DRA-01601A: DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Drive Info

[atrac]

If anyone finds them for sale in Southern CA please be sure to identify your location. I'm getting tired of checking Wal*Mart every day.

[Bill R (# 2)]

Originally Posted by dangerdoc1

Ok, I picked up 154 channels on QAM. Unfortunately, the channels don't correspond with the cable channels.

And they never will on any non-cable company QAM tuner. The cable companies only send the channel mapping information to their STBs. It would be nice if these boxes had a mapping function but none of them do.

And for those new to QAM tuners don't be surprised if your cable company moves the channels around every couple of months (or so). Mine moves the PBS stations around all the time. It is kind of a pain in the *** but it is not something that we can't do anything about.

[beekeeper]

Originally Posted by timbo512

As stated, its happened a couple of times. First time.. I was like "wheres the end of my show?" as it abruptly ended the recording off the HDD. Second time, I watched the first show "LIVE" to see what was going on. During the record of the first show, saw the pop up, and about 30 seconds later (before the scheduled start record time of the second), it switched channels and killedthe first record. The first show began timer recording at exactly the moment the show started, so I know the clock is right.

Try this. Use the schedule to record both shows. It sound like you are recording the first show live, not using the scheduler for both shows.

You can record two shows on different channels live in time shift. Set time shift to not dump the buffer when shifting channels. In time shift, press record at the beginning of the first show. You can time shift to your heart's content during a recording session. But at the start time of the next program, change channels (if your new show is on a different channel). You will now be in time shift in the old program and seamlessly go to the new. At the end of the next program, press stop and you save both programs. Then split them, if you wish.

What you describe sounds a lot like you are mixing time shift with the scheduler. For back to back recording you have to be in one or the other, not both.

Also, when the warning comes up, do nothing and it goes away. Or agree with it to record. It will not change channels until just before it starts recording the scheduled program. It also sound like you are hitting the wrong button.

[Dartman]

Noticed another minor annoyance today, this unit does not playback DIVX at all. The 2001g didn't officially support it either but it was sorta listed in the manual and it does work with the flavors I have around here. My only other dvd player that supported it decide to die last month I'm going to try a digital 2 way signal booster as soon as it gets here from Amazon to see if it helps the QAM cable lock, should clean up the analog signal a bit anyways... I guess we have 90 days to test drive but I think I'll trade back when the Philips shows up. I haven't gotten anybody on the 3505 thread to say if their units works well with QAM or not as it's probably the same basic tuner section and board without the 160 gig HD support.
Oh and my program guide is pretty much useless on most channels too, there's info but it's not whats actually showing most of the time.

[schwuck]

Originally Posted by Dartman

Oh and my program guide is pretty much useless on most channels too, there's info but it's not whats actually showing most of the time.

My program guide actually lists the right shows on but it just lists totally strange times like everything is 3 hours off it says 7AM when it is really 10AM... other than that and the horrible remote I am actually really liking this unit the best of all I have tried.

Polaroid DRA-01601A - Timeslip, best OTA reception, horrible remote, bad manual.

Philips DVDR3505 - Overall nice quality but slow channel chaning and no time slip

LG DR787T - Nice when it worked, but very poor QC and even worse tech support

Samsung AR650 - worked ok w/ 16:9 TV, expensive for its limited features.

[DanielCard]

Tried to watch my first recorded program yesterday. I told it to record the news and then the Suns bball game. Instead I found the unit locked up with nothing recorded. :-( When it was about to start recording I turned it off, I suppose that caused it to freeze. I'm accustomed to turning off VCRs before timer recording.

[Dartman]

schwuck so did you try the QAM tuner and how did it work? Two if us now have horrible dropouts with the 160 on QAM only, OTA has been very clean as long as I get enough signal into it so far, otherwise it drops as well but at least I can adjust the aim to get most channels in OK.
I am getting a digital cable signal booster that folks have claimed worked well for them in similar circumstances, hopefully it'll be here in a few days and I'll see if it does the trick.
Surprising that it now seems to work ok on everything but QAM when everybody else's gear gets good lock with exact same signal path.

[DanielCard]

tried to record PBS quest for life. The unit lost its digital channel memory. I had to power it off and on and search for channels again. Definitely returning this unit.

