Pioneer DVR-550H-S Multi-System DVD Recorder with Built-in Hard Drive

by Pioneer

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3 x 16.5 x 11.3 inches ; 9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 pounds
• ASIN: B000QUN5HE
• Item model number: DVR-550H-S
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,224 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 25, 2007

Product Description

This model was not manufactured or designed for sale or use through Pioneer USA. It is intended for use in Europe, Asia, and Africa. It does not include a Pioneer USA warranty. The Pioneer DVR-550H-S Multi-System DVD-Recorder combines functionality and versatility, while recording your favorite TV shows or home movies onto DVD formats. The internal 160GB Hard Drive allows recording up to 455 hours on. The DVR-550H-S is a Progressive scan player capable of up converting your DVDs to a (720p/1080i) high-definition experience. Enjoy the amazing features of Dolby Digital and DTS audio decoding, one second quick-start recording, DV (IEEE) input, and HDMI output. Dimensions - Width 420mm x Height 75mm x Depth 288mm Weight - 4.1 kg

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for the US market!, April 22, 2008

By 

Regina Walter "DVDwoman" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pioneer DVR-550H-S Multi-System DVD Recorder with Built-in Hard Drive (Electronics)

The previous review on this item, where it is stated that this unit does not work in the U.S. is completely inaccurate. The unit will play and record in both Pal and NTSC (US market). It has innitial settings that allow the user to select either of these formats and also to play on a television for either. The user just needs to set those settings to NTSC for both record and play. The unit does come with PAL as the default setting but there is simple code you input into the remote that changes it to NTSC. At that point, it is fully functional for the US market. All controls work in the US as well as the timer record. The only difference is that in inputting the date and time, you must rememeber that it uses military time, thus 11 PM is 23:00 hours and the date is recorded in terms of day / month / year. All the menus are in english and it is far better than units previous sold in the US. It has a DV input, and also can be used as a music jukebox. It still offers and manual mode that allows the user to adjust the bitrate to fit your project perfect on a disc. It is superior in editing than any other machine, you can cut cut clips from any part of a title. It works with all discs including both dual layer formats and automatically moves to the second layer when dubbing from the HDD to the media. It is the only unit to do this. It has 12 bit video, thus the image is better. It is superior with menu creation on discs. It also includes the former remote control that users loved. It is the best DVD/HDD machine on the market and works perfect in the U.S.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Used to safe my old VCR tapes to DVD, September 18, 2009

By 

Reproducer of the past - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pioneer DVR-550H-S Multi-System DVD Recorder with Built-in Hard Drive (Electronics)

It worked perfectly. The transfers and copying went smoothly I am glad I found this recorder. My family and friends are enjoying seeing the past again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great machine, not all sellers created equal, September 15, 2008

By 

Deborah M. Walsh "Deb Walsh - VidHead" (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pioneer DVR-550H-S Multi-System DVD Recorder with Built-in Hard Drive (Electronics)

This unit is really outstanding, and has become my favorite DVD recorder of all time (I own several different brands with hard drives). If you're not familiar with different voltages, as I wasn't when I first bought this, the seller can make a difference. The first seller I purchased from simply stated "not for use in the US" when I asked whether I needed an adapter or voltage converter, and wouldn't provide any additional advice or assistance. I returned that unit for fear of damaging it. The second seller I approached not only answered my questions, they provided the adapter, and I was off and recording within moments of receiving the unit. No digital tuner that I've been able to identify, so come June 2009, you'd need to use a set-top box for recording live or DVRed programming. I use this for recording from a satellite DVR and VHS and Beta tapes, so this isn't an issue for me. The quality is excellent, the editing features are a dream, and honestly, I could not be happier with this unit. So much so, I'm considering getting another, or possibly the next step up.