the forum and I'm already off on a rant!

Anyway, I presume that if one purchases the Philips DVDR 3575H recorder, all of its functions can be used without having to pay the monthly "permission" fee. Is that correct? Do you know if that applies to all or most of the off- the-shelf HDD DVR units on the market? Thanks for your information.

...Anyway, I presume that if one purchases the Philips DVDR 3575H recorder, all of its functions can be used without having to pay the monthly "permission" fee. Is that correct?
Yes, except for encrypted ("scrambled") cable channels.
Do you know if that applies to all or most of the off- the-shelf HDD DVR units on the market? Thanks for your information.
There are only two other machines for sale in the US
that have both a HDD and a digital (ATSC) tuner,
with the Philips being the best.

I just received my Pioneer 950HD plasma (magnificent piece of Engineering) and was wondering how does the Phillips DVD recorder fair as a player? We chucked the VCR and my wife will use it to record her soap operas. Must I purchase a separate DVD player (not interested in BR or HD right now) to watch movies? I tried a non-progressive-scan DVD player and it looked ok, but was wondering will the up-scaling really add much picture quality and will the Philips unit suffice. I will probably get a HD player of some type in the future, when things settle down a bit.....thanks

Thanks for the info. Chuck44.

I just received my Pioneer 950HD plasma (magnificent piece of Engineering) and was wondering how does the Phillips DVD recorder fair as a player? We chucked the VCR and my wife will use it to record her soap operas. Must I purchase a separate DVD player (not interested in BR or HD right now) to watch movies? I tried a non-progressive-scan DVD player and it looked ok, but was wondering will the up-scaling really add much picture quality and will the Philips unit suffice. I will probably get a HD player of some type in the future, when things settle down a bit.....thanks
The 3575 is a good progressive player. It plays commercial DVDs with excellent quality via Component or HDMI. Altho it's HDMI will upconvert to 1080p it might not make any diff. if your fixed-pixel TV has a great scaler (prob. does). It also has some interesting features, like 0.8x and 1.3x playback with normal sound, several slo-mo speeds, skip and replay that works on commercial DVDs, a utility to check the manufacturer's ID (MID) of blank DVDs, etc.

The 3575 would be an excellent choice as your interim player/recorder until you go full HD with BR or HD-DVD.

Wmart no longer has the 3575 listed available online and few stores have it. Not good.

Wal-Mart now shows "NOT SOLD ONLINE". Only one of my local stores shows it in stock.

Circuit City still has it in stock for $289.99.

The 3575 is a good progressive player. It plays commercial DVDs with excellent quality via Component or HDMI. Altho it's HDMI will upconvert to 1080p it might not make any diff. if your fixed-pixel TV has a great scaler (prob. does). It also has some interesting features, like 0.8x and 1.3x playback with normal sound, several slo-mo speeds, skip and replay that works on commercial DVDs, a utility to check the manufacturer's ID (MID) of blank DVDs, etc.

The 3575 would be an excellent choice as your interim player/recorder until you go full HD with BR or HD-DVD.
Wabjxo.....thanks a million...what I did not say was I ordered one from CC and is sitting on my porch right now (oh no!!!)...thanks again

Wabjxo.....thanks a million...what I did not say was I ordered one from CC and is sitting on my porch right now (oh no!!!)...thanks again
Glad you were able to get one!

When you start setting up, I hope you can use the 3575's active passthru on its coax in/out loop in your system.

Let us know what the "Pack Date" is on the short end of the box, and whether you have any trouble maintaining digital channels?

P.S. You might not have your 3575 long if your wife sees you recording all kinds of shows and not having to worry about tape management (FF/REW, change tapes, etc.)! :D

Your TV has the four modes, as you mentioned, but it also has 2 modes (which you said you were limited to) called "EZ Fill"...might be something in the 2-mode EZ Fill setting (might be ON and mutually exclusive?)...just a WAG?

--Panorama, Cinema, Full and Regular Aspect Modes
--HD EZ Fill (Cinema Zoom and HD Panorama)

Sorry wabjxo, I'm not sure if I do have EZ Fill. I'll check tonight. I have a JVC HD-P61R1U. I was playing with the aspect button on the TV remote and it has less choices with HDMI than with other inputs. Also, when I switch to my digital OTA signal, it has the same few choices. I'll look for the EZ Fill function tonight.

I still need to try component again. This TV does well with upscaling good signals, so that may be my best option.

