Pioneer 160GB DVD Recorder (DVR-560H-K) Any Good???

3 words: Grab one..now!

The best unit on the market today, nothing better has been available since 2006 and even then only one or two Toshibas could better it. Grab it for $299 while you can. Grab two if you can afford it and keep one as a spare!

Yes, you definitely won't regret it. Among recorders that have an HDD the Pioneers are as good or better than the rest - and once you've experienced the freedom of recording to HDD with no hassles over discs, tapes, recording lengths, etc. etc. you'll wonder how you lived without it for so long.

Buy it. I own two Pioneers, a Panasonic and Philips hard drive recorders and the Pioneers are the best.

I agree, buy it. I've owned the 560H for about 4 months and it's great. I also just purchased the 460H at Costco in Canada for $250 about two weeks ago. It looks like the 460H is identical to the 560H, just relabelled for the bigbox stores. They share the same user manual. It looks like Costco is clearing them out.

You people have certainly made me feel good about my recent purchase of the Pioneer DVR560H-K.

I've been going through the various features and have managed to do a fair amount. However, I have been stumped by trying to copy some DivX files from the HDD to a DVD. The book just doesn't make it clear. It also talks about using the "Copy Lists". I tried to do what the book says (page 79).

1. Load a recordable DVD - done
2. Display "Home Menu" - done
3. Select "Copy" - done
4. Select "HDD -> DVD" - can't do. The selection is "greyed" out.

If I can't select #3 then I can't get at my "first" copy list.

What am I doing wrong? Any help greatly appreciated.

The "Copy List" function is for "normal" DVD-format video transfers. DVD recorders consider DiVX to be a "computer" format, and make you go to a separate subsystem to deal with it. I think you need to go to the home menu and select "PC Video" instead of "Copy": this should bring up various options for moving DiVX files around. The same idea applies to JPEGS, which are accessed via Home Menu>PhotoViewer, and MP3 audio, which is accessed via Home Menu>JukeBox. I haven't played with DiVX on my 460s, but I have loaded still images and audio files as described. The screen display for manipulating still images is baffling, I imagine the DiVX interface is not much better. The machine is much easier to use for standard MPEG2 video.

Thanks CitiBear. Your explanation helped greatly. I think I've got things figured out now. Just a misunderstanding on my part.

PC Video, Jukebox, Photoviewer, and Connect PC are one way. You can copy from a source (CD, DVD, USB jump drive etc) to the DVR but not from the DVR hard drive back to a recordable DVD.

It looks like the "record or copy" functions only apply to shows taped from the TV onto the DVR hard drive. The "copy list" function is there and works fine.

Although I haven't tried it yet, I should be able to copy my old "non-copywrite" VCR stuff to the writable DVD.

Sound about right?

Yup!

As long as the tapes are from "regular" TV there should be no problem. If they were recorded from premium cable/satellite channels like HBO or from PPV, you may find that the tapes embedded a copy protection signal that shuts down the DVD recorder. I wouldn't expect this on tapes recorded before 2003, but around that time and afterwards some cable/satellite providers began transmitting CP signals on some programming. And of course a great many old commercial tapes have embedded CP signals. If you run into this problem, the only way around it is to connect a pricey ($100+) video filter between the VCR and your DVD recorder (see other AVS threads on that topic).

I rwad this thread after I got home from FS and it made me feel even better. I'd been considering the 560 for a while and when I saw it on sale for $299 went looking and couldn't find any online or in stock. I tried to get one local retailer to match but understandably he said that's below my cost no thanks. So tonight I see its sold out on the FS website. BUMMER. It shows in stock at the Halifax FS. I call them. Nope don't have any website is wrong.

I went o the Dartmouth FS just to look around and they had taken the demo and tag off the shelf. There were 6 boxes stacked in front of the shelf of 5 Toshiba DVD players what was on the bottom. 1 single 560!

Seems like maybe I got the last one in Atlantic Canada

With all the rave reviews I am seriously looking at this one...I'm hoping someone will answer some noob questions:

-can this be used with any cable provider i.e. Cogeco?
-will this record HD programming?
-would I be able to burn recorded content onto DVD (non-premium, more like kids movies from Family channel

Thanks

:d

hmmmm...decisions, decisions...I am also considering the Mororola dct-6416, it can record hd programming in hd, but i wouldn't be able to burn movies to dvd

does the pioneer record digital programming? I currently have a digital/HD package from my cable provider. I probably could give up the hd recording for the kids stuff, but would prefer to keep the adult (CSI, 24, Without a Trace) in HD.

thanks for the quick reply & answers

The Pio doesn't have a digital tuner.

