Magnavox 537, 535, 533, 515, 513, 2160A, 2160, 2080 & Philips 3576, 3575 - Page 628

oops, missed the V.

Worldwide Distributors has ten refurbished 515's left for $197.00:

http://www.amazon.com/Magnavox-500GB...3&sr=8-1-spell

Has anyone ever tried the Clarifier DVS Pro? It looks like it could be a good video filter if it works as promised. I added a link to it.

www.firebird-systems.com/graphics/dvs/dvs.shtml

Broken link.

http://www.firebird-systems.com/grap..._DVS_Pro_b.pdf

Just guessing.

hi 1maynard...

well yes and no... i have a similar device... probably a slightly different board layout but essentially the same thing... for me, the device has 1 good use... well, maybe 2...

it CAN provide a bit of improvement when dubbing old VHS or Beta analog material, and gives you a bit of brightness and contrast control if your playback is dark or muddy...

it also defeats the analog copy protection schemes used by those formats... it also seems to defeat whatever copy protection schemes that ( at least for those few that I have ) exist on store bought DVDs. I don't know how the digital schemes are implemented on those DVDs that i have. I don't typically buy or rent DVDs. i just use my equipment to either time-slip or record a movie or show to ultimately burn to a disc if i want to keep it for future viewing...

rgds,
ron g

Now that I think about this, I don't recall reading that anyone has got a 513 with factory loaded 727V FW? If its not factory loaded, then someone loaded it and wasn't happy with the results. Now I am wondering whats wrong with this machine. What are some of the common problems to look for?

Have yall had experience with Worldwide Distributors? Looks like some of the reviews, their Mags weren't refurbed really at all, more like used (DVD still in the drive, warped tray & such). Trying to decide whether to go for the refurbed 515 for $197 or just do the new 513 at Wal-Mart for $209.

That's a good question. I was thinking about jumping on this, but I'm not sure either. Would want something that is in fairly good condition.

I purchased a refurb 515 from Worldwide Dist. last month.Unit looked new and showed light usage using SKIP functions.The remote was slightly scratched on the clear plastic face but not enough to show unless held up to a light at the right angle.Came in a brown box with description of contents on the outside.Unit has sticker showing manufacturing date and refurb. date.

I also purchased what may have been the last new 515 from walmart.com.It was the only one listed in stock and no new ones have shown up as of this morning.I picked it up last Sat. but have only opened the box and looked at it,Sept. 2011 Manufacture date.I will hook it up this weekend and post the numbers it shows if anyone is interested in them.

WWD only had 3 of those 515s left on Amazon so I decided to jump on it. Thanks for the replies.

I had no problems with the 515 I got from WWD on Amazon. (There was still a show recorded on the HDD & the connector for the power plug was a little loose, so not sure how thorough their refurb process is but it works great & the skip function showed 3 hours use.)

They have the 513 again now for $186.19, if anyone's still looking for one.

Amazon up to $469.99 for 515H.

I want a third to keep "just in case", but not at that price.

I know it's business, but that's being just plain nasty, to charge that much.

I've been watching this thread with interest as we have a Panasonic Showstopper - still running well after about 12 years (!). But the provider of the program guide threatened to discontinue the lifetime service last year and that has got me thinking about the future. (The program guide never left, but could. The Showstopper has the unhappy characteristics of receiving the time from the program guide - delivered by phone modem (!!) - and although there are some workarounds, it's believed that without the program guide, the clock will drift (and certainly be out of whack after a power failure, etc.), making use as a manual programmed DVR impossible).

So, after much thinking about 513 vs. 515, I saw the recent post about 10 515's available at Amazon. Last night - 8 left. This morning - 2 left. I got one of those this morning. Looking forward to decoding the characteristics with the skip function codes and putting it through initial testing. Thanks to all who have uncovered much about this device and warned of the likely future scarcity.

The Showstopper has the unhappy characteristics of receiving the time from the program guide - delivered by phone modem (!!) - and although there are some workarounds, it's believed that without the program guide, the clock will drift (and certainly be out of whack after a power failure, etc.), making use as a manual programmed DVR impossible).

