|
HD-TVs, DVD Recorders, Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs????
Well within the next 12 cmonths I plan to get a new dvd recorder and a HD-TV.
Well my local Wal-Mart has a nice floor model widescreen HD-TV on clearance last one for $960.00 hopefully its not gone, I need to save up for it lol. But if I dont get this one, which widescreen hd-tv would you recommend for around a grand here is the model I plan to get, been wanting it for a while now: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3757031 Will I need this as well: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=2598451 I may just order it online if the store doesnt have it after all its only about $200 higher. but if someone can find me a better deal online for both a HD-TV and a good DVD recorder with a HDD :) I think Im going to a JVC DVD Recorder with built in HDD but tech is always changing. And will we soon have to switch to Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs??? Brent |
No. HDTV is overrated. It is unlikely that most stations or cable will ever adopt HD aside from a couple major networks and major cable channels (HBO, pay per view, etc).
BluRay and HDDVD will likely never catch on. It is the laserdisc and S-VHS of video, something that is destined to fail. Whatever video format comes to exist in 2010-2015 will be the next format. The DVD market has still not hit saturation, and VHS is still not phased out. The whiz-bang BluRay and HDDVD will be super expensive, like the NeoGeo of video games, only owned by the rich and/or techie dorks. DVD is not going anywhere. Neither is standard definition. |
Yeah, and now there are DVRs that will downsample HD so it can be viewed on a standard def TV. There's one with my name on it that I will be acquiring soon - first I have to convince my Mom to let me add another dish to the house. Life would've been so much simpler in some ways if she'd come to live with me in Boston, rather than me moving home to Philly ... :?
|
If your going to get a HD big screen, dont goto wal-mart..Get a mitsubushi, its worth the money, thats what i have. 48 in. widescreen. Hitachi are good also..It just depends on what u want to spend too.
|
I have a 46" Samsung DLP that works great for me. The HD portion looks fantastic, but the SD channels vary widely as far as quality. I think a lot of that has to do with compression quality from Dish Network though?
Composite DVD output also looks very good. You might as well save up for a nice 60" or larger plasma... better brand models only run ~$6,000 :) |
I've got my eye on a Panasonic 32 inch widescreen at Sam's Club. I don't have room for a really big TV.
|
The DLP Tobal mentioned is designed to where you can change the bulbs, it works like bulbs with refractors, (correct me if I'm wrong) so the tv lasts longer, not sure what the life expecancy of the bulbs are though or how expensive they are.
I've got a 42" Panasonic Plasma screen EDTV and love it, not sure what the life expectancy is of it either, but I'm sure the more you use anything the sooner it will give out in any given time. And yes, quality cables do make a big difference. I haven't used the HDMI connection yet, has anyone used this? |
Isn't HDTV backwards compatible with analog tv x_x? I'm sure it would be seeing as though all those news channels that are HDTV is on analog also.
|
Well I did some checking on the JVC DVD Recorders with built in HDD they do not offer a edit mode similar to the panasonics. So I do not know what to do now as I need a built in HDD with editing capabilities. Heck there is a new Panasonic with a 400 gig hard drive.
Im torn though, I would love to have the JVCs quality, but it seems the editing features are lacking in the HDD side :( Brent |
Look into the new Pioneer 500 series HDD recorders if you want editing. These also have some added filters, though still not as good as JVC filters.
|
What could I use to improve those filters say going from VCR or Cable box to the recorder??
To make it as good as the JVC?? is there a outer unit I can get?? Brent |
This is the only unit i found on amazon.
I don't think it the right one though: http://tinyurl.com/dokmr Brent |
Or is this the right one, sounds like it. Sad thing is Im going down by HALF HD space if I get this one LOL.
http://tinyurl.com/bj5zl Brent |
Pioneer DVR-531H
Pioneer DVR-533H Sold at Walmart. Comes stocked with a 80GB drive, but supposedly can have 300GB swapped. Then there is also LG HDD DVD recorders to look at. These use LSI chips too. Very similar to JVC units. Although I would suggest you go test a JVC DVD recorder that has HDD, and not rely on stuff you read online, even if it's from JVC itself. I have a funny feeling it does all kinds of editing, but just has poor documentation (yet should be fairly common sense to use). |
I just got thrown by this thread http://www.tvpreservation.com/cartoo...?TOPIC_ID=1307 then read a few reviews here and there by customers unhappy with the editing capabilites.
Maybe I will get a JVC and then test record a show I normally dont record and see how the editing features go. I wonder if Ton_N_Jonna have gotten any headway on their JVCs editing?? Brent |
Why not invest in a cheap PC to do your editing with? You can use it to burn discs with and also do some fancy menus using photoshop.
You could probably put one together for a couple hundred dollars. That way you don't have to sacrifice quality for some added editing functions. |
The pc I have could easily do this but I honestly don't think I could lol. It all just seems way to complicated heh.
Brent |
Quote:
Brent |
|
I'm getting the hang of the editing functions on my new LiteOn 5045. The biggest problem I'm having is getting material *off* the unit - none of the good discs I have on hand are on the preferred disc list, and so I've been forced to use CompUSA discs to test creating discs. And so far, I have not been able to duplicate any of the discs I've made. I have an order for TY discs from Supermediastore on its way, since that brand is on the preferred disc list. I know I've been able to copy other people's discs made on that brand, so we'll see. If I can't duplicate anything I make on this recorder, I may have to rethink ...
|
Can you rip the files from the compUSA onto a PC?
|
Ignore that stupid "preferred disc list". That thing is worthless. It gives "brand names" of all things, whoever wrote it should be shot with a bean bag gun.