[schwuck]

Originally Posted by Dartman

schwuck so did you try the QAM tuner and how did it work? Two if us now have horrible dropouts with the 160 on QAM only, OTA has been very clean as long as I get enough signal into it so far, otherwise it drops as well but at least I can adjust the aim to get most channels in OK.
I am getting a digital cable signal booster that folks have claimed worked well for them in similar circumstances, hopefully it'll be here in a few days and I'll see if it does the trick.
Surprising that it now seems to work ok on everything but QAM when everybody else's gear gets good lock with exact same signal path.

I did not try the QAM tuner but I don’t think it would work here anyway. Although I have cable outlets I don’t pay for any kind of cable service so I get nothing as far as I know.

[Dartman]

It never hurts to try plugging it in. Some places they just don't shut it down or unplug your cable right away. Apartments might be a better bet then a house but who knows. When I very first moved in this house the cable at the wall jack worked, then a week or so later it quit so they unplugged me or something. I'm not paying for digital here either but I get the locals, discover, and some on demand on QAM anyways. I do pay for extended basic however and Broad Band internet.

[wajo]

Originally Posted by DanielCard

tried to record PBS quest for life. The unit lost its digital channel memory. I had to power it off and on and search for channels again. Definitely returning this unit.

Just to make sure your unit doesn't have the "DST bug":

1. Set your Polaroid clock manually.

2. Turn DST OFF.

(Good thing to try for any brand before doing any other troubleshooting.)

[beekeeper]

Originally Posted by schwuck

My program guide actually lists the right shows on but it just lists totally strange times like everything is 3 hours off it says 7AM when it is really 10AM..

EST vs PST or vice versa? Sounds like it if it is 3 hours off.

Also, if you set your clock to automatic it can do strange things, at least the 2001 does. So try manual.

[mdspiro]

Originally Posted by timbo512

As stated, its happened a couple of times. First time.. I was like "wheres the end of my show?" as it abruptly ended the recording off the HDD. Second time, I watched the first show "LIVE" to see what was going on. During the record of the first show, saw the pop up, and about 30 seconds later (before the scheduled start record time of the second), it switched channels and killedthe first record. The first show began timer recording at exactly the moment the show started, so I know the clock is right.

Just to be clear ... you're saying you programmed 2 shows on different channels at back-to-back times, and then turned the unit off and let it automatically turn itself on and record those 2 shows. Then, while you were monitoring the recording of 1st show you saw it cut off 3 minutes before it ended to prepare for the 2nd show? (Did it record the 2nd channel during those 3 minutes, or nothing at all?) If that's how it works, then this is very different than the 2001-G model ... and truely the stupidest thing I've ever heard of for Polaroid to have done! It would certainly cause me to hesitate purchasing this "updated" unit, despite the larger HDD and the stereo digital tuner. It makes no sense!

[dangerdoc1]

Originally Posted by atrac

If anyone finds them for sale in Southern CA please be sure to identify your location. I'm getting tired of checking Wal*Mart every day.

Ask the manager, our Walmart has had them for more than a week and they still aren't on the shelves.

[schwuck]

Originally Posted by beekeeper

EST vs PST or vice versa? Sounds like it if it is 3 hours off.

Also, if you set your clock to automatic it can do strange things, at least the 2001 does. So try manual.

I thought so too but it is set to PST and the clock is set manual.

Upon further checking it seems that it takes whatever show is currently on and then calls it 8:00AM so depending on what time of day it is the guide could be on or off by many hours.

P.S.
The guide shows from 8AM to 7PM for the channel you are on.

[wajo]

Originally Posted by schwuck

I thought so too but it is set to PST and the clock is set manual.

Upon further checking it seems that it takes whatever show is currently on and then calls it 8:00AM so depending on what time of day it is the guide could be on or off by many hours.

P.S.
The guide shows from 8AM to 7PM for the channel you are on.

Make sure your clock is set manually and DST is OFF! More info here.

Note: You may have to reset the Polaroid, at least the "Guide" you mentioned since it most likely uses GMT in its timekeeping system. (The "DST bug" appears to cause many problems (clock, TVG, channels, ops, etc.) in machines that haven't been updated to the new, 2007 DST dates/times.

[timbo512]

Originally Posted by mdspiro

Just to be clear ... you're saying you programmed 2 shows on different channels at back-to-back times, and then turned the unit off and let it automatically turn itself on and record those 2 shows. Then, while you were monitoring the recording of 1st show you saw it cut off 3 minutes before it ended to prepare for the 2nd show? (Did it record the 2nd channel during those 3 minutes, or nothing at all?) If that's how it works, then this is very different than the 2001-G model ... and truely the stupidest thing I've ever heard of for Polaroid to have done! It would certainly cause me to hesitate purchasing this "updated" unit, despite the larger HDD and the stereo digital tuner. It makes no sense!

