DVD recorder help

What country are you posting from.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say..........the UK? BlackAdder and the fact that he uses Sky are dead giveaways
AFA a DVD Recorder suggestion, personally I'd suggest a Panasonic. As long as the discs are finalized I've never had a issues playing my Panasonic recorded discs on a variety of players. Stick to -R media for maximum compatibility and for brand name I'd suggest Verbatim AZO series(Data Life, NOT Life is also very good) as well as Ty.

If you’re in the UK and you want a “reasonably priced current model ” HDD/DVD recorder you should check out the LG RHT599H. It’s a modern updated in 2012 recorder that will record to –R/RW +R/RW +R-DL and RAM discs. It comes with a 500GB HDD.

http://www.lg.com/uk/blu-ray-dvd-players/lg-RHT599H-dvd-player
Although the suggested list price is £249.99 -- anytime I look some retailer has stock for around £180 to £190.
http://www.idealo.co.uk/compare/3298063/lg-rht599h.html

What is great about this LG machine: finally it's free of the low-end/cheap video encoder chips.

USB

In the unlikely event that you fill up the internal hard drive, there is a USB port to connect your external hard drive, so you can continue to record without having to wipe any of your stored programmes. Capable of reading information from connected USB devices, compatible LG devices can read images, videos and music files from USB memory sticks and external hard drives, for example.

DivX HD/MKV Playback

HD Contents playback with support for all popular HD video formats, your LG can play back video downloaded from the internet on the big screen, all in pristine high definition.


USA, land of the free....hah.

Are you sure about being able to record to an external USB drive, or was that reference to USB in your post copied from some third party review site? That caught my eye since that's pretty much a feature not usually seen in a consumer DVD recorder and would be a huge advantage over others.

I just downloaded the manual and there's no mention of that capability to record out. However, there is a big cautionary note on page 30 that says, "Disc or HDD files cannot be moved or copied to a USB Flash Drive." You would think that if you can't move HDD or DVD files onto the external device, that there'd be no way to record directly to it either, unless it's some kind of undocumented feature they don't mention anywhere.

Most DVD recorders with a USB port act as media players for files on the USB device, as you wrote above, "capable of reading information from connected USB devices". Operative word there being "reading" but not "writing".
Edited by scoosdad - 2/13/13 at 6:59am

I copied that directly from the product info page at www.amazon.co.uk, so take it for what it's worth.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-RHT599H-500GB-Recorder-Freeview/dp/B007HZHEKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360768867&sr=8-1

There is a buyer's comment on the second page of the review section saying that the specifications are wrong and it's not possible to record out to an external USB device:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B007HZHEKA/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_next_2?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=2&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

As I mentioned, there is no sign of this feature anywhere in the user's manual. You would think that if this feature existed, there would be a step by step procedure showing the on screen menus, demonstrating how to do it.

The LG RHT599H still does a lot more than any DVD/HDD recorder we had in North America.

=====Plays HD videos in full HD resolution via external HDD or USB stick.

=====One touch timer recording via built in Freeview+ digital tuner’s EPG.
(just like a cable PVR without the subscription)

That along with the excellent LG Super Multi Drive that records to
+R/RW/DL
-R/RW
RAM

All with a 500GB HDD for a very reasonable price which was as low as £145 according to this page. http://www.idealo.co.uk/awp/3298063.html



I think it might also record from external source via component (using scart) eliminating the need of a component to S-Video converter that causes a quality hit.

As good as my Sony RDR-HX780 is, it won’t do half of what the LG does.

========================

I’m going to make an assumption here:

Since LG is one of the top sellers of PC drives I’d say it’s likely that LG uses the same 24x laser diode they use in their current super-multi PC drives. My reasoning is – they probably sell 10,000 PC super-multi drives for every DVDr they sell so it would be cheaper to use the same laser diode in the DVDr. Of course the HSD burn speed would be limited to the speed of other components of the recorder, probably 8x or less.

If my assumption is correct that means the LG RHT599H burner should last for thousands and thousands of burns.
DVD/HDD recorder manufactures use the same HDDs as we have in our PC, yes the slowest “green” models.

