Page 1 of After the Philips DVDR610: VHS is NOT dead!

I finally gave up the battle and took my DVDR610 back to Makro and got a full refund - they are now refunding these with no question. To cut a long story and a long list of problems short, the bottom line is there were just too many problems with this machine. I spent a lot of time downloading updates, researching and trying different types of media etc, but I could just never rely on it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Often it would crash when starting a recording, sometimes it would record but the recording wouldn't play back. Sometimes recordings would play on some machines but not others. It was just a load of hassle.

So we went back to using VHS tapes for recording. The quality isn't as good but it has one massive advantage - it just works.

I don't think I'll be trying another DVD recorder. Makro said they are getting loads of returns of all the makes. The Philips DVDR610 is a piece of junk - the user interface is awful and the software has too many bugs (I was on V26 when I gave up). But I think the technology is fundamentally flawed: The media is too fragile for a domestic environment and there are too many incompatibilities and intricacies that families are just not interested in learning about. The wife can pick up a box of video tapes in Tescos and the whole family can use them. I could never get them interested in learning about +R/W/-R/W, finalising, and all that stuff.

Whoever said the video recorder is dead got it wrong. I'll be keeping mine until I see something that works without all the hassle of DVD recording.

I`ve recently found myself looking for a DVD recorder, so reading your comments has been a real eye-opener.

Quote:
But I think the technology is fundamentally flawed: The media is too fragile for a domestic environment and there are too many incompatibilities and intricacies that families are just not interested in learning about. The wife can pick up a box of video tapes in Tescos and the whole family can use them. I could never get them interested in learning about +R/W/-R/W, finalising, and all that stuff.


I fear you may yet be proved right. One thing both me and my partner have been left out in the cold with is all this +/- RW etc stuff that I keep reading about on the net. I don`t know, even now after researching it, what it really means to me if I want to record something from TV. I think it`s clear it`s quite a flexible technology, but very flawed in it`s complexity which surely for the most part is unneccesary(?). We had also looked at hard drive recorders too, but can`t seem to find one cheap enough yet (they`ve all been around the £300 mark).

So for me it could well be back to the VCR. I`ve not had a recording device since getting my first DVD player about 4 years ago, and it`s only very recently we`ve missed one, what with Dr Who back on. I suppose at least a new VCR will be cheap!

ChrisG_UK

I think you are spot on with your arguments regarding DVD recording - the very fact that this forum exists is proof that the technology, at least as it is at the moment, is not a suitable one for general domestic use.
I have tried three different models and none of them worked perfectly, or even well.

OK, the technocrats on here will say that it works if you get it right, but why should we have to find out which media works with which machine or have to download fixes just to get something that does what it is meant to do. VCR is user friendly, not media sensitive and above all, reliable. I`ll grant you that some VCR`s might work better than others and that some brands of tape might give better results, but they all do work.

As to the quality of DVD vs. VCR - Most of the models on sale have four recording quality settings but I found that whilst the one hour and two hour settings did give a greatly improved picture (when the recorder worked), recording anything with movement at the four hour setting - motor sport or ball games - gave an inferior result to VCR due to `artifacts`. At least the old VCR analogue technique gently smoothes out any anomalies and gives a good general impression of the scene.

I am ever so slightly amazed that the manufacturers actually market these machines and then expect the customers to act as R&D testers to try to end up with a working system.
To my way of thinking, a product should be developed to the point where it works before it is put on the market.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 29th June 2005, 16:09

I have a Panasonic E55 Ram Disc based machine and am yet to have a problem :D

Must be lucky i suppose, so far..........touch wood, etc, etc.

i`ve had a panasonic dmr-e30 for over 3 years, it`s copied at least 2000 disc & never missed a beat, so it`s not that the media is flawed, you just baught a s*** machine, thats not you`re fault & please don`t think i`m having a dig, enough of that goes on about this subject as it is ;) phillips have really screwed up with a lot of there dvd recording hardware (& that unfortunately translates to many "budget" +r/+rw machines) but thats not to say the media is flawed, because it simply is not, in fact to say it`s not reliable enough is ridiculous, should you throw out you`re dvd players as well ? same principle.

(& whilst i may have stones thrown at me for saying this, but, dvd ram in it`s caddy form is 10 times more durable than dvd`r/rw & 50 times more durable than vhs, which is the flakiest of formats when it comes to longevity & quality)

This item was edited on Wednesday, 29th June 2005, 17:57

I have a couple of Phiilips based Mico`s, that work just fine.

I wouldn`t let a bad experience like the disasterious 610 put you off.



I quite like the Helpdesk people in a benevolent (as opposed to malevolent) way as they do some valuable work in preventing us being inundated by every halfwit who can work a phone.

I have a couple of Phiilips based Mico`s, that work just fine.

yeah, sorry, i should have been a bit clearer (sp) i should have said "most" phillips based machines ;)

either way, i wouldn`t like anyone to be put of just because of a few BAD machines. :)

In defence of my £99 Philips 610 the only discs I had problems with were some from Jessops but it works well with the 8 speed ones from Tesco, as well as Verbatim, Infiniti etc..

However my sister has a Panasonic with HD which she`s using for copying off some recorded progs (Dr Who) to disc. And with fast copy speeds, it`s a marvel. However as someone who has more than 1 recorder, at £99 the Philips filled a spot

Having used DVD, there is **no way** I would go back to VHS.

All that faffing around to find the end of something on a tape, etc.

Mind you, I do feel sorry for Philips DVD recorder owners, so I understand your argument.

Well the Micos had (maybe still do) those that would pour scorn on them, but they were the first sub £200 machine that I knew off & in some cases £50.

They do exactly what it says on the box as do all the budget recorders really, format wise I personally couldn`t give a rats as most stuff recorded for me by THO is on +RW media which plays perfectly on my portable.

Editing is done on the PC, usually by DVD Shrink for the mere convience of setting start & stop points, theres sweet FA on ITV that I really want recorded & even less on Sky at present until BG or The 4400 returns & those I wouldnt want to archive.

I wouldn`t go back to VHS ever again, though I accept the machine I have has the same kind of limitations as a VCR, in that recordings are done in a "Serial" fashion.



I quite like the Helpdesk people in a benevolent (as opposed to malevolent) way as they do some valuable work in preventing us being inundated by every halfwit who can work a phone.

This item was edited on Thursday, 30th June 2005, 00:00