Info and forum posts by 'Anorak'

RE: VCR/DVD Combo with Hard Drive

Thanks for that Sue, the Pioneer looks just the job.

:)

VCR/DVD Combo with Hard Drive

The title to this post says it all really. Can anyone recommend a VCR/DVD combo with hard drive?

We have a stack of engineering videos at work which we wish to convert to DVD. The difference in quality doesn`t worry us too much. As the Company changes it`s name every 9 nmonths or so, the hard drive would be handy to allow slight editing of titles, etc.

I know I could upload everything to the PC, edit, burn onto DVD etc but my boss has asked for a simpler solution. Plus I think he wants to take it home at weekends which is why he asked me to also find one with a digital tuner ..... (I can`t)

Thanks in advance for any help offered.

RE: CRT telly recommendations

Thanks for all the comments.

I find the points about smearing on 100MHz very interesting. I`d always just assumed a 100MHz picture would be better than a 50MHz, but wondered why that didn`t appear to be the case when I compared them side by side in the shop on several occassions.

Still no further towrds making the final decision - I think I might just walk into a shop on Saturday and not walk out until I`ve bought something...

CRT telly recommendations

Ok, I give up! After almost a year of trying to find a replacement telly, I`ve drawn a blank - the choice is just too vast!

I`ve looked at plasmas, I`ve looked at LCD`s, I`ve looked at CRT`s. My final wish list is as follows:

CRT
32" screen
3 Scart Sockets
100Mhz
Integrated digital tuner
Price up to £500

Anyone got any recommendations or am I living in cloud-cuckoo land?

Thanks in advance for any and all advice offered. And yes, I would love a Panasonic Plasma Viera 37" HD TV - I just can`t afford one right now!

RE: LCD TV`s - is the picture really that bad?

Thanks for the feedback so far - very interesting.

I think the next time I am in the shops I shall take a look at the screen from a few feet away, not right up next to it.

Does anyone else feel, as I do, that hi-def will become the standard for transmissions in the future?

LCD TV`s - is the picture really that bad?

I`ve been looking to replace my telly for quite a while now, and after much research (real, in-depth Anorakky-standard research by the way!) I`ve decided on a Panasonic tx32ldx500 LCD Viera.

I`m convinced that in a few years time all TV broadcasts will be hi-def, so getting a CRT doesn`t seem to be the way to go as with a few honourable exceptions they are not geared up to hi-def reception. What I am surprised at is that when viewed in the shops, standard LCD reception is so crappy - pixelated blocks everywhere. I`m assured by the sales staff that DVD`s will play fine if the right cables are used, and I know the LCD will be handy for hooking up my laptop to. Also, one signal is usually shared between every TV set in the shop, which degrades picture quality. But they do admit that CRT pictures are still better than LCD`s - and apparently the pictures transmitted by a Sky Digibox (which is what I use...) are received on an LCD the worst of all.

What gets me is how glowing the reviews in all the TV and Hi-FI magazines are: "Razor sharp pictures", "Luscious colour", "Handles movement and action superbly". Again the staff in the shop say that the geeks who write the reviews just get carried away with the technology and forget to actually look at the picture and compare it to analogue reception.

So my question is - have the magazines really got it that wrong? LCD telly`s are more expensive than CRT`s and the only benefit they seem to have is that they take up less room, although they may be a better bet in the longer term. The Panasonic gets rave reviews all round - is it worth investing in?

PS: The Sony KDL V32a12u ain`t bad either and is a bit cheaper.

Macrovision blocking cables (for legal use!)

Hi,

Due to my ageing telly having no scart socket, I have to hook my Yakumo Master XL2 DVD player up to my VCR via Scart sockets and then connect the VCR to the telly by just using the stand aerial cable.

Unfortunately, this trips the Macrovision scrambler within the DVD payer which makes the disc unwatchable if it is Macrovision-protected. Those that aren`t play fine.

