HOME RECORDING TO DVD

The place for film-trading!
feaito

Post by feaito »

I have the Phillips DVDR 3455H HDD & DVD Player/Recorder and everything's been fine up to now :D
TalkieTime
Posts: 68
Joined: August 1st, 2007, 12:10 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Post by TalkieTime »

This post was updated 28 March 2009.

I've been using my Philips 3575 HDD/DVD recorder going on a year now. The 3575 is a 2007 model with a 160GB hard drive. The 3576 is the current version. More recently I purchased the similar Magnavox H2160MW9, the latest version of the Philips 3575/3576 twins. These Philips and Magnavox hard drive models are especially good for recording back-to-back programming blocks from TCM, editing, and high speed dubbing to DVD. With these models picture quality deteriorates at recording modes that provide more than three hours of program content per DVD. I use the SP (two hour), SPP (2.5 hour) and LP (three hour) recording modes that compare well with the Panasonic recording modes of SP (two hour) and LP (four hour) or Flexible Recording (FR) when limited to around four hours per DVD. With the Philips/Magnavox HDD/DVD recorders I limit the duration of scheduled recording blocks so that they may be high speed dubbed to a single DVD. With some advance planning, longer blocks of borderline length may be edited down to fit a single DVD.

Editing program blocks with the Philips and Magnavox HDD/DVD recorders is easy. The procedures for clean front and end cuts are simple enough, but they are not documented in the Owner's Manual. This post at the AVS Forum addresses the variety of Philips/Magnavox editing procedures, including the undocumented procedures for front and end cuts:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost ... stcount=17

A wealth of Philips/Magnavox information may be found in several threads at the AVS Forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=106

The Magnavox has been offered around $250 (plus $4.97 shipping for home delivery) through WalMart online:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... d=10104532

The Magnavox H2160 has been alternating from "in stock" to "out of stock."

In December I purchased a refurbished Magnavox H2080MW8, similar in most ways to the H2160 but with a (smaller) 80GB hard drive. In the last week I upgraded the hard drive to one of 160GB capacity (like the other Philips/Magnavox HDD/DVD recorders) a project of thirty minutes duration. The 2080 is set up "cable-ready." (TCM reception requires a digital cable box through my cable provider.) I've been using the 2080 to record certain movies and programs to the hard drive (mostly from cable-ready MoviePlex carrying the Encore Western channel on Wednesdays) and a few network or locally shown programs (including the 1957-1966 Perry Mason episodes at noon weekdays on our local Fox station) editing promos/commercials and high speed dubbing to DVD.

Philips and Magnavox hard drive recorders lack the Flexible Recording feature found on Panasonic recorders but offer the SPP recording mode that provides 2.5 hours of program content per DVD.

My Philips 3575 and Magnavox H2160 are set up to record from TCM as are four of my Panasonic DVD recorders. I also own fifteen functional Panasonics from the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 model years.

The Philips and Magnavox HDD/DVD models I've described were designed by Philips and manufactured by Funai. Last year Philips announced that there would be no more HDD/DVD product development beyond September 2008. Since 1 January 2009 Philips home entertainment products have been marketed and supported by Funai. The Magnavox brand is owned, marketed and supported by Funia. These Philips/Magnavox HDD/DVD recorders may be the last products of their kind in the US marketplace.
Last edited by TalkieTime on March 28th, 2009, 5:03 pm, edited 6 times in total.
"A rose by any other name will smell as sweet. But it does not follow that whatever we choose to call a rose will possess the rose's fragrance." --Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1917)
User avatar
MissGoddess
Posts: 5072
Joined: April 17th, 2007, 10:01 am
Contact:

Post by MissGoddess »

Talkietime, when you say this will be the last recorder Philips manufactures, does this mean this kind of recorder is becoming obsolete, to be replaced by some other kind or is any DVD recording machine going the way of the dinosaur? I still have my Panasonic EMR EZ47V with VHS drive for dubbing. It's been great except for being unable to record some programs on networks other than TCM.

Are movie rights holders trying to make sure no one records anything in the future? I wonder.
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
-- Will Rogers
TalkieTime
Posts: 68
Joined: August 1st, 2007, 12:10 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Post by TalkieTime »

MissGoddess,

DVRs provided by cable and satellite services have become the product of choice among most consumers. This trend is destroying the market for stand-alone DVD recorders and HDD/DVD recorders.

Some cable/satellite DVRs time-shift the popular High Definition programming. These DVRs are easy to program from an onscreen guide. Programming is stored on an internal hard drive. With hard drive storage limitations it is necessary to delete old material to make room for new material.