People are getting way WAY too carried away over this last-ditch LG: it is a very basic unit with an already-horrid reputation that lacks many features we took for granted with older DVD/HDD recorders. Super Eye, you may want to re-read the instruction manual with a pot of coffee next to you. The RHT599H isn't remotely comparable to your Sony RDR-HX780: your Sony absolutely buries it in terms of actual real-world usefulness. Or to put it even more starkly for North American AVS members: the Magnavox MDR533 blows this LG into the weeds for day-to-day use.

The LG RHT599H has only two things going for it: it has RGB (component) input via SCART, and it can combine HDD titles as well as divide them. Unfortunately, these features are attached to a bizarrely prehistoric recorder design that is extremely limited in recording/dubbing options. Before rushing off to a UK dealer, pause for breath and consider there might be good reason the price is dropping another 10 percent with every passing week.

This LG cannot make high-speed lossless DVD dubs from HDD in standard video-compatible DVD format. It can only do high speed lossless dubs to discs pre-formatted as VR mode (or RAM discs). The only way to get a normal, compatible DVD dub is via real-time, slow, lossy re-encode. The unit cannot even automatically match recording length and speed to DVD capacity: you must manually figure this out beforehand and make the proper settings, or you end up with a coaster. This, and the editing system being wildly inaccurate, are the two biggest drawbacks buyers complain of. The EPG doesn't score any points, because every recorder sold in the EU since 2005 has had an EPG- its practically mandatory, and its the same clunky advert-riddled interface as TVGOS. The ability to play HDTV files via USB input is not that big a deal: these "file playback" features are always funky crippleware in recorders. An LG BluRay player would be more compatible with more formats, as would a cheap dedicated HDD media player (or an even an LG television).

The LG RHT599H is a bottom-range recorder intended for buyers with limited budgets who don't already own another type of recorder. It would make a terrible DVD-offloading companion for a Sky+ PVR. LG makes many fine products, and some nifty optical drives, but that doesn't mean their last-ever DVD/HDD recorder is any great shakes. In practical usability, it slots several rungs below the American Magnavox 533, and thats really saying something given how basic the Magnavox is.

blackadder1974, I'm afraid you'll need to look beyond DVD recorders if you want to offload videos from your Sky+ PVR. The European market has finally caught up (down?) with North America: just a few straggling survivors that are a pale shadow of former models from the same brands. Can't even recommend one of the remaining UK Panasonics: the user reports are that bad now. IF you can find the LG RHT599H for a very cheap price, it could work OK if you record from your Sky+ box directly to its DVD burner, bypassing the HDD. But you'll likely be happier with accessories that give your PC video recording features: at least with the PC, you can choose a dependable burner (DVD or BD), editing/burning software that works properly, and record to redundant HDDs if you don't want discs. We're in the same boat here in USA, aside from the Magnavox units and an aging Panasonic global-import model of unpredictable availability.
Edited by CitiBear - 2/15/13 at 8:01pm

Sorry but I don’t understand.
Why are you stating that you can’t do a HSD lossless dub from HDD to DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW/DL in DVD-Video format?
I think LG calls HSD "fast".

I don’t understand. There is no need for “match recording length and speed to DVD” for lossless HSD as it just takes bit for bit data transfer, as long as you’re not trying to put more data from the HDD on a disc than the disc’s capacity. As for RT – the deck has XP, SP, EP, LP and slower speeds. No Pioneer MN settings as my beloved Sony has and yes, I would miss custom speeds like 75 min 90 min and 150 min dearly but the LG deck has XP and SP and slower speeds. What do you mean “no time matching”

CitiBear, please explain.

Super Eye,

Yes, when I was referring to "high speed lossless dubbing" I was using the Sony/Pioneer terms for what LG calls "fast dubbing" on this unit. If you read the instruction manual carefully, and parse the convoluted phrasing therein, it says "fast" dubbing is limited to RW and RAM discs formatted in VR mode. Burning of standard universally-compatible DVDs (non-VR) must be done in slow real-time dubbing mode, which apparently involves some degree of re-encoding (perhaps to stitch the edit points as DVD-video format). Various user reports confirm this peculiar dubbing restriction as an unexpected disappointment of the unit.

