Info and forum posts by 'nerd_face'

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Joined on: Sunday, 12th December 2004, 12:31, Last used: Friday, 4th February 2005, 15:01

Access Level: Mostly Harmless

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This user has posted a total of 18 messages. On average, since joining, this user has posted 0 messages a day, or 0.02 messages a week. In the last 30 days, this user has posted 0 messages, which is on average 0 messages a day.

Recent Messages Posted:

RE: Liteon 5045 from SVP

Hambrook,

Your post Heading refers to the LVW-5045, but the link you point to is with regard to the 5006.

Just pointing it out.

Cheers,

Nerd_face

RE: Lite-On lvw 5045 Superb

Hi Emily,

In my opinion, the editing fuctions on the 5045 do pretty much everthing you need, apart from one, and that is `delete chapter` is needed. There are ways of doing this manually, but it`s messy and timeconsuming as per Richard Lloyd mentioned in a previous thread.

The `split` (video), and `merge`(video) work wevy well.

You can aslo `insert` or remove `chapter markers`.

Add tiles to your recordings, and you can text input them from the remote quite simply, as though you were writing a text on a mobile. I quite like that bit.

So you can actually chapter delete by using the `split` and `merge` functions, it would be a whole lot easier if Liteon had of just added a `delete chapter` function. I`m almost certain this will come in a later version of firmware, as one or two of us on here have pestered Liteon about this (the more the merrier, if you wish to join this cause), and it`s obviously something which the design team have overlooked. All the funtionality is already within` the software, it`s just now they need to stick it together in a macro and call this new function `delete` chapter.

Oh the editing video is all very simpleand intuitive also.

With the editor, you can also set any `still` from the video you have recorded to be the thumbnail in the library; i.e when you use the browser key to see which programmes you have recorded onto the HDD, the thumbnails are displayed with the title underneath.

What more do you want...

:-)

RE: viewing while recording

Richard,

I don`t see the bug which you are seeing wrt to using FF/RW whilst watching a creently recorded program.

Blue LED`s by their very nature are brighter than other colours, even for much less current. If you stck about 500micro-Amps through a blue LED, then it will appear brighter than say a green, red or amber led with 20milli-Amps through it.

Also what is srong with purchasing one of the 5045`s early if Liteon are placing free firmware on thier site. I don`t see other `DVD with HDD manufacturers` doing likewise.

I agree it is ashame that you can`t actually watch whilst recording from the HDD, as the box obviouly contains the funtionality in hardware, as it supports the `watch a current recording`, whilst it is still recording the remainder of the program. Therefore the software just needs to improve to perform this function. Still having siad that there is quite a bit involved, as it need writing, testing and qualifying. The software can always improve, no matter what DVD with HDD you`d have bought, and it probably will when folk like us `the users at the sharp end` inform/suggest to Liteon as to what might turn their already excellant product, into and undeniably exceptional piece of kit.

RE: Yes, chapter deletion would be nice...and some bug fixes too please...

Hi Richard,

ecivres_wtcd[at]moc.tinoetil Tiawan

ecivres_sucd[at]moc.tinoetil United States

ecivres_ue[at]moc.tinoetil Europe (Holland)

selascd[at]moc.tinoetil

Try all of these, I guess?

Although I haven`t had any response yet!

RE: What`s the best way of removing ads on the 5045?

I agree Richard,

sounds very tedious.

Wouldn`t it be good if Lire-on brought out firmware which allowed you to erase chapters(whilst you are in the `edit` menu). That would make it much easier to mark and erase chapters, rather than having to split and merge.

I shall put the quetion to Lite-on, as it sounds like a simple enouigh function, and all the tools are in available in the current software (i.e. split and merge, erase), therefore it should be a simple sequence of commands (that the box already has) for the software engineers at worst. This would save all the button pressing that you mentioned, when you performed that very function manually.

I`ll stick out the question to Lite-on today...

Watch this space...

RE: Got my 5045 - sweet box!

