If you want to do editing, you should really step up to a hdd based recorder. You record to the HDD, edit and set chapter stops, then dub (losslessly and at high speed) to less expensive write once media. It's a lesson I learned back in 2002. Single disc standalone recorders lack the flexiblity you are looking for.
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Rant from a frustrated buyer
I started with the cheapest Emerson DVD recorder that sells on Walmart for around $100. Seemed nice, but the image was not as clear as the original, although very decent, especially for the price. But the only problem with it is that it only records to DVD-R or -RW media, no +. Then I saw a new Philips model, also at Walmart, the one that ends in 3390, which also had Divx playback and PAL playback, for $145. So I returned the Emerson and got that one. But the Philips has three big flaws:
1) only one S-Video input (in the back) which is totally retarded in my opinion
2) when you finish recording something, and then you play it back, and then you stop it, it doesn't go back to the input that you had selected. Since the input I was using was the last of 4 (1-cable, 2-DV, 3-front composite input, 4-Rear S-Video input), I had to press the Input Select button 4 times after each playback. Even worse, the change from one input to the next is no immediate, it takes about a second, and it will not take your key stroke until it changed to the next input, which makes the whole process a big pain in the ass.
3) It doesn't have frame reverse, only frame advance, also ridiculous.
Image quality is pretty good on both XP and SP.
Since I need two sets on S-Video inputs (one for an ATSC receiver and the other for a Directv TIVO) I returned the Philips and got the new Panasonic ES-15. I liked it at first, for the most part it works fine, but you can't do any editing on anything that is not DVD-RAM, which are the most expensive of all DVD media, and only playable on Panasonics and Toshibas, and maybe two other brands and that's it. Also, the fast forward is terrible, it's fine at 2x and 10x, but if you want to go faster than that it takes forever. It's a totally clumsy fast forward. It wouldn't be so bad if it inserted chapters every five minutes or so, but it doesn't, so if you recorded a one hour show and for some reason you want to go to the 50th minute, it takes you forever.
So I decided to take the extra step and go to the new Sony RDRGX330, which I paid $246 at Best Buy. It seemed the perfect solution, had 2 S-Video inputs, allowed editing, and had other really neat features. I thought it was a keeper. So I start making some test recordings, testing different types of discs and so on, until I press the Pause key, and I get a message on the screen that says "Operation prohibited while recording". What the f$%#??? A recorder that doesn't allow to pause a recording? Who's the freak at Sony that designed a DVD recorder that doesn't allow pausing, and who's the other freak (or team of freaks) that decided that was a product they could approve for selling? Everything else in this model is great, on certain types of discs you can erase from point A to point B in a way that may not be as easy as on a computer but still much user friendly than that of the Philips. The Philips, on the other side, let's you set chapter markers and hide chapters on every type of media, while the Sony only allows you to do that on DVD+RW, or DVD-R and -RW if it's formatted in VR mode, which is not compatible with lots of players.
So this Sony is going back to BB tomorrow, and I don't know what to get. All these companies should really do some research before releasing these products. These people just don't get it. How much more expensive can be for Philips to include a second S-Video input on the front? $10? Well, I would happily pay those extra $10. The Panasonic is not bad, but it could at least let you insert chapter markers and hide chapters. And the Sony, well, even the cheapest VCRs always let you pause a recording. Not allowing the user to do that is just retarded. I would understand it if it was a technical problem with DVDs, but the Emerson, Philips and Panasonic allowed me to pause instantly and in all of them the cut didn't have a glitch.
I'm sure some of you will say that you get what you pay for, but I'm not talking about anything fancy here. I just want a recorder that allows me to some basic editing to remove commercials, that has two S-Video inputs, and that allows me to pause my recording. I shouldn't have to pay top dollar for that.
1) only one S-Video input (in the back) which is totally retarded in my opinion
2) when you finish recording something, and then you play it back, and then you stop it, it doesn't go back to the input that you had selected. Since the input I was using was the last of 4 (1-cable, 2-DV, 3-front composite input, 4-Rear S-Video input), I had to press the Input Select button 4 times after each playback. Even worse, the change from one input to the next is no immediate, it takes about a second, and it will not take your key stroke until it changed to the next input, which makes the whole process a big pain in the ass.
3) It doesn't have frame reverse, only frame advance, also ridiculous.
Image quality is pretty good on both XP and SP.
Since I need two sets on S-Video inputs (one for an ATSC receiver and the other for a Directv TIVO) I returned the Philips and got the new Panasonic ES-15. I liked it at first, for the most part it works fine, but you can't do any editing on anything that is not DVD-RAM, which are the most expensive of all DVD media, and only playable on Panasonics and Toshibas, and maybe two other brands and that's it. Also, the fast forward is terrible, it's fine at 2x and 10x, but if you want to go faster than that it takes forever. It's a totally clumsy fast forward. It wouldn't be so bad if it inserted chapters every five minutes or so, but it doesn't, so if you recorded a one hour show and for some reason you want to go to the 50th minute, it takes you forever.
