Should I bother with D-VHS? - Page 2  

When the dtheater decks and tapes first appeared I was upset ...HD ON TAPE !!!.....WHAT THE??? Decks for $2G and tapes $50??? Insane, niche ...period. Well now that I've calmed down, bought a deck for $299, svhs tapes I've got lots of, and can record via firewire from my hddvr all the insanity suddenly became very sane. I may feel the same about the hd dvd mess in a few years....here's hoping. For now I hope dtheater moves forward with new releases and lower pricing ....but if it doesn't that's ok too because there's so much value in archiving premium hd content it doesn't much matter.

I take it none of you D-VHS deck owners have DirecTV then? My Sony SAT-HD300 refuses to output to more than one HD-capable output port (one of Component, RGB or DVI) at a time, which really stinks! There's no FireWire (of course) and the only way it supports an outboard VCR is via the Composite or S-Video outs (or an RF out, but who cares). So I can only record in 480i/480p ... grrrr

If you want to record HD via firewire, your only two options are OTA and cable. Both options provide a pretty good quality signal for HD. Cable quality may vary by area, however.

Of course if you read this forum much you know the SAT-HD300 can be modified to add a firewire port by 169time or you can buy a do-it-yourself kit from 169time. Simultaneous output of firewire and one of the other HD outputs is then available and you can then record to D-VHS. There are many members here that record DirecTV that way, including myself.

Chris

I do read this forum quite a bit but I didn't know this! I thought the 169time stuff (last time I checked their Web site was awhile ago) was for older STB's like RCAs and whatnot. Thanks Chris, I'll go czech it out ...

[Edit: Their Web site is down :( But Google's cache shows that the 169time upgrade is $500! Let's see ... $500 for the upgrade ... another $300 + tax to get a JVC D-VHS deck ... I'm already up into HD10-250 HD TiVo territory :( So shouldn't I just get an HD TiVo instead?]

If they really go through with that, I predict the high definition DVD will fail miserably as a format. It's bad enough they can't decide between blu-ray and "HD-DVD", but if half the people who have HD-ready TVs can't even hook the players up and get something better than DVD quality video ... forget it!

I believe that with 169Time you will also likely need the AVX computer (about another 500 or so), which makes it more expensive than the HD Tivo. Also factor in the coming change to MPEG4, which will require new STBs for everyone, and it's an expensive but temporary fix.

It's not yet known how D* will replace the HDTivo boxes when the time comes. Most likely they will provide another HD DVR, but until it's released and D* makes a statement, it's not a definite.

Until all the technology issues work themselves up, I recommend getting what you are comfortable with, and re-examine your needs and equipment in another year or two.

Just so that I understand this correctly....

D Theater tapes will only work on JVC DVHS decks? Not on Mitsubishi decks?

I can still watch D Theater movies thru component cable? In other words, I do not need to use the Firewire ports if I do not intend to record?

Thanks.

Correct on all counts.

Chris

I went ahead and ordered a 5U today. I bought a refurb 40K last year before getting my Moxi HD-DVR. After getting the Moxi I needed room in the rack so I removed the 40K and haven't thought to much about it. I love the Moxi's ability to record two HD shows at once but it also runs out of space very quickly.

While moving some things last week I made room in the system for the 40K again and have been recording HD off of my Motorola 6200 via firewire.
I wish I had moved it back into the system earlier. It's been working great so far. I ordered the 5U and will be able to hook it up via the DVI on my Pioneer Elite 630 with an adapter to HDMI on the 5U. I'll move the 40K into the bedroom and mainly keep it for a backup.

Anyway just thought I'd post what I was doing about DVHS and recording some HD stuff.

Later,

Jim

I was convinced DVHS was a waste of time when it came out. Mainly because I had DirecTV with a DTC-100 so there was no added value. Just D-Theater tapes. Not enough by themselves to justify it's huge expense. Other options were available - still too expensive. At least ompared to Hipix on a PC. That was good enough for a while.

Well I switched to cable with Comcast and with the DTC-6200, the DVHS looked an awful lot more attractive. I bought a refurb 40000 for $250. I convert SVHS tapes to DVHS and my movie collection is growing every day.

But this is the kicker. I have a 5yo Pioneer HDTV with only component and RGBHV inputs. Any new HD format must support this monitor until it dies. If my monitor last 15 years, then that's 15 years before I buy any HD devices that don't work with my TV. It's that simple.

In the meantime, the DVHS purchase seems like a stroke of genius for now. The ultimate protection against obsolescence of my first HDTV.

Oh wow ... I didn't see that ... another $399 for this (ancient-looking) PC, too?!? (I can't even tell why it's needed - I assumed their SAT-HD300 mod gave it a FireWire output port out the back and you connected that right into the D-VHS deck. I guess not, eh?) Well that's a slam-dunk then ... no D-VHS for me.
One other thing of interest here - anyone been following the "Broadcast Flag" shenanigans, and how after July 1st of this year, all new STB and/or PVR gear is supposed to contain circuitry to honor the "Broadcast Flag"? See this EFF link for more info. Might have to decide to buy the HD10-250 HD TiVo before then ... and I wonder if the forthcoming DirecTV HD PVR will have this dreaded "Broadcast Flag" compliance :(
Agreed - I just don't want to spend over $800 on something that'll be obsolete in 6 months :D

On cnet, today:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6475_7-...?tag=cnetfd.ld

Hmm ...review of the 5u says you need "special" dvhs tapes to record HD. Another cnet botch job. Makes you wonder if the reviewers ever actually see the products. Cnet is getting more like consumer reports every day.

