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RCA DPH-1000R HDTV Recorder

46K views 112 replies 31 participants last post by  gusman1 
#1 ·
#77 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by tim leonhardt  /t/1402738/rca-dph-1000r-hdtv-recorder/60#post_22238259


I like the OTA tuner on this thing. It's much better than the Sony DGH and a little bit better than my Panasonic HDTV. I only bought one as that was a major concern. Now that I see it picks up everything I tried ordering another one. B&H no longer has it. Anyone know where i can find one?
 

Adorama appears to have it, @224.99?

 

Don't know anything about Adorama.
 
#78 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by wajo  /t/1402738/rca-dph-1000r-hdtv-recorder/60#post_22238341

Adorama appears to have it, @224.99?


Don't know anything about Adorama.

seems to be gone - oh well.


one thing i don't understand is some of the higher OTA channels are listed correctly but when i hit guide it list a different channel number and description. The program lineup is correct. So, if I schedule a recording it schedules it to an incorrect channel. I have to manually change the channel.
 
#81 ·
Yes, if the OTA broadcast signal has 5 channel surround sound, the DPS-1000R records and plays it back fine. I personally verified this on playback of a CBS golf tournament, by listening to each of the 5 speakers powered by my Yamaha receiver. No problem. Surround sound is good (depending of course on the broadcast program sound quality).


NOTE: If/when sound from the DPS-1000R dies completely (mine did after switching USB memory sticks) it is easy to fix. Go to the Setup Menu and Reset to the factory settings, including re-scan of channels. (I get 19 digital channels OTA and this took about 5 minutes). Magically the sound is fixed like new.


More good news: Programs previously stored on the 320GB hard drive are not affected by the machine reset process.
 
#82 ·
Had a Polaroid unit that was years old - no tuner so had to use a converter to record one channel at a time. Ran hot and poor picture quality. Failed last week.


Seems to be only 2 DVRs out there today. The super hot Channel Master and the Digital stream 1000 in the price range I was willing to deal with. Bought the 1000 from B&H.


Low tech needs here so this unit is several steps up for me from the Polaroid. Got rid of my converters. Hooked my DVD player to my VCR to the DS to my HDTV. Hooked a converter to my VCR just in case I want to record something quick.


Using a HDTV antenna hung inside an upstairs room next to my TV. Both the TV and DVR pick up all 30+ OTA channels from transmitters 20 to 40 miles away.


The DS DVR works great for me. Using standard video inputs and SD recording mode.


Meets all my needs of recording OTA programs and while not perfect is a heck of a lot better than the now defunct Polaroid. Having its own tuner, I can set it up to record any channel without having to change channels on a converter. It even records set programs with the power turned off so the unit stays cool. Playback is great in that if stopped, the recorded show continues from stopping point. Only thing missing from the Polaroid is a "go to" time feature for skipping ahead. The fast forward can be used but finding a point in time is hit or miss using FF.


I would highly recommend the DS 1000 to anyone with low tech high quality DVR needs. Overall, a very nice unit for basic DVR recording needs.
 
#83 ·
I've just been reading this thread after having my B&H supplied 'less than month' old Digital Stream DVR drop all sound.


I was delighted to read all the way to the bottom of page 3 and find a 'fix'. I did the 'Reset' and it worked, my sound is now back in full. Thank you!


I would love to see a mfr. step up and build a decent quality DVR with two ATSC tuners and a nice size HD. Might as well throw in a decent UI with good response, too. Wonder if OPPO is listening?


Bob.
 
#85 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by RCovell  /t/1402738/rca-dph-1000r-hdtv-recorder/60#post_22423322


I've just been reading this thread after having my B&H supplied 'less than month' old Digital Stream DVR drop all sound.

I would love to see a mfr. step up and build a decent quality DVR with two ATSC tuners and a nice size HD.

Bob.

Would be nice but I don't think it would ever happen. Such a device, in a modest to low price range, would not be appreciated by cable operators that provide their own units from TiVo to The Hopper to the Uverse 4 channel recorder and anything else that's out there.
 
