Philips DVDR75 review and performance

I found a 100 spindle of DVD +R's st Best buy for $75. I've recorded a couple dozen VHS movies on them in M2 and M2+ format with no problems to video or sound.

 

hi all,

i'm new here, and after doing my homework and reading all posts, i can find a lot of praise about the dvdr75's recorded picture quality, but the comparison is always against a - seemingly - commonly hated equipment i - fortunatelly - do not know. (yes, i know that pic quality is not the main issue about it)

so, what about a comparison against e.g. the sony gx7?
have any of you tested it?

i'm asking this, because i'm only interested in best quality recording of very high quality, hard-to-compress (bright, high shutterspeed, high contrast) DV material.

anything above 1,5-2 hrs on a disk is out of question for me, but i think i'll opt for the 1hr modus.

have some of you tested pana or sony recorders against your equipment, concerning recorded pic quality? (mpeg noise, blurring, color problems)

i do not intend to throw out extra money for nothing to get a pricey equipment, like the sony, but i'm really hard pressed to get the best possible result.

so, if you have some results, please let me know.

i'd appreciate any input on this.

 

i know, that my goal falls somewhat out of the ordinary usage of this equipment.

but...

i cannot believe that none of you tested any other recorders quality compared to this one.
then, what did you based your purchase decision upon?

sorry, for being provocative, but it looks that everybody seems to have lost their interests in their equipment and sold them.
or went on holyday?

 

My main focus has been on low priced DVD recorders as a replacement for a VCR. I tend to record at the lowest quality level with the cheapest recorder and therefore not a good comparison for you.

That said, I've tried the Cyberhome, Philips and now an Emerson EWR10D4. They each have their own quality quirks. I have trouble seeing any problems in any of them at 1hour mode. When you get to the lower quality settings (6hour) each behaves differently.

The Cyberhome is jerky, 352x240, very blocky, but the blocks are smoothed out making the overall image fuzzy. The end result isnt that bad when seen from a distance.

The Philips is 352x480. For a scene with little movement, its extremely sharp, clear, smooth. Its problem is when the scene suddenly changes. The image explodes in very clear, sharp blocks that can be very disconcerting once you've noticed them. I think I've been able to see some of this behavior even in 2 hour mode. The philips FAQ on their website also warns about recording from i-link in 1 hour mode, says the quality may suffer and suggests using s-video input instead! I've used 3 hour mode and it seems ok.

The Emerson supports a 10 hour mode. Its 352x240, sometimes jerky, generally fuzzy. Blocks aren't as apparent as either the Cyberhome or Philips. Surprisingly adequate. The higher quality modes don't improve as quickly as they should. 6 and 8 hour don't seem any better, 6 hour seems worse to me. 4 hour goes to 352x480, its definitely sharper. 1 and 2 hour are 720x480. I think I may have seen jerkiness even at 2 hour mode, but never in 1 hour.

Dunno if this helps. I think the bottom line is that all MPEG compression is a tradeoff and each unit will have its unique distortion that it adds to the video. I think its best to test them at low quality settings so that you can easily recognize the type of distortion that unit produces, then try to spot that says type of distortion at higher quality settings.

 

Hello All,

It has been a few months since I started this thread, and the first time I have visited the forum since, as well.

Regarding the DVDR75....it is awesome and very reliable! I have had and use mine daily since I got it about 3 months ago....NO problems at all!

I earn a living shooting and editing commercials and other video in general. My cameras are both broadcast quality. Last night I burned (10) 25 min. projects to DVD+R. Each one came out flawless and the unit and discs were barely warm after repeated burns! Yes, the DVDR75 meets reliability of more costly professional units...I love it!

Regarding finalizing +R discs. I don't know if this is normal, but I cannot finalize UNLESS I play the disc for a few seconds first. The finalize option does NOT appear in the system menu until this is done. No big deal, and it is easy. Are others experiencing this?
If it is a flaw, it is certainly not critical, and does not affect performance whatsoever....what a killer recorder!

I solicit any replies...

Thanks.

