[Tom Blizzard]

How good (or bad) can a $140 DVD burner actually be???


Over the past three days, I've had a lot of fun finding out just what the Liteon LVW-5101 can do in the way of recording and picture quality.


First, I burned a copy of the resolution test patterns from the

Video Essentials laserdisc using my Pioneer CLD- D704. Here's what I found:

Note: Even though LD is a composite video, I found(by comparison) that the S-video input on the Liteon gave a noticably better picture!


HQ - 1 hour mode: excellent resolution full 425 lines from LD


SP - 2 hour mode: again excellent, 425 lines from LD


LP - 3 hour mode: noticable quality decline - approx. 350 lines


EP- 4 hour mode: same as LP (Both LP and EP will be good for TV)


SLP - 6 hour mode: Very low resolution with artifacts.


Looks like I'll stick with HQ and SQ



Next I used my Panasonic XP 30 DVD player and the Avia software.


Here's the result of the burn:


HQ: Fantastic resolution: Full 525 lines and the 6.75 MHz pattern lines are fully visible.


SP: Same as HQ excellent quality.


Well, I was so excited after that, I didn't go any further. I'm still having fun. Looks like a great $140 burner ......


I'd like to know how other burners work as far as resolution goes. Is it normal for a burner to do so well??? This is my first recorder.


Regards, Tom

 

[Tom Blizzard]

Well, I'm kinda surprised. I figured that someone would have a comment or two.


I expected at least one of you would tell me that there is much more to great picture quality than resolution...........


Has no one else been curious about the resolution of your DVD burner?? Are most members just using them for NTSC TV time shifting??


Just curious. Regards, Tom

 

[Jimbo Moran]

Has no one else been curious about the resolution of your DVD burner??

Nope


Are most members just using them for NTSC TV time shifting??

Yep


All I really care about is watching a show when I want it and that it looks good to me. As far as resolution I don't really care about the exact specs. Of course I'm also the type of guy that doesn't care if my Cowboys win by one point or thirty, as long as they get the W.

 

[belder]

Tom,


These are great stats. I wouldn't have any way of knowing mine. I go by my eyeball and what looks good to me, I like. I did return the Liteon 5101, but keep in mind that was because i got the iLo HD04 with the hard drive and more features. These burner decks are a personal choice of skill and performance. I've been very happy with the iLO (glitches and drop outs aside) and I know you'll get great service from your Liteon. Same family, different neighborhood.

 

[raster]

You get what you pay for & crap in = crap out.


Bargin recorders are a good deal until the novelty wears off & you realize that $150 you spent should of been put to better use. meaning a better recorder.


Been there/done that, never again.

 

[Tom Blizzard]

Quote:

Originally posted by raster You get what you pay for & crap in = crap out. Bargin recorders are a good deal until the novelty wears off & you realize that $150 you spent should of been put to better use. meaning a better recorder. Been there/done that, never again.

Jimbo, Thanks for answering. I understand.



belder, Always enjoy reading about your fun with the iLO. Thanks



raster,

Please be specific......... from experience, what brand and model??

What brand(s) did you start with and then what brand(s) did you finish

with???




Thanks, Tom

 

[TonyW79SFV]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom Blizzard ...Has no one else been curious about the resolution of your DVD burner?? Are most members just using them for NTSC TV time shifting??...

No. MiniDV home video transfers, especially stuff from my Sony DCR-VX2000, which looks better than anything on NTSC TV.

 

[sbswrmd]

Compared the 5101 to much more expensive equipment and I must say that I am quite surprised. While the unit has it's quirks, overall it is pretty solid for $140. If you are looking to move your VHS content to digital you will pleased.


I bought the 5101 with the intention of returning. Carefully unpacking it and then after taking a look, return it. Well I cleared off a space in the rack and I am keeping it.


My first task was to take a Digital 8 tape to DVD+RW. Without opening a single manual I copied the tape and played it on various other players with no problems. Quality was good.


Overall for $140 this is a great deal. I've spent thousands and had a lot less fun.

 

[Tom_Bombadil]

Haven't seen an in-depth review of the 5101. The Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity people did do a review of the 5001 as a DVD player. Perhaps it does better as a recorder, but I do have concerns as the video signal is passing through the same circuitry.


The Liteon section is at the end of this link:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-b...h&articles=119


"The Liteon uses an LSI MPEG decoder. This MPEG decoder does double duty, acting as the de-interlacer as well. The Liteon did poorly in our tests and continues the trend I have seen with dodgy DVD playback from recorders (see our Philips DVD recorder test!). For core performance the player did pretty lousy. The only thing it really did right was blacker-than-black. The white level of the player was a bit low at 97 IRE, and the player exhibited over a full pixel of Y/C delay. The gray ramp also showed that that the IRE curve of this player is a bit out of whack. While most players exhibit a smooth and even ramp from 0 to 100 IRE, this player had a few peaks and valleys, suggesting that at certain IRE’s, it is being overdriven.


Other drawbacks include some rather severe pixel cropping (10 pixels) on the right side of the image. The Liteon also failed all of our chroma tests.


As for the user interface, this player is extremely slow. Menus take a long time to navigate, and chapter skips are depressingly slow. I also thought the menu performance was very inconsistent, furthering my frustration.


The Liteon does support PAL playback but does not convert PAL to NTSC.


On the de-interlacing side, this player is about as bad as it gets. There is no film detection at all. The Liteon, like the Philips, stays completely locked in video mode which results in it failing the majority of our tests. This also contributes to a noisy and very soft image.


This is right up there with some of the worst DVD players I have yet seen, so I can't recommend it at all."

 

[sbswrmd]

Very pleased with this unit. esp. considering the $$ paid. I have spent much more moola and not been as pleased.


I went in with very low expectations. I fulled intended to be returning it to Sams. I carefully unpacked everything. However, after about 1 hr. and burning my first Digital8 ==> DVD I was quite pleasantly surprised. I recorded live TV also. Again, no brainer with very nice results. I kept waiting for "Jack" to jump out of this "box" albeit it didn't happen.


Sooooo... I cleared a spot on the rack and continued playing. One discovery I made was when moving content from D8 ==> DVD+R, if I use IEEE1394 the pic quality is not as good. I switched over to the ports on the back of the unit namely S-Video and L-R Audio. Very pleased with the results. When the burned DVD is viewed on a 32" or smaller TV it looks smashing. On my 55" Mits it looks best when viewed from 10 + feet. Up close you can see the indiscretions of the original media which in this case was VHS-C.


Overall, for a buck 40 this is a fun toy. I would recommend it to anyone looking to dip their toe in the DVD recording arena.