Pioneer DVR 640h-S User Reports. - Page 7

Cool, I'll give it a try tonight. It's a pain to unplug the unit. Thanks.

On the remote under the "slide" door it has a one touch recording button that I've used to copy a DVD to my hard drive. Manual says that even if you are watching the DVD it will start recording from the beginning and it does.

I think you could consider the fast copy button a one touch recording tool too. I'm not at home so I can't remember exactly what each button is labeled but I've used both and they work well. However I found that if you use the fast copy button to download to the HDD then if you can't add anything to this to then burn it to a DVD and you can only do one fast copy at a time to the HDD meaning you have to erase the first one before fast copying another one. Does any of this make sense?

That's the way it works on last year's model...something has to be playing on the HDD or a DVD and it will copy what's playing, from its beginning. That button "should" still work to stop the copy after a 1-sec or more hold-down?

If not, it might indicate a change (altho' the manual still says it works to stop the copy) or a "bug"?

Maybe some other 640 users can try to copy something using the One-Touch button and see if they can stop (Cancel) the copy with the same button?

There is a one touch record button. With one push it starts recording from what input you have selected, to the HDD, or a DVD, whichever mode you have it in. One push starts recording, but more pushes make it a timed recording, at 30min. per push.

There is a one touch copy button, which does a fast copy of whatever HDD recording you have highlighted, to a DVD. I don't know if it will do a highspeed copy from a DVD to the HDD, because I haven't tried that yet, but you can do a HS DVD-to-HDD copy, so I assume so.

Back to the DL disc question... I had intended to pose the question, "Has anyone recorded a highspeed copy, video mode, from HDD to a +R DL disc?," before I saw someone else already had brought up the subject. I just picked up some Maxell +R DL discs at Sam's, 30 for $60, and want to try it. The manual definitely says it is possible to record to a DL disc, high speed from the HDD. But, in one place, the specs in back, it indicates that +R discs can only be used in the VR mode. I find that hard to believe. I don't have the manual with me, but as I recall, it does say that in some circumstances, it will not recognize a DL disc as having the second layer. I think that applies to the "Optimize" function, as well as reading in HS. Well, I guess I'll just have to try it myself, as soon as there is something longer than two hours that I want to put on disc. If anyone else tries it, please let us know!

I haven't had any problem getting rid of the time/date stamp. You have to bring up the title in the edit function, and then hold the "CLEAR" button down for a few seconds. This will erase the date stamp. If you just input a title, you will crowd the date stamp off the display, but it will still be there.

The strange thing I've found, is that it numbers all the DVDs I burn, above the title, in the DVD's menu, after it is finalized, it says "DVD (no.)". I think it is up to nine now. It seems to be keeping count of how many DVDs I burn!.

On your DL problem, have you yet tried making a high speed copy from the HDD of something recorded in SP video mode, to a disc, initialized in Video Mode, that is substantially longer than two hours? That should work, but I don't think you can do it from an XP speed HDD recording. And remember, +R discs have to be initialized, while -R discs don't.

In the earlier Pioneer's you can change the disc title from the default number to whatever you want in the Disc Setup Menu where you should find a Input Disc Name submenu.

Well, I am entering titles, in the "Disc Setup" menu, that are displayed in the finalized discs' menus, but the menus still list a number above it. If there is some way to access this line in editing, I haven't noticed it, but I'll look for it in the future.

I have a Pioneer 633. When I select titles to burn to a DVD, I set the title as part of the process. The last screen I get before starting the burn has selections for "Recording Mode", "Input Disk Name", "Finalize" and "Start Copy". I always choose "Input Disk Name" to set the text at the top of the DVD menu, "Finalize" so that the disk is finalized when the burn is complete, and then "Start Copy".

When you do that, does it allow you to go to the Menu screen setup so you can pick which menu color and pattern you want, and then Finalize automatically?

Yes. Much more convenient than having to then come back after the copy and press a bunch more buttons again. It's the only way I do it since I always fill up a disc when I copy to it.

It's not very obvious, but if you select the "Finalize" option and then ask it to finalize the disk, then when you select "Start Copy" it will ask you to choose your menu style just before the copy actually starts.

One warning - don't do this if you are in the middle of recording or if you have a recording scheduled to start by the time the copy finishes. The recorder can't do the finalization at the same time that it's recording - if there's a conflict it will just skip the finalization and you'll have to do it manually later on.

This all applies to my 633, and I assume the 640 is similar.

Don't suppose the DVD-RAM can be in cart's can they? Or must they be nekkid?

Yep, I found it, and edited out that pesky number. It seems that when I was editing in the HDD, I was entering the titlename, and when I copy to disc, I am entering the discname, which is where the number was. I haven't made a disc with more than one title yet, but when I do, a separate title for the disc will be nice.

Something I discovered. When you get ready to copy HDD to DVD you are given a choice of menu styles. The one on the lower left shows 6 Menus, if you pick that one you will be FORCED to have the Time and Date Stamp. But if you pick the 6 Menu option in the lower center. No Time and Stamp.

Regarding dual layer discs. As someone who spent $16 for a blank VHS tape the $1.60 price of a dual layer disc is well worth it. I can definitely tell the improved quality of XP over SP.

