Which recorders have you/do you own? - Page 3

Panasonic DMR-E85H, bought almost exactly two years ago. Initially it recorded analog broadcasts directly off the air (I don't have cable or satellite), but now I record via the line inputs from my Sony HD DVRs, since I've switched to OTA digital.

Even though I don't use it for DVR-type functions any more (timeshifting, chase play), it still gets a lot of use for archiving: two daily syndicated series, plus two weekly series, plus occasional specials, plus (right now) the World Series. (Go Tigers! )

two Liteon LVW 5005
ReplayTV RTV 5040

I own the following:

SD: Panasonic DMR-E80H
HD: Sony DHG-HDD250 (x2) - this is a DVR only.
VHS: Panasonic VCR (circa 2005 with only 3 uses since new)

Panasonic E80H, for timeshifting and archiving. Sure wish it could HS dub playlists.

Panny ES20, for when I want to record two shows at once. <$100.

Updated from my orginal response in this thread.

Philips:
DVDR75 my first recorder, died after 18 months (600 DVDs).
DVDR77 (2) Poor remote control, Flexible units with fragile electronics.

Panasonic:
ES10 - good for VHS tape input, RAM editing ok, video editing sucks.
update:
ES15- tried/returned it, no improvements for me over ES10.


Ilo:
R04 - easy to use, compatability issues - returned.

Liteon:
5101 - many issues - returned.

Sony:
GX300 - well built, good video, video mode editing sucks - returned.

Update:
Polaroid 2001G hdd recorder..Tried an "D" build for a few days, had a lot of problems and returned it. Currently have a "G" build model and everything seems to work on it. The remote is accepable, picture quality is good from component in. Have time shift shut off. Issues are: Very short title names, no image adjustments, VR only recording mode and mpeg audio (not AC3). However it has decent DV input and provides lot of bang for the buck.

Pioneer:
225 - video mode editing sucks - returned.
531H - workhorse, no EPG for me, many useful adjustments, not perfect but easy to edit/use. Easily controlled from my cable STB.

update: added a Pioneer 640H to my collection, missing some features from the 531H but has better extended time (2:30+) recording quality. Works nicely in my setup using the the 531Hs remote control.

Toshiba:
Haven't tried one yet, but understand that they have the most DVD menu creation options by far, including chapter menu options.

update: Tried and returned Toshiba Xs35 hdd recorder.. had a lot of features, "false positive" copy protection on my cable system, had a disk fragmentaion problem after editing a few movies on the HDD. complicated to learn "hidden" menu system.

Lack of decent burned DVD menu options is one of my major complaints with Sony, Pany and Pioneer. Even my old Philips 77 let me pick a DVD menu thumbnail AND background from within the video on it and shows the user no "unused/blank" menu choices on a finalized DVD.

Hi All,

Only one - Toshiba RD-XS55. It was given to me as a Father's Day gift from my lovely,wonderful wife!Editing is a breeze.And even more so from my PC,making it more easy to perform all functions from the unit.I never used the "email recording" function,I see no need for it(personally).

Panasonic E30 - gone
Cyberhome 1600 (2) *
Samsung R100
Samsung R120 - gone
Samsung R130 - gone
Polaroid 2001G (2)
Toshiba DR-K2 (2)*
Toshiba DR5

* I picked these up "as is" on eslay and repaired/replaced the drives. I've got about $35 into each plus shipping. They work as new but the Cyberhomes are a ticking time bomb. The D-KR2's are excellent machines.

The Polaroids are nice machines for a lower end HDD model.

The Samsungs bothered me because of the recording modes.; There's a big gap in my mind. 1-2-4... hours. I could never get the flex record to truely work using a time record. If the recording was 2:15 long the flex feature would record in 4 hour mode. Perhaps I was doing something wrong.

The Toshiba R5 is a nice machine with HDMI upconvert for an HD television I have. This newer Toshiba has moved to recording modes as opposed to the D-KR2's which allow me to set the bit rate. I actually like the D-KR2's better because they offer more options/features.

Philips DVDR 75 (still working, but getting a bit tempermental when cold)
Pio 520H (love it...works great)
Pio 640HS (just delivered yesterday)

Sony RDR-HX900
Sony RDR-HX715

My first and only recorder (post-VCR era) is a Toshiba RD-XS34 that I've had for nearly two years.

Yeah, the TVGOS has been hit and miss (mostly miss) but I did not buy the XS34 for that. My son is homeschooled and receives many of his classes, both live and recorded, via satellite. After many years of getting out of bed in the wee hours of the night to swap VHS tapes for multi-hour blockfeeds, I decided it was time to find something more convenient and reliable (I sometimes forgot to swap out full tapes or wasn't home to do it). I had previously burned through many VCRs and had seen the steady decline in brands like JVC that I once respected.

