We have owned this machine for about a year. This was the second DVD recorder we bought, the Sony model was returned as it was too noisy - a common complaint it seems. This is a much quieter machine, looks good but is SOOO frustrating.
The often mentioned complaint of not being able to watch another channel whilst recording is irritating but for me the worst thing is how unresponsive it is. Don't be in a hurry to watch something, it takes a long time for the machine to warm up. Its says hello, then asks you to wait...and wait...and wait. Then you need to get the guide on screen to choose a channel, that can only be done by scrawling through the DVD, SD and HD modes, depending on what was last watched, which won't work until the machine is fully warmed up. The guide function can sometimes be rather slow.
For some reason, and even my engineer husband can't fathom why, it has a tendency to slip into record mode even when one only wants to view the channel, then a record programming screen appears which doesn't actually let you into the channel itself. I'm sure it must be due to my own incompetence that it is such a frustrating machine, but neither the recorder or the manual are user-friendly when it comes to sorting problems.
On the plus side, picture quality is great and immediate recording of a programme being watched is very simple. Timed recordings have sometimes been simple and other times will not accept the information, neither the manual nor the shop we bought it from can tell us why.
Storing programs on the hard drive then transferring several at one time to a disk is great for collecting series, and using the hard drive for play back is very straight forward.
DVD recorders are a great improvement on video recorders for space, picture quality etc, but I would hope that there is an improved model to this one by now.
If I was buying again I would want a machine that would allow multi-channel viewing whilst recording, was quicker to respond and had a more definate method of switching between the different AV modes, the time delay often makes you think the remote isn't signalling, then you end up scrawling too fast through the modes.
Two minor points, firstly, we can't play U.S. DVDs as the player is not multi-regional, unlike cheaper non-recording machines we have owned in the past. Secondly, there is no eject button on the remote which is more irritating than you would think it would be.
If anyone can contradict me on these points, please feel free to do so as I would love to learn how to use this machine properly. I'm not an idiot when it comes to technology but this machine has baffled me!
More details
Ease of Installation
Average
Remote Control
Poor Quality
Instructions
Not really Helpful
Durability
Good
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