Interesting that they omit the JVC 40k (while including the older 30k) as well as the Mits decks. They also list as a drawback (con) "hard to find tapes". Huh? Since when are S-VHS tapes, most of which work just fine in digital mode, hard to find?

I emailed the editor ;)

I had to get some tapes last week, and actually did have a difficult time finding them. Went to Circuit City, they had only one brand and style SVHS, Best Buy had no SVHS tapes at all! For some reason, VHS is getting very difficult to find here in Sacramento... There are places (Fry's), but it's a destination, not a convenient trip to the store.

The only places I can find SVHS locally is a pro audio/video shop, and they've said when they are out, they're not getting any more. BUT, it is still plentiful via the internet....

Fry's here in CA has DVHS tapes in stock but they are kind of expensive. When I got my DVHS deck I went to Fry's and bought one tape to get started then ordered a bunch on the internet.

Rick R

I have read about issues involving the Samsung T165 tuner and D-VHS. Lots of locking up, reboots, etc. Can anyone confirm or deny personal experiences? I very much want to take the D-VHS plunge, but seems to be more trouble than it's worth. I want to be able to record OTA HDTV without breaking the bank (No LG 3410A or 169time.com mods). Is this possible?

Hi,

Please pardon me if I missed this, but are the movie studios still producing new DVHS releases?

Thanks.

Larry

I just received notification of shipping to me of DVHS "I Robot", seems like they are releasing some on DVHS still...
The old Panasonic(model DHT50???) OTA tuner works well for DVHS taping, my buddy has it, bought a second tuner AND DVHS deck for $250.US.
169time screwed themselves, IMHO by making their mod so expensive, but thats just my opinion.

I have the SIR-T165 and the timer recording function is very poor. The tuner does pick up all digital channels I can receive with my other ATSC tuners. Picture quality is good and the MPEG decoder does a good job of decoding 169time recordings made using pre-release 08E6. The decoder did not decode recordings made with 169time software version 08A5 very well. Recordings made with the T165 could be decoded nearly glitch free. Overall, it works pretty well with firmware version 134 other than timer recording being problematic. I didn't have lockup problems but I gave up using it for anything other than decoding some months ago because of the timer recording issues. There is a long thread in the HDTV Hardware section under SIR-T165 firmware fiasco that covers many of the issues. The MIT MDR-200 seems to be a better STB based on what I have read but I don't have any first hand experience.

Larry, we don't know for sure whether there will be more DTheater D-VHS releases. I, Robot was apparently ready to be released the same day as the DVD release but finally showed up just recently about a month and a half later in limited quantities. I, Robot may be the final release as I haven't heard any announcements of upcoming releases.

Chris

Few and far between. The most recent releases were Lost in Translation, The Rundown, Love Actually, and 21 Grams back in December. I, Robot was just released this month.

I have had few problems with my T-165, but, it's got a rather old firmware--read about lots of problems with newer firmware--so that may be the reason. Still need to test my 169time setup I got. I'll first test direct OTA, then start the D* hassle.

Question: I'm looking for a second deck for dubbing. My primary unit is a JVC 40k. Any opinions on whether I should pick up another 40k or maybe a 30k?

I was considering the Mits units, but I'm concerned about this "switching" modes when the bitrate falls under a certain threshold.

I've got a 5U and a 3K, the 5U is very robust, seems to have better error correction, or a bigger digital buffer, or whatever, especially good with iffy playback, BUT I've got a 3K too just in case something about its being the first generation is desirable.
I would say get a 5U, they're available new for under $400. if you look hard enough on the net.
And make sure you send me a list of your titles when you get it.....

Nathan pick up a 5u, it has the best decoder available and features the cleanest component out of any deck with the least amount of high frequency picture detail roll-off, i have 2 and love them, they have the best decoder and component out of any device i have ever used with my Barco 808s PJ

-Gary

I love my new 5u. Very crisp.

If the 5U is shown to work well with whatever firewire source it will be used with, then I think the 5U is the preferred model. My 5U won't work with an older 169time modified DTC-100 and it also won't decode 169time recordings made with software versions earlier than 08C6 acceptably. The 5U decoder is the same as the 40000U decoder which also does a poor job with my older recordings. The 40000U firewire communication works with the RCA DTC-100 that won't work with my 5U. Overall based on recordings made from various sources, including a Samsung SIR-T165, I would say the 30000U decodes a wider variety of recordings better than either the 5U or 40000U. None of these VCRs are perfect and a bad one of any model is far inferior to a good one of any model. I am using a 30000U for playback connected to my 720p projector although the 5U seems slightly sharper, because I prefer fewer glitches. Before buying any model, inquire here as to results with the specific firewire device it will be connected with and then decide which one works best.

Chris