RCA SCENIUM Digital Media Recorder with DVD Player (DRS7000N)

Other products by RCA

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14.4 x 16.9 x 3.9 inches ; 20 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 19 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000078OMG
• Item model number: DRS7000N
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 18, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Now you can enjoy the best features of a progressive scan DVD player and digital video recorder in a single powerful device. The DRS7000N is equipped with a 40 GB hard drive, which lets you record up to 35 hours of over-the-air, cable, and satellite broadcasts for later viewing. Digital video recording is far superior to traditional VCR recording, as it gives the viewer more control, provides a better picture, and stores far more footage--all without the hassles of videocassettes. Adding to the DVR's value is the built-in DVD player, which not only plays your favorite movies, but also saves space in your entertainment cabinet by combining two components in one.

The DVD player employs progressive scan technology to render seamless, flicker-free images on high-definition and HD-ready TVs. Progressive scanning, called 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture with twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. The enhanced frame rate makes DVD movies look as good (or better) than they do in the theater.

Adding to the DVD player's value is its support for audio CDs, CD-R/RWs, VCDs, SVCDs, and even MP3 files burned on a CD-R disc. Users can even watch JPEG slideshows through the digital photo viewer, and then play an MP3 soundtrack over the top. And to enjoy the best possible sound, viewers can connect the DVD player to an A/V surround receiver via the coaxial and optical digital outputs. The device supports both Dolby Digital and DTS surround formats, along with virtual surround sound.

A final bonus stems from the onboard, no-fee GUIDE Plus+ Gold interactive TV guide, which makes it easier than ever to schedule recordings on the DVR. Viewers simply locate the program they want to record on the easy-to-navigate display and then hit the timer button. The device also supports one-touch recording should you want to record a show immediately.

Additional features include multiple inputs and outputs, including an iLink DV input and component and S-video outputs; a multilingual onscreen display (English, French, and Spanish); and a multibrand remote control. The DRS7000N measures 16.9 by 3.9 by 14.4 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a one-year warranty on parts and a 90-day warranty on labor.

What's in the Box
DRS7000N DVR/DVD player, remote control, two AA batteries, A/V cable, user's manual.

Product Description
Now you can enjoy the best features of a progressive scan DVD player and a digital video recorder--all in one powerful device. Get up to 35 hours of TV recording time and a convenient, no-fee Guide Plus+ Gold(TM) interactive TV guide. Record over-the-air, cable, and satelite broadcasts, or copy JPEG photos and mp3 files to the 40GB hard drive. This versatile recorder features multiple inputs and outputs, as well as a variety of recording otions so you won't miss out on your favorite shows.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A great recorder, but it doesn't always record on schedule., January 6, 2003

By	Caveat Emptor - See all my reviews

After purchasing this unit and programming it to record my favorite shows, I found that it often displays "An error occurred" when it is time for it to begin recording a show.

The errors were intermitent, and there was no apparent cause, so I exchanged the unit for a new one. The new one does the same thing.

I sent an e-mail message to RCA technical support, but they did not respond. If I cannot resolve this problem, I will probably return the unit for a refund.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs a lot of improvement, January 14, 2003

By	James Neal McComb (Mountain View, CA) - See all my reviews

My issues:
- I also get errors when trying to record with unhelpful messages
- Having it switch channels on my cable box doesn't always work (doesn't always enter all the numbers)
- It won't let me enter most 3-digit channel numbers
- Crashed on me twice so far. Unit still had clock working, but won't turn on & status light off. Unplug/Replug to work again.
- No support on website for this product yet
- Limited naming convention on recorded shows (i.e. can't specify caps where I want them, names have to be very short).
- Opening/Closing DVD drawer takes you to menu (i.e. can't put movie in to watch later without disrupting what you're watching).
- Can't record show on one channel & still watch another

When it does record, it works great.
Am hoping for some sort of firmware update(s) to fix these issues

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as bad an experience as other reviewers, July 9, 2003

By A Customer

I bought this to replace a Phillips DVD/VCR combination that wasn't even playing Disney discs properly. I am much happier with the Scenium than I was with the Phillips. The picture it records off my satellite dish is very crisp and it plays all my DVDs, even the ones that the Philips unit wouldn't touch. It also handles them more quickly. I am happy with the way it plays MP3s burned to a CD, especially audio books. I like the way I can show my digital pictures on the screen in a slideshow format too, as that was something I had hoped to do with a DVD player someday.

I have DirectTV like many of the other reviewers. I too went to Scenium technical support, and they were very willing to help me. They thought the problem was with Direct TV but didn't know the details, and steered me in that direction. Direct TV admitted that the features on the Scenium like channel changing and recording while watching another channel(as well as using the PIP feature on your TV) requires their additional service (I forget the name of it) for $9.99 per month. Since I believe I should only have to pay for a signal once, I declined. I can record what I want if I leave the Direct TV box on and set it to the channel that I want to record. That isn't any different than I was doing with the Phillips, but the recorded picture is so superior that I feel like it's an improvement. I suspect any DVD recorder I might have gotten instead of this unit would have created the same issues, because the problem is with Direct TV. I understand that a person could easily argue that one should not have to live with these limitations, but I've decided it's okay with me.