So I decided to take the extra step and go to the new Sony RDRGX330, which I paid $246 at Best Buy. It seemed the perfect solution, had 2 S-Video inputs, allowed editing, and had other really neat features. I thought it was a keeper. So I start making some test recordings, testing different types of discs and so on, until I press the Pause key, and I get a message on the screen that says "Operation prohibited while recording". What the f$%#??? A recorder that doesn't allow to pause a recording? Who's the freak at Sony that designed a DVD recorder that doesn't allow pausing, and who's the other freak (or team of freaks) that decided that was a product they could approve for selling? Everything else in this model is great, on certain types of discs you can erase from point A to point B in a way that may not be as easy as on a computer but still much user friendly than that of the Philips. The Philips, on the other side, let's you set chapter markers and hide chapters on every type of media, while the Sony only allows you to do that on DVD+RW, or DVD-R and -RW if it's formatted in VR mode, which is not compatible with lots of players.
So this Sony is going back to BB tomorrow, and I don't know what to get. All these companies should really do some research before releasing these products. These people just don't get it. How much more expensive can be for Philips to include a second S-Video input on the front? $10? Well, I would happily pay those extra $10. The Panasonic is not bad, but it could at least let you insert chapter markers and hide chapters. And the Sony, well, even the cheapest VCRs always let you pause a recording. Not allowing the user to do that is just retarded. I would understand it if it was a technical problem with DVDs, but the Emerson, Philips and Panasonic allowed me to pause instantly and in all of them the cut didn't have a glitch.
I'm sure some of you will say that you get what you pay for, but I'm not talking about anything fancy here. I just want a recorder that allows me to some basic editing to remove commercials, that has two S-Video inputs, and that allows me to pause my recording. I shouldn't have to pay top dollar for that.
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While we are at it, all new recorders should be equipped with HDMI and have a HDMI-passthrough. Those of us with only one HDMI input on our TVs will either have to switch out components or buy a switch box. How hard it is to get these things right?
Too many complaints about the quality of these DVD recorders....long ways to go in my opinion.
Too many complaints about the quality of these DVD recorders....long ways to go in my opinion.
As far as the Sony, when you press the pause key did you press the RECORD PAUSE or just the regular pause key? The Sony's, like many other brands such as Pioneer, use a different set of buttons for recording.
Take a look at the $99 Magnavox at Wal-Mart & Sam's Club maybe that one will fill your needs? (I don't think it's up on their Website's yet though).
Check for the Post On it because there is a lot of info on it & it seems to be getting good reviews so far & there is all kinds of info on editing on it plus it does have Front & Rear S-Video Input Jacks.
Check for the Post On it because there is a lot of info on it & it seems to be getting good reviews so far & there is all kinds of info on editing on it plus it does have Front & Rear S-Video Input Jacks.
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There's no "record pause" key. There's a "Record stop" key, but only one pause key. Once you press the stop record key it writes the information I guess to the TOC and every time you press the record key it starts a new track. My problem with that is that if I want to capture parts of a show from something on my TIVO, such as favorite parts from a comedy show or whatever, I want to pause and make just one track with that, I don't want several different tracks, it's ridiculous.
| Originally Posted by RonDawg As far as the Sony, when you press the pause key did you press the RECORD PAUSE or just the regular pause key? The Sony's, like many other brands such as Pioneer, use a different set of buttons for recording. |
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Maybe, but I don't think Magnavox will last very long. What about the Toshiba DR-5? Any experiences with that one?
| Originally Posted by Bill1313 Take a look at the $99 Magnavox at Wal-Mart & Sam's Club maybe that one will fill your needs? (I don't think it's up on their Website's yet though). Check for the Post On it because there is a lot of info on it & it seems to be getting good reviews so far & there is all kinds of info on editing on it plus it does have Front & Rear S-Video Input Jacks. |
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The ES-15 doesn't insert chapters? 
Every other of the many Panny units I've had does. Are we certain about this?
| Originally Posted by Sebaz I returned the Philips and got the new Panasonic ES-15. It wouldn't be so bad if it inserted chapters every five minutes or so, but it doesn't... The Panasonic is not bad, but it could at least let you insert chapter markers and hide chapters. . |
Every other of the many Panny units I've had does. Are we certain about this?
Panasonic chapters--- The E100 and E85 insert chapter markers about every 5 minutes on real-time dubs. On high speed dubs, the markers you have set are copied to the dubbed disk. These are hdd models.
For non-hdd (do people actually buy non-hdd's?), I suppose you could record a 5-second dummy title as the last title, so you could skip to the end then backspace to get to the 50th minute of the preceding hour-long recording.
For non-hdd (do people actually buy non-hdd's?), I suppose you could record a 5-second dummy title as the last title, so you could skip to the end then backspace to get to the 50th minute of the preceding hour-long recording.