#86 ·
The few DVR's that are available would probably be ok if these lame Asians could write proper code for the firmware and understand our needs to operate a DVR properly.



Period.
 
#88 ·
I agree. While my old, now dead, Polaroid was inferior to the DS 1000 by not having OTA tuners and poorer picture quality, I liked the ability it had to see FF live on the screen instead of "jumping" through the FF. Also, the Polaroid had the ability to "go to" a certain time. Worked great for going to the last 10 minutes of a show to see the ending without having to FF to get there. Also, the DS 1000 in FF mode does not show the time so finding the last 10 minutes is very difficult. And, yes, when setting the DS 1000 for repeat (daily) recording, it does not allow naming the recording. A taped show can be renamed after the fact but why. I do like the ability to put a USB stick in the 1000 and copy video to it for editing in my PC software after it's converted from a .TS file to some other format, such as .WMV or .AVI.
 
#89 ·

Quote:
Really? Isn't that a little strong?
Yes "really". And no isn't "a little strong"!


The plain fact, the majority of all these semi-no name DVR's is poor user interface. Not necessary the electronics, but the way the GUI is setup. Basic functions, actions, ,menu structure is terrible. As much as I'm not a fan of Sony, other then the current HDD limitation and the single older generation tuner, their GUI is far superior than any of these recent entries. Not to say there isn't room for improvement, but Sony's DVR from 2005 blows away any of these considering the hardware limitations of the device.


No, it's wasn't perfect, there are changes that could of been made, but ti was light years ahead of it's time 7 years ago. Their TVGuide bases 'Guide' is far superior than what TWC's "lame" so called "Navigator" is.
 
#90 ·
I need some advice and when researching information on products Ithis great and informative web site kept appearing, the AVS Forum so here I am.


Our situation is this, we have an older LCD Tv with no digital turner built in, purchased before the "great change" .

Right before the change we purchased an Accordian HDTV turner through radio shack, which has been great but dying a slow death.


It has lost one over the air channel the other tv's receive, rescanning does not help.


We set it to turn on in the morning as an alarm clock and to go off every night. It turns off but will not come on in the morning, resetting the

clock is no help.


The power button on the remote will not opperate, has been over a year (all other buttons work)


Lastly the power button on the unit failed two days ago, turns green but takes hours to turn on


So our choice was to buy a new TV or something with a turner built in, then I though why not an HD recorder. We already have a Panasonic VHS-DVD dual recorder with analog turner, so the DVR-R part is a non issue


I was looking at the Magnavox MDR533H/F7 at Walmart, great price on these and that has been talked about elsewhere on this site, people seem to love it. But if I am reading right it seems NOT to record in HDTV and I got to thinking what is the point of that. Also I can not find out If not recording is the output actually in HDTV?


So next step was to look into HDTV turners that do not require a subscription or cable. What I have found has surprised me, this unit and the channel master are the only 2 sold in the county that fit the bill?


So does anyone know what the video output is is on the DPH it it 480 or 720 or 1080?


It would solve two problems for me replace a dying turner and provide a HDTV recording device. Why watch HDTV and down grade it to

and old format by recording it to DVD.


Just a side question but why are there so few recording devices offered to over the air viewers, every cable or dish commercial I hear pushs a recording device, I am sick of hearing about the Hopper.


B&H photo has it for 249, with a 250 HD is it really a 250GB or a320?


Wallyo
 
#91 ·
I have owned this Digital Stream HD recorder for three (?) months. Several answers to questions above:


1. It does have two digital tuners. I can be recording a scheduled program off the air while I am simultaneously using the second tuner to watch a different program.


2. The unit records and plays back in whatever the transmitted OTA signal resolution was. Including 480, 720, and 1080i HDTV. The playback quality from the HDD hard drive to my Sony HDTV is indistinguishable from the Sony TV tuner, I.e. crisp and clear.