I have Comcast, with a Moto 6412, and a Pio 640. I have the raw cable going to both the Moto and the Pio, and the S-vid from the Moto to the Pio. This is a very convenient setup. I can record TCM, and many other things, directly on the Pio, anything that is in analog on the cable.

For recordings made on the Moto from digital or premium channels, I set them up to transfer from the Moto to the Pio, using the OTR function on the Pio, when I go to bed, or out, and the transfer is done when I get back.

I was looking at a DVR recorder rather than a DVD recorder, would you guys say this is one of the best entry level recorders, rather than going for a DVD recorder? recording straight to a hard drive sounds better than burning loads of disks to me!

cya-nide, if your primary goal is temporary timeshifting to a hard drive, and you have very little interest in making DVD hard copies of anything, the Pioneer 560 (or indeed any DVD/HDD machine) is not the best choice for you. All DVD/HDD recorders are a compromise solution in that you sacrifice certain conveniences and formatting in exchange for the ability to edit and burn DVDs of your recordings. If you aren't that interested in making DVDs, theres really no point putting up with the compromises inherent in DVD/HDD recorders: you would be much happier with a TiVO, or if you have cable or satellite, renting the integrated PVR/decoder box they offer.

DVD/HDD recorders generally cannot record in anything close to Hi Def, and it is difficult to impossible to record a true 16:9 signal with them to properly fill modern widescreen televisions, even in standard definition. Your typical recording will be in 4:3 letterboxed format. (In the USA, the Phillips/Magnavox units with ATSC/DTV tuners will record in 16:9 off air, and you can sometimes make your cable or satellite decoder output 16:9 in a way that forces some recorders to make 16:9 recordings, but its a crapshoot). Then there's the "timer" factor to consider: if you have cable or satellite, you are basically going to be stuck setting manual timers on both the decoder box and the dvd/hdd recorder in order to timeshift. This is a confusing, annoying pain to do and is the number one reason recorder sales have totally died in the USA.

Those of us who have the collecting bug tolerate this half-assed recording format and insane timer coordination because we have no choice, but if you aren't a collector its silly to limit yourself to a device that won't record hi-def 16:9 and doesn't offer "one-click" childproof timer recording. I don't like encouraging the trend against independent recorders, but realistically there is no point to buying one unless you have a definite interest in making/collecting DVDs. You have a few diehards here on AVS who aren't collectors but are obsessed with the notion of avoiding cable or TiVO fees: the numbers don't really support that argument either. A good (i.e. reliable) DVD-only machine runs close to $200, a recorder with HDD runs $250-350. In most US regions, that money will buy you two to three years of TiVO or cable/satellite DVR service (the typical lifespan of a dvd/hdd recorder), with a much easier interface and better recording quality. Consider your priorities (and other family members) carefully before dropping serious money on a DVD/HDD recorder.

All good points made by CitiBear. One of the downsides to a satellite company's PVR, though, is you can't edit its recorded content. Citibear said, "Consider your priorities (and other family members)..." then consider the experience of a friend of mine, as an example of what's not good in a PVR. He went the PVR route and was bemoaning the fact he couldn't edit recordings. His daughter is obsessed with a certain music star and records his every appearance on TV. In most cases, that involves at least an hour of recording (timer recordings), sometimes longer, for only 4 or 5 minutes of what she really wants. My friend said the PVR is full of extraneous garbage and his daughter's loathe to delete her 'hunky star'. It's a struggle to maintain enough space for him to timeshift his own programs.

Certainly we have a choice that lets us avoid "insane timer coordination." If one has a DVR, and a DVDR with HDD, you simply record the program on the DVR's HDD, and then transfer it to the HDD of the DVDR whenever it is convenient. That would include 'five minute segments of hunky stars.'

Anyone young enough to crush on a pop singer is also young enough to know exactly how to tap into the output of Dad's cable DVR and record the pop singers clips onto her laptop for posting on youTube. If she's not doing this she's just being lazy and Dad needs to light a fire under her- that or buy her a cheap bottom of the barrel disposable DVD recorder she can attach to the cable DVR. (She doesn't need a $250 recorder for these clips: by the time she burns the discs she'll already be scouting the next crush).

