Customer Reviews

Terapin TX-0002 Audio/Video CD Recorder , Gray

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

 

 

Before I start let me clarify that this Video-CD recorder is NOT for everyone. For instance, my mother could never use it... it has too many buttons and there is no single-button operation (except for Video-CD playback). Recording involves pressing the menu button, selecting the video and audio source, hit record, waiting for the "Record ready" message, and then pressing the "confirm" button.

With that in mind, for the video and techno-geek, this unit is very nice. I will start by listing the good points:

1. You can record around 73 minutes of video on 650mb CD-R media
- or 79 minutes of video on 700mb (80 min) media.
2. You can use CD-R OR CD-RW (rewritable) media.
3. The unit has composite video (RCA plugs), stereo sound (RCA) inputs and outputs in the back, and a secondary set of inputs in the front.
4. The unit has s-video input and output connectors in the back.
5. The unit has digital audio input!
6. In addition to TV programs, movies, etc, you can also record CD-Audio to cdr-audio media.
7. The unit records in MPEG1 video cd format but with EXCELLENT image quality, much better than the dazzle 1 or other PC-based mpeg1 hardware encoders. There is no pixelation, if the source image quality is clear and good.
8. You can play back recorded programs on CD in the unit OR on any Pentium 1 - 100Mhz or higher PC running Windows, Linux, or MacOS.
9. You can see what the recording is going to look like by hooking your Terapin's video-out to the Video-IN of your TV (what you see is what you get, no surprises!).

..and here's the bad:
1. You need to "finalize" the disc before a disc runs out of space, otherwise, you can't play it back on a PC.
2. The unit overheats. The manual recommends turning the unit off to let it cool down after 4 hours of continued use. This can be easily fixed by opening the unit (voids warranty), and drilling a few holes to let the hot air get out. Yes, the company should have thought about this, but after you do this, the unit works flawlessly.
3. There is no TV-out or TV-tuner in the unit, you need to hook it to a VCR via the rca video and audio connectors to tune into tv/catv programs

Love the product. Very surprise that the company did not mass produce this product. This product could have replaced the VCR.
I have not tried the latest DVD-Recorder. Since the CDRW price is so low relatively to the DVD disc, this product is a great alternative. I use it for mostly storing vacation videocam from the VHS-C to the disc (great storage of memories). Again, great product.

Before I start let me clarify that this Video-CD recorder is NOT for everyone. For instance, my mother could never use it... it has too many buttons and there is no single-button operation (except for Video-CD playback). Recording involves pressing the menu button, selecting the video and audio source, hit record, waiting for the "Record ready" message, and then pressing the "confirm" button.

With that in mind, for the video and techno-geek, this unit is very nice. I will start by listing the good points:

1. You can record around 73 minutes of video on 650mb CD-R media
- or 79 minutes of video on 700mb (80 min) media.
2. You can use CD-R OR CD-RW (rewritable) media.
3. The unit has composite video (RCA plugs), stereo sound (RCA) inputs and outputs in the back, and a secondary set of inputs in the front.
4. The unit has s-video input and output connectors in the back.
5. The unit has digital audio input!
6. In addition to TV programs, movies, etc, you can also record CD-Audio to cdr-audio media.
7. The unit records in MPEG1 video cd format but with EXCELLENT image quality, much better than the dazzle 1 or other PC-based mpeg1 hardware encoders. There is no pixelation, if the source image quality is clear and good.
8. You can play back recorded programs on CD in the unit OR on any Pentium 1 - 100Mhz or higher PC running Windows, Linux, or MacOS.
9. You can see what the recording is going to look like by hooking your Terapin's video-out to the Video-IN of your TV (what you see is what you get, no surprises!).

The bad:
1. You need to "finalize" the disc before a disc runs out of space, otherwise, you can't play it back on a PC.
2. The unit overheats. The manual recommends turning the unit off to let it cool down after 4 hours of continued use. This can be easily fixed by opening the unit (voids warranty), and drilling a few holes to let the hot air get out. Yes, the company should have thought about this, but after you do this, the unit works flawlessly.
3. There is no TV-out or TV-tuner in the unit, you need to hook it to a VCR via the rca video and audio connectors to tune into tv/catv programs

I have owned one of these things since 2004. It works fine if you use "terapin brand" CD-R's. I have not found an alternate brand that the machine will recognize, so I use the one terapin brand CD-RW that came with the machine. If I lose that CD-RW the machine is useless. I would not recommend its purchase.

I ordered one of these units on impulse a couple of years ago but didn't set it up immediately (flooded basement, broken sewer line, new baby--you know how it is!). Bad luck there. Once I did get it up and running, I quickly discovered that it was useless for the task that I'd bought it: making VCDs of family videos. The problem with the unit is that it freezes during recording whenever there's the slightest imperfection in the video signal, which, with analog video, is bound to occur now and then, so what I've ended up with is CDs with a few minutes of action and then a single frame, frozen, all the way to the end of the CD. (When I contacted Terapin about my problem, explaining that I'd just taken the product out of the box and it didn't work right, they basically shrugged and said, "Tough. It's out of warranty.") So if you see one of these on Ebay or at a garage sale, be advised that it may work for audio, but don't get your hopes up that you'll be able to capture video (unless you have a digital camera--but then why would you want a Terapin, with its inherently inferior video quality?).

Sure do love my Terapin.

Q: Only records on a certain brand of CD?
A: False. But you may have to try a couple different brands before you find a compatible one. The Terapin is compatible with most all BRAND NAME cd's. Besides, today's retail stores will accept the return of a slightly used CD stack, if you explain the cd's are not compatible with your equipment.

Q: The unit overheats?
A: True. It is known for this. However the solution is well-documented online. As soon as I bought my brand new Terapin, I immediately voided the warranty by removing the top metal case cover and drilling about 50 holes in it. After that, i NEVER had a heat related problem.

Q: It freezes while recording?
A: False. In two years of frequent recording, I've never had it "freeze on a frame". For the gentleman who had this problem, I suggest he had a very bad video source. It is true, however, that if you "switch sources" during a recording, it will probably turn the disk into a coaster.

Q: What's so great about a Terapin?
1. cheap disks
2. because of its VHS-quality pixelization, it visually improves a source whose picture has quality problems.
3. Besides being able to play back disks in your Terapin, you can also play the finalized disk in 99% of today's DVD players.