Sorry wabjxo, I'm not sure if I do have EZ Fill. I'll check tonight. I have a JVC HD-P61R1U. I was playing with the aspect button on the TV remote and it has less choices with HDMI than with other inputs. Also, when I switch to my digital OTA signal, it has the same few choices. I'll look for the EZ Fill function tonight.

I still need to try component again. This TV does well with upscaling good signals, so that may be my best option.
Yea, I found one site with specs but it might have been the next gen. (2U)?

Anyway, the reason I'm keying in on your TV is cuz there isn't anything left that might not be set right on the 3575, and other people with HDMI TVs seem to have no problem finding the correct aspect, etc.

The only other thing in the 3575 setup is changing the HDMI format to YCbCr, but I don't think that affects aspect.

Hate for you to have to go to Component. It would really be nice to find a solution for you so we know what's up!?

Can you describe your setup and connections to see if we can spot anything there?

wabjxo, first question..Do you work for Philips? I not sure why you continually post who sells this recorder and the stock status???

Anyway, Mine has a tuner problem. I came home last night, turned it on and was surprised that I had a bunch of digital stations available. I was able to scroll thorough a bumch of them...But then I hit a station, any station, doesn't seem to matter which one, and instead of a picture I get the dreaded "blue screen"...That's all she wrote, because after that all I get is blue screens...I can go directly to a station I was watching...and it too will be blue...

I'm going to call and see if I can return the unit for a replacement..If not I'll get a refund...

From people who have talked directly with Philips CS, it appears it isn't a FW issue but a HW issue. To be "assured" of a HW fix, it appears you have to call them for a replacement. I guess no one knows for sure if later (Aug, Sep) will have the HW fix.

"Analog interference" has been mentioned, which might make some sense since most problems are with people (like me) on analog cable "stealing" digital channels from that feed. OTA and digital cable/sat people seem to have little or no problems along the same lines.

Is your unit an August 2007?

Sorry for getting your name wrong, wabjxo. Regarding the build date, as I mentioned in a previous post - alluding to the Circuit City order on 8/21 and the fact that it had just been restocked - the unit was an April build.

.....

Anyway, Mine has a tuner problem. I came home last night, turned it on and was surprised that I had a bunch of digital stations available. I was able to scroll thorough a bumch of them...But then I hit a station, any station, doesn't seem to matter which one, and instead of a picture I get the dreaded "blue screen"...That's all she wrote, because after that all I get is blue screens...I can go directly to a station I was watching...and it too will be blue...

I'm going to call and see if I can return the unit for a replacement..If not I'll get a refund...

I just want to say that I've somewhat had the same problem, but I kinda found a solution.

I've was scrolling thru some digital stations and I happened to scroll to some stations that were "scrambled programs". I then scrolled thru some stations that should be shown, yet I got the dreaded "blue screen". So what I did was pressed the DTV/TV button to change to the analog stations, wait until the analog stations were shown, then press the DTV/TV button to the station that are supposed to be shown and all was back to normal (The "blue screen" seems to happen on occasion, I don't know why this happens).

wabjxo, first question..Do you work for Philips? I not sure why you continually post who sells this recorder and the stock status???
I'll make a deal with you, NoPlasmaYet, click on my name, click on View Public Profile, then click the link top right that reads "Add wabjxo to Your Ignore List."

Then, I'll keep posting whatever I want and you won't have to be bothered by ANY of my posts!

Deal?

:rolleyes:

My local Wal-mart is currently in the process of being completely revamped with all new fixtures, signage etc. They have a place for the Phillips unit on the shelf with price tag ($318) but no units. No one there has ever seen one.

Stopped at another store as I was passing by today. It's also a fairly new store, only open a couple of months. The have a unit on the shelf for display, but none in the box. Price is $289. Unbelievably helpful employee, and knowledgeable, not to mention kinda cute, scanned the bar code and said they had 3 on order. Not sure what that means, but her co-working said it meant they would be in less than a week. I'd sure like to pick one up at the store rather than ordering one online.

wabjxo, first question..Do you work for Philips? I not sure why you continually post who sells this recorder and the stock status???

Anyway, Mine has a tuner problem. I came home last night, turned it on and was surprised that I had a bunch of digital stations available. I was able to scroll thorough a bumch of them...But then I hit a station, any station, doesn't seem to matter which one, and instead of a picture I get the dreaded "blue screen"...That's all she wrote, because after that all I get is blue screens...I can go directly to a station I was watching...and it too will be blue...