Bob

 

thanks for your input

renderman,
could you tell me whether you used the dv input or one of the analogue ones?
also, in which mode did you record them?

thanks again

 

I run 2+M record mode from VCR through the clairifier on RCA jacks with no problems. Even VCR recordings that are not protected run great in that mode. Very happy with the Phillips in this mode. I plan on using the clairifier on my older phillips DVD player to see how backups of DVD media record fairly soon.

 

Hello Compair,

Good question....

I do shoot and edit in DV, and I do have a firewire ouput from the editor's breakout box on my editing computer. I only have one firewire cable at present, and it is wired into my dv (digital tape) recorder deck. I use this deck to download the cam's tapes, and never use my cams, which avoids wear. I then capture to hard drive, all the data that is on the tapes from the dv recorder. All my equipment and wiring (tons of it), are kinda permanent, and I don't want to be swapping cables, etc. The cam1 input on the 75, is always wired in. I play my video, regardless of length, right from the timeline of my editing software on the editing computer, and record to DVD at the same time....Done Deal! I do not burn from any other input. I use the SVHS input for maximum quality, and it is superb. So yes, I do use the analog inputs of the 75. In my opinion, the firewire input is mostly designed for those who just want to burn to disc from the cam's output. You can't edit that way, but at least you can burn the tapes to dvd without using a pc. I always edit my footage, and there is NO generation loss....then I either burn to DVD+R, or write the project to tape.....simple, and after my repeated testing, I find the video/audio quality of burns from the analog inputs are EXACT clones of the original footage. In my case, I would have to say that analog inputs to the 75 are quite sufficient for maximum quality. Firewire input is way cool for the home cam crowd, but unnecessary for me. DV input, therefore, is insignificant, although I could use it if I wanted to...But why? There is no visible difference in quality from using the analog inputs on the 75.

All of my additional equipment is rather high dollar, but necessary for professional and high quality work.
The DVDR75 is one of my lowest priced pieces of equipment, but it's final disc quality is superb!!!

Because of broadcast quality material, MPEG compression and artifacts are never a problem, even at lower recording resolutions. I always use the fastest recording speed I can, and use the lower settings for longer material. In my business, to perserve absolute quality, I mostly use the M1 (M2, ok as well) mode, and use additional discs for long projects....My clients demand the quality....and they get it!

Actually burning a disc as I write this reply on my networked pc...

Did I say how much I LOVE my Philips?

Hope this helps...

Cheers!

Renderman

 

Can someone tell me how to use the fast forward button on the DVDR75? It seems to move forward a great deal if you press the forward button once and even faster if you price it twice. Is there any way to forward thru' chapters like what's available on the DVD player on your computer?

Also for some reason, I am unable to fast forward at all when playing VCD.

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks

 

Regarding DVD+R media.... I forgot this in my last post...

As a video professional, we order all our blank media,
tape, dvd, cd-r, etc., from a media supplier. They ship only what they believe to be the best quality. They ship ONLY Maxell DVD+ and DVD-R. And yes, it is good and reliable. Our dvd's play in everything I've tried! Cheap players, portables, computers, and even PlayStation. I would highly recommend this brand. Over 90 discs burned with the 75 since I got it....not one coaster, and they play in everything!

When in a pinch, I will buy Sony discs from Wal-Mart.
They seem to work well, too. No complaints from clients....Wal-Mart is usually out of DVD+R, though. I Guess that is because they sell to CyberHome owners. With all the coasters those machines produce, it is no wonder that they are always out of stock!

Cheers!

Renderman

 

emtan,
The fast forward button on the remote does do a chapter forward. To do fast forward you have to hold the button down for a while. Fast forward is initially 4x, then 8x, then 32x. In M6 recordings, 8x and 32x don't work properly. They go much faster.

 

renderman,

thank you for the explanation of the way you use your r75.

though, a bit out of the ordinary, it makes sense.

however, i feel, you must have had some bad experience with burning digital data to dvd.
in a system like yours, the usual recording device is a dvd-writer in the computer itself. (or a dvd-rack, if the number of copies needed justifies that.)

i'm sure you tried all possible ways to make your clients happy and satisfied with the resulting dvds.
if using analogue input on a tabletop device is the preferred way for you to go, i'm sure, this recorder's analogue feeded m1 mode must be of nice quality.

thank you, again

 

Hello again Compair, and others.....