CompUSA is garbage media. Just use any number of good discs. Let me know what kind of media you need/want to use, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, etc, and I'll tell you of a good disc to run with. I own two LiteOn machines, and I have zero problems because I'm using good media. What I use right now: Shown as "Brand (MEDIA ID)" DVD+R = Verbatim (MCC), Maxell (RICOH or MAXELL), Sony (YUDENT) DVD+RW = Fuji (RICOH), Sony (SONY) DVD-R = Verbatim (MCC), Maxell (MXL), Sony (SONY) DVD-RW = Fuji (MCC), Sony (SONY), TDK (TDK) MEDIA ID is important. I keep track of things, so if you want a certain disc type, e-mail me for some solid advice on what to get. Usually just "made in Japan" on the package will give away what the quality is. The problem with not being able to read COMPUSA discs is the burns are bad, you wasted time most likely. |
CompUSA is the only brand I had on hand that would burn in the LiteOn - it rejected Verbatim, Fuji, and Maxells from Japan. The TY02 discs I ordered haven't arrived yet - if they don't work in the unit, or don't duplicate in my duplicator, I think I may have to give up on this unit. If I do, I've certainly wasted some time, but at least I've identified the right episodes to use in making my 7 Brides for 7 Brothers set, and the fact that I have to have another recorder.
Ahmed - I suppose you could rip the files from the CompUSA discs to a PC, but I don't have the ability to do that with my laptop. |
Open u the lid to the LiteOn record (unscrew it like a VCR, take the top off) and see what brand/model of burner is inside. We can use that data to refer to post over at cdfreaks.com where they dig into what drives work best with which discs.
You may also want to look into firmware for the unit, if there's any new firmware for it. Good discs not working on a machine is always an issue of (1) dirty burner, (2) dead burner, or (3) bad/old firmware. I'd bet on the 1st or the 3rd as your problem. You may also just have a dud recorder. Not that the model/line/company is bad, but rather your single unit was a run of bad luck. I'm super happy with my 5001 and 5104 LiteOn units, as well as the JVC one. The Centrios and Panasonics I own also have their advantages. |
Thanks for the advice. First thing I did was check the firmware against the web site, and read the reviews at vcdhelp - this can be a problematic unit for performance, but so far it's been good in that respect, so it looks like the latest firmware update - present on the unit - has stabilized a lot of the earlier issues.
Well, just got the batch of TY02 discs, and so far, it's not looking good. The first TY02 burned halfway, and the LiteOn decided it was full after 57 minutes at SP. The disc is clearly only half full. The other disc brands rejected on the "reading disc" stage, so this is progress, of a sort. And those other brands are definitely not on the preferred list, so I'm not concerned - yet. So far, the only brand to burn all the way through is the CompUSA brand, and those discs have not been copyable. I'm not cracking this thing open and breaking the warranty - if this batch of discs doesn't work, I'm returning the unit for a refund. I haven't had it quite 30 days. I'll go for a unit with a broader range of compatible disc brands. :> |
Opening the machine will not void the warranty. The LiteOn units should not have a sticker on it that would void it. You should be ablt to open it up with no problems. The top is just a lid, there is nothing connected to it inside.
Go ahead and ignore those "preferred" lists. They are written due to bribes and technically retarded most of the time. I have seen lists that say "don't buy this brand" and "buy this brand" but the discs are made by the same manufacturer. |
I've already requested the RMA. The TY02 discs are consistently failing at 50%. Verbatim, Fuji and Japanese-manufactured Maxell won't even load. I'm not wasting any more time on it. I've given it 2 weeks. There's enough other stuff about this unit that I don't really like - like really convoluted editing that other users complain lock the unit up, the fact I can't build a play list to copy all contents of a disc at once, the fact that the manufacturer will not respond to individual requests for support (they specifically state that on their web site), etc. - that I'm not interested in trying anything more with it. I'll just add this to the list of brands I won't touch in future.
|
I'm now seriously considering the Pioneer 533. The 633 has pretty some bad reviews due to the TV Guide stuff that apparently cannot be turned off on that model, where it can on the 533.
|
What kind of editing options does it have, I forgot if I checked out this one.
Brent |
I've just been looking through the manual on Pioneer's web site - it looks like the editing capabilities are very nice indeed. The one thing I did like about the LiteON was the ability to combine programs, but the editing was very imprecise - you could select a point to split, and find the marker was actually a second or two behind where you were, and the program didn't accurately split. Apparently with this unit, you have the option of setting it to frame-precise editing (which is what I'm used to), or within .5 second (which is still better than the LiteOn). Which mode you choose apparently affects how you can copy the material later (high speed or real-time). This unit also allows recording of disc images, which could be very helpful.
I don't know, it's looking like the best option for me. I haven't seen a good example of the disc menu, though - one of the things I hated about the LiteON was all the extraneous and meaningless information that was stored with the thumbnail and title - no one else ever needs to know what time and date the program was recorded, but there was no way to turn that off. Too much screen real estate taken up with useless detail. Made the menu very crowded and ugly. I definitely prefer my simple - yet under complete control - Panasonic text menus to that. |
Just wanted to bump this up theres a bit of good info here :)
Brent |
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:50 AM — vBulletin Copyright © Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd
|