I'm going to call and see if I can return the unit for a replacement..If not I'll get a refund...

Some people don't appreciate the time and effort it takes for some fans of HDD DVD recorders to keep this site going in what is a real negative environment for HDD DVD recorders in the USA. The Philips 3575 I have has a high quality ATSC tuner and it does a really fine job playing back video recorded on its hard drive.

That being said, the Philips does not hold a candle to the Panasonic gray market EH-67 250 GB HDD & DVD recorder I now also have. The remote control that comes with the EH-67 is the best designed remote I have ever had, Panasonic engineers even put a tactile response into some of remote keys. This remote blows away the remote on my old E-80 Panasonic recorder and on the Philips 3575. Once you can record an entire DVD-R from a play list made from video stored on your unit's hard drive in under 9 minutes at high speed dubbing, you can't go back. If only this Panasonic had closed captioning.

Should Panasonic reenter the US market with units like the EH-67, things will start to really hop again here at AVS DVD Recorder forum, with a lot less negativity.

If anyone's still looking for the Philips, and you've got a Fry's around, you might wanna check there. The one in my area had a pile of them priced at $329.99 a couple of weeks ago.

(And no, I didn't look at the build dates.)

There are only two other machines for sale in the US
that have both a HDD and a digital (ATSC) tuner,
with the Philips being the best.Now, what a minute - it's been pretty established that the Philips is much better than the Polaroid, but the Magnavox is barely out yet, and only 1 or 2 people here even have it. And they haven't even had it long enough to form much of an opinion.

It's supposed to basically be the Philips with a different face, smaller hard drive and less connections - so it's very likely to be at least as good, and could possibly turn out to be even better, as far as the dropped channels problem. Even if it isn't, it's really too new to know yet.

That being said, the Philips does not hold a candle to the Panasonic gray market EH-67 250 GB HDD & DVD recorder I now also have. The remote control that comes with the EH-67 is the best designed remote I have ever had, Panasonic engineers even put a tactile response into some of remote keys. This remote blows away the remote on my old E-80 Panasonic recorder and on the Philips 3575.

Nice comments but the price is almost double the Phillips and has a PAL tuner so for most of us it is a doorstop.

As far as the remote goes, I have a Harmony 880 so I really have no problem with any remote because I do not use them.

The whole issue of digital HD tuner hard drive recorders in the US has been beat to death here on the forum, so I would not hold my breath waiting for Panny or much anyone in the high end recorder business to help us out of the mess. Plus, it really gets down to the quality of the recording and playback which I found to be better on my old Polo 2000g than my Panny ES-20.

Almost all of the issues with the tuner on the Phillips deal with those of us who are getting "free" HD channels from our analog service provider. There are near zero problems with OTA, dish or paid cable digital service. Most of the problems with the tuner have to deal with "redirected" channels which are on one spot in the spectrum but redirected to another by the Phillips software. So 76.2 becomes 13.1 to correspond with the actual OTA channel 13 and 76.2 disappears. Those seem to be the ones that go to blue screen even if tuned directly while the others can be tuned directly. The other problem was a complete loss of channels with tuning up or down but not with tuning directly if not a redirected channel.

Mine is now fixed so I have few complaints.

It is interesting that my Phillips actually gets more digital channels than my Visio (2 more). The whole digital tuner world seems to be a bit in a non-standard world since a friend on the same Cable provider gets one HD channel I do not ( a re-directed one) and gets others duplicated on different numbers.

If anyone's still looking for the Philips, and you've got a Fry's around, you might wanna check there. The one in my area had a pile of them priced at $329.99 a couple of weeks ago.


DirectCanada has them now for Cdn $279. I guess that's the effect of the dropping US dollar.

I bought one unit for myself last June or so used strictly OTA (and am extremely pleased with it), then just recently my mom got one for use with Comcast digital cable (she got the triple play package with phone and Internet). She got it because her VCR wouldn't record from the digital cable unless you used the tuner on the Comcast settop box which means that you had to tune to the channel and leave it there to record.

The 3575H picks up tons of digital channels. We sat there with pen and paper writing them all down. With many of them it's pretty obvious what they are (for example logos in corner of the screen) but with lots of others we didn't have a clue. The channel list on the Comcast website gives the channels as received by their box but the 3575H has them mapped completely differently, I guess using the QAM tuner. Does anyone know where to get a mapping of what channels are mapped to what QAM channel, e.g. what is 15.2 or 15.3 etc? Forgive me if this has been answered before - I've read many of the posts here but not all 2000 of them.