Cable/satellite DVRs often prevent or restrict the copying of program content to removable DVD media. This is the reality of "Digital Rights Management" (DRM), sometimes called "Copy Protection" (CP).

You mentioned being unable to record some networks other than TCM. This is the reality of "copy protection," a growing concern for the home-recordist. I've recently reiterated these concerns in the "Gremlin" thread found under Information Please! at the TCM Message Board.

Those of us wishing to record and retain material have become a small part of the consumer market, due partly to marketplace conditions and partly to DRM interests of the entertainment industry resulting in implementation of CP.

Consider Sony, a large player in the entertainment industry but also a provider of VCRs and DVD recorders. Which portion of the market provides more profit for Sony? Is it any wonder that Sony DVD recorders have been among the most sensitive to copy protection? Why would a customer buy a Sony DVD recorder, a product unable to record much of anything?

One by one the manufacturers are abandoning the DVD recorder market.

All but one manufacturer has abandoned the domestic Hard Drive/DVD recorder market. What remains of that market are the models offered under the Philips and Magnavox brand names. How long will these models continue to be offered? I don't know.
Last edited by TalkieTime on April 16th, 2010, 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"A rose by any other name will smell as sweet. But it does not follow that whatever we choose to call a rose will possess the rose's fragrance." --Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1917)
User avatar
MissGoddess
Posts: 5072
Joined: April 17th, 2007, 10:01 am
Contact:

Post by MissGoddess »

Thanks, TT. I have been following the Gremlin thread, it's a great source of information.

I have no use for a DVR. I'd feel like the cable company is the one that "owns" whatever I record and I'm already giving them more than enough every month. It sounds like older model DVD recorders and VCRs are the best if you want to record programming.
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
-- Will Rogers
TalkieTime
Posts: 68
Joined: August 1st, 2007, 12:10 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Post by TalkieTime »

The Philips DVDR3576H Hard Drive/DVD recorder mentioned in my 12/20/08 post is listed as "out of stock" at walmart.com, but may be found at a limited number of Sam's Club and Walmart stores. A few of the Philips models may be found on the secondary market, often with inflated prices.

The Magnavox H2160 Hard Drive/DVD model is in such great demand at walmart.com that whenever it is found "in stock" it goes "out of stock" within minutes.

The Magnavox H2080 is "out of stock" at the Markham Ontario seller but new units may be found at target.com.

For those interested in a new HDD/DVD recorder I would suggest purchasing these while they are still available.
"A rose by any other name will smell as sweet. But it does not follow that whatever we choose to call a rose will possess the rose's fragrance." --Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1917)
TalkieTime
Posts: 68
Joined: August 1st, 2007, 12:10 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Post by TalkieTime »

For those interested in hard drive/DVD recorders I have updated and revised the information in my 20 December 2008 post.

One poster at the AVS Forum wrote that Panasonic advised him that their line of DVD recorders/combo recorders is being discontinued.
"A rose by any other name will smell as sweet. But it does not follow that whatever we choose to call a rose will possess the rose's fragrance." --Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1917)
Ollie
Posts: 908
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 3:56 pm

Re: HOME RECORDING TO DVD

Post by Ollie »

I recently picked up some large flat-screen computer monitors that had DRM-capabilities embedded in them, refusing to display anything without a proper licensing! ha ha... my my, how far will this go? When will keyboards refuse to type? Mice refuse to click?

What was the Twilight Zone episode where the man is being hounded by the clocks and TV in his house, chased out into the yard and run down by his car?

Those don't have "Sony-Philips" logos emblazoned on them, do they? I need to look next time. ha ha
TalkieTime
Posts: 68
Joined: August 1st, 2007, 12:10 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: HOME RECORDING TO DVD

Post by TalkieTime »

Twilight Zone: A Thing About Machines, season two, episode four, 10/28/1960
"A rose by any other name will smell as sweet. But it does not follow that whatever we choose to call a rose will possess the rose's fragrance." --Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1917)
TalkieTime
Posts: 68
Joined: August 1st, 2007, 12:10 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: HOME RECORDING TO DVD

Post by TalkieTime »

In several earlier posts in this thread I've mentioned and recommended the Philips 3575/3576 and Magnavox 2080/2160 HDD/DVD recorders. I own and use each of these models.

The Magnavox 2160 is the only one of these models that is currently available in the USA. The 2160 is sold through walmart.com. The 2160 is not sold in WalMart retail stores.