Macrovision blocking cables are available but obviously I want to choose the right one. I`m tempted by the Multi-Region Scart Lead (http://www.multi-region.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=674) but wondered if anyone one had any recommendations before I part with my hard-earned cash?

Thanks in advance for all advice offered!

RE: Yakumo DVD Master XL2 Player

Thanks for the replies - I have not checked this page out for a while so please accept my apologies for the slow response.

Yes, as far as I can see, the Yakumo is compatible with Dolby 5.1.

The macrovision aspect sounds like it could be the cause of the problem. My TV only has a standard aerial connector so it looks like I will have to find a way of disabling Macrovision .... or buy a new telly, which I have been giving some thought to recently.

Thanks again for the advice,

Anorak

Yakumo DVD Master XL2 Player

Hi all,

I recently purchased a Yakumo DVD Master XL2 Player (product no: 1022881) via the Amazon.co.uk website.

I have found the playback of DVD`s on the unit to be of varying quality. Some DVD`s will render perfectly, 2 of the best being Spider-Man (Catalogue number CDR 32161) and Conspiracy (Z1 25232). However, others play back at a much lower quality with the picture frequently distorting, examples being Taxi Driver (CDR90019) and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (CDR 31055).

I have played the films on other DVD players and the picture renders perfectly which leads me to suspect that the Yakumo player is at fault.

All the discs in question are purchased from high street shops (no pirate copies, I assure you). The Player is connected firstly to a Panasonic NV-SD410 video player/recorder via the SCART socket. The VCR connects to a Nikkai TLG-2090 TV set via the standard aerial connection. I also occasionally connect my digital camcorder to the TV in this manner and receive excellent results so the connection method would appear to be fine. Changing the PAL/NTSC/Multi setting on the DVD unit makes no difference, nor does adjusting the tracking control on the VCR.

Customer reviews of the Yakumo unit on the Amazon site were overwhelmingly positive. If interested you can read them here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/electronics/B0000UIXTU/customer-reviews/qid=1095515492/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/202-5857643-7961430?tag=myrev09-21

I am sure that if this were a regular fault it would have been highlighted in those reviews. Out of 303 reviews, I only found 1 that mentioned something like this problem (mind you though, I did not read them all!).

I contacted the Yakumo Technical helpdesk in Germany, and to be honest the guy on the phone was less than helpful. He called himself "Elvis" and seemed to imply that to be having these problems I must be playing pirate discs (I`m NOT!!).

Does anyone reading this have any ideas what the problem may be? Are there any adjustments I can make to the settings of the unit to obtain better playback or does the unit need to be replaced?

Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

RE: Which DVD Recorder?

fcmcd,

I`ll need to root around in my collection, but I`m bound to have something from those years. But wuld you not prefer to wait until the DVD`s are burnt?

Is it possible to PM on this forum?

RE: Which DVD Recorder?

Jimbo,

No, I meant 24x, but according to this it has now been downgraded to 12x

http://liksang.com/news.php?artc=3244

Which DVD Recorder?

I`m looking to move towards the joys of DVD recording and wondered if anyone could offer advice on a couple of units I`ve got my eye on.

I have a huge collection of bike racing tapes, recorded from the telly and amassed over the past 15 years. Obviously the tapes are beginning to deteriorate now so I was planning to get them crossed over onto DVD. After a bit of searching I located the Panasonic DMR-HS2 at Richer Sounds. DVD-RAM/DVD-R compatibility, 40GB hard disk, loads of input options all for £499.00, which seemed like a good deal. BUT then I heard about the Sony PSX. DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD+RW compatible, 250GB hard disk, loads of input options, specifications are being upgraded all the time AND it plays games. Apparently likely to be released for circa £500.00 in spring. Is a bit of patience called for?

I take it that the DVD recorder within the units can only burn video footage onto a disk and has very limited indexing and menu capabilities. It`s not really possible to use it to dupe an all-singing, all-dancing DVD which I created previously on my PC? The burn speed is 24x, which is a bit faster than my computer`s!

Thanks in advance for all advice offered!

This item was edited on Friday, 27th February 2004, 17:30