Customer Reviews

Super Multi Format DVD Recorder / VCR Combo W/Double Layer Recording: +R/ 8.5GB

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Several years ago I bought the first consumer DVD recorder that made it to the market ( Philips ), and loved it: the capability to transfer my home movies in VHS to DVD and record broadcasts from my satellite receiver directly to DVD in digital quality.

I just replaced it with this recorder, and couldn't be more pleased. The LG records in all media formats ( +R, -R, RW of both, VHS, etc. ), including double-layer DVDs. It's very easy and intuitive to use. The VHS player/recorder is an integral part of the unit making dub transfers ( in either direction ) a snap.

The quality of the unit-recorded content is outstanding, as is the quality of commercially recorded movies - bright, sharp, clear. I have the video output directed from the unit to my TV via the component output ( my TV being a 52" Samsung DLP in HD ) and the experience is at least as good as being in a theater (without the rude talkers and seat-back-kickers).

I looked at many units by all the reputable manufacturers (Sony, Panasonic, JVC, etc.) and decided on this one. I'm happy I did, and I'm sure you will be, too.

This is my first LG product and I'm impressed. The DVD Recorder supports many advanced features such as title split and custom thumnails for +RW discs. Dubbing VHS tapes to disc works flawlessly. Formatting and finalizing is also fast with all disc types.

My only complaint is the lack of recording modes. LG only offers 1, 2, 4, and 6 hour recording. The quality difference between 2 and 4 hour recording is dramatic. I wish LG offered a 3 hour mode, like Sony and RCA recorders.

I have owned Sony, Toshiba, and recently a JVC DVD/VHS combo system. NOTHING, absolutely nothing comes close to comparing with this LG product in quality, flexibility, capability, cross system use, EASE of USE, and every other thing the average consumer wants but can't get in one machine.

Not only is the quality of the picture HD quality but by routing my cable TV through the LG unit my television picture is also equally enhanced. Sharp colors, clear, brilliant.

The chips slots to down load digital camera pictures directly into the LG is an incredible feature. It has every other feature you can image, and it is heavy! No plastic cost cutting with this piece of equipment.

Tremendous value for $350, well worth the cost based upon quality and the almost endless way you can use it to get the most from all your digital products - as well as watch beautiful HD quality ordinary cable TV.

I have just two words for anyone contemplating purchasing this dvd recorder. Buy it!! I purchased this dvd recorder and have enjoyed it tremendously. The price reflects a top of line machine. The feature I love the most and what sold me on purchasing this dvd recorder was the photo media card feature. I checked around before purchasing this product and no other manufacturer offers this feature. It is extremely user friendly and copying is a breeze. I paid more for this machine but once I did it I was happy I made the decision to buy it.

It plays fine on both DVD and VCR. I have only recorded VHS and it does fine on that but tracking problems when swapping tapes between the LG and the Samsung and the LG is difficult to correct tracking. It is probably the Samsung... yet, the only time I have tracking problems on the Samsung is when I play a tape recorded on the LG.

Worst problem is NO BACKUP Battery for clock and programming. Just a tiny power glitch and you lose the clock and everything else and have to reprogram it. It did this when it was brand new. This failure is inexcusable since every electronic device and computer have had backup batteries for more than 15 years. Perhaps it is just my unit which has no battery backup... but it could be a generic issue.

It is also noisy on rewind... it is not a glitch... rather a very fast, powerful rewind motor... but definitely an issue if your spouse is a light sleeper. And the power of the motor can be an issue when you are simply trying to get past the commercial. It runs so fast, you always go past your intended stopping point.

I will give it credit that it was the only DVD unit that would play 3 oddball DVD's which no other unit would play. This will play virtually anything including non-US regions, homemade videos of any format... even poorly made copies from some Amazon seller that sold homemade pirated copies (bad ones at that) and passed them off on some unsuspecting customers as new original DVD's. Beware of those Northern Texas DVD dealers....

So, if you don't mind reprogramming your clock and memory every time you have a power hit and you are not having tracking issues from poor tapes.... it is actually a very good DVD-VHS player and VHS recorder. It might be a good DVD recorder too, but since I have not used that function, I cannot pass judgement.

