Alba RDVD1001XI DVD Recorder
Take control over your TV.
Customer Review: Excellent product but with a few minor problems
Let’s face it, VHS is dead, so I needed a DVD recorder so I can record programmes off the TV etc; we’re all in that situation now aren’t we? There are so many DVD recorders available on the market now I started to wondered what else I wanted from a DVD recorder. I choose the Philips 3570 because it has so much going for it: The positives: - it can play DivX movies, - it can record on nearly any blank DVD (all except DVD-RAM) - it has a built-in USB port and IEEE1394/Firewire port (4pin) - it has DV composite-in - you can do minor video editing - it has VideoPlus Timer - internal hard disk (various sizes depending on model) - you can transfer files from HDD to USB or DVD etc Once the recorder was installed with my TV and Freeview, I was very happy, but then I started to notice the little things. The negatives: - it ain’t multiregional (this is stated, so my fault) - the interface is very slow - the remote takes some time to get use to - the whole unit crashes once in while for no reason whatsoever - it takes about a minute to boot up, so there is no instant recording - the depth of the unit is large, so make sure you have shelf space Even with the minor problems, the unit is very good and I am very happy with it. Philips could do a lot more with this unit, add Freeview, add HDMI, better interface, but all in all, this unit should cater for all your needs, especially if you acquire DivX movies off the Internet.
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Customer Review: a disaster for any advanced user
Don’t buy this! Here is why: - non-intuitive remote - choice between HDD,DVD and Tuner should have been placed together, instead Tuner button is micro-small placed on completely different side than the first two - never seen such a bad software - typing a name to each of the recordings takes ages - unbeleivable but true - you have to press 25 times to get to the letter Z f.e., if you press and hold nothing happens; count yourself how many times you need to press the button to add a name The Silence of the Lambs??? - info bar does not go away - after any action you will have to press i+ button to make it go away - you can not rewind to the start of the recording, but you have to go in 5 min steps - that’s 60 actions on your button for 5 hour recording - you have only 8 timers for recording setup - timers can only be repeated “Monday-Friday” and “Weekly”, so if you want to record a show every day at preset time you will have to burn 3 timers, one will cover Monday to Friday, second one will do Saturday, and 3th Sunday. And if you want to record Football World Cup which has 3 games every day, you will need 9 timers set in this peculiar way. Disaster. - when I press Record button I get the choice 00:30, then 01:00, 01:30, etc, 06:00 then again 00:30 01:00 etc in circles, so there is no way to change your mind and abandon recording. - rewinding one chapter back requires pressing 2 times on the back button, and you have to do it quickly! This is basic function and yet it does not work! - pressing fast and repeatedly rewind button sends you to the slow-playback mode!!! - million other things Philips? Never again…
Customer Review: Wot am I watching!!
There is just one thing about this machine that is puzzling me and that is why on the title menu is there a ‘thumbnail’ picture facility but yet you cannot change it, only the first frame of the recording can be seen which will probably be blank or a tv company logo. If you cannot unlike other recorders choose the thumbnail then why bother having one at all. It is a minor niggle but when you have been used to this, my usual ‘trick’ was to make the thumbnail the shows title, it seems a shame for it not to be incorporated when there are other features that are available but just not used!
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