3. The hard drive is 320 GB. And when you are recording HDTV you CAN fill it up and have to delete stuff.


4. When you want to have a program recorded BY NAME it is easy. Just use the button to the upper right of the navigation bars around the OK button. Select the program you want and hit OK. Then, before the scheduled recording time hit the schedule button (left side of the remote, second from the bottom) and scroll down to the program you want repeated. Then go across to the date column and scroll up/down to get what you want, I.e. every day, or M-F or every Saturday or whatever and hit OK. The program TITLE is retained. By the way if you are missing the beginning or end of a repeated program go in via the schedule button and go across til you get to the start time and back it up a minute AND toggle across to the duration column (e.g. 30 minutes) and increment it up as desired. The recorded program TITLE is not affected by this editing of the schedule. Unfortunately if the TV network switches time slots you will be recording a different program with your old Program title, which forces you to delete that schedule item and re-enter it. I don't know why networks do this switcheroo with favorite programs.
 
#92 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wally O  /t/1402738/rca-dph-1000r-hdtv-recorder/0_100#post_22429974


.... We already have a Panasonic VHS-DVD dual recorder with analog turner, so the DVR-R part is a non issue

I was looking at the Magnavox MDR533H/F7 at Walmart, great price on these and that has been talked about elsewhere on this site, people seem to love it. But if I am reading right it seems NOT to record in HDTV and I got to thinking what is the point of that. Also I can not find out If not recording is the output actually in HDTV?
The Magnavox like all DVDRs only output SD, myself and others don't like it but that's just the way they are, everything is downrezed to record to DVD even if you just watch it live.

HD tuners start ~$100 so I kind of agree, if you can double that a DVR like this is a much better choice. You can still use your Panasonic to make realtime SD copies of things you've recorded on the DVR so personally I wouldn't get rid of that.

Something like the RCA isn't perfect but would probably work fine for what you want.
 
#93 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wally O  /t/1402738/rca-dph-1000r-hdtv-recorder/60#post_22429974


Just a side question but why are there so few recording devices offered to over the air viewers, every cable or dish commercial I hear pushs a recording device, I am sick of hearing about the Hopper.

Because a digital VCR isn't what most people want, and a DVR is basically a computer with a remote controlled GUI (and thus not cheap). Because OTA viewers don't want to pay a lot of money for this sort of device. Because OTA TV in the US doesn't include reliable guide data, and TVGoS is dying a slow death. Because Chinese makers make cheap, half-assed devices that scare off potential buyers, so good devices never get a chance.


There are a variety of reasons. Suffice to say, this is what you get when you get weak regulation and an economy based around outsourcing to the lowest bidder. You get a short list of choices where the ones that are cheap aren't very good, and the ones that are good aren't very cheap.
 
#94 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by demonfoo  /t/1402738/rca-dph-1000r-hdtv-recorder/90#post_22432146


There are a variety of reasons. Suffice to say, this is what you get when you get weak regulation and an economy based around outsourcing to the lowest bidder. You get a short list of choices where the ones that are cheap aren't very good, and the ones that are good aren't very cheap.

Actually regulations in the U.S. are quite strong, but they're drafted by the entertainment industry to prohibit consumers from doing anything that might cut into entertainment industry profits. We aren't allowed to buy better products that are offered in less restrictive markets. And it may get even worse now that the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations can essentially buy political candidates by flooding elections with so much money that ordinary citizens can't compete.
 
#95 ·
In trying to find more info on this unit, I still can't locate it on a manufactures web site, I came across their products for the United Kingdom.

At least I think they are for that market since there are labeled "FREEVIEW," which appears to be UK programing. If the same company, what is being sold there far surpasses

what is offered here. Digital Stream is owned by Samsung as well as some other companies. Look here to view the products I am talking of, http://www.dstreamtech.com/english/product/product_list.asp .
 
#96 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mark8too  /t/1402738/rca-dph-1000r-hdtv-recorder/60#post_22172689


I was looking for something to record OTA programs to watch a day or two later. So time shift is not a big deal for me. In fact you can time shift.

