DRA-01601A: DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Drive Info - Page 7

hi, ok thank you
will try that today

Thnx again for reply Michael. You guys know more than the lame techs at Polaroid do so way cool you are here

Are you able to edit from HDD. I cannot edit anything and the titles are unlocked and not protected.
Says to press segment to cut out parts of a movie......then press again.

Does absolutely nothing. Actually none of those editing tools work for me at all.
Even the split one as well.

I wished I didnt sell my Panny HDD E75 right about now; that machine was way cool but I didnt need the VHS thing and wanted the both ATSC and NTSC tuners.


boo

Alot of the posts here complaining about this unit seem to be about how the ATSC tuner performs.....

For my specific needs, I am replacing a HDD DVD recorder I had previously (ILO HD04 for the interested) and I have never used the tuner. I've always just used the S-VHS out from a satellite/cable box and have been pleased with the results till the DVD drive itself died recently. I had no idea all the HDD units had dried up because of the tuner issue....

My questions are:

--What is the overall recording quality ? If I record a long 3hr+ programs (a whole prime-time schedule for 1 network say...) in SP mode to the HDD, can I record in a 3hour mode to DVD from that ? Or does the DVD recording have to be the same as what hit the HDD ? What does the 3 or 4 hour recording mode look like ?

--Some posts mentioned a usable USB port. I have a Western Digital 120GB USB harddrive, so can I plug that in and copy recordings straight off the harddrive to that ? If so I am in heaven because I ultimately only end up using the DVD recorder to move video over to the PC for editing any way. Not having to burn DVDs from the device would be a huge benefit for me...

Thanks for any insight you can provide...

I think he is a tech for Polaroid .
Joe

Perhaps he can shed some light on if the firmware can be upgraded, and will it be upgraded. I expect they'll have to do something about the remotes, but it would be nice to hear something positive. Did the 80GB model ever get firmware upgrades?

Hey Gang, the new Philips is available now at Walmart http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5663214

Sorry to rain on the party, but they never upgraded the dismal remotes on the 2001G and they were the worst I ever heard of on any device ...

The 01601A remote is actually worse than the 2001G remote. I didn't think it was possible. I literally have to stand right in front of the 01601A to operate it. And even then it doesn't always work. It just hit me. Maybe a really cheap or bad batch of batteries? Maybe I'll try replacing the batteries. But the way things are now it is almost inoperable.

Has anybody figured out how to do a One Time Recording? By this I mean the OTR function. It says it does it on the box. With the 2001G you can hit the record button more than once to extend the recording duration in 30 minute increments. With the 01601A when I hit the record button more than once I get the "no can do" icon.

Probably simple but I can't figure it out.

I guess we need a new thread on this model! I found no information on that model on the Philips website yet.

Cost is $298, free shipping site to store for some states, but no $0.97 shipping which is still available on the $190 RCA DRC8030N. The only store with some stock in L.A. is the following (according to the website) just east of the 405, south of the 118 and west of the 5:

8333 Van Nuys Blvd,
Panorama City, CA 91402

Already exists
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=830253

If thats so, then they should all be as knowledgeable as he is

Went to Wal Mart today to look for the Philips today and NONE at 3 of em.

Did pick up a Emerson EWH 100F with HDD. Man it is like nite and day compared to a Polaroid.

SIMPLE remote thats responds easy. Very cool copying to DVD or VHS.
And a very well written manual.

No dig tuner but they had it for 200.00 clearence so I got one.

PQ is REALLY great on DVR at LP speed. And the tuner rocks I think. (No ATSC)

Prob. too good to be true. Im sure it will die in a few months. lol.

If you want to EDIT the title,first thing you need to do is that you need un-lock the TITLE.

For you know,if you record the title with YESVIDEO format,this title will be locked after recording,so if you want to edit it,just to un-lock it.

I do not know if it is clear enough.

Maybe you could give me detail about the operation.

Hi there.

Thnx for help.
I dont use the YESthing and the titles are unlocked.
Returning tommorow to Wal Mart.

I hope to try one more then off to the Philips if second ones the same.
I have the Emerson one now too but I think its prob. not good since not one
person here ever said a word on it--- at least from doing a search---- I didnt see one comment.

OK.I come from China,and I do the same solution like DRA-01601A but not DRA-01601A(based on LSIL chipset).

About the 16:9 problem,I know it could be fix by the firmware from my tech experience.

so I know this solution and operation well.And I have one sample in my office now.so I could do the test which you report.

I had not design the 2001G,for I know another design-house design the 2001G.Our ATSC/NTSC DVR have not finished designing,so you could not find it on the sell market.

Well if your company makes a similar unit that actually works properly on all functions maybe you should post a link of what you have.

When do you think it will be on the market? Can you tell us more about it? What specs?

Thanks,
Daniel

I have an older Emerson DVD recorder (EWR10D4 I think). No hard drive, but it's been in use for 2-3 yrs now and still going. They are made by Funai I think.

Rick

Great to know man. I really like the EASE of the one I have with the HDD.