We are now in our second school year of HDD recording and, overall, things have been going well. The non-live classes are broadcast twice per week in 1.5 to 2.5 hour blocks so I usually have a backup in case one of the feeds was bad due to weather (common) or technical (less common) issues. I review the blockfeeds, chapter dividing and labeling the title into the usual 5 classes and then I delete the second feed if the first one is clean.

This is the primary use for the XS34 and it is generally recording about 20 hours a week plus a few time-shifting jobs for NCIS, 24, and other assorted TV shows.

A couple times per year, the recording function will stop working without warning but a quick power cycle (unplug) will restore operation.

I have also burned many DVDs with the XS34 and have lately found that Staples DVD-R discs have been reliable.

Ken

In order of purchase. Still own/use all three daily.

1- Panasonic DMR-ES10K.

No HDD. Capable of recording and playback of all Formats except DVD+RW. Daily "throwaways" recorder using RAM so I can chase play/speed play. Fast erase with RAM discs. Also use as a backup for important "1 shot only" recordings such as basketball games.

2- Philips DVDR 3455/37

160 gb HDD. No DVD Ram support. Main unit for editing and archiving titles to DVD +/-R.

3- SV2000 WV20V6

DVD/VHS no HDD. Made by Funai. No DVD-RAM support. Use to archive VHS to DVD and for daily "throwawy" recording. Has rapid play feature. Also use as a backup for important "1 shot only" recordings such as basketball games.

Lite On 5007

My first and only. I have had some problems with this machine, but it is good for time shifting TV shows. Whenever it starts acting up, a firmware reinstall has fixed it. Lately though, it's been kinda hesitant to eject discs... maybe it's finally starting to die so I can get a new DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner. I'll miss the TV Guide though, I haven't seen a ATSC tuner equipped DVDR with built in TV Guide yet.

Jay

Updated

Panasonic ES-10 (Set up at home, still going strong) Still going, although the display is fading

Panasonic ES-15 - Travels with me by car all over Nevada and Southern California. Another workhorse. Has to deal with hotel cable systems and an RF converter. Other than extremely minor issues, satisfies me every time. Retired to home. Still ticking.

Got a new SV2000 WV20V6 by mail from Wally World. Couldn't pass up $57 + shipping. Still in the box!
Gave to Dad as a present. he never used it, may get it back.

Brand new (refurbished) Samsung VR330 that I got for a bedroom unit. Still checking it out. So far, so good for the price. ($99 with $20 rebate from Tiger Direct). Use mostly as a player now, but has never failed me.

Had briefly: A small Lite-On that I sold to a friend, and the Magnavox currently running around $99 at Wal-Mart. Both good machines with some limitations. Got another Lire-On which I now use on the road. Tricky to set up, but works well.

crabboy, I love my ES10K. It has been a rock, and I love the sweet, sleek, shiny black look of it. Almost everything else available was silver when I bought mine.

A rock is right. Mine's silver, but I don't mind.

Sony RDR-HX900
(2) Toshiba RD-XS55
Toshiba RD-XS35
Panasonic DMR-E85
(2)Sony RDR-GX300
Pioneer 531 (Sold)
Panasonic DMR-ES25S

Out of all of these Toshiba Leads the way with the Sonys Second.

Panasonic DMR ES-10

Love the DVD-RAM capablity, and three inputs. Still works great after nearly 2 years.

Downsides: no HDD and no bulit-in ATSC tuner.

Just hope the upcoming ATSC-equipted recorders are as solid.

I'll break up the Panasonic fan club.

1 - Samsung DVD-R130 5/06-1/07; lets just say I got rid of it
2 - same model 1/07 to present.

First one developed problems nobody could help me figure out; it gave me a headache, learned a good lesson about not throwing out source material. Bought a new one same model, because I do like it, it's black, and the picture quality, at least on my standard def JVC 20" TV, is outstanding. It even makes my TV sound better. I wish I could buy the Samsung hard drive version they sell in Britain, the HR730, and I would except I'm afraid the tuner would be in PAL rather than NTSC. Anyway, so far, so good with the new one, I almost expect I'll be buying another one by Labor Day if not sooner. We'll see.

In order of purchase. Still own/use all four daily.

1- Panasonic DMR-ES10K.

No HDD. Capable of recording and playback of all Formats except DVD+RW. Daily "throwaways" recorder using RAM so I can chase play/speed play. Fast erase with RAM discs. Also use as a backup for important "1 shot only" recordings such as basketball games.

2- Philips DVDR 3455/37

160 gb HDD. No DVD Ram support. Main unit for editing and archiving titles to DVD +/-R.