Sounds to me like the freeview box you have bought has only got a single SCART, and that you cannot truely route SCART signals through the freeview box, as you mention Freeview SCART in/out. This sounds like it could be a potential issue. If this is the case you`b be better off with a freeview box with 2 SCART`s on the back, and just use the TV out SCART from it, unless you still want to route to a VCR (unlikely as you`ve now got a 5045 with HDD), unless you still simulaneously want to record Freeview to VCR whilst recording Sky(Cable in my case) to the 5045.

Still it is strange that your Freeview scrolls video across the screen when you are trying to watch the standard TV signal. (sounds like something strange is going on with the Sync, Vertical sync, if it scrolls accross, Horizontal Sync if it scrolls down, Just in case check to see that all your SCART`s are fitted snuggly, as they are pretty ropey connections at the best of times, and it they are just hanging out a little this can lead to all manner of issues, especially as the Horizontal sync signal is contained within the Green signal of the Component RGB which is on the SCART ) Your TV should really ignore the SCARTS when the AV is switched to TV, as opposed to your SCART inputs. I take it that you are switching your TV over to TV AV? (usually can be done by pressing a channel number on the TV remote), often changing back to the scart is the `O` key on the TV remote but sometimes it has it`s own button, as there are several AV inputs to rotate around.

RE: Got my 5045 - sweet box!

Callwing,

Y, Pb, Pr, is really more for High definition component signals, and have about twice the bandwidth of your more usual RGB component signals (which are more usual in the UK market products).

On the lite-on site under the 5045 "more LVW-5045 Specification" (see link)
www.liteonit.com/DC/english/lvw_5045/lvw_5045_2.htm

it states (Under rear connections):

Component video output Cinch (green / blue / red) (Cinch`s are phono`s to you and I, also sometimes you hear them called RCA connections)

So if your projector won`t work with 576p (at least that what it looks like from your manual), then if you can run RGB component into your projector, that should be OK.

The reason I mention the `Component video output Cinch (green / blue / red)` above is that I`m not absolutely sure that will put out Y, Pb, Pr, unless you are in progressive scan mode, and that they may well put out RGB when in interlaced mode (possibly), as the info on the site doesn`t say anything specifically about Y,Pb, Pr. Now I`m not saying that it definitely won`t do Y, Pb, Pr, but I have my suspicions, as that form of component video is more akin to the U.S. (High Definition market, but Y, Pb, Pr, will also put out Standard definition signals if required, as per the U.K market, but that is not what it was first and foremost designed for ), I haven`t been able to try that out as I don`t have any kit at home with Y, Pb, Pr in, so I can`t say conclusively.

What I will say is that be wary if you switch (via the menu settings) into progressive mode(576p), and you end up trying to feed it into a display which does not support that mode... as I did that, and I then couldn`t see the menus to get myself back out of progressive mode, and even the `get-me-out-of-progressive-mode-now` (a fixed combination of button presses on the remote) which is detailed in the manual didn`t work. What I am saying is note/log which key presses you do and in what order when going into the `System/Setup` menu, and that may help. It might even be wise to roughly draw the menu which allows you to change into progressive, as that way you`ll then be able to change back to non-progressive even if you can`t see anything on the display. (I say this as this must be one of the only menus, which there isn`t a picture off in the manual..., and boy could I have done with it previously!) :-).

There is also a yes/no (left right on the arrow keys respectively) confirmation that you`ll need to be aware of, so that you actually change from back progressive permanently.

Have fun...

RE: What`s the best way of removing ads on the 5045?

Richard,

I set chapters around the adverts, and then use the hide chapter as you stated.

I tried it yesterday, then when you copy the HDD content to DVD the adverts stay hidden when you play back the DVD.

The DVD I was using for the above was a +RW, so I don`t know if the hidden chapter stuff acts differently on a DVD+R, DVD-R and DVD-RW, as you don`t need to `finalise` a DVD+RW.