Regarding the issue of having to manually match recording lengths/capacities between HDD files and blank DVDs, this is not clearly explained in the LG manual. A number of user reports claim the unit lacks the most basic ability to notify its operator of potential dubbing errors. As example, when you prepare a copy list of HDD titles to dub to DVD with your Sony 780, if the total file size exceeds the blank DVD capacity for high speed lossless dubbing, your Sony (and my Pioneers and jjeffs Panasonics and wajo's Magnavox,, etc) will alert you of the fact and offer the option to either switch to a real-time lossy re-encode to squeeze the files onto the disc, or send you back to the copy list to delete or edit down some titles.

The LG RHT599H apparently has no awareness of these factors, and will permit dubbing lists which exceed the blank DVD capacity. Instead of warning you and offering alternatives, owners say the the unit will just brainlessly burn the DVD until capacity runs out, resulting in an incomplete DVD. Depending on your dubbing list, the disc would not have the end of a movie or might be missing one or more TV show episodes/scenes. Also, if you recorded a two hour program in XP mode on HDD, and try to dub it (fast or slow), the LG will merrily burn only half the program to DVD without warning you. Presumably you could salvage the project by burning supplementary DVDs with the missing portions, but thats inconvenient if you wanted a single DVD. Most people would trash the disc and start over, annoyed but wiser to the LG's peculiar nature.

None of this necessarily means the RHT599H is a "bad" recorder per se: no one complains about the video quality, and its a reasonable deal at the 145 euro on-sale price for an OTA user who just wants an HDD timeshift box that can also play DVDs and perhaps burn the occasional disc. But it isn't the ideal companion to a Sky+ PVR for frequent DVD backup purposes. Workable, but not enjoyable or optimal. Unfortunately the few alternatives still available in the UK market aren't that much better: the current UK Panasonics are incredibly buggy, the Toshibas are overpriced, buggy, and have no HDD, and the final, leftover Sonys are horrendous Samsung OEM hackjobs far worse than the LG.

The sun has set for DVD recorders across the globe. There is perhaps one model left in each country thats worth bothering with, and that just barely. Believe it or not, the USA-exclusive Magnavox 500-series DVD/HDD now stands alone as the most reliable, least annoying recorder [for OTA use] one can still buy new anywhere in the world. (Aside from the multiregion Panasonic EH59/EH69, nice machines but spotty distribution, no DTV tuner, and unsupported by Matsushita in most markets.)
Edited by CitiBear - 2/17/13 at 11:48pm

CitiBear,

This is how inaccurate “No your machine can’t do that” rumors start. Neither one of us owns the LG RHT599H so we’re both going from literature written either by LG’s manual or reports from users on the Internet. Regarding the “lossless" HSD dubbing from the HDD to a DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW/DL in normal DVD-Video format -- sorry my friend but I believe that you are incorrectly reading the LG manual and I stick by my earlier comments.

The way I read the manual regarding HSD dubbing.
You can edit a title on the HDD and make a HSD lossless dub from the HDD to a DVD-Video formatted disc.

1) Record something to HDD in a preset speed, say a 2-hr program in SP speed.

2) Prep it. Trimming, chaptering, titling etc.

3) Put in a DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW/DL in DVD-Video mode and choose “fast” mode and this will do a lossless bit for bit copy to the blank DVD-Video disc.

LG RHT599H
PICTURE from manual
Page 40
Prepped title HDD to DVD-R/RW/+R/RW/DL DVD-Video (HSD lossless)

==============================================================================
You can’t:
Do the above with a VR formatted DVD-RW or RAM.
Its there on page 40 of the manual.
LG RHT599H
PICTURE from manual
Page 40
No lossless HSD dub from HDD to VR DVD disc.

==============================================================================
It specifically mentions that VR formatted DVD-RW or RAM is meant for creating a playlist and advanced editing. My RDR-HX780 has the exact same feature with –RW in VR Mode.

LG RHT599H
PICTURE from manual
Page 35
Editing to a VR-Mode disc playlist.

==============================================================================
My Sony RDR-HX780 playlist in VR-Mode only.
Page 56

==============================================================================
If you continue with the Sony manual you will notice the same “advanced editing with playlist features” only available to –VR formatted discs and incompatible with DVD-Video.
Page 61

==============================================================================
There are numerous references in the manual. This is the same as the LG.

If you reading from users posting on the Internet that they aren’t achieving lossless HSD HDD to DVD dubs that are finalized and compatible -- they are doing something wrong. Are you surprised???