After I make a DVD on the DVR640H-S and put it into a pioneer player the DVD does nothing until I press Menu or Play.

Does anyone know how to make the Disk automatically go to the Menu when inserted in a DVD player as commercial DVD's do.

iDVD (on a Mac) had a selection for this.

The same thing happens in my Philips, it does nothing until you tell it to. I don't know a cure. I think I will try one in my Sony 400 disc changer. That thing insists on loading whether you want it to, or not.

So, Sky Cap, are the DL discs working for you now? I thought you had a problem getting them to record on the second layer. And thanks for the info on the different menu screens I haven't tried them all yet.

Hey guys & gals
I bought the 640 a couple weeks back, and finally set it up this weekend. This is my 1st DVD recorder.....all ive really done so far is recorded to HD & used chase play for the US Open & the Heat Mavs game....as for noise, its quiet, i cant even here the fan unless i stick my ear down there....everything seems pretty easy & user friendly to me.....I have alot to learn but so far i have to say the machine is awesome.....as i use it more, i'll report.......

Diesel_73, it's my first DVDR as well. I like it much better than the best SVHS editing deck I ever had, that's for sure. I've read the manual over a few times now, but still need to consult it. It'll take a while to learn all the features well. One project I want to start, after I become quicker at editing, make a few program lists, etc, is to assemble all the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, up to 1948, in chronological order of their release. I have almost all of them on LD. Many are out on DVD, but in chaotic order, and with many I don't want.

Sky Cap:

So I see I'm not alone with this issue. I have a Toshiba D-R1 recorder (no HDD) where when you finalize a DVD you can set it so it starts with the menu, with the title, goes to the next title (if there were more than one) after it plays the first, or goes to the menu between titles. So you put your DVD in and it either starts playing, or gives you the menu screen, depending on how you set it.

With my Pioneer 640, using my Samsung DVD-M301 Player, I put a finalized DVD in, it shows me the word "Loading" on the TV, then it stops (I see "Stop" on the display of the player) and that's it. Just like you I have to either press "Menu" or "Play" and then it works.

I know it's not the end of the world...and at least they DO work...but I would like to find a fix where it starts with the Menu.

suplex

I've tried it everyway I can to stop the recording both with the remote and at the unit itself including pressing the stop or cancel button after holding down for the 1+ seconds, but it doesn't work. Guess it's a bug either in my unit or overall.

I really got into using the 640 this weekend, taking two DVD's that I download to the HDD then burned first to a -RW, finalized it and took it to a Zenith unit and it played fine. I then went back and edited out some unwanted sections on both of the recordings then burned to a -R and had it finalize immediately after the burn and it also did great and has played fine on every unit/computer I've tested it with. When you select the Menu selection right before you start burning it then automatically broke the initial 2 input DVD's into 2 chapters and selecting menu on any other player/computer lets you pick the chapter - AWESOME!

I also time recorded the Michigan race to the HDD then did a fast copy to a -RW and finalized it and it played fine on the Zenith in my bedroom. The only dissapointment was that FF did not work. I don't know if this is because of the fast copy burn or just a compatibility issue between pioneer and zenith. Any ideas out there?

Have any of you new 640 owners experienced any Copy Once issues?

Where you recorded a program to the HDD and then couldn't move it to a DVD-R.

Thanks

Does this unit have Firewire imput? I would like to transfer the 8m tapes into the DVR HD. If no firewire, then what is the best way to do this?

Via S-Video and stereo audio. The same way you would watch the tape(s) on your TV, assuming it has S-Video input(s).

I just received my 640 but didn't play with it yet.

I read the manual before turning it on ! I must be sick but....


One concern:

I didn't see any IR blaster to change the channel of my Echostar 4700 (BEV) to the channel I want to record......

So I will have to program the 640 to start recording with the "Auto Record Function" and program the timer on the 4700 ?


Is there another way ?

You could use the "Auto Record" function, although that will record any time you turn on your cable box. You could also set up a timer entry on the 640 to record from the line input at a given time. This is what I've been doing on my 633 (enter two programs: one on the 633 and another on my Cable Box) and it works just fine. More reliable than an IR blaster too, I would think.

Hey that sounds like a good project.......It sure is a nice machine eh!......I still have alot to learn myself......BTW, im in St Clair MI......Nice to meet ya neighbor

I think I read in the manual that you have to stop the fast copy function within two minutes of starting it, to be able to stop it.

As to no FF, I check all the discs I burn by FFing through them, and haven't had any trouble. I use -R discs. I've done one direct to disc burn, and a dozen or so fast copy from the HDD to disc. So, unless it's the fact that you are using -RW discs, instead of -R, I don't know what your problem is. I've had no problems on my Sony or my Philips decks. I checked my first few burns on them.

If you have a two tuner cable box, like I do, you will have to trick the tuner/timer into outputing the right program. You just set any program at all, to start three (to be safe) or more minutes before the program you want to record on your DVDR. That way, the first program, that you don't want, will go on the tuner that isn't displayed. The program you DO want will be on the tuner that is displayed, and goes out to your A/V receiver and/or DVDR.

I also heared something about using the Pioneer VCR code (573 ?) on the 4700 receiver to make the IR blaster start the HDD recording.

Anybody really tested this method ?