Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeKustra /forum/post/19858608
Thinking here... Ok, if a niche item contributes to a company's bottom line it can survive if it has an internal sponsor that thinks the product is viable. But if history repeats itself, the 515H may be the end.
If there is room for only one fee free recorder, and that recorder is (for whatever reason) going to be SD, the niche will be small and not last too long before it's a user supported item. How long before SD goes the way of VHS? Five years? When 4kx2k becomes a standard, 480i will really need to have a user supported base to keep it alive. I think there are too many "new cow" types like me who must have the lastest & greatest.
Yes, the "long sunset" for the HDD DVDR may have started in 2007 with the Philips 3575 and it's about to end in 2011 with the Magnavox 515, which still makes the sunset longer than the hay-day of DVD recorders (2004-2006).
I'm taking no chances. As I mentioned earlier, I flipped for *another* Magnavox. I toyed with waiting for 515s to start showing up as refurbs, but I don't really need the 500 gig HDD (only encourage me to stack up stuff waiting to be dubbed, then have a major oops if the drive fails) and the other enhancements, while nice, aren't vital to my workflow.
I found a place called "Planet73" selling 513 refurbs on Amazon for $150 plus ca. 11 bucks shipping. Their feedback was good (I always *read* the actual customer comments), so I took a chance. The machine that came is indeed a genuine, Funai-approved refurb, not a "yep, the parts are all here, so let's call it 'refurbished' because it sounds better than 'used.'" Not a mark or fingerprint on the cabinet, the HDD was wiped clean, original manual was included (but I never refer to it because this thread is so much more helpful), and all the settings were sent back to factory defaults.
It was wrapped in bubblewrap and shipped in the original factory box, which UPS mangled; the unit was visible through the gaping gash in the box. But when I fired it up and ran it through its paces, it worked fine, so no harm no foul.
A 320 gig HDD, digital-tunered DVDR for $160? It's unlikely to get better than this. I shelled out $650 for my first recorder and congratulated myself for holding out until the prices got reasonable.
Whatever the fate of HDD DVDRs, I'm good to go for the next 10 years or so. And yes, I'll probably snag a 515 when it hits the refurb market. I now have three HDD recorders in daily service (a Panny, a Philips, and a Pio), each dedicated to specific functions, with a couple more that cycle in for special projects and one of the Mags about to go live.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeKustra /forum/post/19858608
But I'm a sucker for old stuff. I used my 1995 Neon today for a trip to the store. That car is old enough to drive in PA.
Heh, and my 1997 Acura Integra "Green Machine" with 202K miles on it is hunkered down in the garage waiting for the outside temp to nudge into the upper teens before it goes for a work-the-kinks-out drive. To my eyes, the car was hyper-cool 14 years ago, and the design has aged beautifully (probably better than its owner). In the meantime, the 2008 Camry "Driving Appliance" gets me back and forth to work.