Richard, if you are merging parts 1 & two back together after removing the adverts, whocare what the thumbnail for part two is? Besides if you do wan`t to set he thumbnail from the same split chapter, then it`s easy enough to do.

That certainly would save you the mess of the way you were doing it, but your way you could fit more time onto the DVD, hence maybe allowing a better quality of recording (i.e SP rather than LP for example)

I`m no worried about scaling in the incorrect mode o fit on a single DVD, I`ve had hours of fun putting my 5045 through it`s paces. :-)

RE: Got my 5045 - sweet box!

Callwing,

Yes it does have `France` as an option for the (Analogue) TV Tuner (as well as a host of other European countries). Although the serial numer on the rear of my box states `UK` as a suffix, so I don`t know if that means anything as far as the TV Tuner is concerned?

The 576 progressive scan mode is independantly settable in the menu to NTSC or PAL, so I assume that the 576p should work in either PAL or NTSC, although I haven`t tried this, as my TV at home is PAL only.

Forget all that I was stating in my previous post with regards converting recorded HQ to LP definition. Seems that the 5045 only lets you set the quality (ie. HQ, SP, LP, EP, SLP) when recording from the SCART, (possibly the TV Tuner also, but I`m not using that). When using the copy funtion for copying HDD to DVD or visa versa, you are stuck with the definition mode(HQ, SP, LP etc) in which you recorded it originally.

So the only way to do what I was saying originally really is :

Play the 3 `split` HQ DVD`s through the SCART of the 5045 using another DVD player(a DVD player RGB out preferably) , that way you can record them back onto the 5045`s HDD in LP mode and `merge` and then put tham back onto a single DVD in LP mode.... a bowlake I know, but looking back I was stupid in the first place for not recording the 2hr :15minute film in LP mode. (Isn`t the benefit of hindsight wonderful!)

Still I`ve had some fun exercising the 5045, trying out the editing functions `split` and `merge`, insert and delete chapters and I`m very happy with those.

Next time :-) ...

I`m glad to hear that you`re enjoying your 5045 experience aslo Richard, now that it`s finally arrived.

RE: I`ve twice been burned by amazon.co.uk with DVD recorders!

order your Lite-on LVW- 5045 from

www.cclonline.com

They are only £350 + p&p

They also show how many they have in stock currently online, and`t it`s true!

Order it today, and you`d still get it for Christmas (probably) :-)

13 in stock as of now, 40 more in 2 to 3 days. They`re going like hot cakes...

Better still if you live in Yorkshire or there abouts (i.e. have car can travel), then you can go and pick one up yourself !

RE: Try a firmware update?

Callwing, (and Richard Lloyd, plus any others who might be interested!)

I`m not sure whether the TV tuner is good for the French Secam system, it probably is, but I`ll check out my 5045 menu options tonight and get back to you tomorrow. I say that it `probably is` OK for Secam, as all I can remember was changing it from `German` to `English`, as I remember there were others on the menu, but obviously I wasn`t paying attention to those at the time. I`m not sure about the Progressive Scan in bothe PAL ans NTSC, although I thought that those `switches` on the menu are independant. I`ll get back to you again on that one, but I don`t have a progressive scan TV at home. There is a PAL or NTSC select feature in one of the menus, but I`m not sure if this withdraws the option to have progressive scan if you choose NTSC? (like I said I`ll have a quick look!) I am watching through a 32" Sony 100Hz TV.

If you are linking a piece of kit to a projector, I`d have thought that a potential niggle could be that the 5045 only performs 576p (576 line progressive scan), and althought 576p isn`t really that bad at all, you`d really wan`t something that could output 720p and/or 1080i(interlaced), that would be Hi-Definition ready (possibly) for the future. Still I wouldn`t let that stop me buying the 5045 either.