As to the issue of having to manually match recording lengths/capacities between HDD files and blank DVDs. I will write another post with my thoughts. Again neither one of us (Super Eye CitiBear) owns the machine we are discussing. But please, don’t go by what ignorant users write on the Internet. I mean “ignorant in its true, non-insulting meaning of the word. These are the same people that can't set a modern VCR into manual tracking, or turn off the on-screen-display when dubbing, or.... Same folks ignorant of how electronics work, saying no you can't, blaming the gear instead of blaming their own ignorance. Don't beleive everything they write CitiBear.

I will say that I might of jumped the gun in stating that this LG will do more than my 780. My 780 has a great I/O tweaker for each analog input and final analog output and it has the priceless Pioneer MN system. I do find the LG more appealing then the Magnovox but of course I don’t own either so I can’t really say. Why don’t you call those British folks that own the LG and don’t know how to do edited HDD to DVD-Video lossless HSD dubs that are compatible with most players – and I will explain the procedure in detail to them.

Super Eye,

There may be different versions of the manual online. The one I looked at had different wording and page numbering than your images. I will have to track down the link again and see if I can get hold of the exact manual I referenced. The user reports I looked thru on European AV forums did not seem to be written by newbies, but owners of other recorders including older LGs that they were satisfied with. They expressed annoyance with interface changes in the RHT599H. This is not unusual, Panasonic and other brands in the PAL market have also made unpopular changes to DVD/HDD functionality since 2010. The last current round of Sony DVD/HDD recorders OEM'd by Samsung have very limited dubbing options, as do early DVD/HDD models by JVC, Phillips and off-brands. These feature cripplings come and go on mfr whim, model to model, whether made in 2003 or 2012. All we can do is delay purchase until we can study the downloaded manual and perhaps read a few initial user reports to get an idea of functionality. You are of course correct that nothing is confirmed until we buy the unit ourselves and test it: even Consumer Reports and Cnet can publish error-riddled product reviews, and certainly Amazon reviews miss the mark as often as they hit it. When it comes to PAL-market recorders, I generally find the Australian AV sites a little more accurate than the UK/Euro sites.

Regarding your quotes from the Sony 780 manual, we have no disagreement there, other than I believe those excerpts are more concerned with direct-to-disc recording instead of dubs from HDD to DVD. The VR mode (used in recorders other than Funai) is not standardized and creates proprietary discs with additional edit features that vary depending on the disc type. Direct on-disc VR-mode recording/editing is kinda klunky and usually not compatible to play in other hardware (unless you use DVD+RW media). As for dubbing, the Sony 780 and assorted Pioneers do not have any speed or quality limits on dubbing to either video- or VR-formatted blanks: high speed lossless is permitted on both although one can't use the same copy list to dub both formats. This point about the copylists is not all that clear in the manuals. The units will refuse to copy a VR playlist to a video mode DVD and vice versa, but this is a limitation of the copylist only, not actual dubbing. You just need to re-create the same copylist from scratch if you want both a VR mode and Standard Video Mode version (the VRs can be reverse lossless copied back to the HDD, standard video cannot, sometimes its useful to have both options archived).

The Sony RDR-HX780 (and similar HX25, HX90 series) or Pioneer HDDs can store a mix of both VR and Video Mode files (these formats are essentially identical to the HDD aside from a couple of oddball bitrate/framing ratios VR offers that no one ever really uses). They can losslessly HS copy both file types to either VR or Video mode blank dvds, and VR dvd titles back onto the HDD for reworking. You just need to invoke the correct copy list format to match your intended blank disc format, a simple point that is very poorly explained in the manuals (if at all). Most Sonys and Pioneers sold between 2005 and 2008 have this dubbing flexibility, which is slightly more liberal than Panasonics (that have more limits on HS dub formats) but not nearly as flexible as the old Toshiba XS units which could HS dub in both directions for all available disc formats. The LG RHT599H slots in here somewhere, but the manuals and user reports conflict as to dubbing options: I wouldn't run to buy the LG for heavy dubbing use unless the seller offers an excellent return/refund policy. The same advice applies to the USA Magnavox: it isn't as flexible as a 2006 Panasonic or a 2008 Sony, you may or may not find it workable, and its compatibility with cable service runs the gamut from total hell to total simplicity. User reports conflict, and the manual is inaccurate on several key points. Buy from a dealer with a return policy, not some random vendor on eBay.
Edited by CitiBear - 2/18/13 at 11:33am

The manual page numbers I previously referenced come directly from the LG UK site from the RHT599H manual. The manual can be downloaded from there. Under RHT599H product support page here.
http://www.lg.com/uk/support-product/lg-RHT599H
From that page link there is a download manual link.