Everything seems great on it so now I have the Polaroid DRA-01601A and this one.
The bad thing on the Emerson is that it cant dub high speed to a Video Mode DVD but will to a VR Mode format. This of course, will not play on most stand alone DVD players.
ah well.

Soooo, since you got the remote apart and back together are we to assume you did the LED upgrade? If so, did it work???

*) My guess is that the firmware can be upgraded - it's just a convenience for manufacturing . . . when they sell the unit to someone they can load firmware with a screen saver with their logo, they can offer options like the language filter, yesdvd, etc.. Basically they just make a generic unit and then tailor it to what the customer wants as far as appearances and options via a firmware load.

*) Don't hold your breath on them fixing the remotes - the 2001G ones weren't fixed. I even just ordered a new one from Polaroid and it sucked too.

*) The 80gb models that were sold to other companies (Packard Bell, etc.) DO have firmware updates available and they fixed some annoying things like the little icon in the lower right corner when a timer is set. You can load those firmware updates into the Polaroid unit, but those other brands were all sold outside the United States so they all use different standards for the tuners so if you load one of those firmwares you will dork your tuner. If you leave a note on Polaroid Tech Support asking about upgrades they send a note back saying they need more info and asking you to call them. When you call them you get a clueless person who has no idea about firmwares, etc. but they promise to look into the matter. It's annoying that the upgrades are out there but Polaroid doesn't seem interested in offering them . . . but I don't know why I'd expect them to care, they don't even care that the remotes suck!

If you click on his name it will give you his info and there's a web site listed.

Hi Michael,

Why did you recommend 400Gb? Is there a reason a larger drive wouldn't work?

I have one of the older 2001g units and am wondering how large of a hard drive I could install to it. 250Gb drives have been tested and work flawlessly, but when one of testers tried a 500Gb Maxtor drive it formatted it without issue but it was found that when in actual use recording it wouldn't give more than 80Gb of capacity. No one I'm aware of has tried a different brand of drive so we don't know if it was a problem with the specific drive or a size limitation inherent to the unit.

So far we know 250Gb works, but as far as I know no one has tested 300, 320, or 400 Gb units.

It would be nice to know if there was a specific reason for the 400 Gb maximum size limit and if that limit could also possibly be affecting the older units.

Thanks!

Steve

Yeah, I did look but they didn't have a machine similar to the 160 listed at this point. He did state they are working on one but it's not ready for sale yet.
I ordered a Philips, crossing my fingers that it works better.

I think I might have a bum unit but I wanted to double check before I return mine. I'm noticing small lines, flicker and fluctuating brightness levels (brightness only really noticeable when fast forwarding). I can see the lines and flicker no matter what source I pick (so far only DTV and Rear Composite) . When I burn a DVD and play it back on my stand alone dvd player I can still see the small black lines occasionally appearing in the video but the video otherwise looks better than when played back on the dvd recorder.

Is this normal for this unit? I'm debating whether to exchange this unit for another or just return it and look for something else.

I returned mine yesterday.

The fan started squealing and the 16x9 letterbox was unacceptable.

I'm trying the Phillips.

Hi guys,

I just bought a DRA-01601A today. Here's my take on it- Please note I use OTA exclusively.

The tuner worked fine in NTSC mode but locked up when in ATSC mode. I fiddled with it for a bit, still no go so I exchanged it. I think the board was toast as the F connectors got *hot*. Walmart exchanged it no problems.

TV:

OK, so the new one works fine, the ATSC tuner seems to be less sensitive than the one in my 27" ILO walmart TV. I also notice more artifacts/pixellation (I know, not a real word...). The remote sucks on mine too, maybe because the sensor is behind that silver glass panel.
The NTSC tuner seems to be stereo.

The unit will convert a composite or S-Video signal going into it to component, very cool.
*Even cooler* it converts analog audio input to digital! IE: VCR plugged into 01601A,
01601A plugged into HT receiver via S/PDIF Coax and it works! this rocks as I don't have any available analog inputs left on the receiver. On a bad note, I think the ATSC tuner downmixes 5.1 content to stereo. This may be operator error though.

Audio:
The USB port powers my 20GB portable drive and sees it fine. This unit WON'T play the MP3s! it only sees the WMA files! the box says it plays MP3 CDs, maybe a SW issue?


Overall, I like it. I bought it primarily for the timeshift/buffer feature and it works nicely.
I'd like to see a SW update for it to clean up the minor details and maybe a better remote.
It's fairly easy to use and coming from a dummy like me that says a lot. Even the wife can use it!
on a 1/10 scale I give it a 7.

Peace Sierra

Anyone found things yet this unit can't record? Does it recognize things like macrovision, broadcast flags, CPCM...?

I really think it does support the 500GB harddisk.I try it in my lab. but I forgot the brand of harddisk.

If possible maybe you could have a try with a SAMSUNG or WESTDATA 500G harddisk or more size harddisk.

After the format,you could get the hard disk info from the setup menu display.