That is exactly the situation. It switched, paused, and then recorded the second channel. Waiting on the philips to hit the shelf so I can test between the two.

[m82a1pa]

I found one here (SE PA)/ One Wal-Mart had two, the other had none (and hadn't received any). My VCR died and this is my first experience with a DVR.

Installation into my system was a breeze. I'm still on analog TV - we don't watch it enough to justify the digital costs. just yet.

The analog signal had a lot of herringbone and interference. I did not see this on my old VCR. I connected an in-line Radio Shack coaxial amp and everything cleared up nicely.

The remote is very bad. No range (maybe 5 feet) and you have to be perpendicular to the DVR. I called Polaroid customer service who said they've had a lot of calls concerning the remote but did not know as yet if a replacement will be available and the manufacturer was looking into it. He said to call back periodically to check. I have thought about replacing the infrared LED with a Radio Shack high power LED but I can't see how to open the case.

I tried a timer recording. After it started, I noticed that I didn't set the input to a channel number. I pressed STOP, then went back into the timer to either modify the timer even, or to delete it. I could do neither. I had to unplug the unit to clear the event. What is the secret to deleting a stopped, current event? Or is this an undocumented feature?

[FullOnShred]

Concord, N.C. WalMart has at least 1 in stock. Nice looking unit but I am in no hurry to get one.

[wajo]

Originally Posted by m82a1pa

I tried a timer recording. After it started, I noticed that I didn't set the input to a channel number. I pressed STOP, then went back into the timer to either modify the timer even, or to delete it. I could do neither. I had to unplug the unit to clear the event. What is the secret to deleting a stopped, current event? Or is this an undocumented feature?

Your unit might have the "DST bug"...check my Post #106 above.

[nicholasmcgrew]

Well I finally found one here in central Iowa. I have been looking for weeks now and went into Malwart on a whim. They had two, and I thought about buying them both. But I decided I would wait and see whether I got a good one and if I liked it.

It was late and I had to get up early so I didn't get to play with it much. I didn't hook it up to cable, so I can't attest for QAM, but I did hook it up to my rabbit ears and the ATSC works ok. My Pioneer TV can pull maybe 7 digital OTA channels and this thing got 5. They were not good reception, but in all fairness, I didn't even tweak with the antenna. My first thought was the remote was way better than everyone said. The unit is up 8 feet from the couch on a shelf, and 15 feet ahead, so it's not really in an ideal place. But after 15 minutes, I kinda understood what you mean. Eventually I want to get a universal anyway (if they work with it).

I didn't get to mess with the DVD recording yet; that's tonight's project. I didn't bother to fish out my S-Vid or Component cable, so I just used the provided composite cable. I was actually impressed with the PQ (considering). But I was messing in the setup and set it to output 480p instead of 480i and the screen went blank and couldn't figure how to get it back. I reckon it's because of my cable right now. But I left 'er unplugged overnight and will see if it helps.

Maybe everyone's bad experiences left me with low expectations, but I think this thing has merit. But maybe I need to test it longer than 30 minutes.
--Nick

[GLynns4]

I bought one yeaterday.
I have a Sony 50" HDTV
I have 2 Sony DHG-HDD250 DVR's
I also have the older Polaroid 2001g
As far as the new DRA-01601A

It will NOT:
Display wide screen video in wide screen (it letterboxes almost everything)
It will NOT:
Play video from my Sony HDD Camcorder properly from USB. It squeezes it and playback is very, very jerky. Jerk is gone through S video, but it is letterboxed.
It will NOT:
Display JPEG images from the SD slot properly. It squeezes these to.
It will NOT:
Tune the upper frequencey range of QAM channels. Very, very noisy. It appears to fall off around 650000 Khz. I get fine reception at 165000 Khz on cable and on antenna, I can get to 719000 Khz (Channel 55). BUT on cable, I have several QAM channels at 735000 to 741000 Khz and it cannot get these without dropouts.

It DOES:
Play Anamorphic DVD Videos in wide screen.

It IS:
Going back........

Some relevant data:
I am pretty sure this Polaroid is made by Phillips and I bet the Phillips model won't be any different.
Do not waste your time calling the help line - it's been disconnected.
On the 2001G, I could output 'squeezed' video from my DHG-HDD250 in the component video in port, then burn it to DVD RW. Then using IFO edit on my PC, change the flag so it played back in wide screen, and then finnaly burn a DVD on the PC. Then I discovered that the Sony DVD Recorders (RGR-GX330 & RDR_GX550) can record wide screen video through the S video port without editing and even though it is S video, the quality is better than the videos produced by the Polo/ifo edit/PC.