Just to clear things up a bit. Yes, I do professional video, but that does NOT mean I am any better or above anyone else here on the forum. I too, learn from others, and find the forums the ideal place to pick up pointers, and sometimes rant about related issues.....in short, here is really where it's at. Had I tried to research the CyberHome forums earlier, I would have saved all the aggravation I went through with that thing...I am used to spending lots of money for my equipment....it is just the price of entry one must absorb to be able to attain broadcast quality, etc. Like many here on the forum, I too am always looking for a bargain, so I went for the 1500. Well, most of us know the rest of the story....

I have a good -R burner in one my computers, and it works well. But software conversion to MPEG is time consuming AND it ties up my pc. Real-time encoding with a standalone recorder has been the solution.
I do a lot of dvd burning, but really not enough to justify the purchase of an expensive duplicator.

Used professionaly, the DVDR75 cuts the mustard! I will continue to use it until it dies! Already, the recorder has paid for itself, and I've made a substantial amount of profit with it as well....So, why spend any more? The quality is about as good as it gets with the 75, and that is my only concern.

I really don't use many of the features of the 75....all I really care about is auto chapter insert.
I do not bother with menus and stuff, because I am too busy to mess with it. My clients don't care either, all they want is to see their video on disc, and that it will play on others' players, and that their remotes will access each chapter. Plain and simple, the way I like it!

Cheers!

 

Started a new thread elsewhere, but this one seems directed exclusively at the DVDR75.
I just installed the unit yesterday, and it copies great from my Dish and from my VDR deck, but my VCR attached to Ext1 or through the 75 ohm cabel shows a black and white image with red bars through it. Tried both Interlaced and Progressive scan with no improvement. I will try anothe deck with manual tracking adjustment tonight, but this looks like a sync issue to me. If this is an RYFM issue, I cannot find it in the FM.
Has anyone else encountered this and if so have you found a fix?

Thanks, Jim

 

Please note this happens with a commercial tape and also with a tape I recorded off TV that should have no copy protection.
Jim

 

Anyone have this problem with their Philips DVDR:

I put a blank DVD+R in the tray, it closes, reads it, and then opens? I am using blank DVD media that has worked before in the recorder (Imation). At the suggestion of the Philips help line I used several brands of DVDs (Philips and Khypermedia). I have unplugged and replugged the recorder. I have unplugged it and plugged it while pushing the standby button which required me to go through the initial set-up again. Still the tray opens with blank DVD. When I put in recorded DVD it plays fine.

Any suggestions?

 

greetings...I bought a used DVD 75 from Best Buy for $250 bucks! I though it was a good deal. The 75 is ok except for audio. When I play back the DVD I hear this backgorund audio noise. I've changed my settings from "all" to "PCM only". I haven't tried off.

Does anyone have any suggetions. Or yeah what's the difference between SAP and and stereo. Any help would be graciously appreciated! Cuz I do luv my 75.

 

Never experienced background noise. The all vs. PCM controls digital output via the coax. If you think that might be the problem, try connecting to the analog (regular stereo) connections and see if the noise is still there. If its gone, then it was probably a mismatch in the digital protocol between your receiver and the Philips. If the noise stays, then it maybe a bad connection especially if its hum or scratchy when moving the cable. If the noise stays and isn't the types described earlier, it could be a problem with the Philips. Maybe that's why it was returned.

SAP stands for Second Audio Program. Some stations transmit SAP in addition to the regular audio. It would be used for other languages or special audio describing whats going on for the visually impaired. Typically you want to use the regular audio, not SAP.

BTW, I saw several open box Philips at my local CircuitCity for $199. That was several weeks ago.

 

thank you D!

 

hey D,

you were correct in that it was a connection...weird actually...I have a 4 to 4 pin firewire from cam to 75...and then I have RCA going to my tv. Conlict with the red RCA. I unplug it and I have no prob...figure that?? anywho thanks again!