3- SV2000 WV20V6

DVD/VHS no HDD. Made by Funai. No DVD-RAM support. Use to archive VHS to DVD and for daily "throwawy" recording. Has rapid play feature. Also use as a backup for important "1 shot only" recordings such as basketball games.

4- Add the Sylvania HDRV200F. Made by Funai, and very similar to the SV2000, but limited to -R and -RW discs and adds a 160gb HDD. I like it. Has some shortcomings, but edits are much nicer than with my Philips, and no "Skipping Problem" when playing back edited DVDs on other players. Wish I could say the same for the Philips. Due to not having the "Skip Problem", and better editing, the Sylvania has become my new Main Drive for editing and archiving Titles to DVD.

LITE-ON HD-A760GX
Polaroid DRM-2001G (Retired)

i started w/ SANYO (dont know model #) from wally world, july 04, the laser fried itself after a month and the pause function ruined the recording, didnt work properly.

next was TOSHIBA dr2 which is basically xcellent, ran it mercilessly for 18 mos, fried transport, sent it off to lowell, ma for new transport, its now 2 1/2 + years old and working so well that i searched the net for another one, found it, bought it for a c note (the 1st was 2.6 c notes), the reason i like these machines is they properly record anamorphic/letterbox dvds.

my newest is PANASONIC dmr es-15, which is great for 4:3 stuff and movies over 130 mins. u can add black to the input (& output) signal which sometimes really helps. it also relieves a lot of the load off the dr2s which will hopefully let the machines last longer.

im hoping the new 07 pannys and other makers will have 16x9/4x3 recording options.<<<<< SEE THIS DVD RECORDER MANUFACTURERS?!

so currently:
2 toshiba dr2s
1 panasonic es15.

Panasonic Fan Club Time:

E50 (1)
ES10 (2)
ES15 (3)
E85H (1) (Bought as-is on the internet & will be sending to Panasonic for flat rate repair)
EH50 (2) (Bought 1 brand new in 2005 & 2 weeks ago found one in perfect brand new condition in original box for get this: $50! The guy who sold it to me works for Panasonic & had it in the box for 3 years because the TV Guide feature doesn't work with sattelite. Lucky me!

Samsung DVD-R130 - owned for over 2 years. May soon replace it for one with a digital tuner, however am currently running a Magnavox digital box through it. Records well, and as a player it does well for my needs. Still own SDTV.

CURRENT own,dmr-e10 just bought brand new for 150.00 , 1 DMR-EH50, 5-dmr-e20's, 2-dmr-eh55, 3-dmr-eh75vs, I ALSO have spare HDDS FOR ALL OF THEM.....AND SPARE BURNERS........LOVE THEM ALL..

Toshiba D-R1
Toshiba D-R2
Pioneer DVR-640H-S
Philips DVDR-3575H

Have loved all four of them, only use the Pioneer and Philips now.

Have:

Pioneer 510
Pioneer 531
Pioneer 540
Pioneer 450

Had:

JVC DRM100
JVC DRMV5
Pioneer 633
Pioneer 640
Toshiba RD-SX32
Toshiba RD-X20
Phillips 3576

Most of the Pioneers were purchased VERY cheaply as "broken as-is" and then repaired by me using tips from online forums. I reckon I've saved hundreds of dollars this way. The JVCs were good for awhile but became less appealing due to no HDD, the Phillips was really nice but difficult for me to integrate into an all-Pio system, I sold it after realizing I didn't use its ATSC tuner much (I'm cable dependent for a signal). The Toshibas were incredible units but I gave up on trying to repair them when they suffered meltdowns (this was before extensive threads appeared here with advice for fixing them- otherwise I might still have those ).

Toshiba RD-XS52
Toshiba RD-KX50

Toshiba D-R5 (Best DivX player ever, solid, well built machine, easy to use, great PQ, a favorite of mine)
Toshiba D-R400 (Nice all around unit, cheap, skimpy features, plays DivX well)
Toshiba D-KR10 (Same as the D-R400, decent pq, no tuner)
Toshiba RD-XS35 (Excellent unit, great editing features and PQ)
Toshiba RD-XS55 (Same, bigger HD, networking)
Sony HX-900 (One of the best ever built IMHO, outstanding PQ, maybe the best ever?)
Phillips 3575 (Haven't used it much yet)
Liteon 5005 (In the closet for now, Records anything, but basically a cheap unit, Nice EZ-Guider menu system, cut my teeth on it, but mono tuner, ugh! Does record CD's - a nice feature.)

1 Panasonic DMR ES25
1 Panasonic DMR EZ27
2 Liteon LVW 5005 (drives replaced)
1 LG RC797T

Had
1 APEX 9000
1 Panasonic DMR ES15

a year ago, i added a PRESIDIAN dvdr. it was under $50 @ radio shack, couldnt pass it up.
i recently bartered it away. worked pretty good.