Please help me choose one of 3 DVD recorders

[fustanella]

A smart person in the TiVo Community referred me to y'all.

We scored a buttload of gift cards for the House of Target this holiday season, and a quick scan of target.com found the following three DVD recorders that we can afford with those cards and a bit more cash:

* CyberHome Progressive Scan DVD Player/Recorder - CH-DVR1500

* Hiteck DVD+R/DVD+RW Recorder - DR 2104

* Kreisen DVD Recorder - DVR-530C

Our main needs and desires are DVD+R recording (for compatibility with the media I buy for my computer) and component output. MP3 and JPEG support would be nice though not dealbreakers if not on the unit.

Given your experience with any of these brands, are there any you'd lean towards or away from?

[slprp1]

Some friendly advice:
Even though you have the benefit of paying so little, I would STRONGLY suggest that you AVOID ALL OF THESE!!
These are low budjet, very poor quality units and are all basically the same.
They are known to be unreliable and produce mediocre results!
I would suggest that you use your Target credits to purchase another item altogether. They only carry the worst of the lot when it comes to DVD recorders.

I have had alot of experience with DVD recorders and my personal recommendation for a basic, inexpensive DVD recorder would be the Panasonic DMR-E30S. It is a discontinued model but is better than the current replacement. It has TWO audio/video outputs which can come in very handy for various applications (current model and most units have only one) and the build quality is better than the current model.
It is not commonly available but I noticed it, brand new, on amazon.com from a seller known as "seymourtv". This is a reliable source (I have had personal experience with this source with great results). The price is $245.00. This is a great deal for this particular model, since it once sold for $500-600. I would not hesitate! It uses DVD-RAM and DVD-R for recording and will play other formats as well. I have had one of these for well over a year with no problems and I use it every day (have burnt 200+ DVD's)!
It surpasses the current model and costs about the same. I can't give you a better recommendation!
Good luck!
:)

[Nighttime]

Yep. You will be supprise what a few buck more will get you.

These low end units have some strange problem like, Black level not that good. poor tv tunners, front audio jack having noise on them., clock that run 2 seonds fast every day Etc. They are good as a 2nd unit but if you have the money may want to go up a level.

[RonDawg]

From the choices you have presented, it sounds like you're hoping to spend under $200 on a recorder. I concur with the others, spend just a little bit more and get yourself something like the Panasonic E-55 which is $249 and has gotten good reviews. It's a minus format recorder, but it shouldn't be a problem as most PC burners are now dual-format. Media is so cheap nowadays that even if it isn't, it's not expensive to buy specific media for each. I just picked up a 25 pack of Sony 8x -R (+R is same price) for $20 at Target.

If you live within reasonable driving distance of a Target store it's worthwhile to actually check out what they have, as they often have stuff that's not on the website. For example, if my memory is correct the Target stores here in the LA area have been offering the Magnavox MVR-640 for $199, although it's not on the website. It's also a plus format machine if you absolutely have to have that format.

[Mike Up]

I would stay away from all of those. I originally considered the Cyberhome until I read tons of horror stories. Basically, most of the + Format recorders are Chinese brands that are pretty poor. The only brands I've seen that actually have full editing support on the DVD+R & DVD+RW are the Philips and RCA models. Those and Sony would be the only + Format recorders I would consider, but the Sony doesn't offer full editing on +RW (at least on the earlier model).

The reason that + format recorders don't have a whole lot of good manufacturers of stand alone recorders is that the + Format is not licenced or acknowledged by the DVD Forum (the ones responsible for the DVD spec.) . The DVD Forum only supports DVD-R, DVD-RW (video and VR modes), and DVD-RAM (also a VR format).

The models I would consider buying are Sony, Pioneer, and JVC. I have had good luck with quality from the Pioneers and have no experience on the Sony or JVC.

I have had very poor experiences with Panasonics and their added digital artifacts (E80 & E85).

I have had very poor experiences with ILO DVDR04 and Toshiba D-R1 recorders due to the "BLACK LEVEL" bug.

The only problem I had with the Pioneer DVR-510H was the "BLACK OUT " bug when dubbing VHS tapes. I haven't tried my newer DVR-220-S to see if the bug still exists.

If I were you, I would stick to cheaper brand - Format recorders as they are reported to have far less problems. My Pioneer DVR-220-S from Walmart was only $248 and it comes with a 90 day refund/exchange policy through Walmart or a 1 year warranty. (Forgot to mention I bought the 220 on my Visa which doubles the manufacturer's warranty so I got some good protections for that $248.)

The + Format is good for Data storage but for Video Media compatibility, DVD-R and DVD-RW are the way to go. DVD+R is good for compatibility but DVD+RW is very incompatible in my experiences.

Have a good one and good luck.

[W_Tracy_Parnell]

Another vote for the 220s. I have dubbed tapes with no problems.

[kcgr]

I'm happy with my 220s. No troubles with it, and I'm pleased with pic quality.

[Stiltz]

Do any of you use the 220 as your main DVD player?
If so, how does it do a good job in progressive scan?

Thanks!

[dons459]

My two year old philips 985 + format is very unreliable. I switched to a Pioneer 310 - format and so far its very good, but it will only see 2X -RW blank disks.

[fustanella]

Thanks for all the insights. Since this thread began, prices have fallen yet again and I'm considering the Samsung DVDR 120. I'm no longer fixated on the + media need.

[N2Advnture]

I too have been looking at these lately and am going with this one:

Panasonic DMR-ES30VS
Avail at CC for $269

[N2Advnture]

Does anyone make a DVD recorder/VCR combo that has upscaling (upconvert) on the DVD output?