Some pointers:
If you want to see what time it is on the panel display, don't use the power saver mode. You'll also have to manually change the daylight savings times due to the new dates, otherwise, it will do it on the original dates. Be sure to slide open the hidden panel on the bottom of the remote for additional button features. It was a few weeks before I noticed the panel. It also keeps coming up displayed as mono even though I keep resetting it to stereo and it promptly says mono whether you have any stereo movies in it or none at all nor whether you have a stereo feed or not through the video & stereo audio jacks or Coax from a stereo source.

The menus are also funky. Be sure to hit OK to set the recorder timer or it will lose your programming. Other menus are even more dysfunctional.... but I still can't knock the quality of the basic functions. (I was an electrical and electronic technology engineer for 30 years and have had video recording equipment for 24 years....so none of these issues are operator error related, so be forewarned on these minor problems).

I would buy another one of these units, considering the quality of the recorders and players left on the market for those of us who have no intention of giving up our thousands of DVD's and VHS tapes for the ever changing formats. I'll buy a lifetime supply of equipment to maintain the viability of my 6000+ DVD & VHS movie collection rather than succumb to the 10 year format changes designed to keep you rebuying your videos and music over and over again or those RAM recorders designed to keep you from collecting TV taped movies instead of buying the DVD set, etc. I could buy a warehouse full of recorders & video equipment for the money it would cost to keep changing formats.... not to mention inflation. Once you are trapped in a format, watch the prices double on all of the movies. Eventually, you will no longer be able to buy a tangible media for your video and music. You will all be relagated to downloads which are only viable for a preset time period and you will be forced to pay more to expand the viewing time on each download. The entire entertainment industry is moving toward the day when your only option for movies, music and TV shows will become a perpetual pay-per-view, intangible download with an expiration. You will see this in the very near future.

It is a 10 year preplanned obsolescence for any recorded media you will ever buy and each time you will be besieged with how the next technology is better than the last. Remember how music went from records, reel to reel, 8 track, cassette, metallic tape, CD's (and those many formats) DVD's (and all of those formats), wav, Mpeg 1-3, Ipod, downloads, mp3 players, blueray...how many sets of the same songs do you really want to buy?

Same with video. Started with kinescope, a vast assortment of filmstrip types, reel to reel video recording tape, Laser disks, Beta, VHS, DVD, DVR, HD-DVD, Blueray, IMAX, dozens of different regions and formats, analog, digital, quicktime, realone, avi, NTSC, online movie downloads, etc.... how many times do you plan to buy the same movies?

Just remember when you think you have to have the latest and greatest and look at previous technologies with disdain... one day, your collections will be out of date because at least once every 10 years, the preplanned obsolescence will catch up with you. It is an intentional ploy used for entertainment, computers (although their obsolescence rate is annual), phone systems, cell phones, air conditioning, vehicles, etc.) And as new software emerges... have you ever noticed how it always requires more and more computer memory so you have to keep upgrading to the next model of computer to accommodate the software which you "must have" like the Vista fiasco and watch out for those "checking for recent updates" to eat up some memory in the name of protecting the security of your system... but the computers only increase memory in small stages... just barely enough for the previous software requirements? And now your cell phone features are the same. More features, more capabilities... need newer cell phones and higher usage fees.

Welcome to the industry-planned merry-go-round of marketing ploys, propaganda and perpetual format & media design changes to force new surges of sales & revenue boosts and to set up all entertainment media like a never-ending vending machine you will never stop pumping money into. You'll catch on when you reach your mid-40's and wish you had purchased spare equipment to accommodate supporting your entertainment media collection.

Although the unit did not come with a remote nor a manual, once I obtained those items, it worked as it is supposed to, so I gave it 5 stars. Overall, it was a very good transaction, and I thank you.

I had nothing but problems with this recorder. It worked fine at first; a little quirky with certain types of discs. Over time, however, it became more and more picky about the discs it would read. Now it won't even recognize your basic single-layer commercially pressed disc--let alone DVDs it recorded itself!

I've owned this product for a couple of years and have had nothing but trouble with it. Early on it seemed to work okay, although it was always finicky about discs. As time goes by, however, it recognizes fewer and fewer of the discs I put into it, to the point where now about the only thing it will read is a CD. That's right, this super multi-format DVD reader/recorder is now little more than a gigantic CD player for me.