I am hoping Sony will have a DVD recorder that will record from the digital channels (replacement for GX330 would be nice - replacement for the HDD250 with a DVD recorder drive would be even better!) with full screen (anamorphic) recordings.

Hope this helps some of you make a decission
Gary

[GLynns4]

On the remote is a button labeled i/p. Pressing this button will toggle from Interlaced to Progressive video.

See ya,
Gary

[GLynns4]

Originally Posted by nicholasmcgrew

Well I finally found one here in central Iowa. I have been looking for weeks now and went into Malwart on a whim. They had two, and I thought about buying them both. But I decided I would wait and see whether I got a good one and if I liked it.

It was late and I had to get up early so I didn't get to play with it much. I didn't hook it up to cable, so I can't attest for QAM, but I did hook it up to my rabbit ears and the ATSC works ok. My Pioneer TV can pull maybe 7 digital OTA channels and this thing got 5. They were not good reception, but in all fairness, I didn't even tweak with the antenna. My first thought was the remote was way better than everyone said. The unit is up 8 feet from the couch on a shelf, and 15 feet ahead, so it's not really in an ideal place. But after 15 minutes, I kinda understood what you mean. Eventually I want to get a universal anyway (if they work with it).

I didn't get to mess with the DVD recording yet; that's tonight's project. I didn't bother to fish out my S-Vid or Component cable, so I just used the provided composite cable. I was actually impressed with the PQ (considering). But I was messing in the setup and set it to output 480p instead of 480i and the screen went blank and couldn't figure how to get it back. I reckon it's because of my cable right now. But I left 'er unplugged overnight and will see if it helps.

Maybe everyone's bad experiences left me with low expectations, but I think this thing has merit. But maybe I need to test it longer than 30 minutes.
--Nick

On the remote is a button labeled i/p. Pressing this button will toggle from Interlaced to Progressive video.

See ya,
Gary

[nicholasmcgrew]

Thanks Gary

I haven't had much time to play with this yet. I was hoping it was something simple like that. I may have to leave work early to go tinker.

--Nick

[jim55avs]

Originally Posted by atrac

If anyone finds them for sale in Southern CA please be sure to identify your location. I'm getting tired of checking Wal*Mart every day.

You can now buy it online.. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5693291

[jim55avs]

Has anyone tried to use this recorder with an external HD source such as a Direct TV satellite receiver with the S-Video port? I am currently using the RCA 8030N and it will record/playback in wide screen 16:9 mode when recording from the satellite receiver. Need to know if the Polaroid will do this.

[jim55avs]

Originally Posted by DrBrain

Quality of TV picture through the unit (using S-Video from Satellite receiver) is super clean and almost flawless except a bit of extra color saturation. I don't remember if my 2001G did this but on an HD Channel it slightly zooms and cuts the sides off a little. Not so on an SD Channel. I can't seem to stop it from doing that and I don't like that............
Ok, all of a sudden its playing the HD channels correctly and I didn't do a thing or press any buttons.

DrBrain, howz the system working now? When you record HD channel from satellite receiver over S-Video is it full 16:9? I don't mind the anamorphic with black bars top and bottom using the tuner, but the input from an HD source should record widescreen, full 16:9.

[schwuck]

Originally Posted by m82a1pa

The remote is very bad. No range (maybe 5 feet) and you have to be perpendicular to the DVR. I called Polaroid customer service who said they've had a lot of calls concerning the remote but did not know as yet if a replacement will be available and the manufacturer was looking into it. He said to call back periodically to check. I have thought about replacing the infrared LED with a Radio Shack high power LED but I can't see how to open the case.

Well this is kind of promising; if they fixed the remote I would be totally happy with this machine. Maybe I will give them a call tmr.

[GLynns4]

Originally Posted by jim55avs

DrBrain, howz the system working now? When you record HD channel from satellite receiver over S-Video is it full 16:9? I don't mind the anamorphic with black bars top and bottom using the tuner, but the input from an HD source should record widescreen, full 16:9.

It will NOT record full screen 16x9 from anything, S video, USB tuner ect. It letterboxes everything that is wide screen except DVDs that are played in the DVD Drive. Setting the TV size from 3x4 to 16x9 only works for DVDs. Took mine back yesterday.

Gary