Being a typical sceptic, I deliberated over which DVD Recorder to get for ages, six months in fact! During that time, I read reviews, visited forums, looked in my local electrical stores and dreamed about the day when I could finally ditch my old VCR!
Okay, so I'm not rich, it basically ... Read review
No Setup - Just put your batteries in and off you go. Our remote controls are generic ... more
replacements 100% guaranteed money back if not entirely satisfied. Put-Batteries-In-And-Go (This remote has been made for this Tv / Dvd / Freeview box etc, only,so no setup required, no codes to put in) Specifically manufactured in our factory for this make/model. Every remote control is tested before it is dispatched. Our remotes are NOT universal - so you do not need to set them up or put codes into them, just put your batteries in and off you go. Each remote is generically made for the specific DVD / TV / Freeview.
Postage & Packaging:£3.00 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
No Setup - Just put your batteries in and off you go. Our remote controls are generic ... more
replacements 100% guaranteed money back if not entirely satisfied. Put-Batteries-In-And-Go (This remote has been made for this Tv / Dvd / Freeview box etc, only,so no setup required, no codes to put in) Specifically manufactured in our factory for this make/model. Every remote control is tested before it is dispatched. Our remotes are NOT universal - so you do not need to set them up or put codes into them, just put your batteries in and off you go. Each remote is generically made for the specific DVD / TV / Freeview.
Postage & Packaging:£3.00 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Easy Backup from TV/SAT/VHS/MiniDV Camcorder - Features Timeslip / Edit Out Adverts / 160Gb Storage Capacity / Writes on both DVD+/- R and CD's Disadvantages: Slow to boot up / Difficult to cut to exact frames when removing adverts
...the LiteOn. I already used LiteOn CD writers in my PC's so new the name. Did some research and even found that LiteOn manufacture DVD drives for Sony of all people! Apparently they are one of the largest manufacturers of DVD drives in the world?
So, this machine could write to DVD + and - R and CD's, it had a 160GB hard disc, allowed you to edit video and all for…£280.00! - Bargain! Of course it's now even cheaper, but even 6 months ... ...many different complaints on the LiteOn forums but these seemed to refer to the older model. LiteOn actually seem to monitor some of these forum comments and release firmware patches to solve them. Yes this machine can be updated by downloading a program from the internet, writing it to CD and installing it on your LiteOn yourself….what other manufacturers do that? As far as I'm aware, none of the main stream ones like Sony or Panasonics do it? more
Being a typical sceptic, I deliberated over which DVD Recorder to get for ages, six months in fact! During that time, I read reviews, visited forums, looked in my local electrical stores and dreamed about the day when I could finally ditch my old VCR!
Okay, so I'm not rich, it basically came down to what I could afford, and what could I get for my money? I looked at the standard DVD Recorders and nearly went for the low end Panasonic machine. I even tested some that friends had, but I still felt I wanted a 'real' DVD recorder, one with a hard drive not a DVD Ram which is compatible with only itself! Most of people I know already had DVD recorders, but only they could only back up directly to DVD +/- R or DVD Ram, none had hard drives. Yes they did the job, but that wasn't enough for me. I wanted something that was easy to use and would copy onto and from almost anything. The convenience of not having to search for a disc and being able to record or back up video then edit out bits I didn't want, was just too huge an attraction. Unfortunate most of the machines I liked at the time with large hard drives cost £500 plus!
Then I saw the LiteOn. I already used LiteOn CD writers in my PC's so new the name. Did some research and even found that LiteOn manufacture DVD drives for Sony of all people! Apparently they are one of the largest manufacturers of DVD drives in the world?
So, this machine could write to DVD + and - R and CD's, it had a 160GB hard disc, allowed you to edit video and all for…£280.00! - Bargain! Of course it's now even cheaper, but even 6 months ago when I got mine it was still considered a bargain.
6 months on I am still not disappointed. I can use it, my wife uses it and we can now backup all our video camera footage quickly and easily as well as pause live TV and record from Terrestrial or Satellite. The convenience is just too good to ignore…get one and you won't be disappointed.
What can it do? More like what can't it do! Okay, you can record directly to Hard Drive or DVD if you wish. You can record from TV, DVD, SCART, Front AV Sockets or Front DV socket. You obviously cannot record directly from copy protected DVD's to your hard drive, that would be asking too much, but you can duplicate ones you or friends have made. Having the front sockets makes for a very easy method of transferring all your camcorder footage or VHS straight to the Hard Drive for recording onto DVD…yeah! I can finally through away all those VHS tapes!
You get Video Plus, Timer Record, Quick Record (pressing the record button repeatedly allows you to record in 30mins increments) Time Slip (pause Live TV…go make the tea, come back, carry on from where you left off!) or you can watch the program you are recording from the very beginning while it is still being recorded!
You can record up to 198 hours on 5 different quality settings (lets face it, who would normally use anything other than SP (standard quality for general recording…just like normal TV broadcast) or HQ (High Quality for backing up those all important home movies to DVD). The settings range from HQ where you can fit 1 hour on a 4.7Gb DVD or SLP mode where you can fit 6 hours (although this quality is, as you can imagine, pretty low resolution).
You can add titles to your recordings, lock them to prevent them being accidentally deleted and change the thumbnail that is shown in the preview and written to your DVD's. You can also add in your own chapter points, or if you forget, the machine will set them for you at 5 min increments.
What don't I like? The interface for navigating the system is a little simple and not that well thought out and the initial setup of the unit, for SKY was quite awkward (email me and I'll tell you how I did it!) but apart from that, I love the machine…oh yeah…it's looks are a bit dated, looks like a 70's reject machine, but it does the job!