In my opinion it could not be clearer as it specifically mentions that you can’t do a “fast” (lossless HSD) copy ONLY to a edited title using a VR formatted disc. Again the page 40 quote.

That is the “ONLY” instance mentioned of not being able to copy HDD to DVD in lossless “fast” mode - edited VR mode titles only. In fact If you want to back up UNEDITED titles – you can go HDD to DVD and back to HDD in lossless VR mode – as long as the file is unedited.

It would be a shame if folks in the UK should read this thread and cancel their purchase based on what you say regarding lossless dubs from HDD to DVD-Video.. Because IMO what you say totally conflicts with what I read from the manual. Hopefully UK retailers have similar return policies to North American retailers if one is not happy with a recorder – one can return it within 30 days.

As to my Sony and VR mode, I really don’t have any hands on experience with VR mode as I never use it. Different strokes for different folks but IMO its one of those worthless “incompatible with anything else” features so why use it.

Back to the issue of having to manually match recording lengths/capacities between HDD files and blank DVDs. I believe this another issue of ignorant users not knowing anything about recorders. This recorder has no inbetween speeds, there are only XP, SP, LP, EP (and a really slow HDD only speed)

What’s there to figure out??? A SL disc holds aprox 1hr in XP 2hr in SP, 4hr in LP 8hr in EP. Acording to the LG graph below if you try dubbing more data from HDD to disc than a DVDr holds – the fast (HSD) mode will be blanked out. Do you know for a fact that If the remaining space on the disc is insufficient, the[Fast] mode is not grayed out? Also do you know why there is an “auto” mode along with XP, SP, EP, LP and fast? What is the auto speed setting for? Once again CitiBear don’t base your conclusions on what a few clueless Internet reviewers write.

I found this LG DVDr graphic on google images. It states that A) fast mode is indeed greyed out if the data exceeds the capacity of disc and B) notice the title length/free space calculation and C) the auto setting mentioned in the manual.


I would say going by what anonymous posters write about a product is not fair and in fact a disservice to a product. We had people right here on AVS stating that there is no way to put my JVC VCR decks in manual tracking mode (not true) and B) that there is no way to turn off the on-screen calibration message when in fact there are at least 4-ways to turn it off.

That doesn't look like the one I read. Yours has printer crop marks and is reduced/centered horizontally on the page, the one I saw was a more typical portrait-format PDF manual with different graphics and numbering. Usually I save any manual I look up, since the PDF reader downloads them anyway, but that one disappeared when I shut the reader and I can't find the link again. I'll assume the one on you linked to on the LG site is the final revision, indicated by the crop marks, etc.


Considering how much you like your Sony, and how you work it to death archiving music concerts, I'm surprised you've never had occasion to employ the optional VR disc format at least once. It comes in handy when I know I will want to rework or reuse parts of a recording at some future date, but want to remove it from the HDD for the time being. Formatting a plain ordinary DVD-R or DVD+R to VR mode creates an archival backup disc, whose contents can be reverse copied back to the HDD at high speed with all chapters and thumbnails intact and available for re-editing. This can also be done with RW media without the bother of pre-formatting, but RW discs are more expensive, not always in the house when I need one, and not as archival.


I understand your POV, but without such thorny discussions most of us would end up more frustrated. Yes, misinformation is out there, but don't lay blame solely on "clueless consumers." Mfrs are notorious for blowing smoke, stonewalling on design flaws, and producing manuals that are inaccurate as well as inscrutable. Along with honest misinterpretations, complaints by the clueless, and mfr smoke there is also invaluable tips and advice posted by owners clever enough to outwit the goofs in their devices and go beyond the manual to find workarounds. While we may get sidetracked by some erroneous individual posts, the aggregate of user forums, professional reviews, Amazon, etc usually gives a good overview and can direct the attention of potential buyers to areas where the product is confusing and may not be idiot-proof.