Press the "record" button to start recording.

Go to the playlist and choose the program you just started recording.

You are now watching the program you are recording.

You can pause, FF and rewind.

The 24 hour clock takes a little getting used to when programing the timer recording manually. I haven't tried programming from the program guide yet. In fact the program guide only showed the next 12 hours of programs. Even though you can choose several days in advance the guide is not available. It may be different when hooked to a cable system but for over the air (OTA) you get a 12 hour guide for the current day.

I just got the unit today so its early yet to say how dependable the unit is. So far I like the picture & sound on my Toshiba 15 inch LCD.

What I don't like:

No skip. You have to use FF to get past commercials.

No back-up battery. If the power goes out you loose the clock. And you don't get it back till you go through the time setup again. Not a huge deal because the grid is fairly reliable here.

The universal remote can be tricky. It would have been nice if you can tell what the remote is controling. I accidently hit the TV button without realizing it. When I tried to control the DPH1000R nothing happened. I thought there was a problem with the unit or the remote but it turned out to be fat finger syndrom.

Not deal breakers for me though. So far I'm satisfied.

mark

I got one of these about a week ago as a replacement for a DTVPal. I loved the ease of use and features of the DTVPal (for example, just pressing the Pause button to pause live tv). However the bugs of the DTVPal (it would sometimes record programs in Spanish when I never selected Spanish) had me throwing in the towel and getting a diferent DVR.


So far I am learning to like the Digital Stream DPH-1000R. However the first thing I noticed was that I didn't like the original remote which came with the unit. The "play/pause, stop, fwd, rwd, rec" buttons are too tiny. Also, what I missed most of the DTVPal remote was the ability do a 30 second skip past commercials.


To address both issues, I ended up getting a macro programable and learning remote control.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/765536-REG/Universal_Remote_A6_URC_A6_Pre_Programmed_Learning_Remote.html


With the new remote control, not only does it have better keys for play, stop, etc. but also I was able to create my own macros to simulate "skip forward approximately 30 seconds" and "skip backward approximately 10 seconds" keys. It isn't perfect (When I press one of my define "skip" keys, I have to point the remote at the DVR for about 2 seconds to make sure the macro runs), but gets the job done. I'm a happy camper now.
 
#98 ·
I though this wasn't sold any more and was a dead issue.


myavsname;

That seems to be a half way decent remote especially considering the price as long as you don't need specialized buttons that it doesn't have. But, that one review about not being able to :learn" a command just because the devoice isn't in their database didn't make sense. The purpose of a "learning" remote is to learn codes that aren't in the database of that remote.
 
#99 ·

I recently purchased one of these on Amazon in excellent condition. It works well but no owners manual or instructions. I'd love to have a copy if you still have it, I don't know what half the buttons on the remote are for and there are all kinds of things i'd like to know about it.
 
#100 ·
I couldn't and still can't find any manual available. Between the no-name Chinese outfit that makes this and the semi no-name US importer(s), there is no support.

Contact whomever you bought it from. Feel free to post any additions to the DVR comparison chart in this sub-forum when you find out.
 
#101 ·
WHEN THE SOUND DIES, use the remote to go to the SETUP menu.


Then RESET to initial factory settings.

(Do NOT reformat the hard drive unless you want to lose everything you have recorded!)

The reset will take about 5 minutes, most of which is re-scanning channels (OTA or cable, whichever TV signal sources you have selected.)

The SOUND IS RESTORED TO "LIKE NEW" with the factory reset.


After factory reset you will want to go through and "skip" any unwanted TV channels, using the Setup menu.


With the factory reset YOU WILL LOSE ANY RECORDING SCHEDULE you may have saved, so it will have to be re-entered (or re-programmed, which is very quick).


After more than a year of daily use I still don't know what triggers the loss of sound on this HDTV digital recording unit. It seems to happen to me about every 2 months. Sometimes it occurs while I am copying programs to USB Sticks, although the copied programs have full sound intact when played after the factory reset. A puzzle.


ChemE
 
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