Customer Reviews

LG DR787T 1080i Upconverting DVD Recorder with Built In Tuner

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I bought this unit when my old DVD/CD player died. I'm still on an old technology tube TV but anticipate replacing that. So I wanted to be sure that my new DVD / CD unit would meet my needs when I move on to the next generation.

The combination DVD recorder / CD player (plus MP3, WMA) and DTV tuner made this an easy choice. The DVD recorder works with pretty much any kind of DVD media you can find. I immediately started transferring those old family VHS movies to DVD+RW. The process is as simple as it could possibly be.

HDMI output with upconvert to HD 1080i bridges me to my next TV. Meanwhile, by choosing 4x3 letterbox aspect ratio, I can view broadcast HD material on my old tech screen (though obviously in reduced resolution).

After adding a tabletop antenna and auto-scanning for channels, the DTV is working great. I'm currently picking up about 25 digital stations in this urban area, including some that are not available here on cable.

So far the only downside I've found is that this unit has almost no front panel controls. I had better not lose that remote! That's the only reason I've given a rating of 4 instead of 5. This unit really does give everything I need in one box, at a great price.

The unit has a number of drawbacks as noted in one of the other reviews. Shortly after the 90-day warranty expired, the unit stopped recognizing the discs it recorded. It showed an error message of "Unknown disc." Soon after that it began refusing to play commercial DVDs that I bought, with the same error message. I used a head cleaner but that didn't help. It is useless and I am going to throw it out. It was a complete waste of money. Very disappointing.

When I recently got a HD flat screen television, I decided to look for a dvd player or recorder that was HD compatible or upgradable and affordable. I found this LG DVD recorder at Best Buy. It is compatible with DVD-RAM, DVD +/-R, DVD +/- RW for recording video and playback. It is also able to play DVDs, audio CDs, and CD-R or CD-RW. I have been able to record tv shows with any of the listed type of discs for recordable dvds. The taped shows have been high quality and I have had no problems setting a timer to tape shows. I also play dvds and the picture quality with my HDTV is excellent. The only problem that I see is the remote control is the only way to control the dvd recorder especially when opening and closing the dvd slot. Other than that, I have no problems with this product and would highly recommend it to others looking for a high quality and affordable dvd recorder.

I originally bought this DVD Recorder/Tuner to replace our cable DVR. We decided to cut costs and just go with over the air channels. My TV doesn't have a digital tuner, so we figured this would be a great choice to go with. Well I have tried this tuner with 2 different, well rated HDTV antennas. I cannot get a single channel to come in very well. I live in an area where there are plenty of available channels. I hooked up a friends TV down the road with just bunny ears and she gets plenty of channels. So I figure it must be the tuner. My other complaint is that the DVD recorder must be turned off in order for it to start recording. This problem was fixed with VCRs years ago, so I don't understand why LG has this problem. Also, you can only watch what you are recording through the recorder unless you have a separate tuner. My last problem is the remote is basically useless with anything other than the recorder. It only gives you 5 brands of TVs and 10 possible codes, so good luck getting your TV to work with the remote. It is very inconvenient to have to use 1 remote to turn on the TV and control volume and then another remote to work the DVD Recorder. Other than that the recorder records just fine and I have no other problems with this model.

I've been using the recorder for about eight months now. It works pretty well and I'd buy it again and recommend it to friends. The tuner works great in both digital and analog mode. I have one other digital tuner and this one always pulls in signals the other can't find. If you watch a lot of TV you may want to go with a Windows Vista Media Center PC w/ a digital tuner.

Likes:
* Allows you to set favorite channels. Now with each digital channel comes two or three digital subchannels. Setting up favorites allows me to skip these channels easily.
* Small, looks nice
* Easy to use
* Can be set to automatically "shrink" HDTV programs to 4:3 aspect ratios so they can be watched on regular/non-HD TV's.

Dislikes:
* Biggest problem is when the disc the machine is recording on becomes full (or nearly full) the unit works at a snail's pace. For instance, if there's no room on the disc it may take 60+ seconds to change a channel (even if you're not recording or doing anything related to the disc - it's just sitting in the drive). Once you clean off some programs (or hit the eject button and wait 60 seconds for the drawer to open and take out the disc) the unit goes back to normal speed. Keep a few discs that the unit has initialized around and swap them out if you don't watch your recorded programs regularly. This is the only fix LG Tech Support had.
* The unit does "see" the program guide information that is now broadcasted on digital channels but it's displayed almost nowhere. To see the name of the show on right now you have to push the display button on the remote. It would be nice if it just put it up on the screen as you flip through channels. Even nicer would be if it could label your recordings using this name instead of "Title 1", "Title 2", etc. Even better would be to let you see the program guide when choosing which programs to record.
* The remote doesn't work with my TV (a Toshiba). It doesn't look like it works with very many at all.
* You can't eject the disc without using the buttons on the remote.
* If you leave the unit on by accident it doesn't record. No warnings popping up like Tivo, you just miss your show.