So, after much thinking about 513 vs. 515, I saw the recent post about 10 515's available at Amazon. Last night - 8 left. This morning - 2 left. I got one of those this morning. Looking forward to decoding the characteristics with the skip function codes and putting it through initial testing. Thanks to all who have uncovered much about this device and warned of the likely future scarcity.[/quote]

If you're concerned about power failures get a UPS, it's worked well for me and other posters. As far as the 515 goes you will have to timer program manually so unless you can find a station sending out a reliable time, you will have to reset the clock depending on how much it drifts. There is info on this board concerning modifying the crystal to minimize drift, so if you're handy have at it. Good luck with your new toy.

I am in the middle of testing my first of 2 refurbes and I seem to have a problem, it will not play my recorded +R DVD's and all my DVD's are +R. Next I am testing the dubbing to +R. I put a blank +R in and it went to system error so I powered off. It wouldn't power on so I unplugged it for about 30 seconds and it powered on. I am now dubbing american idol from last night, lets see if it plays when I am done.

Wajo,

I here you and I have posted earlier about scarcity of parts for other products I have purchased after they went out of manufacture.

Even forums dry up quickly ;( I speak from experience here And I have been on some forums supporting products that also had super Wajos - and then they were gone ;(

Oh ANd I am very tempted to order a disk drive controller card combo. Is it around $100.00 ?

hi wajo....

i wouldn't be too concerned about the fan or fuse... at least not ordering from Funai...

the fan is a pretty standard 50mm X 12mm 12v fan... these are pretty much a dime a dozen and can be had easily online... note that the Fan on the mag and others IS conventional. it slips inside the Funai housing that has the little tabs on it, so a replacement regular old fan will also slip inside that housing without issue.

same for the fuse... it's just a little 2.0 amp fuse, also available pretty much anywhere...

i do agree that a spare burner/main pcb set is a good investment...

for those folks who have an older Philips model 3575 or 3576, and possibly a 2160, i've ordered up a 513 SATA adapter board to test with my older machines in order to see if it is compatible. if it turns out that it is, i'd also additionally recommend that folks get one of these, in order to ensure that they'll be able to easily swap out the HDD to the more modern SATA interface drives... not that PATA is totally dead at this point but it would be a good insurance policy for your older machines... the 513 SATA adapter boards are about 12 bucks & change from Funai...

rgds,
ron g

Capacitor for the crystal trimming. Cheap fix. 2 in pack for 2$ at Radio Shack. 272-123 is their number. 100pF 5% NPO 5mm lead spacing. I will see if I can install one tomorrow.

Even if it gets you real close it will be worth it. I'm losing 10 seconds per week on my 515H.

hi joekustra...

losing or gaining.... the majority of these machines have clocks free-running too fast... if your clock is free running too slow, the cap will make things worse... in that case, we'll need to locate the 2 ' pre-installed ' caps and possibly reduce the values of those....

i have 3 Philips 3576's, and 1 Mag 513. My sister also has a 513 with the same build date. All 5 of these machines have clocks that free run too fast, GAINING time ...

just a heads up, here...

rgds,
ron g...

You're right. My 515H is 20 seconds fast right now. Fast - Slow - it should average out. [joke]

Also, for those folks who might wish to experiment with a replacement crystal ( not worth it for me at this point ), Digi-Key part number 300-8763-ND would be a good replacement attempt. this crystal is specified at +/- 5 PPM tolerance, and might be a more accurate drop-in replacement. these are $ 0.70 from digi-key

rgds,
ron g

testing update: I finalized the dubbed +R DVD, hit play and it played just fine. So I put the same recorded +R DVD's that wouldn't play before and they also played just fine. Weird. So I guess its a keeper, on to machine number 2.

[The DVD burner and mated/calibrated PCB are $67.99.] - Not a bad price. Better then buying a 513 as a spare. Assuming of course the part that dies is the part you buy

Hey what's with all this trim capacitor time issues. Aren't some of you guys close to retirement where exact time doesn't matter

Real nice. Just driving to Radio Shack is considered a "trip" anymore.

But I'm being nice. There are many comments that I could use on this subject, but they won't change anything.