Hi guys

I'm considering one of 3 DVD recorders (upgrading my trusty 4 year old Philips player), to be bought on Monday.

I was advised to post a thread, to see which would meet my requirements, so here it is

The 3 I'm considering are:

Philips DVDR 3570H ('cos it has a HDD)
Philips DVDR 5500
Sony RDRGX350

Any help in choosing would be much appreciated...thanks

What are your requirements? CC would be a good one to ask.

A HDD would be nice, but not essential.

Playback of .avi files would also be nice, but again not essential.

Thought maybe owners of one of these standalones would share their experiences

Try a Panasonic DMR-EZ27 plays DivX, SD(HC), DVD-R(RW), DVD-RAM, DVD+R(RW) good PQ recording at 4 hours. Please contact me by IM or PM for more info. Others may have problems recording some programs.

I did look for a half-decent Panny within my price range, but unfortunately I had to go by whatever was in stock at www.currys.co.uk - I'm visiting their B&M store on Monday

Can you order on line?

Thanks CCR - unfortunately the specifications differ quite a lot between the US and the UK and the facilities on the same model number may be quite different. Having good PQ at 4 hours is definitely a good standard to go for though.

Arachne: just a couple of extra questions...

How important is it for:

• Freeview recording
• Hi-def output

I can...but I thought since I'm going there anyway, I may as well buy in the store

Of course, should I get there Monday and there's nothing decent there, I will be ordering online, which does widen my options a bit

Edit: @imkidd -

Freeview isn't important, as I have a Virgin Media cable box instead (with 2 SCARTs in the back)
Hi-def output...would be nice, since I hope to get a nice hi-def TV at some point, but not essential for the moment

The EZ27 does have HDMI but is not a true HD Recorder also has a digital tuner (not sure how much use it is in the UK), it also records every cable show I receive.

OK Arachne: does that mean you'll only be using the recorder for the VM stuff, or maybe sometimes recording one thing whilst watching another? I only ask because the analogue switch-off looms ever-nearer, and unless you have a digital tuner then eventually you'll only be able to record from VM.

Apart from that, if you want HDMI then it really limits it to the 5500 and the Sony (both have HDMI and I see that the Sony upscales DVDs too).

As I mentioned the Philips has a 6 hour buffer which is a bit different to other recorders and can take some getting used to (some people love it, others don't). Essentially it means you've always got the last 6 hours of whatever was transmitting, and you can section programmes off and dump them to the recorder disk.

The Sony isn't a HDD machine so is timer-driven, I guess . I've also read a lot about recordings made on the Sony being incompatible with other make DVD recorders. Certainly they don't have a great reputation with +R format.

To be honest, I only ever watch stuff through my VM box - I can watch channels 1,2,3,4 (no 5 ), but the reception's so crap with the regular aerial that I watch those channels off the cable.

It's generally needed to record stuff to watch later or at another time. I doubt I'll be watching something whilst recording something else

The reputation of the Sony with +R media's a bit worrying, as I generally do use +R more than -R.

Also, my mum has a Philips player (slightly newer than my current one), and it'd be nice to record stuff from VM channels she doesn't have, for her to watch...so the thing about compatibility with other makes is something to think about, as well.

LOL, looks like I'll be going for another Philips?

Forgot to mention: my budget is about £200, £250 tops. So if there's anything else on the Curry's site you'd recommend, don't hesitate.

Some DVD recorders have problems playing DVDs recorded on Sony Recorders.
Panasonic recorders like DVD-R(RW) and DVD-RAM best, DVD+Rs also ok, DVD+RW with some playback restrictions.
Flex recording in a big plus.
As is the special features when recording to DVD-RAM.

The recording made on my ES-25 and EZ-27 once finalized play on every player.

Yep - although I just had a look at the UK spec. Panny EZ27 that CCR recommended. It's not HDD but upscales to 1080p (and has Freeview). It records to DVD-RAM and probably is fast enough to have a chase-play function (real-time pause & rewind). [Edit - thanks CCR I forgot about flex-record; a type of variable bitrate to fit a recording into the space available on the DVD].

Essentially though what the Philips 5500 gives you is 6 hours of SP quality recording in a 'rolling' buffer, to do with as you please. A non-HDD recorder would have to drop the resolution a lot to fit all that on a standard DVD.

Not having owned any of these machines, it's difficult to wholeheartedly recommend. One very minor doubt is whether the 5500 records its buffer from the external input: I know that the 3570 definitely does and it's a predecessor of the 5500, but it would be good idea to check the returns policy of Currys in case for some weird reason it wont.

Can you dumb that down a bit for me? Hehe

You pick the recorder that fits you needs! I mostly record from my DVRs at LP 4 hours. I have no need for a recorder with HDD. I wanted the best PQ at 4 hours I could get, and the ability to record most every cable TV show without restrictions.

Sorry CC, I don't mean to make you impatient. I've never owned a DVD recorder before.

OK ... The HDD Philips recorders only work with this 6 hour buffer: you can't turn it off and it takes the Freeview signal from whichever channel you have it tuned into.

However, if you're going to be recording from your VM box, then the 6 hour buffer needs to work on the external input of the recorder - where the VM signal is coming in via the SCART - rather than the usual Freeview tuner. It's known to do that on an older Philips recorder like the 3570, and I've seen it verified on other forums, but there's no confirmation that it's the same on the 5500. No theoretical reason to think that it won't, though.

Mentioning the returns policy is just a precaution in case you're not happy with it .

Thanks Imkidd, now I gotcha

A case of suck it and see, maybe. There's always good ol' DVD+RW if it acts up, so though it would be annoying if it didn't work as it should, it wouldn't be earth-shattering. I guess I could mention it to whoever serves me at Curry's though, to see what the policy is

Sorry I don't want to seem impatient with you. All DVD recorders have some + and some - , I wanted best PQ and most recoders have very poor PQ at more than 2 or 4 hours, 6-8 hours recording is very poor on all DVD recoders.

OK ...PQ is a good point, I never really thought about it

Hopefully (with any luck), the most I'd be recording at any one time would be an hour or so.