I still thought I'd ask. I currently have a LG LST-3510A combination upconverting DVD Player/digital tuner. Is there anything similar with DVD recording capability? I don't need QAM, as I am satellite and OTA only, but I'll take it if it comes along for the ride. Basically, I want a DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner and native (HDTV) resolution pass-thru. If it has a HDD or VCR too, that would be even better.

I just don't know which way to go, and what I really want probably doesn't exist - a digital DVR with both DVD and VHS recording capability (or VHS to DVD dubbing anyway).

-Chris

I still thought I'd ask. I currently have a LG LST-3510A combination upconverting DVD Player/digital tuner. Is there anything similar with DVD recording capability? I don't need QAM, as I am satellite and OTA only, but I'll take it if it comes along for the ride. Basically, I want a DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner and native (HDTV) resolution pass-thru. If it has a HDD or VCR too, that would be even better.

I just don't know which way to go, and what I really want probably doesn't exist - a digital DVR with both DVD and VHS recording capability (or VHS to DVD dubbing anyway).

-Chris
Two things will stop you from getting what you want:

1) HD pass-through. I don't know any device like you describe that will do that. Usually, it's either an HD tuner or a disc/tape recorder. Only DVRs, that I know of, without removable media have HD passthoughs while still being able to record.

2) VHS in an upconverting player w/ATSC. I don't think any combo DVD and VHS that upconverts has a digital tuner. I have only seen DVD recorders (no VHS) that have both upconverting and digial tuners.

The Philips 3575 will pass through HDTV signals that are fed through it, but for recording it downrezzes everything to 480i. It has an excellent OTA tuner, and can record both to DVD or its internal 160gb hard drive. I believe it is held to be the best of the current lot of DVD recorders.

The Philips 3575 will pass through HDTV signals that are fed through it,

Only in the sense that it passes the incoming RF signal (antenna or cable) through to an RF output, so you can feed that signal to another device that tunes HD channels. You get a similar result by splitting the RF signal first, then feeding it to the two devices in parallel.

When you tune the Philips to an HD channel, it downrezzes the video to SD, both for recording and for display via the video outputs.

The Philips 3575 will pass through HDTV signals, but for recording it downrezzes everything to 480i. It has an excellent OTA tuner, and can record both to DVD or its internal 160gb hard drive. I believe it is held to be the best of the current lot of DVD recorders.

I have an older Philips with an analog tuner. I am interested in the 3575, but haven't actually seen one in a store to verify some of the claims. My old Philips has been kind of flakey, though. It reboots itself unexpectedly, and has trouble with the EPG. I have never been able to get the component inputs to work, either.

Of course I expected downrez for DVD recording. It doesn't matter for OTA programming as I have two Dish HD DVRs, so this would really only be for extremely rare circustances like four or five shows I want to see in HD on at the same time. Most of the recorders mentioned here seemed not to have passthrough though.

VHS and a digital tuner are going to become important too though. My mom still isn't comfortable with DVD players, no matter how many times I show her the 3-step process, and she sometimes asks me to record things for her since she only has sub-basic "lifeline" cable.

I guess I'm going to have to buy at least two boxes to get everything I want. So, which one is going to get Blu-ray playback first? I'll buy the other one now, and then wait.

Only in the sense that it passes the incoming RF signal (antenna or cable) through to an RF output, so you can feed that signal to another device that tunes HD channels. You get a similar result by splitting the RF signal first, then feeding it to the two devices in parallel.

When you tune the Philips to an HD channel, it downrezzes the video to SD, both for recording and for display via the video outputs.

That's what I was afraid of. My HDTV is an older model Samsung, without a digital tuner. I need one with HD display of an HD signal, like the 3510, except with DVD recording.

You'll have to buy separates to get that.

You could get an ATSC/QAM HD tuner like the Samsung DTB-H260F and a separate DVD, VHS/DVD or HDD/DVD recorder.

You'll have to buy separates to get that.

You could get an ATSC/QAM HD tuner like the Samsung DTB-H260F and a separate DVD, VHS/DVD or HDD/DVD recorder.

Well there's not much point in that. My LG 3510 works perfectly well as an ATSC tuner. I want to replace it with a box that has more capability.

-Chris

Sorry - I forgot you already had the LG. But the 5th gen. chip in the Samsung is markedly improved over all gens. before it, if you ever do need an improvement in that area.

Guess you'll just have to settle for one of the DVD, HDD/DVD or VHS/DVD recorders out there then.

If you've already got a working VCR, I'd suggest the Philips DVDR3575H HDD/DVD recorder.