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Correct - OP appears to have failed to read his manual. On pages 28 AND 35 of the manual it explains that auto chapter marks are created every 5 min (every 8 min on +R/+R DL) upon disc finalization - just like every other Panny model ever made. Either the manual is wrong or the OP hasn't bothered to finalize his discs and check for auto chapter stops. Still doesn't help his custom chapter stop issue. For that he needs a HDD based recorder as I mentioned previously. And I will say it - you get what you pay for.
Here's the link: http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPER...ES15-MULTI.PDF
| Originally Posted by Sebaz It wouldn't be so bad if it inserted chapters every five minutes or so, but it doesn't, so if you recorded a one hour show and for some reason you want to go to the 50th minute, it takes you forever. |
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| Originally Posted by spyder696969 The ES-15 doesn't insert chapters? Every other of the many Panny units I've had does. Are we certain about this? |
Correct - OP appears to have failed to read his manual. On pages 28 AND 35 of the manual it explains that auto chapter marks are created every 5 min (every 8 min on +R/+R DL) upon disc finalization - just like every other Panny model ever made. Either the manual is wrong or the OP hasn't bothered to finalize his discs and check for auto chapter stops. Still doesn't help his custom chapter stop issue. For that he needs a HDD based recorder as I mentioned previously. And I will say it - you get what you pay for.
Here's the link: http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPER...ES15-MULTI.PDF
Doesn't the ES-15 have a "TimeSlip" function?
Using TimeSlip one can quickly skip foreward/backward any amount of time.
Is TimeSlip only a function of HDD models?
Using TimeSlip one can quickly skip foreward/backward any amount of time.
Is TimeSlip only a function of HDD models?
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I believe the TimeSlip feature only works with HDD and DVD-RAM recording, which allows you to watch what you are recording as if the recording was complete (until you catch up to the live show). Of course you can always use the FF and REV buttons on any recording being played back, as well as the "skip" ahead 1 minute feature. I have a Replay DVR that lets you input a specific number of minutes and jump forward or backward that period in a recorded/recording program - now that is cool - wish DVD recorders (or players) would do that.
| Originally Posted by Kelson Doesn't the ES-15 have a "TimeSlip" function? Using TimeSlip one can quickly skip foreward/backward any amount of time. Is TimeSlip only a function of HDD models? |
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The Pio 53x/63x series has that feature.
| Originally Posted by dsmith901 I have a Replay DVR that lets you input a specific number of minutes and jump forward or backward that period in a recorded/recording program - now that is cool - wish DVD recorders (or players) would do that. |
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It does? I know you can skip forward and back by pressing the appropriate buttons repeatedly, but the time intervals are fixed at 30sec / 1min / 1m30sec / 2min / 3min/ 5min / 10min in the forward direction, and 5 sec / 15 sec / 30 sec / 1 min / 2 min / 3 min in the backward direction. If I wanted to skip forward by, say, 45 minutes, how would I do that?
| Originally Posted by wabjxo The Pio 53x/63x series has that feature. |
You can't as far as I know on the Pioneers in question. Panasonics have it, Time Slip it's called.
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You are thinking of a different feature called "chase-play". "Time-slip" pops up a window and lets you use the pad to specify any number of minutes (forward or backward) to jump to with a push of the button.
I though all the Panasonic recorders had this. Doesn't the ES-15?
| Originally Posted by dsmith901 I believe the TimeSlip feature only works with HDD and DVD-RAM recording, which allows you to watch what you are recording as if the recording was complete (until you catch up to the live show). Of course you can always use the FF and REV buttons on any recording being played back, as well as the "skip" ahead 1 minute feature. I have a Replay DVR that lets you input a specific number of minutes and jump forward or backward that period in a recorded/recording program - now that is cool - wish DVD recorders (or players) would do that. |
I though all the Panasonic recorders had this. Doesn't the ES-15?
On the Pio 53x/63x series, with a program playing, you press the PLAY MODE button. The 1st option is then Search Mode, arrow right to Time Search or Title Search or Chapter Search. If you arrow to Time Search, then arrow right again, you have a Time Search window in which you enter the time you want to go to, e.g., for 1 hr, you'd enter a "1" then four zeros to move the "1" left until it reads 1:00:00 in the window...or use the arrow up/down... then press Enter.
There are several other Search options under the Play Mode button.
There are several other Search options under the Play Mode button.
Interesting. I'll have to try that out on my 633. Thanks wabjxo!
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Oh, I knew about the 5 minute interval chapter insert, but I don't think I should finalize every single time I want to watch something I recorded last night, especially when an Emerson recorder that is several $ less inserts those chapters without the need to finalize.
| Originally Posted by vferrari Correct - OP appears to have failed to read his manual. On pages 28 AND 35 of the manual it explains that auto chapter marks are created every 5 min (every 8 min on +R/+R DL) upon disc finalization - just like every other Panny model ever made. Either the manual is wrong or the OP hasn't bothered to finalize his discs and check for auto chapter stops. Still doesn't help his custom chapter stop issue. For that he needs a HDD based recorder as I mentioned previously. And I will say it - you get what you pay for. |
Too bad that Emerson is a POS other than theat one, single feature.
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