The 3575H picks up tons of digital channels. We sat there with pen and paper writing them all down. With many of them it's pretty obvious what they are (for example logos in corner of the screen) but with lots of others we didn't have a clue. The channel list on the Comcast website gives the channels as received by their box but the 3575H has them mapped completely differently, I guess using the QAM tuner. Does anyone know where to get a mapping of what channels are mapped to what QAM channel, e.g. what is 15.2 or 15.3 etc? Forgive me if this has been answered before - I've read many of the posts here but not all 2000 of them.
I get 6 digital channels in my analog cable service and have looked high and low for a "map" of some sorts and can't find anything.

Then, I read this explanation of QAM channel mapping by Budget_HT (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10674451#post10674451) and decided not to look anymore. Luckily, I can remember 6 channels but for those on digital cable who get many channels, looks as if you night have to just write them down and hope they don't change channels too often?

Yea, I found one site with specs but it might have been the next gen. (2U)?

Anyway, the reason I'm keying in on your TV is cuz there isn't anything left that might not be set right on the 3575, and other people with HDMI TVs seem to have no problem finding the correct aspect, etc.

The only other thing in the 3575 setup is changing the HDMI format to YCbCr, but I don't think that affects aspect.

Hate for you to have to go to Component. It would really be nice to find a solution for you so we know what's up!?

Can you describe your setup and connections to see if we can spot anything there?

O.K., the analog cable goes into the 3575 coax in, then out from the 3575 coax to TV coax in. I have an HDMI cable from the 3575 to the TV HDMI1 in.

The 3575's output is set to YCbCr--maybe I should change this back? I have S-Video out from the TV to the S-Video in on the 3575. I was unable to get a signal through that (is it E1?)--that's another problem I haven't resolved. Also, R/L RCA audio from TV out to 3575 in--next to the S-Video in.

My TV is usually set to Standard aspect ratio because I don't like the stretching of the SD signal, so I get black bars on the left and right most of the time.

I just want to say that I've somewhat had the same problem, but I kinda found a solution.

I've was scrolling thru some digital stations and I happened to scroll to some stations that were "scrambled programs". I then scrolled thru some stations that should be shown, yet I got the dreaded "blue screen". So what I did was pressed the DTV/TV button to change to the analog stations, wait until the analog stations were shown, then press the DTV/TV button to the station that are supposed to be shown and all was back to normal (The "blue screen" seems to happen on occasion, I don't know why this happens).

I discovered that same thing last night. Since our machines are behaving in a like fashion...Maybe it's a firmware issue? I'm just wondering if getting a replacement would solve the problem or not?

O.K., the analog cable goes into the 3575 coax in, then out from the 3575 coax to TV coax in. I have an HDMI cable from the 3575 to the TV HDMI1 in.

That's right.

The 3575's output is set to YCbCr--maybe I should change this back?

As far as I can tell it doesn't make much difference, except that you can choose the black level in RGB mode. Most HDTVs support both RGB and YCbCr modes on HDMI, and it's the same source data being sent either way. I leave it on YCbCr because the black level is fine for me, and the original data from DVDs is YCbCr format, so I figure maybe it saves one conversion step or allows 12-bit resolution. But honestly I see no apparent difference.

I have S-Video out from the TV to the S-Video in on the 3575. I was unable to get a signal through that (is it E1?)--that's another problem I haven't resolved. Also, R/L RCA audio from TV out to 3575 in--next to the S-Video in.

I guess you could do that, if in fact the S-Video jack on your TV is an output and not an input. But it would mean that you have to have your TV on to record from it. What's the purpose if you're recording directly from cable?

My TV is usually set to Standard aspect ratio because I don't like the stretching of the SD signal, so I get black bars on the left and right most of the time.

Unless you record a 16:9 widescreen program in anamorphic (horizontally squeezed) mode. Then you want to expand it back to full screen on playback.

I'll make a deal with you, NoPlasmaYet, click on my name, click on View Public Profile, then click the link top right that reads "Add wabjxo to Your Ignore List."

Then, I'll keep posting whatever I want and you won't have to be bothered by ANY of my posts!

Deal?

:rolleyes:

wabjxo,

No offense was intended. I do appreaciate your help with programming the digital stations.

That said, I didn't think pricing quotes were allowed on these forums...could be wrong on that, won't be the first time, nor the last...