DVD recorders are inherently user-hostile, without warts-and-all user posts many of us would be lost at sea trying to get the most out of them. The pissed-off and/or clueless posts beget answer posts that confirm the problem, disprove the problem with correct instructions, or offer workarounds. The system is self-correcting for the most part. On AVS alone, the mix of clueless and expert posts have probably saved nine out of ten Magnavox, Philips, and Toshiba XS recorders from being attacked with jackhammers or thrown out windows by their furious owners. Our precious Sonys and Pioneers are not perfect, either: they have idiotic interface flaws and obscure bugs we would never know of without input from a broad mix of owners.

Unfortunately, that broad mix has fallen away now for DVD recorders as their popularity rapidly wanes. The LG RHT599H, being rather new, has not (and will never) acquire the accumulated knowledge base of a huge number of owners posting on various sites. The smaller number of posts will naturally skew toward the negative, and inevitably have more mistakes, but they're still useful to highlight areas where a new owner may run into unexpected trouble. If there are a dozen posts confused re the recorder running out a disc dub with no regard to program length, there may be an issue with the interface not being obvious, the manual might be inaccurate, or those dozen users may be sock puppets. The point is the issue was raised, and new buyers would do well to check their unit for such issues within their return/refund period.

The LG RHT599H is to Europe as the Magnavox MDR533 is to America: the only option left in a dead product category. Due caution is advised when considering such a product: mindless gibbering boosterism that the product still exists in some form, with slavering gratitude to the mfr, can drown out legitimate concerns that the unit is not the ideal solution for everyone (and as demonstrated by Sony in 2009 and Panasonic in 2011, the mfr may have cut corners or dramatically reduced functionality from previous models). The LG RHT599H is a complex DVD/HDD recorder, not a mind-reading automaton: as long as it is bought from a dealer with refund privileges, it can be a good bargain depending on your recording needs. But you'll probably need to buy it and try it: there won't be a huge store of tips and tricks for it on websites anytime soon.
Edited by CitiBear - 2/19/13 at 9:11am

CitiBear,

I was doing some research and found out that the LG DVD/HDD recorders prior to year 2007 had a flaw with “fast dubbing of edited material to DVD-Video”. That’s decks up to year 2006 models. Every model made in year 2007 and later had a firmware that allows “fast dubbing of edited material to DVD-Video”. In fact LG offers firmware updates on their site and perhaps they offered a firmware patch to year 2006 and older decks.

In the below AVS link member em-t-wallitt confirming that his year 2008 Canadian LG RH398H-M will do “fast dubbing of edited material to DVD-Video”. http://www.avsforum.com/t/1251389/canada-lg-rh398h-m-dvdr-with-250-gb-hdd
Read post #10.

Below is another Canadian who purchased a year 2007 LG LRH 890 HDD/DVD Recorder reporting that “fast dubbing of edited material to DVD-Video” works.
http://digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=70670

Post #1
Regarding that second forum, I don’t advise anyone becoming a member. Proud Canadian I am not when it comes to that forum that is moderated/censored by Nazi type mods and they also make you listen to commercials. You been warned!

So that pretty well confirms that NTSC models built in year 2007 and later work for “fast dubbing of edited titles from HDD to DVD-Video.

As for the PAL models – same thing. Any LG DVD/HDD model built in year 2007 and later will work correctly when fast dubbing to DVD-Video. Since you CitiBear been reading Australian forums – I’m shocked that you didn’t catch this.

So in conclusion – Anyone in the UK thinking about purchasing the LG RHT599H DVD/HDD recorder – I Super Eye here by guarantee that the deck will fast dub lossless titles from HDD to DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW/DL in DVD-Video format. BTW the firmware is dated 02/04/2012.

Our friend CitiBear (God bless him) has a tendency to refer flaws from older first generation decks and claiming that the flaws still exist in the newer machines. Example year 2003 Pioneers had problems with burning 1x to 16x media but that has been long ago solved and Pioneer built in 2006 and later decks have zero problem with burning such media.

I will give further thoughts on my Sony and VR mode in another post.

Again any LG HDD/DVD recorder, PAL or NTSC built in 2007 and later will lossless HSD fast dub edited material from HDD to DVD-video. This includes the newest 2012 PAL LG RHT599H.

