DVD Recorder Recommendations [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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jdag
06-07-2006, 09:38 AM
Anyone have a recommendation for a DVD player/recorder? I would like something with upconversion and recording capability. General use of recorder will be to archive TiVo recordings. Brand new to this, so any input would be appreciated.

likeitloud
06-09-2006, 02:11 AM
Yes....Panasonic DMR-ES15S or Pioneer DVR310. Both good values under $200.
Check amazon. Good Luck.

truetide
07-06-2006, 04:17 AM
I need a DVD recorder to transfer home videos from VHS tapes and also to record from our satellite TV. Should I just get a good DVD recorder and hook it up to my VCR and satellite receiver or should I get a good DVD recorder/VCR combo unit instead. Whichever is suggested, please recommend a unit(s) with make and model. Thanks in advance for any help.

likeitloud
07-12-2006, 02:34 AM
The only one I've seen on a store self that can record both ways (vhs-dvd or vise
versa) is the jvc dr mx1s. It records and plays in all formats, including HD, and
has a 80gb hard drive. So you "download" your vhs tapes, then put them on dvd.
It has a firewire input so you can pull stuff from your pc. Don't know your budget,
but it retails for around $1000. Good luck.

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junkeroos
07-29-2006, 03:26 PM
My requirements are simpler. I don't need to archive stuff from my DVR. I'd like to ask the forum which DVD player they can recommend. I'm leaning towards a Denon 2910, what are your thoughts? Incidentally, i have an old Marantz 5.1 SR-19THX receiver. Is it better to bypass the receiver and just use the audio outputs from the newer DVD player? I was wondering if the quality of the sound would suffer as the player may not be capable of driving my speakers (B&W Nautilus 804). Most audio enthusiasts don't think much of a dvd player's audio outputs and therefore don't consider it a necessity making it just a superfluous feature. And because it's a superfluous feature, the audio part of a dvd player is not up to par with their receiver counterpart.

As for the original poster....perhaps you can get your answer here:
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/electronics/dvd-recorders/reviews.html

edtyct
07-30-2006, 07:40 AM
junkeroos,

The DVD player recommendation isn't too hard. The Denon 2910 is a solid, well-rounded player. If you want to spend considerably less and still have an excellent performer, you could look into either of the two Oppo decks. I haven't any experience with them, but they have garnered enough good press and test scores to make them a safe bet. Personally, I like the Sony ES players (though one or two of the Sonys beneath that level are good budget performers), in large part because I like their implementation of Sony's soon to be defunct SA-CD audio format and don't care much about DVD-A (which the Denon also has).

Questions like yours can easily degenerate into an excuse for people to recommend what they bought because it's the "best," which is rarely the case. At this stage of the game, many of the reputable company's players, at particular price points, show similar performance and characteristics across the board; DVD players have been around long enough now to tend toward the mean. Some of the video flaws--like the chroma upsampling error, mediocre deinterlacing/scaling, macroblocking, or black/white crush--can have a negative effect, but in many cases, viewers don't notice them unless someone points them out. The audio can vary, but mainly via the analog outputs and usually not considerably. It takes an awful lot of painstaking personal comparison, which is beyond most people's capability, or close attention to testing results, like those published on the web by Secrets of Home Theater, to make a choice based on telling, or not so telling, differences.

Every A/V purchase has some compromise; players don't necessarily perform all of their functions with the same aplomb, though, as I said, they generally converge around the middle. The more specific you are about price point and the capabilities that appeal to you most, the better will be your chances of creating a meaningful short list. Few players surpass the 2910 in general terms at its price, but a few, like the Oppo, may well come close enough to it, in certain respects, to justify spending a lot less.

I know nothing about your receiver, but receivers or preamps generally handle DD and DTS processing with far more versatility than DVD players do. DVD players aren't equipped to drive speakers; they need a receiver's amplification and speaker connectors. If your new DVD player has processing that your old receiver doesn't, you could send its processed 5.1 analog output channels to the 5.1 analog inputs of your receiver instead of through an optical or coaxial digital connection that would allow the receiver to do the requisite processing. If your receiver doesn't have these 5.1 inputs, it may well be time to buy a new one; it might be time to buy a new one, anyway. Spending a little less on a DVD player in order to get a suitable receiver would not be a bad idea.