Richard/Lloyd

You may have missed my point. Re : your (Richard Lloyd) quote :

Quote:
Oh and I don`t know why people are even bothering with the TV tuner on these DVD/HD recorders, surely you`d only be feeding it with Freeview (boxes are 30-50 quid now!), Sky or cable? Besides, if the TV tuner GUI is anything like the one on my Liteon 5005 (i.e. terrible), then the less said about it the better...

earlier I (nerd_face) posted (re: the poor quality of the 5045 TV tuner):

Quote:
This issue doesn`t really bother me, as I didn`t buy the 5045 to be a TV Tuner anyhow, I got it for the rest of the functionality. To get around this you really want to just buy a Freeview digital Box and plug it into another SCART on your TV. That way when you recording Sky via the SCART, you can just change over to the Freeview AV SCART on your TV. (Assuming you can recieve Digital terestrial in your area that is?). This way you also get more channel choice to (via the Freeview AV SCART on your TV) than the Analogue TV Tuner on the 5045 (Channel 1 to 5), when you are recording Sky through your SCART.
In fact if the 5045 had of been designed without a TV Tuner, I would have still purchased it.

In response to your quote above Richard, if you feed the 5045 via the SCART with a Freeview (Digital terestrial) tuner, then when you are recording something from that particular Freeview box, you then can`t choose to watch another channel(as you are recording a particular channel). i.e you don`t want to fall back and watch the TV tuner signal, because as we`ves established it appears pretty inadequate. This means that you would require another(a second)) Freeview box, to feed to another SCART on your TV, hence you then have a digital quality signal to fall back onto when you are recording. Like you say though Richard, these Freeview things only cost about £30 each, so buying a couple shouldn`t present a problem for folk who don`t want to bother subscribing to Sky or Cable services.

Nerd_face.

P.S. FYI... out of interest...

Last night I recorded LA Confidential onto the HDD on my 5045(to later store onto DVD), as I this is one of my all time favourite films; I recorded it using the HQ mode(the HDD is capable of 33 hours recording in this HQ mode). This morning I then decided to archive the said film from the HDD to DVD-R, at which point the player states, (and correctly so) not enough room on the DVD. i.e. now I know that you can only fit 1 hour onto a DVD in HQ mode, but I thought that the 5045 would give me the option in which quality mode (i.e HQ, SP, LP, EP, SLP) to which record the film onto DVD. So really I should have recorded the film in LP mode (which still gives excellent playback quality, without any issues), that way in LP mode you can recored 3 hours to a single DVD (2 Hours in SP), and LP would be needed as this film lasts for ~155 minutes (2:15). So that`s just a word of warning for those who might do as I did!

There is a way around this (Although I haven`t done this yet!).

The editing functions on 5045 allow you to `split` the info recorded on the HDD. This way I could record the `split` parts of the (2hr 15minute) film onto 3 seperate Re-Writable DVD`s (DVD1 :1hr; DVD2 : 1hr; DVD3 : 15 minutes) in HQ mode.

Then record the threee DVD`s back to the HDD in LP mode. The 5045 allows you to `merge` recordings. So `merge the three LP mode parts of the film together on the HDD, and wey hey, put the all merged LP mode back onto a single DVD.

Messy I know, but it should work. Still you won`y need to do all that nonsense if you just record it onto the HDD in the correct mode first (Doh!)

Still It just goes to show you how flexible the 5045 really is, with it`s editing functions of split and merge etc...

RE: Try a firmware update?

In honesty callwig,

The (Off Air) TV Tuner, doesn`t give the best picture I`ve seen from a TV Tuner and it does appear to have phase or clock noise on it of some kind. It looks as though there may possibly not be enough screening on the Tuner(possibly?), or this could be either a fundamental problem such as the PCB layout, or even that it`s just a crappy cheap tuner. I very much doubt the latter, as the rest of the product is high quality, and I haven`t heard anyone stating that the Tuners on the 5006 model is a problem?, so I figure that Lite-on are using the same Tuner.