I'd agree with you 100%, except "lighting a fire" under a teen these days will get your kids taken away from you, and probably you landed in jail. So, it might be easier for dad to burn the 5m segments to DVD, and delete the excess stuff from the DVR HDD.

That wasn't my main point though. I just wanted to point out that you don't have to do synchronized timer recordings if you have a DVR, and a DVDR (preferably with HDD.)

Industry sources have just announced Pioneer is cratering faster than a rogue meteor. The company is just about extinct, and "going forward" (which in tradespeak translates to "as of today"), "will be focusing on car stereo and home electronics, primarily cable TV and audio products that leverage Pioneers long history of innovation" (another translation: "expect us to offer nothing beyond car stereos, proprietary PVRs and upscale iPod docks"). "Optical disc" products will be "reviewed for profitability" and "offered to a strategic partner" (translation: "our standalone recorders are finis, but we're selling the branding rights for PC burners to Sony or Sharp, whichever is stupid enough to buy them").

If you want a Pioneer DVD/HDD recorder, get it now or pay dearly for one later on eBay. Its looking more and more like these suspicious clearance sales and shortages in Canada are the end of the line. If you can't find a Pioneer, then grab the Magnavox H2160 or Phillips 3576, both of which will be dropped this summer and ring the final curtain down on DVD/HDD machines for North America.

You quoting new sources today? Article link?

I was reading between the lines in the recent announcements about discontinuing plasma TV manufacture and a deal with Sharp for DVD players.....

I lost the link, but pretty sure it was from a couple of TWICE bulletins dated today or last night. And no, it isn't just the TVs (although thats the big news as far as the industry is concerned, being that TVs were the only things people were buying the last few months). Pioneer has been posting unsustainable losses since 2006, largely from DVD recorder declines, this latest devastation of their plasma TV business is the last nail. If they couldn't survive even with help from Panasonic and zero competition at the videophile luxury level, it doesn't bode well for high end gear in general and TVs specifically. I give it a year before Pioneer joins Polaroid as a shell branding company.

This article gives an overview. Between the lines, my money is on the optical media products being dumped [aka "spun-off")

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2340928,00.asp

The last time I saw this steep a decline was when Nakamichi died off in the 1990s. Once a maker of extraordinarily high quality component stereo items for audiophiles, the falloff in cassette deck sales did them in (they were THE "go-to" company for tape decks). They followed the same route Pioneer is now praying will work: become a car stereo specialist and sell everything else off to whoever wants to gamble on it. It didn't work for Nakamichi, and this was back when the economy was still percolating: the brand has nearly disappeared.

Aside from the immediate threat to our DVD/HDD recorder options, the prospect of Pioneer circling the drain is very sad for those of us over forty who still remember the incredible stereo components Pioneer made in the 1960s and 70s, and their dedication to keeping LaserDisc alive until DVD perfected the consumer optical disc concept. With even Panasonic and Sony on the ropes this year, I hate to think what other legendary brands may be gone by 2010.

Although this is a limitation of satellite DVRs, it's not really a limitation of OTA and cable DVRs like TiVo.

While you can't edit recordings on a TiVo, you can download recordings directly to your computer and then edit them in high-definition with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. You can then burn them to DVD with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound using your computer's DVD burner. This also gets you better picture quality than available with any standalone DVD recorder.

You can even burn them to DVD, in high-definition, for playback on HD-DVD and Blu-ray players.

Nakamichi, now that was a great company. I've got 1/2 dozen different Nak products, my 700zxl being the cream of my crop. It made audio cassette recordings that equaled the records they came from. Hell I could even use POS Memorex tapes and the Nak would make them sound like TDKs or Maxells. Too bad it hasn't seen the light of day in 10? years. As Citibear said towards the end of there illustrious life they only made top of the line(TOL) car stereos for Lexus I believe.
AFA Pioneer I also had several TOL car stereos from the early 70s when Pioneer was "THEE" car stereo company.
Sad to see the great names disappear or sell there name to the highest bidder

I purchased the panasonic digital vcr/dvd recorder and then found that you cannot record to vhs once the conversion takes place and recording to dvd is a pain
Thus I am considering a digital dvd recorder/dvr with hard drive
I am on rabbit ears and no cable as I cannot aford the monthly fees in the long run for cable with dvr
I have seen articles on the DTV pal dvr and the phillips DVDR 3576H
any comments on either or suggestion son others
I see from the post that the Pioneer 160GB DVD Recorder (DVR-560H-K) is good but I also see that it does not have a digital tuner- no good for me

Thanks