O.K., the analog cable goes into the 3575 coax in, then out from the 3575 coax to TV coax in. I have an HDMI cable from the 3575 to the TV HDMI1 in.

The 3575's output is set to YCbCr--maybe I should change this back? I have S-Video out from the TV to the S-Video in on the 3575. I was unable to get a signal through that (is it E1?)--that's another problem I haven't resolved. Also, R/L RCA audio from TV out to 3575 in--next to the S-Video in.

My TV is usually set to Standard aspect ratio because I don't like the stretching of the SD signal, so I get black bars on the left and right most of the time.
A good idea to try the "RGB" option in the HDMI menu...some people find one or the other a little better for PQ.

On my TV, I have a "Monitor Out" set of RCA connections but it won't work trying to use it as a watch/record source. It has a note in the manual that says "The monitor out does not operate in DVD or DTV mode." Maybe yours is the same?

Someone just recently posted on trying to use a monitor out connection but not sure which thread or when. I think that post confirmed that it won't work as a DVDR source? Anyone???

wabjxo,

No offense was intended. I do appreaciate your help with programming the digital stations.

That said, I didn't think pricing quotes were allowed on these forums...could be wrong on that, won't be the first time, nor the last...
Neither is talk of defeating copyright protection, but it's not only allowed but "accepted" by many in this forum, and "encouraged" by others. And copyright violation is not just a forum rule but goes beyond into U.S. Law.

WAIT A MINUTE!

I searched the Forum Rules for pric, pricing, price, purchase, etc. and there is no forum-wide rule about posting prices or places to purchase items, except by manufacturers, dealers, sellers etc. as noted here:

"Special Note to dealers, re-sellers, or any person or company that deals in equipment or products for sale. You are not allowed to post items for sale on the forums. This also holds true for manufactures not being able to promote their products inside the AVS Forum sites. AV Science is the only dealer/re-seller allowed to post items for sale inside the forum or promote manufacture items. If you need promotion services, this forum offers banner advertising. This is again also holds true for individuals looking to sell used gear or "special deals" that may have. This is further carried into the forum signatures and the private message feature. On the same note...REFERRAL CODES are not allowed to be referenced for they are a sales tool."

Some forums or sticky threads may note that pricing and purchase source should not be included in posts, but this DVD recorder forum doesn't AFAIK.

A good idea to try the "RGB" option in the HDMI menu...some people find one or the other a little better for PQ.

On my TV, I have a "Monitor Out" set of RCA connections but it won't work trying to use it as a watch/record source. It has a note in the manual that says "The monitor out does not operate in DVD or DTV mode." Maybe yours is the same?

Someone just recently posted on trying to use a monitor out connection but not sure which thread or when. I think that post confirmed that it won't work as a DVDR source? Anyone???

Just picked up my 3575 from WalMart last nite. (I ordered it last week from Walmart.com and hadn it shipped to store.)

This unit wiull be replacing a Pio 531 that lost EPG and Timer Record Options (can only do one-button OTR recording now).

I do my recording from one room with an older Emerson DVD recorder(Funai built), a Philips VHS recorder (which I had planned to replace with this unit), and now the Philips 3575. These are hooked to a 30" Standard TV that only has one set of component inputs, along with the typical COAX ant input. My EMERSON recorder was using the component in on the TV, the VCR using the ant in on the TV.

To set the Philips up, I disconnected the Emerson and set up the Philps, dd the channel scans and set up the sytem. Did good job finding and setting up the digital channels.

After setting it up, I disconnected it from the component and reconnected the Emerson, and connected the Philips with the ant. But in that config, I wasnt able to set up any timer timer recordings. I saw in manual I dould get an RF converter to put in the loop. But it occrred to me I already had one, of course it was a bit larger than most, and had VHS recording ability as well. So I hooked up the Philips DVD recorder, to AV Rear on my VHS recorder, ran the ant out from the VHS recorder to ant in on TV. I leave the VHS set to AV rear, and tv on chan 3. I can use the Philips DVD recorder and the Emerson DVD Recorder (and even the VHS recorder if needed) just fine now.

Going to experiment with some of the Philips settings now. I always dub my recording to DVD (2x -RW's), and watch on a widescreen TV in upstairs room using an OPPO DVD player. I set the Philips initially on widescreen, but the result seemed to be squished side to side. I'll try other setting as well and see what works.

So far last nite, the DTV tuner worked fine.


Rick


So