Beside`s When I was looking at the TV signal, I had my ariel coax routed all over the place amongst a whole jumbe of wires (signals & mains), which I dare say wouldn`t help if they were `picking up`/ coupling to some noise into the Off Air TV signal. Also of course it might just be because this product has a HDD( producing noise?), and will obviously have more memory (probably DDR) than other previuos models, hence meaning faster clock edges, and therfore produces it`s own interferance?

This issue doesn`t really bother me, as I didn`t buy the 5045 to be a TV Tuner anyhow, I got it for the rest of the functionality. To get around this you really want to just buy a Freeview digital Box and plug it into another SCART on your TV. That way when you recording Sky via the SCART, you can just change over to the Freeview AV SCART on your TV. (Assuming you can recieve Digital terestrial in your area that is?). This way you also get more channel choice to (via the Freeview AV SCART on your TV) than the Analogue TV Tuner on the 5045 (Channel 1 to 5), when you are recording Sky through your SCART.
In fact if the 5045 had of been designed without a TV Tuner, I would have still purchased it.

Sounds to me that you probably want Sky+ (That way you can record Two Front-End pure un-encoded digital satellite streams to the HDD simultaneaously), unless you want the DVD features of the 5045, or you don`t want to tie in with Sky.

The picture through the SCART and also playback from the HDD or DVD oon the LVW-5045 is of very high quality, with no problems whatsoever. The RGB colour space is very slightly affected when watching through the SCART but you really you can`t tell when watching at all, (hardly suprising when you think that the signal has to undergo A to D conversion, and then D back to A again and possibly undergoes scaling etc...).
and you`d probably need to look at the RGB signals with an oscilloscope to see the difference. I am very scrutinous about the quality of colour/signal that I watch, and this issue doesn`t phase me in the slightest. In fact I`m so scrutinous, that most folk wouldn`t even see this issue at all (even if you look for it!)

For £350, when you you look at other boxes which perform the same functions at the LVW-5045, ie HDD and Combination DVD recorder (i.e. a DVD that will record to both +R and -R standards), they are about £600 or more.

Callwig,

The decision is your`s but I work in set top box design, and I`m totally pleased with my purchase.

Nerd_Face

RE: LITEON LVW-5004 ????

What I meant to say was :

Re :
Quote:
I think you`d know if it was a 5045.

i.e. it would have a 160Gb HDD in it !

Having had a quick diddle on the net, it looks like the 5004 model was/is something more designated to the German/European market?

RE: LITEON LVW-5004 ????

I think you`d know if it was a 5045.

i.e. it would have a 160Gb HDD in it !

;-)

Having had a quick diddle on the net, it looks like the 5004 model was/is something more designated to the

RE: Anyone bought the Lite-on 5045 with 160GB hard drive yet?

RB,

I`ve posted a bit of a review on the Bargain Buckets forum for the Liteon LVW-5045; go look there...

In fact better than that... go buy one, they are well worth their salt.

OH I forgot to mention, that in the record modes HQ SP LP EP SLP

HQ (33Hrs on HDD, 1Hr on DVD) record/playback is as good as your origianl signal (obviously you would exoect nothing less), but considering that it`s been through a mixture of A to D and D to A conversions, and through rescalers/DENC`s etc, thats not bad.

SP (66Hrs on HDD, 2Hrs on DVD) is Excellent video quality also and absolutely good enough to not be a problem from record/playback perspective even to my discerning eye.

LP (99Hrs on HDD, 3Hrs on DVD) Still a very good picture, which most folk would still say is that digital. Well worth using this format if you want to put a film which is more than 2 Hrs in length onto a single DVD.

EP (132Hrs on HDD, 4Hrs on DVD) Still a whole lot better than VHS, your mum would still think that it was digital ;)

SLP (198Hrs on HDD, 6Hrs on DVD) Haven`t had time to try this mode yet, still I can`t see a reason why I would want to use it!

(The above were all watched on a 32" Widescreen TV, so if there had of been any

RE: Try a firmware update?

I`ve just repleced my Liteon LVW-5045, with a new one of the same model. On the new unit, the Audio is just fine and dandy.