Folks, I've been following this. I don't know anything about dvd recording but have some tapes I need to convert.

I have just bought this LG for £99 inc delivery and recorded from an old vhs to HDD then to disc. Whole thing took about 5 button presses.

Even if it only does that for the next 400 tapes I've got a bargain. But hooked up to a coxel cable from the rook the TV it's pulling in on to my old HD tv is really good.

Not had it long enough to even see if the freeview is coming in as all I wanted to do is test these tape conversions.

Things I might concider - pulling out the HD and replacing with a bigger one - if poss suspect not.

Looking to see if I can get it to record onto USB as if I can I won't need the above :-)

Here's the link if interested - hope thats not breaking any rules.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LG-Digital-Freeview-500GB-DVD-Hard-Drive-HDD-TV-Recorder-RHT599H-2x-scarts-HDMI/330847213579?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D8049039318298972381%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D330847213579%26

Dave, wow!! Sounds like you got a great deal. Congratulation on your purchase. £99.99 that's hardly more than the cost of the HDD alone.

Looking at your eBay link it looks like these units are customer returns in like new condition with warrantee. The seller already sold close to 400 units and has more. I looked at some of the feedback from buyers of the unit and it seems like people are pretty happy and in fact some folks went back and bought more units.

Personally I wouldn’t swap the HDD for a bigger one until the unit ages and you start having problems. I wouldn’t keep the VHS recordings on the HDD too long, I would fast-speed burn then unto DVD-R discs.

As for recording from VHS to the USB stick, I don’t think any DVD/HDD recorders can do this. Have you tried?

Please keep up posted and after you transferred a bunch of tapes tell us how you like this machine.

Thanks SE, I've run in a problem - not with the unit - it's slowing me down doing anything quickly with the recorder. I am using an old tv but it seems however way I conect to the bloody thing I get no sound. I've checked the recorder and the dvd I recorded via VHS all is ok sound is fine so it won't stop me recording at all. But it mean I'll have trust the sound gets recorded before I can take the unit to a TV I now has sound working I do have a separate dvd player but it only contect via scart and the only other tv is has no scarts sure I could test them on my laptop but I've had dvds in the past that work on the lappy but not in a dvd player - sorry if that confusing.

Back to this recorder -

I can tell you that editing would be really slow so I won't be doing any of that. You can slit files and mark and delete sections but moving along the timeline is almost real time so pointless. I think the is a software update so I might download that and see if it's better.

I've opened the box already, the HDD is a WD, looks a bit of a pain to get out but can be done. The USB cable is under the HDD drive so when I get it out I'll have a better view. I might be able to sidetrack the HDD to the USB port. Meaning I'll be able to use external HDD drive. The idea being I'll replicate the existing drive onto a 4tb drive and then expand the partition. Never done it, don't know if it's possible but logic leads the way.

One thing I'm impressed with is the freeview. The aerial I'm using is an old one ( I mean it's been in the loft for over 20 years ) yet the channels are very clear and all the menus come up fine. I try that on my cable connection and it's rubbish. In face this is worth it for that alone, dvd recording is a bonus.

If anyone wants to know anything just ask. As for the ebay seller I've bought a dishwasher and fridge-freezer of those guys months ago. I also contacted them before I bought, I was looking at a 3hd Blueray recorder they had. Told them what I wanted it for and the recommended this even-though it was £50 cheaper then the one I was asking about. So I can recommend them.

I hope you get the sound issue figured out. If something is wrong with the unit I would exchange it.

Not sure exactly what you mean but I’d be extra careful in there.
1) The connectors in there are probably very fragile.
2) Hope you ground yourself to minimize the risk of a small electrical discharge burning out something.

I’m pretty sure that most DVD/HDD recorders have a proprietary file system and you can’t just take out an HDD and hook it to your PC and expect the PC to read the files. Or are you thinking of putting an eSATA connector in there (connect to the SATA, not USB) )and swapping in/out external SATA drives within' the LG? Not sure if the LG needs some file to initialize a new blank HDD.

Keep us posted but be careful.

I appreciate all your info as I never talked to anyone with a LG RHT599H. Sounds like a nice machine.

Will be nice if you can upload some pics...