The Magnavox 2160 entered the marketplace in the fall of 2008 as a 2009 model. I purchased a 2160 of August 2008 manufacture. This 2160 is an outstanding product. There was great demand for the 2160 with the result that the initial production runs sold out. With continuing demand there was another 2160 production run in December 2008. I purchased one of those as well as another of May 2008 manufacture. The late 2008 production runs quickly sold out.

2009 production runs came back into stock at walmart.com. While that online listing describes no changes to this product, purchasers report that recently delivered models have additional functional/operational changes, SATA hard drives, and an "A" suffix has been added to the model name. The full model name for current production is Magnavox H2160MW9A. Purchasers of this "A" version reported several functional problems, the inability to format, dub or finalize DVDs while timer recordings are programed. A Magnavox/Philips expert at the AVS Forum devised a simple workaround for this bug--use the remote's SOURCE button to select L3, take care of the disc operations, and then return SOURCE setting to the original setting. I also purchased one of these 2160 "A" models (manufactured in May 2009). The workaround is a minor inconvenience, otherwise this is another outstanding product.

See this thread at the AVS Forum for a wealth of information concerning Magnavox and Philips HDD/DVD Recorders:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940657
Last edited by TalkieTime on April 14th, 2010, 5:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
"A rose by any other name will smell as sweet. But it does not follow that whatever we choose to call a rose will possess the rose's fragrance." --Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1917)
feaito

Re: HOME RECORDING TO DVD

Post by feaito »

Thanks for taking the time for posting this Talkietime.

I'm still doing fine with my Philips DVR.
TalkieTime
Posts: 68
Joined: August 1st, 2007, 12:10 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: HOME RECORDING TO DVD

Post by TalkieTime »

J&R Music and Computer World has been offering "refurbished" Magnavox HDD/DVD recorders at attractive prices. The 2080, an 80 GB model first offered for sale in 2007, has been priced at $129.99. The 2160, a 160 GB model first offered for sale in 2008, has been priced at $159.99.

I already own one each of the 2080 and 2160 models, both outstanding products. Soon after purchasing the 2080 I purchased another 2160 remote for use with the 2080, an improvement upon the remote originally supplied with the 2080. In March 2009 I upgraded the 2080 to a 160GB hard drive, an easy procedure.

Several AVS Forum members, including me, ordered refurbished Magnavox 2160 models from J&R. My refurbished 2160 models were delivered in late July. Early purchasers found these 2160 models to be from 2008 production runs that do not have the problems of the 2160 "A" versions produced in 2009. More recent purchasers have received the 2160 "A" version. (Funai has still not provided a fix for the 2160 "A" versions from 2009.)

With this update (9/3/09) these Magnavox HDD/DVD recorders are currently out of stock.

Should these models come back into stock this link may provide the most recent information:

http://www.jr.com/brand/magnavox/n/3534/

Recent Philips and Magnavox HDD/DVD models are described and discussed in several AVS Forum threads. Here are two of them:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940657

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1054933
TalkieTime
Posts: 68
Joined: August 1st, 2007, 12:10 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: HOME RECORDING TO DVD

Post by TalkieTime »

My last post in this thread was originally submitted in July 2009 and updated in September 2009. It’s time for an update.

I own four Magnavox 2160 HDD/DVD recorders, three of the original 2160 models manufactured in 2008 and one 2160 “A” version manufactured in 2009. All of these are outstanding products. (My earlier Magnavox 2080 and Philips 3575 and 3576 HDD/DVD recorders continue in daily use, as do several Panasonic DVD recorders. Seven recorders are set up to record from TCM HD or TCM SD.)

The Magnavox 2160 “A” bug mentioned in earlier posts has been resolved by Wajo, the Magnavox/Philips HDD/DVD Recorder expert at the AVS Forum. Wajo reasoned that certain disc operations were complicated by the hard drive automatic recording buffer. Wajo devised the workaround where selecting the “L3” setting with the remote’s SOURCE button temporarily disables the hard drive recording buffer so that disc operations may be carried out. Funai, the manufacturer of the Magnavox 2160 recently posted a firmware update that fixes this "bug" with the "A" model variation.

Recent information has it that J&R World (jr.com) will soon be restocking refurbished 2160 models to be priced around $160. And walmart.com offers new 2160 models with a rolled-back price of $198.00. Those are bargain prices for this unique product.

Today (4/30/2010) there is word of a new model, the MDR513H, with a 320GB hard drive, that may be more widely marketed.

The first post in Wajo’s sticky thread is the gateway to a wealth of information concerning Magnavox and Philips HDD/DVD Recorders:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthre ... st12244086
"A rose by any other name will smell as sweet. But it does not follow that whatever we choose to call a rose will possess the rose's fragrance." --Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1917)
Post Reply