I think the pause live TV function is great. Who needs SKY+ !, this baby will work with any SCART signal whether it`s from a Cable, Satellite, or Freeview.

Recording to and from DVD or HDD is kids play. I Especially like the Editing functions available in the software; such as you can add titles to the recorded clips (nothing unusual there then) the beauty of this is that you can use the number keys to wtite the text title in the same format as when texting on a mobile (i.e. press "2" once and you get A, press "2" twice and you get B... etc).

The unit could be improved by having a digital terestrial front end, that would be nice, then you could record from either SCART(Cable/Satellite) or digital terestrial, instead of SCART or analogue terestrial. This would give the option to watch a digital quality program via the digtital terestrial, whilst recording (to DVD/HDD) via the SCART(RGB Component) or visa versa, that way you are not forced into reverting back to watching analogue TV, when recording high quality via the SCART (RGB Component).

They way I get around this is I have a freeview box (Digital terestrial) plugged into another SCART on my TV (a different SCART on my TV to that which the LVW-5045 is plugged into).

I`m certainly singing the praises of this unit overall... Rush on out there are buy one now, if you been holding off and are not sure, you`ll be convinced by the time you`ve had a go! What are you waiting for.

Considering that there is an easy Region hack, and that other Combi Boxes (+R & -R DVD recorders) without HDD are in the £150 to £200 price bracket, that the added extra for the LVW-5045 is a snip, especially given it`s flexibility as it contains a HDD.

Once again I can`t sing the praises of the menu and GUI enough they are about as intuitive as it gets.

Get`s my vote...

One pleased customer.

RE: Try a firmware update?

Cheers Richard,

Like you said, I couldn`t even see any menus.

But I`ve now managed to flip my box back into interlaced mode (from progressive scan), by attaching it to a monitor at work which takes 576p.

New problem is : The Audio out of the SCART to the TV isn`t functioning. It loops Audio through (to the TV) fine when the 5045 is in standby mode (powered buit not on). But when you try and play a DVD, or play any A/V through the SCART with the unit switched on (i.e out of standby), then I get Video but no Audio. Seems like there must be a fault on the Audio DAC`s/Matrix Switching somewhere. It could possibly be firmware as this thing is just out????, but I very much doubt this, as it feels like a hardware problem to me. Anyhow I`m going to change the unit today, and see how a new one goes on.

4-6 Weeks from Amazon!!! Foget it (I`d cancel that order!), there are plenty of places with the unit in stock for about £6 to £10 delivery for a few days. Mostly on the net as you mentioned.

One place you might want to try is www.cclonline.com, (but I`d wait to see how I go on when I get a replacement unit from them later today!), as I know they actually have stock right now. It`s under Products > Audio & Entertainment > DVD Players., and If you are anywhere near West Yorkshire, you could actually pick one up, to save the delivery of a HDD product getting thrown around during delivery by Amazon.

For the record, at one point the unit also (soft) crashed, and the colour space went a bit iffy (looked like it lost red or something?), but one reset(powered down) it was OK. This (crashing) could have possibly been something to do with the amount of keys I`ve been pressing on the remote... maybe I upset the unit a little? Still this only happened once, and this doesn`t put me off (assuming I get a replacement with which the Audio works, as per mentioned above) as recording Video to the HDD or DVD works fine, and the menu`s are very straight forward, even you Grandma could use it (so long as she doesn`t flip it into 576p mode :D )

RE: Ended up buying it from Argos...

I`ve just bought one of the Liteon LVW-5045 super DVD recorder with hard drive thingies.

Problem,

I`ve got the damn thing stuck in a 576p(progressive mode) video mode.

When I try to get out of this mode (back to interlaced video) by using the sequence of keys in the maual (">", "5", "0", "2", "0", followed by "Enter"), nothing happens.

Can anybody help me? please... I`ve just spent £350 quid, and I can`t even play with the damn thing! :/