Oh how I wish I had read other reviews before I bought this product. Last year, I bought this recorder to replace my ailing VCR. It worked well for a few months, then the recorder decided it didn't like the DVD-RWs I was using. I changed brands. Timer recordings would start on time, then suddenly stop for seemingly no reason. I called customer service, and they recommended changing DVD-RW brands again, as well as using the VR mode to record "copy-once protected" shows. Didn't matter. Then I found that if I turned on the TV while timer recording was functioning, the recorder made a funny grinding noise and ceased recording. Last night, I decided to forgo timer recording and just hit the "record" button. Worked fine for an hour, then the recorder made those funny grinding noises again, stopped itself, and would only respond after it was unplugged and replugged. I'm frustrated and tired. It's going in the garbage.

I bought the LG DR787T about six months ago. Best Buy had it sale priced at about $170. They subsequently discontinued it and now it is available again. At the the time I purchased there were a number of open box units on the shelf. I bought a fresh one.

This machine is very finicky about the disks you use. The manual recommended Sony DVD+RW disks. They worked for a while, but then no fresh Sony + RW disc would load. Some much for the manuals recommendations. When this unit freezes you do have to unplug it to get it going again.

Here is what works:
A. Fuji brand 16x DVD-R .These are great. Never had a coaster on this unit or in my computer.
B. Office Depot brand 4x DVD-RW . Just bought a ten pack from my local Depot and they are working fine.

Pros: Large feature set for a unit priced under $200. Machine works as advertised, when you use "the right" discs. I transferred a number of VHS tapes without problem.
Of course these were over the air recordings. It won't let you copy studio releases.

Cons: Forget about using +R or +RW disks. I also tried one Maxell Ram disk. I got zilch.
I really hate this trial and error approach. No wonder there were lots of returns.
BTW: The AMC -American Movie Channel is running copy protected films on basic cable that are flagged as not recordable by this unit. :(

Samsung makes a similar unit (DVD-AR650) that is rated for -R and -RW disks only. Makes one wonder if same doesn't apply here in spite of being labeled capable of all disc formats.

Sony just came out with a machine (RDR-GXD455) with the same feature set , but they have it listed for $250.

Ideally, I would like to get a recorder with a built in hard drive ( new $300 Philips DVDR3575H) , but they aren't making them at the price point I am willing to pay, plus all this second generation gear is just not ready for prime time anyway.

Bottom line: Good but finicky. Kinda like some (insert sexist remark here) I've dated.

I originally bought this DVD Recorder/Tuner to replace our cable DVR. We decided to cut costs and just go with over the air channels. My TV doesn't have a digital tuner, so we figured this would be a great choice to go with. Well I have tried this tuner with 2 different, well rated HDTV antennas. I cannot get a single channel to come in very well. I live in an area where there are plenty of available channels. I hooked up a friends TV down the road with just bunny ears and she gets plenty of channels. So I figure it must be the tuner. My other complaint is that the DVD recorder must be turned off in order for it to start recording. This problem was fixed with VCRs years ago, so I don't understand why LG has this problem. Also, you can only watch what you are recording through the recorder unless you have a separate tuner. My last problem is the remote is basically useless with anything other than the recorder. It only gives you 5 brands of TVs and 10 possible codes, so good luck getting your TV to work with the remote. It is very inconvenient to have to use 1 remote to turn on the TV and control volume and then another remote to work the DVD Recorder. Other than that the recorder records just fine and I have no other problems with this model.

First experience with a DVD recorder. I'm happy with the performance of the ATSC tuner for over-the-air broadcasts (I know, I'm a caveman). DVD recording and playback is acceptable. There actually are more front panel controls than first glance reveals. Basic play, stop, eject are touch-sensitive controls to the right of the led display that do not light up until you touch the control area. It's kind of neat once you're used to it.

Problems I've experienced are ABYSMAL cd playback. A lot of people put a good deal of money into sound for their entertainment systems. If that's you, DO NOT count on using this as your primary audio CD player. Lots of skips. Does not appear to be a problem in DVD playback. Also, jpeg rendering from the USB port is not as good as some of the other players (Sony, from what I've read).

Bought LG DVD Recorder as present for Daughter. Didn't work right. she had a hard time programing it to record. I tried it and it Locked up w/ no power. was able to reboot system w/ Power button, but it wouldn't recognize any DVDs afterwards. called Tech Support. they wanted $70 to look at it.