Any Problems? Well…this is a budget machine, but if there are niggles, they are not too drastic, at least I haven't experienced any yet! I have heard of many different complaints on the LiteOn forums but these seemed to refer to the older model. LiteOn actually seem to monitor some of these forum comments and release firmware patches to solve them. Yes this machine can be updated by downloading a program from the internet, writing it to CD and installing it on your LiteOn yourself….what other manufacturers do that? As far as I'm aware, none of the main stream ones like Sony or Panasonics do it?
If you do upgrade the firmware…make sure you back up everything first…just in case! Also, Make sure you get the 5045B model as all of the problems mentioned around the web seem to have been solved.
Conclusion... Well, you can find out all the specifications yourselves by visiting the retailer's websites and wading through the details…that's not what my review is about.
In general, I think that this is an excellent machine for the money and it has features and functions that make the competition look pathetic. For the money, it's excellent value and even it's smaller brother the 5026 with an 80Gb Hard Drive is still and amazing machine….especially for only £199.00 (eBuyer - August 2005).
At the end of the day, it's a personal choice…but for £279.00 (eBuyer - August 2005) what more do you want!?
I guess I sound biased, but I've had no cause to complain about it so far it's all been exactly as I expected. I am a very satisfied customer and can thoroughly recommend this unit…even my parents and Aunt now have one after seeing what the 5045B can do, so it can't be that bad!
Advantages: Large 160GB hard drive, good-quality recording, copy DVDs to hard drive Disadvantages: Basic looks
The Liteon LVW-5045 is a combi DVD/HD recorder with integrated 160GB hard drive. After reading several reviews abou the Liteon LVW-5045 it was touch and go as to whether to part with my hard earned cash and ditch my old VCR. I had read that some purchasers had had problems with the device crashing and being unable to turn the machine off. I eventually decided to take the plunge and boy am I glad that I did. I had read that the firmware in the machine ... ...the website and downloaded the latest firmware to CD. All very easy.
From first use, I was impressed with how easy it was to operate the machine. All of the functions are accessible from an easer guider on screen menu. All functions are so easy to access.
I immediately started to transfer my favourite videos to the hard disk. Using SLP mode the LVW-5045 can archive an impressive 198 hours of recording. I have tried all of the recording modes and ...
AmonRa 20.07.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of LIteOn LVW-5045GDL+
Advantages: Low cost Disadvantages: Dodgy menus, very disk fussy, lousy DVD burner that will fail.
...eventually replaced the DVD burner in mine with a Liteon 20X unit for about £16. This solved the problem, and for the moment, it's been working perfectly. Fitting a replacement burner is straightforward enough, though getting it to neatly fit into the existing front fascia is a bit more challenging. ...
wilkinsgraham 17.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of LIteOn LVW-5045GDL+
Advantages: One touch recording, no discs needed, cheap set but great quality Disadvantages: Only recognises certain discs, needs updates regularly
...to download updates from the LiteOn website periodically to keep it up to date.
It plays all types of DVD's, CD's, MP3's, picture discs, VCD's, SVCD's, Data discs, Media discs and will copy all discs as long as they are not protected by copyright. It will even play Nero media files taken off your PC.
It records DVD RW/R +/-, CD RW/R +/-, will write in MP3 format if the original was in MP3.
Its not that slow either, its a great all rounder and ... ...machine and he swears by it. I connect my camera to it and record all the pictures and video clips straight to disc!!
For the price that its selling for these days, its a real bargain, a must for all families and people who love TV and videos!!!!
I can supply a list of accepted discs to anyone who drops me a line and asks, just let me know and I'll get back to you ASAP.
Thanks for reading my review, hope it was helpful.
Liz ...
widdley24 13.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of LIteOn LVW-5045GDL+
Advantages: Easy to set up - easy to use. Almost all disk media can be used Disadvantages: Sometimes freezes whilst editing - removing advets difficult to get accurate
...There is good support on the LiteOn web site and excellent help at www.liteonusers.org.uk
I have not yet owned the recorder long enough to comment on durability.
Despite the minor snags encountered this machine I consider the LiteOn 5045 easy to use and good value for money . ...
Segedunum 28.11.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of LIteOn LVW-5045GDL+
Advantages: low price Disadvantages: some early teething troubles
The Liteon 5045 is a good machine at the low end of the market place.
The instructions are clear, although a bit literal with the Taiwanese translation. Set up was simple, although integrating satellite took a little more time.
The operation is straight forward, with a quick operation feature to undertake the major operations. The hard disc is massive, offering almost 200 hours of storage on slowest recording speed. The machine offers 5 recording ... ...speed the poorer quality the recording.
Copy time from dvd to hdd is about 20mins for a 2 hour film, but it comes with built in copyright protection so you cannot copy protected tapes willy nilly.
Some early versions had problems with sound/picture synchronisation, as did mine, but a simple download from the website cured that.
All in all, I have found it to be well worth the investment with all you would expect from a machine in this sector of ...
icanicant 03.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of LIteOn LVW-5045GDL+
1 x composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - front
1 x S-Video input ( 4 PIN mini-DIN ) - front
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.LINK) - front
2 x SCART (RGB) ( 21 PIN SCART ) - rear
1 x composite video/audio output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - rear
1 x component video output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - rear
1 x SPDIF output ( RCA phono ) - rear
1 x SPDIF output ( TOS Link ) - rear
1 x RF input - rear
1 x RF output - rear
Power
Type
Internal
Voltage Required
AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz ), AC 230V ( 50 Hz )
Power Consumption Operational
50 Watt
Miscellaneous
Cables Included
Video / Audio cable
Remote control
Technology
Infrared
Type
Remote control
Display (projector)
Type
None
Manufacturer's product description
The massive capacity of the built-in hard disk drive means plenty of space to record shows for every family member. Record lots of programming, edit the video clips without worrying about running out of recording space.
