Samsung DVD recorder
Well, after buying this, I have to say it was such a disappointment. Here is my review . . .
===Where to buy==
The Samsung DVD – SH893 Recorder can be bought from most electrical stores, and many online websites. Alike most things I buy, I bought mine from Amazon. It can be bought from Tesco and larger Asda stores, Curries, Comet, Barlows, eBay and of course, Amazon. It can also be found on the online websites of these shops, if you don’t want to go out to buy it, or live a long distance from any of these places. Some websites even offer free delivery.
===Price===
My DVD recorder was £199.99, and so not worth it! Its recommended retail price is £199.99, but I can be found new and used on Amazon for £166.42. On eBay, prices are changing all the time, up and down. The other shops I have mentioned have similar prices to this too.
Samsung
Samsung began in 1969 in South Korea, selling things such as fridges and calculators. Samsung is the largest electronic company, globally. They are the global market leader in more than 60 different products. The supply electronics such as; LCD TV’s, Mobile phones, Projectors, MP3 players and flash memory. In 2005, Samsung became the most popular electronic brand by Interbrand, knocking Sony Ericsson from the top position. In my opinion, I prefer Sony Ericsson, I find it is more reliable, and normally just overall better. After this, in 2007, Samsung beat their rival Motorola, and became America’s top mobile phone sellers.
DVD Recorders
A DVD recorder is known as a DVDR outside of Britain and Ireland.
DVD recorders have a few advantages over VCRs;
• Better video and audio.
• You can get subtitles in different languages, which you can’t on VCRs.
• Reduced playback wear and tear.
• Better quality digital copying, without general loss.
• Play listing.
• Chapter Menus, which make it easier to find what you want to watch.
Design and looks
The Samsung DVD – SH893 HDD recorder in black is very good looking. I’d say this is one of the only things I like about it. It’s black and quite shiny. On the right hand side of the box are the buttons, including; Play, pause, stop, rewind and fast forward. In the centre there is a small digital screen which shows different things depending on what the situation is. On the left hand side is the disk drive, where you put the DVD, and in the top left hand corner it has Samsungs logo. At the back of the box, it has the pug socket, for where the wire fits, so that it can be plugged into a TV and the mains.
Product Details
• Boxed-product Weight: 5 Kg
• Item model number: DVD-SH893M/XEU
• ASIN: B001V9KQN0
Installation
Installing the DVD recorder was very easy. All I had to do was remove the packaging, put in the wires which came with it and it was working! (After I switched it on) I didn’t even need to read the instructions. Simple stuff really. This would probably be one of the other only things I like about this product. I hate it when you buy something new and it takes you ages to work out what to do to install it, and even when you’ve done it you can’t remember how you did it. But it was different with this, the installation was easy! Yay!
Picture Playback
The picture playback really depends on what TV you have, I find. I have had a new TV recently, and since I’ve had this TV, I find it looks a lot better, but with my old TV it just looked the same as my TV, so if you’re looking for good picture, look for a good TV. Also this DVD works for HD, so the colours are beautiful and bright, and it seems more real.
Sound Level
Again, it depends on the TV. If you have a good sound system, it will sound great. If you haven’t it wont.
Ease of use
The DVD recorder is easy to install, but is very awkward and annoying to use:
• The DVD recorder will not record something on a timer unless it is switched off.
• You can record something and watch something else, but, you have to start watching it before it starts to record whatever else you wanted to record.
• You have to remember the number that your programme is marked under, and when you delete one thing, all the numbers shuffle around, just to make it more confusing!
• You cannot record to DVD at a different speed than the HD recording.
• You cannot choose the recording speed (SP/LP) to HD when you are using the internal tuner.
So, I would say it is not easy at all to use. I have never owned a device so annoying; I think I may have punched it a few times in frustration. (There’s the third good point, it doesn’t break if punched.) It really annoys me too, when I record my favourite programme (Eastenders) and it cuts off the last couple of minutes, normally when the best part is. This DVD is made for increasing stress levels!
Features
It can be used as a normal DVD player. It’s pretty basic, but I find it does play DVDs averagely.
It says it records from TV, which it does, but very poorly, sometimes it fails to record and skips out the ending, completely hopeless!
It would be nice to mention some other things here, but the only real features are:
• Will cause stress.
• Will make you very annoyed.
• Will make you confused.
• Will maybe even make you cry.
• Will ‘forget’ to record your programme.
• Will skip off the end of your programme.
• Will rob you of £199.99.
• Will make you wish you never bought it.
• Will make you send it back.
Technical details
Here are the technical details mentioned on Amazon:
• SAMSUNG DVD PLAYER AND RECORDER WITH HARD DRIVE
• 1 x HDMI CONNECTION AND 1 X SCART CONNECTION
• IN BLACK
• 160GB HARD DRIVE CAPACITY
(I have no idea how the colour black is something technical!)
Value for money
Poor, so poor I will send it back tomorrow.
Remote control
Yes, the remote control is nicely presented; there is no doubt about that. But that’s not what matters. What matters is that very often it doesn’t work and if it does it is painfully slow, so if you want to pause something on the exact moment, it waits a few seconds, and then pauses, how annoying!
Recommended?
Well, hopefully after reading this review you will have gathered that I am definitely ===not=== recommending this DVD recorder! Unless you want to be stressed, or for a present to someone you don’t like!
Conclusion
There are only two words I can use to describe this DVD recorder:
===Pathetic===
and
===Stressful===
I am taking it back, and never buying a Samsung product ever again!
